Ardent

by Florian Armas

  “No, I can’t,” I shrugged; their safety was indeed mine to protect. “I will be your Lead Protector, but don’t ask me anything else. When do we leave?”

  “In a week. We need a bit of reshuffling of our wardrobes.”

  “Nothing I can help with,” I said and left the room.

  I made plans for leaving, trying to stay as much as possible away from Severin castle. Like for the previous embassy that I led to Deva, I asked for Vlaicu, Ban and the same other two guards. Mohor accepted with no complaints, but I got only one of them. The second guard had died in Mehadia, the year before, and Vlaicu had to replace him. Jara’s and Saliné’s wardrobe was ready faster than I expected. Not that I could understand their need for new things. No one in Valeni would know that one dress or another had already been already worn … once, at I don’t know which party in Severin.

  It was the day before our departure, and I decided to see Jara for the final preparations. There is always at least one thing which doesn’t go as planned. From the window of my bedroom, I saw Garland riding through the forest behind my house toward the small path going west to meet the main road to Leyona. It was early morning, and he must have left Severin at dawn. There were not many who knew about that small path through the forest, mostly just locals, and he was a stranger, who had come to Severin just two months ago, when Mohor tried to replenish his guards lost in last year’s war. I considered Garland being a good choice. He was skilled with the sword and resembled more a Knight than a soldier. His mind was as quick as his sword. Once, I heard Vlaicu say that in time Garland will be promoted, and Vlaicu was not an easy man to impress.

  What is Garland doing here? Instinctively, my hand touched the Wing Talisman. It vibrated in my hand, and the feel that something was wrong grew inside me. I ran down the stairs. My horse was ready, and Severin could wait.

  “I go over the hill,” I told Vlad, who was entering the house.

  He stared at me, but asked nothing, keeping the door open for me.

  There were some animal paths running in parallel with the manmade one, and the furthest, running almost hidden, suited me best. Riding earlier and on a shorter path, Garland had a few minutes head start. At the highest point of the path, the forest became denser, and I lost track of him. While his horse was good, it could not compare with Zor, but my advantage was small on a rugged path, yet it was my lucky day. I burst into the meadow overlooking the road to Leyona just a hundred paces from him. Garland was no longer alone, and I caught him handing a letter to a younger man wearing unknown colors. I pushed Zor to a gallop, and stopped abruptly in front of them.

  “I want to see that letter,” I said, spurred on by a feeling that it was something important.

  The younger man drew his sword, ready to challenge me.

  “Laurent, give him the letter,” Garland said.

  “It’s just one man,” Laurent voiced his anger.

  “We have no chance against him, and I will feel better if he reads the letter. My brother, Laurent,” he said to me. “Codrin, the Knight of Cleuny. Give Codrin the letter.”

  The young man made his horse trot nervously into the place, but reluctantly sheathed his sword and passed me the paper.

  ‘To Grand Seigneur Leyonan, I read.

  As requested, I inquired about Lady Severin’s departure to Valeni. It will be on the first day of the next month, Florar. She will take the main road to Tolosa, which passes through Valeni.’

  I read the paper again. The date was wrong, two days later than we’d agreed. Garland knew that well, as did everybody else in the castle or even in the city, and the road was not yet fixed.

  “You advised me to take the western road, not the main one,” I said to Garland.

  “The reason for that was this letter, which I had no choice but to write. I am the Half-Knight of Nirod. Leyonan detained my wife and child and keeps them captive. I had to agree to spy in Severin to keep my family alive, but I am trying to avoid doing too much harm.”

  “Who recommended you to Mohor?”

  “Aron, I think. I did not know him until I came here; the recommendation letter was sent by one of Mohor’s Knights. I don’t know if it was Aron or somebody else. Leyonan did not bother to tell me.”

  It can’t be Aron. Even before, Mohor took care to hire guards who are not linked to Aron. Who else betrayed Mohor? “What’s Leyonan’s interest in Jara’s travel?”

  “We don’t know,” Garland shrugged. “I heard some rumors in the past that Leyonan wanted to take Valeni, and he may be upset by this ... succession, but I am not close enough to his court to know if that is true or not. What I can tell you is that the letter Leyonan sent me, through Laurent, asking about Lady Severin’s journey to Valeni, was dated before the letter from Valeni arrived here.”

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” I asked, and I caught Laurent glancing at Garland, who nodded slightly.

  “Leyonan is preparing a troop of twenty soldiers to capture Lady Severin and her daughters,” Laurent said. “I was just trying to tell you about this when Codrin appeared,” he gestured at Garland.

  “There is not enough time to gather more information,” I said, thinking that with the departure set for the next day, there was not much chance to receive any other news. “Give the letter to Leyonan.” I pushed the paper into Laurent’s hand.

  “Thank you,” Garland said. “You may go now, Laurent. I did not want you to think that I would tell him more than what I said,” he explained, staring at Laurent riding away, and I nodded. “Even Laurent doesn’t know that you will leave tomorrow. I understood that you will come to Severin today. Shall we ride together?”

  “Yes,” I said, and turned Zor.

  “You must talk with Vio,” Jara said when I entered her office. “I hope that she will listen to you and stay home.”

  “She must stay home. I’ve just received news that Leyonan wants to capture your embassy to Valeni.”

  “We’ve never had issues with Leyonan.” Jara’s face whitened. Leyonan was a Grand Seigneur, even stronger than Devan, and even more, Devan and Leyonan were brothers-in-law; their wives were sisters. Leyonan’s wife was dead, but one would not act in such a manner without informing the other. “Does he want Valeni?”

  “You should know better. We must change a few things. We leave tomorrow as planned, you and Saliné in the carriage. Once Severin is out of sight, you leave the carriage, and ride. The carriage will continue without you, on a different road, and return to Severin three days later.”

  “Ride? With all those clothes?”

  “With all the clothes you and Saliné can take in your backpacks.”

  “What I can take in a backpack? We have two large boxes. We can’t go there like beggars.”

  “Why leave the carriage?” Mohor asked, and both Jara and jerked startled. He was always good at sneaking into a room.

  “Codrin has learned that Leyonan wants to capture our embassy.”

  “A year ago I would have said that was nonsense. It seems that I’ve got wiser.” Mohor rubbed his chin, and stayed silent for a while. “Twenty years or more ago, Leyonan made a claim on Valeni, but I thought that things were settled between him and Agatha. We may need to negotiate an accommodation with him. You receive something, you give something. That’s how it works when there is no authority.”

  “Should we cancel the journey?” I asked.

  Jara bit her lip, and remained silent for a while. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  “I don’t think that Leyonan will try to harm you and Saliné, but I can give you more guards.” Mohor laid a hand on Jara’s shoulder, and pulled her body against him. “He wants some land; we can negotiate.”

  “Another one will be enough. More guards would make us more of a target. If we go, we need to have stealth on our side. It will spare us some problems and create others, hopefully smaller. The most dangerous part will be the return journey. Leyonan must have spies in Valeni. Send twenty guards to the border, whe
re both roads from Leyona enter Severin County, to wait for our return. In the worst case, we surrender without a fight, but I am one of the Frankis Wraiths, so it ‘s unlikely that will happen.” You never know…

  Jara frowned, and seemed to hold back some fear behind her lips. She left Mohor, and went to open the window. She stared out, silently, ignoring us for a while. “I don’t know...” She turned and managed a weak, unfelt grin. It was hard to tell if it was for Mohor or for me.

  Maybe for no one. “You have to decide now,” I stared at her.

  Now,” she breathed. “Now... We’ve passed through harder things before, and Leyonan is not Orban. Well... We’ll go.” Jara turned her palms up, hesitantly. “I wish I could go alone, and leave Saliné here.”

  “Let’s go back to the plans,” I shrugged.

  “And to our clothes.”

  “Two soldiers can help you, with small packages. The others should carry food. We need to avoid the inns on the road, and sometimes the roads too.”

  “I feel like when I ran for my life from Midia. Two soldiers.” Jara glanced at me, with the hope to obtain more, and I just shook my head. “What about Vio? Now it’s clear that she can’t come with us. She is a good rider, but she doesn’t have enough strength for a fast five-day ride.”

  “I will talk with her.” There was no way Jara could not convince Vio; it was more a plan to keep me closer to her family, and by extension Saliné. Maybe...

  “Who should know about this change in plans?” Mohor asked.

  “You,” I gestured around us, “Vlaicu and Vlad.”

  “I can’t hide this from Saliné,” Jara complained. “Codrin, she will not…”

  “Can you guarantee that she will not tell Bucur? Leyonan got information from here. I can’t tell if it was Aron or not, but I want no more risks. Even without this it would not have been a pleasure trip.”

  “She will keep it secret, and I want you to tell her.”

  “That direction is dead, Jara. She is with Bucur now. I’ll go talk with Vio. I will not tell her either, even though I trust her more than I trust Saliné.”

  We left the next morning. I did not know what Jara had told Saliné, and I did not want to know.

  Chapter 11 – Codrin

  A hundred paces before the city gate, time flowed around me with the ripple of danger – there was something wicked between the old walls. My hand went unconsciously for the Wing Talisman, and vibrations tingled through my skin. I squeezed it harder. My mind slipped inside a daydream that could be a glimpse of the future or nothing. At the end of a long corridor painted in light blue, a young man was waiting for me inside Valeni castle, a sword in his hand. The place was just a guess; I had slept twice at the No Horse inn, but I had never entered the castle itself. I had no business in Valeni in my journeys, a town half the size of Severin, but it was on the main road between Leyona and Tolosa. Agile and confident, the unknown young man was staring at me. As fast as it came, my strange dream or revelation vanished. I raised my left hand, and everybody stopped behind me.

  “Codrin?” Jara asked, intrigued.

  “Just a precaution,” I said. “I will go alone to the gate.” I turned, and gestured toward Vlaicu and Vlad. They split, and each of them took another rider and flanked Jara and Saliné.

  “Agatha is my aunt,” Jara protested, but her voice felt more amused than annoyed.

  “When did you see her last?”

  “At my first wedding. I was eighteen years old, but she is still my aunt,” Jara said, then smiled. “And you are the Lead Protector.”

  The gate was open, and only a few soldiers were guarding it. Even fewer people were passing through, in or out. Closer to the grey wood, studded with iron, I could feel unkind eyes from the small windows in the wall meant for archers. I reigned in Zor, and he trotted into the place. A brief clinking of chains answered from my armour. A horse whickered behind me and was hushed.

  “I bring lady Severin,” I shouted. “May we come in peace?”

  “Valeni is a peaceful city,” a voice answered. “There is no need to assault our ears with your cries. The lady is expected, as are all who accompany her.”

  Not all my daydreams are true visions. I smiled sheepishly, and heard some chuckles coming from behind me. Jara, or Saliné, or both. Such a thankless job to be Lead Protector. Too many precautions and you are laughed at; too few and you are dead. Let them laugh.

  “Follow me,” the voice said again, then a man in his early fifties came out from a small door in the gate’s inner wall. “I am Bran, the Chief of the Guard. Welcome to Valeni.”

  Once we had passed through the gates, we dismounted and followed the old man, horses at halter. I knew the city. I knew the streets. I kept it to myself; there was no need to reveal that. Walking on the narrow streets, we soon arrived at the small castle. The castle’s gate opened to let us pass without our horses. Some valets came and took them away. After Jara and Saliné had entered, Bran allowed only Vlaicu and me to follow, even when no one told him who we were.

  “Lady Agatha is waiting in the garden.” Bran gestured toward a long row of dwarf yew trees, running in parallel with the inner wall, and we walked toward the only gap in the edge.

  There was a mosaic in the garden, around a small fountain, red and black tiles, no other color. Refinement in its pure form, it could have gained a place even in the Royal Garden of Arenia. A thing that no one would expect in such a place – Valeni was small and not known for its riches.

  “Codrin,” Jara whispered to me. “Agatha was quite an outspoken, sharp woman, even when she was younger. Such things only grow with age.”

  “Welcome, my dear.” An old woman, in her late sixties, stared at Jara. No effusion had found place in her voice. The tiles in the mosaic were warmer. “You have grown up, at least in size.”

  “Aunt Agatha.” Jara gave a small curtsy, then glanced briefly at me, a thin smile on her lips. “Last we met at my first wedding, but your wit has not changed. I am glad to see you again.”

  Her wit may be the same, but her memory… I laughed quietly.

  “Glad? What has that to do with me? You must be Saliné,” Agatha rasped, and her hand covered her brows. “Come closer, the sun is too strong. Auburn hair, green eyes. She looks like family. Quite a good bride she will be. I hope that she will not bring only a beautiful face as dowry.” At first, I thought that she was talking to us, but she was speaking to herself. We were a kind of unwanted furniture in her garden. Even Jara and Saliné. “Where is Vio?”

  “She was so eager to see Valeni, but she got sick the day before we left,” Jara said. “Nothing serious.”

  “Youngsters of today,” Agatha snorted. “Weak and lazy. And there is nothing good to say about their minds either. They are sicker than old people. Let’s go inside; it’s becoming too warm. The valets will take your baggage.”

  “There is not much,” Jara smiled awkwardly. “We traveled light.”

  “Do you mean to sit dressed like this at my table?” Agatha’s nose flared as if she sensed some kind of stench from Jara’s riding costume. Her voice carried no inflexion.

  “Of course we have brought some more clothes in which to enjoy your hospitality.” Jara tried to remain pleasant, but I felt some very small teeth in her voice, and I wondered if Agatha knew her as well as I did.

  “Follow me,” Agatha said, and turned with surprising speed for her age. If her voice could have bit us, I was sure she would have enjoyed it.

  Nasty old woman, I stared at her back.

  Before I could follow Jara and Saliné, Bran blocked my way. “You come with me, and your soldiers too.”

  “Aunt Agatha,” Jara said, moving closer to me, “These men are my Lead Protector, and the Chief of Severin’s Guard,” she gestured toward me and Vlaicu.

  “Then I am sure that Valeni’s Chief of the Guard is the perfect courtesy match for them,” Agatha said dismissively. “Let’s go inside, Jara.”

  From her tone, it was an or
der, and Jara took it badly. She hesitated for a moment, before deciding to follow her aunt. As she turned, she nodded toward me, a tentative ‘all is well’ sign.

  “It’s a small castle, with old, fat guards,” I whispered, the image of that menacing young man from the vision I had at the gate still fresh in my mind. “We can take it in half a turn, if things go wrong.”

  “Don’t overreact,” Jara whispered back, shaking her head. “Agatha is eccentric, but that’s all. It’s almost evening now. We will talk again in the morning.”

  “I was half joking, but I wished to be closer to you, just in case Leyonan would try something, like ... spying on you. He must have someone here.”

  She nodded with a brief smile, then took Saliné’s arm and both vanished inside the residence.

  “Follow me.” Bran tried to imitate Agatha’s patronizing behavior and, staring down at him, I smiled thinly with one corner of my mouth. I knew well that it looked like a snarl, and its effect on people. His mouth stretched tightly, in an irregular manner – the effect of a scar, going from the corner of his mouth to his chin. “That way,” he gestured to the opposite side of the castle, some taller houses visible from the garden, but he used a decent tone, this time.

  When the valets brought both our soldiers and horses back, we left the castle, traversing the large plaza in front while I searched for the building which would host us. I was expecting to go toward the gate, but Bran entered a small side street, and we went toward the opposite side of town, ten minutes walking from the castle. Three guards followed us closely.

  “This is your place.” Bran gestured toward a building, stuck to the city wall, which looked similar to the Guard House at the main gate, only smaller. The shape of a former gate now filled with stonework was visible on the left side, in the wall. “And there is a barn for your horses on the right side. Food will be provided later for both soldiers and horses. The door screeched when he pulled it open, and we entered one by one, into a building that seemed to have been deserted for some time. “Your room.” Bran opened another door which banged even louder. From the obscene drawings on the walls, it had for sure been inhabited by soldiers. A long time ago. Now it looked worse than a barn. Parts of the plaster had fallen on the floor. Two windows were broken, only some corroded iron bars keeping the space closed.