In the Cards (Vorcian Imperial Chronicles Book 2)

by Taki Drake

  “Oh, all right. However, children are never too young to learn that our position requires a certain appearance. As a member of the better class, we need to set an example for those that don’t know better. I understand that she’s going to be 10, but that’s old enough to know how to properly behave,” the man grumbled.

  “Perhaps we can adjourn to the parlor, and continue our discussion in a more comfortable setting.”

  “You are right, Aret. We should continue our discussion away from badly behaved children and somewhere where Bertor can tell us all about the last six months at the Academy. I am very interested in hearing what connections he has made.”

  Turning to his eldest son, Ealtert stated, “Come along, Bertor. We have much to discuss. Now that you have graduated, it is time that you became more familiar with the responsibilities that go with representing House Watern.”

  “Thank you, Father. I would be most pleased to join you,” Bertor responded. He glanced sideways at Corda, standing ignored and tearful in the center of the receiving hall. Under the cover of Aret’s unnecessary instructions to the Butler about handling her stepson's luggage, the young man said quietly, “I will come for a visit later. You know it’s impossible to avoid Father when he is like this.”

  The little girl nodded her head wordlessly and watched as her parents and eldest brother disappeared into the formal parlor. Standing alone as her brother’s luggage was carried to his room, Corda felt invisible and abandoned, like a lone tree in a dangerous meadow.

  Only when everyone had left the receiving hall, other than the footman that was stationed there at all times, did Corda slowly climb the stairs to the second level. She felt cold as if she’d been outside in a winter wind. It was worse as she came closer to the nursery room where she could hear her brothers and sister talking in excited tones and the comforting, mellow voice of Nanny responding.

  “I hear there are going to be all sorts of celebrations in your brother’s honor. Please make sure that you are very well behaved, so you don’t get punished by restrictions on your participation.”

  Excited chatter made a noisy backdrop that covered the sound of Corda walking into the nursery on quiet feet. Moving as unobtrusively as she could, the little girl picked up the book that she had dropped in her mad dash out of the nursery just a short while ago.

  Sitting down on the bench once again, Corda was pleased to see that the pages of the book had not come to any harm. Smoothing the surface of the paper gently, the little girl noticed that her hands were shaking and goosebumps covered her forearms. I guess I am cold, she thought to herself. Perhaps that is why I feel so sick to my stomach.

  Looking up and seeing the little girl on the bench, Nanny exclaimed, “Corda! I didn’t see you there.”

  The child answered with a shaky smile on her face, “I’m here, but I was thinking about things.”

  Before Nanny could respond, Corda’s brother Jerry commented in a snarky tone, “I suppose you are thinking about what you’re going to do when you grow up. All of us already know, we are going to be Healers. That is what our family does!”

  Still in a bemused state, Corda answered in a distant tone, “It is not so much that I have to be a Healer, it is that I want to be one.”

  The little boy responded to his sister, sounding even more frustrated, “You had better watch out because you are different from all the rest of us. Father is always mad at you for doing something you’re not supposed to do, and you never seem to learn. Maybe, they won’t want you for a Healer.”

  Stung, Corda responded forcefully, stating, “Our whole family consists of Healers. There is no reason that I can’t be one too!”

  The younger boy jumped forward and grabbed Corda’s braid, yanking hard enough that tears sprang to her eyes again. Setting her teeth closed onto her lip, the little girl refused to cry.

  Nanny moved swiftly to break up the tussle, sending Jerry to sit quietly in the corner until released. The nursemaid turned to look at the little girl, asking, “Are you all right. Do you need to lie down?”

  “I am okay, Nanny. It hurt, but the hurt will go away.”

  Corda smiled bravely at the young woman that been their caretaker ever since the little girl could remember. The expression stayed in her face until the nursemaid had been called away to deal with the youngest twins who had managed to get themselves glued to each other.

  The eldest girl child of the Watern household watched as her siblings dealt with each other, twin to twin. Wherever she looked, there were two of them acting as a unit. Everyone has somebody, except me. I’m the only one that is alone.

  Cramps ached in her hands, and Corda looked down to realize that she was clutching the book of history that she had been reading. Making a determined movement to release her hands from their tight grip, the little girl found the first natural smile that she had experienced since coming back upstairs.

  As long as I have books, I am not alone. They keep me company and are always available. How can I be lonely if I have things to read?

  Chapter 3 – First Aid

  The bedtime ritual in the Watern nursery took more than two hours for the five children. The younger the child, the earlier they went to bed. It meant that Corda would have some precious time without her siblings at the end of each day. It was a special boon to the 10-year-old little girl. Not only could she fit in some additional reading, but once all of her siblings were in bed, she would have some time with Nanny that didn’t need to be shared.

  The younger twins were quite boisterous this evening, playing games in the bath and holding little contests to see who could do some of the most absurd things that Corda had ever seen. Soap races, peeing further or higher in the toilet, the constant tussle between the two of them seemed like a foreign language to the little girl.

  Nanny was quite busy trying to get them bathed and ready for bed. When they finally were clean, the patient nursemaid took them into their shared bedroom, and Corda could hear her mellow voice as she read them a bedtime story.

  Quietly sneaking out of their bedroom, Nanny took a deep breath and straightened her back. The woman must’ve felt Corda’s eyes on her because she looked up and gave the little girl a swift grin before turning back to partially close the door and turn the lights down to a nighttime level.

  “Jen and Jerry, time to get ready for bed. Put your toys and books away, and let’s get you bathed and in your nightwear.”

  The older twins gave simultaneous exasperated sighs, but got up obediently and stowed away the complicated game that they had been playing. Corda can remember when she had received the game as a gift but had never really wanted to play it with Nanny,, and since she had been in the nursery by herself, it had faded in her memory until Jerry had discovered it.

  It was the favorite game of that pair of twins. A board game that involved buying and selling property and random tasks that had to be performed, it kept Jen and Jerry occupied for hours at a time. Unfortunately, it bored Corda. That disinterest meant that every time she attempted to play the game with her siblings, she was beaten badly.

  Corda continued to read, absorbed in a tale of an ancient battle. She could almost imagine herself walking over a dusty plain and getting tired. With the illustrations in the book, the little girl could pretend that she was seeing strange creatures for the first time. When the story talked about the desperate efforts to rescue captured merchants, the 10-year-old could picture herself, larger and stronger, wrestling with the evil captors.

  So engrossed was Corda in the story that when Nanny came up to her and touched her forearm, the little girl jumped with a squeak of surprise, “Eek! Nanny, you scared me!”

  The nursemaid appeared tired, but Corda knew this time of night was always when that look of exhaustion covered the woman’s face. Despite her drained feelings, Nanny smiled at her eldest charge and said affectionately, “Let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed. If I let you keep reading, I swear you’d read all night!”

  Corda
laughed and went off obediently with her caretaker. Moving through the chores of toothbrushing and hair combing, Corda and Nanny chatted only a little bit. Corda had no reason to just chatter. Of all of her siblings, Jerry was the one who talked the most. It is funny, but he chatters more than anybody and his twin, Jen, hands out words like she’s paying for each one.

  Her hair braided and face and neck thoroughly scrubbed, Corda allowed Nanny to help her remove her clothing. Her favorite soft nightgown was laid out ready for her in her bed, and the little girl was looking forward to the feel of the fabric on her skin.

  “Oh, my dear! How did you get these horrible scrapes and bruises?”

  Corda had forgotten about her encounter with Pharyl earlier in the day. Startled, the little girl looked down at her body and chest and saw that her brother’s bullying ways had once again left the footprints of his actions. The back of her knuckles, both upper arms, and the top left side of her chest all bore evidence of his abuse.

  Corda looked at her nursemaid and saw that the woman was distressed. She didn’t want Nanny upset, and she knew that there wasn’t anything that one of the servants could do about her brother. It was merely the way it was.

  “Please don’t worry about it, Nanny. It’s not important.”

  “But honey, it must hurt. Why didn’t you say something earlier? I could have helped you. That’s why you have a Healer in the nursery.”

  Corda didn’t answer, staring down at the backs of her hands. The little girl could feel the weight of Nanny’s gaze. The silence stretched out.

  In a gentle voice, the nursemaid said, “How about if we get this taken care of. I’m sure that you will feel better afterward. Is that okay?”

  The 10-year-old nodded her head but still avoided looking at her nursemaid. In a determinedly cheerful voice, Nanny commented, “Perhaps it’s time to teach you how to do fundamental healing. The first exercise that most of us get is one that we start as young children, and you’re going to be 10 years old, which is old enough to learn it.”

  “Oh, Nanny, that would be wonderful! I want to be the best Healer in the world!”

  The woman laughed at the enthusiasm in the child’s voice and proceeded to lay out the supplies that they would need to perform the healing. Carefully, Nanny took Corda through the meditative focus that it took to understand and ease bruises.

  Corda was intense in her focus, determined to hear every bit of instruction that came out of her mentor's mouth. The nursemaid could not help but be flattered. Having someone address their attention so tightly to her was heady, and the woman glowed with the satisfaction and joy that sharing her knowledge brought.

  After two fumbling attempts, Corda was ready to try to heal a nasty bruise on her left forearm. Both she and Nanny focused on the shape, location, and color of the injury. Neither one of them mentioned that the evidence of a punishing grip was the clearly outlined tracks of fingers painted by broken blood vessels and blackened areas.

  Sitting on the side of the bed, Nanny patted the area beside her, saying, “Come over here, honey. I will put my arm around you so that you feel safe and so I can feel if you need help.”

  Obediently, the child sat next to her Nanny and took a deep breath. She was as ready as she was going to get, feeling the excitement of learning something new running through her veins.

  Corda concentrated, carefully stepping through the instructions that Nanny had given her. As she looked deeper into the bruise and pushed her intent to close the damaged vessels and sweep away the thin pool of blood that sluggishly moved under her skin, the little girl felt like she was pulled from many sides and stretched almost to a breaking point. Determined to not fail, she held on to her focus until the bruise had dissipated.

  “Wonderful, Corda. Look at your arm now! You can see how much better it is.”

  The little girl opened her eyes and was immediately assailed by a whirling environment. Her eyes hurt, and her head felt like it was going to explode. Falling to her knees on the floor, Corda retched repeatedly.

  Instantly, the nursemaid was there, kneeling on the floor with her and comforting her with hand and voice. When the spasms finished, Nanny lifted Corda back onto the bed and got her cleaned up.

  “I think you overdid it today. You did a great job of healing, and so now you can relax. Sometimes when you’re learning, it is hard for your body to adjust.” Nanny’s voice was comforting, and Corda felt safe lying warm under her covers.

  The nursemaid continued to talk to the little girl, using the sound of her voice to nurture and nourish. Corda’s eyes were closed, so she didn’t see the glistening eyes of her nursemaid and the sympathetic expression on the woman’s face.

  Chapter 4 – Promise Kept

  Nanny started to tell her about the big celebration that was being planned for her eldest brother’s graduation. She described the big party that was scheduled to occur in two days. Knowing what motivated her charges, the woman also talked about the menus and how fantastic the food was going to be.

  Corda asked, “When is my birthday party going to be? Earlier in the day?” The little girl looked excited, her smiling face turned toward her nursemaid like a sunflower follows the path of the sun.

  The nursemaid’s heart felt like it dropped to the floor as she responded, “The celebration for your brother is an adult party. Anything we do for your birthday will be done in the nursery.”

  Tears welled up in the little girl’s eyes as she asked in a shaky voice, “Other people have birthday parties, so why not me? The twins always have their parties, but it’s never the right time for mine. Why not, Nanny?”

  There was nothing that the distressed nursemaid could tell the child that would soften the impact. Ever since the oldest twins had been born when Corda had been a toddler, the little girl had been marginalized as both of her parents had focused on their sons. Even the younger twins got more attention and approval from their mother and father than the little girl.

  It was common knowledge in the servants quarters that the Watern family centered their ambition and worth on their boy children. Sons were encouraged and bragged about, the few daughters that were born into the household were viewed as bargaining chips. It had been that way for generations, and the current head of the household was even more rabid about the relative worth of males and females than his father had been.

  Helplessly, Nanny stared at the silently crying little girl. What can I tell her that will make this hurt less? she thought to herself. Searching her mind for a solution, the nursemaid was rescued by a soft knock on the nursery room door. Looking up, Nanny saw the eldest son appear in the doorway to Corda’s bedroom.

  His initially smiling face transformed into a stern one that looked out of place on his young man’s body. He opened his mouth to ask what the problem was, but Nanny forestalled him, saying, “Corda has had a very tiring day. She’s been doing healing exercises and also is a bit upset about the lack of birthday celebration for her.”

  Bertor nodded in acknowledgment before rearranging his face once more into a smiling expression. The young man asked, “Good evening, Nanny. I know it is late, but I just got free and hoped to spend some time with my sister.”

  Corda’s head snapped up, and the little girl saw her brother. The faucet of her tears turned off, and she cried, “Bert, you remembered! I thought you were busy with important things and forgot.”

  “Don’t be silly! I would never forget about you. I hope you’re all ready for bed because then I can tuck you in and tell you a bedtime story.”

  “I’m all ready for bed. Nanny can tell you. I even healed a bruise today!”

  Looking in astonishment over at the nursemaid, Bert asked, “Already? That’s a lot of power for a child.”

  Nanny replied with a smile, “Yes, she did a very good job. However, remember your first healing attempt and how tired you were afterward.”

  Laughing, the Journeyman Healer agreed, “I slept for almost 12 hours and had a headache for two days.
I promise not to keep her up too late, but I really wanted to spend some time with Corda. Is that all right?”

  “Of course, Master Bertor. I will leave the two of you alone right now. If you need anything, please let me know.”

  Bert took a seat on the bed next to Corda. Tucking her in lovingly, he talked about what he planned to do now that he graduated, relating anecdotes about his roommates and his instructors that soon had his little sister laughing. The young man was filled with satisfaction and how her sad expression had been erased, leaving the bubble of energy that was his little sister intact.

  “I hope that you’re feeling better, dear one. I know my graduation has thrown a wrench in the works when it comes to the normal schedule of the household, but I’m just so pleased that I am finally, yes finally, done with the Academy.”

  Flinging her arms around her big brother, Corda reassured him, saying, “It’s okay. I didn’t have a birthday party last year either, or the one before that. I guess the time of year that I was born is just too messy to have a party. I’d much rather you were home anyway since that’s the best gift anybody could give me.”

  “I’m glad that you feel that way, but we’re going to have to figure out something special to do in celebration of your birthday. Perhaps, you and I can go for a ride. I know that you’ve been working hard on your riding skills and I would like to show my little sister off. What you think about that?”

  Corda nodded in enthusiastic agreement before a suddenly grim expression covered her face. Holding her brother's shirt in both hands, the little girl stared deeply into his eyes and confided, “Bert, Father had things that he was going to talk to you about. He had that sort of funny look that he gets when he’s about to tell you things you may not want to hear.” Corda looked at her brother with concern, searching his face to see how he was doing.