Sword & Flame: The Sara Featherwood Adventures ~ Volume Two

by Guy Antibes

  The doors were massive iron things, perhaps fifty feet high and twenty-five feet wide. They stood open as traffic streamed in and out. Greased rails were embedded in the stone to ease the movement of the sturdy wheels at the bottom the gates.

  “You can find your way back, Miss?” Willa waited for her to nod. “If you can, I’ll attend to some errands.” She quickly turned to her left and nearly ran across the street. The woman moved quite well for one her age.

  The wind continued to blow, but Sara found a protected wall where the sun actually warmed the surface. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

  “Klark!” She turned around a found herself face-to-face with Doctor Perry Hedge, her former mentor at the Women’s School and co-creator of percussive powder. “Doctor Hedge, I was expecting Klark.”

  Hedge’s mouth turned down. “Is that any way to treat an old colleague?” His face brightened. “Klark hadn’t quite finished a report and sent me out to fetch you. I’ll take you inside.” He took Sara by the elbow and they walked through the massive gate and into the palace grounds of the Kingdom of Parthy.

  “I didn’t come dressed for the palace,” she said, flashing her coat open to reveal a navy blue muslin dress. At least the frock adhered to current Parth styles.

  Hedge did the same, to reveal a rumpled suit and wrinkled shirt without a tie. “I didn’t either. Don’t worry. We’ll be far from court.” He took her to the left and up a winding stone staircase that hugged the palace walls. The stone didn’t appear as white on this side. The steps wound up and up and the walls were every bit as tall as she thought. Once at the top, Hedge stopped.

  “The view from up here is rather nice, for newcomers.” He paused to let Sara take in the endless fields of stone and tile roofs poking up at different levels. The smoke from countless fires created a misty look to the scene.

  “Parth goes out as far as one can see.”

  Hedge chuckled. “From here anyway. Your house is…” he scanned the houses and pointed. “The one with the triple chimney. Do you see it?”

  Sara nodded. “I thought we were so far from the palace, but from this vantage point, Lady Worthy’s house is very close.”

  “Indeed. All of the nobles live close to the palace. If it were me, I’d be living at the edges. Do you see that group of spires over there?” He pointed off to his right. Seven or eight towers poked up from the other roofs some distance away. “That’s the University. I used to live over there. For now I’ve been given rooms in the palace grounds between Northcross and my laboratory.”

  “So they’ve let you continue to work, after all. I thought Lord Northcross had decided to keep you out of the development.”

  Hedge shrugged. “Misdirection. I still am working on the project, for now. He has others trained to take my place, but that’s Northcross for you. Everything has to have back-up plans, even the back-up plans.” He laughed and pulled his coat tighter. “What do you have planned for Winter’s Rise?”

  “Working with Grianna Worthy. I’d rather do that than wander around an empty school. I did that last year and I didn’t enjoy it.”

  They turned down another stairway from the wall and then up to what looked like a little town. “Welcome to Lord Northcross’ domain. Klark and I share a little townhouse. There’s even a restaurant that isn’t half bad, close by. Five thousand people live in the palace confines.”

  Sara was sure she looked as shocked as she felt. “It’s bigger than Belting Hollow!”

  “It is indeed. However none of them bear you any ill will. At least not yet, Miss Featherwood. Here we are.” They turned into a little alley and Hedge unlocked the door of a narrow three-story row house and let Sara in first. “Keys are still a good idea.” He turned and called up the stairs. “Klark? Are you back yet? I’ve brought your package.”

  They walked into a cozy sitting room. Behind it was a table barely large enough for the six chairs that surrounded it and a kitchen of sorts. A stairway led up to another floor. Sara heard the rush of steps and Klark ran down the stairs. “Thanks, Hedge,” Klark said. “We share this little place. There’s another floor with room for a few more, but right now, it’s just us.” He grinned. “How was your trip to Parth?”

  “I had an excellent coachman and we had perfect weather. I arrived a day early. So this is where you do your spying?”

  Klark put his finger to his lips and put on a conspiratorial face. “Don’t mention the word—even the walls have ears. Actually I wouldn’t call my work with the Duke spying. I’m more of a servant, as it turns out. I run messages and complete errands. But I’m here in the heart of it all.” He put out his arms. “Parth.”

  Sara pursed her lips. “I’m not as excited as you, but this certainly looks like as nice a place as any to endure the hardships of the capital.” They all laughed.

  “I missed you Sara.” His eyes brightened when she took off her coat and revealed the carriage necklace. “You wore it.”

  “I have it on every day. There’s no telling when I might need to blow the whistle.” She put the carriage to her lips and blew. Hedge clapped his hands to his ears. “Why look! You’re here, Klark,” Sara said and they all laughed. It felt wonderful to be among friends.

  “You didn’t tell me this was a family heirloom,” Sara said.

  Klark colored. “How did you find out?”

  “Anton took me for a tour of Stonebridge and I wanted to see your shop. It’s a worker’s palace.”

  “Well, my family has been successful for the last few centuries and my father has really increased the business. You know, there aren’t many of those little things, but I thought you deserved one. See? It brought you to me. I told you we might meet in Parth.” Sara loved the grin on his face.

  “So why do I have to come to you rather than you calling on me at Lady Worthy’s?” Sara sat down.

  Klark lifted his eyebrows. “I wanted to lure you here to talk a bit more freely about your visit to Stonebridge as well as seeing you again. Did anything seem odd?”

  “Ah. You are a spy.” Sara smiled to let him know she wasn’t offended. “There were a few strange things. Let me think back.” She sat back in her seat and put her head back against the back and closed her eyes. “I remember lots of soldiers camped outside of the city. More than I would have thought—not permanent barracks, but tents. I met the Grand Duke and Duke Goldfields.”

  “Goldfields! I wouldn’t have thought you would be presented at court when he attended. How long were you in Stonebridge?”

  “I arrived late one day and left early in the morning after a day touring the city with Anton Rider. He told me to be observant. The Duke knew all about me. Lord Northcross had been through Stonebridge and must have told him about the adventures in Belting Hollow. I can tell you two things. He is expectant of great things—great things for Shattuk Downs. I found that a bit odd. And I spotted Doctor Miller from Obridge, you know the Belonnian language professor, talking to both Dukes as they left the buffet Anton and I attended. It was all a whirlwind, but I’m afraid that was all I could catch. Anton seems to be harried. I don’t think he’s on perfect terms with the Grand Duke.”

  Hedge looked at Klark. “More confirmation.”

  “Confirmation about what?” Sara said.

  “Troubles in Shattuk Downs. Lord Northcross thinks it’s going to erupt in rebellion.”

  Sara snorted. “The people don’t want a rebellion.”

  “West is still at large. We think he slipped over the North Downs pass and has been in Parth for some time. In fact, there are rumors about him being seen with Lady Worthy,” Klark said.

  “Ridiculous. The lady is feckless, but I didn’t see any evidence of rebels boarded in her house,” Sara said.

  “Like Anton said, be observant. We will stay in touch.” Klark touched her and Sara flinched. “See?” He laughed and Sara smiled at the joke. It relieved some of the tension in the room. “So what are you doing for Winter’s Rise? It begins next week.”

  �
��I would like to work on the project, but already, Lady Worthy goes off on all kinds of social engagements leaving me to myself.”

  “I think we can remedy that. Would you mind a tour of Parth while she is away? Lord Northcross would rather me not make her acquaintance yet. Your presence and willingness to keep us informed will help there, not that we expect anything, but I told you that Lord Northcross is a thorough man.”

  Sara curled a strand of her hair around her finger as she thought. “Lady Worthy’s housekeeper is a woman that I think I can trust. She led me to the South Gate. Perhaps she could leave messages there?”

  “There is a letter box just inside the gate. I’ll show it to you when you leave the palace grounds. She can leave any message there and I’ll have it within an hour.” Klark rubbed his hands. “Now are you hungry enough for something to eat at one of our local restaurants? The food is nearly as good asThe Purple Pig, but a bit more expensive, I’m sorry to say. Everything in Parth is.”

  Sara plucked up her new dress. “I already know that. I’d love to.” She felt a thrill at the prospect of a meal with Klark.

  Hedge begged off the meal and claimed that he had to get back to his lab, leaving Klark and Sara by themselves. They hurried in the cold to the restaurant and easily found seats in the late afternoon.

  “I’m glad to see you, Klark. I missed you at school.” There. Sara said it. She tried to be level-headed while she talked, but her attraction to him seemed to affect her thinking.

  “Me, too. Really. I didn’t think I’d see you for some time. It wouldn’t be never, because I would have come to see you in Obridge during the Summer Break before the Fall term starts at the University. I’m to be presented to the King after Winter’s Rise and that will verify my noble birth. If you’re noble, they always find a place for you at the University.”

  “Certainly you’re smart enough to get in, based on your own merits at Obridge.”

  Klark pressed his lips together. “There is a bias against Shattuk Downs students. It’s gotten worse in the last few years. Hedge says that this kind of thing ebbs and flows. If the King accepts my birth, then I can’t be denied entry coupled with my two Firsts at Tarrey College. That’s just the way it is.”

  “I wonder if I could get in?” Sara said. A male server halted their conversation. They both ordered; coffee for Klark and tea for Sara with some pastries. She asked for a bit of chocolate.

  “Chocolate, eh? That’s a recent intrusion into traditional Parth culture.”

  “I find that I have a taste for the candy. Now could I get in as a noble woman?”

  “You’re a Goldagle, so your birth couldn’t be an impediment, but they don’t allow women. That’s why the Women’s College is so important. I think it’s a great idea, but most of us from Obridge would, since we’ve seen the benefits of a mixed school.”

  “Duke Goldfields made it a point to tell me that I am the last of the Goldagles. That would make Seb and Enos the last, as well. Perhaps when they grow up, they’ll have a claim to the title. I didn’t tell you before, but I don’t know if it means anything.”

  Klark squinted his eyes in thought. Sara found it enchanting. “You should do some research at the University on it. Hedge knows the Royal Genealogist. His offices are at the University Library. Maybe he can introduce you.”

  Sara’s thoughts turned to her father and family. Klark touched her hand.

  “Hey there, you went all silent.”

  She gave him a weak smile and felt rescued when their light meal had arrived.

  ~~~

  Chapter Six

  An Old Friend in Town

  The sun had barely gone down when Willa let Sara through the front door. “I see you must have found your young friend. Who was the older man?” It appeared that Willa had been observing her, rather than running off, after all.

  “Hedge. He shares a little townhouse on the palace grounds with my friend.” Sara wouldn’t mention any more of Hedge’s duties. What made Willa so nosy?

  “You can’t be too sure in Parth, Miss. Some things are right and others just aren’t as they seem.” Sara let Willa take off her coat in the welcoming warmth of the house.

  “I know that the cold is genuine, Willa. Is Lady Worthy in?”

  The housekeeper pursed her lips as she hung up Sara’s coat in a closet. “Another night out with a different set of friends. She gives you her apologies. Perhaps you can spend some more time with the project. I’m afraid not much will be accomplished until after Winter’s Rise. My ladyship celebrates a great deal.”

  Sara headed for the library, but turned around. “Willa, would you join me for dinner in the library? I think I need an objective opinion about the project.”

  Willa’s eyes brightened. “If you think I would be of some assistance, I would be very pleased to fulfill your request. When would you like to dine?”

  “Perhaps in two hours.” Sara looked at the clock. “Two and one half hours, but I would like a little tea.”

  Sara walked into the library. A fire already burned in the fireplace and she lit all of the lamps in the room. She went to her work on the table and began to clear some of the stacks. She read through the material more closely and shook her head. The approach didn’t make sense to her. Banna would never approve of the Women’s College organization that Grianna had intended. The finances were even worse, how could Grianna be this naive? Sara didn’t think of herself as particularly sophisticated, but she did have experience as an observant student in an institute of higher learning. Did Grianna even review this work with anybody?

  She couldn’t understand the financial plan until Sara realized that there was an intentional leak in the flow of money. These were more carefully crafted than she first thought since she realized that someone had developed a scheme to embezzle significant funds from the Women’s College, close to fifty thousand gold crowns over five years. If Grianna had her money and that left by Lord Worthy, then why did she need to play such a dangerous game with the Women’s College finances?

  “Dinner, miss.” Willa stepped in with a tray, followed by one of the maids.

  “Set it up on the table. I think I’ve cleared sufficient papers,” Sara said, looking at the stacks of documents to either side of where they would eat.

  Willa set up a chair opposite Sara and set the table and then dismissed the maid. Sara fidgeted with her hands before she started to eat. It appeared that Willa would only start after her. Sara needed to trust this woman and she pondered the risk of trusting Willa. A bit of doubt bloomed in her mind, but the woman’s very appearance in the library indicated that she was more than she seemed. Sara began to eat and then Willa began on her dinner.

  “I’ve been through these stacks. I believe that most of these papers are not in Lady Grianna’s handwriting. Am I correct?” Sara said.

  Willa gave a sideways look at Sara and picked up a paper from the top of a stack. “This is not my lady’s handwriting. It belongs to a middle-aged man. He has blond hair that’s thinning. He wears spectacles and limps with his right leg.”

  It didn’t take much for Sara to make the connection. “His name is West,” Sara said. Chills ran down her spine. So the rumors Klark told her were correct. “Has he been here often?”

  “Often enough. My lady lets him in when she thinks all of the servants have gone to bed and lets him out herself. It so happens that I’m a light sleeper.” Willa put a forkful of potatoes in her mouth. “He must have written most of these documents, Miss, since it looks like most of this is in his handwriting,” she said flipping through a couple of stacks.

  “It is. I personally know Doctor West. He taught political theory at Obridge and is a thoroughly evil man. If you must know, the knife that I have strapped to my leg is responsible for his limp. I’m glad to know that my wound didn’t properly heal.”

  “Yes, Miss.” Willa peered into Sara’s eyes. Her gaze made Sara uncomfortable. “I believe every word you say.”

  That level of t
rust unsettled her, but she continued. “Could you have any idea why there is a large discrepancy in the funding for the school? There are planned payments made to various consultants who, as far as I can tell, provide no value in return.”

  “It appears that my lady is showing her unreasonable trust, Miss. I’ve informed you already about her proclivity towards being led astray. I don’t believe she knows about the funds.”

  It was Sara’s turn to look into Willa’s eyes. “How do you propose that we proceed?”

  “It’s not for me to say, Miss Featherwood.”

  “Call me Sara, Willa. It will make our conversations somewhat more productive.” Sara couldn’t last much longer under the onslaught of Willa’s precise formality.

  “As you wish, Sara.” The woman smiled and sat back. She was very comfortable with herself and this impressed Sara. “I suggest that you start anew. Perhaps, you might say that the papers were too disorganized to become the basis of a presentation to the king and that you’d like to re-do them. You might throw something in about Practical Mathematics. My lady is very influenced by authority.”

  “That matches with what I thought, so that’s what I will do, but I will follow your advice and start after Winter’s Rise, with Lady Grianna’s permission. Yes, a fresh start and I think I know enough that we can get a proposal ready for Banna’s review in less time than every one plans.” Sara had developed a proper vision of the College as she had critiqued West’s work. She found herself wanting to prolong her stay in Parth. Klark’s face came to mind—more time with him.

  At lunch the next day, Grianna arrived in her filmy robe. She begged off of the food and admitted to an upset stomach.

  “I’ve looked at your work. It doesn’t fit the style of a Practical Mathematician. I wonder if we might be more productive if we started from the beginning and restated the current concepts. Perhaps right after Winter’s Rise.”

  Grianna’s eyes brightened. “You mean you don’t mind if we just enjoy the holidays?”