Zara the Wolf (20 page)

"Baronesses don’t walk."

"Being a baroness gives you the choice."

"I hear a lesson in that."

"Are you
a
baroness, or
the
Baroness Shelly?"
I said, realizing I had meant it as something to consider. Normally, I kept my
opinions to myself, but Shelly had made it clear she wanted to hear my
thoughts. Ironically, while they might have been of value to her, they helped
me form my new self. I did not want to stand out as against tradition, but I
did not intend to be one of the pack. Shelly stared at me for a long time.

"You're a good example. You don't dress like a woman or
a man. You have your own style—you are uniquely Zara the Wolf. Maybe I
need a tattoo," she said with a giggle. "You're right. I need to
establish my own unique style, or I'll just be another baron."

"You are unique, Lady Shelly, but right now it's
hidden," I said, knowing it was true. Shelly was unique—inquisitive,
courageous, compassionate, and clever.

"I will probably have to kidnap you." She stared
at me thoughtfully before continuing to dress. A little later, Claire stopped
back.

"Lady Shelly, the earl would like to speak with you if
you are rested."

 
"I assume
he means now."

"Yes, My Lady," Claire said tentatively, probably
not sure of Shelly's reaction, but Shelly smiled and nodded. I followed Shelly
as Claire led us up another flight of stairs and to a wooden door with two men
in Ulia's Blue and gold. The guard knocked, peeked inside, and then pushed the
door open and stood aside for us to enter.

"Earl Gallegos," Shelly gave a small rather than
the more traditional curtsy, which I thought her first step toward establishing
the new Baroness Shelly. "Thank you for your generous hospitality."
She stepped forward and handed him the letters from Duke Wetzel. Ulia was
located in rough country, and Gallegos looked the part. He was short but broad
and muscular with his long auburn hair, full beard and mustache, bushy
eyebrows, and craggy face. And the room reflected that wild-country feel. The
floor had several animal skins as rugs and their stuffed heads hung on the
walls. But the shelves of books indicated the man had a good mind.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Baroness Shelly, and your
companion. The rumors about your exploits vary considerably, everything from
your death to wiping out tribes of savages. I've long admired Duke Wetzel, but
the fact you are standing here raises my opinion of him. It's a dangerous
journey at the best of times, but lately it's an impossible trek what with the
Indians, mercenaries, and … cults roaming the land."

"It has been exciting," Shelly said as she sat
when the earl nodded toward the chairs. I moved back to the wall. She went on
to give a partial account of our trip, mentioning nobility maturations rather
than cults or talented—and our encounter with the troops from Arucci.

"I've heard rumors about Arucci and Monis having
internal troubles. You were lucky to outrun them, or maybe not. The duke seems
to have picked the right two people for the trip."

The talk turned to Shelly and me being captured by the
Indians, being slaves, and escaping. He stopped early to give Shelly time to
get ready for dinner.

"What do you think?" Shelly asked back in the
room.

"He's well informed and knows more than he's saying. I
think he's going to encourage you to tour the castle on the off chance you can
identify what he considers potential troublemakers and we consider Sirens. He's
not stupid, nor gullible."

The dinner that night included more than forty people, but I
noticed a few empty chairs, which might or might not have been normal. The
dinner wasn't quite the excess it was at most of the other castles, and the
presentation tended to be less fancy. Even the after-dinner entertainment was
less elaborate—a knife-throwing act and a magician—although very
good. When the earl stood, I made my way to Shelly, who stood talking to him.

"Earl Gallegos, were there any people missing
tonight?" I asked, wondering who and why. Had they linked Shelly or me
with the missing or dead Sirens? If so, that was very bad.

"Yes, one of my barons and two visiting ladies from
Castra. Would you like to meet them?" he said, looking amused and
confirming my first impression—he knew that either Shelly or I could pick
out the troublemakers.

"If it's not too much trouble, My Lord."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all." He waved to a lieutenant,
who came running over and handed the earl his belt, scabbard, and sword.
"Would you like one, Zara?"

"No, My Lord. But a few guards would be good for your
and Lady Shelly's safety. He nodded to the lieutenant, who looked in the
direction of the door, where four soldiers came running to join us. The earl led
us down a long hallway into another stairway and up to the second floor. Although
it was carpeted and the walls were adored with paintings and tapestries, it was
obvious from the dampness we were in one of the older buildings. The earl
stopped and motioned to the door. The lieutenant knocked twice.

"Lord Meador, Earl Gallegos wishes to speak to
you," he said loudly. A few minutes later, a middle-aged man appeared in a
nightshirt.

"Yes, My Lord?" he asked, looking wide eyed at the
assembled group. When the earl pointed into the room, the lieutenant shoved the
man back in, and then he, the two guards, and the earl followed. Looking into
the room, I could see a beautiful young woman in a short thin nightdress that
did little to hide the shapely body beneath. A blue haze danced around her as
she tried to cloud the minds of the group. I closed my eyes and entered the blue
dimension. Then I created the image of a wolf and charged her. That was enough
for her to lose control of her illusion and a very plain underdeveloped young
girl stood naked for everyone to see.

"Seize her," the earl said after only a moment's
hesitation. "Lieutenant, I want you to find the other woman, the guest
from Castra, and take her into custody. "And you, Lord Meador. What do you
have to say about this … girl?"

"I thought … She looked … " He staggered back to
the bed and sat. "What is she?" he asked, clearly in shock. The earl
looked to me. Fortunately, Shelly saved me from having to answer.

"My Lord, I could use a drink if you would be so
kind," she said, sounding tired. The earl seemed to understand and nodded.

"Lord Meador, you will report to me in an hour. I'd
like to hear more about this girl: how you met, and what she wanted,"
Gallegos said. Meador nodded, still looking to be in shock. We followed the
earl back to his study, where he ordered drinks. After they were served, he
nodded to Shelly. "Well?"

"They are a group of individuals who were trained at the
Trasslat Monastery and then dismissed for insufficient talent to become Monks.
Someone has collected these individuals into a society and has continued their
training over the past several years. We believe they have been building their
organization through robberies until recently. Now they are actively attempting
to take over cities."

"How?"

"Both by playing with your mind—illusions,
thoughts—and by assassination, as they tried in Hipula. We think they
control most of Duke Brodka's dukedom," Shelly said. "We need to keep
this between us, My Lord. Zara can only see them when they are using their
talent. If they stop, we will lose them all. We are going to Kariso next to give
Duke Phipps our findings. It's for the dukes to decide what to do next."

"Was Zara trained at Trasslat?" Gallegos asked.
Shelly gave a short laugh. "No. It seems ten years as a slave and entertainment
for the Ojaza youth are equivalent to Trasslat training."

The earl had many questions and the talk went on late into
the evening. For the next two days, the earl made sure we visited everyone in
the castle on one pretext or another.

"I'm exhausted, but the tour has been interesting. Now
that I have my own land, I'll need to understand how to run a small town and a
castle," Shelly said as we crossed the courtyard, heading for her rooms.

"Lady Shelly," a tall
lieutenant called out as he came running across the yard toward us. As he neared,
he increased his speed and drew his sword. The area turned blue, and I could see
two figures charging me—an armored knight with an axe and a young woman,
sword raised for a killing blow. When the figures were but two steps from
striking, I lunged into the young woman. We collided chest to chest, and her
sword was jarred loose from her hand and clanged to the ground behind me as I
drove my dagger into her heart. For a moment we stood chest to chest, her eyes
staring into mine, wide in shock. Then she collapsed to her knees and to the
ground. Shelly stood frozen, her face pale.

"The missing woman?" she
asked, looking at the dead woman at my feet. I nodded. "How did you
know?"

"I didn't. A warrior's natural
reflexes take over when someone charges with a sword."

"You're bleeding!"

"No, that's her blood. Here’s another
lesson, Lady Shelly. If your opponent has a long weapon, stepping in close makes
the weapon ineffective. Against a short weapon stay back."

"I can do without the live
examples," Shelly said as several guards came running toward us.
"That's the woman the earl has everyone searching for. She attacked me,
and my companion killed her." She turned and began walking toward the
castle. I followed in her wake. Back in the room, she sat with her head in her
hands. "Running a castle has got to be easier than travelling with you."

"You may want to meditate for a
while. It has a calming effect. Afterward, imagine yourself in my place, using
your dagger as I did. I hope it will never be necessary, but as you wisely
pointed out, traveling with me is dangerous."

A few hours later the earl asked to see
us. I let Shelly tell the story from her perspective, answering only specific
questions directed at me. I didn't think I should try and explain what happens in
the blue dimension.

"Are all the Indians as good as
you?" Gallegos asked after he was satisfied he had all the details of the
incident.

"Most are better," I said,
knowing it was true. They could outrun me, were better with bow and arrow, and
stronger with a sword. I just tended to be sneakier and used my knowledge of
them to outwit them.

"I guess that rules out taking
troops into the mountains to wipe them out as so many advise." He laughed.
"My problem is how to tell if another of those talented ones comes to
Ulia?"

"Be suspicious of people you don't
know. Check them out if you can. I haven't tried it, but I suspect a hard blow
somewhere painful might break their control and their illusion would fail for a
few seconds or longer."

The earl laughed. "That's sounds
worth a try."

We left two days later for Kariso, a five-day
trip and the end of the journey. For a true warrior, I'd imagine this would
have been the trip of a lifetime. I had gotten to mingle with the nobility,
prove myself in battle, and earned a reputation that would make me sought
after. But for me it had been a nightmare: I didn't like castles, or
harming—killing—animals or people, or fighting in the blue
dimension. The only bright spot was saving the lives of some good people, and I
enjoyed watching Shelly come into her own.

The five days helped me regain my
balance. I meditated each night with Shelly, had practice matches with Lutz,
Eaton, and many of the guards, and slept under the stars. I was sorry to see
the gates to Kariso on the evening of the fifth day.

We seemed to have been expected,
because we had no trouble at the city gates or at the castle, and in the
courtyard a minister waited with a lieutenant and several servants.

"Welcome to Kariso, Baroness
Shelly. I'm Minister Connar. The duke sends his greetings and looks forward to
meeting you after you've rested and refreshed yourself," a thin elder man
said as she dismounted. "Rooms have been assigned in the duke's wing for
you and nearby for your ladies. Ilea will assist you while you are here."
He scanned the caravan and appeared satisfied that he had everything accounted
for, judging by the small smile. "I understand your companion stays with
you."

"Thank you, Minister. I'm looking
forward to a soft bed and a warm bath. Five days on a horse is five days too
long." She rolled her eyes. "And yes, my companion will stay in my
room."

With that, Ilea stepped forward and
curtsied. She looked only a few years younger than Shelly and had begun to
develop a womanly figure. Her short blonde hair framed a round face with a
sweet smile. The room was a suite with a sitting room and a separate washroom.

"Well, Baroness Shelly, how does
it feel to reach the end of our journey?" I asked. Accepting Wetzel's
assignment had gotten her one step closer to her dream of being a duchess.

"I earned ten years’ experience in
less than one." She laughed. "And I'm a baroness—in two
dukedoms—so I'd say great, although some of that experience I could have
done without."

"Those are probably your most
important experiences, since you will remember them forever and they will shape
who you are more than the others—like being a Sheqn slave."

"What about you?" Shelly
asked.

"I haven’t found what I'm looking
for," I said. "Helping Duke Wetzel and helping to save lives was
satisfying, but killing horses and unarmed men will long haunt me."

"Duke Wetzel will be grateful as I
am. He could help you get what you want."

"The problem is I don't know what
I want or what I'm looking for." I doubted anyone could help. They could
give me money, which would make life a bit easier, but that wouldn't solve my
dilemma. We were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come," Shelly said.

"Lady Shelly, Duke Phipps asks
whether you are up to speaking with him," Ilea said as she peeked around
the partially open door. She looked a bit apprehensive. I couldn't blame her.
Royalty did tend to shoot the messenger since it was easier than shooting the
sender.

"Come in, Ilea. We'll be ready in
a moment and you can show us the way," Shelly said as she checked herself
in the mirror. "Zara?" she asked. When I nodded, she smiled.
"Lead on, Ilea, mustn't keep the duke waiting."

Ilea smiled and led us down the hallway
into another one and down to where two guards stood. When they saw Ilea coming
they opened the door and stood back for us to enter. We entered and each made a
small bow—Shelly's new identity deviating from the normal
curtsy—and handed Phipps the letters from Wetzel plus a third one
addressed specifically to him.

"Please sit, Lady Shelly," he
said as he checked the seal before breaking it and sitting to read it. When I
backed up against the wall, Shelly frowned, looking at the chair next to her.
But the duke hadn't invited me to sit, and I preferred not to upset
royalty—especially dukes.

"Zara, please sit. We have much to
discuss. Ilea, get our guests whatever they want to drink." Phipps nodded
toward the chair next to Shelly. She ordered her normal berryjuice for us both.

"My friend Duke Wetzel is a very
clever man to have chosen you two. You wouldn't have been my choice." He
laughed. "But then, the two teams I sent out this year never returned.
Before you tell me what you found, tell me about yourselves," Phipps said,
smiling and sitting back in his chair with a glass of wine in his hand. Shelly
nodded for me to start.

"The Ojaza raided our village when
I was nine summers old. They killed my parents and made me a slave … " I
tried to give a brief account of my life, but Phipps kept interrupting with
questions. Shelly talked about her life, capture by the Sheqn, and her ransom.

"Zara, do you think we could negotiate
with the local Indians? I think it would be a good idea to send a few nobles
there for a year." He gave a wry grin while looking off as if thinking.
"I suspect the experience only benefits very special people like you and
Lady Shelly. Let's stop for now and get ready for dinner, but I'd like to
continue afterward." He stood, ending further discussion.

"What did you think of Duke Phipps?"
Shelly asked back in the room as she waited for Musa and Sarkis to arrive.

"I can understand he and Duke
Wetzel being friends. They are not men to rush into things, and they are
willing to listen. He wanted to know you and me before he listened to our
report. That will help him interpret what we tell him."

"Interpret?"

"Are we exaggerating when we relate
our encounters, or are our conclusions influenced by our backgrounds, or are we
telling him what he would like to hear?"

"Another lesson." She grinned.
"Just when I thought I had graduated." Before we could continue, her
ladies came through the door. They looked exceptionally happy, probably because
the trip—and most of the danger—were over and they will soon be
returning to Redrock. I listened to the latest castle gossip as Shelly washed
and dressed.

The dinner included close to a hundred
people. Phipps introduced Shelly as a baroness from Calle and me as her
companion and personal security. The dinner was an elaborate affair with
several entertainment acts afterward. I was seated at one of the two tables
connected to the main table and only one chair away. Minister Connar sat to my
left and a Baron Ericksin on my right.

"I'm surprised Lady Shelly chose
to visit places like Jqedit, Budia and Ulia. They are remote and prone to
bandits and Indian raids. It would've been safer to stay close to the
coast," Ericksin said, his gaze traveling between Shelly and me.

"I agree," I said, and had
trouble keeping my face from showing my amusement. He didn't want my agreement;
he wanted to know why, or at least something more about Shelly.

"Rumor has it that you did encounter
trouble along the way," Connar said, joining the discussion. "It was
fortunate Lady Shelly wasn't hurt."

"There were a few minor incidents,
but Duke Wetzel provided well for Lady Shelly's safety." I'd love to know
how they reconciled the rumors they heard with my
minor incidents
. After a while, they gave up trying to get
information about Shelly and our journey out of me. Out of habit, I scanned the
assembled guests, but I didn't see anything suspicious. When the duke and
Shelly rose, I followed her back to the room.

"He wants to meet with us in an
hour. The break is for us to relieve ourselves and change if we wish."
Shelly did change into a less formal dress that was a size larger. Ilea came
for us at the appointed time and walked us to another of the duke's studies.
The room was about the same size as the other but much more intimate—no
desk, just padded over-sized chairs with small tables next to them, shelves of
books, and the walls covered with paintings of all kinds: portraits of people,
landscapes, wars, hunting, and the castle. Drinks were already on the table. In
the corner sat a Cheyo Monk. I bowed deeply. This time I noticed the Cheyo
guard sitting like a statue off in a far corner.
Almost invisible,
I mused.

"Sit, please. I didn't invite the
Honorable Monk to our first meeting, as I wanted to form my own opinion of you.
I found you honest and believe I know you as well as one can understand someone
without walking in their shoes … or being a Cheyo Monk." He smiled.
"But for this session I require my advisor. Zara, I believe the Sirens
were your assignment from Duke Wetzel, so what did you find?" the duke
asked, and sat back and closed his eyes. I did the same, and the room turned
blue and I saw the Monk floating naked in a lake with several water animals
swimming next to him. His legs looked as if they had grown together.

"Welcome, Zara the Wolf. As you
can see, the Cheyo Monks are all deformed in some way. Maybe it makes it easier
to close out the world and find peace. And what you see is the time when we
were happy. You're a contradiction to us. Your strength comes not from your happiest
times but from your hate of the Ojaza, yet I find no hate in you." The
Monk talked and I heard but not with my ears.

"We visited the city of Ayus
first…" I went city by city, describing each incident with a Siren.
Somehow, as I talked about each incident it was replayed in the blue dimension.
The duke didn't interrupt through the entire telling. When I finished, he
opened his eyes.

"Honorable Monk?"

"The Wolf is very strong and
balanced. I'd say strong enough to take on anyone except a Monk. Her real
advantage comes from her real life experience as a warrior, which the Sirens lack."

The duke stared at me for a long time.
"Well, Zara, how do you suggest we go about eliminating the Sirens?"
he said, and closed his eyes, indicating he was willing to wait for an answer.
Having no answer, I closed my eyes and sought a quiet mind. It took a long time
to settle the chaos. When I finally felt at peace, the Monk appeared.

"You're in a difficult position. Royalty
frequently believes that ordering someone to do something will make it happen. If
it does, it's only as they expected; if it doesn't, they punish the individual
for not obeying their orders—whether the orders were unreasonable or the
individual incapable. Duke Phipps is more reasonable than most and not only
looks for a person he believes capable of doing the task but is willing to
provide the resources necessary to be successful." The Monk stroked the
animal floating next to him. "You have little choice. You're a commoner
and have no liege lord to turn to. Not that it matters. Even if Wetzel were
your liege lord, his problem is the same as Phipps's, so he would support
Phipps. Your only other option would be to go into the mountains and join the
Indians, which may seem like a good idea right now." His words were for me
only. We were alone in the blue dimension.

 
"What about you?" I asked the
Monk. "You have far more power than me."

"But I don't have the experience you
have. Even I agree with Phipps—you are the best person available. I
understand you don't want the job, but unfortunately, your wants and desires
don't matter to royalty. They have a need, and you're a commoner and expendable
to them." He laid his head against the animal next to him and said no
more. I agreed.

"I have no idea, Your Grace,"
I said, hoping honesty would somehow help.

"The dukes will give you whatever
support you need, but we need a plan, and you're the best person to develop
one. Don't take too long. Every day we wait gives the Sirens a chance to go on
the offensive," Phipps said, and rose, ending the discussion.
And another day you are at risk
, I
mused. I walked back to Shelly's room in a trance.

"What are you going to do?"
Shelly asked as the door closed behind us.

"The Monk suggests I may want to
seek sanctuary in the mountains with the Indians," I said, realizing it
was a real option. I hated the Ojaza but not every mountain tribe.

"You wouldn't, would you?"

"I believe Duke Wetzel would give
me a choice; Duke Phipps won't."

"But if you don't, the Sirens will
take over."

"Then they will be the royalty.
Nothing will change for the commoners," I said, knowing it was harsh
although true. Shelly folded into a meditation posture on the floor and I
followed. Shelly's ladies came and left when she didn't greet them. The dinner
hour came and went. And the castle noise slowly died as the hour grew late.

"You're right," Shelly said
as the room turned blue. She sat on a bed, books spread everywhere, reading.
She looked up and smiled. "So this is the Monks and Sirens’s world. I like
it—peaceful and relaxing—a good place to think. You could survive
in the mountains; I couldn't. I would miss you."

"It's a harsh life but simple. But
not where I'd fit; I would be running away. The Ojaza called me a slave that
would be a warrior. They had it wrong. I was a woman that wouldn't be a slave.
Now the duke believes I'm a commoner that would be royalty. He's wrong. I don't
want to lead. I'm just a woman that wouldn't be a commoner."