Everyone was sitting or standing around the bunks while they waited. Pelya hid her face in her father’s chest so they wouldn’t see that she had been crying and that she was in trouble. As Frath passed through, he ordered, “My unit with me.” After leaving the squad quarters, he tapped her leg. “You’re getting a little big to carry all the way. Chin up and walk with me.”
She got down and began walking, but still held onto his left hand. His right hand remained free so he could access his sword if need be. She didn’t keep her chin up though. Pelya wasn’t going to look at anything but the ground.
Frath didn’t say anything else as they walked, letting her mope in silence. It seemed like an eternity before they reached the estate of Lady Pallon. Pelya didn’t really enjoy going there. Lady Pallon didn’t like kids and Ebudae almost never spoke. Usually, Pelya would practice her footwork and other moves while Ebudae sat quietly at a table, engaging in staring contests with her dolls. Pelya was pretty sure the girl actually won a few of those contests too.
The unit stayed at the gate while Frath walked her up to the door. Mary answered it and had them sit on a bench to the side of the entry. Pelya stared at the floor. A minute later, Lady Pallon approached. “My dearest Frath, I wasn’t expecting you. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I was hoping that Pelya could play with Ebudae until my shift is done tonight.”
She studied the two of them for a moment. “What happened? Something is definitely wrong.”
“Commander Coodmur, the weaponmaster, decided that Pelya needs to spend time away from the Guard in order to experience other aspects of life,” Frath explained. “Different members of the Guard will take her out to do things each day, but I was hoping she could stay here just for today.”
“Hmm . . . Interesting.” Lady Pallon rubbed her chin. “Leave her here for a week,” she said abruptly.
Pelya looked up in horror while Frath said, “Huh?” The statement shocked both.
“Ebudae has been especially weird lately and it seems your daughter is being that way too. It’s not surprising, considering little girls are always odd,” she declared with an exasperated wave of an arm. “I think a week away from the barracks would be wonderful for her. Perhaps the girls will keep each other busy and they can deal with each other’s weirdness, which would give us adults a break.”
Frath turned to Pelya with a thoughtful expression. She shook her head desperately, praying he wouldn’t agree. He did. “I think it might be good for both of them although I disagree with your reasoning,” he told Lady Pallon as he stood.
Pelya jumped to her feet and gripped his hand with all her might. “Daddy, no! I’m sorry! Please don’t leave me here! I’m sorry for everything!”
He got to one knee and hugged her. She threw her arms around his neck and locked them tightly so he couldn’t get away. “I love you more than life itself,” he whispered in her ear. “There are secret places below the buildings in the gardens. Go exploring, but not too deep. There are deadly things you must stay away from. Use good sense.”
Frath pried Pelya’s arms from his neck and stood. She pleaded with her eyes, which were streaming with tears again, but he stayed resolute in his decision. He kissed the top of her head. “I love you and I’ll be back next week.” Then he tried to pry her hands from his arm, which she had latched onto. It wasn’t until he had closed the door behind him after dragging her the entire way that she finally let go.
She stared at the door, lost in despair and hoping desperately that her father would come back and tell her it was all a cruel prank. Lady Pallon’s voice came from directly behind her, causing her to jump and turn, pushing back against the door. “Ebudae is in her room. Go get into trouble or something, child,” she insisted, shooing her off. “Go on. Run off.”
Pelya disliked Lady Pallon with all her heart. She treated Ebudae terribly and Pelya not much better. It wasn’t that she beat them or anything, it was that she looked down on them as inconveniences to be hidden away and not seen. Pelya dashed toward the stairs, up them and away from the noblewoman as quickly as possible. It was by far the worst day in the history of all days.
Chapter 13
Ebudae’s grand suite was on the third level of the west wing. It consisted of three bedrooms, a bathroom, an office, a library and two other rooms Ebudae kept locked and wouldn’t show Pelya. Lady Pallon didn’t know what the rooms were for and honestly didn’t care what the girl did. Frath had mentioned once that the lady was angry at her daughter for dumping the child off. He told Pelya that Lady Pallon wanted Ebudae to grow wild as revenge.
Pelya didn’t even bother knocking. She went inside, slammed the door and ran over to the window seat where she could see the backyard with her mother’s fountain and rosebushes in the distance. She could see that the roses were blooming and considered going down to sit at the fountain, but didn’t want to risk running into Lady Pallon or anyone else. There was no way she was going to let anyone ruin her day further.
Tears started to flow again. She looked around in panic for Ebudae in fear that the girl might observe her weakness, but didn’t see her in the room. There was a good chance she would be in her secret rooms, which was fine with Pelya. Looking back through the windows at the top of the fountain, she wished her mother hadn’t died and could come hold her. The tears turned into heaving sobs that racked her body as she curled up into a ball.
When the anguish had finally lessened to the point where she was staring out the window miserably, Ebudae came in. Pelya didn’t hear her or notice the look of shock in the girl’s pearly pink eyes at seeing her there. For a minute, Ebudae studied the warrior girl. Realizing she had something in her hands that she didn’t want anyone to see, Ebudae snuck back to her room. A minute later, she came back out and approached the window seat.
Pelya was startled when Ebudae sat down in front of her. The girl was wearing a fancy black and white dress decorated with lace. When Ebudae had learned to sew, she started making dresses out of anything but pink. In addition to that, she had a black hat with purple roses in it. The use of the roses out of the garden was a habit that bothered Pelya deeply, but she didn’t say anything out of sympathy for the girl having to live with Lady Pallon. The lack of color in her dress made the pink eyes stick out all that much more.
Tears began to well in Pelya’s eyes again and she looked helplessly at the girl who didn’t really like her. Ebudae’s eyes widened at the sight and then became sympathetic. Pelya felt her bottom lip quivering and just didn’t know how to stop it. Everything seemed so hopeless and terrible.
Ebudae held out a hand and wiggled her fingers for Pelya to take it. She did so, and the girl led her into the bedroom where she normally slept. Pelya usually had a different room in the suite for the rare occasion when she spent the night. Ebudae climbed onto the bed, dragging Pelya along. She sat up against some pillows at the headboard and then patted her lap.
Pelya stared at her for a moment. Ebudae patted her lap again, so Pelya put her head down in it and curled up. When Ebudae pulled the ponytail out of Pelya’s hair and began running fingers through it, Pelya burst into tears again and lay there shaking.
She finally fell asleep in exhaustion. The day had been emotionally draining and there was no need to stay awake for any more abuse.
***
Pelya didn’t open her eyes right away after waking up. Fingers were slowly running through her hair still, although it felt like she was lying on a pillow instead of a lap. Someone had covered her and it was nice and warm.
“You don’t have your longknife,” Ebudae said. Her voice was tranquil and low. On the rare occasion she did speak, it reminded Pelya of a silk blanket.
She finally opened her eyes slowly and discovered that her head was on a pillow next to Ebudae who was wearing a purple nightgown and reading a book. “How did you know I was awake?”
“I know when people are awake or asleep. It’s a special ability I have,” she answered mysteriously. Ebuda
e put the book down on her lap then rested both hands on it.
Pelya sat up next to her. She was still in her regular clothes on top of the bed covers. A soft black blanket kept her warm. Looking around, she saw it was night outside and the room was lit with a couple of candles and a magical lantern that glowed greenish-yellow. Siahray was full that night and cast its greenish-blue glow in through the open window, which also let in a fresh breeze. “What time is it?”
“It’s midnight, my favorite time. Night is when the energy of the moons flows the strongest. The most mysterious things happen and dangerous creatures roam the streets.” Ebudae grinned excitedly, something Pelya had never seen before. When Pelya didn’t respond, the grin went away. “There’s bread, cheese and cold cuts of meat on the platter and fruit juice next to it.” She went back to reading her book. Pelya watched her read for a moment until Ebudae looked back. “What?”
“Thank you.”
Ebudae stared at her, flicked her eyes each way and then turned her hand aside, perplexed. “For what?”
Pelya looked around for the answer and didn’t find it. “Umm . . . I don’t know.”
“Alright . . . You’re welcome?” she replied in confusion.
“I had a bad day. You were the only person who was nice to me . . . and it felt good when you ran your fingers through my hair. I bet my mother would have done that.” She felt melancholy, an emotion she wasn’t used to.
“My mother wouldn’t have. She abandoned me to live with my old bat of a grandmother,” Ebudae responded, just as melancholy.
“I’m sorry. Your mother and grandmother nibble rotten plum tarts and you deserve better,” Pelya said.
Ebudae smiled just a little before it disappeared. “I don’t think I like you . . .”
Pelya looked down. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“I might like you. I don’t know anymore,” Ebudae said with a twist of her lips. “I’m thinking about it.”
“I don’t have any friends, you know,” Pelya said suddenly. “Everyone in the guard is an adult and I call them aunts and uncles, but they’re not really friends. I don’t have any friends.”
“I don’t have any friends either.” Ebudae set her book aside and faced Pelya with her legs crossed. “Nobody likes grandmother and all the other kids think I’m weird.”
Pelya sat cross-legged with her knees touching Ebudae’s. “Everyone thinks I’m weird too, only a different kind of weird. Adults say I should have died with my mother. They didn’t know I heard them, but my hearing is really good and we’re trained in the guard to listen and pick things out.”
“You like the guard a lot, don’t you,” Ebudae asked with an obvious look of distaste.
She shrugged. “It’s my life, or it was.” Her chest tightened and she felt like she could cry again, but shook it off. Tears wouldn’t do any good.
“Your knife is gone. Why did they take it away? You never go anywhere without it.” Ebudae was persistent about the subject.
“Daddy asked if I ever killed anyone,” she answered in a loud whisper.
Ebudae’s interest was aroused and she leaned forward. “Have you?” she whispered back.
Pelya shook her head briskly. “No. But Daddy told me what it would be like to kill someone and it scared me. I don’t want to do it, ever.”
Ebudae stared at her intently. “So?”
“So? What do you mean, so?”
“So what’s it like to kill someone? What did he say?”
Pelya stared at her, appalled that she would ask, but the pink eyes showed genuine curiosity. She thought about it for a moment and ended up telling Ebudae everything Frath had said about killing someone and how it felt. She remembered the words pretty well because they had stuck in her mind. It actually helped to think about them again.
“That’s really neat,” Ebudae said after Pelya finished. There was a look of exhilaration in her eyes. “Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome. I never really thought about it before. I don’t know that it’s neat though.” Pelya was somewhat creeped out by the odd girl’s apparent fascination.
“I want to tell you a secret, but I’m afraid you’ll arrest me or tell the Guard on me,” Ebudae said mysteriously.
Pelya thought about it. “I live in the Guard, but I’m not part of it. That was made clear today.” It still hurt a lot.
“I know. Grandmother told me you’re staying for a week when I went down to get the food. But I know the Guard is your life and you think that everybody has to obey the law all the time.”
She shrugged. “Well . . . yeah.” It didn’t seem all that complicated to her.
“Right. Then I can’t tell you. You should eat something, at least that’s what grandmother says.” She pointed at the tray on the nightstand on Pelya’s side. Then she sat back against the pillows and went back to reading.
All the furniture in the room was dark polished wood of high quality. It was very old and very sturdy. The bed had four posts and a canopy with pearl colored curtains that were open. Old paintings of flowery fields and mountains were on two of the walls while a third had a large tapestry of the city as it was a few centuries ago. The fourth wall had the bed and two windows on either side.
The tray Pelya picked up and set on the bed in front of her was made of etched silver. She pulled the cloth off and put together slices of bread, cheese and cold cuts. Then she took a bite and chewed while she thought about whether or not she wanted to know the secret well enough to keep it even if it was something illegal.
Pelya really didn’t have any friends now that she thought about it. Everyone she knew was in the Guard and always obeyed the law. From what she knew, everyone else in Dralin always broke the law. At least it seemed that way when her father talked about the city. Ebudae glanced at her a couple of times. Pelya knew the girl stared at her sometimes as though trying to figure out the young warrior.
Weaponmaster Coodmur and her father wanted her to experience life outside the Guard and this was where her father put her. Pelya concluded that this must be the life she was supposed to experience. She turned to Ebudae, who instantly put her book down. They sat cross-legged with knees touching again. “Alright. I promise I’ll keep your secret.”
She frowned suspiciously, looking to see if Pelya meant it. “Hmm . . . I did something illegal. It was really illegal.”
Pelya chewed on her lower lip for a moment. That would be a hard secret to keep. Finally she decided she didn’t care. Pelya suddenly liked Ebudae. The girl was mysterious and moody. Right now that was exactly the kind of friend she needed. “I promise I’ll keep your secret, even knowing that it’s really illegal.”
“Blood swear,” Ebudae demanded, holding her chin up. Pelya knew that blood swearing was only done in the direst of circumstances. It must be a bigger secret than she imagined. The thought excited her. She had never had a chance to blood swear to anything, so she nodded eagerly.
Ebudae scrambled over to draw a long, slender silver knife out of a drawer in her nightstand, eliciting a gasp from Pelya. It was beautiful with scrollwork along the blade and crossbar. There were small precious gems on the tip of the hilt and ends of the crossbars. She took Pelya’s arm and pulled up the sleeve. “It’ll only hurt a little bit.”
Pelya nodded and watched as the blade touched her skin. “Promise that you’ll keep my secret,” Ebudae demanded.
She cut as Pelya spoke. “I promise to keep your secret.” Ebudae lifted the tip of the knife and they both stared at the small line of blood on the arm.
When Ebudae wiped the blood and sucked it off her finger, it unnerved Pelya. Her heart skipped a beat when Ebudae said, “I killed a man.” Pelya stared at her, not knowing what to say.
A little more blood seeped through the cut and Ebudae wiped it and brought it to her lips again. “Grandmother took me for tea to some crusty old lady’s house in the Noble District. They made me play with a snobby girl that didn’t like me. The girl took me to sit with he
r grandfather so she could sneak away and get food to stuff in her fat face.”
Pelya thought that Ebudae had a little bit of her grandmother’s rudeness on top of being weird, but she kind of liked it. It was different from anything she had ever heard before.
“The grandfather started talking about some war that happened an eternity ago and it bored me right away.” She leaned forward until her nose was almost next to Pelya’s. “I like magic,” she whispered ominously. “I found magic books and they have lots of spells that are really dangerous. One of those is a spell that stops the lungs from working.” She sat back. “Do you know what lungs are?”
Pelya nodded, her eyes wide. “They take in air, which is needed for the blood or something. If you stab someone there, they gurgle blood and die if not healed soon. I read about it in one of the books in the Guard’s library. I don’t think I was supposed to though.” The secret was turning out to be a lot bigger than she had ever imagined.
“Yes. If you stop them, a person dies. One book had a spell to stop the lungs from moving. I keep a pouch with me . . .” She reached into the drawer on the nightstand again and pulled out the pouch. Ebudae opened it and showed Pelya. There were tiny pouches and vials inside. “These are ingredients for spells. The spell I used needed two that I had with me. It also required some gestures and an incantation.”
“Did you really? . . .” Pelya asked, afraid of the answer.
“He wouldn’t stop talking,” she said, desperately wanting Pelya to understand. “He didn’t even know what he was saying, he was so old and feeble. He hadn’t walked in forever and he smelled really bad. I swear he would have died soon anyway.” Pelya just stared at her with wide eyes. “You promised. You blood swore . . .” Ebudae pointed at the cut.
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