Shrouded Sky (The Veils of Lore Book 1) (25 page)

They arrived in the drawing room and a selection of liqueurs was soon offered to them by Mim, a kindly looking old servant who shuffled when he walked. Chandra thanked him as she selected a small crystal glass containing a rich red liquid from the tray. As she sipped its contents, she realized the creamy liqueur tasted familiar. It reminded her of the Christmases of her childhood, when every year her grandmother, then living, would bring her a box of Queen Anne chocolate covered cherries. They were the discount store variety, not Godivas or anything as expensive as that, but still the candies had always been Chandra’s alone, to share if she wished, or eat until her belly ached. Chandra stared into the glass, her eyes blurring with tears. She remembered so little, yet now it was as if her grandmother were there with her, reminding her of who she was and where she came from.

“Chandra?” Mayra asked, stepping to her side.

“Chocolate covered cherries,” Chandra said, nodding to the glass. “My grandmother used to bring them to me.”

“I’m sorry for all you’re going through,” Mayra said kindly. “I know this can’t be easy for you.”

Chandra forced a laugh. “Which part?”

“Being away from home; finding yourself amongst strangers. It must be very frightening.”

“I don’t feel amongst strangers. At least not here with your family. It’s the people outside that scare me.”

“Well you cannot stay with us, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Orryn said, moving in on the conversation.

“Orryn,” Mayra said. “Don’t be so harsh.”

“I’m not being harsh,” he said matter-of-factly. “She must know the truth of things if she has any hope of accepting what is ahead.”

“Enough,” Mayra scolded.

“No, please continue, Orryn,” Chandra said, turning on him. “Tell me more of the
truth
of things.”

He shrugged. “I’m only saying you should harbor no false hopes. If you think to stay within the protective arms of my family, you may find yourself sorely disappointed. You are the property of our Sovereign Lady now, and she will house you where she wishes.”

“Such as?”

“I can only say that she will not likely allow you to live permanently in this home or that of any private citizen. You are an Imela, and a Taubastet one at that. That puts your current status beneath that of the horses in her stables. So you see—”

“Are you saying I’m nothing more than an animal,” Chandra asked angrily, “a slave to your master’s whims?”

“Oh there are no slaves here,” Orryn said. “All citizens are paid; all work freely. Even the servant who brought you that cordial is equal. He may work for who he wishes, live where he wishes. We all have an equal place in the workings of our society, and for that reason there are no poor or homeless, no lesser citizens, you might say. It’s a perfect system really. And it’s one our citizenry will do anything to keep.”

“Where does that leave me?”

“Nowhere if the Sovereign does not grant you citizenship. And the only way she’ll do that is if you have something to offer.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Well, as you cannot turn yourself into a horse, execution is a possibility.”

The glass dropped from Chandra’s hand, sending glass and cherry liqueur splattering across the floor. Mim rushed to clean it up.

Jhon, who had been quietly watching the conversation, approached. He rested a hand on Orryn’s arm. “Son,” he said. “You’ve upset the girl.”

Orryn looked puzzled. “Have I? That was certainly not my intent.”

“Then what was your intent?” Chandra asked.

“To help you understand that if you wish to live you must be on your best behavior tomorrow. The Sovereign will be studying you, Chandra. You had best not disappoint.”

Chandra leaned toward him. “From what I understand, she’ll be studying you, too. I suggest
you
perform to her liking as well.”

“I’ve never disappointed her before,” he said.

“There’s a first time for everything,” Chandra retorted.

“Come, let’s sit, shall we?” Jhon said, directing them toward the sitting area near the fireplace. Tiersa, who had been sitting there since they first arrived, watched as they approach, her eyes dark and tongue strangely still.

“Something you wish to say, Tiersa?” Orryn asked, noting her murderous expression. He took a seat across from her.

“Oh there’s plenty I’d like to say,” she said. “But you won’t want to hear it.”

“Then let’s keep it to ourselves, shall we?” Mayra suggested.

“Of course, Mother,” Tiersa replied. “Why should any of us start telling truths now? After all, we’ve gotten so good at lying.”

“You don’t have to lie on my account,” Orryn said.

“Oh really?” Tiersa set her glass aside. “Very well. Here’s a truth for you, Orryn: We lie because of you.”

Orryn frowned, though it seemed more reflexive than emotional. “What do you mean?”

“Just ask Father. Oh wait.” She laughed. “Never mind.”

“Father?” Orryn said, turning to him.

Jhon, standing by the hearth, shot Tiersa a look. “Your sister teases, is all,” he said.

“Not this time.” Tiersa rose to her feet. “You’re my brother, Orryn, and I love you. Every time I’ve ever teased you is to bring some semblance of normalcy to our relationship, some sense of reality to the lie we’ve all become. But now you’re gone, and even teasing won’t bring you back.”

“Enough!” Jhon snapped.

Chandra jumped at the anger in his voice. Since first meeting Jhon, he’d been for the most part calm and collected. Admittedly there were lapses in her memory, but based on the expressions of everyone in the room, Jhon’s outburst had been an unexpected one. But Tiersa refused to be deterred. “I’ll never forgive you for what you did, Father,” she said, glaring at him. “Never.” She turned and stormed from the room.

“It’s just nerves. Nothing to worry about,” Jhon said, trying to diffuse the situation.

“What’s going to happen?” Chandra asked. “Tomorrow, I mean.”

“The Pitch tournament, of course,” Jhon said.

“Will Tygg be there?” she asked, though she wasn’t sure why she was asking.

“Our Sovereign Lady will have the cat there, no doubt to show him off. Afterward she will likely call you and Orryn to her receiving room. She has yet to question you, Chandra, and Orryn still must prove himself to her. I suspect she’ll have Tygg on hand during your questioning as well. With him there, the Sovereign will learn once and for all whether either of you have loyalty to him, for if you do, she’ll know you do not have full loyalty to her.”

“I’ve nothing to fear,” Orryn said, “though I cannot speak for Chandra.”

Chandra wondered if she had any loyalty left at all, other than to herself. Tygg was a blur to her, and Orryn seemed more like a stranger than a friend. He no longer called her Chandria, a nickname that had at one time annoyed her, but now a small part of her missed. As for his family, they had been kind enough, but what had Tiersa meant when she accused them all of being liars? Everything about this world seemed false, and yet Chandra knew it was as real as anyplace, certainly as real as the world she had left, where everyone donned different personas, from those at home and school, to those at work and social networking sites. Would it do any good to ask Jhon or the others what happened last night? Probably not. If they wanted her to know the events that had transpired from the time she left the palace until the moment she awoke in a strange bed, they surely would have told her by now.

“I’m tired,” she said, too weary to pursue the conversation further. “I think I’ll turn in.”

The others agreed it was getting late and headed in various directions to their bed chambers.

Chandra walked down the hall to her room, or rather the room she had found herself in that morning. Mayra was at her side, no doubt to make sure she didn’t try to escape. But where would she go if she entertained such a notion? She hadn’t forgotten the massive stone walls that surrounded the city, nor Pey’s men who would likely capture her and do their worst to her in the catacombs. But even without those concerns there was still no place to run. All she could do was follow the advice she had been given.

They reached the door to the guest room. “If you need anything,” Mayra said, “just ring the bell by the bed. Florie will see to it. And if you require a sleeping draught, she can fetch that, too.”

Chandra turned to face her. “Like I was given last night?” she asked. Maybe Mayra would take the bait and tell her something.

Mayra blinked with surprise. “You were given no draught,” she said, then gathered her composure. “Why would you think such a thing?”

“Because I feel strange, like I was drugged and . . . maybe something else.”

“I’m sure it’s only fatigue,” Mayra said, waving away her concerns, but there was something in her voice.

“Fine. Keep your secrets,” Chandra said with annoyance. “But I know something happened.” Then she turned and walked into the room, dismissing Mayra with her back.

The Pitch field was located in the center of a massive coliseum, its oval-shaped, tiered rows filled to capacity by the tens of thousands of cheering spectators who had come to enjoy the game. Along the topmost perimeter of the coliseum, flags in alternating colors of black and white were displayed, as well as banners and streamers and other signs of team spirit. The spectators in the stands were also dressed in black or white, though never a combination of both, a clear indicator of which team they would be rooting for. Chandra assumed the Pedant team color was white, as that was the color she and the rest of Orryn’s family were currently wearing, but the Council members and their families, seated in the same elite section of the stands, were decidedly mixed. No doubt this section of the stands would have opposing reactions to the game once it began.

The Sovereign’s throne was located to their right, and on either side of it two sentinels stood awaiting her arrival. To the left of the throne the two identical handmaidens Chandra had seen at the Council hearing were seated, heads bowed, their long black hair once again hiding their faces from view. They were dressed in neither black nor white, but in a dark rich red, as were hundreds of young men and woman perched on the benches behind the throne, clearly the Sovereign’s servants and staff. They were all clothed in matching robes, and their hair was arranged in similar long, straight styles. Most were fair-haired and pale-skinned, though many with darker features were scattered amongst them, and all seemed happy and festive as they waited for their Lady to arrive.

As Chandra watched the young spectators in red, she wondered if she would one day be seated amongst them. Orryn had said she need only please the Sovereign to be granted citizenship. Maybe she, too, would one day live in the palace, though she couldn’t imagine where she could have gotten such an idea. She looked down at herself and the white robe-like dress she was wearing. It really wasn’t so different from the outfits the reds had on. It may not have looked like the Cinderella dress she’d worn to the Council meeting, but Princess Leia would have felt right at home in it.

On the other side of the throne three seemingly important people sat. One was a blond-haired young man dressed in a forest green tunic and brown trousers. Next to him sat an attractive woman, her auburn hair pulled from her face to cascade in ringlets down her back, her harvest gold gown cinched at the waist, accentuating a curvaceous figure. The third was a large, gruff-looking man with dark hair that hung to his shoulders, and a wiry beard that rested atop his barreled chest. He was dressed in brown, but a wide wool scarf woven in red plaids was draped across one shoulder, making him look like a character straight out of
Braveheart
.

“Who are those people there?” Chandra asked Tiersa, nodding in their direction.

Tiersa, who was seated next to her, leaned around to take a look. “They are emissaries from the Three,” she said, leaning back.

“The three what?”

“The Three realms: Tearia, Oonayei, and the Basyl clan lands.” Tiersa glanced at her. “Why?”

“They look out of place, and not very happy to be here.”

“If you think they’re unhappy now, just wait until the game starts. No doubt the Sovereign scheduled it for their benefit.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Three realms oppose violence for the sake of it and feel the Sovereign’s penchant for it, to quote their words, ‘is an affront to human decency’.”

“God, Tiersa. What kind of game
is
this?”

“Not one for the squeamish.”

Chandra’s eyes shot toward the center of the arena and she studied it more carefully. All throughout, barriers fitted with spikes were arranged, and between them fires blazed in oily pits. In the middle, a tall pole rose at least fifty feet, and atop it a misshapen object of some sort was perched. At each end of the field a small raised hoop could be seen, no doubt the opposing goals. Here and there weapons and other cruel devices were placed, making the field looked more like a death trap than a playing field. Chandra’s stomach went queasy. “I don’t know if I can watch this,” she said.

“You don’t have a choice,” Tiersa said. “It’s required.”

Chandra looked past Tiersa toward Jhon who was watching her closely. “Why didn’t you warn me?” she demanded under her breath.

Jhon rose and gestured for Tiersa to scoot down. “I did not think it necessary,” he said, taking a place next to Chandra. “From what I understand, Sister World spends a great deal of time and money being entertained by violence. I simply assumed you were accustomed to it.”

“Well you assumed wrong.”

“I’m sorry. But you will have to put on a brave face.”

“I’m tired of putting on a brave face,” Chandra said. “This is too much.”

“You have no choice but to watch the game, but there’s a method of getting through it that many of us have learned over the years. Simply focus your eyes on something neutral across the way and keep your face as stoic as you can. When the whites cheer, you cheer also. Admittedly it takes practice, but it’s all I know to tell you.”

Chandra frowned. “So you can just ignore the fact that your son could get hurt down there, or worse?”