“I sense evil here.”

  “I see what you mean,” Ravana remarked, studying the illusory paladin before her. “This really doesn’t work up close. I still can’t believe it’s solid, though.” She gave Trissin’t’s shoulder an experimental push, which made the construct step back but not otherwise react. “Hm. Could you actually make—”

  “I’m gonna stop you right there,” Gabriel interrupted. “Logic controllers are nowhere near sophisticated enough to mimic actual martial arts, that’s decades away at the most optimistic. And if you somehow did that, you’d run afoul of Imperial laws against combat golems. Last year the Salyrites built what’s considered the most advanced sparring dummy ever made and really all it did was have a bunch of parts that spun unpredictably on different axes. This thing isn’t even solid all the way through, it’s just got energy shields under the illusion in the rough shape of a body. Don’t make it interact physically with the environment unless you want people to start noticing how stuff doesn’t line up.”

  “Oh, well, it was a thought,” Ravana said blandly. “But back to the here and now. We must prioritize our strategic goals: in the interest of keeping Justinian distracted it’s important to maintain Trissiny’s apparent presence here, but the longer we do so, the greater the risk of this deception being penetrated.”

  They were, in fact, in public, at least up to a point. The three (and the artificial Trissiny) had retreated to one corner of the cathedral’s great sanctuary, where they had a wide zone of personal space enforced by Yancey, Lord-Captain Arivani, and an especially disgruntled-looking Veilwin. Still, the church teemed with activity as the last of the worshipers who had decided to claim sanctuary were currently being escorted out by a squad of Silver Legionnaires, and several Omnist and Vidian priests were conversing with House Madouri personnel.

  “Yeah,” Toby said quietly, his eyes roving around the sanctuary. “Triss is well away and should be in action by now; we’ve done what we set out to, in terms of showing her off here, and I think we’re starting to push our luck.”

  “It is unlikely Justinian will expect her to move instantly to attack upon departing the cathedral,” said Ravana, “so even her leaving here should not invalidate our efforts thus far. If the fake is discovered, however, he will smell a rat. Yes, I believe it’s time for the last scene of this little drama. Lord-Captain, I trust all is prepared as I instructed?”

  “Of course, my Lady,” Arivani replied. “I have a carriage standing by outside, and men securing a corridor to it. The crowd is beginning to disperse and was never hostile, anyway, so I don’t anticipate any attempt to interfere with the paladins as they depart.”

  “Perfect,” Ravana said with a satisfied smile. “Then let us—”

  Veilwin abruptly snapped straight upright out of her customary slouch and ignited a blue energy shield around herself, and another around Ravana.

  “Incoming teleportation!” Ariel barked in the same instant.

  All around the sanctuary, House Madouri troops raised weapons, and several of the attending clerics threw up divine shields. Toby did not go that far, only beginning to glow with a golden aura as he flowed into a ready stance, while Gabriel whipped out both Ariel and his scythe.

  Barely another second passed before the telltale flicker of blue sparks in midair preceded the sudden appearance of eight people.

  They wore Imperial Army uniforms and were arranged in two distinct groups of two; instantly upon arrival, the soldiers activated shields and raised weapons, while all around them the Madouri troops leveled battlestaves at them.

  “Weapons down, all of you!” barked one of the Imperials. “Now!”

  “Stand down, men,” Ravana ordered. As one, her soldiers straightened up, raising staves to rest position with their butts planted firmly on the floor and firing ends aimed skyward. None of them relaxed, however.

  “I said all of you,” the Army officer who had spoken repeated, turning a gimlet stare upon Gabriel. “I will not repeat myself again.”

  Gabriel hesitated, narrowing his eyes.

  “Gabe,” Toby murmured. “Let’s play this diplomatically. At least until we know what’s going on.”

  He nodded, finally returning Ariel to her sheath and raising his own scythe to rest its butt on the floor. Not returning it to wand form or putting it away, but that seemed to satisfy the man wearing a colonel’s bars.

  “LZ secured,” he stated, nodding at the other strike team. “Captain, signal home.”

  “Sir!”

  “If I might ask,” Ravana began.

  “Stay back, please,” the Strike Corps captain said sharply. “That goes for all of you. Ten yards back.”

  “May the goddess watch over you.”

  “You do not speak to the Duchess in that—”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “It’s all right, Captain Arivani,” Ravana murmured. “I serve at the pleasure of the Silver Throne, and I expect the same of all in my employ. No doubt we shall learn what demands this level of security momentarily.”

  “The thing that guy just clicked was harmless, just pinging a message receiver,” Veilwin murmured, leaning toward Ravana. “There’s another teleportation signature forming up; a bigger party, I think.”

  Perhaps because it was a larger group, the elapsed time from detection to arrival was a hair longer, but even so, Ravana barely had time to nod acknowledgment to her Court Mage before the arcane flickers ignited again and another party appeared in the cleared space the strike teams had insisted upon.

  The new arrivals included a third strike team, two soldiers whose blue badges identified them as Azure Corps battlemages, and an additional six soldiers wearing the black longcoats of the Imperial Guard. These were arranged, weapons out, in a defensive formation around a final figure who stood in the center of the group.

  Taking her time, Empress Eleanora turned in a slow circle, studying the interior of the cathedral and those occupied therein. Most of the civilians knelt, several only after being swiftly and quietly prompted by their neighbors. The soldiers, both Imperial and Madouri, remained at attention; Veilwin wrinkled her nose and folded her arms. Ravana curtsied deeply.

  Toby had started to kneel, but after a momentary hesitation changed the motion to a deep bow. Gabriel followed suit, after a short pause.

  The Empress finished her unhurried examination of her surroundings facing the young Duchess, and put on a chillingly calm smile.

  “Ravana! Do join me for lunch.”

  A silence of three seconds ensued in which Ravana absorbed that and no one else dared make a peep.

  “Is it not perhaps a trifle early in the day, your Majesty?” the Duchess finally said politely.

  “Brunch, then.” Eleanora waved a dismissive hand. “The terminology is tertiary at best. What’s important is that you and I have not had an opportunity to properly socialize. We should correct that, don’t you think?”

  “Your Majesty is undoubtedly aware that this is…a somewhat inopportune moment,” Ravana said with the meticulous care of a person walking a tightrope. “Shall I infer that some urgent—”

  “Young Lady.” The Empress’s expression altered not by an iota, and her delivery remained smooth and calm, but something in her tone made Ravana freeze in place. “In these contentious and confusing times, the Silver Throne and House Tirasian would never consider taking a confrontational stance toward such a proven, faithful ally as House Madouri. We are all friends here. And to affirm this, you and I shall have a pleasant conversation over a lovely meal. I believe you will find it most enlightening.”

  Ravana’s thin shoulders shifted as she inhaled slowly. “I—”

  “I sense evil here.”

  The Empress snapped her gaze to the illusory Trissiny, which was gripping its sheathed sword and peering suspiciously around. The Imperial Guards raised weapons again, but the two Azure Corps mages both narrowed their eyes, staring closely at the construct.

  “So!” Gabriel said brightly. “Where’s our invitation?”

  Everyone turned to stare at him. The soldiers and functionaries blank-faced, Toby and Ravana with open horror. Empress Eleanora proved able to convey soul-deep exasperation with nothing but her eyes and not the slightest alteration of her facial features.

  “I can’t say I recall us being of such close acquaintance, Gabriel Arquin.”

  “Probably for the best, I have a tendency to say the dumbest things imaginable around women as pretty as you, your Majesty. Whoops, there it goes again.”

  Ravana had gone pale as bone. Toby stared at his friend with his fingers twitching as if he was struggling with the impulse to grab him by the neck. Veilwin had to cover her mouth with both hands and turn to face the wall, shoulders shaking violently.

  Very, very slowly, the Empress raised one eyebrow.

  “But, it’s like you said just now,” Gabe continued airily. “We’re all friends here! And perhaps we could all put forth a bit of an effort to stay that way. Friends are important in uncertain times. Especially when some of them might fail to compare notes in advance and, say…go haring off to seize a cathedral. Or summon a bunch of demons in the middle of the capital.”

  She might have been a statue; if she was even breathing, it wasn’t evident. Eleanora’s dark eyes remained locked upon his, her face icily impassive save for that one upraised brow.

  “Just sayin’,” Gabriel said with a shrug after the silence had stretched out for several beats. “Relationships take work. Better to do it in advance than have to, y’know… Clean up after a, uh, a misunderstanding.”

  Suddenly the Empress smiled, and he flinched before hurriedly controlling his own expression.

  “How right you are, Mr. Arquin. Why don’t you join us for brunch? There are several ways in which I imagine you might find it instructive.”

  “Oh, thanks, that’s okay, it was just the principle of the thing. We’re kinda doin’ something, here. I will take a rain check, though!”

  He grinned and cocked a finger at her.

  Toby’s rapidly indrawn breath trembled noticeably. Ravana closed her eyes. A soft squeak emerged from Veilwin, who was now leaning face-first against the wall.

  “Then so you shall,” Eleanora stated in the sepulchral tone of a soothsayer pronouncing doom. “Colonel, conduct Duchess Madouri to my solarium. I shall join you there, your Grace, once I have retrieved the other invited guest.”

  “It will be my honor, your Majesty,” Ravana replied, her poise intact despite her bloodless pallor. “Lord-Captain, you have your orders. Yancey, see to it any unforeseen circumstances which may arise before my return are handled.”

  “Of course, my Lady.”

  “May the Goddess watch over you.”

  Eleanora shot the Trissiny-shaped construct another narrow look, then turned back to the third strike team. “Proceed, Major.”

  “Your Majesty,” their senior officer said crisply.

  Static and the faint whine of arcane magic accumulated in the air, accompanied by the usual telltale blue sparks, and then in small groups the newly-arrived Imperials vanished, along with Ravana.

  Gabriel sat down hard on the stone floor, suddenly breathing as heavily as if he’d just run up a flight of steps.

  Toby stared down at him. “Gabe…why.”

  “Well,” he wheezed. “Y’know. Had to…distract.”

  “Yeah, I got that. You went a good deal above and beyond, though.”

  “Have… Have you ever had the experience of…just, riding the flow? Following where the instinct takes you through a conversation, even while your rational brain is screaming that you are making a suicidal mistake?”

  “That sounds kind of like the flow state martial arts can bring you into, and what I just saw looked absolutely nothing like that. Are you sure that wasn’t just a garden-variety death wish?”

  “I’m glad to say that I do know what that feels like, and I haven’t come near that state since Triss and I had our…mutual low point. Well, we survived, that’s the important thing.”

  “Oh, yeah, definitely. It’s all about having something to live for. I could never rest at peace if I died before I got to see your dad’s face when I told him you hit on Empress Eleanora.”

  “You backstabbing son of a bitch.”

  “I sense evil here.”