Ascendant

by Craig Alanson

  "Even this high off the ground?" Koren held the pipe firmly, feeling it vibrate as water flowed out.

  Cully scratched his head. "I heard this is about as high as it can go, which is why there isn't as much water coming out here as there would be if the tap was on the first floor. The water gets, I don't know, tired, from climbing up the pipe, or something like that." He shrugged.

  Koren smiled. Water didn't get tired, Cully didn't know as much as he pretended. He turned the valve experimentally, and the water stopped flowing. Without the water splashing, he saw that the tub hadn't been filling, because the water was running down a drain hole in the bottom. The draining water swirled around, faster and faster, like a whirlpool in a fast-running stream. "Where does the water go?" He asked, relieved that he wouldn't need to haul buckets of soapy bath water back down the stairs, either.

  This was a question Cully knew the answer to, because he had asked the same question when his family first came to the castle. "Down to a pipe in the ground, to another big pipe under the courtyard, then it goes down the hill to a marsh next to the river. The water coming out of the castle is, uh, dirty, which is not good to dump into the river, so it goes through the marsh first, and that, cleans it somehow? Before it gets to the river. It's all pretty smart, the royal engineers take care of the plumbing. They had the whole courtyard tore up a couple years ago, to replace pipes." He wrinkled his nose at the memory. "It kind of stunk bad for a few days, of course, the royals all went to the countryside that time. Can't have the Quality around while the castle's all tore up."

  "But you had to stay here?" Koren asked sympathetically.

  "Oh yeah, brother, don't you know it? When the royals and all the other high and mighties leave the castle, that's when the hard work gets done. Like to broke my back hauling stones this summer, when the princess went, well, you know, on her tour. The royals always get out of the palace in the summer, cause it gets too hot here. The princess has a couple summer palaces, up in the hills where it's cool. I never seen them places, they must be nice."

  Koren thought Duke Yarron's castle was the most fabulous place he'd ever imagined, until he came to Linden and saw the royal castle. The palace inside the castle walls, where the royals lived, was grander still. And he didn't remember Duke Yarron's castle having 'plumbing', he had bathed there in a small metal tub, although servants had brought the hot water to him, along with scented soaps, freshly cleaned towels..... Now it was back to reality for Koren Bladewell. He glanced around the bath room. "Does the wizard always bathe in cold water?" He asked, shivering at the thought of being in that stone room, during winter, taking a cold bath. In warm weather, Koren's family had bathed in a swimming role in the creek that ran though the farm, the water came out of a spring up in the hills to the east, and was always chilly. Only in winter did the tub get hauled out of the attic and set up in the kitchen for bathing.

  "What? No, you birdbrain." Koren wondered if the other boy would eventually run out of different ways to say Koren was stupid. Cully nudged the metal box under the tub with his foot. That's the heater for the tub, and see that stovepipe, going up the wall? It goes through that box up there," Cully pointed to the ceiling above the tub, "where the rinsing water is. You pull this chain here, and," he demonstrated, "warm water pours all over you, to rinse off the soap."

  Koren shook his head in amazement. This 'plumbing' was truly incredible. How did people think of such things? The contrast between people who had luxuries like plumbing, and people like himself, could scarcely been greater.

  "Nothing but the best for the Quality." Cully grumbled jealously. "Come on, I'll show you how the heater works."

  The other side of the heater was a wood stove, in a room behind the bath room's wall. Cully explained that Koren would need to fire up the stove in the mornings, and run water into the tub, to prepare the wizard's bath in the mornings.

  "He takes a bath every morning?"

  "Sure," Cully nodded, "all the Quality does that. You'll need to wash up every day too."

  Koren's eyebrows fairly met his hairline. "I have to take a bath every day?" His head was spinning. Perhaps being a wizard's servant was much harder than he had imagined.

  "No. Well, if you're going to the palace, to carry messages for the wizard, then you'll need to be clean. They can't have the likes of you and me stinking up the place. And you'll need to wear clean clothes, with a freshly pressed shirt. Oh, don't worry about that," Cully hastened to add when he saw the other boy's distress, "there's a royal laundry you can use, that's where you'll do the wizard's laundry, too. Most days, unless you're going to the palace, you can just wash your face and hands," Cully winked, "and that's good enough. But make sure you wash the back of your hands, and scrub under your fingernails, they check that. The Quality don't miss anything, not if they could complain about it."

  Koren looked skeptically at the wood stove. He would have to haul wood up the stairs. During the winter, it would be best to keep a small fire going all the time, with the coals banked to the side, so the heater didn't have to start cold. All that metal would take a long time to heat up. "Can't the wizard just," he waved vaguely toward the bath room, "heat the water by himself, with a spell or something?"

  "Oh sure," Cully nodded knowingly, "I seen him do that once, when the heater box was being fixed. But he says it takes a lot of effort, even for a master wizard, and once he's in the tub and the water starts getting cold, he can't use the spell on the water with him in it, could he?" Cully winked.

  "I guess not," Koren frowned. he knew absolutely nothing, maybe less than nothing, about magic.

  Cully slapped Koren on the shoulder again. “You can count on me, bucko, we servants need to stick together, the Quality takes enough advantage of us by themselves.” Cully glanced out the window. “Sun’s getting low, I best be going. You know where the candles are, you’ll be all right tonight, the wizard should be back in a few days. Take care of yourself, and don’t touch anything!”

  Kyre Falco just happened to be around the corner when Koren left the wizard’s tower the next morning. Just happened to be there, just happened to be wearing his oldest, shabbiest set of clothing, and just happened to be carrying two delicious sticky buns. He just happened to have been waiting there for half an hour, growing impatient for the servant boy to come out of the tower. “Oh, hello. Koren, is it?” Kyre said with what he hoped would be seen as a cheery smile.

  Koren bowed his head formally. “Good morning, your Grace.”

  “Call me Kyre, please, I am so tired of that ‘Sire’ and ‘Your Grace’ and “Your Highness’ stuff, who can keep track of it?”

  “It seemed to be important to you yesterday.” Koren said warily. He still did not know how to deal with royalty, it was a new experience for him.

  “Oh, that. Sorry about that. My father’s advisor made me memorize the ducal bloodlines yesterday. My head was so full of names that are supposed to be so important,” Kyre rolled his eyes, “and I didn’t recognize the Bladewells. Would you like a sticky bun? The kitchen gave me two of them.”

  “I- yes, thank you.” Paedris was out somewhere with the army, Koren had slept in the tower by himself, and the only thing he’d eaten the previous night was the remains of the loaf of bread Cully had brought. He didn’t yet know where to go in the castle for food. “Where is the kitchen?”

  Kyre couldn’t help frowning. What a backwater oaf Koren was, didn’t know his way around the castle at all? Then he covered his frown with a smile. “Come on, I’ll show you, it’s in the back of the dining hall. Do you ride? I was on my way to the stables, I feel like riding this morning.” The stables were in the opposite direction from the wizard’s tower, but Koren didn’t know that. “What say I show you around the city?”

  Koren hesitated. “I think I am supposed to be cleaning the tower-“

  “Oh, you can do that later. Lord Salva isn’t expected back for several days. I hear he helped the army win a smashing victory, should be a grand parade wh
en the soldiers come back into the city.”

  Koren replied around a mouthful of sticky bun. “I'd love to ride a horse, your Grace.” His first morning in the castle was shaping up very well indeed.

  The royal stables were so large and grand that, when seeing them from the outside, Koren at first thought the building was part of the palace. Inside, Kyre introduced Koren to the stable master, loudly letting everyone know that Koren was his friend, and a guest of the Falco’s that day, since Koren would normally only be allowed in the royal stables to care for the wizard's horse. They walked over to the stall where Kyre’s horse was stabled, and Koren admired the animal while they put bridle and saddle on. The horse was a deep chestnut brown, with a white blaze on its forehead. “See this blaze, it has the shape of a falcon, see the wings here? These horses are bred in my family stables in Burwyck.” Kyre announced with great pride. Koren thought the white blaze on the horse’s forehead looked more like a blob of spilled milk than a falcon, but he didn’t say so.

  “Now, we need a horse for you.” Kyre snapped his fingers. “Stable hand, you there, come here, good fellow. We need a horse for Koren, the wizard’s personal and most trusted servant, you know.” Koren almost blushed with pride as Kyre talked. “A gentle horse, hmm, to get you settled? These horses are bred and trained for war, they are not like the nags you are used to on the farm-“

  They were interrupted by a commotion several stalls down the stable, a horse was snorting and kicking the walls, rearing up on its hind legs as three stable hands struggled to hold onto the reins. The horse was black, pure black, and a good two hands taller at the shoulder than even Kyre’s horse. As Kyre led his horse out of the stall, the great black horse lashed out with a foreleg, knocking over two of the stable hands, and broke free, charging down the stable row toward Koren. In a panic, Kyre hurled himself into the stall, pulling his horse in with him. Koren flattened himself against the wall, but something made him reach out a hand to brush against the black horse’s flank as it raced by. The horse skidded to a halt on the well-worn floor, and turned its head to look at Koren. It snorted; not threateningly, not friendly, merely curious.

  “Good horse. Good horse.” Koren said in a soothing voice, and he walked forward, despite the stable hands behind him shouting that the horse was dangerous, for him to get away, and run for his life. The horse stood still, its nostrils flaring, tilting its head side to side, unsure of the boy walking slowly closer. The horse lowered its head and allowed Koren to touch its muzzle, a shiver ran down the horse’s spine as Koren laid his hand on it. “They have the bit too tight, don’t they?” Koren said, as he undid the bridle, and let it fall to the straw on the floor. The horse tossed its head and whinnied like a pony, shivering from nose to tail. Impulsively, Koren climbed up the wall of the stable, got a firm handful of the horse’s mane, and swung himself onto the horse’s back. The stable hands gasped as Koren prodded the horse to gently walk down to the end of the stable, and back to its stall. He let himself drop to the ground in front of the stable master, who was staring, open-mouthed with shock. “Sir, the bit was cutting his lip.” Koren explained, as if it were the most obvious thing under the sun.

  “Wizard’s servant, eh? I don’t wonder if you have a spot o’ wizard in you, too. No one has been able to ride that horse, lad, he’s been nothing but trouble since the day he was born.” The stable master held out his hand, but the horse shied away, until Koren patted his muzzle.

  “You rode Thunderbolt.” Kyre gaped at Koren with amazement.

  “Aye, that he did, young Sire.” The stable master agreed. “Son of king Adric’s own horse, Thunderbolt is, or we’d not have kept him around, with the trouble he’s been. Got the very devil in him, he does. Least, until this morning.” One of the stable hands ran up to the stable master and whispered something in the man’s ear, and the stable master turned and bowed deeply. “Princess Ariana! Welcome to the royal stables.”

  Kyre bowed to the princess, who was accompanied by her usual retinue of guards and maids. “Your Highness, good morning.”

  Ariana gave Kyre only a brief glance, she only had eyes for Koren. She thought he looked even better in his rough work clothes, than in the fine outfit he had been wearing in the royal carriage. “Your Grace," she said dismissively to Kyre, "hello, Koren.”

  Koren snickered, suppressing a laugh. “What’s so funny?” Ariana demanded.

  “Your Highness, Your Grace.” Koren did his best to imitate the royal court’s chief of protocol, an overly self-important man he’d met the day before.

  Ariana laughed. “It is silly, isn’t it? Especially when we’re in the stables, with our royal feet stepping in horse manure.” She turned to Kyre. “Good morning, Kyre.”

  Kyre was almost struck speechless, but he managed to say “Good morning, uh, Ariana" in a near-whisper. And he was smart enough to say only that, without gushing about how lovely she was, how pleased he was to see her. This was one of those moments when, his advisor Forne said, fewer words were better than more.

  “What is going on here, Master of Horses?” Ariana resumed some of her royal princess authority when she addressed the stable master.

  The stable master snatched off his cap, and bowed again to the princess. “Beg your pardon, Princess, but today I’m not the master of horses, young Koren here is. Tamed Thunderbolt, he did. I never thought I would live to see the day a man could ride that horse, but the boy here did, got that devil horse walking like a pony.”

  Ariana grew even more impressed with Koren. She walked over to Thunderbolt’s stall, and reached out to pet the horse’s nose. Thunderbolt gave a warning snort, and backed away, until Koren came to stand beside Ariana, and held out his hand to the horse. “Good Thunderbolt, good boy.” The horse held out his head for Koren to scratch him under the chin, and allowed Ariana to pet him.

  “Koren, I don't know what to say. Thunderbolt has been a trial for the stable hands since the day he was born.” Ariana scratched Thunderbolt under the chin, and the horse closed his eyes in contentment. “Stable master, I grant this horse to Koren Bladewell.”

  “Ah, young Lady, that is, Your Highness, I don’t know-“ The stable master stammered in surprise.

  “I am the crown princess of Tarador, am I not? And Thunderbolt is my royal property?”

  “That he is, Your Highness.” The stable master admitted.

  Ariana turned to Koren and almost gave the surprised boy a hug, catching herself at the last moment. That would be most un-princess like behavior, so she wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck instead. “Oh, Koren, I’m so happy for you. You’ll have to feed him, and exercise him, and care for him, every day.”

  “I will.” Koren said, his head bobbing up and down with delight. “Can I ride him now? Please, Ariana? Kyre was going to take me riding, to show me the city.”

  Ariana looked at Kyre warily. What game was the Falco heir playing with her friend? But Kyre disarmed her with a wry smile. “Koren wanted me to show him where the kitchens were first, of course, but I thought, since Lord Salva isn’t here, Koren could have a bit of fun this morning.”

  Koren was looking at her so pleadingly, that Ariana smiled. She would have preferred to ride without Kyre Falco, but- “As I am in my riding clothes, yes, let’s all take a turn about the city, shall we?”

  Kyre strode back into his quarters in the palace, where Niles Forne was as usual sitting by the window, reading a dusty old book. When he saw Kyre, Forne snapped the book shut and stood. “How was your morning, young Sire?”

  “A triumph, Forne, a total and complete triumph!” Kyre said with a twinkle in his eye, and he pulled off his riding gloves, and tossed them on the floor for the servants to pick up later. “Koren now considers me his friend, Ariana called me by my first name, and the three of us went riding about the city this morning, and Ariana allowed me to help her get down off her horse several times. She even invited me to the opening of that maze she had built, out in the old gardens.” Kyre paused, l
ost in thought. “What sort of attire is proper to wear in a royal maze?”

  “I shall inquire in the court.” Forne beamed with happiness. Duke Falco would be very pleased to receive this report! “Might I suggest, as a gesture of your new friendship, that you send your servants over to the wizard’s tower, to help the boy clean the place, before Lord Salva returns?”

  “Smashing idea, Forne, smashing. Yes, let’s do that. In fact,” Kyre paused, “I will go with them myself. Always wanted to see the inside of that tower, and I’ll make sure my servants don’t steal anything.” Kyre was in such a joyous mood that even the idea of directing cleaning servants for the afternoon didn’t seem so bad. “You know, Forne, it’s too bad Koren is so low-born. He’s not a bad sort at all, I actually enjoyed myself this morning. He’s so grateful for anyone of consequence to pay the least attention to him, it’s kind of pathetic. Did you know, Koren managed to ride Thunderbolt?! Ariana granted the horse to him right on the spot. Amazing, it was.”

  “I’m sure it was, young Sire. Remember, please, he is low-born, and not from any sort of good family. Koren Bladewell is a tool to be used, nothing more.”

  Kyre frowned. “You always have to remind me of my duties, don’t you?” Kyre clapped his hands, loudly. “Servants! Bring me something to eat! The heir to the Falco line is hungry!”

  The wizard’s tower, except for the chambers Paedris had protected with a locking spell so no one could enter, had been scrubbed clean from top to bottom. Koren could not express how grateful he was that Kyre had brought his servants to the tower to help clean the place, and when the Regent heard what the Falco boy had done, Carlana sent the royal chambermaids to help also. Koren had mostly been instructed, politely but firmly by the other servants, that the tower would be cleaned faster if he stood out of the way and didn’t ‘help’. So Koren and Kyre had a grand time exploring the tall, narrow and forbidding tower, all the way to the platform on the roof, where there was a view over all the palace, the castle and the city of Linden, out to the countryside, and the hills to the east. On the way down the stairs, Koren paused to think a moment, but didn't say anything to Kyre. After everyone has left, he climbed back up to the roof, then counted steps all the way to the doorway on the bottom. Out in the courtyard, he looked at the tower. The windows were not evenly spaced, but something was wrong. He would have to ask the wizard about it, when Paedris returned.