“I need to know why,” I said to her. Angharad wasn’t facing me, but turned enough for the ladies to still keep a hold on her hair while she could see me with at least one eye.
“Why what?”
“Why you chose Marcus. You could have chosen anyone. Did you know?” I wondered. Maybe a mother’s intuition would have seen the connection between them.
“Of course I knew. It was obvious the day he arrived from Kyrie to visit us. Not the day he was imprisoned, however I did get word of the both of you sending plates of food down to him and some of the other captives.” Angharad let out a sigh. “It seemed good sense to keep her happy. She is my only child and I know I will not bear any more. I have spoken to several in Kyrie who speak very highly of him. They say he is an upright citizen and he always sits by his father in delegations. He cares for the people and is always concerned about their well-being, even being vocal during those meetings. I like his character and I believe it will balance Lunamae out. She needs someone who is willing to question her if her choices are not the best for the land.”
“I suppose so considering you are handing your title over,” I murmured and the chief dame nodded slightly. “But why did you have him masked?”
“Do you think it would have been good to have Lunamae running all over the keep like a wild horse? I thought it best for her demeanor to have her wondering. It seemed to have worked. Besides, it wasn’t as though Marcus didn’t know. At least one side knew who the other was,” Angharad answered. She calmly waved off her ladies when they were finished and turned to face me fully. “I do hope you will keep watch over them both. You’ve always been involved in both of their lives. Document what happens. This is a history many must read. Their union will be a changing point in Orinda, of this I’m sure.”
With that she left me and I stood in my own silence, tuning out the masses that were entering behind me. I thought about my journal I was keeping for the wedding. Perhaps I should make another to catalog the forthcoming events. I made a mental note before I swiveled to join the others in the hall.
Chapter 17
Peace for the Ages
As I set down my quill and looked over to my right side, I couldn’t believe how big Caden was getting. Nearing four, he was settling as quite the handful and I was into my new routine of being able to properly care for him once again. The chief dame gave her titleship to Lunamae in accordance with the treaty signed at Lunamae’s wedding. While it was weird to call Lunamae “Chief Dame”, it was even stranger to see Angharad without her keep. She had taken residence in one of the houses that was unoccupied in the village. I was busy finishing up my account of the wedding and post-wedding details in the journal I had started, entitled The History of Feyris.
I made sure to include a footnote in the beginning to allow others to expand upon this as I didn’t expect to live forever on the earth. I knew one day my soul would leave and wait for my body to be renewed by the Creator, as the Text of Illumination says. We would be raised up and meet the Teacher in the clouds.
I wondered what the earth would look like from there—and if I would be able to see anything past Orinda. Ships had sailed and explorers had traversed the land, but so far no other indication of human life could be found. The seagulls were quiet when the sailors of Fanarion journeyed far, and the fear that they would be lost at sea made them turn back.
“Caden, are you ready to be a dalta?” I asked my soon who was thoroughly engaged and distracted with some wooden blocks. Angharad had spared him the separation from me due to Lunamae and all the planning for her wedding. Lunamae decided rather than to show favoritism, she’d have him start the altram when the new leadership was solidified in our village.
“No,” Caden answered casually. He didn’t even bother to look up.
“Do you know what being a dalta means?” I wondered. Caden nodded in response and ran to my legs. He then looked at me with sad eyes and my heart broke looking at him. “You can see me whenever you want. The village is not so terribly large you know.”
He just whimpered in response and I held him on my lap. I did have another thing to tell him. We would be moving in five years. Once we moved, Caden would come with us and be a son of Fanarion with Theron and I. Theron was nearly done with the apprenticeship and his parents were on the verge of no longer being appeased with him gone so long.
“Let’s play with Aunt Brynna and Annadel.” I lifted Caden in my arms and he reached for his toy so far down below. “You know Annadel has much better toys she will share with you. Give the wooden blocks a break.”
He buried his head in my shoulder as I carried him out of the house and shut the door behind me. As I started walking, he whined to be put down so I let him walk along with me. Before I could get to Logan’s house, I was interrupted by a messenger from the keep. Lunamae had no time to rush out and speak to me now that she was running the clans and Marcus was helping her bring structure to them.
“Chief Dame Lunamae wishes to speak with you,” the man said. He was young, perhaps just older than Lunamae was with brown well-kept hair stuffed mostly underneath a hat. “It is quite urgent and she advised you to take the boy along if you can’t obtain service for him.”
“I can just drop him off at my brother’s house. I’ll be with you shortly,” I answered. I looked down and managed to find Caden’s hand to make sure he didn’t wander off. “Would that suffice?”
The messenger thought for a few seconds before nodding and dismissed himself. I looked down at Caden and smiled, urging him on to my brother’s house. Hopefully Brynna wouldn’t mind watching him for a bit. I didn’t think the audience with Lunamae would last long.
“That’s all we intend to do for now,” Lunamae finished from her makeshift throne in the feast hall and I stood in front of her and a sitting Marcus, who flanked her left side, with my mouth agape.
“That’s a bit much,” I commented. Not only did Lunamae decide to give the entire kingdom the name of Feyris after our village, but Marcus wanted to enhance it with stone walls and towers. The Humble Bridge would be the only entrance into the village … although by the way they were talking it was going to end up being a city.
“Oh and one more thing,” Lunamae said with a lift of her finger. “We intend to scratch the whole arranged marriage concept.”
“Not entirely,” Marcus interjected, strong but calmly.
“Mostly,” Lunamae shot back with a smile.
“I’ll explain,” Marcus said. “You see, in Kyrie, arranged marriages essentially do not happen—at least within the populace. We have learned from Aelisonia that love is very important. It strengthens any sort of relationship. If you were to enter a union as Lunamae and I have done without love, it would be hard to reason with each other and get anything done because we are still learning how each other works. The Dominar Delegate only allowed me to marry Lunamae because I loved her. Not necessarily to bring peace to the lands. It is partly why no other candidate was deemed appropriate for Angharad. Of course, I had to give up my aspiration to become an ambassador and instead learn what it takes to be a Dominar from my father.”
“Anyway, we’ve decided that arranged marriages will happen, but only if the two being arranged have feelings for each other. If not, then a person can marry whoever they want and from any walk of life. Diversity is important and we can’t be narrow-minded. Isn’t that right, Marcus?” Lunamae asked with a slight turn to her husband who nodded. “What do you think, Cousin?”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” I told her with a bright smile. No one would ever have to be in my shoes telling her dalta that she mustn’t have feelings for someone because she could never return them. What I had with Theron was essentially what Lunamae was proposing. He had already captured my heart, and I his, when he asked Angharad for permission to marry me.
“The future is going to be very bright for us Muirenn. I can only hope we will be finally a unified people,” Lunamae said as Marcus placed his hand over hers. “You
are dismissed.”
I turned to walk out of the keep. Before I could fully exit, I was interrupted by a man who looked a bit like a monk, except he had no discernible tonsure from Bexweth or any other monastic group I was aware of.
“A moment, Muirenn,” the man said to me. How does he know my name? “I’ve been sent from the Wood to deliver you a message from the Guardian.”
I looked at him through a puzzled expression, but he just pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to me and then left the room. It was sealed in green wax. I didn’t know whether to read it now or later, but I recalled that one and only encounter with the Guardian. My curiosity could not contain me further so I unraveled the document and set to work finding suitable light to read from.
Muirenn,
I’m told you are the recorder for the things that have occurred in our lands recently. You must know this had been planned long ago. Taros the bard, upon his meeting with me years ago, told me the rhyme he was meant to deliver to the world regarding the one who would unite the clans was not his own. It had been given to him in a dream. I have no doubt it was the Creator’s divine work. At the time of Lunamae’s marriage, I myself had a dream. The Creator told me to make sure you kept the Text of Illumination intact and document its location in not necessarily an obvious space. There will come a time when there will be false teachers and people will worship objects rather than the Creator. A new ruler will come, one who has been taught in the faith from the Guardians as it is our duty to keep the message of the Creator alive. Still, the person will need to know the texts. Preserve them in the small library in this keep. The message must be spread for the salvation of all.
Toryn, Guardian of Harper Wood.
I rolled the parchment back up and felt a shiver course up my spine. I was just given a divine mission and it made me feel all sorts of emotions. Am I even worthy? Then I instantly felt comforted by a message I had read in the Text. No one is worthy, but that did not stop the Creator from loving us and sending us the Teacher to give us the opportunity to become worthy.
I took the document and put it under my arm and walked out of the keep in a new determination. While this land might have its ups and downs, I was going to responsible for its future. I would not let the Creator down, but my time in Feyris was getting shorter. Soon we would be in Fanarion. I had to finish writing quickly, and find a suitable spot for the Text. Time was my only enemy. I wasn’t going to let it get the best of me.
The End
About the Author
April Sadowski was born and raised in the Dayton, Ohio area. Books were always prevalent in her life and so was the fondness for writing. At the age of thirteen, April began her first novel, Lady From Day. It took over ten years to write, but since the completion of it, she has written additional novels and has participated in NaNoWriMo, Camp NaNoWriMo, and Script Frenzy. Lunamae is the result of NaNoWriMo 2009 and is the second in the Tales of Orinda series. April is in process of writing a third, called Firedancer which revolves around a Chalosian chandler’s daughter who is able to do more than work with the wax and flame.
April is also an award-winning graphic and website designer and a hemp jewelry maker. She spends her free time (apart from writing) with her husband and meowing fur-children.
Discover other titles by April Sadowski at www.aprilsadowski.com
Contact Me Online
My Website: www.aprilsadowski.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aprilsadowski
Email me at [email protected]
Learn more about Orinda at
www.talesoforinda.com
Look out for another Tale of Orinda entitled Firedancer.
As the daughter of a chandler, Banhi’s life seemed boring. That is until one day when she found she could manipulate the flames coming from the candles she made.
In a word seemingly void of mages, magic has all but disappeared through the years. Fearing to live as an outcast and being exiled for having such a dangerous gift in a forest village, she decides to take a voyage beyond the great seas.
Will Banhi find more than she bargained for?
Firedancer
Prologue
It had been twelve years since my mother had died. My father had taken over the business from her until I was able to learn the trade and become the new Master Chandler for our city. I enjoyed watching the wicks dip into the bucket of hot wax and slowly build up. It was a time-consuming process, but it was fulfilling. In this new era, it was practically a lost art and we felt as though we were preserving the history of the old ways in Orinda. The world was all steam and electric now, being fueled fast in a mere decade.
I was sitting in bed, staring at my lit candle. For some reason it was more comforting than that of the glass light above my bed. Mother would always place one candle near me at bedtime and leave her gaze on me as she sung me to sleep with traditional Chalosian songs. Now I’d rather fall asleep to the gentle flicker of the candle, remembering my mother’s voice, than any static light which produces no heat and never crackles from moisture.
As my eyes started to drift off, I leaned over to snuff the flame with my finger. In doing so in my sleepy state, I missed the flame all together. Instead, my fingers flicked against each other and then my eyes got wide from what I saw. The flame was no longer without form, flickering back and forth with the air—it had transformed into something different.
That was when I first saw the firedancer. It would not be the last.
Acknowledgements
I couldn’t have finished any of my novels without the
loving support of my husband (who has yet to read any of them,
but puts up with my lack of socialization and attentiveness when writing).
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