The Lantern-Lit City

by Vista McDowall

  Though the pain of Sandu's betrayal and likely death flared often within her, each day it grew less and less. Her grief had turned into numb acceptance. Alex could not make her laugh as Sandu had, but she clung to him anyway, often pushing her blanket against his at night. Without Merick's fatherly touches, or Sandu's carefree joy...all she had left were Alex's scholarly comforts.

  "This seems a prosperous region," Cara commented as they rode through yet another peaceful village.

  Alex nodded. "Earl Seastone has spent years making sure all of his rustics are provided for. There are great warehouses of grain for times of famine, but we've been blessed with good rains and warm summers for many years now."

  "Aren't the people afraid of the prowlers?"

  "Of course. But there are patrols of both Realm's Protectors and the earl's hired men constantly making rounds of the region. The people are as safe as they could be. That being said, a plague has spread in the northern hills; not here yet, but it will. And then, tides of refugees fleeing the disease will come to Riverfen's gates."

  "What will happen to them then?"

  "From what I've heard, Earl Seastone has built simple wooden homes outside the city. Each should fit ten to fifteen people, and there will be a hospital for the sick. The city itself is too crowded to let in everyone, and with so many people pressing in together, the plague would spread that much faster."

  Cara nodded. She had heard of Earl Seastone in the past, but never paid him much heed. After all, he wasn't her lord. She asked, "How will we find Renna once we reach Riverfen?"

  Alex hesitated, but after a minute said cheerfully, "We'll try to get you into the Cascade Palace; the earl can help us root out the Hooded Man and find Renna."

  It all sounded so distant and impossible. Why would the earl care about them? She and Alex were nobodies: she was a rustic, barely more than a slave, and he the son of some lowly noble. She doubted they'd even be allowed into the palace, let alone given an audience with the most important people of the land.

  Rather than confessing her doubts to Alex, though, she stayed quiet. If the gods intended her to rescue Renna, then they would find a way for her. They have already taken Merick, Ulton, and Sandu for Renna's sake. Surely they would let us find her.

  In her musings, Cara thought often of the battle in the swamp. Alex hadn't known anything of how she could make time slow, and she almost wished for another opportunity to test the ability. As soon as her leg healed, she was determined to practice using the beast and its strange powers. She knew now that that was the only way to defeat the Hooded Man.

  During an unusually hot afternoon, Alex told her, "We should reach the city in a couple of candles." As the evening clouds rolled over the horizon, tinted with shades of pink and orange, they crested a hill and looked down on Riverfen. A tremendous lake, formed by a dam, lay to their left, and they stood at the top of a series of white stone cliffs. The road wound in a serpentine pattern down the chalky cliff on the other side of the dam. Waning sunlight shone on the ocean beyond the city, while hundreds of thousands of colored lights danced and sparkled in the streets. Stretching between a multitude of rivers were miles and miles of white-washed buildings and blue-stoned roofs.

  Cara stared and stared. She had never imagined such a place to exist, and now she looked upon it. It seemed unreal, a mirage that would shimmer and fade the closer she drew to it.

  Alex led them down the road and to the top of the dam. There, they waited their turn to pass across the architectural wonder. The dam was massive, over two hundred feet tall and a hundred from bank to bank. Its surface was large enough to accommodate two streams of people going each direction, with wagons passing side-by-side four at a time. Cara gaped over the edge, looking down the smooth grey wall to the river far below.

  It took another half candle to descend the white cliffs to the delta. They passed rice paddies and cultivated fields, the road now congested with traffic. Alex clung to the horse's reins, and Cara winced as her leg was jostled again and again by the surging crowd.

  At last they reached the city gates. The wall surrounding that part of the city was only thirty feet tall, the gates thrown open with a small patrol of four guards watching the crowd. As Cara and Alex drew closer, one guard elbowed his companion. The companion looked at them, then rushed away. Cara's hands sweated on the reins. As she and Alex came alongside the guards, a captain with a blue feather in his helmet strode outside. He shouted an order and more guards trotted out. They had not drawn their weapons, but they surrounded Cara's horse in two straight lines. The captain, who bowed to them, took up the lead position and blew a horn. The crowd parted before them.

  "What's going on?" Cara asked. "Are we under arrest?"

  Alex stood on his tiptoes and whispered, "Just play along."

  Despite Cara's fears, the soldiers were not aggressive. They merely walked alongside her and Alex, their armor clinking with each step. The crowd flowed around their small entourage as people threw disgruntled looks at Cara atop her road-weary horse.

  They passed over arched bridges and underneath aqueducts. Small boats thrummed along the waterways as the rowers sang merry tunes. Overhead, the glass and paper lanterns shone brightly, coloring the faces of the people in the streets. Merchants in stalls shouted their wares, and people free from the day's labor drank openly in outdoor courtyards. If Cara could plug her nose against the smell of the sewers and stench of thousands of people, she would believe she had walked into a faerie song.

  The guards escorted them to a wide thoroughfare paved with white stones which led straight to the plateau. It was lined with houses of increasing size and splendor; each home could fit all of Kell's residents within it. The houses had gardens and courtyards circling them, all protected by high walls and stewards at the gates. Some even had personal guards patrolling the ramparts.

  By this time, Cara felt her nerves unravelling. All the people, the smells – freshly baked bread, perfumes, body odor, fish – and the sheer vastness of the city overwhelmed her. She craned her neck to see the top of the plateau and the marble palace gleaming in the last rays of sunlight.

  Nobles and courtiers, most riding or carried in sedans or palanquins, gradually replaced the commoners in the crowd. They too made way for Alex and Cara, most looking at them curiously.

  At last, they reached the marble gates into the palace complex. Cara didn't know what to expect, but as she, Alex, and their entourage approached, the gates opened and guards bowed to them. Suspicion knotted itself in Cara's gut.

  The road now was almost clear save for servants and pages bustling about on their master's business. Cara could no longer smell the rank city below her, and save for the wind and the clanking of the guards' armor and weapons, she heard only the strains of sweet music from somewhere nearby. Night had nearly completely fallen, and the sky overhead was dusky blue painted with streaks of purple and dark orange. Lanterns and torches illuminated the palace nearly as brightly as the day.

  Cara's arse hurt from being in the saddle all day, and she shifted to try and relieve the ache. A flare of pain burst from her calf, and she winced. Alex noticed and took her hand, squeezing it. "It'll all be fine," he said. "Trust me."

  A steward waited for them on the grand staircase. The escorting guards lined the steps to either side, leaving a path clear between the horse and the steward.

  The steward – a small, wiry man dressed in a brocade tunic – bowed and said, "Welcome home, my lord. Your brother is waiting for you in his study, but he expects you to wash and rest from the road." His eyes turned to Cara. "May I have the pleasure of your companion's name so that I may inform the earl?"

  Alex smiled. "It's nice to see you, Master Eigbrett. This is Caralyn Gellder, who fought bravely when the Mott caravan was attacked."

  Eigbrett's brows flew into his hairline. "Attacked, my lord?"

  Nodding, Alex said, "I'll inform my brother as soon as I'm rested. Tell him I'm bringing Cara with me." Leaning in closer, he whis
pered, almost too low for Cara to hear, "Tell him she's sulpari." Straightening, he said louder, "My companion needs a curate's services for her injuries, and the palace tailor to find her fitting clothes. I also would like baths drawn for us; give her the Lilac Room."

  The steward bowed low. "All will be ready for you after you have supped, my lord."

  As Master Eigbrett led Cara and Alex up the steps, he snapped his fingers and gave out Alex's orders. Cara leaned on Alex as they walked, murmuring, "'My lord'?"

  Alex ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry for hiding it from you."

  "Who are you really?"

  "Alexandro Strilu, Lord of the River Valley. My brother is the Earl of Seastone." His tone showed his remorse, but Cara drew back from him. Here she had believed him to be a minor lord, sent to Mott to study since he wouldn't inherit any estates, but instead she had been traveling with one of the most influential men in the land.

  Stammering, Cara tried to find words to express her dismay. None came. Alex laughed a little and said, "Come now, Cara, it's a surprise, but not nearly as large as the one you've brought here. You're something completely different, whereas I'm just the brother of an earl."

  "I suppose..." Cara said weakly.

  Cara was immensely grateful when the steward led them to a private dining room and pulled a chair for her. She occupied herself with the immense spread before her – some were foods she had never seen in her life – and tried not to think back to everything Alex had said, and change the meaning of his words based on her newfound knowledge.

  They were quiet at dinner. Alex looked perfectly at home in these sumptuous surroundings...and why shouldn't he? This was his home. Lord Alexandro Strilu.

  It was quite unbelievable.

  After dinner they went to their rooms. Cara's suite had an entryway, a drawing room, a bedroom, and a washroom, each decorated with rugs, tapestries, chairs, sofas, paintings, silver candlesticks, flowers, and all sorts of expensive things. She was afraid to touch or sit on anything.

  Alex took his leave of her then, promising that he'd return after a bath. As soon as he'd left, the tailor arrived. He swiftly took Cara's measurements before scurrying away. Soon behind him came a curate carrying salves and powder. He inspected Cara's wounded leg, poking and prodding at the inflamed skin as she gritted her teeth.

  "A break in at least one place," he said. "And bruising all around." With vigorous professionalism he rubbed a sweet-smelling ointment from her ankle to her knee. In moments, her leg went mercifully numb. Cara started to thank him, but he then sprinkled a powder and spoke a spell. The numbness helped at first, but then her skin began to itch. Her bone creaked painfully back into place, the skin around it repairing itself. Cara tried not to scream, but the agony grew too much to bear. She whimpered and cried out until, at last, her leg was whole and unmarred once more. Tears pricked her eyes and she took great gulps of air. After a few minutes, the numbness returned, and the curate nodded in satisfaction. "The bone powder helps the spell, which makes you heal the same way you would naturally, but all at once. This, of course, is far more painful."

  "Can...can I walk on it?" Cara asked. She had never been healed by a curate before, and even Madame Freebane's ministrations had little magic in them. Little wonder curates are so expensive.

  The curate said, "Your leg is healed. It may be sore for a few days, but is perfectly usable." Once again, he bowed and left before Cara could properly give him her thanks. Is it this way for every noble? Cara wondered. People coming and going just to take care of you, and not even giving gratitude for it?

  A maid swept in and efficiently disrobed Cara despite her protests, then helped her into a copper tub filled with steaming water. Cara bathed, or was washed, really, since the maid didn't let her do any work at all. The bath didn't last long. After the maid dried her, the tailor returned with a lovely dress that slipped against Cara's skin. Once she had been dressed in proper undergarments (who knew a lady's dress required so many layers?), the tailor slipped the gown over her head and tightened the laces at the front.

  When Cara looked in the mirror, she couldn't quite believe her own reflection. She had never thought that she could be as pretty as Renna, but dressed in a fine gown with newly-washed hair, she thought she looked rather lovely.

  Cara did not have to wait long before Alex returned. He, too, wore fine clothes: a clean white shirt with a long tunic over it, well-tailored wool breeches, and leather boots with brass buttons. The tunic was embroidered with the Strilu crest and bordered with a Gallic pattern. He now looked a proper lord, and Cara felt very small beside him despite her own beautiful clothes. He said, "Druam is waiting for us in his study."

  Earl Seastone's study was even more luxurious than Cara's rooms. The walls were made of blue- and green-veined marble, as was a towering fireplace. Thin silk curtains fluttered in the breeze from an open terrace door, and beyond, Cara could see the multi-hued lanterns of the city glowing in the night. On the third wall was a floor-length bookshelf creaking with gold-embossed tomes. A blue rug covered the floor from door to door. A large desk sat in front of the fireplace, and the earl himself perched in a high-backed chair behind it. He indicated for Cara and Alex to sit in comfortable chairs across from him.

  Cara obeyed, darting glances at the most powerful man she'd ever met. The earl had worry lines written across his brow, his dark hair smoothed back. It was his lips, though, that fascinated Cara. They were carefully controlled, without a betraying twitch, barely moving even when he spoke. Outwardly, his face was a neutral mask, but when Cara briefly met his startling blue eyes, she saw a flicker of some inner emotion.

  Cara gratefully accepted a cup of wine. She sipped the warm liquid and felt it settle in her stomach. When offered to Alex, he shook his head and went to stand behind Cara, gripping the back of her chair.

  Earl Seastone tipped his own cup, drinking the entirety of its contents before placing it back on the tray. Dabbing at his lips with an oft-stained handkerchief, he asked, "Is it true, then, Maid Gellder?"

  Cara's cup shook in her hand. She quickly swallowed a gulp, suddenly afraid. What was she to say? Luckily, Alex spoke for her, "It is."

  The earl contemplated Cara curiously. She could almost feel the weight of his gaze pass over her; it made her feel naked. His posture changed almost imperceptibly: what had been tired relaxation became intent and commanding. Cara gripped her cup with both hands to keep them from shaking.

  Some unspoken agreement passed between Alex and the earl. Alex took a seat while the earl rubbed his temples. Cara shivered at a breeze from the window, and the flames in the candelabras flickered. She tried to ignore the itching in her leg. The smell of candle wax irritated her nose, and she sniffed as quietly as she could. Resisting the urge to begin braiding her hair, she instead played with her fingers in her lap.

  The men had not spoken again. Cara shifted in her seat, then noticed that both men avoided the other's gaze, their fingers twitching rapidly on the table. Are they communicating through gestures? Cara wondered, watching the complicated movements. Whatever they meant, Alex stood again and began pacing behind her.

  The silence stretched on. Earl Seastone stared levelly at Cara. She squirmed and took a deep breath. Before she could speak, he said, "If what Xandro says is true, then you are a person of high interest to the court. With the growing threat of the prowlers, the king and other earls have convened often to discuss what we can and should do. You are an anomaly, and therefore, to many, you will be seen as a threat. But I believe that we can help each other."

  "I don't know how," Cara said, her voice squeaking. She swallowed and said, "I haven't mastered the beast yet."

  "There are those who could help you: court wizards, scholars, and the like. Much knowledge is already to be found, if one knows where to look for it. The loss of Xandro's years of research is a crushing blow, but not an irreversible one."

  Cara felt more than a little foolish. She had no place in this palace sitting
before this powerful man. "I just want to find Renna," she blurted. "I'm not a great hero or someone who can defeat the prowlers. I'm a servant girl hired to guard her mistress, and I failed at that."

  Earl Seastone's eyes bored into her. "Some men are pawns, and some emperors, but oftentimes we do not know which we truly are. Your destiny, Maid Gellder, is not written plainly."

  Cara had no idea what to say to that. She glanced up at Alex, but he still paced and stared at the floor with a faint frown. Licking her lips, Cara chose not to respond at all. This didn't seem to unduly bother the earl. He stood, stretched his arms, and walked to the open windows. Hands behind his back, he stared out into the night.

  Softly, the earl said, "I fear that this peace of a hundred years has come to an end. We are on the brink of war, and the prowlers are but one of our enemies. The nobility hide behind their parties and their politics, ignoring the growing threats within our kingdom. Threats from the prowlers, from traitorous nobles, from this 'Hooded Man.' Who knows the harm that will come to Dotschar: the men killed, the women raped, the children captured and enslaved, our libraries and statues destroyed. War does not just end our lives: it invades the hearts and souls of our people." He reached out and closed each window, shutting out the sea winds, then turned back to Cara with a somber expression. "I hope that we may be allies in the coming war. You may think yourself a mere servant girl, but the gods have granted you gifts not seen for hundreds of years. If you hide yourself away and ignore all around you, you may win a peaceful life. But, somehow, I doubt that you can evade your fate for long."

  Cara looked at the floor and said, "I wouldn't even know where to begin. Everything has changed so quickly; I'm barely holding on."

  "Such is the way of life." Regaining his seat, Earl Seastone continued, "While you are here, you will be a lady of the palace. My personal guest. I would advise you to keep your gift secret. I will do all I can to help you find your mistress, though this Hooded Man is unfamiliar to me. Perhaps others here have fallen victim to his attacks."