It didn’t take long for the squad to move forward again. Minda and Willam went ahead of the last few in order to keep Pelya secure. They passed a guard lying on the ground with a gash in his leg. He was gritting his teeth while his unit mate applied healing salve to it. They would take him to a healer once they got to one of the Guard’s auxiliary barracks.
The unit leader that didn’t like Pelya came back to them, pushing past other guards. “The sergeant wants to see Pelya right away.” He led them to the black door. Three of the thugs were dead, their broken, bleeding bodies shoved against the wall across from the door in gruesome heaps that made her sick to her stomach. Two more were on the ground down the alley with a few guards standing over them. Pelya had never seen dead people before and didn’t like it even though she wasn’t the one who killed them.
Willam set her down so she could walk on her own, still between him and Minda. They went down the hallway into the room. Bobbell wasn’t there, but his blood soaked the carpet. She wanted to cry again, but resisted with all her might. The unit leader opened a door on the side and headed down another hall. After turning down two more halls and going down a set of steps, they came to a room. Bobbell’s body was lying on a table with his arms crossed. Two grim faced Guards stood watch over it.
“Pelya,” Rashel said from the left. On the floor next to a table were the blonde-haired man, the man who killed Bobbell, the wizard, and another one of the thugs; all dead from numerous wounds. It was too much for Pelya and she threw up on the floor.
Minda quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her hair back. It took Pelya a minute to finish. Meanwhile, everyone else gave her plenty of room.
“Sergeant Rashel, report,” a man said, entering the room. Everyone snapped to attention and thumped fists to their chests.
“Yes, Captain.” The sergeant gave the report of everything the squad had discovered. Meanwhile, Pelya stood trembling and whimpering while tears and snot ran down her face. It was too much for her and she didn’t care if she wasn’t being brave or strong anymore. Minda continued wiping the girl’s face as best she could and they moved to the corner so everyone else could work. Pelya saw that one of the other guards had also been killed in the battle, which made everything worse, especially since he had given her a hug and a copper the day before. She buried her head in Minda’s stomach finally and shut her eyes to block everything out.
“Why is Pelya still here? Is there a reason you’re traumatizing her with the sight of all these bodies, Sergeant?” the captain asked. Pelya was too miserable to figure out who it was.
“I wanted her to identify if these are the people who killed Private Bobbell.”
“I see.” Footsteps came over to her. “Pelya, I need you to focus just a minute then I’ll let Private Minda take you back to your father,” the captain said, squatting next to her. She looked through her teary eyes at Captain Criffon, a man Pelya hadn’t seen but a few times. She nodded and whimpered some more. He took her by the arm and guided her to the bodies. “Did one of these people kill Private Bobbell?”
Pelya pointed at the man who had run the sword through her uncle. “H . . . he . . . did . . . sword.” She pointed at the man’s sword that was lying nearby.
“He killed Private Bobbell with that sword?” the captain asked for verification.
“Y . . . yes.”
“And was he the leader of this group?”
“N . . . no.” It was hard to say anything between gulps of air. “H . . . he . . . was l . . . leader,” Pelya said, pointing at the blonde man.
“Did anyone say why Private Bobbell was killed?” the Captain asked.
Pelya really wanted to leave, but his grip on her arm was strong. Still pointing at the blonde man, she answered, “H . . . he said, ‘Did you th . . think you could betray us and live’.”
“Did he say anything else?” the captain persisted.
Pelya shook her head. “N . . . no.”
“Do you remember anything else that would help us, Pelya?” the captain asked.
“N . . . no.” She just wanted to leave.
“Private Minda. See to Pelya. I’ll have a unit escort you,” Captain Criffon said as he rose. “Get the girl out of here before she becomes even more traumatized.”
“I’d like to go with them, sir” Willam said.
“That’s not necessary, Private,” the captain replied.
“I’m going with Pelya, sir. Reprimand me later if you must.” Willam picked Pelya up and held her tightly.
Captain Criffon sighed. “As you will, Private. There’ll be no reprimand.”
Willam and Minda took Pelya from the room and the building. They found a different way out that avoided the alley entirely. A unit quickly joined them and they headed toward the Guard District. It took a while because they went by the safest route possible, which meant avoiding the Tower District and a few other more dangerous areas.
A few minutes before they reached the Guard District, Frath came running up. “Pelya! Where is she?”
“Daddy!” She twisted in Willam’s arms, reaching out for him. Willam passed her over effortlessly and Pelya clung to her daddy’s neck, wrapping her legs around his waist. The tears flowed all the way back to her room, Frath carrying her as effortlessly as Willam had.
She finally fell asleep in her father’s arms. He was there the two times she woke up screaming from nightmares. There were more questions the next day, but not many. Captain Criffon had solved the case rather quickly. He quietly told Pelya that Bobbell had been working undercover between two guilds that were smuggling illegal wizard artifacts. Through no fault of his own, he had been discovered. Everyone who had anything to do with his death was already dead in exchange.
Captain Criffon and others told her that he died with honor in the line of duty and was to receive a funeral with full tribute for his service. Then they reassured her that she had done nothing wrong and that her obedience to Bobbell throughout the events and her warnings not to continue showed maturity and wisdom. It didn’t help much, but it helped a little. She spent the rest of that day in her father’s arms, not saying anything at all while she tried to come to terms with the vision of her Uncle Bobbell dying before her eyes.
Chapter 18
Three days after the death of Bobbell, Pelya was out for the day with Lieutenant Kally Nevala, a strong woman with curly blonde hair that whipped around in the strong breeze. Her hazel eyes glittered in the sunlight and a scar ran along her chin from a battle that went badly the year before. The lieutenant was the daughter of a successful noble who had made certain Kally was well educated as a child and gave in when his daughter made the request to join the City Guard. A high education and wealthy parents would allow a person to enter any military group as an officer and the Dralin City Guard was recognized as one of the most highly-trained and dangerous military groups in the world.
Pelya was dressed in unadorned brown pants and tan tunic with her longknife back at her side. She wasn’t allowed to wear the colors of the Guard, black pants and brown tunic like Kally had on, so that no one would mistake her for a member.
It was only the second time she had been out, having gone the day before to Carnival for a short while with Bava and Herman. While there, she never smiled and only spoke when absolutely necessary. Bava and Herman spent the day worried about her, but eventually let her deal with things her own way.
It had been debated whether or not to let her go with just one guard at a time, but Bobbell had specifically broken the rules as to where Pelya could be taken. Frath made it clear that anyone else who did something stupid with his daughter would die by his hand regardless of their position. It was a threat everyone took seriously.
Lieutenant Nevala was an extremely capable warrior and Frath trusted her. They had decided to go to a safe park in the Noble District where Pelya could feed ducks around a peaceful lake and sit quietly if that was all she wanted to do. Kally had a book to read and money for lunch and treats. It
sounded like a nice day to Pelya who just wanted to sit and stare awhile. The lake would be perfect.
“I need to make a stop on the way, but it shouldn’t take long,” Kally told her in a pleasant voice that could split the air when giving orders.
Pelya stopped in her tracks, causing the lieutenant to jerk in surprise as they were holding hands. “Uncle Bobbell said he just needed to make a stop and that it wouldn’t take long,” she said grimly. “That’s when they killed him, Aunt Kally,”
The woman stared at Pelya for a minute, not saying anything. She brushed hair back over her ear. Lieutenant Nevala was a pretty woman even with the scar and the ability to gut criminals. Occasionally a man would stare at her when walking past. Kally gave no notice of it most of the time. She resumed walking and Pelya went along, not knowing if they were going to make the stop or just go to the park.
Pelya liked the Noble District. It was quieter than most. Even though there were guards at the doors of most estates and many of the nobles were a bit stuck up, it had a pleasant atmosphere. People were dignified and wore the most beautiful clothes. Everyone moved at a stately pace instead of the hurried velocity in other districts.
It was also where the Shining Shield Inn was. Frath brought her to it every once in a while to have a nice meal in the garden with Albert and Purla. Most of the staff remembered her mother and they were always happy to see Pelya. The memory of the place was painful to Frath, so they never stayed long.
A few blocks before reaching the park, Kally stopped in front of a large manor. She sat down on a low wall in front of manicured grounds and took Pelya by the arms. “This is where I need to stop. You can see that it’s not a dangerous place. The man I need to speak to is a minor lord. He knows my father and they have business dealings.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s a personal matter that I can’t take care of while on duty. If I could talk to him now, it would help me out a lot.” She squeezed Pelya’s arms gently and then let go. “That said, if you feel uncomfortable with this or have a bad feeling, we’ll skip it and go straight to the park.”
Pelya thought about it for a moment. The fact that they didn’t have to do it helped a lot. She looked at the estate and didn’t get any bad feelings from it. There were no crows to issue warnings either. In truth, she was numb from the events of the other day. Finally, Pelya nodded. “I don’t have any bad feelings about it, so I think we should do it. Thank you for asking me though.”
Kally wrapped her up in a hug and held her awhile. “Everything will get better a little bit each day,” she reassured Pelya. “Give it time.” She smiled and stood, holding her hand out for Pelya. Together they walked through the gate. The guard at the door announced their presence and a butler met them as they walked up the short steps.
“Lord Uylvich is expecting you,” the man said in a monotone voice devoid of anything resembling emotion. He led them into a sitting room decorated with old furniture. Each piece might have been elegant at one time, but Pelya doubted it. None of it matched and all of it clashed with the tapestries and rugs. The lone window in the room had two small panes of broken glass covered with leather. Everything was mostly clean, but Pelya could tell that no one moved furniture or knickknacks to clean underneath or behind them. There was a dry dusty smell permeating the air and the only sound was a low whistling from wind blowing through a crack in one of the window’s seams.
The lieutenant gestured for Pelya to sit in a chair near the door while she went to the cold fireplace and stared into it blankly. Pelya did as told and remained quiet while hoping they would get to leave quickly.
The slick man who ambled in had thin black hair and a pencil-thin mustache. He looked to be in his late thirties. “Well, well. It is good to see you, Kally. Are you here for pleasure or business?” he asked, not noticing Pelya at all. His voice rose and fell in glossy tones as he leered at the officer. Pelya was nauseated by the way the man looked her Aunt Kally up and down with a wink. “Every time I see you, you’re even more beautiful.
“Hello Lord Uylvich. I’m here on business, specifically my father’s contract. You know he needs it to stay in business.” Pelya noticed that Kally was nervous. The lieutenant’s hand squeezed the hilt of her sword for reassurance, her lips pursed tightly together, some of the blood had left her cheeks and her stance had gone from confident to insecure.
“Well, well . . . getting straight to the point, are we? Look how attractive you are.” He moved forward and put a hand on the lieutenant’s shoulder. “When you were a young lass you showed a hint of beauty to come, but as a woman that beauty has been realized. You know you can call me by my name.” The lord began to run his hand down her arm until realizing she was wearing chainmail under the tunic. He moved to her neck and caressed it slowly instead. “You do know it, don’t you?”
Kally breathed in nervously, but didn’t pull away. “Enric.” Her voice was shaky, something Pelya had never heard from her before.
“I like the way you say that. You have such a pretty voice,” He told her. Lord Uylvich slid the hand behind her neck and began massaging slowly and firmly. Moving closely, he put his other hand on her waist. His face was just a few inches away from hers. Pelya wondered why her aunt didn’t pull away or even kill the man. It was making her uncomfortable, but she just didn’t know what to say or do.
His other hand slid down around to Kally’s thigh and up underneath the long chain shirt to squeeze her bottom. “The contract is just business. Surely you understand that. It’s not finalized, but another other offer was better.” He paused thoughtfully for a moment.
Lieutenant Nevala was breathing slowly. She looked distinctly uncomfortable, but still made no move to push him away. “Lord . . . Enric . . . I don’t . . .” She pleaded with her eyes for him not to continue.
He responded by moving his hands to her sword belt, unbuckling it and letting it fall to the ground around her feet before putting them back in their original positions. “You know I wanted to marry you, but you joined the guard instead. Marriage isn’t an option now because of that, but it doesn’t make me want you any less,” he told her, his voice heavy with lust. Lord Uylvich pulled her to him with both hands, pressing against her with his body and his lips.
Once again, the lieutenant didn’t resist. Pelya watched in wide-eyed shock as the man squeezed and rubbed her aunt’s neck. It stunned her even more when Kally opened her mouth to let the man kiss her deeply. The two continued for a moment before Kally finally pushed away.
“Here now, I thought you truly wanted your father to have that contract . . .” Enric said, pulling her back with the hand on her neck. He seemed to be using it to control Kally as much as possible.
“I’m not alone,” Kally told him, her hands against his chest. With a motion of her head, she indicated Pelya who had been staring in shock the entire time.
Lord Uylvich blinked in surprise at the girl who had been sitting so quietly. Even with the revelation, he continued to hold the lieutenant firmly. He frowned. “Go to the kitchen and help the cook, girl. Pretty Kally is going to spend some time making me very happy and will come to get you when we’re done.” Then he proceeded to ignore Pelya as he pushed his mouth against the lieutenant’s again.
Pelya didn’t move right away, worried that her Aunt Kally was in trouble. She knew adults kissed and even knew what sex was, but this wasn’t how she had seen anyone act before. When the lord began kissing Kally’s neck, Kally looked at Pelya and nodded for her to go. Pelya walked slowly toward the doorway until Lord Uylvich pulled Kally’s tunic, chain shirt and under shirt up to the chest, then Pelya dashed out. Looking over her shoulder, the last thing she saw was Kally’s bare back as the man lifted everything over the lieutenant’s head and raised arms.
***
The sound of a man yelling at someone blasted through the kitchen doorway and Pelya decided to wait against the wall outside it before going in. She didn’t like what her Aunt Kally was doing, but couldn’t think of
anything to help. She was beginning to hate spending the days with aunts and uncles, whereas it had seemed fun at first.
“More food ruined by rats! You incompetent fool, I should turn you over to the City Guard for bringing me this feces infested rice!” the man hollered angrily at some poor victim from the kitchen. “Take this bag and pick every insect and turd out of it before bringing it back to me.”
Pelya decided not to eat the rice if they had to stay for lunch. She heard the sound of a person scurrying off and the cook muttering about rats. The aroma wafting from the doorway wasn’t too bad. Roasting meat mixed with spiced pie and made her mouth water, but Pelya wasn’t certain she wanted anything from the kitchen.
Not knowing what else to do, she went inside and found the cook. He was a portly man with a shaven head and multiple piercings on his ears, eyebrows, lips and nose. Pelya didn’t like piercings, mostly because members of the Guard weren’t allowed to have them. They could be pulled out by dirty fighters or used in ways to hurt the person wearing them. The cook wore a food stained apron over a clean, short-sleeved shirt and tan cotton leggings. Tattoos covered his exposed arms and others were on his neck, extending beneath his shirt. Tattoos and piercings were common with many adults in the city.
“Pardon me,” Pelya said politely, but firmly, while coming up behind the cook who was beginning to slice strips of meat to add to what was already cooking. The man turned quickly, a butcher knife held casually in his hand. To her credit, Pelya didn’t flinch.
“Yeah, whaddya want? Actually, who are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?” His ruddy cheeks jiggled as he spoke.
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