“Sorry. I’m still a little tired.” Ebudae said.
“Why are you tired, lass?” the knight asked with suspicion.
“I used a little too much magic.” It didn’t seem like a good idea to lie to the man.
“I find that very disturbing and you’ll be answering questions as well,” he replied. Ebudae gulped. He stood in front of them and studied them for a moment. His companions were guiding the others back the way they had come. “The deaths are not on either of you. I don’t know all the details, but I know that the two of you have rescued complete strangers at great risk to yourselves. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Milord,” Ebudae said.
Pelya hung her head for a moment before meeting the knight’s eyes. “Yes, Milord.”
They turned and followed the others. One of the swordsmen took the knight’s horse and Ebudae took back her emo bunny, ignoring the knight’s raised eyebrow.
Chapter 10
The tapestries in the sitting room of the temple were beautiful and Ebudae stared at the one in front of her in fascination. It had knights beating back hordes of monsters while a woman stood on high rocks with a sun-topped staff shining radiance on all below.
The rescued slaves were being cared for in the healing halls of the church. Not many people ever visited the temple because its followers tended to be a little fanatical. Also, Reanna was stingy with her powers and few were ever accepted as priests or knights. Some people said she was awfully gloomy for a goddess who had sunshine coming out her behind.
Sir Imbra, Knight Champion of Reanna had led them through the dark streets of the ruined city to a building with stairs up to a building in the Mosh District. From there, he had escorted them all to the Temple of Reanna in the Church District.
“The woman is Zathia Domos, High Priestess of Reanna some three hundred years ago,” Gratham said from Ebudae’s right. He was a handsome young man who served as Sir Imbra’s squire. “Are you alright? You’re very pale.” His voice was mellow and it made her feel safe when he spoke.
“I used too much magic and I need to sleep soon.” Ebudae tried to smile, but it took too much energy. At the moment, the girls were in the room with Gratham, waiting for the knight to come back from reporting to the heads of the temple. They needed to leave soon because it was nearing dawn. Pelya was sitting on the edge of a chair with her face buried in her hands. Ebudae was avoiding thinking about how much trouble they would be in.
“Thank you for waiting,” Sir Imbra said as he walked into the room with Appana. “The people you rescued have a good chance of getting back to their homes or finding new ones. Now it’s time to tell me what you ladies have been doing exploring down in the ruins.” He crossed his arms.
“No,” Ebudae said. “I’m too tired to explain anything. I’m going home.”
“We don’t have to explain ourselves.” Pelya stood. Ebudae knew she was irritated. “You can cross your arms all you like, but we don’t answer to you. I answer to my father and Ebudae answers to her grandmother.”
Ebudae didn’t want to think about her grandmother. “You rescued us and we thank you for that. But it’s time for us to go home.”
Sir Imbra didn’t respond right away, but he could see that they weren’t going to budge. “Very well. However, I insist on personally escorting you. The streets are dangerous as ever just before dawn and the two of you are exhausted.”
“Thank you, Sir Imbra,” Pelya said with a bow. Ebudae curtsied, but only because it was required. She liked the man well enough, she just wasn’t in the mood to be polite.
“Your emo bunny, Shade, is being cared for by Priestess Omira, the animal healer, and you may collect her in a few days,” Sir Imbra told Ebudae as they left the room, leaving Appana and Gratham behind. “She said that the bunny is malnourished and would not have survived a day longer if you hadn’t rescued it.”
“Thank you,” Ebudae was grateful that they were taking care of Shade, because she was probably going to sleep for a few days to recover.
They followed him to a courtyard where an enclosed carriage with a sun emblem on the door was hooked to two sturdy horses. Lingering smog gave the predawn sky a brown tint. The heat from the day before had never fully dissipated, making the air muggy.
A footman dressed in the orange of the temple opened it for them and Sir Imbra gestured for the ladies to enter first. They held hands for moral support while the knight sat across from them. Both he and Pelya unbuckled their swords and laid them across their laps so they could sit comfortably.
“How did you find us down there?” Ebudae asked as the carriage moved forward.
“Dralin is filled with evil people, but what many do not realize is that greater evils reside below. It is my job and the job of my companions to prevent that evil from becoming too powerful.” Sir Imbra looked out the open window at the passing buildings. “At times it seems like a futile task, but if our work is not done, then evil may grow stronger to the point where it might overcome good.”
“We’ve been in the ruins and it does seem like a futile task,” Pelya agreed.
“Yes,” the knight acknowledged. “It disturbs me that the two of you have been there, but I also admire your ability to survive, in addition to the nobility you showed in rescuing those people.”
Pelya shrugged and looked out the window, not willing to accept the compliment. “Daddy . . . My father says that doing what’s right is not noble. It’s just right.” She looked Sir Imbra in the eye. “Rescuing them was right. That’s all.”
The knight conceded the point without agreeing. “My companions and I had heard of slaves being smuggled in through the dark city. It happens more than I would care to admit. We were searching the area for the secret storage areas and roads that were being used. Thankfully you found them for us.” A wry smile lit his lips. “A humbling experience to have such young, if capable, women succeed where we had failed.”
“We’re glad to be of assistance,” Ebudae replied with a wink.
A short laugh burst from the knight. “Aye, you truly were. We came across your trail and followed it. When we heard the slochunds’ sound and the wail of the borlfo, my companions and I made haste.”
“Borlfo?” Pelya asked. “I’ve never heard of it, though there’s a lot down there we haven’t heard of.”
“It is a terrible creature that the slochunds feed in exchange for protection from greater dangers,” the knight said casually as though he had faced a thousand. “The borlfo weakens victims with its wails, it has poisonous needles on its body and it has the strength of twenty warhorses.”
“Sounds pleasant,” Ebudae said sarcastically.
“If your wish is to die painfully, it is very pleasant,” Sir Imbra responded in amusement. “I am thankful that we were there. Even though you seem like very rebellious young women, you show great ability. I am honored to know you.”
“You say honor a lot,” Pelya said.
“Yes. It is important to me. It is very important to true knights.”
“True knights?” Ebudae raised an eyebrow, sensing a very important distinction in the phrase.
He waved a hand in the air as though swatting away an irritating fly. “Not all knights hold honor dear to their hearts. Many use their power for personal gain, lust and greed. They are not true knights.” Sir Imbra stared out the window again. “Honor is a personal thing and only the one holding it may cast it aside.”
“Daddy . . .” Pelya caught herself again. “My father says that honor is a plaything for the rich and most of them wouldn’t know it if it rode around on their head shouting, ‘Ya pony, ya!’. He says the poor can’t eat honor.”
Sir Imbra chuckled. “Your father is a wise man. For the poor, the honorable thing is to find the next meal so that they may survive another day. Everyone has honor. How they choose to use it is up to them, as I say, it is a personal thing.” He leaned forward and looked Pelya in the eye. “Your father is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met.
He held you in his arms the day you were born and proudly stated that he was going to raise you.” The knight sat back. “Few men would claim such responsibility and fewer still would ever do such a wonderful job as he has in raising one of the finest young women I’ve ever met.”
Tears flowed down Pelya’s cheeks. “He hates me because I killed my mother.”
“Wha . . .” The statement stunned Sir Imbra. Ebudae hugged her friend. They were both tired and vulnerable and just needed sleep.
“I know many things, child, and one thing I know without doubt is that your father does not hate you.” Sir Imbra spoke the words with the conviction of his faith. “He loves you and cherishes you more than anything in the world. I have seen through his eyes into his soul and know it to be fact.”
It was the last thing said on the ride. The girls held each other while the knight stared out the window, lost in thought. A short while later, the carriage pulled up in front of Lady Pallon’s manor. Ebudae felt her heart sink into her stomach and try to hide there as the footman opened the door.
Sir Imbra stepped out first as was customary. A proper gentleman always let a lady into the safety of a carriage first, and he exited the carriage before the lady in order to ensure that the area was safe for them to exit. It wasn’t like that in all lands, but that was how a true knight did it. He and the footmen held out hands for the ladies to exit.
Ebudae walked up to the gate. The squirrel caught one glance and opened the gate. Pelya linked arms with her and the two walked as slowly as possible to the front door. Sir Imbra walked behind. “Am I to surmise that you will be scolded for your actions?”
Ebudae was using all her courage to keep going forward and didn’t bother to answer. Pelya did instead. “We were supposed to be back last night. We also used healing salve and have to tell the truth about why, which means we have to tell about everything. Lady Pallon hates Ebudae and will use this to tell her how terrible a person she is and how it would be better if she just died.”
“I find that hard to believe . . .” Sir Imbra began as they reached the door and stared at it.
Pelya interrupted. “It doesn’t matter what you believe. Ebudae’s grandmother hates her.” She opened the door and the girls fearfully stepped through. The knight didn’t have a further response as he followed them down the long hall and to the side of the grand stairway. Ebudae entered the door leading to the conservatory where Lady Pallon would likely be eating breakfast.
Lady Pallon was sitting at her table with two members of the guard, Commander Gilron Coodmur and Sergeant Bava, close personal friends of Pelya and her father. Bava ran to Pelya and wrapped her up in a hug when they entered. “Pelya! We’ve been so worried.”
Pelya grunted from being squeezed. “I’m fine. We’re safe.”
Bava released her from the hug and took her by the arms. “Where is your father? He isn’t with you?”
“Nooooo . . .” Pelya said slowly, her eyes widening in alarm. “What do you mean, ‘where is he’? He should be at the barracks with his squad.”
“Bava, let the lass come here and we’ll find out more.” Gilron was impatiently waiting.
Bava led Pelya by the hand, practically yanking the young woman’s arm out. Ebudae followed along quietly, worried about Frath and more worried about the way her grandmother was glaring at her. It didn’t stop her from circling around behind Commander Coodmur and taking the seat next to him. There was no way she could continue to stand. Sir Imbra stopped a few feet away from the table and listened to everything with arms clasped behind his back.
The grizzled Gilron Coodmur was the weaponmaster of the Dralin City Guard, responsible for all weapons training. Pelya was one of the few people he personally trained and he doted on her like a granddaughter. He had Pelya sit next to him on a cushioned bench while Bava sat on one of the chairs.
“Pelya, your father had breakfast here three mornings ago and left with the two of you. He was supposed to report to duty the next day, but he hasn’t been seen since then.” Gilron’s low, gravelly voice sounded like rocks being tumbled through a river.
“We left him at the front gate!” Pelya said. She wrung her hands in her lap and struggled to fight the tears that were threatening to flow. “He said he had things to do. I know he disappears sometimes, but he always comes back.”
He gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “I know. Bava and I came here to ask if you knew where he might be, but when you weren’t here, it worried us.” Gilron frowned. “Where exactly were you?”
“Yes, I’d like to know that as well . . .” Lady Pallon’s voice dripped with derision. “I knew the two of you would find trouble the first opportunity you could and judging by the looks of you, I was right.”
Ebudae looked at her dress, which had grime from the ruins and the battle against the slochunds. Pelya looked even messier. Bava interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. We have to find Frath. I just have a terrible feeling he’s not well.” She put a hand on Pelya’s knee. “Do you have any idea where he is?”
“I don’t know. He never tells me,” Pelya said. The tears were beginning to make a serious break for freedom.
“And you, Lady Pallon? You are his best friend I believe.” Gilron turned to the elderly woman who was staring daggers at her granddaughter.
“My friend is mysterious and he does not speak of his secrets. I do not know where he goes.” She didn’t look away from the target of her ire. Ebudae was staring at her hands, but could feel the gaze boring through the top of her skull.
“So where do we look?” Bava asked.
“What does Uncle Gorman say?” Pelya asked, referring to Frath’s closest friend, the man who had made it possible for Frath to raise her in the barracks.
“He’s looking into it, but doesn’t have a lot of time due to another case he’s working on.” Gilron said.
“He’ll know what to do. No one knows Daddy better,” Pelya insisted.
“Alright. We’ll see what he’s found out.” Gilron stood and nodded respectfully at Lady Pallon. “Thank you for the breakfast, Lady Pallon.”
Bava stood with Pelya and curtsied. “Yes, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She dismissed them with a wave, never taking her eyes off Ebudae.
Pelya came over and hugged Ebudae fiercely. Ebudae returned it and held on for dear life. She was thankful that no one interrupted. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Pelya whispered in her ear.
As the three warriors turned to leave, Sir Imbra said, “I would go with you if you would have me. Pelya’s welfare is of importance to me as is that of her father.”
Gilron looked at Pelya who nodded. “Very well then, Sir Imbra. Your reputation precedes you and it will be a privilege to work by your side.”
“As does yours, Commander Coodmur.” Sir Imbra turned to Lady Pallon. “It is good to see you again, My Lady. I would have you know that Ebudae has acted with great courage and honor this passing night and was involved in the rescue of illegally detained captives at great risk to herself.” The words of praise practically glowed with the sunshine of his goddess.
Malicious clouds blocked that bright praise with words dripping of venom when Lady Pallon spoke. “How wonderful. While most ladies her age are finalizing their marriages and learning how to please their husbands, my granddaughter is being courageous and putting her life in great risk.” Every syllable was articulated while she held Ebudae’s eyes with her own. She turned to the knight. “Are you aware that my granddaughter is the last living member of the Pallon line? If she were to die, this estate would be absorbed by the High Council and our family would cease to exist.”
“I was not aware, My Lady,” Sir Imbra said without expression. He bowed and turned on his heel to leave. The others followed him, leaving Ebudae alone with her grandmother. Ebudae thought, for a brief moment, that the knight flashed a look of sympathy.
She went back to staring at her hands while trying her best to ignore Lady Pallon’s gaz
e still boring into her skull. Ebudae tried to think of something, anything to say, but thoughts weren’t coherent at that moment.
Minutes went by and Ebudae began struggling to stay awake. Finally, she lifted her head and met the hostile eyes. “I used a vial of healing salve.”
“Oh?” The word was an accusation. “So you went and got yourself hurt, or did you get Pelya hurt while trying to protect you.”
She wanted to cry or scream, or both. “I used it on a woman.” Ebudae had committed to telling the truth when using the salve and she was going to keep the promise. In a way, that made things easier. “Her name is Aphry. She’s a dancer at Carnival. Her brother went missing, so she went to find him along with a couple of actors and some other Carnies. Pelya and I followed them against their wishes and joined when they couldn’t make us go away.”
Even though the Carnies had left the girls in danger, she didn’t want them to get in trouble. Her grandmother just continued to stare, so Ebudae continued. “We broke into a warehouse belonging to Master Blavoci after learning that Aphry’s brother had gone there. Then we found a secret passage and went down until we found prison cells next to a storage area. Her brother was there, but when we came out of the prison area they were keeping him in, there were swordsmen and a wizard attacking the group. Aphry was stabbed through the stomach. I used the healing salve on her because she would have died otherwise.” Ebudae stopped there, not wanting to discuss other details. She looked back at her hands and waited for her grandmother to react.
There was silence for a moment. “Did you kill anyone?”
It was as though a steel claw grasped her heart and squeezed. Ebudae looked into Lady Pallon’s eyes again. “Yes. I killed the wizard.”
“And how did you do that?” The words hammered like a judgment.
“I cast a spell that caused his head to explode.” Ebudae couldn’t resist giving details. “He didn’t even have time to scream before little, tiny pieces of his brain splattered against the wall.” She grinned at remembering the experience, half to unnerve her grandmother and half because it had been fun. That second half scared her though.
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