The upstairs consisted of six more bedrooms set up much the same way as their rooms. Four bedrooms were on each side of the hall. There were spiral stairs and large stained glass windows at their end of the hall. The other end of the hall was the stairway they used the night before. The spiral staircase came down to the right of the main entry doors. The first door to the right of the main entry doors led into a large library which was filled with books, scrolls and maps. There were plush chairs and couches arranged neatly throughout the room. There was a large fireplace at the far wall. There were also two large wooden tables surrounded by high back chairs. The women looked at each other and shared a smile, they knew that they would be spending a great deal of time in there pouring over the books. They decided to explore the rest of the rooms and stop back at the library later. The next door on the right was a small study with dark furniture which made the room seem even smaller. The next few rooms were some of the servants' quarters and Angelina and Elise quickly closed the doors when they realized where they led. They did not wish to invade anyone's privacy. This brought them back to the main staircase going upstairs. The staircase leading to Airic's chambers was to the right of that staircase. They walked around the front of the staircase and continued on. There were two more doors which also led to the servants' quarters.
The next door to their left led into the kitchen. The women were amazed at the brightness of the kitchen. There were large stained glass windows which looked out at the gardens. There was an extra large fireplace and stone oven to the right. There were large counters along the wall to their left and under the windows. There was a large table with chairs in the center of the room. The kitchen was very neat and organized. Cabrilla was sitting at the table with another young woman and an older man. An older woman was placing bread dough into the stone oven and a small child sat on the floor playing with painted blocks near the door heading outside. Cabrilla and the rest of the people in the kitchen, except for the child, stopped what they were doing.
"My ladies," greeted the older woman who had just placed the bread into the oven to cook and was wiping her hands on her apron. "My name is Yarma and I am the head cook. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Thank you, but no," replied Angelina. "We were just getting ourselves acquainted with the layout of the estate."
Cabrilla stood and came over to the women and gave them a curtsy. "May I introduce you to Arla, my sister and her daughter Marla." She directed the women's attention to the young woman who she had been sitting with and the young child playing on the floor. She then directed their attention to the older man who had stood when they entered. "This is my uncle Marlin who attends the gardens and grounds. He is married to my aunt Yarma."
Marlin bowed, "It is a pleasure my ladies."
"It is very nice to meet all of you," replied Angelina and Elise agreed. "If you'll excuse us we would like to continue to explore the estate." She and Elise departed the kitchen and were back in the main hall. Angelina leaned toward Elise and whispered, "did you notice that they seemed startled to see us?"
Elise whispered back, "Yes. I also noticed that Yarma kept looking at your wedding band. It seemed that they expected us to reprimand them because they were having tea and not working. Certainly Lord Airic doesn't seem the type to be that strict with them."
"Maybe they were expecting me to be one of those inconsiderate and demanding princesses," offered Angelina. They just looked at each other and shrugged. "Let's not worry about it and continue our exploration." Elise agreed and they continued on.
The door next to the kitchen led into the dining hall and the door after that led into a sitting room. On both sides of the large fireplace of the sitting room were double doors which led out into the gardens. The sitting room was cozy with thick carpeting and plush chairs and couches. Everything was decorated in light pastel colors. The women didn't encounter Airic during their exploration and figured he was in his chambers.
They were going to go outside but it began to rain so they decided to go to the library where they spent the afternoon. Cabrilla brought them hot soup, tea and fresh bread for lunch and left it on one of the tables, since both women were looking through books and not ready to stop just then. They were still in the library when Cabrilla announced that dinner would be served in a few moments and that they might want to take that time to freshen up and then head to the dining room. She also told them that Airic was already in the dining room and would wait for them before he began to eat. The women quickly freshened up and headed to the dining room. While they ate, Airic asked if they had gotten settled in and were finding their way around the estate. Angelina thanked him for asking and yes they were getting settled in and had taken a look around that morning. She also commented on the wonderful library he had. Airic was pleased that they were getting settled in and told the women that he usually sat in the sitting room after dinner and invited them to join him.
At first the conversation faltered until Airic turned the conversation to books and then the three went into a lengthy discussion on what books they had read and what was their opinion, etc. It was late when they all retired.
Their days continued in much the same way and Angelina found herself looking forward to their conversations after dinner. Elise would sit with them and work on a sewing project while Airic and Angelina talked. Some times Elise would excuse herself and retire to her room to have some quiet time alone.
Airic told the women that he would have a messenger once a month deliver any letters they wished to send to their families.
One evening when Airic and Angelina were having their talk, Angelina inquired as to what Airic did when he left the estate each week.
Airic looked at Angelina as if it were none of her business and changed the conversation as if she had never asked him.
Airic told Angelina and Elise that he also had other books in his private study if they wished to use it when he was out. He took them down the winding stairs. There was a long hall which turned to the right at the end and ran along the front of the estate. From where they were they couldn't see down that hall. The study was the first door on the right. It had a large round wooden table in the center which was cluttered with books and parchment, writing instruments and a large bottle of ink. The high back chairs against the back wall and off to the right were also littered with stacks of books and papers. To the left was a fireplace. He told them that they may go down there whenever they wanted but not to venture into any of his other rooms. He told them that they were more than welcome to use it on the days when he was out; however, requested that they not disturb him on the days when he was home.
Chapter 19
Curiosity
It was a few nights later when Angelina began to have a reoccurring dream. The dream began with Angelina standing in a swirling mass of clouds. All that was visible were the clouds. They were below her, above her and on all sides. She felt completely at peace. Within a few minutes the clouds in front of her began to thin and she could make out a figure of a woman dressed all in white. As the clouds cleared, she could see that the woman was her mother and that she was now standing on the floor of some long hall with her mother at the far end. Her mother was motioning her to come to her and kept pointing down another hall but Angelina could not see where it led. As Angelina walked closer to her mother she could tell that the place she was in looked familiar. It looked to be the hall where Airic's chambers were. Her mother continued to motion her closer and point down the hall. As Angelina reached her mother, her mother disappeared in a swirl of clouds. Angelina turned and cautiously looked down the hall. There were three steps going down, a short stretch of hall and then it ended in a closed door. As Angelina took her first step down that hall she woke up. She continued to have that same dream on and off again for the next few weeks. She decided to talk to Elise about it.
She told Elise of the dream but Elise thought that it was her curiosity getting the better of her and that she should leave well enough alon
e. After all, Airic did stress that they were only to venture down to his study and not any further.
Angelina could not let it rest and decided one day after waking from the dream that she should take a quick look around downstairs. What would it hurt? She waited until Airic had left on his usual outing and told Elise that she was going to look for a book. When she got downstairs she quietly continued down the hall and opened the next door to the right where she found a bathing tub and toiletries including thick white robes to wrap in. It looked like it was spring fed and the fireplace was large, big enough to hold two large kettles to heat the water.
Angelina shut that door and went to the next door which was on the left side of the hall. This door was slightly open and when Angelina pushed it open the rest of the way she found Airic's bedroom. She was surprised at how neat it was after seeing his study/sitting room which was messy. The room had very dark but beautifully patterned carpets tossed on the floor and large overstuffed chairs beside the fireplace and a large four poster bed with dark mauve silk curtains. There were paintings on the walls of different people, none of whom Angelina recognized. There were paintings of a variety of people, some young and some old. They included a young girl with long black hair and green eyes, a very handsome young man and an older couple. None of these people were in any of the paintings on the walls of the upper estate. Angelina could tell by the eyes of the young man in the painting, that it was Airic. The older couple slightly resembled Airic so they must have been his parents. The young woman did not look like any of them and she wondered who she was.
She left that room, making sure that the door was back in its original position. She proceeded down the hall where it turned off to the right. She could see daylight streaming through the thick glass windows which were high on the wall. It was the thick windows that ran along the front of the estate. You could hardly see them outside because of how the shrubbery was arranged around the estate. The shrubbery was spaced far enough away from the wall of the estate to let the light in through the windows. She wondered if you could see into this lower level if you looked down from the outside. It was one thing that she would put on her list to check out.
Angelina took the last few steps to where the hall turned. There was a door at the far end. The scene was exactly as she remembered it from her dream. She looked at the door on the far end of the hall. The hall had three steps down which were approximately five feet apart and then there was a short straight passage way and then the door at the end. Angelina was almost to the first step when she heard a noise in the hall behind her. She whirled around, her heart pounding with embarrassment at being caught after she was told specifically not to go anywhere but the study and came face to face with Elise.
"What are you doing down here?" she scolded in a hushed whisper. "You said that you were just going to grab a book and I was waiting for you. I decided to come down to get you and here you are looking and exploring where you're not supposed to," she finished giving Angelina a look as if she were a mother finding her child doing something they knew they were not supposed to be doing.
"I know I shouldn't be here but I thought that a quick look couldn't hurt," she explained giving Elise and innocent look. "Besides, this is exactly how the hall looked in my dream. I think I'm supposed to find out what's behind that door."
"I think we had better get out of here before someone comes down here and catches the both of us," explained Elise even as she grabbed Angelina's arm and hurried her back toward the stairwell. "We'll talk more about your dream later."
The winter had settled in but Angelina and Elise still tried to take short walks when the snow wasn't too deep. On one such day Angelina decided to check the windows to see if you could see inside to the hall in Airic's chambers. She climbed through the hedges, ignoring Elise's protests, so she could get close enough to see through the windows. Unfortunately, the glass was so obscure that you couldn't see anything but shadows. She then decided that since she was already behind the hedges she would check all of the windows in case one might be clearer. When she came to the last window near the corner of the estate she looked through and a sparkle of something caught her eye. She tried to get a better look but could not see what it was.
She decided to take one last look downstairs to curb her curiosity. Elise lectured her and told her that this had better be the last time and that she had better find something else to keep her mind occupied.
Angelina had to wait until the next week for Airic to leave before she made her way down the steps. When she came to the hall with the three steps she hurried on. When she put her foot on the first step, a wave of absolute terror swept over her and she jumped back and fell against the wall. Her heart was pounding and she realized that she had cupped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. The coolness from the wall helped clear her mind. She then realized that there was a ward on the steps to keep out intruders. This, however, only increased her curiosity. Surely the ward was only on the steps and if she could pass the three steps it might stop.
She steeled herself and braced herself on the wall. Again she placed her foot on the first step. The wave of sickening terror again swept over her and she bit her lip to keep from making a sound as she took another step, her mind racing to stay calm and her heart pounding as sweat was beginning to trickle down the nape of her neck and spring out on her forehead. The nausea in her stomach increased as she slowly advanced to the next step.
It was too much for her and she gasped as she turned swiftly and flung herself back off of the steps and into the hallway. She pushed herself up into a sitting position against the wall as she caught her breath and tried to stop shaking. She was thinking that it wasn't going to be as easy as she had thought.
Angelina discussed with Elise the possibility of getting past the ward and to the door at the far end of the hall. Elise tried to remember what Tolmac taught her regarding wards. The only advice Elise could give her was that if she could get past the three steps, the ward might diminish. However, she wasn't sure Angelina should even be thinking about it. Angelina decided that if she could get a running start she might be able to run and jump halfway down the steps. She wanted to practice how far she could jump but since the weather was still cold and snowy she would have to do what she could in the privacy of her chambers. This didn't work very well so she decided to begin practicing when the weather changed and had to put it out of her head until then.
When the weather did begin to clear, she started practicing far enough away from prying eyes of the servants. She took her sword with her and wore leggings and a tunic telling the servants that she was practicing her sword fighting techniques and liked to do it in private. She measured her jump but felt that her running and jumping wouldn't get her as far as she needed. It was only when she was returning to the estate and saw Arla using a long handled broom to beat the dust out of the rugs that she got the idea of using a wooden staff of some kind to vault herself through the ward. If the staff was long enough she might make it all of the way through. She then began practicing this technique with a tree limb she fashioned into a long thick staff. It worked! She could run and then plant the staff on the ground in front of herself and then push off with the staff which would then send her even farther. She was beginning to get excited. There wasn't much to do around the estate and she was glad to have found something to keep her mind occupied. It was a challenge to figure out how she would overcome the ward.
Her only thought now was how would she be able to get the staff downstairs without anyone noticing what she was doing. She decided to carve two staffs and if anyone asked, she would say that the staffs were used by her and Elise for practicing. Elise did enjoy a good staff fight now and then and it was great for balance and coordination.
Angelina then brought the staffs in and made her way downstairs with one of them. She had been practicing with Elise earlier and had on a brown tunic, leggings and a pair of black soft leather boots. She was only going to have one chance and she kne
w that she better do it right the first time. She positioned the staff in her hands and backed up as far as she could. She then sprinted down the hall and jammed the butt of the staff on the floor right before the edge of the second step and jumped, using the staff to push herself further along. She landed just past the third step, onto the area between the third step and the door. As soon as she touched the floor she cried out as the terror and nausea swept over her in wave after wave. She crawled toward the door, tears streaming down her face. When she got to the door she pressed her face against it to try to remain in control when all of a sudden it was over. The feeling of terror and nausea left her as abruptly as it had come. She remained this way for a few minutes before she sat with her back against the door and wiped her face with her hands. It took awhile but when she felt calm enough she pushed herself up. She made sure to keep her right hand in contact with the door in case the ward was still in effect and would return if she moved away from the door. It was then when she almost began to laugh for she never even thought about whether or not the door was locked. If the door was locked she didn't have anything on her to try to open it. She placed her left hand on the knob, closed her eyes and prayed that it was open. Luckily for her, the knob turned easily and the door opened silently. It was only then that she glanced back down the hall to see if anyone had heard the commotion of her crying out and the staff clattering to the floor. No one was in sight and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The Uzan Crystal Page 18
