Bishop (The Pawn Series Book 2)

by Robin Roseau

  I exchanged hugs and kisses with both, although Alta’s was chaste. With the Goddess beside me, still touching me constantly, we sat for a few minutes making polite inquiries into each other’s health. Conversation seemed stilted, which I found annoying.

  Then breakfast arrived. Juleena cracked a joke about Altearan foods. Alta replied with one about Framaran fashion. Neither joke was fair, and both were funny. Everyone laughed, and that set us all at ease.

  It helped that I had ample people translating for the Goddess. My priestesses assigned themselves to the task, and so I only needed to echo her words when she spoke. Larien then translated into Framaran for me, and Terél into Framaran.

  “This is so much better,” I said after a while. “I can speak a single language, and someone else translates. It would be nice if we could pick either Altearan or Framaran, however.”

  “I am the only one with difficulty in Altearan,” Juleena said. “I will improve.”

  “That will change significantly in Marport,” I said. “But until the Goddess can join us there, we still only have two languages.” I turned to Vérundia. “I require guidance. Would it be unreasonable to suggest all our priestesses learn Framaran?”

  She frowned. “The acolytes have so much to learn already. And learning another language later in life is challenging.”

  “In the spirit of friendship,” said the Goddess, “I would like all my new acolytes to become fluent in all three languages. I believe Altearan acolytes could learn Framaran first, and once the language is established, begin to learn my language. But I do not know how one learns a new language. What is best?”

  I repeated all that. When translations were done, Juleena and I stared at each other. “They must be properly motivated,” Juleena said.

  “Tell me about it,” Vérundia muttered, also looking at me.

  “I believe the new acolytes should come to Framara,” I said. “If we house them somewhere isolated, away from the city, and tell them they can only visit the city once they speak Framaran sufficiently well to get around and interact with the shopkeepers, that is motivation. Juleena, remember that school? Lisbet and Betsa?”

  “I remember it well,” she said.

  “What if we sent them there.” I looked at Vérundia. “It is two or three hours from Marport. We could provide one or two priestesses to teach our acolytes of the Goddess.”

  “Not just our acolytes,” said the Goddess. “To teach the other students as well. I want everyone in Framara to learn of me.”

  Conversation went around for a minute or two. Finally Juleena said, “This plan would work, but it is too soon. I do not want responsibility for young Altearan girls in Framara until there is more healing between our countries.”

  The Goddess sighed when she heard that, but she said quietly, “She is right. Ask her if you could take some to your household in the palace.”

  “Yes,” Juleena said. “But how many? And will they travel back and forth with you? You aren’t easy on your traveling companions, Yalla.”

  There were chuckles at that. Féla said, “Tell us about it,” which generated more chuckles.

  “They can learn to ride,” I said. “Princess Juleena, would it strain the budget of the Duchess of Havenshade to purchase a horse farm very near Marport?”

  “No, although I would not recommend a large farm close to the capital.”

  “Would the queen sell me her Arrlottan horses? I wish my priestesses to learn to ride a proper mount. And I require a trainer to train new horses to speak Arrlottan, not Framaran.”

  Juleena laughed. And laughed. “I do not know if we can easily wrest them from Racine. They have become popular. But I am sure we can sell you some, and some of the foals as well.”

  “I want a small herd of perhaps fifty mounts.”

  Juleena laughed again. “That is not so small, but it could be done. If you want this immediately, we’ll need to buy more from the horse people.”

  “I have to travel to The Hippa?”

  “Of course not. There are traders.”

  “Traders that can distinguish between a good horse and a bad horse?”

  “Of course,” she replied.

  I smiled.

  * * * *

  “Well,” I said fifteen minutes later. “None of that is even why I wanted to talk to all of you. I had two other issues, and I believe they are much simpler. Alta, have you discussed with your parents my invitation?”

  “I have, and they are in full support, but only if Princess Juleena is able to offer a formal invitation for me to travel to Marport with you.”

  “Of course,” said Juleena.

  “They wish it in open court,” Alta continued. “And they also wish us to remain here until my brother returns.”

  Juleena looked at me. I nodded. “I expected this. Do you mind?”

  “No. But we should begin our journey home early the next morning, and I would prefer if we travel hard.”

  Everyone turned to Vérundia and Hastía. “Do not look at me,” said Hastía. “I’ll keep up.”

  “Carriages and sleighs are slow,” I said. “Can you keep up mounted?”

  “Of course I can. And Vérundia can sit a trot, but she’ll complain at night.”

  “We could send them ahead,” Naddí suggested.

  “I would rather stay,” Vérundia said. “But if the High Priestess wishes us to travel ahead...”

  “No. I’d rather we stay as a group now.”

  “As would I,” said the Goddess.

  So I nodded. “Then I have one more item to discuss. We have vases that need to be painted, and I wish to invite Tiera into this household.”

  “Who is Tiera?” Juleena asked.

  “The sculptor Yalla wants,” Alta said.

  “Ah. The one that helped you paint her in clay?”

  “The very one,” Alta agreed.

  “I would like to meet this sculptor.”

  I laughed. “May I invite her to Marport, Juleena?”

  “Our agreement allows you to travel with whomever you like, Yalla,” Juleena said. “You do not require permission.”

  “She won’t always travel with me though.”

  “Well, I’ll take care of this.”

  “Then I would like help convincing her to come with us,” I said. “Please.”

  “Of course,” she and Alta said together.

  “We should send a message and make arrangements to paint our vases.” I looked at the other three priestesses. “Would you like to join us as well?”

  “We would,” they agreed.

  * * * *

  Tiera was available that afternoon. And so, all of us dressed in simple, inexpensive clothing, it took two large carriages to convey us to her studio. This time, there were no blindfolds, and we trooped into her space, the Goddess holding my hand while looking around.

  She immediately began asking questions, for which I didn’t have answers.

  Alta was handling invitations, and so I said, “Tiera, the Goddess has questions.”

  “The Goddess? The Goddess is here?”

  “Beside me,” I said.

  The woman dropped to the floor to kneel. It wasn’t done as well as a courtier might do, but it was certainly heartfelt. “Goddess,” she whispered.

  “Tell her to get up. I have questions.”

  Her questions, with my priestesses translating so I didn’t have to, took fifteen minutes. Finally the Goddess said, “I believe I understand. I want to make a vase, but there isn’t time, is there?” She sighed. “There will be other chances.”

  “We could make a vase,” I said slowly.

  “We couldn’t fire it,” she replied. “She said that takes days, and we are not staying for days. Prodótar will be back tomorrow, and you leave the day after.”

  “I’ll tell the princesses that quietly, later,” I said. I switched to Altearan. “Tiera, we came with extra people. They wanted to meet you. I do not know if there is something they can paint?”


  “I always have a few things I’ve made for people who wish simply to paint them,” she said.

  “You and Alta made a vase together,” said the Goddess.

  “Yes.”

  “I wish you to invite Princess Juleena to help you paint it. And I ask permission to guide your hands.”

  I smiled. “Alta, the Goddess suggests Juleena help us with ours, and she wants to help us as well.”

  “Oh, that would be fabulous,” Alta said. “Juleena, would you like to help Yalla and me with our vase?”

  “I would.”

  Tiera had everything set up. She spent a few minutes helping Vérundia and Hastía select one more vase, and Hálameenisha another. Then she talked about how to paint our vases, a short lecture that didn’t take long.

  But she cautioned, “The paints are expensive. Please paint only the clay and not each other.” She waved her finger back and forth between all of us.

  Four of us sat at a small table, although everyone else would only have seen three. We looked at our vase. I was surprised. It had turned white. I thought it would be grey, like the original clay.

  “It’s a good shape,” said Juleena. “I like it.”

  “Thank you,” Alta and I replied.

  “Yalla, if we like it when it’s done, do you think we can add it to one of the shelves in the temple?”

  The Goddess liked that immensely and said, “That is why I am helping. I wish a design that is of the four of us.”

  “Juleena,” I said. “Do you have ideas?”

  “It’s your vase,” she said. “Whatever the two of you like.”

  I shook my head and repeated what The Goddess had said. “And so it must be a shared design,” I finished. “So what would you like to see, Juleena?”

  She gave it thought. “All right. When I look at this vase in the future, I want to be reminded of the people who made it.”

  “And our mutual connections,” Alta added.

  “All of us together,” I said, and then translated everything for the Goddess.

  “And of the Goddess,” Juleena said. “There are four of us here, not three. How is she going to help?”

  “It is easy for me to guide your hand, Yalla,” said the Goddess. “Through your hand, I can guide Alta, if she allows me to. Juleena will be more difficult, but if she opens herself, I can do it. I will not guide every stroke, only a few here and there, but by each of your hands, a touch of myself.”

  Juleena nodded. “I’ll try,” she said. “But maybe we should practice, maybe with dry brushes, or only water. We must think of a theme.”

  “Could we pick one of her words?” Alta said.

  “What if,” Juleena said slowly, “I paint what I think about when I think about each of you. And you two each do the same. The Goddess can then help here and there as she wants, and add touches to represent herself.”

  “Almost,” said the Goddess to me. “Work on that idea.”

  But Alta shook her head. “That will be too busy. You will draw Yalla, and I will draw her. There will be two Yallas. And you know Yalla far better than you know me, so what could you draw for me? What if you and I think about Yalla. Yalla and I think about you. You and Yalla think about me. And we all together think about the Goddess?”

  I turned to look at the Goddess, who was smiling. Then all of us looked at Juleena.

  “I like that,” she said. She turned to Alta. “The first thing anyone sees in Yalla are her horses.”

  “Yes,” Alta agreed. “But she is so much more than that. She is... Life.”

  “I agree,” Juleena said.

  “I see life in both of you. And in Alta, Joy. In Juleena, it is Trust.”

  “I like that,” Alta said.

  “Yalla,” said the Goddess, “I wish the three of you to draw of each other, and then I will guide you to bring in my words.”

  So I repeated that, and I asked, “Do we want to also include those three words on the vase, maybe here, on the inside of the lip, in her language?”

  “You know,” said Juleena. “I think I’d like that.”

  “Then I will guide your hands for that portion as well,” said the Goddess.

  We talked further, and then Juleena said, “Can we practice letting the Goddess guide us?”

  We used a thin, wet brush. I picked it up, and then the Goddess moved behind me. She reached with her hand and set it over mine. “Relax, and let me treat your hand as if it is the brush itself.”

  It was easy. She drew delicate lines of water upon the side of the vase, even dipping the brush as necessary. “Easy,” I said after just a moment or two.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “Alta will be more difficult.”

  I stood and moved behind Alta. She picked up the brush, and I set my hand on hers. The Goddess set her hand on mine. “Tell her to relax. To think of letting you guide her, and to open her heart to me.”

  I did, and then we began to paint.

  This was clumsier, and we spent longer at it. But then the Goddess wrote Joy in her language, and the water glistened before it dried.

  “It worked,” Alta said. “That was beautiful.” She turned to look at me. “I think I felt her hand.”

  “She may have,” the Goddess said. “She is very open to me.”

  We moved to Juleena, who had watched this quietly. The Goddess said, “Tell her this is a dance of our hands. She loves and trusts you, and she has begun to accept my influence in your life, and hers by extension. I will be soft, and delicate.”

  I repeated all that. Juleena smiled nervously. “I have to let you lead. That is difficult for me.”

  “While we work,” said the Goddess, “Whisper in her ear. Distract her.”

  And so I leaned over her, my lips right near her ear. Once she picked up the brush, and we were ready, I began whispering, telling her how much she meant to me. Telling her how much I loved her, and all the reasons why. I paid no attention at all to what we did with our hands. I only thought of things to tell Juleena.

  I could tell when it worked. It didn’t last long, but I felt it. But then Juleena dropped the brush and pulled her hand back.

  “I felt her,” she whispered. “Yalla, I felt her. I know I did.”

  “Maybe if you feel her again, you won’t be so startled,” I said.

  She laughed for a moment. “I’ll try to be less surprised.”

  We painted our vase. It probably wasn’t truly art, but it was what I wanted. I imagine an artist would have spent more time on it, days perhaps. But we had agreed on colors, and we had agreed not to try to be fancy.

  Then the Goddess guided our hands. She simply drew ivy, wrapping all the way around the vase, entwined with the other images we had each painted. She did mine first, then Alta’s, and then Juleena’s. She kept it simple, but it connected in both directions, and I thought it was beautiful.

  We did the inside, as much as we could reach, at the end, just in a simple color. And then the Goddess helped us to draw her words, and we were done.

  I thought it was beautiful.

  * * * *

  “Tiera,” I said. “A moment or three of your time.” We were nearly ready to leave, but it was time to see if she were interested. I drew her to the side, Alta, Juleena, and the Goddess joining us. “You can’t see her, but the Goddess is here as well.” I smiled. “She doesn’t let me move very far from her. She supports what I am about to ask you, but she wants you to know this is your choice, and you should do what your heart and mind say are best for you.”

  Tiera cocked her head and nodded. “Do you have a commission for me?”

  “Not exactly. Have you acquired a patron in the last month?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want one?”

  Her eyes widened, and she nodded slowly.

  “I am making this offer as the Duchess of Havenshade,” I explained. “Not the High Priestess.” I paused. “I have asked Princess Juleena and Princess Lásenalta how this works. I understand there are very many w
ays to do this. I will tell you what I would like. If you do not like this exactly, but you like the basic idea, then we can work out the details. I would like to be your patron, but I want you to come to Marport with us. I will provide a studio and supplies and your basic needs.”

  “High Priestess,” she said in response, then no more words came out.

  “You would become part of my household, but it may be a sort of extended household. I do not know if your home would be in the palace, alongside mine, or over your studio, or in an apartment nearby. You would work on whatever you want, but I will ask you to at least consider the words of the Goddess in some of the wonders you create.” I paused. “I am not sure I am offering to buy large blocks of marble.”

  She laughed. “I don’t like working with stone, anyway. My needs are simple.”

  “I will ask you to produce some pieces for my temple in Marport, and some as gifts. I will not be demanding in this way. You may approach galleries, both here and in Marport, to display some of your works, and the income you make from them is your own.”

  “High Priestess, this is very generous.”

  “I will ask you to learn more about the Goddess, and what she means to all of us. My priestesses can help teach you. Can you read?”

  “Yes. But I speak no Framaran.”

  “Then you will need to learn. I will provide your basic needs, including meals and clothing, but if you wish to live a richer lifestyle than you currently do, that will be from what you sell in the galleries.”

  “High Priestess...” Again she trailed off.

  “Unless you so desire, you will not need to be employed as a waitress or a cleaning woman. If you desire, I will hire someone to clean your studio, or you may wish to do it yourself.” I paused, thinking. “You may hold classes, like you do here, once you speak sufficient Framaran.” I laughed. “And perhaps sooner, because I truly enjoyed this and would like to do it again.”

  She smiled at that. “Yes.”

  “Yes? You’ll come with us?”

  “Yes. How soon do I need to leave?”

  “It is best if you travel with us. We leave in two days. Is that too soon?”

  She paused. “I cannot leave my studio behind looking like this.”

  “Hire the assistance you need,” I said. “If there are works in progress you wish to continue, we can bring them with us, if you can crate them in time. The woman at the gallery where I bought your sculpture may be able to help.”