A/N— Please read and review. Thank you. I hope you enjoy. I've been getting some pretty helpful reviews. Here's another short chapter but this one is packed full with information. (And edited again. Each time I read through, I miss at least a few typos. If anyone finds them, let me know.)
City of the Gods, Tortall
Early summer, 458 H.E.
Jasson chewed on his fingernails, a habit he thought he'd broken. George sat at the table, his head in his hands. Liam lounged by the hearth, trying to look unconcerned. Gerry reached over and gently pulled Jasson's hand away from his mouth. "There'll by none of that now, lad." He said softly. Jasson swallowed thickly and nodded, tucking his hands between his back and the chair. The door to Lianne's room opened and Mady came out, brushing her hands on her apron. George jumped to his feet and Jasson stumbled to his.
"It's the flu for sure." Mady said solemnly. "The Daghers' sons came down with it a few days ago."
"Is there anything you can do?" Jasson asked, his voice barely coming out.
"Not much, but she's a strong lass; she might pull through on her own."
George cleared his throat. "Can I see her?"
Mady nodded. "You can, but the lads should stay clear." George followed Mady back into Lianne's room and closed the door. Jasson collapsed into his chair and tilted his head back. He took two deep breaths then scrambled to his feet and ran. He heard Gerry call after him as he bolted through the door but didn't listen. He ran up the road—up the mountain—filling his lungs with the clear mountain air and lengthening his stride, emptying his mind and opening it to the mountain around him.
Memories flashed through his consciousness. Their first meeting with Gerry, George telling him about his parents, the girl in Port Caynn. The memories got older as his legs, separate from his mind, carried him up the mountain. The very first time he saw the City of the Gods, Port Legann, Persopolis, little towns and cities throughout Tortall. Things George had taught him—dagger fighting and thievery—and the first time he was successful at either. He raced further and his mind went back to the memories that sometimes woke him up on lazy summer nights. Stairs loomed in front of him and he was racing another boy, older, with much longer legs and an unfair advantage. The boy stayed level with Jasson as they ran until, with a mischievous smile, he dashed away. "Roald!" Jasson yelled, jarring his mind out of its memories and back to the present.
He slid to a halt, gasping for breath. Roald. Roald used to love running, and Jasson had always tried to follow him. Jasson sat down hard in the road, his whole body shaking. He tipped his head back and screamed at the sky, fury coursing through him. He was tired of not knowing, tired of being poor, and tired of the Gennature. He screamed until his voice was gone then just collapsed, lying on his back in the road.
Jasson trudged back to the clearing at dusk. George was waiting for him outside the house, a ragged coat draped around his thin frame. "You doin' ok, lad?"
Jasson stopped by George on the porch and shook his head. "Did I have a brother, cousin, someone besides Liam and Lianne?"
"You rememberin' things Jasson?"
"Not really."
"You had an older brother."
"Roald." Jasson interrupted. "We were going t'leave." George said nothing, not sure what Jasson was talking about. "You'd said Port Legann."
"We'll still be leavin' soon."
"Why?" Jasson demanded. "Why can't we stay here or anywhere? Why do you drag us all over the land?"
"Because that's how things have to be right now."
Jasson fixed wide eyes on George, waiting for something more, but George didn't say anything. Jasson shook his head. "Not good enough." He said, turning his back on George and walking inside.
"Jasson." George called, but Jasson ignored him and closed the door. Gerry and Mady were sitting at the table. Jasson walked past them and climbed up the ladder to his room. Not closing the trap door, he perched on the edge of the floor.
"What was that about?" That was Gerry's low rumble.
"Just a little discontent, I hope." George answered. "I'm afraid you've been too good of friends to us. Jasson doesn't want t'leave, and now I don't know what else to do."
"Our offer for Lianne to stay with us still stands, of course." Mady added.
"I couldn't leave her here." George said. "It's too dangerous for you and her."
"May we ask why? Are you in trouble with the law, George?" Gerry asked.
A long sigh followed that Jasson recognized as George's then everything was quiet for awhile. "Somethin' like that." Jasson could hear George's smile in his voice.
"Well, it must be for more then thievery if you're worried about Lianne gettin' hurt by stayin' here." Mady said.
"Much more. It's for being born, and it's the kids, not me, who are in trouble." There was a sharp intake of breath when George said this; Jasson couldn't tell from whom. "You see, those kids are three of the most precious things left in Tortall."
"How so?" Mady sounded confused and breathless. Jasson had to consciously keep his breathing slow and steady.
"They are heirs to the Conté throne, every one of them." Jasson could feel the heavy silence in the room below him. He dared not move, though his mind was whirling.
"But all the Contés were killed in the Conquering 'cept for the queen." Gerry said finally.
"The Gennature king said that, didn't he? I assure you, however, at least the three youngest lived as well. I was with them when Corus fell, and we were on our way to Treabond, not in the capital. We got there, too, but the place was swarming with Gennature. That's when I decided it would be best to lay low for a while. My plan was to just stay in Port Caynn for a few years until I could contact Thayet or someone else." George paused.
"What happened?" Mady prodded.
"Well, Numair had put a spell on all five children that would hide them from the notice of strangers who wished them harm, but after a year in Port Caynn the people we were around often started to notice things. The longer we stayed, the more people began to comment on their likeness to the dead royal family, how their ages and coloring were just like the princes and princess."
"No matter all that, we'd like her to stay with us." Gerry interrupted. "You're right that you and the lads should be on yer way, but the lass can't travel."
"We don't get many visitors even in summer. No one will learn to recognize her—that we'll promise." Mady added.
Jasson pulled his legs up into the room and went to the window without making a sound. Outside the clouds were breaking up and stars were beginning to show through. Jasson curled up in a tight ball on the window ledge and stared, unseeing, out at the mountains.