“Don’t bother lying, Aiden. I’m figuring out those smells are what you are feeling, and it smells like wet earth. Seriously, even without that, I would have guessed you had something to do with it after being whisked halfway across the planet and sitting in Duke Feldar’s fireplace for the evening. It doesn’t matter. I think if you did get something interesting to work on that skimmer it just makes it more exciting for me. I wish I could be in the room when my father hears about it. “
“Okay, yes, I did have something do with it,” Aiden sighed, “but if that was a Mourning Lord, what should we do about it?”
Ashrak laughed, long and loud. “What are you asking me for? I’m just tagging along for the fun, Aiden. Sorry, but you’re the one blazing this trail. Also, I have no clue. If we tell anyone, you die. If we don’t tell anyone, then you just get captured and experimented on. Perhaps, that may make it easier? Dying seems a bit better than falling into the hands of that…thing back there, don’t you think?”
Aiden wanted to answer, but he really couldn’t. Ashrak had a point. Did he want that Mourning Lord to get ahold of him? He was pretty sure he didn’t, and Glowby’s soft squeeze reassured him that was probably a bad plan. Still, dying wasn’t exactly in his plans, either. He had a lot to think about.
The rest of the trip back seemed to, quite literally, fly by. Long before they came within sight of Terek, Aiden felt his consciousness go fuzzy and then tune out entirely. He didn’t know what happened then, nor if Ashrak’s tagging along was only his imagination, but he would find out soon enough.
When he awoke, he’d go and seek out Ashrak to see if he remembered anything. Unless the duke locked him up, that is. He hoped that didn’t happen. He wanted to get back to the school and see Jessop. Just talk with someone normal that wasn’t a mortal danger to him, for once.
That’s when he remembered he had his first class with Oya Dihya tomorrow morning. Maybe it would be a good thing if the duke did lock him up.
Chapter 17
The next morning, Aiden awoke feeling like he had six bags of sand in his head with most of it leaking out of his ears. It was not a pleasant feeling, and the crashing around in his room did not help matters. Peeking out from under the covers, he watched a strange, older woman move things about. He wasn’t sure exactly what she was doing, but when she went over to the windows and threw the curtains back, he was pretty sure she had been sent to kill him.
“Rise and shine, Master Finn. After you bathe, the other lords and ladies will be awaiting you at breakfast. You’ll have to make do with the clothes we’ve provided, I’m afraid. Your previous clothing has been sent off to be cleaned from yesterday’s dreadful affair.”
She continued to putter about, not really looking at him but pointing towards the other room where the bath had been last night. He had bathed just before bed, but perhaps it was because he was a dirty orphan and needed additional scrubbing? Or maybe she just enjoyed torture. He groaned, pushing himself up and skulking towards the bathing room where the imperially-pointing finger was directing him. He found it immensely difficult not to mumble dark words under his breath, but successfully escaped without bringing more wrath down on his head.
Still, the water felt good and smelled even better. There was some liquid in a decanter with a cup sitting next to it. Sniffing it carefully to make sure it wasn’t some sort of soap before pouring himself a glass, he sighed softly as the cool juice made its way down his throat. For several minutes he just soaked, wondering where Glowby was. He usually never disappeared for more than an hour or two, but last night had been unusual and maybe it had drained him.
After he bathed and dried off, he kept the towel clutched tightly around himself while peeking back into the main room. The bed had been made, and there was a set of clean, sturdy tan clothes set out for him. They appeared rugged and he remembered Gavin and Chari dressed in something similar when they’d been working out with Oya Dihya. Glumly, he put them on, thankful that the woman was nowhere in sight. He didn’t know what he’d have done if she’d tried to help him dress. Still, he was wondering how he was going to find his friends in the labyrinthine castle when a young face stuck its way into his room, smiling cheerily.
“Hello? All done then?” The boy asked, his piping voice ringing in the large room. “Probably best to be off to the breakfast room. The duke himself will be grumpy all day if he has to wait for his honey cakes too much longer.”
Aiden nodded, buttoning up the sturdy shirt before making his way after the boy. He kept up an incessant, but not unpleasant chatter all the way through the hallways. Aiden tried to be polite, giving short answers and encouraging nods, but his head ached and he wasn’t in a great mood. Still, as he was led towards a pair of open doors, he was glad to see his friends all sitting around a large table set within a room full of warm woods and fall colors.
Next to the duke sat a blonde, gray-eyed woman who carried herself with a calm elegance. She was working on some paperwork as her husband regaled the other occupants of the table with tall, fantastic tales of when he had been a sailing man himself.
As he stepped in, Valeran stood and spread his hands, his huge grin welcoming. “Aiden! Welcome and finally up, I see? I was going to send the guard after you so we could start digging in, but I see Timoth has retrieved you well enough? I hope he didn’t talk your ear off? Good lad, Timoth.” The big man hardly waited for Aiden to shake his head before turning and touched his wife’s arm fondly. “Dear, this is Aiden Finn, the one that saved Baron Wilthorn. Quite an interesting lad, I should say. Quite interesting.”
“Welcome to breakfast, Aiden.” The woman said, nodding politely as she placed her pen and book down on the table. “Forgive me for doing work at the table; someone has to make sure the dukedom is running well while my husband is off playing with fish. I hope you are in the mood for a large breakfast? Valeran never listens to me when I say fruit and light grains are probably better for him than all of this.” She lightened her words by smiling at the duke, taking his large hand in hers and smiling warmly. “Also, since the furry lout I call my husband forgets that I don’t like to be addressed as ‘hey you’, you may call me Ahnarad.”
Aiden bowed, smiling as he took a seat next to Gavin and Chari. He had expected bustling courtiers and large numbers of guests but instead, while still richly-decorated, the room was cozy and inviting with a very family-like atmosphere.
“Thank you, and it’s a pleasure to meet you…uh…ma’am,” Aiden said, picking up a piece of toast and nibbling. Markam wasn’t there, which he only pondered for a few short moments. Gavin’s guard had been surely enough to him lately that he decided not to care overly about where he might be. Gavin seemed to be in good spirits, chattering amiably with his father and mother but Chari was distracted until he nudged her and smiled when she looked up. He decided he’d much rather have a smiling Chari than not.
“I swear, if you don’t smile, I’m going to run over and steal the duke’s plate and make him chase me.”
“I would, too,” Valeran mock growled, putting one of his arms in front of his plate and picking up one of the butter knives. “Armed with butter and berry jam, it would be a terrible slaughter I assure you! No one survives if they mess with my food!”
Ahnarad rolled her eyes, giving her husband a sideways glance. “Don’t tempt him. He would like nothing better than to be rowdy. You have no idea.”
Giggling, Chari seemed to breathe a bit easier as she answered. “You’re not mad, are you?” She asked softly, her hand reaching out and touching his arm. “I mean… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…” she trailed off.
Aiden just shrugged, still smiling. “Well, it was a shock is all, but we are friends, right? I have to learn how the rules work and I’d rather you talking to me than not. I mean, other than the option of pushing Ashrak into a sack and throwing him into the bay I’m not sure what we can do. Wait! Can we invite him on our next trip?”
Chari laughed while Gavin nodding along veh
emently. “At least in a sack. With rocks and an odd spinefish or two. I formerly volunteer to help with that, if anyone asks or is interested,” He winked at Aiden and then wiggled his eyebrows at Chari.
“No one’s throwing anyone into the bay without me.” Gavin’s father glowered at them, making all of them laugh and Aiden could feel the tension from the night before disappearing. It was a profound relief. He still ached a bit from learning what he had about Chari and Ashrak, but he really didn’t want to lose Chari’s friendship.
Towards the end of the meal, Valeran glanced towards the three of them. “All right you lot, you’d best get off to school. I hear that you have Oya Dihya this morning?” The man grinned, a twinkle in his eyes that momentarily had Aiden hating him for his amusement. “Best not to be late to her class, eh? Most likely be heaving up what you just ate, if she’s the same as she was when I learned from her.”
Aiden’s eyes widened. “When you learned from her? I beg your pardon, but how old is she? She looks to be your age?”
Ahnarad laughed softly as her husband shook his head. “No, not even close.” The duke said. “The Naiaden tend to live quite a bit longer than we do. No one knows quite how long, secretive bastards.”
Wincing playfully as Ahnarad smacked his shoulder, Valeran grinned. “Sorry, love, hard to take the pirate out of the man.” He cleared his throat before tilting his head back and doing a horrible impression of a snotty noblemen. “I meant to say that they enjoy the grandeur of life with flair and verve for a good number of years. However, envious as we are, we do not know how many they are privileged to count on average.” He turned to his wife, grinning and reaching under the table which made her jump and blush, earning another smack for his trouble. “Is that better?”
“No! Lout! I swear I should head back to my father and get husbands that will listen and behave. Maybe even some that can do numbers.” She took the sting out of her words, looking at him fondly with love in her eyes before turning to the three friends. “What my husband has not told you is that our very own Oya Dihya has been alive for a very long time. In fact, she came back with Duke Geravat Terek when he returned from their islands over five hundred years earlier, and has served to instruct and educate the Ducal sons in war ever since. It’s really quite spectacular, though she refuses to say how old she actually is. A very mysterious people are the Naiadens.”
Aiden shook his head. He had no clue what living that long could be like. The woman didn’t appear more than early thirties compared to the humans that she resembled in everything but size. Gavin broke his reverie, slapping him on the arm to get his attention as he and Chari stood, dressed in their own versions of what Aiden was wearing.
“Yes, we’d best be off,” He said, turning towards the door, “The old lady won’t take it easy on us if we’re late.”
Chari shook her head, turning to Aiden as he stood. “Don’t ever call her that within hearing. Ugh, Gavin! You know being the duke’s son won’t save you, right?”
Valeran laughed as the trio left the breakfast room, calling out to them as they walked towards the front gate and back to the school next door. “Not even a little! I’ll bar the door against you myself if she’s after you, Gavin!”
The trip to the school was short and as they walked they intercepted a small column of guards heading in the same direction. Caption Stelios marched at their head, smiling politely at the students as they caught up with him.
“Um… Captain Stelios? What’s going on?” Gavin asked quietly. “Is everything okay?”
“Don’t worry, Gavin, we’re just heading to the school to back up their guards,” Stelios said, clapping him on the shoulder as they walked along. “Since all of the excitement over the past few days, your father thought it would be prudent.”
“Oh gods, Stelios. Please tell me Father didn’t ask you to follow me around. It’s already hard enough being the duke’s own son there with Markam trailing me everywhere. I couldn’t get a girl to talk to me with uniformed ones. It would absolutely kill my social life.”
“No such luck, Gavin. Though if I were following you, you’d have to beat the girls off with a stick, I’m sure. No, we’ll be posted at the gates and main buildings, but that is it.” Stelios paused, looking thoughtfully at Gavin. “However, I might suggest something like that to your father. Maybe I could bunk out on the floor of your room?”
Gavin’s eyes went wide but Stelios’s quick grin and laugh made him sigh in relief. “Damn you, Stelios. You just never get tired of picking on me, do you?”
“Not even a little!” Stelios chuckled, patting him on the back and then pushing him forward towards Aiden and Chari as they entered the grounds of the school. “Now, off with you. I have work to do.”
With that, the powerfully built dark man began barking orders to his men, sending them off to other stations or positioning them near the gate. Aiden noticed that he got along well enough with the school’s guardsmen, treating them respectfully and not trying to take over their posts. Secretly, Aiden wondered if they might be also sent to keep an eye on him, considering what he’d overheard between the duke and Trelakor yesterday.
Still, he did not have much time to mull this odd turn of events. The walk to the Arena was fairly short, trailing through the main campus and then down a few flights of stairs to the sunken-in work out area. On the sands below, he could see a number of students had already arrived and were milling around a few tables covered in practice gear. So far, there was no sign of Oya Dihya.
As they walked out on the sand, several of the students turned and waved. Markam was there already and he nodded to Gavin as he walked up, but seemed cool towards Aiden. He decided not to let it bother him and study the other students in his class instead.
Many of the young people were already watching him, making him feel uncomfortable but as he stood there wondering what to do, an older girl approached him, speaking hesitantly. “Hey, are you Aiden?”
As he nodded, still unsure of her intent, he watched her grin and turn back to the other students. “It is him,” She said excitedly, then turned back to Aiden. “I can’t believe what you did! I’ve never seen Oya Dihya surprised, ever! That was something!”
The other students piped in, displaying equal measures of approval and happiness, making Aiden feel more confident. It was overwhelming at first, but he found being the center of attention wasn’t bad as he answered questions and chatted with the other students in his class. Suddenly, a large pair of double doors at the far wall of the arena began to open.
Like lightning, the mood changed and all of the students turned, running to stand in what seemed like chaotic places. Only when several of them came to a standstill did he begin to see a pattern as each student took their place in several forming lines, standing rigidly and staring forward with their hands to their sides.
Chari and Gavin quickly grabbed him, taking him to a spot towards the front, but to the side of all of the lines. Gavin leaned in, whispering to him. “Stand here, hands at your sides and don’t look at anything but the far wall until she places you. Don’t look at her, either. It will be okay. You’ll pick it up fast just like we all did.” They then sprinted to their own places and took their positions.
The door finished opening, hiding whatever was behind it as the glare from the sand made it impossible to see inside. However, it was not long before Oya Dihya made an appearance, emerging from the doorway and stalking onto the sand like some old warrior goddess. In truth, she was impressive as her eyes glinted out from her helm and her muscles rippled under her skin like a lioness.
Aiden swallowed, suddenly nervous as he struggled to keep his eyes from drifting toward her directly. He couldn’t believe she was over five hundred years old, and the idea of old being attached to her was almost ridiculous. She was even more impressive than he remembered, and her size only grew as she approached, towering over the students as they stood there in the hot sun.
She did not stop in front of them as he tho
ught she might, but continued through their ranks as if they were not there. Aiden didn’t dare to turn and see what she was doing, but heard several loud and heavy thuds and clanks so assumed she was either gathering things from the table or depositing them. When she came back around, he saw that she had removed her sword and dagger and was now holding a stave in her hands before coming to rest in front of them.
Her strong alto broke the silence, echoing off of the walls around them. “As we practice each day, you must look at the far wall alone, but it is not just the wall that you must see. Your awareness and sense of everything around you are one of your most powerful tools. If you do not learn this then the eyes will give away your target and in turn, you will become the prey. It is not an easy skill to learn, but learn it you must.”
As Aiden thought about her words, she moved to stand directly in front of him with her stern, hazel eyes intent upon his. With her right there, it was doubly hard not to look up, so he forced himself to pick a scale on her armor and examine it intensely. He could somehow sense she was pleased and he couldn’t help but flinch as her massive hand came down on his shoulder and squeezed lightly.
The Glimmer Steel Saga, Boxed Set, Books 1 - 4 Page 21