Queen of Sorrows--Part Three, Chapter Eight

[Evie]

Previous chapter: https://rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,3492.0.html


Chapter Eight

June 18, 1465
The Palace of Horthánthy
The Central Courtyard
Early evening

Joss and his three Deryni officers returned to the Palace, enjoying the novel sensation of walking straight through the main gates of the central courtyard rather than sneaking in via one of the servants' entrances. Their entrance was noticed, of course, but they received only a cursory glance and nod from the guard at the gatehouse as he hurried them through. One did not stop and question Lord Davorin's liveried men, after all, unless one had a very good reason for doing so. The Lord Protector took a very dim view of that sort of thing.

The Duke himself had not been unduly surprised when an official had turned up at the wine merchant's house shortly after he had sent his men back to Corwyn and Rhemuth. After all, he had witnessed the ongoing search for the missing ladies-in-waiting through the window and had figured that a port officer would turn up there at some point to conduct a cursory search and ask some routine questions. He had already done a thorough look around the premises to ensure that none of the rescued ladies or his own men had left behind anything that might give such an official cause for suspicion. What he had not expected was that the man sent to search the wine merchant's property would be wearing the orange and gold colors of Lord Davorin's hand-picked retainers. It was not until the man had greeted the merchant with a phrase Joss recognized as the password Olga had shared with him that he recognized this was the guard in Lord Davorin's household who was secretly loyal to Comte Réhon-Rogan.

The man had not stayed for long, lingering on the premises just long enough to convince anyone else on the outside watching that he had done an adequately good job of inspecting the property for signs that the escaped prisoners had been here. But the length of his visit was sufficient for Joss to take in every detail of the livery that would mark him and his men as being trusted retainers allowed full access to any part of the Palace, including the personal apartments belonging to the various members of Davorin's household. The man had also shared the likenesses of several other household guards scheduled to work the evening shift, but Joss was more hesitant to use guises that exact unless it became truly necessary. A guard being spotted in two different places at once was more likely to raise unwanted scrutiny than an unfamiliar face wearing scrupulously correct livery. At least in the latter case, it could be assumed that the unfamiliar looking guard was newly added to the household. That said, replacing the men scheduled to be on duty might end up proving to be necessary.

The man had said little while he was there, although as he prepared to leave, he turned to Joss. "You are here in your King's service?" he asked.

"I am," Joss confirmed. "And also at the request of your Queen."

The man had nodded. "You are not the first man your Kingdom has sent on the Queen's behalf. I am sorry for the loss of the young man-at-arms two summers ago. I gave him what information I could at the time, save what details I had to withhold to avoid jeopardizing my own position. Be careful. If Lord Davorin or his daughter discover you and your men, I will be unable to help you further."

"Understood."

"The two Palace servants you spoke to recently are now in a position to assist you in your mission. Wait until Lord Davorin and his household have gone into the banqueting hall before you make your move. There are two other nursemaids with the children besides the one you know. The blonde woman of middle years is called Lucija. She was the young Hort's nursemaid from birth, but although she is devoted to the young Hort, she cannot be fully trusted. She has a bedridden husband who is no longer able to work and two children she must support, so although she hates Lord Davorin, she is too afraid of him to defy him and will likely do anything she feels that she must to keep her position so her family will not starve. The other nursemaid, Maida, is a new hire, so I know nothing about her, her loyalties, or any particular vulnerabilities she might have that Lord Davorin or Lady Jesaminda might seek to use against her. The one you have met recently is now going by the name Darija." He'd Mind-Shared a mental image of Lady Danelija's current guise. "She will almost certainly fall under suspicion once Lord Davorin discovers the children have gone missing, so it might be best to take her with you if you can."

"I see. The other new nursemaid is likely to fall under suspicion as well, is she not, since she and her loyalties are equally unknown to Lord Davorin?"

"Perhaps." The man had shrugged. "But if she is willing to work for Lord Davorin, and we have no proof that her true loyalties lie with the young Hort and his sisters, then that is not my concern. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who might present a danger to the young Hort is expendable."

Now Joss and his men made their way through the central courtyard towards the wing of the Palace where Lord Davorin's former apartment was located. They studiously avoided glancing towards the scaffold in the courtyard where the men who had been tasked with guarding Lord Davorin's former prisoners had just been executed in place of the Queen's ladies who had managed to escape under their watch. Their fate was a grim reminder of what could befall the Duke and his men if they were unsuccessful in their mission.

#

June 18, 1465
The Palace of Horthánthy
The Queen's Apartment
Early evening

Lady Arijana had already left earlier to attend the evening's festivities with Lord Davorin and Lady Mirna, but Lady Jesaminda remained behind, assuring them she would catch up with them shortly, before it was time to process into the Banqueting Hall with them for the feast. She surveyed her new apartment in satisfaction. She had spent most of the day rearranging things to her liking, keeping certain long-coveted items that had once belonged to the former Queen while disposing of other items by either giving them to Arijana or Mirna, if they were items those friends wanted, or else having them taken off to a storeroom by her chambermaids. Arijana had taken the bedchamber reserved for the Mistress of the Robes. Jesaminda had not yet decided who else she would honor by inviting to become one of her ladies, but there was no rush.

Mirna, of course, was still stuck in the Lord Protector's former apartment with the former Queen's brats, but she would eventually wish to move to the royal apartment block also. Jesaminda thought the rooms in the connecting passage between her bedchamber and her father's ought to serve for the purpose, becoming a sort of mini-apartment for her father's wife within his own set of chambers, easily accessible by him whenever he might wish to get more heirs or simply avail himself of the pleasures of having a new and very biddable wife. In theory, as the consort of the man who was swiftly maneuvering himself into position to become the future Hort of Orsal and Tralia, Mirna ought to have been installed in the former Queen's apartment, but Jesaminda had not spent years trying to gain the top spot available to a woman in the Hortic Palaces just to turn over the rights and privileges of the position over to her father's heir-breeder. The woman knew nothing about how to help manage a realm, after all; she simply wanted the prestige of being the Lord Protector's wife. She was welcome to that, but Jesaminda had no intention of ever letting Mirna get it into her head that she would become the new Queen in any significant way. Others might someday grant her the courtesy title, but she would never hold any more actual power than she possessed at the moment, ruling like a newly minted despot over her household servants.

Jesaminda was more than a little annoyed by Mirna's whinging about the children in her care. It was hardly as if Lord Davorin expected her to become their permanent and sole caregiver, after all! For that matter, he didn't even actually expect her to raise their own child; a series of nursemaids and tutors would serve well enough for that. Even she, as non-maternal as she was, was fairly sure she could have managed to withstand a few days watching over Miranda's little crotch-goblins until the Royal Nursery doors were rebuilt without making such a hullabaloo over the task. She had tried to caution Mirna about hiring new nursemaids without carefully vetting them first; after all, while Mistress Lucija's sniveling over the other two dead infants might be annoying, the three children who remained were hardly too many for her to handle by herself. Lucija was merely tiresome, not incompetent. But Mirna had been eager to employ new staff as soon as possible, probably enjoying the novelty of having her own household to order about.

Jesaminda hoped Mirna hadn't started as she meant to continue. She was becoming extremely tedious. Perhaps once Father had his heir and spare, he could be convinced to get rid of Lady Mirna.

In the meantime, the task of watching over their captured prize the little Hort was far too important to leave in the hands of a nursemaid who was having second thoughts about her loyalties and two other complete unknowns.

Rummaging in a small carved box she had brought with her from her former apartment, Jesaminda found the crystal sphere and stand that she had formerly used to spy on Queen Miranda. She set them up on her bedside table. It wouldn't hurt to peek in on the makeshift nursery every now and then to make sure that everything was still going smoothly there.

#

June 18, 1465
The Palace of Horthánthy
The makeshift nursery's garderobe
Evening

Miranda was quietly jubilant. She had managed to work out that the set of rooms which had been turned into the current nursery was in fact Lady Jesaminda's former apartment. This discovery was confirmed when she checked the garderobe to see if she could find a portal stone where Lord Jourdain had told her he had detected the tingle of one. It was not very easy to find, being tucked into a tight space between the wash basin table and the garderobe entrance arch support, and with the stone being unusually small, barely large enough for a lone person to stand on. Now that she saw it for herself, she realized how fortuitous it had been that Jourdain had managed to discover it by accident.

Bringing the children through it would be the next puzzle to solve. Given how small the portal stone was, she couldn't simply gather them close around herself to bring them through that way. No, it might be possible if she could manage to carry Rezza on her back while holding the younger two children in her arms, though attempting to balance them while stepping close enough to the wall to be fully on the portal stone would be another trick. She would need to be nearly nose to stone wall in that tiny space, and she was not at all certain how she would summon up the necessary focus to make the jump while attempting to balance three wiggly children in the requisite position.

As much as she disliked the idea, it might be easier to bring through the younger children first, leaving them with the Coroth guards while she returned for Rezza. She was fairly sure that for any form of escape to work, at least Silvé and Létald might need to be under very tight controls to prevent them from making any noise while it was happening. Rezza might be counted upon to remain quiet on her own, but it was hard to know for certain; young children were so unpredictable. But if she would have to carry them all through, especially at once, it would help if they were conscious and somewhat able to support themselves by clinging to her, rather than being just limp weight in her arms.

Perhaps she could make her move later that night, after the other two nursemaids were asleep. Miranda pondered the best approach to take. She might be able to ensure that the children remained asleep while she carried them to the garderobe. If she didn't try to carry all three of them through the portal simultaneously, then she could make a very quick jump with her two youngest children, hand them over to the Corwyn guards, then return briefly to collect Rezza. If all three children were sound asleep, then none would cry out or make some other sound that might alert the other nursemaids that anything was amiss until she and the children were all safely away.

A pang of guilt shot through her as she realized that the other two nursemaids would likely be killed once it was discovered that the children had been taken in the middle of the night. Perhaps that might serve Lucija right–Miranda had begun to suspect that the senior nursemaid had been in some way complicit with the arrest of the other adults in the Royal Nursery–but it seemed a harsh fate for the newest nursemaid who had simply sought work at the Palace at the wrong time. But it seemed likely that at least one of Joss's portal room guards would be Deryni. Maybe if she shared the portal signature with him, he would be willing to return for one or both women. She would not be able to carry a grown woman through the portal, especially a sleeping or unconscious one, but a man might be able to manage it if they could both manage to squeeze into the tight space on the portal stone. If not, at least perhaps he could plant a compulsion in their minds to wake up and flee Horthánthy before the dawn's light.

#

June 18, 1465
The Palace of Horthánthy
En route to the makeshift nursery
Evening

The chambermaid Olga was worried. She had not noticed until she had brought the dirty dishes from the makeshift nursery down to the Palace scullery that there was a knife missing. It was a very small one, meant for peeling fruit, but even such a tiny knife could be used as an easily concealed weapon if it fell into the wrong hands. Or even if it had simply been mislaid by accident, there was a chance that one of the Royal Children might get their hands on it and receive a nasty cut. She would need to go back and look for the knife, or at least figure out some way to warn Danelija it had gone missing.

Might Danelija have taken it for self-protection? Olga was doubtful. Danelija would know the utensil was likely to be missed. If she felt the need for a weapon on her person, she would have figured out some way to smuggle it into the nursery with her instead.

#

June 18, 1465
The Palace of Horthánthy
The makeshift nursery
Evening

Lady Danelija finished telling the young princesses their bedtime story and tucked them into their pallet bed. The little Hort had succumbed to sleep a half hour earlier, dark lashes fluttering closed despite his attempt to stay awake. The three children had not recognized their new nursemaid in her unfamiliar guise, which was fortunate, but it also made the lady-in-waiting a bit sad. She had enjoyed the Royal Children's almost daily visits to the Queen's Apartment, and it had been a joy to play with the happy, carefree youngsters they had been prior to Lord Davorin's treachery. Now they were uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, especially Rezza, given to startling at sudden sounds or movements, and it broke Danelija's heart to see them this way. She hoped she would have a chance to win their trust again someday, though with any luck the Duke of Corwyn and his men would have them safely out of Horthánthy very soon, hopefully that same evening.

She glanced at the moving curtain as the other new nursemaid Maida made her way out of the garderobe at last. Danelija had been on the verge of going to check to see if she was ailing.

"Where is Lucija?" Maida asked, looking around the chamber where the children were in various stages of falling asleep.

"Gone to bed already," Danelija told her. "If you wish to do the same, I can stay up and watch the children for the first half of the night." With any luck, Maida would quickly go to sleep as well. That would make the Duke's mission a lot easier to carry out, if they could sneak in and out and take the children while the other nursemaids were sound asleep.

"I'm not all that tired yet," said Maida, swiftly dashing Danelija's hopes. "I think I'll just sit out here and work on mending the children's clothing, if you'd like to sleep first."

That was not what Danelija wanted at all, though she could hardly tell the other nursemaid why! She wondered if it was too late to warn the Duke off, though it might be another week before they had a chance to try again, and it was possible the children would be moved back to their original nursery in the meantime, making a second rescue attempt next to impossible. No, as much as she might regret doing so, she might need to eliminate Maida if the other young woman tried to interfere with the Duke's mission.

A key turned in the lock. Danelija turned, thinking the Duke's men had arrived slightly early, but to her surprise it was her half-sister instead. "Don't mind me," Olga told the two nursemaids with a smile as she crossed over to the aumbry. "I've just managed to forget a bit of the dinner service that needs to go back to the scullery for washing." In Mind-Speech to Danelija, she added, I'm missing the paring knife. If you haven't seen it lying about, then it's possible one of the other nursemaids might have pocketed it. Have you seen it?

Danelija's eyes widened as she gave Olga a nearly imperceptible shake of the head.

Be careful, then. Olga closed the aumbry, bending to peer under the table. "Hm, not here. Maybe it was in the basket after all, and I simply missed it."

"What is it you are looking for?" asked Maida. "Maybe I can help."

Olga glanced at Danelija, but couldn't think of any reason not to answer. There were only a limited number of items it might possibly have been, after all. "The fruit knife has gone missing," she explained. "I'm sure it's just been mislaid, but you know Lady Mirna or Lord Davorin will have something to say if they happen to spot it in the wrong place tomorrow morning, or especially if the little Hort manages to cut himself with it."

"Oh, mercy!" Maida exclaimed, looking a little pale at the thought. "I'll certainly keep an eye out for it. I'm sure it's around here somewhere."

#

Miranda mentally cursed herself for her lapse in judgment. She had wanted something she might be able to protect herself and the children with if she ended up getting caught, but hadn't stopped to think the knife might be missed. She would have to hide it where it was certain to be found when Olga returned with the breakfast tray. Perhaps she could claim it had somehow ended up under the girls' pallet? After all, no one was likely to check under there while Rezza and Silvé were both still asleep, and it would be easy enough to slip the knife out of its place of concealment and under the edge of the pallet while Darija was distracted. Yes, that's what she would do. Perhaps she could do so after Darija had fallen asleep, right before smuggling her children out through the Transfer Portal.

#

It's almost time, Olga Mind-Spoke to Danelija as she prepared to leave the apartment. I'd better get back downstairs in case you end up needing me there. Are you still considering using the dumbwaiter to smuggle the children out to safety?

Danelija gave a slight nod. It was the best idea she had been able to come up with. There was no dumbwaiter in Jesaminda's old quarters, but there was one in Lord Davorin's former apartment. Since the Duke and his men had managed to unlock the postern door using Deryni powers when rescuing her and the other ladies-in-waiting the previous evening, she felt sure they could manage to unlock the connecting door between the makeshift nursery and Lord Davorin's quarters. The dumbwaiter was not a very large one, but she thought it would be just large enough for little Rezza. They might need to lower Silvé and Létald separately from their older sister, but if Olga could be waiting on the lower level to get the children out of the small cubicle after each descent, the Duke's men could somehow smuggle them out of the Palace via the servants' gate. The biggest potential pitfall with that plan was that the small downstairs room where the Lord Protector's meals were loaded into the dumbwaiter was just a few short feet away from the kitchens where the evening's feast was being prepared. But since Lord Davorin was known to be dining in the Banqueting Hall that evening, no one ought to be in that small side room sending up meals to his apartment at that time or looking to see if any dishes were being sent back down.

#

Joss's men reached the corridor outside of the makeshift nursery door just as the chambermaid was walking back out of it. The timing was fortuitous, drawing the guard's attention just long enough for Joss to reach out and take swift control of his mind, spiraling him into deep unconsciousness. Marc checked his vital signs, then satisfied the man would live (at least until Lord Davorin discovered the children's disappearance later), the two men dragged him into the apartment, Rafe following behind quickly and closing the door, while Bennet remained outside, having taken on the appearance of the unconscious guard in the few seconds it had taken the others to walk through the door.

That saved me the bother of having to pick the lock, Rafe Mind-Spoke to his Duke as he secured the door behind them. I could kiss that girl!

Mind on your work, lad, replied Joss with an inward chuckle. You can come back and court her later on your own time. His eyes swept the room swiftly, taking quick note of the layout. He could see two of the nursemaids. One of them looked like the guise the Comte's man had Mind-Shared with him. The dark-haired girl is Lady Danelija, he informed his men. The other nursemaid present did not appear to be old enough to be the senior nursemaid, nor was her hair blonde, but more of a drab brown, like a wren's plumage. That meant she must be the unknown new hire, Maida.

The three men spread out, Joss at the center. He knew Danelija would recognize who they were and why they were here. Maida was the unknown factor in all this. She had turned swiftly as they'd entered the room, and thus far had not uttered a word, but it was evident from her posture that she was determined to protect her young charges. As he considered whether telling Maida that he was sent by her Queen to rescue the children was likely to result in her aiding them or simply screaming loudly enough to call the entire Palace guard down on them, she startled him by drawing a swift line in the air before her, causing a wall of flame to leap up between them.

#

It had been simple protective instinct that had caused Miranda to summon a wall of handfire to create a barrier between these unknown men and herself and her children. Once her conscious thought caught up with her instincts, she was very glad it had only been illusory fire that she had called up and not actual fire, for her predicament would not have been helped in the least by her burning the apartment down around them! Still, the men were bound to realize in mere moments that the flames were actually harmless, and not only had she momentarily cut herself off from their reach, one of the men was standing between her and the garderobe corridor she had hoped to use as an escape route.

There was no help for it, she would have to use her knife.

#

Rezza woke up, sensing her mother's alarm. Sitting up swiftly, she shook Silvé awake as she stared at the pretty glowing wall. It looked like the flames from a fireplace, but stretched out in a thin curtain, and there were three men standing on the other side of it staring at Mama. Mama had the fruit knife in her hand. Why was she holding a fruit knife?

"Girls, get behind me," Mama said, and Rezza instantly complied, grabbing her little sister's hand and pulling her behind Mama's skirts.

#

Danelija gave Joss a very uncertain look. "It's all right, Maida; they've been sent here by the Queen," she explained, hoping that the new nursemaid was inclined to be reasonable. Hopefully she had not been hired because of her loyalty to Lord Davorin and his household! "We all just want to protect the Royal Children and get them to safety."

#

It took a moment for Miranda's mind to catch up as she stared at the new nursemaid. How could Darija have known that she had sent a group of men to rescue her children? If she knew that, that could only mean.... She sagged with relief even as the last of the illusory flames flickered and died away. Miranda shed her own guise. "Joss?" she asked the center man who appeared to be the group's leader. She stared between him and Darija in confusion. "If you're Joss and his men, who is she?"

#

Bloody hell, he didn't know whether to kiss her or to strangle her! Joss dropped his guise before tracing a sigil in the air between himself and Danelija to dispel hers as well. "What in the hell are you doing here?!" he whispered, taking a step forward. "You're meant to be in Rhemuth! It's not safe for you here! Lord Davorin wants you dead!" He raked his fingers through his hair, agitated. "Hell, I could have killed you!"

"Please mind your language in front of the children, they're like parrots," she reminded him, turning to scoop her son out of his cot. "And don't be alarming; they're frightened enough already."

Well, that certainly tilted the balance more towards strangling! "All right, then, let's see about getting the four of you out quickly," he muttered, turning towards Danelija. "Lady Danelija, you said you had an idea about that?"

"Well, I did have," she replied, "but I very much doubt the Queen is going to fit inside the dumbwaiter."

"It's all right," Miranda said quickly. "There's another way out. This is Jesaminda's old apartment, the one with the portal."

#

Lady Jesaminda had been on the verge of heading to the Banqueting Hall. She had started to pick up the crystal sphere to bring it with her when a flicker of color in its depths had caught her eye, making her pause and focus her full attention on the images forming within it. What she saw had changed her mind instantly. Princess Rezza was peering around a woman's skirts at a glowing wall of flames as four men stared back at her. They wore the Lord Protector's colors, but three of the men were unknown to her. The fourth looked like he might be the Duke of Corwyn, certainly not one of her father's hand-picked guards! The nursemaid facing Rezza was all too familiar, also. That was Lady Danelija, who ought to have been executed that afternoon!

The crystal forgotten, she rushed towards the Queen's Chapel, sliding open the secret panel and entering the small storage closet that contained the portal within.

#

Telling the children's mother that he had come very close to killing her was probably not the best of first impressions he could have made on the little Princesses, Joss mused as he crouched before Miranda's eldest daughter, who was eyeing him worriedly from behind her mother's skirts. "It's all right," he tried to reassure her. "I'm Joscelin Morgan, one of your mother's friends. My men and I just want to bring all of you to where you'll be safe."

Little Rezza still stared back at him, looking dubious. He tried again. "Are you old enough to Truth-Read yet? You know when a grown-up is lying to you, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Truth Read me, then. I'm here to help you children and your Mama go somewhere safe."

She bit her lip. "Away from Lady Meana and the bad man?" she asked.

"Away from the bad man and...uh...Lady Meana." He sent a puzzled look towards Miranda, who whispered back, "Lady Mirna."

"You won't kill Mama?"

Joss glanced at Miranda. "I won't kill Mama." Though I might have a few very stern words with her later! He carefully shielded the thought, knowing it wouldn't help his case at present.

#

Take the children, would he? Well, she'd see about that!

Jesaminda recognized the voice even before she'd peered past the curtain separating the garderobe corridor from her former apartment's main chamber. She thought furiously as she considered various ways she might salvage the situation. She might be outnumbered, but at least the element of surprise would be on her side, and she thought she knew how she could turn the situation to her advantage while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. They wanted to play at disguises, did they? Well, she knew how to play that game too!

She sent a blast of Haldane crimson energy towards the men as she stepped into the room, looking every inch like the bitch queen Miranda at her most regal. Her voice, carefully modulated to sound just like Miranda's, dripped with disdain as she called out, "Step away from my children, you ruffians!"

All eyes turned to her in shock. Jesaminda stifled her own shock as she found herself facing the actual Hortic Queen. She faltered for only a moment as she sized up the situation, realizing she could use everyone's confusion to her advantage. She feigned surprised pleasure as she recognized the man standing directly before Miranda now that she had a clear view of him. Her earlier suspicion had been correct; he was the Duke of Corwyn. She might have guessed the former Queen would have run to him for help. According to old rumors, he had courted her once. Jesaminda had been swift to inform Adémar of his rival for his wife's affections once those rumors had come to her attention. The silly fool had been in danger of becoming enamored with his beautiful new bride after their marriage, and that certainly would not have suited her purpose at all!

"Joscelin! Sweet Jesu, you scared me!" she crooned. "Come, darling, let's get the children to safety. Lady Mirna might come back at any moment!"

Next chapter: https://rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,3495.0.html

[Jerusha]

Somehow, I don't think the real Miranda would call Joss "darling."  And he is not stupid.

[Evie]

Somehow, I don't think the real Miranda would call Joss "darling."  And he is not stupid.

Maybe someday, at least in private, but she definitely wouldn't call him that in front of her young, impressionable children who have just lost their daddy and who don't know Joss from Adam's house cat yet! And yes, Joss is quite likely capable of adding up 2 and 2 and not coming up with 5. 

[tmcd]

"looking every inch like the bitch queen Miranda at her most regal"

+20 points for quick thinking. -1000 points for rolling a critical failure in an unfairly absurd situation. If Joss, Miranda, and Darjeeling hadn't done the insane thing of coming personally instead of sending subordinates, Jessermint might have won a few crucial seconds to do something.

(I'm bad with names, O.K.?)

It does show the security nightmare of a world where shape changing is well known. They might invent zero-knowledge proofs & two-factor authentication before the matchlock musket.

[Evie]

"looking every inch like the bitch queen Miranda at her most regal"

+20 points for quick thinking. -1000 points for rolling a critical failure in an unfairly absurd situation. If Joss, Miranda, and Darjeeling hadn't done the insane thing of coming personally instead of sending subordinates, Jessermint might have won a few crucial seconds to do something.

(I'm bad with names, O.K.?)

It does show the security nightmare of a world where shape changing is well known. They might invent zero-knowledge proofs & two-factor authentication before the matchlock musket.

Yup, by the time period of my story "Balance of Power," there are security measures in place for such things, but not many in the medieval period yet aside from being super vigilant for anyone not acting like the person they are meant to be.

Fortunately Deryni are only a tiny percentage of the overall population, and of that tiny percentage, only an even tinier percentage have the level of advanced training that would make shape shifting possible. The upside is that there are very few people in the Eleven Kingdoms (relatively speaking) who would know how to shape shift, and in my AU, the majority of those people either live in Llyr (where less Deryni knowledge has been lost over time due to persecution) or are highly enough placed to have received a bit of Llyrian training or at least training from someone else who has. The downside is that any skill that rare is something that many people might not be aware even exists, much less know they need to guard against. At least that's the downside if you're the side being infiltrated; it's very much an upside if you are the person doing the infiltrating.

[tmcd]

I was half expecting it to devolve into farce, except it would only really work if there were one. Dichloride starts taking the kids to the dumbwaiter, Mirabel Madrigal runs past and grabs the kids to head towards the transfer portal, Jessie comes in and sees the chaos and grabs the kids, thinking from the chaos that the only path is straight out the gates, ... "I'm rescuing the children!" "No, I'm rescuing the children!" "Me! Me! I'm rescuing the children!"

[Evie]

Well, you know, the night is still young. Who knows what will happen now that we have two "Queen Mirandas" on the scene, not to mention that there is still another nursemaid in the apartment who is thus far unaccounted for, one of Joss's men still on guard in a corridor, and surely someone's got to be wondering where Lady Jesaminda is by now....   

[tmcd]

"Darling" and "Joscelin" are not going to help Lady Javelina one bit! It's not going to be a case of "Spock, I'm the real Kirk".

[DerynifanK]

Is there any chance we could get Miranda and the children out quickly and get rid of Davorin and Jessaminda? Preferably now

[Evie]

Is there any chance we could get Miranda and the children out quickly and get rid of Davorin and Jessaminda? Preferably now

Well, it's not going to happen now, it's only Wednesday!    But let's see what tomorrow's chapter brings.