ILLBORN: Book One of the Illborn Saga, page 24
‘So, your recommendation is that we agree to these numbers, as you’ve set out here, Conran?’
‘Yes, Sire.’
The King looked across at his wife, who nodded, and then at his elder son, who did the same. ‘Very well, consider those positions acceptable and agreed, Conran,’ stated the King. ‘What else?’
‘Thank you, Your Majesty,’ responded the Duke. ‘The next question is then one of what to do about the Archlaw’s request that, in matters related to heresy, Aiduel’s Guards be allowed to enforce such law directly themselves in accordance with Holy Law. This was a trickier issue, and one for which my son Gerrion has drafted sensible proposals. I also took the liberty of discussing these with Archprime Amnar, who’s in agreement with them.’
‘That’s correct,’ confirmed the Archprime. ‘Very sensible proposals.’
‘Go on,’ said the King.
‘Well, I’ll let Gerrion set this out, Your Majesty,’ stated the Duke. ‘Gerrion?’
‘Thank you, father,’ replied Gerrion. ‘Your Majesty, if we look at the question of heretical punishment and jurisdiction, there are in effect three elements. First, the investigation. Second, the prosecution, trial and judgement. Third, the punishment. To date, Aiduel’s Guards have effectively been toothless within our country, because we’ve solely allowed them to investigate heresy, and only without torture. However, we haven’t allowed them to control the trials, which were undertaken by local lords and magistrates, and we haven’t allowed them to enforce their preferred punishment of burning.’
‘All understood,’ answered the King. ‘So, what do you now propose?’
‘Your Majesty,’ responded Gerrion, speaking confidently and calmly, ‘the Archlaw requested that Aiduel’s Guards take control of all three elements. That request is clearly not acceptable without putting the lives of all our citizens, including any noble persons, in danger. Taking the three elements, we would propose that the first, the investigation, remains unchanged. We can allow them to continue to investigate heresy in our country, but we cannot allow for the torture of our citizens as a means of extracting false confessions.’
‘Agreed,’ said the King. ‘That is beyond question.’
‘Second, I proposed to father that, specifically for accusations of heresy brought by Aiduel’s Guards, we could agree each time to convene a special court. There would be three individuals examining the evidence and making judgement at such a court. The first would be the local lord or magistrate who would have had full control of such matters previously. The second would be the High Priest into whose territory the accusation fell. The third would be a representative of Aiduel’s Guards. A verdict and judgement would be formed by majority view of those three individuals.’
‘I think this is a very clever idea, Your Majesty,’ added Amnar. ‘We’d be agreeing to give the Church a majority position on each case of heresy, but one of the three individuals will be an Andar Church representative, which would of course control any attempted abuse or overreach of the Archlaw’s power. But it does still give the Archlaw and Aiduel’s Guards a more visible representation of the Church’s authority to stamp out heresy, and therefore I believe it could feel like an acceptable position for the Archlaw. He would not be losing face to accept this.’
‘So, you both support this?’ asked the King. The Duke and Amnar confirmed their support, then once again the King looked to his wife and eldest son to obtain their assent. ‘Very well, that is also agreed. And on the question of punishment?’ He looked back at Gerrion.
‘That is a more simple point, Your Majesty,’ replied Gerrion. ‘We either allow burnings as a punishment for heresy in our country, or we refuse this.’
‘By the Lord!’ exclaimed the King. ‘The matters Archlaw Paulius forces me to adjudicate on! Conran? Amnar? Your views?’
The Duke spoke first. ‘Sire, I think that giving the Archlaw his burnings will be the point which will clinch his agreement on the whole negotiation. Archlaw Paulius clearly relishes the thought of heretics burning on a pyre, given the visible deterrent that this would provide to others. I wouldn’t propose to offer him our agreement to this initially, but it would be a point I’d be prepared to concede to secure a final agreement with him.’
Amnar then spoke up again. ‘Sire, we already have hanging as a punishment in our country. To avoid the possible consequences of war and excommunication, conceding this point feels like a small matter by comparison.’
‘Another concession!’ shouted the King, again sounding somewhat petulant and sulky to Arion. ‘It feels like we’re the ones giving everything here. What then do we get in return?’
‘Two things, Your Majesty,’ replied the Duke. ‘First, we get an oath from Archlaw Paulius that the status and powers of Aiduel’s Guards will not be raised again within the Archlaw’s lifetime. That, once we agree to this, it’s settled for what will hopefully be decades to come. Second, we demand that he withdraws any support he might have for the claims of the House of Canas to Canasar territory, and that he publicly affirms his unwavering commitment to the Treaty of Canasar.’
The King smiled, grimly. ‘So that, in effect, the Archlaw gets much of what he wanted, but that bastard Jarrius gets nothing of what he asked for?’
‘That sums it up neatly, Your Majesty,’ responded the Duke. ‘And for Andar, there would be many positive outcomes. We’d stay united with the Holy Church, we’d not create any religious division in our own country, we’d retain our territory, and we’d hopefully create a meaningful division between Elannis and Dei Magnus. And in return for that we’d be conceding power to Aiduel’s Guards, but in a way which we all think is controllable.’
‘Very well,’ said the King. ‘That is all agreed. Don’t offer the burnings point initially, but let’s be prepared to concede it to secure a final agreed position. Well done, Conran, Amnar, Gerrion. What now?’
‘We have to put that position to them, Sire,’ replied the Duke. ‘And we need to ensure that our response is co-ordinated with that of Angloss. If we both ask for and concede exactly the same things, our position will be that much stronger.’
‘I will need you and Amnar to go and present this proposal to the Archlaw and to the High Council in person, Conran,’ replied the King. ‘Correspondence cannot communicate this properly. You’ll need to ensure that this is agreed in person, in Sen Aiduel.’
‘Very well, Sire,’ responded the Duke. ‘With your authority, Amnar and I will travel there as soon as the position with Angloss is confirmed.’
Arion stared at his father, impressed. Lord! Until today, I had no true idea of just how important father is to the running of this country. Or of just how much the King relies on him.
‘I will call Ambassador Julien back in as soon as possible,’ stated the Queen. ‘And the four of us can then meet him together. I feel confident that we can get full agreement with Angloss on this, given the awful alternatives.’
‘We are resolved then,’ said the King. ‘Thank you for your time, everyone. As much as it has pained me to concede anything to the Archlaw, let’s hope that our proposals will be enough to avert war and religious division, and to preserve our country.’
15
Allana
–
Year of Our Lord,
After Ascension, 768AA
Allana was still contemplating her choice as to whether to stay in Septholme or to flee, when Captain Menion Thatcher returned to collect his jacket.
She blushed when he reappeared in her home on the day of collection, remembering the moment when she had been teetering on the edge of seducing him. He was wearing his soldier’s uniform again, today, and looked as handsome as he had done on the previous visit.
He tried the jacket on in front of her, and was clearly delighted with the outcome. After he had handed over payment for the garment, she said, ‘Thank you for choosing me for this item, Captain Menion. If you or your wife ever have need of my services in future, please don’t hesitate to visit me again.’
He nodded, looking at her with a slightly glazed expression. There was still some unspoken sexual connection between them, as if he too knew how close they had come to doing something two weeks before, and had thought about her since. ‘I will. Of course.’
‘And if there’s anyone else that you know who might want to engage my services, I’d be very grateful if you could recommend me to them.’
He nodded again. Then, a few moments later, as he was proceeding to leave her home, he stopped and said, ‘Actually, now that you mention it, there is someone who I could introduce you to. Someone who could give you a lot of work.’
–
It was as a result of Thatcher’s stray thought that, three days later, Allana was for the first time making her way up the main street of Septholme, towards the castle at the top of the hill. She had been invited to go and meet with Ami Randle, whom Captain Thatcher had described as the Head of Household for the House of Sepian. Allana understood that Randle was in charge of all of the servants working in the castle.
Allana had made a new dress for herself since arriving in Septholme, and she was wearing it now, to look as presentable as possible. She was determined that she would have a successful meeting, although she had still not decided what she was going to do following the news that Aiduel’s Guards were hunting for Seilana dei Monis. Therefore, if she subsequently chose to flee, this encounter with Randle might mean nothing. However, she would do everything she could to achieve a positive outcome, in case she decided to stay in the town.
As she approached the castle, she could more fully appreciate what an imposing fortress it was. Its walls rose at least eight metres from the ground, the mighty stone sides regularly interrupted by tall rounded towers. She looked behind herself as she drew closer to the castle gates, and was impressed by the view over the harbour out to sea. She had never been this high in the town before, and the outlook was surprisingly pretty and peaceful.
It is lovely here, Lana. Doesn’t Septholme feel more like home now? It will be sad if you have to leave here.
–
Twenty minutes later, Allana had been allowed to pass through the castle gates, and was sitting across from Ami Randle. The other woman was in her fifties, grey-haired with a plump pear-shaped body.
‘So, you’re a seamstress, are you?’ Randle’s voice was husky and common-sounding, but was possessed with a lively hint of intelligence.
‘Yes, mistress. And I’ve been working in the northern quarter for a number of months. My mum trained me.’
‘Thatcher showed me the jacket. Good work, that.’
‘Thank you. It was a good job to take on.’
‘Do you know what job is available here?’
‘Mostly. Captain Thatcher said that there’d be a lot of work to make and repair clothes. He said there might be other things, too. But he wasn’t clear on what.’
‘Yes, there are other things. But we’ll get onto that. You’re a foreigner?’
‘Yes.’ Allana smiled. ‘With my accent, I’m afraid there’s no hiding that.’
‘Where from?’
‘Dei Aiduel in Dei Magnus, mistress.’ Allana then proceeded to recount her cover story again. ‘My mother was from Dei Aiduel, but my father, who left us when I was very young, was a sailor from Andar. My mother died last year, so I decided to come to try and find my father. Mum had said he might be in Septholme. But I haven’t found him.’
‘We don’t usually employ foreigners, mind. Any offer of a role here would be subject to me checking with Lord Gerrion. Understand?’
‘Lord Gerrion?’
‘The Duke’s son. You’d soon see him. Serious-looking one. He’s in charge here, when his father the Duke’s away. Like he is at the moment.’
‘I understand, mistress.’
‘You’re certainly a pretty one, aren’t you? Nay, pretty’s not right. Beautiful, more like. I bet you’re always fighting the men off, aren’t you?’
Allana blushed. ‘I wouldn’t say that, mistress.’
‘Ah, come on now! You know you are. I’d certainly be popular with the men here if I offered you a job.’ She suddenly cackled with laughter, before composing herself and becoming serious again. ‘You’re well-spoken too, girl. Better spoken than most seamstresses I’ve dealt with. How’s that?’
‘My mother was educated, mistress. She taught me to speak well, and to read and write, too.’
‘Ah? So you have some education? Interesting. I’m the only one on my staff who can read and write, at present. Would certainly be a help to have a second person who could do that.’
‘I would enjoy that, mistress. I can read and write, and can do numbers, too.’
‘That’s useful to know, girl. Shall I tell you about the role, then?’ Allana nodded. ‘A large part of it is seamstress work. We’ve a lot of people here, who need clothes mending and repairing. Occasionally, you’d be making new clothes, too, or repairing furnishings in the castle. The woman you’re replacing got too old, her fingers had become too slow and clumsy, and I had to let her go. I’m having to farm that work out, right now, and it’s costing me too much. Want to bring it back in-house.’
‘Yes, mistress. Is it a full-time role then?’
‘Yes, certainly. You’d have to stop doing work for others, because there’s other things I might ask you to do, too. Not low-level work, mind. No scullery work, or cleaning out bedpans, no nonsense like that. But helping with castle events, serving at feasts, that kind of thing. Could you lower yourself to do that sort of thing, girl?’
‘I think I could, mistress.’
‘And now that I think about it, there’s plenty of ways I could use someone who knows how to read and write, and count, to make my life a bit easier.’ Allana nodded again, getting a good sense that the woman liked her and that the interview was going well. ‘You’ve got a place in the northern quarter?’
‘Yes, mistress.’
‘I could accept you living outside of the castle, but this would be better as a live-in job. And I expect that’d save you a lot of money. Free room here in the castle out-buildings, and two free meals a day come with the job.’
They then proceeded to talk about the terms of the role. During this time, Allana was thinking about the woman’s comments. If she was able to get a position here, working and living at the castle, it could possibly allow her to disappear out of the view of Nionia dei Pallere and Aiduel’s Guards, for an extended period of time. If she could do that for one or two years, the world might by then have forgotten about the fugitive Seilana dei Monis and her teenage daughter. And she would be free to start her life again.
‘So,’ stated Ami Randle, as their meeting was concluding. ‘Are you interested in taking the role, Lana?’
This is your chance, Lana. This is better than all of the other options available to you.
Allana smiled back at the older woman. ‘Yes, mistress, I think I am.’
–
The following Third-Day, Allana shared the news with Nionia that she was returning back to Dei Magnus.
‘Really, Lana? Must you really go?’ The young woman looked distraught when she heard Allana’s news. Allana was sure that she could see the Guard blinking her eyes quickly, to stifle her tears.
‘I’m afraid so, yes. I’d hoped to find my father here, but haven’t. And I’m homesick, Nionia. I’ve given notice on the property here, and I’m to leave next week.’
How easily lies come to you now, Lana. But you need to do this.
‘But it doesn’t seem fair! I will miss you so much. You’re my only friend here, Lana.’
‘And I’ll miss you, too.’ In truth, Allana did think that she would miss the guileless woman from her home country, and she wished that they could have met in other circumstances. ‘But when I’m home and settled, I’ll write to you.’ She knew that she would never be writing.
Nionia was still blinking, her eyes red. ‘I would like that. And I’ll write back. But I will miss you so much.’
Allana put her hand onto the other woman’s arm, and patted her comfortingly. However, although she felt sympathy for Nionia’s reaction, she was also aware that the young Guard was the sole reason she had needed to make the decision to give up this home.
Harden your heart, Lana. This might be sad for her, but she’s the one forcing you to do this. A careless word from her could still lead to your death. Or could have led to hers?
–
A few days later, Allana received word from Ami Randle, confirming that Lord Gerrion had accepted that she could take the job. Shortly after that, she vacated the house in the northern area of Septholme, and moved her possessions into the castle.
Her room in the castle was barely worthy of that name. In fact, it was not even inside the stone castle walls themselves, but was within a wooden outbuilding in the vast castle courtyard. Every live-in female servant resided within this outbuilding, with the exception of Ami Randle. Each of them had a tiny room with a small thin bed, a cupboard, and a basin. Allana discreetly placed her coin purse at the bottom of her cupboard, hidden under a pile of clothes. She kept her knife within her possession, at all times.
She soon settled into the rhythm of life at the castle, and after the lonely times of the last few months, she was appreciating being in the proximity of so many people. At first, she was a peculiarity to the soldiers and servants around her, an exotic foreigner who the men could gawk at and the married women were distrustful of. As a result of this, she was initially reserved around others.
Gradually, however, people grew used to her being there, and she became accustomed to her new routine. There was a lot of work for her to do, catching up on a backlog left by her predecessor’s enforced retirement. She was therefore constantly busy, but she was enjoying the activity.
