Part 6
"Persha you'll be the one who'll guide Master Jared…or should I say Jared, now that he's one of us, through the guild house." Said Abenander. Persha immediately gave one of those smiles that he loved so much. She quickly took hold of the bard's arm and with a squeak disappeared out of the dining hall with him. Abenander looked towards his sister.
"Are you sure about this Adella? Something doesn't feel right about him."
"Of course I am, brother. You worry too much. I can see that both of them are on the brink of falling in love and both of us know that Persha needs that."
"Well, I hope you're right. The wars are over the horizon and other guilds do resort to other means of winning if you know what I mean." Abenander recognized the name "Suldam" from Adella's silent mouthing.
"Trust me brother. He watched over her like husband over his wife while she was unconscious and she kept speaking his name in her sleep, they're as near love as they can possibly get, I know it."
"I saw more of a vulture waiting for an animal lost in the desert to die rather than a loving husband."
"That is why my dear brother you are a man rather than a woman. The only thing we can do now is watch and wait."
Persha brought Jared to the member's apartments and showed him to his rooms. It was well sized with a canvas bed on one side, a yew wardrobe on the other, a desk with a set of high backed chairs and finally a mirrored washstand at the corner. "So how do you like it?" she asked.
"It's perfect." Answered Jared fingering the drapes hanging down from the canvas bed. "Just perfect."
Persha giggled but quickly clamped both hands over her mouth and made Jared smile. "Well…if you need anything just call for the servants around the hallways."
He nodded and she smiled at him "Well, goodnight then Jared."
"Good night Persha sweet dreams." He smiled back warmly as she closed the door.
Jared continued to smile in spite of himself. The dancer was very pretty and he felt a little sorry that he had to trick her, but it was his job and he was the best at it. But he really did feel sorry which felt strange to him. Jared pushed it out of his mind and quickly stripped out of his shirts and shoes and lay back on the bed. As he closed his eyes the image of Persha appeared and he fell asleep a smile quirking on his lips.
Jared awoke the next morning and found the first of the sun's rays spilling into his room. He got up and saw that his belongings were brought up and put into chests that were placed beside his bed.
He opened the first one and took out a set of his bard's uniform. Leaving the last button on the collar open, he walked out of the room and found Persha waiting outside his room.
"Good morning!" she said giddily
"Good morning to you too Persha. I hope you haven't been waiting too long for me to wake up."
"Not at all, I actually just arrived a few moments before you opened the door."
Jared smiled; Persha really was so pretty and sweet. He held out an arm for her and she took it without hesitation and they walked to the guildhall together.
"So what places in the guild house have you planned for me to see today?" asked Jared
"It's a surprise! But first we have to get to the guildhall; today all the new guild members will get a formal welcome into the guild."
Jared chuckled at the notion, in Suldam; let anybody see any weakness in you and you would end up somebody's manservant the rest of your guild life. You had to fight your way to the top till you were one of the upper members, then everybody lower than you would hate and envy you but wont act against you openly because of fear. On the other hand every body above you would think you a threat to their position and even try to sabotage you if your popularity went up even the slightest. The only thing that really kept Suldam together was fear of Lord Reginald and everybody else's ambition to be one of the top members.
Jared learned early in his life in the guild that if you tried to excel people would bring you down so that's why he turned into Suldam's top saboteur since quitting the guild meant death. Nobody within the guild knew who he was except Lord Reginald and a few choice members and more importantly nobody outside knew who he was either.
"We're here," said Persha releasing Jared's arm and disrupting his train of thought. Jared blinked a few more times to fully push himself back into reality and found them both in front of the great oak doors with the rearing stallion emboss that were much grander than those of the dining hall.
The doors swung open admitting both of them in the room. The room was large and spacious despite the whole guild population currently inside. The ceilings were vaulted and the floor was composed of white and red tiles that formed yet another rearing red stallion that covered the whole expanse.
Abenander was standing on the dais at the end of the room beside him stood Adella stunning as ever, though for some reason she always paled next to Persha in Jared's eyes.
Abenander stepped forward and the room quieted down for respect of the guild master. "It is another year that we keep our honor and our house." Began Abenander followed by cheers and shouts of "Toast for the guild master!" came from the veteran members while the newly recruited meekly stayed quiet. Abenander gave a chuckle before gesturing everyone to settle down again. "We have faced dangers with the odds against us yet we always have prevailed!" another round of cheers went up "The guild wars are upon us again and we face another war with the odds against us for our allies are dwindling as we speak. But I trust my guild…our guild to once again face whatever comes, remain steadfast and forever loyal! If we do this I have no doubt we will have another win on our hands!"
The cheers erupted again and this time louder than ever. Abenander raised his right fist in front of him in a sixty-degree angle from the floor; all the veterans did the same. The new members half raised their hands wondering if they should do the same including Jared. He looked uncertainly at Persha who had her fist already raised; she smiled at him and nodded her head slightly. Jared took it for an okay signal so he raised his fist as well.
Abenander began speaking the pledge of loyalty to the guild and was followed by everybody else.
Forth into war, the cavalry charges
Every weapon I wield is for the honor of the guild
Every weapon I sheathe is for the honor of the guild
If my ally should die I shall take up his sword and fight with his honor
If I should die I trust my ally to take up my sword and fight with my honor
Red Stallions by brand, Red Stallions by heart
Forth into war, the cavalry charges
When the pledge was finished every body cheered again and there were a couple of extra shouts of "For the honor of the Red Stallion!" and "Malacca shall be victorious again!"
Abenander quieted them again with a gesture before he spoke "It is time for us to welcome our new members who shall aid us in our purpose. May I request all the new members to come up to the dais?"
Persha smiled at Jared and whispered in his ear "It'll be okay." Jared smiled back at her, he was sure she didn't mean for him not to be worried about being caught but either way her words soothed him.
While Jared was walking to the dais he pulled out a flask from his pocket and emptied its contents into his mouth. There was an upside to having a guild house stationed in al de baran; they had easy access to all the alchemy products they needed. This particular experimental potion would hide his previous exposure to the Emperium of the Suldam guild so that no interference would be created when he joined Malacca.
He finally reached the dais and together with the other new members lined up in front of the guild master. A knight and a crusader walked unto the dais carrying a gilded golden box that was big enough that it made sense that two of them were needed to carry it.
"Thank you Corvus, Victor." Said Abenander to the Knight and the Crusader who bowed to him in turn. Abenander shifted his attention to the new recruits on the dais and began the guild chant.
Forth into war, the cavalry charges
Every weapon I wield is for the honor of the guild
Every weapon I sheathe is for the honor of the guild
If my ally should die I shall take up his sword and fight with his honor
If I should die I trust my ally to take up my sword and fight with my honor
Red Stallions by brand, Red Stallions by heart
Forth into war, the cavalry charges
As Jared absentmindedly repeated after Abenander he knew that his assignment had truly begun now but once again his eyes drifted to the crowd in search of Persha. He found her right up front smiling broadly at him as he took the pledge and he was struck with an emotion that was most dangerous for saboteur guilt; or maybe love.