Ch 3 An Answer to a Question
In her office Raialla sat and put the thick bundle of papers on the desk before her, she bent down and rummaged through the basket of odds and ends she kept by the desk, there it was. She pulled out the small knife she used for things like this. Turning the bundle around, she found where it was fastened and carefully sliced it open. Soon she found several bundles inside and a letter from Stavinitch, she frowned then read the letter.
Raialla, I enjoyed my stay at your Inn, and the talk that we had about you're having Karsite blood on your Mother's side stayed with me. When I returned to Karse I decided to look up any information I could find on the grandmother you were named for. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what I've found. I have enclosed a genealogy and other papers containing information about your family. I will enjoy talking to you about this when next I return to your lovely Inn.
Sincerely Stavinitch May the Sun lord shine upon you
Raialla wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or scared. She remembered the stories as a young child about her grandmother fleeing Karse so as not to be burned as a witch. She had known things before they happened. One too many times she told what she knew and had to flee.
She had only told Stavinitch about her heritage because he had commented on her Karsite name, and the fact they didn't burn people anymore. Being in Valdemar rather than Karse helped too.
She sat looking at the packets for a short time before sighing and picking the first one up. Not looking at them wouldn't make them go away. She slit it open and pulled out the genealogy chart. Luckily her grandmother had insisted that she and her mother learn her native tongue, both spoken and written.
Stavinitch had been thrilled to have a host who could speak his tongue, it had been useful. This close to the Karsite border they had groups of Karsite come from time to time, when they learned that she spoke their tongue they had taken to stopping at her inn. It helped she made many of her grandmother's recipes, so they had a little taste of home. She had insisted that her servers learn at least the basic spoken Karsite so that they would make their guest more welcome. Most of them didn't protest and some came for lessons in written Karsite.
In fact some of the other business leaders, when they had heard of her lessons, sent their children to learn it as well, now that trade was opening it paid to learn everything you could about new customers.
She looked at the chart frowning, this can't be right, she thought. This was a noble family and her grandmother appeared to be the only one who had children in her generation, the son had died young. It appeared to have happened while he was in the army. She saw her grandmother's name and in a newer ink she saw someone had added her mother and herself. "Oh" she exclaimed. That made it official, especially if a Sun priest was the one writing it in.
As she looked back further, to her shock she saw the family had strong ties of kinship to the royal family in Karse. This was a major family she thought her jaw dropping open as she read. This can't be happening, her grandmother had never mentioned any of this.
With shaking hands she put the genealogy aside and opened the next packet, it contained sketches. ......it was almost like looking into a dark mirror, the woman in the sketch looked much like her but with the dark Karsite coloring. She turned it over and saw a note for her on the back.
Raialla, I had someone sketch some of the paintings of your family, this was your grandmother as a young woman.
She looked at the next sketch, according to the note on the back it was her great uncle, the one who had died. She could see the family resemblance.
She thumbed through the rest fascinated by these people who looked so familiar, but not.
Finally she opened the last packet, it was smaller than the others, It was a copy of the deed to the property and lands of her grandmother's family. To her shock her name had been added to the document. She shook her head in disbelief, she owned property in Karse.
Finally there was another small note from Stavinitch.
Raialla, when your great uncle died and it appeared that your line had died, everything went to the Sun priests. When my research uncovered your heritage, I appealed to the Son of the Sun on your behalf and the property was returned to you. Perhaps in the past this would not have happened, but Solaris has been trying to right the wrongs of the past. I regret that the estate has been somewhat reduced these last fifty years, but I think you will find it substantial nonetheless. Stavinitch
Raialla sat in shock at this news, she had known the money for the Inn had come originally from her grandmother, but she had never imagined this.