by Wright, A L
This was when Mortul looked into unearthing his chamber and recreating the spells to prolong the lives of some of these humans. He could make them Noble like him, but without the devastating magicks.
Kurmeina was one of his first to be turned. She was a scholar, and very valuable to him. He wanted to make sure all the history of the war was written and needed someone dedicated to do it. After her turning she not only wrote, but she also taught the locals how to read and to write, basic arithmetic and small doses of history.
After she taught several humans how to pass on her knowledge, she withdrew from her scholarly pursuits and dedicated herself to writing.
And one of the books she had penned, and continued to add to over the years, was the book laid open on the Patriarch's desk.
He felt the elderly woman staring at him, waiting for him to grasp the meanings of what she had just found.
“So, I take it that these findings were fairly recent then?” He finally asked her.
“Yes, Master Mortul. The connections could have been made before, but I had not worked on the lineages in quite some time. I usually let a generation or two go by before I spend time with these entries. Had I looked at this book nineteen years ago I would have brought this to your attention then.” Her voice was deep and clear, without any trace of weakness. She may have been an elderly woman, by human standards, when she was turned, but she looked and sounded like a young matron.
“I understand that. These findings just solidify my need to approach my son and granddaughter. If I could just catch up to one of the wayward Rangers that followed my son away that night I could get them to tell me the state of things with my son. If this is true, and I am not doubting your research, then my son's offspring could be a very dangerous person.”
“Do you doubt your son's ability to properly raise his child?” Kurmeina asked him.
Mortul took a long look at his companion. She had known him for centuries, before he was made into a Lord of the grateful humans and a Patriarch of their own people. She was one of only a couple who could question him so openly.
“No, I do not doubt his ability to care for the child. I do know however, that he does not have the ability to answer any questions she may have about being different from other Nobles. He will not have the aptitude to train her in the use of magic. If she is of such strong bloodlines, then she will surely have noticed some of her abilities. Really the question is, will she turn to him or another familiar person for help? Or will she venture out and seek advice from strangers out of curiosity. That, my dear Kurmeina, could be very dangerous indeed.”
Chapter 4
“It could be very dangerous bringing the girl to the Keep, My Prince.” Victor was not comfortable with the idea of such a young, inexperienced female amongst the pack of men who made the Keep their home.
“I agree Victor, but it was the best course of action given the situation.”
Victor looked back at the girl who was now drowsing on her horse. Even though it was night, the animal was quite sturdy and picked its steps well in the bright moonlight. He hoped that maybe since the girl and Nikkola were so close in age that they would become friends. Nikka could help him protect the girl, especially while he was not around.
“I suggest we introduce her to your daughter right away. Nikka can help the girl get her bearings and then get set up to work.”
“Perfect idea, Victor. I had not thought of that.”
To Victor it had seemed like his Prince had not thought much at all lately about Nikkola. But he knew Dartein was very preoccupied with getting the Keep better set up now that it was housing more Nobles. The blacksmith was only the start. They had to look at constructing some new buildings and reinforcing the walls.
Victor had proffered the idea of inviting villagers to make their homes inside the walls, or set up farms just outside. Dartein was not sure they had enough to offer villagers in the way of protection, as of yet. And it would be a hard life for the first few years. The land around them was still pretty rough. Not quite ready for growing crops without some serious tilling and fertilization. Sure they could keep some herds of livestock, but the humans did not live on meat alone like they did.
“Sir, how are we going to feed this girl? We do not grow vegetables or even cook our meat.”
“I'm sure it would not be too hard to build a spit to cook meat on.”
“She may get tired of roasted venison after a while.” Victor glanced up towards the slightly brightening horizon. The keep was just ahead. They would make it there right before the sun came up. This girl was going to have to adjust very quickly. She was definitely going to wonder where everyone ran off to right after her arrival. It was probably best to leave all those explanations up to Nikka. Hearing it from another girl may make it easier to absorb.
Still, he had this lingering dread in the pit of his stomach. He could not quite figure it out. Was it because she could be in danger at the keep? He was sure Clyd and Tynen could keep the men in line and away from her, and Nikka would keep her too busy to think about being surrounded by men.
Maybe it was the thought of possibly seeing Nikka less if the girls became friends. He had come to care for her so much. She was so much like her mother.
“I best wake her before we enter the yard.”
Victor stopped his horse and waited until hers caught up with him. He grabbed the horse’s reins and pulled it to a stop. Friesa was startled awake by the sudden shift in movement.
Blinking hard she eyed the walls of the keep. “Are we there? I never knew there was a fortress out this way.”
“It is very old and in the process of being rebuilt,” said Dartein. “Which is one of the reasons we needed a smith.”
“Come, girl. Let us get you in and settled. We will be needing to rest for the day.” Victor handed the reins back to her. “When we get inside, well I gotta warn ya it's a bit rough. Just a bunch of men living here.”
Victor turned his horse and kicked it to a trot, following Dartein up to and through the keep’s main archway.
Dartein pointed upward at the arch. “Someday we would like to put an iron gate here.”
Victor glanced back and saw Friesa gaping upward at the arch. He hoped she would be up for all the tasks they would be throwing at her.
Coming to a stop in the middle of the yard, Dartein let out a whistle. Clyd and another ranger came out of the keep to greet them.
“Welcome back, Sir. Any luck finding a smith? And who's the little lass back there?”
“That little lass would be our new smith, Clyd. We will see how she fares over the next few weeks, give her a few tasks to test her out. Right now we need to find my daughter so she can help her get settled.”
Victor's eye caught Nikkola's stealthy form sliding out from next to the keep's door. He smiled thinking of how he had taught her to use shadows to her advantage. And she was quite good at it.
“Right here, Father.”
Friesa whipped her head towards Nikkola, startled by her sudden appearance.
“Oh! Where did ya come from? You are his daughter? But you are my age! Your father can't be that old!”
Nikka laughed, her voice clear and her laugh deep. “He's much older than he looks. Now let's grab your stuff and get it up to a room. The sun is coming up!”
Nikka and Friesa unloaded the horse of its bags and packs. Victor watched the girls as they chatted about what was inside them and then watched as they walked into the keep. The feeling of dread hit him again, right in the pit of his stomach. He hoped he wasn't right. He really hoped he didn't lose her to this human girl.
Chapter 5
Nikkola was incredibly excited upon meeting the new girl. Even if she was a human, it would be wonderful having another female around. She watched Friesa as the girl took in her surroundings while they walked from the main hall, up the stairs and onto the floor with Nikka's rooms. Nikka had never been around other girls before, and was curious to see what they were like. See if
they were like her.
“This floor has three rooms, but I only really use one. The whole floor is mine, though. I think my father is too paranoid to have any of the men sleep near me. Most of them sleep out in the bunk house. That’s probably the only building that doesn't need to be repaired right away.”
She opened the door to the room right next to hers and led Friesa in. She sat the packs she was carrying down in a corner and turned towards the bed.
“I have an extra blanket, but I'm afraid it's not very thick. We don't have company, well, ever.”
Friesa rolled out her pack on the floor and grabbed two thin blankets.
“Well I'm thinkin’ tha one you have plus these two should do it. Thank ya for lettin' me sleep in yer room.”
Nikka liked the girl’s odd way of talking. It was refreshingly different.
“Like I said, this whole floor is mine but I only use the one room. Before you get too settled in, there's a few things you need to know about us. If you want to stay on here it's pretty important to know the things that make us different.” Nikka wasn't sure if her father or Victor had told her anything.
“Diff’rent? Because ya all don't live in a village? I'm not sure what would make ya so diff'rent,” Friesa said as she went about laying her blankets out on the straw mattress.
“Well, you see... we aren't quite human out here. Have you ever heard of the Nobles?” She bit her lip hoping she didn't scare the girl away.
Friesa looked up from her blanket, wide–eyed. “Are ya tellin’ me that ye're a Noble?” Nikka nodded. “Yer father and Victor, too?” Nikka nodded again. “Wait though, I thought Nobles couldn't have babies. Is he really yer father?”
Nikka chuckled at her new friend's curiosity, but wasn't sure how much to tell her now. The sun was already peeking over the treetops and she was feeling pretty tired.
“He really is my father, and it's a bit of a long story. I just need you to understand that our lives here in the keep are led at night. We sleep during the day, because the sun makes us sluggish. We eat meat, though it’s uncooked. It will probably take some adjustment, if you want to live on our schedule. There is a kitchen on the north side of the Main Hall, with a spit and oven that haven't been used in years. We will have to send someone back to the village to buy some vegetables and such for you, and I can get a couple of the Rangers to cut up some firewood.”
Friesa held up her hand and stopped her from continuing her ramble. “It's okay, I 'preciate ya wantin' ta make me comfortable. I brought a few provisions with me, and maybe in the next few days we can take a look outside the keep fer wild fruit and such. I practically begged yer father ta let me come with them, and I want ta be makin' sure I ain't a burden ta no one.”
Nikka took a good chance to look over her new companion as she unpacked her things, few as they were, and arranged them around her. Friesa was tanned of skin, taller than most human women. She was a bit scrawny for her height. The girl stood taller than herself by at least three inches. As Friesa peeled off layers of clothes she could also see that she was muscular, wiry, and quite strong looking. She could believe that this girl was at least an apprenticing smith, not much else a girl did in a village led to that kind of strength.
Friesa also had a petite nose and a wide-eyed, almost innocent type of enthusiasm. The men around here had a sure surprise coming in the form of this tough, yet innocent looking young lady.
“Well then, I must be off to sleep,” Nikka said, holding back a yawn. “I will try to awaken early and we can take a look at the old forge room, see what is there and what is needed. Do you need anything else before I go? If you get thirsty there is a well just outside the keep’s main door.”
“I thank ya for yer kindness. It's more than I'd have gotten back home. Men in the village think us women are nothing more than baby makers. I am glad for the chance ta prove them wrong. Go 'n sleep. I'll be fine here.”
Nikka took one last long glance at Friesa, then turned and left.
---
She was glad when Nikkola left, only because she was having a hard time hiding her nervousness... especially since she was so tired. She didn't want to be rude when she felt the young Noble girl staring at her while she had started to undress. So she waited to finish getting undressed until after Nikka left.
Not that she minded being unclothed in front of another woman, she just didn't know what types of urges these Nobles had. She figured she had better be careful until she knew more about them.
In spite of the quick getting to know you, she found herself liking Nikkola. There was a warm innocence tucked away behind a wall of caution. Nikkola probably had never had a real female friend before having been stuffed away in this musty old castle.
Well she had a friend now. Determined to prove herself useful and a good companion, she laid down on the makeshift bed and fell almost immediately to sleep.
When she woke it was still brightly lit outside. Stretching, she wondered how long it would be before Nikkola awoke. She was excited to see what the old place had for her to work with.
After dressing quickly in loose linen pants and a red leather vest, she looked out the window to try to gain her bearings on the layout of the Keep. The window she looked out from wasn't centered on the yard but she could still see a good portion of it. She could see the stables to her right, and a small squat structure that looked to have had the roof recently repaired to the middle of her view. Furthest left was a small building with a stone chimney coming up and out of the left part of the roof. She was sure that would be the old forge room.
Grabbing an apple out of her pack, she steeled herself to face whatever people were beyond her door.
Opening the door just a crack, she peeked out to see if anyone was around. Neither seeing nor hearing anyone she opened the door all the way and walked into the hallway. If it weren't for the birds chattering away outside her window, it would have been eerily quiet.
Closing the door behind her she walked down the hall from the same way they had come up. It wasn't an overly cluttered place so remembering her way around was fairly easy. She poked her head into the kitchens to see they were just as abandoned as Nikka said they were. The oven and stoves looked in good repair, however, and should she need to cook something she would just need to come up with a good pot.
Moving back out of the kitchens she moved through the Hall and out the main doors, munching on her apple as she went. There were no locks or bars on the doors, and the wood seemed fairly new. If they wanted to make this place defensible they would need to look at bracing and posts.
Stepping out into the sunlight of the late evening she surveyed her view to place the buildings she had seen from her window. Directly in front of her now was a long building stretching off to her right. This was the building with the newer roof. It had windows with shutters and a couple of small chimneys, so she assumed it was a barracks or housing of sorts.
To her center and left she spied the stables. So she walked past them towards the building she knew was going to be the smithy. The ground of the keep was hard-packed dirt, nothing fancy. There were a few shade trees that grew nearer the Keep itself, with the well Nikka told her about in the shade of the one nearest the main door.
She made it to the building she knew would be hers and pushed open the door. The door groaned on rusty hinges and scraped across the floor, pushing dirt and debris inward in a wide arc. Tossing her apple core aside before she entered, she left the door open to let as much of the evening light in as possible so she could see her way around.
There were counters and shelves with a lot of small metal bits and pieces. A pile of what looked like iron bars was in the far corner next to an oven. Hooks above the pile of iron were full of moldy and rotten ropes, and some really old lengths of leather strips. Not much in there was useable except the bars and the metal bits lying around.
The folks she now worked for would need to stock this place fully before she could produce much more than hinges, small b
olts and locks and snaffles for the horses. She could start on some sets of shoes, but not enough for all of their horses.
Just as it was getting dark she found two tin lanterns on one of the shelves. Thankfully, next to them was a flint because she hadn't thought of bringing hers down with her. The oil inside the lanterns was old but it still lit after a minute, burning smokily.
Setting one lantern down on the center table, Friesa walked out the side door to inspect what she hoped would be a proper forge. What she found was a bit disappointing. There was indeed a forge but it was in a very poor state of repair. It wouldn't take a lot to make it serviceable, but she would not be able to make blades on it unless it were strong enough to withstand hours of heating.
Walking back into the main room she was silently listing in her head what she would need to work in this shop when she heard a sound. Just a slight scrape of a foot over dirt floor.
“Who is there? Show yerself!” She held out her lantern against the darkness of the room, attempting to shine the light on who or whatever was in there with her.
Eyes shone back at her from just beyond the reach of her lantern. Dark eyes that reflected light like a cat. They were so dark she couldn't see the white around the colored part, which as they came closer she found they were a deep dark blue.
“I hope you are not here to take what little we have, Miss. I would hate to hurt a gal as pretty as you.” The voice was smooth but deep and rich and kept coming closer along with the eyes.
She was suddenly backed against the wall and the eyes continued to close in on her. Just as they were coming within the radius of the light from her lantern, the intruder stepped into the weak light coming from the doorway. She gasped as she saw the face of the beautiful man in front of her. The colored part of his eyes shrank a bit as the extra light came to shine upon his face. She was so mesmerized by this face that she didn't realize there was another person standing outside the door.