Novel 3. The Last Autumn

She rose suddenly on tiptoe and stretched her arms out in front of her, smiling broadly with the mischievous smile of a child. Lady Maria stepped forward, bent down, and hugged the girl tightly. "Well, yes, she's a Guardswoman too," de Gorazzo realised. — "They are sisters." For a minute or more the two girls clutched each other in an embrace, then pulled away. The brown-eyed one wiped away her tears with the edge of her snow-white glove and said, sniffling:

— I see, Captain Valeria, you have a new addition. Introduce me to the newcomers, Maria.

— Lady Emilia, personal guard of Duchess Christina the Second of Elvart. — The pale lady said it solemnly, as if at an official reception. — My sister. It would have been strange if someone else had arrived on the "Fearless".

— It so happened that at the launching of our ship, the role of "sea blade" in the ceremony was played by the sword of a beautiful lady. It was an accident that connected Lady Emilia with the "Fearless", but we are proud of such an honour to this day. — The young officer removed his hat and bowed with dignity. — Captain Stein de Witzleben. Welcome aboard.

— I think we're all in for a long talk. — The little lady, with the same charming childish smile, put her hands behind her back and rocked from heel to toe. — Lady Valria, mster Carlon, everyone else... You are among friends and perfectly safe. Please don't feel like guests. You are at home.

Chapter 23

The captain's cabin of the "Fearless" could not accommodate all those invited to the dinner, so the table was set in the middle of the battery deck. The commander of the galleon provided delicacies and wine from his personal stock, and among the sailors there were a couple of musicians, so that the feast began with the sound of flute and strings. Armando had a premonition that he would be a stranger, an outsider, and his mood was somewhat dampened. It was the "Bright Heads" who had returned home, and Don de Gorazzo had come to a foreign land. An exile, in fact. But it wasn't all bad. Firstly, the former bailiff was not in danger of loneliness — besides him at the table sat aliens from another world, Erdos dragon rider and officers of the "Elena", who were also here as guests. Secondly, the charm of the little Lady Emilia crushed any walls that arose between the participants of the feast. The brown-eyed girl in a blue uniform paid attention to all the feasters, gave everyone a warm smile and a few pleasant words. She deftly tied the knots of conversation and discussion, not allowing any guest to sullenly pour wine in languour and silence. De Gorazzo himself did not notice how he had had enough to eat, talk, and practically fall in love. Lady Emilia seemed a complete antipode of the tall, pale and awkward in communication Maria, but in her felt the same bribing naive sincerity. Besides, there was no doubting that she, like her sister, was capable of taking down five thugs in a fight, despite her frail appearance.

At first there were no serious questions — Emilia and the mercenaries had already discussed the most important topics before the feast began. But little by little the conversation turned to the situation on the continent and the company's future plans.

— The situation is very tense, — the brown-haired lady said, playing with a silver wine goblet. Like Maria, she didn't drink alcohol, but she raised her cup during the toasts. — In recent weeks, Coalition troops have been converging on the borders of the Dead Lands. They occupy border fortresses and set up camps. Auguste has brought the armies of the kingdom, Iolia, and several of the great duchies that supported him after the defeat of the rebels. Troops from Auguste's own domain, the Veronni, stand garrisoned in the major cities of Daert and block the rebel remnants in the mountains. Many dragon knights are seen in the king's army, but virtually no elves. Joint squadrons are being formed in the ports of Iolia, and some ships have been recalled from Erdo.

— What about ours? — Valria asked. The elf did not limit herself, and her cheeks flushed with the colour of the wine she had drunk.

— The duchess held a review of the regular army. — Emilia put the goblet on the table. — Imperial troops are arriving at the old camps along the border. A dragon barge with an escort stands in the Elvartian harbour. The War Cabinet has received large sums of money to recruit free units. This is war. Either this autumn or next spring.

— Auguste is about to get the news that the Iolians missed Anya with the laptop, — Alex remarked. — Maybe that would curb his ambitions.

— Or vice versa, — Master Carlon said grimly, sipping from his cup. The mage approached the extermination of booze with the cold calm of a professional who had seen many empty kegs in his lifetime. — Their Majesty might decide it was now or never to attack. Given his ambitions, there was little doubt which option Auguste would choose.

— It's not up to us, — Valria said, waving her hand at him. — Let's talk about the good things. Soon I'll see my house in Elvart, then we'll hand over the cargo to Imperial Intelligence, and then we'll be free again! Assignments that last longer than a couple of weeks are not my type.

— We're going back to the Coalition, — Sergeant Dallan, who had been silent for most of the meal, said suddenly. She was concentrating on peeling an apple with a knife, not looking at her neighbours.

— Yes, to rescue a certain red-haired sorceress, — the elf nodded, wiggling her ears. — Dallan promised something to our new guy. Anyway, the company has plans. We just need to get to land.

— That won't be the issue, — Skipper Dorlt reassured her. The bearded elf was clearly enjoying sitting between the two girl guardsmen and alternately complimented one and the other. — "Elena's" fine. My cabin's a mess, but the rudder's intact. We'll get you to Elvart before you know it. Ha!

— Behind the vanguard comes an auxiliary squadron of nine caravels and two naus, — Emilia added. — I'll have lady Akira give them the order by air, and three ships will escort the "Elena" to port.

— Are you not coming back with us? — Lady Maria frowned. She even moved forward so she could see her sister.

— No, — the little girl shook her head with a guilty smile. — I have some letters from the Duchess to High King of Zeerige. I should have just handed them over, but now that I have the chance, I will visit him and a couple of the Jarls in person. The squadron will remain here to add... weight to my words. In light of a possible war, Elvarth needs some assurances from the North. I will endeavour to provide them. Christine has authorised me to speak for her if necessary.

She winked at Maria:

— Don't worry, we'll meet again at the palace, in your favourite library. I'll even let you read something aloud to me. I promise not to run away after the first three pages.

They parted in the morning — the "Elena" spent the night at the roadstead, repairing hasty battle damage, and rise the anchor in the rays of dawn. Emilia was last seen by Don Armando on the quarterdeck of the "Fearless." The little lady had climbed the rail and was standing with one hand on the battlements. She simply looked after the departing caravel, and the sea wind fluttered her cloak and curly ringlets of brown hair. The former bailiff had an unpleasant feeling of emptiness in his chest, as if he had known the guardswoman for a long time, and now he was saying goodbye forever.

The remaining days of the voyage were not particularly memorable. The ship sailed through calm waters under a reliable escort. The "Elena" entered Elvart harbour on a clear day, when the sun hung over the mainmast, almost without shadows.

— That's it, ladies and gentlemen, — said Skipper Dorlt after the passengers had gathered on deck. The sailors were taking the horses out of the hold and throwing the wide gangways onto the stone pier. — Our adventure was over. Ha-ha! You can take it from here.

— It wasn't the easiest voyage, but it was a profitable one, — the navigator supported him. — In the end, everything turned out better than I expected.

— Where are you going now? — Armando asked.

— We need to get the little girl home. — The caravel's master nodded at Akira, who was scratching the dragon's nose. The commotion throughout the ship was of little concern to the young rider. — Hah! She couldn't get there on her own. Lord Irutawa had promised to pay in gold.

— Akira! — Captain Valria turned to her. — Are you still interested in joining our company? I promise you the rank of corporal and Amagi will be fed at our expense.

— I'm sorry, Lady Valria. — The rider bowed gently to the elfess. — I am part of the clan.

— You could keep spying on us for taiko, eh? — the elf squinted. — And keep a record of our history, too.

The rider only bowed once more, this time silently. So the group left behind a few more humans and elves they could call friends.

Don de Gorazzo did not get a chance to see Elvart, a jewel among the imperial vassals. The company had taken rooms at the harbour inn, though not the full complement. Lady Maria went to spend the night at the palace, where she was to report to Duchess Christina. Valria, on the other hand, announced:

— I have a choice. Invite you all to my lovely cosy garden cottage for a visit, or spend a delightful night alone with Dallan. I'm sorry, I chose the latter. And I'll buy you meat pies in the morning on the company treasury.

The next day Maria was the first to return. The Lady Guardswoman had replaced her familiar black costume with the same uniform her sister wore: a blue jacket embroidered with white thread, the same trousers, brown boots above mid-thigh, and a blue cloak with gold clasps. Instead of a simple cuirass, the girl wore a silver armour, complete with round shoulder pads and gauntlets with elbow-length cuffs. The lady's straight white hair was covered by a blue beret with a luxuriant snow-white feather. Now she really looked like a bodyguard of a noblewoman.

— Her Highness is pleased to see us and will help us in any way she can, — Maria told her comrades. — I'm still with the company, and we'll go to the Empire together. We will be given horses, money, provisions and escort.

It wasn't until a couple of hours later that Valria and Dallan joined the group, flushed, sleep-deprived, but terribly satisfied. The golden-haired elven woman placed a huge basket full of steaming hot pies on the table. The group ate breakfast with them, and then immediately set off on their way. The streets of Elvarth flashed by, blurring into a blurred background. Armando could only note that the city had preserved the old imperial style of buildings over the centuries, just like the centre of Daert. But just as the white-stone Daert flowed smoothly into the unkempt suburbs, Elvart's buildings of the past Empire, away from the waterfront, were slowly replaced by grey or boarded-up buildings of later eras. Beyond the city, the deciduous forests began to grow. Autumn was coming into its own, and among the green crowns of the trees flashed specks of gold, like grey in the hair of an aging lady.

With two horses per man, accompanied by a detachment of cavalry, the mercenaries crossed the duchy in a matter of days. Their speed was limited only by Anya, who was not keeping well in the saddle. Valria had done her best to make the journey easier for the visitor from the other world, even making a soft saddle and covering the usual one with several blankets.

Beyond Elvart lay Captain Valria's home principality of Kornath, where four elven riders were added to the escort — they led the party along mountain paths, bypassing the main passes, thus shortening the journey by three or four days. Then the way went through the plains of the Second Daertian Empire. Here the pace had to be slowed down even more, as Anya was exhausted. In her own words, the only thing that prevented her from passing out from fatigue was the unbearable pain in her lower back and thighs. Obviously feeling embarrassed because she had caused delays, the girl at one of the breaks suddenly offered her companions to listen to her first "pen test". It turned out that all this time she had been mentally translating passages of poems from her native world to distract herself. Sitting by the fire, Anya softly read out a few verses about a ship's sail whitening in the sea fog, about a soldier asking his beloved to wait for him from the war, and other things. To Armando's taste, it sounded quite good, which the don immediately reported. The other mercenaries also supported the guest from the other world with cheers and requests to repeat it.

Summer had been over for a week when the cavalcade entered Garlond, the Second Daert, the heart of the Eastern Empire. De Gorazzo, who had seen the First Daert, could not have called the imperial capital its twin. Garlond had been built not so long ago, using the dark stone of the local mountains, and its style differed from both Daert and Elvarth. The temples of the One Creator were not rebuilt from pagan temples, but were built on a new site. Instead of semicircular domes, sharp four-sided spires crowned with the Symbol stretched to the sky. This made the city seem unfriendly, especially on a rainy autumn day, when the weather only accentuated its grey walls and jagged silhouette.

The former royal bailiff thought that here, as in Erdo, they would first be dragged through the authorities and then presented to some high dignitary. Reality surpassed all his expectations. "Bright Heads" was met at a suburban outpost by a detachment of Imperial Guards in luxurious gilt armour and scarlet cloaks. Having released the ducal escort, the guardsmen took the group in a ring and led them to the three hills on which the emperor's capital residence was spread out. Without any further questions, the exhausted mercenaries were taken to the guest house, where the servants lined up were waiting for them.

— Clean yourself up, ladies and sirs, — said the commander of the Guards. — His Majesty the Emperor wishes to see you in two hours.

— All of tus? — Armando clarified.

— He will decide for himself, — the officer said. — Get ready, all of you.

The preparation consisted of a visit to the bathhouse adjoining the lodge and a change of clothes. The servants had brought in armfuls of ready-made dresses, but none of the "Bright Heads" used them. The men changed their linen and shirts, Valria put on a new waistcoat and skirt, and Lady Maria pulled from her bales the spare uniform she had carried in a dustproof bundle all the way from Elvarth.

— The rush is unbelievable, — the guardswoman said as she left the room in clean clothes. — Violation of all etiquette, court protocols, and security measures. It was not the first time the Emperor had disregarded them, but it seemed that things were not going well on the border.