Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
T he music hall was glowing when I got there, struggling out of the back seat of the lush car at dusk, hanging onto Yaga while moisture filled the air, not quite a drizzle, but heavy water that gave all the streetlights a magical nimbus.
“Who left all the lights on?” I asked, walking carefully down the sidewalk to the main building, where every window positively blazed with light. Electric bills were a serious obstacle in my life. Oh, that’s right. It was catering day, the one day a week when the finest caterers filled the music hall with food. Starving musicians couldn’t resist that. I wanted to go around back, up to my room and straight to my bed, but I had to introduce Lanise and get her settled into her quarters first.
There were some small cots in an attic above the kitchen, probably for servants we hadn’t had for a century, but they weren’t ogre-sized. They were also incredibly old, probably rat-infested…But didn’t ogres eat rats? That was another thing. She hadn’t eaten sushi, but if I had to feed an ogre, that would get expensive very fast. Happily, it was catering, a.k.a. training day.
“Music Master Mirabel,” the sweet reporter that the mayor was blackmailing said, standing up from her place on the broad stone railing where she’d been sitting, knitting in the light from the sconces on either side of the large oak doors.
“Oh. Hi. I never got your name,” I said, trying to straighten up and not look like I was injured. “Is this good knitting weather?” I asked, glancing up through the branches of the surrounding trees to the dark sky.
“I’m Delphi Era. I think that it’s always good knitting weather. I’m afraid it’s a bit of a compulsion for me. It helps me deal with stress. I have some anxiety,” she admitted, apologetically.
“That’s a lovely name. Please come in, Delphi. We’ll find somewhere warm to sit and talk about the Jubilee. That’s why you’re here, right?” She might be here to ask about the goblin attack, but hopefully Rook had kept his questions about the attack subtle enough that it wasn’t common knowledge, particularly who the attacked parties had been.
Lanise followed me in, giving the reporter a careful once-over like she might be a secret assassin in disguise. I pushed open the double doors and walked into the shining hall. It was filled with my musicians, all of them looking up at me when they felt the draft, then they gasped like I was a ghost.
Yaga felt my tension and burst into flames. I tossed her into the air and then pulled the reporter and Lanise in further before she came down on us.
I used my diaphragm so everyone heard me. “Excuse my absence. I’ve been gone arranging some very special surprises. I’m so glad that all of you are here. First, I have a new assistant, Lanise, who endeavors to grow her musical talents.” I looked around expectantly until people slowly started clapping, staring in shock at the ogre, and then when they’d petered off, I continued. “I have also made arrangements with an elite stone mason guild to continue the restoration of our beloved building.”
This time, the cheers were more enthusiastic. When those died off, I cleared my throat.
“And finally, I have an announcement to make that I never dreamed I’d be able to say, and that is that the greatest artisan of our time, of all time, has agreed to work with our music hall, in restoring it to its former glory, including the organ hall. I am so honored to announce the accord I have with none other than Rook the Luthier.”
There was silence in the hall for a good five beats before it erupted into absolute mayhem. Tiago came up to me, glancing at Lanise, and then the reporter, who was looking at me with keen eyes. Hopefully I’d meant those announcements to be extremely public. Well, yes, I had. I needed Rook the Luthier as a name, to help me maintain my Music Hall, particularly in the face of the music guild’s representative being murdered while investigating said hall.
Tiago studied me with his monocle while his eyes gleamed intently. “Truly, you have come bearing excellent tidings, particularly in the face of such shocking news. You did hear that the music guild representative has been murdered by a goblin attack in Song, didn’t you?”
I gasped loudly, so everyone, including the reporter, could see my absolute shock at the news. “I see. So this is also a gathering of mourners for our fine departed Cutter. I am deeply grieved to hear the news, but I can only say that the violence will not be tolerated, and we will not cower in fear. We will face these monsters and defeat them. Let us use this tragedy to unite in music and song during the upcoming Jubilee. We will play in Cutter’s memory, and we will overcome the evils that threaten to swallow the light.”
I walked directly through the hall, smiling at everyone, particularly those who tried not to meet my eyes because they hadn’t done any musical maintenance for a month, but had still shown up for catering day. I made a note of those who had particularly languished in their duties, so I could follow up on them in the coming weeks. I glanced at Lanise. Hm. Having an ogre companion would make pressing people into their duty almost too easy.
“We’ll stop in the food hall so you two can get refreshments before we talk,” I said, leading them to the right, and then cutting in line to stack up plates of food that I handed to Lanise and Delphi, smiling at all the musicians who didn’t object to my rudeness. No, they only wanted to know if it was true, if Rook the Luthier would actually be in our music hall.
I just smiled and filled more plates, until we had all we could carry, and then I led the other two out of the food hall, then past the classrooms, and towards the back stairs that were much less grand than the main stairs, but much tighter and faster to get from one floor to the next.
Finally, we reached the level with my bedroom on it. I went into the small sitting room outside my room, and then summoned Yaga and threw her into the fireplace. She squawked and burst into flames, which started the kindling I’d left there, waiting for just such an occasion. There were heaters and electricity, but the bills got so expensive, and there was nothing better than a cozy fire to put your feet up to.
“Now,” I said, collapsing onto the small red velvet chair and putting my feet up on the stool. “What would you like to discuss?”
Delphi glanced at Lanise and then at me. “I wanted to talk about the Jubilee. With the recent goblin attack, perhaps we can use that to convince the mayor not to have a festival this year. Singsong isn’t ready to have the world’s attention yet.”
I considered that while I chewed on a breadstick. Yes, I’d already eaten dinner, but I was recuperating, and you never knew when you’d get your next meal. I’d been a travelling musician too long to take things like steady meals for granted.
“Or we could use it to bring together Sing and Song in one festival that proves that there is more to the darkness than violence and chaos.”
Delphi frowned. “I don’t believe that’s the mayor’s vision. I believe he wishes to showcase the lighter side of Singsong City, to improve tourism for those whom he approves.”
“Then he should have given the assignment to those who share his vision instead of the two people he could blackmail. That shows a shortage of his own wisdom, I believe.”
She started scratching her neck and then stopped and picked up a breadstick, like she was trying to break a scratching habit. After so long itching like crazy from the goblin bomb powder, I felt an overwhelming urge to scratch all over, but I ignored it.
“You think that you could really put together a great festival like the mayor has in mind?” she asked.
“Why not? On my own, I could do something musical, but you with your connections with society’s elite, we could put together real dynamite. You are the society journalist, aren’t you?”
She hesitated, then nodded. “I have some connections to elves since I’m half elf and half gnome.”
She was a gnome? That explained her height. “Elves are perfect! I’ve already arranged to have a group of elven musicians as part of the production.”
I’d gone to a great deal of parades and festivals with my father. Commanders had to go to those kinds of things, but I’d never planned any before. Being who I was, I thought there should be more music and fewer martial displays. It would be a pity not to have the flight shows that Rich and his friends put on with their angel wings and Pegasus steeds, but this would be an opportunity to showcase the talents and beauties of all the species. Perhaps I could get some Gargoyles to do some aerial demonstrations. Hm. I was starting to smile. “It would be particularly interesting to see ogres and elves perform together, don’t you think?” Not my ogre, because he was only allowed to perform with me, privately. For a moment I was caught up in the moment, the memory, but I bit my breadstick and forced myself to focus.
I flashed a smile at Lanise since she was an aspiring musician who might like to perform with elves, but she was eating with her back to the stone wall, glancing between the door and the window, like a real bodyguard, not someone obsessed with music.
“You really want to do this?” Delphi asked, brow furrowing in confusion. She’d expected me to help her upset the Mayor’s plan, not lean into it.
“No. I’m busy with a million other projects to keep the music hall afloat, but I have even less time to fight with the mayor than I have to plan a Jubilee. Fine, we’ll make it a jubilee in proper singsong style, with singing and songs that go viral, and showcase the full potential of the city, Song as well as Sing. It’s always good to have an official venue for the musicians to perform at. Deadlines can inspire musical study like nothing else. Public humiliation also works wonders. Could you publish something about the jubilee looking for local food businesses to sell their wares? We should have different places for different age groups, young children, older, teens, that sort of thing. Older kids always got to do the cool stuff, like archery, while the younger kids were stuck learning traditional dances from the old sticklers.”
She smiled warmly. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. I don’t know what traditional dances Singsong City has, or had before the dark times, but I can do research about it, and perhaps get some of the older folk to do demonstrations and lead the classes, vampires as well as elves.” Her eyes danced at the shocking idea of vampires and elves working together.
I grinned at her. “Yes. I know a vampire who is very enthusiastic and would probably love to help with the planning. I’m afraid that about anything other than music, I’m clueless.”
“I doubt that,” Delphi said, studying me thoughtfully. “You look tired. You must be from your trip to arrange things with…what was his name? A luthier? Is that an instrument maker?”
“Rook, the Luthier. He is absolutely the best artisan in the world.”
“Maybe he can be part of the jubilee. If he did demonstrations, wouldn’t that bring in tourists? Everyone seemed to be very excited about him, like he was a real celebrity.”
Lanise snorted. “Rest time. You go now.” She stood up, looming threateningly over Delphi.
The reporter froze for a second before she stood, hands filled with plates and knitting. “I’m sorry if I’ve…”
“You’re fine,” I said, trying to stand up and falling back in my chair when agonizing pain ripped through my body. I gasped and put my hand on my ribs while I took shallow breaths. “I may have to pass on walking you out. Maybe I should invest in an elevator.”
“Oh, there’s no need for you to bother,” Delphi said hastily, her sharp eyes noting my condition. “I have an extremely good sense of direction. I’ll simply return the way I came. Thank you so much for dinner. I’ll see who is willing to be involved in the Jubilee. You don’t mind if I use the name of Rook the Luthier, do you?”
“Talk over,” Lanise said, grabbing Delphi’s elbow and helping her to the door. She opened it, pushed the reporter out, and then closed it before turning to glower at me. “You rest now.”
I nodded, then frowned. “I have to get a bed ready for you first.”
Lanise snorted, and ogre snorts were extremely loud as well as rude. “You care for me? You. Rest. Now!”
Look, I was the music master, and this was my music hall, but I had the idea that if I climbed any more stairs, my old wounds would break open and I’d end up tied up somewhere with ogres growling at me. I carefully eased myself out of the chair and then walked carefully to the door of my bedroom. Lanise walked past me into the room, switched on the light, the old-fashioned gold drop pendant that dangled from the ceiling revealing the four-poster bed with ancient hangings all around it, and the large window and door with balcony, then took a chair and parked it at the foot of my bed, so she could stand guard over me while I slept. I stood there, staring at her, before I shrugged and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
When I came out, she was still there, frowning suspiciously at me. “Rest. Now.”
“I’m going, I’m going. Look, Lanise, you aren’t my bodyguard. You’re here to learn music, not to protect me.”
“Arrook said?”
“Yes, Rook the Luthier, your uncle, said.”
She blinked at me. “Then true. Arrook always right.”
“Wait, so you don’t actually want to learn music?”
“Arrook say, is true.”
I sighed heavily and went to my bed, pulling on a nightshirt with ‘Thinking outside the Bach,’ on the front. Anna had given it to me a few months ago, and I’d never had anyone ever give me clothing before as a present, so even if the pun was seriously bad, I loved the shirt.
Lanise frowned at me for a moment, and I thought she might say something about me trading the elven light armor for cotton, but she only sniffed and returned her focus to the possible attack routes. Good. She could protect the armor while she was at whatever she was doing. Guarding me. She was obviously guarding me, but that wasn’t her actual role here, was it?
I slipped into my blankets, snuggling into a bed that was much too big to be in by myself, but I didn’t have too much time to listen to my heart play the sad song of loneliness before I fell asleep, the deep sleep of one still recovering from a goblin assassination attempt. I would make them regret it, I thought before I was swallowed up in dreams of ogres and orchestras. I would make them pay for it in money and music.