Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 15

As Sister Alessia did not have a horse, Clara invited her to ride in her carriage. The young Paladin seemed uncomfortable at first, glancing about nervously at the cushy furnishings, ornate detailing and various magical conveniences for work and travel on the road. Several minutes after getting underway she seemed to settle down.

“So, how has life in the Sorcerous Kingdom treated you thus far?” Clara asked as the shadow of the castle gate darkened the windows.

“I think it is not so bad, comitessa,” Sister Alessia answered, “but many things are different from the Theocracy. I do not know this northern language, so the people in the city all sound very distant. When first we came through your lands, I thought ‘ah, maybe they are much like us here, after all’, but those further north are truly a different people.”

“There should be a few in the city that should not seem so foreign to you,” Clara said.

“This is true,” Sister Alessia nodded. “There are a small number of faithful in the city, and they have been educated by the temple. I had the good fortune of becoming acquainted with the one called Zahradnik, who speaks in our language. It was surprising to see a southerner in the north, but her hospitality is still much like that of her people.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is not…how can I say…pretentious? This northern culture has layers hidden behind layers – even the common folk put on airs and swagger about if they think it will gain them something they do not deserve. It is difficult for me to discern where people truly stand.”

Their carriage slowed, and Clara opened a window to take a look outside. A caravan that bore the mark of a merchant company from the Theocracy was plodding along in front of them. Those in the rearmost wagon appeared caught between assurance because of the Paladin Captain riding alongside the carriage and panic from Soul Eater drawing it.

“Brother Marc–erm, the Captain did not come by your invitation?”

“No,” Clara smirked. “When he heard that Ruin’s Wake was inbound, he insisted that he be there for my protection.”

Sister Alessia snorted and rolled her eyes.

“His addition to your escort means little when four Death Knights, a Death Warrior, and a Soul Eater are already present,” she said. “Brother Marcus is an idiot in certain ways…you have told him that his interest can never be returned, yes?”

“I would think that a Paladin Captain understands this.”

“As I say, comitessa,” Sister Alessia sighed, “he is an idiot. You are not the first. Did you know that he had eyes for the Black Scale Dragon Lord?”

Clara raised an eyebrow at the mention of the Draconic Kingdom’s sovereign.

“He tried to court Queen Oriculus? How would a Paladin from the Theocracy even meet her?”

Though not hostile to one another, the fact that the Draconic Kingdom’s head of state had Draconic lineage made them a non-Human nation in the perception of the Theocracy’s citizens. Even if the inland sea did not divide their two nations – or rather, even with the inland sea providing a water route between them – the Humans of the Theocracy were loath to interact with their neighbours to the east. That the citizens of the Draconic Kingdom were fellow Humans did not matter, and word of the Theocracy’s forces assisting the Draconic Kingdom would surely result in public outcry.

“We send forces to assist the Draconic Kingdom with their furry problem on a somewhat regular basis,” Sister Alessia said. “Unofficially, of course. It is a nation led by a Dragon Lord, but if they fall to the Beastmen, those Beastmen become the Theocracy’s new neighbours. The relief forces pass through Altamura under the pretence that they are conducting exercises in Katze. Hmm…usually it is an army group, a few Paladin squadrons and – if the Beastmen are especially frisky – some special forces.”

Was she allowed to share this? According to Ludmila, Sister Alessia was a very strict and orderly individual. If so, it meant that she had thrown in her lot with the Sorcerous Kingdom. This was probably to be expected, considering who ruled the nation. The young Paladin continued speaking, oblivious to Clara’s measuring gaze.

“Brother Marcus spoke quite passionately of Queen Oriculus, so he may still fancy her even now. After being his Squire for nearly eight years, I am aware of his preferences in women. In truth, you are one whom any man would desire in the Theocracy, but your bloodline is too high above that of most.”

“You can tell?”

“Divine blood is common in the Theocracy,” Sister Alessia shrugged, “so it is easy to notice in the north where its traits do not manifest so often. Brother Marcus knows more of this than I, yet he continues to entertain this fantasy of his.”

“Since he is stationed here for the long term,” Clara said, “I am sure the temple will present him with matches soon. He and the others who came with him are far superior to the average man in the north, so there will be no lack of interest.”

The Paladins who had come to serve in Corelyn County had all been provided with personal accommodations. This was not only a show of generosity – their arrangements were ample enough to raise large families in. Liane and Florine would probably crinkle their noses at the way followers of The Six treated Human relations in much the same way that a Farmer would consider the breeding of their livestock or cultivation of crops, but the world cared not for sensibilities that attempted to deny reality.

Humanity was weak. Without the purposeful cultivation of strong bloodlines, they would remain weak. Refining magic, developing technology and creating powerful institutions ultimately hinged on having a strong biological foundation.

“Hm…speaking of matches, what of you, comitessa?”

“Me?” Clara blinked, “Ah, I was matched to House Zahradnik.”

Sister Alessia fell silent for several moments, a look of confusion falling over her.

“…I do not mean to trample upon your hopes, comitessa,” she said carefully, “but no matter how vigorously you pursue your affections with the domina, no fruit will be born of it.”

“I-it won’t?” A note of distress entered Clara’s tone.

“This is a joke, I think. I hope.”

Clara couldn’t keep the grin off of her face.

“It was House Zahradnik’s heir – the current Baroness’ eldest brother. The Temples have not approached me with any matches since then.”

“I see,” Sister Alessia said. “You are approaching that age, though…perhaps you are undergoing reassessment?”

They shifted slightly as the carriage turned off of the highway and onto the ramp leading down to the harbour. Clara glanced out at the waterfront to the Ghost Ship’s assigned berth, but she had still not arrived.

“Do you believe that a reassessment is in order?”

“Ah,” Sister Alessia held up a hand, “I do not speak in an official capacity. In a large temple or cathedral, it is Alah Alaf’s adherents who usually perform these duties, and there are several in the E-Rantel Cathedral. Perhaps you and they are already aware, so I was wondering if you would receive matches from the Theocracy soon.”

“The establishment of the Sorcerous Kingdom has disrupted lines of communication with the south until recently,” Clara said. “Once things return to normal, I expect that they will do exactly that.”

Sister Alessia looked at her quietly for several moments. She licked her lips, as if hesitant to speak.

“If they requested that you stay in the Theocracy, what would your response be?”

“It is not a request that I can accommodate. I have my duties as a Noble of the Sorcerous Kingdom. There should be nothing wrong with them sending their matches to me, yes?”

“I am not so sure about that,” Sister Alessia said. “It is difficult to tell because you are of civilian vocation, but I believe that you are extremely strong. Even being a civilian, you could easily be mistaken for a combatant – not a powerful one, but merely being recognized as such speaks for itself. If you become any stronger, the Temples will have to consider the possibility that you have awakened to the potential of your divine blood.”

Clara slouched in her seat, releasing an annoyed sigh as she looked outside again. She was more than satisfied with the current course of her life. Though she did consider awakening to her divine lineage to be a blessing, the formalities that came with demigod status would be annoying in her present circumstances.

If they wanted to match her with an equally eligible man, then he could come to her. It was safer to raise a family in the Sorcerous Kingdom, anyway. Plus, there was a god and his godlike servants in residence. Not that the Theocracy displayed any open recognition of the fact.

“I wonder what His Majesty would say about this,” her sigh misted the window.

“Ai…I am afraid to consider the results, comitessa,” Sister Alessia made a face. “When it comes to matters of His Majesty, the people in the Theocracy will not consider things in the same light as those who live here.”

“Then…you believe?”

“I do. Yet, it is the source of as much anxiety as assurance. When I am not kept busy enough, my thoughts stray: I wonder how things have turned out this way. As much as I wish to spread the good news, I cannot. I see how the faithful here conduct themselves, and I understand why he has chosen this place. Compared to this place, the Theocracy is…”

Sister Alessia’s words trailed off into an unhappy look. Clara couldn’t blame her: the young Paladin was born and raised in the Theocracy, after all. How she was raised to interpret the world and act upon it probably seemed proper and righteous right up to the point that it didn’t.

Their success in procuring temple staff from the Theocracy was in no small part due to the fact that both sides agreed the candidates would need to be world-wise and capable of adapting to life in a foreign land. Clara was under no illusion that the majority of the Theocracy’s citizens were the same. Inflexibility and intolerance had been allowed to take root in the strong foundations laid by their predecessors, and that strength only reinforced their increasingly belligerent views.

Silence fell between them as their carriage finished making its way to the waterfront. One of Clara’s Human footmen opened the door. Clara, Sister Alessia and Taiya stepped out into the afternoon sun.

It was not long until a fogbank rolled over one of the locks to the east. As it came closer, Captain Cavallaro shifted to a defensive posture. Alessia casually rested a hand on the head of her warhammer.

“If this Ghost Ship always comes with a fog,” she mused, “will it not cause problems for others?”

She had a point. Ludmila mentioned that the Ghost Ship shrouded itself with a screen of fog, but Clara wasn’t aware of the effect’s extent. The mist formed an obscuring barrier that covered a third of the waterfront. Unlike a regular fog, the Ruin’s Wake appeared to have created a shell of mist around itself: a large radius around the ship’s hull was almost entirely clear.

Clara’s gaze traced over the vessel as it slowed to a stop before them. The ensign of the Sorcerous Kingdom fluttered proudly from its mainmast, but the sails below were tattered and torn. From bow to stern, its general appearance was that of an old wreck. How much of it they could improve upon, she did not know.

It was a type of vessel known as a galleon, which was often employed in the ocean trade. She had come across their mention in her search for vessels suitable for both the Katze River and the inland sea that it emptied into. Unfortunately, the draught of this type of ship was too deep and the design unsuited for the way they would handle cargo in the future.

After a minute or so, a gangplank was extended to the shore by a couple of Skeleton crewmen. It did not bridge the stone of the harbour to the main deck, but to the gaping hole amidships. From the depths of the Ghost Ship’s hold, a towering figure appeared.

Captain Iškur was reportedly an Elder Lich, but he did not resemble the Elder Liches of the Sorcerous Kingdom in any way but for the fact that he possessed a skeletal form. When he rose to his full height, he towered above the Death Knights. His barrel chest, which was a metre across, filled out a finely-crafted robe. A black tricorne cap with a grand white plume rested upon his skull. Upon his right shoulder was perched a Bone Vulture, and a cane in the captain’s massive left claw tapped over the planks of the deck.

He stood tall before them after disembarking, sweeping his gaze purposefully over the assembled group. The crimson points of his eyes went from Captain Cavallaro to the Death Knights. They scanned over the Death Warrior and her accompanying staff. Then they stopped at Sister Alessia.

The Elder Lich returned to Ruin’s Wake.

“Sister Alessia,” Clara asked, “what did you do?”

“I have not done anything?” Sister Alessia said, “I do not believe I have ever seen this particular Elder Lich. The last one that I came across was very shabby looking.”

“Well excuse me for being ‘shabby looking’!”

Captain Iškur appeared behind the railing above them, his gaze fastened to Sister Alessia.

“It seems that you are acquainted,” Clara said.

“Acquainted? Hah! Nearly took my head off with her warhammer, she did!”

On either side, the Death Knights turned their attention to Sister Alessia.

“I do not see a problem with this,” Sister Alessia’s voice was unperturbed. “It was on a border patrol two years ago. The way he approached me was suspect, as well. He leaned forward, saying ‘little girl, I have something nice for you inside the ship’.”

As one, the Death Knights looked up at Captain Iškur.

“Captain Cavallaro,” Clara frowned, “are you going to be sending more twelve–”

“Ah, I was eleven back then, comitessa.”

“–eleven-year-old Squires into the Katze Plains like that?”

Captain Cavallaro looked over his shoulder with a confused expression.

“This…this is normal, yes?”

Clara didn’t know what to think about his response at all. She would have to check with Ludmila to see if sending children into Undead-infested wastelands was really alright.

The Death Knights looked like they were about to haul off Captain Iškur as a suspicious individual, so she turned her attention back up to the Elder Lich.

“Permission to come aboard, Captain Iškur? We have business to discuss.”

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