Tobias didn’t look happy with my question. “It’s ah… it used to be called the fields of radiance, but that’s not important. I took you here to see the sunset.”
My brow dropped skeptically. I had already appreciated the amount of sun that I’d gotten to see, thanks to Tobias taking me out of work early. Over the desert it was exceptional, deep red. The sky was a rainbow of colors, even though there were few clouds.
“I could tell you were beginning to think Akadia had nothing beautiful about it,” he commented. He had his arms resting on the wall. “Most are dazzled enough by the city.”
My brow narrowed. I didn’t like the reminder of Tobias speaking to my people. I had talked with him more since then; I did not know how to fit who he was with the rest of the Akadians.
“Will you tell me about Cyric now?” I asked.
He laughed. “I knew that you couldn’t be held off for long.”
“Why would you want to hold me off?” I asked with concern. “Has something happened to him?”
“No. No. Calm down,” Tobias replied. “He is… well. He’s very well.”
“Is he a soldier?” I asked.
Tobias nodded. “Yes. He’s… Actually, he’s just been promoted into the army today. He was training with the other recruits, now he’ll be with the regular Akadian soldiers.”
“Does that mean he’ll live here?” I asked. I’d heard that the soldiers all resided in the palace district.
“Yes,” Tobias answered.
I frowned.
“You’re thinking that you wished I’d let you become a handmaiden,” Tobias guessed. “So that you could be near him?”
“No,” I replied. “I am grateful to you. You can’t imagine how much. I just… don’t know what I’ll do to be able to see him….”
Tobias didn’t respond.
I took a deep breath and stared out at the dessert. For a moment I felt like my old self back in Shaundakul. I was clean; I could feel the wind. I almost felt free.
“He’s a strange one, your friend,” Tobias commented. “I was surprised when I found him. I thought I had the wrong recruit.”
“You mean Cyric?” I asked. “Why were you surprised?”
“Well he… he just doesn’t seem anything like you.”
“He isn’t acting foolishly, is he?” My voice was full of worry.
Tobias chuckled. “No. If he were, I probably wouldn’t say that.”
“Are you saying that I’m foolish?” I asked.
He laughed outright. “Not truly, no. And you’re friend is no fool either. He just seems…” Tobias’s gaze went distant.
My brow knit.
Tobias waved it off. “When you care for someone you care for them, right? Nothing else matters.”
“I suppose…”
Tobias looked so instantly dismal that I couldn’t help but think he spoke from experience. I thought of the woman in white I’d seen with him in the square, but I had no reason to think she was more than an acquaintance. Still I wondered… “Do you have someone you care for like that, Tobias?”
He frowned. Then he smiled and said, “Doesn’t everyone?”
“No,” I replied confidently. “I don’t think so.”
This seemed to make him sad. He looked down at his hands and didn’t say anything for a long time.
Then he took a breath, like he was about to say something, but instead he released it. It happened once more then he spoke. “Would you understand if I said that I used to care for Akadia that way?” His eyes grew bright; he gave me no chance to respond. “You should see the great behemoths of Akadia, Ellia. They used to live out on the very plains before us. Their tusks—” he spread his arms “—are as thick as a man’s body. And in the sun they shine brighter than gold.”
“Like the palace?” I asked.
“Much brighter,” he replied. He shook his head. “And the palace itself… it wasn’t always gold, but in the old days it was lively with visitors. We had space enough to host allies from many kingdoms at once. We threw grand parties. Royals from all across the lands came to visit. Our mountains have been home to dragons, basilisk, chimera.”
“Chimera?” I repeated.
He nodded.
“You actually saw one?” I asked in disbelief.
His smile tipped. “I was just a boy, but yes.”
“Oh Tobias, what are they like? Are they so beautiful?”
“They’re magnificent indeed.”
“Do they shoot lightning?”
“I didn’t see for myself. But the rumors go so, don’t they?”
I nodded excitedly. He went on.
“Now it’s been years since I’ve seen a granted animal. Well, except for…”
When he didn’t finish, I looked at him. His brow knit; his cheer had all vanished. “It was all long ago,” he said.
I frowned.
He met my eyes, then formed a quick smile and nodded ahead. “Did you see the sunset?” he asked.
Almost unwillingly I looked and saw that the sun had gone below the horizon and the sky was fading into pale rainbow shades.
“I’ll just have to take you another day then,” he said after a pause. “But for now, we should go back. Are you ready?”
I wasn’t, but when he stepped away from the wall I followed obediently.
#
The streets of the palace district were bustling. There were enough soldiers around to make me nervous, though Tobias didn’t show concern. I supposed with my clean robe I didn’t stick out too terribly.
As we walked, I searched for Cyric, which meant looking into the faces of the soldiers. As with the first night I’d come to Akadia, I thought there was something terrifying about their features. They were distant and empty—even if they were laughing, they looked empty. I never did see Cyric.
Tobias brought us to the gate at the front of the palace district. He instructed the guard there to let me back through and then he turned to me. “You know you’re way back from here, right?” he asked.
I nodded.
“You shouldn’t have a problem with any of the other gates… as long as you’re going down. Mention my name if you need to.”
“Alright,” I said.
“I hope it was worth the trip—even if you did miss the sunset.”
“It was,” I said. “I mean, I would have liked the break no matter what, but there was something about the dessert there. Maybe because it used to hold the granted animals, like you said. I sensed it was just very magical.”
Tobias blinked, then he laughed a little, his brow low. It was a strange expression, but all he said was goodbye, and then he bowed and left.
I watched him walk away. My thoughts immediately turned to his behavior by the wall. What could he have meant that he used to care for Akadia that way?
The way he acted, sometimes it seemed he didn’t believe in what was happening at all, but as he walked down the street he waved to many of those he passed and he received smiles in return.
I frowned, then I almost jumped when I saw two men on the corner of the street, staring at me. One was a regular soldier, the other looked like he must have been a captain or something. They shifted their attention to Tobias as they talked; the regular soldier actually pointed in Tobias’s direction. Before they could look back at me, I turned around and started walking towards the gate.
The guard had just let me through when I heard his voice behind me.
“Wait,” he called.
I warily glanced back, uncertain that he was even addressing me.
The two men that had stared at me from across the street now stood beside him. With a terrible lurch in the pit of my stomach, I realized the one that I had thought a captain was a man I had seen before today—on the battlefield outside of Uldin Keep.
“Is there a problem, commander?” the guard asked him.
The commander kept his eyes on me. “I saw this one talking with Captain Tobias,” he said. “Do you know the meaning of it
?”
“No,” the guard replied. “The captain instructed me to let her through. That’s all I know.”
“Is she a handmaiden?” he asked.
“I… don’t know,” the guard replied.
The commander made a quick grimace of irritation, then he turned back to me. “What do you do, girl?”
I could hardly speak. I was frozen with the fear that he recognized me and somehow wished to punish me for it. “I… am…” I swallowed. “I’m a gem-sorter. I work in the production district.”
“A gem-sorter?” the soldier beside him broke in skeptically.
The commander ignored it. “Do you know Tobias?” he asked.
“I’ve met him,” I admitted.
“What were you doing together?”
I reflexively looked back in the direction he had walked. I was starting to think that this didn’t have to do with being recognized. “He was just… helping me to get back to my district. I didn’t know where I was.”
“You looked friendly for a chance meeting,” the commander said. Then he tipped his chin up. “How did a gem-sorter enter the palace district in the first place?”
“She came in with the Captain as well,” the gate guard answered.
My brow dipped.
The commander cocked his head. “Telling lies?” he said. Then he grabbed my chin and turned my head in either direction. After a moment’s study, he glanced back. “What do you think, Orthus?” he asked.
I tried to hold my jaw tight as the soldier considered me. He grew a smile. “I think she’ll do very nicely, Commander.”
~ ~ ~
CHAPTER SEVEN
CYRIC:
*
“Come on, man, look happier than that,” said Salthor. He slapped me on the back for perhaps the tenth time that night and in my current state it sort of made me feel ill.
We were standing in the middle of what was still a wildly live partly. It was the same one that had started after the race. More soldiers had joined. Female ones too. More food, wine, and music than I’d ever seen.
But about five minutes ago a servant had walked in and informed me it was time for me to be taken to my new quarters.
“You’re being taken to bed, not battle,” Salthor went on. “You look ready to sing a dirge.”
“I’m not going to sing a dirge,” I said, shrugging him off.
Salthor laughed.
“Are you ready, sir?” the servant asked me.
Sparing one last head-shake at Salthor, I nodded.
“Wait! Just a minute,” Salthor interrupted. “Volan!” he called.
A stalky, bearded soldier that I’d spent a good amount of time with this evening turned around with a drink in his hand. “Aye?”
“Cyric’s leaving,” Salthor cried. All the nearby soldiers heard him.
I scoffed, a smile forming on my lips.
“Leaving already?” Volan complained. “But the wine’s still being poured. And the women are still about.” There was a girl beside him; in seeming appreciation of his comment she kissed his neck.
“But he has his prize to get,” Salthor reminded.
Volan laughed. “Oh, ho, ho. Now for that I understand. All the same, let us sing a dirge in honor of young Cyric’s departure.”
“We were just talking of dirges!” Salthor exclaimed, but Volan had already started singing, his drink high in the air. Others joined him.
With a disbelieving laugh I raised my hand in farewell. I could still hear them singing when I’d left the room.
Instead of going back to the street the servant led me through a complex of halls and courtyards. At this time of night many of them were silent. Like the rest of the palace district, the halls were well-lit with torches and patterned with tiles.
In the fresh air and without all the music, my head started to clear. I wasn’t drunk exactly; I’d had a lot less than everyone else, but at the same time I’d had more than I ever had before.
The servant led me to the baths first. The place was huge, as big as the great hall in Shaundakul. It was filled with wall paintings that towered over everything, larger than life-size. High windows lined the top where the ceiling met the wall. The servant had me rinse off then gave me a new tunic to wear. The material it was made of was softer than anything I’d ever felt, stitched with gold thread and patterns.
After this we walked to the room, which wasn’t far from the baths. He led me past a hall of doors then stopped in front of one of them.
When I didn’t say anything, he nodded to me.
“You may enter, sir. This will be your room for the night.”
“For the night?” I asked. “I thought I was staying here for good.”
“No. This is just temporary, part of the reward you received for winning the race. Tomorrow afternoon you will be taken to your quarters with the other men.”
“Oh,” I said in understanding. I fingered my tunic with a smirk. “I guess this is temporary, too?”
He stared blankly, then he narrowed in confusion. “Those are your bed-clothes sir.”
I smiled a little. “Yeah, I know, I just meant that…”
His narrow deepened.
“Never mind,” I said.
He started to walk away.
I looked up at the door in front of me, then called after him, “Hey, wait!”
He turned around.
“The um… girl that I’m supposed to get. Is she…?”
“She is inside,” he answered.
“Already?” was my quick reply.
“For some time.”
The servant resumed his walk and I was left alone in the hall. I stood there for a while. I ran a hand back through my hair, which didn’t really work because there wasn’t much left of it anymore. Then I opened the door.
It was a large room, lit by torches and candlelight. The walls and floor were stone, but there were rugs everywhere. And pillars, decorated in mosaics. The middle of the room had a bed, surrounded by curtains, and beyond that was an open window, which let in a soft breeze.
I didn’t see the girl at first—not until I looked to the right corner of the room. The floor was sunken in there and it was darker than the other areas. There was a set of lounge chairs surrounding a table, and she was sitting in one of them.
I closed the door, but she didn’t stir. I realized she might have been asleep. I walked closer. She had long blond hair, curled and covering her face. She wore a red layered dress like most of the handmaidens.
For a moment I thought about the women at the party tonight, how beautiful they all were, and this girl was supposed to be even more beautiful than them.
I sighed. Too bad they were never worth the hassle. I turned around with the intention of getting something to eat from the tray of food set out, then I heard her voice.
“Cyric?”
My brow dropped. I looked back.
A face that was as beautiful as any I could have expected to see was staring up at me, wide-eyed, and completely familiar. I could hardly believe my own voice when I spoke. “Ellia?”
For a moment she just stared at me, and I wasn’t doing much different. It would take a lot to make me not recognize her like I hadn’t—even if I couldn’t see her face—and a lot was exactly what they’d done.
In my study, her expression turned vicious. “Where have you been?” she exclaimed.
“Working,” I replied. “Like we planned. What are you doing?”
She scoffed. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
One of my brows went up. “Well…. I thought I told you to get a job,” I said, changing the subject.
“I did get a job,” she responded. “I was working in the production district as a gem-sorter.”
“A gem-sorter,” I repeated. “That sounds good.”
“It wasn’t good. It was terrible,” she spat. “I didn’t see the sun for days.”
“Is that why you came here?”
“No. I was taken here against m
y will.” She narrowed. “Don’t you know this? How did you find out that I was here?”
“Umm….” I felt my throat get a little tight. She tilted her head. “I didn’t exactly know that you were going to be here,” I admitted.
She narrowed. “What?” She straightened up, then suddenly looked around. “I thought you were a soldier,” she said.
“I am.”
Her gaze went dark. “Then what are you doing here in this room, and with a…?” Instead of finishing, she nodded down to herself.
While my gaze wandered over her dress I tried to think up a lie. Somehow I knew she’d be angry just at the fact that I’d won a girl, even if it hadn’t actually been my choice. Not to mention I didn’t want to be the one to tell Ellia she’d been the prize for an Akadian race. “I don’t know,” I said, “They just took me here after I got into the army. I mean, they said I’d get the room, but I didn’t know there would be, you know…” My words trailed out while she considered.
She scoffed. “So they just give away girls to all of the soldiers?”
I shrugged uncertainly, attempting to look like I was joining in with her incredulity.
For a moment she fumed. Then she thought about it. “Does this mean that I get to stay with you?” Her tone was hopeful.
“Yeah. I guess so,” I confirmed.
There was a slight hesitation, and then she smiled. “That’s good,” she said carefully.
I smiled too. “Yeah. That’s good.”
Her smile grew to a grin. She started wiping her face and tucking hairs behind her ears. “I thought something terrible was going to happen. I can’t believe I went from being so afraid to being with you. We’re so lucky, Cyric.” She pressed her hands at her sides excitedly and I thought maybe it wasn’t going to be as difficult a situation as I had when I’d first seen her. Maybe it could even be fun. I laughed a little.
Then it got quiet. She cleared her throat and gestured to me. “They cut your hair.”
I shrugged. “They do it to all the recruits. It’ll grow back.”
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