by Lee LaCroix
Kayten wandered onto the streetside, continued to soak in the novelty of the area, and leaned against a tree. The designs around her inspired to her and gave her new ideas regarding depths, angles, and features. The majority of buildings in the Upper Quarter were residential and lacked the informative signage or nondescript homogeneity of other parts of the city. Instead, each building seemed to have a theme of its own and was constructed from a decorum of wood, metals, glass, plaster, and paint that was repeated throughout. Many of the buildings in this first street had wide sections of transparent windows where pedestrians could look inside to inviting lobbies designed with lounging and seating areas, which also led to their respective rooms. In the windows above, some buildings featured hanging planters, elaborate cloth overhangs, or infestations of ivy that climbed up the buildings freely. The streets of the Upper Quarter lacked the raw energy of other sections, for fewer people walked them and in less hurry as well. Gold and white wood carriages drew the privileged up and down the center of the street at a leisurely pace while others sauntered while having musing discussions. It felt so relaxed and decadent it almost felt dreamlike, and in that sleepy note of judgment, Kayten recalled her duty and continued up the street to find the Cross Manor.
Kayten stopped at the first intersection and had a look around some more. To the north, a series of administration buildings stood, and the street led to the Admonition Alcove, Courthouse, and the Royal Palace. To the left and right, the compact buildings of the main street led to far more spacious residences that continued to the city’s borders. Kayten crossed the intersection, turned right down Brightsbend Way, and headed down the eastern street. The first house she passed had a lacquered metal fence that bordered a wide lawn of grass. She had never seen a field so perfect, for it was free of flowers, weeds, bushes, or tangles, and all the blades were of even length. Kayten passed the gateway and saw a marbled path that led past an ornate fountain and continued to the doorstep of a three-story high manse with white plaster and black shutters and frames. The building had no shortage of windows, and statues connected the top floor to the roof. She continued past more houses of grandeur décor until she spotted a great bronze plaque with the word CROSS emblazoned upon it across the street.
She paced across the avenue and let herself in the through a gateway that featured a latched fence. Kayten thought the Cross Manor had the nicest little pond in the yard, and she could see orange and black fish swimming within. The blue-green shade of the water was reflected in the colour of the manse’s outer decorum, and the rest of the design was light gray. She walked up a flight of three stairs and banged the door knocker three times. The thick oak door showed its quality as it slid smooth and silent across the threshold, and a serving man in a black and white suit appeared at the door. He gave Kayten a look up and down and gave a welcome smile.
“May I help you, Madame?” the butler pronounced.
“Yes. I’m here to deliver some commissioned items to Lord Cross,” Kayten informed as she held up her cloth-wrapped package.
“Ah yes. The smith. Do come in. Lord Cross is expecting you. Follow me, please,” the butler replied as he opened the door and withdrew with a bow.
The butler stepped in front of Kayten and led her down a front hall that was furnished with the largest mirror she had ever seen. There was also a statue of a lord and a lady and a collection of busts above a door. The floor was made of varnished wood panels, and they walked upon a patterned rug. Kayten followed the butler down the hall into a large open room where the back wall was made almost entirely of windows, which let a flooding amount of light into the room as well as opening the rear yard of the property into view and brightening the lord’s desk. Ralphedo sat in the shadow of his chair and was leaned over a thick text that he was reading.
“My apologies for interrupting your studies, sir. The lady smith Kayten has arrived,” the butler announced from the doorway to the study.
“Wonderful. Send her in, Vinchenso,” Ralphedo ordered with a wave of his hand.
“Certainly,” Vinchenso replied as he bowed and waved Kayten in.
Kayten entered the hall and was amazed by its openness. On each wall, there was a complete covering of the spines of books; an entire library there, she imagined. She had only heard of such places in tales from the Broken Kettle, and even the true ones were hard to come by. The whole experience seemed fantastic to her.
“So, those are the blades then?” Ralphedo questioned as he rose from his chair and made his way around to the front of the desk.
“Yes. They are as you requested,” Kayten answered as she walked through the study.
Kayten placed the cloth bundle on the desk and unraveled it, revealing the sheathed swords.
“Ah! By the pommel and guard, I can tell these will be extraordinary,” Ralphedo exclaimed.
He unsheathed the sword and observed it in front of him. Bathed in the light as it was, the sunsteel reflected like molten sparks from the forge, and its rays continued to bend like the sun’s flowing hair.
“Amazing,” Ralphedo claimed as he ran his touch up and down the length of the blade.
“This isn’t dark iron, is it?” Ralphedo questioned as he scrutinized the core of the sword and laid his finger on the dark metal.
“No, it is not. It is something else entirely. But to fully appreciate it, you must see it in darkness,” Kayten explained.
Ralphedo pursed his lips and then nodded as he understood.
“Vinchenso! The lights and the shutters, please,” Ralphedo called out.
The butler hurried into the room, dimmed all the lamps to darkness, and pulled the curtain of the wide window shut. The only light that remained was the one that peered through the hallway door. When Vinchenso closed the door again, they were left in darkness except for the blade that retained its unearthly radiance. Ralphedo saw that it was not only a glow, but a stream of light that seemed to flicker and flow across the length of the blade.
“Ah. Mursame,” the lord uttered with a gasp. “You have found its secrets.”
“Mursame?” Kayten questioned.
“Lord Vyse is not the first one to discover sunsteel, nor are you the first to forge with it. Myths and manuals in this library hold testament that mursame is the product of tempering such a metal. But you have gone as far as to combine the two metals. A stroke of genius. I could not have hoped for anything more. These are truly the swords of legend,” Ralphedo uttered.
“Its properties were first illuminated by the moon. I had been calling it moonstone,” Kayten explained.
“A fitting moniker. Vinchenso! The light!” Ralphedo replied.
The butler once again opened the door, entered the room, relit the lamps, and drew the curtains. Ralphedo sheathed the sword and placed it on the desk again.
“You have gone above and beyond my expectation. Here is the final payment on your services,” Ralphedo explained as he ventured to the other side of his desk, went into one of the drawers, and withdrew another silken bag of coin before sliding it across the desk to Kayten.
“Thank you,” Kayten replied with a bow before turning away.
“There is something else I wish to discuss with you,” Ralphedo called out.
“Another commission?” Kayten questioned.
“Something far more important,” Ralphedo uttered.
Kayten was intrigued and a little bit worried. She wondered, how could she be involved in something more important that her profession?
“News of the uprising in the Lower Quarter did not fail to fall upon ears all the way into our lofty domain. Lord Vyse had been taxing the people since he came into power because he thought they had no strength. This rebellion is the first time someone has stood up to his power and has walked away with their heads attached. Since then, the lord has been biding his time, continuing to contain the problem to the slums as best he could. If you knew how his mines were managed, you would know that Vyse is not a man of leniency or compromise. From the window
s above, I have looked down upon the streets and seen row after row of Queen’s Aegis in plate mail, being run from the border of the city and up to the palace. The guards of the Upper Quarter are suspicious of even the most well-known citizens, neighbours of mine. If I had to guess, Vyse is expecting something big to happen, or he is planning something himself,” Ralphedo warned as he sat back into the shadow of his chair.
“I see,” Kayten replied.
“I, like the rest of the city, knows what goes on beyond those deadbolt doors in the Lower Quarter. When Lord Vyse wants in, he will find a way in just as I did. And the next time he does, he will not fail again,” Ralphedo stated.
Kayten did not know how whether to take this message as a threat or a warning. Regardless, she kept her cool and didn’t take her gaze off Ralphedo’s eyes.
“I will keep that in mind,” Kayten concluded. “I must bid you farewell now, there are matters I must attend to.”
“Very well, lady smith. Go in peace,” Ralphedo said as he waved her out the door.
Kayten left the study and was soon flanked by the butler who remained silent and guiding. They continued shoulder to shoulder until they reached the front door, which Vinchenso opened.
“Thank you,” Kayten uttered as she walked through the door.
“Farewell, Madame,” the butler offered with a curt nod and then closed the door.
Kayten hopped down the steps and caught sight of young Master Cross playing at the pond’s edge. He took his attention from the frolicking fish to wave and smile at Kayten. She returned the gesture before the boy tore off more pieces of bread and tossed them into the water. The fish splashed at the display and gave their direct attention to the hazy silhouette beyond the water’s edge. Kayten unlatched the gate and turned right, heading back towards the intersection. She was nearly at the intersection when she saw a man ahead with a thin goatee and slick back hair. As she went to pass the man, he side stepped in front of her, and she nearly tumbled into his chest.
“My mistake,” Kayten spoke as she went to go around him.
But the man stepped in her way again. Eventually, she looked up into the face that held a toothy grin. She felt the heavy feeling of a cold gauntlet on her shoulder, and one of the Queen’s Aegis blocked out the sun beside her. Before she had time to look back at the man, a blunt force slammed against her head, and her vision faded to orange, red, bloody, then black.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Garreth awoke the next morning and shook the sleep from his bones. He stepped into the hallway, stretched the stiffness from his limbs, and peered into the room beside his. Kayten’s bed remained as fixed as it was the night before. She had not returned to the room before he had turned in for the night, and he was sure that she had not come and went when he was sleeping. It was unlike Kayten not to return. He decided to ask Mose if he had any details of her whereabouts.
Garreth threw on his leathers and walked into the busy streets of the Lower Quarter. He would have been pleased to wait and make small chat with the two citizens that stopped him on the street, a grateful mother and a fortuitous vendor, but he could only take their thanks and continue on towards the courtyard. There, he found Mose and his apprentice soldiering on as usual at the hot forge. Garreth clapped the smith on the shoulder, and he swung around and ungloved himself.
“Master Garreth. What can I do for you? A sword sharpening perhaps?” the smith inquired.
“I’m looking for Kayten. Has she been in today?” Garreth replied.
“Not today. I haven’t seen her since yesterday. We didn’t have much work to go around so I gave her the freedom of the day,” Mose explained.
“Oh, I see. Have you any idea where she might have gotten off to?” Garreth continued.
“Nowhere out of the ordinary, I assume. She doesn’t tell me much of anything beyond what she’s working on,” Mose said. “However, she did have to make a delivery of some swords she was commissioned to make. Sunsteel swords at that.”
“Sunsteel? Where was she taking those?” Garreth queried.
“Up to the Upper Quarter, I believe. A man in rich cloth, she told me, who ordered them,” Mose told him and then looked beyond Garreth to the wideness of the courtyard.
“I think that’s your man there,” Mose spoke.
Following Mose’s pointed finger, Garreth found Lord Cross speaking with Berault under the shade of a tree not far from the archery range. Garreth paced over to the pair. Berault nodded to him, and Ralphedo made a grim face.
“This is one of her comrades. Garreth, this is Lord Ralphedo Cross. He has some disturbing news for us,” Berault introduced, and his grating tone was enough to enthrall Garreth to curiosity.
“As I was saying. The lady smith was just leaving my residence when she was abducted by the Queen’s Aegis. My son was in the yard and saw the whole confrontation. They knocked her out and threw her over one of the guard’s shoulders. My son, being more man than mouse, swallowed his shock and followed them through the streets. He said he saw them go into the dual doors of the Courthouse,” Lord Cross explained.
“The Courthouse? Alas, then they have taken her to the dungeon. There is a direct passage from the chamber of trial to the holding cells. I’ve put enough men away to know this to be true,” Berault told them.
Garreth’s face was set like stone but soon reddened with anger.
“Kidnapping! This is outrageous. Something must be done. Besides the obvious concern of her wellbeing, Kayten knows key information of this rebellion from our leaders to our operations. I fear that she may not have the fortitude to withstand their interrogation for long. We have to do something,” Garreth intoned as he balled a fist and placed it in his other hand with a smack.
“Yes lad, something must be done. But we have to be careful. However, Lord Cross and many of our sources tell us that there is an army marching through the streets of the Upper Quarter now. We can’t just go about smashing gates and taking heads. Our allies are not ready for that. We may have the skill and the heart, but we need the arms, training, and the numbers to overthrow our enemies,” Berault explained, careful and slow as an apology.
“There must be something that can be done. I refuse to do nothing,” Garreth yelled.
“Then find a way lad. I can think of no one better than you to find a way to save her,” Berault said and gestured with his hands.
“If there’s anything I can do to help. Please let me know,” Ralphedo offered with a curt nod and a bow before strolling down the courtyard tunnel and out of sight.
Garreth put his head in his hands and then ran his fingers through his hair; it was obvious to Berault that he was stressed.
“You know, I don’t trust this Lord Cross. Kayten was fine minding her own business around the smithy before he came along,” Garreth complained as he lifted his head towards the sky and shook his hands out of his hair.
“Indeed, that may be. It is not our place to tell the young miss what to do. We can only guide her and advise her the best we can,” Berault replied as he looked upon the man.
“Well, I wish she would have said something about this sooner. I feel like going to Cross for help now would just lead us into another trap,” Garreth explained, and he kicked at the dirt.
“It may seem like that, but we cannot forsake people’s intentions just because they may have coin, just as we do not turn away the intentions of the poor,” Berault rebuked.
“Fie. We must not argue any longer. I must see to what is to be done,” Garreth concluded as he turned away and walked into the depths of the courtyard.
Berault sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He knew his protégé’s pain and shared his concern, but they all had to exercise caution to make up for Kayten’s seeming lack of it. This was not the first he had heard of these arrests and kidnappings, but never before had they happened so close to home. He knew that Kayten was part of the heart and soul of this movement of freedom; her absence would be noted, and the recruits would not feel the sa
me until she was returned. Already too many losses had been suffered, and Berault wanted more people invested in righteous action instead of vengeance. He could see a consuming fire burning in Garreth’s face, and Berault feared and lamented.
Garreth found a seat under a tree, placed one elbow on his bent knee, and placed his chin on his fist. He had taken Kayten from the Southbriar Crossroads and protected her along the treacherous road that led to the city. He felt responsible for her safety and bemoaned that he did not take a more active role in monitoring her wellbeing. He could not bother on the past forever, he mused, and tried to think ahead to what he do to save her.
He imagined the dungeons and their shadowy cells built into the foundation of the Upper Quarter. They occupied the most northwestern space of Amatharsus and were wedged between the Royal Palace and the harbour although sunken into the lower levels. The cell windows peered out of the stone and mortar walls that overlooked the sea. From their height, nothing remained but a sharp drop to the crashing waves. The entire installation was invisible from the outside like an ant hill built into a mound and was just as winding and complex as one. He once knew the entrance to the dungeons was to the left of the Courthouse and down the shaded alley, but he also knew that not all was the same in Amatharsus since his last stay. Getting into the Upper Quarter seemed the first problem to him because he refused to give into the tolls of the gates. Garreth found Cern, Tamil, and the rest of his band around the courtyard and gathered them together shortly after noon.