Chapter 31

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Shortly before the jump ended, the identification blocks were put back in place, and the two yachts that popped out of the hyper were once again extremely legal and shining diplomatic numbers on all scanners.

Immediately after the exit, Taer tried to contact Countess Durlurl to arrange a meeting, but her ladyship was incredibly busy, and the meeting had to be postponed for several hours.

Not wanting to take any chances, Taer ordered the yachts into acceleration and powered up the hyperdrive so that in case of 'unforeseen trouble' they could jump at any time. After that, all she had to do was give way in the communications room, the Dudo. Lance, along with the curious lord, had to organize an 'information leak'.

A few minutes later, not far from the yachts, the frigate House Fyron, listed in the ceremonial squadron and intended mainly for parades, emerged from a short jump:

But for lack of a better one, Taer thought, looking at the tactical screen where the frigate, which resembled a huge predatory fish, was circling the yachts. Apparently, this was the Countess' reaction to her call.

Half an hour later, the first rendezvous took place, but contrary to the wishes of the "specialist", it was not with Countess Durlurl. The three yachts jumped out of hyperspace within minutes of each other and made a close approach. Two Aegis's, like two drops of water like their own, and Silver Arrow. The two Aegis and the Silver Arrow, snow white as dazzling as if she looked cold even through the viewscreen. On the bow and sides of the Arrow, charcoal-black ornamentation was rolled into the monogram of Baroness Rionale.

Taer had forgotten all about the Baroness, but half of her 'army' manned by Kayrin's 'Arm' obviously remembered and continued to carry out her instructions.

The frigate guarding them jerked towards the approaching yachts but soon turned back sharply, like a beast of prey that had unexpectedly been given a peck. What exactly Baroness Rionale had said to the frigate's captain was anyone's guess.

When the yachts finally finished combining their intake ports and the sluice doors opened, the baroness who burst in resembled a concentrated blob of happiness.

She was in a tight white gown with gold sparkle, complete with a thin silver sash, and she was all glowing with joy. Kayrin flew through the transparent tube of the port of entry, forcing her attendants to change to a jog to keep up with her ladyship, and hung onto the lord, embracing him. Then she listened with a benevolent smile to Kodm's report, with Taer's comments, and immediately presented him with a ring from her own hand. Agitated, Kayrin was about to snatch a second ring from her finger and give it to the Taer. But it seems, in time, she remembered that the Taer, though in absentia, and already the First Sword of the Domain, and therefore the Blade of the House, and such a gift would be too ambiguous, if not insulting. The Baroness smiled guiltily and gracefully turned it into a joke. A small jeweled marvel of black twisted myrtle framed a white crystal "V'To" inside, which flashed a scarlet glow. The ring was worth a small fortune because of the stone alone and was clearly not appropriate as a gift for a stranger's blade.

Only my lord can give me something like that, Taer thought philosophically. He seems genuinely oblivious to gifts. Or rather, he prefers to give gifts in a more practical way. She corrected herself, remembering the half a million danarii she had been given. But you won't put them on your finger, will you? the "specialist's" secret love for such "insignia" remained completely unsatisfied.

The Baroness poured out her joy for at least a quarter of an hour. She chirped incessantly about how glad she was that everything had worked out, how excited she was, and that on such an occasion, she would, after the "Day of Gifts", be sure to visit the Throne of Fire to lay gifts for the "Second" for such a lucky rescue. Although everything seemed utterly sincere, Taer could not shake the impression that the scene was somewhat contrived. As far as she knew, Baroness Rionale had never been known for her strong displays of emotion of any kind or any kind of religiosity.

I wonder what she'll sacrifice to the Fire? Taer smirked mentally as she watched Alex and Kayrin interact. Neither martial nor amorous victories, she can't boast of late. Though the latter wasn't entirely true, to be honest, of the Guard idiots in love with Kayrin, one could probably assemble a combined wing, if not a squadron.

After a while, the conversation predictably turned to questions about what had happened: the Lord was curious to know how the Baroness had managed not only to get out of the castle unnoticed by the attackers but also to get the wounded Taer out. And Kayrin, of course, wanted to know who had kidnapped him after all and what exactly had happened on Tallana.

As the conversation clearly threatened to drag on, the Baroness suggested that it be moved to a more comfortable environment on her yacht. To Taer's delight, Alex did not support the idea, and the conversation was moved to one of the gray-faced halls of the Aegis. There, to Taer's enormous anger, the lord, contrary to the previously discussed tactics of communication with the Baroness, gave her everything. Not just everything, but absolutely everything, and even asked her to show Kayrin the report she had prepared for Countess Durlurl.

There was nothing to be done, and Taer, sending a sultry look to the lord, was forced to hand the baroness an infoblock with the report.

There are unexpected advantages to this option, though. Taer decided, watching the expression on the face of the baroness, who was reading the report. From the beginning, joy fluttered from it, gradually being replaced by a focused seriousness. Then, despite her self-control, fear showed in the Baroness's eyes. Kayri finished her reading in a state close to horror. And though the Baroness quickly controlled herself, the opportunity to see the horror in her eyes gave Taer a few, rarely sweet moments. One might consider this as moral compensation.

"I just can't believe it," Kayrin finally said, putting the infoblock aside. "The Emperor never would have gone for it. The problem of Free Worlds unfairly receiving our privileges certainly exists. But the Emperor is a noble man. He wouldn't stoop to such a thing... I bet someone in the First Ministers is behind it, or rather even the Melatians."

"What is their interest in this?" Alex asked, openly interested.

"The Emperor trusts them the most," Kayrin sighed sadly. "There are four Melatians among the first ministers and only one Fyronian. Two of the Emperor's open shadows are Melatian, and I'll bet there's at least one more among the secret ones. And that is the highest form of trust. We have not a single adept. If there were direct Imperial Rule in the Sector, it would be exercised by the Melatians."

"Was it worth the risk?"

"Who knows how deep the black hole is?" Kayrin shrugged. "Maybe they had some other motive. Either way, we have to act." She grasped resolutely and held out her hand to Alex. "I'm sorry to leave you so soon, but... I have a message to send to my father, and there's something I need to know here on Copeira. And in light of what's been revealed, no offense, but maybe you'd be willing to have a part of my arm go with you on a Day of Gifts? I am very nervous." She confessed.

Alex sent Taer a questioning look and received her affirmative nod.

"I would only be grateful," the lord replied with a smile.

"Oh, that's so great," Kayrin rejoiced. "My Arm has almost fully arrived on Copeira. It's not a big one, two hundred. Maybe you'd like to take the full two hundred, so you don't have to split up your squads."

Alex, judging by the expression in his eyes, clearly wanted to, but still sent another questioning look first, to which he received another affirmative nod: You can't have too many Carpathians, and working with them for pleasure is easy.

"Why not? I think two hundred is just fine," Alex agreed. "By the way, Kayrin, just so I don't get into any awkward situations. What race is your Arm drawn from?"

"Of humans, of course," Kayrin replied, somewhat surprised.

"I was just confused by the way they looked," Alex admitted with an apologetic smile. "White as paper, all looking the same, and all... Never mind, you know, memory lapses. It's some kind of modification, isn't it?"

"No. They're Carpathians. They're all like that - plain white. There are all kinds of people. You don't have to worry. I got used to it pretty fast when I came to Carpathia," Kayrin said. "White, that's all. You'll get used to it, too, and soon you won't mind it at all."

"Yeah, you could say I'm not paying attention anymore," Alex smiled. "I was just curious."

The Baroness's departure was clearly earlier than she had originally planned. This was not surprising, such news can change plans abruptly.

"I'll see you after the Day of Gifts," Kayrin said, hugging the lord goodbye. "I'll fly back as soon as I receive the gifts in my domain. We have so much to discuss. I shall visit the Throne of Flame as well." She added with a smile.

"I'll be waiting," Alex smiled, courteously kissing the Baroness's hand. He was generally, as Taer had noticed, showing incredible progress in etiquette, at least when it came to dealing with Kayrin.

The massive airlock door, with a quiet hiss, slowly closed, cutting off the baroness from them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the lord asked, turning to her.

"If Your Lordship sees fit," Taer replied with as much coldness as she could muster.

"Even so," Alex sniggered. "Well, where shall we go then?"

"Wherever Your Lordship pleases."

"I see, then to the meeting room."

The meeting room was an impersonal grey room adapted for armor storage.

"Your Lordship, you weren't planning on telling Kayrin everything, were you?" Taer pretended to be surprised when they were alone again. "What made you change your mind?"

"Oh, don't start that with the "you," "my lord," or "your grace". Alex brushed it off with a disgruntled face. "We're alone, aren't we? It's not really the best way to apply 'pressure' in case I like it, is it? And about Kayrin, it's quite simple." He sighed. "I figured, what was the point of keeping things from her? For one thing, she would already know a lot from her people involved in rescuing me. And second, if we're going to leak everything we know to Imperial Intelligence and Countess Durlurl, how is Kairin any worse? At least she's already helped a lot, both of us. Maybe she can help again. And in my opinion, it's good for building a "trust" relationship. Family, after all."

Taer remained silent in response, trying to keep the expression on her face from looking too sour. Lord reminded her in passing that she owed Baroness Rionale a large debt of gratitude. After all, it had been Kayrin who had pulled her wounded and unconscious from the attacked castle and thus saved her life:

And not alone but with Pakrat and Ogerd. Great shadows. Only with my luck out of the three who rescued me, two of them could be such unpleasant characters, Taer thought grudgingly. To remain indebted to these two, the 'specialist' didn't want to at all, and she needed to think of a way to repay them.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a call on the intercom. Perfectly modulated by the hall's acoustic system, Dudo's voice suddenly descended upon them somewhere from the ceiling:

"Your Lordship, Her Ladyship Countess Durlurl has arrived," he warned. "Docking will be over in a moment."

Almost at a brisk pace, Taer and the lord made it to the port of call just in time. A small section of the 'Arm' dressed as 'greeters of honor' was already in formation, ready to welcome the important guest, and they had only to lead the process.

The enormous airlock door slowly opened, and they saw the Countess, who shifted swiftly toward them through the transparent tube of the intake port. Just behind the Countess, as usual, towered two young men, pleasant looking and athletic in the uniform of the House Fyron Guard. This time the Countess, contrary to usual, was dressed to the tone of her escorts. Which meant she had arrived at their doorstep, having escaped from some unimaginably formal event. Her long, pitch-black hair was gathered in a tight knot at the nape of her neck and encircled by a thin gold wreath with a large red stone. She wore the dark scarlet uniform of the ergo-captain of House Fyron's Intelligence, with all the regalia, making the entire right side of her tunic look like a bizarre scaly armor made of numerous decorations.

All this, combined with her diminutive proportions and the appearance of a nineteen-year-old girl, gave a very strange impression:

Frighteningly disharmonious, Taer determined to herself.

Upon entering their yacht, Daim Esta gave the greeters a brilliant smile:

"You can't imagine how glad I am that you two weren't killed," she said cheerfully, and she practically jumped up and kissed Alex on the cheek, which was totally unexpected for Taer. Because of this formal attire, the Countess wore uniform shoes,.No heels making her look even lower than usual.

"And very much hoping," she continued, "to hear your very interesting story... For the last two hours of a tedious meeting, I consoled myself with that thought. And if I don't hear it, I'll be furious!" Esta added, smiling charmingly.

"Oh, absolutely," the lord replied with a smile. "I see your misunderstanding with the Imperial Security Service has been resolved already?"

"Even faster than I expected." Esta shrugged and continued with a half-smile:

"As I know, the Emperor personally summoned Sheldon on the instant connection and demanded: "Stop this nonsense". So, as you can see, I'm without my attendant in black. Even admittedly, I miss him a little." She added with feigned sadness.

"Well, I hope we can make up for his absence," Alex said, making an inviting gesture toward the meeting room. "There's so much we want to tell you."

A few minutes later, Countess, leaving her attendants outside, was reading the report with interest. She was nestled on the sofa and purring something quietly. She was the exact opposite of the first reader of the report. Unlike Kayrin, Countess was not horrified by what she had read on the contrary. She demonstrated a joyful curiosity and playfully wiggled her foot, causing the black uniform shoe at times almost flew off, hanging on the very toe.

"Magnificent, simply magnificent," she finally proclaimed, throwing the infoblock on the table and stretching out sweetly on the sofa. "I really enjoyed this reading. And the attack on the Kilretz ships under construction is worthy of a HoloV. If they manage to pull it off without compromising our House, I swear I'll get them six Scarlet Petals. No less. And the Ruling Lord must love it. It's his kind of adventure. And speaking of business," she added, taking her seriousness back:

"Lord Cassard, I will quite understand if you wish to put the whole municipality on trial. And if you make that decision, I will help you carry it out. Conspiracy against the Lord Protector is not a crime that the House will let anyone..." Countess said with a grim look. "But I just want to warn you. I'm sure it's the work of some over-ambitious loner, maybe two or three. And most are loyal to you and have not even thought of betraying you. At worst, they have had some vague suspicions. Now, how would you look at it if we didn't publicize the story but just did covert interrogations with Lim's serum, found the culprits, and that's it? I think, on reflection, you would agree that you and, of course, the House would not benefit from creating chaos in the running of such an important planet as Cassard."

Taer saw Alex literally filled with joy, he was somehow wary of the potential purge Countess might have arranged, and this suggestion met literally all of his aspirations:

"That would be just perfect," he smiled and hastily added. "Only I'd like to see copies of the interrogation notes. And the results of the investigation in general."

"Of course," Countess said. "That goes without saying."

"And what do you intend to do with the rest?" Alex asked cautiously.

"What any true to his word nobleman should do," said Daim Esta in an admonishing tone, and seeing the bewilderment on Lord Cassard's face, she continued:

"We'll take it all," she waved her hand towards the infoblock with the report and the scattering of "originals," "and deliver it to His Majesty with all possible speed!" She announced with a triumphant look and squeezed her eyes shut with pleasure. "That he may know of this... The despicable plot against the Empire and the Emperor!"

"It seemed to me that the Empire was behind all this anyway..." Alex said somewhat nervously, obviously not understanding the reason for the joy.

"The Empire..." Countess wrinkled her nose. "That is too broad a word. But even assuming for a moment that the Emperor himself is behind all this... All the more reason to hand it all over to him."

"Why? And why don't you believe that the Emperor orchestrated all this?"

"Then to show him what we know. So that he would abandon these plans for fear of... Let's just say unpleasant political repercussions. And why I don't believe that is very simple. The Emperor is a wise and calculating politician, and this intrigue is of no use to him or the Empire. So why would he do such a foolish thing?"

"But if not the Empire, then who?"

"Great Houses: Kilret and Melato. At least Kilret's for sure," Countess added. "House Melato's interest in this venture is more elusive."

"What's the point of them?" Lord Cassard asked with obvious skepticism. "And what does that have to do with Tallana and House Kilreat?"

"Destabilization on Tallana will lead to a change in the main transit routes," Esta explained. "The only way to bypass Tallana is through the spaces of House Kilret. They will have a tangible advantage, albeit a temporary one. And there are several other advantages which need not be mentioned," she added with a nonchalant waving of her hand.

"Let's say," the lord nodded. "But what does this have to do with the Imperial Security Service?"

"I think the whole Security presence in this story is a trivial bribe. But..." the Countess smiled wickedly, "we'll leave it to His Majesty to find out. And for him to believe us, we'll add to the paperwork the ones who are here on Copeira."

At these words, a chill ran down Taer's spine as she realized that 'leaking' to Imperial Intelligence was incredibly stupid:

And I'm good. I didn't even think to stop him. The 'specialist' belatedly repented.

"Erm..." the lord stretched uncertainly, picking his words. "I'm afraid there might be a problem with the ones on Copeira."

Daim Esta raised her right eyebrow: "What's the problem?"

"They could have been arrested by now..." Alex admitted.

"Who?" The Countess asked in a tone that did not bode well.

"Imperial Intelligence," he said dryly, answering Countess with an equally heavy stare. "I have seen fit to give them some data."

"How long ago?" she asked boiling over.

"As soon as we came out of the jump."

The air literally rang with tension. Countess Durlurl jumped up, hovering menacingly over the lord, her eyes ablaze with unbelievable anger. Taer realized with horror that a most frightening scene was about to take place and that she would be forced to op Daim Esta. But thankfully, all was over. Lord Cassard and Countess Durlurl burned each other with glances for a few seconds before she let out a long sigh and collapsed on the sofa, head clutching.

"Lord Cassard, you are insufferable!" she moaned. "Damn the Twilight, sometimes I'm sure you'd cut off your own arm if it gave me a trouble. Why, why did you do it?!"

"To keep them out of Cassard," he snapped. "I'm in enough trouble there as it is, you know!"

"But why Imperial Intelligence?!" she shouted. "Couldn't it have been trusted to me?"

"But, Your Grace," Taer interceded, herself terrified. "Copeira is neutral territory, partially under the Empire's jurisdiction, so we can't officially operate there."

Countess gave her a pained look:

"So what? We would have taken them unofficially! Wouldn't someone have stood up for them?" She turned to the lord and looked at him reproachfully:

"Well, Taer, her holy simplicity is worthy of a Protectress. But you, Lord. Don't you realize you're committing catastrophic folly? You seem like an intelligent young man. Weren't you interested in what these terrorists had to say? Or did you really expect Imperial Intelligence to share information with you?! You couldn't have been that naive!"

"Perhaps I did do something foolish," the lord admitted grudgingly, much to the surprise of Taer and, to all appearances, Countess. "It seemed like a neat solution to me."

"Using this material, and the living witnesses, we could put things in the right light." She explained in a calmer tone. "Now, whatever is revealed, we won't know anything about it. Everything will be buried in the archives of the General Department of Intelligence. You literally gave them our influence. And most importantly for nothing."

In response, the lord silently threw up his hands.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Daim Esta continued with sadness in her voice. "I wish you nothing but good, and I always come up against the blackest ingratitude. Do you still think it was so terrible to marry Valerie? Was it worth the risk of refusing my help?"

"Maybe not," the lord nodded philosophically. "Perhaps I overreacted a bit..."

"Well, you see," Countess has brightened. "Perhaps, in that case, you will find time to visit your castle and Valerie's guest there?"

"Is she a guest there?" Alex was a little taken aback. "With me being kidnapped?! Is that normal?"

"And we haven't told anyone that you've been kidnapped," winked Countess Durlurl conspiratorially. "I was not to create a panic. And with Valerie, we had to discuss Lord Lister's kidnapping. Besides, your infatuation is a process that must be constantly nurtured. So we thought an invitation to visit would be a good idea. Even made some new notes." She added. With a holocopy, though."

"You must have been very worried about me, Daim Esta," the lord smiled ironically. "If I had been killed, you would have been in a very uncomfortable situation."

"I didn't even think about worrying about you," Countess brushed it off. "I'm a believer. But we were all very worried about Lord Lister. He's a renowned brether, of course, and his death wouldn't have been surprising, but if we hadn't managed to find the body... Anyway, let's not talk about sad things," she changed the subject, "so why don't you find some time to talk to Valerie? You'll have to wait a few days for Cassard to resolve this anyway."

"I wouldn't want to risk it," Alex stretched out. "Especially since it turned out to be very easy to get into the castle."

"As you wish," she sighed as she stood up. "I won't insist. It is indeed more difficult to penetrate the ship, but I advise you to wait not at the Copeira but in our space, where we can provide you with acceptable protection, preferably in something more serious. Or would you prefer to stay on your boat again?"

"If you find something more serious, I will gladly accept your invitation."

"Good," Countess sang, her spirits seeming to return. "I'll leave you to it, then so much to do."

She went to the door of the "meeting room" and opened it, calling to her attendants:

"Somebody take these sticks and infoblocks," Countess ordered, pointing to the scattering of machinery on the table.

Already at the airlock door, Esta kissed them on the cheek again, this time as a farewell:

"Have a nice Day of Gifts. And Taer," she added with a wink. "Keep an eye on him."

When Countess Durlurl finally left them, and the 'seeing off' part of the Arm dispersed, Taer did not hide her surprise:

"Have you decided that the Countess was right?" She was genuinely amazed. "And agreed that you were wrong? What happened?"

"Well, we're not in court, are we?" Alex shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent look. "What do I have to admit I'm wrong or agree with Countess. With her, it's the best tactic, a lot of effort saved. But that doesn't mean I'm going to blindly follow her will. By the way, what did she mean when she said she wasn't worried about me because she's a believer?"

"Well, the Countess is a Secondarist," she explained with a shrug. "I don't think she's the most religious, though."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Briefly?" she asked.

"Briefly," Alex nodded.

"A long time ago. During the Second War with the Synth," the specialist said, "a great many temples of the Ryan were destroyed, and the Secondaries, unwilling to abandon their 'faith in demons,' fled the Old Kingdoms. They wandered through the Galaxy, denied safe haven for fear of retaliation. Baron Varun Cassard, your distant ancestor, dreamed of Ryan herself. She told him that if he retained the Throne of Flame and accepted those bearing her name, his Clan would be blessed and would not be interrupted until the Third Incarnation of the Flame. Thereupon he accepted the refugees and the Throne of Flame. And the desolate steppes of Cassard were filled with people, the planet prospered, and the lineage blessed by the Flame still exists today."

"So that's it," Alex said with a smirk. "And since I'm the last of my bloodline, I won't be able to die until this third incarnation comes, will I?"

"Or until an heir comes along."

"And this whole flame thing, how serious is it?" He decided to clarify. "Does it really work?"

"The Cassard Bloodline has indeed not been discontinued," Taer stated judiciously. "But there are older clans that have not been dissolved without the blessing. It all depends on one's point of view. The Secondarists believe that the very existence of Cassard's bloodline was one of the wonders of the Flame."

"Are you Secondarists?"

"I don't," Taer shook her head and anticipating the next question, added:

"But my parents, Secondarists, are very religious."

"I see." Alex looked at her meaningfully. "It's a day of discovery today. Most of the Secondarists are on Cassard. Did I get that right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"How am I being treated there?"

"The commoners adore you."

"Despite my reputation and all sorts of images in the company of naked girls?"

Taer shrugged.

"Church of Ir'Ryan has never called for restraint."

"This Cassard seems to be an interesting place," concluded the lord.

Taer only shrugged in response. She liked Cassard, but the people she encountered there did not.

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