The journey to Exlive required five days more instead of four, as the fisherman had predicted. Theus and Amelia had taken shelter under bushes during a rainsquall that lasted most of a day. But they were in good spirits when they walked through a village not far from the outskirts of Exlive one morning, then entered the city itself late that afternoon.
Chapter 17
Exlive was a harbor city and the capital of a small kingdom, just as Steep Rise had been, and just as Southsand had been. It was closer to Stoke than either of the other two kingdoms were, and members of the nobility and the merchant class both had interactions with the world of Stoke, the capital city of the kingdom that ruled over the network of inland cities along the rivers – Great Forks and Greenfalls included.
Theus and Amelia approached the city from the land side, and entered the heart of the city through a gate that stood at the end of a bridge across a river.
“Do you know where your uncle lives?” Theus asked her after they passed the guards at the gate and stood in the center of a plaza that hosted vendors and merchants.
“I don’t know; I’ve hardly met him,” Amelia said. “He only comes back to the palace once a year to visit my parents,” the girl replied.
They resorted to asking a food vendor for directions to the embassy, but instead were given directions to the palace of the monarch, and told to ask there for information about the embassy.
“Why wouldn’t they know where the Steep Rise embassy is?” Amelia asked Theus as they walked towards the Exlive palace; the girl was indignant at the lack of knowledge about her nation.
When the travelers arrived at the palace around midday, they had to ask three sets of guards for directions to the embassy. They then had to retrace their tracks to return to the gate, and go beyond it in the other direction to find the embassy from Steep Rise, a gated mansion set amidst mature trees along the river front.
“We’re here to see ambassador Baitmin,” Theus announced to the guard at the gate of the quiet embassy grounds.
“No beggars,” the guard replied, addressing the dirty and tattered appearance the two youths presented.
“We’re not beggars; this is the Princess Amelia of Steep Rise, here to seek her uncle,” Theus replied.
“Go away before I swat you away,” the guard tried to rid the problem from his doorstep. “The ambassador will be leaving any time now; he doesn’t want to see beggars waiting at his gate.”
“We’ll wait here to see him,” Theus replied, not willing to argue any longer.
“You’ll run along and stop pestering me, or I’ll run you through with a blade,” the guard growled back, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“We’ll stay here and let the ambassador meet his niece,” Theus growled back, placing a hand on the hilt of his own sword.
The guard released his sword, and raised both hands to his mouth, then let out a shrill whistle that rang three notes. He stepped back, and pulled his sword free, as a pair of additional guards came running down the drive from the mansion.
Amelia, you go stand over by those trees,” Theus directed, as he drew his own sword. He wanted the girl to be safe, while his mind ran through the probability of being able to defend himself sufficiently against the trio of guards.
“Theus, be careful!” she warned him, then followed his direction, and ran to a safe place to observe.
The additional guards stopped to listen to the original guard advise them, then the three advanced out of the gateway, into the street, spreading out as they approached Theus.
“You ought to run while you can,” the first guard warned Theus, surprised by his refusal to flee.
“there’s only three of you, and I’m not sure how good you are,” Theus replied evenly, stepping back with small steps, wanting to assure he had no fences or obstacles in his vicinity to cut off his options.
“You’ll find out how good we are,” one of the new arrivals growled, stepping in front of the others and advancing on Theus for a singlehanded contest.
As soon as he was within Theus’s sword range, the boy stepped forward and engaged the man, slipping his sword in low, then allowing the guard to make contact. Theus riposted, and slapped down hard on his attacker’s blade, knocking it from the man’s grip in a shock to the man. Theus punched forward with the hilt of his sword, hitting his opponent in the nose and causing him to stagger back.
Theus picked up the lost weapon and faced his astonished opponents.
“I’ve got two swords, so the odds are even now,” he taunted. “If you want to surrender before anyone gets hurt, I’ll accept.”
The guard he had disarmed cursed wildly at him, while the other two separated and began to circle around him to approach from different sides. He cautiously stepped back further in response, and as he did, he saw Amelia suddenly dart from her safe place and run through the undefended gate, unseen by the guards.
He chuckled, hoping that she could find her uncle, but then he focused on the impending threat of two armed men who took him seriously.
He edged his way towards a tree, to keep it at his back for protection, while the two armed guards began to speed up and close in upon him.
When they were each just a few feet away, the guard on the left began to jab ineffectually, while the guard on his right began to swing wildly, slicing the air between the two of them. Neither seemed to have the skills to be a threat to Theus if they faced him one-on-one, and he grew more confident that he would be able to withstand their assault.
Theus shifted his attention from one side to the other, using his own sword to fight directly, and using his captured sword to occasionally block a stroke that flew too near. One slicing attack on the left drew blood from his shoulder, while he managed to pink his opponent on his left in the thigh.
“Stop! Cease the attack!” a voice called loudly from the gate.
Theus looked and saw that Amelia stood holding hands with an elegantly dressed gentleman. She had reached her uncle somehow! Theus had managed to make a successful delivery of the princess of Steep Rise.
“Step back,” Theus told the two assailants. He threw his extra sword down to the ground in front of him as a sign that he was ready to disengage.
Both guards stepped back, watching Theus carefully.
“All of you come in to me immediately!” the man at the gate called.
The three guards all backed further away from Theus, then turned and walked towards the gate. Theus waited a few moments, then lifted the sword on the ground, slid his own sword through his belt, and carried the captured sword towards the gate, several steps behind the others.
“You’ve done well to protect our embassy,” the man at the gate spoke to his guards and Theus as they approached. “But we need no protection from this young lady. Let me introduce my niece, the princess, Her royal highness Amelia.”
The guards all bowed to Amelia.
“We had no way to know, my lord,” the first guard defended his actions.
“Here’s your sword,” Theus told the man he had disarmed, trying to sound as courteous as possible to the man with the bloody face.
“My niece tells me that her companion has gone to great lengths to deliver her safely here. We’ll take them both into the embassy and make them comfortable, and learn more of their story,” the ambassador said. “Carry on with your duties, and thank you for your work.
“Go see about having your injuries tended,” he told the two who Theus had drawn blood from.
“How is your wound?” he asked Theus.
“It’s only a flesh wound, my lord,” Theus replied, as they all walked up the drive. “Thank you.”
“I thank you,” Baitmin replied. “My niece says that the two of you have escaped from the horror of Steep Rise. I’m anxious to hear your story, after you’ve recovered from your journey.”
“She’s a brave girl; Amelia held up very well on our trip,” Theus praised his young companion.
“’Her highness’,�
� the ambassador corrected him. “We recognize her title here.”
“Of course, my lord,” Theus said, embarrassed.
They reached the entrance to the embassy, a set of limestone steps that provided access to a large wooden door, where three serving women stood in line.
“Yolanda, you and Grace take her highness to her room; have her tended and cleaned and treated as needed. I’ll have dinner with her tonight,” Baitmin directed.
“Garsa,” he spoke to the third woman. “Take our guest to a spare room and make provisions for his comfort.”
“Bye Theus! I’ll see you soon!” Amelia stepped away from her uncle and hugged Theus tightly.
“Take care, your highness,” Theus tumbled over the title. “I’m glad we got you here safely.” He watched the two servants take the girl down a hall, and he felt a spot of emptiness in his heart. He hadn’t even considered the ramifications of reaching the embassy, that he and Amelia might be separated. It was an obvious outcome, he realized.
“Shall you follow me, my lord?” Garsa asked him.
“My name’s Theus,” he replied. “Please go on.”
He turned to the others in the hallway. “I’m sorry about the fight,” he told the guards.
“You handled yourself pretty well for such a young fellow,” the man with the injured thigh replied.
“Thank you, my lord. We’re glad to find you. She’s a good girl. I’m glad you can take care of her,” Theus told the ambassador.
“It’s going to be a difficult issue, deciding what to do with her,” the man said in a sincere voice. “But you’ve got her here alive and in good health, and we’ll deal with what is to come.”
Theus followed Garsa down the same hall Amelia had trod, as his mind began to consider what the arrival at the embassy meant. It meant that the two travelers would be bathed and clothed and fed finer food than they’d had in a long time. But it also meant much more than that.
“This will be your room, my lord,” Garsa told him. She reminded him vaguely of a slightly younger version of his mother, he thought as he looked at her.
“I’ll go get some bandages for your wound,” she said as she stood next to the open doorway. “And some clean clothes,” she added with a slight sniff. “Please start to clean yourself in the bath.”
Theus stepped into the doorway while the woman left, and he looked around the room. It reminded him of the quality of the rooms in the Warrell mansion in Great Forks, a comfortable and elegant space. He stood in a sitting area attached to a bedroom, and a door to the side undoubtedly led to the bathing chamber. He closed the door from the hall, and walked into what was a spacious bathing room, one with a small, deep tub instead of a shower.
He gladly started the flow of water into the tub, delighted that warm water was available. As the tub filled, he stripped off his filthy tattered clothes, then sank down and let the water level rise around him.
“Stay right there – don’t bother yourself. I’ve brought the things you need,” Garsa walked into the room with arms full of items. She laid several down, then walked over and promptly began to clean Theus’s injury, despite his discomfort over his lack of clothing.
“Can I help you get that choker off?” her fingers touched his neck.
“Yes, please,” he answered, having not given any thought to the last remnant of his identity as a slave of Southsand.
“You can take it away and burn it, for all I care,” he said vehemently.
She promised to do so, then continued to attend to his wound.
“I’ve got boys older than you, don’t bother yourself,” she told him matter-of-factly as she finished her treatment by putting an ointment on the injury. “When you’re done cleaning, we’ll put a bandage around that. Your clean clothes are right here,” she patted a stack of material. “I’ll have your dinner delivered to the room in an hour’s time. Will that be sufficient?” she asked efficiently.
“Yes, thank you,” Theus answered, taken aback by the efficiency of the embassy, while Garsa closed the door and left him alone.
He scrubbed himself clean, then closed his eyes and soaked in the tub, and tried to imagine what was coming next in his life.
He’d stay at the embassy for a day or two or three to make sure Amelia was settled in. Then, it was all open to conjecture. He’d head back to Great Forks to find Coriae. He’d tell her about his astonishing adventures. The guards from Stoke were certainly gone from the city, and his return would be safe. Perhaps he could return to his role of working in Falstaff’s shop even, he idly speculated, as he rested comfortably. Or he might be able to start a healing shop of his own. He’d grown supremely confident of his ability to use the knowledge from the ancient memory stone to heal a multitude of medical situations.
He heard a sound outside the bath, and a knock at the door. “Your dinner is served, my lord,” a voice called politely, prompting Theus to rise and dry and dress in red pants made of thick material, and a white shirt.
A table in his sitting area held a candle-lit tray with chicken and pork and bread and vegetables and potatoes, the classic food he’s relied on throughout his life on the farm. He began to devour the food energetically, and when he was done, he took the candle to his bedside table. The window in the room showed that night had fallen. Theus lay on the soft mattress, blew out his candle, and fell into a sound, restful sleep.
He awoke the next morning when a servant brought a tray of food to his room. After eating breakfast, Theus strolled around the embassy until a servant offered to help him.
“I’d like to see Amelia,” he explained, and he was led to a sitting room and told to wait. Several minutes later, Amelia and her uncle Baitmin entered the room as well, while a servant brought glasses of juice for everyone.
“Amelia has told me a great deal,” Baitmin began the conversation. “So I’d like to learn what you can tell me about the terrible events in Steep Rise. I understand you were a slave?”
“Yes my lord,” Theus began, and he launched into a detailed explanation of his history in Southsand, and his lucky escape from Donal during the confusion of the invasion.
“You just walked right off the ship?” Baitmin asked skeptically.
“No one was watching me. The magician had gone to recover,” Theus explained.
“Amelia says that when you first found her and Amory, there were guards from Southsand that let you escape,” Baitmin mentioned.
“They thought I was acting under orders from Donal. Everyone is frightened of the magician, so they let me go because they thought I was helping him. They didn’t know we were escaping!” Theus grinned.
“Tell me about the storm that you and Amelia suffered in, when you fell from the boat. What do you think happened to Amory and Redford?” Baitmin continued to ask questions.
“The storm surprised Redford, I think. We were in a pretty small boat, but in the darkness, we couldn’t see the shoreline to know which way to try to get to shore. When I saw Amelia thrown out of the boat I just jumped out after her; I didn’t even think about it. Then we had to swim to shore,” he said.
“You jumped after me? I thought you fell out too! Thank you Theus!” Amelia jumped up from her seat and ran across the room to hug him tightly.
“I’d do it again for you,” he told her softly.
“Come sit down Amelia. A princess must maintain her dignity,” Baitmin said softly.
The girl squeezed Theus one more time, then returned to her seat.
“Well, it was an incredible adventure. I’m just as impressed by the fact that you were able to survive in the wilderness so easily for such a long time. Her highness reports that you found food at every opportunity without struggle,” Baitmin seemed finished with his conversation.
“We did fine, my lord. I just want you to know my lord, that I listened to Donal. I don’t think that Steep Rise was the last conquest Southsand intends to make. Exlive might be next; the evil god sounds like it hungers for more blood,” Theus warned.<
br />
“Thank you. I’ll warn the authorities here to strengthen their defenses. I imagine the local authority already has begun to take action, since word of the Steep Rise invasion reached us through the traders and others who learned of the battle,” Baitmin agreed.
Theus was left alone in the room when the other two left, with an offer from Baitmin to have a tour provided of the city, if he wanted to walk about Exlive and see its sights.
One of the guards he had battled the day before proved to be his guide, a friendly man who showed him a wide variety of landmarks and activities. Theus was invited to eat dinner with the guards and did so that night, enjoying their friendliness. They had many questions about the battle at Steep Rise, and Theus gave them the best report he could on how the invasion had unfolded.
He felt good at the end of the evening, when he went to his room and lay down to sleep.
But when he heard a noise in his room in the middle of the night, he awoke to discover that the situation was not as favorable as he believed.
Chapter 18
“Theus?” he recognized Amelia’s voice calling in a whispered voice in the darkness of his room. “Theus, are you here?”
“Right here your highness,” he said softly.
“You should call me Amelia!” she said, and then Theus felt the bed shake as she climbed onto his mattress.
“Theus, you’re in danger,” she said as she climbed up atop him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Uncle Baitmin thinks you’re a spy for Southsand. He doesn’t believe all those things he asked you about today. I heard him talk to a guardsman; they want to arrest you in the morning.”
Theus tried to register what he was hearing. “Is this a dream?” he asked outloud, unable to comprehend the ludicrous notion that he was a spy for Southsand.
The Deadly Magician (The Memory Stones Series Book 2) Page 22