Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One (26 page)

We followed a narrow road
leading west for three days. It was hardly wide enough to ride two abreast and
slightly overgrown. We kept vigilant throughout, but we did not come across any
signs of pursuit. I could only hope that was not because they were already
ahead of us.

The landscape around us had changed
again. Vast open grasslands surrounded us with massive trees dispersed
throughout. Trissa thought these were twine leaf trees, but I had never seen
any tree this big. With arms outstretched and fingertips touching, we could not
even complete the circle around the trunk of one of these trees. Looking up to
the top of them made me feel dizzy.

They bore a strange fruit. It
had a thin purple skin with soft red flesh inside. For all Trissa’s claims that
she was sure it was safe to eat the fruit, she was not willing to test it, so,
I ate a small piece to ensure it did not cause any ill effects. It had a sweet
taste that almost made my tongue feel like it was tingling. After that, we
collected as many as we could. They were delicious.

Early on the fourth day, we saw
farms dotted along the road. We went by a plantation of the twine leaf trees;
row upon row of these giants. Gradually the road became busier as we approached
the town itself, which to me looked more like a city. It was midday before we
reached the town proper. After a quick look around, we decided to stay at the
Happy Boar inn. The sign above the door was of a boar dressed in a gleeman’s
cloak and it had a grin showing a few too many teeth to look pleasant. Seran
took the horses round to the stables and we entered the common room.

After arranging our rooms with
the innkeeper, a pleasant looking man of middle years, we sat down for lunch.
As soon as Seran joined us, our conversation turned to Alathaya. Brant thought
we should simply ask around for her, reasoning that someone will know where to
find her. Seran, however, thought a more subtle approach would be wiser, and I
tended to agree with him and since Trissa would agree with Seran if he said
that grass was pink, Brant was outnumbered. He grumbled a bit about that, but
did not argue.

To be more effective in our
search we split up that afternoon with plans to meet again at the inn for
dinner. Most merchants brought goods in through the port so Brant and I walked
down to the harbour hoping that knowing her family name would make it easier to
find her. Seran and Trissa had gone to the market stalls.

The harbour was very impressive
with larger vessels than I had ever seen. I knew it was the same for Brant, but
trying to look worldly, he kept his face blank. We walked along the quay
looking at the boats and hoping for some clue.

A sailor came rushing past us.
Brant spun on his heel and in an officious voice said, “My good sailor. We are
looking for Merchant Almeida. Do you perhaps know where we may find him?” So
much for being subtle, I thought.

He sneered at us. “Most unlikely
place would be here. I gather fine gentleman do not get them paws dirty for
nothing. He’d be readying for tonight.”

When it was clear that he was
not going to expand on that I asked, “What is happening tonight?”

He looked at us as if we had
suddenly grown horns. “You must know that tonight is the betrothal party. Even
a lowly sailor like
myself
knows that!” Shaking his
head and muttering to himself, he walked away before we could ask anything
more.

Pleased with this bit of useful
information, we returned to the inn early in the hope of finding Seran already there.
As it happened, they were waiting for us by the time we got there. I had to
look twice and if it hadn’t been for Trissa next to him, I would not have
recognised him. He was wearing a dark blue suit with long tails at the back and
the frilly sleeves of his light blue shirt were a hand longer than those of his
coat. He had had a haircut and shave, and could pass for nobility.

“What is all this?” I gestured
to his clothes.

He smiled enigmatically. “Have
you not heard? I have a party to attend. I do believe my father once dealt with
Merchant Almeida and it would be awfully nice to see him and his lovely
daughter again.”

Trissa giggled next to him. “Is
he not adorable?” I did not know what surprised me more, Seran being primped
and primed as he was or Trissa speaking so casually, but I could not help but
be impressed by his transformation. “Are you sure you can pull this off?”

He smiled roguishly. “My dear
lad, this is what I grew up with. I will blend in so well they will think me a
chameleon, if they think of me at all.”

Brant frowned. “What is a
chameleon?” Seran burst out laughing and clapped Brant on the shoulder before striding
away. He looked at me, but I just shrugged helplessly.

We followed him to a table in
the common room. As we sat down he said, “We need to decide now what the aim is
for tonight. Is it simply to meet her or am I revealing all?” He wiggled his
spread fingers enigmatically and his eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm.

I smiled, but said, “I think we
need to take one step back here. I am sure they will have a guest list at a
function such as this. Obviously, your name will not be on that list. How do you
plan to get in?”

He held up a finger shaking it.
“Now that is easy. These things are all about money and power. If they think
you have more of either of these two than they, they will do everything they
can to avoid offending you.”

I nodded slowly. “Right, but we
do not have much of either.” He grinned. “You do not need to have any… you only
need them to believe that you do.”

Trissa was beaming. “Isn’t it
such a perfect plan?”

Brant looked at her with barely concealed
irritation. “In theory perhaps, but how is it that you plan to convince them?”

His smile stretched a little
wider. “This is where Kadin comes in.” He pointed a finger at me. “You, my
friend, will be my coachman. The horses we have, and the carriage is being
prepared as we speak.” His smile was smug.

I smiled incredulously at him.
“Do not hold back. Astonish us. How did you arrange a carriage in such a short
amount of time?”

He laughed. “I happened to speak
to a man who had some trouble with his sheep. I gave him one of my
whips,
I always carry a couple of spares, and gave him a
quick tutorial on how to use it. He was so grateful that he called in a favour
that another man owes him. This man just happens to be a carriage repairman
renowned around the whole of the west for his skill at transforming an ordinary
carriage into an extraordinary carriage. He was currently working on one for a
noble Lord from Clarheim, who is picking it up in a few days’ time. As for the
rest of it, if you behave as if you expect unquestioning service and respect
that, my friends, is what people will give
you.
We
will have to leave soon to go and collect the carriage.” Even Brant was smiling
at this bold plan.

Seran clapped his hands
together. “Now, back to the original question, what is the aim with Alathaya
tonight?”

I raised my eyebrows. ”Simply
the fact that this is her betrothal complicates things. What if she does not
wish to leave her soon to be husband? I think for now, we should try to make
contact with her and find out as much as possible about her. If we jump in and
tell her everything we could easily scare her away or even end up getting
arrested if she makes a fuss.” They nodded in agreement.

“There is only one group of
people that gossip more than the lords and ladies.” Seran looked at me with a
mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“The servants.
That is
why your role is even more important than mine tonight Kadin. The lords may
refrain from spreading gossip to someone if they do not know their allegiance,
but a servant is a servant.” He looked out at the disappearing sun. “It is time
to go. I got you a plain blue suit. It complements my outfit, and therefore,
should do nicely for my coachman. It is in your room.” He all but ushered me up
the stairs.

I was not sure what exactly was
plain about this suit. It had all sorts of buttons and tassels that I could not
find a use for. It fit perfectly though and I hurried back downstairs. We had
left Trissa and Brant at the table and I had to hide my smile at how
discomfited they were in each other’s company.

We fetched the horses from the
stables earning a frown from the stable master when we said we do not wish to
have them saddled only bridled, but he only shrugged and did not ask any
questions. When we were out of earshot from the stables, I asked, “Where are we
collecting the carriage from?”

He pointed across the town
square which was slowly emptying of people. “I had it taken to the sheep
farmer’s house. It should not take us long to reach there.”
 

We rode in silence through the
city streets. Lanterns were burning in more windows than not and the smell of
numerous dinners being cooked drifted out onto the street.
 

Soon we left the city and houses
behind and were riding along a dirt road. It split and we took the one leading
to the east. “Are you certain you know where we are going? Only it seems a bit
further than I had imagined."
 

He looked at me askance. “Of
course I know where we are going. It is not much further.” True enough it was
not long before we could see the dim outline of a house along the road with
some lanterns lighting a couple of its windows.

We dismounted and led the horses
up to the house. Seran knocked on the door and a lanky man answered it. His
face lit up when he saw Seran. “Welcome again! I presume you are here for the
carriage. I think you will be best pleased with it.” He led us round the
outside of his house and as we rounded the last corner, it came into view.

Even in the dim light, it took
my breath away. It was a deep purple colour with gold gild work on the frame.
Decorated to the point of being ostentatious.
I realised I
had stopped and was standing staring at it. I made myself walk around it trying
in vain to keep my face blank. Seran was joking and laughing with the farmer. I
walked over to them. “Seran, you do not think it is a bit…much?”

He laughed. “When it comes to
impressing these people there isn’t such a thing.”

I hitched the horses up to the
carriage. We had taken Balder and Trissa’s new gelding. They were well matched
in height; I just hoped they worked well together. They stood placidly enough
while I worked at the straps and I took this as a good sign. I am sure that
Balder at least, had never drawn a carriage before. When I was done, I had
another walk around it. I opened the door and climbed the couple of steps up to
have a look inside. It did not quite match the flamboyancy of the outside, but
it still looked luxurious to me. The seats were soft velvet decorated with
embroidery. As I stepped back out, Seran said, “He said the inside has not been
refurbished yet, but I think it should pass.”

I cleared my throat. “Yes, I
think it should be just fine.”

He thanked the farmer profusely
before handing me a whip. “Have you ever driven a carriage before?” I hadn’t
even thought of this part and at the shake of my head, he continued. “It is
easy. The whip is only for encouragement and you should not even need to use
it, but just in case…” he took the whip from me and showed me how to flick my
wrist to make it crack spectacularly. He made it look the simplest thing in the
word, but it took me a few attempts before getting it right. He nimbly jumped
into the back of the carriage and opened the small window to the driving seat.
I got up onto the seat and Seran spoke from inside. “Just follow the road back
into town the way we came.” I flicked the reins over the horses’ backs and
breathed a sigh of relief when they started off. It was a bumpy ride back and I
quickly realised why the seats inside the carriage were so soft.

As we approached town I asked
Seran where it was that we were heading. Although I could not see his face, I
could hear the smile in his voice. “I do not exactly know, but I reckon with
such a big affair, we should be able to follow someone in. I reckon drive
towards the main street and we should come across someone heading our way.” I
groaned on the inside at this half-baked part of the plan, but I knew it was
the only plan we had.

Luckily, it was not long before
we came across a grand carriage heading in the opposite direction to us.
Briskly, I turned around and followed at a good distance. We followed it back
out of town, but where before we had taken the western branch at the split in
the road, now we took the eastern. I was just starting to wonder whether this
carriage was going to the right place when I started hearing music and voices.
We crested a small hill and in front of us was a massive mansion. It was lit up
by what must have been hundreds of lanterns. The carriage in front of us slowed
as we approached.

Seran whispered through the
window. “Slow right down to create a sizeable gap between you and whoever is in
front of us. That way we have more attention focused on us as we arrive.” I did
not particularly want all attention focused on us, but I did as he asked.

I watched carefully as the
carriage in front pulled up to the entrance. A man holding a paper stepped up
to the coachman and was obviously marking off the name against a list. My heart
started hammering in my chest as I realised I did not even know his family
name. I whispered my question fiercely. “Name me as Lord Trien of Ghaldea. Let
me deal with the rest.”
 
I swallowed hard
trying to swallow my fear with it. What would they do to us if they find out we
were imposters? Would they lock us up? I tried telling myself that was the
worst they would do and managed to calm my nerves a fraction.