Dark Days, page 24
part #1 of The Albatar Chronicles Series
“From Athos, originally,” she replied, forcing her tone to remain even. “My Lord,” she added hastily. His eyebrow lifted slightly again.
“A tiny place, I understand,” he said. “It’s no surprise Andiss feels you need a bit of travel under your belt then.” Kazari nodded, rather than trusting herself to reply in a calm voice. Her dislike of Lord Juster was growing rapidly, despite only having spent two minutes in his presence.
“And you?” he asked, looking at Sendar.
“Chator, my Lord,” replied Sendar.
“Ah, yes. You were the one who went to the Hunters a year ago.” He looked at Sendar thoughtfully, “From the edge of town, if I remember rightly.”
“Come now, my Lord,” said the richly dressed woman. “Don’t make assumptions just because she’s from a small town and he was from the edge. Remember, Andiss came from humble beginnings himself, and look where he is now.” Kazari turned her gaze on the woman, curiously. Her words were at odds with her tone – slime dressed as honey perhaps. “Anyone can rise within the Order.”
“You are indeed correct, my Lady,” replied the Adviser. He stepped forward, and Kazari looked up curiously. The man’s voice was thin, and his step unsteady, and his assistant seemed poised on his toes, as if to support the old man.
The Adviser cleared his throat and spoke again, mild reproof colouring his tones. “Our Lady sees all as equal within her sight. Some may have been called to rule, while others farm, yet within the Lady’s sanctuary, each fulfils an important role.” Kazari found herself nodding. The man’s voice may have been thin, but his words were wise and measured, and were spoken firmly.
“Of course,” replied Juster, “Thank you, Eriad.” He waved a hand at the Adviser. He went on. “Will you be joining us tonight, Hunters?”
Andiss shook his head. “Unfortunately, not tonight, my Lord. I have business from the Abbot to take to the Cathedral, and these two have much to learn. We may be here for some days, so perhaps another evening?”
“Such a disappointment,” drawled Juster. He leaned to the left, propping an elbow on the arm of his elaborate chair and resting his chin on it. “I’ll await your word. And don’t disappear without dining with me. There is much to catch up on.” He wagged a finger, and then, as if it had been an afterthought. “Bring your trainees when you come. I’m sure they’ll find the experience enlightening. Don’t you think so, my love?”He waved a hand at them as he turned to his wife, and Andiss dipped his head, motioning to Kazari and Sendar with one hand.
“Of course, Lord Juster.”
Kazari matched Andiss’ gesture, then followed him back down the length of the hall, confused, perturbed and angry.
Her shoulder blades itched all the way, and she couldn’t wait to get out of the building. It was all she could do not to break into a jog. Dine with Juster? She wanted to run at the very thought.
Chapter Twenty-nine: Cathedral
It was only when they were back on their horses and riding away from the great house, that Kazari felt she could ask exactly what was going on.
Andiss settled himself more firmly in his saddle and checked one of the straps on a saddle bag before answering.
“Politics, Kaz. Politics.”
“But…”
“We’ll talk about it later. Not here.” He gave Javon a look that Kazari couldn’t interpret, and then turned his head firmly to the front and urged his horse to a trot, forcing the others to speed up as well. She looked at Sendar, who shrugged. Kazari narrowed her eyes. She knew her life prior to the Order had been sheltered, possibly more than most, given what she’d seen in Chator, and now Seraph, but for Lord Juster to imply that she was an uneducated country bumpkin rankled her more than she cared to admit.
The fact that she knew so little about politics irritated her even more. But then she bet Lord Juster couldn’t carve leather the way she could, or even attach a buckle for that matter. He probably had someone to do that for him. Imagining him struggling with a leather belt made her feel a bit better.
And his wife? She’d seemed to ooze poison under her facade of sweetness. Kazari berated herself for not trying to sense in the hall, but surely her gift would have manifested without effort had there been something to find? That seemed to be how it worked most of the time. She discovered she was grinding her teeth, and relaxed her jaw in annoyance, then apologised to Stumpy, because she’d transmitted her own tension to her clutch on the reins and he’d tossed his head. She patted his neck contritely.
As they rounded a corner, she let out an involuntary gasp. The building at the end of the street was the most elaborate structure she’d ever seen. The stonework facade towered above the neighbouring buildings, yet still managed to blend into the trees clustered around the base of it. They formed a green buffer between it and the rest of Seraph. The tops of the towers that crowned it glistened in the late afternoon sunlight, one in each sept colour. A tiny portion of her brain wondered what made the colours pop so vividly, while the rest boggled at the sheer size of the thing.
Although the sprawling Abbey with its satellite buildings would still have dwarfed it, this was just one building. One. The seven towers formed a kind of crown on the top of the building – six of them around the edges and the centre one (clad in gleaming white) housing a huge bell.
“Kaz!” Andiss called.
Kazari started, and realised she’d pulled Stumpy to a halt, and the others were well in front now. She squeezed him into a walk and followed the others again, her head swivelling from side to side, trying to comprehend why the building needed to be so big. She dismounted in a daze, her eyes dazzled by the carved stone at the cathedral entrance, which was gilded with gold and silver. Juster’s hall may have been designed to awe, but this building…. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or exclaim in horror.
“You can laugh if you want,” said Andiss. “I did, the first time I saw it.”
“But…” was all Kazari managed.
“It’s not quite what you were expecting?” Javon asked, wryly.
“It’s…” Once again words failed her, so she resorted to shaking her head.
“Not quite what you envisaged for the Servants of the Lady?” said Andiss.
She shook her head mutely. Of course the Abbey was quite grand, or at least in spots it was. The sanctuary for example. But this? It almost made her eyes hurt to look at it.
“It actually began life as a fortress,” said Andiss. “But Juster’s grandmother got to it about sixty years ago. She said – according to the records kept by the prior at the time – ‘That the Lady deserved a place that reflected her glory.’”
“Her g…glory?” Kazari stuttered. Glory wasn’t the word she’d have used.
“It appears that the Lady’s servants and the old Lady of Seraph had differing ideas on the interpretation of that particular word,” Andiss said. “Still, the beds are comfortable, and the grounds are marvellous. There’s even a grove here. Back behind the main building. You’ll probably be relieved to hear we’re accommodated in something a little less grand?”
“Yes?” she replied, still bemused. She looked at Sendar. He was clearly amused, which suggested this was not the first time he’d been in the place.
“I’ll give you the whole tour, later,” said Andiss, grinning openly now. “You won’t believe what the sanctuary’s like.”
“But…” stammered Kazari at last. “The Lady…surely she wouldn’t want this?” She waved a hand at the gold and silver ornamentation. Andiss’ face sobered.
“The Lady has more uses than decoration for gold and silver, but politics tells us that sometimes we must put up with things like this monstrosity to continue to pursue the greater good.”
Just what Andiss meant, Kazari discovered later. Inside the building was more elaborate ornamentation, but when she queried the gold and silver figurines set in niches around the sanctuary, he led her over to one of them and showed her that the outer shell was a facade. “Over the years, one statue at a time, we’ve copied them, and the metal has been put to better use. It’s a secret of the Order, now entrusted to you.” Then he’d smiled. “But Juster doesn’t know that.”
Kazari was relieved to know that her Order had managed to maintain its integrity. “But… the people?” she queried.
Andiss shrugged. “Many people believe that the Lady should be worshipped among ‘finery’ worthy of her.”
“But…” Kazari began again, but Javon shook her head.
“It’s complicated, Kaz. In most places, people are just happy to live in Albatar, under the Lady’s protection, and the protection of her Order. There are some, however, who equate outward displays of wealth with power. Sometimes a building like this is useful for such people. We’d prefer it wasn’t so, but we use what we’re given when we need to, even if that means displaying the outward trappings of wealth on occasion.”
Kazari heard Sendar suppress a snort of laughter, and then followed him out of the sanctuary and to the quarters reserved for them. As Andiss had said, they were comfortable – probably the most comfortable she’d stayed in since leaving her own bed in the Abbey.
“You said you’d explain,” said Kazari.
“And I will,” replied Andiss, “But first, we need to train.”
Two hours later, Kazari washed the sweat from her body in the lavish bathroom attached to their quarters and then followed the others into the cathedral dining hall. Andiss hadn’t yet answered her questions, and she was almost seething with impatience. Hopefully once the dinner was over, he’d keep his promise. She was dressed in her last clean set of Hunter blacks, and at Andiss’ instruction, she’d placed her dirty sets in a large bin for laundering. Relishing the feel of clean, dry clothing, she took a chair at one of the long tables set at right angles to the head table. The set-up mimicked that of the Abbey, and some of her irritation eased.
Not all the tables were set, but a good number were, and after a quick count, Kazari realised that Seraph must have quite a contingent of the Lady’s servants there. Again, she felt a bit stupid. Of course it did. It was a city. The population was large. The Lady’s Healers, Intercessors, Jurists, and Advisers would have a lot to do in a town this size.
A clattering in the hall outside heralded the arrival of what seemed like a crowd of the Lady’s servants. Chairs scraped and clunked, and Kazari saw the familiar black of Hunter garb take the chairs opposite them. When she looked up, she recognised Mikel and Jern, clearly back from Suborden. She was about to speak to them when the prior stood and began to speak the blessing.
Suddenly cheered by the familiar, Kazari felt as if she’d come home. The words rolled over her like a wave, and she realised that she’d missed being with a large group more than she’d expected. It wasn’t as if she didn’t like journeying with Andiss, Javon, and Sendar; it was just that being among a large group of those who’d taken the same vows and made the same promises, lifted the experience to a whole new level.
When the food was passed around, she leaned in to listen to Andiss talk to Mikel and Jern.
“I have letters from the Abbot,” Mikel said.
“For us specifically?” Andiss asked.
“One,” replied Mikel, “and a general letter for any Hunter. I’ll give you copies in case you meet any of our fellows on your travels.” He looked around. “And I have news from Suborden. The Abbot sent a group to replace us. There’ll be Hunters rotating in and out of course, but there’s also three Intercessors, an Adviser, and two pairs of Navigators stationed there. It’s better than it was, but it’s still a sad place.”
Kazari nodded, remembering. She wondered what Suborden looked like in spring. Her mind struggled to equate colour and exuberance with a town that would forever remind her of some of the darkest days of her life. She looked down at her plate, lost in the memories for a moment, until a warm hand on her shoulder brought her back into the warmth of the dining hall.
“You did well there, Kaz.” It was Jern. Normally overshadowed by Mikel’s forceful personality, she had a smile that warmed Kazari. Surprised, Kazari threw a quick smile back.
“Join us in our quarters after the meal,” said Andiss. “We’ve much to discuss, and I’d like that letter as soon as possible.”
The rest of the meal passed in normal chatter – stories from their travels, news from various places Kazari hadn’t been to but the others had, and now and then, one or more of the Lady’s other servants would stop by with a greeting for Andiss and Javon, and an introduction to Sendar and Kazari.
When they rose at the end of the meal, the sung response to the prior’s words almost brought tears to Kazari’s eyes. It was as if some of the weight of seeing and hearing evil in the flesh, had lifted from her shoulders. Once, she’d wondered why the Hunters returned so regularly to the Abbey. Now she understood. Time with others from the Order, no matter how brief, was like a long, refreshing drink, that poured calm on her soul.
Once inside their quarters, Mikel produced two letters, handing one to Andiss and Javon, and the other to Kazari and Sendar. Kazari opened the stiff folds and began to read:
My Hunters,
It appears that evil stalks our borders and has entered our towns. Our Lady’s refuge, our beloved land of Albatar, is at risk. There has been an incursion in Suborden, and only by the Grace of the Lady was it discovered and overcome before it became a beachhead for the enemy. It is now a warning to us all.
The Lady has seen fit to grant the Gift of Sensing in this most dangerous of times. Its use is not yet well understood, but should you hear word of it in your travels, or find any reference to it within the libraries of Albatar, forward the information with all haste to the Abbey, or to Alexando in Chator. Should you encounter gorgones of any type, report them once you have dispatched them, via the usual methods.
The Hunter Sept in now on full alert status. You have your assigned duties. Be about them as soon as you receive this missive.
The Lady reminds us that we stand in the breach for Albatar. You walk with her all your days, and she will be with you always.
Signed by my hand:
Injani of the Hunter Sept, Abbot of Austral Abbey and all Albatar, this tenth day of spring’
Kazari wondered what the ‘assigned duties’ meant. She supposed that had she been with the Order for longer, she’d know. As it was, it was yet another question she itched to ask. But Andiss was still head down with Javon over the other letter. She folded the stiff page again, placed it by Javon’s hand, and waited silently for him to finish.
Mikel was, as was his habit, sharpening a knife, sitting cross-legged on the floor, while Jern had propped her long form in a chair next to the dresser. Sighing, Kazari copied Mikel. Andiss and Javon would speak when they would, and not before. At least sharpening her knives gave her something to do while she waited.
At last, Andiss put the paper down, looked at Javon with concern written across his face, and picked up the Abbot’s more general missive. Then he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “There are more worrying rumours from a number of towns. Kazari, Sendar – your dreams, have they changed?” Startled, Kazari exchanged a quick glance with Sendar and shook her head, and then after a few more moments thought, shook it again, more firmly.
“No, nothing different, just the same stuff.”
“Dreams?” queried Jern, surprising Kazari by beating Mikel to the question.
Javon took a moment to explain, while Kazari watched the shock blossom on first Mikel, and then Jern’s faces. Shamefacedly, she looked down at the knife she’d been sharpening.
“But this…is a wonderful opportunity,” said Mikel, startling Kazari so much she nearly cut herself on the knife.
“What?” she blurted.
“Early warning!” exclaimed Jern. “If your dreams change, we might be able to get a jump on the next bit of nastiness.”
Kazari coloured slightly. “They don’t make a lot of sense, most of the time, and they’re pretty well confined to horrible things happening to people I know and love. I’m not sure how much help that really is.”
“But any kind of warning is better than none,” Mikel said. He tucked his knife away and stretched out his legs, leaning back on his hands.
“The problem is, we don’t know how far ahead the warning applies, or what it refers to,” Andiss said.
“But there are three marked now,” Jern said. “Surely if you compare dreams, there’ll be something.”
Sendar shrugged. “Not so far.” Then he added. “But we write it all down, and it makes some of the nightmares a little more bearable.”
Jern looked slightly ashamed. “I’m sorry, Sendar, I hadn’t really thought about that.”
There was silence for a moment or two, and then Andiss went on. “The Abbot sends word that a number of our Advisers have reported trouble with their nobles. And reports from incumbents speak of resistance to teaching among the young in some areas.” He looked grave. “Albatar is indeed at risk should we not discover how the gorgones have penetrated this far into our haven.”
“This far?” asked Mikel.
Andiss nodded. “We have encountered the ‘changed’ again. There is at least one here, within the city itself.”
Mikel pulled another knife from his boot and began to sharpen it with long, steady strokes. “Then you may rest assured that Jern and I will assist in any way we are able. Our assigned duties have us here until the Abbot orders otherwise. Have you spoken with Eriad yet?”
“Not yet. Tomorrow perhaps,” said Andiss. “And at some point, we have to dine with Juster.” He made a face. “We were unable to avoid it.”
Jern grimaced. “There’s something wrong with that man.” Then she looked questioningly at Kazari.
“Not that I could tell,” she replied. “And yes, even after spending only a few moments in his company, that does surprise me.”
Jern laughed, a wholesome sound that filled the whole room and warmed Kazari.
“The records warn us of many things,” Andiss said. “And some of those things are human beings who remain human, despite their evil. They have no need to ‘change’ in order to bring destruction.”
