by Amy Morris
“That’d be a lot of dishes Bess, I heard nothing shatter so I assume its fine,” a male voice responds with. Shatter is an understatement of what that just felt like, I want to yell but hold my tongue.
“Nothing in that crate better break, or I’m holding you accountable, you hear me,” she responds.
“I’m sure it’s fine, Bess. What’s in it, anyway? It’s a large box if you don’t mind me saying,” the man questions.
“New furniture for my boudoir young man. Now if you’re done causing trouble at my doorstep, you can be on your way now.” If nothing else, this woman has enough gumption to intimidate even me safe in a box.
And with that, we hear the cart rumble away before hearing a knock on the wood near my head. “Ye alright in there?”
“All in one piece for now. Any chance you can crack this sucker open now and let us out?” Angel asks just above a whisper.
“Sorry love can’t yet. Need to wait until dark. I’m needed inside for now, so I hope you all can survive until then?” she questions.
“We’ll be alright a little while longer, Bess,” he reassures her.
“Alright pet, just hold tight. I’ll get ye out once I can,” she answers a minute before we hear a door slam to our backs.
“Great, a few more hours in this damned box. Sure, we’ll be fine,” Talia gripes.
“Shhh,” Goss whispers, “We have no clue who might be around us right now. We’ve made it this far, so might as well rest until she lets us out.”
She has a point and none of us challenge her. Might as well get comfortable for the next few hours until our release I surmise and close my eyes for a nap.
It jolts all four of us awake when the sound of splintering wood and hushed arguing starts from outside. “Bess, don’t worry, it’s late. This is as quiet as I can get this damned thing open. Just trust me,” a male voice says.
“You know I trust you, Rabble. But this here is precious cargo. They have charged me with protecting them during their time in Coasin.” Bess whispers.
“Trust me, Bess. I already heard plenty about this cargo,” he grunts as more wood separates.
“You heard something at the palace, didn’t you?” Bess asks just above a whisper. The four of us look at what we can see of each other and shrug. Why would she call us precious cargo? Why would the palace care? How much do these people know?
“Oh yeah, the king is up in arms about smuggling, but I have a feeling it’s because of his friendship with the northern kingdom. Why King Alex would care about the ongoings in Coasin is beyond me, but I overhead enough during my time near the great hall today.” With one more load grunt and a groan of wood, the wall closest to me disappears. I see what I can only assume is Bess and the aforementioned Rabble. “Well, I’ll be,” he whistles as we walk into the light from the lantern Bess is holding. “No one mentioned the beauty being transported in this crate.”
The young man is probably Angel’s age or just a hair older, his olive skin is accentuated by his dusty brown mop covering his head that reaches just below his ears. But it’s the eyes that draw me in, dark emeralds that almost glow at me. I pull myself out of my lustful thoughts just in time to catch him still staring my direction.
“I’m Abby,” extending my hand. Instead of shaking it, he delicately clasps it, giving me a gentle kiss on my knuckles.
“Welcome to Coasin, they have assigned me to be your guide during your time here. This is Bess and because of her part you have a quiet place to sleep and eat.” He leaves me to introduce himself to the rest of the group, I’m a little jealous when he kisses Goss and Talia’s hands in the same way of welcome. Angel looks to be on high alert, and from what I can tell, his handshake was firmer than required with Rabble.
“Now come inside dearies,” Bess motions as she heads through a small garden to her tavern. “We can speak more freely in my apartment, so I’m sorry for the rush. I also apologize for the extra time to release you. If they hadn’t dumped the crate on its side, you could have easily used the door. Instead, I had to recruit Rabble to pry it open. But oh well, its finished now.” The graying hair under her cap contrasts with her light olive skin, if I had to guess she was nearing sixty in age. Her face is kind, easy enough for me to trust, which I hope we don’t end up regretting.
We file through the back door into the kitchen where we immediately head through another door to her private quarters. The loud sounds of the tavern echo in the kitchen, but not in this room, which will make it easier to speak without yelling.
The first thing I notice once I settle at a small dining table in her apartment is the contrast in clothing between Bess and Rabble. She wears a sensible gray dress with an apron of standard material, whereas Rabbles clothing is much finer. His ivory linen shirt is not standard for a tavern or store helper, the quality is too fine. The light brown leather pants are another sign that he either comes from money or has a position at the palace. From his earlier comments about the palace, I surmise it must be the latter.
“The palace seems to be aware of your presence here. I truly don’t know how. Someone must have tipped the guard off about your arrival. They’ve been in an upheaval for the past few days so they didn’t receive exact information at least.” Rabble continues to stare my direction, “The king probably has a price on your head so the sooner you depart the better.”
“Two questions, and thank you Bess,” I add as she sets down mugs before each of us. “First, do you work at the palace? Second, why would the king care about our presence?”
Rabble laughs, “Only two questions, Abby?”
“There’s no reason to tease her. I think the four of us all deserve answers,” Angel has a glare in his eyes. Not knowing yet what’s going on with Angel, I try to focus my energy into seeing inside his mind. For now, nothing comes back to me, so I leave it be.
Bess leaves the room to check on her business before Rabble gives us an explanation. The two of them converse in the kitchen before he reappears with hopefully the answers we want.
Sitting back down on the bench, Rabble sighs loudly before speaking as if he isn’t happy about what he’s about to say. “Yes, I work in the palace. As for why the king cares, I would think you already know. But since you don’t seem to, I’ll explain then.”
“We don’t know, hence why we’re on edge. Until recently Abby was just a store clerk, Goss a pretty girl about to marry, Angel and I were training to be royal guards. So yeah, there’s some catching up that needs to be done,” Talia assaults Rabble with.
“I still don’t understand the mystery here,” Goss try’s smoothing things over. “We’ve done nothing wrong. Things are slowly revealed to us, I know we’d all be grateful to see the bigger picture if you could help us Rabble.”
“Alright, I’ll speak plainly and tell you what I know to help get you all up to speed. Abby, you are the heir to both kingdoms. Your magic, whatever that might be, can restore the amulet with the Stones of Fraine. You three are her protectors,” he pronounces while sweeping his hand across the table. “According to the prophecy I heard there should be closer to eight, but you never know. Three is better than none I know that for sure. Once you restore the amulet power will return to Fraine along with many mystical creatures. That about sums it up, any further questions?”
“Why do the kingdom’s here care?” And I wonder if Talia can read minds as well with the question she just put to him.
“That is the simple question to answer. Power. Hence why the King of Groves could get the King of Fraye to help.” I still stare at him as though I don’t get it, even though I do. “It really is simple. Magic in Fraine is bad for this land due to the fact that everyone is threatened by it. Think about it, how easily could the magical folk take over this land and kingdoms with, let’s say a couple dragons.”
The realization sinks in, “I wouldn’t want to do that. If we have our own land and kingdom, why bother doing that?” I ask.
“Power,” Angel rolls his eyes. “Som
eone in every circle always wants more, no matter if they’re magical or not.”
I realize he’s right as Rabble nods to agree with what Angel has said. “That’s not my goal, hells I don’t even think the prophecy even mentions who rules from what I’ve heard, so to me it’s a moot point. We have ours and they have theirs.”
“Spoken like a true queen,” Rabble has a small smile on his face. “But for now we need to work on getting you all to Mystic if my information is correct. You have more work to do. I assume to fulfill the prophecy, correct?”
“We need to collect more stones before we come close to completing the prophecy.” I’m thankful Goss is being guarded with our current status.
“Alright then, I must leave so I’m not missed. I will come meet with you by midmorning to go over what all we need to secure for your journey north.” Rabble starts for the door and I rest my hand on his upper arm to stop him.
“I just wanted to say thank you for your help.”
“It’s my pleasure, princess,” he says with a flourish as he exits.
“I don’t like him,” I hear from Angel as I return to the table. “How do we know we can trust him? No one mentioned people trying to stop us.”
“Oh Angel, don’t act jealous. Honestly, we don’t really have much of a choice but to trust him and you know it,” Talia nudges him with her elbow.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Angel grunts as he flops onto a pallet already made on the floor.
Goss takes the pallet to the far side away from Angel and whispers to me, “Do you think we can trust him?”
“I don’t think we have much choice,” sliding into the spot next to her.
Talia takes the last spot between Angel and me, yawning. “We don’t, but who’s to say good old Bess doesn’t turn us over to the night watch before dawn.” Goss and I stare at her, she’s right. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of that earlier. “Calm down, I can see the look in both your faces, I’m sure we’re safe here with her.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask.
“Didn’t you see the tattoo on her wrist when her dress rode up? Really, the both of you need to learn to be more observant. The tattoo matches the description Queen Alicia gave us of the Crest stone markings. So I assume if we’re safe anywhere it’s here with her, now go to sleep both of you.” Talia snorts as she rolls away from us.
12
Before lunch there’s a sharp knock at the door. Without a response, the door opens revealing Rabble dressed similarly from last night. “You all ready to go?” he asks.
“Finally, a chance to stretch my legs,” Talia walks to the doorway with Goss in tow.
Angel and I follow them silently through the kitchen and back out the rear exit. “Where do you think we’re going?” I ask Angel.
“We’re headed to the main market for supplies,” Rabble responds as if he was part of our conversation.
“What type of supplies besides food and horses, what do we need exactly for this little expedition?” Angel asks.
“There’s some climbing needed to reach Verona’s cave above the river, so you need supplies for that. Other than that, this gives you a chance to stretch your legs before you’re back on a horse, big guy.”
“We appreciate the gesture, I’m glad to get out after being in that crate for a few days,” I insist before Angel can argue with him.
I notice the mix of building styles as we navigate the streets and alleys, it’s still a lot of stone structures but it’s a duller gray than the gleaming white of Shete. No beggars are in the alleyways and everyone we pass is clothed in finer materials than I’m used to for peasants in Madera. “The cloth in Coasin is finer than other kingdoms, so you will notice everyone is garbed in richer clothes than you may be used to.” Again he seems to know what I’m thinking, I reach out to see into his mind when he interjects into mine. “You’ll have to try harder with most of us. We can sense when someone tries to intrude and can stop those without enough power or experience.” So my suspicion is correct, he has magic, explains a few things already mentioned on this walk.
I don’t even try to read his mind again and do what I can to keep mine blank as we continue our journey through the city. A blush reddens my checks when I realize he knew what I was thinking when I saw him for the first time last night. In response, he turns and winks at me with a smile on his lips. Definitely need to work on keeping my mind blank, I remind myself.
The first store we stop at is a weaponry outlet with everything you can think of to take into battle. The burly store owner is familiar with Rabble and leaves us to browse without interference.
Goss gushes over a wood and metal bow but doesn’t want to part with the one Kermit gave her. After much debate, she adds this new one to her arsenal along with a large quiver of mixed arrows. Talia falls in love with an assortment of knives in various sizes, which we also purchase. I have no desire to pick anything since my skills with any are not that great, except with the knives my mother gave me. So I graciously decline the offer from the store owner of a demonstration of any weapon. The swords are not to Angel’s liking, so he as well goes without a purchase.
After some quick haggling and an exchange of money, Rabble arranges for the item delivery to Bess’ establishment before nightfall.
We move on to a clothing store, I can’t figure out why until they show us into the backroom. Walls are lined with an assortment of climbing gear. This worries me since I wasn’t sure what he meant by climbing. With the gear he selects it would seem it’s a mountain and not a hill as I had envisioned.
Rabble selects four harnesses and a litany of rope before turning to Goss and I. “Now pants for the ladies,” he states.
“Ooh, I’ve always wanted to wear pants but my parents wouldn’t let me, which way?” she asks taking off towards the front of the store.
Rabble follows her but turns to me at the door, “And I know the perfect pair for you.” Part of me is excited, the other paralyzed by how this stranger makes me feel. There’s an odd tether between us, it keeps pulling me to him. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Clothes are purchased with arrangements made for delivery to the tavern. Goss ends up with dark brown canvas trousers after much debate between herself and the mirror, while I end up with what Rabble mentioned. The black leather pants I try on are as soft as butter, I have to admit that I look pretty menacing in them with a dark gray linen shirt to make the look complete. I almost look as fierce as Talia now, I tease. She makes no negative comment when she sees the ensemble, just smiles. I end up with a robin’s egg blue shirt as well, to add more character to my outfit per Goss.
Climbing clothes and gear now purchased, we stop at an inn to eat lunch before continuing. The food at the inn is a thick beef stew served in bread bowls, I forget when the last time I had such a good meal was until remembering eating with my mother just a few days past. My heart glows within me with warmth at the sentiment as I remember the delicacies we tasted. I quickly draw my attention to the warm smile on Rabble’s face pointed in my direction. Hells I need to remember he can see inside my mind I remind myself.
From across the table he gives my left hand a light squeeze, “There’s nothing wrong with being sentimental.” I feel a smile tug at my lips at that and happily devour what’s left of my stew and bread.
After a supply store stop for packs, canteens and other various storage devices, our last stop is the food market. Gods, the smell of lamb roasting on a spit seems divine to me, but we are hunting for preserved meats. Which isn’t a favorite of mine, I remind the group.
“Not much choice, princess,” Talia chimes in with after I groan about dried beef. I know she’s right, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
A multitude of salted fish, dried meat, beans and rice purchased without my input. Which is probably for the best if I’m being honest with myself. Everything else we purchased is being sent to Bess’ but not the food I realize as each of us now has a large bag
of food slung across our chests. The food market is the farthest from where we are staying, so we take a shorter route back rather than retrace our steps through the entire market area that is now closing.
The direct route back to the tavern takes us through streets with upscale homes that I can’t help but marvel at. These multilevel stone homes make me wonder what the city of Shyne must look like on Fraine. Rabble walking with Goss ahead of us shoots me a concerned look to tell me he knows what I’m thinking. A break in the buildings leads to the glorious site of Coasin’s palace. White stone used to build it must have been imported I surmise. The sun has yet to set, but the castle reflects the light from the sunset. My current view of it takes my breath away.
“Oh my, look at the castle,” Goss gasps, pointing the same direction I’m staring.
“Built over seven hundred years ago when the capital of Fraye moved to Coasin. They brought in the sandstone from Paireen and polished it to reflect the sun and moon.” Rabble offers. “But don’t let the purity of its exterior fool you, inside it houses vipers ready to strike any that cross their path.” He walks ahead alone while the four of us stand and gawk at the palace longer, it’s at least twice the size of Madera Keep we decide.
“Did they hurt you?” I ask, catching up to Rabble. “Were you a prisoner they turned into a servant?”
“The latter of what you asked is close to true, but that’s all I can say.”
In the back of my mind I envision his family as rivals to the throne somehow, he gallantly gives himself into servitude to save them. It works in my mind and since he doesn’t seem to want to offer the full story. I revel in how brave he is now helping us against the crown.
