Avondale

by Toby Neighbors

  She hung back from the massive structure that housed the noble family and their guests. The palace was surrounded by a short wall, but had wide gates on either side of the compound that were almost always open. People with business matters or political concerns often gathered in the manicured courtyard waiting to be called in to meet with the Earl or one of the many city administrators. It was nearly empty on holy days, and Lexi didn’t want to draw attention to herself, so she waited in a row of nearby shops, pretending to browse.

  When Tiberius came out of the palace, he was carrying a pack on one shoulder. He rarely carried anything other than a small pouch of coins and the bullwhip that Lexi considered a ridiculous weapon for anyone. She thought the whip coiled at his belt made him look silly. He was dressed like a noble, yet carried a servant’s tool rather than a fancy sword or bejeweled dagger.

  “Where are you off to?” she asked as she fell into step beside him.

  “What happened to you?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

  “It’s nothing,” Lexi said. “I tripped.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” Tiberius said. “I’ve had a belly full of lies lately. I can’t stand any more.”

  “What’s got you in such a grumpy mood?”

  “Nothing,” Tiberius said, trying to change the subject back to her. “Are you going to tell me what happened to your eye?”

  “I already did.”

  “Are you going to tell me the truth?” he asked.

  “Fine, I’ll tell you, but only if you tell me what’s wrong with you.”

  “Who said anything was wrong with me?”

  “You did. You said you’ve had a belly full of lies,” she said in a mocking tone.

  “Don’t do that,” he said.

  “Sorry, but I can tell you’re upset. So spill it.”

  “I guess you heard what happened on the wall yesterday?” he asked.

  “I’ve heard bits and pieces,” Lexi said. “Someone fell off the wall and the Earl’s son saved the day.”

  “That someone was Rafe,” Tiberius said.

  “Your friend?”

  “Yes, we were hunting a pack of Graypees.”

  “What are Graypees?” Lexi asked.

  “They’re animals,” Tiberius explained. “Sort of like big lizards, the size of a horse. They’re pretty nasty.”

  “Why would you hunt them?”

  “For their hides,” Tiberius said. “The hides are worth a lot of money.”

  “But you’re already rich.”

  “I’m not rich, my father is and my brother will be. I’m nothing, just an annoyance that needs to go away. But the hides aren’t really about money. Only a few of the most skilled warriors in Avondale have ever killed a Graypee. Rafe and I used to pretend we were hunting them as kids. We had a whole plan worked out. It’s actually pretty rare that they come close to the wall, so when Rafe found a pack of them, he sent for me. We were just about to try and harpoon one, but we didn’t know one had climbed up the wall. It attacked Rafe, and he fought it off, but lost his balance and fell off the wall onto the far side.”

  “So Rafe really fell off the wall?”

  “Yes, and I climbed down the rope and saved him. But Leonosis and my father convinced Rafe to lie about it. They spread the story that Leonosis saved Rafe and killed both of the Graypees.”

  “You killed two of them?” Lexi asked, her voice sounding a little too incredulous.

  “I could have,” Tiberius said angrily, his voice rising. “But in the end I killed one and held off the pack with my whip. Rafe killed the other one.”

  “Okay,” Lexi said slowly. “I can see why that would make you angry.”

  “I’m not angry,” Tiberius said. “I’m furious. My father and brother think they can do whatever they want and just get away with it because of their position. It isn’t fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair,” Lexi said.

  “Look,” Tiberius suddenly whirled to face her. “The last thing I need is a bunch of platitudes right now. Killing that Graypee was the biggest accomplishment of my life. They stole it from me. If all you want to do is preach me a sermon, you can save it. I’ll find a place to hide my stuff without you.”

  Lexi stared at Tiberius for a moment. She had never seen him so angry before. She didn’t like him taking his anger out on her, but she also empathized with him. She hadn’t meant to make things worse, so she apologized.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you further. I really was trying to help.”

  He immediately calmed down, in fact he looked like a sail that had lost all its wind.

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry too.”

  He turned and started walking again. They moved for a while in silence. Lexi felt sorry for him, but she had no idea what she could do to change the situation. Finally she realized that even though she couldn’t change things, she could do one thing that might help.

  “So,” she said, “tell me what really happened.”

  Tiberius glanced at her to see if she was being sincere or just teasing again. Then his eyes lit up as he told her the whole story. When Tiberius told her about using magic to heal Rafe, Lexi got an uneasy feeling. She hadn’t been raised like most people. She had lost her parents at a very young age, and she’d been fighting and scraping to survive most of her life. She had never gone to any type of school, but even she had heard stories of how the wizards of old had used powerful magic to cause the cataclysm that had nearly destroyed every living thing in Valana. She had no qualms about breaking the law, but practicing magic seemed especially dangerous. Still, she decided that telling Ti how she felt about magic would only make things worse, so she kept that thought to herself. They were almost to the bottom level of the city when Tiberius finally finished his tale.

  “So what now?” she asked. “You can’t just let your brother get away with telling everyone he saved Rafe.”

  “I don’t have much choice since Rafe is going along with Leonosis’ story.”

  “But why would he do that? There must be a reason.”

  “If he has a reason,” Tiberius said bitterly. “He hasn’t shared it with me.”

  “Have you spoken to him?”

  “No,” Tiberius admitted. “I’m still trying to decide what to do.”

  “Whether to confront him or not?” she asked.

  “No, it’s not just that. There’s a lot going on right now.”

  They came to a gate that led out onto the terraced fields where the crops for Avondale were grown. The fields sloped down toward a long grassy plain. Beyond that, a thick forest grew, surrounding the great cold lake at the heart of the bowl-shaped mountaintop. They found some old boxes beside the wall and sat down.

  “The King is coming,” Tiberius said.

  “To Avondale?”

  “Yes,” Tiberius said. “Leonosis said he had a surprise in store for Rafe when the King arrives. I can’t imagine what it would be.”

  “Is he going to promote Rafe?”

  “No, he made it sound like it would be bad, as if I would feel vindicated somehow.”

  “Oh,” Lexi said.

  She didn’t like the secretive plotting and constant backstabbing that went on among the nobles and the people at court. It seemed petty and underhanded, even to someone who frequently broke the law to survive.

  “I don’t know if I should warn him or just let him get what’s coming to him,” Tiberius said.

  “I guess you have to do what you can live with,” she said. “No matter what happens to Rafe, you have to live with your decisions.”

  “You’re right,” he said, nodding. “So, are you going to tell me what happened to your eye?”

  “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said.

  “Someone tried to hurt you,” he said, his voice rising.

  “It’s nothing,” she said.

  He touched her face and for a moment she felt butterflies in her stomach. He was looking at her eye,
but he was leaning closer and closer. Lexi’s body stiffened. She felt scared and angry, she had to fight her feelings of resentment for all the people who had confessed to love her and then left her all alone.

  “What are you doing?” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

  “I’m looking at your eye,” he said, matching her tone.

  She knew he meant to do more than just look at her black eye. He was going to kiss her and she suddenly stood up and stepped back.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, clearly concerned.

  “No,” she said.

  “Then what’s wrong?” he asked as he moved closer to her.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing,” she said.

  He smiled. “Actually, I do.”

  “No,” she said turning away from him again.

  “Lexi,” he said, taking hold of her arm.

  She spun away, her hand coming up to break his hold on her and one leg lashing out to sweep his feet out from under him. He fell to the ground with a thud and lay in the dirt looking up at her with surprise.

  “What the hell?” he said loudly.

  “Don’t grab me,” she said.

  “I wasn’t going to hurt you,” he said.

  “That’s not true.”

  “I was going to kiss you,” he said as he got to his feet. “Is that so bad?”

  “What makes you think you can just kiss me?” she demanded.

  “How about all the time we’ve spent together? I know you feel something for me.”

  “Don’t do that. Don’t suppose you know what I’m thinking or feeling. You don’t know me that well.”

  “I know you, Lexi. I even admire you. I wish I was more like you.”

  “You have no idea,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “You really want to know what happened with my eye?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “And what are you going to do about it?” she asked.

  He looked shocked for a moment, then his jaw flexed.

  “I’ll hunt down whoever did it and make them pay for what they did.”

  Lexi couldn’t help but laugh. Not because she didn’t believe that Tiberius was capable of doing what he had proposed, but because he couldn’t really fathom her world at all.

  “You’re too late,” she said.

  “What? Why?”

  “Because…” she said, hesitating, not sure how he would respond if she told him the truth.

  “Because why?” he insisted.

  “You don’t want to know,” she said. “You’re the Earl’s son. You’ll be a Paladin soon. You like to play around with me, flirt a little, go to the seedier parts of the city and pretend you don’t live in the palace, but the truth is you’ll never understand me or the world I live in.”

  “What does that have to do with the bastard that hurt you?”

  “It has everything to do with it,” she said loudly.

  “Tell me what happened,” he said stepping close.

  “No,” she said.

  “Tell me!”

  She looked him in the eye. Then she made her decision and closed her eyes for a second.

  “Are you going to tell me or what?” he said.

  “I killed them,” she said quietly.

  “What?”

  “I said, I killed them, Tiberius. Two men attacked me, tried to rob me, and would have done worse.”

  His face was pale as he thought about what she said.

  “Still want to kiss me, Tiberius?” she said cynically. “Still want to slum around with your secret friend Lexi?”

  “Don’t say that,” he said. “It’s not funny.”

  “I’m not joking,” she said.

  “You killed a man.”

  “I killed two men. I left them dead in the street.”

  “You killed them?”

  “You’re damn right I did,” she stepped close. “So, what do you do now? Are you going to report me, arrest me?”

  “I…” his voice trailed off.

  “That’s what I thought,” she said, a half-hearted laugh tried to cover her disappointment.

  She was about to turn away when he suddenly stepped forward. His hands cradled her face and then he was kissing her. She pulled away.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing,” she threatened.

  “Maybe not, but I don’t care.”

  “I’m not some palace servant you can fool around with and then move on.”

  “Why do you think I’m so shallow?” he asked.

  “What should I expect?” she retorted. “You’re going to be a Paladin. They aren’t allowed to marry or even be with women.”

  “I’m not,” Tiberius said, suddenly struggling to find words.

  “Not what?” she asked.

  “I’m not going to be a Paladin. I’m leaving the city. You can come with me.”

  “You’re leaving Avondale?” she asked in surprise.

  “No,” he said. “I’m leaving the city. I’m going to find a place in the forest. I can heal people, and hunt. We can trade for anything we need. You won’t have to fight for your life anymore.”

  “You think it’s that easy?” she said angrily. “You think you can just decide to move into the forest and everything will be fine? You’ll freeze your foolish self to death, or go running back to palace before you’ve been gone a week.”

  “No I won’t,” he said angrily.

  “And you think I’ll just go with you, like some lovesick little girl.”

  “I just thought…”

  “No, you didn’t think. I’m not an airheaded courtier who just wants to land a rich husband and have servants take care of everything for me.”

  “I never thought that about you,” he shouted.

  They stared at each for a long moment, before Lexi spoke.

  “So that’s what’s in the pack? Your clothes, food, money? Everything you need to start a new life now that you’ve decided to leave the palace.”

  “Some of it,” Tiberius said. “I was going to stash it here and bring the rest later.”

  “You aren’t leaving,” Lexi said tauntingly. The challenge in her voice clear.

  “Yes, I am. I would leave today, but I just found out about the King and Rafe.”

  “They’ll hunt you down,” Lexi said. “You’re the Earl’s son. You can’t honestly believe they’ll just let you disappear.”

  “They would be relieved if I just disappeared,” Tiberius said bitterly. “They don’t care about me. I thought Rafe and I were friends, but he stabbed me in the back. I don’t belong at the temple. I never wanted to be a Paladin. All I want is to learn magic and be with you.”

  He said the last words with such conviction that Lexi hesitated for an instant, unsure what to say.

  “I want to be with you, Lexi,” he continued. “I don’t know what took me so long to make up my mind. I guess I just never really thought I could have what I wanted. But I know I want this. I want to leave the city. I want to make a life with you.”

  “As a wizard?” she asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” he said, trying to sound firm in his conviction.

  “You’ll be the most wanted man in all of Valana.”

  “So? Are you saying that you don’t break the law?” he challenged. “You know how to avoid the Paladins. I can learn to do it too.”

  “I can avoid the Paladins because they aren’t looking for me. The whole city will be looking for you. They’ll post rewards for information about you. You’ll be hunted no matter where you go. You could never show your face to another person again as long as you live.”

  “You’re exaggerating,” Tiberius said.

  “No, I’m not. Wizardry is the one crime everyone in the entire realm agrees on.”

  “Not everyone. Not me, not… Rafe,” he said, emotion making his voice crack. “Not you.”

  They stood staring at each other for a long time. Then, before the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks could betray he
r emotions, she ran back up into the city and left him standing alone.

  Chapter 17

  Rafe

  The entire palace was buzzing with the news that King Aethel’s airship was approaching. Rafe had personally stood watch on the great watchtower since dawn. As far at Rafe could remember, the King had only visited Avondale once in the young warrior’s lifetime. It had been a grand spectacle, with feasts and revelry for the entire visit. Word was spreading throughout the city as well, and from his place high atop the watchtower he could see the townsfolk scurrying to hang decorations and prepare for what amounted to a massive holiday.

  It wasn’t unusual for the Earl, in a display of his wealth and generosity, to give gifts to the masses, usually of food and spirits. There would be carousing and drinking late into the night, revelers would fill the streets, and the city would sparkle like a jewel until the King’s great airship sailed away.

  Rafe strained his eyes, looking to the north for the King’s ship to appear in the bright sky. It was always exciting to see the elegant airships, but that was only part of the reason that Rafe had volunteered to stand watch. There was a big part of the young warrior that didn’t want to see Tiberius. He had been friends with the Earl’s youngest son all their lives, and while Rafe looked forward to many glorious exploits, he knew that Tiberius would probably never match the accomplishment of slaying the Graypee and rescuing Rafe. Tiberius was strong, but physical conflicts did not come naturally to him. Nor did weapons of war, but Rafe could wield a sword, spear, battle axe, or mace with almost unmatched skill. Tiberius was only really good with his whip, which was more of a cattleman’s tool, than a weapon.

  It made Rafe sad to realize that by agreeing to the Earl’s false account of what happened with the Graypees, he was essentially betraying Tiberius, but Rafe had little choice in the matter. Leonosis was going to do whatever he wanted, and opposing him was career suicide for Rafe, perhaps even life threatening. And Rafe tried to rationalize his decision by acknowledging that Tiberius had healed Rafe’s back using magic. Rafe wanted to believe that Tiberius’ disregard for what was considered the first and most sacred law of the realm essentially forfeited his right to claim his kill or have anyone acknowledge his daring rescue. Yet it was that same crime that had saved Rafe’s life. How could he fault Tiberius for using magic to save Rafe from a life as a crippled invalid at best, and what was much more likely death from his fall at worst?