Oubliette (Cloud Prophet Trilogy) (8 page)

“It’s been quite an honor to serve in the palace,” Alia said. “Everyone knows that. Children here compete to join the palace household. Knowing what I know now about you and the council, I’d have to say that the resistance created a wonderful atmosphere and I’ve enjoyed serving here.”

I’d never thought that being a slave might be something to aspire to. It certainly was a different world here in the Southern Kingdom.

“Now, what did you want to see?” Alia asked. “I can take you just about anywhere.”

“I want to see where the first prophet lived,” I said. “Does his home still exist?”

“It does,” she said, “and I know where it is. But it’s been locked and barred for years. No one is allowed in.”

I shook my head, trying to figure out how to get around this. There had to be a way into the house and I was going to find it.

Chapter Eleven

Alia grabbed my hand as we snuck out of my chambers. I didn’t know where to go since I’d been nowhere other than the council chambers and my own room. I was so glad she was willing to help me, not even just willing, but also excited. And she knew the town. I wouldn’t have to spend hours sneaking around on my own trying to figure everything out. I could get right to the business of searching for the missing journal.

We snaked our way through the hallways following the twists and turns as we descended the spire. Alia pulled a huge rusty key out of a pocket and unlocked a door, looked to her right and left and pulled me through. A new, narrow hallway greeted us.

The difference was remarkable. Whereas the main halls were filled with windows and light and beautiful tiles, this hallway was dank. I wrapped my arms around myself, warding off a shiver. The walls were built from mortared rocks; the crumbling pebbles were cool to the touch but so rough. I quickly drew back my hand afraid I would be cut.

“Servants’ hallways?” I asked Alia. They were so different from the servant halls back home. Even though we didn’t have windows, the passages were dotted with candles that burned all day and night. The contrast was stark.

“Yes, this is the way to our rooms. Also to the outside. We have a separate entrance and exit than the ruling class.”

“Can I see where you sleep before we leave?” I asked. My curiosity had gotten the better of me. Seeing where Alia lived wouldn’t take more than a few minutes and might give me more of an idea of what her life was like.

“Sure,” she said. “Let’s go this way.” Alia turned to the right, leading me down another corridor. I pushed images of spiders dangling from the ceiling and rats running along the floor out of my head.

“You don’t have any light in here,” I said. “How do you know where you’re going?”
“It’s confusing at first, but we all learn our way eventually. When I first came to the castle to work as a little girl the older girls told me that someone had once gotten lost in these corridors and no one ever saw her again. Scared me silly. Part of me knew it couldn’t be true. I trembled for about the first month and I spent most of my free time exploring these halls so I would never get lost.”

“That sounds awful,” I said. “How old were you?”

“Six.”

“Six? And you had to learn all of this by yourself?”

Alia shrugged. “That’s the way it is here.”

Perhaps Kandek had been a kinder ruler than I’d known, or maybe the Malborn leader here was more demanding. Alia seemed to accept things the way they were but my experience had been so different. Sure, they had been tough on us, and I had more restrictions placed on me than most slaves, but it was never so frightening or harsh.

Alia led me into a room, darker than the hallways. I saw bedrolls scattered across the floor, thin blankets dropped haphazardly across them and no pillows.

I gasped. “This is where you sleep?”

“It’s not so bad.” She shrugged. “It’s a good escape from the searing sun.”

I thought of the chest in my room on the upper levels. It was filled with blankets, blankets I never used because the warm humidity of the Southern Kingdom wafted in my window every night. I was more apt to kick off a blanket than to reach for one.

Yet down here in the servants’ chambers the humidity chilled me and goose bumps formed on my arms. They could be using my blankets to keep warm at night. They could even use them as a cushion underneath their bedrolls. The dirt floor was hard and dusty. How could Alia sleep here night after night? I couldn’t believe this was a job people aspired to. It strengthed my resolve to find a way to free all the slaves.

“I think I’ve seen enough,” I whispered, too overwhelmed to say much more.

I followed Alia back into the dank hallway, stunned by what I’d learned. It was maddening no one had told me about the living conditions of the servants here. They probably knew I’d demand change and didn’t want to deal with me. After all, I was here only to make a prophecy to support the war they wanted to start.

More secrets and lies. It seemed no matter where I lived or who I encountered I would always have to deal with liars.

At the end of the hall we stopped at a heavy wooden door. Alia pulled out the key again, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The sunlight streamed into the hall, jabbing my eyes with tiny daggers. I threw my hands over my face, shielding myself from the assault.

Alia laughed. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you to squint your eyes. That’s another thing we learn quickly here. It’s great to get out of the darkness, but the light can hurt just as much too.”

I nodded, opening my eyes bit by bit as the irises adjusted to the increase in light. It was a warm, cloudless day. I was relieved. Even though I’d had a vision yesterday, I didn’t want to be distracted by my gift. Worrying about whether I would have a vision and if I’d be able to control it was something I wanted to leave behind at the palace.

I looked at the palace walls rising up above me. Since I’d been hidden in the palace for the last couple weeks, I’d never realized how beautiful it was from the outside. Three spires rose up to the heavens above three towers. The palace shimmered in the humidity, leaving me with the feeling that it might only be a mirage. I guessed which window was mine, but I wasn’t sure. Walking around in the dark hallways caused me to lose my sense of direction. I was even more grateful for Alia, without her I never would have found my way out and I was sure I couldn’t get back in either.

“That’s yours.” Alia pointed to a different tower than the one I’d been eyeing. I took her arm in mine. No one would think of us as anything other than two slaves who were sent to get goods from the market.

The town sprawled around us in all directions and looked much the same to me as my home, except it was much larger here. My heart fluttered, but I held tight to Alia. My world had been so small for so long. It was hard to expand my comfort boundaries.

“What do you want to do first?” Alia asked.

“I’d like to see the last Prophet’s cottage,” I said.

“We can walk by it,” Alia suggested, “but don’t look at it. There are guards and they won’t even allow a sideways glance. It would get us sent straight back to the palace and you would be found out. Krissin would be angry.”

I nodded. We walked down the dirt street and the smells of the city attacked me from every angle. I breathed in the scent of luscious oranges in the stalls along the street, but the fresh fish, something I’d rarely seen, forced my nose to crinkle. It was unpleasant and metallic and I hoped I’d get used to it. The sweet smell of rising yeast wafted out of bakeries and the noise of children yelling as they ran through the street delighted me. I liked tasting freedom again.

The vendors hawked their wares, yelling from their stalls, holding out their freshest foods. Had I enough money with me, I might have been tempted to spend the day searching for just the right items for dinner. I’d learned how to cook when I lived with Johna, a skill I’d never learned as a child. I loved combining herbs with food and turning them into an all new concoction. The array of options at the market took me by surprise.

“It’s back here,” Alia said, pulling me down an alley away from the bustling crowds. “Don’t look at it directly. You can see it to the right, there are two men standing guard at the doorway. Just walk past as if it’s something you do every day.”

I saw the small cottage ahead. Rough hewn boards and metal hinges studded the door and two palace guards flanked either side of it. They looked bored, as if they’d been given the worst assignment in the city. I didn’t blame them for feeling that way.

After we’d passed by, I asked Alia, “Has there ever been a break-in? Why would they care so much if the place has been emptied?”

“The Malborn were worried we Serenians would make it a place of pilgrimage. Some people probably would. It would cause unrest. No one wants that, so it stays guarded. Now that you’ve seen it, let’s go get some lunch. I’m getting hungry.”

The corners of Alia’s mouth turned up and I nodded in agreement. My stomach had rumbled more than once already.

“There’s a nice little pub around the corner,” Alia said. “It’s clean but not a pub the nobles frequent. No one will even notice you there.”

The sign above the pub’s door featured a picture of a dancing swan.

“The Dancing Swan?” I asked Alia.

She laughed. “You got it!”

We entered into the pub and filled it with light from the afternoon sun. Alia led me to a table and we sat down. I took a look around. It was only the second pub I’d ever been to, the first with Mark. The people here were different. The last pub was in a peasant town, but here there were few women, just a couple other slaves like us, and the serving girls. Other than that, I felt like we were surrounded by men downing mead.

“Well, look who’s here,” a voice said behind me. “I think you’re right, Mark. It is our favorite slave.”

I whipped around to find myself face to face with Ace. He’d scooted his chair over from the table behind us, trapping me in my chair. I couldn’t get up if I wanted to. I saw Mark behind him, on the other side of their table, a scowl on his face.

Ace’s hair, as long as many women’s but straight as a pile of tinder sticks, hung over his face like a veil. His murderous eyes taunted me, but I refused to drop my gaze.

“You look a little different, sweetheart, but I’d recognize those eyes anywhere,” Ace said, winking at me.

I turned around, hoping if I ignored him he’d go away. What were they doing in town anyway? They were supposed to be camped at the base of the mountains. Mark had said he needed to get back to his men yesterday, but here he was again.

“Leave her alone, Ace,” Mark warned.

“Who are these guys?” Alia whispered.

“No one,” I said through clenched teeth.

“No one?” Ace asked. Obviously he hadn’t taken the hint. “I saved your skinny little butt just two weeks ago and now I’m no one? Not very grateful, are we?”

“I didn’t ask for, or want, your kind of help,” I said, not bothering to turn around.

“Leave her alone.” I heard a scuffle behind me and Alia gasped, her eyes wide. A chair screeched across the floor in front of our table and Ace followed not far behind. I felt Mark’s hand on my shoulder. Ace lay on the floor, tangled with the chair, holding his cheek with his right hand.

“That was uncalled for, Mark,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

“I told you to leave her alone.”

Ace pulled himself up as the bartender ran over.

“Is there a problem here?” he demanded, eyeing Ace and Mark.

“No,” I said, staring at Ace. “Not anymore. It’s been taken care of.”

He looked at us all suspiciously. “Maybe you’re all done here?” he asked.

I sighed and nodded my head. “We’ll leave. I’m really sorry we disrupted things.”

Ace picked up the chair, placing it back at the table behind me. Mark offered me his arm, but I refused and stood up, grabbing Alia’s arm.

“Let’s go.”

“We’re coming with you,” Mark said.

“No, you’re not,” I replied, tugging on Alia for her to follow me. Her mouth fell open and she kept looking back and forth between Mark and me. I’m sure she was wondering how I’d met a guy while I’d been cooped up in the palace. I didn’t want to see Mark. He’d left me, again, and now I had to deal with Ace too. Kiss or no kiss, I didn’t want anything to do with Ace.

“That’s fine. Ace and I will just head over to the palace and have a little chat with Jada and Krissin,” Mark said, daring me to leave without him.

I sighed again, let go of Alia’s arm and took his.

“Fine. We need to go somewhere quiet, though,” I said. Everyone in the pub was still staring at us. So much for staying inconspicuous.

“We can go to my parents’ cottage,” Alia said. “They’re working now and won’t mind if I have friends over while they’re gone.”

She crooked her finger for us to follow her through the doorway.

“But that,” she pointed at my arm on Mark’s, “has to stop before we leave the pub. Remember who you are right now, Reychel. Slaves don’t hang on the arms of,” she paused, “who are you?”

“No one,” Mark said.

Ace snorted, still nursing his bruised cheek.

I felt my bald head with my hand, remembering that I wasn’t free, I was a slave again. I disentangled my arm from Mark’s and hung my head. Better to play the part than be caught.

“Now follow me, Reychel,” Alia said. She pointed at the boys. “You two stay behind us. Far behind us. People would wonder about two men and two slave girls walking together. It just isn’t done.”

“Not a problem,” Mark said. “I’m anxious to find out what’s going on here.”

Ace nodded. A red mark slowly spread across his face. I wondered if it would bruise. I almost hoped it would.

I followed Alia to the outskirts of town and through a cluster of cottages. She knocked on the door of the last cottage, closest to the forest. After no one answered, she unlocked the door with another key hidden in her robes.

“I just wanted to make sure no one was home,” she said, opening the door. “I’d hate to scare my parents by walking in on them.”

I nodded, looking behind us. I hadn’t seen Mark or Ace in the crowds of the city, but somehow I knew they were close by.