The porter looked up from his list and eyed him. “My Lord, if you please. Wait a moment I am just locating your name on the list.”
Seran snorted with contempt and strode towards the entrance. I stared after him hoping to the high heavens that he could pull this off. The porter hurried after him with a, “Sir, sir please just a moment, my Lord.”
Seran rounded on the man, his expression enough to make Jurpa hide melt. “I will not be kept waiting by your floundering! I do not care about your list. I am here on behalf of my father, Merchant Lord Trien of Ghaldea. He has been trading partners with Merchant Almeida since before I was born. If you do not leave me be you will not only have the wrath of Merchant Almeida to deal with, but also of Merchant Lord Trien.” His voice had gone dangerously low and this sounded far more severe than when he had been shouting. With a last glare at the now fumbling porter, he turned on his heel and strode up the broad stairs disappearing into the hall.
The red-faced porter came storming back towards me. “Is there a particular reason that you have not moved along already or do you have another charming guest in there?” I shook my head and urged the horses on, guiding them around the corner where the previous carriage had disappeared. I pulled the carriage up next in the row and tied the horses to the wooden beam. Baskets of hay had been put out for them as well as buckets of water.
I looked around and saw a coachman going into the building. I followed and was surprised to walk into what looked like a sizeable dining hall. For a moment I thought I had perhaps gone through the wrong entrance, but then a group of servants came walking around the corner followed by a group of men including the coachman I had seen go in here. They were talking and laughing with the servants who then disappeared down the hall. A short, portly man with a friendly face noticed me and came over. “I am Dern and this here is,” he gestured one by one to the men behind him, “Ghio, Jaim, Erit and Zae,” with glee in his eyes he winked at me and continued. “I will let you get to know the ladies for yourself.” He stuck out a hand to me to shake.
I gripped it and said, “Pleased to meet you. I am Kadin.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “New to this, aren’t you? No worries. Lord Almeida is one of the more generous hosts and so we get to have some food as well. We were just on our way to the kitchens to serve up.” He waved a hand gesturing for me to follow.
The other men were talking of some lord who had nearly lost all his money and was hanging on for dear life to his reputation, trying to cover up what was really going on. Erit laughed making his small eyes nearly disappear in slits. “You never know, maybe at the next event, he will be at the back here with us.” This raised a roar of laughter from the rest of the men.
The kitchen smelled incredible. My mouth watered as I looked over the choice of food. A serving girl carried a whole roast duck out past us into what I assumed was the main dining hall. When the door opened the rumbling sound of many conversations spilled into the kitchen. I could hear a harp playing in the background as well and then it was gone again as the door closed behind her.
I served up some roast duck and pork, heaping vegetables including a moist red vegetable that I did not recognise onto my plate. We sat at the dining table by the back door. It had sounded like Dern knew the Almeidas so I ensured I sat next to him. There was a pitcher of wine on the table and we passed it along.
For a while, I simply listened to the conversation. They certainly did like to harp on about the lords and ladies. This one was having an affair with that one, this one hated that one, this one had a secret addiction to chewing tobbac, which was frowned upon as a commoner past time. My ears perked though when I heard Alathaya’s name. Zae was speaking in his raspy voice. “I bet she runs away inside a month.”
Dern shook his head. “As much as I like Master Almeida, this is a bad match. That girl is too strong willed to settle for someone she does not even like.” He shook his head sadly.
I kept my voice light as I said, “I have heard there are cultures where the couple to be married do not even meet until the betrothal. I suppose in that respect she is lucky.”
Dern snorted. “You try telling her that! I bet you get yourself a black eye from saying something like that.”
I laughed. “Do you reckon she will go through with it?”
He gave his head a shake. “Not if there is any way to wriggle out, but I think short of the sky falling, Master Almeida will keep her locked into it.” He was obviously fond of her in some way.
“What about the man she is to marry. Do you know him?”
He looked at me with a frown. “When do we ever really know them when they are so far above us?” He said with mock. “I know of him. Rich fellow from a merchant background and that is most likely why he has been chosen. Lord Jarien is an arrogant man, but then show me a lord who isn’t and I will give you a gold mark for it. Fair bit older than our Alathaya mind. That will be another reason why she is unhappy about the union.”
The conversation steered away from Alathaya and I did not push for more information. Should anything come to light later, I did not want anyone to suspect why we were here. The kitchen staff joined us at the table later on. All five courses had been prepared and served so they only held a skeleton staff in the kitchen for the rest of the night, lest some lord or lady request additional snacks. Apparently, all had gone well with the evening with no complaints about the food. I did not know how anyone could complain when they had clearly been served a feast.
Slowly more serving girls joined as well once the dishes had all been cleared. Two of them sat across from me and were chatting about the evening. I listened carefully when I heard them mention Lord Jarien. The red haired girl with the broad nose was speaking. “I would trade places with her any time. What does it matter if he is slightly older than her? Did you see the way she looked at him, Hisbet?”
The other nodded emphatically. “Like he was some sort of monster forcing himself on her. She should realise how lucky she is. I think she is just a spoiled little girl, used to getting all she wants from her daddy and now he has put his foot down with her.”
The redhead sighed. “Did you see how he did not even say anything to her? Simply acted as though he did not notice her scowls. Such a gentleman.” I was betting that he actually did not notice her disfavour. Just as I started to lose interest in their idle conversation, my ears pricked up again.
Hisbet was speaking, “Did you see the way that, what was his name, Lord Trien I think it was. Did you see the way he looked at her? The whole evening eyeing her from head to toe.”
Redhead looked scandalised but she was clearly enjoying this juicy bit of gossip, “I saw. I even saw him have a quiet word with her away from her minders. Very inappropriate!”
Hisbet shook her head, but a playful smile curled around her mouth. “He was rather handsome though wasn’t he? Some girls have all the luck!” They broke into fits of giggles. If they had noticed him talking to her, I was certain that others would have as well.
The redhead had pulled a sheet of paper out of her belt pouch. “Look, now do not go around telling people. I took this from one of the tables. It is an official invitation to the betrothal. This will be going into my memories box.” They were both fawning over the invitation and holding it so that the back was towards me. It had what looked like a family crest on it, which strangely looked familiar. I stretched forward to get a closer look.
The next moment I gasped and only barely stopped myself from snatching the invitation from her hand. I cleared my throat loudly. “Excuse me, Hisbet. Do you mind if I had a look at that?” I gestured to the paper in her hand.
She stuffed the invitation away under the table her eyes wide. “I will not tell anyone of it, I just want to have a look at it.” I tried to use my best soothing voice. The two looked at each other and whispered back and forth.
Redhead was shaking her head, but finally they looked back at me. “Swear you will not speak of this to anyone.”
I thought it a bit melodramatic for a simple invitation, but if it meant getting my hands on it, “I swear I will not tell anyone I saw you with an invitation.” I even put a solemn hand over my heart. She held it out to me.
I looked at the crest. It was identical. It was the same as the engraving on my sentinel. The one that looked so familiar, but I could not place it. Surely, it could not be, but I was sure it was identical. Hisbet was snapping her fingers impatiently, gesturing for me to return it. Reluctantly I gave it back to her. Scowling she snatched it away as if she thought I might run away with it. The redhead muttered under her breath about putting my grimy fingers all over it. I let the comment blow over me.
Sometime later, the porter came bustling in from the main dining hall. Lord Trien requires his carriage. I stood up and said brief farewells to Dern and a few of the others that I had spoken with. I was eager to speak with Seran and compare our information. I drove the carriage around and halted it at the front entrance. It was quite a while before ‘Lord Trien’ came sauntering out. Another porter had appeared and opened the door of the carriage for him. He gave the man the barest of nods and disappeared into the back. I flicked the reins and we pulled away. Once we were well away from the estate, he slid the window open and told me to take the carriage back to where we collected it.
I pulled around to the back of the farmhouse. The farmer appeared a moment later with a lantern in his hand and a wide smile on his face. He was probably relieved to have the carriage back safely. I thought it quite remarkable that he had trusted a complete stranger enough to lend a carriage to them, especially one that was not his to begin with. They shook hands and started talking. I was too tired for any more idle talk so I started unhitching the horses. The farmer did not wait for us to finish, but with a final “Good night. May your crops carry well,” went back into his house. Seran helped to finish with the harness and we rode back to town.
I told him what I had learned of the couple and told him of the crest on the invitation. He listened in silence and nodded several times. When I fell silent, he spoke. “I agree about their relationship or lack of it. She despises him. Whether it is only because she is being forced to marry him or some other reason, I do not know, but the result is the same. I do not think it will take much to convince her to come with us. He seems... affable, if too old for her. Her father watches over her carefully though. His eyes were like those of a hawk today and she was the rabbit. He will be the one to pursue her if she runs. I think Lord Jarien may create a scene, but I do not think he would put much energy or resources into bringing her back.”
I considered what he had said. “We need to speak to her about their family crest.”
He frowned and cocking his head to one side said, “Out of all we had gleaned tonight, how did that come out as the most important thing?”
I shook my head. “There is more to this than we know.” I could have explained further, but thought better of it.
Something the serving girls had said came back to me. “Did you have a private word with Alathaya tonight?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “So the servants are as bad gossips as I remember then.” He shrugged before continuing. “I needed to introduce myself and in a manner that she would remember me by.” That sounded somewhat alarming to me and at the look on my face he laughed. “Don’t worry. I did not give too much away. I was certain at this point that she was unhappy with this arrangement. She was wandering around the hall so I took the opportunity to have a quiet word. I may have hinted that we have an alternative future for her. After a few minutes, she casually mentioned that she is part of a small group of ladies who support a local boarding house for orphan children. She is quite involved and visits there often. She will be there tomorrow.” He certainly seemed to have a gift.
The evening had proved even more successful than I could have hoped for. I went to bed that evening hopeful that on the morrow we would have our fourth member.
CHAPTER 10 – Alliance
Apparently, with all his charming ways, Seran had not established a time of meeting with Alathaya. We rose early and had breakfast in the common room before heading to the boarding house. There was no sign of her. Through the small windows, we glimpsed children sitting in attendance, listening to what must have been their teachers. Thinking it would look very curious for us to stand around outside, we went to a tavern across the road. We sat by a window facing the road with a clear view of the entrance.
We spent a very tedious day sipping slowly at drinks. Trissa had asked all about the night before, but even she had by now run out of conversation. Brant looked sullen. He was convinced that Alathaya was not going to turn up and I was starting to think he was right. It was well past lunchtime and my stomach had started to complain. We ordered some light food, fresh bread and cured ham. Brant complained loudly about the waste of time. I could not blame him, but I knew I would wait until the evening before giving up.
Just then, I looked up out of the window to see a slender women dismount from a grey mare. She was laughing at something her companion had said. I became aware that, as when I had first seen Seran, heat was spreading across the middle of my chest. Her smile lit her whole face, framed by beautiful long ash blonde hair. The heat was starting to pulsate and radiate further out. The woman with her took her horse and continued down the road while the younger woman walked into the building. I quickly poked Seran and pointed to her and he confirmed it was Alathaya. The moment she closed the door behind her, the heat abruptly disappeared.
As we had discussed at length earlier, Brant and Trissa stayed at the tavern while Seran and I went to the boarding house. We walked through the arched doorway into a simple room. A man was sitting at a small desk in the middle of the room. He looked up as we walked in. Squinting at us he said, “Names.”
We looked at each other, Seran shrugged. “Lord Trien and Master Aken.”
He looked at us for a moment with a considering frown before pointing over his shoulder. “Down the hall, third door on the right.” Before he had even finished speaking, he had turned his attention back to the book on the desk in front of him.
Children’s drawings decorated the hallway. There was not a pace of wall left blank. It gave the hallway at least, a homey feel. We reached the third door. I was about to knock when it swung open. Alathaya stood in the doorway, her face a mixture of doubt and excitement. She was wearing a fine green wool dress with a shawl across her shoulders and she was twirling the end tassels around her finger nervously. “Please come in gentleman.” The heat had come back as soon as I saw her, but just as quickly, it was dissipating. She stepped back from the door and walked in. The simply furnished sitting room held a few chairs and a low table. She closed the door behind us and sat down by the table. She indicated to the chairs opposite and we sat down as well.
Clearing her throat, she was obviously nervous, but her voice was steady. “I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you.” Her grey eyes were mesmerising.
Seran’s loud cough brought me back to myself and I realised I must have been staring at her. I tried to fight the flush in my cheeks. “I beg your pardon, my lady. I am Kadin Aken from Predaki.” She nodded and nervously smoothed down her already smooth dress. She looked like she was going to speak, but when she didn’t the silence started to stretch. “Lady Almeida, do you mind if I show you something?” I asked.
“Please do, and please call me Alathaya. I have never been at ease with titles.” I smiled at her and dug in my bag until I found what I was looking for.
I took the disc from the wooden box and held out my sentinel to her. “Have a look at the carving on the bottom of it.”
A look of astonishment went across her face when she saw the golden disc. “I have only heard of these in legends. ‘We come when summoned, but bearer be aware, we come but once’.” She said the last in a reverent whisper. She held the disc carefully, examining it. Her eyes widened and she looked at me bewildered. “That is not possibl
e. Where did you find this?”
I decided to risk looking the fool. “It was my denouement gift from our village Cha. He is an agent of the Guardians and this sentinel had already saved our lives from what I believe was an attack by Dark Children or perhaps Twisted Ones.”
I had not thought it possible, but her eyes went even wider, her eyebrows climbing ever higher. “Father has spoken of this to me. Every generation of the Almeidas have to know that one day we may be called upon, but I never thought it would happen in my lifetime.” She shook her head disbelievingly. “We must take this to Father. He must know.” With added glee, she announced. “I will not have to marry him!” Abruptly, she jumped up and started for the door.
Seran looked alarmed at the change in plans. “Alathaya, wait, please are you certain that we should involve your father?”
She looked at him in consternation. “Well, of course. My family has been waiting for this day since the Severance.” It was my turn to be startled. She certainly knew a lot more than I would have expected.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
When we arrived at the Almeida estate, stablemen came out and took our horses. She led us up the grand staircase and into a beautiful sitting room. Luxurious dark wood furniture decorated the room and there was a fireplace in the far wall. An elaborately carved chimneypiece depicted a forest scene complete with woodcrest and yellow bill birds. A large wooden chest served as a coffee table and held a large red glass vase filled with beautiful yellow flowers.
Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One Page 19