by C. R. Daems
Resigned that I was leaving, Quinius assigned his nephew to see me to the castle. I gawked at the houses as they got bigger, many with large fenced courtyards, as we continued up the hill.
The castle had its own rampart, twenty paces high, multiple turrets, and another killing tunnel entrance. The guards passed me through the gates but had me wait for their sergeant. The castle was breathtaking. White granite, the keep stretched fifty paces long and rose six stories. Three attached towers ascended an additional two to four stories. Several smaller three-story buildings extended off the main one with its own eight-story towers, massive and beautiful.
When the sergeant arrived, I was passed from sergeant of the guard to officer to captain to minor noble and finally to Minister Lucas. The Minister kept an icy silence and sniffed as though he stood too near the privy.
I couldn't help staring at the opulence of the hallways and offices as I was led through the castle. Hundreds of tapestries, sculptures, and wall carvings adorned walls, ceilings, and floors. The Aerie was stark by comparison. Lucas at last led me into the hi'Lord's private study, which was paneled in golden oak. Varius sat in a massive ornate gold chair behind an equally ornate desk. A young girl sat in a large chair to his right. She was elegantly adorned in a dark-blue velvet overdress, pinned at each shoulder with a gold broach. The lace edging of her underdress showed around her feet. Three Talon guards stood with hands on their weapons, ranged about the room.
"Hi'Lord Varius, this young woman—" Lucas said with a scornful twist of his lip as he handed Varius the letter. "She is in possession of the letter you sent to the mountain tribe leader, Ferka, requesting a chaperone for your daughter. Your pardon, hi'Lord, but I still don't understand why you didn't choose someone from the Granya nobility. A mountain woman will lower your daughter's prestige."
"Thank you, Lucas. That will be all." Varius gave the document a cursory examination and laid it aside. Lucas turned suddenly, lowering his shoulder and stepping into me. My first reaction was to twist sideways to redirect the force of his shoulder, but I forced myself to freeze. He rammed into my chest. I intentionally stumbled backward, tripped, and landed on my rear as my kit went flying. I thought my performance was spectacular.
"Ow!" I shouted and did my best to look hurt and shocked. "You are very clumsy, Minister Lucas."
"Let me help you up." He extended his hand.
"No, thank you, sir. I will just sit here for a moment while I catch my breath." I refused the proffered hand.
I continued to be amazed by my Negation Sigil. This is the first time I had been near so many people with sigils. I could detect not only their sigils but even their holders' power to a degree. Varius had living Truth and Energy Sigils, both moderately strong. Lucas had Truth and Charm Sigils, both rather weak. Master Taras and the other two guards each had strong War Sigils. I guessed, partly by the weakness of the sigils, that Lucas had purchased amulets from the Blessed ones, who made comfortable livings selling sigils at their temples. One of the Talon guards, the senior one, judging by the two four-talon feet embroidered on his sash, walked over and looked at me. After a moment, he reached down and lifted me easily to my feet, handing me my kit.
"I'm sorry hi'Lord, I didn't know she was that close to me," Lucas muttered in apology to Varius, not me. I knew that the collision had been intentional. But why?
"You can go, Lucas. I'm sure Mistress Aisha will be all right." Varius openly scrutinized me. He looked me up and down as he smoothed the heavy silk of his dark-blue tunic over his substantial stomach. He waited for his minister to leave before continuing. "You are clumsy for a Talon."
"Talon?" Varius's daughter, Rhiannon, said. "Father, she can't be a Talon. She can't even protect herself. How is she going to protect me?" Rhiannon jumped to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at me.
"I feel just awful," I said, beginning to enjoy my charade. After all, I was supposed to be a chaperone, not a bodyguard. I looked shyly at Rhiannon, but inside I couldn't help laughing at the young girl's outrage. My new charge was not afraid to express her opinion. Rhiannon's complexion was fair, although now it was flushed. She had blond hair, blue eyes, small full lips, and a round face. At sixteen she was several centimeters shorter than I was, a bit chubby. I wondered whether it was a family trait or from too much food and too little physical activity. Her father was a big man with a square, overweight build, sandy hair, blue eyes, and the same rounded face.
**Don't overdo it, Sister,** the Talon who had picked me up off the floor signed, after he had returned to his place next to the hi'Lord.
**It's my first time off the mountain,** I signed back, which got a slight twitch of the lip from the other two Talon guards. Everyone knew the Talons signed, but it was against clan law to disclose the meaning of the hand movements.
"Taras, is this a joke?" Varius demanded. "I'm not paying for a Talon maid as a bodyguard for my daughter."
"Your minister intentionally stepped into her. I believe he was testing her."
"Why would Lucas be testing her? Even if he was, I agree with my daughter. She doesn't look strong enough to protect herself, much less my heir." His voice rose until it was near a shout.
"I can only guess. He was probably trying to determine if she was really a chaperone or a bodyguard."
"It's my heir's life we are talking about, Taras. Can you guarantee me she is a fully trained Talon?" Varius glared at me.
"We don't have maids, hi'Lord. She is well armed under those peasant clothes."
At that, I stepped forward and handed Taras the letter with Master Dragos's seal. Taras was an older man, judging by the gray in his hair and lines on his face, but he moved with the ease and grace of a predatory cat.
"Our Senior Brother sends greetings, Master Taras," I said. Taras took the letter, examined the seal, and opened it. He scanned it then read the terse contents aloud.
"To hi'Lord Varius. This is Aisha Talon. It's signed Master Dragos."
"Taras, does that satisfy you that she is a trained Talon?" Varius's eyes still focused on me.
"If Master Dragos calls her Talon, your daughter is safe in her hands. We will not fail you in this." Taras nodded in my direction. While Varius and Taras talked, Rhiannon walked over to where I stood.
"Show me your knives," she said, her hand outstretched.
"What would a chaperone be doing with a knife, pri'Rhiannon?" I used the prefix "pri," accorded to the heir to a kingdom. Her mouth formed into a pout, which I ignored. I turned my attention back to Varius.
"Mistress Aisha, your job is to protect my daughter, with your life if necessary. You will accompany pri'Rhiannon on our journey to negotiate an alliance with hi'Lord Radulf of Valda." Varius continued to assess me. Finally, he shook his head. "I can't believe you're Talon." I ignored the remark. The hi'Lord's opinion of me meant little.
"Hi'Lord Varius, I accept that responsibility. However, no one must be told that I am a Talon. If anyone finds out, I must be told immediately. If I am to ensure your daughter's safety, we must keep my identity secret." I looked Rhiannon in the eye until she nodded nervously. My comment got the first relaxed expression from Varius.
"Excellent. Maybe it's an advantage you don't look or act like a Talon. We'll need to get you settled immediately. Taras, accompany Mistress Aisha and my daughter to her seamstress. As Rhiannon's chaperone, she will need appropriate clothing."
We made a stop at the Talons' quarters, where I left my knives and harnesses. Taras agreed to watch my kit while I was being fitted for new clothes.
Rhiannon and I spent over an hour at the seamstress, where I was measured and examined like some strange bug.
"You're very thin and muscular, Mistress Aisha," the seamstress Karla commented after her examination.
"Mountain life is very hard, Mistress Karla."
"What are these scars on your back?" Karla turned me around again.
"It's to keep the evil spirits away." I said this as if everyone should know such an obvio
us fact.
"We will have to make sure your clothes don't show that," Karla pinched her lips together and wrinkled her nose in disapproval.
Afterward, Rhiannon selected designs, colors, and cloths for ten different outfits, stealing looks in my direction. I played the naïve mountain woman, agreeing with Rhiannon and complimenting her on her good taste. I had to admit that I liked her choice of colors, and it was obvious she knew the clothing I would need for each occasion.
"Mistress Karla, pri'Rhiannon's choices are beautiful, but I need you to make the skirts shorter, a hand above my ankle. I will need to move quickly as her chaperone."
The seamstress gave me a blank look of shock. "Only peasants wear short dresses!"
I smiled. "I'm a mountain woman. I am used to being thought a peasant. And please see that they all have pockets so that I can carry anything I might need for her."
The seamstress gave me long, dark looks but agreed to what I asked. I knew that I could split the pockets so that I could reach my knives hidden under my skirts, and I needed them short enough not to trip me if I needed to defend my charge. I refused only two of Rhiannon's selections because they would have impeded my movements too much in a fight.
When we finished, Rhiannon escorted me to her suite of rooms. They were elegant, a bit frilly, with lacy draperies and soft silky rugs on all of the floors. I would be living there along with two teenaged girls who were part of Rhiannon's retinue. Silva, the daughter of a Fifth Lord, and Raya, the daughter of a Fourth Lord, were her ladies-in-waiting. A third lady, Irenka, who was married to a son of a Third Lord and was in her late twenties, was Rhiannon's senior lady-in-waiting and her advisor. The younger girls were friendly, but Irenka was reserved and defensive as Rhiannon introduced me.
"Siress Irenka, Siress Raya, and Siress Silva, this is Mistress Aisha. Father has hired her to be my chaperone for the trip to Dassel." Rhiannon pointed to each woman while saying her name. The title "Siress" meant they were noblewomen or, like Irenka, married to a noble. I knew from my studies that Dassel was the capital of Valda and the residence of the hi'Lord Radulf and his family.
"You look too young to be a chaperone, Mistress Aisha." Irenka swept me up and down with her eyes narrowed. Only discipline kept me from laughing. Irenka had a Charm Sigil concealed somewhere on her person, judging from its low power. Living sigils, those under the skin, were strong, since their strength came from the internal energy of the holder. They grew stronger over time and with use. The Charm Sigil made people more inclined to like you and want to be with you, which obviously wasn't Irenka's strong point. I wondered if Rhiannon knew.
"A good chaperone is not measured by her looks, rather her responsibility, Siress Irenka. Your hi'Lord felt it best to have a chaperone who had no ties to Granya or Valda. And because I'm a mountain woman, it will be easy to explain my lack of court manners if it becomes necessary to hurt someone's feelings." It was obvious to me that Irenka would like the position of chaperone and was not above trying to discredit me to get it. "Besides, that will leave you and the other young ladies time to enjoy yourselves without having to worry about pri'Rhiannon's honor."
The sleeping arrangements were simple. Irenka had a room elsewhere in the castle with her husband. Raya and Silva had the room next to Rhiannon for easy access to her, and I was given the unused room next to Rhiannon's sitting room a few steps down the corridor. I would have preferred to have the room next to Rhiannon, but Talon guards were on duty night and day at each door, which provided direct or indirect access to Rhiannon.
As I was getting ready for bed that night, there was a knock at the door.
"Enter." Each hand sought a knife, one for throwing and one for fighting. However, I relaxed as Master Taras entered with another guard. Taras closed the door.
"This is Brother Leszek, the senior Talon on pri'Rhiannon's guard detail." Leszek was blessed with the strongest Energy Sigil I had ever felt.
"Good evening, Sister Aisha." Leszek took a seat. " I'm pleased you are here. Are you aware that Lady Varius, her oldest daughter, and only son were murdered several months ago? That is the reason for the nine Talon guards currently assigned to pri'Rhiannon."
"Yes, Master Dragos explained our precarious position with hi'Varius."
"As a consequence, one or more of us accompanies her everywhere we can, but it is not always possible to have her directly in our sight, for example, when she is sleeping, dressing, or washing. I feel more confident with you here that we can now adequately protect her." Leszek sighed with relief.
"You are just the Talon I needed to see, Brother Leszek. Please require your guards to introduce themselves to me at each shift change, no matter the time. I want no confusion if trouble arises." I had a concern that I didn't know them, couldn't tell friends from enemies. "And can you get me a map of the castle?"
Leszek and Taras spent the next hour bringing me up to date and drawing a map.
I went to sleep pleased. I was finally out in the world supporting the Raptor Clan and enjoying every minute of it.
* * * *
I exited my room through the side door into the sitting room and crossed to the adjacent door to Rhiannon's bedroom. As I walked I patted the knives from the Aerie that I had placed in the special pocket sheaths in my bloomers.
"Good morn, pri'Rhiannon." I put on a broad smile for the morning greeting. Rhiannon was still in bed under several puffy blankets."
"You are supposed to knock before you enter." Rhiannon soured her face and protested the intrusion. "Chaperones are terrible people, pri'Rhiannon. They follow you everywhere, stick their nose into everything you do without asking permission, and allow their charges no privacy. Terrible people. And mountain women are the worst." I sat in one of the two red-velvet arm chairs facing Rhiannon's huge, pink-canopied bed.
"I demand respect. I am the hi'Lord's heir!"
"Mountain women only respect age. When you are older than me, I will give you the respect you deserve."
"But I will never be older than you!"
"We should get along well, now that you understand the problem." Perhaps I should have reasoned with her, explaining how a bodyguard worked. However, I suspect that would have taken all day and involved numerous arguments. This was easier. "I'm in charge. I decide, not you."
"You're terrible." Rhiannon mumbled something and pulled the covers over her head. I remained seated as her retinue arrived and prepared Rhiannon for the day. I was fascinated by the life she led. Irenka discussed her schedule, what she should wear, and who would be at each event, while Silva and Raya helped her wash, dress, and prepare her hair. I heard in great boring detail the castle gossip about how someone had been seen flirting with a Fifth Lord and another expected her betrothal to be announced soon. None of the names meant a thing to me.
Rhiannon's first meal was served in the sitting room where two Talons stood guard. Two maids and a junior cook delivered more food than I thought we could eat in several days, including some dishes I didn't recognize. The young cook Ferox offered Rhiannon a small tray with a variety of condiments.
"Honey, Ferox," she said and waited as he ladled a spoon full of honey over her hot barley and oats porridge. The way he looked at her out of the corner of his eye made an alarm go off in my head. I was certain it was trouble when Irenka asked for honey and Ferox ladled it from a different place on the tray. I reached over, put my finger into Rhiannon's dish and tasted a faint bitterness under the intense sweetness of the honey, cyanide. I thought it would not be enough to kill her but wouldn't take the chance.
"That's disgusting! If you wanted to taste it, you should have had Ferox put some on a plate." Rhiannon's face flushed with indignation.
"What can you expect from a mountain woman," Irenka said, her face pinched in disapproval. Irenka had added a Truth Sigil today, as weak as her Charm Sigil. I felt a little sorry for her having to resort to sigils. On the other hand, it wasn't very honest for a lady-in-waiting. I mentally activated my Negation Sigil to
inactivate hers.
"I may not have liked it. But I'm sure she doesn't want to eat it now." I scooped the plate up from in front of her and handed it to a servant. I needed to act fast. Turning away from the women, I signed to the guard.
**Detain Ferox and his tray after he leaves. Be careful with the tray and its contents.**
**Do you need another guard in here?**
**No.**
CHAPTER THREE
Savona: Treachery at work
"I find your behavior unacceptable. Your manners are atrocious. You act like a barbarian, show me no respect. I am the heir to the Granya Kingdom and you are nothing." Rhiannon glared at me with her hands on her hips. "And you embarrassed me in front of my ladies."
"I would have your father replace her," Irenka said. Her face screwed up in an expression of disdain. "Someone who respects you and your position. She is obviously not the right person."
"I'll go pack," I said. I stood and turned toward the remaining guard. **Don't leave her alone.**
Out the door, Irenka sneered at me like she had won. Leszek waited for me in the hallway.
**Where did they take Ferox, Brother?** I signed. Although I saw no one, hallways have ears. You never knew who might be just around the corner or behind one of the many closed doors. I couldn't afford to be careless, especially now that I knew an attempt had been made on Rhiannon's life.
**They have taken him to the Talons' quarters.** Leszek signed in response. I remembered the map Leszek had given me. The Talons had rooms on the lower level in a building adjacent to the main castle.
We wended our way through the maze of hallways past guards in their armor and finely dressed courtiers going about their business. I still felt a bit intimidated by the elegance of the place with its statues in nooks interspersed with colorful tapestries of feasts and battles. In five minutes we reached the Talons' area.
**Greetings Sister,** the guard signed as we approached.
**Greetings, Brother.**
We entered a spacious room, crowded with eight bunks, kits, and a large table, which currently held Ferox's condiment tray.
