The Mansions of Idumea (Book 3 Forest at the Edge series)

by Trish Mercer

  Then he turned back to her. “Mahrree, don’t you want to get out? Are you all right?”

  She nodded, but she wasn’t all right. How could she face her friends and village wearing her new dress and knowing that just two days ago she feasted at the grandest dinner in the world? So she only said, “I’m just a little tired, Shem.”

  “On closer inspection, you don’t look completely well,” he said, and Mahrree wasn’t surprised that he noticed. Shem noticed everything. He climbed into the coach and was about to sit across from her until he saw the crate on the other bench. Instead he sat gingerly next to her and rubbed at a smudge on her cloak. “Mahrree, is this blood?”

  She sighed.

  His eyes grew wide. “Whose?”

  “Not mine or the children’s,” she chuckled sadly. “Someone Perrin dispatched . . . it just splattered,” she gestured lamely to the other stains on her gray cloak.

  “Oh, Mahrree.” Shem squeezed her hand. “We’ve been hearing all kinds of stories about the attack, but I didn’t realize you witnessed it.”

  “Witnessed it? I drove the coach!” she laughed miserably. “While Perrin was on top!” She pretended to slash an imaginary sword before dropping her hand. “It was a horrible night, Shem. I think it’s all just starting to catch up to me.” She knew this wasn’t the best time, but she couldn’t stop the tears that slipped disobediently down her face.

  “Oh, Mahrree,” Shem repeated, putting a strong arm around her.

  She rested her head against his shoulder, grateful for a brother who could spend a few minutes comforting his overemotional sister. She just needed a shoulder to cry on.

  “I’m so sorry, Mahrree. I feel responsible—”

  “Why?” she asked. “Are you a Guarder?”

  Shem chuckled with her.

  “Well Shem,” she sniffed back her tears and patted him on the knee, “since we haven’t had you over for a proper dinner in weeks now, you’re coming home with us tonight to help us finish off some of these leftovers, and to tell us everything that’s been happening.”

  “Good idea. Now let’s get you out of here.” He moved as if to stand up, but Mahrree hung on his arm.

  “I can’t go out there, Shem,” she whispered, wiping her face. “Not like this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you realize how we’ve lived the past two weeks?” she nearly wailed. “In a mansion!”

  “Well, Grandpy did mention—” he started.

  “With silk sheets!”

  “Wouldn’t those be rather slipper—?”

  “And do you have any idea how well we ate?”

  “Well, I imagine that—”

  “A Harvest Day meal! Every day! I’ve gained weight while everyone here has been losing it!”

  “Mahrree,” he chuckled and patted her hand that gripped his arm, “no one’s going to blame you for—”

  “I can’t face them. I feel so guilty!”

  “Then just don’t tell them how you lived,” Shem suggested.

  “What, lie to my village?” Mahrree was shocked.

  Shem shrugged. “Sometimes . . . sometimes you have to hide the truth to spare those you love. If they knew everything, it would ruin . . . everything. It’s not dishonest, exactly,” he tried to explain as Mahrree frowned at him. “It’s . . . preserving feelings. Protecting people. They don’t need to know the truth, do they?”

  “Hmm,” she considered that.

  “Besides,” Shem continued, “listen to them out there. Edge isn’t angry; they’re astonished. Look—they’re even hugging Peto. We didn’t expect Perrin could do anything as grand as this. A few hours ago Brillen, Grandpy and I set up a table over there in the middle of the greens and wondered why. A few villagers came by, asking what we were doing, and we felt rather foolish that we didn’t know what to tell them. Until the first group of wagons came. Mahrree, all of us were overcome to see how much grain they brought, and I’ll be honest: there were a few tears shed.”

  Mahrree chuckled quietly. “Well Shem, I’ve seen you tear up on quite a few occasions—”

  “It wasn’t me,” Shem chuckled back. “It was Grandpy Neeks. ‘Shin did it!’ was all he could say. ‘Shin did it!’”

  Mahrree grinned.

  “So come on,” Shem nudged her shoulder. “Let’s get you out there, and—”

  A shadow darkened the doorway. “Mrs. Shin?” Grandpy Neeks said, climbing up the steps. “Is everything all right in here?”

  Mahrree was startled by the severity of his tone, and the fact that he was glaring at Shem and not addressing her.

  Shem pulled his arm out of Mahrree’s grip.

  “Fine, Grandpy,” she smiled, suspecting that Grandpy feared Shem was revealing the fact that the old sergeant major was seen crying earlier. “Zenos is just trying to convince me that it’s safe to leave the coach.”

  Grandpy shifted his gaze to her. “Are you sure, ma’am? Anything I can do to help you? Because Mrs. Peto has been asking—”

  “My mother!” Mahrree shouted. In her self-absorption she’d nearly forgotten about her mother.

  “—but she unfortunately planted herself on the other side of the greens and asked me to find a way to get you over to her—”

  “Of course! Yes!” Mahrree eagerly took his hand to get down the steps.

  Behind her, Mahrree heard Shem chuckle, “Well, that got her out,” and he whistled over a few soldiers to help unload the food stuffed in the coach.

  Mahrree followed Neeks through Edgers, who caught and hugged almost as frequently as they did her husband. She spotted, over by the doling table, Poe Hili: black eye, banged up, bandaged, and beaming. A couple of privates had friendly arms around him and villagers patted him on the back as they passed. They all knew who Poe was, and they now knew what he was willing to do to redeem himself.

  Poe’s life would never be the same, Mahrree thought. Good.

  It wasn’t until early that evening—after Mahrree assured Hycymum again and again that they were fine, and after all of the food had been distributed and delivered by soldiers to those who were unable to leave their homes—that the Shins finally headed back to their house. Hycymum rode with them, touching every inch she could have the “magnificent army coach!”

  Mahrree couldn’t wait to finally be rid of it.

  Shem and Perrin rode behind the coach, catching up on the past two weeks, while Mahrree and the children watched the houses as they went by. To see so much that had been rebuilt was gratifying. But to see how much rubble and destruction remained was discouraging.

  Mahrree had forgotten that Shem had fixed up their house while they were away. She wasn’t even looking toward it when Jaytsy squealed, “It’s done!”

  As the coach swayed to a stop, Jaytsy and Peto pushed each other to be the first ones out and into the house. Mahrree stepped out cautiously and looked up, her mouth dropping open. There was no way Perrin could hit his head on the ceiling again, unless he jumped off the bed.

  Shem had rebuilt the entire level at least three feet higher. The roof line stood at an impressive peak on top of the house, exactly as she had imagined it could, but somehow better.

  Mahrree was still staring, dumbfounded, when Shem and Perrin dismounted and walked over to her.

  “Zenos, you missed your calling,” Perrin declared. “That’s amazing! Where’d you learn to build houses?”

  Shem grinned. “I had help, you know.”

  “Yes, I supervised,” Hycymum announced.

  “She sure did,” Shem said sweetly. “Poe Hili and I spent all of our spare time up there working and talking, ever since you left. He confessed a lot, Perrin, and still has a lot to fix. But I have confidence in him. He’s a changed man, and he’s going to be a good soldier. Karna and I felt terrible about making him the messenger, but I don’t think that will lead to any backsliding.”

  Perrin nodded. “I could tell he’s changed. You’re the perfect man to talk to, Shem. I can’t imagine
how a rector could have done him more good.”

  Mahrree sniffed. “I can’t stand it,” she whispered.

  Her family looked at her, confused. “Can’t stand what?” Perrin asked gently. He glanced at the house that looked perfect to him.

  Hycymum sighed. “Well, Shem didn’t take all my advice.”

  “No, it’s just too much. These past weeks,” she began to weep again. “How can so many miracles be packed into such a small time frame? I thought I’d seen it all. But now to hear Poe Hili is changed because he could talk to Shem Zenos while rebuilding my bedroom because of the land tremor?” She started to sob.

  Hycymum blinked in surprise. Shem and Perrin exchanged startled expressions. Perrin shrugged at his family and put his arm around his wife.

  “No, it’s good! It’s all just too good. The house I mean, but other things . . .” Mahrree tried to assure them as she blubbered. It’d been such a terrible night, and leaving the Shins so suddenly, and then everything in the past few weeks, and so much was good and bad and worrying, and miraculously she was home again, and the house was fine when so much still wasn’t, and now all of that was insisting on piling on top of her right then—

  She couldn’t explain it, so it just came out in tears.

  Shem cringed. He leaned over to Perrin and whispered, “Maybe we should wait until she’s calmed down before I show her the built-in wardrobe. I took part of that attic you don’t seem to use, and converted it so you can walk right in and hang up the clothes—”

  Mahrree burst out into loud sobs.

  ---

  The house was small. Compared to the mansion, it was tiny. Shed-size, and added on to in odd ways.

  The garden was pathetic: lifeless, with two spits, tree stumps for stools and a bench, and a big rock in the middle of it.

  The upstairs bedroom, while far taller and with a walk-in wardrobe that it didn’t have before, was still more confining than the maids’ upstairs bedrooms in the Shin mansion.

  But nothing was better than being home.

  For the first time in weeks Mahrree and Perrin lay down tentatively on their bed and looked up at the ceiling that was more solid than even the oaks that gave their lives for it. They were fully aware of the pairs of eyes that watched them.

  “Well?” Hycymum asked eagerly.

  Mahrree pushed down on the plush blankets and bounced her head experimentally on the new feather pillow.

  Perrin rubbed the cotton under his hand. “The curtains match the blankets that match the pillows that match the rug, correct?”

  Mrs. Peto stood a little taller and looked proudly at her granddaughter who grinned back.

  “I like the blue,” Perrin said. “Sets off the red and white nicely. You said it’s called plaid? I must admit, I . . . I kind of like it.” He sat up and nodded at his mother-in-law.

  She beamed.

  Mahrree chuckled from her prone position. “Jaytsy thought we needed new blankets in here. I told her it was just an excuse to go shopping.”

  “But everything was so dirty and starting to mold, Mahrree! I couldn’t get it clean,” Hycymum explained. “The mattress was salvageable, fortunately, but there was nothing left to do but get new bedding.”

  Mahrree sat up. “But how did you get it? So much in the markets burned—” She narrowed her eyes at her mother. “You already had it, didn’t you? You probably weakened the ceiling just hoping it would collapse so that we’d have to use what you had ready, right?” She smiled through her scowl.

  “Oh, I didn’t do that. I wouldn’t know how to,” Hycymum chuckled. “But yes, I already had it. I was going to redo your bedroom for your anniversary next season as a surprise, and Jaytsy was going to help get you out of the house for me. I thought Perrin would approve of the plaid.”

  He nodded and looked around. “Makes me feel rather woodsy, somehow.”

  His wife looked at him as if she smelled something foul. “Woodsy?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m new to this, all right?”

  Hycymum smiled a bit apologetically. “I realize it’s not exactly a mansion in Idumea—”

  “Mother, I’ve had enough of the mansions in Idumea,” Mahrree promised her.

  Hycymum’s eyes grew big. “Did you see one?”

  Mahrree pursed her lips as her children snorted.

  Perrin rubbed his forehead. “I’ll let you break it to her while I’m gone to the fort. I’m not sure if I could handle her reaction right now.”

  “My reaction?” Hycymum frowned. “To what?”

  Perrin let her question slide, got off the bed, stood on his tiptoes to show his head still had plenty of room, and winked at Shem who, smiling, leaned in the doorway with his arms folded.

  Perrin stepped over to his mother-in-law and gave her an unexpected kiss on the cheek. “It’s wonderful to come home to a beautiful bedroom. Thank you.”

  Hycymum turned pink.

  Perrin turned to his wife. “I want to check on the fort, and then I’ll be back for a late dinner and a good night’s sleep.”

  “Leave your jacket, Perrin,” Hycymum reminded him. “I’ll soak it with your riding coat to get out that mud.”

  “It’s not mud, Grandmother,” Peto started, “it’s bl—”

  “—a real mess. Thank you, Mother Peto.” Perrin unbuttoned his jacket and sent a calculated look to his son. “I’ll wear one of my old ones to the fort.”

  “Real brass buttons,” she whispered in awe as she took the jacket from Perrin.

  Mahrree shook her head sadly. If her mother swooned over the brass on his new jacket, she’d tip over lifeless at the news they actually lived in a mansion.

  Perrin glanced sympathetically at his wife, then punched Shem good-naturedly on the shoulder. “Don’t hang around here too long unloading, Zenos. I’ll need your eyes at the fort soon,” he told his master sergeant before he headed down the stairs.

  Mahrree got off the bed and hugged her mother. “It’s even better than silk sheets which, I assure you, aren’t nearly as comfortable as they sound.”

  “Silk sheets? They make sheets out of silk? Where’d you see that?”

  “Uh, later Mother. Let’s finish unloading the coach so Shem can bring it back to the fort.”

  “Absolutely,” Shem said. “It’s had enough airing out.”

  ---

  After inspecting the fort for an hour, making sure nothing was out of place—and blessedly it wasn’t—Perrin walked into his office and sighed in satisfaction. The fort and his office were exactly as they should be, which was immensely comforting since everything else in his life had been upended the past few weeks. He sat easily in the big chair at his desk, his shoulders relaxing before he heard a familiar gait come up the stairs.

  “I found him on my way in,” Shem said, poking his head in the door. “He’s on his way.”

  Perrin nodded. “Good. Stick around, all right?”

  Shem twitched his acknowledgement and stepped back to give room for Lieutenant Riplak as he came up the stairs.

  “Colonel Shin, sir!” he stood at attention at the door. “Reporting as ordered, sir.”

  “At ease and sit down, Riplak. Sleep well?”

  “Yes sir,” he said as he took a chair. “But I should be leaving for Idumea soon, sir.”

  Colonel Shin shook his head. “Not until dawn. You’ll accompany the rest of the garrison soldiers headed south to help return the horses.”

  The lieutenant shifted nervously. “But your father will be expecting me. I’m his—”

  “His what, Riplak?” Colonel Shin interrupted. “Betrayer?”

  Riplak’s chin dropped. “Sir?”

  The colonel stood up, walked around his desk, and yanked the stunned young man out of his chair. “Who’d you speak to? How’d they know we were coming?”

  Riplak stammered, “N-n-n-o one, sir! I left from the mansion and went straight to the stables. I don’t know how the Guarders knew you were coming. Maybe it was just a coi
ncidence. I’m very sorry, sir. I was shocked when I heard about the attack. I wasn’t expecting that. Honestly!”

  Perrin breathed heavily as he stared into the frightened young man’s eyes, looking for deceit. He remembered glaring at Shem like this, years ago, trying to discern if he was a Guarder. Riplak’s face blanched the same way Shem’s had, and his lower jaw began to tremble.

  “I’d do nothing to betray your father, sir. Please. I’m committed to serving the world.”

  Perrin released his grip on the young man’s uniform and Riplak slumped helplessly back into his chair.

  “Can you prove it?” Colonel Shin demanded.

  “I-I-I-I rode all night to deliver his message, sir.” Now the tremble in his lower jaw spread to his entire body. “I’ve never been north of Pools, sir. To be honest, I was a bit uneasy. Not exactly my kind of thing, riding in the dark to unfamiliar destinations, all alone.” His breathing quickened. “Was never more happy than to see the sun rise over the marshes! Please, sir, can I just go back Idumea?” He was scared.

  Perrin had never known Guarders to be scared of anything. Agitated, shifty, irrational, and impulsive, yes. But not scared.

  Perrin stared at the quaking lieutenant and tried to clear his mind to feel for any kind of impression that he shouldn’t let Riplak leave. Nothing came.

  Perhaps it was a coincidence that the Guarders happened upon them. Perhaps someone in the stables was a contact. If what his father told him was true—that Guarders lived among them—Perrin could think of dozens of men that could have revealed their plans.

  “If you leave now,” Perrin said, “you’ll be riding in the dark all the way back. Alone.”

  Riplak gulped at the thought.

  “But if you wait until morning, you’ll have light and dozens of men and horses accompanying you.”

  Riplak nodded. “Sir, I am sorry. Truly,” he said as he got to his feet. “But you were uninjured, right sir? The future High General’s fine?”