Servants and Followers (The Legends of Arria, Volume 2)

by Courtney Bowen

  “I get it, I get it,” Geda said, holding up his hands as they approached the town hall near the edge of the park. “I do enough of that already.” He muttered.

  “What?” The mayor asked, staring at him.

  “As the innkeeper.” Geda said.

  “Oh. Right, Geda,” The mayor said, still not quite certain what he meant by that as Geda pushed him inside town hall. He could be mayor, Geda thought slowly to himself, not quite believing everything that the mayor had to say, but what he had heard…he could manage that, right? It might not be so hard on him, considering his past experience, and certainly he could be a better mayor than this fellow here was.

  The Old Man couldn’t stop laughing as he crouched in the corner of an alleyway, not far from where Geda and the mayor were, though he managed to suppress the sound of it. That was one good thing about being immortal, and furtive to boot—you could see a lot more of the people and the world around you, and you could learn everything about them, and see the humorous side of life as well. He had a lot to write about these days with everything that he had observed and heard about in his long, long lifespan.

  He finally stopped laughing when he heard someone approach from the direction of the forest, and then he tried to shield himself as best he could with what little surrounded him, mostly trash and such left in the alleyway, until he heard a voice hiss, “Old Man.”

  The Old Man paused, and lifted his head. “Iibala?” He asked.

  “That’s me,” Iibala said, coming towards him.

  “You’re almost as good as my daughter Nisa when it comes to sneaking around.” He remarked.

  “I made too much noise again, didn’t I? Nisa commented on that.” Iibala said, stopping a short distance away from him.

  “Yes, you did. How did you know that I was here?” The Old Man asked. “You could not have spotted me like you have spotted Nisa before.” He said.

  “You are right about that, clever. I have this sense,” Iibala remarked, hesitating a moment, “Where I can feel death coming, and most of the time it’s strongest around those who are going to die or are dying. But sometimes I feel it like a faint, constant background noise, because everything and everyone is going to die eventually. It’s natural and it’s only a matter of time. But with you, and to a significantly lesser extent, Nisa, it’s like a void.” Iibala said. “I cannot sense death around you, Old Man, because you do not die. And though there is some death surrounding Nisa, as she is part mortal, it’s hardly as much as it is with others. She carries a smaller void with her, but it is a void nonetheless.”

  “A void.” The Old Man sighed, and shook his head. “I guess you can say that. What is it that you want, Iibala?” He asked.

  “You were there the other night, when Kala came,” Iibala cleared her throat, “And you were not really sleeping.” She said. “I know that you were awake then, but I was so stunned with what Kala was saying, and that she was there at all…I could not stay to speak with you, but I still want to speak with you.” She said.

  The Old Man sighed. “What more is there to speak about?” He asked, making a move to leave. “You already know so much more about what is happening here, more so than others, that I cannot say anything more to you that you do not already know about…”

  “No!” Iibala cried, trying to block him from leaving. “I might know that Basha is the tiger, I might know that Kala is a ghost who haunts us still, I might know some of Kala’s story, but I still don’t know enough about you. What are your secrets, Old Man? What else are you hiding from us? And…” Iibala inhaled, and quickly asked, “Is there any way that I can help you protect Basha from here, or do whatever else needs to be done in his absence?”

  The Old Man stopped, staring at her. “You are serious?” He asked.

  “I am serious. I want to help.” Iibala told him. “Not that long ago, I despised both you and Nisa after I learned that you both were putting Basha in danger, or at least letting him walk into it without interference.”

  “That’s…” The Old Man said, and then hesitated. “Partly true, but not entirely, not always,” He added.

  “But then I heard what Kala had to say, and I realized that part of what you do is for Basha’s benefit, to prevent him from knowing too much as you watch over him from afar.” Iibala said. “I do not agree with everything that you and Nisa do, but I can see that it is somewhat necessary for his survival and sanity.”

  “It’s nice to know that we are being appreciated.” The Old Man remarked.

  “I’ve been talking to Mirari the healer about training me and Sisila to use our powers, but I haven’t told her anything about you.” Iibala added, just in case the Old Man got the wrong idea. “I want to be ready to help you, if my powers are useful to you in any way, especially since Nisa is gone now, following after Basha and Oaka. You did send her after them, right?” Iibala asked.

  “Right,” The Old Man said, nodding slightly, still too stunned to say anything else.

  “Good to know.” Iibala said, nodding. “And you still have a way to contact her?”

  “Yes, although we don’t do it that often.” The Old Man remarked. “It takes a lot of magical power.”

  “You need magical powers?” Iibala asked. “Sisila and I have got some to spare!” She cried. “When do you need us?”

  “Iibala, listen, I will contact you when I need your help, I promise,” The Old Man said, holding his hands up, “But for now, everything is fine. My advice…-”

  “My father is not well.” Iibala said, frowning. “He got attacked by…”

  “I know, I know, but currently, Basha and Oaka are well.” The Old Man sighed. “It was unfortunate, what happened with your father, but currently, I do not need your help. If I need your help, and Sisila’s help, I will contact you both. For now, I suggest that the best thing you two can do is to take care of your father, help him get well, and train. Improve your abilities with your powers.”

  “That’s it?” Iibala asked.

  “That’s it, that’s all you need to do, for now. Nisa and I have a handle on things, for now, despite the misfortune of your father.” The Old Man remarked. “I will contact you if I ever need anything from either one of you,” He said, quickly leaving before Iibala could get another word in edgewise.

  Iibala frightened him, to be honest. She was an unknown quantity, or at least she was a troublesome distraction at times, interfering with his work, or trying to get more involved in it. She was even worse than Brigga and Nisa had been, combined. She wasn’t a Follower of Doomba trying to sabotage him, he was fairly certain of that, although he had been wrong in the past, like when it came to Smidge. For now, though, he would try to steer clear of her, and hopefully she would steer clear of him. Perhaps he had thrown her off a bit, with his refusal to acknowledge how bad things were with Sir Nickleby getting hurt, although he did not want to throw her off entirely, just in case he did need her help with…the Old Man groaned to himself. It was so hard these days, trying to interact with ordinary people. How did ordinary people go about doing it everyday? Of course, they interacted with each other everday on a regular basis, so maybe that might explain how commonplace it might seem to them. He needed more practice.

  Iibala felt offended and misused, in some sense, as the Old Man left her. She had wanted to get closer to the Old Man and Nisa in the past, to understand what was going on here with their stalking of Basha, but the more she found out, the more she was disturbed by the fact that these were the people who were guarding Basha and Oaka. Why couldn’t Basha and Oaka have better guards, considering what they were up against? Why couldn’t the Old Man and Nisa stop for a moment and realize that what they were doing was wrong?

  Iibala didn’t have a clue what she would do if it was up to her to protect Basha from Doomba’s minions, but for one thing, she wouldn’t do what the Old Man and Nisa were doing! She would allow him some freedom from constant surveillance, and she would allow him to…Iibala groaned to herself. She wanted
some reassurance that everything was well, that it was going to be all right, but nothing was well, was it? It was all so wrong. She just wanted everything to be normal again, but then again, nothing was ever normal, was it? It was all so very, very wrong.

  “You welcome the guests with a slight curtsy, and then you ask them to follow you to the table with a nice smile,” The hostess said, leading Jawen down the aisle of tables at the only restaurant in town. “Make sure to pick out a table for them to sit at that has just been cleaned, or looks nice and clean. People like that nowadays.” The hostess said, stopping at a table.

  “You may pull out a chair for the ladies, but not the gentlemen. Gentlemen like to sit themselves down.” The hostess said. “Be sure to warn a lady if her chair is going to be pulled out from under her with a question, ‘Would you like me to pull out your chair for you?’ Saves a bit of a headache now and again with upset ladies. Are you listening, Jawen?”

  “Yes, I am.” She said, nodding slowly. It was going to be her first day working at the restaurant after being hired yesterday. Not exactly her dream job, but all of the shops were either not hiring or thought she was not qualified enough to serve their customers. Basha would have probably said something funny about now. The restaurant would have to do for now. She wondered if Basha had ever tried to apply here.

  “Pull out the chair only after you’ve asked for their permission, and be sure to smile and curtsy whenever you lead guests to their tables. Be sure it’s nice and clean as well.” Jawen said, repeating the hostess’s instructions with a sigh. Jawen had moved in with Sisila a few days ago, after getting tired of hearing her father complain and insult Basha. She was adjusting to living on her own, or at least moving away from her family and living with a roommate in a cramped cottage in the poorest part of town. She just had to get used to it, until--until it got better, somehow. Hopefully a good job might help, or at least a job of some sort like this one.

  “Very good, Jawen,” The hostess said, walking off with Jawen right behind her. “You certainly are smart. Be sure to bring the menus from the hostess stand as well, as the guests need to know what they’re ordering just as much as you do. Some of the guests may say ‘the usual’ when you ask for their orders, because they don’t know that you’re new here and unaccustomed to taking their orders. You need to ask them exactly what they mean by that if you have a hard time understanding.”

  The bell hung over the door--an annoying contraption she knew instantly--rang and the hostess cried, “Customer! You better go serve him or her this very moment!” She shooed Jawen towards the front of the restaurant.

  Jawen hurried forward and grabbed a menu, curtseying and smiling at--Hastin, of all people on her very first day. He looked particularly well, not groomed like he might have been if he had expected to see her here, but perhaps he might have known somehow, and was trying to downplay this fact. “Welcome, we’re so glad you could join us for breakfast,” Jawen managed to say without dismay, leading Hastin to a clean table with a smile still fixed upon her face and wondering if Hastin was looking at her bottom when she couldn’t see him.

  “Did you see the mayor just now?” Hastin asked on the way over to the table. “He was running around naked again this morning, until Geda caught him.”

  “Hmm. No, I did not,” Jawen said, not looking back at him. “Though that probably was not a savory sight.”

  “You’re right about that.” Hastin sat down, and she placed a menu down on the table without looking at him until he grabbed her hand. “How are you, Jawen?” He asked.

  “Fine,” She said sharply, slipping her hand out of his grip and holding on to her smile. “Our special of the day--”

  “What are you doing here?” Hastin asked.

  “Working.” She said, and then continued, “Now, our special--”

  “Did your father kick you out?” He asked.

  “No, he did not, I left of my own accord.” Jawen gasped. “Where did you come up with such a thing?”

  “Some of the boys were talking. They said you were living with my sister. Is that true?”

  “Yes, it’s true, that’s one thing right.” Jawen scoffed.

  “How is she?” Hastin asked, concerned.

  “Sisila is fine, she’s managing,” Jawen said, glancing around to make sure the hostess was not listening to them. “She keeps yourself busy, you know, working on her sewing projects. It’s what she’s best at, her job as a seamstress. We don’t really talk that much about Basha or Oaka yet, it’s still too painful. She has been going out a lot by herself lately, but I think she just takes walks around the park or out into the fields to clear her head. Whatever she does, it seems to help her.”

  “That’s good to know.” Hastin said, slumping down a bit.

  “At least you do pay attention to her,” Jawen mutted, and continued, “Our speical of the day is two…”

  “It is not always easy, you know.” Hastin said. “I haven’t been the best big brother in the world, I’ll admit that, but Sisila has always been a bit of a free spirit. You can’t control or tame Sisila. She’ll just run wild on her own. Dating Oaka was just like her. She wanted to move out of the house on her own. Our father supported her because he knew it was best, so that she would understand what it was like to be free and independent. And it has helped her.” He said.

  “That doesn’t justify…she has been abandoned.” Jawen said. “I had to help her when Oaka left.”

  “Are you helping her, or is she helping you?” Hastin asked.

  “Don’t mock me like that.” Jawen said. “Our special for…”

  “I am not mocking you.” Hastin said. “I am as concerned for you as I am for Sisila.”

  Jawen stopped. “Thank you, Hastin.” She said softly, not quite believing it herself. She had told Hastin that she did not love him just before the Courtship ritual a few weeks ago, and he had left in a spate, but now here he was—moon-faced at her, and she was blushing at him. Get a grip, Jawen! She mentally yelled at herself. It had been a long ten days since Basha had left, and she was worried for him more than she could say as he remained lodged in her thoughts.

  Though Hastin’s concern for her was flattering, and he might care for her still, she knew that he was looking for the chance to comfort her in a less than chaste way. Basha would not approve if she strayed while he was away, performing this quest for her. This was her quest as much as it was his, not that she had asked for it--she had just accepted it. Jawen would not stray, fall under Hastin’s sway, if she could prevent it. She just had to remain strong for Basha, malakel it. How long did she have to wait for him to come back?

  The bell rang over the door again. “Oh, Hastin,” She said, sighing to herself. “Hold on a moment, I’m going to seat this customer, and then I’m going to take your order,” She said.

  Hastin blubbered, “But I…”

  “No buts! You took too long ordering, and now you’re going to have to wait!” Jawen insisted, leaving Hastin and going to the front of the restaurant.

  “Welcome, we’re so glad you could join us today,” Jawen said, curtseying before she grabbed a menu. “Our special for the day--” She started to say, but stopped when she turned around to face--“Sisila!” She hissed.

  “Hello, Jawen,” Sisila said, her voice low and miserable with eyelids drooping. “Could I speak to you for a moment?” Her hair was a mess, as if she had just gotten out of bed.

  “Your brother’s here.” Jawen said, wondering if Sisila might be interested in seeing him today. “Do you want to go sit by him?”

  “No, I don’t want to, I’ll only be here a moment.” Sisila said, a little stern as she shook her head. “I wanted to wish you good luck on your new job, and thank you for being a good friend these last couple of days.” She said, not quite convincingly when she wasn’t cheerful.

  “You’re welcome, Sisila. Is there anything else the matter?” Jawen asked, worried as she crossed her arms. “How are you doing today?”

  �
��To tell you the truth, I didn’t sleep well last night.” Sisila sighed. “Yesterday was sort of a bad day for me.” She said.

  “What’s the matter? What happened?” Jawen asked.

  “I’m not sure if it’s true.” Sisila whispered. “I heard something terrible and awful yesterday morning, and I’m not sure if it’s true. I don’t want it to be true, but she sounded so convinced, like she had seen--”

  “What are you talking about, Sisila?” Jawen asked, feeling like they were going around in circles. “Who told you such a terrible, awful thing?”

  Sisila looked up at her. “Iibala did. But I shouldn’t--”

  “Iibala?” Jawen gasped. “Sisila, don’t you dare listen to a word that woman has to say.”

  “But I didn’t…” Sisila started to say.

  “I don’t care what it is, but whatever it is, Iibala is only trying to upset you.” Jawen said, gripping Sisila by the shoulders. “It’s her way of getting back at you for having a loving, caring relationship, like the kind that woman can never enjoy.” Jawen scoffed at Iibala, shaking her head. “Do you remember what she did to me? It was only a couple of weeks ago that Iibala nearly drove a wedge between me and Basha, but I will never forgive her for that. Don’t you dare believe a word that woman has to say to you, she is only lying. You got me?” She asked.