Empire of Night Ch46

Jessica stood near the back of Elliza’s group, watching the empress exchange pleasantries with a gaggle of older women who dressed in the shapeless sacks the Dyrantisa called gowns.
She wore a close-fitting backless red gown of her own, a slit down one side of her skirt showing the barest bit of leg.
 “Ladies,” Elliza said, gesturing to Jessica at last. “We are honored to introduce Our most esteemed guest from Earth. Miss Jessica Albright.”
She nodded to the women. “Nice to meet you,” she said, though it really wasn’t particularly.
The women murmured their sundry greetings, and Elliza led the group to her long dining table, sitting at the head of the table, Alex and Lisril on either side of her; as she took her seat, the rest of the room sorted themselves out, forty or so in all.
As they sat, palace servants brought food and drink, setting an array of dishes on the table before them; then, the lady chef made a show of testing each before bowing to the empress.
“I pray her Magnificence finds our efforts sufficient.”
“We are sure We will; you may go, ma’am.”
The chef bowed and led her women from the room, leaving the table to serve themselves. Immediately, one of the women cleared her throat. “Your Magnificence, if we might begin.”
Elliza acted like she didn’t hear, loading up her plate and turning to Alex. “Is the food to your liking?”
“Of course,” he said, smiling at her. “You’ve yet to disappoint.”
She beamed at the praise, turning back to the table. “We pray our hospitality is sufficient.
The women shifted in their seats, uncertain, which Jessica was sure was very much the point. Finally, one of them cleared her throat. “Of course, your Magnificence,” she said. “I believe my compatriots would like to know more about last night’s- activities.”
“Of course!” Elliza cried. “How silly of me. It’s a shame you missed it, really. Lisril taught Us and some of the Palace Ladies to use Dyrantoro weapons. Perhaps We could arrange a lesson for you, too.”
The woman opened her mouth, closed it, and it was all Jessica could do not to laugh. These ladies were clearly not used to sass, and it was fun watching them try to navigate the experience while unable to pull rank.
The lady cleared her throat. “Your Magnificence, please, I’m, of course, talking about the terrible act of unprovoked violence visited upon one of your loyal servants last night.”
Elliza cocked her head, frowning. “We fear We’ve heard nothing of such an event.”
“Your Magnificence!” another woman shouted, pounding her fist on the table. “We all know why we are here. Last night, the Inquisition razed a sovereign lady’s home. We don’t know if the lady even survived this sudden and senseless attack.”
Elliza, to her credit, didn’t show any emotion at the outburst. “Ah, of course, you must forgive Our confusion; Lady Kesteel indicated an unjustified attack. But last night, the Lady’s Holy Inquisition carried out an entirely justified and wholly lawful raid on the property of a woman suspected of treason and abetting an assassin.”
 “Your Magnificence, respectfully, a landed noble has a reasonable expectation of security in their person and property.” the first woman, Kesteel, said, leaning over the table.
“Lady Kesteel,” another woman, who Jessica recognized as Serra’s mother, Taaraiin, said. “I think you may be extending the privileges of nobility too far.”
“Do I? Well, what evidence of these crimes can the crown offer to justify the inquisitor’s actions?” Kesteel scoffed.
The room turned, looking expectantly at Elliza, who reached under her cloak, producing a talisman of some sort, hanging from a length of ribbon. “This is the badge of house Farsath, carried by the assassin who attempted to kill Us while we settled Our business with lady Schintel.”
The mood in the room soured noticeably; Jessica didn’t know what business Elliza was talking about, so it was impossible to say if it was the business or the fact that the conversation didn’t seem to be going her guest’s way.
“All the same,” one of the women said. “This seems a tenuous connection, given the violence visited upon one of your parliamentarians.”
“Not, however, to effect an arrest,” Taarraiin argued.
“Had Lady Farsath surrendered herself, force wouldn’t have been necessary.”
“She should have sought a warrant,” another woman said.
“She didn’t require a warrant; the inquisitor acted well within her authority,” Elliza said.
“What about the violence of the attack?” A new woman spoke up. “The descriptions of the destruction I’ve heard sound well beyond reasonable.”
“Yet, had we used lesser force, some of our women, working to affect the lady’s lawful arrest, would surely have ended injured or worse,” Taaraiin said.
“Still,” the woman retorted. “Your posse might have shown more restraint.”
Lisril snorted. “I suppose we owed a pack of treasonsits and assassins restraint, hm?”
“That’s hardly been proven!” the woman snapped.
“Regardless,” Taaraiin said, “we were within our rights. We can hardly be blamed for the efficacy of the Dyrantoro weapons.”
“That’s another thing,” a new woman spoke up. “The word is, her Magnificence’s guest was present, respectfully, your Magnificence, how could you be so irresponsible?”
“Excuse me?” Lisril demanded, leaning over the table, glaring at the woman.
“Lady Hete, I, and not her Magnificence, am Alex’s wife, I am responsible for him, and I shall thank you not to undercut my authority within our marriage.”
Jessia suppressed a smirk, so far, she wasn’t sure why she was there, but at least it was proving entertaining.
“Well,” Hete scoffed, “I was under the impression he and the empress were- close.”
“We are!” Alex chirped. “And I hope we get closer. But I haven’t had the chance to buy a ring.”
The woman seemed genuinely shocked Alex had spoken up; apparently, on Nyx, men were seen and not heard.
“Your Magnificence!” the woman protested.
“Unfortunately,” Elliza sighed. “Milord is correct; it’s difficult for Us to get away from our duties, especially on such short notice.”
“I don’t know what you’re all getting so worked up about,” an orange-skinned woman chortled. “Don’t you think it’s a little far-fetched, a handful of women, and a man, overrunning a fortified manor in a few scant hours?”
“It was more like minutes,” Taarraiin said. “And, really, Lisril and Alex did most of the work.”
“Lady Faragal, please, I know your daughter intends to marry into this family, but there’s no need to exaggerate so.”
“She isn’t exaggerating,” Alex said. “We softened them up with an aerial raid and cracked the wall with a portable rocket.”
The woman scoffed. “I’d like to see that.”
“Okay,” Alex said, shrugging. He reached into his jacket and tossed something toward the woman.
She shouted, shrinking back and shielding her face as his cigar case clattered onto the table in front of her. 
He laughed, and Jessica struggled not to join him.
The woman leapt to her feet. “You impudent little-”
“Frankly, ma’am,” Jessica said, cutting her off. “You asked for that.”
The woman glared, her cheeks reddening. “You think so?” The woman demanded. “Well, I think you should learn when to hold your tongue.”
“Funny,” Jessica met the woman’s glare, smirking. “I was just thinking that you might benefit from a bit of Earth wisdom to that effect. Better to be silent and thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.”
The orange-skinned alien’s eyes widened. “How dare you?”
“Easy, I don’t like it when people run their mouths about things they know nothing about.”
The woman’s jaw clenched, and she squeezed the edge of the table in a white-knuckled grip. “Perhaps we should settle this difference of opinion like women?”
Jessica stood. “Fine, we’ll use pistols.”
She reached under her skirt to the holster on her thigh, unsnapping the retention.
“Now?” the woman asked, eyes widening. “And with your- your- Dyrantoro weapon?”
Jessica pursed her lips. “As the challenged party, am I not permitted to choose the time and manner of our bout?”
“Your magnificence,” the woman said, turning to Elliza.
“We don’t know what you expect Us to say,” Elliza said. “She does, in fact, have the legal right.”
The woman frowned. “I need time to prepare, to find a magistrate, a priestess, and where am I even to find a weapon?”
“I can provide a weapon,” Lisril offered.
The woman glared at Lisril, and Eli piped in. “And We are the Empress, officiating a duel is hardly beyond Our Purview.” She stood. “We shall summon the Palace Chaplain; take this time to familiarize yourself with your weapon.”
Lisril stood, stepping around the table to the woman. “Here,” she said, “let me show you.”
“Jessica,” she looked up to find Alex had joined her. “This is stupid.”
She looked to the Dyrantisa lady, who was learning, clumsily, to draw her weapon. “Did you hear that, Ma’am? The man says we’re being foolish. How would you like to concede so we can put all this aside?”
“Of course, a man would say that,” the orange Dyrantisa sniffed. “Perhaps he should learn to keep himself out of women’s business.”
Alex clenched his jaw, and Jessica reached out to lay a hand on his arm. He glanced at her, then back at the Dyrantisa. “Fine,” he said. “Get yourself killed.”
Elliza returned then, another woman, the priestess, Jessica guessed, in tow. “Are the parties prepared?” she asked.
“Of course,” Jessica joined Elliza by the door. “Shall we go down to the yard?”
Elliza nodded. “If Lady Estoce consents.”
“Very well,” the woman said. “I shall be happy to settle this promptly.”
“Good,” Elliza said, leading them out the door and into the frigid Nyxian night. Jessica wasn’t dressed for the cold, but she would live, which was more than she could say for this Dyrantisa lady.
“Stand over there,” she said, pointing. “We’ll fire at a range of ten yards.”
Jessica doubted the woman could even hit from that distance under time pressure, but Jessica was hardly required to provide a fair fight.
She turned to Alex. “Would you be my second?”
“Not that you’ll listen to reason,” he sighed.
She smiled, taking his hand. “Thank you. Alright, Ma’am,” she called across the ground. “You ought to have one loaded up already,” the other woman nodded from her spot, so Jessica continued as she took her place. “We’ll begin with our weapon in hand, and the muzzle pointed into the air, fire once, and if, after that, both of us can continue, we can reconsider our disagreement.”
“Fine,” the woman said. “But let’s start.”
“Too cold?” Jessica asked?
The woman growled low in her throat. “Let’s just get this over with!” She snapped.
“Fine,” Jessica said. “Alex?”
He stepped forward, pulling a handkerchief from under his coat. “When I raise my hand.”
Jessica nodded; her opponent did the same, and with a heavy sigh, Alex raised his hand. 
A quarter of a second, or not more than a half, was all it took before Jessica’s gun made its report. Her opponent cried out, clutching the hand that had a moment ago held Lisril’s gun. She was absent her pointer finger, hadn’t even gotten the gun level before she’d lost it.
The crowd went to the injured woman; Jessica didn’t move. “Alex, if you’d have a word with her second.”
He nodded, pulling the woman, dark-skinned, like little Rosslln, aside; they spoke urgently, and his opposite number went to her orange-skinned opponent before returning to him. He nodded, breaking away. “The aggrieved party,” he said. “Wishes that first blood be sufficient.”
Jessica holstered her gun. “Then I’m happy our dispute has been resolved.” She nodded to the woman. “It was a pleasure to face a woman of such honor and courage.”
The woman, still clutching her hand, didn’t seem as happy with the outcome but nodded. “Of course, the sentiment is mutual.”
“Alex,” Jessica said. “Would you help treat her wound?”
“Right,” he turned, going to the injured Dyrantisa, and guided her back toward the palace. Jessia made to follow when someone caught her by the shoulder.
She turned and found Lisril, pink-skin flush with the cold and glowing faintly in the dim light of the palace grounds.
“You have mettle for one of your kind.”
“Thank you, you approve?” Jessica asked.
“No.”
Jessia examined the Dyrantisa, her eyes cold and hard. “Is he satisfied?”
“What does that mean?” Lisril demanded.
“It means you’re nothing like a human woman, but he’s everything like a human man.”
“My husband is quite happy, thank you.”
“I didn’t say he wasn’t,” Jessica said. “I’m sure he’s deliriously happy, but happiness and satisfaction are different things and rarely coincide.” She shrugged and turned for the palace. “Give it some thought.”

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