Quester amongst the flowers 24 weekend bonus

 

Chapter 24

 

“Lord Eusebius! Get your chaplain’s hat on right away, and marry our brother and sister!”

The young Highborn ran down the aisle and skidded to a halt.

“Where’s the fire, Dominic?” asked Eusebius.

“The Consul are pulling a fast one, and meeting on Hawayee, where it isn’t Abesday yet, or it wasn’t when they passed a ruling that a high Psion in the Judiciary must pass on any competent Psion he has as an assistant to a Justiciar who has low psionic ability.”

“Officially, I’m only a three,” said Quester.

“My fault; I updated you,” said Eusebius. “You and Kiliana both measure as nines on my scopes. Right, get up here, Kiliana; we’ll get through this as fast as possible and then you will have to be quick to consummate it so they can’t annul it.”

“Killie; I never meant it to be like this,” said Quester, upset.

“Leo, we might have guessed they’d want to make trouble for you,” said Kiliana. “If it has to be fast and less than pleasant, at least we can spend the rest of our lives making up for that.”

“Yes, all very romantic, come here and let me read the lines,” said Eusebius, testily.

Quester suspected that Eusebius may have used some kind of voice control to get through the whole wedding service in such a short time; but get through it all he did. Quester made his responses, and Kiliana made hers, and then Eusebius shooed them along to his own bedroom.  It might be sparse by the standard of humans, but a sparse bunk for a Highbred was a decent king-sized bed for any human.

Kiliana was giggling, partly from nerves and partly from the way the Highbred moved into high speed to get their favourite couple made safe.

She stripped, blushing a little, and so did Quester, blushing a lot. His response was flattering.

“Thank goodness, it hasn’t put you off,” said Kiliana. “I do at least know what to do, but I’m a little dry.”

“We’ll have to use spit; I somehow doubt Eusebius has a use for lubricants which aren’t for machinery,” said Quester, dryly. “Oh, Kiliana, I do love you, and I wanted to luxuriate in our wedding night when we got there!”

“We can have a blessing and luxuriate after that,” said Kiliana. “Game face on, Justiciar, and get a move on.”

“I... it may be quick anyway,” gasped Quester. “I’ve been holding back....”

“Then come here....”

It was not romantic. Kiliana grunted a couple of times in discomfort; and Quester touched her face.

“Practice makes perfect,” muttered Kiliana. “Oh! OOOOh!” she added as her body got into the swing of things.

It did not take long then.

“I’m sorry, that was a damned poor showing for your first time,” said Quester.

“And I made a poor showing as a lover for you,” said Kiliana. “But it had definite promise towards the end.”

Quester held her, and kissed her. This time he started exploring gently, and shyly, so did Kiliana. This time, he teased her until she was crying his name, and he made her his with less indecent haste... as the door burst open.

“I did tell you, my lord Consul,” said Eusebius, mildly.

“I... I... what, what, what?” spluttered a voice.

“I’d have thought what was obvious, Consul,” said Eusebius. “It’s called ‘sexual congress.’ Human beings who love each other very much engage in this behaviour as part of the mating ritual, in order to cement the social bonds of marriage.  It is an act which may lead to procreation, as part of a family-building endeavour, as laid down in the rules of marital bliss according to the Blessed Abe, as beneficial to the Empire. It is also forbidden to separate a married couple unless through a state of sub poena, which of course does not, and cannot exist here. You will surely join us all to drink the health of the two young couples who have joined this day in Abe-blessed matrimony, and wish them the love of Abe?”

The door shut again, and if a sliding door could slam, it slammed.

Quester laughed helplessly.

“Now that’s gone and killed the poor thing,” said Kiliana. “Roll over, and I’ll see if I can talk it back to life.”

“Talk?”

“Well, something of that order.”

Quester gave up.

Kiliana had grown up as the daughter of a comfort woman to a militia troop, and she knew the tricks, even if she had escaped being used before he rescued her. He appreciated her knowledge very much.

“We should shower,” said Kiliana. “There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

She did not bother to mention that this also held possibilities; but after exploring those possibilities, they emerged, clean and blushing, hand in hand.

“Well done,” said Eusebius. “Just in time, by the look of it.”

“Oh, we hurried the first time; that was round two,” said Kiliana, demurely. “Your shower is shocked, however, and may need its feelings soothed.”

Eusebius laughed.

“I left the consul to Erman, who has been explaining how it is the fault of the consulary body of the time in making marriage law,” he said. “But the opportunity to make a consul more hopping mad than a nest of fleas on a griddle was absolutely delightful.”

“Glad to entertain you,” said Quester, dryly.

Eusebius sniggered.

“Oh, I shall dine out on this with other Highbred units and make them jealous,” he said. “And there’s not a thing the old farts can do. I managed every word of the service, which means it can’t be invalidated, and you consummated, which means it can’t be invalidated... oh, morning after pills?”

“Took one,” said Kiliana. “I took to keeping some in my purse when I decided Leo was mine.”

“Good; I don’t think you should have a child for several years,” said Quester. “Er... if you want any children at all, that is; it’s one of those things we didn’t have a chance to discuss.”

“I want children, but not yet,” said Kiliana. “I’d rather have a fishing boat.”

“After this affair with the Commutants is over, I’m going to apply to be a Judiciary officer in situ in the Aegean Islands,” said Quester. “I know the people. And it is an area where trouble can blow up; they will probably be glad to get rid of me to so distant and bucolic a place.”

Kiliana sighed, happily.

“And we can go fishing,” she said. “And our children can grow up swimming, boating, and running on sand.”

“It was a good childhood, even for a boy who must help his parents make what they could,” said Quester.

“Our children will have chores, so they do not grow up pampered,” said Kiliana. “They will enjoy their leisure the more.”

“Yes, I agree,” said Quester. “Eusebius, was there a reason to marry Burdock and Purity?”

“Yes,” said Eusebius. “They haven’t thought of it yet, but I wanted them safely married before anyone could spoil things for them to spite you.Because you can give Burdock permission, and as you said they were to wed, I bent things a little to assume that as your permission, and I had Lukas forge your signature to the document as you were a little preoccupied.  And Purity has full rights, so nobody can take that away, and she is now essentially his guardian.”

“Well, that’s good,” said Quester.

“And I’m going to arrange you a blessing in the Highbred Cathedral, just to remind the old farts in the Consulate that the Highbred rate you highly, and that they would be fools to annoy you; and Cayban is going to muster all the Lictorium, and Zadok has agreed to do the blessing.”

“I am so fortunate to have such good friends,” said Quester, tears in his eyes.

“As you sow, so shall you reap,” said Eusebius. “To have a friend, you have to be a friend. And you’ve made plenty.”

 

 

oOoOo

 

Burdock was delighted when Erman brought Borage, Buckwheat, and Begonia to see him again, as well as Ragwort and Rampion, twin boys, and Campion, of an age with Buckwheat.

“Bilberry died,” said Burdock, sadly. “But I have my family; I owes it all to you, my lord, and to Lord Erman Stayvuhsantus, what’s come good.”

“And if they want other names, rather than being named for weeds, I’ll be happy to register them,” said Quester.

“We’re unique, though,” said Burdock. “Me, I like that.”

“Yes, I understand,” said Quester.

The youngsters were installed in the apartment, with several teachers, Eusebius having come through with a retired Highbred and a retired Unchosen militia medic, a chaperone for Begonia, the lone girl, as female Ogroid were uncommon.

 

oOoOo

 

Once classes for all those willing to learn the ways of Abe had been sorted out, and one man, recalcitrant to the last had been, unhappily, executed, they might leave. Cayban’s fraudsters had been sentenced to penal batallions to labour cutting stone, and there was a new Shackled working in the school gardens. Kiliana and Jessica refused to leave the safety of the Zeppelin, if only to avoid seeing him.

And then they might go to the cathedral on Capitol Island, home of all the Highbred. Kiliana had gone shopping with Jessica to get a wedding gown, and was a vision in ivory spidersilk, very plain in cut, with long sleeves, and a sheath of a dress, clinging to her slim figure, until it flowed out into soft folds just below her hips. The fabric was brocaded, and she had pearl beads embroidered at the neckline.

Quester gasped to see her so lovely, and wearing the emeralds he had got from Lucius, the Buckyhare.

Kiliana was also wearing the false finger nails Lucius had obtained, each one polished in some pearlescent covering, with tiny pearlescent flowers on them as well. The use of the cathedral for a wedding blessing was unusual enough that anything Kiliana did would be across the fashion magazines by next morning.

“Really, those nails?” asked Quester.

“Eusebius said I will set fashions.  I thought I’d see if I could get everyone in the Jinnya Isles to go for this and then, when you’re famous for being an envoy, I’ll appear without them and smash their fashion,” said Kiliana.

Quester had to laugh.

The service was a lot slower than the real wedding, and very moving; and Quester felt that they had time to enjoy it.

The Hussars made a tunnel for them to leave the Cathedral, when they came away from its baroque grandeur, and the happy couple walked under their raised weapons. Jessica and Marilyn were her supporters, and in the spirit of forgiveness, she asked Ambria to join them.

“I am sorry I was mean to you,” said Ambria. “You had something I did not and could not understand and I wanted to take you down, so I did not feel you were so far above me.”

“I understand,” said Kiliana. “Are you getting on better with your father?”

“Yes, Daddy and I have talked a lot,” said Ambria. “He’s not really my father, Mummy told me, but I don’t want to spoil it for him.”

“I suspect he knows,” said Kiliana. “Perhaps you should talk to him about it, and have total honesty.”

“Oh, do you think so? Mummy always said that the last thing there should be in families is honesty, but of course, I’ve learned that our family was just plain wrong.”

“Blame the Consulate for that,” said Kiliana.

She was smirking as they came out from under the honour guard’s arms that the First Consul had acceded to the request of his cousin, Erman Stayvusantus, to be a guest.

The seal of approval of all the powerful arms of the Empire.

And if Quester hated being in the limelight, at least he could handle it; and would do so equally well as an envoy to the Electric Zarr.

Kiliana smiled, ruefully.

It was a role she would have preferred to have avoided for herself, but it would get them out of the way as the full implications of the rulings Zadok was hustling through became apparent to those in the halls of power.

It was a start.

And then they were climbing into the rotodyne Purity had managed to acquire, and she landed on a roof Kiliana did not know.

“My old mentor’s pad,” said Quester. “Privacy for you and me, bar one old servant, and he’s got orders to keep to himself. The rest will go back to the bigger appartment, for some family bonding time.”

“Nice,” said Kiliana.

They went inside, to discover the kitchen well stocked.

“I’m hungrier for you, you know,” said Quester, drawing her to him, and burying his hands in her effulgent curls.

“Me too,” said Kiliana.

“Take those dratted nails off first, though,” said Quester. “I can imagine you forgetting you have them on, and doing me a mischief.”

Kiliana giggled, and complied.

“You can unwrap the rest of me,” she said, demurely.

Her husband’s breath hitched; and then he proceeded to do just that, very slowly, carefully folding up every item of clothing, his, and hers, one piece at a time.

Kiliana gave in and ripped off the last pieces of offending underwear and jumped on him.

Quester did not protest.