Kaina's Dawn (Kaina Saga Book 1)

by Brittany Comeaux

  The first floor consisted of the foyer, the bottom floor of the library, the ballroom, the kitchen, the lounge, and the dining room. Every floor opened into the foyer, and if one stood in the middle and looked up, they could see the grand staircase twisting around all the way up to the top floor, topped off by an crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The main staircase started from the foyer, so when Kaina reached the bottom of the stairs, she ended up right across from the front door.

  Kaina made her way to the door when she heard a voice in the room to her left.

  “Another drink,” the voice slurred. “My cup shouln' be empty!”

  As Kaina turned her attention to the room on her left, which was sectioned off by a set of double doors, she heard a calmer voice, “At once, Milady.”

  One of the doors stood slightly ajar, so Kaina peeked into the lounge, even though she already knew who was inside.

  “Make it quick,” slurred Isa, Kaina's aunt. “The lot of you...worh-less!”

  Isa was a pale, sickly thin frame of a woman who wore as much makeup, if not more than Matilde. Her hair was white blonde and streaked with gray, and by stark contrast her thin lips were permanently stained deep red from decades of wine consumption, and sat just above her nearly invisible chin.

  Isa lay casually on the lounger chair with her gold, jewel-encrusted goblet raised in the air. A servant woman exited the room through the door on the other side, which led to a corridor that in turn led to the kitchen and the wine cellar. Kaina turned back to Isa, who tried to scavenge every last drop of wine from her cup, and she soon realized that she had never seen her aunt without a drink in her hand.

  Kaina was about to turn away from the door when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. The hand spun her around, and before she knew it, she stood face to face with her sneering uncle, Hamelin.

  “It's rude to spy on people,” Hamelin growled. “Though I suppose I should expect nothing better from you by now.”

  Kaina furrowed her brow. “No, you shouldn't.”

  Hamelin, with his gray, formerly blonde hair and grayish blue eyes that lost all light in them the moment he was born, stuck his hooked nose in the air. He peered down and Kaina with the contempt of any noble viewing someone they deemed lesser than themselves and said, “Know your place, girl. Your grandfather has tolerated your behavior for far too long. When he is gone and I take over as Patriarch, you will change your attitude or you will be cast out. I believe you know what kind of enemies the Haventhorn family can be.”

  “I'm terrified.”

  “You should be. Now if you will excuse me, I must see to my wife.”

  With that, Hamelin released his grip on Kaina's shoulder, though the impression they left still ached on her skin, and walked right past her into the lounge. After one last threatening glare, he slammed the doors to the lounge shut behind him.

  As Kaina huffed and marched off to the front door, she heard Isa screech, “Hamelin you sonafabish...where's the wine?”

  Kaina pushed her encounter with Hamelin to the back of her mind and walked up to the coach at the end of the walkway. Elaine had been kind enough to request the simplest coach that the Haventhorn family owned, though it still didn't make her dread the journey. After all, with its red velvet interior, black painted coat, and pure gold trim, the coach wasn't exactly discreet. She would certainly be out of place walking out of that thing in her old, worn in dress that had permanent ink stains on the sleeves from her many late night study sessions.

  The coachman already waited by the door for her arrival, and as Kaina approached, he snapped to attention and opened the door. He put his hand out to help her inside, but she waved him away.

  “That won't be necessary--”

  “Nonsense, Lady Kaina,” the coachman said as he took her hand. He guided the flustered girl into the coach and said, “It is my duty to see to your needs.”

  Kaina took her place in one of the seats as the coachman shut the door, and the coachman took his seat up front. There was a little window just behind the coachman, which was directly across from where she was sitting. After a few seconds, the coachman turned his head to the side and said, “Where to, Lady Kaina?”

  “The dress shop, please,” Kaina replied.

  “At once, My Lady.”

  They soon took off with a jerk that caused Kaina to lose her balance for a moment. As the coach went further and further down the path into town, Kaina took the rare opportunity to get a good look at the scenery. While Eboncrest alone was a sight to behold, with its ancient, half timbered buildings, vast markets, and peaceful residents, the area outside left one yearning for more.

  Eboncrest lay directly in the middle of a mountain range that formed a natural crescent around the plains and hills of Eboncrest and opened to the sea, giving them the name of the Crescent Mountains. The mountains fascinated Kaina the most, or rather, the kind of places she imagined were beyond them. In her mind, the Crescent mountains were nothing more than barriers to keep her grounded and obscure her vision of greater things. It might have been silly to dream like this, but sometimes the thought of climbing those peaks to see what wonders lie beyond them was the only thing that got her through her day.

  The road curved down from the front gate, so much so that Kaina had to lean back as far as she could to counter-balance her weight and avoid falling forward. The road flattened, curved, dipped, and flattened again as the coach traveled into the town and through the archway that opened into Eboncrest.

  The market district was closer to the opposite entrance of the town from the manor, so the coach would have to ride all the way to the other end of the town. The first area outside of the manor was the residential district for the wealthier citizens, followed by the common citizens. The temple was in the next area, and Kaina spent more time than she cared to admit listening to priests drone on about tall tales of morality. She pretended to listen to them, but she had long since noticed inconsistencies between the stories and no longer believed in them.

  The streets of Eboncrest were formed out of deep gray stone slabs that were cut into squares and formed in a repeating spiral pattern and formed a uniform, straight pattern on the sides. There were poles along the sides of each street that held street lamps, which every day at sundown the town keepers would light up for the guards to patrol at night and keep an eye out for lowlife thugs, not that Eboncrest ever saw any such people.

  The half-timbered buildings, at least in the “common” parts of town, were built with wooden frames and stone foundations, with walls made of either brick and mortar or even simple wooden planks for those who could only afford that, while the wealthier homes were made of stone and bricks. The overall color of Eboncrest was a mix of muted grays and browns, but the green land surrounding it provided enough color for the town to still be pleasing to the eye.

  The coach finally reached the market district, which also included a few inns and taverns. Kaina could hear a hammer pounding nearby, no doubt the blacksmith deep at work, as well as a few fast-talking salesmen in the market stands trying to make a few deals.

  The coach stopped directly in front of one of the shops in the town square. She reached over to open the coach door first as the coachman stood from the driver's seat. Before she could do this, however, he darted over to the door to take over.

  “Lady Kaina,” he gasped, “allow me.”

  “That's really not—” Kaina was cut off when the coachman took her hand and helped her down, “--necessary...”

  The coachman waited until Kaina's feet her planted firmly on the ground to release his hold. Though she wished to protest the special treatment, she felt it was no use. As rare as it was for her to visit Eboncrest, she didn't wish to waste a moment of it arguing with her driver. She simply swallowed her pride and went over to the door to the dress shop.

  After a brief interaction with the seamstress, Kaina walked out of the shop with her mother's dress ready and wrapped in a wooden box. If she didn't know any better, sh
e would have thought that the coachman hadn't even breathed since she left. He stood up as straight and proud as before, smiling as she approached the coach with the package. On cue, the coachman opened the door and held out his hand to help her inside. She no longer felt the need to protest, but instead she just climbed inside and let him go about his business.

  After Kaina got settled into her seat with the box in her lap, the coachman climbed into his spot out front. Once he had his hands on the reigns, he turned his head again and said, “Well, my lady, shall we return to the manor?”

  Kaina was about to respond when a thought occurred to her. She almost never had the opportunity to visit Eboncrest and there was one place in the town that Aldis had mentioned to her and she always wanted to visit. As it happened, she had a little bit of time to spare before she had to be home.

  “Actually, I would like to make one last stop before we head home,” Kaina said.

  “Of course, Lady Kaina,” the coachman said, “where would you like to go?”

  Kaina cleared her throat and said, “To the book shop, please.”

  Chapter 2

  The book shop was only a short distance down the road from the dress shop. A sign that read Crescent View Books and Curiosities, and the “C” in both words was shaped like a crescent moon hung over a set of stairs that led below ground to a basement. Kaina made her way to the bottom of the stairs, where she found a door and a sign attached to the door with the word “ENTER” painted in gold letters on it. She grasped the old handle and inched the door open.

  The first thing Kaina noticed aside from the stack of books next to the window was how dark the room was. The second thing she noticed was the intoxicating aroma of old parchment. Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she closed the door behind her.

  Kaina could now see that the only sources of light were the windows near the ceiling and a single candle on the counter where transactions presumably took place. On top of the counter was an open book with entries in it. Judging by the format, she could tell that it was a log book for keeping track of purchases. There were also several bottles with what appeared to be oils Kaina had seen the servants use to care for leather. The rest of the room was full of shelves of books, some against the wall and others sticking out into aisles. Among other things for sale besides the books were quills, ink, parchment, and leather journals.

  Kaina didn't see a shopkeeper anywhere, and the lack of a bell above the door offered no way to signal anyone of her presence as a customer. She soon heard footsteps from somewhere above her, so she said, “Hello?”

  She didn't hear an answer, but from somewhere above her footsteps headed for the other side of the room, where there was a doorway she soon discovered led to a set of stairs. A scraggly man with wild hair and old, tattered clothing soon emerged from the stairs, and he shuffled over to Kaina and said, “Oh, hello there. What might I do for you today?”

  “I was hoping to buy some books,” Kaina replied.

  “Well of course, of course,” the man said. “Silly me, why else would you be here? Please, have a look around. You'll find much of your history books on the left side and some drama and folk tales on the right, and my rare collectibles and uniques finds are upstairs. Do tell me if there's anything I can help you with.”

  Kaina's curiosity piqued, she couldn't help but lean forward and ask, “Rare collectibles? Unique finds?”

  The old man smiled as though no one in the world had ever asked him about the upstairs room. “Oh yes. There are books up there that I purchase from travelers. You'd be surprised how many people look for things like that, although no one in Eboncrest seems to be interested in any of them. Come to think of it, I think you're the first person to ask about them. Most people would probably wonder why I buy things no one wants, but I just can't help myself. You never know what kind of traveler might come in looking for something they couldn't find elsewhere. But I digress...”

  “Well...I think I'll start upstairs,” Kaina replied, inching towards the stairs. “Thank you, mister...”

  “Fleming,” the old man said, “Mortimer Fleming, at your service.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Fleming,” Kaina said.

  Kaina turned back towards the stairs and had to hold back from sprinting to them. Her every step creaked almost in a melodic, welcoming rhythm. When she reached the top, she was surprised to see that it was even darker than the room below it. At first there didn't appear to be any windows, but after squinting her eyes Kaina could see that there were in fact, windows, but there were thick curtains drawn over them.

  The first area off to the left had a table with stacks of tomes with worn covers and pages stained yellow from exposure. Kaina placed her thumb on the edge of one of the covers and gently pulled one of the covers up to find a blank page on the inside, and when she turned the page she found an illuminated page from a manuscript, complete with beautiful ink paintings and gold leaf designs. She closed the cover, scanned over a few more tomes, and found an old edition of a book that Aldis read to her. She checked the paper attached to the cover with a piece of string and was pleasantly amazed that it wasn't nearly as expensive as she anticipated. She placed it under her arm, intent on purchasing it.

  Several rows of bookshelves stretched all the way to the back of the room. With little light to show her the way, Kaina did her best to navigate around the shelves and scan the books. She didn't know how long she visited each shelf, but she considered it still early since she could still see daylight peeking through a part in one of the nearby curtains.

  A glint of light from somewhere along the other side of the room soon caught Kaina's eye. She would have ignored it if it hadn't been for the fact that, though all logic and reason told her this couldn't have been possible, she could have sworn the light was blue. Kaina turned to the source and discovered something that took her breath away.

  A lone book sat face up on a shelf, and under its ornate silver trim and clasp was a rich blue leather that seemed to escape the test of time. A blue gem had adorned the clasp, and she found herself tempted to open it to peek inside. The latch had no keyhole or locking mechanism that she could discern, yet she still couldn't be opened to the best of her efforts.

  “That's strange...” she muttered under her breath.

  She was about to put the book back where she found it, but she hesitated. Kaina was never one to simply let things go. From an early age, she was always asking questions and the very nature of her being was to delve into the unknown and discover all that she could. Could she really leave such a potential treasure behind without knowing what it contained?

  Absolutely not, Kaina thought. She placed the mysterious blue book under her arm and continued to look around.

  After Kaina found the mysterious blue book, she sifted through a few more, saw some she liked, and added them to her stash. Kaina soon began to notice that the light outside was fading, so she figured that it was time to wrap things up. She headed downstairs and placed the books down on the counter to pay for them. Mortimer had his hands full with a few new books in the corner, so she took a moment to pick out some new writing supplies, including a new quill, some ink, and a journal and added them to her stack.

  Mortimer returned to the counter just as Kaina set down her supplies. He went through each item, marked them in his book, and added up the gold with each item logged. He then came to the blue book, paused, and said, “It's a curious find, isn't it? I bought this only last week from a traveler, yet I still haven't been able to open it and find out what is inside.”

  “Neither could I,” Kaina said. “I wanted to buy it so I could find out.”

  Mortimer studied the pristine cover. “I actually didn't plan on selling it until I could unlock it, but I haven't had much luck with it at all. I'm stumped, frankly, and I was just about to give up on the thing.”

  Kaina's expression fell. “Does that mean I can't buy it?”

  Mortimer examined the book, smiled, and said, “Tell you what, I'll
let you take it. No charge.”

  Kaina nearly gasped. “Oh Mr. Fleming, I couldn't possibly...I can pay for it...”

  “Nonsense,” Mortimer said, placing the book onto the stack he'd already logged. “If you want to repay me, simply tell me all about whatever secrets you uncover. Deal?”

  Kaina smiled. “Of course. And thank you, Mr. Fleming.”

  “Call me Mortimer,” the old man said as he continued entering items into his log book.

  Elias Haventhorn sat at the desk in his study signing off on a few documents while the servant who had delivered them waited patiently for him to hand them back. Once he did, the servant left the room with the papers to send them off to their recipients.

  The study had a wall of books behind the desk, leaving enough room in the middle for a banner with their family crest, a large “H” framed by a circle of thorns and a single rose in the bottom corner. A hearth stood to the left wall beside the desk, and two reading chairs had been placed just beside it. Across from that was Elias' old suit of armor from his time in the Crimson Knights, along with his sword and shield hanging on the wall beside it. Those were among his proudest years, and that pride only grew every time he looked up from his desk to see the reflection of the hearth fire still shining off of the polished steel.

  “As I was saying before, father,” said Roland, his younger son, “while I have nothing but good things to say about Hugo, I still say that Gabriel has as much chance of becoming a Crimson Knight as his cousin has.”