‘Disapproval!’ snorted the woman from the Borders. ‘Leodra is pathetic, too easily swayed by the demands of the peasants. The power and influence of the Marls would be destroyed if his new proposals to increase tenants’ rights become law. Worse, these Sendoran savages try to take my land and he does nothing. Lady Migara had the right idea. She would have re-conquered Sendor. I’ll never understand why Frostan passed her over in favour of his grandson.’
The grey woman held up her hand. ‘We have powerful friends who share your concerns. It is they who have bid me speak with you today.’
‘Who are these friends?’ asked a young man in a brown leather jacket.
‘You do not need to know.’
‘You ask us to risk everything, without trusting us. I demand to know who is involved,’ insisted the young man.
The grey woman’s head snapped back.
‘Get out of my mind,’ she growled, grabbing the leather-jacketed man by his throat. The two figures stood locked for some moments in silent, internal battle, before the man collapsed to the ground. A blade flashed downwards, glinting in the moonlight.
‘A spy of Leodra’s,’ remarked the grey woman, yanking the knife from the lifeless body. ‘We must all be more vigilant. When we are ready to move, you will each receive a letter containing your instructions. Follow them immediately and exactly.’
‘What about Leodra and his family?’
‘We shall not be as weak as him.’
The grey woman turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Chapter Four
Zastra awoke to an increase in the usual bustle of the castle. On asking Elly, her maidservant, what was happening, she was informed that visitors were expected and the southwest tower was being cleaned from top to bottom for their accommodation. Zastra was intrigued and went to her morning lessons full of curiosity.
‘What’s happening?’ she asked, as she sat down beside her friend Bedrun, a plump, fair-haired girl of her own age.
‘Visitors!’ said Bedrun. ‘Bodel came in from Highcastle village and said that a huge procession has been seen on the main highway. Five carriages and at least a hundred horses, so they say. Don’t you know who they are, oh Royal One?’
‘It’s probably something really dull,’ Zastra said with a laugh.
‘A hundred horses, dull? How can you say such a thing?’
‘Depends who’s riding them,’ said Zastra. ‘Remember last year, when those science masters visited from the Far Isles? We got all excited only for Father to cancel the weekly holiday in favour of some tedious lectures. What were they? I can’t even remember.’
‘Theory and practical uses of lenses,’ said Bedrun, with a groan. ‘I never want to see another telescope, ever.’
The two girls looked at each other in dismay.
‘It couldn’t be,’ said Zastra, at length.
‘What’s the use of being Grand Marl Leodra’s daughter if you don’t know what’s going on?’ said Bedrun, prodding her friend in the arm.
‘Fine,’ said Zastra, ‘I’ll ask Mother at lunchtime.’
As soon as morning lessons finished, Zastra rushed up the three flights of stairs to her mother’s quarters in the royal tower. As she barged through the door, she found Anara busy relaying instructions to the household servants.
‘Oh, Zastra, good,’ said Anara, ‘I need to talk to you. Wait just a minute, my dear.’
Zastra fidgeted while her mother completed the dull business of household management. A few moments later, all the servants had left and they were alone.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Zastra, bursting with impatience. ‘Who’s coming?’
‘Your Uncle Thorlberd, Marl of Bractaris, and your cousin Rastran, shortly to be followed by the rest of the Grand Assembly. It seems that your uncle is bringing his entire personal guard and several other retainers. I have no idea how I shall fit them all in, especially when all the other Marls arrive.’
‘The Grand Assembly?’
‘You should know by now, Zastra, that every two years the Marls meet to discuss the laws of Golmeira. Your father has proposed some serious changes, for which we need the agreement of a majority of the assembly. However, it will be difficult – there are a lot of Marls who are resistant to anything new.’
‘Sounds boring.’
‘It is very important, Zastra. You need to begin to understand these things.’
Zastra looked at her mother closely. Anara seemed unusually pale and flustered.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.
‘Wrong? Why do you say that? Nothing is wrong. I’m just extremely busy trying to prepare everything. Now, sit down and listen to me. You must try very hard to make a good impression, particularly with your uncle. Thorlberd’s support is vital to us, especially now. Your cousin Rastran will be fifteen years old now, but he was a shy young thing when I last saw him. His mother, your Aunt Jintara, has stayed at Bractaris expecting a baby, so he may feel a bit lonely. Please make him feel welcome.’
‘I’ll try,’ said Zastra. ‘How long is the assembly?’
‘Usually no more than a week.’
‘What about Uncle – how long is he staying?’
‘As long as he wishes,’ replied Anara, turning quietly away. ‘Now go back to your lessons. I have much to do.’
Zastra left, a little disconcerted. Her mother was always so organised and capable; it was odd to see her so unsettled by visitors. But then all the Marls and their servants would be a lot to deal with. At least they weren’t going to be subjected to any boring lectures. Zastra went down to the kitchens, where the other pupils were having lunch, and sat down next to Bedrun.
‘It’s my uncle, the Marl of Bractaris, and my cousin,’ she whispered. ‘And then all the other Marls for the Grand Assembly.’
‘Oooh, how exciting!’ exclaimed Bedrun. ‘I wonder if there’ll be a banquet. Do you think I’ll be able to go?’
‘Of course,’ replied Zastra. ‘You’re friends with the Grand Marl’s daughter after all. It has to count for something.’
The two girls spent the next hour discussing the joys of the potential banquet, in particular whether there would be acrobats, or maybe even fire-fountains.
*
The next morning, Zastra and Bedrun were delighted to be told that lessons were cancelled. They climbed to the top of the northwest tower in order to watch the guests as they arrived. From there they had a good view of the courtyard and the main gate. Golmer Castle was situated at the highest point of a gently rolling landscape and they could see the first procession as it emerged from Highcastle Forest to the east and entered the outer ramparts. A large entourage of soldiers and finely dressed courtiers escorted three gleaming ebony carriages. As the procession passed under the large archway of the main gate and entered the sunlit courtyard, the clattering of horses’ hooves echoed around the balconies. One of the coaches bore a double crest on the door: a silver gecko alongside the golden hawk of Golmeira, which caught the sunlight as it opened.
‘That must be my uncle,’ said Zastra, as a tall man, heavyset and dressed in black, exited the carriage and strode toward the stone steps that led up to the entrance of the great hall. Zastra’s mother and father stood waiting to greet him.
‘And who’s that handsome young man coming out of the other side of the carriage?’ asked Bedrun, peering down in admiration.
‘Oh, that’ll be my cousin, Rastran,’ replied Zastra confidently, although in truth she had never met her cousin, and had no idea what he looked like. She didn’t think the pale youth was very pleasant looking, especially when he yanked a small cloak brusquely from one of the attendants.
‘He looks a bit grumpy,’ she muttered.
‘Oh, you never seem to be bothered with boys, but I think he’s gorgeous,’ said her friend with a sigh.
‘Let’s go and meet them.’ Zastra grabbed her friend by the hand and led her down the stairs. They hurried along to the large state room into which the visitor
s had just been ushered.
‘Ah, Zastra, there you are,’ said Leodra. ‘Come and meet our guests. This is your Uncle Thorlberd and your cousin, Rastran.’
Zastra put forward her best bow, greeting the guests with ceremonious politeness as she had been taught. Her uncle’s resemblance to her father was clear, but everything about Thorlberd was on a grander scale. He had broader shoulders, darker eyebrows and a thicker beard and he dominated the room with his powerful bulk. Rastran hovered behind his father, flicking an occasional look at his cousin from behind a long black fringe.
‘Well, Zastra,’ said her uncle in a deep bass voice, ‘you have certainly grown since I last saw you. And where are your new brother and sister?’
‘Here they are,’ said Anara, just as the nurse brought the twins, one on each arm. ‘Kastara and Findar, meet your uncle and cousin.’ The babies remained deeply unimpressed. Findar was asleep and Kastara was distracted by the much more fascinating glow of the hanging jula-oil lamps.
‘Well, Anara, they are quite as beautiful as you, my dear,’ said Thorlberd, leaning over them in undisguised admiration. ‘We must hope that these babes grow to be great mindweavers, given the disappointing news of Zastra’s test.’ He gave Zastra a hard, searching look. Was he trying to read her mind? Despite her still raw feelings, Zastra held her chin up and returned her uncle’s stare. Behind him, she saw her cousin lift his top lip in what could have been a sneer, and as she shifted her gaze to him he issued a self-satisfied snort. She glared at him and he coughed behind his hand.
‘Never mind cousin,’ the boy said with an air of condescension. ‘Not all of us can be blessed with abilities.’
There was a short, stilted silence.
‘Zastra, will you and Bedrun take the twins to the nursery for me please,’ said Anara, allowing a grateful Zastra to leave as a red flush of anger and shame burst across her face.
‘Your cousin is dreamy!’ exclaimed Bedrun, not noticing her friend’s distress.
‘I hate him!’ snapped Zastra. ‘Nasty, slimy thing. You can have him if you want – why don’t you go back if you like him so much?’
Bedrun looked startled and the twins both started crying in response to Zastra’s raised voice. Zastra was filled with instant remorse.
‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ she said to the babies. ‘I’m not angry with you. Oh please, please stop crying.’ The two girls were able to eventually quieten the children, Zastra forgetting her anger in the process. Once the babies were settled, Zastra and Bedrun returned to the northwest tower to watch the rest of the Marls arrive. They had never seen so many carriages before and it was late in the afternoon before the last coach had been safely stowed.
That night, as anticipated, a banquet was held in honour of the visitors. The great hall was a beautiful sight, lit with an abundance of torches. Across the western wall, a collection of jula-oil lamps with tinted glass panels had been hung, casting rainbows of coloured light across the polished wooden floor. The other walls were lined with bright silks and intricate tapestries, unfurled especially for the occasion. The hall was crowded with colourfully dressed Marls, both male and female, interspersed with soldiers, more sombrely clad in their dress uniforms. Zastra did not anticipate much pleasure in the evening, even though acrobats had been promised. She was not looking forward to facing her uncle and cousin again. She asked to be excused, but her mother insisted she attend.
‘We all must try our best,’ Anara said firmly, ending her protests before they had even begun.
‘Well can I at least wear my trousers and my soldier’s blouse?’ pleaded Zastra, who never liked getting dressed up for these occasions. Alas, her mother insisted she wear her best silk gown, which Zastra hated because it made her feel itchy and uncomfortable, as well as being a pale green colour which she didn’t like nearly as much as her vivid red soldier’s blouse. Anara also insisted on brushing Zastra’s dark chestnut hair forcefully, although, as usual, it refused to behave, unruly curls defying any attempts to arrange in a neat and tidy manner. Anara sighed in frustration.
‘If you wore it longer, it might sit better, my dear.’
‘But I like it short,’ stated Zastra, vehemently. In the mirror, she saw her mother shake her head and smile. It was a familiar argument between them, which Zastra always won.
*
Bedrun came over to dress in her friend’s quarters and when the gong sounded they went down to the banquet together. Zastra was highly displeased to discover that she had been seated next to Rastran, with Bedrun sent off to another table. Anara gave Zastra a significant look. With a sigh, she attempted to make conversation with her cousin.
‘It must have been a long journey from Bractaris. How many days have you been travelling?’ she asked politely.
‘Oh, not much, only three weeks or so.’
‘Don’t you miss your mother? I think I would, very much.’
‘I suppose I might do, if I were still a child like you. But I’m practically a grown-up now and it doesn’t bother me at all.’
‘Well, I’ve heard you’ll be coming to our school lessons tomorrow, so somebody must think you still belong with us children,’ said Zastra, annoyed by his haughty tone.
‘Yes, well, that may be so,’ responded Rastran, ‘but I’m still consulted on all major plans.’
‘What sort of plans?’ said Zastra, with an exaggerated expression of interest. ‘Like what to wear for this party? Very important plans like that, I suppose.’
The servants brought out the first course. Rastran leaned towards Zastra, smirking.
‘So, cousin, it’s a shame you failed the test so dismally. Mind you, it’s not surprising, given that Leodra is the same way. It seems all the abilities have fallen to our side of the family. I suppose you know that I passed the test and have been practicing mindweaving for ages.’ He waved his left hand in front of her face, a large silver ring on his little finger. ‘See, I have my mindweaver ring.’
‘Actually no one has ever mentioned you at all,’ replied Zastra. ‘We have much more important things to do here, you know – running the country and everything.’
‘Maybe you should pay more attention to things outside this castle,’ sneered her cousin.
At this moment a young servant boy came round with a large bowl of soup, which he began serving to the guests. Rastran, not noticing, raised his arm and jolted the ladle. A small spatter of soup splashed onto his sleeve.
‘Clumsy idiot!’ he screeched at the cowering boy. ‘Look at the mess you’ve made of my new silk shirt. I’ll have the cost out of your wages, you incompetent flekk.’
‘Maybe you should pay more attention to things under your own nose,’ said Zastra.
He turned towards her. ‘Where on earth did you pick up such a fool, cousin? Such a dolt would never be employed in Bractaris. I shall have him dismissed at once.’
Zastra glared at her cousin. ‘Only my mother or father can dismiss staff at Golmer Castle. I guess there are things that you don’t know, even if you are a mindweaver. Thank you, Durrian,’ she continued, as the boy served her, his hand shaking so much that the ladle clinked against her bowl. ‘Don’t worry, I shall tell my father it was an accident and you shall not be blamed.’ Zastra very rarely dropped her father’s name, but on this occasion she felt justified.
They ate the soup in angry silence. As the plates were cleared away and the next course was brought in, Rastran cleared his throat.
‘You seem very familiar with the servants, cousin.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, that dolt over there – you knew his name – Dirtinian, or something like that?’
‘His name is Durrian. Yes, I know all the servants’ names. Why shouldn’t I? They are people, after all.’
‘People! Oh, little cousin Zastra how stupid you are. Servants are servants. No wonder yours are such a terrible lot. I only wish we could have brought more from Bractaris, but Father said we could only bring the most essential things. I’
ve had to do without my boot polisher for example. It’s quite shocking. Makes it hard to keep up a decent appearance.’
‘Yes, indeed,’ said a well-dressed lady, one of the Bractarian party, who was seated just down the table from Rastran. ‘My Lord Rastran always makes such a handsome figure, and so elegant.’
Zastra leant towards her cousin and nodded towards the lady. ‘What’s her essential function, cousin? Flatterer in Chief? I’m not sure you need her, since you have such a high opinion of yourself.’
‘Don’t try to be clever,’ said Rastran. ‘You make fun of me, but it is Golmer Castle that is the joke. To think I’ll have to share lessons with children of footmen and grooms. It’s not as if they need to know how to read and write. They only need to know how to obey orders. All the other Marls agree that education for everyone is a ridiculous idea.’
Zastra was shocked. She had always taken lessons with all the other children in the castle. She had no idea that this was unusual in any way.
‘My mother insists everyone should go to lessons. She says everyone deserves the same chance.’
‘Well, she would, wouldn’t she?’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Oh, only that she’s not really of noble birth, is she? Some distant poor relation, who managed to snag a Grand Marl.’
‘Don’t you dare talk about my mother like that,’ said Zastra, slamming her spoon down on the table.
They spent the rest of the meal in mutual silence, which to Zastra’s mind was preferable to further conversation with her cousin.
As the after-dinner drinks were being served, many of the guests left their seats and moved around the hall. Bedrun came over and sat next to Zastra, looking at Rastran in open admiration.
‘Well, cousin, who is this pretty little thing?’ he said, pleased by the attention.
‘This is my friend Bedrun,’ said Zastra shortly.
‘Hello,’ said Bedrun with a shy smile. Rastran ignored her, eyeing Zastra balefully.
‘No, I mean who is she. Who are her parents, what is her line of descent?’
Realm of Mindweavers: Book one: Tales of Golmeira Page 2