Chapter 10: The Castle

Dark stone girded

Rise above the trees

The dark watcher

Whose eyes open

But none see

The warrior of the north

Unforgiving and unforgiven

Standing ready for the call

-Recorded upon the completion of Castle Ershre

Liana carefully shut the door behind her, looking up and down the passageway as she left. She smiled as she caught sight of the metal bowls hanging beside her door. Apparently her predecessor had disliked the harsh smell of the smoky torches used to light the castle as much as she did.

She knew the kitchen was on the North side of the castle. Of course getting there was not as easy as one might think. After years of additions and modifications the castle’s interior resembled nothing more than a rat warren. Passages would suddenly change direction, double back and inexplicably lead to unending series of stairs.

Each new passageway was hung with moldering tapestries and lit by the smoking torches. As she walked Liana’s eyes began to burn. She wiped them, wondering how they could stand to live like this.

When the dark passageways opened up into a brightly lit room full of busy people Liana stopped short, suddenly hesitant. There were so many of them, all presided over by an old woman, standing in the center. Young boys and girls raced back and forth hurrying to prepare food for the entire castle. Liana could see the thick flat loaves of bread that were the staple of the Heirgard diet cooling on the racks built into the walls. And when she looked up she could see the heavy baskets of herbs and vegetables hanging over head.

Before she could decide whether to enter or to fade back into the dark passageways one of the younger assistants caught sight of her. The small boy’s eyes widened, his face going red then pale. With a squeak she would have expected from a mouse rather than a person he fled back to the matriarch of the kitchens.

The older woman looked up, seeing the Alchemist standing uncertainly in the doorway. She shrugged, something she had learned over the years was that all the peoples on this earth regardless of their origins had to eat, damned or no.

However it pleased her that the Alchemist had come herself. This young woman she would guess knew how to work. She was not like some of the nobles’ children who would sneer at even the thought of being near the kitchens. The old woman headed for the girl at the door.

Liana watched the woman approach. She did her best to look unthreatening. She wasn’t sure how well she succeeded though. Either way the woman smiled as she approached, making Liana relax slightly.

“Welcome to the kitchen Alchemist. How may we be of service? Would you like breakfast?”

Liana resisted the urge to stare at the floor, instead meeting the woman’s eyes, “Yes, my thanks.”

The woman’s smile widened to the point where Liana was amazed her face could even hold a smile that big. Then she turned heading back into her domain, gesturing for Liana to follow.

All around her the assistants and cooks watched her out of the corners of their eyes. A few of the youngest even stared openly. Liana did her best to ignore it. She supposed it was inevitable, but on occasion she felt like she was in the center ring at one of the freak shows she had seen in the market.

“Here we are.” The woman turned, handing Liana a hot roll wrapped in cloth and a wedge of cheese. “Perhaps not fancy, but with the delegation from the Waldech State we’ve been busy. Now just come over here and take what you need when you get hungry, it is what the rest of them do.” She shook her head as if lamenting over the antics of the castle’s many residents.

“My thanks.” Liana managed a smile of her own this time.

But the older woman was already gone, calling out orders over the noise of the busy kitchen. Liana watched for a moment before turning to go. But she turned to find her face less than a hand span away from the chest of the young Guard who had talked with her on the journey here.

“So you have met Hedda.”

Liana stepped back too surprised to do anything except nod.

He grinned, “She’s something is she not? Without her this entire castle would fall apart, her and Gavril anyway.”

“Why are you here?” Liana looked up at him, he blushed slightly, but was not that easily thrown off balance.

“I too like to eat my morning meal, and as this is the only source of food in the castle…” he shrugged. “How do you like our castle?”

Liana followed him out of the kitchen, not completely sure food was the only reason he had come to the kitchen, “It is very big.”

“It certainly is. I should know. I am on the night guard once more. I think even on patrol I have not walked all the passageways yet.”

“It will be some time before I know my way around the castle.”

“In the mean time let us go and eat breakfast. If you would like I can show the battlements.”

He offered her his arm, but Liana just smiled and walked beside him. He looked a little confused, but smiled and continued down the passageway.

After walking through another series of dark smoky passageways they stepped out onto the battlements. The cold winter wind cut through even Liana’s thick tunic, swirling the snow about their feet. A few of the guards standing on duty glanced at them, but a glare from Adeon and a look at the bandoliers Liana wore even now sent them back to their posts.

Liana unwrapped the food Hedda had given her for breakfast. Holding the warm roll kept her fingers from going completely numb here where the wind whistled around the high stone towers and the low walls.

“What is it like in the Alchemist city?” Adeon leaned against the cold stone, eating his own breakfast.

Liana glanced at him, but turned her eyes out to the city that sprawled below them, “It is very different. There are far fewer people and it is much quieter there.”

“But do you like it here?” Liana looked up, this time to find him studying her.

Liana shrugged, “Well enough, I have a duty to fulfill as do you.”

Adeon was quiet for sometime after that. Liana ignored him, preferring instead to watch the busy people who even in this cold weather filled the streets. She wondered what everyone would be doing at home. They would probably be inside, working on projects and experiments and training the children.

When she finished eating Liana turned to the young Guard, “Thank you for bringing me up here. It is a wonderful view.”

“You are very welcome, Alchemist.” She could feel his eyes on her back as she made her way down the stairs and back into the castle. It was strange his attention. It was not something she had experienced before.

She spent much of the day simply wandering the passageways of the castle, though many were full of people much like the streets below some were as dark and dusty as the one her own room was in.

She managed to locate several ways in and out of the castle, one which was not even guarded. This she marked by tracing a thin line of powder at its base, should anyone enter here they would have an unpleasant surprise. Though from the thickness of the dust it had been some time since anyone besides her had come here.

She finally made her way back to the kitchen for food. This time though Adeon did not put in an appearance and she made her way back up to her room. As soon as she unlocked the door and pushed it open she could feel the precense of the sphere in the other room.

She set the food she carried on the desk, opening the door to the workroom. In the near complete darkness she could almost see its glow through the thick blanket covering it.

The blanket slid off when she touched it. The orb was exactly as it had been the night before. Yet now the movement within seemed slower and quieter. Liana touched it hesitantly, reaching out with her abilities to touch it. A bright flash of heat and power ran up her hands where they rested on the sphere, making her flinch away. She carefully wrapped it once more in the blanket, closing the workroom door securely behind her.

Liana’s dreams that night were strange, leaving her tired when she woke in the morning to Adela’s knock on her door. She pulled on her clothes and tied back her hair before opening the door.

Adela smiled at her, handing Liana her breakfast. Liana took it, still trying to banish the nightmares from her mind, though by now they were nothing more than disjointed images and incoherent feelings.

“What will you do today?” Adela asked as she set down the broom she had brought with her. She also set Liana’s now clean tunic on the bed. The stains were almost invisible now.

Liana picked it up, looking it over, “My thanks, I did not believe it could be fixed.”

“You would be surprised what kind of stains you can remove if you know what you are doing. My brothers gave me a great deal of practice.”

When Liana looked up Adela was studying the room.

“What is it?” Liana asked, curious as to just what about the nearly empty room was so fascinating.

“Your room is so empty.” Adela picked up her broom, “You do not even have tapestries to keep it warm during winter; it is going to get cold up here.”

Liana shrugged, “I was not given much to prepare, and we left my city as soon as the Binding was complete. The snow was right behind us. I did not have much choice in what I brought with me.” She did not say what was in her mind; she had had no choice at all as she had been unconscious when they had left. For a moment she felt a pang of regret, she had not even had time to say goodbye to Nen.

“You could go down to the market to get whatever you need. Gavril said you have a household account so you could get the money you would need.” Liana looked at Adela askance; the other girl seemed almost excited by the idea.

“I would not even know where to start.”

Adela considered, “I could give you the directions to the best markets. I wish I could come too, but Gavril says I have to help clean up the great hall. Whatever it was you did to it almost every servant in the castle is going to spend today scrubbing scorch marks off the floor in there.”

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Author’s Note:

Wow, both of you are still there. Yay!

MacialEarthhammer: I’m glad you like the imagery, description is something I have to work on sometimes. And as for Merrik, he will definitely be staying around. I’ll give you a hint on the Alchemist’s history. Most of it won’t be explained until closer to the end, but some of it is given away in the poems at the beginning of each chapter.

Mesoforte: This took me a little over three months to write. It’s easier to update and post on a regular basis if it’s already finished. And I will continue to read your story, if I’m slow it’s just because life is a little crazy at the moment, exams and homework and such….