Java carried the girl while the guards escorted Morin and the boy. She led them to a suite that was reserved for visiting nobles, then dismissed the guards. The maid who was assigned to these rooms had seen her arrive.
“Your orders, Your Highness?”
Java looked at the girl and nodded. “Hot food, hot drinks, warm milk if there is any. And send for Mistress Ramona.” She smiled at Morin for an instant. “My friend and her children need warm clothing.”
“At once, Your Highness.” The maid was off in an instant, and Java led Morin to the fireplace. “Here, warm up a little.”
“Your Highness—” Morin began, but Java shook her head.
“I’m still just Java, Morin. Kel told me you were married to a tinker.”
Morin shook her head and sighed. “He never married me, Java. He always had a reason not to. Then one day he was gone. We’ve been searching for a place, but there isn’t much available.”
Java nodded. “Would you go home? I’m sure Lord Ahern will take you back. And Kel is worried about you.”
“I ran away, Java. I ran away owing Lord Ahern for raising me.”
Java giggled, surprising her. “So did I. I’ll give you enough to pay him back.”
“But Java—”
“It’s only a few silvers. And Lord Ahern likes me a lot more now than he did.” She smiled and fingered the fine dress she’d thrown on. “He’d better.”
The maid returned with a cart full of food, and Robin right behind her. Java smiled and said, “Robin, this is Morin, Kel’s daughter. And her children.”
Robin smiled as she nodded to the woman. “I’m pleased to meet you, Morin. Java, Art—Duke Arten asked if you are coming back.”
Java glanced at Morin, then shook her head. “No. I need to take care of Morin and her children. Please tell him.”
“I will, Java. He’ll understand when I explain who is here.”
“Thank you, Robin.”
*
Morin and her children spent five days with Java. Good food, warm beds, and new clothes sewn by Mistress Ramona and her apprentices had them in a much better situation.
“Morin, I arranged passage with a carter I know. He’ll get the three of you home in four days. And rest assured, he knows me too well to allow anything unfortunate to happen to you.” The look in Java’s eyes made Morin laugh.
“What did you do to that man, Java?”
“Put him back in business. He is from Lender’s Dale, and lost just about everything. I invested enough to get him going again. And speaking of that, here.” She handed Morin a heavy purse. “It’s silver and copper, but they are easier to spend than gold.”
Morin surged forward and hugged Java hard. “Thank you so much, Java.”
“My pleasure, old friend.”
CHAPTER 14: FIREDALE
The girls are talking. This is bad. So very bad.
Master Scholar Prince Stavin Zel’Andral, “Errant Thoughts”
Dear Captain Freeholm and Company,
Robin and I have both visited home and our parents. It was good to see them again, and Robin’s parents accepted me right away. Duke Arten has pulled another little trick and named Robin a Lady Mage, with the attendant nuisances.
We have settled into palace life fairly well, though there are still times when I want to use a knife on one lord or another. They all seem to think I should marry some younger son and let him deal with my properties while I make babies. I can’t wait until I can bring Jah’Moke here and shock them all.
We haven’t heard anything more from Lord Broward, which worries me. He is not the type to lie down and die without a fight. Duke Arten is being extra careful about his security for the time being.
Naria and I have found a balance between us. Duke Arten keeps laughing, saying we are two of a kind, to which we agree. That makes him laugh more. I still cannot call him father, but I have caught myself calling Naria mother once or twice. We both laugh at that, but I think she actually likes it.
The problems involving the refugees have continued, though they are not as severe. Our census has borne fruit in that we have found permanent places for five hundred people. We still have thousands to go, but Duke Arten feels that the success we have already had justifies the effort. Duke Kaster has joined in, and we are in the process of comparing the lists he has given us to what we already have.
I received a note from Duke Ander Lesten, which was a shock. He cannot have any direct contact with his sister, but sends his regards. Apparently, Eva went back to Skyhaven and complained to some minister or another about her being alive. Duke Ander informs me that he has known all along that Shaireese did not die, but he did not know where she was. He has, rather graciously, silenced Eva by putting her to work in his Guard. As a cook! He went on to say that, while she is not welcome home, he wouldn’t object to a chance meeting with Lieutenant Skyhaven on some neutral territory such as Whitehall, or even Firedale.
Please give everyone my love. I miss you all terribly, and wish I could come home to Firedale.
With all my love and respect,
Scout Java Mountainstand
Captain Freeholm smiled broadly as she read Java’s letter aloud to her officers. “Well, it seems that our little girl has grown up a bit. This part about you, Shair, this is a real surprise. I shouldn’t have called you princess in front of that woman, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Captain Freeholm laughed again and handed the letter to Shair.
“Ander has always been my favorite, Marta. Maybe a letter from Scout Lieutenant Shair Skyhaven might be appropriate, though I’m not sure. Perhaps Princess Java or Duchess Samantha would do me a favor.” Shair grinned as she looked over at Samantha.
Samantha smiled and nodded. “I think a note to my cousin would be quite in order. I also think a nice long letter to Java is overdue. I don’t remember the last time I wrote.”
“I’ve been keeping her informed, Duchess Samantha,” Captain Freeholm said softly. “She wants to come back out here, and she called this home, which makes me feel better. I’m still not comfortable with the trick Naria and Arten pulled on her, but she doesn’t feel desperate anymore, which is a start.”
Merrit reached over and ruffled Samantha’s hair. “I told her about your encounter with that bore from the Thunderfeet, Lieutenant Wilson. I wish she could have been here to see him grovel.”
“He’s still not forgiven, Merrit. In time, perhaps, but he ruined a perfectly nice day, and I haven’t had any opportunities since then. They make sure everyone knows who I am whenever I go over to Thunder Ridge.” Samantha pouted, which set Merrit laughing again.
“Give it time, sweetheart. Give it time. I think the whole command would like to see that letter, Marta. Especially that last part.”
“Yes. Why don’t we post it in the mess hall? That’s one place everyone goes.” Captain Freeholm smiled broadly and handed the letter to Lieutenant Lerves.
Java’s letter had the whole company buzzing, and generated dozens of letters back to her. They ranged from stories about the war to stories about encounters with the other companies. Including a few stories about Jah’Moke.
*
Samantha released a gusty sigh as she wrote her letter to Java. Since leaving her behind in Whitehall, Sam had begun to realize just how much she had come to depend on Java. Now she had turned to Merrit, but Merrit had other responsibilities that took up most of her time.
Dearest Java,
Life without you is not the same. I never realized how much you did for me, or how much I depended on you to keep me from making a mess of things. Now, with you gone, I have to watch myself, and the triplets.
Mayrie is spending a lot of time with the Thunderfeet. She is being choosy, but it seems like she is choosing half of the company. Maylee goes with her sometimes, but she picks a partner and stays with him. Maygren has been spending her time with the Vandals. There is a cute man named Eberlin Cominstan that she has decided she is going to hang onto fo
r a while. He is an archer, and Captain Wilkinson says he is a good man.
I am still looking for the right man. Or any man, for that matter. I hate it when I go to the other towns. Captain Thuringer makes sure everyone knows exactly who I am. That keeps almost everyone away. The only men who come close are after something. Mama taught us how to tell. Captain Wilkinson is more helpful. He only details Jah’Moke or one of the officers to be my chaperone. I actually get to have some fun over there. Within the captain’s limits.
Jah’Moke sends his love. He isn’t with anyone else.
I’m sending a letter to Duke Ander. Shair was really happy to hear your news. She is planning to make a trip to Whitehall soon, and she has as much as invited him to join her.
Captain Freeholm is building an impressive fortress complex. The outside walls are done, along with the stables and barns, and the Supply Building. Supply takes up the entire back wall. Now we are building the Barracks Buildings and the Administration Building. Captain Freeholm is having the four barracks buildings built as a backup fort, with the four square buildings touching at one corner. This leaves a square in the center that she is having filled with all that sand and gravel.
The barracks buildings all have central squares so that even the inside rooms have windows. Captain Freeholm is insisting that the triplets and I live in the Officer’s Quarters with her and Merrit, so they can watch us.
Well, that is about all there is to say, except that we all miss you terribly.
Love,
Sam
Mayrie stuck her head into Samantha’s room, peeking carefully around the doorframe. “Is it safe to come in now, Sam?” Samantha simply looked at the door and stuck out her tongue as a reply. Mayrie laughed and entered the room, trailed by her sisters. “What were you sighing so hard about?”
Samantha shook her head. “Just writing to Java about what’s happening out here.”
“And not happening? Sam, you have to give the men a chance to get to know you. Do you want to slip over to Vandalburg?” Maygren sat beside Samantha and held her hand.
“No. Merrit wants me to sit in with the officers again. I am learning a lot, but they just want me to sit and listen. They definitely don’t want to hear what I think.” Samantha sighed again and shook her head.
“We know. It’s like us and Sherefin. She’s taught us a lot, but there are things we learned from Frander’s book that she doesn’t know, and seemingly doesn’t want to know. At least, she acts that way. Every time we try to tell her about something we learned from him she shushes us, like she’s afraid of what we know.” Mayrie looked at her sisters and received nods of agreement.
“It’s like she doesn’t trust us with too much knowledge,” Maylee added.
“Or is afraid of what we’ll do with it,” Maygren agreed.
“I hate being treated like a child!” Samantha said hotly, drawing nods of agreement from her friends.
*
Merrit sat in her room, shocked still, as she read the note from Lothar. She had all but forgotten him, even though she was using the family name he had given her so very long ago.
Merrit, I was surprised to find out that you were back with the Firewalkers. I was even more surprised to find out that you were still calling yourself Marston. Hells, woman, I don’t use Marston! I started calling myself Morrisdale as soon as I joined the Thunderfeet. I kept track of you through the years, following your rise through the Dreadlocks and Firewalkers. Anness used to write me letters about you, but when I retired I lost touch with her. If you don’t want to write back, I will understand. But I would like to see you again, my wife.
Lothar (Marston) Morrisdale
Tears she thought she’d left behind when she was fourteen sprang to her eyes as she thought of the husband she had left behind, and of the life she had never really given a chance.
Anness knocked softly on Merrit’s door and peeked into the room. Merrit was sitting by her window with tears running down her face. “Java’s letter said he’s at Robin’s.”
Handing the note to her sister, Merrit stood to fix herself another drink. “He says he wants to see me again, Anness. After all these years.”
“Lothar loved you, Merrit. And you loved him, too, even if you were too stubborn to admit it. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have kept his name,” Anness said as she hugged Merrit from behind.
“I know, Anness,” Merrit whispered. “But that was so long ago. So many, many years. What could I say to him now?”
“You could start with ‘I’m sorry.’ It wasn’t his idea to split up, though it was probably for the best that you did. You would have made each other miserable if you had stayed together.” She shook her head as she looked at her big sister. “Neither of you was ready then.”
“But I’m not sorry, Anness,” Merit whispered. “There’s nothing I would have traded these years for, nothing that Lothar could have given me. But now, oh gods, now I want to…I don’t know what I want to do.” She shook her head and walked in a tight circle as she thought. “I feel like screaming in rage, shouting for joy, laughing and crying all at the same time. It’s like being fourteen again and standing at the altar, facing the husband Daddy had chosen for me, and knowing there was no way we could be happy. It’s like digging at an old wound, reopening the pain and heartache of those years.” Merrit turned to hug her sister, feeling more lost than she had in years.
“You have to settle this, Merrit. If not for Lothar, then for yourself.”
*
Sherefin read Robin’s letter with shaking hands. Her description of the attack and her victory over Master Ansen was nothing short of miraculous. Ansen was a contemporary of Sherefin’s, and the idea that Robin could fight off a Master’s spell and counterattack at the same time was insane. That it had been during their first days in Whitehall and Sherefin was just now hearing about it was infuriating.
“Damn that girl!” she exclaimed aloud, not meaning to be overheard.
“Master?” Marian asked cautiously from the door of Sherefin’s room.
Spinning in her seat, Sherefin looked at her visitor. “Come in, Marian. I just received news from Robin that may be of interest to you.”
Marian cautiously entered the room and seated herself by the window, facing Sherefin. “Is it bad news?” she asked cautiously.
“That depends on how well you liked Master Mage Ansen.”
“Liked?” Marian asked, looking closely at her teacher. “Master, I don’t understand.”
“He attacked Robin with a suicide spell,” Sherefin stated flatly, watching Marian’s eyes. “She countered with the Brain Buster. Successfully.”
Marian sat and stared at her master with her mouth slightly agape. “She defeated Ansen?”
“She apparently did. You received notice about Lord Broward’s fall from grace. Ansen’s attack on Robin was part of that. The spell was meant to kill Java, but Robin received it instead. She not only fought off Ansen’s spell, but managed to successfully counterattack as well. She has achieved her Mastery the hard way.” Sherefin watched Marian closely. Marian had reacted badly to the news concerning Lord Broward, and indirectly, her family.
“That miserable bastard!” Marian exclaimed, standing abruptly to pace the room. “That over-stuffed excuse for a eunuch! How dare he do that?” Turning back to her master, Marian calmed herself. “Robin wasn’t hurt, was she?”
“No, not seriously. She says the knife pricking her throat gave her the blood-power to defeat him. Why so upset? I thought Robin and Java’s relationship was disturbing to you.” Sherefin watched Marian, and saw her blush.
“It does disturb me.” Marian paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “Master, I have a confession to make: I’m Le’Ah, too. I liked Java from the first. That’s why we had trouble. I wanted her to submit to me, to let me lead her. Then she and Robin took up together, and I realized how much I liked Robin as well. That was why I always left whenever I saw them together. I was so jealous I couldn’
t stand it.” Marian stood with her hands tightly clutched in front of her, staring at the floor.
Sherefin sat for a moment, speechless at Marian’s revelation. “Did you ever tell either of them this?”
“Of course not!” Marian looked into her master’s eyes. “I couldn’t admit it to myself for a long time. My family would have disowned me if they found out. Lord Broward would have disowned me.” Marian paused, biting her lips. “But they don’t matter anymore. My father is in a state of panic, trying to curry favor with every lord in the county.” Marian laughed and shook her head. “I never realized how much I despised him for being such a toady.”
“Marian? This doesn’t sound like you,” Sherefin said as she looked closely at her eldest journeyman.
“No, it doesn’t. But I’m not sure what I really sound like, Master. I’ve parroted my mother and father for years without really listening to myself. But there’s something about being here among the Firewalkers that’s changed me, made me really look at myself. And those around me.
“Lieutenant Skyhaven is a princess, daughter of the Royal House of Helena. Lieutenant Tahoe is the daughter of a lake fisherman from up north. Lieutenant Marston is a horse breeder. Lieutenant Rivers is the daughter of a riverside whore. That’s what she said, Master,” Marian added quickly when Sherefin started to object. “Yet they’re equals here. Who their family is doesn’t matter. It’s who they are. What they do. How they behave that determines their place among the Firewalkers. Experience and drive earn promotions, not family ties. That’s a hard lesson to learn, but I think I’ve learned it.”
“This is leading to something, Marian. What is it?” Sherefin asked gently, not wanting to break Marian’s expansive mood.
Marian smiled softly. “Master, I’m moving out of the Mage quarters.” Marian looked at the floor and blushed as she continued. “Brandis Endealan has a double in the infantry barracks, and she’s invited me to join her.”
“Very well, Marian, if that is your wish. Will you be continuing your education?”
“Oh yes Master. I just…Well, having someone close is nice. And Brandis is a nice girl. We’ve been seeing each other off and on for a couple of months.” Marian was still blushing, but she was smiling as well.
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