Resonance

by C S Vass

  Fiona didn’t have the slightest idea what Donyo meant by that, but she suspected he might be making fun of her so she let it be.

  “Is that everyone I should know about?” Fiona asked, trying to keep track. She wondered how much of that would turn out to be useful.

  “Most everyone that matters, I should say,” Donyo replied. “Just keep your accusations and complaints of the Duke to a minimum and everything should be just fine.”

  A knock at the door interrupted them.

  “Come in!” Fiona called. The door opened to reveal a woman in her late twenties with straight midnight black hair that swept past her shoulders, olive skin, and drooping blue eyes. She looked to Donyo and frowned. “What sort of mischief are you up to?” she asked.

  “Nothing at all like the usual mischief,” he responded with a wicked grin. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Lady Sandra?”

  “I wished to meet the young sister of Rodrick Sacrosin,” she replied. There was no warmth in her voice.

  “Now you have,” Fiona said, determined not to be dominated again in a conversation. “I am Fiona Sacrosin.” She paused, then added, “I thank you and your family for the hospitality.”

  “I would say you’re quite welcome,” Sandra replied. “But that would not be entirely true.”

  “Sandra…” Donyo pleaded. “The girl has only just arrived.”

  “I did not trust your brother, Fiona Sacrosin,” Sandra said bluntly. “My father had his suspicions about Rodrick, and I have mine.”

  “Rodrick was kidnapped from our own home!” Fiona said. “I watched it happen, and gave pursuit!”

  “An unusual choice, rather than seek help from more capable hands,” Sandra said. “I wonder why that might have been. Tell me Fiona, have you taken the oath?”

  “Taken the oath?” Fiona asked, confused.

  “To play dumb is unwise,” Sandra pressed. “We have ways of finding out exactly what you know and when you first knew it.” The injustice of the unexpected attack made Fiona want to strike the woman, Duke’s daughter or not.

  “Sandra, the girl might as well ask if you’ve taken the oath. No, the only oath you’ve taken is to keep those long legs of yours closed until the sun burns out.” Sandra Redfire slapped Donyo so hard that his neck cracked, without so much as glancing at him.

  “You are not welcome here, Fiona,” Sandra said. The look that she shot Fiona was pure contempt. “You would be wise to remember what my father said. Despite the comfortable accommodations we have allowed you, you are here as a prisoner, not a guest like your friend.”

  “After all that you and your father have done to remind me I’m sure I shan’t forget,” Fiona said, her voice dripping with venom.

  Sandra smiled in her face. Her teeth were unnaturally white and as perfectly aligned as soldiers in formation. “Good. The less I hear of you the better.” Without so much as another word she turned on her heel and exited the room.

  After a moment Donyo chuckled and said, “She’s a real bitch, isn’t she.”

  Fiona looked at him. “I don’t love that word,” she said. “But yes, she’s an enormous bitch.”

  That got a laugh from him, and together they finished their food while Fiona pondered over the strange interaction that had just taken place. “What did she mean by take the oath?” she asked.

  “I’ll be glad you don’t know,” Donyo replied. “It’s a reference to the Vaentysh Boys. Supposedly they take some sort of oath to solidify their commitment to whatever nonsense they believe in.”

  “So the Vaentysh Boys are a real organization?” Fiona asked.

  “Well that depends on what you mean by real,” Donyo said. They certainly don’t have meetings every seventh evening in the castle chapel. But there are people who profess loyalty to the ideology, and if groups of them meet, well, I don’t know and I’m certainly not interested in attending.”

  “But we have to find out!” Fiona said. “They’re suspected of having a hand in these kidnappings.”

  “Perhaps,” Donyo said. “Laquath would be my guess, but then again I’m Master of Architecture not Master of Mysteries. Maybe they’re all in cahoots,” he added as an afterthought.

  “I don’t like this at all,” Fiona said.

  Donyo grinned. “That’s the spirit. Welcome to Sun Circle!”

  Later that day after Donyo had left her Fiona found herself with some free time. As she understood it, she was allowed to move about Sun Circle to any areas that were not explicitly blocked off for her, but under no circumstances was she to leave the district. After a wash and change of clothes she found herself wandering the castle gardens with Sasha.

  In the fashion of true extravagance the gardens were not equipped with the mere tinkerings of soundmages, but had actual servants in colorful silks and velvets roaming the grounds playing flutes and violins. As they wove their magic songs the flowers swelled and receded while they changed colors giving the impression that they were breathing.

  “He sounds like a rather odd man,” Sasha said, after Fiona had told her about her interaction with Donyo. “It’s a good thing that Headmaster Fiercewind warned us of him.”

  “I don’t know,” Fiona said, unsure whether she agreed or not. “He is a very odd man, but there is something strangely sincere in him. To be honest I think he’s half lonely and half bored. I felt as if for him talking to me was just something to do to take up time.”

  “Anyone who can be bored here in Sun Circle is crazy,” Sasha said. There was a dreamy look in her hazel eyes. “Lord Downcastle’s manor is the most splendid place I’ve ever seen in my life. There are servants, and sweet tarts (Sasha loved sweet tarts) and all manner of furry little dogs. The man is truly brilliant too. It’s obvious from the respect that he commands of the servants in his own household.”

  “Has he any ideas about Reggie and Rodrick?” Fiona asked.

  “Gods, I didn’t ask him that!” Sasha exclaimed.

  “You didn’t?” Fiona asked. “Why wouldn’t you do that?”

  “First of all we didn’t speak of them. He asked me some questions about my family, my home life, and then offered me the hospitality of his house as he left to conduct his own business. Fiona, I can’t just ask questions about top secret information when I barely know the man.”

  Fiona frowned. “We need to find out whatever we can that will lead us to the missing people.”

  Sasha looked deeply uncomfortable. “They have scores of agents working on that, Fiona. Lord Downcastle assured me that it won’t be long now—”

  “You’re going to just wait around because of what Lord Downcastle said!” Fiona exclaimed. “Don’t you care about Reggie?”

  The look Sasha gave her made Fiona wish she had held her tongue. “I’m sorry, that was out of line,” Fiona said.

  “It was out of line, Fiona,” Sasha said. “Why are you always out of line? Why can’t you just hold your tongue and be civilized? We are guests here.”

  “You’re a guest here,” Fiona began. She stopped there. This was not worth it. “You’re right,” she said. She didn’t want a fight now. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright,” Sasha said. “In truth we probably could do more than nothing. We could go and see Kevin Lovewood.”

  “See Kevin Lovewood?” Fiona asked. “Why? Everyone we’ve spoken to has said he’s a moron.”

  “Not so,” Sasha replied. “Lord Downcastle actually spoke quite highly of the man. According to him Lord Lovewood has integrity, and knows much more than he often lets on. I tell you, these Vaentysh Boys aren’t all everyone is making them out to be.”

  “What?” Fiona asked dumbstruck. “Are you telling me that Kevin Lovewood is a Vaentysh Boy?”

  Sasha looked uncomfortable. “I shouldn’t have said anything. That’s what one of Lord Downcastle’s servants said. Don’t give me that look, I know what everyone’s been saying. But not everything is always exactly what it looks like. Kevin Lovewood may say he’s a Vaentysh Boy but a
ll that means is that he cares about the defense of Haygarden. You might too if you knew what Laquath was up to.”

  “Well, what is Laquath up to?” Fiona asked.

  “That’s not the point!” Sasha said, clearly exasperated. “You can’t expect the council here to share their intelligence with me. But I’m just saying, don’t judge an egg before it hatches and you’ve seen the bird. They care about Haygarden.”

  “Gods, Sasha! I care about Haygarden, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to throw in with people who think we need to round up all the Laquathi in the city and chuck them into the sea.”

  “Oh, come on, it’s only the real crazies that think that. You’ve got to admit, with everything that’s happened they have a point about caring about security. The Duke is old, Hightower is old, whoever’s behind these kidnappings and the Merchant’s Guild robbery knows they can get away with things. Is it the worst thing in the world if we take defense a little more seriously? Besides, Vaentysh Boy or not Kevin Lovewood might know something. Don’t you want to find out if he does?”

  Fiona considered. Donyo and Fiercewind had both spoken ill of the Master of Horse, but perhaps it was worth a shot if he could tell them something that would turn into a concrete lead.

  “I don’t see why we shouldn’t after you saw it appropriate to spend half the day with Donyo,” Sasha went on. “Everyone knows Donyo is a useless drunk. He doesn’t even deny it.”

  “I suppose he doesn’t,” Fiona admitted. She was on the verge of agreeing to go with her when a cloaked figure approached.

  “Fiona Sacrosin,” said a voice that sounded young and old all at once.

  “Yes?” Fiona said. She looked at the figure of a child, or a very short adult, face completed shrouded by a long purple hood that fell over their eyes. The figure held out a dark-skinned hand completely covered in tattoos, and offered Fiona a note.

  “What is this?” she asked cautiously. When she received no reply she simply took it and read. “The last one he spoke with was Juaro,” she read out loud. “The last…is he Rodrick?” she asked desperately. The figure gave a nod of the head. Fiona started to ask another question, but the cloaked person simply turned their back and disappeared beyond the garden fences.

  “Creepy,” Sasha said. “I wonder what that was all about.”

  “I intend to find out,” Fiona said. She supposed that she just met Shifter, though whether for good or ill only time would tell. “The first step is to find out just who Juaro is.”

  “Well, I could tell you that,” Sasha said. “Though I don’t exactly understand why it matters. He’s no one important.”

  “Who is he?”

  “A household guard in the service of Lord Downcastle.”

  “Let’s go!” Fiona said. “We should be after him at once!”

  “Well, we can’t now,” Sasha replied.

  “Why?” Fiona was becoming impatient and she knew it was showing in her voice.

  “He left with Lord Downcastle. The Master Soundmage took his retinue down on business with him to the Leaf District. He won’t be back until tomorrow.”

  Fiona cursed. Could nothing in this damn place go right?

  “Come on, don’t be like that,” Sasha said. “We were already planning on seeing Lovewood. Let’s do that now, and we can always speak with Juaro tomorrow.”

  Chapter Eight

  Fifteen minutes later Fiona found herself standing in front of Lovewood Manor with Sasha by her side. Lovewood lived in an ornate home constructed of several longhouses joined together under a thatched water-reed roof. A manservant met them at the door and disappeared inside after they gave their names. A short while later he returned to invite them inside. They were brought to a cheery living room with a fire burning merrily in the hearth and cherrywood furniture placed tastefully about.

  Kevin Lovewood was man of twenty-nine years with a nose that appeared to have been broken many times and a cliff-like forehead that jutted out over merciless blue eyes. “Fiona Sacrosin, Sasha Rains,” he said to each of them with a deep bow after Sasha made the appropriate introductions. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

  Before Fiona could speak Sasha intervened. “Thank you for welcoming us into your home. With everyone so busy we had want of companionship, and thought we might spend the afternoon with you.” She shot Fiona a quick look as if to say, Do not spoil this!

  “Well of course you came to seek me out if you were bored,” Lovewood said. “I could tell you stories for weeks about the travels the Duke has sent me on. Of course I won’t, as they’re largely top secret.” He flashed them a toothy grin that seemed to indicate they were all in cahoots together. “But come, let us sit!”

  They took their seats on a plush couch in the living room by the fire while the manservant poured them sour wine. It was quite cold outside, and a light rain had begun to fall. After a somewhat awkward silence where Lovewood couldn’t seem to decide which of them to rest his eyes on Fiona spoke. “I was hoping to get your input on the events in the city. What do you make of it all?”

  “What do I make of it?” Lovewood laughed. “I make of it that some heads will be rolling soon. The Duke is right furious, as he should be. It’s downright embarrassing! When I find the cretins who are causing chaos in the streets I’ll set them straight.”

  “Have you made any progress?” Fiona asked.

  “Progress? Well I, yes of course. Top secret though. Nice try,” he added with a wily little wink. “No, I won’t be spilling secrets here tonight. Tempting as it may be in such fine company.” He gave Fiona a slimy smile that made her feel like her skin was moving.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Fiona said. “I just thought someone of your station might be able to assist me in locating my brother and Sasha’s fiancé .”

  “Sasha’s fiancé?” he looked at them dumbly.

  There was an awkward pause.

  “Yes,” Sasha said, somewhat uncertainly. “We spoke of him earlier. You remember. I am betrothed to Reggie Downcastle.”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” Lovewood said, unable to get the affirmatives out fast enough. “Of course you did. A damn shame that he was on their list. And your brother as well, Fiona. What was his name? Reggie?”

  It took every ounce of willpower Fiona had not to start pulling her own hair out. “Rodrick,” she managed at last, with at least an attempt at politeness. “Whose list do you think they were on?”

  “The Laquathi no doubt,” Lovewood said. His face froze for a moment, and then he broke out in merry laughter. “Ah, alright ladies, you won that one out of me fair and square. I’ll drink to that victory. More wine!” He shouted the last word so loudly that Sasha jumped in her seat.

  The manservant immediately appeared with a jug of pale pink wine and set about filling the three glasses, though Fiona had hardly touched hers yet.

  “Cheers!” Lovewood said, laughing merrily as if they were all having great fun.

  “Kevin, tell us more about yourself,” Sasha said. Fiona looked at her like she had just asked him to have them executed.

  “Certainly!” He exclaimed. “Well, my parents passed last year, leaving me this manor. Terrible tragedy, I won’t give you the details. What else…well, like I said, I’ve got a top secret mission from the Duke. Something a true Master of Horse alone could accomplish.” Fiona then decided that if they were going to endure this she might as well put in an honest effort to learn something.

  “You simply must tell us!” Fiona giggled.

  “Well,” he leaned in close like he was going to tell them a campfire story. “The old Duke has finally started listening to some reason. Like most people with more than dog droppings between their ears, he’s realized that the Vaentysh Boys are making some pretty good points. They know how important protecting the city is. So he’s having me lead a spy mission into the Lordless Lands. Now, it’s nothing definite, but he wants me to look into—Ho! Very good ladies, very good!” He laughed like he was with old friends h
e hadn’t seen in years. “I do believe I owe you another toast.” He lifted his glass and drank deeply.

  “Surely you can’t stop when I was hanging on your every word,” Fiona said as she batted her eyes.

  “Oh, you are wicked.” His laugh was a deep reverberating rumble. “You are good, but I’m just a little bit better. No shame in that. You did almost have me, but no, I’ll not be revealing any more of the Duke’s plans. Though I commend you for trying.”

  Fiona started to say something when Sasha interrupted her. “We thank you for your hospitality, but we really must be going now. It is getting late.” Fiona tried to find an excuse to stay, but Sasha had gripped her firmly by the arm and led her out of the manor after they had said their goodbyes.

  “What do you think you’re playing at?” Sasha hissed at her as soon as they were out the door.

  “Me?” Fiona asked. “What in the name of the gods was that lunatic on? Can a person be so dumb?”

  “You were trying to…to entrap him, that’s all!”

  “Sasha you can’t be serious. When I was a child I tended to pigs that were smarter than him.”

  “Fiona, you think no one likes you at Clearwater because you’re different, but that’s not true. No one likes you at Clearwater because your arrogant and all you do is look for the worst in people.”

  The words hung between them, an invisible river that Fiona didn’t know how to cross.

  “You’re calling me arrogant? Well, what should I call you? I’m here doing everything I can to find out about Rodrick and Reggie and you act like you don’t even care! Instead your off socializing with these lunatics, while they could be who knows where!”

  “You haven’t graduated yet, Fiona!” Sasha said. “You’re not the hero. You’re not saving the day. You’re just an erratic girl who is being treated like a prisoner while I’m treated like a guest because you don’t know how to be good to people and I do. You probably spent the night brooding on how cruel the Duke is, when if you just showed a modicum of respect for this place you might find yourself welcome here like I am.”