Werewolf Knight 2, page 6
“Just watch,” Tabitha said softly as we filed through the small hallway with the rosette window. “I can explain, but the King always does a better job.”
We walked through the great wooden door, which had been propped open in order to accommodate the unusually large influx of people.
I was immediately hit with a wave of heat. The place was not only lit by multiple flaming torches, but there were more people than I’d ever seen in the dining hall before.
“Whoa,” Sybil said as she looked around the place.
“And there are still people on the way,” Tabitha said.
The other guests were heading off to visit friends and relatives, but I wasn’t sure where we were supposed to go. I couldn’t see anyone else I recognized, at least, none that I wanted to socialize with, but we couldn’t just stand in the doorway all night, either.
We inched into the room until we were at least out of the flow of people, and I looked around the great hall to see what had changed. Like the outfits of the squires, the decorations often reflected the event of the day, and today was no different.
The floor had been covered in an electric-blue carpet with white swirls that looked like ripples moving across water. The walls had been covered in thin, matching blue pieces of fabric that hung down gracefully from the rafters, and even the tapestry which hung behind the throne had been covered in an almost paper-thin blue fabric. The familiar scene of the moon goddess saving Lupercalia was still there, but it was washed over with a silvery-blue tint.
I felt like I was underwater.
“This way, please,” a high-pitched voice said, and I looked down to see Sebastian.
“Sebastian,” Tabitha greeted him. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you!”
“Miss Blueclaw.” He bowed very low and then stood back up. “What an honor to find you back in the palace. You will all be sitting at the Blueclaw family table tonight, of course. I’m pleased to tell you that your family will be sharing a table with the Greybacks.”
“It’s traditional for the members of the noble families to sit together on this night,” Tabitha explained. “You’ll be able to meet my parents and my cousins. And you know old Greyback, and, ummm…”
“And Hector,” I sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I have all the time in the world for Greyback, but…”
“Then don’t worry,” Sybil said and took my forearm. “We’ll find our own table if we have to. Besides, there are plenty of other things here to distract us.”
“Like dessert?” Tabitha retorted and lifted an eyebrow.
“Exactly,” Sybil said dreamily. “And I believe I also smell a roast pig and a big bowl of fruit pudding.”
“At least meet my parents,” Tabitha insisted.
We followed the shapely blonde through the crowd, and I noticed she used her elbows on more than one occasion to clear a path. But her smile took the sting from her actions, and we soon found ourselves at the Blueclaw table, where we found Tabitha’s father at the place of honor, dressed in his heavily-decorated armor and an electric-blue velvet cap that was the exact same shade as Tabitha’s outfit.
As we made our way over, he looked over for a split second and then back again when Tabitha waved at him. His eyes immediately lit up, and he stood up slowly and held out his great big arms.
“Daddy!” the noblewoman cried as she skipped around to his side of the table.
She launched herself into his arms, and I couldn’t get over their size difference. Still, when they parted, I saw how similar they looked. He also had thick blonde hair and kind, brown eyes.
“My girl!” he laughed heartily. “You’ve put coal on your eyes!”
“I like how it looks!” Tabitha replied and shrugged. “I think it makes me look dramatic!”
“Well, I don’t think there’s anything in the world that’ll make you more dramatic than you already are, sweetheart,” he laughed, and Tabitha blushed.
“Miss Blueclaw,” Greyback bowed his head at Tabitha before turning to Sybil and me. “And Hank and Miss Sybil, too. What a sight for sore eyes.”
“Thanks, Greyback,” I smiled. “It’s great to see you.”
“Henry,” Blueclaw gave me a pat on the back that was so forceful it almost sent me flying. “Good to see you’re taking such great care of my girl. I’ve never seen her so happy in my life. You should’ve met her when she was sixteen, a complete and utter pain in our--”
“Daddy,” Tabitha hissed. “We don’t always need to talk about what I was like as a teenager.”
She turned bright pink, and Sybil and I shot a look at each other. We were both trying to stifle our laughs, but it was almost impossible as the old knight rolled his eyes. I knew it was embarrassing, but hey, that’s what family was for sometimes.
“Oh, darling, don’t fret,” an unfamiliar voice next to me chided.
I swirled around, and a kind-looking woman with strawberry-blonde hair, plump red cheeks, and hazel eyes gave me a polite nod and then made her way to Tabitha.
“Mother,” Tabitha laughed. “You look well.”
Mrs. Blueclaw practically floated her way to the other side of the table and gave Tabitha a big hug.
“You must be the Henry that is making our daughter so happy,” the older woman said matter-of-factly and sat down.
“That’s me,” I agreed. “And this is our friend, Sybil of Stock.”
“Pleased to meet you, I’m Sybil of Stock,” Sybil said and bowed her head politely.
“A pleasure,” Mrs. Blueclaw replied with a pleasant smile. “Please, join our table.”
Tabitha sat down next to her mother, and the two noblewomen quickly started to talk quietly to each other. The pair giggled as well, and I assumed they were exchanging the latest court gossip.
I found myself seated between Sybil and Greyback, across from the Blueclaws. Other Blueclaw family members drifted by to say hello or whisper in Blueclaw’s ear, though it didn’t appear that any of the various cousins, aunts, and uncles would sit at our table.
“Hector and his mother should be here soon,” Greyback murmured a few minutes later, though he didn’t sound certain that they would appear.
“They’ll be here,” Blueclaw replied. “It’s an important rite. They won’t miss it.”
Greyback sighed, and though he chatted with Blueclaw, he kept glancing toward the door. Finally, when the squires were about to close the doors, Hector and a tall, middle-aged redheaded woman strolled inside.
The first thing I noticed was that Hector had chopped his sandy hair so that he had ridiculously long bangs that flopped over his face, while the sides and back had been cut military short. The next thing I noticed was that he was wearing a navy-blue tunic, navy-blue pants, and chainmail, but no armor.
“Why isn’t he in armor?” Sybil leaned in and whispered to me.
“Who knows,” I whispered back. “I don’t even know if he’s been going on quests.”
Hector and his mother barely acknowledged the other people at the table before they sat down. Hector dragged an empty chair from another table and squeezed in next to his father’s other side while his mother sat down next to Mrs. Blueclaw.
“Evening,” Hector addressed the table in his grating, adenoidal voice. “What a splendid occasion this is. Oh, but Henry, has anyone explained this to you?”
“Charles and Tabitha filled me in,” I replied.
“Evening, Hector,” Blueclaw cut in. “Glad to see you could make it for this… splendid occasion.”
Even Greyback had to stifle a laugh. Hector pretended not to notice, and turned his attention to his favorite punching bag, me.
“And it looks like we even have our very own bean knight at the table,” Hector snorted.
“Yes,” I answered politely. “My beans have certainly been treating me well. Have you completed your knight quest, Hector? How is that going?”
Hector shot me a dirty look before his mother interrupted.
“You must be Henry,” she said in a similarly nasal, but far more kind voice. “We’ve heard excellent reports of your farming and of the quality of life on your estate. It seems like there’s a great deal of innovation going on over there.”
“Oh, yes,” Sybil said. “There are so many new methods of farming and building that we’re trying on the estate. We’re all very proud.”
“Ah,” Mrs. Greyback murmured as she eyed Sybil up and down and then nodded politely.
I could sense an air of shock that a peasant had been allowed to enter the royal banquet hall like this, but it was very subtle, and completely dissimilar to Hector’s nauseatingly entitled approach.
“Everything is going well I trust, Olivia?” Mrs. Blueclaw asked the newcomer.
“Oh, yes,” Olivia replied. “Well, as you know, Hector is--”
But she was interrupted by the sound of not only one, but at least ten different trumpets ringing from all sides of the room.
I looked around and saw numerous squires holding up long, shining trumpets. Each trumpet had a blue and silver banner that hung from the brass tube and swayed with each note.
When the trumpets finished their flourish, the court was quiet. There was anticipation in the air, though no one moved until we all heard footsteps approaching from behind the tapestry.
I watched as everyone in the room turned toward the throne, and a moment later, the King stepped onto the dais and posed for his nobles.
He looked like a total rockstar.
He was dressed in an electric-blue long-sleeved tunic with wide-legged matching trousers and black boots. On top of this, he wore an embroidered vest that had a black base and swirling silver patterns sewn into the fabric. There were also flashes of light, and on anyone else, I might have thought it was sequins. But I’d been in Lupercalia long enough to know that the vest was probably covered in pearls and jewels. But the centerpiece of the whole look was a billowing blue-silver cape that matched the rest of the fabric that had been draped around the royal banquet hall.
He held his arms out in front of him, with his palms facing up, and the cape somehow rippled in the windless banquet hall.
The ground started to rumble in response as the nobles pounded their feet against the floor. The noise grew louder and louder, and I could feel the floor tremble beneath my feet.
The King let the adulation continue until it was at a fevered pitch, and then he lifted his arms over his hand and looked toward the ceiling. The nobles started to clap and whoop even as the stomping reached a fevered pitch. Old Greyback was clapping so hard that I thought his hands would start bleeding, and Tabitha started to actually howl.
“Holy crap,” Sybil muttered as she fell back on what was quickly becoming one of her favorite phrases she’d learned from me.
I tried to respond, but the place was so loud that my entire body was vibrating, and I could barely hear myself think over the hysteria of the eager banquet hall. I had nothing to compare it to, and all I could do was shrug at Sybil as we watched the insanity.
Then, in a flash, the King dropped his arms, and all of the noise ceased just as quickly as it had begun.
Whoa. I’d been to playoff games at MetLife Stadium and even a Bruce Springsteen stadium show in Jersey City, but it was nothing compared to what I’d just witnessed. I felt like I was being whipped into some kind of frenzy, and I kinda liked it.
“Welcome, Lupercalians!” the King bellowed, and his authoritative voice echoed off of the walls.
The entire crowd started to clap and whoop again before the King raised his hands, like a kindergarten teacher, to quiet them down.
“As Ordained by the Moon Goddess,” he announced, “I, the ruler of the Kingdom, am hereby obligated to return to Lake Wahaya to perform the Sacred ceremony and receive the Goddess’ blessing on behalf of all the people of Lupercalia!”
I was ready to join the clapping and foot stomping I was sure would follow this statement, but to my surprise, the gathered nobles started to hum instead. I looked over at Sybil, who looked back at me and shrugged. At least I wasn’t the only one who had no idea what was happening.
The hum became a low drone that reverberated all the way through the dining hall. The billowing fabric began to ripple, and I felt like I was part of some kind of collective magic. I began to hum as well, and after a minute or so, the noise just instinctively died down.
I looked over at the throne, but the King was already sitting at his table. Whatever the hell had just happened was apparently done, and I felt a twinge of disappointment that there wasn’t more. But that feeling quickly vanished when an amazing smell hit my nose.
I looked over, and squires were pushing out giant cauldrons of something that smelled heavenly. They were followed by more squires, who were carting around wheeled trays with white bowls and spoons.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s an eternal stew,” Tabitha explained.
“A what?” I asked, and Hector sneered at me and then turned to talk to his mother.
“Oh, I know all about this,” Sybil said. “An eternal stew is a broth that has been boiling for a long period of time, and whenever it depletes, they add more stock and more ingredients to it!”
“Exactly,” Tabitha said to me and grinned mischievously. “So, what we’re eating now might have remnants of something that our ancestors ate hundreds of years ago.”
Wait. Was I about to eat four-hundred-year-old soup? My stomach dropped. This method sounded like a surefire method for contracting food poisoning.
I stared back at Tabitha blankly before she and her mother broke into a fit of giggles.
“I see,” I smiled. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am,” Tabitha snickered. “But you should’ve seen the look on your face.”
I joined the laughter, in part because I’d been gullible enough to believe Sybil’s tale, and largely because I was so relieved that I didn’t have to eat moldy stew.
“Well,” Tabitha’s mother said. “We’re actually only half-joking. When this tradition started, it was far more commonplace for there to be an eternal stew simmering in the palace kitchen. But as the legend goes, one day the cook found the perfect combination. He trawled through every ingredient that had ever been through the stew, and every amount, too.”
“That sounds pretty alchemical,” Sybil replied eagerly.
“It truly is,” Mrs. Blueclaw responded. “He found the perfect combination, and the palace kitchen has been serving that concoction ever since as part of the annual tradition.”
And just like that, a big bowl of soup with dumplings, leeks, and big bubbles of fat on the surface was placed before me. The smell was absolutely heavenly.
“It’s a very hearty dish,” Tabitha added. “Because it’s usually eaten before the nobility journey to the lake. I mean, only the King goes to the lake itself, but most of the families follow him as far as the nearby village. The stew is supposed to provide enough sustenance to ensure that everyone arrives happy and satisfied.”
I took a sip of the soup, which was one of the most comforting things I’d ever eaten in my life.
“This is so good,” Sybil said between slurps. “You said there’s a recipe for this?”
“Top secret, unfortunately,’ Greyback winked. “The chefs here never share their recipes.”
“It’s a shame,” Mrs. Blueclaw nodded and took a dainty sip of the soup. “If I could break into that kitchen to get those recipes, I would.”
“Nonsense,” Blueclaw laughed. “You can’t even boil an egg, my biscuit!”
The strawberry-blonde shot a mischievous look at her husband, and Tabitha rolled her eyes.
“Ughhhh,” Tabitha moaned in the most adolescent voice possible before she winked at me.
Blueclaw let out a hearty laugh and patted Tabitha on the back.
“We’ve been making this journey for years,” Blueclaw said. “The King receives a special annual blessing from the Moon Goddess in Lake Wahaya. A powerful blessing will ensure a large harvest, a contented population, and victory over our enemies.”
“That’s some blessing,” I said as I remembered the mysterious woman who had given me the ring that brought me to Lupercalia. “But the Moon Goddess is certainly powerful enough to do all that. So, what, everyone just follows the King to this lake?”
“Yes, basically,” Blueclaw agreed. “The King has private quarters, of course, where he can prepare himself for the ceremony. The rest of the nobles, well…”
“Party,” Tabitha supplied. “We eat, drink, and engage in merriment for a good five days.”
“Sounds like a great time,” I said and slurped down the last of my soup.
On cue, the army of squires reappeared to collect our empty bowls and spoons. The soup bowls were replaced with small, steaming bowls of rice pudding and what looked like dark syrup with berries.
“My favorite,” Blueclaw declared as he inhaled the aroma. “Blackberry syrup is a specialty in the palace. Another one of their secret recipes, unfortunately.”
“We have a special family recipe that’s been passed down for years as well,” Sybil said as she tasted the syrup. “And I think ours is better.”
Blueclaw’s eyes lit up, and Tabitha started to laugh.
“You should’t have told him that,” the blonde warned. “Now he’s going to be on the estate every day requesting blackberry syrup.
“Hush now,” Blueclaw said. “It’s an even better reason to visit my favorite and only child on her Knight’s estate.
“I’ll make sure to have some ready next time you come around,” Sybil replied with a smile.
We lapped up our bowls of pudding and waited as the squires whisked away another set of empty bowls. We worked our way through a fish course, a meat course, and finally dessert, all of which was delicious. The meal was surprisingly old-fashioned, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. And by this point, I was full as hell.
“What a feast,” Greyback said and lifted a napkin to his mouth.
“Are there any more festivities?” I asked.
“Not tonight,” he sighed. “Just the task of digesting all this rich fare.”
I looked over at Hector, who was leaning on his mother’s shoulder in a kind of food coma.
