The Bard, page 23
“Congratulations,” she said as Sam stared in disbelief as her blood changed from deep red to pitch black.
Nosmas lay awake on his bed, unable to sleep. He did not trust Dramina and was concerned that she would do something to harm Quartilla. From what he had seen of her, she was vindictive and would be harbouring a grudge against him. For reasons he could not explain, he felt an overwhelming desire to protect the younger girl and the depth of his concern for her worried him. Eventually he gave up trying to get to sleep and got dressed. Checking that the corridor was empty before leaving his room, he headed in the direction of the family’s private part of the household. No sounds came from either Gillin or Dramina’s rooms as he made his way towards Quartilla’s.
He knocked gently on the door and was surprised when it was immediately opened. “I hope I am not disturbing you,” he said quietly, looking at her tangled hair. She looked as though she had been tossing and turning on her bed for a while in an attempt to fall asleep.
“I was just on my way to see you,” she said timidly. “Come in.”
She held the door open wide enough for him to enter her room, then quickly closed it behind him. “What is wrong?” he asked. She was visibly shaking.
“I do not know,” she replied. “I feel so afraid, but I cannot explain why.”
He grabbed a shawl she had thrown over a chair and placed it gently around her shoulders. “There is something in the air,” he said quietly. “A feeling of foreboding I cannot shake off. That is why I came to see you.” He looked down at her and the unexplainable need to protect her swept through him again. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. “Come with me.”
She obeyed without question as he led her to his own room. Removing the shawl, she climbed into his bed and he slipped under the covers beside her. Placing his arms around her, he drew her close to him and, in a fatherly fashion, kissed her on the head. “You will be safe tonight,” he assured her. They both closed their eyes and were soon asleep.
A short while later, Dramina’s door silently opened and her head appeared, looking carefully for any signs of life. Seeing none, she stole from her room and headed towards Gillin’s. Without knocking, she let herself in and crept towards the bed. “Are you awake?” she whispered. Her sister did not respond, other than to let out a small snore. Dramina huffed and repeated the question as she shook the other girl roughly.
Gillin started awake. “What is it?” she asked loudly.
“Shush,” Dramina hissed. “You will wake up the whole household.”
“What do you want?” Gillin asked, yawning.
“We are going to get our revenge on our darling little sister,” Dramina replied, an evil smile on her face.
Gillin collapsed back down onto the bed, her head resting on her pillow. “It is the middle of the night,” she complained. “We can talk about it in the morning.”
“Get up,” the older girl snapped. “We are going to her room now and we are going to smother the little cow.”
Gillin, not taking her sister seriously, closed her eyes. “Not me,” she said and pulled her blanket over her head.
“It looks like I will have to take care of everything myself, as usual,” she said snidely before walking out of the room. It took all of her self-control to stop herself slamming the door behind her. She made her way directly to Quartilla’s room, wincing as the door creaked open. Disappointment flooded through her as she surveyed the room. Her sister was nowhere in sight.
“Where is she?” she said out loud. There was only one possible answer. “That little slut,” she hissed to herself. “Wait till I tell father about this. That wizard may be able to lie to him, but I know my goody-two-shoes little brat of a sister will not.” Her smile returned. “He is going to kick her out of the house and I will finally be rid of her forever.”
The next morning, Dramina rose early and ran to Gillin’s room. She eagerly informed her that Quartilla had not been in her room the previous night and Gillin jumped to the same conclusion Dramina had, though her reaction was remarkably different.
“How?” she asked in bafflement. “What does she have that none of the other ladies who have thrown themselves at him had?”
“Youth,” Dramina replied viciously. “Maybe he likes children rather than women.”
Gillin was shocked. “What are you going to do?”
“Tell father of course. You are going to come with me to witness her leaving his room.” Gillin got dressed and the two girls made their way to the guests’ quarters. Placing themselves close to Nosmas’s room, they took turns in taking furtive glances around the corner whenever they heard a noise. A number of servants passed them as they waited and while they gave the two girls curious looks, none of them said anything. Dramina had a reputation of being bad tempered in the mornings and nobody liked being on the receiving end of her vicious remarks.
Eventually the bedroom door opened and Gillin and Dramina watched their sister emerge, closely followed by Nosmas. They waited a few minutes, then made their way to the dining room for breakfast. Everyone else was there when they arrived, except for Sam. Gillin took a seat as close to Patrick as she could while Dramina went straight to her father and whispered in his ear.
“What!” Rumman shouted, standing up and turning to look at her. “This had better not be another one of your silly games,” he warned her.
“I am speaking the truth father,” she assured him. “Gillin witnessed them leaving his room together and she was not in her bed when I went to apologise to her during the night.” Gillin nodded her head then looked at Nosmas.
“What is going on?” Tor asked, afraid that he would not like the answer.
“I invite you and your friends into my home and this is the way you repay me.” Rumman’s voice was filled with anger and his face was turning red. “My daughter has been taken advantage of. Do you deny it, wizard. Did my daughter spend the night in your bed?”
Nosmas regarded Rumman calmly. Then he shocked the entire room with his reply. “Yes. She did.”
Chapter 21
“What did I do to deserve this?” Tor asked Ria, burying his head in his hands. “I expected Patrick to be a problem, but not Nosmas.”
“Thank you very much,” Patrick replied huffily. Tor ignored him. “May I suggest,” Patrick continued, “that you give Nosmas a chance to explain himself before you jump to the wrong conclusions.”
“Do you know something I do not?” Tor asked suspiciously. Patrick just smiled at him.
“An excellent suggestion,” Nosmas said. “Tor, Rumman, will you please join Quartilla and me in the study.” Rumman, bristling with anger, nodded his head and strode out of the room.
“I would like to know how you are going to talk your way out of this,” Rumman roared once the four of them were in his study, the door firmly closed behind them. He was aware that his other daughters, as well as half the staff, would be listening, but was unable to keep his voice down.
“Calm down father,” Quartilla pleaded. “It is not what you think.”
Reluctantly, Rumman sat down and signalled that Nosmas should begin his explanation. Nosmas told the full story, starting with his reputation with women, in case Rumman was not aware of it. Tor confirmed that he was telling the truth, so he continued, explaining how he found Quartilla in his bed and why she was there.
“I still cannot explain why we both felt that Quartilla was in danger, but I honestly believe that I saved her life by keeping her with me last night,” he said when he had finished his version of events.
“Is this true?” Rumman asked his youngest daughter.
Before she could respond, the door burst open and Gillin rushed in. “He is telling the truth,” she cried. “Everything happened just as he described.” Everyone stood up, surprised by the intrusion.
“Be quiet,” Dramina hissed as she, too, ran into the room.
Gillin ignored her. “Dramina came to my room last night and said she was going to smother Quartilla with a pillow.”
“You traitor,” Dramina screamed before she could stop herself. “She is lying,” she quickly added, but the damage had been done. Her reaction to the accusation condemned her in the eyes of everyone present.
“Get her out of my sight,” Rumman ordered as he collapsed back into his chair, his strength draining away with his anger.
“With pleasure,” Patrick said, grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her from the room. He, too, had been listening by the door, though he already knew most of the story.
“Take your hands off me,” Dramina yelled.
Patrick pulled her close, so he could speak quietly into her ear. “Either I take you to your room or Nosmas does. Your choice.” Dramina paled at the threat and went quiet. “Wise decision,” Patrick told her before pulling her down the corridor. He practically threw her into her room, causing her to fall onto the floor in a crumpled heap. “I strongly suggest you stay there,” he advised. “For your own safety.” He shut the door and walked away, leaving her sobbing on the floor.
As soon as Dramina was out of sight, Rumman hung his head in his hands. “Why did I not see this coming?” he asked himself. “From the moment Quartilla was born, Dramina has been jealous of her younger sister. My wife showered all of her affection on the new baby and both of the other girls felt left out. I thought they had grown out of it, but I guess I was wrong.”
“It is not your fault,” Tor tried to tell him, but Rumman was not listening.
“All of the little incidents while she was growing up; the broken arm, the cuts and bruises. I just thought she was accident prone.” He looked up, as though remembering that two of his daughters were still in the room. “Were they all down to Dramina?”
Quartilla reluctantly nodded. Rumman sighed wearily, then turned to Gillin. “Why did you do nothing to stop her?”
Gillin’s face turned red and she hung her head. “I wanted Quartilla gone as well,” she said quietly. This unexpected reply made her father angry.
“She is your sister,” he exploded at her. “What has she ever done to you? You hate her simply because she was born?” He did not give Gillin time to respond. “You are as bad as Dramina. Get to your room while I think of a way to deal with you both.”
Gillin fled from the room in tears. Quartilla begged with Rumman not to make any rash decisions while he was angry, but her words fell on deaf ears. He paced the room, all eyes watching him in silence. Finally he stopped and looked at Tor.
“Can I ask a huge favour?” His voice was calm once more.
“You know you can ask me anything,” Tor assured his friend.
“I do not believe my daughter is safe living under the same roof as her sisters and if I send them away I have no guarantee they will not return and seek their revenge. I would like to keep them with me until I can find them suitable husbands. That way I can keep an eye on them and make sure they are justly punished.”
“Go on,” Tor said, uncertain as to where this conversation was going.
“Will you take Quartilla with you? I know she will be safe with you.”
Tor was taken aback. This had been the last thing he had expected his friend to ask. “I am not sure that is a good idea,” he said slowly. “Between us, my brothers and I have lost a lot of friends on this quest. It is too dangerous to take a girl with us. I am sorry.”
“More dangerous than leaving her here?” Rumman glanced towards Nosmas, who was standing protectively in front of Quartilla. “Besides,” he continued, “it looks like she already has a protector among your group.”
“Nosmas?” Tor asked. The wizard shrugged.
“I agree that it is dangerous to take her with us, but I also see Rumman’s point of view. I would feel happier taking responsibility for her safety than leaving her here. No offence,” he quickly added. Rumman gestured that none was taken. Nosmas smiled as a thought occurred to him. “Also, having her by my side will discourage any unwanted female attention.”
“Very well then,” Tor said. “If Quartilla has no reservations, then she comes with us. Though she should be aware that it is going to be a long and difficult journey and I have no idea when she will be able to see her home again.”
Quartilla felt irritated that she was being talked about instead of talked to, but decided it was the wrong time to bring it up. She longed to travel and this was the perfect opportunity. Though she felt nothing for Nosmas other than friendship, he made her feel safe and that was a feeling she had not truly felt for a long time.
“Then it is agreed,” Rumman said, as though closing a business deal. “When do you leave?”
“As soon as everyone can be ready. Ria?” Ria had been waiting outside of the room, eavesdropping, and walked through the doorway as soon as she heard her name called. “Where is Sam and is she coming with us?”
“She is still in her room, probably being sick again,” she informed him. “And she has decided to stay with us, for a while at least. She now has a reason for living and has promised to take better care of herself.”
“Explain later,” Tor instructed. “For now, please tell everyone to get ready to leave.” He had barely finished the sentence before Ria was out of the door and running down the corridor, Dal and Seth close behind her. Patrick returned at that moment and was told to get his gear together and meet in the courtyard outside as soon as he could. Nosmas escorted Quartilla to her room, grabbing a serving girl on the way to help with the packing.
“Thank you,” Rumman said when they were alone. “This means a great deal to me.”
Tor smiled at his friend. “I will do my best not to let you down.”
Space in the wagon was at a premium. Now there were two coffins, there was very little room left for personal belongings and Rumman’s housekeeper had organised a food supply large enough to last the travellers until they reached Janton. Seeing the dilemma Tor and his party faced, Rumman willingly provided them with a much larger wagon, and a couple of extra horses. It was too big for the donkey to pull, so it was left behind in the stables for Rumman to look after. Goodbyes were short and sweet, Rumman doing his best not to cry as he hugged his youngest daughter. He watched as she slowly rode away from his estate, not taking his eyes off her departing back until she was no longer visible. He turned and looked at his house, bracing himself for the confrontations he was about to have with his two remaining daughters.
They travelled swiftly for the first few leagues, everyone eager to get to their destination as soon as possible. They rested the horses frequently, but only for short periods, and they had covered a fair distance by the time Tor called a halt for the night. They waited until dark before preparing a meal, so that Hawk and Ellen could join them by the fire. Rumman’s cook had packed a couple of meat pies in one of the baskets and, though they had to eat them cold, they were still delicious and went well with the wine Rumman had forced upon them.
When Sam was handed a cup, she refused, choosing instead to drink only water. Tor noticed this and it reminded him of what Ria had said. It was time for an explanation.
“So what is the story?” he asked her. “Ria has said you have found a reason for living.”
Sam smiled shyly. “I am pregnant,” she announced. She was met by a stunned silence, none of the men knowing what to say.
“So why are you travelling with us?” Seth eventually asked her. “You should be going back to Brin. This changes everything.”
“This changes nothing,” Dal explained gently to her husband. “Neither Sam nor the child will be accepted as rulers of the elves. If anything, going back may put the child in danger.” Sam had discussed the situation with all three of the women and the decision to continue the journey had been unanimous. Until she was into her third trimester, Ellen assured her that travelling would be safe and Sam wanted to stay close to the witch in case there were any complications.
“Are you keeping it?” Patrick asked, speaking before thinking. Ellen took a swing at him, which he easily avoided. Her actions, however, distracted his attention away from Ria, who slapped him hard across the head.
“Of course I am,” Sam said, not as bothered by the question as her two friends obviously were. The thought of doing anything to abort the child had not crossed her mind. She did not know how that was accomplished in the world she was now in and saw no reason to ask.
“Congratulations,” Hawk said. “I am very happy for you.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. His words made the rest of the men realise how rude they were being and Sam was suddenly surrounded by people shaking her hand and hugging her.
“Does the father not have the right to know?” Quartilla asked innocently. She did not know the true situation and was quickly brought up to date.
“It will only put more stress on him,” Sam explained when the full story had been told. “He is going through enough as it is.”
Quartilla nodded her head. Although she did not agree with the decisions Sam was making, she understood them. “We will help you through this,” she said, not realising that she was making promises for the others that they may not be willing, or able, to keep. They all nodded their agreement however and Sam went to sleep that night feeling much happier than she had since the death of Brin’s family.
The journey to Linket, Janton’s capital city, passed uneventfully. It was approaching midday when they crested a hill and the familiar sight of the city spread out before them. They made their way through the streets, heading straight for the palace. Once again Sam felt a tug of disappointment when her eyes fell upon the building. It reminded her of a large manor house, not a palace. Everyone dismounted and Seth and Dal drove the wagon around the back of the palace towards the stables, the horses obediently following. Tor spoke with the guards on duty, one of whom recognised Nosmas, and they were allowed to enter without an escort. Nosmas led them through the corridors, stopping outside a door in the guest’s quarters.
