Ardent

by Florian Armas

  “She is Sister Drusila, the First Light of the Wanderers,” Jara said, giving me a hand to understand the weird situation. “And Codrin is indeed our Lead Protector.”

  The Wanderers’ eyes moved briefly between me and Jara, and for the first time I sensed some hesitation in them.

  “You should meet each other halfway,” Saliné interjected. “One of you,” she said to the Wanderers, “should go with Codrin. He is a friend of Dochia.”

  While Saliné’s knowledge about the links between me and Dochia was a surprise, and I had no idea why that would be an acceptable outcome for the Wanderers, they agreed with a nod, and one Wanderer moved away from the door, while other two lined up behind her. It was also clear that the Wanderers knew who I was, and it was interesting how their and Saliné’s partial knowledge about me complemented each other for a solution.

  “After you, sister,” I said to the one still in my way. She left the room in silence and I followed her.

  “Jara!” I heard Agatha’s voice behind me. “We need you here.”

  Chapter 12 – Jara

  With a last glance at Codrin, I followed Agatha inside her office. Drusila is nervous and things are too tense... Why is she so nervous? The Wanderers in the antechamber knew Viler... Agatha threw herself into a chair, and gestured loosely that I could take another one for myself. In silence, I sat on the chair that was farthest from everybody. Coleus was sitting at the table while Drusila was leaning against the window. There was a morose atmosphere that I half-enjoyed, but the air was too dense for merriment.

  “What happened to Viler?” Drusila asked, with cold steel in her voice, but she could not fool me. She already knew about his death.

  “It was a duel,” Coleus said. “Sadly, Viler was not able to fulfill his part of the agreement. I feel sorry for him, for you.”

  “You should, but not for me. Why was it a duel to the death?”

  “As we agreed we had to remove … the obstacle.”

  “Removing meant sending him back to Arenia.”

  Codrin… Why is Codrin an obstacle? And to whom?

  “Removing meant removing.”

  “We will discuss this later. Where are Viler’s belongings?”

  “Some of them are with us. Codrin used his Winner’s Right to take the others.” Coleus shrugged, and Drusila just stared at him, her eyes on fire. “We recovered the Wing Talisman,” he added defensively. “Codrin did not know what it was and left it there.”

  “You’ve learned nothing, Coleus. At your age that is a pity. Did I not tell you myself that Codrin has a Wing Talisman too? How the hell could you think that he was not able to recognize it? He played both of you, a Sage of the Circle and a Signora that considers herself above others.”

  “Then maybe you should have told me that Codrin is blessed by the Wanderers and carries a Wing Talisman,” Agatha said, staring briefly at Coleus. “I could have rise to the occasion.”

  “What game are you playing, Coleus?” Drusila asked.

  “There is no game,” he said meekly. “I had the impression that I mentioned Codrin’s Wing Talisman to Agatha. It seems that I was wrong. Things were a bit frantic in the last days. We should let the past rest and focus on the future.”

  “Bleak is the future you’ve created today,” Drusila snapped. “But what happened will be the subject of the Council between the Wanderers and the Circle. It will gather in one week from now in Leyona. Does she know?” she gestured toward me. “Wait, one more thing. Who has Viler’s letters? Tell me something good.”

  “There were no letters,” Coleus shrugged. “So there is no bad news.”

  “There were no letters, just like Codrin did not know about the Wing Talisman. A young man fooled you completely.” Her stare dared Coleus and Agatha to answer, but they remained silent. “Jara,” she continued, “your trip here is not only to receive an undeserved inheritance…”

  “Since when is it within Drusila’s rights to decide about Valeni’s inheritance? As far as I know, Agatha is the Signora of Valeni, not you.”

  “Don’t play the clever thing with me. Some…”

  “Ah, yes, the clever thing was this botched assassination attempt on Codrin, who was blessed by the Wanderers. Such a small thing is a Wing Talisman today. So, what should I know?”

  Drusila breathed deeply, and I recognized a Wanderer’s stance, trying to calm herself. “For a start that we have a new candidate King.”

  “One month and a half earlier than usual,” I said.

  “It happened in the first month of the year,” Drusila smiled coldly. “And the new King is Bucur. Yes, that one from Severin.”

  I breathed, then bit my upper lip. It can’t be. Please, Fate. Saliné, my poor Saliné. They have settled your fate, and I can’t do anything for you.

  “Don’t bite too hard,” Drusila sneered. “Enough blood was spilled today.”

  “I did not think that things could go lower, after Orban. It seems that I was wrong.”

  “It’s not for you to judge a Circle decision,” Coleus barked.

  “You are right, the results will judge you. What else should I know?”

  “For example, that Saliné was chosen as his Queen,” Coleus grinned.

  “Yes, that was obvious,” I shrugged.

  “Your family must learn to behave.” Coleus brought up the specter of Father refusing to give my hand to Orban. “Disobedience would bring consequences again.”

  “Their wedding has been settled for the next year, in the fall. Would this please you well enough?”

  “It seems that you’ve learned your lesson,” Coleus grinned. “We’ve done your daughter a favor. It looks that she is not very restrained when it comes to carnal pleasures. Such a young woman...”

  “I wonder when you will learn your lessons about selecting a new candidate King. He obtained his pleasure by drugging my daughter, after I was poisoned.” Codrin thought that Bucur poisoned me. Could the Circle be behind this?

  “You mean to say that Bucur poisoned you?” Agatha asked.

  “I mean to say that I was poisoned and he drugged my daughter when I was sick and unconscious. Quite an honorable man.”

  “You are an ungrateful woman. Bucur did a lot of things for you.”

  “You are right, Coleus, it’s just that I can’t say too many of them were good things.”

  “Bring Saliné and Codrin here,” Drusila rumbled.

  I must calm myself. It makes no sense to enrage them more. I stood up slowly and went out to find Saliné. Bran went to the inn to look for Codrin, and it took a while to gather everyone in the room again.

  “Frankis has a new King.” Coleus decided to ignore me and frowned at Codrin, badly hiding his wicked amusement. Both he and Drusila seemed in a lighter mood, or they were good at hiding themselves behind a mask.

  “A bit earlier than usual. The decision on the next candidate King should have been done at the Summer Solstice, at the end of the last cycle. Your rules,” Codrin shrugged. “What was different now that you needed to break them?”

  “An outsider may see a break where there is none.”

  “Empty words,” Codrin dismissed Coleus.

  “Bucur is the new King,” Coleus said, cocking his head with the glare of a pompous peacock, and I pushed my nails deep into my flesh to stop a curse.

  “Bucur may be, at best, a tentative choice. A well-versed intriguer, nothing more. He will become King after conquering a kingdom. I doubt that he will be able to conquer something.” Codrin stared away, avoiding Coleus. He could not do the same with Saliné; his eyes slipped briefly toward her, and his mouth jerked slightly. Just as I was, she became aware of his bitter reaction.

  It’s not Saliné’s fault, Codrin. She is more a victim than you. At least you can defend yourself.

  “Bucur saved Severin from Orban. It’s what more powerful Grand Seigneurs could not do for their families,” Coleus mocked me and my lost Malin.

  “That’s why you selected him? Fo
r his victories?” Codrin asked.

  “A good army commander.” Coleus smiled, satisfied. “Isn’t that so? A resourceful man ready to conquer his kingdom. With our help, of course.”

  “I doubt it,” Codrin said dryly. “But at least now I understand why Aron spent so much money to spread the lie that his son was the commander of Severin’s army. To trick your helpless Circle. Aron being one of your Sages made his task easier.”

  “Some grapes are sour,” Coleus laughed. “It irks you that Bucur won both the woman you wanted and the place that you will never gain. Isn’t that the case, King of Arenia?”

  “Codrin was the commander of Severin’s army,” I said bluntly, trying to grasp Coleus’s words about Arenia. “Bucur never led anything.”

  “What kind of mother are you, Jara?” Coleus asked.

  “I may not be the mother my daughter deserved, but Bucur did not lead Severin’s army.”

  “Saliné,” Coleus growled, almost biting the word, and his voice became strangled. He coughed to recover. “Is Bucur as helpless as your wicked mother said? Or this vindictive young man said?”

  “Bucur commanded the left wing of the army,” Saliné said calmly. “He acquitted himself well of his charge, otherwise Codrin would not have handed him that position. And mother, you are the mother I always wanted to have.” She gripped my hand, and I had to fight hard against my tears.

  Coleus’s fingers rasped the table, and his eyes met Drusila’s. She ignored him, giving me the impression that, in contrast with Coleus, she was not surprised. She knows everything from Dochia, so why did the Wanderers play along with the Circle? There was a moment of silence, each one inviting the other to speak first.

  “It comes slowly to you,” Codrin said, “but it comes. At the end of the day you realize what fools you have been. Time is running out.”

  “Your time?” Drusila asked in a grating voice.

  “Frankis’s time. Another ten years lost. The old generation of Dukes, Seigneurs and Knights was accustomed to having a King, and most of them would take naturally to obeying a higher power. The next one will not. They will prefer to be their own kings. Even the new Sages will no longer believe in their mission. The Circle will lose the meaning of its creation, and it will vanish. You will become the enemy of any power in Frankis, Duke or Knight, because they want to be the power in their lands. Not to mention how people will think of the Circle and the Wanderers after this commander thing. You have hundreds of Sages everywhere. How it is that no one was able to find the lie in Aron’s letters? Were they just fools or traitors?”

  Codrin spoke like a king. His stare reigned heavily over Coleus and Drusila. He spared Agatha. Coleus half slipped under the table, and Drusila’s face became mountains and valleys of deep wrinkles born from uncertainty.

  Yet, Drusila knew. Is she playing Coleus?

  “We need to talk.” Drusila recovered first. “Young man, wait outside until we need you again.”

  “You don’t own me, Drusila,” Codrin said, his voice stern and powerful. “The Wanderers tried to kill me today, using that helpless nephew of yours as a tool. It was Sage Aron who commanded it. Our links are now broken.” He stood up, and he left the Wing Talisman on the table. “Everything has an end.”

  “That talisman was forged by the Arenian Wanderers. Whatever thoughts you have about the Frankis ones, you still need the Arenians to succeed.”

  “Codrin,” I said. “Don’t use the frame of mind you are in today; it was a hard day. Use the one you will have tomorrow. Don’t forfeit your chance in Arenia.”

  “My chance is in Frankis now. You don’t understand,” he said, bitterness filling his voice. “The decision to kill me could be taken by the Wanderers only in a Conclave, after they accepted the Usurper. Not that I had much chance, even before, to regain my place. Drusila wouldn’t have acted against me without a Judgment or she would be excommunicated from her order.”

  “You are wrong, Codrin.” Drusila used his name for the first time. “The Wanderers did not want you dead. Why would we need a duel for that? There is no one in Frankis to stand with a sword against you. An arrow would do the thing better. It was a misunderstanding. Viler had a swift sword but a slow mind, and someone took advantage of it,” she glanced at Coleus. “There will be a price to pay for that.”

  “It seems that Frankis is marred by misunderstandings. That’s too bad.” Codrin shrugged and left the room.

  “We will leave too,” I said. Our place was not among them, and I wanted to protect Saliné from further humiliation. “Let’s go, Saliné.” I stood up.

  “Stay, Jara,” Drusila stopped me. “Saliné, you may go.”

  Leave, I nodded to Saliné; at least she would be spared now.

  “I am asking one more time, Jara,” Drusila spoke again, when Saliné left the room, her voice missing the bark she used before when talking to me. “Who was the commander of Severin’s army?”

  You know it well, Drusila. Dochia informed you. Why are you playing this game? “Codrin,” I said bluntly, having the sudden feeling that her question was meant for Coleus, and if I could help to put some more salt in the Circle’s wound, then why not?

  “Then we have a problem,” Drusila said, her words carrying a banality people use to talk about the weather when no other suitable subjects could be found. “What Codrin said about the rules of power sounds right to me. Young as he is, he was still born and raised in the higher echelons of power. Did you know about him?” she asked me.

  “We guessed it, but he never liked to talk about his past. Understandable after all that happened with his family.”

  “Understandable, yes,” Drusila repeated without mockery. “Coleus, you have put everybody in a bad position, and it seems that we have to rethink Codrin’s place here.”

  “Once the candidate King is elected, there is no way to change the nomination,” Coleus warned her, yet his voice was unctuous, and I remembered how he settled the things with duel.

  Drusila may be right...

  “Don’t try your tricks on me. I am not Viler, and I know the Rules. It is you who will eat most of the ridicule when the news about Aron’s deceit spreads. Most, but not all. We will have our humble pie to eat too. Jara,” she turned toward me. “Would Codrin agree to be the Spatar of Frankis? At least as a temporary position, until we see how things are going in Arenia, or the ten years of this rotten burden the Circle has loaded on us goes away.”

  “Bucur is not without qualities,” Coleus said.

  “If all those qualities came to you through Aron’s eyes…” Drusila mocked him. “Let’s see what Jara has to say.”

  You want Codrin to fight in Bucur’s place. “This is something you have to discuss with him.” I tried to push the things back to them, and to gain some time.

  “Yes, we will discuss it with him. A little help would not be a bad thing. It will bring some rewards later.”

  Rewards? I stared at her with contempt for such cheap strategy. “He may accept a temporary position, as you said. It will be easier if it comes with a package.”

  “Saliné goes to Bucur. Just to be sure that you will not include her in that package,” Coleus snapped.

  Bastard! “Then it’s up to you to find what he wants.” I stood up.

  “What about Vio?” Agatha suggested, and I set my eyes on her, wanting to slap her mouth.

  “Vio is too young,” I said.

  “That’s exactly what we need,” Drusila said. “A temporary solution.”

  I left the room, unable to resist another dire stare at Agatha, who seemed unable to understand my silent outburst.

  Saliné was in our room, looking through the window at the garden below. She turned, and I caught her hands in mine.

  “You knew about Bucur,” I said, squeezing her fingers gently, and she nodded. “It was a hard day, mostly for you and Codrin.”

  “I did not know about that … thing with the commander. Why are not they leaving us alone?”

 
; “They won’t, Saliné. Even after such a stupid mistake, they will still play things as they wish.”

  “Even the Wanderers…”

  “That was indeed a surprise, even when I had the feeling that Drusila played Coleus today, and Coleus played her with the duel. I am no longer sure who really wanted what with that duel. The Wanderers knew who the commander of our army was, so it’s a game that I fail to understand. I hope to learn more from Dochia when she comes back. What happened today is not what I knew about the Wanderers, and I grew up with their stories. We must be even more careful. You handled what happened in the winter well.”

  “Are you upset because I hid it from you?”

  “I know enough about the Circle’s ugly tricks to understand that they pressured you badly.”

  “Aurelian, the Sage, threatened to kill you, Codrin, Vio and Grandfather if I said anything. There were several killers hidden in Severin, waiting for... I could not…” Her voice broke, and I took her in my arms.

  “They are not Sages; they are freaks. It happens that they have a lot of power and not enough intelligence and kindness to handle it.”

  “And Codrin; it was so hard to play Bucur’s fiancé in front of him, when he came back.”

  “I know,” I embraced her tighter, and she leaned her head on my shoulder, sobbing silently. “I know, Saliné,” I stroked her beautiful auburn hair. For months, she was nothing more than a boulder of ice, acting docile with Bucur, fighting hard to hide her real feelings, even from me. She had come, at least partially, back to life. Even those sobs were better than the silent ice that came before.