Rook and Shadow (Salarian Chronicles Book 1)

by A. G. Marshall

  Sir Gilbert stood by a roofless carriage, dressed as a shepherd. He took my hand and helped up, then jumped and sat beside me. Everyone else climbed into identical carriages. I watched Father help Mother into one.

  “What in the world is going on?” I whispered to Sir Gilbert.

  “Symbolism.”

  The trumpets played a fanfare. Ten soldiers on horseback rode through the courtyard and down the road to the sea. Our driver snapped his reins. I grabbed Sir Gilbert’s arm for balance as the horse lurched forward. My parents and a line of carriages full of courtiers followed us.

  The music should have faded as we left the courtyard. Instead it grew louder. Singers on horseback rode on either side of us, performing music from Mother's operas. We followed the guards down the road. When we reached the gate, two soldiers waved their hands and opened it with an enchantment. We descended a steep ramp and entered the second tier of the city. Sir Gilbert glanced around with interest.

  “Lesser nobles and artists live here,” I said. “There is a rather nice park though. You can see it from my garden. Is that where we’re going?”

  He shook his head.

  The guards at the front opened another gate. The wood shimmered as their charm pulled it open. This ramp was bumpier. I gazed at the third tier of the city. The houses were smaller. Upper level servants and wealthy merchants, mostly. I turned to Sir Gilbert.

  “Is this enough guards? I usually have more.”

  “You’re not usually with me.”

  The sea grew nearer and nearer. After a few more gates, we reached the port. It was empty. Perhaps everyone was taking a holiday for my birthday. We passed the harbor and drove into the forest. I heard the Ghone rushing toward the sea, but the trees blocked my view.

  “Would you like some breakfast?”

  Sir Gilbert reached below the seat and pulled out a basket. The seat across from us folded up into a table. He placed pastries, fruit, and cheese onto a plate.

  “This is symbolic?”

  “Very.”

  We both laughed. I caught a glimpse of a ship’s mast through a gap in the leaves. They must be sailing upriver.

  “A bandit hides in these woods,” I said. “Worse than any pirate, so they say.”

  “What makes him so bad?”

  “No one has ever seen him. He steals our treasures like a ghost. Could you fight someone like that? An invisible bandit?”

  “Of course. Let him try to attack us!”

  We gazed into the woods, searching for bandits. The trees grew in a scattered manner, not at all like the orderly groves in our palace garden. Leaves fluttered in the wind, and I almost believed the Shadow was hiding in the dark spaces waiting to attack us.

  “Tell me about your most exciting battle.”

  “Only if you tell me about yours.”

  “I’ve never been in a battle.”

  “Surely you’ve taken a swing at a poet at some point over the years.”

  I laughed.

  “I was attacked once,” I said, remembering.

  “Someone dared to attack you?”

  Sir Gilbert turned to face me, his chin resting on his hands like a child and his eyes wide. I ignored him.

  “It was two days after I turned six. I was playing with Seda with a group of my companions.”

  “Your blond companions?”

  “Yes, they were all as blond as you. Mother insists on that. Symbolism, I’m sure.”

  He ran a hand through his curled, golden hair. It looked striking against his sun tanned skin. The opposite of my pale skin and dark hair.

  “I was playing with Seda when one of my handmaidens ran towards me. She screamed that she hated me and tried to hit me. I let go of Seda and hit her back. Guards picked her up and dragged her away. Seda ran after them, hissing and scratching, trying to protect me. A courtier brought him back to me a few minutes later.”

  “What was her name?”

  I shrugged

  “I don’t even remember my handmaiden’s names now. They come and go, depending on whose father tells my father what he wants to hear.”

  “Did you ever see her again?”

  “I doubt it, but I can’t be sure. As I said, they come and go. No one ever attacked me again. Now tell me about a pirate battle.”

  “I’m not sure it can compare.”

  “That’s the point.”

  The trees cleared, and we drove through a collection of rundown houses and shops circled around a fountain and courtyard. Our carriages rattle through empty streets. The peasants must still be asleep. Most of the houses had no windows. How could anyone stand to live in such a small, dark place?

  “I was at sea,” Sir Gilbert said when we entered the forest again.

  “Were you sailing with your skeleton crew again?”

  We both laughed.

  “Yes, I had my skeleton crew for that voyage. You don’t find many sailors willing to chase pirates. We hadn’t been sailing together long and were traveling light. Just trying to get a feel for the ship. No cannons, no cargo. The boy in the crow’s nest didn’t notice the pirate ship until we were sailing side by side. I gave my first mate the wheel and rushed to the side of the deck just as the pirate captain gave the order to board. Pirates swung across on ropes and pulled out their swords. I stabbed the pirate nearest me and tossed him overboard. This really isn’t appropriate breakfast conversation, Princess.”

  I swallowed a bite of pastry.

  “I told you my story. What happened next?”

  “I knew the pirates would keep attacking us as long as their captain ordered, so I grabbed a nearby rope and swung over to the pirate ship. The coward had stayed behind while his men attacked. He pulled out his sword, and we fought across the empty ship while my men fought his. I managed to fling his sword into the sea. I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and held my sword to his throat.”

  We left the forest and traveled across gently sloping striped hills.

  “The different colors are different crops,” Sir Gilbert said. “Farmers plant crops like that in the colonies.”

  “Did he call off his men?” I asked, leaning toward him.

  “Yes, they returned to the pirate ship. I couldn’t let them go, but my men were in no shape to bring prisoners back. So I took one of their own canons, pointed it downward, and shot a hole through the pirate ship. As it sunk, I swung back across and ordered my crew to sail for home.”

  “And the ship sank? What about the pirates?”

  “As I said, it is hardly proper breakfast conversation.”

  The carriages stopped on top of one of the striped hills. Sir Gilbert jumped out and offered me his hand.

  “What now, defeater of pirates?” I asked.

  We walked into the forest side by side. Music floated down from the trees. I glanced up. Members of our orchestra sat in the branches. In the shifting light of the forest, a bandit could easily have been among them.

  “His name is the Shadow,” I said.

  Sir Gilbert’s arm stiffened. “Who?”

  “The bandit. He stole a shipment of gems from the museum a few days ago. I had to wear lace instead.”

  I glanced back, hoping I looked casual. A line of couples, led by my parents, followed us.

  “Does he steal from you often?”

  I tightened my grip on his arm. Just a little.

  “Often enough. There are even songs about him.”

  I sang softly, so only he could hear.

  The Shadow comes when the sun goes down.

  The Shadow comes to steal.

  Your silk, your crown.

  Your jewels, your gown.

  The Shadow comes to steal.

  I took his smile as encouragement and sang the second verse.

  The Shadow slips through the moonless night.

  The Shadow climbs the tiers.

  Though guards are keen.

  He goes unseen.

  The Shadow climbs the tiers.

  Sir
Gilbert stared at me as if in a trance. I looked away unsure what to say. Finally, he shook his head, and his expression cleared.

  “It sounds as if he has caused quite a bit of trouble for you.”

  “Once he stole an entire shipment of silks that had just been unloaded in the harbor. No one knows how. There were crates and crates of them. Lady Alma had to take apart dresses from the museum to make a new one for me to wear when I met a Duke from Castana. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. Everyone whispered about it. She started keeping extra supplies in her studio after that. And she’s been gathering even more since the gem theft.”

  I mistook the glint of a flute for a dagger and jumped. Sir Gilbert pulled me closer until he saw the musician and relaxed.

  “I’ve never told anyone about that,” I said. “I’m sure I’m supposed to be impressing you with the wealth of the mainland.”

  “I won’t tell anyone. And I’m sure you looked lovely.”

  “Lady Alma changed the color of the fabric. It didn’t looked recycled.”

  We followed a path that was hardly a path at all. It zigzagged through the trees, littered with rocks and roots.

  “The gardener should clear the path more often,” I said after tripping on a root.

  Sir Gilbert laughed for some reason. We both jumped as a violist sitting in a tree began to play.

  “I am sorry. I thought it would be fun to have the musicians hide in the woods and serenade us.”

  “Who said I’m not having fun?”

  But I couldn’t help singing the third verse of the song in my head.

  Beware, beware, oh Princess fair.

  The Shadow’s always near.

  Cares naught for charm.

  He means you harm.

  The Shadow’s always near.

  We reached a stream with no bridge across it. Sir Gilbert caught my hand as I jumped and helped me over. We walked along the bank.

  “This is a charming surprise, Sir Gilbert. I’ve never been to the woods. I rarely leave the castle.”

  “Don’t be disappointed, but this isn’t the surprise. We’re almost there.”

  The stream disappeared into a hole in a hill. We walked up, and I gasped when I saw the other side. A rolling valley covered in snow stretched before me. Horses hitched to sleighs stood to the side.

  “How is this possible?” I asked, looking back to the forest. It was as green as ever. I stepped into the valley and felt the snow crunch beneath my shoe.

  “Welcome to the fairy snow.”

  Sir Gilbert helped me into a sleigh, and we sat for a moment watching everyone react to the valley.

  “What magic have you used?” I asked.

  “Only the magic of Salaria.”

  He snapped the reins, and our sleigh glided across the winter valley behind a white horse. Sir Gilbert handled the horse masterfully, avoiding the other sleighs and taking us around the valley. The sparkling snow was almost blinding.

  Sir Gilbert handed me the reins.

  “Oh, I couldn’t!”

  “No one is watching.”

  I glanced around. Everyone was staring at the snow. I took the reins and almost ran into my parents as they drove over to give me a parasol. Sir Gilbert grabbed the reins before they noticed I was driving, but he handed them back to me when they left. I snapped them, and the horse bolted forward. I struggled to regain control.

  “Stay calm and know where you’re going,” Sir Gilbert said.

  I managed to make a loop around the valley before handing him the reins. Then I opened the parasol and waited for my heartbeat to slow.

  “Beautifully done. I would expect no less from the heir to Salaria’s throne.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to be, you know. Everyone thought my parents would have a son.”

  “Well, thank goodness they didn’t.”

  Long before I was ready to go, a trumpet sounded. Everyone guided their sleighs back to the top of the hill.

  “You have an opera to perform tonight,” Sir Gilbert said before I could protest.

  A silver fountain sat in the stream now, shooting crystal drops of water into the air. Sir Gilbert got a cup from a servant and filled it for me.

  “A lovely touch,” I said.

  “And necessary. This stream flows straight from the salt mines, so it is undrinkable.”

  “How so?”

  Sir Gilbert filled his cup from the stream and handed it to me. I took a sip and gagged at the salt.

  “Our greatest treasure,” I said after a few gulps of the filtered water to get the taste out of my mouth.

  “Yes, to Salaria’s greatest treasure,” Sir Gilbert said. He kept his eyes on me as he took a drink.

  Chapter 6

  I found it hard to concentrate when we arrived back in the palace. The day flew past in a series of portrait sittings and opera rehearsals. I ate supper backstage while Mother made a few last minute revisions.

  I wanted to be back in the woods, walking with Sir Gilbert. Daydreams of summer snow filled my head while Lady Alma snapped me into the snowflake costume. She piled my hair up until it fit under the silver hat. She had changed into a white wig with spikes. It was meant to look like a snowflake, but the overall effect was more like a spider web. Another classic Madame Delilah creation. My silver hat was ridiculous, but it looked better than that.

  “The bracelets!” she said, looking through her drawers and chests.

  I was still wearing them. How could I have forgotten to give them back? I slid one onto my left arm.

  “You already put them on me,” I said.

  She checked my wrists and shrugged.

  “I am going crazy trying to finish everything. You may wait in your dressing room.”

  Now that I was in costume, I had to stay backstage. I glanced at the audience from behind the curtains. Everyone came early to make sure they got their seat. Guards paced the aisles, escorting uninvited guests back to the garden. A place in the opera audience was the highest honor. Even listening from the garden was a sign of status.

  Mother, Father and Sir Gilbert sat in the center box, high above the crowd of courtiers and dignitaries. Sir Bristle stood behind them sketching the scene so it could be painted later. An empty chair sat next to my mother.

  Divinia.

  As a fairy, she might materialize at any moment. There was still time for her to arrive.

  Sir Lefting ran around checking everything. Lady Alma stood with the dancers and singers lined up in front of her.

  “Act one,” she said.

  The dancers tapped silver charms etched with curved engravings on their dressing tables, and simple red dresses wrapped around their bodies in a swirl of silver sparkles. The short dresses left their arms and ankles exposed. Brown ballet slippers appeared on the dancers’ feet. The singers wore boots. Lady Alma walked down the line, examining everyone.

  “Act two.”

  Two taps, and everyone stood in green dresses with wide skirts, gold trim and fairy wings. Mother would be devastated if Divinia didn’t see this tribute to her.

  “Act three.”

  Three taps. Pale blue dresses with silver trim.

  I had only one costume. And about three hours of opera to go before I needed it.

  The orchestra tuned and began the overture. Dancers tapped back into the red dresses and took their places. The lead singers moved past them with perfect posture and stood on the stage. They wore white with gold trim.

  The curtain opened, and a soprano and tenor sang about Salaria and love. Dancers moved across the stage, twirling as they went. The chorus sang behind them.

  Lady Alma tapped me on the shoulder and led me to my dressing room.

  “Divinia is late,” I said.

  “Don’t hold your breath.”

  She polished the silver hat. It reminded me of a knight’s helmet, but far rounder. I really did look like a salt shaker.

  “You’re so sure she won’t come. How do you know about fairies?”

>   She opened the chest and diamonds floated to the surface of my gown.

  “There are still fairies in Castana.”

  “So you’ve met them?”

  “Once. They live in the mountains. It is not an easy journey to reach them.”

  “Why did you leave Castana, Lady Alma?”

  She stopped polishing the silver hat and looked at me. I met her gaze.

  “Why ask this now?”

  “It was your home.”

  “It wasn’t that great.”

  “But you were given a Rosas Rojas. You had your choice of the men.”

  She winked at me.

  “They weren’t that great either. I’m here because I want to be, Salara.”

  I should have scolded her for not calling me Princess, but instead I examined my white swan feather boots.

  “Stay quiet, now,” Lady Alma said. “You’ve been talking to Sir Gilbert all day. Best give your voice some rest.”

  She left to check on the other costumes.

  I tried to imagine Lady Alma as a young, beautiful girl, but the image wouldn’t stick. Castanian visitors always treated her with respect. She was a Lady there, a noblewoman.

  And one day, she left.

  I had never been to another country. It was too dangerous with so many pirates on the seas. This morning, with Sir Gilbert, was the longest amount of time I had spent outside the castle. But people from many places came to see me. And they all lived somewhere.

  In Castana, for example. What was that like? Or a tiny village in a houses with no windows? Or in New Salaria, the island colonies to the south?

  I sat on the chair in my dressing room. Fortunately, the diamonds spread out so I didn’t have to sit on them. Someone had left an opera program on my desk. I flipped through it.

  The First Snowflake

  Book, music, and choreography by Queen Ingrid

  Directed by Sir Lefting, supervised by Queen Ingrid

  Costumes by Lady Alma, supervised by Queen Ingrid

  In honor of the coming of age of Princess Salara

  Blessed by the Fairy Divinia and raised by Queen Ingrid

  The Legend of the Fairy Snow