The Ring Of Truth

by B Cameron Lee

  “Her Ladyship should be in her mansion at the moment Sir, straight ahead for three blocks, turn left into the street and it is the first gate on your right. You cannot miss it.”

  “Thank you soldier.” Arwhon fished in his belt pouch and tossed the man a silver. “Have an ale later and be at your leisure.”

  The relieved soldier smiled and nodded in gratitude, mentally reassessing the smartly dressed young man on the Barsoomi horse.

  Although Arwhon was dressed in good quality clothing and rode a Barsoomi horse, he was still unable to disguise his country lad naivety as they emerged from under the gateway. His mouth fell open as he looked about him, taking in the tall buildings and wide cobbled avenues thronged with crowds of people moving to and from the gate behind them. As they walked the horses down the slight slope, the layout of Belvedere proved quite easy to construe and it didn’t take long to find his Grandmother’s residence.

  They couldn’t have missed it.

  The fourth block they came to was totally surrounded by a high wall and when they turned up the side street they found a massive wooden gate in the centre of the wall with mini gatehouses on each side. Blue-coated guards accosted them as they approached.

  “Ere, tradesmen around the back you lot. This gate is for nobility.”

  Arwhon rode to the front and stared down at the officious, obnoxious little man, noting his swagger and the gold braid on the shoulder of his uniform. Still, no point in making enemies just because you can. He would try politeness first.

  “Kind sir, would you let her Ladyship know that her grandson, Arwhon nari Tsalk is here to see her with his retinue.”

  The guard blustered. “How am I to know you are who you say you are?”

  Arwhon glanced at Kuiran and winked. The huge man sauntered over and lifted the pompous guard by the front of his uniform until the man was eye to eye with Arwhon, who was still astride Duran. Arwhon continued.

  “You don’t but I am not fond of waiting and Grandmother may decide to find herself another gateman if I’m kept waiting too much longer.”

  Kuiran dropped the guard, who hit the ground with a thud and scurried off into the guard house. A moment later a small lad was running swiftly to the mansion house, which resembled a small palace. The gateman adjusted his dress and apologised profusely to Arwhon.

  “Sorry young master but we gets all sorts of riff raff tryin to gain entry, as you can imagine.”

  The young lad sprinted back excitedly waving his arms and yelling.

  “Open the gate, open the gate.”

  The studded gates were rapidly flung wide and the party made its way through. To Arwhon, the house looked like something fit for a King, although in reality it was far less than that. Stone built and towering three stories in height with an impressive forecourt encircled by potted orange trees. The large cobbled space easily large enough to turn a carriage in. The numerous windows of the house were narrow but all were glazed. The place spoke of refined taste and wealth. However, on closer inspection, Arwhon realised that the house was really built for defence. The windows were too narrow for a man to pass through easily and the walls were smooth, not easy to climb. That wasn’t all. The forecourt offered a perfect field of fire right out to the wall which surrounded the property.

  Arwhon shifted his attention to the front of the house. There, on the steps, surrounded by what were obviously maidservants, stood a tall, regal-looking older lady, wearing a dark blue slim-fitting silk gown. Beside her stood a stern faced stout woman dressed in what appeared to be a uniform, the same blue as the guardsmen wore. On the breast was embroidered a coat of arms.

  A young girl, no more than ten or eleven years of age, with shoulder length blonde hair and striking amethyst eyes, stuck her head out from behind the servants for a moment. Those amethyst eyes widened as she took in the group in front of her before suddenly retreating indoors.

  Having never seen his Grandmother before and only recently hearing about her, Arwhon supposed the old lady must be her. He dismounted and his supposition was proved correct as she came down the steps to hug him tightly, drawing him close and whispering in his ear.

  “You have the look of your mother about you. How I have longed to see you. I’m sorry about your father.”

  All this was for him only and he felt thankful for her consideration. She pulled back and asked him to introduce his friends. He pointed them out and they came forward to bow to her.

  “This is Chalc, who is officially my Servant and goes everywhere with me and this great mountain of a man is Kuiran, who has made himself my bodyguard.”

  His Grandmother’s brows drew together in concern.

  “You haven’t had any trouble on your way here have you?”

  “Not really Grandmother, nothing we couldn’t handle.”

  She shook her head.

  “Sorry, in the excitement I’m forgetting my manners. This redoubtable woman is Mendle, my Housemistress and....”

  His Grandmother looked around her but was unable to locate the other person she wanted to introduce.

  “Never mind. Come in. Mendle will show you to your suite and after you are settled in we’ll have a small bite to eat.” She looked over her shoulder at the horses. “Barsoomi’s, nice ones too. I guess you’ll want to see them stabled before you go up to your suite.” She turned to an older retainer, also in uniform. “Organise it please Waltor. Lunch in one hour.”

  Waltor bowed as Arwhon’s Grandmother walked away, heading for the door then he straightened up and signalled to a number of the staff present. Their mounts were whisked away by hovering staff members and the three of them followed on foot, used to checking on their mounts’ accommodation. The horses and mule were led around to the huge stables behind the mansion and Kuiran, Chalc and Arwhon were all wide eyed in astonishment at the sheer size of Cristal nasi Tsalkini’s home.

  Before entering the stables, all the packs and saddle bags were stripped off the two Barsoomi horses and taken into the mansion through the rear door. As Chalc and Kuiran removed the last pack from Rancid and handed it to a waiting servant, Waltor introduced them to an even older, stooped individual known as Billit, the Head Groom. Under Billit’s instructions, the horses and mule were settled into spacious, airy stalls and the grooms lined up to be chosen for the honour of currying a Barsoomi horse. Chalc introduced a young stable lad, the one who drew the short straw, to Rancid and had a short chat about manners when dealing with the intractable animal before leaving the stable boy alone with the mule. As they were finally led away from the stables by a servant, Chalc looked over his shoulder and was amused to see the mule actually enjoying all the unused-to attention he was receiving from the eager young lad.

  11. Shiri

  The redoubtable Mendle, a broad hipped, pigeon-breasted matron with an air of authority, was waiting for them when they arrived at the front door and led Arwhon, Chalc and Kuiran upstairs to their sumptuous suite on the eastern side of the mansion. She carefully explained the workings of the bath, toilet closet and other amenities, including the bell pull to summon service any hour of the day or night. Arwhon’s gear was neatly stacked in the large corner room while Chalc and Kuiran had been given a smaller room each. Without further consideration or pausing to seek permission, Kuiran easily picked up Chalc’s huge bed and moved it into Arwhon’s room, closely followed by the two smaller beds which had been pushed together for him to sleep on crosswise. By the time Kuiran had finished arranging furniture, the large room looked quite cluttered.

  Mendle, whose job it was to run the household, was not happy with this unexpected train of events disrupting her careful planning and tried to order them to stay as they were. Kuiran politely ignored her while Chalc, ever the diplomat, took Mendle to one side and quietly informed her of their intention to guard Arwhon at all times, even here in Cristal’s mansion, as a number of attempts had already been made on his life. That was enough for Mendle; she nodded approval and bustled out announcing that the midday me
al was in half an hour and not to be late please, Gentlemen.

  After a quick wash and tidy up they were ready to go down but Chalc had to drag Arwhon away from the window where the vista from the second story had captivated the lad. Besides the view of the back yard and stables, it was possible to see past some of the buildings to the centre of Belvedere and even down to the harbour, where some of the masts belonging to sailing ships berthed at the docks could be seen over the tops of the distant warehouses.

  A servant had been sent to fetch them and they followed her downstairs to a large formal dining room, more like a small hall, with a huge, polished blackwood table at the centre of it. To the relief of them all, lunch was already set up in a smaller alcove off the main room beside a bay window overlooking a formal garden to the west. On the far side of the garden, the large perimeter wall beside the main thoroughfare, complete with crenulations and a walkway reached by stairs, loomed over all. Arwhon noticed that the allure, the patrol path, ran all the way around the inside of the fortification. This place was definitely built to repel attacks but everything seemed so peaceful here in Belvedere.

  His Grandmother was already seated and she patted the chair beside her for Arwhon to sit. On his Grandmother’s other side sat the girl he’d seen briefly when they’d arrived. As the others sat, they could all hear the chair beneath Kuiran groaning as he lowered himself gingerly onto it but it proved sturdy enough to take his considerable weight.

  Arwhon studied the little girl, who seemed unable to take her eyes off the big man. He tried to place her but couldn’t. Maybe the girl was an affectation of his Grandmothers but he didn’t really know the situation yet so kept his questions to himself.

  Servants came with a range of foodstuffs, cold meat, cheese, bread, pastries and dried fruit, laying the platters on the table and withdrawing. Following his Grandmother’s example, they piled their plates and began to eat.

  “Grandmother...” Arwhon started to say but she interrupted.

  “Call me Cristal please. You make me sound so old,” her smile was warmly genuine.

  “Cristal, I’ve always wondered how my parents met. Would you mind telling me?”

  She regarded him for a moment, weighing her response.

  “You have a right to know the truth of it so I’ll tell you. Your father was a fisherman once, as you know, before he became a Trader and he loved adventure. In his youth, he once sailed singlehandedly in his fishing boat from Trugor in Myseline right around the Cape of Storms to fish in the Turquoise Sea south of Belvedere. The markets here are far more rewarding than those on the west coast and Bryan was doing quite well for himself. One summer’s day, your mother, for reasons only known to her, decided to slip away from her escort to look at the harbour.

  A big sailing ship from Cheshwon, a land far to the east, had brought a cargo of silks to Belvedere and was berthed at the docks unloading. Sareeni was always interested in things foreign so she’d been drawn to the Cheshwon ship and the strange looking crew who manned it. She was not in any real danger, or so it was thought when she was reported missing by her chaperone but still we worried for her.

  Apparently one of the foreign crewmen thought she was a doxy come to work the boat and made a grab for her. She screamed for help. Your father’s boat was tied up nearby unloading his catch and without a thought for his own safety, he jumped in and attacked the foreign sailor to free your mother. A minor melee resulted and Sareeni’s governess arrived just in time to spirit her away before the militia arrived. Your father was arrested for public brawling and thrown into jail. Sareeni said it was dishonourable not to help him after he had helped her, so we straightened the mess out and invited him to the house for his reward.”

  His Grandmother smiled a secret little smile and took a bite of food and a sip of wine before continuing.

  “Bryan was a strong, handsome, intelligent man and we should have realized then but how were we to know they would fall in love? We offered to pay him off if he just left but your father refused.

  He was an honourable man but not a very rich one. It was either accede to the marriage or have our daughter hate us for the rest of our lives. Her dowry bought the family home in Trugor and the remainder, added to what your father saved over the years, eventually enabled him to become a Trader and the rest is history.”

  Arwhon ate for a time, picking at his food, more questions running through his brain.

  “Why didn’t you come and visit us?”

  “We did early on, before you were born and stayed at Trugor’s best inn when we visited. There wasn’t enough room in your cottage for us as well. After your mother died birthing you it would have broken our hearts to have come to Trugor and your Grandfather was not a well man by then. It’s a lengthy voyage when you can actually find a ship sailing there. He passed away about ten years ago from some problem with his heart. I’ve managed to keep the business going though.”

  “What is it that you do? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “My husband was a banker, so I simply lend money to people who find themselves a bit under-funded occasionally. The interest I charge is quite modest but the business is large. I myself was once involved with Trading and still dabble in grains and a few other things. I suppose you could call our family well off.”

  Arwhon looked around the huge room. Paintings, which were probably art treasures, adorned the walls while gilded carvings scrolled around the doorways and window frames. Huge candelabra hung from the high ceiling, their crystals tinkling gently in the breeze, refracting multi coloured light throughout the room.

  “I have never seen anything like this in my whole life,” he said. “It’s awe inspiring.”

  Cristal chuckled, “This is just the lunch room, there are another six formal rooms including the ballroom.”

  Arwhon’s shook his head in disbelief; he could not imagine anything so great.

  His Grandmother’s eyes twinkled mischievously.

  “After lunch I’ll have Shiri show you around while I talk with your friends. No need to worry, you’ll be quite safe here.”

  “Shiri?” Arwhon’s brow furrowed.

  “Me, you yokel,” piped the young girl sitting on the other side of his Grandmother, an aloof expression on her face behind his Grandmother’s back.

  “Sorry Arwhon, I forgot to introduce you. Shiri has been staying with us for some time. She was sent to me for some education in the proper way to do things but as you can see, there is work to do yet.”

  Without looking, Cristal said, “A pleasant face dear, that’s no way to treat guests.”

  Shiri scowled but complied.

  After the meal was over, Cristal whispered in her ear and Shiri excused herself to come and stand at Arwhon’s side.

  “Sorry I was rude, can I show you the house now.”

  “Go,” was all Cristal said, so Arwhon complied, rising and excusing himself from the table. Chalc and Kuiran made to rise also but Cristal bade them remain, in no uncertain terms. Arwhon nodded to them and they relaxed back into their chairs as Shiri put her small hand into his and led him away toward the door.

  The next couple of hours were enthralling for Arwhon as Shiri showed him room after room of the vast mansion. She was now cheeringly pleasant and knowledgeable and he found her particularly easy to get along with. Far more so than any other girls he’d ever met. Immediately, she seemed to share his sensibilities; when he felt a little thirsty, he suddenly found himself at the well where they had a long drink of the cool, clear water.

  As the afternoon wore on he grew peckish and coincidently their tour wound through the kitchens where she stole him some fruit cake. Shiri was charming and mischievous and somehow seemed much older than her years.

  With the day’s early start and all the new information to digest, Arwhon eventually grew weary so Shiri guided him to a little private garden at the back of the house, well away from the stables, surrounded by its own wall. Here they sat on a stone bench in the warm, slanting r
ays of the soft afternoon sun. A cat appeared from nowhere and rubbed itself against Shiri, purring loudly and dribbling, completely absorbed in adoring her.

  “Your horse is quite content with his lot and is really glad to have met you. He’s a good one.”

  The girl’s young face looked up at him seriously.

  Arwhon was stunned.

  “What?”

  “Your horse, silly. Duran, he’s a good one, healthy too.” She winked.

  “What do you know of my horse and how do you know it?” Arwhon spluttered. “You’ve been with me all day.”

  “Let me see, the best way to answer your question is like this; Chalc is in your room sharpening his sword blade, Kuiran is wandering around looking at the art in the ballroom, Cristal is in her bedroom lying on the couch taking a nap, two young servants are dicing in a cupboard off the kitchen while cook is looking for them, the grooms are getting the food ready for the horses’ evening meal and the footman is sleeping on the back seat of the coach. Rancid is eating hay, Darla is resting, one back foot cocked, she needs that shoe changed, two rats are behind that stone ornament over there and... I could go on but that will do for now.”

  Arwhon laughed, unwilling to believe her but his Ring did not make one murmur of dissent.

  “You have a vivid imagination Shiri. I’m going to call your bluff and look behind the ornament.”

  He did and two rats shot out, heading down a bolt hole with the suddenly awake cat inches behind them. Curiosity raised, he entered the kitchen just in time to see the cook locate the cupboard where the two dicing kitchen hands were hiding and box their ears as she drove them back to work. Kuiran wandered in at that moment, his ever-present staff in his hand.

  “Kuiran, what have you just been doing?” Arwhon enquired.

  “Why, looking at the magnificent paintings in the ballroom. Have you seen them?

  Arwhon paled. How did Shiri know, unless magic was involved?

  He went back outside to confront her but Shiri was no longer there.