Ebudae (20 page)

Pelya went on to tell of rescuing the actor
and then the slaves. She cried when talking about how Master
Blavoci’s guards had been killed, especially the one who had
yielded.

“You acted with honor, Pelya,” the
weaponmaster told her. “But most people in the world do not. Your
sorrow and regret for the death of a man you did not kill shows
great character.”

“Commander Coodmur speaks the truth,” Sir
Imbra stated. “I want you to hold your head high. Do not let the
craven activities of others weigh upon your shoulders.”

Pelya looked to Frath and knew she wanted
his
reassurance. “They’re right. In everything you did, you
acted with bravery, cleverness and compassion. I’m very proud of
you and your actions.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and
kissed the top of her head. “You did everything I would have
done.”

The tears she cried that time had relief in
them and he felt some of the tension leave her. He was beginning to
wonder how many tears the girl could hold. It was rare for her to
show grief.

By the time Pelya finished telling about
releasing the slaves and Sir Imbra rescuing them from the dark
ruins, she was fighting to keep her eyes open. Sir Imbra stood.
“Your daughter is a shining light in this malevolent city, Frath
Jornin. You have my respect and admiration for raising such a
wonderful young woman.” He bowed to him. Frath would have bowed
back, but he didn’t want to anger his ribs. “It is time for the two
of you to get to your beds and sleep. My carriage is at your
disposal. I must get back to the temple. Good day to all of you.”
He tossed a gold piece and a number of coppers. “For the food and
comfort, Innmaster. Please give the coppers to the servers for
their excellent service.”

“Of course, and thank you.” Albert stood and
shook the knight’s hand. When the knight was gone, he escorted the
rest of them out to the carriage. “You take care of yourselves and
come again soon for dinner,” he told Frath and Pelya as they
climbed into the carriage.

Pelya hugged him. “We will, Uncle
Albert.”

They made the trip to the Guard District in
silence with everyone lost in thought. Pelya rested her head on a
pillow she found under the seat to set in her father’s lap and
instantly fell asleep.

Chapter
13

The next evening, Pelya sat in a chair next
to her father’s bed in the Guard’s Healing Hall. It was peaceful,
but she ached from the exertion and stress she had gone through.
She finished chewing a bite of her dinner. “I’m worried about
Ebudae, Daddy. She was exhausted and her grandmother is going to be
miserable to her.”

Frath wiped a hand over his tired face. The
healing had improved his condition a great deal, but he needed more
rest. “I know Lady Pallon doesn’t like children, but she’s not
quite as bad as you make her out to be.”

“You don’t understand. She’s worse. You just
defend her because she’s your friend.”

“Ebudae will be fine. I admit that Lady
Pallon is miserable to her.” He took a sip of the juice off his
nightstand. “There’s something we need to talk about though.”

That piqued Pelya’s curiosity. “Like what
actually happened to you. No one believes you fell down stairs no
matter how much you stick to the story.” It had frustrated the
healers and Captain Zephan, his commanding officer, but there was
no way to prove anything else had happened so they told him to get
better and report to duty as soon as possible.

His expression became firm, indicating that
he wouldn’t tolerate the question from her any further. Pelya
sighed and looked around the room. Healing Hall was magically
cooled and its air purified to protect from the smoggy heat that
suffocated the city. A few patients lay in beds, either injured in
the line of duty or sick. It was mostly quiet with people speaking
in low voices or an occasional moan.

Pelya had spent the previous day and night
sleeping in the bed next to her father’s, while the beds on either
side of them were empty. Most of the healers adored Pelya and
welcomed her presence, especially since she helped them with her
stubborn father.

“I wasn’t going to mention anything, but the
more I think about it, the more I believe you need to be wary,”
Frath said in quiet tones. Pelya turned back to him and met his
gaze. She loved looking into the gemlike purple irises whenever he
would let her. In the past, she had asked if they really were
amethyst, but it was a question he never answered. The facets
glinted in the soft light of Healing Hall as he spoke. “Master
Blavoci is powerful, yes, but he’s also very vindictive. If he or
anyone in his organization figures out who broke into his warehouse
and freed his slaves, whom he considers his property, then he’ll go
after them.”

Pelya remained silent, her lips pursed and
her jaw clenched. The clerk they had left in the office had gotten
a good look at her. In addition, the slaves had thanked her
profusely, each one gazing admiringly at her when they had reached
the Temple of Reanna. It would be easy to figure out that she was
the one who rescued them.

He took her hand and she looked down at the
myriad of scars earned from sparring and fighting with blades. It
shielded and protected hers. She wondered if that would last
forever. “Pelya, my daughter,” his soothing voice wrapped around
her like armor and she looked up at him. “It is true that I still
mourn your mother and will for my life. However, you
must
understand that you mean everything in the world to me and I would
kill or die to keep you safe.” Sincerity lay across a vulnerability
Frath rarely showed to anyone.

“I don’t want you to kill or die,” she
protested in a weak voice. Ever since Glav had murdered the man who
surrendered to her, she couldn’t stop thinking about death. It made
her breathing shallow and her muscles lose strength.

“That’s not what I mean.” It was Frath’s
turn to sigh. He looked around the room as though hoping the words
he wanted were resting in one of the empty beds. “I mean that I
don’t hate you.” He turned back to her. “I think you’re the most
amazing person in the world and I’m sorry you have a purple-eyed
bonehead of a father.”

“You’re not a bonehead!” Pelya protested
loudly, drawing shushing noises from a nearby healer. In a lower
voice, she continued. “You’re the bravest, strongest and best dad
in the world. You scared me when we couldn’t find you and I’m still
scared because whatever hurt you has to be terrible and I’m worried
that
you’re
the one in danger.”

He brushed the concern aside as though it
were nothing. “Those stairs are gone. I destroyed them with my
mighty ribs as I rolled down their length.” The corner of his mouth
lifted in a suppressed grin.

Pelya glared at him for a second before
breaking into giggles. She tried to hold them back, but failed.
They laughed for a few moments, drawing hostile scowls and shushing
from the healers. When the laughter subsided, they were both more
relaxed and Pelya could feel some of the tension gone from her
shoulders and back.

“Seriously though, are you in danger?” Pelya
asked.

His expression was one of reassurance and
his words definite. “I promise that I’m not. Everything is handled
and I’m safe.”

“Alright. I just worry about you,
Daddy.”

“I know. Right now I’m
more
worried
about you, Ebudae and these Carnies you were with.” He took another
sip of the juice and used his fork to push the few remaining scraps
of food around on his plate without showing interest in finishing.
It was a sign he was recovering. “It’s unlikely he’d go after you.
It’s well known that you’re protected by the City Guard.”

“I’m worried about Ebudae more than anyone.
She’s my best friend and the Guard doesn’t protect her.” The
thought of Ebudae being killed, or worse, sold into slavery sent a
chill up her spine.

“Powerful people go out of their way not to
upset Lady Pallon. Master Blavoci won’t touch Ebudae.” Frath
decided one of the scraps looked particularly tasty. He stabbed it
with the fork, put it in his mouth and chewed.

“Why?” It didn’t make any sense to Pelya.
Maybe powerful people knew how nasty the silver-haired woman was
and didn’t want anything to do with her.

“I don’t know,” Frath admitted with a shrug.
“She frightens people. I’ve mentioned that I was her friend a
couple of times when I needed something from a noble or merchant
who wouldn’t give me the time of day.” He leaned toward Pelya and
spoke quietly. “The blood drained from their faces and they took
steps backward. Then they told me what I needed to know.” He
straightened and tossed the fork onto the plate. “Ebudae is
safe.”

“So you think I’m safe and Ebudae is safe,
but what about the Carnies?” Pelya was harboring a great deal of
anger towards them for abandoning her, Ebudae and the slaves, but
didn’t want them to get hurt.

“Do they know who you rescued from that
cell?”

“Yes. He was an actor and they made him sign
over his stage. They were going to ship him away to another country
as a slave once the paperwork was registered.”

“And do they have any way of knowing who his
rescuers are?” Frath wasn’t challenging his daughter or prying, he
was asking important questions in calm tones.

Pelya thought about it. “I think so. His
sister is the one that led us and two of the actors that worked for
him told us he was missing in the first place.” She chewed on a
nail until her father pulled the hand away. He hated the habit.
“One of them died, so they can probably figure it out. Also, one of
the Carnies was a seven-foot tall strong man, so he’s
noticeable.”

“They’re in danger. Do you think your new
friends would rat you and Ebudae out?” He held her hand
supportively while asking the question.

She brought her braid to her mouth and
chewed on that instead. Sometimes, it was hard to remember her
father hated it when she bit her nails and Ebudae hated it when she
chewed on the braid. Pelya removed the braid to speak. “I think
they’ll protect us as long as they’re not in danger. If they
are
in danger, they’ll give in.” She resumed chewing on the
braid.

“Right. That’s a problem.” He shoved the
covers aside and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

Pelya stood and put a hand on his chest.
“What are you doing?”

“I need to go talk to these friends of yours
and keep things from getting out of hand.” Frath would have stood,
but a healer came running.

“You are
not
allowed to leave that
bed,” the healer ordered.

Frath was about to challenge her, but a man
with neat blonde hair and beard came up next to the woman. His
voice was smooth but firm. “I know you’re not thinking of going
anywhere are you, Sergeant Jornin?”

“No, Master Irmin.” The speed with which her
father ducked back under the covers impressed Pelya. Master Irmin
was one of the three people in charge of Healing Hall and had full
authority over anyone who entered. If Frath tried to leave against
orders, Master Irmin would report to his commanding officer, which
would result in heavy disciplinary action.

Master Irmin narrowed his eyes, leaned over
and put a fingertip on Frath’s nose. “If you cause any problems,
I’ll see to it that you don’t get any pudding for dessert. You
don’t want that, do you?”

Frath shook his head.

“That’s what I thought.” Master Irmin turned
his narrowed eyes to Pelya. She stood as still as possible.
Fortunately, he didn’t say anything to her before turning on his
heel and marching off to care for some other unlucky patient.

The female healer also went to care for
someone else, leaving father and daughter to release held breaths.
Pelya sat down. “I’ll go warn them to be careful, Daddy. I can see
if anyone has been poking around too.”

“You are not going there alone,” he
admonished. “And you need to take someone other than Ebudae. Take
someone in the Guard. Even Blavoci will think twice about causing
trouble that way. Bava, Malwy or Herman would be good choices.”

Pelya stood and buckled her sword belt on.
It had been leaning against the wall next to the bed. “I get to
decide who to take. You get better.” Frath narrowed his eyes, but
didn’t argue. She gave him a kiss on the forehead before making her
way out.

***

Privates Grinkin, Florsy and Clutz were
three well-traveled Guardsmen whom most others avoided whenever
possible. They were old, grizzled and gnarly in personality. They
always fought dirty and used words that made hardened sergeants
blush. Pelya loved spending time listening to their stories of
sailing the oceans and visiting other continents. They adored their
young friend and loved regaling her with those bawdy stories. Frath
was good friends with them, but didn’t like his daughter hanging
around them so much.

“Pelya!” Florsy called out to her from the
table in a park outside of the Guard District where the three spent
most of their time playing card games. They were all the worst sort
of cheats and had taught her some of their best tricks. Pelya had
begun to realize over the last few years that just because someone
was in the City Guard didn’t mean they were always honest in their
dealings.

“Hello, Uncle Florsy. I need your help.”

They stood and tucked their gambling
equipment into various pockets. “What is it, lass?” Grinkin asked
in his unusually high-pitched voice. He was stout and bald with a
white mustache. The voice didn’t match anything else about him.

“Some friends I made may be in trouble and
if they are, I might end up in trouble too.” Pelya decided not to
waste time before getting to the point. “Daddy wants me to warn
them, but I’m not allowed to go alone.”