Ardent

by Florian Armas

  “Blast this rain,” I cursed, pulling back my hood and starting to hit the hard wood of the gate again. I used the handle of my dagger this time.

  “Lowlanders,” Vlad laughed. “A little rain and they melt like candies.”

  “Who is there?” someone asked from behind the gate, and I recognized Moros’s voice. There was not much warmth in his tone.

  “Codrin.”

  A small window opened in the gate, and a pair of eyes peered outside. “And the other two?” Moros asked.

  “Vlad and another one of my men. Moros, it’s raining.”

  “Yes, yes, I became aware from the moment of that from the moment I left the house. I apologize, but I have to go inside and inform Calin.”

  “Move faster, Moros. You were not so old when I left Calin’s house.”

  “He is acting strangely,” Vlad whispered.

  “There may be unwanted guests inside. Once we enter, we spread out. You go to the back of the house and climb onto the terrace. You know the house. I will enter with Pintea through the front door.”

  “Codrin,” I heard another voice after a while. “What delayed your return? You worried us.”

  “A closed gate.”

  The gate opened, and I saw Calin, his left arm bandaged. Moros was carrying a lantern behind him.

  “What happened?” I pointed to the bandage.

  “We were attacked a few days ago. Apart from a few wounds, everything else is fine, but we may have another issue right now. There are two Sages of the Circle and their guards inside the house.”

  “And?”

  “I apologize, but it would be better if they did not see you here. Ignore my wound, I am not in danger,” Calin added hastily.

  “Oh, well.”

  “I will not stop you if you want to enter, and I can explain everything tomorrow. The Sages are here because of you. They will leave in the morning. You can stay the night at The Wheel inn in Orhei. They should have free rooms at this time of the year, but just in case, tell the innkeeper that I sent you. Alex is his name. Don’t give him your real name. Tomorrow, I will send Moros after you. I have to go back, now.” He stared at me, waiting for my decision.

  “Fine, we will go to Orhei.”

  “Thank you,” Calin said, moving back, and Moros closed the gate.

  “Just one more ride under this bloody rain,” I growled, trying to hide my real feelings. “At least it’s a short road, and The Wheel has good food and good beds.”

  I was wrong. For a reason the gatekeeper didn’t bother to explain to us, the gate of Orhei was closed until the morning, and we turned away from it, before the guards could find a reason to react.

  “I heard that the inns in Orhei have awful food,” Vlad said.

  “Yes,” I snorted, “the worst in the world.”

  “You’ve told me about the good food in Orhei,” Pintea mumbled amid our laughter.

  “Pintea, the best food is the food you have. The food you can’t have is not good at all,” Vlad managed to say through his laughter.

  There was a place where people could wait until the gates were opened. It was only a roof on rough pillars of wood, and there was nothing to make a fire, but at least we slept without rain on our heads. That did not make our clothes drier. Despite that rain, we took watches, and we avoided talking about the Sages in Calin’s house. There was no one to tell me what they wanted.

  “The gate is opening, but I see Moros coming,” Vlad said as he woke me up. “It’s raining this morning,” he added, in a serious tone, only his eyes were glimmering.

  “Calin is waiting for you,” Moros said. “I apologize for yesterday. It was a… Calin will explain it to you.”

  “What did the Sages want?” I asked.

  “Calin will explain it to you. And I don’t know much anyway.”

  “Who attacked you?”

  “That I know well. I have a cut as long as my palm on my back. There were eight attackers. Calin thinks that they were mercenaries, not robbers. We were lucky that my wife had a headache and could not sleep. She went out for some fresh air and saw them jumping over the fence. Belu and I are good archers, but three of them broke a window in the back, entered the house and we had to fight with swords. You know that we were soldiers in Mehadia before settling here,” he bragged.

  It was Mara who opened the door of the house for us, her black eyes fixed on me. “Almost six months and not even a letter,” she whispered bitterly. “We thought so many bad things happening to you.”

  “I am sorry, Mara. A Mother Storm caught us in the Dorna Mountains. The snow kept us there.”

  “Give me your mantle. It’s so wet,” she said, suddenly relieved.

  “It’s raining,” I exchanged a glance with Vlad.

  Mara caught us and laughed. “What is a Mother Storm?”

  “Mara was born in the south,” Calin said. “She is more accustomed to rain than snow.”

  “I wonder how she could get used to that,” Vlad mused.

  “It’s a snow storm that comes from the ocean, a black swirl of clouds engulfing the mountains. You should see it once.” From a safe place with no wolves.

  “Do you want to bathe or to eat first?” Mara asked.

  “Both,” I laughed.

  “Bath, then,” she smiled. “Moros will bring you something to eat, but I am preparing lunch, and I hate to be disappointed.”

  “The Sages.” I pressed Calin, after the lunch which was almost dinner ended, and Vlad and Pintea had left the room.

  “The Sages,” he sighed. “During the end of autumn, I heard some false rumors about last year’s wars in Mehadia. At the beginning, I ignored them, but the lies spread so much that they became truth. Someone else was claiming to be the commander of the Severin army that defeated Mehadin and Orban. His name is…”

  “Bucur,” I said, and Calin stared at me. “As you said, word spread.”

  He nodded, thoughtfully. “After the Winter Solstice, I wrote some warning letters to the Circle, explaining what was wrong, and yesterday I got a visit from the Sages. Some of them are intelligent, some of them are greedy, and some even stupid. And then we have Aurelian. I could compare him with a snake, but it would be unfair to snakes. He is the one playing the dirtiest games for the Circle, and he ‘advised’ me to stop writing the letters or suffer the consequences. It seems that I have disturbed some political games.”

  “Coming here, I met a Sage. He knew the same story as you. We talked about the war, and I hid from him the fact that I am Codrin. It was his reaction that bewildered me, when I told him the truth. Like something very important for the Circle went wrong. For whatever reason, he kept it to himself. What could be so important? Aron is a minor Knight.”

  “I don’t know,” Calin shrugged. “The most important thing for the Circle is the nomination of the next candidate King. It will happen at the Summer Solstice. Aron may or may not be a Sage, but… Or maybe they are trying to build an alliance before electing the King, and Aron tricked them so he could be part of it. There was nothing like this before, but an alliance would enhance the new candidate King’s chances. After the two attempts with Stefan and Orban, Frankis is still broken and kingless. So we may have an alliance for the King, but the truth is that I don’t know,” he repeated.

  “Do you know what the links are between Aron and Duke Stefan?”

  “There is something,” he rubbed his chin. “I heard about it when I was a child. Ah, yes. There was a war between the Dukes of Peyris and Tolosa. They fought in what is now Severin County. Duke Stefan was hosted in Aron’s castle. Of course it was his father who… Aron was not yet born.”

  “Last year, Duke Stefan sent his army to Severin to protect Aron.”

  “Quite an interesting move,” Calin mused. “I will write some letters. Not to the Sages,” he added quickly. “My uncle in Severin is still alive, and I know another old man who fought in the Dukes’ war. They may know something.”

  “The robbers who attacked yo
u...”

  “They were not robbers,” Calin shook his head. “Their daggers had marks.” He stood up and opened a drawer. “This,” he pointed to a graved pair of wings.

  “Which Black Dervil?” I asked.

  “Eagle, from Peyris,” Calin sighed. “The most dangerous after Valer.”

  “Who are the other three Black Dervils in Frankis?”

  “Wolf, Bear and Sharpe.”

  “Four animals and one man. Sharpe is dead. Eagle may try to avenge his mercenaries. Orhei is becoming too dangerous. You should leave.”

  “Where can we go?” Calin asked, with panic in his voice. “All my life I ran from one place to another, only to fall into a new trap. My wife and elder child died when we ran from Severin to Leyona. Then I ran again to Mehadia. Then here, and now… I had hoped that at least Mara and my grandchildren would be spared. We have no other place, Codrin.”

  “Cleuny,” I said. “It’s partly fortified, and easier to defend than your house here.”

  “That belongs to Mohor now,” Calin shrugged.

  “It belongs to me. I have five guards there, inherited from Mohor, of course. Belu, Moros and their families can come with you.”

  “We can’t leave the house empty.” Calin stood up and walked back and forth through the room. “One of us must stay behind to take care of it, and that one may be in danger.” He gestured frantically, then he clasped his hands behind him, walking restlessly. By the curl of his lip, the sweat on his brow, he was clearly unhappy with whatever choices he could afford.

  “Father,” Mara said gently.

  “Yes, yes,” Calin frowned at her, still walking. “Yesterday morning, Dobre made an offer for the house. It’s not the best price.”

  “Is Dobre pressuring you?” I asked.

  “Something like that,” Calin answered evasively. “Dobre made the offer just before the Sages came here. It may be a coincidence, but… He wants the house and the land for his son, but I feel some political pressure from Leyona too. It must be the Circle again.”

  “You can keep the land. It can’t be stolen or burned.”

  “I must think about it.”

  “You have two days. It may be a while before I come back again. We can leave together.”

  “Father,” Mara interjected. “We have to decide today.”

  “I don’t want to be a beggar again,” Calin growled. “I apologize,” he turned quickly toward me. “I know that we can trust you, but I will still feel like a beggar with no house.”

  “You can buy a new house around Cleuny,” I shrugged.

  Mara stood up too, and took him by the arm. They took a few steps together while she whispered something in his ear.

  “Do you think so?” Calin asked, and Mara just nodded. “I need some fresh air,” he said abruptly, and left the room.

  “I was impolite, speaking without being heard by you.” Mara came closer and leaned against the table in front of me. “I apologize. Your are still wet,” she touched my hair. “Next time, let me dry it. I promise not to bite,” she laughed. “I told Father that you may leave us for another six months. I lied to him. There will be no Mother Storm to keep you away so long. Isn’t it so?” she stared at me. “Father worked many years to arrange this place for us. Mehadin promised and promised, and never kept his word. We arranged some things behind his back, and sent Moros here with his family. He was a guard in Mehadia before. Then we did some renovations. Three years ago, the roof was ready to fall. Without you, we would not have had this place. Many days after you have left we still wondered that you agreed to give the house back to us. Of course we hoped that you would do it.” She pressed her fingers over my lips when I tried to protest. “Please don’t scold Father,” she placed her delicate hand over mine.

  “I won’t.” My thumb swept involuntarily over her fingers, and I tried to ignore the pleasant warmth going between our hands. “I know well what it means to be a fugitive. And alone …”

  Calin returned, shook his clothes because of a few drops of rain, and threw a nervous stare at us. “It’s still raining,” he said, closing slowly the door behind him, and sat on the sofa. “I think this is the fifth day of rain or the sixth. I don’t remember well. Yesterday, I saw the fields in the valley under a palm’s depth of water. Some crops may be compromised. We started to cultivate a few plots of land already.”

  “Father,” Mara said gently, and sat on the sofa too, close to him. She took his right hands in hers, and leaned her face on them. “Please.”

  “I know, I know.” Calin jerked and spoke fast, eating his words, as if afraid of them. “I will accept Dobre’s offer. The thief,” he spat. “I’m sure he guessed that we had to leave. I am tired. Please excuse me.”

  “It’s not the best offer, but it’s not bad one either,” Mara encouraged him.

  “Calin, we need to plan some more things.” I stared at him as he tried to stood up. Mara agreed with me, and her hand kept Calin sitting.

  “Can’t we…?”

  “No,” I cut in. “The most I can give you is to leave a day later than I planned. That will allow everybody enough time to pack.”

  “Thank you,” Mara said, as Calin seemed unable to calm his mind.

  “With Cleuny, I received Knighthood too, from Mohor. I am a free Knight.”

  “Mohor?” Calin raised his brows. “Why the change?”

  “People change,” I shrugged.

  “We need to celebrate,” Mara jumped from the sofa. “Last week, we bought five bottles of good Pancu wine from The Wheel. Twelve years old. The innkeeper swore that it was the best year for Pancu since when he was a child. He is older than father,” she laughed, “so we should take him with a grain of salt, but he would not dare to sell us bad wine.” She vanished from the room and came back two minutes later with a dusty bottle. “It’s dirty,” she grimaced, and it took her a while to clean and open the bottle. “Try it,” she offered the first glass to me, “and tell me if it is worthy to celebrate your Knighthood.”

  “It tastes of cinnamon and hot summer days. No rain,” I said, and my mind drifted back in Arenia, where I drank my first glass of wine.

  “Is something wrong?” Mara asked, and she lifted her eyebrows, waiting for my response.

  “Memories,” I sighed. “I remembered my first taste of wine in another life. It resembled this one,” I raised my glass in the candelabra’s light. “Interesting color.” There was a touch of violet in the dark red. “We were celebrating victory over the nomads invading us from the steppes east of Arenia. Father was a good army commander.” After the rain and cold of the night, I was now warm and relaxed, and my mind was stirred both by the wine and the memories from a better part of my life, long time gone.

  “Did you fight them?” Calin asked, watching me tightly over his glass.

  “I was too young.” I faked a laugh; my little lapse had made me talk too much about my past. “There is something else I’ve planned for you.” I sipped some more wine, to gather my thoughts. “I can afford a Secretary now, but I am just a Knight, not a Seigneur like Mehadin.”

  “I am sure that being a Knight will not cause any issues,” Calin said. “But I would suggest you take Mara as Secretary. She is qualified.” He stared at me, waiting for an answer which I did not offer. “Don’t misunderstand me. Mara would be a better choice because of this issue with Circle. It will allow me some liberty to move behind the scenes and help both of you.” He stared into the fire as though he could read the future in the flames.

  Like I did with Jara and Mohor. But I fought for them. Would you do the same for me? “Fine,” I said. “I know Mara’s value from when we worked together in Mehadia.”

  “Strong wine.” Calin put his empty glass on the table. “It went straight to my head. I will go to sleep now. You can make the arrangements for Cleuny.” His hand gestured between Mara and me.

  “Tell me.” Mara leaned once more against the table in front of me.

  “I am sure you know how to
be a Secretary.”

  “That can wait. Tell me about those clouds behind your eyes. They speak to me of a girl with green eyes from Severin.”

  “The green eyes no longer speak to me,” I said sharply. My wound was still too fresh for softer words. I could not think about Saliné now. I would not. “I am sorry, Mara. It’s just that I can’t talk about that right now.”

  “I see,” Mara said thoughtfully. “That time will come. We will have enough time on the journey to Cleuny. I think that you are tired. Let me show your room,” she smiled.

  It took me a while to fall asleep, and then it was only fitful dozing, and waking periods when I walked around the room. At midnight, I heard the door opening, and I turned in my bed, ready to spring, when I saw Mara behind a small candle.

  “I can’t sleep either,” she said, and came closer. The candle was snuffed out, and I heard her clothes swishing on their way to the floor.

  “Mara...”

  “There is no need to shout and wake everybody. I am not that dangerous,” she chuckled, and I felt her climbing under my blanket.

  I would have felt more at ease if she had attacked me, but the uneasiness melted quickly, under her warmth.

  ***

  The same day I arrived home, in Severin, a courier came with a short letter from Jara: ‘Please come; Fate has smiled on us.’

  “What is so pressing?” I asked the courier.

  “I am just a courier,” he laughed.

  “Read this,” Jara said the moment I entered her office, and I realized with a start that she looked almost happy. “No,” she grabbed the letter from my hand. “It’s too long. Aunt Agatha decided to make Saliné her heir. She has only one condition, to see Saliné and Vio before signing the papers to pass Valeni to Saliné.”

  “Congratulation,” I said. “What has this to do with me?”

  “Who do you think our Lead Protector will be? You will have three weeks to take Saliné back.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “You can’t refuse me.” Jara smiled, and placed her hands on my shoulders. “You can’t.”