Chapter 31 A Distressing Departure
The Gloom Of Guilt
By the evening of Annika Ashowan’s departure, it was time for both Hamil and Bes to leave Tam and Eli’s company.
Having solved the mystery of the watch, Tam had followed through on his promise.
He arranged for the Lobahlans to spend the rest of their time in Daxaria with Duke Cowan, where they would wait for their ship home.
Duke Cowan was a trusted friend of the Duke Oscar Harris, who had become acquainted with the Ashowan family over the years.
Hamil had avoided Tam for the remainder of the day following the incident with Penelope, until the time had finally come to bid farewell. The pair stood near the brothel’s stables; as he approached, Tam noted the way Hamil subtly placed himself in front of Bes.
He barely resisted a wince. He couldn’t really fault the man for not feeling amicable or trusting toward him.
“Hamil, Bes, I hope you enjoy your time with Duke Cowan,” Tam called with a light, airy tone.
Hamil’s grim expression didn’t budge. “Thank you.”
Tam stopped a respectable distance away from the pair. “I know you two aren’t going to think of me fondly, but I do hope you know how much I appreciated your assistance.”
A small jerk of Hamil’s head was all Tam got in response.
“Right.” Tam stowed his hands in his pockets and bounced onto the balls of his feet as he peered down the quiet side street in the waning daylight.
The sky flushed with pale blues and purples, and two bright stars poked their heads through the colorful visage to herald the coming night.
The cool breeze brought with it the scent of grilling meat, and muffled sounds of laughter came from the various establishments nearby.
“You don’t need to wait with us,” Hamil informed Tam, his voice tight.
“Better that I do for safety’s sake. Duke Cowan has a witch that can help guard you two, but I’m going to be cautious until you’re in his care.”
Hamil’s eyes narrowed. “You do realize we are more afraid of you than whatever alleged war is taking place, right?”
Tam felt his cheeks warm as he cleared his throat. “I am sorry about everything. Under different circumstances, I think we all could’ve gotten along well.”
“I’m not holding my breath,” Hamil muttered.
Tam felt his cheeks warm at that, and so he cast his mind about for a change in topic. “It’s starting to get chilly at night, hm? Already seems like autumn is getting closer.”
Leaning forward from her protected position behind Hamil, Bes shyly joined the conversation. “I have always wondered what autumn in Daxaria would be like.”
A little relieved that Bes didn’t completely hate him, Tam smiled.
“The colors are wonderful, and the harvests are celebrated with all sorts of great festivals. If you ever get the chance, I recommend visiting Sorlia or Xava. Given that they have the largest farming communities, they have the best—”
“I take it that is our escort?” Hamil interrupted loudly.
His eyes were homed in on the wooden carriage, varnished and gleaming, rocking its way closer to where they stood.
It was a style of carriage often used by merchants; Duke Cowan had astutely provided a discreet way to transport the Lobahlans.
“It should be. I’ll confirm with the driver and witch before you two board.” Tam moved forward and waved at the driver who, upon reaching the trio, pulled the horses to a stop.
The carriage door opened. Out stepped a man with short, black curly hair and dark skin, wearing a fine deep-blue coat. As soon as Tam locked eyes with him, the man broke out into a smile.
“Urick!” Tam didn’t hide his surprise. “I didn’t know you were working for Duke Cowan! Last I heard, you were the head of one of the coven schools!”
The older man was another friend of the Ashowan family, and son of the mysterious yet famous royal botanist of the Austice castle.
“Well, the schools are temporarily closed, and with everything being so uncertain, I thought I’d lend my talents to the Cowan duchy.
Glad to see you’re alright, Lord Tam! I heard you’d been missing for a while. ”
Tam chuckled. “Something like that. Anyway, this is Hamil and Bes. They ran into a bit of trouble with some pirates, so we brought them with us back to Daxaria, but they need to get home.” Turning back to the aforementioned pair, Tam was mildly taken aback by the utter shock on both Hamil’s and Bes’s faces.
“You’re Lobahlan!” Bes sputtered in awe.
Urick grinned. “I am Daxarian, but my father and aunt are Lobahlan. It is lovely to meet you both.”
Bes and Hamil looked at each other in amazement, then back at Urick.
Hamil spoke first. “What is your father’s last name?”
Urick opened the carriage door for the duo, still grinning. “Jelani.”
Surprised, Bes’s hand came up, as she thumped Hamil’s chest with the back of her knuckles. “Jelani! You mean your father is Kasim Jelani? He is the one who designed and grew half of Judge Mago’s gardens in Lobahl! There are public gardens and parks that he and his family—”
Hamil’s hand came up and clamped over Bes’s mouth. “It is lovely to meet you! Shall we talk more in the carriage?”
Laughing, Urick nodded and helped them with their luggage. Tam then informed Urick that the other members of the Lobahlan crew were staying elsewhere in the city. He would send the list of establishments that housed them, so they could all reunite when the time came for their employers to set sail.
With the Lobahlans safely stowed in the carriage, Tam gestured with his head for Urick to step away from the vehicle.
Once out of earshot of the driver and the carriage occupants, Tam spoke quietly. “What news have you heard about the covens and the kingdom?”
Urick grimaced. “Things are tense. A lot of witches have gone into hiding already. Mostly because the general public is starting to get wary, thanks to the confusion.”
“Would you say the majority of the witches are involved in the rebellion? Half?” Tam already feared the answer.
Urick’s gaze wandered away as his mouth pressed together thoughtfully.
“I was certainly startled when the news came out, but I have a friend or two who did come to me and tell me they had been privy to the coven’s plans.
So it is hard to gauge how many are aware of what is going on.
The coven leaders are saying they want a state of their own.
A place where witches can live, where the coven rules and acts as its own government without reporting to the crown. ”
Tam nodded somberly. “I’ve heard about it. Allegedly they’ve been pushing this agenda into the schools for years. I’m glad to hear you weren’t a part of it.”
Urick let out a long breath. “A lot of people are becoming desperate and afraid. Some of the witches are scared they will start being hunted again; others are getting angry that the coven is doing this. Then there are the ones who believe in this movement and what it stands for. I’d say the witches in Rollom and Sorlia tend to be more satisfied with the way things are, while the ones in Xava and the small towns have been more heavily swayed. ”
“I’m guessing that the witches in Austice are more of the mind that things should stay as they are, because of my father and sister’s influence?”
Urick hesitated, and Tam could tell that he was once again not going to hear good news.
“They are incredibly divided in Austice. I’m told that because of how often the coven leaders visited the city for council meetings, they took every opportunity to reiterate their agenda in the schools and with their allies.”
Tam stared at Urick. It was evident there was a little more to it than he was saying… so he raised a quizzical eyebrow and waited.
The ice witch made a noise of disapproval, then revealed the reason for his reticence in saying more. “Prince Antony… when he affected the weather in Austice and the farmers nearly lost the majority of their crops for the year… he upset a great deal of people.”
“He’s a child!” Tam exclaimed before he could stop himself.
“I know. I know he’s a boy, but that kind of ability?
It’s already making people nervous. Which in turn, I imagine, has placed a lot of stress on the king.
While it made sense at the time for the queen to attend to matters in Zinfera, it seems to me that things are teetering quite dangerously toward civil unrest. Her Majesty needs to come home and help show the people that they don’t need to be wary of witches, and that she can help curb Prince Antony’s magic when he can’t control it. ”
Tam had the very unpleasant premonition that there wasn’t much chance things would resolve as tidily as they’d hoped with the first witch’s removal. If the entire kingdom was yet again at odds over witches, then they were all in for a very tough few years.
Weariness seeped into Tam’s body.
He just wanted everything to be finished so he could go home with his family.
Urick attempted to console Tam’s obvious stress. “I’m sorry I didn’t have better news for you.”
Tam tried to smile for Urick’s benefit.
The ice witch clapped a hand on Tam’s shoulder.
“Things will work out. Your father is most likely going to whip up some magical solution that will make us all wonder why we bothered getting so serious in the first place. I like the new haircut, by the way! And I didn’t know you trained.
You look good! I’m sure everyone back in Austice will be happy to see you back home. ”
This time, when Tam felt the urge to openly recoil, he managed to keep it from his face.
“Thank you for taking care of the Lobahlans. I’m sorry to say I didn’t make the best impression.”
Urick chuckled. “Did you ignore them and read the entire time?”
Tam shifted his feet awkwardly. “Not exactly.”
Turning to the carriage, Urick issued a wave over his shoulder. “Oh, Tam. You probably didn’t offend them as badly as you think.”
“I don’t think a lot of people respond well to threats to their well-being.”
Urick laughed again as he climbed into the carriage.