19. Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
I acted as look-out while Cam and Ram snuck out of the castle to head back to their cottage after I ordered them to lay low until I had a chance to speak with my father. I didn’t want to risk any overzealous guards trying to throw them back in the Sonaria.
Since I didn’t know when exactly my father would be back from Civi Adasa, and I was too antsy to rest like Dey suggested, I decided that I might as well explore the castle a bit.
I wandered down the halls past a few open doors, loitering briefly in front of each one to watch what was happening.
In the first room I came to, a few servants moved their hands in circular motions over tubs filled with clothing and soap, their magic churning the water. Off to the other side of the room, one servant used their power to suspend wet clothing in the air while another made sweeping gestures that pulled every drop of liquid from the fabric down to a grate in the floor.
I realized they were just doing laundry, but I still watched longer than was necessary, fascinated by how much effort went into something so simple.
The next room was even more intriguing, and it took me a few minutes to figure out what was happening. Six servants stood around a wide pool in the middle of the floor as their arms swirled about them. Undulating orbs of water rippled out of the pool and bobbed across the room to snake into a series of metal pipes along the wall. Other servants stood near the ducts, using fire in their hands to heat the metal as the water passed through it.
So that was how I got my hot shower. Everything in this castle functioned because elemental casters made it so. I felt a pang of guilt as I saw the boredom on every single face in the room. They would be gods in my world, but here they were using their magic for mundane labor.
I continued down the hall but saw no more open doors. I was about to give up my exploration in favor of going fruit picking in the orchard when I caught a whiff of something savory. I really hoped I'd finally located the kitchen so I didn't have to go searching for smells every time I got hungry.
I followed the scent to a closed door in the next hallway over and knocked twice. Cracking it open, I called out, “Hello?”
“Come in, Raynella,” a scratchy male voice answered.
I frowned and pushed the door further open. It didn’t sound like my father or Corym, and I had been told no one else in the castle spoke English.
I stepped into the small room that was definitely not the kitchen. Instead, it resembled an office with a wooden desk against the back wall beside a bookshelf full of neatly organized scrolls. There was a hearth off to the right side with two comfy-looking high back chairs facing the crackling fire.
I crossed the room and found the source of the smell that had captivated me so strongly. A platter of food with steam wafting off it sat on a small table between the chairs. A small elderly male rested comfortably, looking up at me with curiosity. He appeared to be in his sixties or seventies with thinning gray hair and copious wrinkles. What caught my attention the most, though, were his eyes. I would recognize that shade of pale blue anywhere, and the golden sunburst around the pupil only confirmed it.
He gestured to the chair beside him, and I sat down, eyeing his plate of food with thinly-veiled desire. “Please, help yourself,” he said. “I can have a servant bring me another meal later.”
I didn’t even hesitate. I grabbed a fork and began shoveling the meat and veggies into my mouth.
“Thank you,” I mumbled around a mouthful of food. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled this from the next hallway over.”
The elderly male smiled and settled back into the chair. “You are Vitaean, Raynella. Our senses are somewhat heightened when compared to those of humans.”
I took a few more bites. “So how do you know English?” I asked, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. I saw him cringe slightly at the action and quickly folded my hands in my lap.
“The same way the others do, Corym gave me the knowledge,” he replied, matter-of-factly.
“Oh,” I said, my face wrinkling in confusion. “I was told I already met everyone who could speak English.”
“Ah, yes, well, I took it upon myself to make the request of Corym shortly after you arrived. Naturally, I wanted to be able to speak with my kin. Let us keep this between you and me, though. Your father would be displeased if he knew I learned the language. He worries, you see, that I am too old for such things.” The male gave me a conspiratorial wink, and I grinned.
I liked this guy.
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed. “It’s not like my father doesn’t have his own secrets.” My hand strayed back over to the fork, and I couldn’t help myself from finishing the rest of the food on the plate.
When I finished, he handed me a cloth, and I gently dabbed at my mouth. Setting the napkin on the table, I settled back into my chair, mirroring his relaxed pose. “So, I’m guessing you’re like my grandpa then? The eyes kind of gave it away before you even said we were related.”
“You are very observant, Raynella,” he replied. “Our eye color tends to be one of our strongest genetic traits. And yes, I am your grandfather. I have been looking forward to meeting you.”
“Yeah, likewise,” I said enthusiastically. “I mean, not that I’ve been looking forward to meeting you because my father didn’t tell me you existed. It is really cool to meet more of my family, though.”
I hated that I was babbling, but I really wanted him to like me. Maybe there was hope that I could still have one good familial relationship. “So what do I call you? Grandpa? Grandfather? Gramps?”
“You may call me Belarius,” he said with a slight wince, as if the idea of me calling him Gramps was painful.
“Belarius it is,” I said quickly, hoping I didn’t offend him. “So how come I haven’t seen you before now?” I asked, changing the subject.
“I spend much of my time resting these days,” he replied. “I am very close to returning my body to Shen’Valla.”
“Oh,” I said awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Shen’Valla was definitely a touchy subject around here. “So if you’re Verren’s father, and he's over a hundred does that mean you're like two hundred or… ?”
“Raynella, are you trying to ask how old I am?” He gave me a knowing smile, and I blushed in embarrassment.
“Yeah, kinda. I know everyone here lives a long time, but I was just wondering exactly how long. So, are you like a thousand years old?”
Belarius let out a low chuckle. “No, Raynella. I am not quite that old.”
I mentally kicked myself for the stupid question. “Sorry, that was rude. I’m just a little nervous.”
He let out a small yawn, and I got to my feet. “I should let you rest. It was really nice meeting you. Hopefully I’ll see you around. I’m going to be here for a bit so it’d be nice to talk to you some more.”
He searched my face for something. “I would like that very much, Raynella.”
I headed for the door. When my hand hit the knob, Belarius called, “Raynella?”
I turned back to him. “Yeah?”
“Have a nice day.”
I gave him a wide smile then left, feeling lighter than I had in a while. It was nice to have a grandfather, someone who liked me for me. I wasn’t the savior with him, I was just his granddaughter.
It was all so… nice.
“RAYNELLA!”
I heard the loud roar as I neared the exit of the rose maze where I'd ultimately decided to spend the afternoon wasting hours searching for my lost purse. Well, I wasted maybe one hour searching and another hour or two trying to find my way out.
Although, I was tempted to disappear back inside now. My father was back, and from the sound of it, someone told him that I had released Cam and Ram. Squaring my shoulders, I strode toward the castle with my head held high, prepared to make him see reason.
I found my father in front of the portcullis surrounded by guards and a cluster of horse-like creatures, all anxiously stomping their hooves.
As I got closer, I could see what Ram meant earlier about 'close enough' when he referred to the creatures. Unguisen were like battle horses—as beautiful as they were fierce. Despite being slightly larger, they were roughly the shape of a horse, but instead of a flowing mane they had ridges of spikes running from their head down their back and even more along their tail which ended in a cluster of three wickedly sharp foot-long spines. Short coarse hair covered their massive bodies with colors ranging from black to shades of brown, though I noted one was almost like a deep blue. Across the chest, shoulders, and underbelly thick slabs of armor scales glittered in the later afternoon sun like dragonhide. Great ridged crests of bone sprouted from the base of their skull wrapping around from ear to ear. They looked like the result of a wild weekend between a triceratops, a stegosaurus, and a very brave or very drunk stallion.
My father spotted me and stomped over, leaving his entourage to wrangle the creatures back to wherever the stables were located. Despite their vicious appearance, they trotted after the guards without fuss.
“Raynella,” he gritted out with barely contained rage. “Is it true that you coerced a guard into releasing Camden and Ramset?”
I affected my best regal posture and met his gaze, refusing to flinch at the anger burning there. So much rage in those pale blue eyes, but also something else, something I couldn’t decipher.
“Yes, I did,” I said firmly. “You had no right to punish them.”
“I had every right to punish them!” he exploded. “They are generals in the king's guard which means I command their every action. They had one job, to keep you safe while educating you about Rivella. Instead of following orders, they took you into Civi Adasa and nearly got you killed. How could I do anything but punish those brainless fools?”
Fear. That’s what I saw hiding in his eyes. He wasn’t just angry, he also was afraid. What could he possibly be scared of?
“The attack wasn’t their fault,” I said calmly, refusing to let my own anger rise to the surface for once. I didn't think a shouting match would help keep the twins out of the Sonaria. “I wanted to go into the city. I knew it could be dangerous, and they did tell me that I needed to make sure no one saw my bare arms. I messed up. Not them.”
“None of that matters because you should never have been there in the first place. I cannot imagine what they were thinking. Is there nothing between their ears?”
“Hey,” I said, feeling defensive for my new friends. “Did you give them a direct order to keep me out of the city?”
“Not a direct order, no,” he admitted. “Although they knew how dangerous the city would be for one who appeared to be an abicario. They risked your life, Raynella. I would come across as weak to my people if I didn’t punish them adequately.”
“Ah! Don’t you see? You didn’t specifically tell them not to take me. They honestly thought I would be safe with them and could learn more about Rivella by getting to experience it. Maybe going into the city was a mistake, but not one that deserves torture. And I’m just as much to blame, so if you want to send them back to the Sonaria, then you have to send me too.”
He flinched. “You are my daughter, Raynella. I will die before I let you be put in the Sonaria.”
“Then let this go,” I pleaded. “If you care about me at all, can’t you just call it good? Hasn’t their suffering been enough?”
I could see the war raging inside him as he stared at me, and I didn’t know who would win, the king or the father. His eyes flickered to a spot just over my shoulder then back to me, his internal battle ended.
To my complete surprise, it was my father who won.
“All right, Raynella. Only this once, I will allow their time served to be punishment enough.”
“Thank you.” I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“I have one condition, though,” he said firmly, and I tensed back up. “You must attend the court dinner this evening. In proper attire. For your sake, I will keep the number of attendees small, a few courtiers and advisors only.”
Damn.
I briefly chewed on my lip, debating, then felt disgusted with myself that I had even considered saying no. Cam and Ram were my friends. I could endure a single stuffy meal in an uncomfortable gown for them.
“Fine. I accept. And I’ll make sure we keep our lessons on the castle grounds from now on.”
He waved a hand. “No need. Camden and Ramset will no longer be your tutors. I simply do not trust them with your wellbeing anymore.”
A protest rose in my throat, but he cut me off. “I am firm on this, Raynella. You may be able to overlook the danger they put you in, but I was the one who had to witness the aftermath of your assault. I will not take that risk again.”
“Fine,” I grumbled. He didn’t say I couldn’t be friends with them, they just couldn’t be my tutors. Semantics, really. “Corym can help me then. He seems like an excellent teacher. He’s literally all about knowledge.”
“Corym is not available,” he said brusquely. “He received word yesterday that his sister has gone to the Shen’Valla Temple. He is saying his goodbyes and will return in a few days.”
I threw up my hands and kicked a stone angrily, wincing as it plopped into the stream and scattered the stiroi gathered near the edge. “So who is going to answer all the questions I have about this place?”
“I have decided you do not need a formal education. Deylan or Dreisin can answer any pertinent questions that arise, but I believe it is best if you take things slow. Your curiosity has already nearly gotten you killed once already.”
My jaw dropped. Was he serious? I made one mistake by going into the city, and now I had to fight for every scrap of information about this world?
“I am needed in a meeting, Raynella, so I will see you at dinner shortly. You should go prepare.” He leaned forward, kissed the top of my head, and strolled off to rejoin his guards, completely unphased by the stunned expression on my face.