“You said that he acts like he is hunted. What is he scared of?”
“I don’t know, Sir, but it’s true, there is someone hunting him, and his mood did not improve much after his son... Maybe it is the man who took Severin, or the man who Vio was promised to. The soldiers fear both. I may be able to learn more in time.”
“Thank you, Guiscard. You may go now,” Foy said, and placed a small purse on the table – it was more than Aron paid Guiscard in half a year. Alone, he leaned his head back against the wall behind the chair and closed his eyes. Vio, Vio, you are full of mysteries. I wish that you had not come to Laurden, but there you are. I can’t change that. It’s too late. Even this old grumpy man likes you. At least you are a woman of character and a Signora. I would like to know who the man you were promised to is. He doesn’t sound like the one you mentioned to us; that commoner in Valeni. Could he be a danger to us? Idonie, I will curse you, if you don’t tell me more... I don’t know exactly what that might be. I am afraid that I will both like and dislike it. And fear it.
When he came back from the spring tour, Saliné found Foy cold and distant. He was polite and did not avoid her, but something had changed. Fortunately for her, Eduin was still the same, sometimes even too eager to please her, for all Saliné’s efforts to temper his enthusiasm. Not that she did not enjoy his presence and courtesy, but even she had started to understand what everybody else in the palace knew already, that the son of the Seigneur of Laurden had fallen for her, and she was walking on thin ice, trying to be friendly to Eduin, without encouraging him. And her plans for leaving Laurden were stalling.
A day later, Foy sent Carlo, his Spatar, to Tolosa, to learn more about Severin. It happened that Pierre was not there; he had taken his family to Nimea, his fiefdom. By chance, Carlo met the Duchess, and he asked her about Severin.
“A small place,” Laure said, coldly. “There was a battle last year, and the city has a new Seigneur. Nothing of great importance. I heard that you have a guest in Laurden. A girl.”
“Eduin saved her when the savages attacked Siecle. She is good looking,” Carlo said, his eyes glimmering.
“So Eduin was not bored this winter.”
“Not at all, Duchess.”
“What about his wedding?”
“A new round of negotiation will start in a month or two. Some clauses in the marriage contract are still not ... fully agreed.”
“I hope that they will be cleared in time. We support the marriage between our niece and Eduin.” Poor man, I won’t scold him for having mistresses. My niece is a shrew, but she will help me to keep Laurden under control. Foy is too independent, sometimes. “Have you some news about the Candidate King and Queen?”
“Lady Maud wrote us about this situation, but they did not appear in Laurden. What happened to them?”
“Inform us when you have news.” The Duchess dismissed him.
***
It was the sixth day after the equinox, and spring was more advanced than Saliné ever remembered for that time of the year. Life was different in the south; both people and nature were more exuberant and ready to take everything that could be taken. She was in the small park in front of the palace, on one knee, to take in the scent of an unknown plant: lavender. She knew it was the source of the best perfumes in Frankis, but it was so different to actually to see the plant instead of drawings, and even better to enjoy the scent. Even for the area around Laurden, it was too early for lavender to flower, but this patch of ten small bushes was covered during the winter, and only a few days before, the gardeners had taken off the cover that protected them from the cold. At the corner of her eye, she saw movement on the small road, which divided the park in two, leading to the main entrance to the palace. Octavian... She froze, yet some faint vestiges of preservation pushed her head lower until it was almost buried in the lavender bush. Sixty paces from her, the Primus Itinerant was walking briskly, without paying much attention to the girl in the park, and that interest focused on her lower back, which was generously exposed, and not on her half hidden head. He noticed en passant her auburn hair, but sometimes men of the south married girls from the north. That was all.
When Octavian and his two guards entered the palace, Saliné breathed deeply and stood up. As if at her leisure, she left the park by the same road Octavian and his two guards had used, and walked directly to the stables. The men already knew her from riding out with Eduin. She went directly to the man who was in charge, and smiled warmly at him.
“Baldo, it’s a wonderful day, perhaps the best of this spring until now. I feel the need for a short ride in the valley. The orchards are full of flowers now.” She waited patiently, but the man seemed flustered and searching for an answer, likely a polite refusal. “Please give me three guards too. I am still a stranger who doesn’t know the land. And people may try to harm a lone woman.”
The man’s face became lighter, but he was still inclined to refuse her. S’Laurden had forbidden her to leave alone and without approval.
“Please, Baldo, don’t spoil my pleasure. Look how nice the day is.”
Three guards... “I will make it five guards,” he finally agreed.
“Thank you,” Saliné said, and placed her hand on his arm. “Please help me to saddle and mount my mare.” I have no money with me... At least I have my dagger. In four days, I can be in Valeni.
Out of the city, she felt half free, and studied her guards carefully. Their leader always rode beside her. Two guards rode in front and two behind her. Without a diversion, there is no way to escape. “Let’s gallop,” she said, filling her voice with joy, and pushed her mare faster, then as fast as she could race. The guards followed her, keeping the same tight formation. They have good horses too. Saliné led them up a small hill, and for the last part she dismounted and made it on foot. Three guards followed her while two stayed behind with the horses. She gave up on her thoughts of escaping. At least I will not meet Octavian, she sighed and sat on a warm stone. Polite, but keeping a keen eye on her, the guards sat too, thirty paces away from her.
Feeling almost alone at the top of the small hill, Saliné was dreaming. Her thoughts were going more and more to Severin, going back in time too. A time when she was an almost happy child in the hunting house. A time when Jara, Codrin and Vio were there too. A time when she sat in Codrin’s arms under their cherry tree. Eyes closed, she did not feel the tears on her face. And she did not see or hear five riders approaching like a storm. They stopped at the foot of the hill, a hundred paces from her. Foy and Eduin dismounted in a hurry and walked briskly toward her. She did not hear them coming closer, on foot either.
They saw her, and they saw the tears too. They looked at each other, then stepped back and seated themselves on some warm stones, thirty paces from her, leaving her alone with her feelings.
It took Saliné a while to gather her thoughts and realize that the sun was now past noon. They must be worried by my absence, she sighed, remembering what had happened when she ate alone in the kitchen, and no one knew where she was. She stood up and turned to climb down from the ridge. Her eyes fell on Foy and Eduin, who were staring at her. “I am sorry if I worried you,” she said and bit her lip. “I just felt the need to see the valley and be alone.”
“You must be hungry, by now. Let’s go back.” Both Foy’s voice and stare were neutral, but Saliné still felt uncomfortable.
I hope that Baldo will not get in trouble for this. “You had some guests, and I did not want to bother you with my request to go for a ride,” Saliné said, tentatively, hoping that Octavian was no longer in Laurden. “Baldo took care to give me five guards.”
“They were visitors, but not guests. Nobody likes to be visited by the Sages of the Circle,” Eduin said. “They are already gone.”
“Yes, Baldo was right to provide the guards, but I prefer that you don’t leave the city without letting me or Eduin know.” Foy still had the same neutral appearance.
“I apologize, and it will not
happen again, but I did not know that the rules were so strict for me. Am I a prisoner?” Saliné asked, nervously. “I am sorry; I should not have asked that,” she added quickly. They will not let me leave soon. Why? Octavian? No, he would have taken me with him.
“It’s just that we were worried. Let’s return now.” Foy pointed down the hill, toward the horses.
The next three days passed without incident, and Saliné calmed down eventually. Eduin even went with her for another ride in the valley. She was thinking to ask again for permission to leave Laurden and go to Agatha in Valeni , when a page came to tell her that Foy wanted to talk with her. The page did not know the reason, and in the long corridor, she tried to imagine what the problem was, one scenario more fantastic than the next. I am becoming childish, she thought, with a trace of amusement. Maybe it’s the right time to ask him to let me go to Valeni.
In his office, Foy gestured for her to sit while he finished reading a paper. He looks in a good mood. Saliné folded her hands in her lap and waited patiently.
“Sorry for making you wait. This document came after I sent for you.” He waved the paper in front of her. “With spring, news comes from everywhere. Some of it is bad, some of it is good. Every spring we make bets which will be more plentiful. What do you think about this year?” Foy asked, his eyes fixing Saliné with an amused stare. “You are new here, so give me something from your instinct.”
“The good ones.”
“Youth is always optimist. Don’t misunderstand me, I consider that a bonus. I was like that too. A long time ago. Time passes so fast. Unfortunately. Last week, during my journey, people reported six crimes committed over the winter, or said they heard from other people what had happened, and as the Seigneur of Laurden I have to listen and take measures. Five of them seem to be easy to solve. There are no doubts about who the perpetrators are. What should my first step be?”
Slightly confused, Saliné frowned, trying to find an acceptable answer. “To verify if the crimes really happened; sometimes people like to make up stories.”
“Then.” Foy gestured loosely, encouraging her to speak her mind.
“Well, verify both witnesses and facts. Sometimes witnesses are trustworthy; sometimes they have an interest in presenting a different story.”
“One crime seemed to have happened in Castis,” S’Laurden said absently, looking away, yet the corner of his eye was on Saliné, and he saw her biting her lip. “The person who told me, learned about it from another man, who learned it from another man. A young man, his name seems to be Claudin, was killed by his future bride, just before their wedding and before the Mother Storm came. There are rumors that the girl was kidnapped and forced to marry him, so you are right, more information is needed in such difficult cases.” This time, he looked straight at Saliné yet, knowing that she was observed, nothing transpired on her composed face. The years when she had to hide her feelings from Bucur had schooled her better than most. “But let’s talk about more pleasant things. What do you think of my son?”
“He is a kind and intelligent man.”
“Yes, he is a kind man, more romantic than I would have preferred. He is in love.”
“I have heard about his coming wedding”
“It will not happen.” Foy gestured carelessly. “He loves another woman. Did you not feel anything?”
“No.” Saliné shook her head, desperately trying not to think of Eduin, and to keep a certain distance in their talk.
“Tomorrow, he will ask for your hand. What with your strange appearance during the Mother Storm on the road from Castis, I have had enough time to learn that you are an interesting woman. Beautiful, intelligent, cultivated. You have had good teachers. My servants like you, and there is no one to say a bad word about you in all Laurden. You remind me of my dear wife. So,” he said and came in front of her, “I would be glad to welcome you into my family. I don’t want to make noises about him being the future Seigneur of this or that. As you said, Eduin is a kind man, and my feeling, that you two would get on well together, should be enough.” He underlined his words by taking her hands in his.
Saliné felt suddenly trapped. Why is he pushing me into marriage, if he knows that I killed Bucur in Castis? “What if you learn that I don’t deserve to be the wife of your son?”
“We have learned enough about you, Vio. In times like these, there is no one without some unpleasantness in their past, and whatever happened and wherever it happened, there must be a good explanation. Why should we look for more? I am sure you will not disappoint me.” He looked at her, his eyes serious.
Idonie’s premonition about the important event in spring came to her, and there was also a sudden surge of Light in Saliné, pushing her in the same direction. Why? The Light did not answer, and feeling that there was no other choice, she nodded, unable to speak. The next day, she accepted Eduin’s proposal, and he put a very old ring, of strange beauty, on her finger.
“It belonged to my mother and to my grandmother and so on, for twelve generations,” Eduin said, his voice proud and gentle, and the wedding was arranged for one month from that day. “Last night, the Light came to me, and I dreamt the date of our wedding. I even saw the color of your dress, but I will not reveal it to you.” He smiled, an enigmatic glimmer in his eyes, and gave her a sealed letter. “Open it after the dress will be ready.”
He is a much better choice than Bucur, a much better man and, in time, I may love him too. I already like him, she thought when she was alone in her room, yet she still cried until an uneasy sleep finally came to her. Through the night, she dreamt of Codrin, yet in one dream Eduin visited her too. They were again fighting in the snow, laughing and drinking hot spicy wine, which by the magic of the dream was served to them by invisible hands, in the middle of the snowy plain. They enjoyed each other.
In the morning, Saliné woke with the feeling that everything was just a dream. She rubbed her fingers, hoping to find nothing. The ring scratched her skin and, slowly, she took her hand out from under the blanket, and stared at the ring as a hundred thoughts gathered behind her eyes, and she couldn’t figure out which to seize first. Old and beautiful. Why did they choose me? I am just a stranger. Her mind went back, recalling time and events from the first day she had cast her eyes on Eduin’s face and pleasant smile. She also recalled her Vision about that particular event – it had happened just before she lost her consciousness in the snow, during the storm. Is the wedding what Idonie meant about waiting for the spring? Did she know this already? Why did the Light pressure me to accept? Saliné went further, almost day by day and week by week, and every memory of some importance came back to her. I feel like they are my family. The strange idea startled her, but the more she thought it, the more she believed it. I was a chance guest, saved by Eduin from the storm, and after a month, they treated me like family. They never treated me like a nobody they found on the road. She let her mind roam free over Laurden, but after a while it went back to Severin. To Jara. To Codrin. Saliné shook her head. My future is here. Eduin loves me, and I can love him. I am sure I can.
***
The first time Saliné played the lyre again, after she had accepted Eduin’s engagement ring, Idonie was there too. Whether because of the Wanderer’s visit or because the proposal was still fresh in her mind, she played like a goddess. Her songs became stories, fragments of her own life rising and falling with the notes. Her longing for her family and Codrin; her bitterness that Jara and Vio were Orban’s prisoners. Everything came to her unconsciously and, in her trance, she was not aware of the sadness filling the cascade of notes from the strings, and their effect on the people in the room. There was happiness in her playing too: memories of what had happened at the party, her thrill, her exuberance, and her feelings of being almost at home. The anticipation of the wedding was there too, a whirlpool of assorted sensations and feelings.
In her chair, Idonie turned her head slightly, so no one could see her tears. They were moved by Saliné’s p
laying and also by the two Visions that filled her mind. When Saliné had finished and become as quiet as everybody else in the room, Idonie came up behind her, embracing her and leaning her head on Saliné’s shoulder. Her tears were already dry. I saw Cosmin, your first born, Saliné; the son you will give to Eduin, and that filled me with joy. Then I saw him dying, falling on some rocks. Perhaps from a cliff, or from a tree. He was still a boy in my Vision, and he looked so much like young Foy in that painting, when he was only ten years old. There was an unknown man there too, who tried to save your son. Though I could not see his face, the man was tall and strong and dressed in dark blue; he was not Eduin, and I think that he died too. There was so much blood on the rocks around his head. I wonder if they had been attacked. One day, soon, I will tell you about the birth of your son, and each day, I will pray to Fate to give me an accurate Vision, to learn where and when the accident will happen, so I can save him. I promise that to you, dear Saliné. To you and to Eduin.
Chapter 27 – Codrin
With the end of winter, the days were now longer, and Codrin found more time for reading. He did not like to read in candle light, and his favorite spot was a small terrace that looked like a greenhouse with its large windows covering the curved half circle of a wall, adjacent to the library. Orban was a refined thinker; his library held over two thousands books, and the terrace was built to his specifications. In his first months in Arad, Codrin had avoided reading as; it reminded him painfully of the time he had spent with Vio and Saliné in the library. With the coming of the long winter nights, he forced himself to forget and read. He needed it, and there was Lanya too, who enjoyed it when they read together. After so many years of neglect, she was blossoming into a young woman, under Jara’s and his care. That winter she grew fast, almost catching up with the girls of her age, and the young men, visiting Arad, started to turn her heads to look at her. Some, more daring, even complimented her. At sixteen, she promised to be as beautiful as her mother had been. Not accustomed to the sudden increase in interest around her, she felt uneasy and, as in the years before, she tried to sneak unseen along the corridors and to hide. The terrace was oriented west, toward the large park, and there was no other building in front of it. Each evening, the last sunshine shone deep inside, painting the wall with fire. Codrin enjoyed that, but now he was so absorbed in a seven-hundred-year-old book, dating from the time of the Alban Empire, that he did not notice the mischievous light playing on his body. He did not observe Lanya either. She had been on the terrace for ten minutes already, and stood there, looking at him. She was happy; Codrin was closer to her than anyone else had been before, including her own father, Orban, and while for Codrin and Jara the last months had not been easy, for Lanya it was the best time of her life. Slowly, she came even closer, until she almost touched his shoulder. She stood there, looking intently at him, as he turned the page, still unaware of her presence.
Respectant Page 29
