How does Kally need this story?
Well, it won't be for any obvious reasons. After all, the book isn't a guide to "How to rid yourself of nobles" or anything like that. I guess, this book is supposed to do what every book is supposed to do. Entertain. Teach. Provoke. Expand minds. Effect changes. All that good stuff.
Why is General Aleyn delaying the execution of Axe and Danel (versus to being executed the very next day after being caught)? Wouldn't it make more sense to be done with it?
Well, I was going to mention this later, but it'll be clearer just to tell you about it now. It's a matter of pride. General Aleyn knows the dangers of delaying the execution: the last member may attack the castle; try to retrieve companions; etc. He wants that to happen. He is disappointed about only catching two, he great desires to capture the last member. And, since he knows he has something of value to the last member (Axe and Danel), he knows that Lauryn will come for them. And that'll give him his chance to try to capture her. He believes he can face any challenge that may be made. (after all, why not? He has money, soldiers, the castle. And it's usually easier to defend than to attack.)
Will the women be allowed to fight?
Well, I highly doubt that Lauryn will bar any women from fighting when they are willing to volunteer (as long as they don't hinder the necessary)
Can't General Aleyn get wind of Lauryn's plan this way?
Indeed, he can. If he has spies set up to live in random villages, if his spies can travel with word quickly enough, if the commoners are willing to trade their knowledge to the nobles for money, sure.
Why were there rumors that Lauryn was a girl?
Well, the identities of the members of Nobles' Bane has always been a mystery. Mystery results in talk, rumors. And Lauryn never was consistent with trying to hide her gender (eg- occasionally she'd try to disguise her voice), so, of course, there was speculation.
How could Travis be faking if he knew the rest of the song that only Lauryn's family knew?
Well, Travis does indeed seem to be (and is) Travis, Lauryn's younger brother. But his knowing the song doesn't say a thing about where his loyalties lie. He may just be using his past as a way to set Lauryn up. Decide from his actions whether or not he is a traitor. (and if he was, wouldn't Lauryn have discovered that by now through her pin? Eh?)
Is Danel going to end up with anyone?
Sadly, it doesn't appear that way. And I'd sort of dislike introducing a new main character when we're so far into the story. (I hate when that happens! A random girl shows up in the middle of a book I'm reading and nabs the highly desirable main guy! I mean…ugh… where the hell did she come from? And why does she get him? I sort of feel that way about Thayet actually, and I don't even like Jonathan that much.)
A.N.: Ooh, so the new Harry Potter book is out after a three years wait. I turned on the TV Friday night and bam I was hit with Harry Potter this, J.K. Rowling that. Insanity, isn't it? And I haven't even read any of the books (that's what the summer is for), but I have seen the movies. I really need to see what the madness is all about. (A man allegedly selling fifty pages of the manuscript which he somehow stole, Rowling getting mobbed while at the supermarket with a box of Tampax in her hand, already being number one on Amazon when it hasn't even been out for more than a few days…). Yes, and I've just realized that this authors' note has nothing to do with my fic… Well, I'll change that with a warning: The first …half (?) of the chapter starts off with modern day Kalasin, who has just arrived in Carthak. You get to meet a new character (heh) and, as you can see from the title… well, the title speaks for itself.
23. First Death
Kalasin
The racket was tremendous. Kalasin wasn't going to be surprised if Daine told her that every single animal present in Carthak had arrived at the docks to greet her.
She was slightly envious of Daine. To be welcomed the way she was everywhere she went.
"You look wonderful, Kally," Daine said.
Kalasin gave a delicate shrug. She knew that she looked appealing: the azure colored dress matched her eyes and emphasized on her slender figure. After all, it wouldn't do for her husband to think her ugly the first time he laid eyes on her.
Hah.
"Stay out of the water," Daine said laughingly. "I remember the first time I came to Carthak: I ruined my attire by jumping into the river to save Zek. Not the best way to make a good first impression."
Kalasin laughed and shook her head. Jumping into the water to save Zek and ruining her clothes sounded exactly like something that Daine would do. Like that time when Mother had rushed to a troubled Rider group's call, ruining an immensely expensive dress that Father had gotten for her.
"Welcome to Carthak," Daine said as she led Kalasin and her entourage down the platform that led them onto the dock. "The only country in which the men wear more jewelry than the women."
Several men waited for them down on the dock, bowing to Kalasin and her companions. They motioned for them to follow, and accompanied them to a pavilion that had been set up on the center of the shore. Kalasin's nose was hit with a wave of enchanting smells that emanated from the various plants that hung off and around the pavilion.
"Daine?"
Kalasin watched as Daine crossed the pavilion towards the man on the other side. "Kaddar." She smiled warmly as she greeted him. "It has been a long time."
"Yes, you look well."
"Considering how long I've just been cooped up on a ship, I'll take that as a compliment," Daine replied as Kaddar laughed pleasantly.
Daine suddenly turned to Kalasin and motioned for her to step forward.
Kaddar's dark eyes lit on her, and he smiled. "And you must be Princess Kalasin." He bent into a deep bow while she fell into a respective curtsy. "Pleased to be of acquaintance."
They were going to be expected to be more than acquaintances.
As he straightened, she took a moment to study the young emperor. He was dark, but not as dark as some of the others she had seen here. His eyelashes were incredibly long, a feature that would have been envied by another Tortallan lady. He wore a calf-length tunic of silk, something that looked a lot more comfortable than what she was dressed in. There were glints of gold from the rings in either ear, and jewels flared over his fingers where they were embedded into rings of gold and silver.
Daine was right about the jewelry.
She and her entourage were led to Kaddar's palace. While Daine murmured about how excited she was to see the place Kaddar built to serve as his home, Kalasin studied the land around her.
She had known it was going to be different, but not this different.
The tangy smell of swamp water clung to her skin. The weather was warmer and wetter here, causing her hair to stick to her neck. The trees looked different, from the leaves they boasted to the bark that covered their trunks. The flowers here had more color, so much more color than they ever had in Tortall.
When they reached Kaddar's palace, she couldn't help but stop and stare.
Where her parents' castle was designed to tower high into the sky, Kaddar's palace was set on closely to the ground, with no more than two floors at any point. Where in Tortall the walls were made up cold, gray, unyielding stone, the walls here looked vibrant and alive. Instead of windows, there were delicately designed screens. Lanterns were suspended at certain points along the walls, throwing mischievous shadows against the path.
"What do you think?"
She suddenly realized that she was standing outside with only Kaddar at her side. The others had been ushered inside without her realizing.
"It's beautiful," she said. But she only allowed Kaddar to bask in pride for a short moment.
"How many slaves did it take to build this extravagant home of yours?"
He froze, dark eyes becoming even darker than they were. Then, he straightened and gave her a cool, formal bow. "None, lady. By the time I started building my home, I had made sure that all slaves had received their independence."
He inclined his head politely, turned on his heel, and motioned for a servant to guide her to her room.
"If you'll excuse me, there is some business that I must attend to."
She stared at his retreating back, feeling uncertain about who left this conversation as the victor.
~*~*~
She had just settled into her room, when the door flew open.
A young woman stood there, gaping at her.
"You're that princess from Tortall," she said. The woman was about her own age, with long, straight black hair and big, exotic eyes that Kalasin thought alluring.
And strangely enough, Kalasin wasn't angered or irritated by this unusual interruption. "So, it does appear that I am," she said a tad dryly.
The young woman dropped into a quick, almost graceless curtsy. "I'm Riyanna. I'm to be your servant. Would you like some help undoing your hair?"
Kalasin nodded. "Yes, please."
Riyanna started to pull at the pins in her hair. "What is it like in Tortall?"
Kalasin hesitated. "It's home," she finally said. "And I miss it."
"Well," Riyanna said in reponse, "give Carthak some time. It could be your home too."
Kalasin wasn't feeling that generous.
Riyanna took a step back once she was finished with Kalasin's hair. "Do you want me to stay to help you loosen your bodice?"
Kalasin shook her head. "I'll do it myself." It was a clear dismissal.
But Riyanna didn't leave.
"What's this?"
Kalasin, sitting on the seat in front of her gilded dresser, turned her head over her shoulder.
Riyanna leaned over her bed, holding a book in one of her hands and looking at the cover curiously.
A book. Her book.
Kalasin immediately got to her feet. "Don't touch that. It's mine." Her voice was sterner than she had wanted it to be.
Riyanna blinked and glanced at her with some surprise. Then she shrugged and let the book drop back on to the bed.
"Dinner will be in a couple hours. I'll be back then to accompany you," the young woman said.
Kalasin nodded her understanding, and Riyanna turned to go.
But the servant paused in the doorway and glanced back at her for a moment. "You might want to be more careful with where you put that book. With a pink cover like that one, it's doubtlessly going to attract someone's curiosity."
Nobles' Bane: Chapter 21
There were so many flaws with their plan that Lauryn had finally just stopped trying to think about it.
But she wasn't entirely successful.
She still remembered the look that Caleb, the village head's grandson and also the first to volunteer his service, had had when she had informed him of the plan.
Flashback:
"Prepare yourselves and arrive in Corus at least a week before the planned date of the execution with whatever weapons you can find."
Caleb frowned and looked at her quizzically. "And then what?"
"And then… We'll tell you the next step of the plan."
"But how will you find us? Corus is not a small town."
"We'll just…"
"Just what?"
"I don't know, Caleb. I don't know."
"Lauryn?"
She jerked in her saddle and glanced up.
Kenric chose not to say anything about her obviously distracted state. "Look," he said instead, pointing.
A cart holding two visible figures sat a little father up on the road towards their next village.
"What are they doing?"
"It looks like they're waiting. For us." Nathan frowned.
Kenric nodded grimly. "Let's go see what they want."
They rode ahead, barely hesitating when a female called out, "Lady Jade!" The two persons scrambled out of their cart and stood beside it, waiting. And they bowed at Lauryn when she approached.
"Lady Jade," the young woman said, "it's an honor to meet you."
Lauryn raised an eyebrow. "I hope we haven't kept you waiting for us too long," she said dryly.
The girl looked as if she were about to speak again, but the man at her side poked her in the arm.
"No, we haven't been waiting for too long. My name is Jessup. This is my sister Cecil. Our village sent us out here to wait not even an hour ago."
"You knew we were coming?" Nathan asked pointedly.
"Yep," Cecil nodded proudly. "Caleb told me so after you left his village."
"Caleb… told you?" Lauryn echoed.
Jessup look disgruntled. "My sister and Caleb are… friends. And seeing as how they both have a touch of the Gift, they keep in contact by using a mirror." He didn't sound entirely happy about it either.
"I see."
"It quickly became known throughout our village of your… request for aid. We've been sent out here to inform you: we have eleven men willing to join you."
"Eleven men and one female," Cecil quickly added.
Jessup turned to frown at his sister. "No."
Cecil lifted her chin stubbornly. "Yes."
Lauryn saw Nathan sigh and shake his head. Arguments were obviously a frequent event between these two siblings.
"Well, I--"
Surprise and panic suddenly exploded in her mind. Lauryn tottered in her saddle reaching out blindly for some kind of hold. Just when she had settled herself on top of her agitated and worried horse, she was suddenly doused in a wave of red hot anger. And then she heard the call.
Clarine!
She heard someone gasp beside her and glanced up to see Kenric wavering in his saddle, his face pale.
She grit her teeth and sent out her own response. "Control it, Travis! Calm down!"
Anger, panic, fear, and uncertainty rolled over her until she thought her mind was going to go numb. She shivered and held desperately to her seat.
"Travis, please!"
Gradually, the emotions that weren't her own dwindled and let her be.
"What has happened?"
Lauryn. Travis' voice sounded entirely exhausted. She listened to his brief message and gathered herself before turning to Nathan.
His pale blue eyes were fixed on her and Kenric, obviously puzzled about their strange behavior.
Kenric was shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Nathan," he said, voice weak.
Nathan glanced at Kenric, but then turned to her. "Sorry about what? What's happened?"
She had to try twice before she could speak. "Clarine-- she's--"
The blood slowly drained out of Nathan's face, and his eyes were picking up an edge of panic. "What? What's wrong with her?"
"She's dead, Nathan. She's been killed."
"No!"
Nathan wheeled his horse about and started to ride away in a gallop.
She quickly followed, and so did Kenric, after murmuring a farewell to Cecil and her brother.
Nathan's wife is dead, Lauryn. I learned too late from one of my men that General Aleyn had ordered the home and any of its inhabitants destroyed.
And that's not the only thing that the General ordered. He's also ordered that the date of execution for the two members of Nobles' Bane be moved. Now, instead of in a month as planned, it'll occur in two weeks.