The knight, the dragon and the necromancer. Daert dilogy-1

— I can see you're still not very good at pretending to be a soldier's widow. — Donna Vittoria folded her arms across her chest. — It's time for a makeover. You are now the maid of my new apprentice. I told you about her. Her last maid was stabbed to death by raiders, so you're the perfect fit.

— Yes, milady. — Jeanne bowed once more. She looked at Rosa. Or rather, through Rosa. The young sorceress felt uncomfortable. The black-haired woman seemed to see something very, very unpleasant behind the student's back. — Does that mean I have to fulfil... all kinds of duties?

— Yes, — the necromancer nodded. — Not only serve her, but protect her.

— Yes, milady.

— They'll put your tent next to my tent, — Vittoria continued. — I've already arranged it. The gear you came to me in will be moved there, too. You take care of it now. I'll send Luca for you both if anything happens.

This time Jeanne bowed silently. The necromancer turned to her apprentice:

— I have nothing more to do with you tonight. I'm giving you a night to get to know each other. You'll probably be together for a long time. You can trust Jeanne, she can keep a secret and keep her word. It's a professional thing. Come back tomorrow morning at the usual time. There won't be a class, but we'll discuss something.

She turned on her heels and strode away. As she walked, she ran her fingers over the wide brim of her pointed hat, and a dead, dishevelled sparrow flew up to her and perched on her shoulder. Only when the necromancer disappeared behind the tents did Rosa and Jeanne exchange glances.

— Uh... — the student stretched out, not knowing where to start. — Nice to meet you, Jeanne. I'm not of noble birth, so you can just call me madame Rosa.

— As you say, madame. — The new maid nodded. She bent down as if she were going to pick up the sewing from the chopping block, but instead she picked up an empty bowl lying on the cooker and swung it at Rosa's face.

— Ouch! — The girl recoiled with a startled shriek, covering herself with her elbow. — What are you doing?!

There was no blow — the woman stopped her hand at the last moment. She stepped back and put the bowl back where it had been:

— I'm sorry. I wouldn't have hit you. I just wanted to see how you react to a sudden threat, madame.

— You!... — The young sorceress exhaled. She stepped forward, clenching her fists so that her short clipped nails dug into her palms. Said in a lower tone: — You... don't do that again.

What was it Vittoria was saying? "I wonder how you two will get along"? Well, well. It seems that this is also a kind of lesson.

— It will be easier for me to guard you if I know exactly how you behave when you're in danger, madame, — Jeanne explained as if nothing had happened, putting her hands behind her back in a military manner. — I promise not to check it that way again.

— Thank you, — Rosa said in a still slightly choked voice. She took a breath and unclenched her fists. — And... How do I behave when I'm in danger?

— Like any ordinary person. — Jeanne's pinched lips and narrowed eyebrows did not match her smooth voice. — I was confused by your build. You're very well-built. Not like most mages. But you don't have the reflexes of a fighter, and you clearly haven't been trained to fight.

— I see... — Rosa said. — What else do you know besides security?

— A little bit of everything. But I must warn you, cooking and sewing are not my strong points.

— Well... — The necromancer's apprentice found the strength to smile. — I won't burden you with it. I'm quite independent, you'll see. Do what you're best at.

— Thank you, madame. — The woman didn't smile back. If she had, Rose would have been surprised. She was getting used to the grim grimace of her new companion. — Donna told us to get to know each other. But this isn't the right place. I'd rather there were fewer ears around.

Jeanne cast a suspicious glance around the empty refugee camp. Almost all of its inhabitants were now at work. A faint breeze kicked up dust among the tents.

— Hmm... — Rose rubbed her chin, tilting her head to her shoulder. — And I know where we can talk quietly. Come on. There's someone else you can meet....

...The boardwalk, which protected Toad from the weather, was erected quite far from the camp boundaries — no one wanted to walk past a dragoness pining without her master several times a day. Don Marius pitched his tent here, politely rejecting all offers to move closer to the marshal's camp. He seemed to have taken Toad to the brook today — the dragoness lying under the tent was glistening with emerald-green scales in the sunset sunlight. The knight himself was now hanging upside down from the harness, fastening something to the straps at the base of the dragon's neck. Rosa was reminded of the chimpanzee in the royal menagerie, and she almost burst out laughing. The young man was so busy with his work that Toad was the first to notice the women. When she saw Rosa, the dragoness snorted and raised her head. She growled happily and flapped her wings in greeting. Marius, who had not expected such a thing, almost collapsed to the ground, but managed to grab the harness with both hands. The object he had dropped into the grass was small, but it shone a bright blue light for Rose to see. Now the girl noticed other lights woven into the harness straps. Five or six well-charged amulets.

— Signora Rosa! — Still hanging upside down, the knight waved his hand. — I'll be right there...

Deftly clinging to the harness with all four limbs, the young man rolled over on his heels, jumped down, and picked up the amulet shimmering in the grass. Though it glimmered only for Rose, of course — Jeanne and Marius couldn't see the energy gathered in the piece of metal.

— I see you've been put on the payroll at last, milord? — The sorceress smiled broadly. She didn't know whether she was more pleased to see the don or his pet. — Are those your battle amulets?

— Yes, signora. — The knight slipped the amulet into his pocket, but the girl could see the copper square decorated with pieces of malachite. — The Loyalists have no dragons of their own, but the Duke was supported by several riders. De Velonda keeps them in the capital. That's where they were brought from today. One rider was generous enough to give away a spare set. Couple of shield projectors, flame diffuser, lightning suppressor, that sort of thing. Tuned to work under certain conditions. But I'm sorry, who's with you?

He paused, looking questioningly at the tall, black-haired woman. She gave Toad a quick glance and stared at him, too.

— This is my maid, Jeanne, — Rosa introduced her companion. — And... a bodyguard, apparently. Jeanne, if Donna Vittoria told you about me, she must have told you about Don Marius.

— He's the talk of the camp. — The woman bowed discreetly to the knight. — Milord.

— Well... — The young man flushed a little, biting his lip familiarly. — But... a maid and a bodyguard?

— Here, Jeanne. — Rose circled the clear field around the dragon's stall. — There are three of us here, not counting the dragon. I have no secrets from Don Marius. Mentor wanted us to get to know each other. Let's start with you. Who are you really?

The girl, already accustomed to confused conversations with Donna Vittoria, had not expected a direct answer, but of course she got one.

— I... was the personal guard of the Grand Duchess de Chanonne. — Jeanne emphasized the word "was".

Rosa, on the other hand, raised her eyebrows. That explained a lot. Chanonn is a free duchy within the Coalition. An ally of the Daert Crown, but not part of the kingdom. The same status de Velonde had sought with his rebellion. And the personal guards of monarchs aren't just trusted guards. They're almost family. They are raised alongside princes and princesses from the age of three, learning their future duty. It's clear why Jeanne is acting so strangely — she's literally known nothing in her life but bodyguarding. Except...

— The Duchess was killed a year ago, — Don Marius frowned, before the sorceress could speak. — The Guards died with her, all nine of them.

— As you can see, no. — Jeanne's face trembled for the first time, for a fraction of a second. A moment later, she was staring hard at Marius again. — Eight of my sisters and my mistress died. I was wounded, but I escaped. In the morning, mistress's brother sat in the palace and gave out orders. I too was pronounced dead, and the ducal spy's were ordered to find and finish me off. One of them, fortunately, remained loyal to mistress. He took me in and out. I had to kill myself, as honour demands. To follow my mistress. But I decided it was more important to avenge. — Rosa could see that the woman was struggling to say the words, but she overpowered herself. — The spy and I have been gathering information about the conspirators. I killed a few. Then we were discovered. My friend was killed, I fought off the killers and escaped. I found the rebel army and told the crown necromancer, handed over the evidence I'd gathered.

— But why exactly... — Rose hesitated. — You thought Queen Octavia was killed by the same people who killed your mistress.

Jeanne nodded slowly:

— We quickly realised that it wasn't the Duchess's brother who had orchestrated the plot. He was put on the throne by other people. And he opened all the doors for them. Some of the conspirators were local, some were foreigners. They had connections outside the duchy. Unusual opportunities. One of the assassins, before my eyes, walked through the magic field like a ghost through a wall. His weapon fired bullets like an arquebus, but didn't need reloading. I've never seen anything like it in the books. The murder of the royal family, and later the queen herself, is very similar to the murder of my mistress. King Auguste is also an outsider's proxy. It's a web that spans the entire Coalition. Maybe the Empire, too. I wanted to give the evidence to the Queen, but now... I had to find someone else who wasn't involved in the conspiracy.

Rosa walked back and forth, rustling the hem of her dress in the tall grass. She adjusted her glasses, clasped her fingers together nervously and caught Marius's gaze:

— Witnesses. Donna Vittoria told the Marshal she had found a third witness. You, milord, are the second witness. Jeanne is the first. The Mentor is gathering witnesses to the alien intervention.

— But for what purpose? — The young man looked back at Toad as if looking for an answer. — To whom and what would she prove? The power is already in their hands.

— We'll find out in the morning. — Rose's memory obligingly gave her the words she needed. "Split the kingdom completely." — But there's more. The news of the third witness was brought to the Donna by a dead raven. I could barely feel the magic in it. Either the charge was depleted from the long flight, or it was done as a disguise. So the construct wouldn't glow too brightly for the eyes of mages. Then the raven couldn't have come from far away. From across the river at most. The mentor has informants in Auguste's camp.

— It's nothing strange that a former crown necromancer has an extensive net of informants, — Jeanne shrugged. — She was involved in many of the royal court's investigations. But that means... — The woman frowned harder than before. — It means that her third witness is also in the enemy camp.

The awkward acquaintance quickly and imperceptibly turned into a business conversation. Soon the mage, the warrior and the knight were discussing the red-haired donna's possible plans and their considerations as if they had known each other for a long time. Toad listened to them without understanding a word, looking down at them with an important look under the awning. Only when it became dark did the dragoness lay her huge head on the ground and fell asleep. The men whispered at first and then reluctantly said goodbye. The women returned to the camp by the light of the high moon.

The next morning, at exactly the appointed hour, Rosa entered the mentor's tent with Jeanne — and was not surprised to find Don Marius there. Vittoria, sitting at the table, pointed to the chairs:

— Sit down. Luka will bring food.

A fine silver coffee pot puffed with steam in front of the bottom. The bitter smell of the invigorating brew wafted throughout the tent. Rose struggled not to wince. Coffee may be healthy, but the taste and smell... And someone drinks it for pleasure!

— I can tell by the red eyes that none of you three got much sleep last night. — The necromancer grinned wryly. — And I can guess why. Well, I won't torture you any further. I'm going to need help from each of you, so it's time to reveal my cards.

Luca entered the tent, carrying a large tray of fresh flatbread in the palm of his hand. The red-haired donna interrupted to point to the table... Just then, trumpets sounded throughout the camp. First the sound came from far away, then it was picked up from all sides. The trumpeters blew their trumpets, blowing a tinkling, repetitive signal.

— What's that? — Rosa whirled her head round.

— General alarm. — The dragon knight jumped up, nearly knocking over his chair. — "The enemy is advancing with the main forces."

— So... — Jeanne stood up too — calmly, without fuss, — ...the royal army moved across the river.

Chapter 8

— But, milady, why should you personally go to the front line? — Rosa asked as they left the camp with the last companies of infantry. Most of the army had already moved to the river.

— So the soldiers would see me there, — Donna Vittoria explained calmly. The necromancer rode a rather thoroughbred raven horse, with Rosa and Jeanne walking beside her. There were no horses for them — the Loyalists were short of cavalry, so even wagon nags were counted. — I'm slowly getting everyone used to the idea that where Marshal de Cotoci is, I am. Many people here already respect me. It's good for people in such dire straits to know that a member of the royal court, a high official, is on their side. Further proof that the truth is in their favour. Weak, really, but they will inflate my importance in their own eyes. It must be reinforced. The army must see me as a leader on a par with the marshal, and that's worth the risk.

The red-haired donna raised her hand in greeting to the company of pikemen ahead of them. The soldiers in steel cuirasses and round helmets cheered. Some waved their helmets in response, others shook their pikes. Vittoria made a complicated gesture with her hand, and two large dead ravens swooped down from above. Spreading their shabby black wings, losing their feathers in flight, they swooped over the donna's head, over the column of marching soldiers, made a circle and went up again, turned into tiny dots. The infantrymen, after seeing the birds off with cheerful shouts of approval, began to sing a song at the order of the officer. Rosa had never before seen such a reaction to necromancy. Usually the common folk were afraid of the mages of this school — even the undergraduates and harmless craftsmen who enchanted wood for the shipyards. It was true that when the whole world was against you, a necromancer on your side would be welcome.