Naming Day (Jake Underwood Book 1) (30 page)

“And Chris McNeely and his secretary? Why’d they kill them?”

“Loose ends. Mr. McNeely  was a local and the Twilight Order needed someone local who knew the terrain. Once they had taken care of Kevin they decided to clean things up a little. While they were at it they decided to send a message. I believe they intended to kill both of you as well to let Lord Delbara know that they didn’t appreciate his agents causing trouble at the Court of Twilight.” Sergeant Bermuda was grim. Dalia was pale.

It was quiet for moment as I digested what I had heard. There was something still not quite right. Then it came to me. The Naming Day ceremony.

“How long ago did all this start to fall apart? Let me guess, about two weeks ago perhaps?” I addressed Lord Delbara and he nodded. “That tracks. I would also guess that it was about that time that my father began to hear some disturbing rumors about his son. Is that right too?”

“Well done.” Lord Delbara smiled. “Yes, the Naming Day ceremony was indeed a ruse to draw you to the court, to protect you and get you where we could keep you safe.” I noticed that Sergeant Bermuda looked a little uncomfortable and I knew why. Lord Delbara was lying.

“Bullshit. If you wanted me at the court and safe a writ or immediate summons would have had me here in less than a day. No, you wanted me out there, stirring up trouble and seeing what shook out. You used me as a stalking horse so you could find out where your leak was. Whoever tried to kill me would probably be a good candidate, I suppose.”

“Is this true?” My father looked really angry as he stood. Sergeant Bermuda stood as well and interposed himself between my father and the head of the Hidden Watchers. Lord Delbara said nothing.

“Is it true? Answer me, damn you!” My father demanded again.

“Yes.” Lord Delbara said quietly. “It’s true. But in my defense it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Damn amateurs! If she hadn’t been so foolish as to confront Jeryn Callisandra, none of this would have happened!” He shot a glance at Dalia.

I wanted to get up and smack the crap out of him, but he was still being protected by a rather large Sergeant. Instead, I limited myself a string of profanity which basically boiled down to calling him a damn idiot.

“You didn’t bring me here to protect me. You brought me here to protect yourself and your scheme.  If I died, then my father would demand answers and some heads. I’m guessing that yours would be top of the list. If there is a little collateral damage like some mortals or a Court of Twilight cousin, well, we all know the saying about omelets and eggs, don’t we?” I looked at him with contempt.

“It’s easy for you to sit there and say that! You don’t know enough to be scared. The Adversary is out there! He’s active at both Courts! I will do what I have to serve the Emperor and stop the enemies of the court. If that means a half-breed son or some silly cousin must be sacrificed then I will do it.”

His outburst stilled the room. My father was cold as he walked back to his chair and sat. He rang a small silver bell that summoned James. He spared Lord Delbara a frosty glance. “James. Show this people out. They are leaving.”

There were almost out the door when he glanced at Lord Delbara. “Lord Greyson Delbara. You are not welcome here in this house or any land that owes fealty to me. In the interest of the Emperor and because my family is safe I will pursue no vendetta against you…at this time. But know this, if ever you think to endanger my family again, I will destroy you, regardless of price, skin torn from bone and blood spilled! Mark my words, Lord Greyson Delbara!” Lord Delbara never looked back as he left the room. Sergeant Bermuda shook his head and nodded to me. It was a nod of a cop who knew all too well what it was like to have rank pulled on him, although they are damn few who would try it on him, and could appreciate the discomfort of Lord Delbara.

It took another week before the healer would let me leave. Even then I was feeling pretty punk. My side still ached and my kidney, while regenerating still burned. Worse, I was told no bourbon for a month. Still, I got off better than Marty. He had to stay here for another month before they would even consider letting him go.

My father and I agreed that we should pursue a closer relationship. He pledged that he would do all he could to help Dalia get back home, although some kind of accommodation would have to be reached with Twilight Order before it could happen.

I thought that the whole matter was closed, at least until the day before I was headed back to the mortal realm. I was having breakfast with my father and Dalia when James came in and whispered in my father’s ear. James was usually a rock, but something had him seriously spooked.

My father paled. “Now? He’s here now?” He didn’t waste anytime telling me anything. “James, The secure room. Make sure it is ready and summon my retainers. They must stand the honor!” He got and pulled me to my feet. “You must hurry! There is no time to change. Go to the secure room and wait for me there. Don’t leave and don’t do anything. Oh yes, and take Dalia with you!”  Without waiting for my agreement he stood and stalked out of the room.

I was left alone with Dalia and since I didn’t know what else to do I grabbed her hand and pulled her along after me, ignoring her questions. I had no answers for her anyway.

Once we reached the secure room, I could see that James had somehow gotten here ahead of us and rearranged the furniture. Actually, he had moved it around quite a bit, leaving one lone chair against a wall.

Before I could contemplate what that meant there was a noise at the door and it opened and I saw my father’s retainers pour in. Most were only partially dressed and were trying to finish buckling swords while they took positions on either side of the double door that opened into this room.

I didn’t have to wait long to see the reason for all this early morning hustle and bustle. I’d never met him, but there is no Fey or even half Fey who wouldn’t recognize the Emperor. After all, his face is on the coins.

He came in and went directly to the “throne” that James had set up for him. About six of the most dead eyed fey I had ever seen came in and lined up on either side of the chair. I recognized Sergeant Bermuda. That probably meant that these where also Companions of the Emperor. Great.

My father came rapidly to my side and kneeled and I noticed that Dalia was also kneeling. In fact everyone but me and the six companions was kneeling. I quickly dropped to one knee and waited.

“All rise.” His voice was steady, each word measured out carefully, like he only has so many to use before they were all gone.

“I welcome you to my house my lord.” My father began the traditional welcome. “Anything that I have is-“ He was waved to silence by the Emperor.

“Let us dispense with the formalities, Stavros. I had to duck out of a council meeting and I don’t have much time. We shall have to make this quick.” He looked us all over and it was like being looked at by a bright child who is waiting for his pet monkey to do something clever.

“I am led to understand that there are those here who are due justice and, as high purveyor of justice, it is my privilege and my right to do so. To business!” He motioned and three chairs were brought to us and we took seats.

“First, I understand that you Stavros have threatened to kill my head of the Hidden Watchers. I can’t have that. A vendetta between your house and the Hidden Watchers would mean disaster for the Court and the Kingdom. This I cannot allow. He’s usually very competent and I need him. There is no disputing that he made egregious errors in this matter, and I have told him so. He had no right to involve your son in this matter. Your son had made it quite clear on more than one occasion that he did not consider himself part of our court. He has taken no oath of loyalty to us and is not bound to us save by the Compact. On his behalf I apologize.” Damned if it didn’t sound like he meant it. “For what it is worth, he seems sincere in having offended you. As a loyal servant, I would ask that you forgive another overzealous loyal servant.”

“Your Majesty, I…I will abide by your words if he will abide by his not to risk my family unaware.” My father clearly still wanted to throttle a certain lord, I was sure of it, but when the emperor commanded, he nodded and agreed.

“Excellent! I can’t have one of my most valuable servants and one of my oldest friends feuding. He made a mess of it and he knows it. He’s trying to make it right.” He turned to Dalia.

“You must be Lady Dalia Melliscant Klaris. I can see what I heard was true. You are quite lovely indeed.” Compliments finished, he dove right into business. “Through no real fault of your own, you find yourself stranded in our realm. I am given to understand that you wish to return home.” Her eyes brightened at the thought. “As soon as that is possible we will speed you there. Rest assured that all possible steps are being taken to ensure that this is so. Until that time, you are welcome at my court. My lady wife has need of some young eyes in helping here with various functions and if you would be so kind, she could only benefit from your aid.” Dalia was shocked and clearly stymied and it took a few minutes for her to respond.

“In as far as I am able to serve in good conscience I will be glad to so. But my heart and loyalty lies with the Court of Twilight. I can do nothing that would dishonor that claim. Short of that, I will serve.” She bowed and the Emperor smiled.

“Well spoken indeed! It would hardly be fair reward to further poison your relationship to my august counterpart’s court. You will not be ill-used, by my word!” He turned to me.

“Jake Underwood Melliscant, you represent an interesting case. As I stated previously, you have sworn no oath to us and don’t even have a name yet. Technically, I owe you no justice at all.” He paused in thought, “And yet, I do owe you much. Men in my name have injured your family and your retainers. Worse, mortals have died because of their actions. This is a violation of the Compact and must be set right even if none know of it. The foundation of all we have built rests on this and it cannot be ignored.”

He looked at me with those incisive eyes. “I must confess that I know little of the mortal world and those who could remedy that situation cannot be told enough to be of value. So I ask you, Jake Underwood Melliscant, how may we fairly compensate the dead of the mortal world?” It took me a few seconds to realize that this wasn’t a rhetorical question and that he actually wanted me to answer.

“For Chris McNeely and Patricia Jo Horvath, there is nothing anybody here can do. They’re dead. Worse, the killers are not likely to ever see justice in the mortal world. In fact, their murders will remain unsolved and their families will never know why they died. The best and only thing I can suggest is making sure that any family they have doesn’t suffer financially.”

“So the best you can recommend is that I offer money as compensation?” He seemed to be probing me for some reason.

“Unless you have some way to raise the dead, I can’t think of anything you can do besides that. It would break the Compact to even tell them what happened. They can never even know where the money comes from. I would suggest some documentation be produced to verify an insurance policy or maybe an investment.” He seemed to waiting for something more so I added;” I have a guy working for me who is a whiz at making these kinds of things appear legit. I can take care of it, if you like. Really, setting them up for life is about all you can do.”

“Yes. That would be appropriate, I think. The emperor turned to his Companion, Angel Bermuda. “Is this the style of speech that is passing for polite conversation in the mortal realm?”

He smiled. “No, your Majesty. Some of his idioms are no longer in vogue, others are current. As far as polite conversation, he is, despite the evidence of your eyes and ears, on his best manners. He has little respect for authority of any kind and has little problem in breaking rules that he doesn’t think apply to him. Rudeness is almost habitual with him, especially with authority figures. I am sure that he has told me the truth at least once or twice although at this moment I can’t recall when it was.”

“Now just a damned minute, I didn’t ask for any of this! Your boys come tromping all over the mortal realm without any thought of the consequences and got people killed. I am supposed to be happy and polite about this? Besides, it’s not like you weren’t lying to me as well. You could have just come clean about what was going on. If you had, maybe Kevin would be alive, as well as the others. This doesn’t even consider how many expatriates lives will be disrupted when the Silver Tree closes. Frankly, I give as good as I get and your Lord Delbara is owed more than just a few lapses in court etiquette.” The nerve of some Fey still astounds me. They make a mess and take me to task for lack of civility. Typical.

“As I was about to say,” murmured Angel Bermuda, “He is exceptionally loyal to those to whom he chooses to offer loyalty. But it is always personal loyalty and never institutional loyalty. In this regard he is not unlike other retainers that I can think of, Jervalas Stormcrow for one. Also, it would not do to slight his father in this regard who threatened to expose the Hidden Watchers entire if justice was not done in this matter.”

“I think I have heard enough to render judgment in this matter.” The emperor looked at me with a cold gaze.

“Now just a minute-“ I started.

“Quiet.” He never raised his voice, but his one, simple word carried such authority that it never occurred to me to say anything else. It was easy to see why he was emperor and I was a PI. He had a voice accustomed to being obeyed and undoubtedly seldom faced any other response but obedience. His eyes drilled through me as he rendered judgment.

“I find this Fey to be worthy of a name. While his deeds of valor are few in number, they are momentous and meaningful. The chronicles of the court show that he has stood by the spirit of the Compact when the letter would have served him better. He is unafraid to fight for what he feels is right, even when he would do better to compromise. He foregoes Vendetta to spare his vassals, even going so far as to allow his own house to suffer for the sake of loyalty. He has offered his own life to protect ladies’ life and honor. He has shown the spirit of courage and sacrifice. He has shed blood on our behalf and won honor for this court by his actions. As Emperor of the Court of Dawn I do name him Jake Underwood Melliscant, scion of house Melliscant, holders of Lord Kareen’s blight. In recognition of his deeds, I promote him to the 8
th
circle of the court. Let all in the court know his name and let all give him the due he has earned and the responsibilities to go with it. We shall need many like him when the Adversary begins to move again.”

One of his companions produced a parchment that he signed and sealed with his sigil. I could see a faint burst of power as he touched the page with the seal. The Eighth circle! That made me a member of the court proper if I remembered correctly. Uh oh. It also meant that I owed service to the emperor, direct personal service should he ask for it. I could feel my face go pale.

“You were right Angel, it only took him a few moments to catch the hook.” The emperor smiled. “The ceremony was more of a formality and a public recognition of your deeds rather than a trap to snare you. Having given you a name and a rank does indeed bind you to my service, but you have already bound yourself to me when you claimed a Noble’s Privilege from your father. As the Father, so the Son. He is my man and you are his, therefore, you were mine already. Let us now consider the true purpose of this meeting.”

“My Companion Angel Bermuda and my servant Lord Delbara both tell me that you are the kind of Fey who values his word and will stand by it. They were also impressed by how far you are willing to go to succeed. The Court of Dawn owes you a debt. You kept a bad situation from getting worse and exposed the true author of the events that lead to our loyal servant’s, Kevin Ungblasch, death. You made right errors that were made in my name and redeemed my honor. Therefore, if it is your wish, I shall release you from all vows of service to me. You will be as free now as you were before.” He paused for a moment, “But consider this Jake Underwood Melliscant. Whether you serve directly or not, your lot ultimately lies with the Bright Kingdom. The Adversary is stirring in the far realms, things asleep since the time of the Compact’s signing are being seen. There is even a report that the Dragons are waking and moving in their domains. A man like you, comfortable in the world of mortals, could be invaluable to me. They may come a time when all beings who live in the dawn and dusk must unite to fight the Adversary, when that time comes you will be needed.” He looked at me and I was sure he could see the confusion suffused with and smiled sadly. “You do not need to give answer now. As you know, it is our custom for the newly named to have a full turn of the seasons to decide how they will serve.” I nodded.

“In a year I will have your answer. If you come to the court, then you will serve. If you do not come, then we are done with no ties to fetter us.”

He grinned hugely.  “But enough talk of service. Your name does not discharge my debt to you. You earned your name, I merely recognized it. I have already promoted you as high as I may at this time, but still I feel that I am in your debt. So I have decided to award crown property to you. This will provide you with income should you choose to live here.”