The Bubbleship Series; The First Heroes

A Red Dress

“It’s pretty deep, my friend,” Toyama answered the demon’s question when asked. She sat on the edge of the fountain as Toyama stitched her up with the needle and thread that Marjory had insisted that they bring. Kontessa said at the time, there would be no wounding; it would be life or death. Marjory had more faith in her than that, though.

"Just sew it up. God, it hurts. I hope no one has the sense to use cold iron on me ever again.”

She winced as the Ronin put in the final stitch and pulled it just a little too tight with the silk thread.

“Kontessa? Kontessa Eldeman? Is that you?”

Both fighters jumped a bit at the sudden cackling, cracked voice that came from the other side of the fountain. They looked to see an ancient elven woman peering over the other side of the fountain wall. She then rose and lifted a delicate dress made of satin, which she folded over her arm. The moonlight made it look black, but the orange light of the city torches lent an orange hue to the garment.

The old woman climbed over the edge and proceeded to wade knee-deep through the cold water. She made it halfway and stumbled to her knees. She kept the dress up in the air, though, dry and clean.

“Here,” she said as she reached the other side. “This is for your woman." She offered the dress, and Kontessa took it.

“How did you know I…” the demon started to ask, but the old woman had disappeared. “Where did she go?”

“I have no idea, demon. I was looking at the dress. Perhaps it is a victory prize.” Toyama took the dress and inspected it to find it was made of the finest material he had ever seen. “It feels marvelous to the touch, A little warm even. Good for cold nights.”

Kontessa stood and winced again.

“Damn, that hurts,” she announced.

It was then that the second came up to her.

“I am the Lord Elbrith. Servant of the late Duke of Altair. I have a property that now belongs to you."

“What?” Kontessa answered. “Can’t we just forget about all that? Keep it."

“No,” he replied. “I am your servant now. I have nowhere else to go. I served that man for all his life and his house before that. I am a half-elf. I have served the house of Altair for three generations. Now I will serve your house.”

“What do you mean you have no place to go? Three generations?!”

“Yes, Three generations. The duke was the last of his line. Oh, there is a distant cousin I could go to, but it would be in disgrace. He would say, 'Why didn’t you kill the killer of my cousin?’ and I would say…” the three of them started walking in the early morning light. They could hear the city waking up. The fishing boats would be gone all ready to catch the cod and halibut common here. Lord Elbrith continued. “…Your cousin told me not to interfere. To honor the old ways of the duel.”

“I thought dueling was illegal in your country as well?” Kontessa asked as they passed the first people coming from their houses in the cold morning pre-dawn.

“Yes, but most of the lords still honor the old ways. And the old ways say the remains of the duke’s fortune goes to you. There is a house, it needs repair. The duke bought it with the last of his fortune. I will be your servant in that house.”

“I don’t want a servant,” Kontessa exclaimed. “Take the house. Sell it. Go back to your people.”

“Indeed, my people were destroyed in the war of the Goblin Taron. I have no home.”

·             *      *

Kontessa stood looking out the front window of the new home she inherited from the duke. SunRue and Toyama stood in the rear of the hallway by the stairs. Elbrith stood by the kitchen entrance to the right of the door as you walked in. Marjory sat on a chair covered by a white drop cloth.

The windows were broken to a pane. The floor had become littered with leaves from the trees in the front yard, oak mostly. The trees still showed signs of well-manicured aptness. The master bedroom sat off to the left as you walked in. The stairs leading to the upper floor sat at the rear of the house, with a library off to the right beside the stairs. The kitchen with its pantry sat off to the right. Upstairs was a hall and five bedrooms.

“The Duke Altair kept to his father’s wishes and honor the rule set down centuries ago about the wealth of the nation. The rules were made, so dueling was a last resort.” Elbrith leaned against the door frame of the kitchen entrance while he explained. “He bought this house so he could either live here or give to the victor. He wanted it to be done, demon. He desperately wanted an end to the vengeance that cost him so much. When his mother died while he was on his quest, he lost it. He knew he could never go home. The House Altair once helped the Kingdom win many wars. The drunk you killed, and there were many witnesses, once ruled a significant part of the realm it was in. However, he killed too many men, made too many orphans and widows. It was really a mercy killing you performed that day long ago, demon.

“You brought down a house that day. You brought down a great house. Now, this is your reward for ending that man's torture and his son's."

“Is... that the way you look at it?” Kontessa asked. "I don't know; the taxes alone must be two shipments of grain.”

"The taxes were paid for ten years. The duke sold his family estates and even delipidated as they were; they still were so large that they brought high prices. He wanted this.”

"Really, the taxes are paid for ten years!” She turned toward Elbrith with a look of amazement covering her face, and she then whistled.

“The house belongs to you. Lock, stock, and barrel. The deed is in the safe made of iron two inches thick. You will be the only holder of the key.”

All of a sudden, Alexander burst in with several dock workers carrying boxes and wood.

“I’ll go start cleaning the upstairs,” Marjory said as she headed up the stairs. She fell, and the red dress ripped. She had worn it since the night two weeks ago, the night of the duel.

“Marjory, Get up," Kontessa said after a full minute. “Marjory!”

Marjory lifted off the floor as stiff as a board and shook. Everybody looked as shock overtook them and stunned them into the places where they stood. The workers, to a man, made wards in the air to banish evil and started to run.

"Move, and you'll never work in this city again,” yelled Alexander.

The men cursed and remained where they were.

Marjory fell to the floor inert.

A scream, blood-chilling and paralyzing, came from her, and she arched her back until bone cracked.

Toyama unfroze and ran to her as her back fell to the stairs.

“She is dead.” Toyama fell to his knee. “She is dead, Kontessa. Your Love is dead.”

The scarlet dress melted in a liquid flow from Marjory’s body into several puddles. Five, to be exact.

Toyama backed up the stairs and drew his sword.

Alexander drew his short blade and ran to Kontessa’s side as the workers ran from the room.

SunRue drew her rosewood Bo staff.

The puddles began to form, slowly growing to five feet. Arms formed. Heads started at five and a half. The skin formed at six, and it took on jagged black stripes.

“They are demons from my father’s house,” Kontessa said. She drew her cold iron blade and charged forward to s***h one, but the blade went through the unfinished demon.

It grew to seven feet, and the horns curled backward formed last. They all looked at Kontessa, and she backed up with her blade in front of her.

Toyama ran down the stairs to slice one of their head from its shoulders.

It fell.

SunRue jumped in front of another and struck it in the rib as it tried to push past her. Bones cracked, and the demon swung at her with its three-clawed hand.

SunRun dodged to spin and break one of its knees.

It fell, screaming, breaking the last window with its ear-piercing noise.

 Kontessa sliced the first one to reach her, and it dissipated in a cloud of black oily smoke.

Another demon struck at Kontessa, and she dodged the blow.

The red and black demon that Toyama slew got back on its feet. Toyama watched in horror as tiny, spindly legs grew from the head, and it climbed the body to reattach itself to the demon’s shoulders.

Kontessa slew another by arching her sword over her head and cutting deep into its shoulder to the black and red demon’s shoulder to its chest.

This demon, too, turned to oily black smoke that left a foul taste in her mouth.

It tasted like her father's Hell.

The other swung at her.

She dodged.

It swung.

 She dodged.

SunRue smashed the head of the demon she faced, but the head proved to be empty.

Toyama again sliced the demon across the back.

It turned to face him.

Kontessa slew the demon she faced by thrusting her cold iron longsword into its chest.

Again, this one too evaporated into oily smoke.

Kontessa knew she would never rid her mouth of the oily smoke.

Toyama sliced the arm off the swung at him, and that demon lost the appendage.

Kontessa walked over and thrust her blade into the back of the demon facing the Ronin.

More oily black smoke,

The demon Kontessa Eldeman then took the steps to the black, and red monster SunRue continued to hit and sliced off that head and the last attacking creature dissipated into the same oily black smoke.

Kontessa fell to her knees.