When they reached the low wall that prevented anyone from getting too close to the lake, Sheela squeezed him tight. “I don’t like it at all,” she told him quickly. Frath began to realize that she was a great deal more sensitive than he was and he regretted bringing her to the park.
Wisps of white vapor drifted from the glassy surface of the perfectly still lake. It was large, at least a mile across and two miles to either side. He could barely make out the wall on the other side that protected against anyone using a looking glass to see the City Center. The edge of the water was about a thousand feet away from the wall where they stood and its shore consisted of shiny black rocks. Frath had been told that the lake was ice cold, yet the snowflakes that were coming down heavier again didn’t come anywhere near it, evaporating in the air above.
“Something is wrong here . . . everything is wrong here, Frath. Can we leave? Please?” Sheela pleaded timidly. He pulled her in tight and led her away from the lake, heading in a southwardly direction. Looking back at the shadowy waters, he shivered just a little.
Frath didn’t take her the way they had come, although he considered taking her back to the inn and just sitting in the garden with her for the rest of the day. “Sheela . . . maybe we shouldn’t go on. Coming here was a bad idea and . . .”
She cut him off again. “No. Coming here was a wonderful idea. I’ve wanted to see the lake and I’m glad you’re here to hold me.” She gazed at him earnestly as they walked. “I can handle anything when your arm is around me. I want to do everything you had planned no matter how dangerous or . . . weird,” she finished with a laugh, which Frath echoed.
They entered the Tower District heading south. Along the way, they saw two more of the Deformed, but each was at a distance. Sheela buried her face into Frath’s side each time as he guided her away from them. Before too long, they left the district and entered another with grand estates and well-dressed people.
“This is the Merchant District, which is southwest of the Noble District,” Frath told her. “Many officials of the treasury live here, a number of wizards and others, but mostly it’s filled with the richest and most powerful merchants in Dralin. You’ll discover a lot of people frowning at us.” He pointed at a gaggle of opulently dressed women who looked at them disapprovingly. They had three bodyguards who quietly acknowledged Frath with nods. “It’s the rule that people here have to look down on anyone who has less money than them,” he said sarcastically as they moved to the street to walk around the judgmental women.
Sheela looked up at him, not knowing if she should laugh. He shook his head and sighed. “It gets a little frustrating to be looked down upon. The City Guard spends a great deal of time and effort keeping their houses safe.”
“Aren’t there a lot of merchants in the Noble District too?” Sheela asked.
Frath nodded. “Yeah. At one point, Altordan had a king and nobles and the capital was in a different city. One of the kings decided that the Conclave of Wizards in Dralin had become too powerful, so he sent the military to destroy them. That king and anyone loyal to him died quickly.” Frath moved her back onto the sidewalk out of the way of a carriage. “The Conclave of Wizards took over the military and created the High Council to run the city and the Grand Assembly to run the kingdom. The nobles were allowed to continue owning land and hold power over that land, but only if they were loyal to the Assembly. Now it’s just not all that popular or impressive to be a noble in Altordan, so merchants and wizards have taken over much of the Noble District.”
“You said the High Council runs the city and the Grand Assembly runs the kingdom. I was under the impression that the High Council was more powerful than the Grand Assembly,” Sheela said in confusion.
“It is,” Frath confirmed. He ran his hand up and down her back before resting it on her shoulder again. He realized she had only worn a dress without a jacket or cloak and was a bit chilled. “Do you have anything warm to cover yourself with?”
She shook her head and smiled reassuringly. “No, but it’s alright. I’m used to cold winters and this dress is warm.”
“Hmm . . .” Frath frowned. “We’ll have to take care of that.” Sheela’s cheeks flushed and she looked down in shame, making him feel guilty. The day wasn’t going anything like he had planned. He wanted very much for her to be happy. “Dralin is more important and more powerful than the rest of Altordan,” Frath told her, going back to the original subject in the hopes of settling her mind.
It worked. The redness left her cheeks and she perked back up in interest. “How interesting. I love the way you tell me about everything. Thank you.” Her eyes shined with delight.
“Definitely! I’m having fun talking about it,” Frath replied happily. “Most people don’t care anything about the city, but in the Guard we have to learn a lot of history and details. It helps us do our jobs better.”
“I think you do your job wonderfully,” Sheela gushed.
“Well . . . thank you. I work hard,” Frath acknowledged, knowing she was complimenting him because she liked him.
“Did I say something wrong?” she asked, sensing she had.
“I just . . .” He stopped and took a deep breath. “I don’t always think I do a good job. There are too many people who suffer. I was able to get you a safe place to live and work, but so many girls and young men have passed by and come to terrible fates.” A tight feeling wrenched his gut.
“Frath, what’s wrong?”
He shook his head, but she gripped his arm tightly and put a hand on his cheek. Frath closed his eyes. “Last week a young woman came through wearing a bright yellow dress. She was with her parents, rustic farmers, and smiling brightly at the sights of the city.” He paused for a moment to battle the tightness in his throat. “This week I was moved to patrol in a part of the city I will never take you to,” he told her fiercely. “We found her broken body in an alley, dead and . . .”
Frath stared upward at the flakes falling from the sky, trying to lose himself in the grey of the clouds. Sheela slid her hand to the side of his neck, wrapped the other around him and pressed herself tightly to him. She said nothing, only lending the strength of her slight body to him.
Holding onto Sheela was the best feeling in the world, but at the same time, terror clenched his heart when he thought something like that could happen to her. Very few guardsmen had relationships in Dralin for very good reason. It was impossible to keep a clear head when everyone you cared about was always in danger. A part of him wished he had never met Sheela so he wouldn’t have to care, but he needed her now and had already fallen in love. That knowledge terrified him.
“Her parents were found dead last night, murdered for their few belongings and stuffed in a barrel in some warehouse. They had been killed not long after coming into town.” Frath clenched his teeth. “It hurts so much to know what happened to that young woman and to think the same could have happened to . . .” He just couldn’t say it out loud.
Sheela squeezed him with all her might. He held her tightly in return and buried his face in her hair. The young woman’s death had bothered him more than he had admitted to his unit. There were people he could talk to about things that bothered him, but he couldn’t bring himself to go to them. Being a City Guardsman in Dralin was hard physically, emotionally and spiritually. Every member was encouraged to visit priests or councilors whose job it was to talk to or just to listen to members of the Guard.
“I keep imagining if that had been you and it’s killing me inside, Sheela.” She didn’t answer with words for which he was thankful. The fact that she was there, safe with him for the moment had to be enough. Frath ran his hands up and down her back, wishing they could stay like that forever.
“Are you two going to stand there all day or you going to get a room?” a woman’s voice asked merrily from behind them. They jumped in surprise, having forgotten there was a world around them. The sights, sounds and smells of the city came rushing back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to st
artle you, but you were blocking traffic.” The voice came from the other side of a waist-high wall they were next to. A female house guard wearing a red tabard over chain mail leaned on the wall. A smirk cracked her face, showing a gold tooth that replaced a missing one. There were a couple of small scars on her cheeks and Frath could tell from her easy manner that she would be tough in a fight, not as good as him, but not to be trifled with either.
“No problem,” Frath responded in embarrassment. City Guards were supposed to be tough, not lovey-dovey. With a wave, he led Sheela away, ignoring the kissing sounds the woman made at their backs. He could see Sheela blushing bright red.
Chapter 4
They didn’t say anything until reaching a large estate with a high, wrought-iron fence a few minutes later. Tall, dense bushes grew along the inside, preventing anyone from seeing past. They walked up to the gate and Frath pushed a glowing purple button alongside it. There were two large evergreen trees to either side of the gate. A squirrel scurried to the end of a branch near the button and asked in a high-pitched voice, “Yeah, watcha want?”
Sheela gasped in alarm and hid behind Frath, peeking around from his side. “Frath Jornin and company to see Lady Pallon.” The fact that a squirrel was talking didn’t seem to bother him at all.
“Oh yeah, the lady is expecting you,” it replied. The squirrel chattered at the gate, which opened in response.
“Thank you,” Frath replied politely. Sheela looked in awe back and forth at the squirrel and the gate as they walked through.
The yard wasn’t as well cared for as others, though it wasn’t a complete mess. A large, murky pond with lilies and cattails was to the right. Sheela got the distinct impression it was grumpy about the snow that was falling. Long weeping willows bordered it and grew in other areas of the yard. Sheela had the sudden urge to explore.
The grass was knee high and turning brown in the fall air, some of it poking through the stone pavers that made up the main walkway to the large manor. The building was three levels tall and extended two hundred feet in either direction. Scattered around in small garden areas were numerous rosebushes, their buds closed in the cold air. Ivy climbed the front of the building and the stone columns that held up a long balcony extending the length of the building.
“It’s spooky and exciting all at the same time,” Sheela said, looking at it in awe. They walked up the wide steps to a large wooden door carved with intricate designs of roses inlayed with red and green resins.
“Lady Pallon is a friend of mine I visit whenever I’m able. I told her about you and she insisted I bring you by,” Frath explained as he lifted the large rose-faced knocker and banged it down a few times, creating a booming sound within.
The door opened with a loud creak that shuddered through the air. An elderly woman appeared in the doorway wearing a light blue dress with excessive ruffles and white lace. Wrinkles created by decades of smiling lined her face. She stood tall and straight despite her age. Dark pink eyes, common in Dralin and much of the world, held vast intelligence and wisdom. She looked into a person rather than at them. Sheela ducked behind Frath, staring from around his arm in awe at the charismatic woman.
“Frath, how wonderful of you to visit,” Lady Pallon said in a strong, clear voice that sounded like a spoon ringing against crystal. “I see you brought your friend, Sheela isn’t it? Well come here child and show me a proper curtsy.”
Purla had taught Sheela how to curtsy because so many nobles visited the inn. She came out from behind Frath and did her absolute best.
“Well, that’s very nice. You need to hold your elbows out a bit more, but it’ll do. Come in, come in, have some lunch and tell me all about yourself.” She held the door open and gracefully gestured for them to enter. Frath put his arm out for Sheela and they walked through.
“Come into the parlor. Lunch is being made as we speak,” she informed them while walking gracefully ahead. Sheela stared at the entry in awe. The floor was russet-brown and beige marble. Balconies overlooked the entry from each wing, and a grand staircase split halfway up, going to both sides.
Lady Pallon led them through the second door on the right, which turned out to be the parlor. Paintings lined the walls of the sophisticated room with its expensive furniture and decorations. A small fire flickered in the fireplace, making the room warm and cozy. While the obvious wealth and affluence of the lady and her estate were intimidating, there was a manner about her that made Frath feel comfortable and he could sense Sheela relaxing as well.
“Here we are. Sit, sit by the fire and get warm,” she said gesturing toward a long couch with thick green cushions. “Where is your cloak, child?” Lady Pallon asked Sheela with a disapproving frown.
“I haven’t got one yet, Milady,” Sheela replied, taking the seat tentatively as though afraid she would get in trouble for sitting in the presence of nobility. Frath sat next to her.
Instead of replying to Sheela, Lady Pallon chastised Frath. “And you didn’t see fit to provide her with one?” His only reaction was to blush in shame. The lady clucked in disapproval. “We shall just have to remedy that.” She walked out of the room, all the while shaking her head and mumbling under her breath about foolish youngsters.
“Are we in trouble?” Sheela asked worriedly, holding onto him.
Frath took his sword off and set it on a nearby table so that he could sit back. “No, not at all. Lady Pallon is a wonderful woman and wants us to be safe and warm, that’s all.” As he put his arm around her shoulders again, she leaned into him and rested both hands on his thigh. The touch sent a thrill through him. He slid the hand on her shoulders down her side to her hip, ready to move it if she protested at all. Her only response was to lean harder against him and run one of her hands slowly up and down his thigh.
Neither of them said a word while they sat there concentrating on each other’s touch. “It’s nice to see young people in love,” Lady Fallon said, startling them. “No, no. Don’t let me stop you from being close,” she insisted when they separated a little. “You get as close as you like. I have your cloak my dear.” She set a folded, dark-green cloak on the arm of the couch next to Sheela who reached over and ran a hand along the smooth fabric.
“Milady, it’s too fine,” Sheela protested.
“Nonsense, it’s an old thing that was my daughter’s and hasn’t been used in years.” Lady Pallon waved off the protest casually as she sat on an elegant, cushioned chair across from them. “You’ll take it, wear it and I’ll hear no more chirping about it otherwise.” The tone was matter-of-fact and Sheela didn’t even try to argue.
“How is your daughter, Milady?” Frath asked gently, knowing it was a sensitive subject.
She clasped her hands in her lap and sighed in frustration. “That girl . . .” Lady Pallon shook her head. Combs held her white hair tight, keeping it from moving with the motion. “Melody is such a mess right now. I swear I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.” Tears welled up in her eyes and one trickled down a cheek. She turned her head to the side, trying to hold them in.
Frath leaned forward in concern. “What’s happened now? Is there anything I can do?”
“No, there’s nothing any of us can do. She won’t see me anymore. Now she’s gone and gotten pregnant, but doesn’t know who the father is.” The dignified lady wiped her eyes carefully with a handkerchief she pulled out of a little purse in her lap. “She’s still doing those drugs though and I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself and the baby.”
“I can talk to her,” Frath offered earnestly. He wanted very much to help, though he knew there was most likely nothing he could do.
“I’m sorry, Frath, but she wouldn’t give you the time of day. With you being in the City Guard, things could go very badly for you and her and I just . . .” She turned to look toward the fire again to hide more tears that threatened. Frath reached over and held her hand.
“Lunch is ready, Milady,” a red-haired woman in a servant’s dress a
nd apron said from just inside the entrance.
“Thank you, Mary” Lady Pallon replied. She patted Frath’s hand in thanks and they all rose to follow the servant into a dining room. Frath grabbed his sword and efficiently reattached it on the way.
The savory aroma reached them even before they entered. Marvelous dishes of food waited for their pleasure at one end of a large table. Lady Pallon sat at the head while Frath took Sheela to a seat on the left side. Upon seeing that Frath’s place setting was on the opposite side, the lady winked at the servant. “Mary, our guests would like to sit together. They are in love after all.”
Mary smiled in quick understanding. “Oh yes, Milady. I’ll correct that right away.” She hurriedly moved the place setting so the blushing couple could be next to each other.
“Have you told your darling how you saved me, Frath?” Lady Pallon asked while Mary filled their glasses with wine. Sheela looked at hers nervously.
Frath blushed and shook his head slowly. “It’s really not that big a deal.” He didn’t like talking about actions that others considered heroic. They were things he felt needed to be done, so he did them. There was no pleasure in boasting while so many people in the city suffered.
“Of course it is. You saved my life in an amazing act of bravery for one so young as you were at that time,” she insisted, dismissing his modesty with a wave of her hand. She turned to Sheela who was tentatively sipping the wine. “He was only fourteen at the time and was in a City Guard program that helps criminal youth. Melody and I were foolishly walking without an escort after dark near the Orphan District where Frath lived. He wasn’t supposed to be out alone, especially not at night.” Frath had filled his plate with food and was focusing on it so he wouldn’t have to look Sheela in the eye.
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