Hello guys! I just realized I have been spelling Kunaya wrong (Abeke's cat) so my bad, but anyways enjoy!
Finn continued to save their lives. Rollan, having considerable experience being chased, was fairly certain that the group's escape from Trunswick was thrilling but temporary. After all, he'd seen the smug Earl of Trunswick. More important, he'd seen the Earl of Trunswick's horse. Despite Rollan's testy relationship with his former mount, he was well aware that most people were faster on horseback than on foot.
"So you were more willing to ride a horse than to walk?" Conor said "I thought you hate horses." "I do," Rollan said. "It just…walking was starting to hurt and I rather have a horse nip at me than having my legs hurt."
But the Trunswick guards didn't catch up with them. This was because Finn led them on an untraceable path. Close to Trunswick, he walked them through rivers to keep from leaving scent trails for hounds to track. After they'd put some distance between Trunswick and themselves, he led them into a strange, boulder-filled forest that no horse could enter. Tree branches hung as low as Rollan's waist. The rocks were covered with perpetually damp moss that ripped free if he wasn't careful as he climbed.
"You're never careful" Meilin said "You tripped a lot." "I tripped like three times" Rollan said "Three isn't a lot"
They walked and walked, over stranger and stranger trails. The more foreign the surroundings grew, the more comfortable Finn seemed to become. After he seemed satisfied that their path had been obscured enough, he scratched maps in the dirt with a stick and constructed shortcuts, mumbling to himself as he thought. Which was how Rollan found himself hiking through deceptively friendly-looking green mountains, a rope around his waist connecting him to the next person in line, who also had a rope around their waist to the next person in line, and so on.
"So you don't trip and fall?" Lenori asked
The idea was that if Rollan fell, he'd have a safety catch. Rollan thought it was more likely that if he went down, they were all going down. But he guessed there was some comfort in the promise of company on the way down the mountainside. As they traveled, Finn taught them an ancient Northern Euran method of sending coded messages. "This is how you spell Abeke," Finn explained. He'd tied a mysterious number of knots into a ribbon. It didn't make much sense to Rollan, nor, Rollan noticed with some satisfaction, to Conor (who had been moping about since they left Trunswick anyway).
"Why were you moping?" Olvan said " You kids almost got killed there by Devin Trunswick. Or was it your family? Never mind"
Abeke and Meilin looked on very keenly, however. Finn continued, "You would just tie this ribbon onto the legs of a gilded pigeon from Trunswick and let it go. It will fly back to its home with your message." Rollan couldn't think of anyone at the moment that he would send a message to. Possibly he could just write Dear Mother, thanks for nothing,
"Really?" Meilin said "After all your mother has done for you. Thanks for nothing?" "Well I didn't know at the time!" Rollan said
and send that bird in the general direction of Amaya. They also talked about what Zerif had said about the Bile. At the news that the spirit animal bond could be forced, Conor's face became pensive, but Rollan wondered if it would really be such a bad thing if people could choose what sort of animal they had to live with for the rest of their lives.
As soon as Essix heard this she screeched so loud everyone had to cover their ears.
"Essix!" Rollan shouted "I didn't mean it that way!"
He didn't say it out loud, though. He could tell by the others' faces that it wouldn't be a popular opinion. They hiked for what felt like weeks, although it was really just days. Rollan ate all the interesting food in his pack, and then all the boring food, and had finally started in on the unappealing food. Meanwhile, the landscape grew harsher and more unforgiving. The mountains became more gray and less green, with savage rocks biting up through the grass. The fields that stretched below turned dry gold and purple, beautiful but unsatisfying for any livestock. They passed no towns, no farms, no houses, no people. As the food ran low and the landscape became more bleak, Finn became straighter and stronger. His chin was up and his white hair seemed to mark him as different and special instead of defeated and war-torn. This part of Eura seemed to feed him. It wasn't feeding Rollan, though. He reckoned it was probably time to make peace with the probability of starving to death.
"Way to be positive, Rollan" Conor said
Then, on the day Rollan ate his last piece of jerky, they came to Glengavin. Like Trunswick, it was surrounded by a stone wall, which they could see over from their high vantage point.
"It's just a better form of Trunswick" Rollan said "Oh and more strict. Like "My castle my…" "Ehem" Olvan said "NO SPOILERS!"
Rollan gulped
But that was where the similarities between the cities ended. For all its old-fashioned details, Trunswick had reminded Rollan a lot of the cities in Amaya. Those cities were all skinny streets and crowded buildings, and people using the roads to relieve themselves, and flies collected on top of things that used to be food. Merchants and thieves and drunkards. And bundles of filthy orphans like himself, of course. Cities were full of opportunities, most of them opportunities for bad things to happen to you. And they all sort of looked the same to Rollan. No matter how different a city's architectural flesh was, he could see the bones of desperation underneath. But not Glengavin. In the center was a massive stone building. A fortress, or castle. Or perhaps palace was the best word for it. An older central bit had clearly been built with defense in mind. But the extensive stone wings on either side had clearly been constructed for beauty and luxury. They were studded with stained-glass windows like jewels. Gargoyles and carvings hung from every stone overhang. Deep blue flags flapped from poles and hung beside doors. It was shockingly different from the rugged landscape outside the wall.
"It's cool" Lenori said "But do they tolerate Greencloaks?"
"Am I really awake?" Conor asked. "It looks like a dream." Rumfuss, Rollan just thought. This looked like a place a Great Beast would be. Abeke, the small black cat perched on her shoulders
"Oh yeah" Rollan interrupted "I forgot about Kunaya"
and Uraza standing by her side, just shook her head wordlessly. Meilin and the panda regarded Glengavin pensively. "The gardens remind me of home," she said with uncharacteristic wistfulness. The stone manor was surrounded by acres of manicured plants and crushed gravel paths. Every bush was trimmed into a geometric shape. Every rose was pleasingly groomed. Lavender plants cut into squares led the way to the front entry. The entire thing made Rollan feel a little strange inside. Since he'd become a full-time orphan, he had worked pretty hard to never be impressed by anything — hard to get disappointed that way — but he thought, maybe, he was impressed. Or excited even. Or possibly he was just hungry. "Lady Evelyn said the Lord of Glengavin would welcome us," Conor said dubiously. "Yeah, we saw how well that went back in Trunswick," Rollan replied. "Maybe you could send Essix ahead," Finn suggested. "She might be able to let us know if she thinks something is amiss." Rollan tipped his head back. Essix was sailing around overhead as usual.
"She's probably not gonna listen" Olvan said
Within earshot. Not that that guaranteed she'd comply. Meilin had crossed her arms and turned to stare at him expectantly. Great, he thought. An audience always makes this easier. Really casually, he said, "Hey. Essix." The falcon kept circling. Her head was turned a little bit toward his voice, though. She heard him. But she wasn't going to do anything about it. A little louder, Rollan called, "Essix." Still more circling. Now they were all looking at him. "Problems?" Meilin asked, sweetly sarcastic. "No," Rollan replied. He twirled his hand as if this is how he had meant it to go. "I don't tell her what to do. She doesn't tell me what to do. We have a great bond. Awesome. You know what? I'm going to go check out Glengavin myself." Hiding his annoyance, he ripped loose the knotted rope around his waist and began to slip down the slope toward the wall. He only made it a few feet before Essix cried out and flapped off ahead of him. Finn laughed — a rare sound from him. "Well, you two contrary animals are well matched, aren't you?" "Oh, you know," Rollan said. "We like to keep the relationship fresh." "It seems pretty fresh all right," Meilin murmured. With a wrinkle of his nose, Rollan replied, "I'm going to choose to be the better man here and not say anything about how fresh you and your spirit animal smell."
Conor and Abeke looked at each other, then to Meilin and Rollan, then laughed
"Not funny," Rollan said. "Don't say it" Meilin said " Or else." she held her fist up. Conor smiled wide and said "Cute Reilin." "OK THAT'S IT!" Meilin yelled.
She got up and ran towards Conor. Conor got up and hid behind Olvan.
"KIDS STOP!" Olvan yelled "Conor back to your seat and Meilin stop chasing him and go sit back down!" " Reilin?" Lenori said "What does that even mean?"
"Nothing," Conor and Abeke said at the same time, still laughing.
Meilin actually didn't smell — Rollan suspected girls didn't sweat
"That's not true" Abeke said
— but the panda did have a distinct musky odor. Rather arch, she countered, "Really? That's what you have? Smells bad?"
"You guys are soo funny" Conor said "Forgot about some of your arguments"
"We all could use a bath," Finn cut in. "Hopefully the welcome at Glengavin will be warm enough to afford us such luxuries." It seemed as if that might be a possibility too, because when Essix returned, she looked unconcerned. Reassured, they approached the gate. Over it stretched a plaque that read: THREE UNDENIABLE TRUTHS: LOVE, DEATH, AND THE LAW OF GLENGAVIN, KNOW ALL THREE WELL.
"Not bad laws" Olvan said "Maybe. The law of Glengavin can't wait to hear that"
Rollan felt it wasn't the most inspirational of mottos. Love was all right, he thought, but death wasn't incredibly tempting. It was hard to say which side the Law of Glengavin came down on, but he guessed it probably wasn't the hugging one. The three guards, however, were not just pleasant, but actually excited to see them. After only the briefest of explanations from Finn, the group was brought inside. "We are proud to welcome you to Glengavin," one of the guards said. He had an enormous red beard and equally enormous red eyebrows. Rollan thought that they could all take cover in his facial hair in the event of an emergency. Even more impressive than his beard, however, was his leather armor. It was more intricate than any leatherwork Rollan had ever seen. Every inch was etched with tangled artwork, much like Finn's tattoos. It seemed like the sort of thing that should be displayed on a shelf, not worn every day.
"Well the king is obviously rich then" Lenori said
Both guards also wore tartan kilts and leather sporrans — fancy pouches that hung low around their waists. Short knives rested in scabbards tied at their ankles. War is so pretty here, Rollan thought. He thought again of that plaque over the gate. "We had heard rumors of four heroes," the hairy guard said. "But we'd heard that one of them had summoned a black wildcat." "You heard wrong," Meilin said coldly. "As you can tell, these animals are the Four Fallen." Finn, in a much milder voice, said, "There is much darkness on the move too. Where there are heroes, there are always villains. We'd all be wise to be wary of opportunists." "Oh, aye," agreed the red-bearded guard, quite amiable. He reached to pet the black cat Abeke held. "This isn't a Great Beast." "No," Abeke said. "Her name is Kunaya." "You named her?" demanded Meilin, pressing her hand to her face. "Does she have special powers?" the guard asked.
"Oh yes" Meilin said sarcastically "She is a baby wildcat!"
Meilin made a sour face. "Shedding. Clawing. Being heavy." Abeke merely smiled mysteriously. She was good at that. So was Uraza. Actually, so was the little black cat Kunaya. Smiling mysteriously was a rather feline magical power. Rollan didn't trust cats, but he thought they were all right.
"Do you trust Uraza?" Abeke said. "Yes" Rollan said staring into Uraza's eyes
Better than weasels. A messenger made his way to them, a little out of breath. "Lord MacDonnell is pleased to welcome the heroes! He is throwing a banquet in your honor tonight. Would you like to see your rooms?" The four kids looked at each other, surprised. They couldn't have asked for a more opposite experience from Trunswick. Rollan's stomach growled. Banquet! The messenger mistook their silence. "They are quite nice rooms," he promised quickly. "No comfort is wanting!" "Oh, no," Finn said. "It's just..." Rollan finished, "It's nice to have such a warm welcome." As they were led toward the main castle, Rollan glanced over his shoulder. The plaque about the three truths wasn't visible from this side, but he hadn't forgotten it.
"Weird sign" Lenori said
It was indeed a warm welcome. Rollan and Conor were given a room to share. Though they were from very different backgrounds, both of them were equally stunned by the size of it. And the beds! — great poster beds, with a pillar at each corner supporting a draping fabric ceiling. One for each boy. Most inns in Amaya didn't even have two beds in a room, and when they did, it was only to cram five or six people
"Five or six people?" Meilin said disgusted
— sometimes strangers — into the same space. And there was a private washbasin with soft clothes beside it. Fresh clothing had also been laid near the washbasin, two choices of outfits for each boy. One was a deep green surcoat and kilt that matched the guards.
Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan stared at Conor
"What?" Conor said "I had to. It's polite"
Lenori and Olvan stared at each other confused
The other was a more standard-issue Euran surcoat and leggings. "No way am I wearing that kilt," Rollan observed. Conor touched the tartan wool fabric. "I think it's interesting. Why not?" "Too much like a uniform. You know how I feel about those.
"Oh no" Olvan said he looked at Conor "You didn't." "He did too!" Rollan said dying laughing "He wore it!" "Do you have a picture?" Olvan said, smirking "I want to see it. I can't imagine Conor in a kilt!" "Unfortunately no" Rollan said "But it was hilarious" "Boys" Lenori said
What did you think of that plaque over the gate?" "Er, remind me what it said again?" Conor asked sheepishly, and Rollan remembered with a pang of regret that the boy was not a talented reader. "Something about the Law of Glengavin. Death and hugging." Conor shrugged. "Seems like an orderly place. Makes sense they'd want people to obey the law. Why, are you feeling anything about it?" After the dismal experience of asking Essix to check out Glengavin, Rollan had almost forgotten about her otherworldly powers of observation. It felt like a long time since they'd had a moment of connection. "I just don't like rules," Rollan answered finally. "They're like uniforms." The boys continued poking around in the room. All the furniture was very fancy, and probably expensive, but that impressed Rollan less than the pillows. "Probably one thousand geese were plucked to fill this thing," he told Conor,
"One-thousand" Olvan said "That's a bit much"
burying his face into it. It was a cloud of indistinct perfection. "Two thousand," Conor replied drowsily. Neither boy had had a decent night's sleep since well before Trunswick."Did you see the washbasin? You can get rid of your fresh smell.
"There is nothing wrong about my smell" Conor said "Everyone has a unique smell"
He made a face as he said it so that Rollan knew he was joking about Rollan's comment to Meilin earlier. "Oh, sure, l'Il get right on that. But neither of them did. Instead, they let the pillows suffocate them for a few hours until a messenger woke them for the banquet. They washed and dressed before following another servant. The great hall was as richly decorated as the gardens. A woman in a brilliant dress played a skin-headed drum. A man in a matching tunic played a set of humming bagpipes. A younger teen played a carved wooden harp. The sound beat up the tapestry covered walls. "Look at this place," Conor said to Rollan. "Look at you," Rollan replied. Conor had opted for the kilt.
Rollan started laughing, very hard.
Lenori ignored him and kept reading
Rollan had not. Flushing, Conor said, "It seemed polite." Polite was never really on Rollan's list of priorities. "If we have to make a speedy escape and you have to do it in that skirt, that's all on you," Rollan whispered. As the bagpipes buzzed a merry jig, Meilin and Abeke entered the hall. Both looked startlingly different in the lush green surcoats that had been provided. Meilin in particular looked stunning and odd. It took Rollan a moment to realize that it was because it had been a long time since he'd seen her clean. The two girls joined them.
"I don't get a compliment?" Abeke said smiling
Meilin's eyes lingered on Rollan for a long moment before finding Essix. The falcon perched on an unused torch holder and ran her beak through the feathers on her leg. "Rollan, you look clean," Meilin said. Her gaze still seemed to linger on him a little longer than usual, a fact that didn't bother Rollan a bit. "Hey," Conor protested. "Oh," Meilin added hurriedly, "you do too. The green, uh, brings out your eyes.
"It brings out my eyes?" Conor said. "That's the best you could do?" Lenori said
It's nice to be staying somewhere civilized." "More civilized than I'm used to. Any sign of Rumfuss?" Conor asked. Rollan said, "Yeah, any boars running around the castle?" "Actually," Abeke pointed out, "there is a tapestry with a boar on it in the hall near our room. I think it is Rumfuss. I asked the servant who led us here, and she said he was the boar in the gardens — but nothing more." "Boar in the garden?" Meilin echoed. "She wouldn't say anything more?" "She said it was against the law for servants to carry on with guests." "That's a funny law," Rollan said. "This place seems to have a lot of them," Abeke agreed. "I tried to leave our door open for some air and one of the guards told me that only the lord or the lord's family was allowed to leave their doors open. They said it was a privilege."
"How many dumb laws does the lord have?" Olvan said. "A lot" Rollan said "Over half of them are dumb or don't make sense"
Rollan sniffed indignantly. "That seems stupid." Meilin broke in. "It's exotic. But I'm sure Zhong's customs would seem strange to an outsider as well." "That's true," Abeke agreed. "Nilo is quite different from Eura or Amaya, especially some of the more remote villages. At least it is pleasant here." It was indeed pleasant. Conor asked, "Where's Finn?" "Talking to Lord MacDonnell, I believe," Meilin answered. "The Lord of Glengavin." Rollan's stomach growled loud enough for it to be heard over the music. Abeke looked sympathetic. "Have you seen the food?" Long tables lined the edges of the room. One sat higher than the others on a raised platform. All the chairs were fancy at that higher table, but the fanciest was a goldpainted one,
"You should give us gold chairs Olvan" Rollan said "That would be nice"
like a throne. The other tables were piled with food. There were cakes soaked in sugar syrup and potatoes glazed with butter. Fruit swam in cream. Oatcakes formed teetering stacks. Sausages lay in savory pyramids. Blushing lumps of carrot and rich knobs of beef floated in tureens. None of the many people in the hall had touched the food yet. They all seemed to be waiting for a cue. Finn entered the hall with a big, jolly-looking man — Lord MacDonnell. He had a tidily trimmed dark beard and wide spaced, amused eyes. He wore a kilt and tall wool socks.
"I wasn't the only one wearing a kilt" Conor said
A great tartan sash draped one shoulder and was pinned at his hip with a dagger-shaped brooch. Everything about Lord MacDonnell seemed cheerful. A little too obviously cheerful, perhaps. As a street rat, Rollan had learned that a smile could sometimes hide wicked thoughts better than a sneer. He didn't trust him. He didn't know why. Probably because he didn't trust anybody. In any case, something in Rollan whispered, Maybe not everything about him is jolly. As if confirming this suspicion, Essix swung down suddenly to perch on Rollan's shoulder. Her talons clung tightly to his leather jerkin. Leaning close to him, her beak parted as she made a soft noise in his ear. "I know," he hissed. "I'm watching." But she made another soft noise. And this time, Rollan's vision suddenly clicked into sharper focus. It was as if he had been observing the world in black and white before, and now it was in color. He saw how the servants' postures became more tense now that Lord MacDonnell and Finn had entered the room. He noticed how the musicians hesitated, confirming that they were still wanted.
"Waiting for a sign?" Lenori asked. "Sorry" Rollan said "No spoilers." Olvan gave him a look. "Yes" Rollan said fearfully
He saw how the two children, a boy and a girl, who walked behind MacDonnell were spitting images of him — the lord's children, surely. He noted that there was no Lady MacDonnell in evidence. He noticed the wrinkle between Lord MacDonnell's eyebrows. He saw the dais where the lord was meant to sit with his children and wife, and he noticed that there was a raised seat for the lord of the castle's spirit animal to rest on. And he noticed that seat was covered with dust.
"What did he do to his spirit animal?" Lenori said. "He-" Rollan said. "Don't answer that" Olvan said
It was almost too much to notice all at once. He could see with Essix's great eyes, but he still had to process it with Rollan's less-than-great brain. He staggered a bit. Conor grabbed Rollan's arm (how clearly Rollan could observe even Conor, with his worn shepherd's hands). As Rollan swatted at him in protest, Essix flapped from his shoulder. Immediately everything became ordinary again. The sudden ordinariness was as overpowering as the stunning vision had been. It seemed impossible to go back to seeing things in the usual way after observing the world with Essix's amazing power. If our bond was better, Rollan wondered, is that how I'd see things all the time?
"Uh no" Meilin said
Finn, Lord MacDonnell, and the two children walked up to Rollan and the others. "Welcome! I am Lord MacDonnell, and this is my home!" The man had a big, jolly voice to match his big, jolly body. "Greencloaks are always welcome here. Glengavin is a home to all heroes. Finn murmured a noise of polite gratitude. "This is my son, Culloden," Lord MacDonnell said, gesturing to the boy behind him, "and this is my daughter, Shanna." Both children bowed. Conor, Meilin, and Abeke bowed back, with Rollan quickly chiming in with a sort-of bow-like movement of his own. Finn then introduced the four kids, adding, "The four Great Beasts need no introduction, I'm sure." "No, indeed! Where's your green, lad?" Lord MacDonnell asked as Rollan glanced around, trying to spot where Essix had suddenly gone to. Meilin elbowed Rollan. Lord MacDonnell was talking to him. "Oh, that," Rollan said. "I'm less a member of the Greencloaks and more a member of Let's-Save-Erdas." Lord MacDonnell laughed heartily. "Aren't we all. Aren't we all! Shall we eat?"He clapped his hands. Instantly, every sound in the hall went silent. Conversation stopped. Not a single footstep shuffled on the stone. The musicians' hands slapped to dampen their strings. The quiet was eerie. Then Lord MacDonnell smiled hugely again and clapped once more. The musicians scrambled to play a more stately march as he made his way to the feast. Lord MacDonnell plucked a single grape from a platter. Every eye in the room watched as he dropped it in his mouth. The moment he'd eaten it, conversation buzzed back up again and everyone moved to collect food for themselves.
"I can understand that law" Olvan said "But weird law"
This must be another law. How tense that silence had been. Rollan wondered what the penalty was for finding yourself on the wrong side of the Law of Glengavin. Rollan and Meilin hung back as Finn, Conor, and Abeke helped themselves. "This is weird," Rollan said. " I think it's great," Meilin said. "Look how well-run this is. Most banquets and parties are disasters. This runs like an army. And his children are perfect."
"Disaster banquets aren't bad" Olvan said. "Perfect" Rollan huffed "I felt bad for them"
"Perfect minions," replied Rollan, watching them. The two children followed just behind Lord MacDonnell, nodding when spoken to. "That's respect," Meilin said. "I wouldn't expect you to recognize it."
"Ooh" Conor said. "Don't" Rollan said "Or I'll do it to you." Conor backed off
"Oh, don't pull rank on me now —" started Rollan. He broke off as Lord MacDonnell headed back their way. "Aren't you two going to enjoy the feast?" Lord MacDonnell boomed in a pleasant baritone. "The salmon is divine." "We were just admiring it," Meilin said smoothly. "And also how well your children obey." Rollan was about to open his mouth to point out that he had not been admiring that particular aspect of the night, but Meilin pinched his elbow, out of sight of Lord MacDonnell. Rollan swallowed his words. "Well, my castle, my law!" Lord MacDonnell said with a laugh.
"Your STUPID laws" Rollan said "You forgot a very important adjective"
The image of the perfect guest, Meilin asked him, "Will you tell me more about how you run this banquet?" She was so clever at disguising her true emotions that even Rollan couldn't tell if her interest was manufactured or genuine. She and Lord MacDonnell went to get food together, chatting the entire way. With a frown, Rollan took a single sausage from the very end of the table and ate it, while simultaneously looking for Essix and surveying the banquet. His attention was snagged by the musicians. A singer had joined them and they were singing a song that he knew. It was a street song about the Great Beasts that all the urchins in Concorba could sing in their sleep. The verses went through all the Great Beasts in order, the tune annoyingly monotonous, until by the fifteenth and final Great Beast, most listeners were ready to pummel whoever had decided to start the song in the first place. The musicians played so skillfully, changing up the harmonies in each verse, that Rollan didn't even realize that he had forgotten to be bored until it was over. In fact, it stirred that same strange part in him that the first sight of Glengavin had. This place sure was getting to him. He told the musicians, "Usually I hate that song."
"Why Rollan" Abeke said
"Oh, I'm sorry," the singer said. "But not this time," Rollan finished. "You guys are great." The singer smiled graciously. "Thank you." The teenage harpist piped up, her voice annoyed: "But no one can hear us on the other side of the room. It's too noisy." The musicians and Rollan gazed around the great hall. The arched ceiling should have been a good soundboard for the music, but the thick tapestries on the wall swallowed all sound. "If you were higher," Rollan suggested, "the sound would carry better. Above the tapestries. There?" He pointed to a small, disused balcony. "Oh, but —" started the singer in a small voice. "Probably not," replied the drummer. "Not this time," the harpist added. Rollan was about to comment on their apparent fear of heights when he realized he could see movement on the balcony. It was Essix. At first he thought she was just flapping for a takeoff. But then her wings fluttered even more violently, and he realized she was trapped somehow. It made him feel strangely fluttery himself. Anxious. The musicians' gazes followed Rollan. "Is that Essix?" breathed the harpist. "Yes," Rollan said, a little grim. "And she seems to be trapped. I need to know the way up to that balcony." "Oh, but —" started the singer. "Probably not," replied the drummer. The harpist said, "No. No, you shouldn't go up there."
"Is it a law?" Lenori asked
"I have to," Rollan said. Their attitude toward the balcony was beginning to make him feel a little uneasy, though. "Why, is it unstable?" "No," the singer said. He glanced urgently at Lord MacDonnell, who was engaged in conversation at the raised table at the end of the hall. "No one is supposed to stand higher than the lord of the castle. It's the law." Rollan thought all laws were stupid, but this one was stupider than most. He said, "But | won't be standing. I'm freeing a bird and then coming right down." The musicians conferred among themselves. "No," the harpist said finally. "l'Il go free her. You're a guest. You shouldn't have to risk it." "Risk it?" echoed Rollan. The sight of Essix flapping was making him feel even more uneasy. "She has to be freed! What if she's hurt? If I'm not supposed to be up there, is he going to do it himself?" This made all the musicians glance anxiously at Lord MacDonnell. "l'II just go," the harpist said. Her voice was brave, but her face looked sick. The other musicians placed their hands on her shoulders and nodded. She moved down the wall to a Small door. When she opened it, Rollan saw the steep stairs that led up to the balcony. She disappeared inside. The other musicians muttered, twisting their hands. Rollan didn't get it. The harpist reappeared on the balcony above them. The musicians kept fretting. In just a moment, Essix flapped free of whatever had trapped her on the balcony. It was barely a minute. No time at all. The harpist moved back toward the staircase at the wall. Just then, Lord MacDonnell looked up sharply from his gilded chair. His eyes went right to the balcony. The harpist's face was pale as the moon. Without taking his gaze from her, Lord MacDonnell clapped. Just once. Immediately, all sound ceased. Lord MacDonnell said, "Do my people not know my law?" The hall was quiet. "Scribe, what is the sixteenth rule of the hall?" A squirrelly boy at the end of the raised table spoke up. "No one shall sit higher than the lord of the castle."
"OK!" Olvan boomed "THAT IS THE STUPIDEST LAW I HAVE EVER HEARD. WHO IS THIS GUY!?" "I know right?" Rollan said.
Everyone's eyes were now on the harpist on the elevated balcony. "Oh, my lord, I didn't mean it as a dishonor!" she cried. "l was just trying to —" "My castle," said Lord MacDonnell. "My law." "Please —" "Demoted!" Lord MacDonnell shouted. "You are no longer the court harpist. Ten years in the kitchen, then beg for my forgiveness."
"The punishment's even stupider!" Olvan said "No one's gonna want to serve him anymore."
"My lord," begged the harpist as the guards approached the doorway to the balcony. "That harp was made by my father." "And you will destroy it right now," Lord MacDonnell ordered.
Olvan looked furious
"My lord —" "Did you know my law?" The harpist hung her head. As Rollan's heart charged in his chest, she stood there until guards climbed the stairs to fetch her. Limply, she accompanied them and stood before the harp. "My castle," repeated Lord MacDonnell. "My law." Rollan didn't need Essix's supernatural eyesight to see how much the instrument meant to the harpist.
"What if her father died and the harp was the only memory of him?" Lenori said. "Then that's too bad" Rollan said "because of his STUPID laws." "How did this guy even become rich?" Olvan said
He couldn't bear that she'd known this might happen, and risked it anyway for Essix and him. Swiftly, Rollan stepped in front of the high table, his hands burning with anger and guilt. He held his chin up high. "It was my fault. She climbed there to free Essix for me." Lord MacDonnell raised a dark eyebrow. "Ah, it is the boy who walks by himself." He didn't say anything for a moment, and then he said, "There are three true things in this place: love, death, and the Law of Glengavin. Her punishment remains. But for your bravery in taking responsibility, join me here at the knights' table. Glengavin is a home to heroes and I see that you are becoming one." Rollan gritted his teeth. The last thing he wanted was to accept a reward for his stupidity.
"Oh now he is acting like nothing happened" Olvan said "And rewarding you for having his harpist demoted? Who is this guy?!"
This was all his fault. But Meilin, seated at one of the other tables, found his gaze. Her eyes flashed. It was the visual equivalent of her pinching him before. It meant Just do it! She was probably right. A nobleman who just ruined a girl's life for climbing onto a balcony probably could think of something worse for an orphan who refused to sit at his table. Rollan looked over his shoulder at the slump-shouldered singer. His blood was starting to boil, but he tamped it down. One day, he thought, nobles won't be able to do this to us. But until then, he sat at Lord MacDonnell's right hand, three seats away from him. Directly next to the noble was his son, Culloden, eating quietly. And then was Shanna, making shapes in her potatoes. Then Rollan. In front of them, the guards stood by as the harpist smashed her own harp.
"And to make her destroy it!" Lenori said "Why?!" "She should have just quit" Meilin said "Never work for him again"
Tears ran down her face and the splinters of the instrument cut her hands, but she didn't complain anymore. Then, as she was led away to the kitchen with slumped shoulders and bloody hands, Lord MacDonnell muttered, as if to himself, "My castle. My law."
"What kind of ending is that?!" Olvan shouted. "Ok" Lenori said "Calm down. You should read next"
She handed the book to Olvan
Chapter Eleven. Window