The Obsidian Palace (Through the Fire Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

“Okay, if I have to…” the girl said, reluctantly letting go.

  “Are you really staying here?” the boy asked suddenly, not letting go yet.

  Ruethwyn smiled at him and nodded slightly. “That’s right. At least for today and tomorrow, and possibly more. We’ve got to be back in Tyrness next week, but that still gives a few days. I’ll talk to you, promise.”

  “Ah, you’re here!” Another voice drew Ruethwyn’s attention as the boy let go, and she smiled as she saw Cerid, Korima’s father. The kitsune was wearing simpler clothing than he had the last time they’d met, though he looked good in the sky-blue tunic and dark brown trousers. “I’d wondered if you’d be here today or tomorrow, from Korima’s letter.”

  “Master Cerid, it’s good to see you!” Sella exclaimed, returning his smile. “I wasn’t sure if the troupe had set out yet this year or not.”

  “Oh, no, we’re not going to set out for another two weeks. We’ve got things to prepare, and some divinations have recommended that we stay in the enclave a bit longer,” Cerid explained. “Besides, Rithara would’ve been loathe to miss your visit.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Ruethwyn said, smiling in return. “I must ask, is there somewhere we can stay? Korima didn’t say, and I forgot to ask.”

  “We’ve a few guesthouses, don’t you worry about that,” Cerid assured her. “We’ll likely have a public meal to introduce you to everyone tonight or tomorrow… probably tomorrow, given how late it is to start preparing the food. That’ll give you more time to settle in, and for Korima to wear out the youngsters.”

  “You could try to help, you know!” Korima exclaimed, struggling to her feet.

  “I suppose that I could, but you seem to be enjoying yourself,” Cerid replied, grinning. “Besides, they missed you.”

  “You’re evil, Dad,” Korima told him, swinging a pair of children by her arms.

  “No, I’m just teaching you to fend for yourself,” he replied, then looked at the rest of them with a grin. “Care to grab your things? I’ll take you to the guesthouse so you can get settled in.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Master Cerid,” Ruethwyn said, stepping around behind the carriage, where the driver had already unlocked the storage bins.

  “Agreed. I didn’t expect to have quite this warm of a welcome,” Tadrick said as he followed her.

  Ruethwyn was quite aware of dozens of kitsune around the town, many of them watching them curiously. She thought she recognized a few of them, but she couldn’t be certain. More interesting were the sight of a handful of elves, along with a couple of humans as well. She’d seen some among the troupe’s crew, but she hadn’t been sure if they lived here or not.

  “Don’t mention it,” Cerid said quickly but sincerely, his smile much gentler this time. “Truly, your assistance before this was more than we could’ve asked of you, considering the danger that it put you in. Especially considering what happened during your trip going north.”

  “Um, you know about that?” Sella asked, even as Ruethwyn paused in picking up her bags, flushing as she did so.

  “Of course I do. Korima has been sending us letters,” Cerid said, then nodded to the side, toward one of the smaller buildings. “Come along, let’s go. Korima can catch up once she’s done playing in the dirt.”

  “Alright,” Ruethwyn said, trying to force down the heat in her cheeks.

  It wasn’t working, but at least the welcome had been warm.

  Chapter 17

  Ruethwyn had expected the interior of the house she’d been shown into to be different, likely with stone floors and walls, considering the outside. Instead, the interior had been lined with carefully planed and polished wooden boards along the floor, and the walls were similar, though they’d been painted or whitewashed, and most of them had paintings or simple tapestries hanging on the walls. What surprised Ruethwyn the most about them was how empty the building was, with broad, open spaces through the rooms, and curtains instead of doors through the interior.

  She’d taken a few minutes to get her things situated, which didn’t take much work with the minimal furniture, then gave the bed a dubious look, since she could’ve fit at least three of her beds from the academy into the same space this one took up. After a moment, she shrugged and stepped out of the room again, brushing the curtains aside to see Tadrick standing with Cerid.

  “…the clay from a nearby river with good deposits, and we’ve got a good kiln set up outside of town. Several of them, actually,” Cerid was explaining, smiling as he did so. “We don’t just fire the tiles there, as that’s the source of most of our pottery and other dishes as well. We have a few artisans that make particularly nice pieces for trade, and between those, our weaving, the doras, and the troupe, we make more than enough to get by on. We do trade a few crops and the like, but for the most part we’re self-sufficient.”

  “I see. Interesting,” Tadrick said, taking a breath, then let it out and nodded as he saw Ruethwyn and smiled at her.

  “Hey, I see you got settled even more quickly than I did,” Ruethwyn said, returning the smile, then raising her eyebrows as she looked at Cerid. “What was that about? I only caught the part after you said where the clay came from.”

  “Ah, I was just explaining where the roof tiles came from, and how we make a living to Tadrick,” Cerid explained cheerfully. “We don’t need a lot, mind you, since we’re careful not to over-hunt in the surrounding forests.”

  “I’ll admit, part of me was curious if I should talk to my brother about marketing some of the fruit and vegetables from Daskar here, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be interested in that,” Tadrick explained. “I know that Korima favors meat, but I’ve seen her eat fruit and vegetables quite a bit, too.”

  “Ah, that explains your question.” Cerid smiled broadly in return. “No, we don’t eat just meat. Neither do foxes, for that matter, but the important thing is that we favor meat. If you want to suggest your brother visit and try to market some of your family wares to us, we’d certainly consider the offer. Everything depends on the price and quality.”

  “That’s reasonable enough. I’ll let him know, and we’ll see if anything comes of it,” Tadrick said, his mood obviously improving. “I will say, if you could make decent, ornate wine jugs from pottery, that might be more enticing to him.”

  “Hm… that’s quite possible,” Cerid murmured thoughtfully.

  “If you don’t mind, I had a question of my own, and hopefully it’ll be easier to answer,” Ruethwyn said, and Cerid’s ears flicked as he looked at her.

  “Oh? What might that be?” the man asked curiously.

  “Why the lack of doors? And why is the bed so big?” Ruethwyn asked, gesturing back at her room. “I think that at least three beds of mine from the academy would’ve fit in its place, possibly as much as four!”

  Tadrick smiled and spoke up. “Ah, but your room was particularly small, Rue. My bed was at least half again the size of yours.”

  “Indeed? Well, that must have annoyed Korima, even if she didn’t say anything,” Cerid replied, chuckling in amusement. “Both questions have a similar answer, truthfully. For us, we commonly take the shape of a fox and sometimes we find it more comfortable to sleep in that form. To accommodate that, we make sure the beds are larger to fit more easily. Another part of it is that we sometimes have couples who visit, and a larger bed is good for them as well. The curtains are also much more convenient if you’re lounging about in the shape of a fox as well, as paws aren’t good for opening doors.”

  The answer was simple enough, and Ruethwyn nodded in understanding, glancing around the room to consider it. It did make a lot of sense, and having seen the size of Korima when she took the shape of a fox, it explained several things.

  “Oh! Is that why the rooms have so much open space?” Tadrick asked, blinking in surprise.

  “That’s right. It’s much harder for a stray tail to knock something over when you don’t keep things out to be knocked over,”
Cerid said, laughing more.

  At that moment, the curtain at the end of the hallway was pushed aside and Sella stepped out. She was wearing a slightly nicer green dress, Ruethwyn noticed, one which she’d seen at the school a few times, even if it wasn’t quite as nice as what most of the people in Tyrness had worn.

  “What’s the laughing about?” Sella asked curiously.

  “Oh, we were just asking why they used curtains and had large beds, and Cerid explained that it made it more convenient to stay in the shape of a fox. It’s also why the rooms have such an open layout,” Tadrick explained, though his tone wasn’t quite the same as it’d been before. The unease between him and Sella saddened Ruethwyn, but she wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Ah, I see. I had wondered but didn’t want to be a bother,” Sella said calmly, nodding in understanding.

  “It isn’t a bother. The question is common enough for non-kitsune visitors, so we’re used to it,” Cerid assured them, then nodded toward the door. “Would you care to come visit Rithara? She was busy when you arrived, but I know she wants to see all of you.”

  “Of course!” Ruethwyn said, smiling warmly at the memory of Korima’s mother. “I was a bit startled at her last visit, and didn’t really get a chance to talk to her.”

  “Agreed,” Sella said quickly, glancing at Ruethwyn speculatively.

  Tadrick nodded and began to follow as Cerid headed for the door, the young man speaking as he did so. “I did want to ask, how is she doing? We didn’t have a lot of time to interact with her after the mess at Lord Elisir’s mansion.”

  “Pretty well, on the whole. Oh, there were some difficult moments for a few days, but in the end, it turned out much better than it could have.” Cerid’s voice was serious as he opened the door and led them outside. “You rescued her before they could do anything but lock her up, so that was something of a relief. While she was magically charmed to follow them, that isn’t something new to her, so things are doing well.”

  “Good,” Ruethwyn said, feeling relieved. Then she spotted Korima and blinked in bemusement.

  Her friend had drawn a large circle in the dirt, and now she was… well, dancing didn’t seem to be quite the word for it. As she watched, Korima was singing something softly as she waved her tail inside the circle at the same time as the children, then turned around and started doing a jig.

  “Umm…” Sella began, her voice trailing off, and Cerid chuckled.

  “The children do love Korima, don’t they? I’m glad she hasn’t lost her touch for putting them at ease. I suspect she’ll be along in a bit,” the man said, then nodded to the north. “Our home is this way. Korima will be taking her old room, unless she decides to lodge with you, so it’s wise to show you where the house is for that as well.”

  “Makes sense,” Tadrick agreed, and they headed to the north, and Cerid nodded politely as they passed several people.

  Ruethwyn saw a few more people she thought she recognized and smiled as she saw a huge fox with black fur streaked with silver sleeping on a porch. Something about the kitsune village almost felt more alien than Valisair had, yet at the same time it was more comfortable and welcoming. There was also an odd smell in the air, and Ruethwyn tilted her head, trying to place it.

  Before she could decide what the smell was, Cerid turned to a house, one that didn’t look much different than half the ones they’d passed and was about the size of the guesthouse. Ruethwyn gave Sella and Tadrick a startled look, but before she could say anything, their guide headed for the door.

  “Here we are,” Cerid told them cheerfully, opening the door and calling out. “Dear, I’m back! I’ve got Ruethwyn, Sella, and Tadrick with me, too.”

  The smell grew stronger, and a moment later Ruethwyn realized that it was some type of soup, using an ingredient she’d only smelled once or twice, some type of root, she thought. She couldn’t quite remember the name, which was frustrating, but she recalled it having an interesting flavor. She followed Cerid into a room that was far more colorful than the ones before.

  Unlike the guesthouse, this home had more furniture, with a couple of bookshelves along one wall, each lined with well-used books of varying sizes, as well as a large number of folders, and the titles on the spines of the books varied from elven to Kalpheran, dwarven, and at least a half dozen other languages. Ruethwyn could only identify a quarter of them, and it impressed her more, since that meant she couldn’t read them, but their presence meant that Cerid or Rithara probably could. The walls had several colorful paintings, which looked like they depicted various legends, and others that she thought were of theaters. One painting on the wall was of Cerid, Rithara, and Korima, the last likely only fourteen or so, from the look of her. There were some nicer wall hangings, these looking more like blankets that could be pulled down if there was need, and the curtains were more well-used.

  “Ah, already? I’m still not done cooking,” Rithara’s melodious voice echoed in return, and the woman quickly appeared in the doorway to what must be the kitchen, causing Ruethwyn and the others to gawk slightly.

  The last time they’d seen her, Rithara had been wearing fine, beautiful gowns, and she’d been wearing elaborate jewelry that perfectly accompanied her intricate braids and clothing. Now her vivid red hair was in a set of three relatively simple braids running down her back, while she wore a faded red dress with an apron over it. She was still beautiful and graceful, but the difference was startling.

  “There you are! It’s wonderful to see the three of you! I also see that, if anything, Korima understated the extent of your changes, Ruethwyn,” Rithara said, smiling warmly as she stepped toward them. “Come in, come in… make yourselves at home, please.”

  “Um, thank you, Lady Rithara,” Tadrick said, shaking off his unease and giving a half-bow.

  “None of that. The Lightweavers don’t have nobility, Master Tadrick, no matter what people from outside the enclave may think,” Rithara scolded gently. “Call me by name, if you please. You helped save me from a fate worse than death, after all.”

  “Ah, thank you,” Ruethwyn said, trying to shake off her surprise as she stepped farther into the house.

  “You all seem surprised to see me. Is it really that strange to see me like this?” Rithara asked, raising an eyebrow gracefully.

  “Yes?” Sella replied, her tone slightly questioning. “I mean… we met you before, but you look so different, and the house is… not what I expected. Nicer inside than it looked from the outside, but so different it’s a bit shocking. You’re different too, and it’s a bit…”

  Rithara laughed, and that and her smile practically lit up the room as she looked at them. “Of course, I should have realized. Perhaps this will put things into perspective, but outside of the enclave… well, my position as the lead actress of the Starlight Troupe may as well be another role.”

  “Wait, really?” Tadrick asked, slowly sitting on a sofa. Ruethwyn considered doing the same, but chose to remain standing instead.

  “Truly,” Rithara nodded immediately and continued gently. “The Starlight Troupe is renowned, and I’m considered its best actress. While I am acknowledged as such by our people, that doesn’t innately give me more authority over the troupe or make me more important.”

  “She’s on the council, as am I, but it’s the council that makes the decisions,” Cerid added, nodding in agreement.

  “Precisely. However, outside views are a little different. Nobility react more warmly when they have someone they feel is in charge, not a full council they have to convince,” Rithara explained. “So I play the role of the wealthy, renowned actress when the troupe travels. Most of it is real, mind you, but there’s no need for me to wear such expensive clothing and jewelry when we’re here, in our home. Perhaps when we have noble visitors who wish to meet with me, but that’s relatively rare.”

  “Oh. Well, it does explain a few things,” Sella said, looking like she was relaxing slowly. “I didn’t know what to expect, and you made m
e nervous before. This is a little surprising, but I guess it’s relaxing, too.”

  Ruethwyn nodded and smiled at Rithara. “Yeah, I’ll agree with Sella there. I was surprised at how well you put us at ease when we first met, but this is a little more comfortable… even if your enclave is enormous compared to where I grew up.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Now, why don’t you all sit down? My soup isn’t going to take care of itself,” Rithara told them. “We can talk in a bit, once things are simmering properly.”

  “As you say,” Sella agreed, hesitating before taking a seat on a different sofa from Tadrick.

  Cerid laughed and sat next to him, so Ruethwyn shrugged and took a seat next to Sella as Rithara disappeared back into the kitchen. A few moments later, she heard the rattle of metal on metal, which she had to wonder about, but she wasn’t going to intrude.

  “So, Ruethwyn, what’s it like to have been healed?” Cerid asked. “I’m sure you’re getting sick of the questions, but that’s one I’ve pondered a fair amount, since we heard about you.”

  “Utterly, completely relieving. Pain that had become such a constant companion I hadn’t noticed it anymore just… vanished. I can use my magic easily, without being in pain, and my mana core grew larger for the first time since I’d been injured, rather than shrinking somewhat,” Ruethwyn said, then raised her right hand and grinned. “Having this back is nice, too, but I’m finding it a little more difficult than I expected.”

  “Oh?” Cerid asked, and Ruethwyn saw her friends looking at her curiously as well. “Why’s that?”

  “Well, I got used to doing everything one-handed, and despite originally being right-handed, I’ve been using my left for writing and everything for a year. Casting spells with both hands, writing, and everything else… I’m not used to that, anymore,” Ruethwyn explained. “I didn’t expect it, but it’s just as hard to adjust back as it was to get used to it in the first place. I’m sure I’ll manage it in the end, but in the meantime it’s just… odd.”