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T
he heart of Courna Fiesse was blackened by ambition, frosty with selfishness. Never did realizations such as these occur to the Lordess, however. Rarely does the knave believe he does wrong in the world. He simply does as he must to live his life as well as he can. Courna's great dream was a carving from the wood of the plagued tree of intention, sold to her soul at the cost of her comprehension.
The Lordess of House Fiesse was finally alone in her apartments within the mansion which housed most of her oaths-men and women. She eagerly brought forth the envelope she had been fingering since she first laid fingers upon it during her morning meetings, found tucked in a pocket of her overcoat. Though Courna was not unaccustomed to covert transaction, for she had many spies in the field gathering information and carrying out her orders, finding a letter on her person without foreknowledge was disquieting to say the least.
She turned the envelope over in her hands several times. The seal was unknown to her, as was the meaning of the large dot of crimson in the lower left corner on the front face. The very presence of a seal meant the sender was not in her employ. Perhaps a rival House finally wished to offer allegiance to Fiesse while remaining anonymous to any eyes but hers which might see the envelope. That was unlikely, but not unprecedented. How wonderful it would be to ally with yet another House and gain real standing in the Circle. Her marriage to Jenin Tirdade of House Chituse would mean an allegiance, and was her sole reason for the undertaking. However, that allegiance would require real work on her part to keep Chituse from simply swallowing Fiesse. Then she would lose control and a legacy.
She cracked the seal and withdrew the letter from within, glancing at the signature before reading. Elgin Durnese. The name was not familiar to her, and so not anyone of importance within the Circle of Houses. Her intrigue in the letter diminished slightly, but she read anyway.
Dear Lordess Fiesse,
With intended honors and respects to your
person, I, Elgin Durnese, make a request to you for
a meeting on neutral ground. Before our meeting
yesterday, I had never met an elf. Your demeanor
and mind intrigue me to the extent that I would
know it more. Allow me the honor of meeting you
alone in the glade near Ridreon's Hollows tomorrow
evening at dusk.
With Humble Regard,
Elgin Durnese
Of course, that human soldier she encountered yesterday. He'd set her plans back at least a week by disrupting her intended meeting with the Psionics. The whole affair had been a risk anyway, so she was not bitter. But perhaps he presented a better opportunity in this letter. Ideas were forming and rapidly taking hold which would fulfill many of her goals. She would need time to work out details, time which could be bought by a meeting with this Durnese. A hint of a smile touched her face as she removed the appropriate materials from her writing chest and carefully composed her reply.
E
lgin rode swiftly toward the outer tree line of the Great Tsalan Forest, avoiding eyes where necessary. When safely past the outskirts of the battle-held lands, he turned southwest and slowed to a trot, listening for sounds that would warn of an elven patrol. His own men had been told to stand down for the evening and enjoy a rare night of relaxation.
A half hour's journey brought Elgin to the eastern reaches of Ridreon's Hollows. The Hollows were named for the many shallow troughs in the area. The prefix was added in honor of the man who led the final assault against the Motar within those troughs, People's Commander Ridreon Nomysin. Nomysin lost his life in that victory. He was the last People's Commander, as the races divided soon after the Motar were driven into hiding for good. For Elgin, who longed to experience a united people, the thought was a sad one.
The only glade near the Hollows lay at the southern edge. Elgin led his horse through the Hollows, rather than circle around them, preparing for his meeting by communing with those long dead. The sun was just setting as he reached the outskirts of the agreed meeting ground. After dismounting and tethering his horse, Elgin entered the glade and found it empty. He had no doubts that the Lordess would back out of the meeting, not after reading her articulately formulated reply. He was considerably embarrassed by his own seemingly plebian writing compared to that of Lordess Fiesse. With these thoughts on his mind, Elgin walked the circular edge of the glade waiting for her arrival.
He did not have to wait long. Within but a few moments, Courna Fiesse entered the glade, leading a gray mare.
Stay tuned for the conclusion to "The Tragedy of Elfslayer."
Copyright © 2000, Matt Ackerman