Chapter 43: The Duke
Leon sat behind his desk; the letters spread out across it. His office was clad in rich cherry paneling. A globe sat on a mahogany filing cabinet. Two bottles of navy strength gin sat on the table beside him. The room smelled of gin. I suspected he had spilled a bottle and missed some in the clean-up. Leon sat, shaking his head.
“The Barony of House Octavian has been here longer than Ys. It has been a part of the Kingdom of Ys since before the founding of the current government. I would hate to dissolve the House. But what else to do? This is high treason, conspiring with the enemy.”
“It’s two people,” I objected, “The letters make it clear that nobody else from House Octavian knows the plot. They kept it secret to avoid detection.”
“Yes, but it means deposing the baron, the Barony will need a new baron to survive. Lynn was the first in line for the title. But she’s married into a different house, a different kingdom. Next in line was your father, also a traitor we now know. Next are your siblings. They are older than Lynn, but they don’t have a thought to share between the two of them. Which leads us to you. You stand in exile from the barony until you renounce your relationship with Amy. And you have refused to do that. My spies say that the relationship has all but ended at this point, but you still refuse to back down. Next in line are the wives of the two traitors. They are blameless, but the other dukes will never allow them to take power. After that next in line is your Aunt Cecile. And she’s in her twilight years. Which means the problem will come back to haunt me again as soon as she dies. How do I keep your house intact?”
“Do you know that you talk differently when you’re in a command situation?”
He nodded, “I do. Welcome to the other me. But the question remains, how do I save House Octavian?”
I sighed and nodded, “Do what you need to do. My concern is the safety of Fiona and Amy. And an invasion would not be good for their safety. I leave it in your hands. I don’t have anything left to give.”
“And how do we save Lynn?” He asked.
“She doesn’t want anyone saving her. This is the wedding night. Once they leave the reception, that’s it. We still don’t even know where Wulfric is staying. And I have it on good authority that they will leave Ys tomorrow.”
“You’ve given up on her.” It wasn’t a question.
“I’ve given up. Period,” I said. “If I wasn’t so shattered, I’d go and drink myself under the table. It's possible that you can do something. But I can’t. I’m too weak. All I want to do now is protect Amy and Fiona. I am no longer willing to protect Lynn in good conscience. Not at the expense of Amy or Fiona. You said I could ask for your help. Well, here I am asking.”
“I will do whatever I can. Thank you, Ren. You have saved Ys.”
I didn’t feel like I’d saved anything. I returned to the inn. I paid for the cheapest dinner available, a potato soup. The soup was filling. Which I appreciated. I didn’t know how long my money would last. Thank God I’d been wearing expensive jewelry when I left Castle Octavian. Still, it wouldn’t last. I’d need to get a handle on my precognitive gift so that I could make a living.
I lay down on the bed, free of bed bugs thanks to the game designer’s disinterest in research. My life was a mess. Here I was, down and out in Narnia. I’d done what I could to stop the war. I’d given Leon the evidence. I’d taken away my father's seer. I couldn’t save Lynn, but with any luck Leon could prevent the war. It was in his hands now. I was weak as the beer at a dive bar. I was still feeling nauseous from the shock. I was without any other tools or options. I was done.
* * *
I awoke to knocking at the door of my room. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I stood up and walked to the door. I put the door chain in place and opened the door a crack. Duke Leon Delmar stood outside the door. With him were what looked like naval officers, enough of them to fill the hallway.
“This won’t take long Ren,” Leon said, “You’re going to have guests shortly.”
“Guests?”
Leon smiled, “I’m not ruining the surprise, but you’ll need these.”
He slid a sheaf of letters through the gap in the door. I glanced at the papers and recognized them. They were the letters I had given Leon earlier, the proof of treason on the part of my uncle and father.
“I gave these to you, because I'm finished. I’ve given up. I’m done.”
Leon shook his head, “I don’t think you are. Wait for your guests. You’ll like the surprises.”
“Is that an order, your Grace? Because I can’t disobey you if it is.”
“I would rather not order you, Ren.” Leon said.
“I’m not doing this otherwise. How bad do you want me to play along?”
Leon nodded, “Very well. I am your Duke. And I am ordering you to take those documents and wait for the guests I have mentioned.
I sighed and nodded. And so, I waited.
I watched the sun creep below the horizon outside my window. I waited as the stars punctured through the twilight. I waited as the sky grew to full darkness. And when the town bell struck eleven, I heard a knock at my door.
I opened the door a crack. Lynn stood in front of the door wearing a charcoal hooded cloak low over her face. A pair of shorter cloaked figures stood behind her, but I couldn’t see their faces in the candlelight. I blinked.
“Are you going to invite me in?” Lynn asked.
“Lynn? What are you doing here? This is your wedding night. How did you even manage to get out?”
“May I come in?”
I nodded. I closed the door to remove the chain. And then I opened the door wide and let the three of them into my room.
Lynn looked around, “This is quite a fall from grace. I didn’t expect them to lead me to an inn.”
“And I didn’t ever expect to see you again,” I answered. I hung my head, “I had given up on you. I’m sorry.”
Lynn shook her head, “I’m not. They told me what happened. And I agreed to hear you out.”
“But who are they? And how did they find you? How did you find me?” I asked.
“Dearest, who else was going to track somebody down for you? And I can always find you with this!” Amy threw her hood back and grinned. As she did, she waved the handkerchief I had embroidered with the English ivy design.
“And who was going to keep her safe while she sleepwalked across my whole damned city?” Fiona said, removing her cloak.
My legs went weak, and I fell to my knees on the floor. “I told you; I'm done. I wouldn’t do this anymore. No more sacrificing my life for Lynn. I stopped. I did what I promised I would. Why? How? This!”
Fiona nodded, “Yes, you did keep your promise. But Lynn is your best friend. And we decided that we could not abandon somebody who meant so much to the woman we love.”
“Now, sweetie,” Amy said, “Tell Lynn what is going on. Tell her what you learned.”
Lynn nodded. I took a deep breath.
“Our fathers are conspiring with Hyperborea. They have been smuggling Hyperborean weapons and people. They are hiding them in the Octavian Catacombs for an invasion. Your marriage was a distraction. They wanted the dukes to think that relations were good.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper, “I know this wasn’t in the game Lynn. I don’t know why this is happening. Maybe it’s us. Maybe it’s our presence in the game that is making things change.”
“The sequel.” Lynn whispered.
“What?” I said, raising my head to stare at Lynn, “What did you say?”
“Last month,” Lynn said, still whispering. “Cyrene Entertainment announced Moonlight Hearts: Howl of Betrayal. It depicts a Hyperborean invasion of Ys. We don’t have many details. You can carry your save file over from the first game though. And that means that no matter which path you used to complete the game, the invasion still happens. I didn’t put it together before. But wait. You said you have proof. Show me.”
I opened my writing table and pulled out the letters I had stolen from the catacombs. I handed them to Lynn, and she began to read.
Amy smiled at me. I smiled back. It felt like the first time I had smiled in centuries.
I waited as Lynn read the letters. She took her time, reading each one. She didn’t rush through or pass over a single letter. I waited. She finished. Then she straightened the papers. She looked at me, and then slammed the papers onto the table and pounded on the papers with her fist.
“Those traitors! Those cowards! Those murderers! I can’t stand them! This was all for nothing. I put up with that monster for nothing! I should have poisoned him with the silver potion when I had access to it.”
I smiled, reached into my chatelaine bag, and pulled out the little silver potion Fiona had given me.
“Remember when I said we were off script? Well now it works in our favor. Lynn, how would you like to murder your husband? You know, for your country.”
Lynn smiled then nodded her head, “I’ve done every other stupid thing for this country. Sure, why not?”
Fiona nodded, “Head back to Wulfric. Poison the wine. Liquid silver isn’t toxic to anyone beside werewolves. Well, not this little anyway. Duke Leon will lead troops to the hideout to force a surrender. He’ll launch his attack at midnight. Listen for the bell.”
“Wait, this was my plan,” I said.
“We didn’t have a better one,” Amy said.
“How did you get the duke to do this personally?” Lynn asked.
Fiona turned and glared at Lynn, “How can you not know that?”
Lynn withered under Fiona’s glare, “What did I say?”
I smiled, “He’s leading the attack himself because you’re involved. You have to know he’s stupid in love with you.”
“He’s what?” Lynn asked.
Fiona shook her head, “How can you not know that?”
“Did you think he was giving you all that attention and affection out of pity?” I said. I wanted to point out their tryst in the garden. But I wasn’t going to do that.
Lynn shook her head, “But why would he?”
Amy grabbed Lynn by the shoulders, “Excuse me, but we can deal with your self-esteem issues later. Right now, we have to get ready for Leon.”
“Um, I’m your boss.” Lynn said.
“Nope! I resigned my position after Mildred caught me fraternizing with Ren. And Fiona hired me for my Object Read Gift. And stop changing the subject. We need to get ready for the duke.”
Fiona nodded, “And that’s an important point. You need to make sure that Wulfric is dead before Leon gets there. If Wulfric is alive when he arrives, he’ll be duty bound to capture him. He'll feel obligated to try and use the prince as leverage to negotiate peace with Hyperborea.”
“Like an evil Cinderella, you have to kill the prince before midnight.” I chuckled.
“Wait,” Lynn asked, “Does Leon know about the plan? To kill Wulfric, I mean.”
Fiona smiled, “Officially? No. He does not. He has no desire to see Wulfric dead for what he put you through. He is hoping to capture Wulfric because of the political advantage it will give us. Officially. And we will leave it there. Now let’s get you back. You have a husband to kill.”
Read more in "Daughters of the Digital Empire," Available soon!
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