Innkeeper Chronicles 3.5: Sweep of the Blade Read online

Maud hugged Helen tighter. There were no perfect options.

  She wanted to fix it. If she could wave a magic wand and streamline the

  galaxy for the sake of her daughter, she would do it in a heartbeat.

  “It doesn’t have to be here or the inn,” she said. “We can try living

  somewhere else.”

  Helen’s personal unit chirped. She poked at it with her finger. “Ymanie

  says there are baby birds on the Tower 12.”

  Maud sighed. At the end, Helen was just five years old. “Would you like

  to go and see baby birds?”

  “Yes!” Helen jumped off the wall onto the balcony.

  “Go ahead. No heroics, Helen. No touching the birds, no climbing up

  dangerous high places, and no—”

  “Yes, mommy!”

  Maud closed her mouth and watched her daughter sprint inside and to

  the door.

  Right now, baby birds fixed all of Helen’s problems. But she wouldn’t be

  five forever.

  What do I do? What’s the right thing here?

  In this moment, Maud would’ve given ten years of her life to be able to

  call mom.

  She went inside. Her personal unit glowed. Great. A high priority

  message, ten minutes ago. At least it didn’t sit there for too long.

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  Maud touched the screen. Lady Ilemina’s face appeared.

  “Lady Maud,” Arland’s mother said. “Do join me for lunch.”

  Chapter 10 Part 1

  June 1, 2018 by Ilona 834 Comments

  Lady Ilemina had decided to take her lunch in the Small Garden. Small,

  Maud decided, as she walked down the stone path, was relative.

  The Small Garden occupied roughly four acres atop a tiny mesa that

  thrust out of the living rock of the mountain. There were several such

  mesas on the grounds and the castle simply grew around them,

  incorporating them into its structure. Some supported towers, others

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  provided space for utility areas or other parks. Her personal unit

  informed her that there was a larger garden, imaginatively titled the

  Large Garden, almost twice the size of the small one, also the High

  Garden, the Low Garden, the Silver Garden, the River Garden… She

  stopped reading after that.

  Vampires loved nature, but where on Earth a garden meant a carefully

  cultivated space, organized, planned, and often offering a variety of

  plants from all over the place, a vampire garden was basically a chunk of

  preserved wilderness. It was a carefully tended wilderness, pruned,

  managed, and well loved, but every plant in it was natural to the

  area. The vampire gardeners planted extra flowers and encouraged

  picturesque shrubs and native herbs, but it would never occur to them

  to transplant flowers from one continent to another. If they saw a

  Chinese butterfly bush in a British garden among the native daisies and

  marigolds, they would’ve pulled it out as a weed.

  The exception was the vala trees. The Holy Anocracy brought them to

  every planet it colonized.

  The garden around Maud showcased the best this biozone had to

  offer. Tall trees with narrow turquoise leaves and pale bark rose on both

  sides of the path. Their roots lay partially exposed and knotted together

  as if someone had taken cypress knees and decided to try their hand at

  macramé. Under the roots, delicate lavender and blue flowers bloomed

  in clusters, with five petals each and a spray of long stamens. The flowers

  glowed slightly, their leaves shimmering with a nacre sheen. A frilly

  shrub, emerald green, its leaves tinged with brighter green, crowded

  around the roots. Between the trees, where more sun penetrated

  through the canopy, more flowers bloomed. Tall stems supported

  narrow blossoms, shaped like rose-colored champagne flutes stuffed to

  the brim with a wealth of white petals. Translucent blossoms, as big as

  her head, spread their tissue thin petals, each petal a faint blue marked

  with a bright red vein running through it middle and meeting in the

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  flower’s glowing golden center. Long spikes, shivering with yellow

  tendrils, dripped glittering pollen on to their neighbors’ leaves. The air

  smelled of spice and sweet perfumes.

  Dina would have a field day here.

  The path ended in a large circle. A stream ran in a ring, sectioning off the

  center of the path into a round island. A single vala tree grew in the

  circle, not one of the massive thousand-year old giants, but a more

  recent planting. Its trunk was barely four feet wide. It spread its dark

  branches bearing blood red leaves over the water of the stream and the

  small stone table with two chairs, one empty and the other occupied by

  Lady Ilemina.

  Here we go. Maud walked across the stone bridge. The older woman

  looked at her.

  “So you’ve made it after all. Excellent.”

  Maud bowed and took her seat. A plate was already set in front of her.

  A large platter held an assortment of fried foods and an assortment of

  meats and fruit on small skewers. Finger foods. A tall glass pitcher

  offered green wine.

  Ilemina leaned back in her chair, sitting sideways, one long leg over the

  other, her left arm resting in the table. Up close, the resemblance

  between her and Arland was unmistakable. Same hair, same

  determined look in the blue eyes, same stubborn angle of the jaw. A

  lunch with a krahr.

  “Your face was thoughtful as you walked the path,” Ilemina asked.

  How much to say? “I was thinking about my sister.”

  “Oh?”

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  “When the three of us, my brother, my sister, and I, were growing up in

  our parents’ inn, each of us was responsible for a specific area of the inn,

  in addition to our general chores. Dina’s was gardens. She would love it

  here.”

  “What was yours?”

  “Stables.”

  “I would’ve never guessed. You have no mount or pet.”

  “There weren’t many opportunities for pets during Karhari.”

  “And before that?” Ilemina asked.

  She had to set some boundaries. “Before that is in the past.”

  “My brother told me of your findings.” Ilemina picked up a pitcher and

  filled their glasses.

  Maud lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip of wine. The older

  woman was watching her carefully.

  “We’ve suspected Kozor and Serak of collaborating with the pirates, but

  to stoop to piracy themselves is base.”

  “It’s not unheard of,” Maud pointed out and wished she had bitten her

  tongue.

  “You’re right. But the houses of the Holy Anocracy never preyed on each

  other without a declaration of war.” Ilemina took a swallow of her

  wine. “It’s a hefty accusation. I need proof.”

  “I understand,” Maud said.

  They sipped their wine. The pressure was mounting inside Maud with

  every passing second.

  175

  “You didn’t ask me here to talk about Kozor,” Maud said.

  “You’re not very good with silences,” Ilemina said. “Something to work

  on.”

  Maud reached out, took a skewer of small yellow berries, and slid one

  into her mo
uth.

  “What are your intentions toward my son?” Ilemina asked.

  Maud considered the question. What the hell were her intentions?

  She settled on honesty. “I don’t know.”

  “What’s there to know?” Ilemina fixed her with her stare. “You have

  feelings for him. You followed him across the void. He has feelings for

  you. What’s the hold up?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “But it is. You’re both adults. I saw the way you look at him when you

  forget to guard your face.”

  What?

  “He asked you to marry him. You said no. What are you waiting

  for? What is it you want? Wealth? Power? Marry him and you’ll have

  both.”

  She thought Maud was a gold digger. A familiar irritation dug at Maud,

  like a burr under her foot. “I don’t need Arland to earn a living. I’m the

  daughter of Innkeepers. I speak a dozen languages. I’m at home at any

  trade hub. If I wish, I can return to my sister’s inn at any time.”

  She could. Given that Dina’s inn had access to Baha-char, the galactic

  bazaar, if she wanted to take jobs, they would be plentiful, and the pay

  would be great.

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  A small triumphant light sparked in Ilemina’s eyes. “And yet here you

  are. Subjecting yourself to the humiliation of being a human in a vampire

  house and bearing a blank crest.”

  Maud almost bit her tongue.

  “Clearly, a strong bond pulled you across space.”

  Maud said nothing.

  “Do you love my son? Ilemina asked.

  “Yes.” The answer came with surprising ease.

  Ilemina stared at her. “Then do something about it.”

  Maud opened her mouth and clicked it shut.

  “It’s a problem that has a straightforward solution. There is no need to

  make a hissot out of it.”

  Fantastic. Her might be mother in law just compared her feelings to a

  mating ball of wriggling snakes.

  “It’s not just me,” Maud said quietly.

  Ilemina leaned forward. “Do you honestly think your child would fare

  better on Earth? She has killed, Maud. She has fangs. That’s a vampire

  child if I ever saw one. We can do something with her. Humans can do

  nothing. You will have to hide her for the rest of her life. Can you do that

  to your daughter?”

  “What do you want from me?” Maud growled.

  “I want to get to the bottom of this. So stop pretending to be an idiot and

  tell me what’s holding you back, because my son is miserable and I’m

  tired of watching the two of you.”

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  “I’ve been on the planet for three days!”

  “Three days is plenty. What is it you want, Maud of the Innkeepers?”

  “I want Helen to be happy.”

  Ilemina sighed and drank her wine. “My parents had no use for me when

  I was growing up. Their House was a war house. There was always a war

  they were fighting or preparing to fight. They didn’t notice me until I

  grew enough to be useful. I exerted myself to my fullest, I excelled, I

  volunteered for every action, just to get a crumb of their attention. When

  I met my future husband, I was a marshal of their house. I talked to

  Arland’s father for less than an hour, and I knew I would walk away with

  him if he asked. For the very first time in my life someone saw me as I

  was.”

  Ilemina smiled. “I did walk away with him and then I fought a war against

  my parents’ house when they tried to punish me for finding happiness. It

  was the ultimate act of selfishness on their part. So when my daughter

  was born, I swore that I wouldn’t be my mother. I paid attention to my

  child. I was involved in every aspect of her life. I nurtured her, supported

  her, encouraged her. I trained her. So did my husband. Some might say

  that my husband and I had neglected our own union for the sake of our

  daughter and they wouldn’t be wrong.”

  Ilemina paused, tracing the rim of her glass with her finger. “When my

  daughter was twenty-two years old, she met a knight and fell in love. He

  was everything I could ever wish for in a son-in-law. My heart broke

  anyway, but I didn’t want to stand in her way. She married him. She lives

  halfway across the Galaxy and visits once every year or two. Arland was

  ten years old when she left. He barely knows her. I have grandchildren

  I almost never see.”

  Maud had no idea what to say, so she stayed silent.

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  “Children leave,” Ilemina told her. “It is the greatest tragedy of

  motherhood that if you have done everything right, if you have raised

  them in confidence and independence, they will pick up and leave you. It

  is as it’s meant to be. One day Helen will leave.”

  Anxiety pierced Maud. She swallowed, trying to keep it under wraps.

  “If you try to hold and restrain her, you will be committing an irreparable

  sin. We shouldn’t hobble our young. We do not cut their claws. One day

  it will be just you, Maud.”

  “I understand,” Maud murmured. Thinking about it hurt.

  “Where do you see yourself when that day comes?” Ilemina asked.

  She knew where she wanted to be but getting there was so complicated.

  “So I’ll ask again. What is it you’re afraid of? Are you trying to out-

  vampire us, because nothing you do will change the circumstances of

  your birth. If my son had wanted a vampire, he has a veritable crowd of

  women with ancient bloodlines falling all over themselves to love him.

  Are you ashamed of being a human? Do you hate your species?”

  Maud raised her head. “I have no desire to pretend I’m a vampire.”

  “Then what is it?” Ilemina raised her voice.

  Something inside Maud snapped like a thin glass rod breaking.

  “House Ervan threw me away. They threw my daughter away like we

  were old rags. We had no value to them outside of my husband. They

  didn’t fight to keep us. They wanted to be rid of us. All this time we lived

  among them and they lied to my face. I can’t take that chance again. I

  won’t. I can’t invest into building another new life and have it be ripped

  away from me. I don’t want to be here. I don’t trust you. If I had my way,

  I would spend my whole life never stepping a foot onto a Holy Anocracy

  planet, but I can’t let him go. I’ve tried. So I decided to fight for him. I

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  have to ensure that you will never turn on me. I don’t want Arland to

  marry an outsider, who is barely tolerated. I want him to marry someone

  who is valued by his House. Someone who is indispensable. I want that

  marriage to be seen as a win for House Krahr, so my daughter will have

  a place here not because of your son, but because of me.”

  She’d said too much. Where did it even come from? She had no idea

  that’s what she wanted until the words came out of her.

  Screw it. She said and she fucking meant it. Every damn word.

  Silence lay between them. A light breeze stirred the vala trees.

  Ilemina arched her eyebrows and took a sip of her wine. “Now

  that? That, I understand.”

  Chapter 10 Part 2

  June 9, 2018 by Ilona 1,154 Comments

 
Sorry, the scene turned out to be longer than planned and took more

  time.

  180

  Maud marched across the bridge, fuming. She’d let Ilemina get under

  her skin. It was a strategic error. Understanding your opponent was the

  most important advantage one could have in a conflict. Numbers,

  strengths, and luck mattered, but if you knew how your opponent

  thought, you could predict her strategy and prepare.

  She’d given Arland’s mother enough ammunition to manipulate her.

  Stupid. So stupid.

  What the hell was she thinking? Baring her soul to a damn vampire.

  181

  The memory of kneeling before Stangiva and begging for Helen’s life,

  stabbed her, hot and sharp. If only she could get her hands on that bitch,

  she would’ve snapped her former mother-in-law’s neck. And to think

  she spent years trying to mold herself into a perfect vampire wife for the

  sake of Melizard, and his mother, and their whole damn House. She’s

  twisted herself into a pretzel to become exceptional in every way, all so

  she could be paraded before the visitors with an unspoken context of

  “Look what an exemplary House we are. We have taken a human and

  shaped her into a vampire. Listen to her recite the ancient sagas. Watch

  her perform for your amusement.”

  And she, she was the idiot who had willingly put on that bridle and

  dragged the cart forward. For what? For love?

  She laughed at herself, and the sound came out sharp and brittle.

  Love. How could she have been so young and stupid?

  Ugh. Rage coursed through her. Maud wanted desperately to punch

  something.

  A sharp chittering sound made her turn. She’d come to a T-shaped

  junction. On her right another bridge branched from the first at a perfect

  right angle. The end of the bridge led onto another garden

  plateau. Trees and shrubs obscured her view, but Maud was absolutely

  sure what she just heard. A high pitched, short bark of a lees in backed

  into a corner.

  She turned and jogged down the bridge into the garden. Nuan Cee’s Clan

  were invited guests of the Krahr. No harm could come to them on

  Krahr’s watch.

  Voices carried from up ahead. She couldn’t quite make them out, but