The Alliance - 19. Chapter 19

The demon sat on a hard stone bench, breathing heavily and confused. Iron bars in front of her made harsh lines against the light on her face, and she struggled with who and where she was. Madame Ysabel’s pupils were growing and shrinking in rapid succession, and the demon and the woman fought for control inside a tiny prison cell of the Nabian capitol. When the attractive blonde man walked into the room, neither noticed him.

“You look horrible, sister.”

That voice, thought the demon.

I know it, thought Ysabel.

Yago, thought the two in unison.

For the first time in two days since being imprisoned, Madame Ysabel Di Coteau, now widowed and back to Ysabel Clarion, responded to an environmental stimulus. Looking his sister up and down, General Yago Clarion bared his fangs in violent delight. He was absolutely right. She looked atrocious.

While Ysabel’s sundress had once been white, it was now a shade of deep maroon and pink. Her once silky hair hung in clumpy strands, filled with clots of coagulated blood and flesh. Some of her black makeup still ran down her face from her eyes, and the streaks were complimented by streaks of crusted blood. She was truly a nightmare, covered in the shreds of all those she had slain the day she learned her husband had fallen. Compared to her brother, who ordinarily bore some resemblance to her, Ysabel was almost unrecognizable as a lady of distinguished position. One was polished and clean, and the blood on his hands was hidden by refinement and pristine cleanliness. His manicured nails were nothing like the filthy black blades that remained on his sister’s fingers. Rather, she wore the marks of her sins outright that day, and bits of flesh and chunks of human coated her in a sickly display of gore.

All in all, Ysabel had slain forty-six people in the streets of the capitol. After dispatching her staff, she walked out the door and began slaughtering anyone that came into sight. Men, women, and children all fell beneath her claws, and no one she had targeted was able to get away. In the thin alleys and streets of the capitol, Ysabel was faster than anyone else. St. Irridious was her chosen patron assassin saint, and she honored him greatly that day, leaping from rooftop to rooftop and collapsing down into the streets onto fearfully running prey. It had taken a dozen soldiers all armed with spears and shields to take her down, and many of them came out of that with injury.

“Y-Yago…?” Who was in control was questionable, and the voice sounded nothing like the woman it came from.

“Yes, Ysabel. Take control back.” He was one of the few who could restore her mind, given that he had helped create the demon in her childhood. The last time there had been a rampage, Yago had just become a general and left a mission to visit Mullansburg. Then, Ysabel had been pregnant with Alexandre, and no one entirely knew what triggered the killing spree except perhaps the mood swings of pregnancy.

“My dear sweet sister,” Yago said. He ran a thumb down her cheek, and flakes of crusted blood chipped off of her skin and floated to the ground. “You’ve grieved, and now is the time to go.” Ysabel was almost back, but was still confused. The statement from Yago perplexed her further.

“I cannot leave here.”

“You can, and you will.” The command in his voice was unmistakable, and it would have sent shivers down anyone else’s spine. But Yago had not seen his sister for some time, and he had forgotten that he did not control her anymore than she controlled herself. Ysabel raised her head, and one vivid green eye shone through strands of thick, bloody hair.

“Do not presume to command me,” she said in a raspy voice. Yago knew that this was not Madame Ysabel talking, and chose his next words carefully. His sister was just as dangerous as he.

“It is not a command, rather an invitation.” Ysabel said nothing after some time, so he went on. “The city has… agreed to let you go. Because you are no longer the partner of a general, you will become one now. The late General Pyconne’s place has been recently vacated, as I’m sure you were aware. The thirteen are no longer complete, and I would be delighted to escort you back to your new estate.”

Ysabel was again in a state of paralysis, fighting for control. Yes… a new estate. I must plan my next move.

“We will leave as soon as you are cleaned and ready. Come now.”

***

Carlisle lay on his bed, arms stretched out behind his head. He had been disturbed by Alexandre’s constantly changing moods lately, and the teen he loved seemed confused all the time. He knew that this was bad, given that he would probably be under heavy scrutiny by local officials. Alex had declared taking the position of general for himself, and his pin signifying his being one of the thirteen would be arriving any day. Ultimately, this meant that nobody could deny his authority, and officials from all over the country would be visiting him directly. Many already had stopped by, and Carl was proud to see that Alexandre had handled them all very well. Hopefully, that lasts.

A knock on the door startled Carlisle, and he was surprised to hear the voice of Meredith, one of the serving girls of the estate.

“Master Carlin?”

“Yes! Come in.” The girl entered, and spoke.

“General Di Coteau has returned from Mullansburg this morning, and requests your presence in his office.”

What? Carl felt his heart stop. Alexandre has not spoken more than a few words to me since I told him who I am. What could he possibly want now? And after a mission… that could be bad. Alexandre had a habit of focusing intently on one thing at a time, and his mind worked like a switch. If he’s still in the mood for bloodlust… Carlin began putting on a shirt, and felt his hip to make sure he still had a knife.

“Very well. I’ll be down in a moment.”

***

“I assume you all are confused as to why I have called you here now in such haste,” Alex said. From the huge black desk that was once his father’s, he looked down at the group that had assembled before him. Talia, Luca, Roark, Barclay, Eamon, Mikhail, and most importantly Carlin were all there. He felt he had made the correct choices.

“Go on brother,” mumbled Talia in a bored voice. “I have things to do.” Alex looked at her checking her nails, and began to use his newly found general’s voice. He didn’t like being commanding with his friends or sister, but knew that they must be made aware of the importance of what he was about to say.

“Then you will have to cancel those things.” At that, she looked up, her mouth slightly open in confusion. Good. “As you all no doubt have come to suspect, Carlin has had more exposure to wealthy life than he leads on. It has come to my attention that he has not been entirely honest with this household.” He saw the blue-eyed Tomacian grasp at what seemed to be a hilt, and the eyes of everyone else shifting.

I must be very careful in what I say now. “However, I find that he has both a place here and in my affections.” Alexandre looked Carlin in the eyes. “I will not let him go, and I expect all of your support.” The room was quiet, but everyone was more visibly relaxed.

“You’ve got it,” Luca spoke quietly.

“Thank you Luca. I hope that I still have it when I reveal to you that Carlin is in fact a member of Tomacian nobility, and I find his position to be of some value to us.” Alexandre raised an eyebrow, and waited for people to burst into question. It didn’t happen yet. “Which is why,” he continued, “a group of us will be taking it upon ourselves to deliver him home, where I will reveal my identity to his noble parents. Once this has been done, they will have the choice of forming an alliance with our province of Nabius. The party will leave in three days, and I expect you to be ready for travel and a stealthy escort. Any questions?”

***

After almost two hours of addressing a variety of questions, Luca noticed that Alexandre looked tired. Most of the questions had come from a demanding Talia, who was initially furious over the idea of making any kind of alliance with Tomacian rulers. Luca noticed that Alexandre had quite artfully avoided mentioning who Carlin’s parents actually were. Though he knew Tomacia was not nearly as divided as his own homeland, there were still many leaders and nobles in the country. He knew that Alexandre probably had a reason for concealing just who exactly his lover was, so he decided not to ask which noble family Carlin came from directly. It would likely be an uncomfortable question for the friend that had so graciously taken him in. Instead, Luca had two challenges that he felt needed to be addressed.

“I have two questions, Alex.” At that, babble and arguments amongst the congregation stopped. He felt the eyes in the room shift to him, and became uncomfortable at having the attention of so many at a time.

“Yes?”

“The first is how you’re going to get through General Devan Di Coteau’s territory. He lies to the east, and his borders are notoriously guarded. Ordinarily, I would think you are fine, being family… but what will you tell your uncle you’re doing, or where you’re going, and why with this group of people?”

Alex gave a small smile. “You’re very observant. My uncle is indeed suspicious and paranoid, and his discovery of our party would undermine this mission.”

“I passed through his land once between brothels.”

“I hadn’t thought of Devan,” Talia said with a breathy note of worry. “The man is insane.”

“Indeed,” Alexandre agreed. “Which is where my misfortune in the gladiator rings will help us. There is an underground ring of abduction and transportation for gladiatorial slaves that I believe can be used to move us through most of Nabius. I plan to apprehend some of the kidnappers and force them to smuggle us across the countryside. Luckily, I also know exactly where one of their operating stations is, in the woods not far from this estate.”

Luca noticed that the last sentence was said with a bit of malice, but he understood why. He was once taken and sold himself, and he had seen firsthand the stress the fighting rings put on Alexandre. Luca had spent the night before Alexandre’s final fight with him.

“I see. Secondly, I do not believe your mother is a good choice for covering you. Nor do I think Hadeaux will suffice in your absence. Both are honorable, but… the prospect of either running a household makes me nervous. You cannot mean to give up your position, seeing as you will be using it to bargain for an alliance once you arrive.”

Alexandre inhaled and exhaled slowly. “I was just about to get to that. Eamon will stay back as a guard and eyes around the household, given that he’s probably the most sly of the warriors, besides Talia. But I want her with me in the field.” Luca could not believe that Eamon would be chosen to lead the Di Coteau household. He was just about to speak up, but Alexandre continued.

“He will be your guard, Luca. I’d like you to handle the estate in my stead.”