WindBeliever (11 page)

By the time you get this letter, I will have been gone three-quarters of a year and your temper should have cooled somewhat, I hope.

My trip here was uneventful, nothing to ‘write home about’, as they say. I was able to learn the Outer Kingdom language while on board ship. It is a rather complicated series of guttural tones, but the learning of it helped pass the time.

The people aren’t all that different from us, but they do have some inventions that I hope to incorporate in our own culture when I return. One such ingenious device is a horn that blows whenever a ship nears one of the reefs. Its sound safely guides the ship past the danger at night and in the dense fogs for which this country seems to be well-known throughout the region. The device is called a fog horn and makes a loud, blaring noise you sure as hell can’t miss. At first I was a bit startled by the sound of it, but I understood its purpose straight away. I plan on having several of these built along our coastlines where they can well save a ship from going down in adverse conditions.

How to explain this land to you so you can best appreciate it? I don’t know where to begin.

The Outer Kingdom is much larger than any of us expected. The land is unlike any other I have ever visited. Buildings here are massive, unique to this culture, awe-inspiring in their complexity.

The Place of the Tzars rivals Boreas in splendor although, naturally, I am partial to our own.

I was open-mouthed with silence when I was conducted to the throne room here. This room is far bigger and much more stunning than the Palace of the Winds, but seems to have less warmth than our own. I felt small and insignificant in that vast cathedral of a room.

The people here are very formal. We are required to wear our dress uniforms at the evening meal. I am glad I remembered to bring mine along. The Tzar and his wife, the Tzarina, were very impressed with my medals, but not nearly as thunderstruck as was their eldest daughter, Marie Catherine. Don’t be angry, but I do believe this woman would make you an excellent wife. The two of you have so much in common. She is a very lovely lady, with a soft, gentle voice, and shy manners. She’d be perfect for you.

The sons are very proper young men. One is a great scholar, I am told, and the other a mighty warrior with many years experience. They appear to have much to do about the place for I see them only at the meals. They have asked me if I would like to go hunting at some future time with them, but I don’t really care for such outings, as you well know. And I haven’t had all that much time to myself, either, since the Tzar has me sit in with him when he attends to his formal duties. It is such a bore, Legion, but out of politeness, I must not let on how I detest such proceedings. It is a great honor he has extended to me. How can I refuse him?

As boring as such court sittings are, I find a stimulating conversation with Marie Catherine can take my mind completely off the mundane. She is a very intelligent woman and is not afraid to voice her opinion.

WINDBELIEVER

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Page 49

My arrival at the Palace can only be described as mind-boggling. Hundreds of people were lined along the roadway to the Palace, cheering me, waving and smiling. Hundreds more were inside the baileys and were equally as welcoming. Would you believe I met a Serenian here?

Truly! His name is Jordan Knowles and he had been pressed into the Domination as a sailor, but jumped ship and managed to be granted asylum by the Outer Kingdom. I promised him I would mention him to you so you could write a note to his sister in Dansforth to let her know he’s still kicking.

Also, I was introduced to so many wealthy merchants, squires, and the like when I got here, I lost count. Once inside the Palace, it was a blur of royalty and well-to-do relations which greeted me.

My introduction to the Tzar was most enlightening. I was treated to all the pomp and circumstance to which my royalty entitles me. I was formally presented, crossed sabers and all, at court before a host of minor royalty and aristocrats. A more impressive ceremony I would be hard pressed to remember ever attending. The banquet that followed was beyond belief with foods from several different lands on the richly laden table. My dinner partner was, as she has been ever since, the shy and retiring Marie Catherine. Her presence beside me alleviated the tedium of a two hour meal. I find our talks so refreshing I have a hard time going to sleep at night.

I don’t know how long I will stay here, although you will be the first to know when I decide to leave. I just might bring Marie Catherine back with me for you to meet.

I am told it takes as long to send mail as it took for us to reach this land so don’t become alarmed when you don’t hear from me at regular intervals. The letter, as they say, is in the mail, dear brother. I am kept busy and you know how I hate to write. Please don’t let that stop you, and the rest of the family from writing me.

Give my regards to everyone and please see that Meg is well cared for in my absence.

Your

loving

brother,

Conar

P.S. Don’t tell Meggie you’ve heard from me. She’ll wonder why I haven’t written and I don’t want to hurt her feelings.

In the cozy library of Boreas Keep, Legion A’Lex stood frowning down into the blazing fire.

It had been over eight months since he had last seen his brother. Eight months and nine days, to be precise. The letter Conar wrote at the same time he had written Meggie’s had somehow been mislaid for a week after it had arrived and had it not been for a maid’s industrious cleaning, the letter might not have been found at all.

“He’s found you a woman, eh?” Jamael laughed, reading his brother’s letter for the second time. He glanced up at Legion’s stony face. “Marie Catherine. I like that.” He stretched his toes out to the fire and then held the letter out to his elder brother, Legion. “I like the sound of that--

Marie Catherine A’Lex. It’s musical.”

Legion’s scowl deepened. “My wife, my ass! he snorted. “He mentioned that woman too many times for my liking.” He looked down at Jamael. “You know Conar. He seems to be more taken with the bitch than he lets on.”

“A romance in the making?” Roget du Mer asked. He saw Legion flinch. “It’s been over a year since Liza’s death, Legion. You need to get on with your life.”

Legion swung his gaze to Roget. A snarl of fury pushed from Legion’s clenched teeth. “If he thinks to bring that bitch here for me to marry, he’d best think again!”

WINDBELIEVER

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Page 50

“Maybe he isn’t bringing her here for you,” Gezelle said in a soft voice.

Legion glared at her. “And why else would he?”

“For himself?” she asked.

Legion threw his hand out in annoyance. “He isn’t ready for such things yet.”

“You might not be, but Conar isn’t you,” Roget reminded him.

Legion snatched the letter from Jamael and tapped the envelope on his nose. He swung around to Roget. “You say you think Meggie got a letter, too?”

Du Mer nodded. “I recognized Conar’s writing on something she was reading last week, but when I asked her about it, she said it was an old letter.” He shook his head. “Meggie isn’t good at lying. I don’t think there’s a devious bone in the woman’s body. She looked too guilty for what she said to have been the truth.

“I saw her reading a letter also,” Gezelle said. “I got the impression she didn’t want anyone to know what was in it.”

“What puzzles me is why Conar didn’t want you to mention his having written you, Legion,”

Cayn the Healer spoke up. “Obviously both letters were written at the same time and sent on the same day. If Meggie is hiding her letter from you, then obviously she was told to.”

Legion’s eyes gleamed. “I know my baby brother. And I’ve ready enough of his hen scratching to me over the years to know that this ...,” he held the letter aloft, “took him a long time to compose. The lettering is near school-room perfect and it doesn’t even begin to sound like him.” He pitched the letter to the table beside Jamael’s chair. “That is pompous bullshit he’s written there.”

“Meant to ally your fears for his safety,” Cayn put in.

“And his real reason for leaving,” Sentian Heil, the new Master-at-Arms of Boreas Keep remarked.

“Exactly,” Legion growled.

Cayn pulled on the small goatee he had grown. “I would venture to say if you were to put that letter side by side with the one Meggie Ruck received, you might get a glimmer of the real truth of how the lad is doing.”

“I’m thinking that, too,” Legion nodded. He glanced at Sentian. “Go get her, Heil.”

“One thing seems clear to me, though,” Cayn said. The other’s turned to the old man. He smiled. “The boy’s met him a girl.”

“That thing called the fog horn must have scared the shit out of him,” Roget laughed.

“I take it the buildings there are larger than ours but somewhat pedestrian in appearance,”

Cayn said. “This Palace of the Tzars must be very beautiful though.”

“And he’s loath to admit it outranks ours,” Roget put in. “It must have been quite a shock to find a palace more elegant than that of the Winds.”

“And he’s bored out of his mind,” Sentian chuckled. “Bored and trying to find something to do even if it’s sitting at court with that Tzar fellow.”

Gezelle looked up from her knitting. “But the people are being very good to him. If I read between the lines as well as the rest of you, I picture them catering to his every need and he finds that offensive.”

“Always has,” Cayn laughed.

“Not only offensive but aggravating if I know our Commander. I can just see his scowl if they’re going around calling him “Your Grace” and the like!” Sentian shook his head. “He’d be fit to be tied.”

WINDBELIEVER

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Page 51

“He was formally introduced to their society and was thoroughly embarrassed by all the folderol,” Cayn giggled. “The boy never cared for ‘pomp and circumstance’ as he calls it. I can picture him sitting there squirming in his seat!”

“What of this business about the two sons?” Jamael asked. “It seems to me he thinks rather a lot of them for they remind him of Coron and Dyllon.”

“He wants to get to know them better probably because he misses his little brothers so much,” Roget added.

“And they’re kept busy,” Legion quipped. “They don’t have time for him and he’s a bit lonely.”

“He’s a lot lonely,” Sentian corrected.

“Aye. The lad’s homesick, all right,” Cayn said. “That’s obvious.”

“I don’t doubt the Tzar’s asked him to sit in on the formal meetings and such,” Legion agreed, “but I know Conar--the man abhors formality with a passion. He probably sat in on a few court proceedings for politeness sake like he mentioned, but by now, I would imagine he’s begged off enough times that he isn’t asked any more.” A wicked grin twitched at Legion’s lips.

“Our friend wouldn’t just squirm in his seat, Cayn, he’d fall asleep!”

Jamael tapped a long finger along his nose. “He left us because he just couldn’t deal with Liza and Brelan’s deaths. That much we suspected.”

“And Amber-lea’s,” Roget interjected.

Jamael nodded. “All that on top of Sadie’s treachery and Teal’s disappearance. He must have felt overwhelmed by it all.”

“And we were coddling him,” Gezelle reminded the men.

“Coddling him more than he could tolerate,” Roget agreed with his sister.

“So the Outer Kingdom people offered him a way to get away from all our mothering and he accepted,” Gezelle commented.

“He knew I’d balk at him going to that place.” Legion shook his head. “What did we know of it, anyway? It could have been a trap!”

“Those men thought the sun rose and set in our little brother, Legion,” Jamael disagreed.

“They’d have walked through fire to protect him.”

“Like they stood under freezing water to do,” Sentian said quietly.

“Conar must have seen a ray of light at the end of the tunnel when they offered to take him to their homeland. He would have seen it as a lifesaver,” Cayn added.

“As I understand it,” Roget injected, “he doesn’t plan on writing very often, so he doesn’t want us to worry when he doesn’t.”

“Although he wants to hear from us,” Jamael told his brother.

“Because he’s so lonely over there,” Gezelle whispered.

“But if he’s so damned bored and lonely, with obviously not that much to keep him occupied, why doesn’t he come home?” Roget asked. “How does he plan on spending his time?”

Meggie snorted and drew every eye to her. “You people don’t see it. None of ya, do ya?”

“See what?” Jamael asked the old woman.

“It’s the girl, lad!” Meggie scolded him. “It’s this girl he’s met.” She folded her arms over her ample bosom. “This Marie Catherine is giving our lad a run for his money, she is. He’s attracted to her and she ain’t having none of it. He’s done finally went and found a woman he can’t charm, a woman who don’t want nothing to do with him, and he’s done dug his heels in like most stubborn males’ll do. She ignores him and he’s made up his mind he’s gonna go after her tooth and nail until she pays attention to him.” She grinned. “He can’t be bothered with WINDBELIEVER

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Page 52

writing us ‘cause he’s gonna be needing all his time to court her.”

“Court her?” the others gasped in unison.

“You can’t be serious!” Legion sputtered, his face a dull red wash of color.

Meggie nodded curtly. “As serious as a heartache, lad.” She squinted one fading eye almost closed. “Unless I miss my guess, that boy’s decided he don’t like being lonely and when he finally gets his little tail home, he’s gonna be towing one “fat Outer Kingdom sow” right along behind it!”

WINDBELIEVER

Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Page 53

Nine months, Conar thought as he stared up at the ceiling. He’d been in the Outer Kingdom for nine months. He took a long, deep breath and then let it out very slowly. He blinked, focused, and began to stare at the ceiling again and began once more.

There were nine copper panels above his head, raised panels with some sort of flower--he thought perhaps a lily--etched into the copper. Scrolls of some vine ran among the flowers, encircling it, imprisoning it. The edges of the panels were elaborately scalloped and shone from the candlelight beaming from the large, ornate gold chandelier in the center of the ceiling.