Ebudae

by Carroll, John H.

“Oh no. You’re pretty ladies and very nice. They’ll like you. Lizor likes you.” He flexed his chest muscles again.

  “Is this wise?” Ebudae whispered in Pelya’s ear opposite from the big man. “It could be a trap and I’m not sure him liking you is a good thing.”

  Pelya turned her head toward Ebudae and whispered back. “We need to get out of the sun. He’s harmless. Trust me on this one.”

  Ebudae looked at Lizor dubiously. The giant looked anything but harmless. She was sure the muscles on his fingers were bigger than her arms and he might squish her like a bug.

  Carnival had numerous courtyards surrounded by stages, each of which had a tent for its performers. There was usually a statue or fountain in the center and benches surrounding it for audiences to sit. Each troupe of performers would take turns throughout the day and night so as not to interfere with each other. Carnival managers sold the time slots and handled any disputes.

  It was to one of those courtyards that Lizor took them. People wilting in the heat were sitting on a few of the benches, fanning themselves in vain attempts to get cool. There was a show with a decent audience at the far end, but afternoon in the summertime was one of the worst time slots for Carnies to have.

  “And this is our home,” Lizor said with a wide sweep of his arm at a large green and red checkered tent. The wooden stage in front was wide with tall, canvas paintings of countrysides used as a backing. Lizor led them past the stage into a walkway between his tent and the one next to it. A flap in the middle served as an entrance. He used that to step inside, leaving the girls to follow. Pelya looked back and shrugged. Ebudae stared at her fearfully. It was a fact that every woman in Dralin got kidnapped, at least that was the way it seemed from all the stories her grandmother had told her.

  The only reason she went in was because she refused to let go of Pelya’s belt. Then she felt the cool air and decided that perhaps being kidnapped wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have to go back into the heat.

  The tent was a riot of colors inside. There were carpets and mats on the floor with countless pillows for sleeping and eating. Small paintings and tapestries hung from the canvas walls. Two wooden poles held the tent up, with the middle just high enough for Lizor to stand without touching his head. To the right were three people around an ornate hookah with a porcelain bottom. Smoke bubbled out the top of it.

  “Lizor, who did you bring?” A woman gracefully rose to her feet and stepped forward. Her auburn hair flowed in waves down her back. She outlined her dark-green eyes with black makeup and colored her lids with green eye shadow, while bright-red lipstick covered full lips. Piercings dotted her ears, one eyebrow and the right side of the upper lip. But the most striking feature was a tattoo of thin green scrollwork along her left jaw from the chin all the way to where it wrapped around her ear. She wore a tight yellow blouse and black leggings. She was one of the most beautiful women Ebudae had ever seen.

  “Lizor has brought pretty ladies who need shade.” He gestured grandly at the girls and then became distracted by his biceps, which he began flexing.

  “We’ve talked about this, Lizor. The pretty ladies might be nice to you every once in a while, but they won’t want to marry you or be your girlfriend,” the woman admonished.

  That didn’t make Ebudae feel any better about entering the tent. She didn’t want to be anyone’s wife or girlfriend at the moment, let alone the brute’s.

  “I know. They don’t think Lizor sexy even with all of his magnificent muscles. But these pretty ladies are nice and they need shade.”

  “Alright, Lizor,” the woman said. She turned to Pelya and Ebudae. “Hello. I’m Aphry. If you’re not intent on harming anyone, then you’re welcome to join us for a short while.”

  Ebudae had decided earlier to let Pelya do all the talking. It would be easier that way. Her warrior friend obliged. “My name is Pelya and this is Ebudae. We have no intention of harming anyone.” She gestured toward Lizor who was next to her. “Lizor has been wonderful and we greatly appreciate everything. As soon as we cool off a bit, we’ll be out of your hair.”

  A blonde man with thick beard and mustache spoke in a ringing voice that filled the tent. Ebudae felt herself drawn to it as though compelled to listen. “Pelya. That’s an unusual name.” He tilted his head in thought and picked on a string of a well-used lute in his lap. “There’s a girl by that name who’s being raised in the City Guard. I’ve never heard of it otherwise.” Ebudae looked for any sign of a spell or charm, but when the colorfully dressed man spoke, it became clear that he drew attention to himself through charisma.

  Aphry raised an eyebrow. “Are you her?”

  Ebudae felt Pelya’s muscles tighten, but her friend answered anyway. “I am. My father does the best he can and I’ll suffer the heat outside if you speak ill of him.” Ebudae noticed that Pelya became more defensive of her father with each passing year and knew the condemnation of strangers had been getting to her friend.

  The reaction surprised their hosts. “Peace. It is not my intention to speak ill of him or anyone,” Aphry said in a calm voice. “Join us. We have food, wine and smoke if you will.”

  “Yes.” The word that came out of her mouth surprised Ebudae, but the performers didn’t seem like sinister criminals intent on doing them harm. They were interesting and in spite of her reclusiveness, Ebudae desperately wanted friends.

  Pelya smiled at Ebudae over her shoulder and then looked back at the others. “Yes. We’d love to join you.”

  They sat on soft, colorful pillows around the hookah. Pelya was on Ebudae’s left and a baldheaded man with tattoos covering his head was on her right. When offered the smoking tube, both girls refused. Numerous things could be smoked from one, some legal and others not. They were common in most houses throughout Dralin and most large cities in the world of Ryallon. Ebudae hated them. Her grandmother had made her smoke the rare times company had come over and it was foul. It also made her mind foggy, a feeling Ebudae despised.

  They did accept the offered wine in addition to grabbing apricots. Both young women were accustomed to wine, because it was a common drink for most occasions. Normally, they were only allowed small amounts, such as a glass with dinner, so as not to become intoxicated.

  “It’s interesting to hear you defend your father. Mine beat me and I’d not defend his name for anything.” The minstrel struck a sour chord as he spoke. “Pardon, so rude of me, my name is Glav.” He flashed brilliant white teeth at them. A piercing decorated one of his eyebrows and rows of earrings travelled the outside of his ear from lobe to top. Tattoos peaked out from the collar and sleeves of his shirt.

  Ebudae admitted to herself that he was very handsome, a fact that made her distrust the man. Her mother had run away with a handsome, charismatic man or so grandmother had said.

  “It happens to be my job to play songs for my partner, tell people how brilliant my companions are and then, perhaps, to elicit a laugh or two.” Glav’s long fingers constantly brushed against the strings. An instrument consisting of two rows of pipes, called a siku, hung from his neck. With a hand, he indicated the olive-skinned man sitting on Ebudae’s right. She had been watching him manipulate six silver pieces between his fingers and it was mesmerizing her. “Our overly quiet friend here is Juggles, master of playing with his balls.”

  Ebudae blushed and looked down at her hands in her lap. She knew what the reference meant and had read some of those erotic books from the ruins, but to hear someone say something so brazenly, shocked her. Ebudae was beginning to question the value of leaving the manor.

  The others chuckled at first, but grew silent. She heard Aphry’s voice. “Glav, the vulgarity of your jests is not for everyone and I believe you’ve upset the noble lady and embarrassed Pelya.”

  “It’s alright,” Pelya said. “I hear some of that in the Guard, but my aunts and uncles control what they say around me most times.”

  “Your aunts and uncles?” Glav asked.

  “Umm . .
. pretty much everyone in the Guard is my aunt or uncle,” Pelya explained with a shrug. “They all look out for me.”

  The others exchanged worried glances. “Are you allowed to be here?” Glav asked hesitantly. “We don’t want to get in trouble . . .”

  “Yes,” Pelya reassured them. “Granted, harming me could be hazardous to your health, but we were given permission to be out today and if any of my aunts and uncles were to bother you, they’d have to answer to me.” She patted her sword and grinned. The words didn’t seem to comfort their hosts. “Really, it’s alright.”

  Aphry nodded. “Good then. Now everyone’s been introduced but your friend . . . Ebudae you said her name was?” Ebudae looked up, but she could still feel that her face was reddened from embarrassment. She didn’t know why it was so hard to interact with anyone. Every time Ebudae sat in her suite and imagined talking to people, she was witty and everyone hung on each word. Out in the real world, her tongue didn’t work and she felt lame. To make matters worse, tears were flowing down her cheeks and she had no idea why.

  “Ebudae, what’s wrong?” Pelya asked in alarm, putting an arm around her shoulders.

  “I d . . . don’t know,” Ebudae sobbed. Everything was overwhelming, so she buried her face into Pelya’s shoulder and cried.

  “Here, Milady. I meant no offense. I was not aware of how delicate you are,” Glav leaned forward, alarmed by the reaction.

  It was difficult, but Ebudae forced herself to get a grip on her emotions. She took a handkerchief from a hidden pocket in her dress and wiped her eyes. “It’s a . . . alright. I’m s . . . sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Was it my comment or something else?” Glav frowned in concern.

  “I . . . I don’t know.” Ebudae managed to get the last of the tears and wiped her nose. “There have been so many people and so much noise today . . . I can’t seem to take everything in.”

  “Are you not used to people?” Aphry asked.

  “No. Grandmother never lets me out. I’m sixteen today and it’s the first time I’ve been away from the manor without an escort. If it weren’t for Pelya, I probably never would have been able to go.”

  “Your birthday? We must celebrate!” Lizor exclaimed. “My muscles shall dance for you.” He put his arms up in a bodybuilder’s pose and made his pecs and numerous other muscles bounce up and down. Ebudae laughed and clapped her hands.

  “Not the celebration I think she had in mind,” Aphry said with another roll of her eyes. Glav began playing his lute in time with the flexes. And before long they were all clapping and laughing in time to the movements.

  When the mirth subsided, everyone relaxed, including Ebudae. “I am sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “It’s fine,” Aphry assured her. “Will you tell us a little about yourself?”

  “Umm . . . yes.” She didn’t know what to tell them. “My grandmother is Lady Pallon and I live in her manor. My mother . . .” Ebudae couldn’t figure out for the life of her why she brought it up. Talking to people is overrated. “I don’t know. I live with my grandmother and spend most of my time reading books. Pelya is my only friend in the world.”

  She felt a gentle hand on her right shoulder. Juggles was smiling at her, his grey eyes showing nothing but kindness. She smiled back.

  “Lizor shall be your friend and all of his muscles consider you friend too.”

  Ebudae laughed merrily. “Well thank you, Lizor and thank you to all of your muscles.” The laughter lifted much of the weight off her shoulders.

  “Will you tell us of your mother?” Aphry asked gently. “I sense that it’s an unpleasant issue.”

  She didn’t see why not, but it was difficult to talk about it to people she had just met. “There’s not much to tell. When I was a baby, she left me on my grandmother’s doorstep and then disappeared. No one knows where she went.”

  Glav nodded solemnly. “Bad things happen to people in this city.” The others agreed.

  “No. It’s something else. She abandoned me and intentionally left. Nothing bad happened to her, or if it did, that’s not why she didn’t come back.” Her grandmother had said something to that effect and Ebudae agreed.

  “How interesting,” Glav said, striking an ominous note. “And your father?”

  “I have no idea. I think he’s somewhere, but I can’t begin to tell you why. It’s just a feeling.”

  “Very interesting. I must admit that I’m intrigued.” Glav played a note of mystery, making the sensation come alive. It sent chills up her spine. “And what of your parents, Pelya? May we ask?”

  Ebudae held onto her friend’s hand while Pelya answered. “My father is a master sergeant in the City Guard. He’s responsible for training recruits in the city. My mother died in childbirth.” Her voice grew quieter and she stared at the pillow she had placed in her lap at some point. “It’s my fault.”

  “How is it your fault?” Aphry asked tenderly.

  “It just is. Daddy was so happy with her and then he was stuck with me.”

  “I don’t think it was your fault,” Aphry said. “But I’ll leave it at that. Are you sixteen too?”

  “No. I’m a few months younger, but I’m very good with a sword and Ebudae could only go if I was along to protect her.”

  “I see. Well I’m glad you both came to visit us. A lot of people don’t trust or like Carnies, outside of other Carnies.” Aphry took a hit of the hookah.

  Glav chuckled. “A lot of Carnies don’t like or trust Carnies. We’re a casual group. Aphry and I are married and come from the Kingdom of Obda to the north. We think Juggles comes from the Palthoon Deserts, but he won’t say.”

  “Lizor is from the mountains of Grint in the far north,” the muscle-bound giant said, jamming a thumb into his chest. “I grow taller and stronger than the mountains, my mother says.”

  “Not quite as smart though,” Glav jested. The big man laughed and waggled a finger at him.

  Ebudae was back to watching the coins move back and forth between Juggle’s fingers. They faced each other cross-legged and he gave her one of the coins. She watched as he took one in his left hand and began slipping it deliberately between the fingers. Her first clumsy attempts resulted in it falling. At that point, she became determined to master the technique.

  The conversation began to drone into the background as Ebudae added a second coin and began moving it through her fingers in time with the first. Juggles made corrections here and there and added a third and fourth, which was as much as Ebudae could handle right away. Her fingers started to become sore from the workout. It was different from casting because there was an object that worked the muscles differently, but Ebudae came to the realization that it would be excellent exercise to make her hands stronger.

  “Ebudae!” Pelya said, getting the wizardess’s attention.

  She stopped moving the coins through her fingers. “What?” Then she realized that her hands were sore and tried to rub it out.

  “Glav asked if you know anything about the history of your family.”

  The minstrel strummed his lute. “I like to know the history of noble families. It’s fascinating and very difficult to study in Dralin where the nobles have become secondary to wizards and merchants.”

  “My husband knows more useless facts about everything in the world and never stops trying to find more,” Aphry said with a playful shove on his shoulder.

  “Umm . . . I don’t want to tell you that,” Ebudae replied. Her grandmother had made her read the family histories, which used up two and a half large tomes. Most of it was boring, but there was a fascinating branch of the family consisting of assassins and murderers. Going back to the beginnings of the records, Ebudae had learned that one of her ancestors killed the king and his family when the wizards took over the country of Altordan hundreds of years ago.

  Ebudae had also learned that she was the direct descendent of that assassin. Lady Pallon had made it very clear tha
t she was never to tell anyone of those histories. Even Pelya didn’t know.

  “I see.” Glav looked insulted. “Well, the nobles of Dralin are notoriously tight-lipped about themselves. I shouldn’t have expected otherwise.”

  “Glav, peace,” Aphry said with a soothing hand on his arm. Everyone else looked uncomfortable.

  The words dismayed Ebudae. She didn’t want to upset new friends just as soon as she gained them. “It’s just that . . .” She didn’t know what to say.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Glav brushed away the matter and played a discordant note.

  “My family has been around ever since Dralin was built on the ruins of the city below.” They all sat up straight and looked on with extreme interest, even Pelya. “I can’t tell you very much because I’m sworn not to and I don’t break my word ever.”

  “I respect that,” Glav said with a respectful nod. “I would love to hear anything you are able to tell us, especially about the ruins below.” The others nodded. Pelya looked alarmed as though worried Ebudae might speak of their many adventures in that city.

  “It is said that people have lived in this place ever since humans first appeared in the world of Ryallon.” It was a safe story to tell, but one few people knew of. “I don’t know anything about the beginnings, but I do know that at numerous times in the past, invaders have leveled or conquered previous cities. Every new city has been built on top of the old.”

  “Fascinating. Do you truly believe there are cities underneath us?” Aphry asked.

  “No, that’s not possible, Artifacts and other things may be buried underneath,” Glav told her. “Old buildings would have been reused or leveled to make way for the new. Ruined cities are fairy tales made up by foolish minstrels.” He looked around with wide eyes. “Oh wait, that’s me!” He strummed a funny little tune and waggled his eyebrows, drawing giggles from the young women.

  Ebudae didn’t look at Pelya so as not to give anything away. “There are whispered rumors that Dralin is built on massive columns over the old cities and that dangerous creatures roam the darkness below.” Actually, it was fact. The supports deep into the ground were architectural marvels laced with a network of powerful spells that should hold Dralin for millennia. She and Pelya had seen them.