The Homunculus Knight

Chapter 40: Besieged

“Good magical defenses are much like their mundane equivalents. Layered, interlocking, and capable of adapting to new situations. Similarly, there are varieties of magical defenses, with wards being the most basic. Wards are, in essence, ‘walls’ in the Aether, creating blockades that magic cannot pass through easily. Requiring subversion, destruction, or manipulation to bypass. Of course, there are as many types of wards as there are spellcasters. Still, for our purposes, the analogy of curtain wall or armor plating is probably the most useful.” - Lecture on Arcane Defenses by Preceptor Tomlin of the Urdam Ivory Tower.

It took two hours to assemble the city council. Pulling them from whatever dealings or distractions they had on New Year's Day proved no easy task, but the guard proved capable of it. Once assembled, the council session didn’t take nearly as long Cole feared. Declaring House Louon enemies of the city took approximately five minutes.

The testimony of a Paladin, two Guard Captain, and several respected Priests wasn’t even what really swayed the council. They made up their minds when forty-six human hearts preserved in briney fluid were presented to them. That sort of sight tended to leave an impression, especially when the hearts in question were collected from the home of their superior’s heir.

As the council's shock faded and pragmatism started to show, Cole knew the fall of House Louon would shake the political bedrock of Vindabon. The decision to decry House Louon would open up countless opportunities and surely set off a shadow war that would keep the nobility and their low-born rivals busy for years. Cole frankly couldn’t care less about such things; if another monster rose up in the wake of the Louons, he'd destroy it too.

With the signed and sealed Council writ, Cole and the City Guard marched on Louon manor. A small army of guards from across the entire city, alongside contingents of Priests and Magi from their various institutions, had been assembled to bring about the collapse of Louon. Upon seeing the assembled force, Cole initially thought its size and diversity had more to do with a desire for political capital than any real necessity. But upon arriving at Louon Keep, Cole realized he’d been mistaken.

Keeping a large manor within Vindabon was the ultimate symbol of power and influence. Demonstrating a family had the wealth and connections to take up a city block's worth of land for their own use. Most manors were sprawling estates like what the DeMello’s had. Still, other families like the Louons let their tastes fall into a more… practical style.

Louon Keep was not a palace; it was a castle. With high walls slitted by murder holes and the only entrance a heavy portcullis. Cole frowned, looking up at the manned walls of the keep and tasting the aetheric power swirling around the castle. It seemed House Louon still had other troops loyal to its cause. But that wasn’t what really bothered him; the powerful series of wards covering the Keep had his attention. More than stone and steel protected the Louons, they had complicated magical defenses encircling their home.

Captain Iron-teeth stood next to Cole, shading his eyes from the winter sunlight and scanning the battlements. “I’m counting at least thirty men-at-arms and a similar number of archers. We know the Louons have Magi among them, so we can count on them causing problems.”

Exhaling softly, Cole asked. “I take it the whole family is within the Keep? Or have the Guard found any stragglers?”

Nodding, the Captain explained. “We think the Hippogryph Knight’s warning was enough to get them all inside. They moved fast; I think they had plans in case of something like this.”

Looking back at the assembled steel of Vindabon, Iron-teeth sighed. “Y’know, if you told a younger me I’d be part of an army tasked with bringing down a Louon, I’d have drunk a cask of ale in celebration. Now… now I can only think about how many people will die in this foolishness.”

Grunting in agreement, Cole watched as a city herald passed by them. A puffed-up woman wearing a panoply of livery that proclaimed her status and importance to all. A large ivory scroll case was tucked under one arm, the city’s official writ. The herald stepped through the blockade of soldiers and approached the keep’s gate.

Attackers and defenders watched as the Herald unfurled her scroll and proclaimed the charges in a magically amplified voice. “Graf Isac Louon! On orders of the City Council, and with the power vested in them by Elector Prince Yoseph Franz, you are ordered to surrender yourself into city custody. House Louon is hereby accused of consorting with the Outer Dark and instigating civil discontent with the goal of hurting the city and its friends. Grafling Liam Louon is also ordered to surrender to the Tenth Temple as part of the investigation into the Heartstealer murders. Accept this ruling and throw yourself upon Vindabon’s mercy!”

The Louon answer came in the form of fire. Someone on the walls tossed a sphere of white-hot flame at the Herald. She didn’t even flinch as the fireball exploded a meter away from her. Hundreds of soldiers shied away from the blast, looking back to see the Herald unharmed. Only a few didn’t flinch from the spell and saw what had happened. The fire wrapped around the air, smashing into an invisible defense surrounding the Herald. Fading away into sparks that didn’t even touch the plume of the Herald’s hat.

Cole watched this happen but barely paid attention. His mind was focused on the abomination that just manifested behind him. Something had walked through a wrinkle in reality and manifested among the besiegers. A thing that stunk of ancient death and filled the Aether with its leviathan presence. Muscles taught with stress, Cole didn’t turn when a genial voice spoke behind him and Iron-teeth.

“Now, now, that was very rude. Don’t they know the Heralds are under my protection? It's one of the little ways I keep my city nice and civil.”

Iron-teeth spun to look at the newcomer, and Cole forced himself to do so as well. An average man of middle age and fine clothes leaned on a walking stick a step behind Cole. Iron-teeth frowned at the newcomer and asked. “Are you one of the Magi the Ivory Tower sent to help?”

The Lych’s mouth quirked in a smile. “In a manner of speaking, yes, yes, I am.” looking at Cole, the elder monster snorted in amusement. “So you can see past my new facade, Sir Paladin? Interesting but not unexpected, Number Ten wouldn’t want me tricking one of his favorite tools.”

Nodding his head in courtesy, Cole rasped. “First Preceptor, are you here to protect your Herald or something else?”

Iron-teeth glanced at the Lych, and his mouth fell open in shock. He’d read Cat-eyes and Mina’s report about the First Preceptor. The Lych ignored the stunned Captain and stepped past the two, watching as his Herald retreated, bowing to him as she did. “I could stop such trifling spells if I were in Parilux and still asleep; that is, if I still needed sleep. No, I came to observe Henricus’s work.”

Gesturing up at the walls and the wards protecting them, the Lych explained. “The great-great-grand-uncle of the current Graf was a student of mine. He was a middling Magi but an excellent schemer, which these defensive spells perfectly demonstrate. Nothing original in them; everything about the wards is stolen, but brilliantly so!”

Nodding to the Magi and Priests who were hard at work trying to decipher and disable the magical defenses, the Lych explained. “They should figure it out in a few hours, but I’ll spare you the time as payment for helping clean up my city. The Keep’s wards are borrowed from the city's own defenses, not the designs but the actual spells. Henricus found a way to trick the wards into protecting his family keep, extending the Temple and Tower’s work to include Louon Keep.”

Frowning, Cole tried to phrase out this information. “Could we modify the city defenses and bypass the Keep’s wards that way?”

The Lych nodded approvingly. “Good question, but no. Henricus was smart enough to create a secondary line of protection. No, these defenses will stand until something powerful enough to destroy the city’s wards break them, or someone inside turns them off. The second option is unlikely, and the first would destroy every ward on the city.”

Recovering himself slightly, Iron-teeth asked. “I suppose you wouldn’t be willing to break through the wards then?”

A short laugh escaped the Lych. “There are still two healthy Seraphs within the city, and I’d rather not fight them. Besides, it would leave the city open to all manner of danger. If my prognostications are even close to correct, those defenses will be needed in the coming years. No, it seems to me Vindabon will be engaged in an internal siege for the next few months until someone or something inside that Keep breaks.”

Pondering everything the Lych said, Cole slowly asked. “The Keep’s wards perfectly reflect the city wards? There aren’t any other spells protecting the estate?”

Shrugging, the Lych answered. “Nothing of significant power. Why risk detection or even damaging the defenses by trying to add more to it? No, Henricus was brilliantly lazy; he ensured his family could just leech off the city. A parasite protected from everything, including its host. It's honestly impressive in a cesspit-critter sort of way.”

Cole understood then why the Lych was speaking with them. He was a bull being led by its nose, guided toward the solution the ancient undead monster had devised. A solution that Cole did not like. Shutting his eyes, fighting the sickening truth of the Lych, he asked. “I don’t suppose you would exploit the weakness in the wards and help finish this mess?”

Another laugh escaped the old monster. “Oh, you are smart! No, I will not. I’ve done enough to help. Swooping in at the very end and solving everything would end this story on a boring note. I’ll let the precocious girl play her role; that would be a much more satisfying conclusion.”

Then with a pop of displaced air, the Lych was gone, returned to his lair, and divorced from the crisis. Licking suddenly chapped lips, Iron-teeth asked. “What was that about? What weakness in the wards?”

Groaning, Cole looked up at the walls of Louon Keep. “When the Ashborn Vampire attacked, something seriously damaged the city wards. Particularly the section created and maintained by the Tenth Temple. Right now, the city is only protected from the undead by its physical defenders. None of the magic that would detect and bind the Undead or their magic is working. And if the Louon wards are part of the city wards, then…”

Iron-teeth leaned back in sudden understanding. “An undead could infiltrate and deactivate the Keep defenses. And the Lych is leaving that up to your lass.”

Cole nodded, and Iron-teeth frowned. “A bold plan, but can Natalie do it? I can’t imagine they wouldn’t notice her climbing those walls. Maybe if we waited for nightfall, but still, it's a slagging risk.”

Sighing, Cole answered. “It is, and I don’t want her to take it. But…I won’t insult her by denying her the opportunity to do good. Nor will I let her charge into this blindly.”

Turning from Iron-teeth, Cole looked around the assembled force; it had quickly grown with different families and city powers sending soldiers. Each hoping to carve a little prestige off the corpse of House Louon. It wasn’t just cheaply armored infantry or guild militias, but a cadre of knights and highborn warriors had also joined the siege.

Approaching the nobles, Cole watched as the teenage officers scrambled to salute, bow or shy away from him. They clearly recognized him from the ball, even if he didn’t. Cole only recognized one noble by name, clad in fine plate a little too big for him was Jaerd DeMello, a helmet with a horse-hair plume under one arm. The boy blanched at seeing Cole and looked around for a possible escape.

Before he could flee like a startled horse, Cole addressed the boy. “Jaerd, I’m glad you made it through the ball intact. How are you and your family faring?”

A slight twitch of anger went across the boy’s face. “My mother has decreed you are to never set foot on DeMello property again as long as she lives.”

Nodding, Cole said. “Fair enough, still, I need your help. Possibly that of your friends here as well.”

The gathered noblings looked at Cole with fear and interest. These were second sons and third daughters, those who’d not warranted fighting in the Vampire War or other duties. A mixture of family disappointments in the making and over-eager youths looking to prove themselves. The type any soldier learned to fear having as commander. So Cole was going to keep them away from the congealing chain of command and help Natalie simultaneously.

Natalie had not enjoyed her morning. Being left behind at the Temple while everyone else used her ideas to catch a killer had laid a pall over her mood. A mixture of worry, jealousy, and general anxiety had her wearing a path into the apartment floor. Her Vampire side was furious she’d been kept away from things, especially since the schemes in question were her design. At the same time, the nervous village girl in her, was scared witless that her oh-so-clever idea wasn’t so clever and people would die.

Two different unfinished wood carvings sat on a nearby table, evidence of her nerves and failure to distract herself. Beside them were half-read and reread books and even a few scraps of paper containing Natalie’s notes. The bed was also marked by her anxiety, with her clothes laid out and organized. In fact, practically everything in the apartment was victim to Natalies attempts to distract herself. She’d almost started organizing Cole’s various potions and poisons but decided against it. Messing with them seemed a great way to cause future problems.

So when a knock came at the door, Natalie reacted as well as could be expected. With literally supernatural speed, she reached the door and opened it before the third knock. Erik of Snaaga blinked in surprise up at the wild-eyed Vampire. In testimony to his grit and history, the boy didn’t flinch back and merely set his jaw.

“You are wanted downstairs, Lady Vampire.”

Blinking in surprise, Natalie went to grab her shortsword and belt. She was already wearing her hunting leathers out of anticipation that something would go horribly wrong. As she grabbed her few tools of destruction, Natalie asked. “Who wants me and why?”

Erik grunted. “A runner from the Guards, and I dunno why. They just sent me because I don’t piss myself on seeing you.”

Turning back to the boy, Natalie cocked an eyebrow and smiled. “You are a brave one, aren’t you.”

The young acolyte shrugged and gave Natalie an even look. “Lady, you aren’t the scariest corpse-thing I’ve seen, and you aren’t trying to kill me. As far as I’m concerned, as long as the Paladin has you on a leash, you’re not a problem.”

Normally his words would have annoyed Natalie, but coming from such a hard-bitten child, it was bleakly amusing. “Fair enough, let's go.”

The guard runner had scarcely more knowledge; she’d been tasked with getting Natalie and bringing her to a point near the Louon estate. Taking a temple buggy, the two women rode in tense silence. Both were nervous but for a different reason. The lack of information had Natalie taught and fearing the worse, and the poor Runner didn’t enjoy being stuck with a Vampire.

They arrived in a service alley between two estates, a slip of clean cobblestones that was blocked off by guards on either side. Natalie passed through the guards and found a strange gaggle of people waiting for them in the alley’s heart. Cole and half a dozen ornately armored nobles of dubious age. Natalie recognized most of them from the ball and winced when they shied away from her.

Cole, by contrast, smiled upon seeing her, an expression that turned slightly bitter as he spoke. “Things are going reasonably well, and House Louon is trapped in their keep. But the magical defenses aren’t something we can bypass. They are related to the city’s own wards, and anything that can pass through them can infiltrate Louon Keep.”

Natalie’s eyes widened as Cole’s almost sour tone gained context. “They want me to slip into the keep and turn off the wards?”

Nodding, Cole said. “There are others in the city who can do this, but convincing them would take time and bribery….” He trailed off with a pained look on his face; he clearly wanted Natalie to let another shoulder this burden.

Sadly shaking her head, Natalie looked to the nervous young nobles around them. “I need to prove I’m not a monster. I’ll do it.”

Cole grimaced and let out a resigned breath. “I thought as much, which is why I gathered Jaerd and his friends to help you.”

Jaerd DeMello had refused to look at Natalie, his eyes glued to the cobblestones. After Cole nudged him, the aristocrat sighed and stepped away from the group, standing at the edge of a clear space in the alley. Squatting down, he put his hands on the cobblestones and started to make strange gestures while muttering something in Old Imperial. Natalie caught the words for hole and prostitute, both of which she knew thanks to swearing customers at the Silly Goat.

The cobblestones started to fall away, reforming into a staircase that led beneath the city street. Jaerd held up a hand and muttered fire incantation, cloaking his palm in flame. Gesturing with his magical torch, he said. “Let's get this over with.”

Cole, Natalie, and the nobles descended the staircase entering a world of crumbling stone and dark passages. Once they were all down the stairs, the cobblestones started to float up, reforming into the street above them. More than a few nobles looked at the fading entrance with undisguised worry.

Scanning their surroundings, Natalie asked. “What’s the plan? I’m assuming there is some hidden path into the Louon keep?”

Surprisingly one of the nobles answered, a young woman with a long face and straight black hair. Fidgeting with her tasseled cloak, she said. “The undercroft connects the keep and all the other manors. We don’t know if it's guarded, so Sir Cole asked us to help guide and escort you.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow at that, and Cole added. “A few of our friends here have visited Louon Keep, so they might be able to help give you an idea of what to expect.”

Accepting that, Natalie and the group started walking through the undercroft. The tunnels were old but decently kept, showing signs of moderate use and maintenance. There were glowstone sconces every few meters, each holding a dusty stone that gave faint light as they approached. Not enough ambient magic seemed to be reaching the stones, and they would need to be replaced. Leaving the tunnels a shadowy place of flickering light and clanking footsteps.

The aristocrats started to describe the Louon estate with Cole’s prodding. None of the six nobles knew how to concisely or effectively relay the information, so Natalie was forced to dissect their words. By the time they turned onto a second hallway, Natalie had decided she hated the words ‘um’ and ‘maybe.’

While their words left her with a decent mental map of the Keep. Of its main hall and various towers, they knew nothing of the magical defenses protecting the castle. This started worrying Natalie, and she expressed it to Cole quietly. “There is no point in me sneaking into this place if I can’t turn off the wards. Maybe I can provide more information, but I don’t think I can end this mess alone.”

A pained look came over Cole’s face. “I’ve been considering this, and I’m loathed to ask more from you, but you have access to a skilled Magi….”

Frowning, Natalie whispered. “I don’t know if I can call upon her this far away.”

Cole shrugged. “If you can’t, we will reconsider this plan.”

Eyes narrowing, it occurred to Natalie that Cole could have sent word to have her bring Isabelle’s skull. Consciously or unconsciously, Cole had put an impediment in his own plan. Fear of risking her and Isabelle had kept him from doing the best option. A blindspot that Natalie needed to pay attention to.

Shutting her eyes and focusing, Natalie reached across the bridge of dreams and called on Isabelle. The old monster responded, slithering across the gap and flickering into being nearby. Natalie looked at her mentor and grimaced; Isabelle’s projection was uncertain, its edges blurry and leaking vapor. Isabelle glanced around them, eyes staying on Cole for a very long moment.

“Something in these tunnels muddles magic entering it. It’s not major, but its Aether is slightly separated from the surrounding. I don’t know how much use I’ll be for whatever reason you called me, since I doubt this is a social summoning.”

Natalie fed memories of Cole’s plan and events around the Louons along the bridge. Isabelle nodded in understanding, a jerky, unnatural motion thanks to the arcane interference. “I won’t be able to help you; it's taxing to even speak with you like this.”

Sighing, Natalie rubbed her eyes; Isabelle wasn’t the only one feeling the stress of the taught connection. Isabelle had turned her attention back to Cole, a somber look on the Vampire’s face. “There is an option we could try, but you’d have to trust me.”

Grimacing, Natalie mentally asked. “What is it?”

Shifting slightly, an uncharacteristic nervousness in her halting body language, Isabelle said. “I can partially possess you. Instead of seizing control, I can become a… passenger. It would be disconcerting for both of us, but it would let you borrow my knowledge and skills to a degree.”

Natalie recoiled at the idea, and Isabelle held up her hands. “I swear on my love for Cole, I’ll end it the moment the wards are down or when you wish me gone, whichever comes first.”

Chewing her lip, trying not to notice how the nobles recoiled upon seeing her fang, Natalie pondered her options. They had all stopped to watch, uncertain of the exchange between her and Cole, even more so of her strange movements.

Looking at Isabelle, Natalie nodded and offered a few mental threats involving Isabelle’s skull and a cesspit alongside her consent. The old Vampire smiled and faded, entering Natalie’s mind with a piercing migraine. Hissing in pain, Natalie stumbled, and Cole caught her. Concerned, he looked at her, and Natalie only saw him through one eye; the other was blind. Blinking in shock, sight returned to her eye, but her sense of smell faded before returning. One of her legs twitched, and Cole was forced to hold her up as Natalie suffered through someone literally rooting around in her brain.

After a few more painful seconds of spasms and distorted senses, Isabelle seemed to settle into Natalie’s mind. Cole looked ashen and had been trying to ask her what was wrong, which Natalie had a hard time answering while the world spun and her ears popped. Finally, as the worst of the possession ended, Natalie squeezed Cole’s arm and said. “I’m fine; I just needed to figure out a novel solution with her.”

Concern was writ large on Cole’s face, and Natalie offered him a tentative smile. “Let’s keep going. The faster we do this, the better.”

Frowning, Cole started to object, but Natalie held up a hand. “I’m doing this, but if anything goes wrong, I’ll run like the wind. I want to help the city, but I’ve no intention of dying for it.”

Cole didn’t look particularly relieved, but he accepted her decision. The nobles led them on then, well-bred discretion keeping them from asking about whatever they’d witnessed. Any noble knew better than to ask uncomfortable questions, especially during times of crisis.

As they approached the subterranean entrance to the Louon keep, the group drew their weapons and moved slower. Checking for traps or guards as they crept through the tunnels. Natalie personally thought the attempt at stealth was laughable, the nobles were all in heavy armor, and their every step echoed. Still, it was better to creep into an ambush than leap into one.

No ambush or even traps barred their way; the sheer lack of defenses actually had Cole nervous. Either they were walking into a trap, or there was something else at work. It thankfully turned out to be the latter. Passing beneath a tunnel entrance marked with the Louon coat-of-arms, the group found the undercroft entrance to the Keep. It was blocked by a heavy spell-wrought portcullis.

The grate comprised interlocking steel bars, each thick as Cole’s wrist. The holes between the bars were barely big enough to fit a few fingers, while the portcullis’ edges were locked into the wall by some mechanism. Runes of protection and endurance were etched into the metal, and Cole doubted the full force of his power would crack the enchanted steel, let alone shatter the entire gate. It seemed the Louons had invested considerable coins in protecting this supposed secret passageway.

Stepping close to the gate, Cole peered into the Aether and saw the rippling wards of the keep just in front of the portcullis. Before he could warn her, Natalie had stepped forward and touched the metal. Reaching out fast as he could, Cole tried to pull her hand away, afraid the magic would scorch her. But his worry was unwarranted; Natalie passed a hand through the wards and touched the gate without issue.

Frowning, she looked at the shocked Cole and shrugged. “It feels like entering sunlight, not pleasant, but nothing I can’t handle. The only issue is I don’t know how I can slip past the portcullis. I’ve never tried turning into mist or similar, and I’m not particularly eager to make a mistake learning how to.

“I can be of assistance,” spoke a voice inside Natalie. She stiffened as the words filtered across her consciousness. It was obviously Isabelle, but it was different from every time she’d spoken to Natalie’s mind before. Instead of it echoing from some unknown source, like a phantom voice in her ear, it was her own internal dialogue. Her flow of consciousness, her very thoughts voicing another opinion.

Disgusted and horrified, Natalie put a hand to her head and was ready to remove Isabelle even if it damaged her mind. “Wait, stop! I’m sorry I scared you. I can augment your shapeshifting and help you pass through the portcullis!”

Shaking her head, Natalie swallowed a useless dry gesture that felt even less right than normal. “I’ve taken up residence in some of your unused brain, like where taste and eating are controlled.”

Bearing her fangs, Natalie shut her eyes and snarled into her own mind. “Do not speak unless you have to. This is incredibly distressing.”

A faint sense of understanding and agreement wafted through Natalie’s mind. Turning her focus to the external world, she said. “I think I have another option..”

Cole looked about, ready to grab her and leave; he knew something was wrong, but not exactly what. Smiling at him, Natalie got onto her toes and kissed him. Some tension bled from him, and Natalie whispered. “When this is done, let's try the Opera like you suggested.”

Cole squeezed her close and then, with great trepidation, let her go. In a voice gravelly with stress, he said. “I have faith in you.”

Smiling, Natalie said. “I know.” and then started to transform.

Calling upon Isabelle’s loaned knowledge, Natalie let red fog ooze off her skin and cover her. Melting and compressing the vampire as her body took a new form. Flesh, clothing, and equipment were all stored away in the ocean of blood as Natalie transformed. Isabelle’s undisputable mastery of vampire powers showing in the act.

Once where Natalie stood was now a mere rat, a black-furred creature that waived a paw at Cole before slipping past the portcullis and disappearing into Louon Manor.