Echoes (8 page)

The capital city loomed before them. Walls shot skyward and encircled the city, protecting it within a stone embrace, giving the illusion of security. In truth, the stone crumbled in spots, and the gates of the city had not seen repair in centuries. Where there were once narrow archery slits, whole sections of the barricade lay open to allow views of the woods and hills beyond.

“Are they mad?” Darius said to Daniel.

One of the guard overheard and glowered at the Breken, but held his peace.

Daniel lowered his voice so as to not push the soldier too far. “The capital is more ornamental than protective these days. There was no measurable threat when it was built, but the first kings were wise enough to realize that that didn’t mean there never would be. Now? Well, King Jaymes considers it more of a show piece.”

Darius snorted. Trust was one thing, but letting the city’s defenses completely fall into disrepair was beyond foolish, bordering on the suicidal where the Breken were concerned. Judging by the state of things, the neglect had been happening since long before Jaymes’s time, but that didn’t excuse his complacency in the matter.

Cattle, horses, chickens, and pigs made a cacophony of sound in the pens, boxes and stalls in the outdoor market, erected just outside the city’s walls. People stopped to openly stare at the procession.

“Are those fairies?”

“A Breken! Mabel, do you see him? Look at the size of him!”

“That must be the new Lady of Maj. Pretty little thing, ain’t she?”

“A winter wolf! Would you look at that! What a beast! Susan, where are the children?”

A cluster of children began to trot alongside the group as they proceeded in through the gate to the city, oohing and aahing at the fairies, their eyes round with wonder and excitement. Aesri smiled and waved at the children, which set them to giggling.

One child who looked to be older than the rest said, “Them ain’t no fairies. Everyone knows real fairies got wings. I bet them’s just a couple o’kids dressed up to look like fairies.”

“What about their eyes?” a little girl asked. “You ever see a kid with eyes like that?”

“It’s a trick, I tell ya,” the boy said stubbornly. “That Breken’s way more interestin’ than a couple o’kids pretending to be fairies.

Niada stopped walking, which forced the rest of the group to do the same, and locked eyes with the doubting child.

The little boy put his hands on his hips and returned her stare. Everyone was watching and he wasn’t going to back down in front of them.

Niada smirked at the child, raised her hands, and moved them in a complex pattern that almost looked like dancing. Giant snowflakes, the size of melons, drifted lazily down upon the children, causing them to gasp in delighted glee.

The little girl elbowed the boy hard in his side. “Kids, huh?”

The boy took off his cap and bowed his head at Niada, who returned his bow with a small one of her own, and the group resumed their steady march toward the king.

The castle before them was immense. There were hundreds of windows, and Darius looked on in awe. The glass was frosted over in some rooms, indicating that not all of the chambers had lit fires. Smoke belched from chimney after chimney. 

A seemingly endless array of guards were stationed along the parapets. A few had raised their bows and aimed them in his direction, but though the arrows had been nocked, they were not drawn; Darius appreciated their caution.

They were admitted to the castle, and made their way through several passages before arriving at the king’s throne room, which made the Great Hall of Maj look like a broom closet. Scores of people lined the chamber on either side. The stone walls were polished, almost to a mirror shine, and candles hung from the ceiling in enormous, wrought iron displays, raised or lowered by a pulley when it was time to change out the used candles for new ones. There were flowers in vases almost everywhere you looked, and the rich smell of wood smoke hung in the air.

The king was seated on a throne of oak, which had the faces of all the previous kings expertly carved into the wood, so it would appear as if they were watching over the current king and his court.

Queen Marianne sat beside him on a much smaller and simpler throne that also had been intricately carved, though with flowers and vines rather than faces.

The queen rose when the group approached, walked directly to Dearra, and folded her in a warm embrace before Dearra had so much as the chance to curtsy.

“Dearest, child,” Marianne said, stroking Dearra’s hair. “I was so very sorry to hear about your father’s death. We all were. I offered prayers to the old gods for him to have a speedy journey on his way to reunite with your mother.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Dearra said, finally sinking into her curtsy.

“Now, now, none of that. Greet the king and let us talk,” Marianne said, taking Dearra by the elbow and releasing her from the curtsy.

“Your Majesty,” they said as one, and bowed before the king, although Aesri and Niada only nodded.

“Bow before the king,” Hadden said quietly to the fairies.

“Peace, Hadden,” the king cut in. “I’ve heard it said that Etrafarians bow to no one but their god. There is no offense taken.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Aesri said, smiling softly, and she inclined her head once more out of respect.

The king turned his attention back to Dearra. “I had a feeling you would be along soon. You’re a lot like your father, you know.”

“Your Majesty, I was concerned that my message to you was…misunderstood.” She didn’t stop when she saw the king’s sour expression. Frankly, she didn’t care if he was annoyed or not. She had come to have her say, and she was going to have it. “I am not sure that I adequately conveyed the threat we are about to face. This is not a typical attack on Maj. The Breken plan to unify and coordinate an assault on Mirin Tor. Darius believes there will be some forty thousand Breken, as well as slaves and command staff. Surely, you see that we have to gather everyone who can fight. You must act! Now, before it is too late!”

Easy, Fuzzy. Kings don’t generally tolerate orders from someone else very well.

Jaymes narrowed his eyes and gripped the arms of his throne.

“Jaymes,” Marianne said, leaning nearer to her husband. “It has been such a very tiring trip for them. The hour grows late. Why don’t we show our guests to their rooms so they may refresh themselves before dinner? We can talk about this tomorrow when we have all had a good night’s rest.”

The king relaxed his grip. “I am sure you are right as always, love.

“Alma, please show them to the rooms I had readied,” King Jaymes said to a woman who bustled forward the instant he spoke her name. “We will need to arrange one more for our Etrafarian guests. Find something in the same corridor, so they may be near one another.

“Daniel, make sure you keep the wolf with you at all times. I will allow its presence, since it seems well enough behaved, but don’t let it go wandering. There’s no telling what could happen should someone in the castle find an animal where it didn’t belong, especially a dangerous one. Do you understand?”

Daniel’s mouth set in a grim line. It didn’t take a genius to realize the king was referring to more than the wolf. He glanced once at Darius, and nodded to the king. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he responded. The words were correct, but he couldn’t quite hide the disdain he felt for the king’s prejudice.

Alma motioned for them to follow, smiling pleasantly.

They
were
tired. The march to the castle seemed hurried, as if the guard didn’t want them to tarry too long in any one spot. Meals were eaten in haste, and sometimes while walking, and they had both gone to sleep and risen while it was still dark.

The guard that trailed after them now did not go unnoticed by Dearra. They were two very unpleasant looking men, who walked with their hands poised on their swords. She supposed she didn’t really blame the king for assigning the detail. He didn’t know Darius. Her own father had locked Darius in a storeroom below Maj Keep when they had first met him. Still, the fact that he had lived peacefully with the Maj for more than a year at that point should have counted for something.

Their rooms were located well away from the throne room, and it took some time to reach them. They were on the third floor, where the windows were narrow and offered a stingy light, which was probably for the best—even with glass in the pane, there was little to obstruct the frigid winds this high up, and larger windows would have meant more drafts. The corridor on this level was not nearly as long as some of the others, which served to concentrate the damp, unused smell about the place.

Alma bustled ahead, took a ring of keys from her waist, and unlocked the door. “Here now, this will be just the place for our Etrafarian guests.”

Dearra peaked into the room, not sure what to expect after the musty smell of the hallway, but the room was charming. It looked as though it was recently occupied. There was wood stacked near the hearth, and fresh tallow candles at the ready. There was even a tub. Two small beds were made up with fur-lined coverlets. The chamber looked as if it might have been set aside for use by the children of nobles who had come to the castle on business.

Aesri and Niada said nothing, but Aesri made it a point to return Alma’s smile as she glided past her and into the room.

“Ladies,” Alma said. “You just let me see to the others, and I will have some hot water sent up for your bath.

“You gentlemen and…wolf are to stay in here,” Alma indicated another room, midway down the hall.

Darius allowed Daniel to enter first, followed by Reo. The room was roughly the same size as Aesri and Niada’s but the beds were much larger.

“And now for you, Lady Dearra. His Majesty was very explicit that you were to have a room with a decent window. There aren’t many on this level, but this room is the best of the lot.”

Dearra pushed the door open and blinked at the beautifully appointed chamber. It was at least twice as large as the others, with not one, but two windows, filled with thick glass to keep out the winter’s chill. Her view was magnificent. Through them she could see the city spread out around her, as well as the forest beyond. There was a tub waiting for her as well, and she saw that someone had taken the trouble to start a fire for her and fill a vase with fresh flowers. Dearra picked up one of the blooms and inhaled deeply.

“Wherever do these flowers come from?” Dearra asked.

“The queen, my lady. She has a whole building of glass where she grows them. You’ve never seen the like, I guarantee that. She heard about it from a traveling storyteller years ago, and had the king build one, straight away. It took her some time to get the hang of it, but now we have blossoms year round. I’m sure she will show you if you ask her. She is quite proud of the place, although she doesn’t usually permit anyone in there without her express permission. She used to let people come at their leisure, but after a few of her best roses got trampled by careless feet, she put a stop to it.”

“It sounds amazing. I’ll be sure to ask to see it. Thank you, Alma.”

“You are more than welcome, Lady Dearra, and I was sorry to hear about your father. My mother spoke very highly of him. I’ll be sure to send some hot water your way as well. Someone will come for you when it is time to dine.”

Dearra nodded her thanks and set her pack down on the bed. She pulled out her gown and slippers from last year’s Harvest celebration, and found a place to hang it so she could get out most of the wrinkles. They had all packed one good outfit so they could dine with the king, should they be invited to do so. It would get tedious wearing the same clothes if they ended up staying there for very long. Besides the clothes she wore now, and the one gown, she had two other changes of everyday clothes, consisting of one dress, a pair of pants, a shirt, and a spare pair of boots.

She was glad to have the heavy pack off her back. Darius and Daniel had carried their provisions as well as their clothing, so she guessed she shouldn’t complain, but they were a lot bigger and stronger than she was.

Dearra plopped into a well-upholstered chair and closed her eyes. There was nothing to do but wait for the promised bathwater to arrive.

***

She wasn’t sure how long she had been soaking, but the water was now only lukewarm at best. It was full dark outside, but it always got dark early this time of year, so that was no way to judge. She knew she had nodded off and she should get out and dress for dinner. She could be called for at any time. Keeping the king waiting was not the best way to start their visit. If she waited much longer, someone was likely to show up, and it would be embarrassing to be caught lounging.

Too late
, Brin laughed.

Dearra started to ask what was too late, but then there was a sudden knock at the door. She only realized she had forgotten to lock it when Darius let himself in and stopped dead in his tracks upon entering. Dearra slid lower into the tub and scooped the last of the feeble bubbles to better cover herself.

Darius took a tentative step into the room, and without turning, used his foot to close the door behind him.

“What do you think you’re doing? Get out!” Dearra yelped.