As you know I have always hated masques; but being a member of the Blade Brigade had mellowed me out somewhat. Ask any heiress and if you get past the politeness there is always a frustrated undercurrent of “I want to hit these people with a hammer” it turns out actually doing so is a really good form of stress relief. So rather than fantasising about running away to the tropics I glided happily through the mass of people, smiling, laughing and charming just like I was supposed to be with barely a hint of the revulsion I felt towards all of them.
Look at you I remember thinking as I curtsied with a wide fake smile in front of a fat dowager. Never cared, never fought. Bowing and scraping for that power mad tyrant and letting his murderers run rampant through the city chasing after people whose only crime was being born... I detest you. Of course I am a noble so none of my thoughts showed on my face and I think I may have even made a complimentary comment about her dress.
“You look like you’re having fun.” Said Allegra at my shoulder her grin was a horrific fixed rictus with a little tinge of real mischief around its edges.
“Oh definitely you know what I think about parties.” I replied copying her smile back at her, perfectly of course, we do share the same face after all.
She winked at me with the speed of a snake then tilted her head towards a distant corner of the ballroom. “Don't look but our brother has found a priest of the machine god to bother.”
“Should we step in?” I asked with a sigh.
“No point he's got the scent of clockwork now; if we drag him away he’ll just run back when we aren’t looking.”
I nodded at her logic and strolled away from our babbling brother. As I walked I let my gaze wander across the party looking for anything interesting as my sister traipsed at my heels. I'm sure she’d have much preferred to be out gossiping with the other lesser heirs of course but father had asked us to stick together.
As I drifted across the awfully tacky dance floor (seriously it had Orthalian lanterns, huge green paper constructions which went out of style months ago) I found my feet carrying me over the admittedly beautiful gold tiled floor towards the distant buffet table. I grabbed a few pieces of sautéed fish and went to eat them, for a second I found my right hand instinctively pawing at the air in front of my face before I snapped it back down onto the table again. No mask I thought and bit down hard on the skewered fish.
“...And they took the gem. Can you believe it? I had that jewel shipped here from Ulmar, which took months, and finally got to place it in its new display case yesterday and today it’s gone!”
I turned to see the noted dowager Lady Lutressa talking animatedly to a group of women sat around the fire. Several younger girls my age stood around her with their chaperones and uttered sycophantic noises of sympathy as the dowager waved her arms.
“I know who it was too!” She said her voice trembling with emotion, “one of my guards told me... before I fired him of course one can’t let a failure like that run around one's mansion,” she paused for a deep dramatic breath. “It was that blasted Blade Brigade! Those low life thieves and burglars have no sense of style or understanding of their place in this city! I mean what kind of a name is the Blade Brigade anyway?”
“It felt right at the time.” I muttered into my drink. I just couldn't resist, I really couldn't! Anyway I strode over to the group and leant on the tall back of one of their red silk chairs.
“Oh that sounds terrible Lady Lutressa,” I said, injecting such sickly sweetness into my tone that I felt like I was going to vomit. “How awful for you! Were the guards able to get it back?”
She snorted. “Hardly! As I am sure you know Lady Dutair the city guard are about as competent as a troupe of monkeys, less even! They gave me a lot of stuff about the lack of witnesses to their arrival... something to do with tracking I wasn’t paying attention to the odious little man... I had only JUST bought it and now I would bet it’s sitting in some crime lord's vault whilst the watch scratches their heads.”
Well she would have lost that bet Blood was using it to prop up the leg of our kitchen table.
“Oh my dear I understand exactly what you’re going through,” said another fat old woman lounging in a chair; her daughter stood stiffly to attention at her side. “Only two cycles ago they dared to assault my family house! They broke in and subdued our guards, who were obviously not worth their pay, then stole a priceless family antique, my great grandfather's mahogany chess board.”
Blood instigated that entire heist specifically for the damn chessboard just so she and Skull could keep playing together. So far their little duels had gone through seventeen chess boards, one black and white checked table and the crudely painted kitchen floor.
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If you ever get the chance to play Blood I highly recommend that you do so, the level of creative cheating she displays is simply astonishing which I think is why Skull keeps challenging her[122]. Repainting the enemy pieces her colour, hiding small spring powered traps under the tiles of the board, sleight of hand to plant tiny bombs under the enemy rooks and once she used a thrown dagger to pin an annoyingly mobile queen in place.
“They attacked my uncle last cycle!” wailed one of the young women standing next to me. “Those crazed thieves ransacked our library and then destroyed an incredibly valuable clockwork golem that we had guarding our vault!”
I winced slightly and rubbed my wrist as she spoke, I really shouldn't have punched that thing. Ara was the one who got it in the end winding a rope around its heart-gear and pulling it from its chest, even when she didn't use magic she was a dab hand with a lasso.
“Mine to...”
“...An old family relic...”
“...The watch didn't have a clue of course.”
The ladies nattered and chattered for a moment until suddenly a clear voice cut through the tumult. “Well we won’t have to worry much longer.” I turned to see the daughter of duchess Margovia and I remember having to bite back a sarcastic comment about the calibre of her mother’s furnace-knights.
“What do you mean by that....” I paused for a moment as I desperately tried to remember the spoiled little brat’s name. “...Yuna?” The girl smiled at me with sickly sweetness and leant forwards in her chair so as to make a show of giving me her full attention. At this point thanks to the loss of the aether disruptor prototype the Margovia noble house was essentially bankrupt and only my family’s merciful nature[123] when it came to calling in bills was keeping them afloat. I think she’d have bowed to me if she hadn't been sitting down.
“Oh Mistress Dutair, it is so awful... and wonderful. It turns out that this so-called Blade Brigade is made up... of mages!”
A dagger of ice shot out of the sky slipped down my spine and cut away every drop of pride and ounce of smugness, in its place all that was left was fear.
“A coven of mages!” squealed an old dame sat in a high backed chair. “How dreadful!”
“They were in my house!” Screamed another shrilly. Several ladies I noted had simply fainted dead away and in the background I saw a number of eavesdropping servants making the symbol of Koth superstitiously at the mere mention of magic. Everyone loathes mages.
“How terrible!” Squealed a mousy little daughter of house Lanin who then began to hyperventilate and babble in horror until Yuna reached over and patted her firmly on the back a few times.
“But don't worry darlings!” said Yuna Margovia magnanimously addressing the whole crowd. “The wonderful Arch-Doge is already aware of this...”
No
“...and he has answered our plight...”
Koth no
“...By sending one of the most blessed Inquisitions to hunt them down!”
And that was it; at that word I felt my arms begin to shake, my heart started to hammer off beat in my chest and my mouth filled with the metallic taste of fear.
I shot to my feet, mirrored a half second later by my sister, annoying little gossip that she is, she still knew news like this had to be given to our father quickly... and if I'm honest I think she knew that I was panicking as well even as I pressed it down behind an air of noble grace.
“Well that is interesting,” I said my voice level and only slightly hoarse. “I am afraid however I must go now... to speak to my father...” And with that I spun and ran... or came as close to running as a noblewoman in heels and a ball gown can manage, even I admit it was more of a fast strut.
I could feel the blood pounding in my ears alongside a single word Inquisitor, Inquisitor, Inquisitor. That was all I was thinking as I elbowed my way across the dance floor. I needed to get out; I didn't know where my father was and I didn't care, I just needed to get out.
The flashing motion of shimmering dresses and gowns was becoming too much, the lights and colours and motion. I felt sick rising in my throat and suddenly... I smacked into someone. A young noblewoman; head and shoulders shorter than me in a long green dress. We staggered away from one another and I straightened just in time to meet her eyes, pure black with golden triangular pupils set into blood red skin under black horns.
I gasped at the girl for a second, the surge of embarrassment at performing such a breach of etiquette overcoming even the growing terror that was making my heart race like an escaped horse. I was the heir of my house after all I shouldn't have nearly decked a fellow noblewomen even from the fallen house Lyteth. I should have apologised to her, gotten her a drink and charmed her for a bit as an apology... sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I had.
But I couldn't. I knew I couldn't manage to mutter a single syllable without my voice breaking and if that happened I’d lose all credibility in the eyes of the reef-sharks that surrounded me... but a breach of etiquette would be just as disastrous. Luckily I had my family here to help me.
I bowed apologetically to the girl and gestured at Allegra before sweeping off, it was a bold play but I was still reasonably confident about it, Allegra being my twin meant she was nearly as important as me so an apology from her should be accepted and I’ve always known she's more personable than I am[124].
As I vanished towards the distant doors Allegra curtsied deeply.
“Ah, Mistress Lyteth, what a lovely dress! I am so terribly sorry for my dear sister’s blunder, however she simply must see our father this very instant on highly important and private business, I’m sure you understand and I beg you forgive her.” Allegra said, flashing her most winning smile.
“Oh don't mention it.” Said the girl in a voice as sweet as sin and as soft as silk.