Dralin (7 page)

Sheela squeezed him with all her might. He
held her tightly in return and buried his face in her hair. The
young woman’s death had bothered him more than he had admitted to
his unit. There were people he could talk to about things that
bothered him, but he couldn’t bring himself to go to them. Being a
City Guardsman in Dralin was hard physically, emotionally and
spiritually. Every member was encouraged to visit priests or
councilors whose job it was to talk to or just to listen to members
of the Guard.

“I keep imagining if that had been you and
it’s killing me inside, Sheela.” She didn’t answer with words for
which he was thankful. The fact that she was there, safe with him
for the moment had to be enough. Frath ran his hands up and down
her back, wishing they could stay like that forever.

“Are you two going to stand there all day or
you going to get a room?” a woman’s voice asked merrily from behind
them. They jumped in surprise, having forgotten there was a world
around them. The sights, sounds and smells of the city came rushing
back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, but you were blocking
traffic.” The voice came from the other side of a waist-high wall
they were next to. A female house guard wearing a red tabard over
chain mail leaned on the wall. A smirk cracked her face, showing a
gold tooth that replaced a missing one. There were a couple of
small scars on her cheeks and Frath could tell from her easy manner
that she would be tough in a fight, not as good as him, but not to
be trifled with either.

“No problem,” Frath responded in
embarrassment. City Guards were supposed to be tough, not
lovey-dovey. With a wave, he led Sheela away, ignoring the kissing
sounds the woman made at their backs. He could see Sheela blushing
bright red.

Chapter
4

They didn’t say anything until reaching a
large estate with a high, wrought-iron fence a few minutes later.
Tall, dense bushes grew along the inside, preventing anyone from
seeing past. They walked up to the gate and Frath pushed a glowing
purple button alongside it. There were two large evergreen trees to
either side of the gate. A squirrel scurried to the end of a branch
near the button and asked in a high-pitched voice, “Yeah, watcha
want?”

Sheela gasped in alarm and hid behind Frath,
peeking around from his side. “Frath Jornin and company to see Lady
Pallon.” The fact that a squirrel was talking didn’t seem to bother
him at all.

“Oh yeah, the lady is expecting you,” it
replied. The squirrel chattered at the gate, which opened in
response.

“Thank you,” Frath replied politely. Sheela
looked in awe back and forth at the squirrel and the gate as they
walked through.

The yard wasn’t as well cared for as others,
though it wasn’t a complete mess. A large, murky pond with lilies
and cattails was to the right. Sheela got the distinct impression
it was grumpy about the snow that was falling. Long weeping willows
bordered it and grew in other areas of the yard. Sheela had the
sudden urge to explore.

The grass was knee high and turning brown in
the fall air, some of it poking through the stone pavers that made
up the main walkway to the large manor. The building was three
levels tall and extended two hundred feet in either direction.
Scattered around in small garden areas were numerous rosebushes,
their buds closed in the cold air. Ivy climbed the front of the
building and the stone columns that held up a long balcony
extending the length of the building.

“It’s spooky and exciting all at the same
time,” Sheela said, looking at it in awe. They walked up the wide
steps to a large wooden door carved with intricate designs of roses
inlayed with red and green resins.

“Lady Pallon is a friend of mine I visit
whenever I’m able. I told her about you and she insisted I bring
you by,” Frath explained as he lifted the large rose-faced knocker
and banged it down a few times, creating a booming sound
within.

The door opened with a loud creak that
shuddered through the air. An elderly woman appeared in the doorway
wearing a light blue dress with excessive ruffles and white lace.
Wrinkles created by decades of smiling lined her face. She stood
tall and straight despite her age. Dark pink eyes, common in Dralin
and much of the world, held vast intelligence and wisdom. She
looked into a person rather than at them. Sheela ducked behind
Frath, staring from around his arm in awe at the charismatic
woman.

“Frath, how wonderful of you to visit,” Lady
Pallon said in a strong, clear voice that sounded like a spoon
ringing against crystal. “I see you brought your friend, Sheela
isn’t it? Well come here child and show me a proper curtsy.”

Purla had taught Sheela how to curtsy
because so many nobles visited the inn. She came out from behind
Frath and did her absolute best.

“Well, that’s very nice. You need to hold
your elbows out a bit more, but it’ll do. Come in, come in, have
some lunch and tell me all about yourself.” She held the door open
and gracefully gestured for them to enter. Frath put his arm out
for Sheela and they walked through.

“Come into the parlor. Lunch is being made
as we speak,” she informed them while walking gracefully ahead.
Sheela stared at the entry in awe. The floor was russet-brown and
beige marble. Balconies overlooked the entry from each wing, and a
grand staircase split halfway up, going to both sides.

Lady Pallon led them through the second door
on the right, which turned out to be the parlor. Paintings lined
the walls of the sophisticated room with its expensive furniture
and decorations. A small fire flickered in the fireplace, making
the room warm and cozy. While the obvious wealth and affluence of
the lady and her estate were intimidating, there was a manner about
her that made Frath feel comfortable and he could sense Sheela
relaxing as well.

“Here we are. Sit, sit by the fire and get
warm,” she said gesturing toward a long couch with thick green
cushions. “Where is your cloak, child?” Lady Pallon asked Sheela
with a disapproving frown.

“I haven’t got one yet, Milady,” Sheela
replied, taking the seat tentatively as though afraid she would get
in trouble for sitting in the presence of nobility. Frath sat next
to her.

Instead of replying to Sheela, Lady Pallon
chastised Frath. “And you didn’t see fit to provide her with one?”
His only reaction was to blush in shame. The lady clucked in
disapproval. “We shall just have to remedy that.” She walked out of
the room, all the while shaking her head and mumbling under her
breath about foolish youngsters.

“Are we in trouble?” Sheela asked worriedly,
holding onto him.

Frath took his sword off and set it on a
nearby table so that he could sit back. “No, not at all. Lady
Pallon is a wonderful woman and wants us to be safe and warm,
that’s all.” As he put his arm around her shoulders again, she
leaned into him and rested both hands on his thigh. The touch sent
a thrill through him. He slid the hand on her shoulders down her
side to her hip, ready to move it if she protested at all. Her only
response was to lean harder against him and run one of her hands
slowly up and down his thigh.

Neither of them said a word while they sat
there concentrating on each other’s touch. “It’s nice to see young
people in love,” Lady Fallon said, startling them. “No, no. Don’t
let me stop you from being close,” she insisted when they separated
a little. “You get as close as you like. I have your cloak my
dear.” She set a folded, dark-green cloak on the arm of the couch
next to Sheela who reached over and ran a hand along the smooth
fabric.

“Milady, it’s too fine,” Sheela
protested.

“Nonsense, it’s an old thing that was my
daughter’s and hasn’t been used in years.” Lady Pallon waved off
the protest casually as she sat on an elegant, cushioned chair
across from them. “You’ll take it, wear it and I’ll hear no more
chirping about it otherwise.” The tone was matter-of-fact and
Sheela didn’t even try to argue.

“How
is
your daughter, Milady?” Frath
asked gently, knowing it was a sensitive subject.

She clasped her hands in her lap and sighed
in frustration. “That girl . . .” Lady Pallon shook her head. Combs
held her white hair tight, keeping it from moving with the motion.
“Melody is such a mess right now. I swear I don’t know what I’m
going to do with her.” Tears welled up in her eyes and one trickled
down a cheek. She turned her head to the side, trying to hold them
in.

Frath leaned forward in concern. “What’s
happened now? Is there anything I can do?”

“No, there’s nothing any of us can do. She
won’t see me anymore. Now she’s gone and gotten pregnant, but
doesn’t know who the father is.” The dignified lady wiped her eyes
carefully with a handkerchief she pulled out of a little purse in
her lap. “She’s still doing those drugs though and I’m afraid she’s
going to hurt herself and the baby.”

“I can talk to her,” Frath offered
earnestly. He wanted very much to help, though he knew there was
most likely nothing he could do.

“I’m sorry, Frath, but she wouldn’t give you
the time of day. With you being in the City Guard, things could go
very badly for you and her and I just . . .” She turned to look
toward the fire again to hide more tears that threatened. Frath
reached over and held her hand.

“Lunch is ready, Milady,” a red-haired woman
in a servant’s dress and apron said from just inside the
entrance.

“Thank you, Mary” Lady Pallon replied. She
patted Frath’s hand in thanks and they all rose to follow the
servant into a dining room. Frath grabbed his sword and efficiently
reattached it on the way.

The savory aroma reached them even before
they entered. Marvelous dishes of food waited for their pleasure at
one end of a large table. Lady Pallon sat at the head while Frath
took Sheela to a seat on the left side. Upon seeing that Frath’s
place setting was on the opposite side, the lady winked at the
servant. “Mary, our guests would like to sit together. They
are
in love after all.”

Mary smiled in quick understanding. “Oh yes,
Milady. I’ll correct that right away.” She hurriedly moved the
place setting so the blushing couple could be next to each
other.

“Have you told your darling how you saved
me, Frath?” Lady Pallon asked while Mary filled their glasses with
wine. Sheela looked at hers nervously.

Frath blushed and shook his head slowly.
“It’s really not that big a deal.” He didn’t like talking about
actions that others considered heroic. They were things he felt
needed to be done, so he did them. There was no pleasure in
boasting while so many people in the city suffered.

“Of course it is. You saved my life in an
amazing act of bravery for one so young as you were at that time,”
she insisted, dismissing his modesty with a wave of her hand. She
turned to Sheela who was tentatively sipping the wine. “He was only
fourteen at the time and was in a City Guard program that helps
criminal youth. Melody and I were foolishly walking without an
escort after dark near the Orphan District where Frath lived. He
wasn’t supposed to be out alone, especially not at night.” Frath
had filled his plate with food and was focusing on it so he
wouldn’t have to look Sheela in the eye.

“A group of disreputable individuals quickly
surrounded Melody and I. There were six armed with wicked looking
swords,” she said while cutting the lamb chops on her plate. Sheela
watched carefully and tried to do the same. “No dear, like this.”
Lady Pallon demonstrated the proper way to hold the fork and knife.
“I’ve given up trying to get Frath to eat like a proper young man
should.” Frath blushed and slowed down when he realized he had been
shoving food in his mouth as quickly as possible, the normal way of
eating in the guard.

“As I was saying, Melody and I were in
mortal danger. Our bodyguard at the time had been sick and I
thought we would be just fine going out on our own.” Sheela began
eating as she listened in interest. Frath continued to look
anywhere else. “Young Frath saw us in trouble and threw a rock at
the leader of the men, knocking him out with an
amazing
shot
to the head. Two of the others turned on him with their swords
while three kept an eye on us.”

Sheela looked at Frath with new admiration.
He shrugged while focusing intently on his plate. Lady Pallon
continued, “I was worried for the boy against the rough swordsmen,
but to my surprise he immediately disarmed one man, retrieved the
sword and killed both with it. The other three took him seriously
at that point, but Frath never seemed to be where they expected him
to be. He tumbled and spun between the three of them and before we
knew it, there were six bodies lying on the ground around us.”

“Really?” Sheela asked in awe. “I know he’s
strong and brave, but that’s amazing.” Frath ignored them both and
took another bite of his food.

“It was also very disturbing. Have you seen
a dead body before, child?” Lady Pallon asked. Sheela paled, but
didn’t answer. Frath couldn’t tell if she had or not. Lady Pallon
nodded. “It’s a terrible sight and the young man was very messy
about the whole thing. He had blood all over his clothes and looked
quite fierce. For a moment I was just as afraid of him as I had
been of the villains.” Her laughter was light and airy as she
remembered the moment. Frath wished he could forget it.

“I thanked him for rescuing us and asked him
what reward he would have. Do you know what he requested?” Lady
Pallon asked Sheela, leaning in.

Sheela shook her head. “I have no idea. Tell
me, please.”

“He only asked that we not tell the Guard.”
She sat back and took a bite of her food. Sheela looked at Frath in
puzzlement, but he just shrugged again. When she was finished
chewing the bite, Lady Pallon leaned forward and put an elbow on
the corner of the table in a very unladylike gesture. “He wasn’t
allowed to get into a fight on his own and he also wasn’t supposed
to be out after dark.”