by Stas Borodin
Melvin drove the carriage as if the devils were chasing us. He was anxious to get away from the prison.
It was hard to find the right words. I wanted to say a lot, but I couldn’t decide where to start. My thoughts tangled in a mess of individual words, images, pictures, and I wasn’t able to unravel it right now. So we sat in silence holding hands. The curtains were drawn; we sat in complete darkness and could not see each other. But there was no need to see.
✽✽✽
In the morning I woke up in my bed. For a while I didn’t move, I just lay there and looked at the swaying shadow of the curtain on the wall. The air smelled of freshly baked bread. From the open window came Korn’s voice, scolding the groom, and a quiet melody flowing from Mother’s music machine. An ordinary lazy morning, in a peaceful town, slowly waking up far away from war, anxiety and death. I closed my eyes again.
Distant bells rang, and I was immediately back in the dark stinking pit where I had spent many days with my new friends, between this world and Annuvir – the world of the dead. Amazing, but everyone could hear the same sound. The sound knew no bounds. It could go anywhere. It could give hope to one, could disturb others… It was free!
I realized that I’d changed. The month spent away from home became the lever which turned over my soul. It became a hammer that smashed my heart to pieces.
Getting out of bed, I threw off my nightshirt, washed hurriedly, and froze in front of the mirror. The face reflected in the polished surface was unfamiliar to me. Its features were tough and harsh, its eyes sharp and frightening. Did I look like that now? I just shook my head. What would Mother say when she saw me like this? Would she recognize her son?
I went down to the stables to visit Selphir. My horse, which had abandoned me in the heat of the battle, chewed his oats as if nothing had happened. When he saw me, he stopped for a moment, glanced back, and returned to his meal.
Eflimer’s stall was empty. I felt the ache in my chest once again. Everything was wrong in this house. Empty rooms, empty stalls. Eran was gone, then my father. Soon the whole house would be empty.
In the stall where my brother’s horse once stood, a trophy stallion was standing.
“How are you, boy?” I asked, moving closer and patting his cheek with my hand. He cocked his head and whinnied softly. Selphir snorted angrily in response. I just smiled.
“We must give you a name,” I decided. “Such a nice horse must have a noble name.”
“His name is Fleyr.” Korn approached quietly us from behind. “I read it on the bridle.”
“It’s a good name.” I stroked the horse’s muzzle. “Fleyr!”
The horse whinnied softly in response. The sunlight coming through the window made his silky mane golden, tiny stars danced in his big eyes.
“It seems that the horse belonged to the khan himself.” Korn led me into a corner. With his key he opened a large heavy chest. I saw an expensive saddle inlaid with mother of pearl and covered with delicate carvings. Korn pointed to the inscription. “You see, it says here that this was a gift to the king of riders, from the king of hunters.”
What I at first had taken to be a pattern actually turned out to be an inscription in an unknown language.
“It’s Amorite,” said the squire. “My father once had an Amorite servant who taught me to ride a horse. It seems that our Fleyr comes from the royal herds.”
“He’s probably very expensive,” I wondered.
“There is not a buyer in this town who could afford it.” Korn looked pleased. “This is a noble trophy!”
“It’s not a trophy.” I shook my head. “It’s a gift. A parting gift from Master Dante.”
We stood in silence, watching Fleyr eating oats. We thought about different things, but our thoughts always returned to the battlefield, where we had lost so much.
“That’s not all!” Korn said. Out of the trunk he pulled two saddlebags. “This was strapped to the saddle.”
I put the bags on the table and opened them. The first bag had a stack of books. I wasn’t familiar with the languages they were written in. The books were bound in leather, with iron clasps. Their pages were full of notes made in red ink.
I put the books aside and opened the second bag. It contained only a thin woollen cloak and a small purse made of green velvet. I carefully untied the string and poured its contents into my open hand. Right away the stable was filled with a glitter of gems. The sunlight reflected from the edges of the crystals, jumped cheerfully on the walls and the ceiling. Red, green, blue, clear, smoky, the stones were cool and heavy, with tiny multicoloured stars.
“These are gemstones?” I asked the squire.
Korn only shrugged. “I believe so.” He nodded toward the saddle. “The owner of such a wonderful horse and such an expensive saddle should have only the most rare and exquisite treasures… I hope that Lady Era knows their true value.”
It seemed that he was right. We could not trust anybody else in such a delicate matter.
✽✽✽
My mother was in the office on the first floor where my father used to engage in economic affairs. An unfamiliar man was sitting behind my father’s desk. His short feet in muddy boots were propped on the table, and his wide-brimmed hat hung on my grandfather’s bust.
I was speechless with surprise. The stranger’s behaviour was just outrageous.
“I’ve waited enough, Lady Era,” the man said. “I gave you three days. You could easily have raised the money!”
“Are you insane? Such an amount?” Mother stepped forward, her fists were clenched and her eyebrows furrowed. “Give me another two weeks. I’ll write to my sister, and she will send me the money.”
“I’m afraid that is not possible, my dear,” the stranger sighed.
I clenched my fists. How could he talk to my mother like this!
“I can no longer believe your words, darling. Your husband Marius, God rest his soul, owes me a small fortune, and debt, as you may know, is a sacred thing—”
“But I am not refusing to pay!” My mother threw up her hands. “I request only a small postponement!”
“Of course.” The stranger rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “And if your dear sister doesn’t give you the money, then what? You will come up with a new excuse? Sorry, darling, but I want my money here and now.”
“You cannot have it, for one simple reason.” My mother tried to speak calmly. “I don’t have such a sum.”
“Then I’ll take your house,” the stranger sighed wearily. “This, of course, will not cover the full amount… But if you agree to provide from time to time certain services to me, maybe I can forget about the rest of the debt…”
The small triangular face of the moneylender looked like a fox’s muzzle. His fingers were constantly moving, intertwining like a tangle of slippery snakes. I had never met a more loathsome man.
“How dare you!” Mother cried. “I’d rather die of hunger than agree to such a proposal.”
“Well, I can offer you something else,” the moneylender shrugged. “My good friend owns a brothel. I can put in a good word for you. You will not earn much, but in ten years you will be able to repay at least the interest, and it will save you from debtors’ prison. How do you like that?” The moneylender laughed, looking appraisingly at my mother.
My patience ran out. I had to stop that bastard right now! “How dare you speak to my mother in such a tone!” I yelled, entering the room.
“Huh?” The moneylender raised his white eyebrows in surprise. “What do you want, kid? Adults are talking here. Go play in the yard!”
That was more than enough to make me mad. I approached the stranger and hit him on the smiling face. Then I grabbed him by the hair and struck his head on the table with all my strength. Blood splattered and crumpled receipts stuck to his split lips.
“You must have forgotten how to treat a noble lady.” I was still holding him by the hair. “On your knees, you piece of shit, or I’ll cut off your stinking head!”
Mother cried. She was scared even more than the man, but I didn’t care. My face was flushed and my heart was pounding, pumping boiling blood through my veins. Throwing the moneylender on the floor, I put a foot on his head. “You’re on the ground of the Grimm family estate, do not forget that!”
“Yes, sir,” the loan shark croaked, trying to get up. But I would not let him.
Korn came up and handed me a drawn sword. I took the weapon and put the tip of the blade to the moneylender’s throat. “Learn some manners before doing business with my family!” I said, barely holding back from pushing on the hilt of the sword.
The usurer no longer looked like a cunning fox. His face was skewed and blood bubbled from his nose. There were tears in his eyes. He had lost all his bluster and arrogance. “Yes, sir,” he croaked.
“You’ll get your money in two weeks, as promised. But if I see you before then, I will cut off your ears with my own hands! Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” the usurer bleated.
I pushed the moneylender with my foot and nodded to Korn. He grabbed the scoundrel by the collar and dragged him out.
Panting, I stood in the middle of the room. The moneylender’s wild howls gradually died away.
“I’m sorry I scared you so,” I turned to my mother. “I did not have the strength to listen as he insulted you.”
Mother stood at the window, looking at me, but did not dare to approach.
“You did not scare me,” she said finally. “I was surprised.”
She smiled, and it was the most wonderful smile that I had ever seen.
“I even thought for a moment that your father had returned,” she said. “After all, he would have done the same thing.”
Korn returned, looking worried. “Master Marius would have ordered the soldiers to throw him off the tower,” he said. “A pity that we no longer have soldiers…”
Mother frowned too, and I knew why.
“This man is dangerous?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes,” my mother nodded. “He is as dangerous as a rattlesnake. When Marius was alive, he licked our heels and offered to pay for our soldiers’ equipment from his own pocket. Perhaps he hoped from the very beginning that Marius would not return from the campaign…”
“I think so,” Korn agreed. “Such people plan everything beforehand.”
“If only I’d known,” I sighed. “I would have cut his throat at once!”
“And you would be imprisoned once again,” Mother replied. “You did the right thing, son. Your father would have got away with it, but without him, we are nothing.”
She sat down at the table, throwing the bloody receipts on the floor. “I will write a letter to my sister. Do you remember Aunt Enya? Her husband is a very wealthy man. They will help us. We will return the debt and will never see the ugly face of Spekul Borkah again!”
“Spekul Borkah?” I was surprised. “I heard that he supplies the army with whores and provisions.”
“You heard wrong. He deals only with spoiled grain and rotten meat.” Korn winced. “It seems that he has influential patrons.”
I slowly crossed the room and poured the contents of the velvet purse on the table. Heavy stones scattered across the parchment like small fireflies.
“No need to bother Aunt Enya,” I said proudly. “Look here, Mother. You think these stones are worth something?”
Mother froze motionless. The pen dropped from her fingers and her mouth fell open. I was surprised; I hadn’t expected such a reaction.
“Yes, they are very expensive,” she said in a barely audible voice, and pointed to a small black stone. “This one is worth more than the whole city!”
We looked in disbelief at a tiny jewel shaped like a black tear. It was the most unremarkable stone of the whole collection.
“Where did you get them?” Mother asked, her eyes still fixed on the treasure.
Korn told her the story of the horse and saddlebags.
“They’re not just jewels – they are magic stones.” She shook her head thoughtfully. “We will be in trouble if anyone finds out about them.”
“Tell me, what kind of stones are they?” I hesitantly approached the table. “What can they do?”
“This one”—Mother pointed to the black stone—“is called the Tear of Rothe. I do not know anything about the other stones, but I feel their power. See, the ancient signs are carved on them.”
If you looked carefully, you could see mysterious symbols flashing before your eyes just for a moment.
“I do not know what power these stones possess, I’m not a magician.” She leaned back in her chair. “But I do know that we are now probably the wealthiest people in the whole kingdom.”
Korn slapped me on the shoulder. He was very proud of his find and how wisely he had acted.
“But we need money, not stones,” I said. “Can we sell them in Lieh?”
“Of course we can.” Mother took the smallest stone, a green one with countless red sparks flickering inside. “This little beauty is very rare. As far as I know, it protects against various poisons. There is only one person in Lieh who can give us a good price for it.”
“We will visit him immediately!” Korn exclaimed.
“But first you need to hide the remaining stones,” Mother said. “It’s too dangerous to keep them here. Our Melvin and the young stable boy will not be able to protect me while you’re away.”
“I’ll hire a few more strong men,” I decided. “And no one else will dare to break into our home.”
“I have a good idea!” Korn said.
We quickly put on our travelling cloaks and left the house through the back door.
✽✽✽
Outside it was crowded as ever. Townsfolk hurried about their business, throwing dice in the shade or lounging on park benches gossiping and gazing around.
The city had not changed much during our absence, aside from the fact that all the towers sported the red flags of the Unicorn Company instead of blue banners of the kings. The guards were dressed in crimson, and all the squares were decorated with chopping blocks twined with colourful ribbons.
“Lord Brezel is up to something.” I eyed the ominous wooden blocks.
“Maybe he’s just trying to scare the shit out of everyone,” suggested Korn. “In any case, I don’t like it!”
Looking around carefully to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, the squire told me all about what had happened since my departure.
“We were only a half-day march away from Lieh when your friend Ash rushed in. The king met him right away. They talked for almost an hour and then the scout galloped away once again. A few minutes later, the king came to talk to us. In a few words he told us about the coup in Lieh, took his most loyal men and headed west.”
“But what about Nikos?” I asked. “Why did the Master Sorcerer not go with him?”
“Master Nikos wanted to, but the king refused,” Korn sighed. “As we approached the city, the Reverend Tuiren with his whole entourage and three thousand soldiers to boot came out to meet us. We were offered the choice of swearing allegiance to Lord Brezel there and then or dying without glory and proper burial.”
“You all took the oath?” I asked.
“Of course,” Korn spat. “The Reverend Tuiren saw to it that even the wounded kissed Orvad’s hatchet. After that, we were allowed into the city. Long live Lord Brezel – the Saviour of the people!”
“Really?” I felt my cheeks flush.
“And that’s not all,” Korn grunted. “They said that Master Keandr had conspired with the nomads in order to seize power. That all the attacks on our borders were rigged and the only one who could save the city from the tyranny of the wizard was our selfless Lord Brezel with his mighty army.”
“But what about Master Lysander? What’d he say about it?” I clenched my fists.
“The same night Master Lysander disappeared without trace. They say he fled, taking the entire treasury wi
th him.”
“But that’s a lie!” I gasped.
“The townsfolk were happy to believe it,” Korn grinned. “And how could you not believe it when Lord Brezel brought with him the entire Unicorn Company.”
“It’s some kind of madness!” I remembered what my father said. “How could he leave the borders without protection?”
“Madman or not, he achieved his goal.” Korn gently stroked his bandaged stump. “There was no one left who could oppose him. He even disbanded the Senate and ordered a new throne to be made for himself.”
The tavern was called The Infirmary.
“Here they treat wounds, but not the physical ones, just soul wounds,” Korn told me.
It seemed that the establishment was quite popular. Despite the early hour, all the tables were occupied by scores of gloomy soldiers.
“There’s a sort of job market for the soldiers and mercenaries.” It looked like my friend was a regular here. “Hey, Enzo, have you seen my pals?”
The hefty fellow behind the counter smiled. “Too early yet. Wait a bit.” He nodded at me. “I see you brought a new partner to play klatches? Do you think this time you’ll get lucky?”
“Well, there must be some justice in this world.” Korn put a coin on the counter. “Pour us some of your famous beer!”
Taking the mugs, we went into the back room, which was empty, because the general public were not allowed there. There was only a long table and a dozen chairs. We sat down in a corner and waited.
“My friend’s squires are gathering here,” said Korn. “They all lost their masters at the Battle of Mistar’s Maw. Some of them are wounded, but when they get better, believe me, they will be worth their weight in gold.”
“Do you think they will agree to serve me?” I said doubtfully. I had hoped to hire some strong villagers to work around the house. Those who knew how to handle a baton.
“I think they will,” Korn said. “Not many knights would dare to hire a squire who served under a disfavoured master. They really have no choice. They are great guys. You’ll see!”
My squire seemed very proud of his friends.
