Dralin (26 page)

Other squeals came from the right and left
as the girls ran up the stairs. A pack of the creatures was hunting
them after hearing the screams from the manor. Luckily, they slowed
cautiously after seeing their cohort hurt. Pelya let Ebudae get to
the door and slip inside first. She turned and held her sword out
to keep them at bay while backing inside.

The wizardess quickly closed and locked the
door as soon as Pelya was in. They rested against it while catching
their breath. When one of the creatures scratched on the door, it
startled them and they made a mad dash for the library. Pelya
looked around for danger while Ebudae unlocked and opened the
door.

Once inside, they set their lanterns on the
table and sat down against one of the bookshelves. Pelya took the
backpack off and set it to the side. “I need to clean the sword
before I sheath . . .” She studied the blade, only to notice that
it didn’t have a drop of blood or anything else on it.

“There are all kinds of features magical
blades have,” Ebudae stated. “It looks like that one always stays
clean and sharp.”

“Sharp?” Pelya repeated incredulously. “I
cut through those things and barely felt any resistance. I’m not
that
strong, you know.” Pelya waved the sword in the air.
“Even though I practice all the time, I’m only eleven. It takes a
while for muscles to grow. Daddy would have cut through them with a
wooden sword, but he’s stronger than anybody.” She sheathed the
sword

“He’s not stronger than anybody. There are
men at Carnival with bulging muscles that can lift all sorts of
things,” Ebudae disagreed.

“Daddy is stronger than anybody because he
knows how to use his strength better than all those muscle-headed
dummies.” Pelya glared at her friend, angry that she would
disagree.

Ebudae looked ready to protest, but stopped
at the look on Pelya’s face. Then she sighed and looked at her
hands in her lap. “I wish I had a daddy like you.”

Pelya grabbed her in a big hug. They held
onto each other, giving support for the danger they had just
escaped and for childhoods that, to them, seemed terribly
tragic.

They gathered their things to go back to the
manor, looking forward to cleaning up and getting a hot meal. There
was no danger in the hallway since the creatures couldn’t get
through the locked entry. The rest of the journey back to the
stairs and up to Ebudae’s rooms was uneventful.

One of the wonderful luxuries the manor had
was a water pump in the bathroom. Ebudae had a rune stone that
heated the water and they were able to wash off the blood and dirt
from the day’s events. As Pelya hadn’t brought any other clothes,
Ebudae loaned her a dark blue dress that was a little short, but
not too frilly. The warrior hated it at first, but after a while
found it relaxing.

They went down to the ancient academy two
more times that week, but never into the city. Ebudae showed Pelya
certain details about reading and writing in some of the old books.
It opened new paths of knowledge to be explored and they spent
quite a bit of time in the library. When Frath finally came to take
Pelya back to the barracks, both girls hugged fiercely and vowed to
see each other whenever possible.

Chapter
16

Uncle Bobbell wasn’t well liked in the
Guard. He was quieter than most and tended towards sullenness. It
didn’t stop him from being one of Pelya’s favorite people though.
Bobbell was one of those individuals who was destined to be a
private all his life and preferred it that way. He did the job
well, but not enough that someone would notice him for a promotion.
His personality was such that nobody really wanted to be around him
if they could avoid it.

He was only five foot seven, a couple of
inches taller than Pelya. His thin mustache and goatee were black
like his oily hair and he had a grin that rose a little higher on
the right side of his face below a cheek that jumped with an
involuntary tic now and then.

Frath and Bobbell had both been raised in
Dralin’s miserable orphanages and entered the Guard’s Program for
Criminal Youths. They developed a strong friendship despite being
completely different in just about every way. They were no longer
in the same squad, but kept the friendship. Bobbell belonged to a
squad that handled law enforcement among wizards. It was by far the
most dangerous job in the City Guard because the wizards of Dralin
tended not to obey many laws. The fact that wizards in Dralin
tended to be especially powerful and crafty compounded that
problem.

“What shall we do today, my little viper?”
Bobbell asked Pelya in a voice that sounded like a tiny hammer
tapping a sheet of metal. It was early morning, two days after
Pelya had come back to the barracks from Lady Pallon’s estate. They
sat on a bench outside a small café a distance east of the Guard
District, eating fruity pastries to start out their morning.

“Why do you call me your little viper, Uncle
Bobbell?” Pelya asked out of curiosity. He had done so ever since
she could remember.

“Because you’re quick as a snake, just as
deadly and nobody notices you until they’re right on top of you,”
he answered with a grin that twisted the right side of his mouth
upward more than usual. “You didn’t answer the question,” he
pointed out. “What do you want to do?”

Pelya leaned in and whispered, “I was hoping
you’d teach me more about picking advanced locks.”

“Hush. Let’s do something else. You already
know almost as much as me.” He stuck his tongue out at her

She returned the gesture. “Fine. I want to
go to Wizard’s Mall.” Pelya knew he would never take her there, but
she wanted to go anyway. Wizard’s Mall District contained shops
with just about every single type of magical item possible
including the rarest artifacts in the world. As with everything in
Dralin, it was dangerous. The streets were crowded and curvy and
there were endless alleyways, making it easy to get lost. In
Dralin, people who got lost generally stayed that way.

Amazingly, Bobbell didn’t say no right away.
Instead, he stared into the distance, the tic in his cheek working
double time. The sky was clear and the air was cool from overnight
thunderstorms that had washed the streets clean. Birds sang in the
branches of green trees that lined the street. The Blossom District
was a large residential area with nice houses, quite a few parks
and gardens, and a relatively low crime rate considering it was in
Dralin. In any other city, the rate would be appalling.

“You have to stay by my side the entire
time. If you go off on your own, I’ll bend you over my knee and
paddle your butt no matter who your father is. Are we clear?” he
asked seriously.

“Yes, Uncle Bobbell. I know to stay with you
at all times,” Pelya said immediately and earnestly. There was no
way she would disobey. She couldn’t believe he might actually take
her.

“Unless I fall. Remember, the code of the
Guard requires at least one person to report. If a unit is
ambushed, one member must always report,” Bobbell recited. It was a
Guard policy that someone must remain alive to report the death of
comrades. They had to drill it into each and every member because
most had a natural instinct to fight to the death.

“You’re not going to fall, Uncle Bobbell. We
don’t have to go if it’s that dangerous,” Pelya replied quickly. “I
didn’t really think you’d say yes.”

“Nah. It’ll be fine. You’ll enjoy the
Wizard’s Mall a lot and I saw something there last week I wanted to
buy you. Come, my little viper.” He stood and took her hand. “We’ll
go through the Tower District and walk around some of the crazy
streets along the way.”

“You don’t have to buy me anything, Uncle!”
Pelya protested in dismay. “Everyone buys me things and I don’t
need anything else. Plus I have my own money.” Guard members didn’t
make a lot, especially privates. She probably had more money than
he had ever earned.

He stopped and looked at her, shrugging
after a moment. “Fine. You can buy it for yourself. Do you have any
coins on you?”

“Yes. I made sure of that. They’re safely
tucked away,” she assured him as they continued walking. It was a
relief that he would let her buy something for herself instead of
wasting his money.

The Wizard’s Mall was on the northwest side
of the Tower District while the Guard and Blossom Districts were on
the southeast side. The journey to get there would be somewhat
dangerous even in the daylight.

Bobbell was one of the few people who held
Pelya’s hand with their right hand. He was left handed and needed
that one to be free should a fight occur. One thing that was
constant was that everyone she was with held her hand. No one was
ever willing to risk losing the most precious member of the
Guard.

Pelya knew she was special, everyone told
her so, but she didn’t know why. Other kids had parents, brothers,
sisters, grandparents and normal aunts and uncles. They lived in
nice houses or run-down houses, depending on their parent’s lot in
life. They had normal lives and seemed quite happy with them for
the most part.

Then there were the kids that were orphans,
or worked under slave-like conditions. They seemed mostly
miserable, but even they were ordinary in the sense that it was a
common occurrence. Pelya, on the other hand, did not have a normal
life. There was always someone looking after her. Literally
thousands of Guard members checked in on her in the course of a
week even if it was just to say hi. Not only that, but they smiled
when they saw her.

On the rare occasion she did something
wrong, Frath would punish Pelya by grounding her to her room, but
worse than that was the fact that everyone seemed to know about it.
They would be disappointed in her and then they would all lecture
her, which hurt more than any punishment. A number of people in the
Guard didn’t like her, but the majority kept them quiet and she
didn’t see them often.

At times, her life seemed miserable and she
wanted the normal life with parents and a house, but that didn’t
happen very often. Having so many people to hold her hand and teach
her what they knew was wonderful. Plus she liked being in the Guard
now that she was certain no one was angry at her and they weren’t
going to kick her out.

“Hold, Guardsman. I would speak with you a
moment.” The clear, powerful voice brought Pelya out of her
reverie. Bobbell stopped and put the right half of his body
directly in front of her in a shielding motion.

“Hello, Sir Knight. What would you speak
of?” Bobbell asked the person who had spoken. He gave a slight bow
with his free arm out to the side.

Pelya looked up and saw a man in shining
plate armor sitting atop a magnificent warhorse. The first thing
she noticed was that his eyes were the same color of the sky above
him. His face was strong and noble, but kind at the same time. Dark
blonde hair fell to his shoulders and matched the neatly trimmed
beard and mustache. A fine orange tunic had a golden sun
embroidered on the chest and matched the cloak flowing down his
back. She curtseyed as was proper.

“The child whose hand you hold, that would
be the daughter of Frath Jornin, yes?” he asked in a voice golden
as the embroidered sun.

Bobbell didn’t answer immediately, but had
no reason to hide the fact. “It is, Sir Knight.”

“She is well?”

“Yes, My Lord,” Bobbell answered, not
volunteering any other information.

“Her father is well?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

The knight’s gaze settled on Pelya. His eyes
had a dignity about them and she found herself trusting the man
instantly, though she couldn’t say why. He spoke directly to her.
“I am pleased that you are well, Pelya Jornin. It is my hope that
you will know peace in your life.”

“Thank you, Sir Knight.” She curtseyed
again, wondering how he knew her.

“There will come a time that I will need
your assistance, child,” he told her mysteriously.

Pelya stared at him incredulously. She
wanted to respond, but had no idea what to say. Bobbell obviously
didn’t know either.

“It will not be for a while, so do not
concern yourself. Reanna’s blessings upon you and your father. May
her light guide your way through the darkness.” With those words,
the knight turned up the street, followed by his squire and another
man who were also on horses. They nodded at her and Bobbell as they
passed.

Uncle Bobbell stared after them until they
disappeared into the mildly crowded street. A few people passing by
stared at the two of them curiously. Pelya finally asked, “Reanna
is the Goddess of the Sun, right?”

He turned and faced her. “Huh? Oh, yes.
Goddess of the Sun, yes. There’s a God of the Sun too that most
people worship. I’ve never seen a follower of Reanna to be honest
with you.” Bobbell looked around before focusing on her again.
“That was the most unusual thing. How do you know him?”

Pelya shook her head. “I don’t know him.
What do you think he meant when he said that he’s going to need my
assistance?”

“I don’t know. Knights tend to get hit in
the head a lot. Maybe the Sun Goddess baked it in that helmet a
little too long,” he suggested with a grin.

“No. I believe him, but I don’t know why.
Maybe daddy knows him. He asked if daddy was well,” Pelya
suggested. The man intrigued her. Something about him was familiar,
but she couldn’t say what. The knight also had an aura of good that
stood out in the city of Dralin as a flame stands out in a
pitch-black room.

They resumed walking. “You may be right.
We’ll ask him when we get back this evening.”

A little while later, they were on the
confusing streets of the Tower District. From there, it took a
short while to reach the Wizard’s Mall and the trip was mostly
uneventful.