Chapter 81 - LXXXI. | What it means to serve... (2/2)

'I would have been bluffing, and you would have known it. But make no mistake, if there ever came a day when the rest of my children were finally out of danger, I would certainly kill you for letting Marcos die today.'

Shenado sighed publicly, drawing looks from Emiliana and Octavia as they proceeded down a long hallway together. 'Fine,' the reaper said privately. 'I'll release you. You were always mean to me, anyway.'

'Thank you.'

'I bet Marcos will be nicer.'

Octavia showed them into a vast, windowless chamber with a high ceiling. Beds sat on either side of the room, each one neatly made. Octavia had her housekeepers show Mariana's own staff to different rooms on the same floor. Ramira and Emiliana didn't leave their mother's side, but Emiliana was eyeing one of the beds as if it might be holding all the secrets of the universe. Mariana certainly understood the impulse. The fatigue was weighing on her, and her clothes were still smote and ragged from earlier.

She'd been struggling to think of what to tell her girls. Before she could even get started, however, Wendy phased through the ceiling and floated down toward everyone.

'Our other guests have begun to arrive,' the reaper said.

”What other guests?” said Mariana.

”I called an emergency meeting,” said Octavia. ”We will be needing a plan of action, of course.”

Three more reapers descended from the ceiling after Wendy. Mariana recognized all of them. Lonogren, Jostomere, and Mevox. Each one belonged to a different Rainlord family--House Merlo, House Zabat, and House Delaguna, respectively. Their servants were all the heads of their houses.

'So what's all this then?' said Mevox. He stood out a little from the other reapers in that his fox fur had a faint l.u.s.ter to it.

”If you would please wait upstairs with your partners,” said Octavia, ”Mariana and I will be with you in a mome--”

'Nah,' said Mevox. 'I wanna know what's goin' on right now.'

'We know the Elroys were attacked,' said Lonogren. 'We would like to hear the full details from Mariana and Shenado. I am sure we can all agree that this is a matter of great urgency.'

”We should at least wait until everyone has gathered,” said Octavia.

'Hell with that,' said Mevox. 'No need to wait for their slow asses. Talk to us, Mariana. We're here to help.'

Octavia looked at the Lady Elroy with sympathy. ”We've an impatient lot here, it seems.”

Mariana took a haggard breath. She only wanted to talk to her daughters, but she supposed there was still plenty of time for that. Regardless, Shenado was gracious enough to speak up for her.

'The Vanguard sent seven servants to our house,' said Shenado. 'They claimed they only wanted to ”escort” us safely to Lagemoor, but when we refused to go with them, they attacked us. One of Mariana's sons was fatally wounded in the battle. Another is missing. As is Zeff.'

Mevox drifted closer to Mariana and her children, poking his head forward curiously. 'Why were they tryin' to escort you to Lagemoor?'

'We're not sure,' said Shenado. 'They mentioned something about wanting to find Gema, Mariana's oldest daughter, but that might have been just another lie. Not that it matters much, because we don't know where Gema is. Even if we were of a mind to turn her over to them, we wouldn't be able to.'

”Are you of a mind to do that?” said Octavia.

”No,” said Mariana.

'Damn right,' said Mevox. He turned to Jostomere, who'd thus far remained silent. 'What're you thinkin'? Your family works for the Vanguard, too. I suspect you've got a more difficult decision to make than the rest of us here do.'

'That is true.' Jostomere's burning eyes fell upon Marcos' body. 'But this is plainly unacceptable. And if it can happen to the Elroys, it can happen to the Zabats. You can expect our full support.'

'Ours as well,' said Lonogren. 'Which already puts us at five of ten.'

'Six, actually,' said Shenado. 'House Cortes is guaranteed to help. Joana is Zeff's sister.'

'Ah, that's right,' said Lonogren, nodding.

'We can ask the Intarians for help, too,' said Wendy. 'They might turn us down, but there are thirty more families there. At least a few will agree to help, I'm sure.'

'Worth asking,' said Mevox. 'Where was Zeff's last known location?'

”Rheinhal,” said Mariana. ”He was ordered there by General Lawrence.”

Octavia's brow twitched. ”Xavier Lawrence, you mean?”

Mariana nodded.

Octavia pursed her lips. ”The Blue Bear, huh? I didn't realize he was the one they had stationed in Sair.”

'Do you know him personally?' asked Shenado.

”Not well,” said Octavia. ”We crossed paths ages ago. Very polite, as I recall. A real gentleman. His reaper, less so. I haven't heard his name in years. Thought he might have been killed.”

'If it's only a single general and his underlings we have to worry about, then I'm not too concerned,' said Mevox. 'Problem is, you Vanguardians like to send reinforcements.'

'Indeed,' said Jostomere.

Soon, more Rainlords began to arrive, and Octavia decided to move the conversation upstairs. Mariana still hadn't set Marcos down or left her daughters alone, wanting the girls to hear everything that was discussed.

Mariana knew that Zeff was well-loved among the other Rainlords, but even so, she was still a bit surprised by everyone's readiness to support her. Only House Blackburn and House Stroud did not have representatives here today, but among the other eight family heads, none even humored the notion of handing Mariana and her children over to the Vanguard. At first, Mariana thought they were just holding back while in her presence, but more and more, she became convinced that was not the case.

”I can't believe they had the gall to attack you in your own home,” a lumbering man was saying. He was the largest person in the room by a head and had the bulk of two men put together. Salvador Delaguna was his name, and just like his reaper, he was prone to 'listening to his passions' as Octavia had once put it. ”We should go to Rheinhal this very moment and demand they return Zeff to us.”

'Sounds good to me,' said Mevox.

Abel Sebolt shook his head. ”We all care for Zeff, but let's not be rash,” he said. The Lord of House Sebolt reminded Mariana of Zeff in many ways. They had the same kind of naturally cold expression, though Abel was slimmer. ”We are still immensely outnumbered, you realize.”

”So were our ancestors,” said Joana Cortes.

”Hear hear!” said Salvador.

As they talked, Mariana noticed a maid enter the room and rush to Octavia's side, whispering in her ear. After a moment, Octavia nodded and whispered something back. The maid exited, and Octavia stood to address everyone.

”I've just received word from Asad Najir. Apparently, Axiolis is with him.”

That caught everyone's attention.

”Zeff?” said Mariana.

”Let us see,” said Octavia. She reached toward the middle of the broad table and lifted the receiver on the conference phone there. She put it on speaker for all to hear. ”Lord Najir, are you there?”

came the Sandlord's voice.

”Is this line encrypted?” Mariana asked.

Mariana's heart sank a little. But at least now she knew he wasn't dead.

Salvador puffed up with visible irritation. ”Why would Axiolis go to you and not us?”

”It is! Answer my question, desert rat!”

”Hmph.”

”Ha! Will you be delivering Axiolis to us in person, then? Please tell me you will be.”

Mariana's brow rose. ”You have already decided to help us?”

The man said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mariana knew Zeff and Asad were close, but considering they hadn't spoken to each other in months, she would have expected some hesitation, at least. Certainly, the other Sandlords would not be so easily convinced. ”I must thank you, Asad.”

Mariana brought him up to speed in detail. The attack on her house, her subsequent escape, Cisco being unaccounted for, and Marcos. The boy's lifeless body was already becoming stiff. Mercifully, the stench of death was not as bad as she knew it could be.

”...I do not,” she said. ”Do you happen to have one there with you now? If you send them to Aguarey right away, they could make it here in time.” Axiolis, of course, was not an option, as he could not release Zeff without making contact again.

'Alright, then, who here has a reaper for her son?' Mevox looked across the room at everyone present. Cortes, Garza, Delaguna, Merlo, Redwater, Sebolt, Zabat, and Elroy.

None answered him.

'Oh, come on. There are eight families here--nine, including Asad's. You tellin' me none of us can help her?'

'We all know reapers who could fill the role,' said Shenado. 'The problem is contacting them in time. Do you have a solution to that, Mevox?'

Mevox looked over everyone again and frowned. His head dropped a little. 'Well, then... is there a servant here willing to give up their life for the boy?'

”Stop,” said Mariana. ”I appreciate the sentiment, but you all have families of your own to protect. If anyone is to give their life for my son, it will be me.” She heard the intake of breath from Emiliana. ”Instead, after I am gone, I ask that you watch over my children until my husband is free.”

”We are not out of time yet,” said Salvador, though not with his usual vigor. ”A reaper might still be found...”

Mariana leveled a stare at the huge man, which was enough to make him shift uncomfortably in his chair. ”Yes, well... if such a miracle does not occur, then please consider that to have been my final request.”

The table fell briefly silent.

Joana placed a hand on her shoulder. ”Oh, Mary... of course we will take care of them.”

”As if they were our own,” said the Lord Sebolt.

The others all nodded in agreement. Lady Rayen of House Merlo, Lady Soccoro of House Garza, Lord Santos of House Zabat, and Salvador and Octavia as well. Their reapers acknowledged the promise, too.

There wasn't much left to be said after that, but the conversation lasted a while, anyway. They came to a rough consensus that an immediate assault on Rheinhal was not the right course of action and that a non-violent resolution to this conflict was still possible, though unlikely. First, they would send formal word to General Lawrence demanding Zeff's release, and while they waited for the man's response, they would muster all available forces and begin calling in favors from allies abroad.

The Rainlords dispersed, but no one left the castle just yet. Everyone promised to call around for any available reapers. Mariana almost told them not to bother, but the desperation of her circ.u.mstances had begun to weigh on her, finally. And in the past couple hours, her trust for everyone in that room had grown immeasurably.

In truth, even after all these years, even after giving birth to five new Rainlords, she'd never quite felt like a Rainlord herself. She'd only married into the title, not been born with it.

But today, she felt it. That companionship. Ancient and bloody and fierce and warm. And so very welcome.

The rest of the day drew out slowly. Mariana waited as long as she could, spent as much time with her daughters as she could, and hoped silently that someone would walk through that door with a reaper for Marcos. But no one did.

The girls had been quiet, perhaps afraid to ask their questions, perhaps just knowing that their mother would talk to them in her own time. Mariana thought at length about what she should say to them, what her last words should be.

It wasn't easy.

”You will be safe here. I wouldn't leave you if I thought otherwise. Red Lake is one of the most secure castles in all of Sair.” Mariana paused, her expression spoiling slightly. ”But I don't know what the future holds. Something could happen. Even if I remained here with you, something could happen. Do you remember what I taught you? The most important lesson?”

”Always be prepared,” Ramira piped up.

Mariana smiled tiredly. ”Yes.”

”Think, plan, and act ahead of time,” added Emiliana.

”That's right. You are smart girls. I have confidence in you both. Look out for one another. Listen to one another. And protect each other. Do you understand? The time for childishness is past. It is unfair, but both of you must grow up quickly now. That means you will have to give up on many of the things you desire. Possibly forever. You will come to accept this, or you will get someone killed. Perhaps someone you love very dearly. Perhaps yourself. Perhaps both.”

The looks on their faces were stern, and Mariana knew they understood. Or hoped they did, at least.

”And don't you dare blame Marcos for my death,” Mariana went on. ”And don't let him blame himself. None of this is his fault.”

Emiliana frowned. ”It's not yours, either, Mama...”

Mariana blinked at her. She exhaled a curt breath and took Emiliana's face in both hands in order to kiss her on the forehead, just above the horns. Then she knelt down and hugged Ramira more tightly than she'd ever hugged her before.

”Mama--that hurts...”

Mariana released her. ”I'm sorry, mijara.”

”It's okay.”

Time was running short, she knew. Mariana composed herself and considered what else she needed to say. She eyed the two reapers present. ”Listen to Shenado and Chergoa,” she told her girls. ”They are both wiser than I could ever be. They will guide you well.”

”What if they don't agree with each other?” said Emiliana.

”Then listen to Shenado.”

'Hey,' Chergoa pouted.

Shenado smirked. 'Seniority rules.'

'Ugh, you sound like my brother.'

Everyone but Ramira looked at her.

Chergoa c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. 'What?'

”You said that as though your brother was still alive,” said Mariana.

'He is. At least, the last time I checked, he was.' She squinted. 'It's been a while, though. I suppose he could've gotten himself killed. Sounds like something he'd do.'

'That is very rare,' said Shenado. 'You truly have a living sibling? Why did you never mention him before?'

Chergoa shrugged. 'Didn't think to. I have no clue where he is. Haven't seen him in... a while, like I said. I did tell Axiolis about him, though.'

”Your brother is a reaper, too?” Emiliana asked.

'Yeah, of course.'

'What is his name?' said Shenado.

'Garovel. You know him?'

'No.'

'I figured.'

The reapers' chatter lasted a bit longer, only continuing to lose poignancy and relevance as it dragged on. It seemed apparent to Mariana that they were just trying to delay the inevitable now. Oddly childish of them, she thought--but not altogether unexpected. In her experience, most reapers tended to hold onto that quality in some small way. She always figured it was just something they did to help keep themselves sane.

At length, Mariana finally had to urge the reapers along. ”Shenado...”

'I know,' the reaper said, turning heavily toward her. 'We are out of time.'

Mariana breathed deeply and took a seat next to the hearth. She gazed into the fire therein. She'd lit it herself. She hadn't sat next to an open flame like this in years. The crackling warmth summoned images of her childhood, of her humble parents, of their quaint home, of a plump mass of fur called Polly with those floppy ears and big, soft eyes. 'Thank you for everything you've done for me,' Mariana thought. 'I never did say that enough.'

'You never needed to,' said Shenado, wrapped in the echo of privacy. 'Do you have any last words?'

Mariana considered turning to her girls right then and telling them that she loved them. But she didn't want to. She'd never liked saying it, which was perhaps a shame, because saying it now would only make things harder for herself. And for the girls, too, probably. And it didn't really matter, anyway. Because they already knew. They had to. So she decided to hold her tongue. Instead, she thought, 'For Zeff, if you ever see him again, tell him... I've decided that it wasn't a mistake.'

'What wasn't a mistake?'

'He will understand.'

Shenado nodded solemnly. She moved closer.

Mariana watched the fox's claws reach toward her face. And as she felt her life leave her, she heard Shenado's tremulous parting words.

'Goodbye, my sweet girl...'

And the echo faded.