Traitor to the King

by Clare SM Keating

  When Annaballa had been infected and dumped by his family and her husband, Loteg had rushed to fight the thought of her being put amongst the Sacred Women. As much as she and he and ripped at each others’ faces as kids, Annaballa had once even broken his nose with a glass plate, he could not believe the way the traditions of their culture had reacted. The Boodoo had only infected her because she’d had a fight with her husband over her pregnancy, instead of letting the argument hang and receive another beating on his return from patrol she’d run after him and in doing so been too close to the waterways on the surface at the wrong time. When her husband had been abusive to Annaballa during the marriage the traditions meant that Loteg could not get involved and protect her or even tell him he was wrong. That elf he had hated so much for acting so privileged for being born male and Loteg abhorred it, especially when Loteg had seen how Anouk was treated for being permitted a position.

  He had just been arriving back from assisting cattle in giving birth, something that tradition said was fine, when he’d found his twenty-one-year-old sister screaming and screeching in the flooded banks near the dam. He’d gone straight to her, managed to grab the tail of the Boodoo, though it had meant doing something no brother should ever have to do and he’d encouraged it to attack him instead. But the beast, though he killed it had managed to spew its venom and the miscarriage it caused was devastating. By the laws of their land Annaballa had been sterilised so that any curse from the Boodoo touching her body could not be spread in the bloodline. With Loteg not wishing to marry it had meant their line was dead and then the laws were thrown onto his sickly, depressed sister and she was treated like a diseased leper strolling uncovered through the city. No one had been kind, but his friends Talon and Anouk, although they could do nothing when a divorced woman became the property of her mother, rather than of the head of the household. If it had been otherwise, if she had not been classed as property for her gender, then maybe Loteg could have done something to maintain her dignity and eased her comfort. But for his protests, his attempt to murder her former husband and then his declaration of hating the king and believing him to be a demon… he’d been put here.

  Perhaps not being able to rescue Annaballa from her marriage vows had irked him to understand his father and do what he had done….

  “Annaballa came to visit me after you did, Anouk… I couldn’t believe it and for the first time in a very long time I was so very happy to see her. Talon looks after her well and you also keep an eye on her as if she were your sister. But tradition is not kind to the daughters of our land, so we should strive to be kinder… go see Damara and apologise to her about the way you acted. Do you promise to tell her she was right?” Loteg chuckled and then he gently kissed Anouk on the forehead, only to notice that her green eyes seemed watered and swelled, as if she were in the middle of some kind of trance. Loteg was a little fearful and for the first time in a while he lost his composure, leapt straight onto his feet and across his cell towards the opening, ready to scream for the guards to help before he heard Anouk sigh in irritation.

  “I hated her when she was born.” For Anouk it felt good to finally speak the truth of her childhood that she had never permitted anyone else to hear before. At the words Loteg spun on his heel and slowly paced back over with a soft smile on his face, telling her how jealous he felt about Annaballa being born so close to him and getting the attention of everyone because she was so pretty! But Anouk shook her head gently with a low wheeze of sorrow as she felt the truth slip past her lips. “I am nearly thirty-five; she was born when I was seventeen and had just been released from my prison. I was an adult and when I saw her all I could think of was how much my mother thought I’d dishonoured her, that Damara was my replacement and then father always fussed and adored her… but so did mother. You recall my birth nearly killed my mother; it was during a raid that nearly broke into that birthing room if grandfather had not been present. No one could come to help my mother, there were no midwives there to help her because of the attack and she was so drained and sick that when she saw I was a girl, she opened the door where there were goblins running into the house and left me in their path! Throughout the whole of my childhood she would look at me as if she wanted to drown me, that I’d ruined her life because I was not a son… but the moment I watched her birth Damara alongside Molwesa, there was only love for that baby. I hated her for it… but now I realise it might have been from something else…”

  “I see… if your dreams are accurate then she was born not long after your own child was taken away from you. It must have felt like your opportunity was removed for your mother’s sake… if the dreams are true of course. Do you remember much more from what happened Anouk? Do you remember what the demon looked like, how it had managed to impregnate you or…” Loteg questioned but Anouk just shook her head roughly; she had not had any new dreams lately and yet.... Anouk did not want to admit anything to Loteg right now, but she was quite sure that the child was not created through possession or rape… but love. Even if it was from love she would only have been fifteen at the time, an illegal age to have such interactions so it would have brought even more shame to her family.

  “Odd… if it’s the truth then I have a son somewhere that’s older then my sister!” Anouk snorted with a grin, suddenly feeling humoured by the thought as she sat herself up and then patted his shoulder with a soft sigh. She could not believe how much happier she felt now that she had talked to Loteg about this all and how much she was forgetting her upset in just a gentle memory from her past. “You know what made me fall in love with my sister though? One night there was a hurricane that came down from the mountains… you must remember that! We were sheltering loads of the guards in the household and it was horrendously noisy but somehow everyone else was able to sleep except me and Damara. She was crying like mad, desperate for someone to go to her, so I did. I held her hand and picked her up, she went quiet immediately and smiled at me… with grandma’s smile and I realised just how much Damara was a Benaga… she wasn’t my mother. But then the moment was ruined when she screwed up her face and managed to defecate all over me.”

  Loteg could not help himself but burst into laughter and Anouk copied him, from that point in their lives she had always been laughing at Damara. Whenever Anouk had scowled Damara had tried to mimic the face and then done something silly, she’d always looked for Anouk to play with or cuddle. Whenever Anouk had come back from patrol she’d been greeted by the giggling happy baby and leapt upon by the child. Damara had once even tried to sneak into Anouk’s robes to go on patrol with her and see the surface… she had always been so sweet and adorable. No one had made Anouk so happy, but maybe it was because Damara was just… Damara?

  “She’s like a daughter to me more then a sister… but that’s probably why I’m so very afraid for her and all the ridiculous things she does. I didn’t want her to marry Jarl because I couldn’t be sure they really were in love with one another, but then when he chose to bed another woman I knew that he was not worthy of my sister.” Anouk growled softly as she sat herself up, rubbing her forehead gently. She shook her head at the sound from above that Loteg’s food would be arriving soon and Anouk would have to depart. With a soft sigh of frustration Loteg patted his dearest friend’s forehead and then Anouk grinned at him. “I promise… I’ll tell her I was just worrying about it… that I do believe her.”

  As for Talon, he had left as soon as he was sure Anouk needed a chance to relax after the kafuffle of the other day. In his mind it was for the best, everyone was on edge and considering everything had been happening within the city Anouk did not feel her sister was safe. Talon knew that Damara would be safe now that she had made such a wonderful friend in the Karayan and on his way to the house now cleared of a great deal of things, Talon was met by Karani. She was on her way to the same place and once again causing a stir for not covering all the skin around her clavicle as well as not covering up her hair. One of the policemen was advancing on
her in his black robes that grasped about his body tightly, his face only showing a sneer as the brim of his jet-black hat shadowed his eyes. Talon was able to lunge to the girl’s side, grasp her wrist and wrap a large black shawl about her head and shoulders. He angrily seemed to tell her off, though he was merely telling her to be careful and the policeman turned on his heel and walked off.

  “Thank you, Talon, … I didn’t put my scarf on tightly this morning when I left the academy… clearly. I wanted to catch up with Damara.” Karani had begun but Talon just ushered her to follow him towards the household and stay quiet. Karani was not pleased to be forced quiet but she knew better then to tell Talon what to do when he’d just saved her the chance of a whipping. The community was all on edge now, the markets not as vibrant and loud as everyone was more cautious about what they bought and how much they sold things for. Everyone was expecting trouble and any kind of wrong doing was picked upon savagely, but Talon walked proudly with Karani at his side towards the Karayan’s house when they had spotted Damara walking out and straight to them.

  Talon had been listening to Damara for about twenty minutes in total silence, chewing on his lips with frustration at the story of the stone. As much as Talon would love to believe what Damara was telling him about the Karayan’s thoughts on the matter, he doubted she was telling him the complete truth. From what he’d figured out of the stranger so far, the gentleman was hardly the type to encourage a ridiculous and incredibly dangerous quest for just any person, let alone her. Talon did not state his disbelief or irritation, nor indeed his suspicions as Damara related the tale to him, but rather he kept his mouth screwed into a pensive expression and curled his fists with the growing concern. When Damara had finally finished her tale and informed them of her need to find the stone and therefore seek help, Talon was swift to shake his head at her. He was in fact about to start a lecture on why she should not be thinking such a thing, when Karani barged in with a sudden squeak.

  “We have to do this! It’ll be our first time on the surface and what better way to justify that experience then by going to find something vital for the health of our King? It’ll be a chance for us both to prove our worth and we’re bound to get help from Lord Lutas, after-all you are his favourite student Damara.” Karani beamed, but there was a second motive to her words that she did not want to speak aloud in case she might be reprimanded for the thoughts alone. For Karani as an orphan, any opportunity to prove herself as a valuable member of Virenheim society was too important to miss and it might prevent her from being relegated to life amongst the sacred prostitutes when she graduated the academy. To be known as one of those to rescue a stone she would have a chance at a fortuitous marriage and a chance to escape her rank-less existence if she were unable to secure a position amongst the Mages. She knew of course that Damara and Anouk and even Talon would support her no matter what happened to her in life, but this was an opportunity she could not afford to miss out on.

  “No.” Talon was swift to cut their daydreaming short and though he would have wished to bark it at them, they were not in safe company. He had managed to encourage Damara to sit at the benches near the council chamber where there were fewer people wandering around but there always seemed to be some unsavoury looking elf passing by. He could not be sure if the tale was already out that Damara knew something about a stone, but it was not safe to talk of the matter anywhere they could not point at a crystal and refer to that, hiding the conversation. “It’s too dangerous to even consider such a thing Damara! Just what in Organthra would you tell your sister when she demands to know how you got to the surface and completely disobeyed her orders? Not to mention you would not be able to reach the swamp… the guards at the First Dam do not allow anyone without a permit to pass through and everyone in the Second Dam would recognise you the moment you turned up. Plus, Ling and the others in Anouk’s crew are up there and could easily spot you and drag you straight back down to her wrath!”

  Damara listened to the words with an obvious pout of displeasure and irritation. She could understand that Talon was not keen on the idea of her going anywhere that might be hazardous, but he seemed to be assuming she would be going it alone. It was clear he would not go and help her, but Karani wanted to and Karani was right – they could ask Lord Lutas! Although it would be embarrassing to discuss the full details of the matter with him he’d at least go out with her and a patrol to ensure that she was not just hallucinating but proper visions, at least she imagined he would! She knew that if Karayan had seen it as well then, the Head of the Academy would listen with more interest and believe her too. Damara shook her head towards Talon for his lack of confidence and had been about to make a point of what her actual plans included when her eyes snapped sharply on approaching figures. The moment her eyes became transfixed her companions looked about her in concern and noticed the familiar, handsome form of Jarl Kelvis and his young wife headed their way.

  Jarl was looking surprisingly worn and thin with an air of displeasure and upset that could easily be contributed to any kind of argument he might have endured with his father. With everyone still being very rude to his poor wife and him for having denied the family a chance to pair up with the Benaga Household, Jarl was still seeking to reignite his old friendships and with Damara in a position of good favour from the party still, he wanted to talk to her. He was however accompanied by his wife, Kirlia, whom Damara could not help but stare at with utter jealousy and resentment biting at her tongue to make a point of itself and how much Kirlia had ruined her chance of happiness. Kirlia, though stick thin and looking more like a doll for a child or a manikin for a tailor, was all sweetness and tenderness. She was a Deep Elf mixed with a Northern Elf, so her eyes were not as large and her skin was more a snowy white with silken grey hair that looked as soft as the velvet of a stag’s antlers. It seemed she’d been forced to leave behind a sister and a mother in order to come to Virenheim with Jarl however and lately she was missing her family, so she too was eager to go out with her husband and make friends with people. But the appearance of the two could not be more inconvenient and uncomfortable to Damara who quickly lowered her head alongside Karani and made the appropriate gestures and greetings to the two. Karani pressed close to Damara, knowing instinctively that her friend was hankering to bolt off and find something else to occupy her time. Karani still could not wrap her head around Anouk’s acceptance of the marriage between these two, if only because no one else had managed to accept it yet.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of talking to you, Lady Benaga... I hope you are quite alright after your first encounter with a demon and your collapse yesterday. Everyone has been talking about it with great concern and I was very worried to think that you could be in such a dangerous state.” Jarl stated, trying to maintain his noble graces even though his wife hooked onto his arm affectionately and smiled warmly towards his collection of friends. The others looked at them for a moment in surprise over his statements but then nodded their heads gently in reassurance for Damara’s condition and his kind thoughts.

  Talon then attempted to start conversation with the pair but before he could try and engage in such a gentle past time, Damara suddenly leapt off her seat in shock. She muttered that she had forgotten a meeting with Lord Lutas and, after making sure she still had her hair tucked beneath her little headscarf, she galloped off towards the steps and up onto a plaza before cantering up another set of stairs onto the main market square. The others were left staring after her in shock before Karani gently itched at her head and then made a mention that she should probably go too because she had a meeting as well. Jarl and Kirlia were quite flummoxed by the sudden departures, although they did not want to say anything over the matter. Even so, Jarl’s face screwed up with utter disappointment and his wife quickly grasped his wrist tenderly with a soft and affectionate smile.

  “I know... you wanted to apologise to her.... Wait a few minutes to talk with Talon and then you can leave us to
gether to discuss simple matters of the household I would need to know, and you can go after her. She probably still loves you very much Jarl, so this is painful for her. Don’t expect her to forgive you any earlier then your father.” With such wise words in her slightly foreign accent, Talon smiled and nodded his head in appreciation for the moment and then stretched out his hand to reach Jarl’s forehead. Though the two men were the same age it had the same kind of reassuring affect to it as it would have should Jarl’s upset father have been the one to show some affection. Gently the handsome young elf nodded his head before feeling a sensation of guilt burn in his heart as he thought of the traitor he’d been to poor Damara’s sweet heart.

  Damara walked with astounding speed towards the academy and Karani was having a tough time trying to keep up with her. Damara was fuming at the thought of having to make friends with Jarl again and having to pretend that he had not done something to upset her completely; it had been hard enough when Anouk had told Damara of her acceptance of the marriage. But at least when Anouk had told her, Damara had been at home and permitted to cry and scream and even punch at her sister for the choice, it would not be appropriate to do such a thing to Jarl right now although it was what Damara desperately needed to do. She just needed to give him one ringing slap to the face, just to remind him that he had indeed hurt her and just to feel a shot of gratification to know that she’d been able to hurt him with her hand! But that was not going to happen, if she were to slap him in public or indeed in private then it would be a gesture linked to the idea of them having an affair. That whole chance to get revenge or gratification was lost for her, but she did not have to talk to him at least! Still, the thought and the rage propelled her onward to the academy at a faster pace then normal and she was already through the main series of winding corridors and past Tyfuga’s class when she spotted Lord Lutas in one of the classrooms and swiftly pushed the wooden door open with a sudden squeak of his name, only to freeze with embarrassment as she realised he was speaking to a squad of soldiers.