Those Who Fear the Darkness (BloodRunes: Book 2) (14 page)

They had set out a circle of flowers like the
one that had been arranged back home, and there were several large
royal tents set up in preparation for her. Three ancient old men
stood before her, looking rather dumbfounded at her sudden
appearance, and she rewarded them with a beaming smile.

One of them regained his wits before the
other two and he addressed her. “Welcome, First Advisor, and
Emissary for Gelendan. We welcome you to Bakersfield on behalf of
all of Treymayne.” Jezebel nodded her acceptance to him.

She had found it annoying that she would have
to be transported all the way to Treymayne only to then have to
travel to the capital of Endlyfta by foot, but Nathair had insisted
that it would have been bad manners to pop her directly into their
audience hall. Jezebel thought it would have been proper for her to
show how strong she was to be able to appear right in their midst.
But no matter, I am here now
.

The man went on diplomatically. “You honor us
with your presence. I am Lord Masterson; this is Baron Thebius,” he
gestured to the other two men in turn, “and Lord Sumners. We form
the current Triumvirate of the Ieldran.” Jezebel was slightly
surprised despite herself that the three most important people in
Treymayne would make themselves available for her arrival. She was
gratified at their recognition of her importance.

She nodded to them, indicating that she was
aware of the form of government that they now followed here.
Another display of Gelendan's, and her, power that they were able
to garner this information even whilst the border was closed. The
man seemed unfazed, and she gave him credit for that.

He indicated the tents behind them. “We have
refreshments and entertainment, and there,” he pointed to a closed
tent at the end, “is where the rest of your belongings that were
sent along were put. As we were unsure if you would want to travel
right away after your passage, we have arranged to stay the night
here if that is acceptable?”

Jezebel normally would have avoided spending
the night outside, but given the great lengths they seemed to have
gone to ensure her comfort, she decided that she could allow them
this small favor as no doubt her tent would be at least
satisfactorily furnished. Not to mention the fact that she was
suddenly feeling incredibly light-headed. “That would be fine,” she
consented and she extended her hand for him to take to guide her to
the refreshment table.

As much as she tried to hide the fact that
the passage had indeed affected her, she was unsteady on her feet
and glad for the excuse that this gesture of politeness offered
her. Devon trailed along behind them and as she reached for the
food and drink, she gave him leave to do the same.

She exchanged a few idle words with the
Triumvirate while they grazed the buffet table. “It has been some
time since we've last hosted someone from as far away as you,”
commented the man introduced as Lord Sumners. “Where in Gelendan
are you from?”

“I was born and raised in our capital,
Naoham, though I have traveled extensively and my family has manors
all over the country. As I now have become First Advisor, my
presence is very important at the capital so I fear that as of late
I have seen little of the rest of the countryside. And
yourself?”

“My holdings are far to the south, by the
mouth of the Great River. There is a city on your side, Avonmora I
believe, that we have had limited dealings with in the past. There
are some fine blacksmiths in that town. Do you deal much with
merchant trading?”

“I own a lace shop in Naoham, and my father
is the best-known gem trader in the country. My family is very well
known.”

“Ah,” cut in Lord Masterson, “my wife would
love to speak to you about the lace. She has just gotten into
embroidery herself, she's always looking to expand her
knowledge.”

Jezebel daintily took a bite of a pastry to
cover her annoyance. “Now, of course, I am far too busy with
matters of importance to spend too much time with lace myself,” she
told him with an air of superiority. She added, “though I did just
complete a business transaction where we took over another shop as
well. Big business you know.” This, of course, was a lie, but how
would he ever know the difference. It irritated her that he would
presume that she was little more than a woman who fancied lace.

“I would imagine. I hope that you did not
sustain much damage from the barrier's destruction?”

Jezebel smiled gamely. She was not about to
enlighten them as to the country's affairs, and she put out a line
of her own to try and get him to betray some piece of information
instead. “No worse than yours I'm sure. Was that expected when you
took it down?”

The Baron interrupted, “Now now, let's not
talk politics quite yet, there will be plenty of time for that come
the morrow. Tonight you are our honored guest, and it is our job to
entertain you.”

Jezebel nodded at the man's pleasant smile,
wishing for her talent to help read his intentions. He placed a
hand under her elbow, and she allowed him to guide her to another
tent where a small stage had been erected in front of several
lavish chairs. He led her to the center-most seat, and she sat
gratefully.

Devon shadowed behind her, unspeaking. As she
watched the promised entertainment, a realization came over her.
Her memory was returning. By no means was it fully back, but the
answers to the questions about her life had come easily and
naturally. So naturally that she hadn't even taken notice while it
happened. She had been too caught up in the exchange of wits,
careful not to reveal anything substantial while still appearing
open and forthcoming. Many of the memories were still blurry, as
though they had happened to someone else, and it was rather
confusing to sort through. Some of it was just instinctively there.
She knew who she was now, and could remember the vague direction
that her life had taken her. There was something nagging at the
back of her mind, tickling the edge of her consciousness, but it
passed before she could concentrate on it.

Laughter broke out around her and Jezebel
formed her lips into a smile as well, as though she was humoring
the actors who were performing for her though she really had been
paying no attention to them whatsoever. Moments later she let out a
long sigh. She was very tired from her travels and was ready to
give up the charade of being entertained and retire for the
evening.

Devon made her excuses for her before she
even lifted a finger.
No wonder I kept this man around.
She
took his elbow as he offered it, and he led her to the tent which
had been erected for her stay. He held open the curtain across the
door, but did not enter with her, leaving her in privacy. A maid
rushed forward to help her out of her dress and into a lovely silk
nightgown that apparently was a gift from the Ieldran. The soft
material slid across her skin like a delicate embrace and she sank
into the billowy nest of blankets.

Perhaps whatever that thought had been would
come to her tomorrow.

CHAPTER 7

Layna looked at herself in the mirror and
pulled her brows together while tugging at the back of the dress.
She could hardly breathe in the corset that had been snuggly tied
around her middle.
By someone else!
It felt so awkward to
have someone waiting on her, and though she tried to tell them she
could do it herself, they insisted on hovering over her, showing
her deference that she was not comfortable with in the least.

Gryffon’s initial message had been brought to
the council, but several members had been called away immediately
so they had been unable to properly present it. Once they had
realized that she wasn’t from Treymayne, however, she was moved to
the guest quarters in the palace.

For some reason, she had been exalted to
honorary guest status simply because she was from Gelendan. Layna
half wondered if it hadn’t had something to do with Aileen’s
interference as well. Echo’s association with her gave her
significant clout within the council and Layna fervently hoped she
wasn’t in there spouting nonsense about her being the world’s
savior.

Gryffon had presented his information already
to the higher-ups who ran the branch that handled Treymayne’s
espionage, and Layna had been asked dozens of questions dozens of
times about the events in Gelendan, but they still wanted them to
present it -
again
- directly to the council. Gryffon had
also gotten quite a tongue-lashing for having disobeyed their
orders, but hopefully the importance of the information would
outweigh his infraction. They had both been mercilessly grilled on
and then scolded for their part in taking down the barrier. Luckily
for them, Aileen, with Echo’s support behind her, bore the brunt of
their irritation over this action.

Apparently the most important three members
were currently on a special welcoming mission to greet the emissary
from Gelendan, so they had to wait for their return before they
could finally present their information formally to the entire
council. Layna and Gryffon both were very curious who it was that
had been sent, and what King Nathair may be offering or asking for
by this invitation of peace when both countries were well aware of
his former plans for war.

She made another face at herself in the
mirror. The reflection in the mirror wasn’t bad, in fact, Layna had
never felt more beautiful in her life - it just wasn’t her. She had
been ambushed by the maids this morning and one had even gotten a
coating of make-up on her before she could convince them that she
really didn’t need them to wait on her hand and foot, that she was
fully capable of getting dressed herself.

The face that looked back at her was hardly
recognizable. She had washed away all the dye from her hair, so at
least the color was now right, but it was piled so precariously on
top of her head that she was afraid to move too fast and ruin the
hard work of yet another maid. She was comfortable in her battered
soft tunics and riding leathers, not all made up so that she was
afraid she would mess something up if she moved.

Suddenly she squinted her eyes in the mirror
and leaned towards it, brushing the few strands that had escaped
the elaborate masterpiece on her head to the side. She grasped at
the skin her of her neck, trying to stretch it to the middle so she
could see her mark more clearly. She didn’t get much chance to look
at it, but her eyes widened as it came into view. It was definitely
spreading. Spiral tendrils were snaking out around it, encircling
her neck. Hastily she grabbed for the make-up on the table and
dabbed even more over it. This couldn’t be good…

She put the make-up down and sighed. There
wasn’t much more she could do about it at the moment. Hopefully she
could find Gryffon and get him alone for a few moments to talk
about it. Aileen’s mysterious demeanor made Layna uncomfortable
talking to her, especially when she seemed so suspicious of Layna’s
ability to withstand the magic behind it, and really other than her
and Charles, Gryffon was the only other person in this strange land
that she knew.

She left the mirror and wandered out of her
room. The castle was huge, and Layna had to memorize how many turns
she had taken in order to have any clue as to how to get back to
her rooms. Luckily there were plenty of servants all over the place
who were very helpful, but she felt so uncomfortable talking to
them.

Not only was she from Gelendan - and everyone
seemed to be aware of this fact - but though really she was one of
them, she was being treated like a noble would be. It resulted in
an odd mixture of emotions that Layna couldn’t begin to describe
but basically made her an outcast to both upper and lower class
since here she was not really a member of either group.

There was definitely less of a distinct
difference here than in Gelendan between classes, but in any
situation where there were people who performed services for
others, there was bound to be some friction.

Layna focused her thoughts on where she was.
She’d taken two rights and a left, another left and she should
be…yes, at the library. Layna smiled. It was piled high with books,
more than she had ever seen in one place before, and despite the
awe she felt at its impressive size, she still felt more at home
here than anywhere else.

She picked out a book and made her way with
it over to the window alcove where couches were provided to read
in. There was an expensively dressed woman already there reading
who looked up at Layna as she approached. Layna smiled at her, and
the woman smiled back and nodded to her before lifting her
spectacles back in front of her eyes and continuing her own
reading.

Layna settled in and glanced out the window.
She was surprised to see Gryffon down in the courtyard, talking to
a pretty woman. She felt a pang of jealousy as they shared a smile
and the woman touched Gryffon’s arm in an affectionate gesture.

Her observation was interrupted by a young
man’s voice, “My lady,” he queried and Layna’s attention was drawn
expectantly to the woman sitting with her. The woman glanced up
from her book, but rather than address the boy, she simply sat and
watched Layna, finally giving her a little jerk of her head towards
the boy. Layna looked at him in confusion and realized that he was
speaking to her.

“Oh, sorry. Yes?”

“The Ieldran has called a meeting to hear
your news, if you could come with me please?”

Layna glanced out the window and was pleased
to see that Gryffon’s moment had been interrupted by another
messenger as he must be receiving similar news. Layna turned her
attention back to the boy and nodded, getting up and returning the
unread book to its proper place on the shelf.