Ebudae

by Carroll, John H.

  “Thank you, Frath. I know you’re Pelya’s father, but I look up to you as I would my own. If you ever need anything, let me know. In addition, I’ve left orders with the estate that it is to always let you in if you should need a place to come regardless of whether or not I’m here. The room set aside for you will always be available as will the gardens, conservatory and even the tunnels.”

  “I’ll probably take you up on that. Also, I want you to know that I consider you as a second daughter and will always be here if you should need me.”

  “Thank you.” Ebudae walked around the table to give him a big hug. Pelya joined them. They were the closest people Ebudae had to family.

  “Not to interrupt the moment, but I would like very much to explore those tunnels,” Sir Imbra said.

  They laughed. “It would be best if I personally took you,” Ebudae said while going back to finish her wine and draddly. “Give me some time to get used to everything and then I’ll take you down. I also need time to fully rest.”

  “Right now we need to handle the threat to these wonderful young ladies,” Frath said. “The tunnels can wait.” He patted the pack that still rested over his shoulder. “I need to get these logbooks to Commander Coodmur and see what everyone else has learned. I think we’ll be able to incriminate Master Thanzin if not Blavoci too.”

  “Isn’t Master Thanzin the one I hit with lightning?” Ebudae asked.

  “What?!” Frath asked. “When was this?”

  “I told you . . .” Pelya scratched her head in thought.

  “No, you didn’t.” Frath put his hands on the table. “Tell me what happened.”

  Ebudae relayed the incident about the slick-haired man’s visit. After that, they moved to the conservatory, illuminated by the light of the moons through the green glass as well as numerous candles. It created a surreal effect. Once settled, Pelya and Frath filled her in with all of their plans and the rescue of Aphry and the slaves under the warehouse in the Livestock District. They also told about the Rojuun.

  “I am extremely glad I’m here for this,” Sir Imbra said. “My companions and I have seen these Rojuun you speak of. Reanna does not trust them. They live under the ground, away from her sight.”

  “You’ve met them then?” Frath asked.

  “No. They avoid us and I have avoided them by the command of Reanna. She doesn’t trust them, but my job is to fight evil and bring the strength of sunlight to dark places. That does not lessen my curiosity though.” Sir Imbra smacked his thigh. “Have I mentioned that I’m glad I’ve met all of you?”

  Pelya laughed. “We’re glad we met you too and not just because you have your own carriage.”

  “I have a carriage!” Ebudae exclaimed, standing as the knowledge came to her. “In fact I have three, but no horses.” She sat back down. “Why don’t I have horses?

  “They are generally helpful for pulling carriages, especially since we are all against slavery.” Sir Imbra winked impishly.

  She laughed, but stopped suddenly when more information came to mind. “One of them moves on magic and the spell is in a book here.” She stood again. “I have so many things to explore.”

  “We’ll leave you to it then. I need to get these books back to the Guard District,” Frath said, rising as well.

  “No. I’m going to come with you. The estate doesn’t need my constant presence. We need to handle this danger. Let me change and get my things.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Pelya said, jumping to her side. They both ran up the stairs. Pelya was normally faster, but she kept pace instead. Ebudae loved the way the candlelight glowed against the polished wood of the stair railings. She had never realized how many candles were in the manor before.

  It didn’t take long to change into her adventuring dress, even though she would have liked a bath first. Tina followed them up and helped tame Ebudae’s hair as best as could be done quickly. Pelya grabbed the belt of pouches and cloak out of the workroom.

  “Do you think it’ll be alright to bring this?” Pelya indicated the magical sword Ebudae had given her. It was on her right hip, giving her dual weapons that made her even more dangerous. She had trained with small blades and enjoyed it. Her regular sword, given to her by the Weaponmaster Coodmur, was thin and light. The adventuring sword weighed even less and was sharper than any blade either of them had ever seen.

  “Don’t you have to report it?”

  “I don’t think I would have to anymore and I’m rich enough that I could just tell them I bought it, maybe from a tent at Carnival or something.” Pelya fingered the braided hilt while thinking.

  “Just take it. Maybe your father won’t notice.”

  Pelya gave her a look.

  “Alright. He’ll notice. We’ll just tell him I gave it to you, which is truth. I found it in the ruined academy below our manor, so it’s technically my property to give. You’re allowed to accept gifts, right?”

  She thought about it for a moment while Ebudae adjusted everything. “I am allowed to accept gifts, so that would work. It is the truth after all. We’ll just leave out the part where I’ve had it for over four years and frequently skewer beastly beasts in dark places.” Pelya grinned roguishly. They headed back down the stairs.

  The men were discussing how to fight monsters in the ruins below when the girls came down. The first thing both noticed was the extra sword, despite the fact that Pelya was behind Ebudae.

  “Where did that sword come from, young lady?” Frath asked.

  “Ebudae gave it to me as a gift.” Pelya replied. “We’re ready to go.”

  “Let me see it.” Frath held out a hand for the sword.

  “It was mine to give.” For some reason, Ebudae hadn’t thought he would want to see it.

  “I’m not saying it isn’t,” he reassured her. “It’s a new sword and knowing you, it’s probably not a cheap one. I like swords.”

  “I’d like to see it as well. Judging by the hilt and sheath it’s a good quality.” Sir Imbra craned his neck around to see Pelya who was trying to stay behind Ebudae.

  Neither girl had an argument for that, so Pelya reluctantly pulled it out and handed it, hilt first, to her father. The blade was the width of two fingers at the crossbar. Its sharpened edges tapered gradually to the point. It wasn’t very thick and there were absolutely no nicks in it.

  “It doesn’t weigh anything,” Frath said in awe, swishing it to the side a couple of times.

  Sir Imbra moved close. “That sword has some sort of magic, but it’s almost impossible to see.” He turned to Ebudae. “Where did you get this?”

  “Give it back to Pelya now.” Ebudae ordered. Both men froze in surprise. “It is her sword. I gave it to her.”

  “Of course.” Frath deftly flipped it and handed it back to his daughter hilt first. “I didn’t mean to offend, Milady.”

  “I know. But sometimes . . . sometimes you just need to leave things be. The sword is hers.” The words were cryptic even to her, but she didn’t want them messing with it. “Let’s go deliver those books and plan what to do next.” Ebudae marched toward the front door, leaving everyone else staring at her back. “Tina, I’ll be back as soon as I can. The estate will keep you safe.”

  Chapter 24

  During the carriage ride, Frath and Sir Imbra began talking about the ruins again. Pelya and Ebudae joined in during an interesting part. Instead of condemning the young ladies, the men listened intently and began including them in the discussion.

  Frath shook his head in amazement after they were done talking about the academy. “I’ve never known about that. I agree with Sir Imbra. We have to plan an expedition when all of this blows over.”

  Pelya smiled enthusiastically. “That sounds like fun. There are some places we just won’t go because we’re not willing to take foolish risks.” At their raised eyebrows, she clarified. “We’re not willing to take foolish risks. We’ll take the other kind anytime.” They laughed at that.

  “And then you
go back up to Ebudae’s suite and count your treasure?” Frath asked with a wink.

  “Well . . . maybe a little,” Pelya admitted.

  “And we usually eat lots of food,” Ebudae added. “I cast spells, so food is on my mind a lot,” she said wryly.

  “Yeah, it’s the best food . . .” Pelya stopped in horror. “Your cook left?”

  Ebudae nodded sadly. She had no idea how to replace everyone. “They all left. I’m not sure where Grandmother found everyone.”

  “I could help with that,” Frath suggested. “I know a lot of people, but . . .”

  “I’d like that very much, Frath.” It was a relief to her.

  “Well, they’re mostly odd.” He ran fingers through his hair. “I meet a lot of people in my job. Some of them have extraordinary talent for various things. But for whatever reason, they can’t get a job. A couple are insane, but they’re harmless.”

  “They sound perfect. I don’t like normal people, which is why you and I get along so well.” Ebudae grinned impishly.

  “Exactly . . . wait . . . hey!” The laughter that followed felt good.

  The carriage was waved through the gates after a quick inspection and a runner met them as they exited. “Captain Alice Zephan will see all of you in her office right away, Sergeant.”

  “Thank you. We’ll be right there.”

  A few minutes later, they entered the captain’s sparsely decorated office, with a desk in the center, tables and bookshelves around the walls. There were numerous maps of the city covering every space on the walls. The only real luxury was rugs scattered haphazardly over the floor. Some were nice, others heavily used.

  “Good. You’re here. Were you able to rescue the prisoners or find evidence?” Captain Zephan asked, coming over to them. There were two Guardmembers going over papers. One was a female corporal and the other a male lieutenant. They glanced up, but went back to work right away.

  “Only one prisoner was alive,” Frath told the captain. Ebudae felt her heart squeeze again, like it had when they first told her of Aphry’s rescue. Frath put the backpack on a table. “We do have log books and we rescued a number of slaves.”

  For the next half hour, they went over everything that had happened. Captain Zephan explained what her people had learned up to that point.

  “Commander Coodmur has discovered that Master Thanzin has blackmail on a few officials in the Estate of the Grand Assembly, that’s where the ruling body of Altordan is,” she clarified for the younger two who nodded, already knowing that. “How the commander discovered that is his business, of course.”

  “Of course,” Frath agreed.

  “Your incorrigible friends,” Captain Zephan pointed at Pelya, referring to Clutz, Grinkin and Florsy, “were able to grab some records of illegal sales. They’ve learned that Master Thanzin may have more incriminating evidence in his office at Master Blavoci’s estate. They’ve been getting some rest for the past few hours and then they’ll try to break in. This still isn’t an official investigation, so we’re breaking some rules here.”

  “We can help with the break-in,” Ebudae suggested.

  “No. Definitely not,” Captain Zephan said. “Frath and Pelya need to get some sleep. They’ve had a long day.” She pointed at Ebudae and Sir Imbra. “Neither of you are in the Guard, so I can’t include you in any plans.” The captain crossed her arms. “We have another problem though.”

  “What is it?” Frath asked.

  “Thanzin’s men came with legal orders to arrest Pelya for the break in.”

  Frath put an arm around Pelya’s shoulders protectively. Ebudae took a hand and squeezed it.

  “The worst part is that he took it to Commander Duuth, who doesn’t like Pelya.”

  Frath spat out a curse.

  Captain Zephan held out a calming hand. “Duuth brought it to me and ordered me to make the problem go away, either by getting rid of Pelya or getting rid of Master Thanzin. He didn’t care.”

  “I would think he’d want Pelya gone,” Frath said in surprise.

  “Yes, but he doesn’t want to be dragged into an alley and beaten to death by the entire Guard if he were to do anything to Pelya, so it’s a matter of self-preservation.”

  Sir Imbra and Frath bellowed in laughter. Ebudae continued holding Pelya’s hand. Neither girl thought the situation anything but terrifying. Even the threat of Pelya having to go to one of Dralin’s notorious prisons made their knees weak.

  Captain Zephan began pacing back and forth. “This is a problem though. If we harbor one of our own, it’ll be bad for the Guard. Other officers have begun hearing about this and are offering their assistance, but we need a little more time.” She stopped pacing. “Sergeant, I want you and Pelya to go someplace safe, Perhaps Lady Pallon’s estate?

  “Yes,” Ebudae said. “No one will be able to touch them there and they can get some rest.”

  “Excellent.” The captain smiled appreciatively at her. “Would it be possible to meet there tomorrow morning to finalize plans? I don’t want them to have to come back here.”

  “Yes, I have a meeting room that can be used. However, there are no servants to take care of guests at the moment.” Ebudae wondered how quickly Frath could get her more.

  “Did your grandmother relieve them of their duties?” the captain asked.

  “She died yesterday.” Ebudae waved off any condolences the officer may have offered. “We weren’t fond of each other and the servants were loyal to her, not me. Tina, my personal assistant, is still with me, but that’s all.”

  “I see. Well I thank you for everything you’re doing to help us despite your circumstances.”

  Ebudae gave her a brief smile. “I thank you for helping me as well. I wouldn’t be able to handle this on my own, at least not as efficiently as the Guard.”

  “But of course. Any friend of Pelya’s is a friend of the Guard.” Captain Zephan smiled at the girls. “You two are to be careful and stay safe. Sergeant, get these young ladies to safety and then get yourself some rest.”

  “Will do, Captain.” Frath smacked his chest with his fist in salute and Pelya did the same. Ebudae thought hitting oneself in the chest a silly way to pay tribute, but it made them happy so she didn’t say anything about it.

  They made their way back to the carriage and climbed in. Once they were settled, Sir Imbra cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay with you and assist until this matter is resolved.”

  “We don’t mind at all, but I’m curious as to why,” Frath said.

  “The important reason is that I have come to like the three of you and want to help in whatever way I am able.”

  Ebudae was sitting next to him and had taken the opportunity to examine the sheath of his sword that lay across their laps. “That implies that there are other reasons.”

  “Yes, there are.” He ticked off the points on his fingers. “Sometime in the future, Pelya Jornin will assist me in a matter that has not been made clear to me. It would be nice if I do something for her in return regardless of whether it is sooner or later.

  “This is the first I’ve heard of that,” Frath said unhappily.

  “I should have told you,” Pelya apologized. They sat next to each other. “I first met him the day Uncle Bobbell died, but I’ve spent so much time forgetting that day that I forgot to ask you about Sir Imbra.”

  He gave her shoulders a squeeze of reassurance. “That’s alright then, but I’d like to know what you’re supposed to assist with.”

  “As would I,” Sir Imbra agreed. He ticked off the next point. “Masters Blavoci and Thanzin are slavers. Reanna hates slavery. Therefore, assisting you will fulfill my duties to my most wonderful goddess.”

  “I must admit that I’m starting to like Reanna,” Frath said. “Everything I’ve seen from her followers is good.”

  “Perhaps you would care to join the fold?” the knight suggested.

  A purple glow took over Frath’s eyes and a surreal tone wrapped ar
ound the word he uttered. “No.” The glow disappeared, but his irises were even more brilliant than usual.

  Sir Imbra sat back and gulped nervously. “Right. I shall never make that suggestion again.”

  “I love it when your eyes glow like that,” Ebudae told Frath with a grin. “I know a couple of spells to make mine flash and I didn’t even have to get my head hammered by a god.” Frath stuck his tongue out, causing her to laugh in surprise.

  The knight ticked off a third point. “I have a feeling that there’s going to be fighting involved very soon.” He patted his sword. “What good is carrying such a pretty weapon if I don’t get to swing it at things?” He grinned.

  “I like you, Sir Knight,” Ebudae said, linking an arm in his.

  “That’s understandable, Milady. I am extremely likable after all.”

  As they all laughed again, Ebudae realized that she felt good. A suppressive weight had lifted off her shoulders with her grandmother’s death. There had been a time when the thought of managing the estate seemed daunting, but knowing that it was alive and would help her made that burden disappear.

  Pelya had been her best friend throughout life even though they hadn’t always seen eye to eye. But now Frath was her friend as was Sir Imbra. It was odd for people to like her and for her to trust anyone. It was a sensation that meant more to her than anything.

  “Ebudae? What’s wrong? You’re crying,” Pelya said in alarm. She leaned forward and put a hand on Ebudae’s.

  “Am I?” She wiped a tear away. “I’m just happy to have friends. Thank you all.” More tears came and she didn’t know why. Pelya squeezed next to her and wrapped her into a hug while Sir Imbra put a comforting arm around her. Frath reached over and took the hand Pelya had released.

  “You’ll always be my best friend,” Pelya said with empathetic tears in her own eyes.

  “Hear, hear,” Frath agreed.

  If Sir Imbra said anything, Ebudae didn’t hear it. Pallon Estate entered her mind and informed her that a group of four men was climbing over the alley fence into the backyard.