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Ralic led Maya back into the courtyard and past the steward, who had ignored the still dripping gash above his eye. The young man regarded the two with an unreadable expression. Maya turned away, unable to look at him. His lack of concern about the long line of drying blood was only slightly less disconcerting than his total lack of emotion. Meeting the steward shook her faith in herself. She was convinced the boy felt something, but her empathy was too weak to read it.
“Are you certain you will be safe traveling alone?” Ralic asked as they neared the northern gate. “Certainly my father didn’t send you all this way without at least one guard or your Yekaran companion.”
"Given the possibility of an attack against the line of succession, we thought it safer to travel in the guise of insignificance,” Maya answered; pleased her hours in the castle library were proving useful. Ralic’s brow wrinkled, and Maya answered the obvious question before it was asked. “King Louis XVI of Earth’s France thought to outwit his enemies by fleeing in such a disguise, but in carrying a guard, he gave himself away.”
“Then why risk wearing your circlet?” Ralic asked. “Everyone in Tekar can recognize that particular trinket.”
“How else would you have known me?” Maya answered. “Believe me, if I didn’t have to hide it, I wouldn’t be wearing this cloak in such heat.”
“It does seem out of place.”
“Yes, I know,” Maya conceded, “but I’ve seen those afflicted with ailments of the skin or eyes wear heaver cloaks than this on the hottest days of the year. Most people would look away, thinking me a low-ranking noble’s daughter too ashamed of her condition to show her face.”
Ralic roared with laughter, causing Maya to jump. She never expected the feared count of Tembar to find anything amusing, let alone such an image. The sound seemed unnatural, but his laughter was genuine. However, she couldn’t quite tell if he was laughing at her words or some private joke.
“Well put, my lady,” he said. “Yes, Father made a good choice with you indeed. You’ll make an excellent queen.” He touched his forehead lightly with his right hand, bowing to her in the Tekaran custom. “Health and happiness be with you, Lady Maya.”
“And to you,” Maya answered, pulling her hood up once again. She turned and walked through the open gate and out into Tembar’s open lands.
Before long, the firm ground of Tembar gave way to the Wastelands’ sands. Maya barely noticed the change as she hurried along, lost in thought. She had defied Aligh and Lanre today, and for what? What real proof did she have other than her word? Tembar offered little other than more questions.
She’d been such a fool! What would she tell the king? What could she tell Lanre? Even if no one else missed her, he would have. She’d have to tell him the truth of what she’d done. It was impossible to hide anything from him anyway. He’d be furious with her for leaving unprotected, but it was far too late to change what she’d done. Maya hoped he hadn’t already raised the alarm. Oh, how she wished she’d never left her quiet little village. Life would be so much simpler.
A peasant girl came into view as Maya topped the dune. She appeared very young, just coming into womanhood. Her clothes were in tatters, her face was dirty and caked with sand, and her long red curls were a tangled mess. It looked as if she’d wandered in the Wastelands for weeks, but she seemed strong and healthy nonetheless as she stood before Maya with her feet planted to the ankles in sand. Maya could see anger in the child’s face as plainly as she could feel it burning in her.
“Traitor!” the girl screamed and charged at Maya.
Startled, Maya stepped back and tumbled down the dune she’d just climbed. The sand cushioned her fall, but the impact still jarred her already sore back. Her world spun as she rolled and bounced to lower ground.
She groaned as she looked back up the steep dune, expecting the girl to come crashing down on her head. However, the girl stood halfway down, staring at Maya with her mouth hanging open. It was then Maya noticed the fall pulled her hood back and nearly ripped the cloak off completely. The girl must have seen the circlet.
Maya got to her feet and began to shake her clothes free of sand. She kept a mental eye on the girl’s movements as she tried to remove the sand from her skirts. Maya could feel the girl trying to reach her without falling too, though now her actions seemed motivated by embarrassment and fear rather than anger. Maya didn’t feel she would pose a threat again, so she ignored her until she decided to speak.
“I beg your pardon, my lady,” the girl began. “I saw you coming to and from Rieont and Tembar and assumed you were a spy.”
Maya looked up in disbelief. “How do you know I’m not?” she asked.
“You are the Grand Lady,” the girl answered. “The king would never choose a woman who was capable of evil to be our next queen.”
“Your faith in Aligh is flattering, child,” Maya said, “but no man can see the future. Besides, how do you know I didn’t just steal the grand lady’s circlet?” Maya could feel the girl grow irritated and even more embarrassed as she watched her blush. She raised her hands in a reassuring gesture before the girl charged again. “You supposed correctly this time,” she answered, “but you could have just as easily been wrong.”
“Good,” the teen answered. “I didn’t exactly look forward to dragging you all the way to Rieont. It’s too hot, and I’m too hungry.”
“How long have you been out here?” Maya asked.
“Three days,” the girl answered, “but I only ran out of supplies yesterday.”
“I should say you’d be hungry then,” Maya exclaimed. “Why are you wandering around out here? Surely you know there’s a village not ten kilometers away.”
“Oh, I know,” the girl answered. “I was born in Tembar Castle, and I’ve no intention of returning to it while Count Ralic’s in charge of the place.”
“Well, if you won’t go back there, you might as well come with me,” Maya answered and began to follow her footprints back up the dune. She’d caught something buried in the girl’s meaning but was unable to obtain a clear reading, so she decided to push the subject a bit further. “He’s not exactly the picture of humanity at its best,” she agreed, “but still, it’s shelter in a treacherous world.”
“Yes, but a prison is shelter as well and a more honest one than Tembar,” the girl panted as she struggled to keep up with Maya’s longer stride.
“Are you calling Tembar a prison?” Maya asked, amused and disconcerted at the same time.
“Tembar Flats is one great lie,” the girl answered. “Nothing here is what it seems. Ralic’s been lying to everyone for years. I don’t think he even remembers how to tell the truth!”
“And how would you know all this?” Maya asked.
“I told you,” the girl snapped, “I was born and raised in Tembar Castle.”
“No, you told me you were born in Tembar,” Maya corrected her. “You said nothing of where you were raised, and that doesn’t answer my question. Did you see proof Ralic was lying?”
“Yes,” the girl answered with an impatient huff. “I did follow you until one of Ralic’s monsters took you into the castle. I know he wasn’t born that way, and he wasn’t the result of some stupid accident like Ralic tells everyone. Ralic made him that way, and Brance isn’t the only one!”
Maya stopped, her heart and thoughts racing. “He made Brance into that creature?” she asked. “How do you know?”
“Brance is years older than me,” the girl conceded, “but I saw Ralic doing something to other babies. They were changing into something as much animal as human. Tembar’s crawling with others like them, but they usually stay in the catacombs unless Ralic wants them to do something.”
“This has to be reported immediately,” Maya answered resuming her trek toward Rieont Castle with renewed speed. So, it was true; Ralic was reveling in the forbidden sciences!
“I know that!” the girl exclaimed in righteous adolescent irritation. “I ran away to tell King Aligh, but I got lost. Ralic sent others like Brance to bring me back once he noticed I’d left. I got turned around running away from them.”
“Did he know you’d seen him?” Maya asked.
“No,” the girl answered. “I don’t think so.”
“Important girl then, to be missed so quickly.”
“I’m his daughter.” The girl sighed, looking down at her feet, “and I did manage to snatch a good chunk of his records before I left.” She reached into a pouch tied at her waist and pulled out the thick corner of several pages folded together as proof of her words.
“His daughter?” Maya asked, gently pushing at the edges of the girl’s mind. She found a flood of images: a younger Ralic looking down at her, the count holding out a brightly wrapped package, and countless others. Just before the connection broke off, Maya thought she saw a large, dark-colored Yekaran being chained in the castle courtyard. Realizing just how long she’d paused, Maya shook her head free of the images and smiled weakly. “We weren’t aware Ralic had any children.”
“He wouldn’t mention me,” the girl answered. “My mother didn’t exactly want to marry him, and he was rather disappointed I was the only child she managed to produce for him before her death. He wanted a son and got stuck with me.”
“Well then,” Maya said, “all the more reason for you to come back to Rieont with me.” She continued on, pushing as fast as she could toward the comfort of Rieont when she realized she’d yet to learn the girl’s name.
“Forgive me,” she said, feeling her face grow warm with embarrassment. “We’ve yet to be properly introduced. My name is Maya Dubose of the Valley of Dreams,” she continued and offered the girl her hand.
“Chantal Virchow of Tembar Flats.”
Continue to Chapter 2, Part 2.
Ralic led Maya back into the courtyard and past the steward, who had ignored the still dripping gash above his eye. The young man regarded the two with an unreadable expression. Maya turned away, unable to look at him. His lack of concern about the long line of drying blood was only slightly less disconcerting than his total lack of emotion. Meeting the steward shook her faith in herself. She was convinced the boy felt something, but her empathy was too weak to read it.
“Are you certain you will be safe traveling alone?” Ralic asked as they neared the northern gate. “Certainly my father didn’t send you all this way without at least one guard or your Yekaran companion.”
"Given the possibility of an attack against the line of succession, we thought it safer to travel in the guise of insignificance,” Maya answered; pleased her hours in the castle library were proving useful. Ralic’s brow wrinkled, and Maya answered the obvious question before it was asked. “King Louis XVI of Earth’s France thought to outwit his enemies by fleeing in such a disguise, but in carrying a guard, he gave himself away.”
“Then why risk wearing your circlet?” Ralic asked. “Everyone in Tekar can recognize that particular trinket.”
“How else would you have known me?” Maya answered. “Believe me, if I didn’t have to hide it, I wouldn’t be wearing this cloak in such heat.”
“It does seem out of place.”
“Yes, I know,” Maya conceded, “but I’ve seen those afflicted with ailments of the skin or eyes wear heaver cloaks than this on the hottest days of the year. Most people would look away, thinking me a low-ranking noble’s daughter too ashamed of her condition to show her face.”
Ralic roared with laughter, causing Maya to jump. She never expected the feared count of Tembar to find anything amusing, let alone such an image. The sound seemed unnatural, but his laughter was genuine. However, she couldn’t quite tell if he was laughing at her words or some private joke.
“Well put, my lady,” he said. “Yes, Father made a good choice with you indeed. You’ll make an excellent queen.” He touched his forehead lightly with his right hand, bowing to her in the Tekaran custom. “Health and happiness be with you, Lady Maya.”
“And to you,” Maya answered, pulling her hood up once again. She turned and walked through the open gate and out into Tembar’s open lands.
Before long, the firm ground of Tembar gave way to the Wastelands’ sands. Maya barely noticed the change as she hurried along, lost in thought. She had defied Aligh and Lanre today, and for what? What real proof did she have other than her word? Tembar offered little other than more questions.
She’d been such a fool! What would she tell the king? What could she tell Lanre? Even if no one else missed her, he would have. She’d have to tell him the truth of what she’d done. It was impossible to hide anything from him anyway. He’d be furious with her for leaving unprotected, but it was far too late to change what she’d done. Maya hoped he hadn’t already raised the alarm. Oh, how she wished she’d never left her quiet little village. Life would be so much simpler.
A peasant girl came into view as Maya topped the dune. She appeared very young, just coming into womanhood. Her clothes were in tatters, her face was dirty and caked with sand, and her long red curls were a tangled mess. It looked as if she’d wandered in the Wastelands for weeks, but she seemed strong and healthy nonetheless as she stood before Maya with her feet planted to the ankles in sand. Maya could see anger in the child’s face as plainly as she could feel it burning in her.
“Traitor!” the girl screamed and charged at Maya.
Startled, Maya stepped back and tumbled down the dune she’d just climbed. The sand cushioned her fall, but the impact still jarred her already sore back. Her world spun as she rolled and bounced to lower ground.
She groaned as she looked back up the steep dune, expecting the girl to come crashing down on her head. However, the girl stood halfway down, staring at Maya with her mouth hanging open. It was then Maya noticed the fall pulled her hood back and nearly ripped the cloak off completely. The girl must have seen the circlet.
Maya got to her feet and began to shake her clothes free of sand. She kept a mental eye on the girl’s movements as she tried to remove the sand from her skirts. Maya could feel the girl trying to reach her without falling too, though now her actions seemed motivated by embarrassment and fear rather than anger. Maya didn’t feel she would pose a threat again, so she ignored her until she decided to speak.
“I beg your pardon, my lady,” the girl began. “I saw you coming to and from Rieont and Tembar and assumed you were a spy.”
Maya looked up in disbelief. “How do you know I’m not?” she asked.
“You are the Grand Lady,” the girl answered. “The king would never choose a woman who was capable of evil to be our next queen.”
“Your faith in Aligh is flattering, child,” Maya said, “but no man can see the future. Besides, how do you know I didn’t just steal the grand lady’s circlet?” Maya could feel the girl grow irritated and even more embarrassed as she watched her blush. She raised her hands in a reassuring gesture before the girl charged again. “You supposed correctly this time,” she answered, “but you could have just as easily been wrong.”
“Good,” the teen answered. “I didn’t exactly look forward to dragging you all the way to Rieont. It’s too hot, and I’m too hungry.”
“How long have you been out here?” Maya asked.
“Three days,” the girl answered, “but I only ran out of supplies yesterday.”
“I should say you’d be hungry then,” Maya exclaimed. “Why are you wandering around out here? Surely you know there’s a village not ten kilometers away.”
“Oh, I know,” the girl answered. “I was born in Tembar Castle, and I’ve no intention of returning to it while Count Ralic’s in charge of the place.”
“Well, if you won’t go back there, you might as well come with me,” Maya answered and began to follow her footprints back up the dune. She’d caught something buried in the girl’s meaning but was unable to obtain a clear reading, so she decided to push the subject a bit further. “He’s not exactly the picture of humanity at its best,” she agreed, “but still, it’s shelter in a treacherous world.”
“Yes, but a prison is shelter as well and a more honest one than Tembar,” the girl panted as she struggled to keep up with Maya’s longer stride.
“Are you calling Tembar a prison?” Maya asked, amused and disconcerted at the same time.
“Tembar Flats is one great lie,” the girl answered. “Nothing here is what it seems. Ralic’s been lying to everyone for years. I don’t think he even remembers how to tell the truth!”
“And how would you know all this?” Maya asked.
“I told you,” the girl snapped, “I was born and raised in Tembar Castle.”
“No, you told me you were born in Tembar,” Maya corrected her. “You said nothing of where you were raised, and that doesn’t answer my question. Did you see proof Ralic was lying?”
“Yes,” the girl answered with an impatient huff. “I did follow you until one of Ralic’s monsters took you into the castle. I know he wasn’t born that way, and he wasn’t the result of some stupid accident like Ralic tells everyone. Ralic made him that way, and Brance isn’t the only one!”
Maya stopped, her heart and thoughts racing. “He made Brance into that creature?” she asked. “How do you know?”
“Brance is years older than me,” the girl conceded, “but I saw Ralic doing something to other babies. They were changing into something as much animal as human. Tembar’s crawling with others like them, but they usually stay in the catacombs unless Ralic wants them to do something.”
“This has to be reported immediately,” Maya answered resuming her trek toward Rieont Castle with renewed speed. So, it was true; Ralic was reveling in the forbidden sciences!
“I know that!” the girl exclaimed in righteous adolescent irritation. “I ran away to tell King Aligh, but I got lost. Ralic sent others like Brance to bring me back once he noticed I’d left. I got turned around running away from them.”
“Did he know you’d seen him?” Maya asked.
“No,” the girl answered. “I don’t think so.”
“Important girl then, to be missed so quickly.”
“I’m his daughter.” The girl sighed, looking down at her feet, “and I did manage to snatch a good chunk of his records before I left.” She reached into a pouch tied at her waist and pulled out the thick corner of several pages folded together as proof of her words.
“His daughter?” Maya asked, gently pushing at the edges of the girl’s mind. She found a flood of images: a younger Ralic looking down at her, the count holding out a brightly wrapped package, and countless others. Just before the connection broke off, Maya thought she saw a large, dark-colored Yekaran being chained in the castle courtyard. Realizing just how long she’d paused, Maya shook her head free of the images and smiled weakly. “We weren’t aware Ralic had any children.”
“He wouldn’t mention me,” the girl answered. “My mother didn’t exactly want to marry him, and he was rather disappointed I was the only child she managed to produce for him before her death. He wanted a son and got stuck with me.”
“Well then,” Maya said, “all the more reason for you to come back to Rieont with me.” She continued on, pushing as fast as she could toward the comfort of Rieont when she realized she’d yet to learn the girl’s name.
“Forgive me,” she said, feeling her face grow warm with embarrassment. “We’ve yet to be properly introduced. My name is Maya Dubose of the Valley of Dreams,” she continued and offered the girl her hand.
“Chantal Virchow of Tembar Flats.”
Continue to Chapter 2, Part 2.
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