Preserving the Ingenairii (48 page)

Chapter 38 – The Return to Real Time

Jeswyne
squinted
her eyes against the bright sunlight.
 
“What day is this?” she asked.

“It’s the day after we left our hut,” Alec told her.
 
He
unwrapped
his arms from around her and showed her the view of miles of beach that were welcoming an unending series of white waves.
 
His heart was still racing and his mind remained focused on the horror of the scene they had left.

“You’re right, it is home,” she said.
 
She stared out over the ocean for a long minute in silence.

“You frightened me back there,” she said quietly.
 
“I was afraid you would do something that you would regret later.
 
I’m glad you didn’t kill him; I know it would have been easy for you, but doing it like that, in cold blood, that would have made you a different person.”

“Seeing them ready to harm you,
that’s
what made me a different person, Jess,” Alec said.
 
He also stared out at the ocean.

“You did something to him at the end, didn’t you?” she asked, placing an arm around his waist, conscious of the intimacy of the nickname he had used, and also aware that he was ignorant of the restrictions in Michian that limited the use of such names only to husbands and wives.

“I changed him on the inside.
 
I took away some of the desires, and some of his manhood.
 
I hope it changes his behavior,” Alec told her.
 
He wanted to tell her more, something completely different, about how he had felt when he had seen her captive and injured.
 
It had goaded him like nothing else in life, and changed him into a crazed man ready to torture others to protect and revenge her.
 
But he couldn’t say those things, not and live honorably as the fiancé of Bethany.

“I still owe you a hot bath and a mattress,” he said aloud.
 
He had made a decision.
 
The need for clothes or jewelry or other accouterments was no longer of concern.
 
“Hold on tight Jessie, we’re going to go all the way back to our own time, and see what we can do.”
 
He pulled the trigger in his mind, as it grew easier and easier to accomplish, and they saw the bright blue flash, then a long dark pause, and then they were in a darkened city plaza, surrounded by people, next to a bubbling stone monolith.

Chapter 39 – Alec Enters the Palace

“Did you see that?” people shouted around them, and a circle opened up that gave them space.

 
“Where did you come from?
 
What was that blue light?” people asked.
 
Alec looked around.
 
There were no signs of clan colors or imperial guards.
 
He saw the palace, one wing well lit, while the other wing was dark.
 
That was the place to go, he believed.
 
If Michian still ruled, Jeswyne would be safe, and if the Dominion ruled, he would make them safe.
 

“Let’s go there,” he pointed to the palace, and then started to lead her by the hand.
 
The guards at the gate were hard to see until they were close.
 
Alec approached with a trail of followers, people excited by the extraordinary arrival he and Jeswyne had made.
 
The guards reacted by calling for support as they saw a small mob moving towards them.

When Alec arrived, he spotted guards wearing the uniform of Goldenfields and the uniform of Stronghold, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
 
“Don’t come any closer,” one of them said loudly.

“I am Alec the Demonslayer,” he said loudly.
 
“I have returned again from my healing, and I want to help the Dominion,” he raised his voice as he spoke.
 
“Who rules in the Palace?
 
Who leads the Dominion?”

“You’re the demonslayer?” one of the guards asked.

“He’s not the demonslayer, no more than the last five guys who said they were,” another voice said.

“He just showed up in a flash of blue light,” a voice in the crowd argued.
 
“He is the demonslayer!”
 
Several voices spoke up in agreement.

              
“I have the marks of an ingenaire.
 
You can see them for yourself,” Alec added.
 
He held his arms before him to display.

              
“We’re not interested,” a guard said.
 
“Stay back, all of you.”

              
Alec debated what to do.
 
With a group of people gathering around him, he did not want to have to fight his way into the palace, or create a spectacle.
 
“Tell Colonel Holbanks or Captain Lewis, if they’re here, that Alec has returned.
 
I’ll come back to the palace in the morning,” he said.

              
“Lady Jeswyne, let’s go elsewhere,” he said with mock formality, and began walking up the city’s great boulevard towards Ingenairii Hill.
 
The crowd diminished quickly, although a ragtag band started to follow them, but gave up when nothing exciting happened during the walk along the dark street.

              
“Alec,” Jeswyne said, “we’ve had a very long day.
 
Do you know where we are going?
 
Any place will do.
 
I don’t want to see you get into another fight trying to find someplace.”

              
“We will go back to Ingenairii Hill, where I had better be given entrance or there will be some things changed quickly,” he spoke without real malice.

              
The two of them walked quietly for several minutes.
 
“I could be king now, you know?
 
That’s part of what makes this so frustrating.
 
I should be able to go in that palace any time I want,” he spoke, more to himself than to Jeswyne.
  
“I used to not really want to be king, but that was before everything changed so much.
 
Now the Dominion needs me, and I don’t have anything else to live for – my friends are all dead and gone, the ingenairii are scattered and weak.”

Jeswyne reached out tentatively and took his hand in hers.
 
He squeezed it, and smiled at her.
 
“Not all your friends are dead, Alec,” she told him.

“No, not all of
them,
thank you,” he agreed.
 
They walked on in silence, and soon came to the gates of Ingenairii Hill, which were unmanned.
 
“Let’s go up to the healer house and see if we can stay there tonight,” Alec suggested.
 
They walked along dark trails until they saw lights ahead.

“That’s the healer house.
 
At least someone is there,” Alec commented.
 
They reached the door, and Alec knocked.
 
A moment later, a girl opened the door.
 
“Your name is Constanc, isn’t it?” Alec asked.

“Yes, and we aren’t open for any healing services right now.
 
Please wait until the morning,” she responded, and started to close the door, until Alec placed his foot in the way.
 
“Parnell, Nestor, would you come here, please?”

The two healers responded, and Alec recognized both, though neither of them recognized him; they had never seen him since the time he possessed Gordon’s former body.
 
“You’ll need to leave son.
 
We have to have hours to rest,” Parnell told Alec as he reached the door.

Alec held out his arm and turned it over to reveal his marks.
 
“We seek a safe place to clean up and spend the night,” Alec said quietly.
 
“You won’t refuse us, will you?”

“Come in,” Parnell said with quiet uncertainty in his voice.
 
“Nestor, go fetch Stracha, please.

“You’ll understand if I ask someone else to
come
look at you?” Parnell asked Alec as he pushed the door closed.
 
Alec nodded, and footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Stracha and Danel appeared, but stopped and stared as they saw Alec and Jeswyne in the hallway.
 
“Bring another light,” Stracha said as they stepped closer.
 
“Alec?”

              
“Yes, it’s me,” he replied, and smiled broadly.
 
Both Stracha and Danel closed the gap and hugged Alec tightly.

              
“Where have you been?” Stracha asked.
 
“You need to see the queen at once,” she said without waiting for an answer.

              
“The queen?
 
Why?” Alec asked, startled by the statement.

              
“She’s dying Alec.
 
We’ve all been called down to treat her in the palace, and we’ve done our best, but she’s old and tired and likely to die any day now.”

              
“Can we go down tonight to see her?
 
I’d like to try to heal her myself,” Alec said.
 
He felt Jeswyne looking up at him, but didn’t return the look.

              
Parnell spoke.
 
“They have admitted us at all times, so I’m sure we can go tonight.”

              
“Would you please prepare a place where Lady Jeswyne can bathe, and offer her some suitable clothes?”
 
Alec asked.
 
“I’d like to clean up too, if I may borrow something before we go to the palace.”

              
“Where have you been?
 
How did you survive that explosion?
 
Is this the Michian hostage you wanted?” Danel asked.

              
“I’ll explain everything later,” Alec said.
 
“Let’s prepare to go to the palace first, and then we can talk.”

              
“Hostage?
 
Alec, what does he mean by hostage?” Jeswyne asked Alec, suddenly feeling insecure among the hallway of strangers.

              
“Doesn’t she know?
 
You, my imperial lady, are going to be used to bargain for the Dominion’s freedom,” Danel said confidently.

              
“No,” Alec said.
 
“We won’t do that.”

              
I thought you were going to treat me with honor!” Jeswyne said at the same time.
 
“Was it all a wicked lie, the time we spent on the beach?”

              
Jeswyne, none of it was a lie!
 
Before we came together, I did expect to make you a hostage, but since we went back to the forest and the beach, I’ve never intended to do that,” Alec protested, as the others watched intently.

              
“What did you intend to do?” Stracha asked.

              
“You must return me to the imperial forces of Michian as soon as possible.
 
I’m sure they’ll pay some fair price to avoid the indignity of me remaining among your forces as a trophy,” Jeswyne said angrily.
 
She was stunned by Alec’s admission that he planned to use her for his own purposes.
 
She felt completely betrayed.

              
“You are not a hostage, Jeswyne.
 
You mean so much to me.
 
I want to offer you back to Michian, and will do so if you wish, and there will be no price or conditions,” he protested.

              
“Then let’s go see your fiancée, the queen, so you can begin to arrange my freedom,” Jeswyne insisted.
 
“Would someone please take me to suitable chambers where I may wait?” she asked, looking at Parnell.