2. Dimitri
Chapter 2
Dimitri
“ S top!”
Dimitri froze with his hand on the rose’s stem. The voice called again, sounding even more desperate, and he straightened. He had stepped outside for a moment of fresh air and couldn’t even remember what had drawn him to pluck a rose. He had no use for one.
He scanned the surrounding garden. The cry had come from a young female, and she had sounded distressed. He hadn’t seen another soul in the building or grounds since his arrival that morning, but he had been on edge the whole time. An abandoned manor seemed like an open invitation to rogues and misdeeds.
He turned toward the drive, his eyes still searching for the owner of the voice. His hand strayed to his waist, but he hadn’t strapped on his sword when he stepped outside, intending to only go a few steps. He would have to attempt assistance without a weapon.
A young woman appeared, dark hair flying and fire in her eyes as she slid to a stop in front of him. He glanced behind her for pursuers, but there was no one else in sight.
When he refocused on her, his words of reassurance died on his lips. The force of her outraged expression was almost enough to send him staggering backward. He had caught a glimpse of surprise there as well—as if she were taken aback to see him—but it had been immediately swallowed by her ire.
The girl’s chest heaved as she struggled to regain her breath and talk at the same time.
“What are you doing? Are you out of your senses?” She glared at him as if expecting an answer, but all coherent words had deserted him.
He glanced from side to side, looking for something that might explain the girl’s indignation. But there was still no one else in sight, and the grounds looked just as they had moments before.
“I’m…sorry?” he said when the silence stretched out, her glare continuing full force.
He could have turned the question back on her. She was the one trespassing on his lands, after all. But he had only just arrived in Glandore to claim possession of his unexpected inheritance, and he didn’t want to antagonize the locals.
On first arrival, he had been concerned that they might be justifiably resentful of him for leaving the building so long abandoned. His family had clearly failed in their duties when they allowed the large grounds to become a wilderness and the building itself to sit empty. It had been an invitation to those who operated in the shadows.
But thankfully, a closer inspection had revealed that neither the building nor the grounds were half as dilapidated as they had appeared at first sight. He was even starting to wonder if his initial impression of long abandonment was wrong. So surely that could not be the cause of this girl’s indignation.
The girl’s head tipped slightly to the side, her expression softening into one of confusion. He watched her expressive countenance with fascination. As much as he wanted a positive connection with the locals, his response to her was more than neighborly goodwill. The flash in the girl’s gray-blue eyes reminded him of a lightning storm, and he couldn’t look away. He had been momentarily struck by the beauty of the roses, but they were nothing to the living, burning beauty of this girl.
“Were you really about to pluck a rose?” she asked at last, disbelief in her voice.
He frowned. She was worried about a flower? From his own garden? Did Glandorians hold plants to be so precious?
He couldn’t believe it—not when greenery in Glandore grew the moment it was planted. The kingdom fed not only their own populace but half the surrounding kingdoms as well. They must harvest their plants many times a year.
But the girl was still staring at him, clearly waiting for an answer.
“They just looked so beautiful,” he said with a note of apology.
He added his most charming smile, hoping to coax her into a better mood. He had seen several expressions from her, but not yet a smile. A girl who looked so captivating when angry had to be breathtaking when those eyes were filled with laughter instead.
But the girl shook her head in response to his effort, pity filling her eyes instead of the smile he had hoped for.
She patted his arm, almost as if he were a child. “It’s a good thing I was here, then. The unwary can easily fall prey to the Legacy without even realizing. Next time you should ask yourself why these roses look so particularly bright. They’re trying to lure you in.”
“Lure me in?” he repeated, his original confusion back in full force. The girl was treating him as if he was simple, but was she the one addled in the brain?
Looking at her eyes again, he couldn’t believe it. And yet her words made little sense.
The girl continued, unheeding of his confusion. “You must be from a distant part of the kingdom if you don’t know about this place. It’s been empty for more years than I’ve been alive, you know. But look.”
She pointed dramatically at the manor’s front door which he had left open in an attempt to air out the large entryway. He blinked at the unmoving door for a moment before looking back at the girl.
She seemed to think she had made her point effectively because she seized his arm and dragged him toward the drive. He allowed her to tug him along, his protest silenced by the combination of confusion and fascination that she evoked in him.
“Since I stopped you in time, we should be able to escape the grounds before the Beast appears,” she said over her shoulder.
He stiffened, his mind flashing to the sword he hadn’t brought along. He was never leaving the manor house without it again.
“What sort of beast?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “How should I know? It isn’t as if the Legacy is entirely predictable. Life would be a lot easier if it were.” She grumbled the last line under her breath, still towing him along with more energy and strength than he’d expected from her small frame.
“I just feel sorry for the poor soul,” she added. “They must have bungled things badly for it to get that far. There hasn’t been a Beast in this region for several generations.”
“You feel sorry for…the beast?” Dimitri asked tentatively, feeling more and more as if he had strayed into a dream.
The girl pulled him over the boundary of the manor grounds onto the public road and immediately released him. She didn’t leave, however, her eyes fixing on him and her brow creasing.
“Of course I feel sorry for the man. Would you like to be cursed to take the form of a terrifying animal?”
“No?” he said tentatively. Was the beast she kept referring to a cursed man? He had seen no sign of such an unfortunate individual since his arrival.
The girl shook her head and spoke slowly, as if it was his understanding that was lacking rather than her own nonsensical words. “Now that the Legacy has found a Beast for the castle, the roses are back in the garden and trying to lure unwary passersby into plucking them. Even if you didn’t realize the castle was inhabited again, you should know better than to pluck someone else’s rose! The presence of both a castle and a Beast will make the Legacy incredibly potent right here, but that doesn’t mean there’s no danger elsewhere. It can still find a way to trap you with a flower from a different garden.”
Dimitri finally gathered his wits enough to intervene. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’ve only newly arrived in Glandore, and?—”
He had intended to claim ownership of the castle, but the girl cut him off with a dramatic gasp. He’d already gathered that travelers from beyond the kingdom’s borders were rare, but it seemed an excessive reaction.
“Don’t tell me you came into Glandore without researching our Legacy!?” She shook her head. “You really must be a fool.”
He flushed and straightened. He had been raised in a remote area, but that didn’t make him deficient in understanding. He opened his mouth to repudiate the accusation, but she spoke again.
“Where are you from? You haven’t shown any inclination to nap so far, so I’m guessing it isn’t Oakden.”
His earlier protests dissipated in the face of fresh confusion. Half of the girl’s sentences made no sense.
“Are you from Sovar then?” She scanned him up and down as if looking for something. “Do you have anything made from glass? One of the girls in town has the most useful pair of glass gloves that her father bought for her from a peddler. I’ve been waiting and waiting for the peddler to come around again.” She wilted. “Not that I could afford something like that now, even if she does reappear.” Her voice lowered, her eyes clouding over. “Not after him.”
The combination of anger, sadness, and resignation on her face shook Dimitri. He was seized with the unfamiliar desire to seek out a man he’d never met and squeeze restitution out of him. He bit his tongue on the hot words that wanted to pour out, reminding himself they were complete strangers. Instead, he tried to distract her.
“Glass gloves ?”
As he had hoped, the girl’s expression changed completely yet again, her eyes lighting up. “Avery is one of the few peddlers who actually travels between the kingdoms herself instead of exchanging goods at the border like most merchant trains. She acquires the most amazing items. Last time she visited, she had just been in Sovar. Her cart was full of useful items made from glass.” She sighed. “But she doesn’t come through often.”
Dimitri still didn’t know how you could possibly make gloves out of glass, but at least the girl no longer looked as if all her fire had been extinguished.
“Daphne isn’t from Glandore, either,” the girl continued. “But she’s not just traveling through like you. She actually lives here.” She peered up at him. “What discomfort are you afflicted with? Is it very terrible?” Sudden understanding illuminated her face. “Has it clouded your mind? Is that why you fell prey to the Legacy so easily?”
“Ah…” Dimitri had no idea how to answer her question, instead seizing on one of his own. “Who’s Daphne?”
“My friend.” The girl gestured to the side of the road, and he started, not having realized they weren’t alone.
But as he took in the second girl’s appearance, his brow slowly creased. She was propped on her arms on a fence post, which was already strange enough in the circumstances. But more remarkable still was that she looked utterly at peace, her eyes closed and her breaths rhythmic and slow despite the conversation taking place right beside her.
“Is she…asleep?” he asked.
The first girl giggled at the obvious wonder in his voice, and he forgot all about the sleeping girl. The teasing twinkle in the first girl’s eyes was just as charming as he had imagined.
“Daphne can sleep anywhere,” she said. “It’s the Oakden Legacy’s punishment for leaving her kingdom. You know what it’s like over there.”
Dimitri didn’t know. He knew almost nothing about Oakden. Just like he knew nothing about these Legacies she kept mentioning. He knew he should tell her as much and request an explanation, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything that might drive away the amusement lighting her face.
“I’m Dimitri, by the way,” he said instead.
“Rosalie,” she replied, and he smiled involuntarily. It was a fitting name given his first impression of her.
She misunderstood his expression however, her mouth twisting. “I know. I still don’t understand what my mother was thinking! It’s like she wanted to provoke the Legacy.”
A loud yawn prevented him from answering, drawing his eyes to the girl on the post. She straightened, regarding the two of them from half-lidded eyes.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“Dimitri,” Rosalie said promptly, as if she had known his name for years. “He’s from out of kingdom like you.”
Hearing his name on her lips sent a thrill through him, and in its wake, he felt the first stirring of unease. His mother had warned him countless times that Glandore and the other kingdoms were strange places full of deception and treachery. And even Rosalie herself kept uttering cryptic warnings about fantastical happenings.
Could he trust the instinct that had drawn him to Rosalie the moment he’d seen her? Or did the strength of that pull mean he should distrust it?
He shifted, uncomfortable with where his thoughts were leading. He didn’t want to view his new acquaintance with doubt and mistrust. But a charming rogue was of necessity charming and appealing—wasn’t she?
Not for the first time, he wished he had someone to advise him. But the remote mountain community that had been his home until recently was full of those who had fled the easier life of the kingdoms. They had each possessed a reason for leaving that made them reluctant to speak of their past homes. The mutual silence had been like an unspoken agreement between them—one that had frequently frustrated a youthful Dimitri. But his mother had hated mention of the kingdoms most of all, so there had been no point pressing her for answers.
When she had died, he had come into possession of her private papers. He had been curious, in an idle way. He certainly hadn’t expected to find a master key, the deed to a manor—and a whole host of further questions. But there had been no point seeking clarification from his neighbors—his mother would never have confided in them. And though they had offered assistance during her long illness and sympathy after her passing, no one had tried to stop him packing up and leaving. No one had even asked his destination, so they were still in ignorance of the inheritance waiting for him. Not asking questions about each other’s business was a foundation of the mountain community.
Dimitri had been braced to find Glandore a dark place, but so far it seemed the opposite. From the beginning his steps had been lighter, as if his whole body weighed less in Glandore than it had in the mountains. And his fears about what he would find at the manor had so far proven unfounded. He had feared his arrival would instigate a property dispute over the manor’s true ownership, but instead he had found the building and grounds deserted.
His concern had then switched to the burden of how to restore the house and grounds. And yet every moment seemed to render the once derelict building more habitable rather than less. With the building in much better shape than he’d feared, he was left only with the reality of loneliness and isolation—a possibility that had barely formed in his mind when a young woman catapulted into his day, bringing more brightness than the cloudy sky.
It was a wonder he hadn’t been more suspicious from the beginning. Everything had been too easy so far. Had he already fallen prey to the enchantment his mother used to hint at? Was Rosalie luring him in for some fell purpose?
Daphne sidled up to Rosalie, lowering her voice although Dimitri could still clearly hear her words.
“He looks just like?—”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Rosalie cut her off, her nose raised at a suspicious angle.
Whichever unknown person Daphne was referring to, Rosalie didn’t want to talk about him.
“He’s just a traveler who failed to sufficiently educate himself before entering Glandore,” she said. “I had to stop him just as he was about to pluck a rose!”
Given the severity of Rosalie’s earlier reaction, Dimitri expected a dramatic response from Daphne. But she merely raised her eyebrows before glancing at the lush garden and wincing.
Dimitri followed her gaze and frowned. Did the garden look even more abundant than it had an hour ago? He knew plants grew unnaturally well in Glandore, even out of season. But he hadn’t expected anything so impressive.
“Is this garden…special?” he asked, unsure how to phrase his question.
Rosalie rolled her eyes. “Now he catches on.” She slipped her arm through Daphne’s and nodded down the road. “You really shouldn’t travel any further into Glandore without properly educating yourself on our kingdom’s history. We can see you as far as the edge of Thebarton and give you directions from there into town. The record keeper’s office is on the central square.”
Dimitri wanted to ask what Glandore’s history had to do with anything, but Rosalie and Daphne immediately started walking, clearly expecting him to fall into step beside them.
He hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the manor. He should tell them he wasn’t a traveler—not anymore. He could even reassure them about his access to information. The large library inside the manor—complete with a history section—made a visit to the record keepers’ unnecessary.
But if he did that, he would have to farewell Rosalie and Daphne immediately.
Dimitri launched into motion, his long legs easily covering the small distance that had grown between them. When he caught up, he modified his stride to keep pace with Rosalie. Glancing down at her, he smiled at the air of suppressed energy that radiated from her. She might be on the shorter side, but he suspected it was only her reluctant friend that was slowing her down.
As they walked, his eyes caught on roses growing along the side of the road. Roses made sense in the garden of a manor house, but he was surprised to see wild ones along the verge of a remote country road. And when the first scattered homes came into view, their gardens were full of roses as well.
Apparently the people of this region really loved the flower. He couldn’t see a sign of any other kind of flower. Rosalie had mentioned roses several times as well. He frowned, trying to remember the roads he had passed on his journey from the mountains to the manor. He could vaguely remember seeing roses there too, but his mind had been too full—of grief over the past and tension over the future—to pay detailed attention to the plants he was passing.
“There seems to be a lot of roses.” He glanced sideways at Rosalie.
She shook her head, but her lips were curved upward. “That is an understatement.” When he opened his mouth to respond, she quickly cut him off. “And don’t even think about making a comment that relates to me and my name. Believe me, I’ve already heard them all.”
Dimitri’s lips quivered, but he didn’t dare laugh in case he offended her further.
“And don’t bother asking me any questions either,” she added. “Since you don’t know anything, it’s better for you to get the whole picture in one go from the record keeper.”
Once again, Dimitri wanted to protest her assessment of his education. But since he had felt hopelessly ignorant since the moment of their meeting, he kept his mouth closed.
The two girls stopped in front of a neat cottage with a bordering garden—full of roses, of course. There was no fence, but the garden ended in such an abrupt line that it was easy to tell where their land ended. And it was equally obvious that someone cared for it meticulously.
He glanced again at Rosalie? Was it her? Somehow he couldn’t imagine it—not given the barely repressed energy that poured out of her and her obvious scorn for roses. She didn’t seem like she had the patience for careful gardening.
Dimitri only wished her house had been further into Thebarton so he could have more time with her. Would she reject questions about herself the same way she had about the flowers?
His thoughts were still occupied with her when she launched into a precise and detailed set of instructions for how to find the record keeper’s office.
“Once you reach the center of town,” she concluded, “look for the largest house with the most elaborate frontage. It’s two buildings to the left of that.”
“If the house is still there,” Daphne said mildly.
Rosalie gave her an impatient look. “We aren’t that far out of town! We would have heard if there was a fire—or smelled it, at least. Plus the boys would already be out here telling us all about it.”
Dimitri wasn’t sure about the cause of his sudden tension—the casual suggestion that Thebarton was full of arsonists or the equally casual reference to boys. He would have liked to question both things, but the two girls’ conversation continued too quickly for him to interject.
“I suppose you’re right,” Daphne conceded. “Those terrors would be delighted at having such dramatic news. As if your family isn’t traumatized enough.”
Some of Dimitri’s tension eased at the obvious indication that the boys in question were children. Rosalie, on the other hand, took offense at Daphne’s words, dropping her friend’s arm as her hands flew to her hips.
“They aren’t terrors, they’re children. Even if they like to think of themselves as youths.” She rolled her eyes. “And if the Fosters’ home burns down, it will be no one’s fault but their own. They’ve been making it more and more fancy ever since—” She broke off, glancing at her family’s cottage.
Dimitri frowned, once again feeling as if he was missing most of the story.
“Don’t bother trying to pick a fight with me,” Daphne said without heat. “You know I can’t be bothered arguing with you. Your brothers can be angels if you insist, and I quite agree about the Fosters. They should forget about their new elevated status and consider the dangers instead.” She shrugged. “But it’s no business of mine. Or yours, for that matter.” She added the last part as if she didn’t think there was much point in trying to direct Rosalie toward disinterest.
Rosalie giggled in response, her momentary heat passed. “My brothers are far from angels as we both know. And since all three of them are smitten with you, I can understand why you think them terrors.”
Daphne shuddered—the most animated reaction Dimitri had yet seen from her.
“Please don’t remind me.”
“But how could they help it?” Rosalie said loyally. “You’re so beautiful.”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “If you start up, too, I really won’t come to visit anymore.”
Rosalie grinned, the secure expression of someone who knew her friend would never abandon her. Dimitri smiled as well, unable to help his face mirroring Rosalie’s expressive one.
But a moment later, his good humor dropped away as he remembered his upcoming solitary walk back to an abandoned house. He had never possessed a close friend in the mountain community—the inhabitants kept too much distance for that, and his mother had never encouraged it. He hadn’t felt the lack, though. When he had wanted company, there had always been someone to be found, and when he had wanted solitude, no one had bothered him. It had seemed ideal. But suddenly he found himself wishing for a friend he could rely on in everything. It was a novel concept.
“Farewell!” Rosalie said abruptly, piercing his thoughts. He blinked at her as she dragged Daphne up the path toward the cottage’s door. “Just continue down the road, remember.” She waved toward where the houses grew closer together. “And don’t forget it’s the second building on the left.”
Dimitri didn’t even have time to thank her before the two girls disappeared inside the house, the door closing firmly behind them. He stood for a long moment staring at it and wondering what sort of family and home lay on the other side.
But at last he shook himself and turned back toward the manor. Thanks to Rosalie he now knew the name and location of the closest town, and it appeared to be a decent size as well. When he was ready to visit a store and meet the local leaders, he would know where to go.
He wasn’t in a hurry to do so, however. He had watched plenty of newcomers join the mountain community over the years, and those who sought out the unofficial leaders usually fared the best. But he wanted to do some reading in the manor library to check that matters were conducted the same way in Glandore. He didn’t want to miss some essential step out of ignorance.
But as he walked away, his thoughts strayed from Thebarton and its leaders. He glanced back at the cottage. His path into the town would bring him past her door every time. Surely he would run into her again?
Before he came back, though, he had study of a different sort before him. Rosalie had shown him that he had a lot to learn about Glandore—and something called a Legacy. And while he was at it, he would look for answers about his mother’s family and why they had left her large and apparently prosperous estate abandoned for twenty years.