An Ode to Uncertainty Ch. 19-20

Nothing.

It had been completely dead for the last month. Not a single sighting of the wraith.

But I didn't get to where I am by giving up, she thought pulling her hand through her hair.

Jarl was asleep twenty feet below her. She could have guarded him from her room up in the tower, but it felt better this way. There was a stirring in her stomach. It had been doing that for a few weeks now. She was not stupid. She knew what it meant. Something was growing in there. The thought of it made her shiver. A stranger was growing inside her. She pushed the thought away and looked out over the city again. She could barely see the next hill.

Damn this fog. Or smoke. Or whatever it is.

It had been six weeks since the wraith's last attack and Sigrid could feel it in her bones that it would be back soon.

I know a predator readying for the strike when I see it. Even if I can't actually see it.

She knew that she had to confront the princess. She had waited as long as she could now, but all the silly woman talked about was that damn ball. The same one that Mirja was talking about. She sighed. It would be the perfect place for the wraith to strike. Hundreds of nobles disguised, and no bodyguards allowed. Except for the imperial guard, but there was no way they would care about a minor noble from the far north. Sigrid looked up at the castle, she could see the twisted towers as shadows in the early morning light.

A thousand nooks and crannies to get lost in. Or to lose someone in.

She sighed once more. She had to talk to him today.

"Prince Jarl. I will not be able to protect you there if someone wants to harm you. As you clearly must understand now that someone intends to."

Sigrid never pleaded. Ever. She could see the princess fuming behind the young prince. It was past noon, but the princess had in a bad mood since morning and Sigrid had waited too long already. She was standing by the foot of the table where most of the opulent lunch still sat untouched. Jarl looked at her. He picked up a chicken leg and started chewing. There were four guards stationed around the room. At least Jarl had agreed to double the house guards, but that would do little good in the imperial castle.

"Please."

Uttering the word was harder than climbing the Wall of Thorns. Blindfolded.

"Oh, make that girl shut up! I'm tired of her whining," the princess sighed. "I am going to that ball!"

Whining? Six of your guards died and you think I am whining? You deserve to die you retarded, inbred strumpet. You're even worse now when you're pregnant than before.

Outwardly Sigrid stayed calm, the only thing visible was her fingers quickly running over all ten throwing daggers. Nine. Nine throwing daggers. She could feel the empty spot like a lost finger.

I'm going to get you back, Freya, she promised her lost dagger.

At least she had hurt the thing, and it had carried the dagger with it when it fled. Jarl chewed for a moment. Looked over at Else, then back at Sigrid.

"We're going. You will have to do your best."

Well, that won't be easy as I won't be allowed in, Sigrid cursed silently.

Princess Else smiled a victorious smile. Sigrid did her best to kill the princess with her eyes. How in the seventh were she going to protect the buffoon of a prince if she couldn't be by his side? She would never be allowed in. Unless ...

*

"I need a date for the ball. And an invitation."

Mirja looked up at her raising an eyebrow.

"You want to go to the ball?"

Want to? No. Have to? Yes.

She nodded.

"Can you get me an invitation?"

"By the seventh," Mirja laughing. "What makes you think that I would be able to get you an invitation to the Emperors Ball?"

Sigrid raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. You mean that I should ask Leopold?"

On a first name basis are you now?

Mirja narrowed her eyes as if she had read Sigrid's mind. A shiver ran through her, it felt the same way as with Master Olgric. But as far as she knew neither of them could do so. Mirja sighed.

"I'll see what I can do. Now go. I have to study for finals."

Sigrid nodded and left. Both Mirja and Jarl were spending most of their time with their noses in books and when Jarl wasn't studying, he was being privately tutored by Master Cerdic. It gave Sigrid a lot of free time. There was no point in standing outside the Elemancy building all day. She wasn't allowed in anyway. So, she went to see Irese. More than one afternoon was spent in bed with the voluptuous woman. Sigrid would get wet before she even reached the parlor and when she finally got to put her lips around Irese's hard nipples she often reached her peak without even touching herself.

Now it was she that was on her back with her legs spread wide and the blonde woman was pleasuring her with her tongue.

"You are with child," Irese said suddenly and looked up at her, her lips glistening with Sigrid's juices.

Sigrid stared down at the courtesan. How did she know?

"Yes," she whispered.

Irese smiled and went back to flicking Sigrid's clit with her tongue. Sigrid lay back, closed her eyes and let her mind relax, trying her best to forget about Jarl, Else and most of all the wraith. She felt Irese's fingers touch her rear.

"Do you still want me to?" Irese asked.

Sigrid didn't answer, instead she pulled her legs up, exposing her rear further. Irese took the que and Sigrid gasped as the lady of the night slowly pushed her fingers up her rear. Her fingers were slick with the grease that she always used.

"Further. All the way in," Sigrid breathed, pressing her eyes closed.

The pleasure and pain of having Irese's hand up her rear made her mind grow ecstatic and as the woman started moving it, she only lasted a few heartbeats until Sigrid squirted all over Irese's face.

"Thank you," Sigrid said as Irese crawled up and lay next to her.

"You're welcome," Irese said with a smile, then her lip twisted up. "Who's the father?"

Sigrid blushed fiercely.

"No one you know," she said looking away.

*

"I think that I have determined your lineage," Master Olgric said the next time Sigrid entered his study.

Sigrid felt her heart beat harder in her chest. She had never really known her parents. The Sisterhood had cared for her as long as she could remember. The only memories of her mother were the songs she used to sing.

"Come," he said patting a chair next to him.

There was a stirring in her stomach again. She knew that it was just her body preparing itself, Mirja had been very clear about that. But she couldn't help but think that it was something moving in there. She sat down next to Master Olgric and looked at the paper he had in front of him. She couldn't read the text and the numbers were even more incomprehensible.

"You are from the fourth of the tetradecadon as far as I can determine. There are clear signs that have been found in at least six different expeditions that match with your traits."

Sigrid hadn't understood a word that the Master had said, but she nodded her head. She hated looking stupid. She hesitated.

"So I am a Westerling?"

The Master turned towards her.

"I really don't like that word. But yes you are a Westerling. Westerling," he shook his head and sighed.

"What do you mean?"

The Master looked at her and pressed his lips together taking a deep breath.

"Calling the Old Ones Westerlings is as if I would call anyone from the north a Northerling."

Sigrid blinked.

"So they are not called Westerlings?"

Master Olgric scoffed.

"Of course not. That's just what we imperials people call them. We cannot properly pronounce their own word for themselves, but it sounds something like Ai-Ae-Leh'kt-Aaah-La."

The syllables, even though they were not correctly prononouced, ran like small rivulets of icy water through Sigrid's mind until it unlocked something in a deep chasm at the base of her being.

"Æleh'kt Ǎla," the words ran out of her throat.

She rembered now. That was what the female had asked her. If she was one of them. The Master's eyes widened. Then he nodded.

"Is she still here?" Sigrid asked.

The Master's lips pressed hard together. Then he shook his head.