my only plan is to get there as soon as possible. Then to deal with whatever threats come knocking at the door. Under those circumstances it might be prudent to maintain a professional relationship similar to that of the Order. Afterwards, I would be open to any ideas anyone might want to suggest, even to creating a pocket democracy."
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that you would willingly put aside your power and become just an average citizen?"
From the way her body tensed, Eile figured her gorge was rising, but she hoped she would suppress it. That was no time for her to start acting like a tin dictator. "Whatever power you think I may have, short of Vlad, it derives from your cooperation. If you were all to mount a coup, I would not be able to stop it, even with him. My only hope would be to step down and surrender, and pray you exile me instead of execute me. Having said that, whoever comes with me to Bethmoira must be willing to accept my authority in the short term. We cannot tolerate division and expect to survive. Dissent, yes; as long as it's respectful, dissent is healthy and necessary. But I will not permit rebellion, and as long as I am able to maintain my authority, I will do whatever is necessary to quell unrest and prevent division.
"As such, let me state here and now, that before you agree to come with me, you must decide whether to accept my authority. If you can, you are welcome, and I will do whatever I am able to protect you, but if you cannot, then stay here, or go somewhere else, but you will not be welcome at Bethmoira. I hope I am clear on this."
Eile smiled. She knew Differel has spoken the truth about being willing to give up power sometime in the future, but she needed to lay down the law now, and she was glad she did.
"What if Whitehall tries to stop you?" a footman asked.
"As a member of the Privy Council and Director of the Caerleon Order, I am too public a figure to be openly attacked on the road. It would be easier for them to let me go, then attack Bethmoira after martial law is declared. Besides, all preparations were completed a month ago; all I wish to do is take certain valuables and personal items with me. Even if they did attack me, our haven would still be ready and waiting for us. But nothing is certain. That's why I want to leave here before the weekend."
"What if we aren't ready by then?" a maid asked.
"Then I will leave without you. But you can still come on your own, you just won't have my protection. For that reason, I urge you all not to waste any time. To that end, as of this moment, you are all discharged from my service and from the Order. At three I will send a message to the Privy Council informing them that I have dissolved the Order. You are all free to do as you like, with no further obligation to me or the government. Only those who wish to accompany me to Bethmoira will place themselves once again under my authority. And those of you who wish to contact your families and have them come here, Aelfraed, Miss King, and Ms. Turing will be at your disposal to render whatever assistance you need."
"We can bring our families with us?" the maid asked, looking and sounding surprised.
"Yes, of course. If I was forced to choose between surviving without Henry and dying with him, I would choose the latter. I expect no less of any of you."
Another ripple of babbled voices flowed through the crowd, but this time it sounded to Eile like it was happy, or at least relieved.
Differel paused to see if anyone would speak up. When no one did, she asked, "Are there any more questions?"
They responded with silence.
"Very well. Before I dismiss you, I would like to say one more thing. It has been an honour and a privilege working with you all. Your efforts made it possible for me and the Order to do its job and protect our Sovereign, our Church, and our Nation from paranormal threats. I would be pleased and proud if all of you followed me to Bethmoira, but to those of you who decided not to, I will say good luck, and may God bless you and protect you. You are dismissed."
There were no cheers, no expressions of appreciation or gratitude, but also no protests, dismay, or angry words. Her former staff simply filed out of the room as if going back to their duties, until finally only Differel and her seniors were left. She glanced at Sunny, who gave her a sad look, then they stood up and came up behind Differel. She turned to look at them, and she wore an anguished expression, as if feeling responsible for turning all their lives inside out. Sunny held open her arms and Differel embraced her. After a few moments, Eile, feeling tears well up in her eyes, put her arms around them both and joined in the group hug.
From "The Sewers of Khwarezm"
Medb hErenn battled to regain consciousness, but it felt like struggling to escape a mud bog. The harder she fought, the deeper she seemed to sink, and the more difficult it became to keep going. She knew that she had to wake up, and soon, but she could not remember why. She just had a sense or urgency, as if her life depended on it, yet despite this, she could not make any headway.
Drops of water fell on her cheeks, her lips, and her eyelashes, and she felt something cool and wet laid on her forehead with a gentle touch. With preternatural effort, she forced herself awake in an instant; she sat bolt upright and seized the wrists of her caregiver as a soaked rag fell into her lap.
Beside her squatted a young girl. She was in that middle ground between adolescence and full adulthood, with a slim figure and elfin, conical, erect breasts. Her face was round and soft, her smooth skin a light ivory color, and her long billowing hair a rich chestnut brown. She had a stately beauty that could not be marred even by the muck, filth, and grime that covered her body.
She was also naked, and at the same time Medb realized that she, too, was nude.
The startled girl stared at the former queen with wide, fear-filled eyes and she tried to pull free. Medb's grasp was too strong to break, but she released the girl as soon as she realized she was no threat.
"I am sorry," she said in a soothing tone, as she tossed the rag away. "Do not be afraid, I will not hurt you."
The girl recovered her composure. "Are you all right?"
Medb held her head for a moment. Waking up that fast took power, and she felt a trifle weak. "I believe so," she said. She tried to stand up, but found herself restrained in some fashion. When she examined her arms she discovered that both her wrists were manacled and that she was chained to a wall.
"What is this place?" she demanded, looking around. The dome-shaped chamber was fairly large and constructed from blocks of rough stone. There were no doors or windows, and the only illumination came from sunlight flooding down through an opening in the peak of the ceiling. But she did see a number of small openings about two-thirds of the way up, spaced evenly around the circumference.
"It's a slave-pit in Khwarezm," the girl replied in a grim manner. Indeed, Medb saw they were not alone. Scattered around the chamber were a dozen other women. They were of varying heights, skin and hair color, and body builds, but they all shared three things in common: they were young, beautiful, and naked. But only she seemed to be restrained.
Medb wrinkled her nose in distaste as a foul smell assailed her. "What is that stench?"
The girl pivoted on the balls of her feet and pointed to the wall behind her. At one point where it intersected the floor, Medb could see a brick-lipped hole. "It's a drain that leads to the sewer under the city," she explained. "This was originally built as a garbage pit."
That made sense based on what she could see of the chamber's construction. Refuse and other waste were probably dumped down the opening in the ceiling to collect over time until the monsoon season. Then rain water would be diverted into the chamber through the openings to wash the accumulated debris out through the drain and into the sewer beyond.
"Are you thirsty?" the girl asked her with obvious concern.
Medb swallowed out of reflex, and it felt as if her throat was stuffed with cotton. "Yes."
Smiling, she stood and walked over to a barrel that hung from an iron hook set into the ceiling. A ladle dangled from one of the chains, and the girl took hold of it and dipped it inside. Turning
, she then walked back to the former queen, careful not to spill a drop. She knelt and gave the ladle to Medb, who gulped its contents, thankful that the water was clean, fresh, and cool.
Handing the ladle back to the girl, Medb said, "Thank you." Then she added, "What is your name?"
"Sahr'azad," the girl replied as she took the ladle back to the barrel, "but my friends call me Sahr."
Recollection hit Medb like a physical blow. "Your father hired me to find you and return you to him."
Sahr replied with a wry smile, "Well, you accomplished the first task handedly enough, but it remains to be seen how well you'll complete the second."
Annoyed, Medb gave her an unpleasant look, but Sahr was right, she had been very foolish to let herself get captured. Her only excuse was that she had been complacent, trusting in her invulnerability while disregarding the ways others could circumvent it.
Her only reply, however, was to grasp the chain links nearest the manacles and say aloud, "Meirc." Sahr frowned and gave Medb an odd look when she heard the muted crackle of a static electrical discharge and wrinkled her nose at the whiff of ozone. As Medb relaxed her grip, the chains fell away from the manacles amidst a cloud of rust particles, and she grinned at the look of pure astonishment on the girl's face.
Medb stood, and began stretching her limbs,