Chapter 3 - Part IV

She made no secret of her actions once Cedric was safely out of the district. Undoubtedly Henri saw proof of his own dominance over his woman when she broke down and informed him that she had sent Cedric to warn her lover of the danger he would soon face from his cousin. Her confession, dribbled out between tears and sobs, that he traveled with only a few friends to save time, was made due to his fierce intimidation, not a woman's manipulation.

Convincing the man to seek revenge behind the mask of banditry was a little more difficult, but her husband did see reason to avoid having a lord of House Archne be seen as openly harassing travelers on the Empress's road.

And with this she would not need to await the birth of a left ear offspring and take control of the house under his name. Ruby, the Lade Genevieve, whore of the streets turned bride of the House Archne, would become its sole ruler. She could continue her work without the curiosity and accidental meddling of a man who saw the world in only one dimension. Her victory would be complete, and it would be now.

At least, that was what was supposed to happen. There were to be no survivors, none who could put the pieces of the puzzle together save for Lot and herself. But Cedric and the girl who yet lived would soon have one more role to play in Ruby's plan.

Lady Archne's guests were entertained, well fed and thirsty for blood. Now, she was well primed to deliver. The curvaceous noblewoman had initially found the news to be quite vexing. That Cedric and the female Outer Crestan still lived and breathed had made her livid. Had Garreth, the GuardHand, double-crossed her or was he simply inept? How did that filthy primitive Nü-creature survive battle hardened warriors of the highway?

That girl was Nü, right? The Nü are the ones with the golden eyes right? Can't keep track of all those Dagleth-cursed savaged tribes.

Ruby, not one to let misfortune slow her down, soon found luck in her failure. That the girl had no skill in the Eirdren tongue, or even in Lithenese or Sandoran meant she would be a fine, fleshy body to throw before the crowd. No secrets, no explanation, would cross her lips. She could die in front of the audience, sealing away Ruby's sin into the Nü's eternal guilt, and the Lady Archne could play the bereaved widow without concern. This was a welcome gift from Dagleth, seductive Keeper of Prosperity and Ambition.

And the bloodletting would culminate with her own as the Archne symbol was imprinted upon her left ear, finally matching the right. It wasn't that she despised her husband, he was a decent, if simple man. But he had become a nuisance to her goals and her work. And how she coveted his left ear, whispering softly upon his sensitive skin in the dark of night, arousing his passions for the chance to be so close to that delicious scent of freedom. The death of Henri, and those of Cedric and the girl were the necessary price of progress.

But now, Ruby grimaced, viewing the bodies strewn across the interlocking stonework of the dungeon floor, that boon had been revoked with interest. The center piece of her masterful choreography had been obliterated. The dead dance poorly.