by Kelly Carr
The city was laid out in the shape of a horseshoe, encircling the edge of a large bay. In the midst of the bay was a building grander than any Liana had ever seen, surrounded by a high stone wall and accessible only by a single bridge.
Beyond the bay lay the Endless Sea. Liana drew to a halt and stared at it. She had heard about the sea, of course, and had even been close to it a few times, but she had never seen it with her own eyes. It was more immense than anything she had ever imagined. The rushing of the waves against the sand and the cries of the sea birds filled her ears. She inhaled deeply, tasting salt in the air. It was magnificent.
Although it was just after sunrise when Liana and her companions reached the city, they found themselves accompanied on the road by a number of people coming from every direction. Each seemed to be driving livestock or steering carts full of vegetables and other goods. When Liana inquired as to where they were all going, she was informed, in a condescending tone that indicated that the answer should be obvious, that they were going into the city for Market Day.
Liana silently blessed their luck. If they had been only a day later, they would have missed their chance to talk to the king.
They followed the procession of merchants through the streets, looking around with interest. The city was just beginning to stir. The only people about were those coming from outside the city for Market Day and the shopkeepers, just opening their shops and setting out their wares for the day.
Liana was fascinated. Everything around her was new. Even the ground beneath her horse’s hooves was strange to her. It was paved with stone instead of hard-packed earth like every other path she’d ever seen.
In the center of the city was a wide, open square filled with carts, tables, and blankets where people were setting out merchandise to sell. They had found the marketplace. It wasn’t filled to capacity yet, but when it was, Liana imagined that it would be quite a sight to see.
She turned back to her companions, who had fallen slightly behind her. Valeria was looking around with as much wonder and excitement as Liana felt herself, and even Elias appeared mildly interested in their surroundings. Only Sarah was quiet and subdued, her hood up, covering her face.
The market was too full for them to enter on horseback, so they tied up the horses outside an inn.
Sarah turned to Liana and looked her over speculatively. “Do you have anything more formal to wear to meet the king?”
Liana glanced down at her dress, torn in places and stained with mud from weeks of travel. Sarah wore Liana’s spare dress, as her own clothes had been ruined by the Genvu. Liana’s only other options were the tunics and leggings she had brought from home.
“Um…no,” Liana said. “Does it matter very much?”
Sarah shrugged. “Not for ordinary people. They wear whatever they have that’s cleanest, but since you’re presenting yourself as the leader of the Trevi, it would help the credibility of your story if you looked the part. A clean gown would be a good start, and you might have a wash as well.”
Liana grimaced. She imagined all of them probably stank of sweat and horses, though she didn’t notice it anymore, herself.
“Do we have any money left?” Liana asked.
Valeria checked their small pouch of coins. “A bit,” she said, “but not enough to buy anything very nice. We still have some of the boxes I made, though. We could sell them.”
Liana nodded. “We’d better find a place at the market before they’re all full, then,” she said.
Leaving Elias to secure them rooms at the inn, they went to locate a spot and set out their pitifully small number of boxes. Valeria and Sarah stayed to sell the boxes and sent Liana off in search of a suitable garment to buy once they had the coins.
Liana wound her way through the market casually as it slowly filled with people. She took her time, stopping to look closer at anything that caught her eye. There were ordinary things like vegetables, livestock, linens, and baked goods, but there were also merchants from the other kingdoms selling exotic items, like silk fans and jewelled mirrors.
She dodged out of the way as a company of guards marched past, and found herself amid a small crowd of people. They had gathered around a man doing some kind of performance.
“Magic,” she heard someone whisper. She watched the man’s nimble sleight of hand and scoffed. Very clever, but hardly magic.
She didn’t realize how long she’d been exploring until her stomach began to growl. She stopped at the next cart that smelled good and bought four small meat pies. Carefully, she made her way back through the crowd to where she had left her friends. She found Valeria sitting alone and looking rather forlorn.
“Where is everyone?” Liana asked in surprise.
Valeria looked up. “Elias went to find you, and Sarah has gone home,” she said gloomily.
“Without saying goodbye?” Liana said, frowning.
“Well, I expect we’ll see her again before long,” Valeria said with a shrug, though she still looked troubled.
“Oh,” said Liana. “Well, that’s alright then. What do you look so dreary about?”
Valeria shook herself and forced a smile. “Nothing,” she said. “It’s just dreadfully boring sitting here on my own. What’s that you’ve got there?” she said, sniffing at the pies with interest. Liana handed her one and eagerly dug into her own while they waited for Elias to return.
Valeria had managed to sell three of her boxes. It had brought in a handful of coins, but barely enough to cover room and board at an inn for the night. Liana began to regret buying the pies, even as she licked the last of the sweetness from her fingers. They had made no more sales by the time Elias rejoined them, looking relieved that Liana had found her way back on her own.
“I’ve been searching for you everywhere, “ he said urgently. “I saw the line of people going in to see the king. It’s hours long. If you want to see him today, you’d better get ready. Did you find anything to wear?”
Liana looked at their pitiful pile of coins and shook her head. “No. I think I’m going to have to go in this,” she said, “but at the very least, I can have a quick wash at the inn first. Come on, let’s hurry.”
When they walked into the inn, a young boy came up to them. “Are you Lady Liana?” he asked expectantly.
Liana raised an eyebrow but saw no point in denying it. “I am. Why do you ask?”
“Messenger came while you were away, miss. Brought some things for you and your friends. They’re in your rooms,” he said.
“Thank you,” Liana said, wondering who would have sent them anything. “I would also like water for a bath—as soon as possible. It doesn’t have to be hot.”
“Yes, miss,” the boy said and scurried away.
Liana shrugged and followed Elias up to their rooms. She opened the door, and there, laid out on the bed, were a dress and a suit. Both were of high quality materials. Liana picked up the dress. It was the same deep blue as Ayora Lake and looked as if it would fit her perfectly.
“Who’s that for?” Liana wondered aloud, glancing at the suit. It looked too small for Elias.
Valeria suddenly burst out laughing.
“What--? Valeria, what in the five kingdoms is wrong with you?”
“Nothing. Nothing. I’m alright,” Valeria answered. She picked up the suit, her shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter. “I believe this one was intended for me.”
“Do you know who sent these?” Elias asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“I have a strong suspicion, yes,” Valeria said, still guffawing.
Liana was about to question her further, but just then, the servant boy entered, heaving buckets of water. She was tempted to help him magically, but she was sure that he wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut about it afterwards. She let him be and waited patiently while he and another boy filled the small washtub in the corner.
“Will that be all, miss?” the boy asked, panting, when they were finished.
�
�Yes,” Liana replied. “Thank you.”
When the door was safely closed and locked, Valeria went over to the tub and tested the water. “Ice cold,” she observed. “Where’d he get it from? A glacier?” She placed a hand in the basin and channelled heat into it until steam began to rise from the water. “Much better,” she said.
“You go first,” Liana said. “I’ll go save Elias from his own cold water.”
When they were all washed and changed, they looked more respectable than they had in weeks. Indeed, Valeria cut quite a striking figure in her suit, Liana’s dress made her look quite elegant, and Elias had also received a suit, though he seemed remarkably uncomfortable in it. When he emerged from his room, he was carrying a small, cloth-wrapped package. Awkwardly, he offered it to Liana.
“I should have given this to you long ago,” he said, “but the Trevi never set much store by such things, so I didn’t think you’d need it.”
Liana pulled aside the cloth and found, to her surprise, a delicate golden circlet in a design of vines twining around one another. She looked up at Elias in confusion.
“It was a gift from a Human king to the Mother of Magic. A symbol of high social status,” he said. Gently, he took the circlet from her hands and placed it on her head. He smiled. “It suits you.”
Liana was lost for words. Fortunately, Valeria was not.
“Excellent. Your clothes suit you, my clothes suit me, we’re all very well suited," she said lightly. “Now, let’s get over to the castle before they shut the gates, and this whole journey turns out to have been for nothing.”
The people on the street goggled at them as they strode by in their new finery. As they joined the line of people going across the bridge to the castle grounds, the people ahead of them kept turning around to look at them. Liana smiled politely at them and waited patiently.
The line moved forwards slowly, but steadily, and Liana was glad they had arrived when they did. People continued lining up behind them until the queue stretched all the way back across the bridge and out into the city. As the hours passed, she began to worry that perhaps they had arrived too late. It seemed as though Market Day would end before they got to meet the king. There were more people than he could possibly see in one day.
Eventually, however, they passed through an enormous pair of doors and into the castle. Liana looked around curiously at the lavishly decorated halls. Tapestries hung on the walls along with portraits of long-dead royalty. Crystal chandeliers twinkled overhead, and guards in heavy armor were posted along the route to the throne room, making sure no one wandered off. The waiting supplicants spoke in hushed voices as if they were there without permission, and afraid of being caught where they weren’t supposed to be.
When they finally entered the throne room, Liana breathed a sigh of relief. The dim, windowless hallways had been a bit confined for her taste. Here, the room was large and open, and the walls were lined with windows that reached from floor to ceiling, the early afternoon sunlight casting a warm glow across everything within.
Liana blinked slightly, as her eyes adjusted to the brightness, then stared at the people around her. Along each side of the room, courtiers stood against the walls, watching the proceedings. The men wore suits in a style similar to those Elias and Valeria wore. The women wore dresses much like Liana’s. The bodices were much tighter and the skirts slightly fuller, however, and they were so adorned with frills, ruffles, and lace that they looked like a bouquet of strange, inverted flowers. Their hair was piled high on their heads in braids and curls that looked as if they had taken hours to set in place. Now she understood Sarah’s comment about wearing the right clothes to be taken seriously.
Liana self-consciously reached up and ran her fingers through the short crop of hair that was all she had left after her encounter with the Genvu at Laketown. Elias patted her arm reassuringly, and she set her jaw, turning her attention to the king and queen. They sat at the end of the room, on tall golden thrones. They wore so many jewels and such heavy clothes that Liana was surprised they could move.
The king was tall and well-built, though starting to go soft around the middle. He had thick grey hair and a bristly beard. The queen was shorter, and slight of frame, with long brown hair bound in a net of pearls. Both wore kind smiles as they turned from speaking to the last supplicant in front of them. Their smiles changed to frowns of confusion as they took in Liana with her luxurious dress, short hair, and golden circlet.
Liana curtsied low, as she had seen the Humans do, then looked up and smiled at the king and queen. Her stomach suddenly fluttered nervously, and for a moment, she was unable to speak.
The queen’s expression softened. “What’s your name, my dear?” she asked. “How may we help you today?”
Liana mentally shook herself and, with an effort, returned the woman’s smile. “Forgive me, Your Majesties, but this is such an important event, and it is so imperative that everything goes right, that I hardly know what to say.”
She paused to gather her thoughts, then continued, choosing her words carefully in the unfamiliar language of Torvain. “I suppose I should begin by introducing myself and my companions. This is Elias and Valeria. They are my friends and protectors, and my name is Liana. I’m the Mother of Magic and leader of the Trevi, who live in the Erean Forest.”
Chapter ten: valeria
There was a stunned silence, but after a few moments, many of the onlookers began to chuckle. The king and queen themselves looked somewhat incredulous. Valeria realized that they didn’t believe what they were hearing. And why should they? It had been so many of their generations since they had seen real magic that the Trevi were probably little more than cradle tales to them.
The same thought seemed to have occurred to Liana. There was a goblet full of water on a small table at the king’s left hand. Calmly, her friend raised her hands and lifted the water out of the cup and into the air. There was a sharp intake of breath from those around them. Liana drew the liquid into a sphere and blew on it. With a cracking sound, the water froze into a ball of ice, which she handed to the dumbfounded king. She raised her eyebrows expectantly and waited.
It took the king a few moments to compose himself. When he did, he placed the ball of ice back on the table and gave the Trevi a thoughtful look. “I see,” he said simply. “And what may I help you with today, Lady Liana?”
Valeria sighed with relief as Liana straightened and continued with confidence. “Sir, I came today only to beg a private audience with you as soon as one may be arranged. I intended to state my purpose to you the moment I arrived here, but...” she looked around at the room full of people and shook her head slightly. “I think this is too public. Is there a time when you and I may speak together?”
The king frowned. He turned to one of the advisors who hovered behind him and held a short, whispered conversation. When he turned back to Liana, he nodded soberly. “One of my advisors will show you to another room. Make yourselves comfortable, and I will speak with you when we take a break,” he said.
“Of course,” Liana replied. “Thank you.” With that, she, Valeria, and Elias followed their guide out of the room. He led them around the corner to a small antechamber furnished with a few chairs and a table.
“Wait here,” the man instructed, and left them alone.
“Why didn’t you just tell him about the Genvu?” Valeria asked when the door had closed.
Liana shook her head. “The story is too complicated. Others were waiting to talk to him. Besides, I think he may need a bit of time to adjust to the idea that the Trevi have come back out into the world.”
“You certainly took him by surprise,” Elias said. “I think it was wise not to tell our story in such a public venue when we still don’t know how it will be received.”
“Hm,” Valeria said, noncommittally. “Well, I enjoyed the expression on his face when you handed him his water, anyway.”
Liana smiled, but she said nothing. Together they waited in
silence. Valeria shifted restlessly from foot to foot and paced the room. Liana ran her hands thoughtfully across the carvings in the table. Elias stared out of the window across the city, as inscrutable as always.
Slowly, the sun advanced across the sky, and finally, the door opened again. The King entered, followed by two of his advisors and several servants, who laid a variety of dishes out on the table.
“Thank you for waiting,” the king said. “Please, help yourselves to the food. I must warn you, I don’t have long, but you said you have something important to speak to me about, and I must admit that I’m intrigued.”
Liana took a seat across from him, and Valeria came to stand at her shoulder. “Yes, sir. The thing is, I need your help. About six weeks ago, the Trevi received a visit from some citizens of Lezar…”
She told him of the demands of Queen Katya, and her intention of uniting the kingdoms. She explained her threat of destroying the forest and mountains, and the attacks of the Genvu. Warily, she informed him that the numbers of the Trevi who could fight with magic or weapons were too few to save them. She left out any mention of the Vorshi, or her own newly discovered ability to convert Humans to Trevi. The king’s frown grew deeper and deeper as she spoke.
“We travelled south to ask that you join forces with us against this queen and her monsters. I believe it is past time that Humans and Trevi reunite for the common good. In my short time here, I’ve already learned many things, and I think there is much more we could teach one another, but before that can happen, I need to make sure my people are safe. This queen has already slaughtered many of the Trevi and forced the rest from their homes, and I doubt she’ll stop there .”
“Rubbish!” the king burst out suddenly. “I know Katya personally. She’s the princess of Lezar, not the queen, and she’s little more than a child. Moreover, she’s the most painfully shy person I’ve ever met. She would never raise a hand against another living creature. This story is utter nonsense.”