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  “What do you have there?” Quinn demanded.

  “Nothing,” Connor replied quickly as Adrian pocketed the penny.

  “Hurry up and get on with it, then,” Quinn told them, gesturing towards the horses.

  “It’s really your duty,” Connor told him. “We’re simply to help you, not do it for you. Where’s Jic?”

  “How should I know?” Quinn demanded. “Get outta my way.” He pushed past the boys and began to unsaddle the horses. He glared at them. “Well, why don’t you help then?” He threw the saddle at Connor’s feet and told him to stow it in the shed near the back, as though he didn’t already know it.

  That night, as they sat down to dinner, Connor asked if anyone knew who the newcomers were.

  “They didn’t say,” Anne said. “In fact they didn’t say much of anything. They simply ordered their rooms, paid for them, and went upstairs.”

  “That’s strange,” Bertha muttered.

  “They might be from the west,” suggested Heidi, another of Nina’s serving girls. “They had the look of men who have been on the road for a while.”

  Anne shrugged, a slight movement that showed how much importance she placed on the matter. Her eyes lit up as she looked from Heidi to Bertha. “You will never guess who came by today. Janner Mallen! He asked if he could accompany me to the Festival! But papa overheard him and ran him off ... but I think he’ll be expecting to see me there!”

  Connor winced as the girls launched into their talk. He’d heard their talk since he was a child, and even now it perplexed him. How could they talk with so much interest about nothing? For his part, he couldn’t get the three men out of his mind. Every few moments the memory of those cold impassive eyes would intrude on his thoughts, and he would think that those eyes could watch him be devoured down to his soul and not show any emotion at all. Stone eyes, he thought.

  The girls talk was abruptly ended by a high, mocking voice.

  “Well, now, what do we have here?” Nina appeared suddenly beside their table. “A couple of hens squawking away, huh?”

  “Oh, do be quiet, Nina,” Anne said crossly.

  Nina narrowed her eyes into slits as she surveyed the girls. “You’ve all had too long a break. Hurry it up and get back out there ... or must I need tell your father?” she asked Anne and Bertha. Sullen silence rewarded her, and Nina gave a triumphant sniff as she turned away, calling over her shoulder, “You girls hurry it up.” She stalked off, yelling at one of the cooks to not let the buttermilk burn.

  Connor watched her go, glad that she had hardly noticed him and Adrian. He sat there and picked at his meal after the girls had fled.

  3

  Adrian found himself in the stables, working to clear away the grit and mud from Wind’s hooves. His uncle sometimes loaned out his horses to visitors, some of whom preferred to tour the wild gardens of the countryside. Sunlight poured into the large building from the open doors and through the cracks in the walls, lighting the dust motes that swam lazily in the air. Adrian worked methodically, scraping Wind’s hooves clean while running one hand along the horse’s side to soothe him. Connor always rejected the duty, claiming that he never could trust the animals, thus Adrian did it for the both of them. He didn’t mind it much; in his view it was much better working with the horses than it was mucking out the stalls.

  He was alone at the moment, the two stablehands having gone for a respite, and the only sound in the large wooden building was the soft whickering of the animals, the rustling of the chickens at the rear, and the sound of the scraper on steel-shod hooves.

  He wished that Connor would hurry up and be back with the taffy he had gone to buy. Then perhaps they could go down by the docks once Quinn and Jic returned. They were done with their lessons with Anne and he did not intend to let such a beautiful day go by whilst he labored in here. Certainly being down by the docks took his mind off the infernal dreams. The mere thought of the dreams was enough to bring them to the forefront of his mind, and his eyes turned inward, his hands moving more from the familiarity of the job rather than any order of his thoughts. He tried to shun the images that came to him, like bubbles floating up through murky water, but it proved to be useless. He saw the red road, soaked with blood, the sky that was painted with the life of countless innocents. He saw the tree looming over the water and witnessed the corpses swaying back and worth. He saw countless crimes being done to him, watched through the windows of someone else’s eyes, and felt the same helplessness creep up on him now that he felt in his dreams.

  “The horse seems to like you.”

  Adrian nearly fell backwards from stool he was sitting on. He whirled around, dropping the horse’s hoof, and looked at one of the three men that had shown up the previous day. It was the young one, and even now he was smiling. He stood between the open doors, a shadow against the brilliant day behind him.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you,” said the man as he stepped inside.

  “You didn’t startle me,” Adrian said slowly. He wondered how long the man had been there, and then wondered just old he was. Looking at him, Adrian judged him to be no older than twenty.

  “I simply came to check on the horses,” said the young man as he walked over to where his companions’ and his mount were kept.

  “The horses have been well taken care of,” Adrian said defensively, annoyed that the man didn’t trust Connor and him to be able to take good care of the animals.

  “I see that.” The man walked to his sturdy brown mare and began to pet the horse’s dark mane.

  Adrian looked at his back for a few moments before returning to his own work. The man came over and huddled down beside him, looking at the hoof he was working on.

  “Do you enjoy working with the animals?” he asked, glancing at Adrian.

  Adrian felt slightly uncomfortable with the man so close but did not want to show it. “Sometimes.”

  The other man continued watching as he pried out a small rock wedged in the horseshoe. At last he said, “My name is Alexis Marshall.”

  “Adrian Moor,” Adrian said, and let go of the horse’s hoof in order to extend a hand towards the man. Alexis looked at the offered hand as though he had not expected it, then grinned and shook Adrian’s hand with his own gloved one.

  “Were there not two of you yesterday?”

  “Yes, Connor and I, but he’s gone down to the market.”

  “Ah. I see,” Alexis said. It seemed to Adrian as though he hesitated uncertainly over whether or not to pursue further conversation, or the way a man will keep his quiet when thinking of what next to say. At last Alexis stood. “Well, I can see that the horses are in good hands with you, Adrian. I believe it’s time for me to leave you to your work and perhaps explore some of your city.”

  “All right,” Adrian said and stood up. Alexis walked off into the bright light of the afternoon whistling a cheery tune. Adrian watched him go and shook his head.

  4

  Alexis came to the stalls the next morning again and Adrian introduced him to Connor. Adrian saddled his mare while he made small talk about the fair weather and the din surrounding the markets, and asked them what lay around the city. He ignored Jic, who watched their conversation with a hungry look, as though hoping to be invited into their talk. Adrian felt himself warming to Alexis, if for no other reason than that he spoke to Connor and him as equals, not merely as boys.

  Alexis bid them farewell and led his horse out, to explore some of the outer edges of the city and to exercise the horse.

  “Seems friendly enough,” Connor said as he climbed to the hayloft. “Not much like his companions.”

  Adrian nodded in silent assent. He did not think much on Alexis or his companions. They were only passersby, like any others who stayed at the Golden Lilly, to be forgotten the next week, if remembered that long at all. He had his demons to contemplate, and they did not leave him much room to dwell on idle matters. He had woken last night in the quiet hours of the morning, from wat
ching someone he did not know die slowly at the hands of soldiers with steel. At first he had been unsure of who he was; were the memories of his life or someone else’s? He had looked around the room wildly, afraid to his deepest depth that he would not be able to recall who he was. The sight of the familiar room and its stationary slowly brought him back to his reality. He wept then, and promised himself that he would tell uncle Jon everything, no matter if his uncle could help or not. But in the morning he could not muster the determination again and shied from his uncle lest he notice something was wrong.

  So he tried to stay busy, and kept his thoughts even from his cousin. There was no reason to burden Connor with any more of it.

  By the time Alexis returned he and Connor were sitting and playing at marbles. Adrian rose to take care of the horse but Alexis waved him back down.

  “At times I miss taking care of my own horse.”

  Deprived of his duty and feeling a little useless Adrian rejoined the game, thumbing his marble against the wall and attempting to strike the larger marble in the center of the circle they had drawn in the dirt and dust.

  Alexis unsaddled his horse and fed and watered him before stabling him. When he was done he came to stand over the boys, watching them play with an amused smile.

  “Do you want to play?” Connor asked at last.

  Alexis grinned. “Why not?”

  He joined in their game, turning out to be a better player than Adrian had expected.

  “I used to play often as a child,” he offered as way of explanation.

  “Where are you coming from?” Connor asked curiously.

  Alexis thumbed the marble against the wall. It missed. “Carlstown.”

  There was a clear interest in Connor’s voice as he said, “That’s not too far from Grandal, is it?”

  “No, not too far.”

  “Have you ever been there? To Grandal.”

  “I’ve passed through it a few times,” Alexis said. “But I hardly find myself traveling west these days.”

  “Why is that?”

  “More profit to be had in the east. Especially in Teihr and Arath Dar.”

  “Arath Dar? Is it true the queen has a Queensguard full of only women?”

  Alexis shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you, I’ve never been there.”

  Connor continued questioning Alexis and their conversation overrode the simple actions of the game. Adrian listened with only half-an ear. It was fascinating to hear about the distant countries, but what good did it do him? He tried to question his own lack of curiosity in their talk, and thought: Maybe it’s because Connor’s so bent on leaving this place. But that was only a part of the truth. The unspoken fear within him, he knew, was that the dreams were stealing a part of his soul. How much longer before he lost interest in all life around him and spent every waking moment gripped in the clutches of the nightmares?

  Connor and Alexis were sitting beside him, but Adrian felt then as though he was in a world of his own, separated from them by a thin membrane that was enough to keep him closed off with only his thoughts. When he forced himself to join their world again, Connor was asking Alexis if he was going to the Festival of Lights.

  “Perhaps,” Alexis answered.

  “You should come,” Connor said. “You’ll enjoy it. There’ll be fireworks..”

  Alexis smiled. “Well. Then I guess I’ve got no choice, do I?”

  They played a while longer, until the boys were called away to saddle the horses of two departing men.

  Alexis rose with them, brushing his hands on his knees. “It was nice spending time with you two.” He turned to leave, and then stopped and looked back at them. “How would you two like to join my friends and I for dinner tonight?”

  Adrian exchanged a surprised glance with Connor. He opened his mouth to politely decline Alexis’s offer, and was cut off by Connor.

  “Sure. We’d love to.”

  Chapter 3

  Festival

  1

  Adrian and Connor sat down at the table, dressed in their finest, and looked at the two men opposite of them. They were both smoking pipes and the smoke hung thick in the air. Alexis introduced the man with the graying dark hair as Hamar, and the other with the orange hair and the bright scar on his left cheek as Owain.

  “These are the innkeeper’s sons.”

  Adrian felt a flash of guilt at Alexis’s words, but he didn’t correct him. For what felt like forever Hamar and Owain simply stared holes through Connor and him. At last, Hamar spoke in a deep voice. “It’s nice to meet you, young masters.”

  “It’s nice to meet you as well, sir,” Connor replied. His politeness stunned Adrian, until he realized that Connor’s father was likely watching this little interaction from behind the counter, and probably with great awe.

  “A well spoken lad,” Owain said.

  “They’re both well spoken,” Alexis said, sitting down. “I spent most of the afternoon talking with them.”

  Again Adrian noticed Hamar and Owain studying them closely over their pipes, and he began to feel a little uncomfortable.

  “How long have you two lived here?” asked Owain suddenly, as though only in passing ... but his eyes betrayed his interest.

  “Our whole lives,” said Adrian warily.

  “And do you like it?”

  Connor answered. “It’s not a bad city, but I’m getting tired of this.”

  “I know what you mean,” Alexis said, smiling to himself. To Adrian the smile looked bitter and sad.

  Their talk was interrupted as Anne and Hailey set out their dinner: succulent roast duck alongside a large bowl of gravy, a puree of boiled vegetables, onion pastries, and toasted heels of bread. Adrian saw the small glances and smiles both girls threw towards Alexis, but he doubted the other man even noticed them. The girls walked away frowning. As the company at the table began to eat, Adrian realized that all three men kept their gloves on.

  “What’s Carlstown like?” Connor asked as he helped himself to the roast duck and drowned the meat in a thick layer of gravy. “It’s close to Grandal, so you must see a lot of Legionnaires.”

  “Not as much as you would think,” Alexis answered. “Much of the Legion stays close within Grandal. As for Carlstown, it’s a common town with its wealth based mainly on sweet potatoes, barley, and wool.”

  A question struck Adrian suddenly as he watched the three men. “Are the three of you related?”

  The three men exchanged glances, and then Hamar and Owain burst out laughing. It was a harsh sound coming from the two men, as though they were unused to the act. Alexis simply smiled.

  “No, lad, we’re not related,” Owain said, smiling thinly. He seemed a less colder man then. “We’re simply three men hoping to make some connections east. The west, I think, has as much wool as it can handle.”

  “Alexis said you might be going as far as Teihr,” said Connor. “How long do you suppose it will take you to get there?”

  It was Hamar who answered, his gaze still considering, weighing. “At this rate, I would say perhaps another month or so. You two are not brothers, are you?”

  Adrian and Connor looked at one another and then back at the men across them. “No,” Adrian said. “We’re cousins.”

  “Ah. Yes,” said Hamar. “I could it in your eyes.”

  They ate in silence then. The older men drank beer while Alexis kept to wine and the two boys settled for water. Adrian looked around once and saw Connor’s father behind the bar, apparently cleaning out a mug, but also watching them. He saw Adrian and gave him a small smile. Adrian also saw Tarak pushing a broom near the door and keeping an eye on their table. Tarak smiled at him, a smile that reassured Adrian they were doing good, and that he was there should anything happen. Adrian returned his attention to his table and to his present company. Connor was questioning the men about all the places they had been through thus far, and if half of what he had heard of those outside places compared with their own experiences. Alexis answere
d him patiently, while Hamar and Owain waved aside the questions, but always throwing those curious glances towards them. Adrian could not quite bring himself to meet their gazes for long; they only stared back, as though oblivious to his discomfort.

  When there was a lull in the talk, they ate silently, until even Connor protested that he could not eat another bite. The dishes were cleared away by Anne and Hailey. Again the two girls tried to attract Alexis’s attention, and received a polite smile. Adrian shook his head to himself as he watched the girls leave, whispering to one another like little children.

  It was Alexis that broke the lasting silence at the table.

  “So what do you two hope to do with your lives?” he asked lightly, as if it were of no importance at all. “I imagine you have no wish to keep working in the stables.”

  Connor shook his head. “I want to move away, maybe even to Grandal or Sienna, and open my own inn.”

  Adrian smiled as he shook his head. Connor’s head was always full of fancies and a strong desire to be somewhere he had only heard about. Knowing Connor, he might very well move away to one of those places.

  “And you, Adrian?” Alexis asked.

  Adrian gave it more thought than his cousin had. “I don’t know. For the moment I’m happy to stay here.”

  They talked for a while after their dinner was over, of all that the elders had seen and heard on their travels, and what the youngsters did around the city. By the time they finished, Adrian still felt he did not know enough about the three men. He and Connor shook hands with them and left the table then.

  “What did you think of them?” Adrian asked softly as they headed to where Tarrak stood.

  Connor shrugged. “They seem nice enough; after a while, that is. I could almost feel the cold breezes near the beginning.”

  “I agree. Though, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were studying us.”

  “Studying us? Don’t be silly.” Connor grinned. “They were simply sizing us up, no doubt they realize real threats when they see them.”