by Wright, A L
“My Lord, I have no family to go back to and I am willing to dedicate my services and my life to the Princess and the war ahead.” Friesa glanced quickly towards Tynen as she spoke, hoping that she sounded confident.
“Very well. I will agree to think upon this for the night. We will discuss it further tomorrow. You are all my guests for as long as you wish it, and there will be rooms prepared for you. For this night I would ask you not to wander without an escort, until it is known that you are my guests.” The Patriarch rose and opened the door. “Please see that my guests are given comfortable rooms and have food and drink brought to them.”
The guard standing outside the door snapped to attention and addressed the trio. “If you would follow me, please.”
Friesa followed Tynen out the door, but turned to wait for Nikka. As she turned, she saw The Patriarch take hold of Nikka's elbow lightly.
“My granddaughter, I cannot tell you how much your presence here pleases me. There are many things for us to discuss, beyond the matters of growing the armies. I hope that you will stay a brief time so that we can speak more.” The Patriarch spoke quietly but his voice still carried to Friesa's ears.
Smiling, she turned back around to follow the guard, happy that her friend was finally finding answers to her mysteries.
Chapter 18
In his library, all was quiet. It had not been so for several nights, and he relished the peace. He had lived mostly in solitude for the span of years that his son had gone away from the palace, and forcing himself to be more social was unsettling for him. He would not shy away from visiting with his granddaughter, though. They had so many things to discuss. He had so much to learn about her.
Nikkola was just like her father. Strong willed, tough, adventurous and a natural leader. Coupled with her mother's compassion and straightforward mannerisms, she could rival himself someday as patron to the Nobles. That was indeed something to think upon. This war could result in many of their people's demise, including his own.
He already knew that his role in the coming war would be at the front of the battle lines. All three of the warlocks would be there. They had seen the end of the first war together, and they would see the end of the enemy altogether this time.
If only he had had time to teach his son a bit of magic use. Hopefully he would see him again before battle brewed and he could teach him a few tricks at least.
A knock on the door resonated throughout the chamber, threatening to destroy the peace of mind he had just found. The door opened and in walked Hudreia, seemingly floating along the floor. The guard outside closed the door behind her.
“My dear Mortul. You look quite somber this evening,” she said.
“Good evening. I am merely reflective, thinking old thoughts. What brings you to my library tonight?” Mortul asked her.
“I wanted to give my thanks once again for allowing our plan to take root. In the time that we have, we will not be able to breed and raise many immortal steeds but we will be able to assemble a herd of strong, intelligent and swift horses.” Hudreia spoke as she sat in one of the overstuffed chairs, running her fingers along the seams on the arms.
“I had the chance to inspect yours and Yosan's mounts this evening. If you can bring to us steeds even a quarter of their strength and cunning then we will have a great advantage.”
“Your approval makes me happy. We spent years perfecting the techniques that we used for breeding these horses. It is sad that our time as breeders ended before we obtained more than our own personal mounts. But I did not come to your personal space to speak solely of horses. I came at the behest of your granddaughter. She wishes to travel south with us.” Hudreia sat forward and waited for his response.
Surprised, he tried not to let his concern show. “Why does she wish to accompany you?”
“She wishes to bond with her future mount. She will give her own blood and with that her own magic, to transfer to the animal. It is a wonderful thing, this bond. Horse and Noble acting as one unit, thinking and acting almost as one. Of course the bond won't be quite as strong since we are working with colts, but it is still rather impressive.” Hudreia eyed Mortul, waiting for his answer.
“I see. It would give her more protection, if she does face battle. I must agree to it then. But I ask of you, please send her back to me soon, as I have not even had the time to speak of magic with her.” He sighed. He disliked seeing Nikkola leave so soon. But of course she would be back. She would not leave her friend here.
Friesa was asleep alongside Tynen in the slumber chamber. He had made sure to lecture them on that specific. He could not bear to see another loss like the kind he and his son had suffered.
Hudreia stood. “She will be happy to hear of your approval, though I am sure she would have went anyway without it. She is stubborn like you.” His old friend paused before she reached the door. “It would do well for you to visit the village where we intend to work as well. Bind yourself to a mount. As you said, we need the advantage.” She smiled and then turned back to open the door, walking quickly through it.
Of course, she was right. He would love for all of his Nobles to have access to Yosan's mounts. But he should at the very least encourage his generals and rangers to do so, and build up their possible advantage.
The guard outside his door reached in to grab the handle to close it.
“Wait. Have a message sent to Hudreia and Yosan. Tell them that I will accompany them to the south. And inform the council that I will pass along written orders to them before I leave.”
“My lord. I will do as you ask.” The guard bowed. “When will you leave?”
“Tonight, shortly after midnight.”
“Shall I gather guards for an escort, my lord?”
Mortul almost laughed. The thought of an escort for three warlocks was indeed amusing. “No, but I thank you for your concern. We wish to travel quickly and quietly.”
“I will inform the stable of your intentions, and have a horse made ready for travel.”
“My thanks. You may go now.”
The guard bowed low again and rushed to do as he was commanded, the open door forgotten behind him.
Chapter 19
Several families had arrived at the Keep this evening, just before the sun dipped behind the trees. Dartein wished his daughter were here so that he could use her energy in helping to guide these folks in setting up and settling down.
The families had brought a few carts each; the poorer of them led by oxen or by the power of their own backs and feet. The two more well-off families had strong draft horses pulling their wagons and carts. Goats and sheep milled everywhere. Dartein briefly wondered if they all even knew whose animals belonged to who.
They couldn’t all fit into the keep yard so about half of the families stayed just outside the gate until they were given directions. One man and his family had driven into the yard first, and he was climbing down from the wagon as Dartein walked out of the door of the Keep.
“Halloo there!” The man yelled toward Dartein. He was very tall for a human, and even though he looked a bit beefy around the middle, his stride was long and his grip was crushingly strong.
“I take it you are the leader of these here pilgrims?” Dartein asked as he further assessed the man.
“Name's Matten. And I guess you could call me that, since they been following me the whole ways out here.” Matten said as he stared off toward the families that were strung along behind his wagons.
“To be honest, I am glad that they have someone to look to for guidance. As you may know, my kind is mainly nocturnal and we will need someone who can stand the light of day to be available for them as needed.”
Matten turned his stare back to Dartein. “There hasn’t been any official electing, but I can put a vote out there and see what they think. I don’t mind leading but I ain’t gonna force it on anyone.”
“Nor should you.” Dartein found himself impressed with the human man. “Now before it gets to
o dark, I would like to show you where and how we parceled out the land.” Dartein gestured off toward the gate and the two of them began briskly walking towards it.
He had a bit of a shock waiting for him as he walked past the gate and saw that there were a few more than seven or eight families waiting outside. Plus several more herds of sheep and goats, massive carts with cages of chickens, and one very large herd of steer.
“Them cows is mine. I may need to take up more than one parcel to keep them satisfied. We breed ‘em pretty often and these families will be wanting milk cows soon, I reckon. Goats’ milk be good for cheese, but I never quite liked the milk itself.”
“Indeed. Well I am sure we have more than enough land to accommodate them.” Dartein began walking again, showing Matten the markers they had used to put up some temporary borders.
“Of course this all depends on how many more you think will come later on,” he said as he led them along.
“This be all of us coming from Northill. The other villages be quite some way off and I’m not too sure they will want to make the trip with goblins in between.” Matten stated.
“Agreed. Then instead of a quarter of the land, take half and resize the parcels as you see fit for the families here. Once we have them all planned out, we can begin constructing palisade-style walls until we have enough labor between us all to rebuild them into stone.”
“The protection measures are a boon relief. We’d hate to dig in just to get put out by goblins.”
As they walked Matten gestured to a family leader here and there, and had them inspect the parcel of land they were near to see if it would fit their needs.
“Looks like we got several farmers, a few herdsmen, and myself that will need some of the bigger parcels. A few of the parcels closer to the gates can be quartered up and taken up by the tailor, tanner, and the two carpenters.”
“Carpenters you say? Once houses are secured for you all, I could use their skills at rebuilding some of the buildings around the Keep.” Dartein was growing more and more confident in the decision to bring these families out here. If he could gain more of the humans’ confidence and trust, then maybe they would be more willing to fight when the time came.
“Gad dang it! Unhobble those steer before you move them! Whose kid are you? I’m gunna have words with yer father.” Matten rushed off towards his herd of cattle and a wide eyed boy who was obviously terrified of the giant man rushing his way.
Turning back towards the Keep, he directed Clyd and his rangers, who had been trailing behind him, to help get the folks setup for the night.
Watching his fellow Nobles helping the humans was an interesting omen, and he figured this must have been a bit how his father had felt all those years ago after the war. He did not think he could ever be the leader that his father was, but he would not make a bad one either.
Wishing once more that his daughter was here to watch over these people with him, he turned to the Keep and left the rangers to their task of organizing and unloading and setting up.
Victor had only been gone for two nights before tonight, so he most likely would not hear back from him for another two or three nights. As angry as he was at Nikka, he kept it tempered because he knew she was not harmed. He would feel it if she were.
Victor however, did not share that bond with her, and would continue to worry until he saw her again. One more reason why it was better for Victor to go after her than himself.
He just hoped they both hurried back.
Chapter 20
The village of Noble’s Rest had grown considerably since the last time he had been here. Villagers of all types filled the roads; the wealthier citizens riding in carriages while the poorer folks drove carts or walked while simultaneously dodging cart-wheels.
One thing most definitely had not changed. People parted the pathway quickly, making way for the Noble heading towards the Palace. Victor was glad to move easily through the crowd, yet he became apprehensive the closer he came to the last place he saw the first woman he cared for. The place where he left her body and fled from to wallow in his sorrow and guilt. Fled with his Prince and friend, and her newborn child.
And now he had purposely come back here to this place he swore he would never return to, seeking that same child. Nikka may be a grown woman now, but he would never feel any less protective towards her. Maybe someday he would admit to himself that his feelings were more than merely protective.
Heaving a sigh as he approached the Palace gates, he braced himself for what lay ahead. His horse slowly walked through the gates and ambled to the middle of the yard before stopping out of lack of direction from its rider. Victor was too busy attempting to control the onslaught of emotions that the sight of the Palace brought to him to worry about his mount.
“Sir?”
Startled, Victor looked down beside his horse to see a young boy addressing him.
“Sir, would you like me to take your horse?”
Victor acknowledged the boy with a grunt before throwing his leg over and sliding off his saddle.
“Keep my bags in the stable for now. I am not sure if I will be staying long.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy said as he walked away, clucking to the horse as they moved towards the stable.
No longer with a horse to use as an excuse not to enter, Victor grimly made his way to the main doors.
Nothing had really changed in his time away, it seemed. The black marble benches and columns still graced the entryway and foyer. The tapestries were the same and the faces that turned towards him were all familiar. Of course there wouldn’t be more than one or two new faces, since the Choosings happened generation-ally.
“Well what do we have here?” A velvet voice come from behind a few of the other Nobles in the foyer. A tall, lithe woman with dark hair that fell all the way down her backside made her way around the others and walked slowly towards him.
“Vera. I see you still loiter in public areas. Always the gossip monger.” Victor had never disliked the woman, but his patience was not long enough to deal with her flirtatious ways right now.
“My but don’t you look rugged.” She growled. “You were always handsome and being away from the cleanliness and splendor of the Palace sure did not change that.”
He was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable being devoured by Vera’s eyes. Glancing around him, he saw that all the other Noble’s present were wearing smirks and eavesdropping intently, and quite unabashedly on their conversation.
“I came here on behalf of the Prince. His daughter passed through here recently and I am to make sure she is safe. She does not often go far from home.”
“Oh, she is home now. Back to the Palace at last. She arrived here three days ago.” Vera teased him with her information.
“I must see the Patriarch and her as well.”
“Well. The Patriarch is not here at this time.”
“Not here? I have never before seen him leave for more than a few hours at a time. He should be back soon, then?” Victor asked.
“Well it seems he is taking care of some business in one of the southern villages. Something about horses ready for his elite guards or some such. The two warlocks rode with him.” Vera purred, moving just a bit closer to him.
“Warlocks? Who are these warlocks?”
“My, aren’t you full of questions! Are you now glad that I ‘loiter’ around the foyer? Hmm?” Vera reached out and ran her finger down his chest, placing her hand on his stomach.
“Vera, I am not interested in your flirtations. Your slithering self does not appeal to me.” He took hold of her wrist and removed it from his front, then let go and turned to walk away.
“Then who does appeal to you? Maybe the girl in the Slumber Chamber?”
Victor stopped in his tracks and whipped around to face her again.
“Oh I see. You do care. Your Prince’s daughter was quite adamant that her girlfriend be turned. Of course being the granddaughter of the Patriarch she got her
way. The girl is interred in the Chamber already.”
Victor was frozen in place, unable to say a word.
“Oh darling. It is so sad to watch someone’s heart breaking. If you decide to stay and rest here, just let me know what room is yours. I will help you forget her.” Vera had closed the distance between them once more, and was running her fingertips down his chest again. This time with both hands.
He grabbed her wrists and pushed her away from him. “I will be staying here, to wait upon the Patriarchs return. But you will never touch me again if you want to keep your hands attached to your arms.”
Victor turned and marched away, with Vera’s voice following him.
“You had influence here once upon a time, Victor. But without your Prince in residence you are nothing but a visitor. You should treat those of us who are important to the Palace with a little more respect.”
Victor had turned the corner of the hallway as she spoke the last few words. He smiled crookedly to himself. Seeing her lose her composure in front of the others was quite satisfying.
As he strode along the corridor leading to the east wing that held the guest rooms he walked past the opening that led off in the direction of the slumber chamber. He didn't even take the time to think about it, he just turned and walked through. This hallway led towards the heart of the palace, and the stairways that led below it.
He continued walking until he reach the stairs, descended them, and did not stop until he stood before the open door of the Slumber room.
The doorway was an open stone arch that led inside. The room itself was a crowded array of pillars, arches and other supportive structures. There were alcoves carved into the walls with candles in each one, and trinkets that each human that had been turned had left there as a symbol of leaving their old lives behind.
Gargoyles and other nocturnal creatures leered from the tops of the arches, pillars and from above the alcoves. Watching over the proceedings, guarding the ancient rite of being turned into a Noble.