The Confrontation

That brought them both up short, Linnea with a horrified gasp.

Uthien recovered first. “Morenna, I have to ask: how did a Princess who grew up alone in a tower learn to speak with the fluent vulgarity of a drunken mercenary in seven languages?”

Morenna calmly turned a page in her book. “I do not answer personal questions.”

“Very well,” Linnea said, recovering. “We are not here to talk about you. Uthien.”

Uthien sighed, but began what was obviously a rehearsed speech. “Sister Morenna, I…find it necessary for reasons not—”

“Wait,” Linnea interrupted. “Young lady, haven’t you the basic respect to face someone who is speaking to you?”

Morenna’s eye twitched in annoyance, but she got it back under control and stood. Setting her book down on the folding chair, she turned to face them with a blank expression and a hand resting on Blackwing’s pommel.

Uthien visibly marshalled himself before beginning again. “Ah…ahem. Sister Morenna, I find it necessary for reasons not…personal or entirely your fault to…to insist that we not have direct contact henceforth. Your status and reputation among the court is simply…dangerous to anyone who associates with you. I hope you understand that I mean no personal offense by this, and that we can part on agreeable terms.”

“Nope,” she said. “Rejected and denied.”

Uthien blinked in surprise; Linnea looked shocked, and then angry.

“I, um…” Uthien now fumbled for a response. “That isn’t…I mean, you can’t—”

“First of all, this is moot,” Morenna said, drumming her fingers impatiently on Blackwing’s handguard. “In our entire lives I never sought you out until I needed your help; what makes you think I was going to continue doing so? Look, I know how that appears, and because I am not faithless nor a leech, I promise that you can always come to me if you need anything in return, Uthien. You’re my brother, and you were kind to me. So that’s that. But that doesn’t mean I was ever going to start hanging around you. Ask Ophia how sociable I am; she’s the one who keeps inviting me places.”

“See here,” Linnea began.

“And since you’re my brother,” Morenna continued more loudly, “if you actually wanted to cut off contact, I would respect that too, which is why I don’t respect this. I will not accept anything you were forced to say by a hand up your ass working you like a puppet.”

Linnea gasped in outrage and Uthien lowered his eyes, face burning with embarrassment.

“Instead I’ll talk to the hand,” Morenna continued. “Linnea, what are you even doing? I can believe this started with you wanting to protect your son, which is fine, but you have lost the plot, woman. Harassing me for three days like a case of crabs? You know the whole castle has been watching; you’ve done way more damage to your reputation and his than hanging around me ever possibly could!”

“And if that’s the price I must pay to protect my son, then I will pay it!” Linnea snapped. “You’ve never had to protect anything in your life, girl, don’t pretend to know what it’s like.”

Morenna rocked back on her heels as if slapped, her teeth baring in a snarl for a second before she controlled herself.

“You only started protecting your son,” she retorted. “This turned into a contest of wills as soon as I went over your head; now you’re just trying to prove your authority over me, which is amazingly stupid because you don’t have any, you silly cow! It is not within your power to make me do anything—all you can achieve by butting heads with me is to piss me off. There’s no win condition for you here, Linnea. Seriously, all I want is to be left alone! I wouldn’t be a problem for you if you would stop trying to make me one. You want to keep Uthien away from me? Fine, it’s simple: fuck off.”

Linnea actually stammered in shock and outrage, for once unable to muster a response. Uthien, however…

“Oh, Morenna,” he sighed. “No wonder this went so badly. I never even imagined how similar the two of you are.”

His mother and sister both glared at him in open-mouthed offense.

Only for a second, though.

Suddenly, Morenna whipped out her sword.

“Don’t!” Linnea shrieked, stepping in front of Uthien and pushing him behind her. “Don’t you dare, you little—”

Morenna silently vanished and then jumped out of Linnea’s own shadow, and with two flawless swipes of her rapier, slashed two arrows out of the air an instant before they struck the concubine.

“Down! DOWN!” Morenna shouted, bodily shoving her backward. “Get low against the walls!”

Linnea and Uthien were both too shocked to properly follow orders, but fortunately getting them into cover was simply done; Morenna just pushed them over. They landed in a jumble against the base of a ruined wall, half-sheltered by a bush.

Another arrow bounced off the stone nearby; Morenna slashed down the next one, vanished, and stepped out of the gloom deeper into the ruins to stand defensively over her brother and his mother, her sword at the ready and eyes constantly moving.

“What is happening?” Linnea demanded.

“Just somebody trying to kill us,” Morenna said brusquely. “Damn, we’re actually surrounded. Archers on the rooftops all around the Lower Castle. This was bold—they’re all right in view of the castle battlements. Soldiers will be all over them in minutes. Unless…”

Morenna straightened up, her eyes going wide. “Oh. Shit. Fuck. Something must’ve happened to Tamara!”

“What?” Uthien had wriggled out from under his mother; he raised only his head, remaining low behind the wall. “Tamara? How’d you jump to that?”

“Those arrows were aimed right at Linnea,” she growled. “Assassinating her is absurd as long as Tamara’s in the picture. Everyone knows Linnea stays out of politics. But if Tamara were gone, and not working her own angles to keep the factions away from each other’s throats, Linnea’s neutrality would make her the last stabilizing influence on Khellvain.”

The Black Princess bared her teeth, slashing her sword once through the air in pure frustration. “This shouldn’t be happening! I saved Tamara, there’s no reason for Linnea to be targeted, not now.”

“Wait… What are you talking about?” Linnea gasped. “That was too detailed, too specific to be a hypothetical. What do you know about—”

“I just told you I don’t answer questions,” Morenna snapped. “Both of you stay down. These guys are spread out, but that’s not going to save them.”

“Wait!” Uthien called, but Morenna had already vanished into the shadows.

“Did she say just someone trying to kill us?” Linna muttered, moving to shield Uthien with her body. “What has that girl been…”

“She has obviously been through a lot,” Uthien said. “Mother…have you ever thought about supporting Morenna instead of trying to drive her off? You know she’s not really cursed.”

“I was thinking about you, son. You are my responsibility, not she.”

Uthien started to lower his head in acquiescence, but then paused, and visibly steeled his spine. “Mother, you…you know you can decide what your own responsibilities are. Even animals take care of orphans.”

Fortunately for him, Morenna reappeared before Linnea could answer that, swinging her sword and splattering the nearby ruins with blood.

“Morenna, stop!” Uthien shouted. “You’re right, targeting my mother doesn’t make sense. I think they’re after you. Nobody knew we’d be out here in time to set up an ambush, but you came out first and waited, remember?”

Morenna hesitated. “Those arrows were aimed at her, not at me.”

“Perhaps to see whether you’d protect her like you protected Tamara. Nobody knows your goals, you just suddenly popped up and started fending off the family’s enemies. If I were plotting against our father, I’d need to get a handle on you—on what you want and what your capabilities are.”

“Oh…ranged attacks,” Linnea whispered. “Curses aside, what’s known about shadow mages is that they are deadly up close. By scattering men around the rooftops and seeing who you counter-attack, they can learn the limits of your reach.”

“Well…shit,” Morenna muttered. “First the clockwork soldiers and now this.”

Uthien and Linnea both ducked back down at a suddenly loud crash.

“And now that,” Morenna said in exasperation, vanishing into the shadows. In seconds she reappeared, looking even angrier.

“What just happened?” Uthien asked.

“The bridge back to the castle is gone; we’re stuck here,” Morenna said grimly. “Apparently, they have an earth mage.”