There was a message scrawled out in the wet sand. It was hard to read. “They took it. You were right. God forgive me.”
He’d arrived at the answer to late I thought to myself in private sorrow as I imagined his last bitter moments of regret. Getting back up from my knees I followed the jumble of tracks leading to the shore. The roughed up area on a small tree and the tracks trailing into the water told me one thing, there had been a boat moored here.
I looked bitterly down the small river. They could move faster with a boat than I ever could on horseback through the dense forest and on top of that there was no way I could track them. They could have taken any one of a dozen tributaries that fed into larger rivers. They had at least a day and a half journeys start on me too. Pursuit was pointless.
I turned from the river’s edge with a sick spirit of failure weighing heavily upon me. What now? There was only one thing left to do. Press on, and do the best I could at holding whatever darks revelations that the book may contain at bay, until it could be found and destroyed at a later date. With a heavy heart I headed back to Flin and Zarsha, after I released the priest’s horse.
We were careful to avoid the large Attorgron towns. Once we had broken through the densest parts of the forest and into the more civilized tracks of habitation travel went much faster.
Five days later saw us at the outskirts of Santarus. I followed the directions that Thaddeus had given me as to where and what to do next. The Attorgron city of Santarus wasn’t as sophisticated in its appearance as the Zoarinian cities I had seen were, but it certainly was as busy.
The city was broken into sections and was class restricted. There were poor slave class sections, middle class sections and wealthy class sections. The poorest sections were near the river front and industry centers. The middle class sections lay situated around the shops and places of entertainment, while the wealthiest sections were usually separate from the city entirely in their own communities.
After stopping to ask directions several times we found our way to the inn called Brassna House. I tied Flin to the railing and entered the main door of the inn with Zarsha by my side. We both wore traveling cloaks with hoods that helped obscure us from the probing looks we encountered from within the inn.
The occurrence of a man and child traveling together was a somewhat odd appearance in these lands and we received quite a few pointed looks of interest. I directed Zarsha toward the dining area of the inn, as I scanned the room looking for what Thaddeus had instructed me to.
I found it at the far end of the room in a darkened corner. Thaddeus had said to look for a mural of a Sarthan tree in full bloom. The room was full of murals, but the one I wanted was clearly distinguishable from the rest and we sat down at that table.
A serving girl approached, “Can I be of any help to you?” Looking up at her I said the words I had been instructed to.
“Whatever is readily available besides the oat crest.”
I watched her for any visible sign of interest but couldn’t find any on her pretty face as she answered. “I’ll be getting you the house special then. Would you be wanting it to go or be delivered?”
“Delivered.” I said.
She nodded deferentially and left us.
She had answered in code unless her words had been a complete coincidence, which I didn’t rule out as a possibility. The denizens of the place had for the most part given up their study of us and I started to relax slightly. Then I noticed that the tables in front of us were filled suddenly, too suddenly for my taste. Just then the back wall of the booth swung open and I was startled to see the same serving girl beckoning to us from the darkened doorway that had been revealed.
I scooted down the booth bringing Zarsha with me as I did so. A man and young boy both wearing traveling cloaks like ours scooted into our places at the table, as the people seated at the surrounding tables were getting up or causing a general stir of activity that diverted attention from us to them.
The wall closed behind us and a lamp flared up immediately lighting the dark corridor ahead of us. The serving girl motioned for us to follow her. Coming to the end of the corridor she pushed a block on the wall in front of us and once more the wall moved. I stepped through the opening holding onto Zarsha’s hand as I did so.
We were in a livery stable building. There was a fancy carriage ready and waiting for us. I did a double take at the horses pulling it. Two big black horses, only one of them was Flin and he wasn’t looking to happy about his circumstances of ending up in the traces. I went to the carriage and opened the door. It was empty. I picked Zarsha up and placed her in a seat and then I climbed up to sit beside her.
Zarsha’s eyes where wide open with excitement and a little fear at seeing so much more of the world around her that she had never experienced before. She clutched my hand with a death grip as the carriage started to move. I put my arm around her and pulled her closer to me.
We left the inn behind and started to enter a neighborhood filled with more elegant houses. The carriage took us through a maze of streets until we came to the end of one of them where there sat yet another elegant looking mansion off by itself. The carriage stopped and the door was opened shortly thereafter. Hands were offered up to lift Zarsha down to the ground and I let her go. I exited the coach and studied the man who had helped Zarsha down.
The carriage moved away and the man motioned for us to continue towards the house. There was no way I was letting the capable looking man walk behind me. I motioned him ahead with one hand, while my other hand rested on my sword. He gave a deferential nod and headed up the pathway to the house as we followed behind him.
The rich mahogany doors opened and we were ushered into an elegant foyer. Zarsha gave a gasp of amazement at her surroundings and clutched my hand tighter. I had seen such elegance before, and was more used to it yet, I too, was impressed with the tastefulness and richness of the house’s furnishings.
We followed the man from the carriage up a flight of mahogany stained stairs and down a long hallway. The man stopped at an open doorway and motioned us inside. He then turned and proceeded down the hall several feet and sat in a chair situated in an alcove off of the main hallway. He was giving me space and my respect for him grew.
I stepped into the room followed by Zarsha, who stayed close to me. The room was well lit and had enough books in it to be classified as a library, even though it appeared to be a bedroom. Books were everywhere.
A large desk dominating the center of the room caught my attention as did the man behind it. The desk was an exact replica to the one in my grandfathers’ study! I relaxed inside a little at the sight of it. We must be in the right place.
The man stood and walked around the desk and approached me. His distinguished features where enigmatic as he asked, “Have you seen such a desk before? If so I would be most interested in its whereabouts as that I might purchase it?”
“Its owner would not part with it I’m afraid, but he would perhaps part with a book.”
I reached into a large pocket of my cloak and drew out the book Thaddeus had given me and handed it to the man. He took the book with eagerness and opened it to the table of contents.
What he saw there I do not know, but as he read he would flip to random pages throughout the book and then return to the table of contents. Finally he closed the book and laid it on the shelf behind the desk. He reached out a hand towards me and I took it with my own already liking the man somehow.
“It is good to shake hands once again with one of my own blood.”
At my puzzled look he smiled, “Your great grandfather was somewhat of a ladies’ man even late into life, of which I am living proof of. You see Roric I am your great uncle and the younger illegitimate, as it were, half brother of your grandfather. It is good to see that our blood line has not perished after all. Roric you are a man of surprises. The greatest of which is this enchanting young lady, who stands so gracefully before me?”<
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He leaned down and looked into Zarsha’s eyes kindly and reached out a hand. “Tell me dear lady, of whom do I have the honor of meeting?”
Zarsha looked up at me and I nodded back at her. She looked at the man and said, “Zarsha.”
“My that is a pretty name! Just right for a pretty girl like you.” He took her hand gallantly and kissed it.
“It is an honor to meet such a worthy companion of my nephew’s. Zarsha I’m sure you must be hungry and tired from your long journey, would you mind if I talked with your guardian while your needs are seen too?”
She nodded hesitantly and then released my hand, which I missed almost instantly.
“You may call me Sebastian little princess. Let me summon someone who will take good care of you.” Sebastian rose and pulled a cord on a wall nearby. Within moments I heard the door open and the swishing of silky garments.
“Yes Sebastian, how may I help you?”
The feminine voice made me turn to see its owner, and I received the shock of a lifetime when I did. There not ten feet from me stood a part of my past, only she was all grown up now. I had thought of her on several occasions, but I had figured that she would be dead by now after being worked to death and then thrown into a wayside ditch somewhere to rot among the weeds. But she wasn’t dead! She was standing here before me looking more alive and beautiful than I could have ever imagined a woman could.
Krista was somewhat taken aback by the intense stare of the man in the study with Sebastian. She was used to being stared at but this was different. He wasn’t giving her the visual go over that said he was imagining her with her clothes off, but instead his intense gaze on her seemed to be grounded out of some deeper meaning.
Many of the people Sebastian dealt with were unsavory, but maybe this one was more descent than some. His silent gaze upon her was unsettling, as was the woodsy masculine smell of him in the safety of her master’s study.
Trying not to show how unnerving the stranger’s stare on her was she met Sebastian’s eyes and asked a silent question as to what was going on. Sebastian looked surprised too by the stranger’s reaction to her, but he masked it well.
“Krista, this is Roric my nephew but knowledge of that doesn’t leave this room. This beautiful young lady is Zarsha. Could you take care of her and see that she gets plenty to eat?”
Krista noticed the little girl by the tall man’s side for the first time. She held out her hand and smiled genuinely down at the girl.
“It’s late but I happen to know that the cook is baking doughnuts for tomorrow’s breakfast. Want to see if any of them are done?” Krista asked leadingly.
Zarsha looked up at her guardian hopefully, her tummy rumbling loudly.
“Go ahead little monkey, but don’t eat all of them.”
Krista watched the interchange between the man and the girl and relaxed inwardly. There were all kinds of sick depravity in bountiful supply in the world, but the relationship she witnessed was that of the innocence between a father and his daughter . Zarsha took her hand and Krista turned and left the room with the little girl by her side, as she grappled with the fact that the unnerving stranger was a close relation of Sebastian’s.
I swallowed as the vision from the past turned and left the room with Zarsha. I turned back to Sebastian wandering what he must be thinking about my ogling of what was obviously his slave or servant at best.
His face showed no reaction at all, at least on the surface. My face colored at the thought of what he might be thinking of me. Maybe he had missed it all, but I doubted it.
“Now then Roric fill me in on your journey.”
I told him everything leaving nothing out. A servant brought refreshments in during my recital of the recent events. Throughout my telling of the events Sebastian sat back in his chair listening, appearing to be in deep thought with his hands folded in front of him. He hadn’t interrupted me with questions throughout my whole recital. I sat back in my chair waiting for him to comment on what I had said.
There was a long pause and then he broke the silence, “The book getting out and seeing the light of day is a regrettable occurrence, but life is often filled with such unavoidable circumstances that one simply has to deal with. Don’t feel bad about it Roric. It’s my experience that problems of the moment can often prove useful later on in the completion of a greater purpose. The key is to adapt with the situation and remain fluid.”
“What does that mean in this situation, Sir?” I asked not sure what he meant by being fluid.
Sebastian smiled and perched his fingers together again. “I don’t know yet. You see that’s the challenge. I’m afraid the consequences, whatever they may be, that the release of the book will result in, will have to be overlooked for now as we have more pressing concerns to deal with. Roric it’s good that you came. The threat to the Valley Lands from this proposed invasion is greater than we had at first imagined. You see Roric there’s something else more valuable than the knowledge that you destroyed that they want, something that they’re willing to sacrifice everything for and now it’s within their grasp.”
“What is it?” I asked wondering what secrets Thaddeus had yet neglected to tell me of.
“Ships.” Sebastian responded quietly.
“Ships?” What could be so important about ships?
Seeming to read my mind Sebastian said, “There not just ordinary ships Roric. There ships that can travel between worlds and the Zoarinians know where there located now. How they arrived at that knowledge I do not know. Worse than that is that they now have the military ability to smash through the great wall at Kingdom Pass anytime they wish to. This long buildup on their part has only been a precaution. They want to be sure that they have enough trained forces to completely take and level every fortification and settlement that exists in the Valley Lands. They mean to claim the ships for themselves and utterly destroy us so that we will never give them a moment’s trouble ever again.”
“What can we do then?” I asked.
Sebastian gazed sadly out one of the windows of the study bedroom, “There’s not much that we can do except to avoid doing one thing. The Valley Lands for hundreds of years have relied on the wall at Kingdom Pass to keep them safe and they will do so again, which is exactly what they cannot do! If our forces commit to holding Kingdom Pass at all costs it will become a Valley Lander bloodbath of epic proportions. A strategy that involves a different set of rules than simply relying on an outdated defense is critically needed or I fear all will be lost. You must convince them of this Roric! The siege engines they have created will level Kingdom Pass to the ground within hours, but what’s worse than that is that they have found several of the passes over the mountains and have entered into a secret military alliance with the Attorgrons. Kingdom Pass will be attacked from two sides, something it was never designed to be able to withstand. The situation is grim and the correct plan of action unclear, but at least we know what not to do and we must act on that accordingly and hope for the best for what follows that it will go in our favor. It is up to you to convey that to the Valley Lander high council.”
“Why can’t you come and instruct them as to what is best to be done? Surely they would listen to you before they would to me!”
“Not necessarily Roric. While I may come from a respected blood line and have been quite useful over the years to my country I am and will always be viewed as the illegitimate son of a greater man than I could ever hope to be. In the eyes of many I’m fit for nothing better to do for my country than being a spy. You however have what they want. You have the respect that your family name gives you, the honorable actions of a hero to your credit, and the physical abilities and presence of character that say you’re likely to win any fight you find yourself in. They’ll love you and you’ll be surprised at how eagerly they convey all the responsibility that they can onto your shoulders to get free of it themselves. You’ll see what I mean. Very few people, when it comes dow
n to life and death situations that correlate to every decision that is to be made, actually are willing to step up to the task and do what is needed when it is needed.”
I shook my head slowly in denial, “I don’t think I’m the man for the job Sebastian. You’re asking for a lot more than I think I’m capable of.”
Sebastian smiled, “Which is precisely why you probably are the best man for the job. The Creator loves a humble heart Roric and if our people are to continue on it will take an act of the Creator to do so and people who know that they don’t have all the answers and that instead look to the Creator for their help in time of need rather than themselves. You’ll do just fine. Now back to the matter at hand. I have one more intelligence report to gather before you’re off on your way back to the Valley Lands.”
“You’re staying? Surely there’s no reason for you to stay here any longer! Why don’t you come with me?”
Sebastian looked reflective, “Two reasons, one is that I would slow you down for you will need to move quickly if you are to escape. I also fear that the enemy may have become aware of my involvement in spying on them and I do not wish to pose a risk to your escape because of my notoriety.”
“Why do you think that you have been found out?”
Sebastian quickly corrected, “Might have been, I’m not sure yet. A courier that we bribed in order to gain access to the letters he carried was replaced unexpectedly with another courier. We cannot find any clues as to the whereabouts of the old courier and his replacement seemed to cave in to easily in our attempts to bribe him. We had arranged to meet at a certain location, but I withdrew from the meeting place before it was time for us to meet, some sixth sense of mine I suppose. I sent a third party in my place that knew nothing of my involvement and the courier himself had never actually seen me either so he did not know that he was not meeting with me.”
A Warrior's Redemption (The Warrior Kind) Page 22
