Gatebreaker: Book One

by Michelle Wilson

  We turned our attention to the pair of women standing in front of us. The women lowered their heads and curtsied.

  “You are most welcome here, guests of Prince Aidric,” one of them said. “Please follow us and we will show you to your rooms.” They turned and left, leaving us to follow in their wake. We entered the castle and followed the maids through twists and turns, going up stairs and down stone hallways. Eventually, we came to a hallway with a set of large ornate wooden doors at the end.

  The maids opened the door and motioned us in. The doors opened up into a huge suite of rooms. We entered a large sitting area first. It was filled with natural light from a large window that looked out over the city. There were huge rugs on the floor and tapestries hanging on the walls. There was a window seat and large couches and chair that all faced a massive fireplace. Everything was beautiful. On both sides of the sitting area were hallways that led to different bedrooms. There were four bedrooms each with large ornate beds. Connected to each bedroom were personal washing areas.

  After showing us the rooms the maids led us back into the sitting area.

  “Please make yourselves comfortable,” the tall one said. “There is food for you on the table. Later this evening we will bring you hot water for baths. We ask that you stay here until someone can come and show you around the castle, it can be confusing if you haven’t been here before.” They curtsied and left us.

  “Well, I could get used to this,” John said. He walked to the table that was pushed up again a wall and had mounds and mounds of food on it. He sat down in one of the chairs, grabbed a piece of fruit and starting chowing down. I followed him. The spread of food was impressive. There was bread and sausage. Crackers and cheese. Some fruits and vegetables. It all looked pretty similar to the food back at home. I grabbed a piece of fruit I didn’t recognize and bit into it.

  “Citrusy,” I said.

  Murphy walked over to the doors and tried to open the right one. It swung out silently. He stuck his head out in the hallway and looked around for a moment. After he closed it, he turned around and grinned at us a little sheepishly.

  “I just wanted to make sure we weren’t locked in,” he said.

  “Paranoid, are you?” Erin asked. He rolled his eyes at his sister and they joined John and I at the table. We spent the next hour having fun guessing what the different foods tasted like and sampling everything we could.

  The evening light was getting dimmer since the sun set on the opposite side of the castle and down into the sea. There was a knock on the door and two men entered, carrying torches.

  “Excuse us, my lords and my ladies, we’ve come to light your rooms.” We nodded at them and they walked through our suite lighting lamps along the hallways and in each of the rooms. As they were finished up another man appeared at our door. He cleared his throat and waiting until we were looking at him.

  “I am a messenger from Prince Aidric, may I come in?”

  “Of course,” Murphy said. He stepped into the room and walked over to the table where we were all still sitting.

  “His highness, Prince Aidric regrets he could not come himself but sent me to tell you to rest up for the night. Tomorrow, he will come to give you a tour of the castle and the grounds. Then, tomorrow night there will be a feast and ball for the whole court to honor you as his guests and celebrate the victory of the prince on the road.” He stopped talked and looked at us expectantly. I realized he was waiting on a reply.

  “Oh, yes. Please, tell Aid—uh— the prince we are honored by his attention and humbled by his graciousness. We thank him for the rooms and the hospitality and look forward to seeing him tomorrow,” I said. The messenger nodded and left with the two other men.

  “Where did you learn to talk like that?” Erin asked me after they left.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Just picked it up after listening to everyone talk the past few days. Everything seems more formal. I don’t have much experience talking to royalty, but I guess that comes with the territory.”

  Before long there was another knock at the door and the two maids let themselves in. This time they came with a few men who carried pails of water and a woman who was carrying a small basket with her. The maids directed the men where they should go and came back out to where we were sitting on the couches.

  “The tubs are being filled so you each may have a bath,” the tall maid said. “The two manservants will be waiting on you my lords, you may go to your rooms now. My ladies, if you will follow us, we will see to your needs. Murphy and Erin, we were told you were both injured in battle. Once you have bathed and are ready for bed, our healing lady, Cynthia, will see to your injuries.” She pointed at the woman who was waiting on one of the couches as she spoke. After she was done we all stood. Murphy and John moved off to the rooms to their right and Erin and I followed the maids to what I guessed were now our rooms to the left. The shorter maid steered Erin into one bedroom and the tall maid steered me into the other one.

  “My lady, I am Gabrielle and I will be your maid while you are staying in these rooms,” she said with a curtsy once we were alone in my bedroom.

  “Please, you don’t have to curtsy,” I told her. “I’m Lydia.”

  “It is nice to meet you, my lady. Now if you will step behind the divider in the washroom and get undressed, I will take your clothes and have them cleaned for you and returned. While you are bathing, I will get a fire going so it stays warm in here and lay out a nightgown and robe for you tonight. I will return in the morning with more clothing for you.” Ushered by Gabrielle while she was talking, I stripped off my clothes behind the divider and then lowered myself into the tub that was back there as well.

  The water was hot and wonderful, and I just lay there and soaked in the tub until the water had almost completely cooled off. I washed my body and hair with soap that was laid on the floor next to the tub. There was a nice big towel and a nightgown waiting for me on a chair next to the divider. I dried off and pulled on the nightgown.

  Gabrielle was nowhere to be seen when I came back into my room but there was a nice fire going in the fireplace. I pulled the covers back on the bed and sighed as I slipped between them. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

  23

  As I woke the next day, it took me a minute to realize where I was. The bed I was in was so comfortable that for a moment before I fully woke up, I thought I was back in my own bed at home. I was expecting my mom to barge in and wake me up for school when the events of the last few days came rushing back to me. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the decorative ceiling for a few minutes. Light was peeking through the drapes that were across the window so I decided I better get up and get going.

  The stone floor was chilly on my bare feet even through the rugs. The fire had burnt down to just embers, but it was still keeping the room warm. The nightgown I had was long on me and dragged the ground, hiding my feet from view. Even though it was long-sleeved, the material was thin, and it was a bit chilly in the drafty castle. I saw the embroidered robe that had been left for me on a chair that sat by the window. I pulled it on and sat down in the chair.

  I opened the drapes to look outside the window. The pale light of dawn was just starting to show up outside, illuminating the city. The streets were twisted and wound their way almost haphazardly through the houses and buildings. I could see laundry hanging between windows and over windowsills. People were just starting to mill about on the streets this early in the morning.

  As the sun began to peek over the horizon, I decided it was probably time to see what was going on today. I went into the washroom and saw there were clothes already laid out for me. Gabrielle must have come in before dawn without my noticing. I changed out of my nightgown and pulled on the clothes she left. It was a simple yellow dress. It felt like a cotton material. It had long flowy sleeves and it was long enough that it just barely grazed the floor. It had a high neckline and I was careful to tuck my necklace underneath. I di
dn’t know how many people knew what the stone was, and I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to know I had it. The dress had a white embroidered belt that went with it. I tied it around my waist. There were also some thick ankle-high boots to put on.

  There was a small mirror above a wash basin. I cleaned off my hands and face and checked my reflection in the mirror. The light yellow of the dress made my red hair and assortment of freckles stand out more than they usually did. I could see I had many more freckles than I used to from spending so many days out in the sun. I ran my fingers through my hair, but it only seemed to get more tangled. I found what looked like a soft bristled hairbrush laying on a table. I tried to pull it through my curls, but it didn’t do much. I went back into my bedroom and found my cloak where I had tossed it the night before. The ribbons were still in the pocket. I went back to the mirror and quickly braided my hair, tying the ribbon at the end. I gazed at my reflection one last time. Not too bad, considering.

  When I opened my bedroom and walked down the short hallway, I found Erin already sitting at the table. She was wearing a dress similar to mine in a green color. She had left her blonde hair down. I approached the table and could see another great spread of food had been left for us. The remnants of our dinner had been cleared away. Now the trays held an assortment of pastries and breads, jars that looked like they held jellies and jams, some ham and sausage, some more of the fruits they had last night, and a pitcher of water, of juice, and much to my delight, “Coffee,” I said.

  I took a sip of the dark liquid. The coffee was much richer and earthier than what I was used to. After only a couple of sips the hot liquid felt like it had run down all extremities and warmed me nicely. I could feel my nerves humming with energy. Erin and I sat in companionable silence as we ate breakfast. Soon Murphy and John joined us. They were both wearing outfits similar to what they had on before but in much better condition. Murphy’s shirt was dark green, and John’s was navy. Murphy was no longer wearing his sling and I noticed Erin no longer had a scratch on her face as well.

  “I guess the healer saw you guys last night?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Murphy said. “It was the strangest thing. She just placed her hands on my arm and said something under her breath. My arm felt hot for a few seconds and then, bam, it was fine. I wish doctors could work like this at home.”

  “What do you think they are saying happened to us back home? We’ve been here almost a week now,” Erin said.

  “I don’t know,” Murphy said. “Maybe they are looking for us. They probably think we are lost somewhere on the mountain.”

  “Do you think if they find the cave more people could get lost here?”

  “No,” I chimed in. “The gateway disappeared when we came through it, remember?”

  Erin nodded. They fell into silence again after that. I knew they were worried about what was going on at home. I was too. I tried to push aside the guilty feeling that rose up as I looked at my friend’s faces. It was my fault they were here. Silently, I vowed to do whatever it took to get us home.

  There was a knock at the door and Aidric opened it and entered. We all scooted back in our chairs and started to stand up. “No, please.” Prince Aidric said. “None of this formality for me.” He was dressed similar to John and Murphy. His shirt was a silvery gray over black pants. The only signs of his status were a few jeweled rings on his fingers and a silver circlet that sat on his curly hair.

  “I was hoping you all would join me on a walk this morning.”

  “Of course,” I said suddenly eager to get out of these rooms and do something. “Lead the way.”

  24

  The castle was larger than I could have imagined. It was built way back into the mountain. Aidric walked us up and down so many staircases and hallways I knew I would never be able to remember my way around the whole thing. Our current rooms were on the fourth floor where all the nobles’ suites were. We wouldn’t be allowed to stay there long since they were usually reserved for visiting nobles. I had figured as much but was still disappointed to hear we wouldn’t be able to stay in the nice rooms. Aidric went ahead and showed us the kitchen and dining area on the ground floor that was available for use by all the people who worked in the castle.

  “So, does this mean we will be staying here and working at the castle?” Murphy asked.

  “Of course,” Aidric said. “All four of you proved your worth when we were on the road. You were just traveling with us, but you stepped up and help defend us. We don’t want to let dedicated people like you get away.” Erin, Murphy, and John all seemed pleased by this pronouncement but something about staying in the castle so close to so many people bothered me.

  Toward the end of our tour, Aidric took us to one last room down the hall from our current rooms. He threw both of the ornate wooden doors open to reveal shelves and shelves of books.

  “This is our library, one of the oldest rooms in the whole castle. We’ve got books here that date from centuries ago. You can find things from the whole history of Adylra here,” he told us. The room was a bit musty and dark, but it was impressive. There were bookshelves that reached to the ceiling and stretched back into the mountain as far as we could see.

  “It usually stays dark unless people are using it. Until the Scholars started their school here in the castle, the library was locked and only a few people were allowed in,” Aidric told us. “Now the nobles are allowed to come in whenever they please. Many don’t. It’s a shame, I think the knowledge found in some of these books is fascinating.” We wondered the shelves for a few minutes. I ran my hand along the spines of the books and picked up an interesting looking book with a gilded spine and edges. It was huge so I used both hands to pull it off the shelf and laid it on a table behind me.

  I ran my hands along the front, but the title was too worn to be read. I flipped it open. The book was filled with tiny writing and illustrations. I started to read the first page and realized it was a book about magic. I perked up a little and leaned over, trying to make out the writing, interested in what it had to say. Everyone came up behind me to see what I what I was doing.

  “Look,” I said. “I think it’s a book about magic.”

  “How can you tell?” John asked behind me. “It’s written in a weird language.” I turned and looked at John to ask what he was talking about, but I could tell from his face he was being serious. Erin and Murphy were also looking at the book with puzzled expressions. I looked back at the book. The writing was tiny, but I could clearly make out the words. Aidric came to the other side of the table and spun the book around to face him.

  “Ah yes,” he said. “It’s only been the last century or so that everyone in Thavell has spoken the familiar tongue we’re speaking in now. This book looks like it was written in Old Rorick, the language that used to be spoken in this region. About half of the books in the library are in a different language. Many of the Scholars are working on translating them.” He picked the book up and snapped it shut before putting it back on the shelf. “With that, I think it’s time I show you all back to your rooms, it’s almost time for the feast.”

  “Will there be a lot of people there?” Erin asked.

  “Not as many as there are in the winter,” Aidric said. “We have a few people from noble families who live here, but most nobles are on their lands. The end of summer and beginning of autumn is when they need to make sure the harvests come in. Most travel here to stay for winter, though.”

  “What are we supposed to do, exactly?” I asked. Balls weren’t really my thing and I hated to admit it, but I was nervous.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Aidric said. He linked one of his arms through mine and the other through Erin’s to escort us back to our rooms. “You will walk into the throne room and be presented to my father. Then we will eat good food and party into the night. A castle ball is something not many commoners get to attend, so I’m sure you will enjoy it.”

  “I leave you all here,” Aidric said once we arrived at
our rooms. “Someone will be by to escort you to the throne room at dusk.”

  25

  We had spent most of the day roaming the castle so I was happy to see more food left for us on the table. We all ate and chatted about some of the things we had seen.

  “The prince kept talking about the Scholars being in the castle but we never saw where they are located did we?” John asked.

  “Now that you mention it, you’re right,” Murphy agreed.

  “He probably just didn’t think we’d be interested since none of us are—what’s the word—Magic Wielders,” I said. “Besides, there’s a lot in this castle we probably didn’t see. It would probably take you a whole week to walk in each of the rooms.” I had noticed the same thing John had but didn’t want to say anything. I hadn’t tried to do any magic since the night of the attack, just thinking about it made me feel guilty.

  It was just late afternoon but knowing what kind of night we had ahead of us I left my friends and went to take a nap. The sun had dipped behind the castle, throwing my room into shadow when a knock on my door woke me up. Gabrielle and another maid entered, their arms full of stuff. They set their stuff down on a table against the wall and the other maid left. I sat up in bed.

  “Sorry, miss, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m here to help you get ready for the ball.”

  “Oh, you’re okay,” I said, trying to stifle a yawn. “I was just taking a nap. Traveling here was hard on me.” Especially if she knew how far we’d come, I thought to myself.

  “I’m sure it was. I have never traveled far out of Windburn, I can’t imagine trekking over half the country on horseback.”