Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Humans and Their Troubles

  Nephis awoke sometime along the journey feeling much like the last, most miserable cut of meat at market. She was light of head and limb in the worst possible way. She was without strength, and every very bit of her ached so awfully that it was almost a shame she hadn’t broken a bone. That is the terrible state she found herself in as she lay in the back of the rough and tumble wagon. The last thing Nephis recalled was Kugo pressing to cut down the treacherous Mouse – which might have left them stranded forever in the tomb with the rats and endless darkness. She shot up and was soon overcome with pain, but her eyes were alight with frantic worry.

  She looked about her, seeing Moss ambling alongside the wagon and Kugo seated quietly at the helm. “Where are the Black Oak?” she asked, “Where is Mouse?”

  “Good morning!” Moss said kindly. “You almost died.”

  A wave of nausea hit Nephis like a hammer, forcing her to lie back down before she grew green in the face. “I’m . . . fine enough,” she groaned, “But what happened to the others, Kugo?”

  And when he did not reply.

  “Oh, Kugo, you didn’t?” she pleaded.

  “They ran as soon as they opened up the way, all three of them,” he answered sharply and brought his focus back to guiding Stephan, the horse.

  Nephis let out a sigh of relief. Frankly, she could do without Mouse, but something about how Kugo acted had not settled right with her. A terrible, burning hatred that outweighed survival, his or theirs. This had not been the first time she had noticed this either; the episode in the swamp felt similar. But as she looked up at him, he was as quiet as always, if not quieter. However, though no one was around, he kept his mask on.

  “Kugo,” she called, “Are you alright?”

  He did not respond right away, as if listening to the loud chittering of birds in the early autumn leaves.

  “I’m alright,” he eventually answered and said nothing more for the rest of the journey.

  Nephis let him be and slumped back down, realizing only then that she kept an iron grip. Caught by white knuckles was the amulet they stole. It was gold with flecks of silver, and set in its center was a great, red stone masterfully carved with a little flower. In this or any age, it would have fetched a fortune for its beauty alone. She looked it over for any clues as to what it could do, but it was a very quiet thing, preferring secrets to gossip.

  And so, she lay her head on the rough wood and watched the cold, blue sky roll along, inlaid with thin, grey clouds and the occasional bird. She was glad to be rid of that tomb and back in a place where the air was full, if a little nippy.

  A bird awaiting the coming days sat in the branches of a tall tree. It was a good day, as far as days went, plenty of darling hens and food to flirt with. But it was not without its strangeness. Down below him were humans! Strange, fretful creatures that he could never make heads or tales of. Two of them, and a warden, had found themselves far outside of their normal goings. That had become more common lately, and he was not a fan. Wherever humans went, they cut down trees. And that great nest of them, down by the sea, was ever growing. No doubt they’d come for his neck of the woods soon enough. He had heard from a friend of his that some humans didn’t cut down so many trees, but he had his doubts. Birds who traveled so far out of season were rarely honest. “Now there’s a story!” he chuckled to himself, “Five humans in one day! What is becoming of our fair, little land?”

  “Aye, still one silver coin for the cart!” the gate guard said.

  Nephis snapped to her senses and quickly stuffed the amulet into her sash. They were ushered into the city, which hummed along as it always did, despite its healed scars along the waters. For a while, they sat silently in the stables, only watching the people go by. None of them wanted to talk after all that had happened. Kugo was nearly still, watching the people pass by like a hawk scanning a field. Nephis was sure he did not even blink. He studied them, how they moved, what they did, and where they went. But why or how he thought of them, she hadn’t a clue.

  The people spoke of many things, unaware of prying eyes and listening ears.

  Have you heard? Strange goings on in the country side. Villages slaughtered like animals!

  Where is the Emperor? What is he doing? Wasting my money, no doubt. Eyes so far across the border that he can’t be bothered when horrors happen within!

  I heard one of his daughters was kidnapped! A princess! Taken from the royal palace in the night!

  I’ll bet it was those damned devil-worshipping slavers! First, they attack our harbor, and then they allow them in to trade! What was the governor thinking? Ebedi Devlit! In our city! They should be kicked out, every last one of them. They’ll come for our daughters next.

  They all wriggled a little further from public view.

  “I’m hungry,” Moss said.

  “You're hungry??” Nephis asked incredulously. “What for?”

  “Oh, anything,” Moss coyly answered in his lumbering voice. “Eggs, fish, wine.”

  “Sure,” Kugo sighed, “Let’s get some.”

  “Woo!” Moss cheered.

  And so the three of them wandered into a dark, dingy tavern. It was a bleak, little place, hardly deserving of such well-bred guests as they, but it would do. And with the flow of wine, their worries left them for a little while. The aches of the fall and the lingering fears were softened, and they were each able to sit a little more comfortably.

  “Well, we have the amulet, but what are we to do with it?” Nephis hummed. “I had hoped for something a little clearer.”

  “Like the elf palace?” Moss asked.

  “What? No,” Nephis replied, “Well, yes?” She thought over all they had seen. “The map in that large chamber caught my attention. It was very different. No forest Ceroil, no desert lands, no orcs or goblins or anything, really,” she wondered aloud, “What do you make of it, Kugo?”

  “The tomb must have been over a thousand years old,” he answered as he poked at a dish of warm potatoes, “A forest can overtake a land faster than you’d think. I’m sure it’s no different with a large one or a desert,” he answered not dismissively but solemnly, his words like deep tolls.

  Nephis frowned as she tapped upon the wooden table. “What do you make of it, Moss? What were the woods like when you walked them?”

  Moss thought back to those times for a moment. “The trees are large. But they do not grow very fast. Things there are broken.”

  “Broken?” Kugo asked. “I can’t say I disagree.”

  Moss nodded.

  “Well,” Nephis said sheepishly. “If they do not grow very fast, perhaps they do not grow at all.”

  “They’re trees, Nephis,” Kugo reminded her.

  “Yes, but have you ever heard of them growing before? Perhaps not in five years, but in twenty or thirty or a hundred? They’ve always been huge, but have they ever not been as they are?” she timidly posed her theory.

  No one had an answer. Of course, they grew.They were trees! What a silly question to even think, let alone ask. But ordinary trees did not grow so large. And the borders of Ceroil Wood never seemed to shift or creep, but only to wait faithfully at their post.

  “I suppose I’ve never seen a sapling from them,” Kugo admitted, “I’ve never looked for any, though.” Then he looked at her. “And what if they don’t grow?” he asked.

  “Well, the map in the chamber did not have the forest. In fact, there were many things missing. No desert, no hills, no woods.” She paused for a moment, “What if those were all put there by someone? What if someone wished them to be there? Those were the days when the Vallai Kai was had, what if they used it to make them?” she offered.

  “That could be true,” Kugo hesitated to say more. And yet his curiosity could not help but wonder where her thoughts were taking them. “And what of it?”

  “None of these things is anything that should be wished for,” she answered. “The hills flood violently, the desert is a desert, and the forest Ceroil is a nest of wicked beasts. They’re like proper things spoiled. . .”

  “Are you certain none of them were there before?” Kugo pressed. “A map is only a thing.”

  “Well -” Nephis stammered, “You could be right.” She was quiet for a while. “It would be good to look into that. To research. But where could we find such things? I can only think of the Library of Saint Albert.” She toyed with the amulet. “I would like to go, but if the guards know I’ve gone missing, I should not wonder if it is known to all the nobility. And if it is known to them, the library will certainly know. If we go, I fear the chains about us will tighten once more.” She looped the amulet around her finger. “I would also like to learn more about this. They would certainly be able to tell us something as to what it is. For the Knights to be so willing to seek it out, and Mouse so eager to kill for it, so brazen as well. It must be something wonderful.”

  “Have you considered they might be fanatics?” Kugo posited.

  “Perhaps a little,” she said.

  “And if you want to know about the amulet, why don’t we throw it around and see what it can do?” Kugo asked.

  Nephis was aghast at the thought. “Never! Do you remember what happened with the glass? This could do anything or nothing. ‘Throwing it around’ could be the end of us! No, I want to see what the scholars at Saint Albert's make of it.”

  “And how will we do that? Disguises?” Kugo asked. “I am not about to enroll! And I can’t imagine eight silver gros will cover three tuitions. Let alone Moss, who is more than unforgettable.”

  “Thank you,” said Moss.

  “You’re welcome,” Kugo said, “Now, how do you plan to get us in?”

  Nephis did not have an answer and scrunched up her face as she stared down at the amulet.

  “Let’s ask Constantin,” Moss suggested, “the governor.”

  “Well, if there were anyone . . .” Nephis hummed.

  “Good evening, and welcome back,” the chamberlain greeted them. His shock white hair and long mustache seemed better preened than when they had last met. “I must say, your visit is a surprise, but a welcome one. Please, come in. Though do announce yourself ahead of time, Fair Lady, so we might make better arrangements.”

  “I apologize, Boian,” Nephis nervously adjusted her signet ring. “It was a spontaneous choice.”

  He led them through the wooden halls of the governor’s eclectic displays. “It is no matter. You have come at a good time, the governor is in today, and should be well prepared to greet you.”

  “Is that right?” Nephis said, “He has not run off again?”

  “Oh no,” Boian replied, “He is ever reliable when it is required of him. It is too much leisure time that does him in, I am afraid. But when he is the Governor Gil of Remare and not wily Constantin, he is as sure as an arrow.”

  “You speak so freely of your master, with him in the house, no less,” Nephis jokingly pressed him. “Is that how they treat their lords in the West?”

  Boian chuckled. “It is a special privilege. I raised the boy, I suppose I know him better than most,” there was a softness to his voice, lambear overgrown in an old garden. “But on the manner of east and west, I must ask you. Is it custom in the East to say a Fair Lady has been kidnapped?”

  The party froze. Nephis in particular locked up her knees and arms, so that she seemed like a plank of wood standing in the hall. It was no wonder, but she had hoped the sight of all three of them seeming kindly would have muddled the rumor.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “Oh? No, I suppose not,” Nephis replied, “But rumors are rumors, after all. I am in good health. You know, the other day I heard a rumor that the Governor was a frog, but that was perhaps too unbelievable. No, no, I am quite alright.” Nephis said.

  They stood before a great door that led to one of the sitting rooms. The chamberlain looked them over, making careful note of the shape they were in, before smiling. “Of course, Fair Lady, forgive me. Please come in and have a seat. I am sure you will be pleased to dispel this rumor to your sisters.” And the chamberlain opened the door, whereupon the fine, threaded couches sat two familiar faces. Her younger sister, Calina, looking dour and red eyed; and her stern eldest sister not so much as raising an eye.

  “The Fair Lady Nephis Flores and retinue,” the chamberlain announced.

  As Nephis stepped in, it was as if the whole world stopped. Before her, her two sisters, who stared with mouths agape. A ghost stood before them, bedraggled and sharp-eyed. And neither did Nephis move; her blood flowed through her like ice until her fingers were numb. Out of everyone in the whole world to be here.

  Calina stood up, “Nephis?” she asked.

  “Ah, hello,” Nephis said in a small and awkward voice.

  Calina rushed her, wrapping thin little arms as tight as a noose around Nephis’ neck. “You’re here,” she sobbed, “I thought you were dead.” Calina looked up at her, the edges of her long, dark hair caught in her mouth, and a trail of snot webbed between Nephis’ robes and her nose.

  “I’m alright,” Nephis tried to comfort her, patting her on the head. She was nearly her height now. “I am in good health.”

  Calina howled and sobbed into her chest.

  Then, Nephis’ eldest sister slowly rose from her seat. She was slender with razor sharp features; she had a long, straight nose and hawkish black eyes, but most strikingly was her head, for it was shaved bald. She slowly stepped towards Nephis, walking with a high chin and sure-footed authority. Nephis did not know her sister, Eleonora, well – for there were nine children between them, and for fifteen years she had worn her moon white wedding band.

  “It is good to see you again, Nephis,” Eleonora said, her voice as even as a winter lake.

  “It is good to see you again, sister,” Nephis bowed her head.

  “Have you kept up with your studies?” Eleonora asked, “Father always had high hopes for you.”

  “I have,” Nephis replied evenly. “Is your husband well? Your house?”

  Eleonora nodded quietly, and then she reached out a hand to hold Nephis’ hair. “Your hair, it is so long. Is it true that you were kidnapped?” she asked.

  “Oh no,” Nephis assured her, “I am quite safe, do not worry.”

  Eleonora struck her across her face, her many rings leaving dents across Nephis’ cheeks.

  “Gah!” Nephis gasped.

  Calina stumbled back in fright.

  “How dare you!” Eleonora snapped at her. “You have a duty and you spit upon it. To wed and to guide our noble house to -” And then she looked down to see Nephis’ silver, signet ring upon her hand. “And you would still wear our crest!” Eleonora dove at Nephis and grabbed the ring in her hands.

  “No!” Nephis shouted. And the two began to wrestle, Nephis trying desperately to keep Eleonora from taking the ring from her. “It’s mine!” Nephis pleaded.

  “You mock us! You mock Father!” Eleonora spat. “No more!” Eleonora was much taller than Nephis and much stronger for it, and soon began to over power her. “I will not stand to see you tarnish your name!” And with a tight grip, she began to slide the ring from Nephis’ hand.

  But before she could, Kugo pulled them apart. “That’s enough, you two,” he whipped them in a gruff voice.

  “Don’t touch me, blaggard!” Eleonora bit.

  Kugo threw his hands up. But it had given Nephis enough time to skirt around them and hide behind Kugo and Moss, her signet ring snugly on her finger.

  “This is the first time we have seen each other in years, and you attack me!” Nephis snipped at her. “Hardly a hello! Did you even come to my wedding?” she asked.

  “I did! And what a waste that was!” Eleonora answered.

  “Stop it! No fighting!” Little Calina threw herself between them, her arms outstretched as far as they would go.

  Both Nephis and her older sister glared at one another from between Moss’ broad limbs before Eleonora huffed and flattened her skirt, returning to her needle posture. “I will be retiring to my room. It was good to see you again, Nephis.” And she began to walk towards the far end of the room.

  Before she could escape, Nephis caught her by the hand, her many cold rings sapping away the warmth of their hands. “Please, Eleonora,” Nephis begged her in a sorrowful voice, “Please do not tell Father that I am here.”

  Eleonora hesitated, gazing down at her pathetic sister. Great, pleading brown eyes were not those of a Flores. She pulled her hand away and looked to the eastern window. “I and Calina will be staying in Remare for a few months. It would be remiss of me to neglect mentioning finding my wayward sister. But I rarely send letters. I should hope the busyness of my labors does not distract me from letter writing. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a very full day ahead of me. Much to do.” And with no more words, the proud Eleonora floated across the sunworn floor and up the stairs, hidden away from the gaze of a prodigal.

  After a moment, Calina tugged at Nephis’ sleeves. “You really are okay, aren’t you?” she asked.

  Nephis smiled gently. “I am,” she said. And then she looked down at Calina’s clothes. “But I do have one problem! You’re wearing my robes again!”

  “No I’m not!” Calina protested. “These are mine!”

  “Liar!” Nephis jabbed back with a put-on grin, “I’d recognize these anywhere.”

  “Hmph!” Calina turned her nose up.

  For a moment, for Kugo and Moss, it seemed they had seen double.

  “These are all I brought, so you’ll have to wait!” Calina replied.

  Nephis sighed. “Well, take good care of them, then; there’s no replacing them.”

  “But why are you here?” Calina asked. “The Governor mentioned you had come before the wedding, but why now?”

  Nephis wrung her hands. “Well, I am in need of a favor, I suppose.”

  “What kind?” Calina asked.

  Suddenly, the flax-haired Governor arrived, his eyes still as bright as the sea. “More guests!” he called from down the hall. “And unexpected as before! It is good to see you again! To think, three Floreses in my home! And to think, I feared I might never have the opportunity to visit you in your home.” He gestured for all of them to sit down. “And it is wonderful to see Kugo and Moss with you once more. It is nothing but trouble to find good help!”

  “Well . . .” Nephis struggled to find an answer, “Visiting my home might have to wait a while longer.”

  “Is that so?” Gil sighed to himself. “Well, I suppose it is just as joyful to hear you have escaped ruffians and reaper alike. Now to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Nephis explained their trouble with the amulet, though tiptoed around the dangers of its finding.

  “Saint Albert’s?” the governor mused, “I can wrangle you in their good graces. Though if you wish to go as new faces, that may be difficult. You three are a challenge to miss.”

  “Ah, I suppose that’s true,” Nephis gave an exasperated sigh. “Perhaps if I go alone?” she suggested, but with how the last visit had gone, she had little desire to go without Kugo and Moss.

  “Oh! Oh!” Calina bounced up and down in her seat, “Let me come! You all can be my retinue! And you can wear disguises! And do what I say! And we can all go to the library and go on an adventure, like we used to do!”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Nephis answered gently, “Does anyone else have any ideas?” But when no one did, and Nephis had no other good ideas, she bit her tongue. “Well, alright then, but we will have to get Eleonora’s permission first. You’re not of age, and I think she would set me ablaze if I took you without her knowing.”

  “Let’s go ask her!” Calina begged, “Right now!”

  “Maybe wait until she’s in a better mood,” Kugo settled her down.

  Calina frowned, the disappointment flittering across her face like passing birds. “Alright,” and then she looked up with bright eyes, “Tell me about your adventures! That’s what you’ve been doing, isn’t it?”

  And so, Nephis told Calina and the governor what all they had been up to, though she certainly toned down many details and in the end left out entire swaths of the tale, but Calina did not seem to mind; she was bright eyed the whole way through. The Calina that Nephis once knew had returned to her, revived like the first buds of spring piercing the mourning veil of winter.

  “And then what happened? You brought the boy back to his mother, and then how did you get all the people back?” Calina was nearly in Nephis’ face, her hot breath warming her nose and cheeks. “Were they okay? Did they get the family? Did Naki get married?”

  Nephis stuttered for a moment, her mouth going dry and her shoulders beginning to feel quite heavy, as if the question itself was pulling her down into the ground. “Yes, Dana and Misha hid in a faraway village, and everyone from the village was released! Though we left right away, so I didn’t get to see any weddings,” Nephis skirted around the gorier details of that ending.

  “But you didn’t beat the black cloaked men . . .” Calina said with a blue voice, her eyes trailing down onto the ground and her hands weaving together. “Does that mean they’re still out there? Ellie has been talking about it. There are people out in the country getting hurt.”

  “Does that scare you?” Nephis asked gently.

  Calina nodded quietly, though ever slightly, afraid even to be seen afraid.

  “You don’t need to be!” Nephis encouraged her, a wide smile across her face. “If I’m smiling now, that means everything is going to be okay! Well, come on, give me a smile.”

  Calina gave a weak smile.

  Nephis responded by jabbing and tickling her. “Ha! Ha! Enguard, Princess!”

  “Stop! Stop!” Calina laughed, giving in to laughter and squirming.

  “Those Sons of Barthus are weaklings!” Nephis announced, “How many times have I beaten them back, and you still doubt me? And do you really think Father won’t do anything about them once he hears? I’m sure an army is already on the way down. Now, how about I tell you the time I was swallowed by a fish!”

  Supper began as a silent affair. The Governor, now well aware of their schemes, sat Eleonora at the seat of honor with a servant ever by her side to fill her cup. The food, as always in the house of Constantin Gil, was delicious – for it was as good for the heart as wine. Savory roasts and pies lined the table, with black jam and spiced rolls at every station. Indeed, the fire was roaring, the drink was plentiful, the food was rich. And yet it was silent.

  The tinning of knives against plates trimmed the quiet and made it all the blacker. Eventually, Nephis worked up the courage to show herself to the iron wall.

  “Sister, your perfume is rather nice today. Is it something new?” Nephis opened with a soft and cloying voice.

  “It is from Xin,” Eleonora answered bluntly.

  “And, my goodness, you are looking radiant today. Have you done something new with your clothes?” Nephis asked.

  “Mhm,” Eleonora acknowledged her and continued on with her dinner. It was, perhaps, a silly compliment as Eleonora rarely strayed from soft, black dresses.

  “Sister, Eleonora, I have to make a trip up to the Studium of Saint Albert – you know, the grand one only a couple of days away – and I was thinking, wouldn’t it be fun if we took Calina to see it?” Nephis weaseled out an answer.

  “I suppose that would be fun,” Eleonora answered dully. “Perhaps I will have to take her some day, when the roads are safer.”

  “Well, what if I, and my retinue, took her this weekend?” Nephis suggested, “I’m sure that the governor would loan us a carriage and perhaps even some men.”

  Eleonora shot a piercing glance up at Nephis, her black eyes gleaming like jet in the dull firelight. “No,” she answered and continued her meal.

  “Come now, Eleonora,” Nephis pleaded. “It will be good for her to see one of the jewels of our empire! A young woman of her age should not shy from being learned. You would agree with that, wouldn’t you?”

  “I pray you bite your tongue, using your sister like that,” Eleonora snipped.

  “Using? You’re holding her hostage!” Nephis returned in kind.

  “The roads are not safe!” Eleonora said.

  “Nephis is strong, Ellie!” Calina pleaded.

  “Well, I can protect her, I’ve been along them and met with danger, and my retainers are remarkable! A small army to themselves!” Nephis pressed. “We can take care of her. It’s only for a week or so.”

  “Protect her?” Eleonora echoed, “You can hardly take care of yourself! Look at you! Disheveled and scarred! Traveling with a vagabond and that thing!” She referred to Moss.

  “Hello,” he answered.

  Nephis mouthed in anger for a while. “Those are my – my loyal retainers, and you will not speak of them so. And I can protect her, better than you, I’ll bet!”

  Eleonora scoffed.

  “Well, come on then!” Nephis egged her on, “Let’s have a duel then!”

  “A duel?”

  “Yes! And if I win, I will take Calina to Saint Albert’s,” Nephis pressed, “And I will win, because I am by far the better mage. You’ve grown limp, all safe in your husband’s walls!”

  “That’s your problem!” Eleonora broke, “That has always been your problem! Trying to get whatever you want with honeyed words, and when that doesn’t work, you blow up and try to force your way through! No! No! No!”

  The sisters devolved into fruitless bickering, shrieking at one another like bitter ravens until the conversation devolved into accusation after accusation. Meanwhile, the men sat at the other end of the table, quietly twiddling their thumbs.

  “More wine?” a servant asked the Governor.

  “No, no thank you,” the Governor quietly sighed.

  At once, Eleonora stopped fighting. Calina had wriggled her way up to Eleonora’s lap and now sat with her great, brown eyes staring up at her older sister. Terribly unfit for a Flores. “Please, Ellie. We will be safe,” she pleaded.

  And Eleonora’s expression softened looking at her dear Calina.

  “You have already caused me the pain of losing one sister,” she told Nephis, like burning ice upon her tongue. “Do not grant me the grief of losing two. No, you will not be going, and that is final.”

  And with that, supper died, and all went to bed. The party left the manor with high chins and stoic gazes, per Nephis’ request, and returned to their cart in the stable for the night. Nephis took her head in her hands as they rested. The bitter cold seeping in through the walls and tarp, nipping at their toes and fingers.

  “What are we going to do?” Nephis bemoaned. “Perhaps we really should just experiment with the amulet.”

  “Have you considered,” Kugo said, “That we just take your sister and apologize later?”

  “Eleonora will have our heads!” Nephis protested.

  “Is that any different than now?” Kugo asked.

  “Huh,” Nephis said.

  And so, through the night, the party plotted to kidnap yet one more daughter of Radina.