I hope you enjoy. This chapter brings stress to Obi and a few laughs.


CHAPTER 9 Obi Pays a Price

Obi was buried in the trees by the side of the road, changing his clothes. He'd come prepared for this one. When Ilena had listed off the names, he'd recognized one of the two for this place. It was going to be his hardest 'theft'. He frowned, still not sure his plan would work, but hoping it would. It helped that Thayne had some training, even if it was for less than a year. He restraightened everything one more time, hoping it looked alright. It was the best he could do without a mirror. Maybe it could be excused by the fact they were riding, and that tended to muss things up generally.

He walked out of the woods to where Thayne was walking the labored horses to cool them. Thayne whistled as Obi walked up to stow his riding clothes. "That's some fancy get up."

Obi grimaced at him. "They're my official formals." He pulled out another packet of clothing and handed it to Thayne. "Your turn." He nodded his head at the woods, and Thayne trotted off.

Obi had watered the horses and fed them a bit of grain, though not enough to cause stomach troubles, by the time Thayne walked back out. Obi eyed him appraisingly, then straightened a few details. "That'll do." If you can act cool, strict, and stand up straight for a long time...and keep a straight closed face at all times, well...never mind. "Do your best." He stowed Thayne's clothes, then hung the bag containing their clothes up in a tree that he marked with his own special mark. The sword was next. Obi took a sheath out from under his saddle blanket and said, "Trade." While Thayne redid his belt, Obi tossed the old sheath into the woods. Their things were going to be searched. "Now you look like a royal guard for a high and mighty messenger. Let's get going." They mounted, but took it at a slower canter now that they were this close and dressed up.

Thayne grinned at Obi. "You're going as yourself, eh? I hear that's always the best disguise."

Obi shook his head. "No, I'm going as a pain in the ass bribeable messenger. I'm not bribeable, but I need an excuse to talk to both the high and the low at this place. You remember the plan. When I send you to the stables, get the horses ready immediately. Knock out stable hands if you need to. Getting the horses back is the weakest link and we have to have them to run fast enough to get away." Obi stopped, Ilena's teachings coming to mind, along with a back up plan.

They would be expecting them to run hard on their horses. If push came to shove, he should do something unexpected. Like not run at all, or run the opposite direction. He considered the options, found a couple that might work, then decided to keep them all as second possibilities. He really did want to run as fast as possible because he wanted to get to the garrison as soon as possible. The Children would be safe there until pursuit died down, and waiting there for that to happen was already going to add more time than he wanted.

They rode up to yet another mansion. Obi sighed internally. Then relaxed into his role. "Call the house steward out," he ordered Thayne. "When he gets here, tell him Lord Oxley, Messenger of the Regent, is here to pay a call to the Earl Malkin."

Thayne nodded, then pulled in a deep breath and called loudly for the house steward. It took a while for him to appear, probably because they weren't expecting guests, so Obi played the impatient lord and made Thayne call for him again. He could feel eyes on him from windows and around corners. He'd already pasted a thin sneer of impatience on his face when they rode up. When the steward finally showed up, panting slightly from hurrying to the door, Thayne played the serious but slightly bored guard, who just bordered on impatient from having to deal with a slime bag of a Lord and introduced 'Lord Oxley' easily. Obi was impressed. They probably had half a chance now.

He produced his messenger's token in a bored fashion for the steward, slipping his little finger over the part that identified him specifically, then put it away after the steward nodded satisfied. The steward of Salisbury Earldom bowed and sent off the page that was behind him to inform Earl Malkin of his unexpected guest. "If you would please come this way, Lord Oxley." The steward invited them in. Both men slipped off their horses as a middle aged stable hand stepped up by the heads of the horses. They handed him their reins and followed the steward into the house.

The steward showed them into a receiving room, properly apportioned. Obi noted that it was simply decorated, but what was there was quite valuable. Earl Malkin prized value over opulence. And was using his money for something other than trinkets, though that was just what this public room said. He sat in the room's head chair, keeping to his half-bored, half-proud face. Thayne took up a position behind and to the side of him. Good boy. He'd been paying attention at the viscounty Obi had stolen him from. The steward offered him a glass of wine. He accepted it half-heartedly, as merely his due, but as if it was just tolerable, then sipped it. Ah, a reward for the hard work he was going to do...the wine was the same as the trinkets in the room. He allowed his surprised appreciation to leak through just a bit and relaxed into a more accepting pose.

The steward bowed himself out of the room. Obi looked around bored. He really was bored. It happened a lot when he had to deal with nobility. For right now it was wait until their things had been brought into the house and searched.

Earl Malkin walked into the room when Obi was about two-thirds done with his glass of wine - and he'd sipped it slow. He allowed his displeasure to show, a cross scowl that hid nothing of his disdain for this Earl. "Really, Earl Malkin, surely there is nothing so important to be doing in such an out of the way place as this as to have you keep me waiting so long?"

"I apologize, Lord Oxley." The earl said in a smooth bass voice. He was a seasoned veteran, likely in his late fifties, early sixties, and his bulk was honed muscle, Obi was sure. "What may I do for you so late in the day and far away from the castle?" Here was an opponent worthy of Obi.

"I'm sorry to have to impose on you tonight," he didn't sound sorry, "but when I learned that the only places to rest on this stretch of the road were the garrison and the rowdy inn," he allowed himself a slight shudder. "Well, of course the only place to come was to visit Earl Malkin." The earl gave a tight smile and his eyes slit just a bit. Obi swirled the wine and looked at it appreciatively, completely ignoring the fact that the earl was justifiably upset that he hadn't bothered to send notice ahead of time that he was coming. But that oversight could be a benefit as well - it meant it wasn't an official visit. "I was pleasantly surprised to find that the rurality of your location has not affected your ability to appreciate the refined." He sipped the wine again.

He could feel Earl Malkin about to take him down a notch, and looked over the edge of the glass with cold, hard eyes. The earl stopped short, surprised. That wasn't the look of someone who was just a hopeless sop. He recalculated. Obi could see it in his eyes. "I haven't had the opportunity to make your acquaintance before, Lord Oxley." Earl Malkin smoothly sat down in the second most important seat in the room and the steward, who had followed the earl in, poured him a glass of the wine.

Obi held his out for a refill, ignoring the steward. When he'd been topped off, he let it slip to dangle from his hand. Now it was time for the back and forth under-the-surface testing. He took a mental breath and let his eyes narrow to half lidded annoyance. "I was recently called up to Wilant from Wistal. Regent Zen apparently is having troubles getting the lesser lords of Wilant to bow to his assignment and sent the request for assistance to his home castle." He looked up at Earl Malkin without moving anything but his eyeballs, gauging his reaction. He was good. Nothing showed of what he thought...yet. "But, I am sure that is not the case with Earl Malkin, of course," Obi added smoothly, as if he didn't care if it was or not.

The earl sipped at his wine thoughtfully, a look of false concern on his face. "The wilds of Clarines' north are certainly a difficulty for someone used to the refined culture of the capitol. Is the Fountain of Oren still as beautiful as it was?" He was testing to see if Obi had actually come from the capitol. Since he had, it wasn't that hard.

"It is even more beautiful, now that the reconstruction is complete and the new gardens around it are beginning to bloom," he pouted. "I was looking forward to seeing more than just the early spring crocus, but my new assignment pulled me away before the full glory of the spring flowers appeared." Obi was beginning to have a tired tongue. Lords always had to talk too much.

Earl Malkin murmured sympathetically, and Obi took another sip of the wine. It was time to lay down a careful lure. "But even more beautiful are the gardens of Flower Row." He looked away as if into memory...that wasn't hard either, though it was now a more distant memory. "...such beautiful flowers. I have yet to see anything of their like in the harsh north of Wilant, however." He frowned regretfully into his drink, then decided not to taste it yet. He looked up suddenly, as if thinking a sudden thought and caught the look in the earl's eyes before it was smoothed over. He'd caught the lure. He thought he knew now, how to reel in Lord Oxley.

"Well, I hope you're able to at least find a comfortable rest tonight." The earl said comfortingly. "I'll have rooms prepared for you." The steward bowed slightly and stepped out of the room to give the order. "Dinner will be ready shortly. Is there anything I can do to help you in the meantime?"

Obi drank a sip of the wine, then downed the rest of it and set his cup on the table in front of him. "It's been a long ride in the saddle this day. It would be nice if I could stretch my legs a bit before eating."

The earl slowly finished his wine, looking sideways over the brim at Obi, then stood and set his cup down deliberately. "I would be happy to have one of my children show you about the manor, if you like. I have things to do in the meantime, myself."

Obi stood also. "Thank you for your hospitality." This time, he didn't sound the sop. Rather it was the conclusion of a business transaction.

"This way please," The earl led him out of the receiving room and back into the large entry hall, with Thayne following silently. He stopped a household member and asked where Dane was, then sent that servant off to fetch him. "Dane is my second son," Earl Malkin explained. "My eldest, Tairn, is at Castle Wilant in training. My daughter is married to the Marquis duLuke."

"Ah, I see," Obi allowed a slight look of regret to pass quickly across his face, as if he'd hoped the daughter would be coming to escort him. "I have no children of my own." Yet somehow, I can all of a sudden claim just how many? I should ask Ilena when I get back. ...On second thought, that might be too big a blow. I'm not really that old yet. Obi entertained himself on the inside while the outside was as bored as ever.

Presently, a man about Obi's age came quickly around the corner, "Yes, Father?" he said automatically, then stopped short when he saw Obi.

"Ah, Dane, this is Lord Oxley, messenger for Regent Zen. He's recently come to Wilant from Wistal and is affording himself of our hospitality for the night." It was said neutrally enough, but it let Obi know he was still a little ticked at being used. Not that Obi cared.

Obi nodded in a sop-ish sort of way at Dane. "Pleased to meet you, I'm sure," he said a little cooly.

Dane recovered a little slow and his father looked at him reproachfully. "Ah, ah yes, Lord Oxley. Pleased to meet you, likewise."

"Dane, please take Lord Oxley on a tour of the manor to pass the time before the evening meal. I'm sure you can be of help in allowing him to feel our hospitality." The earl was not fond of this child, from the sound of it. The fifth wheel? Obi felt a little bad for the son.

"Yes, father," Dane bowed again to his father, his attitude one of cool obedience. Earl Malkin looked after them, calculatingly, until they turned the corner, then went his own way.

The tour inside was just as boring as any tour would be, but Obi carefully memorized the layout of the manor. He also would interrupt Dane any time it looked like he was about to say the words he wasn't supposed to, since he hadn't been acknowledged yet. And he stayed in character.

Finally Dane asked, nearly in tears of frustration and desperation, "Is there anything else you could care to see, Lord Oxley?"

Obi looked at him, his eyes saying finally!, "A bit of fresh air would be nice. Do you have any gardens? Or is it still too cool here in the north for them to have bloomed as of yet?"

Dane's face took on a more happy look and his eyes said, Oh! Sorry, of course. People are around. "I'm sorry, Lord Oxley, only the early spring blossoms have appeared, but I would be happy to show them to you, if you would like."

Obi waved his hand, "I guess it will have to do. That was all I was able to see in Wistal before I came as well. How much longer before the spring blooms appear here in Wilant?" He asked this question as they were exiting the manor out the back door.

"I believe it should be within a month or less," Dane said leading them around to where there was a small but pleasant garden.

Obi looked around the grounds of the manor, placing the family rooms and the guest rooms on the inside with where the windows exited to the outside. He took a deep breath of the outside air, glad to be there for even a moment. He looked towards the mountains rising with their rocky peaks into the evening sky. "The majesty of the mountains is certainly a thing the south doesn't have," he commented appreciatively. "But the north doesn't have the sea, which in its own way is just as grand."

Dane depreciated. "I haven't seen the sea, so I can't say."

So the father had left the son here when he had been to Wistal. "Does your mother tend to the garden?" he asked Dane.

Dane shook his head. "Mother was from the south and her constitution was never quite suited to the north. She passed when I was eight."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Dane was surprised by the genuineness of Obi's comment. Everything else had been coated with the oil of disingenuity. They'd move through the garden far enough that Obi could now see the placement of the stables in relation to the manor. He crouched down and looked down at a flower at his feet. "Oh! Is this the Olin Maris I've been hearing about?" Obi knew all about it. It was the research Mistress had been working on for nearly three years now.

Dane nodded proudly. "Yes, I was finally able to obtain some seeds from Lyrias last fall after hearing about it. It's been doing well. I am looking forward to seeing the glow…." he trailed off. Obi looked up at him sympathetically, putting his real face on for a brief time. Dane looked at him with serious consideration for a moment, then determination.

Softly Obi said, "Are you Dane Malkin?"

Dane took a breath and a much greater leap of faith than all the rest and said, "I am waiting to hear the words of Father."

"Mother has sent me for you," Obi said with great respect. Then, while Dane collected himself, Obi stood up and brushed himself off fastidiously, allowing his outward actions to continue to be the sop for the benefit of the servants who were likely watching them.

Thayne, who was trying to hide his surprise, had been following behind them silently. Obi turned to him now and said casually, a disinterested look on his face, "Do you have the distance measured and the path calculated?"

Thayne nodded a curt bow. "Yes, Father."

Obi began to lead them around the garden again, pointing now and again at a flower, or looking off into the distance. His words were very different, however. "Dane, this is Thayne. Ah,... you rhyme. ...Can you get to the stables at night without being seen? Can you saddle your own horse? And what is the best time for us to leave tonight?"

Dane did his best to imitate Obi. "Ah, yes, I can do both. Father retires at eleven to his room and his bed at midnight. It's best to wait until an hour later, when the rest of the staff have also retired."

"Will he sit up later or set an additional watch because a stranger has come?" That was already late enough, he really hoped it wouldn't be much more.

Dane pondered that. "If he must sit up to entertain you, he may, but if he's found a distraction for you he won't."

Obi smiled, not a very nice smile. "I've already requested the distraction."

Dane looked at him, his eyes wide. "A...are you really sure?"

"You have a 'Sister' here that needs to come with us as well. It was a convenient way to assure she could be brought out easily. Please, will you assist me with that?"

"Who are you looking for?"

"Freida of Salisbury."

Dane went white.

"Is there a problem?" Obi was concerned. Last minute problems were not his thing for already difficult jobs.

"Ah...ah...well, perhaps. ...Father knows I favor her, and has been being harsh with her. If you pick her, Father will not likely hesitate to let you have her if it looks like it will be hard on me...it's just… Well, you seem to know what you're doing. I'll play along appropriately, and help if I can."

"Really, Dane, if it's something that could endanger us all I need to know to plan how to get us through it."

Dane went as red as he had been white. "I'm afraid...the last time Father was away from the house...I was rather indiscreet. … Freida is pregnant," he said the last in a rush. "I have refused to admit it to Father, that it was me, because that would only cause more problems for Freida," Obi closed his eyes, Give me patience for young lords and their indiscretions, and help the servants of the same…. "...but Father suspects all the same."

"Have you ever considered that he's being hard on her because you won't acknowledge her? That if you would just do it, he wouldn't have to keep testing to see how far he has to take it before you break? That her life would be easier if you'd just own up to it?"

Dane looked at him like he was crazy. "You don't know my father."

"Yeah, that's what they all say. Every last lordling that gets a servant girl pregnant that he likes." Obi put his hand over his eyes. "So, tell me, Dane, why are you one of Mother's Children? Why are you worth risking my life and Thayne's life?"

He looked back at Dane, who was looking very crestfallen and punished. Obi really hadn't seen or heard anything yet to explain why there were problems at this place, or why these people needed to come out. Dane was almost too young to have been a participant in those early antics of the Earl. Dane finally went even redder. He clenched his fist. Then looking into Obi's eyes defiantly, he said, "Freida was my nurse when I was a child, and was the one Father sought comfort with when mother died. He liked her first, as far as needing a replacement woman went. But she was mine from the beginning!"

Obi held up his hand, his eyes very hard. "You're digging your grave even deeper, Dane." Dane stood there with his mouth open in shock. "If you cannot answer appropriately for yourself, I will speak with Freida after dinner tonight and then decide if I will take you away from here or not."

The youthfulness of Dane's face left him and his eyes became as hard as Obi's. "Did you think I would leave with you, with someone who would play with a woman, who would stoop to being self-important?"

Obi stopped and considered. It was true, that when looked at from Dane's perspective, Obi would have had to be tested, and tested hard, given the persona he'd picked. Just because he'd been told Obi was 'Father' and 'Mother' trusted him, didn't mean squat when it came time to actually act on it. "No," Obi admitted. "That was wrong of me. I've picked a part to play, not knowing what I was walking into, but it wasn't a fair part to play in front of you."

"You really don't know what is going on here?" Dane asked.

Obi shook his head. "All I received from Mother was a list of names, where to pick them up from, and the instructions of what to hear and what to say. That was it."

Dane looked at him, just a little flummoxed. "Well...that just isn't fair, is it?" he finally said. "That could get you into quite a lot of trouble."

"You think?" Obi asked sarcastically, though not angrily. "This is the first difficult one for me, and only my fifth to pick up."

"I'm only the fifth?" Obi nodded. "Well. Well, well." Dane seemed pleased by that for some reason.

"If at all possible, I'd like to move along as soon as we can. After you two, there are still four more to go...this round."

"How many more rounds after this one?"

"Two."

"Well, next time, just walk in as you every time. It will make your life easier."

"I knew I'd have to face your father."

Dane looked confused for a minute. "The steward would have gotten you in just fine. You didn't have to face the Earl at all, if you hadn't wanted to."

"Eh?!"

"Ah, right. You don't know. Mother has more than one, or two in our case, Children in each place. We network across all of Wilant, and further. It's just a select few of us who've been told to go with Father. Just knock on the door. Everyone in the Family will recognize you as part of the Family, even if they don't recognize you as Father, or if they aren't supposed to go with you."

Obi sank down to the ground in a crouch and put his hands over his face. He couldn't decide if he was going to kill Ilena or Master first.

"Yeah, it's true most of the time," Thayne corrected Dane, "But in my case he needed to use strategy to get me out of my Viscount's house, and we've just come from that. We were just lucky to run into each other on the road, or it would have been as difficult as he was expecting it to be here."

"Hmm...well I suppose that could be the case," Dane understood. "But you could just go twice then. Once as just you to see if you can get in, then go back as someone else if you can't. Most often, it will just be that easy. On the rare cases it's not, then do it the hard way."

Thayne nodded. "That would work. It's not like it supposed to be hard, after all."

They both grinned down at him. He changed his mind, he'd kill these two first. "So, smart alecks, how do I get out of this one." He crossed his arms over his knees.

"Hmm...," Dane considered. "You want to get all of us out of here as soon as possible, right?" Obi nodded. "If you didn't care about the two of you, you could just spend the night and leave in the morning, just as you've already told Father you would, though you'd have to keep playing sop." His eyes glittered, saying it would be a price Dane thought he should have to pay. "But if you want to leave sooner, just find an excuse and leave whenever. Now that we know you've come, we'll just meet up with you wherever you want us to."

Obi stood up and shook his head. "No can do. First off, Freida's not official yet, and second, it's my duty to see you're all protected. I'm not comfortable with having my eyes off you too long."

"What about the rest? They aren't with you right now." Dane was dubious.

"It's not that. Until I've seen with my own eyes and felt it for myself, that the Children are safely away, I can't let it go."

Dane looked at him closely, then glanced at Thayne, who smiled back his big smile and asked, "Father's just like Mother, no?"

Dane nodded slowly. "It looks like it might be so. ...Well, then, if that's the case, eat dinner with Father, or not, whichever you want. I'll ask the steward to say a message came recalling you to the castle immediately. That gives you the excuse to leave. I'll have Freida meet you on the way back in now. Circle back round behind the stables and wait for us to come out, or wait on the road just out of eyesight of the house. I'll get us out of the house - just after dinner is easiest. We've been setting that up for ages now. No one will think anything of it."

Obi sighed. Dinner would be good, most likely. But he'd have to play the sop...or he could fess up to the Earl, too. "What's your father like?"

"Exactly what he looks like. Mother doesn't want me because of what's going on around here."

"Is he loyal?"

"He plays the game, but he's loyal for the most part."

"Right. Dinner then so we don't have to leave hungry and eat garrison left-overs." Both other men grinned. "And, you don't have to have the steward lie for me."

Dane raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Freida's this way."

They walked to the laundry part of the back of the house. The laundry maids were collecting the clothes that had been hung to dry during the day. They called greetings to Dane and looked at the strangers curiously, but were courteous. Dane walked up to a little patio just near the door and to an old woman in a chair. "Freida, there is someone here would like to say hello." He said it kindly but loudly. Obi took that to mean she was going deaf. He felt his heart freeze. His little play really would have gone very badly. The Earl would have laughed his head off if Obi had asked to have this venerable lady for the night.

Freida looked around. Obi walked up close to her, in case she was also going blind. "Are you Freida of Salisbury?" he tried to be about as loud as Dane had been.

She looked up at him, "What a good looking young man. Have I seen you before?"

Dane touched her shoulder, "Yes, you have Freida. Do you remember what you're supposed to tell him?"

"Oh, you're that young man! Ah, yes...it was...I am waiting to hear the words of Father." Good she wasn't so forgetful yet, but they might be picking her up just barely in time, it looked like.

He bowed to her. "Mother has sent me for you. If you're still willing to come, we'll leave after dinner. I'm sorry to make you ride into the night."

"That's all right, deary. We do it every evening, don't we Dane?"

"Yes, Freida, indeed we do. I'll ask June to help you get ready this time, though, since we won't be coming back for a long time."

"Okay." She reached up and squeezed his hand. "It's nice to meet you again," she said to Obi.

"Likewise," Obi said bowing again, and Dane led them into the house, stopping in the first room to speak briefly with a younger woman about getting Freida prepared for the trip.

In the hall, Obi stopped Dane. "Okay, you seem willing to tell me things I need to know. How is it that all of you recognize me? Even Freida says she was happy to 'see me again', when I don't ever recall seeing her before."

"Mother hasn't told you that yet either?" Obi shook his head. Dane and Thayne looked at each other. They both shook their heads. "Nope. We'll let her tell you. If she hasn't told you yet, it's something she wants to tell you."

"And did she want to tell me about how to find all of you, really? Or just give me a hard time?"

"Ah, that... Well I can't say. Was she going to?"

"For a price. Master wouldn't pay it."

"Well...that would be his fault then, wouldn't it? Her price is always worth paying."

Obi thought about that. It was possible that she was testing Master, and that he'd failed it, or at least was going to learn the lesson, because he, Obi, was going to tell him off for it. "Well, would it be best to come clean to your father now, or as we go into dinner?"

"As we go into dinner. Interrupting his work will make him less willing to listen, but they're about the same time anyway. I was taking us to the dining hall."

"Okay," Obi ran through what his apology was going to be. He hoped to be forgiven. He was getting hungry and the really nice wine from earlier was a hopeful expectation of what was to come.

-o-o-o-

Earl Malkin walked up to Obi and Dane, who were waiting outside the dining room. Thayne was still standing guard nearby. Obi had told him they'd not go too far from what they'd already started, so to stick to guard duty.

"Did you enjoy the tour of the house and grounds?" The earl asked Obi.

"I did, thank you very much," Obi said sincerely. He'd dropped the facade of a spoiled sop. Earl Malkin looked at him directly, wondering what was going on, most likely. "Your son Dane, is a very fine man."

"Thank you, I like to think so," the earl had just a little crinkle at the edges of his eyes.

I wonder how much of the conversation in the garden he was watching? Obi wondered. He took a breath. "Earl Malkin, I am not Lord Oxley, however I would appreciate it if you would continue to use that name for me at this time. I am a messenger of the Regent, as I've said, however, and will produce for you my token if you desire to see it for yourself. I'm also a Knight to the Second Prince." He bowed. "I apologize for testing you today and arriving without prior warning."

"Hooh? It seems a bit early to be giving up on the testing, if that's what it was?" the earl didn't choose to become angry, at least not yet.

"Your son has been very convincing in your stead. It isn't necessary to continue to do so at this time. Nor is it necessary for me to impose upon your hospitality for the night."

"Mmm...and what is it you wish to do, then?" the earl wasn't buying that it was a hit and run visit.

"I'll be imposing on you for the persons of your son, Dane, and your householder Freida. I've been sent to fetch them on behalf of Regent Zen." Both Dane and Thayne reacted to him just saying it outright.

"Hmm...and just when would you like to be taking them away?" the earl narrowed his eyes.

"I am sure it's an imposition, but no later than directly after dinner this night." Obi didn't flinch, though he did feel somewhat bad. He'd had to be like this for Master before.

"Haah…," Earl Malkin turned to Dane. "Is this okay?"

Dane bowed slightly, "Yes, Father." He looked at his father with a little smile playing on his face.

"Are you prepared?" Dane nodded. Earl Malkin turned back to Obi. "Very well. They'll go with you after the dinner meal. You may join us if you like."

Obi bowed again, "Thank you very much. In truth, I should very much like to have a meal at your table rather than yet another one at a barracks."

Earl Malkin smiled. "Indeed. They should really only be stomached when they must be. You're man here may eat in the kitchen with the other servants, if you wish."

"Thank you very much," Obi said for him and Thayne bowed in thanks.

"If you would please," the earl motioned for the younger men to go before him into the dining hall and they all entered.

After they were seated and had begun to eat what was indeed a delicious meal, though not so grand as to be wasteful, the earl casually said to Obi, "Miss Ilena has always been a welcome guest here. Is she well?"

Obi's fork paused on its way to his mouth briefly, then continued. Obi used the chewing time to figure out what to say. "You are aware that at last news, she'd been caught in a landslide that killed Earl College's Lady wife and all her attendants?" He looked at both men, wondering just what it was they did know if they knew Ilena directly, and thought he knew her.

They glanced at each other, then the earl said carefully, "Yes, we had heard that. Very sad news indeed."

Obi left it at that for a moment while he ate another bite of his meal. Dane fidgeting briefly and the earl looked at him forcefully from the corner of his eye. "You're also aware that if she is alive at this time, her life is in danger?"

Dane looked depressed, but the earl said smoothly. "It would certainly be an imposition to press further, then. Perhaps later you may be able to tell us more about what has happened in the case."

"Perhaps. Though it might be possible to understand it yourself should you be able to come to the castle again. After all, the Regent must present any evidence of foul play to the House of Lords, if there is any to be had."

"Mmm, indeed," the earl agreed, eating another bite from his plate, seemingly satisfied.

It looked like Dane decided to trust his father. He ate another bite as well, and the conversation turned to sundry light topics for the remainder of the meal.

After the meal, the earl, followed by the steward, lead them and Thayne out to the front courtyard where the servants had their horses saddled and readied. There was also a carriage. Freida was waiting beside it with a maid. They said their goodbyes to the earl, Freida thanking him for taking care of her, and entered the carriage. Obi and Thayne thanked him for the meal and Obi apologized again for the short notice, and they mounted their horses. Then Dane said his farewells to his father and climbed up into the driver's seat of the carriage. He smiled down at Obi's surprised expression. "This is just what Freida and I have been doing each night for quite some time. This time we'll be going a little farther, is all."

Obi nodded. "Farewell, Earl Malkin. Until we meet again."

The earl lifted his hand in farewell and the little group left the Earldom of Salisbury, stopping to pick up the bag of clothes on the way.

Having to go at the carriage's speed, though Dane did take it as fast as he dared for the older woman's bones, it took until nearly midnight to reach the barracks. While that was late, it was earlier than Obi had hoped of ever reaching it under his original plan. The late-comers were given rooms and quickly went to bed. Obi lay awake until he had the outline of a plan for continuing on, then also slipped into sleep.

In the morning, they all gathered to breakfast at one of the tables in the barrack's dining hall. Everyone introducing themselves all around again, except Obi, who prefered to just let everyone pretend he was still just "Father". He was thinking about Ilena's comment to him the night before he left. Be gentle with them. Most of them are very afraid. Well, he hadn't come across anyone who was afraid. Willing to be cautious, but not afraid. They had to cross north of Earl College's lands next. He need to know how they felt about that. He always felt his nerves tighten up for that stretch. It had been the only thing about coming north he had disliked. They could stop at Osterly garrison at a reasonable hour in the evening and continue on the next day, or continue into the night and make it to Wilant castle town in one long, late night again, stretch. He'd decided to put it to a vote. He didn't really need to push them all hard, and he'd felt bad about pushing Freida hard last night, though she'd fallen asleep in the carriage. He just personally felt some inner push to get everyone 'home' safely.

After he had explained this to everyone following breakfast, they thought about it some, then voiced their opinions. Dane was first. "While it's kind of you to think of Freida, she'll sleep in the carriage whenever she feels like sleeping. As long as I can stay awake to drive it we could continue all the way on to the southern coast and she wouldn't mind. I can do either plan."

Elandra smiled at Obi invitingly. "The longer we can make it the better for me, but that's because I want to keep trying to get you for myself."

"Next," Obi said. Elandra pouted. Obi ignored the pout.

Foster said, "I personally don't care either way, but Thom may be hard to handle if it's a full day and most of a night again. He was in pretty bad shape when we got here in the late evening yesterday." Sallie nodded agreement. Obi looked at Peter. He shrugged. He'd go with Foster and Sallie.

Thayne smiled. "I'll ride with you wherever and whenever you want to go."

Obi nodded a thanks at the underlying sentiment. "Haah. You guys aren't making this easy, are you?" He thought about it for a moment, then suddenly came to a strange realization. Even if his brother had seen any of these people before, he wouldn't remember them, except maybe the tall forester. Perhaps the more pressing problem would be if they all went to the garrison, like he'd originally been planning. It would be stranger than if they all met up again at the small inn at the village. He should probably not be seen with them, though, since the Earl's men knew he'd been with Ilena. Haah, what a problem. Well, one thing at a time then.

"Dane, get you and Freida and the maid on the road as soon as you can. You're the slowest. When you go to the castle, who do you usually stay with in Osterly?"

"If it's a formal visit, the village head, but that's rare. Usually it's the inn."

"Go there, then, and stay the night. The next morning get started towards the castle town. I'll tell you where we're going after we catch up to you that morning. I'll settle with the inn when I get to Osterly."

Dane nodded. "Okay, Father," he winked.

"Foster, you'll take the same group as yesterday and do the same. Stay over in Osterly at the inn. I'll let you know where you'll end up when I meet up with you." Foster nodded and Sallie looked relieved that Thom would have a little bit of a reprieve. Elandra pouted again.

"Elandra, you're rearguard for Foster. Pay attention to the road, especially that section of narrow road Mother was ambushed at. If you think there's an ambush being prepared there again, go take out whoever is putting it together."

Elandra lit up. Work! That was more like it.

Obi looked at Thayne. He wanted to take him with... "Dane, I'm going to assign an honor guard for you and the carriage. It's unlikely you'll actually need it, but having a deterrent in place will make me feel better." Dane nodded. "Thayne, you'll come with me, if you think you can ride as long as I can?"

Thayne crossed his arms and grinned, "Shall we make it a bet or a race?"

Obi laughed. "Neither, now that you've offered. Oh, Dane, you've been to Wilant City before, haven't you?" Dane nodded. "Then where do I go to most easily acquire the rest of the Children?"

Dane grinned. "You're learning. There are about five inns and taverns you can go to and any of them will get them for you."

"The closest to North Road."

"Hmm...That would be the Black Cat. ...I hear it was named after you."

"You're teasing me."

Dane's eyes were smiling. "Maybe, maybe not."

Obi decided to not follow that thread. "Does the inn at Osterly have one of Mother's Children in residence?"

"Yes," this time it was Elandra who answered. "Ask for Misty."

"Thank you, Elandra."

"Glad to be of help!" she said cheerfully.

"Any questions or concerns?" There were none. "Then, if you make it to the Black Cat before I see you again, stop there, okay?" Foster and Dane nodded. "Get yourselves going, then. Be safe and protect yourselves. I don't wish to be badly scolded for leaving you on your own. Ah, but just to be sure, by a show of hands, who is just putting on a front and is actually really terrified inside but refusing to let me know. Because that would make me upset."

Everyone looked at each other, then Peter stood up hesitantly. He bowed to Obi. "Father, I think we wish you to understand that because of the strength of Mother, we've all been able to find our own strengths. Even though I'm the weakest here, besides the very young and very old, even I've found strengths I didn't know I had because Mother helped me see them, and every day that I remember her, I find more strength. Also, we discussed it earlier...in your own way you also give us strength. You're providing for us, though I can only imagine it, what a good father would provide. We'll surely be fine. You may do what you need to do."

"Besides," Elandra leaned on her elbows, "we can all tell that you're really just in a hurry to get back to Mother. That's fine by us, too." She grinned a wicked teasing grin.

"But," interjected Dane quickly, "it would really help us if you'd let us know what her status is. We may not be afraid to travel, but we are very worried about her."

Obi looked at them all. He really wanted to tell them, because for some reason they were starting to feel like family, and family would definitely want to know. "Master won't let it me say it yet. When we arrive at the place prepared for you that will be your home and your place of protective custody until the matter is settled, then I may tell you." They had to be content with that.