Pendant of Fortune (5 page)

“
They built that big castle up on the hill, and ruled for several hundred years. There were good and bad rulers, but the last one was the worst of all. He was a bobcat, name of Xiffle, and he is, ironically, the most celebrated of the rulers. We still celebrate Ziff Day here in his honor. Well, in the honor of the victorious weasel army that stormed the castle and installed Alfer in his place.”

“
Why isn’t it called Alfer Day?”

Huster nodded to Streak. “Alfer insisted that the entire army should be honored. They spent years organizing and training, and he was just the noble they chose to install in power. Weasels, otters, and minks were the majority of the serfs under the bobcat’s rule at the time and they worked together for the first time to expel the felids from Vellenland. Alfer was proud of the heart his people had shown, and so they decided to name the day for the enemy who had brought their ranks together, so they might always remember the fortitude and unity they had felt; “the entire shaft of the arrow, not just the stone placed at its tip, for without a dependable body and well-placed feathers, and a paw to aim it, the point of the arrow could never find its mark.””

“
I’ve heard that before,” Volle said.

“
It gets repeated a lot. Alfer was a good ruler, and his family has been in power ever since then. They’ve had good and bad rulers, too, but the people are much more tolerant because they’re weasels, like most of us are.”

“
Weren’t there ever any canids or rodents or anything but weasels here?”

“
Weasels settled Vellenland and shared it with the felids from the north until one of the northern clan of pumas took over the country and established felid rule. They’re the ones who built the castle atop the mountain.”

“
Ah,” Volle said. “So Alfer built a new mansion, without all the history of the old.”

“
That’s right. And one more tailored for the rightful lords of Vellenland.”

“
Tailored?” The weasel was grinning back at Volle. “Oh, I think I see.”

Huster nodded. “The buildings are scaled to the proportions of weasels and otters. Don’t worry, a hundred years ago a small suite of guest rooms was added for taller guests, but it’s not nearly enough for the King and all his retinue. Plenty of room for a wolf and fox, though.”

Streak smiled. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

The weasel peered out the window. “Those are the governor’s orchards, by the way.” He pointed at a grove of trees by the roadside. “Private stock is brewed from that. The river’s just over on the other side of the fields. These are some of the best orchards in the country.” He said it with personal pride, as if he tended the fields himself.

“
Helfer always had the best brews,” Volle said.

“
Still does.” Huster waved past the fields. “On the other side of the river are the vineyards. These are very good. The ones down south of Ikling are even better.” He looked the other way. “You can see the governor’s mansion now. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Volle couldn’t keep his tail still. It had been so long since he’d seen Helfer, and he’d thought he never might again. He'd had no closer friend during his six years as a spy—even the people who knew his mission had only talked to him once every two weeks. He’d seen Helfer every day for a morning run through the palace gardens. They’d shared meals, some secrets, and even (occasionally) lovers.

He watched the main gate go by and turned to Huster. The weasel anticipated his question. “The guest suite has its own side entrance. Although the main gate looks pretty big, the main entrance is our size. I was told to bring you around to the side.”

Two foot-servants were there to meet them when the carriage stopped. The first, a pine marten, held the door open while the second, an otter, helped Volle and Streak down. Huster addressed them both by name.

“
Hi, Jereamy, thanks. Roferro, could you get the luggage and bring the guests to the guest suite?” The pine marten nodded. “Lord Vinton, Mister Streak, it’s been a pleasure to meet you. If you need anything while staying here, please let me know.”

“
Thank you for the escort and the history lesson.” Volle smiled and shook Huster’s paw, and Streak did likewise. Volle watched Huster as the weasel strolled into the mansion, then examined the mansion itself while Roferro and their driver pulled the luggage down.

It was a curious structure. He could tell that the guest suite had been added on later. Not only did it look newer than the rest of the building, it was on a slightly different scale. Its roof came up to the middle of the second floor of the surrounding building, which was two stories tall all around and had a small third story in the center. Like the other buildings Volle had seen in the town, the mansion was built of white brick, with a roof of reddish clay tiles and broad, unshuttered windows. A small weasel was shaking sheets out of one of the windows; she spotted Volle and waved cheerfully to him. He raised a paw and waved back.

Roferro hefted Volle’s case onto his back. He stopped in front of the fox and said, “If sahr will follow me.”

Volle nodded and followed the otter along a path of crushed white brick up to a simple staircase, at the head of which the pine marten was holding open a wooden door. The door was strengthened with two crossbars, but it was plain and undecorated. A relief in the keystone of the doorway showed the Vellenland crest, but that was the only marking Volle could see.

Inside, the house was nearly the same temperature as the outside air. It was a little warm for Volle’s taste, but not as warm as the palace in Divalia got in the summer months, he recalled. The floor’s brown and red ceramic tiles were cool to his paws, and the wide hallways allowed him to walk at Streak’s side, while Roferro walked ahead with his case and their driver followed with Streak’s. The hallway grew dimmer as the pine marten closed the doors, but he must have remained on the outside, because when Volle turned his head to look, the hallway was empty.

The faint musteline smell Volle had noticed outside was stronger inside. He thought he detected Helfer’s scent, but there were so many and they were all part of such a strong background that he gave up trying to sort them out. He was even having difficulty finding the scents of the marmot and otter who were walking down the hall with them. Of course he could smell Streak, but the wolf’s scent was so familiar that he couldn’t imagine not being able to detect it if even a trace of it were around.

Frescoes adorned the walls, which were bare of the portraits Volle remembered from the stone walls of the palace in Divalia. They depicted peaceful orchard scenes with weasels working the fields, festive banquets, and a large outdoor festival with all six Houses of the Orthodox Church represented: Mustelids, Canids, Felids, Rodents, Herbivores, and Ursids. Volle had seen the representations in any number of religious portraits, so he recognized them immediately, but in this mural they were not separate. The fox was seated next to the bear and they were playing a game of chess; the bobcat and weasel were sampling a pie, and the mouse and rabbit were preparing to run a race. He admired the detail in the mural, pausing to inspect it several times as they walked down the hall.

Roferro had stopped before the door at the other end of the hallway and was gesturing that they should precede him inside. Streak had gotten a few steps ahead of Volle as the fox perused the frescoes, so he entered first, and Volle stepped quickly in after him.

The spacious room they entered had a soft carpet on the floor, a set of large windows at the far end, and several couches around the walls. A cabinet to Volle’s left was slightly open, and he could see the outlines of bottles inside. Next to that, a windowed cabinet showed off a variety of glassware, neatly arranged in rows so that it was easy to tell that one was missing. And on the right hand side of the room, sitting on a couch, was the reason for both the missing glass and the open cabinet.

“
Hef!”

The weasel was wearing a loose cotton shirt, short leather pants, and a broad smile. He put down the drink he was holding and stood up, walking toward Volle as the fox walked to meet him. They embraced in the middle of the room and nuzzled affectionately.

“
Glad you made it,” Helfer said when they stood apart. “I thought maybe you might not come. Lord Tistunish said he thought you would.”

“
Tish knew what to say to get me here,” Volle said.

Helfer looked at the otter and marmot. “Roferro, why don’t you show this young gentleman where the stables and servants’ quarters are? He looks like he won’t be too uncomfortable in them.”

Roferro, who was the same height as the driver at about four and a half feet, bowed. “Yes, my Lord.” He led the young marmot into the hall and closed the door on his way out.

“
So this building is built for mustelids,” Volle said, still smiling.

Helfer nodded. “Weasels, mostly. We didn’t want to use the big palace because it didn’t reflect who we are. So we built this house, on the hill amidst all the orchards. It’s smaller, more open, and just nicer to be in. To tell you the truth, though, I usually stay in the guest suite when I’m home. I got used to the big rooms at the palace in Divalia, and the smaller rooms feel cramped now.”

“
Sorry to be taking your place,” Streak said.

“
Don’t worry about it. I thought you would be better off here. What did Lord Tistunish say to you?” He looked back at Volle.

“
He said he thought there was a good chance we could win the hearing, and that Lord Fardew came on his own, so Dereath wouldn’t be here.”

Helfer’s ears folded back. “He said that?”

Volle nodded. “Why?”

“
Did he tell you who Lord Fardew is?” Volle’s fur prickled and his own ears flattened. Helfer nodded. “Rallish left a couple months ago. Dereath was appointed to his place.”

“
So that’s what he meant,” Volle hissed. “He knew I’d be much more reluctant to come if Dereath were here.”

“
Probably. That’s one reason I thought you’d be safer here. Dereath’s up at the castle with the King’s party. The only nobles not there are you, and me. I pleaded local responsibilities. Though you know how much I would love to be up there.”

Helfer was trying to cheer him up, Volle knew, but he was still upset at Tish’s deceit. He made an effort to smile. “Yes, I can imagine how it wounds you to be this far from where all that politicking is going on.” Streak was looking puzzled, so he said to the wolf, “Hef hates politics. I’m sure he’d be even happier if he could have figured a way to stay in Divalia for these two weeks.”

“
Ah.” Streak turned to a doorway. “Is this where our bedroom is?”

“
Two rooms in,” Helfer said. “You have a private bathroom and a parlor.” He winked at Volle. “And a closet full of, um, supplies.” As Volle’s ears came up, he grinned. “I told you, I usually stay here. My staff knows what to stock.”

Volle felt his annoyance subside, and he put it aside. He would deal with Tish later. “I would expect they do,” he said. “Do you have a Jackal’s Staff type of place around here too?”

“
Nothing exclusively male, but the Pink Flower in town has some nice males who occasionally get invited up to the palace.”

“
When you’re through with your duty to the lineage?”

Helfer clasped his paws to his chest. “Thank Weasel, I am done with that duty.”

“
Really?”

The weasel nodded. “Burren finally found another female who was ready, and I have a third son now.”

Volle slapped him on the back. “Congratulations! Maybe now your trips home will be more pleasant.”

“
Or at least easier to remember.” They shared a grin. “I’ll introduce you to the cub and proud mother tonight, if you can stay for dinner. I’d introduce you to the other two, but they’re too old to stay quiet and so they’ve been banished to the town for the King's visit. You can stay for dinner?”

“
We’d love to. I think I need to go up to the castle and have a few words with Tish, but that shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

“
And it’s half an hour up there and back,” Helfer said. “I’ll have them prepare dinner in about three hours. Do you want a carriage up to the castle or can you ride?”

“
I’d better not ride, if you have a carriage to spare.”

“
We have some one-horse buggies besides my personal one. I’ll put one at your disposal.”

“
Thanks, Hef.”

Helfer patted his shoulder. “I’ve missed you, Volle. Doing my morning runs all by myself, it’s lonely, you know?”

“
I know. I’m sorry.”

“
Someday you’ll have to sit down and explain it all to me. Or you could just invite me to the hearing.”