by Unknown
“Guess I don’t need my lucky knucklebone after all.” Fronc passed his coin to the others to be inspected.
Master Slag and Bell entered through the door and approached the table where Ladies Izlan, Charion, and Patrice sat eating. Bell nodded toward the apprentices as she and Master Slag passed by their table. After a brief conversation, the mentors left the room together.
Zeal briefly eyed his companions then stood and headed out of the room in the opposite direction, his fellow apprentices close behind. They ran up the back stairs to the upper storage chamber, where the linen was kept. Fronc stopped at the head of the stairs. He was the lower lookout. Mehrle continued to the end of the hall. She was the upper lookout. Zeal, Tulip, and Nester entered the chamber and closed the door.
At the center of the small chamber, Zeal was given a hoist up to the ceiling by Tulip and Nester. He slid a wood panel open and pulled himself up into the crawl space above. After replacing the ceiling section, he moved quickly but silently, taking care to let the support beams take his weight. He stopped in the area located above Lady Izlan’s workroom, put his ear to a small hole, and listened to the conversation being carried on below. He could tell there were several people present by the subtle noises from different parts of the room.
He heard Izlan speaking. “…Therefore, I thought we had an understanding that I would be kept aware of the schedule the children would keep under your tutelage, Trade Master Slag.”
“And you have been, Lady Izlan. Why do you bother me with such a question?”
Izlan’s tone became steely. “Liddea did not return to the Temple last eve, as expected. Now I am to understand she was not in your care.”
If Lady Izlan had spoken to him in such a fashion, Zeal would have had bladder issues. When Master Slag answered her, he did not sound the least bit troubled.
“Yesterday the children were being evaluated by a member of the Trade.”
“What kind of evaluation, might I ask?”
“That is actually none of your concern, my Lady, but because of my desire to maintain good faith with you, I will answer your question. The children are being tested to see if one or more of them has the potential to become a Practitioner of the Arts. Liddea was chosen as the initial candidate for examination. I was informed by my investigator that she left his location with the coming of darkness. Something must have prevented her return. My associate deeply regrets that he allowed her to leave unattended.”
“What is being done to search for Liddea?”
“Arlanda is being scoured as we speak. A reward has been offered to anyone who provides information regarding Liddea’s disappearance.”
“I think the children should remain here at the Temple for the time being, till Liddea is recovered. If you can’t protect them, I refuse to risk having another of my wards go missing.”
Slag remained quiet for several heartbeats before Zeal heard him reply. “I will see that the children do not travel alone again in the future. My apprentices are no longer your responsibility and will continue their training as I see fit. I do not answer to you, Matriarch, and will take them away from your Temple if you presume to try to dictate to me.”
“You would never be able to rid the children of me or my influence, Trade Master. I would suggest we continue the amicable understanding we have always had.”
“As you wish, Matriarch. As you wish. The discussion regarding the welfare of the children has yet to be concluded. I will return when I have more information to share with you regarding Liddea’s disappearance. You can be assured all my available resources have been utilized to find her. Please do me the kindness to make a report to the authorities. Of course, leave out my involvement.”
“The Watch will be notified. I will stay out of the business of the Trade, Master Slag, as long as it does not endanger the children, and your secrets will be kept.”
“Thank you. Till next time then.”
The door opened and Zeal heard two people leave the room. Master Slag and Lady Izlan fighting: he never imagined such could happen. Listening to their conversation made him uncomfortable. He didn’t want to have to leave the Temple, but he had sworn an oath to the Trade and would go, if Master Slag gave the order.
Zeal heard Lady Charion chuckle quietly. “I think you must be taken with the man, the way you two seem to always bicker.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Slag is like a stubborn horse that you have to hit on the head periodically to remind the animal who’s in control.”
Lady Patrice spoke up. “You both underestimate each other. I don’t believe Slag would willingly allow any harm to come to the children.”
Zeal believed that Master Slag was stern yet fair and not abusive, but what the apprentices were learning was not always safe.
Lady Izlan sounded a little less upset. “I will give some thought to your observation, Patrice. While I do, let’s go to the Ward House and give our report to the Watch.”
Hearing that his mentors were concerned but confident, Zeal felt a little better.
Chairs scraped on the floor, the door opened, and Zeal heard the occupants leave the workroom. He waited until the room emptied before making his way back to the storage chamber. Once there, he listened for voices. All was quiet. He slid aside the cover over a small hole and looked down. Seeing only Tulip and Nester, he replaced the cover and knocked three times on the panel.
Nester quietly spoke. “It’s all clear here.”
Zeal opened the panel, lowered himself till he was supported by Tulip and Nester, repositioned the panel, and then was brought to the floor.
The three left the room and walked back to Fronc. Zeal signaled to Mehrle to follow. When they were all together, he whispered to the others, “Let’s head to the orchard.”
He quickly led the way out of the Temple into the chill air. The trees had awakened from their winter slumber, grass and weeds beginning to grow around their bases, and would soon flower. Zeal checked to see that they were alone. They huddled, sharing their warmth, while he recounted the conversation in detail.
Mehrle sighed. “There is nothing we can do about Lady Izlan and Master Slag having a disagreement. We need to decide what we’re going to do.”
Nester swayed back and forth slightly. “We should go to Master Slag and Lady Izlan and let them know we want to help.”
Zeal appraised his companions. Nester moved about when agitated. Tulip showed her unease by frequently surveying their surroundings. Mehrle was more focused, and Fronc became introspective. “I don’t think that is a good idea,” Zeal said quietly.
“We can check the streets and look for information like everyone else. No one ever pays attention to children like they do adults,” Fronc suggested.
“Not a good idea,” Zeal said a little louder.
“Then we can report back what we find. I am sure, once Lady Izlan and Master Slag see how much help we can be, they will let us continue.” Nester looked to the rest for agreement.
“Oh, boy.” Zeal rolled his eyes upward and loudly sighed.
Tulip elbowed Mehrle and looked pointedly at Zeal. “You all aren’t listening. For once the Mouse is right. We, the children, are expected to stay out of the business of the mentors. Be seen and not heard. If you look busy, they think you are doing what you are supposed to and leave you alone. If not, then they find something for you to do. If we act like we know what is going on, what is the first thing that will happen?”
Nester chuckled. “We’ll be told to stay out of it. Then get locked away somewhere, occupied by busy work. Not that they could really lock us up.”
Zeal nodded. “You’re right. They’ll make us stay put and watch us for our own protection.”
Mehrle looked at each of them. “We need to go see Qwen. Meet outside the west wall in a quarter of a mark. Avoid being seen by the mentors while you retrieve any stuff you need.”
“Thank goodness,” Zeal muttered. He stayed behind until the others had left for the Temple and then hea
ded to the mausoleum. He needed to have a quick discussion with Iris.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
LIDDEA’S HEAD THROBBED painfully with each beat of her heart. Her mouth was dry and tasted worse than Zeal’s last attempt at stew. No, on second thought, the stew Kaid had made her eat was much worse. Regrettably, her stomach felt as if it were about to empty. She breathed slow and easy, willing her belly to settle. The smell of unwashed bodies, fish, and salt air didn’t help her stomach or head one bit. There were people talking, so she kept her eyes closed and stayed still.
Without the use of her vision, she assessed her surroundings. She could tell she had been placed on a thin straw-filled mattress and lay on the floor of a room that seemed to be moving with a slow rocking motion. She was able to determine that there were four girls present with her. She recognized one voice. It was Tilly, the daughter of the tanner, Master Simeon.
Liddea opened her eyes in tight slits. Even though the light was dim, the pain in her head increased and forced her to immediately close them. She waited for the discomfort to subside and slowly partially opened one eye at a time.
“I want to go home,” said someone out of Liddea’s view.
“We all want to go home,” another unseen speaker replied. “Crying won’t help us. No one knows we are here or why we were taken.”
“I hope Liddea is okay. She has been asleep a long time.”
It was Tilly who spoke. Liddea could see her sitting on a mattress across from hers. Her face was scrunched with worry. “Betra, is there anything we can do to help Liddea?”
“Just leave her be. She’ll wake up on her own.”
Betra. Liddea now had a name for one of the unseen girls.
Liddea decided it was time to let them know she was awake. With a theatrical moan, she slowly moved her head. She actually didn’t want to challenge the limits of her stomach, so only gradually opened her eyes fully.
“Look, everyone. Liddea is waking up.” Tilly quickly moved to her side. She was rapidly joined by three other girls who ranged, Liddea guessed, between nine and thirteen seasons. Tilly helped Liddea sit up. One girl walked to the corner and returned with a bucket and ladle.
“Here, just take a few sips or you won’t keep it down. Go slowly.” Liddea noted the face of the girl who offered her water—Betra.
She took a small amount of water and swished it around to loosen the gummy feel in her mouth then let the fluid slowly trickle down her throat in little swallows. She turned her head away when Betra offered her more water.
“Thank you, I’ve had enough for now.” She sighed. The liquid actually helped to quiet her stomach. “Who are you?” The girls all begin to talk at once. Liddea held up one hand. “Wait. One at a time. I already know Tilly.”
No one spoke; they all just looked at each other. Finally, Tilly looked to Betra. “You’re the oldest and have been here the longest. You start.” The other two girls nodded in agreement.
Betra sat still for a few heartbeats before speaking. “I was walking home after visiting a friend. I stayed later than I should have and left after dark. There was only a little ways for me to go to get home. A coach traveling down the lane stopped suddenly beside me. I thought the driver had need of directions. The footman jumped off the back and grabbed me. A second man climbed out of the coach and placed a foul-smelling cloth over my face. When next I awakened, I was here. That was twenty dawns ago. Every five evenings since, one of you has been delivered here during the night by either Stinky or Bad Teeth. The first to be brought in after me was Marum, the quiet one over there.”
Liddea wondered if there was any significance to waiting five nights between abductions.
Betra pointed to the youngest of the girls. “Marum doesn’t say much. We talked together a bit after she arrived. She has since asked me to speak for her. She was taken right in front of her grandmother’s place. Stinky and Bad Teeth used the coach again. After Marum came Kamri, then Tilly.”
Kamri picked up the tale. “My parents own the Briarwood Inn. I was working in the stables. While I was mucking out one of the stalls, someone I did not see used one of the vile cloths to cover my face as I tried to scream for help. Later, I awakened here with Marum and Betra. Betra told me it was Bad Teeth who’d brought me in and left me.”
Kamri flung her hair off her face when she finished speaking so everyone could see her condescending glare. In Liddea’s experience, girls who acted like Kamri all seemed to have a misguided sense of self-importance.
Tilly scooted closer. “I was returning to the Tannery. I’d finished delivering dye samples to one of my father’s customers. Since it was near time for the midday meal, I thought it would be nice if I picked up something to take back for everyone to eat. I took a shortcut through the alley. It was there that I was taken. I remember seeing Stinky but not the person who used the disgusting cloth on me.”
Liddea looked the room over while she listened. She didn’t see evidence of them being under observation. The chamber was crammed with eight straw-filled mattresses, a pail of water, slop pot, and five girls. Were three more girls expected? The wall behind her had a small, barred opening the size of her head near the ceiling; it was the source of the fresh, fishy salt air. There was a door in the wall in front of her that had a barred panel a quarter of the way from the top. Light entered the room through both openings. One wall angled inward from the ceiling to the floor. The interior surface of the chamber was made of wood, and all surfaces, including the ceiling and floor, were engraved with lines of large symbols and letters. A few of them glowed. It took her a while to recognize what she was seeing: runes! Recalling the book Qwen had shown her, she believed the carved lines must form conjures. But what purpose did these conjures serve?
She reached for the ladle and took a sip of water. “Anyone know where we are?”
Kamri looked around. “I think we are aboard a ship.”
Liddea listened. She didn’t perceive any sounds from outside the room. “I don’t hear anyone moving about or working. Are we the only ones here?”
Marum, head down, spoke for the first time. Liddea had to listen carefully to understand her softly pitched voice. “Once, when the door was accidently left partially open, I heard the men who took us say that something had been done to this room to keep sound from leaving. Once they realized the door was open, they closed it. I couldn’t hear them talking any longer, so maybe it keeps noise from coming in, as well.”
Liddea took Marum’s hand. Marum seemed so shy, Liddea felt it must have been hard for her to say so much. “Thank you, Marum. You have given us important information.” Looking at the others, she asked, “Do you know if the ship is at the pier or out in the bay?”
Betra spoke up. “I don’t know for sure, but I think we are docked. The boat sometimes bumps against something on that side when there is a lot more movement.” She pointed to the left wall.
Liddea sipped more water and took stock of herself. Her belt, pouch, and boots were gone. She could see that her new companions were missing their footwear, as well. Bare feet didn’t bother her, since her soles had been toughened by her lessons. Liddea was surprised to find her Fang strapped to her upper inner right thigh. She thought she’d bound the sheathed weapon on her arm, under her sleeve. She could also feel the lock picks she had sewn into her clothing. “I think I had better lie back down. My head feels like it is never going to stop hurting.”
Tilly rubbed Liddea’s forehead gently. “That is the drug used to put us out. I think we all had pounding heads when we awoke. Take a nap. You’ll feel better after a couple hours of rest. At least you didn’t have a bad stomach, as I did.”
Liddea drifted off to sleep while her roommates continued to speak softly to one another.
***
Sloan approached the two women who’d entered the Ward House, removed his helm, and saluted them. He recognized the Matriarch, Izlan, from the description given to him by Bell. Bell had informed him that the Trade Master wanted him to
transcribe Izlan’s statement and personally see that it was looked into. Slag desired to know what the Watch was doing about the disappearing children in Arlanda. Unfortunately, his review had not turned up much. The reports he had found listed the children as runaways.
“I am Officer Sloan of the Watch. How can I help you?”
“I am Matriarch Izlan, and this is my assistant, Lady Charion. We are from the Temple of the Ladies of Life and wish to report a missing person. Liddea, female, ten seasons old.”
The Matriarch, followed by her assistant, reached out and shook his hand. He was surprised by their directness and strong grips. Izlan was a tall woman, much younger than he had imagined she would be, as head of the Temple, and dressed stylishly, as was Charion, who was a head shorter than the Matriarch. Her hair, worn in a braid, reached to the small of her back. Both women carried stylish canes, the wood dyed the same shade as their dresses.
Sloan was intrigued. He recognized a sword cane when he saw one, no matter how it was disguised. Their fine outfits, gloves, and boots, though fashionably female, would not hamper them if they had to put their weapons to use.
He led them to a desk and pulled over two chairs. “Please, have a seat, and I will record your testimony.” As the two strode with confidence, surveying the House’s cluttered reception area, he could tell that Izlan and Charion were not the staid, semi-helpless, aging ladies he had expected.
Sloan stayed standing until the women were seated then sat across from them. He picked up a quill, opened the inkwell, reached for a blank piece of parchment, and began to write in the neat hand he used to scribe official documents.
“Girl of ten seasons, named Liddea, missing since when?” he asked as he continued to write.
Charion replied, “She did not come home last night. We have it on report that she was last seen leaving for the Temple after having a private tutoring session.”
“What is the name of her instructor?”
“His name is Master Qwen. He is tutoring her in... history.”
