Lora by Rachel Rossano

2006-08-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Chapter Ten

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Lora pushed herself up in bed and blinked her eyes into focus. Leaning against footboard of her bed was a worn set of sturdy crutches. They were a bit beaten up and when she pulled them up onto her lap to examine them, she found they had been recently adjusted to her height. Assuming Seth had given Ian permission to give them to her, Lora put them beneath her shoulders and practiced taking a turn about the room. With their help, she was able to dress and freshen up without assistance. She was still cautious, though, to obey Seth’s instructions not to put weight on her foot. Eager to try the limits of her new freedom, Lora left her room and ventured out into the hall.

“Ah, I see you have discovered the crutches,” Danica exclaimed when she spotted Lora. “Ian had me try them out so that they would be the right height for you. As you probably noticed, I never had to use them. You are the first female to need them.”

“You never used them?” Lora found that fact hard to believe.

“Nope,” Danica replied. “The boys were always the ones spraining ankles and knees and breaking bones. I just managed to always get the bumps and bruises.”

“Momma!” A young voice came from one of the far bedrooms. “Kosh, I told you not to do that! Patri was playing with that.” A sharp wail that Lora guessed was Patri voicing his anger was followed by a yell and then Jonas’ voice rose above the ruckus. “Momma, Kosh is teasing Patri.”

Danica rolled her eyes and with a sigh hurried in the direction of the noise. Lora listened for a moment, but Danica seemed to have everything under control. Turning toward the stairs, Lora made her way toward them. Her stomach was reminding her that she hadn’t eaten much of her dinner the night before.

The stairs weren’t much of a problem. A seasoned veteran of sprains and other injuries, Lora managed to make a steady, but slow progress downstairs and reached the bottom without mishap. She swung herself around and thumped her way toward the kitchen. The smells of cooking pancakes and blueberry preserve filled air. She pushed open the door to the kitchen and came to an abrupt stop.

Sitting at the table before a heaping plate of pancakes and preserves was a vastly different looking Seth. It took her a moment to realize it was him for his skin was a brown as Quinn and Lachine’s. In fact, if she hadn’t known that he wasn’t Ratharian, she would have never guessed he was anything but.

“Good morning, Lora,” Eve greeted her with a smile as she passed the doorway. She caught Lora’s eye with a wink and a smile. “How many pancakes would you like?” she asked.

“Four please,” Lora answered as she watched Eve cross to the stove. “Dinner was wonderful last night, but I didn’t manage to eat much.”

“Nerves,” Eve said with an understanding nod. “Seth is the same when he gets a new assignment.”

Lora maneuvered her way around the door and into the middle of the room. As she approached the table, she glanced over at Seth and found him glowering at her. He had been intimidating as his normal self, but with the addition of darker skin, he really was daunting. “I thought I told Ian not to give you those.”

“I assumed you had,” she told him. “They were leaning against the end of my bed this morning.” He rose to pull out a chair for her.

“Are you keeping off your ankle?” he asked as he watched her maneuver the crutches aside and slide into the seat without resting her weight on the injured limb.

“Don’t worry. I have had my share of injuries. I have been on crutches before.”

Moving the crutches out of the walkway, he reclaimed his seat. “I guess it is alright as long as you promise to stay off the foot.”

“I promise,” she replied.

Seth began cutting his food. “I talked to Ian earlier this morning. He says he can arrange passage on one of his ships the day after tomorrow. That means we are going to have to leave very early tomorrow morning and ride all day to reach Jumare in time to board in the morning the next day. Quinn and Lachine are already gathering supplies and I am going to busy getting our papers in order. If you don’t mind, I asked Elana and mother to help you pack. Elana pointed out to me that you will probably also need a brief course in the culture of Ratharia before we leave. So, after breakfast, you should find her and start right away.” Lora nodded and he started eating just as Eve set a full plate in front of her.

After preparing her own food with butter and blueberries, Lora glanced over to watch Seth’s work on his own. It was strange to see his dark hands wielding the fork as he cut another bite. “How did you do it?” she asked.

He looked up in surprise. “Do what?”

“How did you darken your skin?”

“Oh.” He smiled; his teeth looking very white against the darkness of his skin. “There are berries that grow on the western sides of the mountains that if you brew them with the right herbs, it makes a harmless stain that darkens skin and hair. I keep a supply with me at all times for emergencies. Mother keeps a supply too.”

“Does it wear off?” she asked.

Nodding, Seth said, “I am going to be taking a large supply with me to keep the tone. I used it the whole time I was in Ratharia last time.”

“Yes, I didn’t know he had been using it and when I saw him, I didn’t recognize him,” Eve said as she set a mug of tea in front of Lora’s plate.

“That was delicious as usual,” Seth said as he pushed his empty plate away. “Lachine is a decent cook and Lora here is excellent, but only you are the best. If I stayed any longer, I would never be able to go back to work. Your good cooking would make me too slow.”

Eve laughed. “Nonsense, you would burn it off somehow. You never stop long enough to bother worrying about slowing down.” Moving toward the stove, she checked on the pancakes in the pan.

“I have a lot of work to do,” Seth told Lora. “Make sure to find Elana once you have finished. There is a great deal to learn before we leave. If you have any questions she cannot answer, come find me. I will most likely be in the library.” With that, he rose. Walking to the door, he paused before going through it. “Lora, remember to keep off that foot. Once we reach the Jumare, you are going to have to walk without the crutches.” Then he was gone, the door swinging close in his wake.

Lora systematically finished her breakfast and tea. With the assistance of Eve, she managed to gain her crutches again; Seth had set them out of her reach. Then she left in search of Elana.

Although she knew the next few hours were going to be full and hectic, Lora enjoyed the anticipation of a new place. She had always wanted to travel and now she was going to be going to Ratharia. If she ever found her brothers, they were going to be very jealous. Thoughts of her brothers reminded her to ask Labren if he could maybe help her locate them after she returned from Ratharia. Seth’s father might know how to find the school where her aunt had enrolled them.

Lora found Elana in the hall outside Ian and her bedroom. She was coming out with a box in her arms. “Ah, you are up,” she said upon seeing Lora. “Have you had breakfast?”

Nodding, Lora returned the beautiful woman’s smile. “I also saw Seth and he said you were going to help me pack and teach me what I need to know about Ratharia.”

Elana’s smile broadened. “So you are ready to begin?” She led the way to Lora’s bedroom and held the door for her. “Seth emphasized that you stay off your ankle, but some of the things I need to teach you will require you to walk a little. I will save those for last. So, sit,” she said waving an elegant hand in the direction of a chair. “Where is your trunk?”

When Lora informed her that she had left her trunk in Anavrea, Elana shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Here read this.” She took a book from her box. Then after handing it to Lora, she disappeared out the door.

The book was thin and simply bound with worn leather. When Lora carefully opened the cover to find it filled with elegantly formed Ratharian letters. ‘The diary of Listhira Yarentis’ was carefully scribed across the first page. As she read, Lora quickly became aware of the magnitude of what she had to learn. By the time Elana returned with Ian and trunk in tow, Lora was halfway through the volume. Ian obediently placed the small trunk where Elana instructed. He winked at Lora as he quickly exited again.

“Eve is coming up soon to help,” Elana informed her as she began folding the garments she had given Lora the day before. The first one to be folded was the purple one Lora had found breathtaking. She watched the way Elana folded the long tunic and the loose pants called inkos. The whole time she folded the outfits, the woman talked.

Lora learned that slaves were sold into slavery for a limited numbers of reasons in Ratharia. First, one sold oneself or one’s family members to get money to pay off debt. Second, one was a spoil of war. Thirdly, one was born of two slave parents who were enslaved for life. She also learned that as a slave, she was always to walk three paces behind Seth’s left shoulder and do nothing unless he bids her. To do otherwise would be an insult to Seth’s authority and she would be worthy of punishment as Seth desired. As a slave, Lora’s place in the household would be beneath both Quinn and Lachine since they were free men. Elana mentioned that Lora might be hassled, if she left the company of Seth, Quinn, and Lachine, so for her own protection she must be sure to be in one of their company whenever she left the house.

“Now,” Elana declared as she laid the last of the clothing in the trunk. “Now it is time for your first lesson in managing your clothing.” Crossing to the box she had carried in with her, Elana drew out a long black shroud. It looked just like the other wraps she had just packed into Lora’s trunk. “Stand up,” she instructed.

Obediently, Lora rose and stood silently as Elana carefully draped the material around her. Lora made note of the tucks and where the material was supposed to drape and how, but she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to duplicate it. Stepping back after she finished, Elana looked her over with a critical eye. “Lower your chin,” Elana ordered, “You are no longer a proud free woman. You are a slave. Show humility. You dread being noticed, because notice brings pain.”

Lora lowered her chin and lowered her eyes.

“Good.” Elana circled her once. “Now walk across the room as best as you can.”

Lora had taken only a few steps when Elana exclaimed, “No, no. See. Watch.” Lora turned to watch as Elana crossed the room. Her steps were short and swift so that she glided across the floor while barely stirring the hem of her dress. It took an hour of painful practice before Lora was able to mimic Elana well enough to suit the young woman. “You are not native born; so, no one will expect you to be able to do it perfectly, but Seth doesn’t need the complication of you showing your ankles to the world and shocking the community.”

Instructing Lora that she had to wear the karbarka, which is what Elana called the black wrap, the rest of the day, Elana began to work on the rules of serving food and drink. The hours passed and before Lora was ready, the clock in the dormitory tower struck noon. Sighing, Elana looked over at Lora with a weak smile. “Lunch,” she said in relief. Then laughing, she said, “Don’t worry, you are doing very well. You are a wonderful student and I am sure you will learn enough by tonight. Come, let us go down.”

Lora wasn’t as convinced. Her head was swimming with all the new information and rules she was trying to remember, not to mention practice. Only practice was going to make the new movements stick. She quickly discovered that she was not going to manage the crutches while wearing the karbarka. Elana helped her remove it and they went down for the meal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth watched Lora’s smooth progress as she descended the staircase. She did handle the crutches like a veteran. Both she and Elana looked tired. For the fiftieth time, he wondered if taking Lora with them was a wise decision. It was true that there was much he could gain from having her with him, but there was much she could lose. Ratharia was a difficult country to live in when you weren’t born to it. It had taken him years to understand and function within the complex and structured society. As a female, she was going to have an even more difficult time. Hidden from the world of men, women were treated as possessions. Valuable possessions, if they were rich and married influential men, or things to used and abused, if they were born poor or of the slaves. Either way, they were treated as less than human. He was taking her to live in such a world. He frowned. At least her collar with its identifying signs would keep her safe, unless, of course, something happened to him. He was going to have to be extra cautious that nothing happened to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the meal, Lora and Elana returned to the lessons. Lora practiced with the karbarka until she could no longer stand on her ankle without tears coming to her eyes. Elana, seeing her wincing, ordered her to remove the garment and they resumed with the etiquette and culture lessons. The dinner bell rang and Lora began the process of maneuvering herself from the bed onto the crutches. Ian appeared at the door and asked for Elana’s assistance with finding a clean shirt. The one he had worn for the afternoon ramble with his nephews was covered in mud and grass stains and he needed a new one to wear to dinner.

“He never can find anything,” Elana commented to Lora before leaving to help her husband. “I am surprised he never lost a ship considering the things he manages to lose. Are you sure you can manage to make downstairs on your own?” she asked with a searching look at Lora’s face. Lora nodded just as a crash of something falling and Ian’s muffled exclamation caused Elana to hurry from the room.

Easing her injured foot over the edge of the bed, she set it down gingerly on the floor with a grimace. She had over done it. Hoisting herself up with all her weight on good foot, she rose and adjusted the crutches under her arms.

“I see you were disobeyed my orders.” Seth’s voice suddenly came from the direction of the hall.

Lora jumped and bumped her heel against the side of the bed. Biting her lip against a yelp of pain, she blinked furiously to stop the instant tears welled into her eyes. She didn’t look up. She knew what she would see, Seth standing in the doorway looking forbidding and angry. He had every right to be. She had disobeyed his orders, but with good reason, the deadline for her course was the next morning.

Then suddenly a large warm hand caught her chin and gently forced her to raise her face and meet Seth’s strange colored eyes. He was standing close, looking down at her, and blocking all chance of escape with his broad shoulders. As she expected, his expression was hard, but at the sight of her face, it softened. Raising his other hand, he brushed away the tears that had escaped her eyes.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He frowned. “Are you alright?”

Lora attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. It wouldn’t budge; so, she nodded instead.

The response that flickered in Seth’s eyes made it clear he did not believe her. “Leave the crutches here. I will carry you down to dinner. I have to speak with you afterwards anyway. At least this way I know you won’t go wandering off before I can catch you.” He smiled down at her. Lora felt her heart beat faster. Then he lifted her up and just like the evening before, he carefully avoided striking her feet on the doorjamb and carried her down the stairs.

The family had completely gathered by then and was waiting for them when they arrived. As soon as Seth had deposited her in her chair and taken his own place, the meal commenced. Jonas was full of the events of Ian’s afternoon with the nephews. Rynan and Labren immediately began discussing the upcoming school schedules and Elana asked Seth about his new appearance.

Lora found herself only half heartedly listening to the different conversations around her. After a few bites, she suddenly found herself no longer hungry. Her eyes remained on her plate, however. It was as if she couldn’t muster the energy to move them unless there was a good reason. Beneath the table, her ankle was throbbing painfully. Just the thought of walking on it tomorrow tightened her chest.

“Why didn’t you have Lora stain her skin, too,” Ian asked suddenly.

Curious because she had wondered the same thing herself, Lora found the strength to look up and across the table to Seth’s place. He was sitting back in his chair with his large, long fingered hands resting on either side of his half empty plate. As she raised her eyes to his face, she was startled to find him watching her.

Without dropping his gaze, he answered his brother. “She will get more latitude as a foreign slave. As a native slave, she would be expected to know all the cultural requirements and rules of a woman’s role in Ratharian society. This way if Elana or I have forgotten something in educating her, her mistake will be in character, not a revealing flaw in her portrayal of her role.”

“Besides, she will get more respect and better treatment as a foreign slave,” Elana added.

Ian seemed satisfied with this explanation. Nobody protested when Seth rose and announced that he had a great deal of work to finish before morning. He kissed Elana’s cheek while murmuring that he was please to meet his brother’s new wife. Understanding that she should make her goodbyes now, Lora turned to find Ian on her other side. He knelt so that he could meet her eyes at a level.

“If Seth never gets around to confessing his feelings to you before you return, I will personally seek him out and pound some sense into his thick skull,” he declared in a whisper. As Lora opened her mouth to protest, he raised his hand. “I know what you are about to say, but you don’t need to say it. You have handled my teasing with patience and I admire that. You are a rare find, Lora Guinia, and if I wasn’t happily married, I would give Seth some competition. I am still hopeful that I will be able to content myself with being your brother-in-law. Regardless, take good care of Seth.” He extended her an open hand. When she offered her own, he took it gently in his and bringing it to his face, brushed her fingers with his lips. Then just as suddenly as he had appeared he was gone and Eve was leaning down to envelope Lora in a warm hug.

“Come back to us,” she said. “No matter what, you will always have a home with us.” Lora’s heart was suddenly full. How wonderful it would be to stay. Eve could replace the mother she had never really had an opportunity to know and Danica and Elana were already quickly becoming like sisters. Somehow Lora knew if she returned, she was never going to be able to tear herself away again. Danica and Elana’s goodbyes were rushed hugs, but they both echoed Eve’s offer. By the time Seth appeared at her side to carry her upstairs, Lora was again blinking back tears. Irritated at herself for being so soft, she tried desperately to hold them at bay. Thankfully Seth didn’t pause to check her emotional state before picking her up. He said a final goodbye and left the room, striding swiftly toward the main foyer and the stairs to the second floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora was exhausted. Seth had read it in her eyes and her blank observation of her half eaten dinner. He had hoped to talk with her more tonight, but he didn’t have the heart to force her to assimilate any more new information. He saw the tears in her eyes as he bent to raise her into his arms and felt a twinge of guilt. He could still insist she stay, but his head reminded him of all the plans that were already made and the plans already in motion. It was too late to turn back now.

As they entered the foyer, her head lowered and she rested her forehead against the base of his neck. He wondered if she could hear the increase in his heartbeat at her closeness. By the time he reached the first floor, she was beginning to fall asleep. He could feel her muscles relaxing as she gave into unconsciousness. Reaching her door, he eased it open with his foot. He looked down at her limp form. He gently lowered her onto the bed and taking the quilt that lay folded at the end, he covered her. She sighed in her sleep. He waited, but she didn’t wake.

Not trusting himself a moment longer, he left the room shutting the door softly behind him. He would have Danica or Elana check in on her later and make her more comfortable. Yawning, he climbed the stairs to the third floor. He had a long night yet to go. Stifling a yawn, he groaned. Now he was going to be counting the hours until departure, then, and only then, would he allow himself to sleep. Thankfully, he had never had any difficulty sleeping in a carriage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora woke to the sound of someone calling her name. She opened her eyes to blurry dimness. The sun was not up yet.

“Are you awake?” a hushed male voice demanded. Turning her head, she focused on Seth’s face in the flicker of candlelight. “It is time for you to get up and dress. Lachine is loading the carriage and we leave in a few moments. Put this on before I return to get you,” he said, laying a dark colored tunic, inkos, and karbarka on the bedclothes. “Do you understand?” He asked as he brought the candle to shine light on her face.

Nodding her understanding, Lora began pushing herself up from the pillows. Before she was fully seated, Seth was gone and all that remained of his coming was the candle on the nightstand and the attire on the bed at her feet. Sleepily, Lora forced herself to widen her eyes and begin the process of climbing out of bed.

It took some careful negotiations, but she managed to get into all the clothing except the karbarka. Putting any pressure on her injured ankle caused great pain and her uninjured ankle was irritated from doing the job of two the day before. Finally, she managed to get to the chair with the karbarka in her lap lest it was forgotten in the rush of leaving and set both her bound and naked foot on the matching footstool. Elana had given her two pairs of leather shoes to wear with her new garments and a pair of sandals for when she was working around the house, but they had all been packed. Only then, as she was vaguely contemplating her cold feet, did she notice the pair of shoes lying next to the end of the bed. She just sat and looked at them. A hazy idea about getting up and fetching them flickered across her mind, but it was gone before she could fully grasp it. Then her head eased back and the oblivion of sleep claimed her.

* * *

2006-07-31T05:05:00.000-07:00

Chapter Nine

Seth looked down at Lora as the rain roared around them. She looked vulnerable and small standing there in the shadow of the great tree holding up the bottom end of a huge umbrella. The tip of the umbrella rested in the quickly softening dirt at her feet. Her damp hair hanging about her face and the uncertainty in her brown eyes, pulled at his heart.

Gone was the creature he beheld in the boat calmly and steadfastly doing what she believed to be right by refusing to repeat his brother’s words. He recalled the determined look in her eye as she raised her chin in a movement he now found familiar and the firm decision in her face as she answered him. She had been strong and confident in her choice. Yet now, that same woman stood before him looking lost and hesitant.

“Ian is an expert at teasing,” Seth told her as he reached for the umbrella. She willingly allowed him to take the monstrosity.

The umbrella was initially made to attach to the cart and shelter the occupants within. There were two of them and Seth could only guess that the other was gone with the cart. Ian had chosen well. The pole of the structure was as thick as one of Lora’s wrists, came up to her chin and the bulky canvas at the end was heavy.

“And he never gives up,” Seth said as he raised the canvas roof over his head and settled the pole against his shoulder. Motioning for her to come beneath the shelter, he frowned. “The trail down is going to be slippery, so take care.” He took her hand in his and started forward into the rain.

As he expected, the way down was tricky. Rain flattened the grass and turned the earth to mud. Rocks that offered a foothold on the trip up were now slick with running water. Seth was thankful for the heavy boots he had put on that morning. They were sturdy and well soled for this type of climbing. With their help, he moved a little ahead of Lora and found the safest way down the trickier parts.

The cart trail was a river of muddy rivulets to be avoided by climbing down the side of the rise. He was climbing down a particularly bad section of the rise with Lora above him so her feet were at eye level. He checked on her progress and then his eye caught sight of a stocking covered foot as she sought out the next foothold. She found a good spot and as he watched, her other foot appeared, shod with a mud encrusted shoe. She reached down yet again and stepped down into the circle of his arms with her face to the side of the hill.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had lost a shoe?” he demanded.

She started slightly at his voice. “Why have you stopped?”

“I asked first,” he replied, raising his voice to be heard over the increased noise of the rain drumming the canvas of the umbrella.

“It wasn’t important, now please move. My grip is slipping.”

Reluctantly he did move, but Seth didn’t waste time readdressing the issue once his feet were firmly on the level ground. Putting down the umbrella, he caught Lora around the waist. Lifting her down the last few feet, he turned her around to face him. She seemed to wince as he set her down on the grass, but he ignored it. “When did you lose it?” he demanded.

Blinking as she looked up at him through the rain, Lora frowned back at him. “It doesn’t matter. I have gone barefoot most of my life. A trudging through the rain barefoot isn’t going to harm me.”

“You should have told me,” he insisted. “Those stockings are not going to help your climbing.”

“What would you have done?” she asked. “You would hardly be able to carry me over that.” She gestured toward the incline they had just climbed down. “I lost the shoe on the first hill. I figured if I told you that I had lost it, you would insist that we go back to the trees and wait out the storm which would have given Ian even more encouragement.”

“I would have at least paid more attention to your progress. You could have fallen and I wouldn’t have been prepared to catch you. I wouldn’t have let you fall so far back.”

A strange look passed across her face. “I suppose you would also like to know how I lost it. I twisted my ankle. Now are you going to get upset with me about that too?” She looked up at him and suddenly Seth realized that there were tears mingling with the rain on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora was so angry with herself. Not just because she was silly enough to lose the stinking shoe and twist her ankle doing it, but because she was crying. She hated it when she cried. It was such a female thing to do; something her brothers had always jeered at her about when they were children. She had been okay until Seth had aggravated the ankle by stopping while she was resting most of her weight on it moments ago and now setting her down so abruptly on the grass. The tears had come regardless of her efforts to stop them and now she could see in his face that he saw them too. Closing her eyes against the throb of her ankle and the anger in his face, she willed the tears to stop.

Suddenly without a word, he lifted her up into his strong arms as if she weighed next to nothing. Carrying her over to the shelter of a nearby tree, he set her down gently on the grass. He then knelt in the grass and held out a hand.

“Your foot,” he demanded. The stern look on his face made it clear he intended her to obey immediately, which she did by sticking the throbbing foot out from beneath her skirts. Bending over it, Seth closed his hands gently around it and with gentle fingers, felt his way slowly up it from toes toward the ankle. The tenderness in his fingers made the tears flow even faster. He isn’t for me, she repeatedly told herself as she tried to draw her attention from the warmth of his hands on her cold foot.

Then his fingers touched the swollen ankle and Lora could not catch the soft cry of pain that slipped from her lips. Seth looked up at her with concern in his eyes.

“I want to make sure it isn’t broken,” he told her. “This is going to hurt, but I will try to do it as quickly as I can. Are you ready?” The warmth and concern in his eyes surprised her. Only moments ago he had been so angry.

Taking a deep breath, Lora nodded that she was ready.

He rotated her foot while holding her ankle. Biting her lip, Lora managed to not cry out. Then he straightened it again. “I don’t think it is broken, but you have definitely made the sprain worse by walking on it.” He met her eyes seriously. “I am not going to let you walk on this any more. Thankfully the worst is over and I think I will be able to manage to carry you the rest of the way.” Rising, he strode to the umbrella that still remained where he had dropped it. He closed it and brought it back to set it against the trunk of the tree.

“Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed. He crouched down to lift her. Lora obeyed as he brought her up against him. Immediately he started walking through the grass and mud. The rain slowed and the wind died down making the going easier. Still it was a few minutes before either one of them spoke.

“I need you to promise that you will tell me right away next time you injure yourself.” Seth’s breath was shortened with his work, but the firm set to his face, which was now only inches from her own made his seriousness clear to Lora. “I ask this not because you are a woman, but because you are part of my team. Right now it doesn’t matter much, but once we are in the middle of an operation you communicating with me that you are injured is going to be essential. Then it will be a matter of life or death for you and others. Do you understand me?” He turned his head to meet her eyes.

As understanding of what he was saying sunk into Lora’s fogged mind, a heavy feeling of guilt followed. Yet again she felt the pressure of unshed tears in back of her throat and a subdued sob tightening her chest. She was not prepared for the intensity of his gaze as his grey-green gaze locked with hers. Whatever he saw in her face made him pause.

“Are you alright?” he asked as his face softened. “We will be at the house in a few minutes. Then Mother will get you some warm dry clothing and I will make a compress for that ankle. Then, if you like, I will track down Ian and have it out with him. After all it is his fault you got stuck in this situation in the first place.”

She shook her head. “Don’t hurt Ian. He is just trying to help you toward what he believes will make you happy.”

Something intense crossed Seth’s face. He turned away and started walking even more quickly than before. Lora was beginning to think that she might have offended him, when he suddenly spoke. “I won’t touch Ian, but I am going to give him a talking to. I don’t care what his motives are; he shouldn’t be giving you such a hard time.”

They lapsed into silence again. Lulled by the movement of Seth’s strides, Lora felt her eyes growing heavy. He was warm and his body heat was spreading through her making her limbs feel leaden. She was comfortable despite the steady throb of her ankle. Without thinking about it, she let her head fall against Seth’s shoulder and gradually fell asleep.

“Lora, you are going to have to let go.” Seth’s voice broke through her slumber. Suddenly opening her eyes, she found Seth’s face only inches from her own. “You need to release my shirt,” he informed her with a twinkle in his eye. Lora promptly relaxed her fingers and Seth straightened.

She was lying on a bed and Eve was going through the little clothing she had. “I don’t see another clean dress anywhere,” she announced. “I guess we will have to put her in one of the outfits Elana gave her.”

“Whatever you want to do, Mother,” Seth replied. “Just let me know when you are done; I will go change and make that compress for her ankle. Don’t let her put any weight on it.”

Eve frowned dramatically at her son. “I know how to treat a twisted ankle, Son. Who do you think taught you how to treat one?” She waved her hand in his direction. “Go get changed or you will catch a cold.” Seth exited the room and Eve began helping Lora out of her wet clothing. With little fuss and impressive economy, Eve had Lora in dry clothing and back on the bed.

The moment Eve closed the door behind her, Lora dropped off to sleep. She woke to someone wrapping her foot in something moist and warm. She looked to the end of the bed to find Seth bent over her ankle as he carefully wrapped a cloth around it. His hair was mussed as if he had just rubbed it with a towel without combing it yet.

“How does it look?” she asked.

Seth met her eyes and smiled slowly. A dark curl fell down over his forehead between his eyes giving him a boyish look. “It is better than earlier. If you keep being good and resting, I might let you come down to dinner. I have assured everyone that you were going to be fine, but they are all eager to see for themselves. Ian dug out a set of our old crutches for you to use, but I am not sure I am going to allow you to use them yet.”

“You want to make Ian suffer a little longer?” she asked.

“That is a good idea, but no.” He eyed her seriously. “Considering your behavior earlier today, I am not sure I trust you to not put pressure on it.” Returning his attention to the compress, he finished wrapping it and placed her foot gently on the bed. “Now go back to sleep. I will return in time to carry you down for dinner.”

He rose and picked up the bowl he had apparently used to carry the compress. Coming to the side of the bed he looked down at her for a moment. The intense look that had crossed his face before burned in his eyes again. Then suddenly it was gone. “I will return,” he said as he turned away. She watched as he exited, closing the door behind him with a soft click of the latch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth came down from the library to fetch Lora. He still had not sorted out the mess in his head, but he felt less shaken than when he had left her room a few hours ago. This vacation was not turning out how he expected. Instead of feeling rested and relaxed, he felt tense and bothered, more than he had in years. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before knocking on Lora’s door.

Hearing a muffled summons, Seth opened and stepped into the room. Glancing toward the bed, where expected her to be, he was surprised to find it empty.

“I am over here,” Lora informed him, drawing his attention to the chair next to the door. “Before you ask,” she continued, “I didn’t put any weight on my ankle.” She looked up at him with a smile. “I have twisted my ankle this badly before and I know how to get around a little.”

“So, are you hungry?” he asked as he examined her face. The pain was gone from her eyes and she had tidied her hair. Seth found himself wishing she had not. He liked the sight of her hair hanging about her face in soft curls.

“Starving,” she replied.

Leaning down, he scooped her into his arms. Without prompting, she slipped her arm around his neck. Cautious of striking her feet against the doorway, he turned and exited the bedroom.

They were at the head of the staircase to the first floor when the bell rang at the front door. Seth stopped and turned. Walking along the balcony overlooking the foyer, he moved to where he could see the man standing outside the door. At the sight of the green and gold livery, he felt his stomach turn. A vacation with tension was still a vacation and he wasn’t ready to end it. The arrival of a man dressed in the Anavrean Royal House’s colors most likely was signaling the end of his break.

“Who is it?” Lora asked. He turned his head slightly to find her watching his face with concern.

“A messenger from my uncle, if I don’t miss my guess.”

Just then, Ian was crossing the foyer to answer the door. He glanced up at them as he set his hand on the handle, but didn’t say anything. Opening the door, he greeted the new arrival.

“A message from His Majesty Ireic Theodoric King of Anavrea for Jorthta Ethan,” the man announced.

“I will see that he gets it,” Ian said as he extended his hand.

“I have instructions to deliver it into his hands only and await a reply.”

Seth frowned. It was serious if Ireic wanted an immediate reply. Ian looked up and met his gaze questioningly. Seth nodded. Turning back to the stairs with Lora still in his arms, he quickly descended. Upon reaching the first floor, he crossed to the door.

“I am Jorthta Ethan,” Seth informed the messenger. The man’s eyes widened as he took in Seth’s relaxed attire and Lora, who was still in his arms. “If you would just hand the envelope to Lora here, I will have an answer for you to take within the hour. Ian will escort you to the kitchens so you might have something to eat while you wait.”

Looking uncertain, the young man hesitated, but finally relinquished the message into Lora’s outstretched hand. As soon as he withdrew his hand, Seth turned to Ian. “Tell them, I will not be joining them for dinner so they should begin without me.”

“What about Lora?” Ian asked.

Looking down at her, he said, “Have something brought in for her. If this is what I think it is, we will need to talk. We will be in the study.”

Ian nodded and ushered the messenger in the direction of the kitchen. Seth carried Lora into a room right off the main hall that led back to the dining room. He kicked the door closed behind him and set Lora on a soft overstuffed chair. Taking the letter from her, he walked across the thick carpet that covered the center of the floor. Picking up the letter opener from the desk, he broke the seal and unfolded the thick packet of papers. He then scanned the contents with growing unease.

As he expected, the Raijia’s health had taken a turn for the worse and his uncle was ordering him to leave for Ratharia as soon as possible. What he hadn’t expected was the news that all the contacts that still remained were disappearing. The network was being eliminated man by man. Seth frowned. If someone was killing off agents, he was going to have to be more cautious that he was planning already. Either someone was anti-Anavrean enough to kill and they knew how to identify the contacts or the contacts were getting messy and forgetting to be discreet.

“Was it what you expected?” Lora asked. He turned to find her watching him with concern.

“Worse,” he told her as he flipped through the sheets. Traveling papers for all of them, including Lora, were enclosed. The only information missing from the documents was name, occupation, and purpose of travel. The orders were clearly spelled out with the each objective outlined in detail. As Seth had dreaded, one of his assignments was to establish a reliable system for gathering and retrieving data. He closed his eyes. A long and difficult journey lay ahead. The challenges and intrigue that this opportunity offered should have made him eager to rise to the task, but he found himself thinking of how long he was going to be away from home.

Frowning, he crossed to the chair across from Lora’s and sat with a sigh. “We are going to be leaving for Ratharia in two days at the latest, sooner if I can arrange it.” He met her eyes. “I need to know if you wish to go with us,” he said. She opened her mouth, but he raised his hand to stop her from speaking. “Before you tell me your answer, you need to know some things. First, you will be going as my slave girl. It will be easier for you to keep your nationality that way. You won’t truly be a slave, but for purposes of the mission, that is the only way to not arouse suspicion. Your duties will be to keep house and cook. The three of us will guide you a little, but for cultural reasons, while in public, we will ignore you.

“I will be expecting you to keep your eyes and ears open. Each evening you will report to me everything you have observed during that day. If you have an opportunity to make friends, make them. You job will be to be accepted as a slave girl and collect gossip and news items as they pass through the slave and servant world. It will be dangerous work and difficult. Are you still interested in coming with us?”

He watched her face as she promptly replied, “Yes.”

“You don’t have to go,” he clarified. “You can remain right here. My parents would welcome you as one of the family. They are growing very fond of you.”

She shook her head. “I wish to go to Ratharia.”

“All right, then let us start working out the details.” A knock on the door interrupted him. It was Quinn with a tray of food.

“There is a messenger from the king in the kitchen. Did he bring orders?”

“Yes,” Seth replied.

Quinn nodded solemnly. “Lachine and I suspected as much. Do you wish me to fetch him?”

“Yes, do.” Seth rose to take the tray. “Also, please tell the messenger to come here after he has finished his meal. I will have a written answer for him by then.”

Quinn nodded and disappeared out the door. Setting the tray on the desk, Seth served Lora. His mother, as usual, sent in another place setting for him, but he ignored it. He didn’t have time. Crossing back to the desk, he set the tray aside; taking out a sheet of parchment and the uncapping the ink well, he began the process of wording his acceptance of the commission and communicating his plans and needs.

He finished by the time Quinn returned with Lachine in tow. Sealing the missive, Seth set it aside and pulled his plate toward him. He would eat while they planned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora listened with fascination as Seth, Quinn, and Lachine flushed out every detail of their journey from the Academy to where in the capital city of Ratharia they were going to rent a house. The men worked together with the seamlessness of long acquaintance and friendship.

It was late when they finally began to wind down the conversation and Lachine rose to leave. Smiling down at Lora, he slipped quietly out into the dark hallway. Quinn and Seth sat for a few moments in silence before Quinn spoke.

“You realize that the neighbors are going to assume that she is your concubine.” Seth met his friend’s gaze. Weariness pulled at Seth’s features and the stress line around his eyes and mouth that had lightened over the past few days were deepening again.

“Do you know of another role for her? I cannot think of a way to make it seem otherwise.”

Quinn nodded slowly in understanding. “I just wanted to make sure you had thought about that aspect.”

“We are going to need her. There is no other way to keep a finger on the gossip and what is going on in the homes of our neighbors.”

Quinn nodded again.

Seth rubbed his temples. “I am sorry I couldn’t manage a longer break.”

“You needed it more than we did.” Rising, Quinn laid a hand briefly on Seth’s shoulder as he crossed to the door. He reached for the handle and then looked over to Lora, sitting in the same chair that Seth had placed her in hours before. He stood silently, meeting her gaze for a few moments with his unreadable dark eyes. “Get some sleep. We all have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” he said and then left.

Silence descended over the room. Lora watched Seth as he rested his head on his hands. His broad shoulders were bowed as if he carried a heavy load. From her angle, all she could see was the top of his dark head and his fingers threaded through the almost black strands of his hair. His face was hidden in the shadows. After a few minutes, she began to wonder if he had forgotten her presence. Then he sighed and straightened.

“Are you still sure you wish to go with us?” he asked suddenly. The heavy tone in his voice made her wonder if he expected her to change her mind.

“My answer is the same,” she told him, meeting his gray-green gaze.

He nodded without looking away. Then he rose. Crossing to her chair, he looked down at her and his eyes darkened. Then without a word, he lifted her into his arms. Lora felt suddenly light headed. Leaning into his shoulder and tightening her grip on the back of his neck, she willed her heart to stop its sudden pounding.

In silence, he carried her up to her room and set her gently on the bed. “Rest well,” he said and then was gone, closing the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2006-06-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Chapter Eight

The morning of the picnic, Lora opened her eyes to find a gray hazy light coming through her window and filling her room with muted tones. Even before she pulled back the curtains, she knew what she would see. The cloudy sky gave everything a heavy dull look. Even the trees in the orchard, which had looked so bright and cheerful the day before, were looking limp and depressed this morning.

I doubt we are still going to have our picnic. She even as she realized that the plans would have to be changed, she felt a little less cheerful. The picnic place sounded beautiful and she had been looking forward to seeing the tree house that Jonas and Kosh raved about the day before. It would have been an opportunity to spend some time with Seth, Quinn, and Lachine too. She had not seen them at all the day before and she was realizing she missed their company.

She had been too busy to notice the missing men at first. Her morning had been very full. There were children to bathe and feed. Elana and Eve insisted she spend time with them so both of them could make progress toward being able to communicate. Lora found working with the mother and daughter-in-law enlightening. Even as Eve and Elana were beginning to get to know each other, Lora was growing to like them both.

Eve was so warm and accepting, she made everyone about her comfortable. Lora found herself drawn to the woman. When she reflected upon the overwhelming response in herself to being near Eve, Lora began to wonder if it was because she never really related to her own mother this way.

Elana was like the sister she had never had. Once Elana heard that Seth was taking her with him to Ratharia, she immediately asked, “Do you have clothes?”

Puzzled, Lora replied, “I have dresses.”

Dramatically shaking her head, Elana laughed. “No, you must not wear dresses like that.” She pointed to the worn, but still presentable dress Lora was wearing. “You will need to dress like the locals otherwise, Seth will be fined for indecently exposing you.” Seeing Lora’s look of surprise and worry as she tried to figure out how she was going to manage to find such items, Elana touched her hand and smiled. “Don’t worry. I will look into it after lunch.”

When lunch arrived, look to it she did. Cornering Seth before he got to the table, she quizzed him on where they would be traveling, what arrangements he had already made, and what Lora’s duties would be. Promptly after lunch, she took Lora up to her room and they spent the afternoon planning clothing for the trip.

Even now, in the dreary light of the morning, Lora was still in awe of the beauty of the clothing Elana had picked out. After she dressed in her only clean dress, a simple dark green piece, she paused to let her fingertips graze the silken material of the purple over tunic of the fanciest outfit. Lora had never worn anything so beautiful; in fact, she felt uncomfortable about the thought of wearing the flowing garment in public. She was certain she would ruin it by accident, certain that Elana had been wrong in assuring her that she would need it in Ratharia, she turned toward the door. After all she was only Seth’s housekeeper, not his wife.

The hall was empty and surprisingly quiet. As she walked across the wood floor toward the stairs, Lora began to wonder if she had over slept or under slept. Then a crash from the front hall drew her attention. Running to the banister, she glanced down to find Lachine looking over a scattered pile of folded umbrellas and muttering to himself.

By the time she reached the first floor, he had begun collecting them again. His arms were full and he was trying to set them aside so he could pick up the last two, when he spotted Lora.

“Could you grab those two for me and carry them for me?” he asked, jutting his chin toward the two smaller umbrellas lying at her feet.

Picking them up, she asked, “Where are you taking them?”

“Eve wants them in the dining room, so they can be loaded on the cart for the picnic.”

“But it is going to rain,” she protested as Lach started toward the back of the house. She followed carrying the last two umbrellas.

“Apparently, that is what they want these for,” Lach replied as they entered the dining room to find the table laden with baskets and blankets. He began to maneuver his burden into a position so he could set it on the floor, when Ian entered through the back door.

“Ah, just what we were waiting for. Lach, why don’t you just carry those out and put them in the cart? Father knows where he wants them.” Crossing to Lora, he took the two she carried. “You better scoot into the kitchen, Mother was about to send the children up to wake you. We are packing up and will be ready to start the walk in less than a half hour.” He smiled and winked at her before turning to open the door for Lach.

Obediently entering the kitchen, she found Seth and Danica arguing over what was an acceptable age to begin teaching boys self defense while Eve attempted to pack the last of their lunch around them. Stepping in to help Eve by placing bundles and dishes into the open basket on the table, Lora listened to the siblings argue.

“I still say the earlier the better,” Seth told his sister as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked forbidding as he frowned across at Danica who was spoon-feeding Asha. “Father gave me my first lesson when I was seven, after Toniah Jarone pounded me for my share of the taffy from the taffy pull party. Toniah never tried it again after I returned the favor when he tried to take my gingerbread.”

“Yeah, but you used that same skill to torment Ian and me when we didn’t do what you wanted.” Danica waved the empty spoon in her daughter’s direction. “I don’t want to come across the boys doing the same to Asha.”

“Then teach her, too.”

“What?” Danica raised her eyebrows at her brother. “I am going to have enough trouble as it is with her being a tomboy running after her brothers and learning their bad habits. I am not going to have her learning such a boyish thing.”

“So, what are you going to do, Danica, when you find her crying a corner, because one of her brothers took her dolls and beheaded them? You remember what you did when Ian did that to yours?”

Danica paused and a glimmer of pride passed across her face before she contained it. Turning back to her daughter with a determined frown, she said, “That does not count.”

“What did she do?” Lora couldn’t help asking.

Seth smiled, looking pleased that he had made his point. “She gave him a black eye.” Pushing off from the wall, he crossed to lean on the table at his sister’s side. “Asha will turn out just fine, Danica. Just look at Lora. She grew up with four older brothers without a mother to protect her femininity and she turned out just fine.”

Lora looked up in surprise to find Seth looking at her. Something flickered in his eyes. Winking, he asked, “So, Lora when did you learn to fight back and hold your own?”

Dropping her eyes, she turned her attention to the packing and tried to ignore the warming of her face. Seth did not take the hint.

“Come on, Lora. I know you held your own because Quinn and Lach don’t scare you. I don’t even scare you and I have been known to intimidating.”

You are intimidating. Lora frowned. Then closing the basket lid, she finally said, “I got in a fight with Braun because he broke my doll’s head by throwing it across the room. He won, but I gave him a bloody nose.” Homesickness for her brothers caused moisture to build up behind her eyes.

“See, Danica,” Seth said, turning back to his sister. “I am telling you. I think you should let Rynan teach Jonas to defend himself before these older school students make it necessary. He has the right idea and I am sure he will impress upon Jonas the importance of only using force when necessary.”

Dancia remained silent, but Seth smiled down at her. Turning to Eve, he asked, “Is the last basket ready, Mother?”

Eve looked up from the napkins she was pulling out of a drawer. “You can take it out to the cart, but be careful. There are breakable and spillable items in this one. Be sure to tell Labren that this is the fragile one.”

Nodding, Seth turned toward Lora. “I know you agree with me, Lora,” he said as he lifted the basket from the table. “Try to convince her for Asha’s sake. I would hate to see that girl at the mercy of three older brothers. Danica barely survived and she only had me and Ian.” With that, he exited through the door into the dining room. Eve followed right behind him with her arms full of linens.

“I hate it when he is right,” Danica declared as she wiped Asha’s laughing face. Even being spoon fed the girl had managed to get food all over her face, hands, and the highchair. Lora watched as Danica extracted Ash’s thumb from her mouth long enough to wash the arm. Asha immediately stuck it back in and started sucking on it fiercely. Picking the baby up, Danica turned in her seat to face Lora. “Was it really that bad?” she asked.

Lora smiled in spite of the dull ache in her chest. “It wasn’t bad, just difficult. Father wasn’t the one who taught me to fight. It was Kaled, my oldest brother. He saw how Braun was constantly picking on me, so he took me aside one day and taught me how to fight with my fists. Then the next day, Braun broke my only doll. I hit him so fast he didn’t react in time to defend himself. I was aiming for his eye, but I hit his nose. He got so mad that he slapped me. Father walked in, just in time to see that. I promised I would never punch anyone again and Braun got a severe lecture on not hitting girls.”

“You miss them,” Danica observed.

Lora swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

Danica smiled warmly. “Well you are part of my family now and we will try to fill that hole until Seth and Father find them. Come hold Asha. She is such a happy baby, she will make you smile.”

Lora willingly accepted the giggling baby. Asha promptly reached out her slobbered hand and patted the side of Lora’s face. Chattering to herself in her baby language, she smiled happily up at Lora and Lora found she could not help smiling back. She followed Danica outside and waited while she climbed into the wagon By the time she handed the baby to her mother, Lora did feel better.

Turning to catch up with the others walking through the orchard in the direction of the picnic site, Lora spotted Lach. Soon she was falling into step with him as they passed through the orchard gate and started the gradual climb toward the trees. Within minutes the cart passed them and they were the last of the group to be walking to the picnic.

“So, what do you think of Seth’s family?”

Lora looked over at Lach to find him smiling knowingly at her. “Oh no, not you, too,” she protested.

“What do you mean, not me, too?” he asked.

“You aren’t going to start trying to pair Seth and me up?” One glance at his face answered her question. He had been thinking just that.

“Why shouldn’t you set your eyes on Seth?” he asked. She stopped and stared at him a moment. He turned and meeting her eyes, raised his eyebrows questioningly. “He is a handsome and honorable man and you could do a lot worse. I am sure your brothers would approve of him. I am like a brother and I approve of it.”

She frowned at him. “It isn’t his character that bothers me,” she admitted as she realized that the others were drawing away. Continuing up the hill, she walked past him.

“Then what?” he asked as he fell into step with her.

“You aren’t going to give up are you?”

“No, so you better tell me.”

“We come from different classes. I am a poor professor’s daughter with no dowry or money. He is a titled man with power and prestige. He is the nephew of the King of Anavrea.” She shook her head. “No, he is not for me. Besides, he is married to his work.”

Lach also shook his head and frowned. “Those things don’t matter to him. You should know that by now.”

Lora didn’t answer his comment. Instead, she picked up her pace. Lach matched it. They were gaining on the group among the trees when a thought occurred to her. “Why doesn’t anyone assume you and I are a pair? You pay more attention to me than he does.”

“Maybe it is because you remind me of the sister I left behind in Ratharia,” he offered her with a smile. “I can remember her playing with dolls and getting into scrapes, but while I was away in the infantry, I missed her growing up. When I returned, she was married and had children pulling at her skirts. I couldn’t get to know her then. It was too late; her days were full of cooking, cleaning, and pleasing her husband.”

He grinned at her. “Then you showed up. Someone has to see that you don’t get yourself hurt and look after you until you find a husband of your own. I figure with your brothers gone, I should step in and keep an eye on you.”

She looked at him in disbelief. “And what might you get out of all this work?”

“I am hoping you will let me be an uncle to your little ones,” he suggested.

She laughed. “You are just as bad as the rest of them. I am going to have to go walk with Quinn. At least he won’t tease me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth watched as Lach and Lora climbed the trail. She was laughing, her head thrown back and her eyes dancing. Lach helped her over a steep part of the trail and Seth frowned.

“You aren’t getting jealous, are you?” Ian asked from his place slightly higher on the trail.

“Hush,” he told his brother.

“Come on, Seth,” Ian said as he came to stand beside him. “I am telling you that you should reconsider your future. There is a lot that can be said in favor of settling down with a wife and starting to think about a family.”

Seth shoved his brother away. “I told you I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine,” Ian said, stepping back and spreading his hands slightly to the side, “but you are thinking about it and that is a start.”

Seth strode in the direction of the picnic site. As much as he hated it, his brother was right, he was thinking about it. Try as he might, he could not make the thoughts stay out of his mind.

“Uncle Seth,” Jonas cried as Seth emerged from the trees into the clearing. Jumping over the baskets, the boy ran over to Seth and grabbed his hand. “Come up in the tree house with me. I want to show you what I did.”

“Be careful,” Danica reminded them as Jonas pulled at Seth’s hand in the direction of the ladder. “Make sure he doesn’t fall,” she added before turning back to spreading the blankets on the grass. Seth allowed his nephew to tug him across the grass to the base of the tree.

“Father and I added the railing,” Jonas informed him. Seth only half-listened as his nephew talked about how he and his father had improved the tree house. Improved it they had. When Seth had last been up in it the ‘house’ had only been a wooden platform propped into the branches of the large oak with long boards. Now it was more secure in its placement and a sturdy looking banister ringed the outside edge. Rynan had begun to attach wooden slats to the outside to that they ran from the floor to a little past the top of the railing. Eventually the sides would be covered with the slats, making it possible to hide completely from sight, but the work had only covered one side.

“Jonas, come down.” Danica’s voice rang clearly across the clearing.

Obediently, Jonas scrambled to the ladder and soon the top of his head disappeared beneath the floor. Lying flat on his back, Seth stared up into the branches. The light was dim and the leaves rustled restlessly as the breeze picked up. Breathing deeply of the heavy air, he felt himself relaxing for the first time in ages. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander.

The details of the mission ahead marched across his brain, but he pushed them aside. He and his father had taken care of the last of those items yesterday. He had wanted to get them out of the way so he wouldn’t have to worry about them. Now that they were dealt with, he could truly escape from the stress of his work.

“So this is where you went.” Ian’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Jonas and I are organizing a little game and I thought you should join us.”

“Can’t you see I am resting? Go away and leave me be,” he said without opening his eyes.

“Fine, but I can’t promise I will behave,” Ian told him smugly in a low voice. “Then who will defend Lora, if you aren’t there.”

Suddenly rolling over, Seth opened his eyes and reached for the source of his brother’s voice. Ian ducked and Seth’s fingers grasped at the air where his head had been. Back on his back, he frowned up at the leaves. Ian was not going to let him have a moment’s peace unless he showed Lora some attention.

Thankful he had clarified things with her already, he reluctantly sat up and moved toward the hole for the ladder. If he joined them now and showed her some friendly attention, Ian would be satisfied and leave him alone for a time. At least he hoped his brother would.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come.”

Lora looked up from the napkin in her lap to find Seth standing over her looking grim. She frowned up at him, but taking the hand he offered her, she allowed him to pull her to her feet. Drawing her with him, he headed toward the rowboat tied to a short pier on the edge of the water.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I promised I would take you out on the water in the boat. Ian is starting to hatch another idea to get us together, so I thought now was a good time to take you.” He glanced back at her.

Ian’s attempts at keeping her and Seth together were painfully obvious. Every game they had played had been pair oriented and since all the other adults were married, she and Seth were thrown together. She didn’t mind having him for a partner. In fact, she enjoyed his company. He was good at everything they tried and compensated for her lack of knowledge or skill. She found herself enjoying him, but Seth’s darkening mood had given her the impression that he, on the other hand, did not appreciate being on her team.

She followed him to the water, though he didn’t give her a choice. He didn’t release her hand until they reached the edge and he needed both hands to draw the boat alongside the dock.

“Put your hand on my shoulder and step in,” he instructed as he held the edge of the boat.

She laid her hand on his broad shoulder and stepped down into the bobbing boat. As soon as she was seated, he followed and sat down at the oars. With a firm shove, he pushed the craft away from the dock and out onto the water. Bending to the oars, he rowed them out into the center of the water before lifting the oars out of the water and letting the boat float placidly.

Lora felt her heart constrict in fear when she looked up to find him watching her expectantly. He was intimidating. His keen eyes studied her face as if he could read what he wanted to know if he just looked hard enough. It didn’t help that he frowned at her as he reached for her hands. Considering the dark look on his face, Lora half expected his touch to be rough, but he took her hands gently in his.

Lowering his eyes, he said, “I was just speaking with Elana. She said Ian refuses to tell her what he said to you during dinner the day we arrived.” His thumbs caressed the back of her hands and she began to feel warm. “I know you don’t want to tell me about it, but I am beginning to think you should.” He raised his eyes and met hers. “Ian has been known to go beyond the rules of propriety to make his point. The years at sea with a crew of all men has only encouraged his rebellious nature. Add in the fact he has been a captain accustomed to his word being law and he can get downright obnoxious at times. If he has done so with you, I wish to confront him on it.”

Lora felt the warmth creeping to her face as it always did when she thought of Ian’s suggestions that day. Even as she lowered her eyes and wished that Seth would release her hands, she was certain she was not going to be able to repeat Ian’s words, not just because she was embarrassed by the words themselves but by the reaction that they had drawn out of her. Despite all her denials to the contrary, she knew she was attracted to Seth.

She liked the comfortable friendship that they were developing. Bringing the possibility of more up before they were ready for it would kill the friendship and make them both awkward with each other.

Carefully she shook her head.

“No, he did not act inappropriately or no, you aren’t going to tell me?” Seth asked.

Lifting her head and meeting his darkened eyes, she said, “Both.”

His eyes held hers for a few moments before he seemed satisfied. “You will tell me if he bothers you?” he asked.

Nodding, Lora agreed. “So, what did you want to show me about the swimming hole?” she asked to make it clear that she wished to change the topic.

He smiled slowly in understanding. Then turning to scan the far end of the pond, he pulled out the oars and began to maneuver the craft in that direction. The sky above darkened so that just as they reached the right spot, it began to rain. “I will have to show you another time,” he said as the rain started to increase. Bending to the oars, he turned the dingy once again in the direction of the dock.

By the time Seth tied the boat up and helped her out, the rest of the family had packed up the cart with gear, children, and leftover food. Loaded heavily, it was already making its way down the beginning of the trail, when Lora reached the shelter of the trees. Ian was handing out the last of the umbrellas for the walk to the house. “The last one,” he informed Lora as she approached. Handing her a heavy pole with yards of canvas, he then turned to open his own. “You and Seth are going to have to share.” He winked and taking his own portable shelter, headed for the trail.

Lora frowned down at the cumbersome umbrella he had handed her. Certain she was not going to manage carrying it all the way back, she was beginning to consider walking on her own and leaving it for Seth.

“He did it again, didn’t he?” She looked up to find Seth standing over her looking soaked to the skin already, his dark hair plastered to his head. Beyond their meager shelter, the water poured down in sheets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2006-06-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Chapter Seven

Seth spent his afternoon wandering about and visiting his old haunts. He spotted Lachine and Quinn talking with Horan, the groundskeeper, when he passed the vegetable gardens. He encountered Danica and Lora mid-tour at least twice. Danica’s cheerful voice echoed in the empty rooms of the dormitories and Seth had no trouble avoiding them. He also almost walked in on Ian and Elana having an intense discussion in rapid Ratharian in the front room. They had paused for a moment, but as Seth’s hand was on the knob, Ian started to apologize. Seth quickly turned and walked back the way he had come.

The sky was growing red, when he found himself standing outside the old library. Located at the top of the main house, it was once the library for the whole school when the Academy was confined to the main house. Now it was still a library, but Father used it as a study and during the school year students could be found haunting the chairs and couches. Easing the heavy oak doors open, he slipped into the welcoming atmosphere of his favorite room in the house.

Tall windows lined the opposite wall making bands of red-gold light on the carpets. Bookshelves laden with heavy volumes lined the walls. Across the room, sitting with his back to the window, was Seth’s father. Since Seth could remember, he could find his father in just this position, at his desk reading or writing with his head bent over his work.

Silver, more than the last time he had found him thus, highlighted Labren’s temples. It stood out against his dark brown hair. What concerned Seth more, though, was the presence of the intricately carved walking stick leaning against the edge of the desk. It meant that his father’s old injuries were causing trouble again.

As he approached, Labren looked up from the letter he was writing. Leaning back in his chair, he greeted his son with a smile that brightened his whole face and made his laugh lines deepen. “As I said before, it is good to see you home, Seth.”

Seth nodded as he sank into a nearby chair. “I am very glad to be home. It has been too long.”

“Ireic works you hard I am sure.” Labren sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. “He always works his men hard.”

“No harder than he works himself,” Seth pointed out.

His father nodded in agreement.

Meeting his father’s deep blue gaze from across the desk, Seth frowned. “I came to seek your advice and your help.”

“What is the trouble?”

“Uncle Ireic is sending me to Ratharia.” Seth watched as his father’s face darkened slightly with concern. “He wants me to defend Anavrea’s interest in the coming transition of power. The contacts I set up during my time over there before have broken down. He wants more complete and reliable information in all the usual areas.”

Leaning back, Labren crossed his arms and began studying the air. “Are you planning on using Quinn and Lachine?”

“Yes,” Seth agreed, “Both of them are ready and willing. Lora also appears interested. She would give me an avenue into some areas I have not been able to enter before, but I am reluctant to use her openly. I have been initially planning on her just keeping her eyes and ears open as she performs the usual duties of a housekeeper and cook. Her being there will also free up Lachine for other duties.

“My main point of concern is getting within the walls of the Raijia’s palace. Uncle Ireic can’t just give me clearance as ambassador because it would ruin my cover as a merchant and close more doors than it would open. I know you have contacts in the Raijia’s service; is it possible one of them could get me in?”

Slowly Labren nodded. “I believe I know of someone you can contact. He was once a student here. In fact, I can give you two names. Randare Portis is the right hand man of Tritarn, the Raijia’s nephew and Arickan Laroris is the Raijia’s Sharid.” The Sharid was a hereditary title of the Raijia’s Prime Minister. “Both were once students here. Arickan graduated right before you were born and Randare left us when you were four.”

Labren sighed and continued. “You probably recall the big uproar about five years ago when the current Sharid made his nephew his heir instead of his son.”

Seth vaguely recalled hearing about the incident. Many of the Raijia’s opponents had raised questions, especially when it was discovered that the heir apparent, Arickan Laroris, had been educated outside of Ratharia. The Ratharians were very proud of their education system for their young men. The fact that the second highest position in the country was going to be given to a young man who had been educated in Braulyn by foreigners caused quite a fuss. As was the usual way of things in the Ratharian court, a new issue drew the court’s attention a month later and the Sharid position was forgotten for the time being.

“How long has he been Sharid now?” Seth asked.

“About three years,” Labren answered. “He has been showing great potential as a statesman. He would be a valuable ally for you to have.”

Seth nodded agreement. “Would you mind writing to him this week? I am planning on setting up shop and house as a native merchant returning from Braulyn. If you would introduce me as such and request that I be able to meet with him after I arrive, that would be perfect. I haven’t begun making the arrangements yet, but I am hoping to set up house in the capital city.”

His father leaned forward and picking up his pen, scribbled a note on one of the loose sheets of paper on his desk. “Consider it done,” he told Seth. “I will work on it tomorrow morning before the first of the teachers arrive.”

“The other matter that I was hoping you could help me with is concerning Lora.” Seth watched his father’s eyebrows raised and found himself frowning in response. “It isn’t as I know you are hoping, Father,” he clarified. “I know you and mother are hoping I will settle down with a nice wife and give you more grandchildren. The fact I have brought Lora along with me has brought all those desires to the surface. I want to make it clear that I am not planning on marrying anytime in the near future. Anavrea and Uncle Ireic need me and I have sworn to serve.”

“That was not what I was thinking, Son.”

Seth looked up in surprise.

“Well, not completely what I was thinking,” he clarified. “I do hope for all those things you have just accused me of hoping for, but I am not blind. I see that you do not care for Lora that way, yet.” He leaned forward and continued.

“I know and understand how you feel toward Ireic and Anavrea. I felt the same way and still feel the same way, but I have made my choices and do not regret them. The time will come, however, that you will care for someone enough to wish you hadn’t sworn the oath of service. When that time comes, I want you to remember one thing. Anavrea and your Uncle Ireic will always need you, but that doesn’t mean you always have to be the one to step forward. There are others who will take your place when you decide the happiness of a woman is more important than the security of a country.”

Seth wasn’t sure he agreed with his father on this one, but he respected his father’s age and wisdom. He had heard of how and why his father had made the choices he had. His father, then called Trahern, the name he had been given at birth, had been the heir apparent of the throne of Anavrea. A scandal and betrayal caused him to fall from his father’s grace and forced him to run for his life. Ireic, Labren’s younger, half-brother, was proclaimed heir. After their father’s death, Ireic tried to give the crown to Labren, but because of his marriage to Eve and her pregnancy, Labren turned it down.

Growing up, Seth had been thankful for that choice. He saw how his cousins were forced to carry a much heavier burden than he was given. As an adult, Seth chose to serve Anavrea, yet his cousins were never given a choice. They had been born into the duty.

“So, now that we have clarified our positions,” Labren said, drawing Seth’s attention back to the present. “What was the favor you wanted to ask regarding Lora?”

Seth leaned back in his chair. “She has four brothers, Kaled, Waren, Jerat, and Braun. When their father died, they were sent to a boarding school to finish their education to become healers. Lora’s Aunt Roalalt, her mother’s sister, dropped her at my door to apply for the place of housekeeper and promptly left without seeing if she obtained the position. I would hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t accepted her.

“Anyway, I have told Lora I would try to locate her brothers for her. I am suspicious of how the aunt handled things and suspect the boys have been dumped in an inferior school to save money. I know if I can locate them and help them, they will be more than willing to take care of Lora. From what she has told me they are of the age to support themselves and their sister. I think that her aunt has purposefully arranged their estate for her convenience and possibly her personal profit.” Seth looked over to find his father watching his face carefully.

“I will write inquiries to all the schools I know of and find out if her brothers are in any of them. It will take some time, but I am sure that if they are in a school with in Braulyn and Anavrea, I will find them.” Labren leaned forward and added to his note on the desk. Without setting down the pen, he asked, “How long do I have?”

Seth shrugged. “I have no idea how long we will be in Ratharia, possibly years, but I would be willing to send Lora back if she desires after you have found them.”

His father raised his eyebrows. “So, Ireic didn’t give you a time frame for this trip?”

“No he hasn’t,” Seth confirmed. “It concerns me, too. I am reluctant to return as it is, but having it so open ended makes me wonder if he ever expects me to return. I am there for the transition period between Raijias at the least. I will also be setting up a new network, but I have no idea how long that will take. What Ireic really needs is a reliable native contact with loyalties to Anavrea. Considering how nearly impossible that is going to be to find, I might be over there indefinitely.”

Labren nodded.

“Of course,” Seth said, “If I could get Quinn interested in doing it on his own, Uncle Ireic wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“Quinn won’t do that,” Labren pointed out. “He is too attached to you, Son. Do you know how angry he was with me and your uncle for letting you enlist in the Ratharian military? He demanded to be allowed to follow you.”

Seth’s eyes widened in surprise. “So that was why he suddenly showed up when he did.”

His father laughed. “You mean he never told you?”

“No. He just showed up one day on the sidelines while we were drilling. I missed a step when I saw him. He never spoke directly to me, but he kept showing up in the oddest places.” Seth smiled. “You should have seen his face when I introduced Lachine. I have never seen him look so suspicious in my life.”

“You mean he wasn’t suspicious of Lora?”

Seth paused to think back. “Not really. I would have expected him to be more guarded, but he wasn’t.”

Just then a bell rang. Both men lifted their heads and smiled. “Dinner,” Labren said as he pushed his chair back and reached for his cane. Catching the look of concern on Seth’s face, he laughed. “Don’t look so anxious, Seth. I am fine. I am just getting older. I can no longer do all the things I used to without it. Don’t go worrying that I have one foot in the grave.”

The frown did not leave Seth’s face though. “I know you told me that one day you would have to use it all the time, but I always thought that day was far in the future.” He rose.

Putting a hand on his son’s shoulder, Labren squeezed it firmly. “Old injuries return to haunt you in your old age, but they are worth the pain if you succeeded in making them count. This,” he said lifting his weaker leg, “Is how I met your mother. Without it, you would not be standing here with me today. The results are well worth the pain, Son. Now let us see if Elana has convinced Ian to apologize and behave himself.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora’s mind was still trying to process all the information that Danica had exposed to her during the tour. Even as she helped Patri stack his wooden blocks into neat towers, she wondered if she was going to be able to keep it all straight.

“’ora, not there!” the three year old protested. A small hand pointed emphatically at the tallest tower. “There!” Patri instructed. “B’ock goes there.”

“Are you sure? It looks like it is going to fall over.”

“B’ock there,” he insisted with a nod of his head.

“Okay.” Lora reached out and gingerly set the block on top of the tilting tower. As predicted, the pile crashed to the floor.

Patri jumped up with a squeal. “Fa’ down,” he announced with hands extended dramatically. Then falling to the rug in an imitation of the blocks, he lay still for a moment. Jumping up again, he smiled over at Lora. “Do again?” he asked.

“Certainly,” Lora agreed and they both bent to the task of gathering the blocks again.

“Can I interrupt?”

Lora looked up to find Ian standing over them. He towered above their position on the floor. Instantly his words at the noon meal jumped into her mind. She firmly pushed them back.

“Unc’e Ian!” Patri jumped up and threw his arms around Ian’s leg. “Horse,” he asked, looking up at his uncle with pleading blue eyes.

“Not until after dinner,” Ian replied. “I will help you build the tower again instead.”

Patri immediately agreed. Releasing his uncle’s leg and started piling blocks once again.

“I have come to apologize,” Ian said as he folded his long legs. Reaching for the nearest block, he added it to Patri’s pile straightening it as he did. “My behavior at lunch was unacceptable and I won’t tease you at the table that way again.”

Straightening, Lora looked over at him in time to catch the glimmer of mischief in his eye before he turned to watch his nephew. As she studied him, she realized that Seth had been correct. Ian was not going to be easy to convince that she and Seth were nothing more than friends. After she had been watching him a moment, he met her gaze. “You don’t believe me, do you?” His dark eyes challenged her. Unlike Seth’s gray-green, his eyes were brown.

“I accept your apology, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you teased me again at dinner. You put enough qualifiers on that statement to get around it. Did you tell Elana the same thing?”

Ian laughed. “I promised her not to whisper disturbing things in your ear again. So, I shall not be doing that again, at the table or otherwise.” He flashed her a mischievous wink and placed another block on the tower.

“Did you tell her what you said?”

“No,” he grinned, but did not meet her eyes. “Did you tell Seth?”

Lora felt her cheeks warm, but she did not drop her eyes. “No.”

Ian raised his eyebrows as he glanced over at her. “Hm…I guess I am going to have to make the suggestions to him and see what he does.”

Her cheeks grew warmer and she dropped her eyes. “He doesn’t think of me that way,” she stated firmly. “He is my employer.” When she finally looked up, he was watching her face carefully.

“Ian, are you tormenting the poor girl again?” Danica asked as she came into the room. Noting Lora’s flushed face and lowered eyes, she frowned down at her brother. “Leave her alone. As if you haven’t done enough at lunch,” she said as she picked up her son. “Dinner is ready and you better behave, or I believe Seth will wallop you,” she warned Ian. “From what I heard, he was pretty upset with you after lunch.”

“He has calmed down,” Ian told her.

“I hope so. I don’t want to have to explain to the boys that brawling at the table isn’t acceptable even though their uncles do it.”

Ian rose and offered Lora a hand. She accepted it reluctantly, allowing him to help her to her feet. As they followed Danica out into the foyer, Seth and Labren were just reaching the bottom of the stairs. Seth immediately upon seeing his brother and her flushed face, shot Ian an annoyed look. He might have moved to offer Lora an arm, but his father beat him to it.

“Is my son behaving himself?” Labren asked as he extended an arm to Lora.

Lora took it gratefully. She didn’t feel particularly comfortable with either of the brothers at the moment. She didn’t trust Ian to behave and the look on Seth’s face made it clear that he was not in a good mood.

Noticing her hesitation in answering, Labren smiled down at her reassuringly.

“So, what do you think of the Academy?”

“The buildings and grounds are beautiful. There is so much space and roaming room.”

“Yes, it is big. Remember that when the children get here. They will make the place seem small, at least the buildings.” He smiled down at her.

Labren Theodoric was a handsome man. Tall and commanding, she could see where his sons got their dark hair and unique presence. Yet, unlike his sons, he had a calming manner about him. There were no secrets hiding behind his eyes or a mischievous streak like she had noticed in both Seth and Ian. He reminded her of her father, steady and trustworthy.

They entered the dining room and he led her to her seat. The seating was the same as it was for lunch, except for one minor change. Elana and Ian switched places, putting Elana next to Lora.

The meal passed very pleasantly. Lora was able to ask Elana all kinds of questions about Ratharia and Elana showed a great interest in Lora’s childhood. Periodically, when she looked up, Lora would find Seth or Labren watching her. When she met Labren’s eyes, he would frequently smile and return to his meal. She got the impression that he was listening to their conversation. Seth, however, would usually study her face for a moment without responding to her smile. It was as if he was monitoring her emotional or mental state.

After dinner, the family moved to the front room, Quinn and Lachine disappeared and Elana insisted that she come along. “I need an interpreter,” she said, “Please.” Reluctantly Lora agreed. Following Elana into the room, she sat down with her on the settee.

“Horse,” Patri yelled as he hurled himself at his Uncle Ian’s legs the moment he entered the room. “You promise.”

Ian looked down at the little boy with amusement. “What did you just call me?”

Patri grinned and squirmed in anticipation. “Horse,” he proclaimed loudly.

“What are you teaching our nephews, Danica,” he asked his sister. “Your son just called me a horse.”

“What is the magic word?” Danica asked absentmindedly as she tried to straighten her daughter’s dress.

“Horse, p’ease,” Patri begged.

“Oh, just do it,” Seth said shoving Ian gently on the shoulder. Ian turned to protest, but Jonas and Kosh galloped into the room and immediately started begging for horse rides too. In moments, both men had surrendered and the boys’ father was ensnared too.

Elana laughed at the sight of three men crawling about the floor with children on their backs. “My father would have never done this for me,” she told Lora. “That is what attracted me to Ian; how different he was from my father.”

“What was your father like that made you not want your husband to be the same?” Lora asked before thinking about how offensive her question could be.

Elana’s face sobered and Lora was concerned she had tread on a forbidden topic. Catching sight of Lora’s face, Elana smiled reassuringly. “Don’t look so worried. I loved my father, but it just makes me sad that he is gone and I will never be able to tell him that. He died right before we left Ratharia.”

“I am sorry,” Lora said, though the words sounded inadequate as they came from her lips.

Elana smiled as she watched the boys argue over whose mount would go through the doorway first. “He was so distant with his children. He traveled a lot and when he was home, mother was the only one he wanted to see. The first time I saw Ian, he was lecturing his cabin boy. He was obviously upset with him, but when he finished speaking, he ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled at him.” She paused as if lost in her memory. “My father never did that. I knew he was the one I wanted to buy me.”

“You were for sale?” Lora couldn’t believe her ears. The beautiful young woman sitting next to her looked as if she came from a wealthy family. The Theodoric family were also obviously wealthy and in addition to that, noble. Labren, Seth’s father, was the brother of the King of Anavrea.

“Yes,” Elana answered with a frown. “Father had died and left us with nothing. My brothers would support Mother, but not me. They sold me with the other household items they did not want.” Tears glistened in her eyes as she continued. “Ian bought me with some of the other goods. Once we were on the ship and had left the port, he told me I was a free woman again.”

She laughed. “It seems to run in the family, this freeing of women from slavery and then marrying them.” Then seeing Lora’s confusion, she frowned. “You didn’t know about Labren and Eve? Eve was a slave before she married Labren. He married her to free her.”

Lora glanced over at Seth’s parents sitting together on the far side of the room watching their sons and grandsons romping on the floor. Labren’s arm was around Eve’s shoulders and her hand rested on his thigh. Every nuance of their manner showed their obvious affection for each other. It was hard to believe that theirs had begun as a marriage of convenience.

“I have been blessed by finding this family,” Elana said.

Lora found herself nodded in agreement. Seth’s family was definitely different than she had expected.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do not reproduce without express written permission of the author.

2006-06-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Chapter Six

“What is your name?” Jonas inquired as he looked up at Lora. He and she were standing in the wide aisle between the horses’ stalls. Quinn and Lachine were settling the horses into their new stalls. Lora had offered to help, but both men refused to let her. Jonas, having finally slowed in his questions for Quinn, was now taking a great interest in her.

“My name is Lora,” she informed him with a smile.

He squinted up at her. “Are you married to my uncle?”

A loud thunk that sounded like a brush hitting the floor came from the stall where Lachine was working, but Lora ignored it. “No, I am his housekeeper.”

Jonas frowned as he digested this new information. “Uncle Ian arrived yesterday with a girl. She is really nice. She doesn’t look like any other girl I have ever seen though. She has darker skin and wide slanted eyes. Uncle Ian says he loves her and that is why he wants to spend more time alone with her without me. They went for a walk right before you came. Grandma says they are planning to build a house nearby. I heard her telling Grandpa that last night before they went to bed. I hope they do. It would be nice to have Uncle Ian nearby so we can go fishing and do all kinds of boy stuff.” He paused for a moment and then looked up at her. “Momma doesn’t like it when I do boy’s stuff and get dirty. Do you think momma would mind if I got dirty when I did boy stuff with Uncle Ian?”

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly, as Quinn approached them. Lachine was right behind him. They were carrying the saddlebags.

When Jonas saw them, he eagerly bounced on his heels. “Are you ready to go in now?” he asked Quinn excitedly. “I want to show you to Grandma. I have to ask her if all your stories are really true.”

“Don’t you believe me?”

“I believe you,” Jonas declared as he ran ahead. “I will go open the door for you.” Bare feet flying, he ran in the direction of the front doors and disappeared inside. True to his word, he had opened the door for them and left it standing open. As the three of them stepped across the threshold, they could here Jonas’ voice calling from somewhere within, “Uncle Seth is here and he brought Quinn.”

Lachine and Lora glanced over at Quinn. “I guess you get top billing after Uncle Seth,” Lachine commented with a teasing grin. “Do you feel honored?”

“It will only last until something else catches his attention,” Quinn said as he lowered his load to the smooth tile. Lora noted the small smile tugging at his lips.

The main foyer was huge, rising two stories and enclosing a long winding staircase that started on the left on the first floor and rose to the second floor in the center above their heads. A long balcony rimmed the space on the second floor on three sides and Lora could see doors through the railing. On the first floor directly before them, a wide hall opened up toward the back of the house and the shine of natural light reflected of the smooth wooden floor. Another hall opened off to the right and left. The house was even larger than the outside had appeared.

“He definitely is an inquisitive fellow,” Lora commented as she gazed up at the large window that lit the foyer from above.

“He takes after his mother,” Quinn told her. “Danica was exactly the same when she was his age, dirt and all.”

“Oh, Quinn!” All three of them turned to meet the slender woman crossing the hall with her arms opened to Quinn. “Don’t let Jonas hear you say that or I will never get him to take a bath again,” she protested before enveloping Quinn in a quick hug and rising on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Seth’s sister had dark hair and green eyes, just like her brother, but there the similarity ended. She was small, slender, and feminine. Lora could not envision her with dirty bare feet and braids. She was clean and neat, making Lora very aware that she had been wearing her dress for three days now.

Danica introduced herself and shook hands with Lachine. “Now, you must be Lora,” she said as she turned to Lora. Hugging her warmly, she drew back with a smile to study Lora’s face. “I am delighted that Seth brought you. It will be wonderful to have another female about the house. Mother and I sometimes get so lonely. Now we will have you and Elana to get to know while the men are off together.” Lora couldn’t help smiling in return as Danica wrapped her arm around her shoulders and drew her down the hall under the large staircase.

“Come on, men,” she called over her shoulder. “Mother already has the table set and I sent Jonas to fetch Father and Rynan. Ian and Elana are going to wander in any minute and you know, Quinn, Mother doesn’t like to serve cold food.”

“I don’t like giving it a chance to grow cold,” Quinn informed her. “I have always said Eve is the best cook I have every met.”

The natural light Lora had noted before was from the open dining room doors. A row of tall stately windows gave a beautiful view of a courtyard between buildings set perpendicular and off to the left and right. Beyond the courtyard, lay the golds and reds of the orchard. Danica disappeared through a door to the left and Lachine asked Quinn a question, so Lora wandered over to the closest window and drank in the view.

It wasn’t until she felt a hand resting on her arm that she realized that someone was standing next to her. She turned to find an older woman smiling at her. She had an inner glow that was more beautiful than an attractive face. Lora felt instantly accepted and at ease. Guessing that she must be Seth’s mother, Lora found herself smiling back “It is beautiful, isn’t it,” the woman said softly.

Nodding, Lora looked back out at the trees.

“This is Seth’s favorite season. He loves the colors in the trees and the apples.” They stood for a moment looking out as the breeze picked up and the leaves waved at them.

“Seth,” a loud voice suddenly exclaimed. Both Lora and Seth’s mother turned in time to see a dark haired man run across the dining room and tackle Seth in a bear hug.

“Good to see you, too, Ian,” Seth gasped with a laugh as he returned the hug. “I didn’t expect you to be home.”

Releasing his brother, Ian stepped back and looked him over. “You aren’t taking care of yourself,” he observed with a frown. “Uncle Ireic is working you too hard.”

“What have I heard about you bringing home a wife?” Seth countered in an attempt to change the subject.

Ian’s frown deepened, but he let his brother off with a look that made it clear that the subject of Seth’s health was not forgotten. Turning to the woman who lingered in the doorway, he drew her forward. “Elana,” he said, “I want you to meet my brother, Seth.”

Jonas description of his new aunt was very observant. Elana was beautiful in the exotic way of Ratharia. Slender, tall and thin, her face boasted clear, smooth, bronzed skin and slanted eyes. Her shy smile was completely charming, but there was no guile in her wide, dark eyes as she raised them to meet Seth’s.

“I am delighted,” Seth told her in Ratharian. Bowing slightly, he smiled. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you,” she replied in the same language.

“Quinn?” Seth said turning to look for the older Ratharian. Spotting him and Lachine, he motioned for them to come over and be introduced. He turned and met Lora’s watching eyes. Smiling, he gestured to her as well.

“Oh, I was hoping you would bring Quinn,” Ian exclaimed as he stepped forward to shake the man’s hand. “Elana needs an interpreter.”

“Mother, you still haven’t learned to speak Ratharian?” Seth turned to look accusingly at his mother only to find she had disappeared. “Anyway,” he said turning and seeking out Lora from where she was trying to hang back and stay out of the way. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he brought her forward. In Ratharian, he said, “Elana this is Lora. Lora, Elana.”

Lora smiled warmly into the young woman’s face. “Pleased to meet you,” she said in Ratharian. Smiles blossomed across both Elana and Ian’s faces.

“At last, a woman who speaks my language,” Elana exclaimed. Taking Lora’s hands in hers, she pressed her cheek to Lora’s. “Ian has been my only conversation for months.”

“Father scares her,” Ian explained to Seth over the women’s heads.

“I scare who?” Everyone turned to meet the last arrival. “Why are we still standing? Eve? Is the food ready?”

Seth’s mother appeared carrying a large platter covered in carved meat. “Ready and waiting for you, Labren.”

“Then let us eat,” Seth’s father said. Stepping to Seth’s side, he hugged him swiftly. “It is good to see you home, son.”

“It is good to be home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the following meal, Seth spent more time watching than eating. He ate enough to satisfy his hunger, but he was much more interested in watching the others at the table. Mother and Father sat as they always did at opposite ends of the long table. Periodically throughout the meal they would catch each other’s eye and smile. Mother always enjoyed sitting with the children, so, she had Jonas on one side of her and Kosh on the other. She spent time making sure they had food on their plates and were putting it in their mouths at regular intervals while she carried on a conversation with Quinn and Lachine who had been posted on either side by special request of the boys. Danica had excused herself earlier when the nursemaid appeared to announce the two smaller ones were up from their nap.

At the other end of the table, Danica’s husband, Rynan was deep in conversation with Father about a subject that appeared to interest Elana, who was sitting on the opposite side of Father, and Ian, sitting next to her. Finally, Seth’s eyes fell on Lora in her place directly across from him. Her head bent over her meal she was eating steadily as if that was the only thing on her mind. However, when her head came up, she glanced Father’s way when he challenged something Rynan was claiming. Seth realized that she was actually listening to the conversation going at that end of the table.

It was good to be home, Seth decided as he continued to watch her movements. Ian, apparently loosing interest in the conversation, glanced around the table. Seth met his eyes briefly and then resumed watching Lora’s hands. Content in his thoughts as he tried to decide what he was planning to accomplish during this visit home, he did not realize anything was amiss until suddenly Lora’s hands froze. As Seth raised his eyes to her face, he encountered her wide eyes watching him in surprise. Ian, who was leaning over and whispering in her ear, continued his private one-sided conversation while shooting a mischievous look in Seth’s direction. Seth’s danger sense rose in full battle gear. The last time Ian had looked like that, Seth ended up itching for weeks with the worst case of poison ivy in memory.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. His brother was across the table and Seth couldn’t get at him without causing a scene. Even as he was realizing this, Lora stiffened in her seat and her eyes widened. Seth couldn’t read the emotion in them, but he knew he was going to make his brother regret this, new wife or not, poison ivy was going to be the least of his worries. Suddenly Lora’s face flushed bright red and she dropped her eyes to her plate. Ian leaned away and watched his handy work play out.

Seth willed Lora to ride the storm. If she could just manage to make it through the meal and not make a scene, he would be so proud of her. But then he noticed her hands beginning to shake. Seth lifted her eyes again to her face; she was again looking at him. The moment their eyes met, she dropped the utensils to her plate with a clatter. The noise broke through both conversations, and in the silence, all eyes went to her.

Quickly drawing her hands to her lap, she lowered her eyes. “Please excuse me,” she said. Then shoving back her chair, she fled, dinner napkin still clutched tightly in her fist.

“Ian Lucas Theodoric!” Mother’s voice cut through the silence like a hatchet. Her eyes blazing, she glared at her son. “What did you say to that girl?”

“Nothing, Mother,” Ian said, but when Seth glanced at him, he was looking smugger than a cat that caught a snake. It took all of Seth’s training and experience not to jump across the table and wallop that look of his brother’s face.

“That was obviously not ‘nothing,’” Father said.

Since none of them were speaking in Ratharian and her husband was obviously the focus, Elana turned to her father-in-law and asked what was going on. Father told her and she turned to Ian. “What is this!” she demanded. “I told you no more tricks and you promised.”

“But…” Ian protested, but she cut him off with a wave.

“No more.” She stated. Setting down her knife, she rose and turned to Mother. “Excuse me.”

Mother didn’t need a translation. She nodded.

“Elana,” Ian began, but Elana turned and gave him a look so cold that Seth felt the temperature drop from across the table. Then turning and gracefully dropping Father a curtsey, she exited with her head held high.

Ian turned around with a stormy look on his face.

“What did you say,” Seth demanded.

“If you are so interested, brother, go ask her yourself,” Ian retorted. Taking up his knife, he stabbed a piece of meat from the center platter and proceeded to shred it.

Silence again fell over the table. Finally, Mother spoke. “Seth, I think I saw her go in the direction of the orchards. One of my shawls is hanging inside the kitchen. You best go try to straighten things out.”

“Yes, Mother,” he agreed. Whatever Ian said to her, he was not going to be revealing anytime soon and it had something to do with Seth, so he probably was the best person to talk it out with Lora. After he fetched the heavy woolen shawl from the kitchen, he went out of his way to pass by the back of Ian’s chair and whap the back of it sharply. For once, Mother didn’t admonish Seth. Ian stubbornly did not react and Seth slipped out into the cool autumn air in search of Lora.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora closed her eyes and willed away the images that Ian had planted with his words. They didn’t budge. She opened her eyes and forced her mind in a different direction. She looked up at the branches waving their multicolored leaves in the wind and smiled. This was a beautiful place. It reminded her of home.

An empty feeling filled her middle as she recalled her last glimpses of the house where she had grown up. She had been the last of her family to walk over the worn sill and latch the heavy door. Her brothers had left for their new school two days before, promising to write and to send for her when they could. Little did they know the plans Aunt Roalalt was putting in motion for her.

Ian and Seth’s playful manner reminded her of the boys. Even Ian’s teasing of her had the flavor of a younger brother pushing his older brother’s buttons. Ian obviously thought Lora meant something to Seth. That much had been clear in his tone and subject. Little did he realize how far from the truth he was guessing. Lora knew Seth only saw her as an employee, someone who was useful.

Lora was content in that. After all that was what she had been seeking when she had arrived on his doorstep. Yes, he was an admirable man, attractive, resourceful, honorable, thoughtful, kind, and much more, but he was not for her. She felt her cheeks warm yet again as Ian’s suggestions slipped across her thoughts. She understood that his family was thinking she was wife material, but she also knew it wasn’t going to happen. He was of a royal line, he had his work that was obviously his life, and he had no interest in marrying. Besides it was clear he was not interested in her in that way. He still referred to her as a child.

“Ian is showing no sign of confessing or apologizing.” Lora jumped at the sound of Seth’s voice. Looking over, she found him standing less than a foot away looking up into the trees. He looked relaxed and comfortable as if he was commenting on the weather. “Normally I would say that his stubborn streak could go on for days, but apparently he has offended Elana with his behavior as well. That changes things.”

“What did he do to Elana?”

He looked down at her and studied her face as he answered. “It seems he promised her he would behave and teasing you did not fit under her definition of behaving.” His gray-green gaze glanced over her face as if assessing her emotional state and something briefly flickered across his face before he turned away. “Are you going to be all right?” he asked, playing with a rotting apple with the toe of his boot.

“Just unsettled,” Lora admitted as the color rose again in her cheeks. Wishing she wasn’t so prone to blushing, she smoothed the dinner napkin and began folding it.

“Was it something about me?”

Without looking up, she nodded.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I should have warned you that they all have been watching for me to show interest in a woman for years. Ever since…” He stopped suddenly. “I guess it was inevitable that they would try to link us together. Ian just is less polite than the others.”

Lora agreed whole-heartedly to the fact Ian had been less than subtle. “So what do we do?” She watched him as he frowned down at the apple. “I got the impression he is not easily dissuaded from a purpose.”

When he turned to her, the frown was gone, but he was very serious. “Let us agree to be friends and let them think what they will. If anyone bothers you, most likely Ian will try again, come find me and I will deal with them. I would guess he is the only one who will act on his belief that I need a wife. I already explained the situation to Mother. She will be an ally.” Kicking the apple away, he offered her his right hand. “Friends?” he asked.

She smiled up at him. He looked almost boyish as he gazed down at her hopefully. Taking his hand, she agreed, “Friends.”

A warm smile crossed his face and he squeezed her hand gently before he released it. “Thank you for understanding. Shall we return to the house? I am sure Mother saved the rest of your dinner. The other two little ones are probably up and I am anxious to meet them.” He offered her his arm. When she didn’t immediately take it, he raised his eyebrow. “We are friends, right?”

All the suggestions that Ian had whispered in her ear teased her memory. Determined she wasn’t going to compromise a possible friendship with Seth, she set her hand timidly on Seth’s forearm. He smiled as he placed his own hand over it possessively before leading her in the direction of the house.

They entered the kitchen just as Danica was setting dinner before her two smallest children. Patri, a stout little three year old, dug into his food with gusto. He out of the three boys looked the most like his father with auburn curls and blue eyes. He steadily shoveled mouthful after mouthful into his little round mouth. “He has been starving after his naps for the past few days,” Danica informed Lora as she settled at the table with her own plate.

“He is stocking up for a growing spurt,” Eve said. She smiled and ruffled the lad’s hair as she passed. “Just watch. He will shoot up a few inches in the next month.”

Danica looked up in horror. “But I just hemmed up Kosh’s old trousers for him.”

Eve laughed. “Haven’t you learned yet? They grow faster than you can adjust the clothes. The first years are the most full of hemming and letting out.”

“Apparently not,” Seth commented with a wink. Turning his attention the little niece who was only managing to get fifty percent of her dinner in her mouth, ten percent on the table and forty percent on her face and large over tunic. Expertly catching a tomato that slipped through Asha’s chubby fingers, he asked, “What is on the agenda for tomorrow, Mother?”

“The teachers are arriving tomorrow,” Danica offered before Eve got a chance to answer.

“Yes,” Eve paused in her dishwashing. “The students are due to start arriving in four days. Labren and Rynan are almost ready for them. You came just in time,” she said smiling over her shoulder. “We were planning one last summer picnic to the swimming hole the day after tomorrow. The teachers are always anxious to get settled in their classrooms and Labren thinks he will have all his preparations done by then.”

“Sounds great,” Seth agreed as he saved Asha’s bread pieces from her lap. “You are going to love the swimming hole,” he told Lora with a smile. “It is too late in the year to go swimming, but I will take you out in the boat and show you around.” Then he was distracted because Asha hurled a handful of peas at him.

“It is beautiful,” Danica continued smiling as she washed Patri’s hands before letting him leave the table. “The trees are particularly colorful and there are plenty of places to roam. I used to walk up there just to swing on the tire swing for hours.”

“So, that is where you would disappear to,” Eve interjected with a laugh.

“Danica, is the old tree house still there?” Seth asked as he continued to pull peas out of his hair.

“What do you mean ‘still there.’” She made a girlish face of disgust. “Rynan insisted on repairing it two years ago for the boys.” She turned to Lora. “I loathe the thing. It is a good twenty feet off the ground and originally had no railing. I insisted that Rynan add a railing before Jonas went up the first time. I still fear he is going to fall and crack his skull one of these days. The boy has no fear of heights.”

“Neither did you at his age,” Seth reminded her. “I recall you liking to see how high you got before the tree started to sway with your weight.”

Danica shot him a smirk and then turned back to Lora. “As soon as I finish cleaning up Asha, I will show you around the buildings. You will need to get to know the layout of the buildings before the students arrive. For those first days, not one of them can ever remember where to go for what and they pester everyone. I will fill you in on what classroom is for what and what all the rules are too. That is the disadvantage of living in a school,” she said as she watched Patri climb down, “Everybody has to obey and enforce the rules.”

“Even the headmaster’s children,” Seth added.

“Especially the headmaster’s children,” Eve corrected him as she took away his empty plate.

* * *

2006-06-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Chapter Five

Read Chapter One first!

The next morning Lora woke to Lachine’s colorful Ratharian metaphors as he fumbled with something on the ground two feet from her head.

“Lachine!” Quinn’s voice cut through the younger man’s muffled exclamations in the rapid syllables of the Ratharian language. “She can understand you. Cease!”

Now fully awake, Lora found their campsite crowded with a thick covering of fog. It blanketed everything in gray and played with her sense of space. Her legs were reluctant to move, when she tried to untangle them from her bedding. When she finally managed to get on her feet, she discovered a new muscle in her back she never knew she had. It was declaring its injured existence with a loud and painful cry. Refusing to give in to her body’s complaints, she carefully folded up her bedding and made slow but steady progress toward the campfire.

She located it by listening to Lachine’s continued commentary on the woes of traveling in the fog. She thankfully noted that he had stopped cursing. When she arrived, she found Seth crouched over the small fire stirring porridge in a small pot. He looked up as she melted out of the haze and smiled. Reaching into the bag at his side, he pulled out a bowl and served her breakfast.

“I am telling you,” Lachine continued in his native tongue. “We could walk off a cliff if we traveled in this.” He shot Seth a pointed look before lifting his bowl to his mouth.

“We are traveling today,” Seth informed him firmly. “Quinn and I know the trail and the fog will burn off by mid morning. It is just the temperature change coming off the mountains. Once we reach the tree line and the sun is fully up, it will be gone.” Lachine grimaced, but fell silent as he turned his attention to consuming his breakfast.

“Did you sleep well,” Seth asked. Lora lowered her bowl from her mouth to find him looking at her with a question in his eyes. He hadn’t packed spoons so she was sliding her meal from the edge of the bowl into her mouth.

“Fine, considering it has been awhile since I have slept on the ground.”

“We are going to be on the move all day,” he said as he turned his attention to the small amount of porridge left in the pot. “I am hoping to reach the other side of the pass before nightfall. Then it will only be another day’s journey to the Academy.”

Quinn emerged out of the gray void and loomed above her. “The horses are loaded up except for the cooking gear and I filled the water skins. As soon as you are ready, we can leave.”

“I will eat the rest,” Lachine offered as Seth began to scrape the pan. Lora rushed to finish her first portion as Lachine downed his second. Seth disappeared to clean the pan in the stream as Lora made her way over to the horses. It took her a moment, but she finally managed to repack her saddlebags. She was just about to start on the problem of mounting, when Seth emerged from the mist.

“I figured you would need some help again,” he said as he set down the sack of supplies. Without waiting for her reply, he lifted her up and set her in the saddle. “Are you steady?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied in surprise. He seemed in a great hurry to start moving.

“Good.” He retrieved his sack and strode in the direction of his horse, a great dark shadow in the fog. Glancing around, Lora spotted Lachine and Quinn already mounted a short distance away. Urging Taffy forward, she fell into formation as Quinn began to lead them across the stream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth glanced over their roughly single-file line. They were making excellent progress considering the changes in terrain and the problems Lora was having with her horse. They had picked their way carefully around two rockslides and so far, they forced to backtrack twice to find an alternate route around washouts. As he predicted, the fog was gone by the time the sun reached its highest point.

They only thing worrying him now was Lora’s horse. The chestnut was not comfortable with the narrow trails and steep incline of parts of the trail up, but now that they were descending, Taffy was getting skittish. He had been watching Lora’s handling of the reins and her balance and he was impressed at her skill. However, even the best horsewoman cannot handle every situation, especially when her mount was upset.

Lachine’s mount flicked a pebble with its hoof. The stone rattled as fell down the steep drop to the left. Taffy blew air swiftly out of her nostrils, flaring them, but she kept moving. He watched as Lora carefully tightened her grip on the reins and spoke soothingly to the horse. If the trail wasn’t so tight, he would have had her stop and dismount, but Seth knew that would be just as, if not more, dangerous. So he continued letting Lora handle it until the trail opened up again, just forty feet beyond her current position.

Suddenly Taffy stopped. Lora leaned forward and whispered in the mare’s ear as she rubbed the side of her neck. Seth stopped his own mount a safe distance back and watched as Lora continued to talk to the horse. Beyond her Quinn and Lachine had reached the open area and were realizing that Lora was not behind them. Both of them dismounted and Quinn handed the reins to Lach. Turning back, he started to retrace his steps to Lora on foot.

Lora didn’t see him as she concentrated on Taffy trembling beneath her. Seth prayed desperately she wouldn’t be startled when Quinn entered her sight. Taffy was shaking; the quivering was visible as it flowed across the muscles beneath the horse’s hide. Lora, still not seeing Quinn’s approach, gradually applied the pressure of her single heel to Taffy’s side. The mare’s response was to stamp her feet and back up, spraying pebbles down the drop. They rang out as they showered down the slope. Lora gave the horse a terse, firm command and the mare stood still again.

Quinn was only a few feet away, when Taffy decided she had enough. Without warning, she lunged forward. Quinn threw himself against the side of the mountain to the right, scrambling to get his feet off the trail. The mare’s hooves barely missed him as she bolted past. As soon as the trail widened, Lora seemed to get control again as she pulled up hard. Taffy pawed the air in protest, but stopped her forward lunge. As soon as the horse’s four hooves were on the ground, Lora began to unhook her leg. Lachine reached her first, just in time to catch her as she struggled to get down.

Seth was impatient to get to her, but he could only go as fast as Quinn could move until there was enough room to go around him. By the time, he had drawn the black up and leapt down, Lachine had lifted her down. She didn’t even try to stand but sank to the grass and buried her face in her shaking hands.

“Are you hurt?” Seth demanded as he knelt beside her. She shook her head in reply, but did not look up. Her breath was coming in long shuddering bursts as she tried to calm herself. Quinn arrived, field kit in hand.

“Is she injured?” he asked as he loomed over them.

Seth looked up and shook his head. “Just shaken, I think.”

Quinn nodded his understanding. “It is good a place as any to stop for a meal. I will get out the food. You can bring her over when she is ready.”

As Quinn moved away and Lachine took the mare’s reins to draw her back to the other horses, Seth turned his attention back to Lora. Her hands were still shaking, but she was getting her breathing under control. “At least look at me, so I know you are alright,” he coaxed.

Slowly she lowered her hands, clasping them to hide their shaking. Her face was completely white beneath the dirt and her brown eyes stood out, dark and wide. He watched as she carefully swallowed. “I wasn’t certain she was going to stop,” she whispered. Then she laughed, it was a shaky weak sound. “Now my shoulders and arms hurt even more than my legs.” She flashed him a wobbly smile and swiped at the stray tear making a wet streak across her cheek.

“I think my heart stopped,” Seth admitted as he smiled. “I don’t think you will be riding her any more today. We are only halfway down and I know of at least one more spot like that one between here and where I was planning to camp tonight.”

She shook her head. “Somebody has to ride her and I got her this far. She is getting used to me and if you change her rider now, she is going to be even more difficult to handle.”

Seth held up his hand to cut her off and waited for her to stop before he said, “Nobody is going to ride her until we are on the flat land. We will have you double up with one of us and shift some of the gear to her. Gear that we don’t mind losing.” He smiled at her encouragingly. “Both Lach and Quinn would have my skin if I let you get back on the horse and I plan on keeping my skin for a long while.”

A brief flicker of relief passed across her face. He realized she had not been willing to admit how much she dreaded getting back on Taffy.

“Come,” he said as he rose and offered her a hand, “Let me help you over to the food. You will feel better once you have something to eat.”

Obediently she placed her hand in his. It was so small his seemed to swallow it. He gently pulled her to her feet and offered her an arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the afternoon and evening, Lora rode with Seth. As uncomfortable as sharing a horse was, Lora was thankful when Taffy caused problems at least four more times. Quinn spent more time on foot leading Taffy than he did in the saddle for most of the afternoon as they descended. Once they reached the foothills, their pace increased and by nightfall the terrain had eased into gently rolling hills.

The sun was set and the stars had come out when Seth finally called for them to halt. They were still in the dense woodland that they had entered at the tree line coming down the mountain. The path was wide and clear with the trees well back so Lora could see the sky when she look up, but a few steps beyond the trail the dense brush crowded out any sight of the stars or the ground. The space around the trail widened slightly and as Seth guided his horse off the trail, Lora made out a circle of stones on the ground in the center of the clearing.

“We are on my family’s land,” Seth informed her as he dismounted. “We won’t reach the house until noon or later tomorrow, but we are close.”

Impressed, Lora looked down at him in surprise. In the lantern light, his eyes were hidden in the shadow, but she sensed eagerness in his manner that she had not sensed before. “You are glad to be home aren’t you?” she asked before she thought about it.

He looked up at her in surprise. Then he smiled. “Yes,” he said, “It is good to be so close and know I am going to be there soon. It feels nice to be camping in a familiar place.” He stood silently for a few moments looking up at her without saying anything. His face was unreadable so she had no idea of his thoughts, but the intensity of his gaze made her uncomfortable. Then he raised his hands to her waist. “Come,” he said.

Obediently, she placed her hands on his shoulders, but he didn’t simply lift her down as he had done before. He caught her legs and carried her over to a dry place near Lachine. Setting her on a log that was lying near the fire ring, he immediately turned and walked back to his horse.

“Say something to annoy him?” Lachine asked as he watched Seth’s retreating back.

“Not that I know of,” Lora admitted. He had seemed a little swift in his movements, but otherwise, he was gentle. She shrugged and turned her attention to watching Lach’s fire building while she massaged feeling back into her legs.

Dinner was a quiet affair. The men had a brief discussion of the watch duty assignments. Quinn took first watch, Lach took second, and Seth, again, chose to be the one to greet the dawn. When Lora offered to take a watch too, all three men told her that her assistance wasn’t needed. “We are used to less sleep. There is no need for you to have less than you usually get,” Lach assured her.

“I wouldn’t want you looking tired and drawn when you meet my mother,” Seth told her. “Besides she would tan my hide if I let you take a watch.”

Quinn silently nodded his agreement, but he kept glancing at her throughout the meal. He didn’t look worried or pleased; he just met her eyes briefly and then turned his attention to his food. She also caught him studying Seth when Seth wasn’t looking.

Lachine turned his full attention to his dinner and then promptly went to bed. Lora followed his lead, but as she was drifting off, she heard the murmur of voices from the campfire. She glanced over to see Quinn and Seth having a low discussion. She couldn’t make out the words, but Seth was frowning at the older Ratharian. This was all she noticed before the low hum lulled her off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“She noticed you looking at her tonight,” Seth commented as he watched the fire. The wood glowed from within as the flames leapt above the logs. “I also noticed you watching me. What is on your mind?”

Quinn didn’t answer at first and when Seth looked up, he found the man’s dark eyes watching his face. Refusing to be let the older man look into his soul, Seth returned his attention to the flames and glowing wood.

“You are growing attached to her,” he stated matter-of-factly in Ratharian. “And you are fighting it.”

“Not you, too.” Seth frowned. “Why does everyone assume that I am growing attached to her, just because she is still with us?”

“That is not why I think you are growing attached,” Quinn stated calmly.

Seth looked over at the man he had been working alongside for over eight years. In all that time, he had never made a comment about Seth’s relationships. Not that there had been any during that time. There hadn’t been a woman of any kind in his life since Parel when he was seventeen and he had not even been interested in her. The interest had all been on her side.

“Quinn, you and I both know that getting attached to anyone in my line of work is a death sentence. I have resolved that I will never put that kind of guilt on anyone. I am not going to even consider marriage until I am ready to retire and maybe not even then. So you can stop your matchmaking now and forget about it and that is an order.” He met Quinn’s eyes steadily to make it clear that he was serious about the order.

“I won’t mention it again, sir,” Quinn told him calmly.

Seth turned back to the fire and purposefully pushed the subject from his mind.

“What are you going to tell your mother?” Quinn asked. Seth’s head snapped up, but he grabbed the anger before it made it to his mouth. As he struggled to get his temper under control, Quinn poked again. “You know that your uncle was right about them thinking immediately of her being your choice.”

“I don’t regard her in that way,” Seth assured Quinn.

“Then you should start preparing your explanation for tomorrow.” Quinn stood and stretched. “I am going to take a walk around the perimeter. You should get some sleep.” Then he walked off into the darkness.

Seth frowned into the fire. As much as he didn’t like it, Quinn was right. Lora was going to cause a small sensation. He groaned and rubbed his eyes so that the flames blurred.

If only Ian would marry and settle down, then all the pressure would move from Seth to him. Their three cousins, Ireic’s sons, had already secured the name of Theodoric with their two sons each, but Seth’s parents seemed hopeful that their sons’ would soon settle down and do the same. Seth had to admit that he understood their impatience. Ian was twenty-seven, he was twenty-eight, and neither one of them were showing signs of wanting to marry and start a family.

Seth ran his hands through his hair. It wasn’t time yet. He knew it. There was too much more to be done before he could let his mind turn to the subject. Wearily, he got to his feet and went in search of his bedding. The problem would still be there the next morning and perhaps his head would clear by then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Late morning the next day, Lora got her first glimpse of the Academy. They had just emerged from the closely grown trees for the first time at the crest of a hill. The valley spread out before them in green with a garland of golds and reds. The orchards below were beginning to turn to their autumn garb and the colors were eye catching. But even more eye catching were the buildings beyond the orchards. Three tall stately structures peered at them from among the trees. The roofs were peaked and at least one of them looked to be four stories high.

The sounds of children playing in the orchard came on the breeze as they began to follow the path into the valley. They approached the buildings by way of the orchards, which were surrounded by a low stonewall. The entrance was an opening wide enough to allow the passage of a wagon or carriage. When they reached it, Seth dismounted and unlatched the gate. As he dragged it aside, a child appeared from between the trees.

The boy had a head full of rather mussed dark red hair and he watched them with a pair of bright green eyes. Lora judged him to be about seven years old. He watched Seth’s moving of the gate with great interest. “Are you my Uncle Seth?” he asked suddenly as if he could not handle the suspense any longer.

Seth turned and regarded him seriously. “I don’t know,” Seth replied. “Am I?”

The boy stepped forward, wiped his palm on the back of his britches, and then extended a very dirty hand toward Seth. “I am Jonas Wickman. I am pleased to meet you, sir.” He said it with great gravity and solemnity.

Seth leaned down and took the hand with equal gravity. “I am pleased to meet you Master Wickman. I am Seth Theodoric.”

Instantly Jonas’ face lit up. “You are my uncle,” he proclaimed and promptly threw his arms around Seth as far as they would go. “Grandma said you were coming. She promised to make gingerbread cookies when you got here and Grandpa said he would take us fishing. I have never been fishing before. Have you been fishing before, Uncle Seth?” The boy leaned back so he could see Seth’s face.

Seth laughed. “Yes, I have been fishing before and I look forward to going again.”

“Uncle Ian said he beat you at swimming around the water hole, but I told him he was fibbing, because I always beat my little brothers at everything because I am bigger than them. Uncle Ian said you are no longer bigger than him; so, you have even chances and he says he is faster than you at everything now. Is it true? ‘Cause if it is, I have to start practicing so I can still beat Kosh and Patri when we are all grown.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Seth interjected as the Jonas paused to take a breath. “Why don’t you ask Quinn about it as you escort him and the others to the stables? I want to go surprise Grandma.”

Jonas stepped back willingly. “Can I lead your horse?” He eyed the animal with awe. “I want a black one like him when I grow up.”

Seth looked down at him skeptically and then glanced over at Quinn with a raised eyebrow. Quinn took the hint and dismounted. Turning back to his nephew, Seth said, “I will do something even better; I will let you ride him.” For a second, Lora was certain the boy’s eyes were going to pop out of his head. “But first I want you to meet someone. This is Master Quinn.” Right on cue, the tall, thin Ratharian bowed solemnly to the small boy. The awe and surprise on the child’s face was priceless as he regarded Quinn. “He knew both Uncle Ian and myself when we were your age, if you want to know anything about us, he is the best person to ask.”

“But Grandpa claims he is,” Jonas protested and then looked thoughtful. “But so does Grandma.”

“They are biased,” Quinn informed the lad.

Jonas looked from Seth to Quinn and back as if deciding whether or not these two new men were pulling his leg. He finally asked, “What does biased mean?”

“Biased means they see things differently than others do because they love your uncles so much,” Quinn offered. “Do you wish to ride?”

Jonas nodded and Quinn lifted him onto the horse. As soon as he was astride, he asked, “So, you don’t love my uncles?”

Lora laughed; she couldn’t help it. Lachine joined her. Quinn remained stubbornly solemn as Jonas looked from them to Quinn and back.

“Was I not supposed to ask that?” Jonas asked seriously. His eyebrows puckered.

“Don’t pay any attention to them.” Quinn pointedly turned away and started leading the two horses toward the stables. “You can ask me anything you want, Master Jonas.”

The child immediately took him up on the offer and began pestering Quinn with questions about Seth and Ian’s childhood. Lora turned Taffy to follow and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Seth disappearing among the trees in the direction of the buildings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the familiar scents of autumn. The breeze nipped at his hands and the sun warmed his head as it filtered through the trees. Memories of autumns past flooded his mind as he walked. The yearly argument as mother tried to convince Ian and him that they now had to keep more clothing on when playing outside. Apple harvest was a favorite time, climbing up to reach the highest branches, racing to see who could pick the most, and tasting the apples fresh from the tree.

He stepped beyond the shelter of the boughs and looked across the courtyard at the house where he had been born. Tall and stately, the outer appearance gave no hint of the uses of the space beneath its roof. There were no signs of the general chaos that descended upon it during the school year, the mad pattering of children’s feet as they raced along the halls and the whispered secrets and tall tales at bedtime.

He recalled the time he and Ian had made their own rope ladder and tried to sneak out for a midnight swim. Fortunately, they had miscalculated the distance between their third floor window and the ground by ten feet. Ian, who had gone first, refused to make the jump and in the scramble to change places, Seth stepped on his hand. Ian howled and yelled. Seth still remembered the sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw Father appearing seconds later directly below them. He had stood there in only his britches watching as the two of them clinging to the ropes, swinging and bumping the wall.

Seth smiled as he crossed the courtyard between the dormitories and the classroom building and approached the main house. Entering by the double doors, he slipped into the dining room. He glanced around to find it empty. The large table was spread with the place settings for the noon meal and the savory aroma of apple pie and fresh bread wafted from the direction of the kitchen. He smiled as his stomach rumbled and his mouth watered. He quickly crossed to the kitchen door and listened. As he expected, the muffled sound of Mother’s voice greeted him. Slowly turned he turned the handle.

As he eased the door open, the sound grew louder. Noiselessly he slipped inside and closed the door with care. Turning to survey the room, he found everything just as he remembered it. The high, whitewashed walls covered with hooks and various pans and utensils. The wide hearth, swept clean and glowing with the cooking fire, took up the right hand wall while the large windows, standing open to the breeze, dominated the other outside wall. His mother, Eve Theodoric, was at the table. At her feet was a large basket of apples, half full. In the large bowl beneath her hands, he could see the tips of sliced apples. Her voice was soft and pleasant as she peeled the delicate skin off another piece of fruit.

There was more silver and less gold in her long hair than when he had last seen her. She still wore it long and wavy down her back, pulled back with a single ribbon, the way Father liked it. He was certain, though he couldn’t see her face at this angle, that there were more wrinkles about her eyes and mouth. He hoped most of them were from laughter. Having a grandson like Jonas around would have surely added to her joy lines.

He watched her hands. He had always loved watching her hands. Even as a child he would gaze for hours as her fingers moving gracefully, lithe and strong, as they slipped the knife beneath the thin skin of the fruit and peeled it away.

“Can you still peel a whole apple in one strip?” he asked suddenly.

She froze. “Seth?” she whispered. She dropped the apple and knife on the table and turned to face him. The apple rolled across the surface and hit the floor with a sticky thump. “Seth!” she exclaimed. She rose and stretched her open arms toward him.

Seth crossed the short distance in a few strides and slipping his arms beneath hers, he picked her up and held her close. Burying his face in her hair, he filled his lungs with the warm scents of home and hearth. They held each other for a moment before reluctantly parting.

“I didn’t expect you until tomorrow at the earliest,” she said as she blinked back tears.

Digging a handkerchief out of his pocket, Seth offered it to her. “Uncle Ireic was easier to convince than I had hoped.” He smiled and crossed to pick up the wayward apple. As he handed to her, he said, “It is so good to be home.”

She looked up at him with shining eyes. “It is good to have you home. Come sit and tell me about what you have been doing.” She went to wash the apple off at the pump and Seth eased into one of the worn kitchen chairs.

“I would rather wait and tell everyone at once. You know Father likes to be the first to know what is going on in the outside world.”

Eve nodded in understanding. “So, where are Quinn and that other man you wrote about? I hope you didn’t leave them off somewhere while you came here.”

“No, they are taking the horses to the stables.” He watched as Eve crossed back to the table and picked up her knife again. “We met Jonas on the edge of the orchards. I can’t believe how much he has grown.”

“You should see them all,” Eve answered. “Kosh and Patri are turning into little versions of their father. Oh, and Asha is so sweet, she looks just like Danica did at two.” Seth smiled as a proud maternal glint appeared in Eve’s eye as she spoke of her grandchildren. “Ian is home too,” she continued. “He brought home a young woman, Elana.” She glanced at Seth before turning her attention back to the apple skin. “He met her in Ratharia and brought her home. He says his shipping business is finally at a point where he can manage it from land and he is going to settle down. She is beautiful, Seth, and perfect for Ian. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Uh, Mother,” he interrupted as he reached across the table to grab a discarded peeling. “I also brought home a young woman.” Eve’s head came up suddenly and her eyes lit with hope, as he knew they would. “But she isn’t a potential bride, Mother,” he clarified. He watched regretfully as her eyes dimmed slightly. “She is an employee. She appeared on our doorstep in Jumare needing a job. We needed help with the house, so I hired her. Quinn and Lachine are quite taken with her and I feel obligated to make sure she is taken care of, at least until I can locate her brothers. So, she is part of our group for the foreseeable future.” He creased the peeling, putting the smooth sides together. Bending back the other way, it snapped in two.

“You are asking me not to make her uncomfortable.” Seth raised his eyes to find his mother watching him carefully. “She is welcome here as long as she wants to stay. Your father might even be able to help you find her brothers.”

“I hope so,” Seth admitted as he dropped his gaze to the broken peel.

Suddenly the door burst open and a small boy of perhaps five tore into the room as fast as his little legs could carry him. Seth only got a brief glimpse of the child as he careened around the table and ran full-tilt into Eve’s skirts. “Granme,” he exclaimed into to the material. The glimpse that Seth got though was enough. The child was naked from the waist down.

“Kosh!” A stern female voice came from the direction of the dining room and a moment later a slender woman in her late twenties burst into the room. “Mother have you seen Kosh?” she asked as she put a tired hand to her forehead. “He has messed his pants again and when I took them off, he escaped before I could get these on him.” She raised a pair of small trousers and under things to emphasize her point. “I have no idea how you managed to keep Seth and Ian decently clothed when they were this age. I am about to give up.”

“She didn’t,” Seth informed her matter-of-factly. “If I remember the stories correctly, I was stripping for Uncle Ireic and Aunt Lirth all the time.”

Recognition dawned across her face. “Seth!” Child and clothing forgotten, she dropped the pants on the tabletop as she flew to hug Seth.

Eve, who had long since set down her last apple, caught the clothing up, leaned over, and expertly slipped them on the fugitive’s bum. Turning him around, she sent him out of the kitchen with a slight pat and a whispered, “keep them on.” Seeing the opportunity, Kosh ran for it.

* * *

2006-06-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four

The room was dim, but Seth knew what to expect. He had been here numerous times before. Three men were there waiting for them. Two were standing at attention with large capable hands resting too casually on the hilts of their swords. The third, Seth instantly recognized: King Ireic Theodoric of Anavrea was sitting at the only table in the sparsely furnished room. The late morning sunlight was falling across the desk onto the papers and oilskin bag that lay spread across it. It highlighted the king’s strong lean fingers and the single gold ring adorning his left hand. He raised this hand as they entered, but did not look up. The guard on the left instructed them to be seated.

Read Chapter Three first!

There were only three chairs pushed against the left wall, so Seth chose to stand. He pulled out a chair and motioned Lora into it as Quinn and Lachine also pulled out chairs for themselves. Taking a position leaning against the left wall, Seth waited for Lora’s presence to be noticed. He was slightly nervous about the sensation she was going to produce over the next few hours, but he was certain how his superior would react.

“Seth,” Ireic began before looking up and then as he raised his eyes, he stopped. His eyes widened as they took in Lora’s appearance, a small young woman in a worn traveling cloak. He then glanced to Seth with raised eyebrows. Seth couldn’t suppress the smile. He seldom got a chance to truly surprise his superior.

“Your Majesty,” Seth said. “May I present to you, my housekeeper and cook, Miss Lora Guinia.” He gestured from Lora to the King. “Lora, this is the King of Anavrea, Ireic Theodoric.” As he looked to Lora, he found her frowning fiercely at him. He grinned in return.

Rising quickly to her feet, she executed a curtsy suitable for the court.

King Ireic also rose and circling the desk, he bowed slightly to her. “Any woman who can react so well to such a surprise is well worth a little honor,” he said as he offered his hand. Lora reluctantly allowed him to take hers and blushed becomingly when Ireic bowed over and brought it to his lips. “Please be seated,” he said as he released her fingers. “I am sorry we do not have surroundings suitable for a lady, but I can at least offer a chair to you while I deal with Seth.”

“Thank you, Sire,” she murmured and sank gratefully into the offered chair.

“Seth,” Ireic said sternly as he turned his attention to Seth.

“She showed up on my steps one stormy night almost a week ago. Quinn didn’t have the heart to turn her away and we needed help preparing the house, so I hired her.” Seth watched Ireic’s face as he offered his explanation. “We had some slight complications, but the operation was completed successfully. I have taken a fancy to the child, so I decided to bring her along. I have an inkling that she will be of use later.”

Ireic nodded thoughtfully. Quinn and Lachine were both frowning, but had remained silent. The king turned to Quinn. “Is this what happened?”

“Yes, Sire,” the older Ratharian replied.

“Is there anything else you would like to add?”

“Yes, Sire. She had no knowledge of our previous operations and knew nothing of the package. There was no way she could have leaked of its possible locations since she was never out of any of our sights long enough to relay a message of any kind.”

The king studied Quinn for a moment. “Do you also vouch for this girl?” he asked Lachine.

“Yes, Sire,” Lachine said immediately. “I also agree with Quinn that she had no knowledge or opportunity.”

Ireic nodded slowly and then turned to Lora. “What is the country of your birth?”

“Braulyn, Sire,” Lora responded promptly.

The king looked to Seth. “I can assure you that our operations in no way hurt Braulyn’s interests. With that knowledge, do you feel comfortable taking an oath to never reveal anything to anyone about the conversations that are about to take place in this room? The lives of these men will depend on your ability to keep silent.”

“Yes, Sire.”

“Good. Now raise your right hand and repeat after me…” Seth watched as Lora swore an oath similar to the one he had sworn when he had entered into the King’s Service. Her doing this still did not prove her loyalty, but it did add a measure of reassurance to her case.

The oath finished, the king turned his attention back to Seth. Leaning on the edge of the table, he said, “Report.”

Seth began his report. The operation along the Sardmaran Northern border was successful. The local information network was in place and functioning. The first report would be arriving in a month. The King Parnan of Sardmara sent greetings. The slave trade was flourishing despite the King Parnan’s efforts to undermine it out of existence. He is hesitant to begin to take a more solid stand on the issue, but would in Seth’s opinion eventually do so. The Ratharian Ambassador at the Sardmaran court was less than cooperative. All he was willing to admit was that the Ratharian Raijia’s health was not the best and that there was still no heir.

The time spent in Braulyn had proven profitable. They had made all the exchanges of information and goods that were arranged, including the purchase of the medicine that was desperately needed in Edgton and Ana City. The contacts in Blairdark, Jumare, and Kiylin were doing well. The leak in Tyre was dealt with and the dispute in Lorant was resolved.

As he reached the end of the report, Seth motioned Quinn to stand. He did and began removing his cloak. “As you already know, we were searched at the Braulyn border. That is not unusual, but they problem is that they knew to check the hidden compartment under the carriage bottom and beneath the left lantern catch. They got the information from someone, because their finding of the compartments was not accidental. They knew what they were looking for and where to look for it.” As he spoke, Quinn had removed his outer vest and tunic and was now unwinding the thin cloth that was bound around his ribs. “Thankfully, we were not transporting anything in those compartments.”

The king watched with interest as Quinn produced ten thin packets of brown and green powder from the layers of cloth. “What about the documents and signatures?” he asked Seth.

Seth nodded and leaning down, he began unlacing his boots. He had deposited the papers the night before, as soon as Ratuer and his minions had been truly gone. “The payment for the silk is in the carriage, we didn’t see the need to hide it,” he told the king as he pulled a sheaf of papers from a pocket in the leather that had covered his calf.

Ireic examined the packets and glanced over the papers as Quinn replaced his clothing and Seth relaced his boots. Once Quinn was seated, the king looked up. “Excellent work as usual,” he said. “Except for the leak, you have excelled yourselves. Seth, your father is going to be proud.” Something in the way he said it made Seth suspicious.

“But…” he prompted the king.

Ireic met his eyes regretfully. “I am sorry to say this, but I am going to have to send you to Ratharia. Information from our resources there has been sketchy since you left and for the past month, I have received nothing. Considering the Raijia’s declining health and the lack of a heir, I am going to need someone I can rely on to get me information and oversee Anavrea’s interests in the transfer of power. In light of your service and experience, you are the best man for the job.”

Seth frowned as he met Ireic’s eyes. “I and my men have not had a break in five years, Sire. I was planning on requesting time to visit my family.”

Ireic’s face softened. “How are they?”

“You would know better than I, Sire,” Seth responded coolly. “You saw father four months ago. I have not seen him for seven years. He wasn’t there when I visited five years ago. Mother, Danica, and her oldest were the only ones I saw and Danica has three more children now: a niece and nephews that I have never seen. I don’t even know where my brother, Ian, is anymore. Please let me go home for a few months.”

For a moment, he forgot the others in the room. “Uncle Ireic, I promised to serve you and Anavrea as best I could, but I never agreed to never see my family again. My men and I are tired; it is a bone weariness that a few good nights sleep will not relieve. If we don’t get a break soon, we will crack. I don’t want to take on a mission knowing that I might fail in completing it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora looked up in surprise. She had been listening with interest to Seth’s report and wondering what she had gotten herself into when he had suddenly addressed the King as Uncle Ireic. Even now as she looked from one face to the other, she could see the family resemblance. The king’s hair was graying and his eyes were brown and framed with wrinkles, but she could see the similarities in their built and facial structure, especially their noses and around the eyes. Of course, the fact both men had a deep fatigue lingering barely beneath the surface probably helped them look related. Even as she listened to Seth try to convince the king to give him and his men time off, she couldn’t help thinking that the king looked like he needed it just as badly.

The air between Seth and the king hung heavy with an old tension. These men had covered this ground before more than once. She glanced at Lachine and Quinn. Lachine was watching the king’s face hopefully. He was clearly hoping for a positive answer. Quinn, however, was watching Seth closely, much as he had been for the entire conversation. There was concern in his gaze.

Finally the king leaned back with a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Alright,” he said in a low voice, “I can give you a month, but only a month. From the last report I received, the Raijia will most likely last five months in his condition. So, I can spare you for a month, which will give you plenty of time to travel to Ratharia and get settled before things really go critical.”

Seth nodded gravely. “Thank you, Uncle.”

The king nodded without looking up. “I or Dorn will meet you here to brief and supply you for the journey. Are you going to want to bring Miss Guinia to Ratharia too?”

“Yes,” Seth said glancing over his shoulder and meeting her eyes. “I will let you know if she changes her mind, but if she is still interested in going, she may.”

The king was also looking at her with amusement. “Seth, have considered how your family is going to react to you showing up on the doorstep with a young female in tow?”

“What do you mean?” Seth immediately asked, turning his attention back to his uncle.

Then the king suddenly laughed. “Don’t you remember?”

“I remember,” Seth told him, “but I don’t think she qualifies.” He glanced back at her. Lora wasn’t sure what they were talking about. She looked at Seth questioningly. “Don’t worry,” he said as he straightened. Turning back to his uncle, the king, he extended his hand. “Until a month from now…”

Rising, the king took Seth’s hand. “Say hello to you parents for me. Tell Eve I couldn’t keep her son from her any longer. He has too much of his father in him.”

Then the king dismissed each of them with a handclasp and a smile. When he came to her, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I hope for Seth’s sake, I will be seeing you in a month.” Before she could think of a response, Seth was taking her hand and leading her back out into the sunlight.

“We are going to head north and cross the border at the next pass,” Seth informed them as they emerged on the porch. Turning to Lora, he asked, “Do you ride?”

She was still trying to sort out the conversation she had just overheard, so she did not answer immediately. “Yes, I ride.”

“Good,” he said and dropping her hand, he stepped down off the porch. “Quinn you see to the horses. I will get the supplies and the map. It has been a while since we traveled this way and I don’t want to risk getting lost.” Turning his attention to Lachine he said, “Show Lora to the cook and see that she eats, we will not be stopping for dinner. Get some food for yourself too. We will be back here in a half hour.” With that, he started striding toward one of the other buildings scattered among the trees. Quinn likewise disappeared in the opposite direction.

“Well how do you like that?” Lach exclaimed. “For a moment there I didn’t think he was going to manage it. What about you?”

Lora shrugged. She was not completely sure what had actually occurred back in that room. Her head was still swimming with the new information that her employer was the nephew of the King of Anavrea. “Where does his family live?” she wondered aloud.

“Somewhere in Braulyn I would guess,” Lach replied as he stepped off the porch.

“You mean you didn’t go with him when he visited them last?” She trotted to keep up with him as he started off into the trees toward a large, low sprawling building. Smoke wisped out of the chimney.

“Nope,” Lach announced as she caught up. “I have only been working with him for four and half years. I met him before that, though, in Ratharia while he was serving in the Ratharian military.”

“That was when he was Jorthta Ethan.” She suddenly understood where the title came from.

“Yep,” Lach agreed as he shot her a smile. “He was the best Jorthta in the whole infantry. He saved my hide many times before he was released. That was why I got this position, because he requested me. Once he heard I have arrived in the country, he requested that I be commissioned as his assistant. Here we are,” he announced as he pulled the door open for her. “Remember what the Jorthta ordered and don’t give me any hassle about eating. When he tells you we aren’t stopping for dinner, he means it.”

The savory smell of cooking food filled Lora’s nose even before she had stepped over the doorsill. Her stomach answered with a rumble and Lachine’s fears of having to force her were put to rest.

A half hour later, they were back at the small building, sitting side by side on the porch talking like old friends. Lora had learned about Lach’s childhood in the poor village on the western side of the Ratharia. He had entered the military to escape a future as a poverty-stricken farmer. After his time under Seth, he continued to serve for a few years. Then he was injured and discharged. Having lost touch with his family, he returned home to find his father long dead, his mother raising a second family, and no place left for him. So, he took his discharge allotment and paid for passage to Anavrea. “Seth had spoken so highly of the country, I wanted to see his homeland for myself,” he told her as they scanned the yard for signs of either Quinn or Seth. “Somehow, I still don’t know how, he found out I was on this side of the Silver Channel and sent a man to enlist me. I have been with him ever since.”

Lora watched the man’s face as he talked and tried to imagine herself in his shoes, a man in a foreign land serving a foreign government all because he admired the man he was working under. “What about Quinn?” she asked. “You mentioned something about him raising Seth.”

Lach was shaking his head even before Lora had finished her question. “If you have any questions about Quinn, you ask Quinn. I am not volunteering any information about that puzzle. I have no idea how he got hooked up with Seth, but I do know they have known each other for years, even from before Seth went to Ratharia.”

“So, Quinn was with him in Ratharia?”

Lach held up a hand and jutted his chin in the direction of some approaching horses and the man leading them. “I told you, Miss Lora. If you want to know about Quinn, you ask him.” Lach then rose and met Quinn. Lora was left to hurry after him as best she could.

Quinn asked Lachine a question that Lora could not make out, but she heard Lach’s reply. “He hasn’t returned yet.”

Quinn stopped and the four horses’ heads bobbed impatiently. “You will have plenty time to use up that energy, boys,” Lachine said to the horses as he reached out to touch the nearest one’s nose. “So which of these beauties is mine?”

“The butter colored,” Quinn replied smoothly. “The chestnut is for Miss Guinia and the black for Master Ethan.”

Lach took the reigns of his horse and led it a little ways away. Lora watched as he started talking to it is low tones as he stroked the beast’s nose. She remembered her brother Braun would do the same thing whenever they had gone riding as a group. A spasm of homesickness swept over her. With the plans to go to Ratharia for an undetermined amount of time, she had no idea if she would ever see her brothers again. The strong desire to see them brought tears to her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Quinn’s concerned voice broke through her thoughts. She turned to find him standing over her with a look similar to the one he had regarded Seth with earlier. The look of a father or mentor worried about the state of his child or charge. She nodded, but she knew he didn’t believe her.

“Here,” he offered the reigns of the chestnut to her. “Her name is Taffy.” She glanced up at him in surprise. That was a strange name for a military horse. He smiled at her. “She is the stable master’s wife’s mount. I told her that I needed a lady’s mount and he insisted I take her for you. His wife no longer rides and it has been time consuming for him to exercise her every day.” She accepted the reigns and introduced herself to the horse.

She was adjusting the stirrups when Seth appeared carrying saddlebags for them all. He handed one to Quinn and Lach before he approached her. “The guards moved your trunk to the storage area. You are going to need clothing for the journey, but leave most of it here. It will be here when we return. Just follow Lach and Quinn; I will watch the horses.” He handed her the saddlebags and took the horse’s reins.

When she caught up with the two men, they fell suspiciously silent when she came into earshot. Quinn held the door for her and they entered a dimly lit crowded building. Lach appeared to know where he was going as he going as he disappeared into the shadows. Within minutes he had located their luggage.

Lora separated out three dresses and folded them into her bags. She was already wearing her only pair of shoes and very little of her remaining possessions looked like they would be useful enough to take on the journey ahead. Closing the lid and locking the catch, she returned the key to the pouch she wore beneath her skirt.

They returned to the horses to find Seth standing a little ways away and deep in conversation with the king. The king’s bodyguards were standing nearby and as they approached, Lora felt the men’s eyes examine them. Lachine offered to attach her saddlebags. By the time he had finished, Seth had rejoined them.

“So what is the story this time?” Lachine asked as Seth approached.

“Same story,” he replied as he met Lora’s gaze. “Are you ready?” he asked her.

“I believe so,” she answered.

“Then let me get you up.” She nodded and turned to put her foot in the stirrup. Seth’s hands went a round her waist and he lifted her easily. She settled into the saddle regretting that she was going to have to ride sidesaddle. Growing up she had learned both, but she preferred riding astride as she had when riding with her brothers.

Quinn and Lachine were mounted when she looked around. Seth mounted smoothly and urged his black forward. Taking the lead he walked the horse through the buildings and out a different gate. The road leading north was well worn and smooth, promising an easy journey for a while. Quinn joined Seth at the front and Lachine fell back leaving Lora in the middle, alone in her thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True to his word, Seth did not allow them to stop for the evening meal. He and Quinn had eaten and Lachine assured him that Lora had eaten plenty back at the border outpost. The road remained empty and smooth for the whole journey and they reached the turn off at twilight. He glanced back at Lora. In the dimming light he could not read her face well, but her shoulders were slightly slumped.

“She probably will be able to travel farther tomorrow if we stop now and she gets a good night’s rest,” Quinn commented when Seth turned back around.

He nodded in return. “We will make camp just a ways from the turn off. I would feel better not being close to this road, it is too open.”

“There should be a stream a quarter mile from the turn off that would make a good place to set up camp.”

“Sounds good,” Seth agreed. “Drop back and let Lachine know the plan.”

Moments later Lachine was at his elbow. “Who is taking the first watch?” he asked.

“Are you volunteering?”

“I can do it. Quinn wants second which leaves you with third.”

“Sounds good to me,” Seth agreed. “I don’t mind being in charge of breakfast.” Silence fell between them, but Lachine did not fall back. Seth glanced over and caught his expression of indecision. “What is the matter?” he asked.

“Lora is getting inquisitive. She asked me quite a few questions while we were waiting for you and Quinn. Mostly they were about me, but…” His voice faded, but Seth understood his concern.

“I doubt she is a spy,” he told Lach. “Just to be sure, I asked my uncle to have her story looked into. He will have an answer for me when we return. Until then, don’t worry about it.”

Lach glanced back and then over at Seth. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t trust her,” he explained.

“I know,” Seth said, cutting him off. “Just relax, Lach. We are not on a mission and we aren’t carrying anything of value. Here is the turn off. Drop back we are going to have to go single file.”

The turn off was a narrow horse trail that cut through the underbrush and straight into the forest that cloaked the base of the mountains. The trees were dense and the foliage about their roots was thick. As their horses stepped beyond the edge, the visibility dropped drastically. The setting sun did not reach beyond the canopy of branches and dim shadows clothed the ground in mystery. Seth paused long enough to light his lantern and behind him Quinn did the same. The trail was clearly marked, but even Seth was having difficulty seeing it when he finally heard the gurgle of the stream. The trees thinned slightly around the water, but not enough to be considered a clearing. He dismounted and led his mount to the stream.

Lora’s mount joined him, but he was surprised when he looked up to find she was still in the saddle. In the dim light, he couldn’t read her face, so he asked. “Do you need help down?”

She didn’t look at him. “It has been so long, I think my legs have fallen asleep.”

He smiled. He understood. “Hold on for a moment. Let the horses drink and then I will lift you down.”

She nodded and turned her face away.

As soon as the black had finished, Seth led him over to where Quinn was brushing the other two down. “I have to help Lora,” he told Quinn as he handed over the reins.

Returning to the stream, he took the reins of the chestnut and led it away from the stream and toward where Lachine was beginning to build a fire. When he turned to reach for her, he found her unhooking her legs and turning in the saddle. He reached up and put his hands on her waist. “Put your hands on my shoulders.” She obeyed and braced herself with them as he lowered her to the ground. In the dimness he saw her wince as her feet touched the ground, but her legs didn’t collapse. She wavered slightly as he withdrew his hands. He caught her upper arms to steady her.

“Are you going to be able to stay standing?” he asked.

She nodded, but he wasn’t convinced.

“You certain?”

“Yes,” she said and pushed at his hands. “I will be fine.”

Reluctantly he released his hold. She stood. Just then her horse snorted restlessly. Seth turned and caught the dangling reins. “Come on, girl,” he said as he led the mare in the direction of the other mounts. He glanced back a few times, and Lora was making slow progress toward the nearby boulder. By the time he had returned, she had gathered her bedding and was stretched out on the ground with her back to the fire.

Gathering his own bedding, he lay down nearby where he could see her. Quinn returned from the horses and lay on the opposite side of the fire. Lachine had perched himself on a log and was poking at the fire as Seth drifted off. He was one day closer to home.

* * *

2006-04-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three

Seth watched carefully as Ratuer walked between the forty cases. They had been locked in the room next to the dining room. Four heavy lanterns on the floor threw grotesque shadows on the walls. Seth remained in one of those shadows. He knew Ratuer could see him, but could not read his expression.

Randomly the trader opened a crate and examined the contents. He found exactly what Seth had promised, Ratharian silk. Finally, he was satisfied. He signaled Turny to start the loading. Immediately the storage room filled with lackeys, and the cases began to be carried to the waiting wagon.

It was a long way to the front door, with plenty of opportunity for the lackeys to hide in one of the many empty rooms, but Seth remained where he was. Ratuer had seemed too interested in Lora for his comfort. It was better that he remained close to the dining room.

The soft click of the dining room door warned Seth of Quinn’s arrival, as he melted out of the deep shadows behind him.

“How is she?” Seth asked in a low voice.

“Lachine is with her. She refuses to speak, but she has stopped shaking.” Quinn stepped to Seth’s side.

“Payment, as promised,” Ratuer announced as he and Turny approached Seth. Turny carefully lowered a chest to the floor at his feet. “Are you sure that you are not interested in transacting more business at this time?” Turny smirked at his master’s words. Suddenly Seth understood why Quinn had brought Lora with him from the kitchen.

“I am sure,” Seth assured him as he barely managed to keep his face from revealing the anger that was knotting his stomach.

Ratuer motioned Turny away and bowed grandly. “Always a pleasure doing business with you, Jorthta Ethan. Please complement your pretty little cook on the excellent meal.” With that, he turned on his heel and strode toward the exit.

Seth watched until the worm disappeared into the hall before he turned to Quinn. “Start securing the house. We will leave tonight.” Quinn nodded and followed Ratuer. Seth turned back toward the dining room as he tried to prepare his explanation for Lora. He felt he owed her one now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora closed her eyes and rubbed her chin. The greasy touch of the slaver’s fingers still clung to her skin and it bothered her. Lachine stood nearby. He had tried to help her by offering her a drink and reassuring her that he would never let the man touch her again, but her skin still crawled. She felt the desperate need to wash her face and hands where he had touched her. The stench of the man’s breath still lingered in her nostrils. Opening her eyes abruptly, she searched the room for something else to occupy her mind.

“The business is almost complete,” Lachine informed her. “I can hear them moving the merchandise now. He and his men will be gone any minute.”

Lora could not sit still any longer. Rising, she went to the table and began clearing the place settings. Lachine remained by the door, but she could feel his concerned gaze following her movements.

“Lach,” she asked suddenly, “does the Baron conduct business with that man very often?” She turned to find Lachine frowning.

“I am not free to tell you that. You are going to have to ask the Jorthta when he returns.”

She scraped the leftovers off the plates and into the waste bucket. She paused when she came to the Baron’s barely touched wine glass. The man had taken maybe two sips in the time it had taken his guest to finish five glasses. The food on his plate also was barely touched. He had eaten enough to be sociable, but no more. She was frowning over it still when the door to the hall suddenly opened and the subject of her thoughts entered.

“Help Quinn secure the house,” the Baron ordered Lachine. “We are leaving tonight.” He began removing his formal overcoat.

“What about Miss Guinia?” Lachine asked with a frown.

With a flick of his wrist, a deadly looking knife appeared in the Baron’s right hand. “I will protect her; now go.”

Lachine saluted and left the room.

With a deep sigh, the Baron sank into the chair at the end of the table. Laying the dagger on the table, he leaned his elbows on the tabletop, bent his head to run both of his hands through his hair, and then met Lora’s stunned gaze over his clasped hands.

“It is over,” he said finally. “Never again will I see that man’s repulsive face.” Relief was barren in his voice. He closed his eyes for a moment as if tired. Fatigue and strain were obvious in the tautness of the skin about his eyes and mouth. When he opened his eyes and fastened his gray-green gaze on her face, Lora saw a deep exhaustion lingering in their depths.

“Now to deal with you.” He frowned. “I am deeply sorry for what happened tonight. If I'd even suspected that Ratuer was going to do anything like that, I would have never let him near you. Please accept my apologies.”

Unnerved by the sincere regret in the man’s eyes, Lora lowered her own gaze to the table and nodded her acceptance.

“Thank you,” he said and then lowered his forehead to his hands.

It took her a few moments, but finally Lora managed to ask the question that now pressed her. “Where are we going, sir?”

“Anavrea,” he replied. His voice was muffled by his arms because he didn’t raise his head. “I have to report to my contact about my latest missions.”

“Who are you working for?”

He raised his head enough to look at her over his crossed arms for a moment before he straightened. “Sit down,” he instructed calmly.

She obeyed.

“I am not sure what to do with you,” he told her. “Quinn and Lachine have been with me a long time and we have earned each other’s trust many times over during that time. You and I have only known each other for about four days now. I know you are hard working and a good cook, but that is about the extent of my knowledge. I would like to believe you are trustworthy, but I am not the only one whose life I will be entrusting to you if I take you into my confidence.”

“I understand,” Lora told him.

“All I can tell you is we are going to Anavrea and then, I hope, to a place where I am planning to take a much needed rest. You may come and remain in my employ, or we can leave you here. I am not sure what your prospects will be of finding another position, but if you prefer taking your chances you may.”

She interrupted him. “I will stay with you.” He met her gaze across the table and she suddenly felt unsure. “If you will allow me to stay, I wish to remain in your employ.”

He frowned slightly. “If you stay with us, I can promise we will do everything we can to keep you safe, but I cannot promise that you will not end up in another situation like tonight, or worse.”

“I understand,” she assured him.

He nodded and rose wearily. “Very well. I will help you clear this and then you need to pack. You will get a chance to sleep in the carriage.” He crossed to the buffet and started piling the half-full serving dishes for the trip to the kitchen. Lora turned her attention back to the place settings. The feeling of security that she had lost the night she had said goodbye to her brothers returned in a small measure. Puzzled, she wondered why she felt protected, considering she had no idea what to expect as an employee of this strange man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took them four hours to secure, pack, and close up the house. Finally, some time after midnight, Quinn strapped the last box onto the back of the old carriage that Lachine had drawn out of the stables and hitched to a pair of dark colored horses. Lora didn’t have a chance to get a good look at them as she stacked the luggage for securing in the interior. She had packed her own small box quickly and it was soon loaded and buried. Lachine reappeared in a heavy dark cloak, which blended into the darkness. He handed another cloak to Quinn before winking at Lora.

“We wear them while on the road,” he explained. “Makes it easier to go unnoticed.”

She nodded.

“The house is locked,” the Baron announced as he strode toward them. He also was wearing a dark, heavy cloak. “You talked to the groundskeeper this morning, right Lach?”

Lach nodded, “Yes, he has his instructions.”

Quinn came around from the back of the coach. “Everything is secure, sir. We can leave when you are ready.”

The Baron nodded curtly. Quinn opened the door and lowered the stairs. The Baron climbed in and Quinn motioned for Lora to follow. He offered her a hand to assist her. The carriage groaned slightly as Lachine nimbly climbed into the driver’s perch.

The interior of the carriage was dark. Lora hesitated for a moment, unsure of where the seat was.

“Step to your left,” the Baron instructed, his voice coming from the far right corner of the area. “You will feel the edge of the seat. Be seated quickly; Quinn has to fit in here, too.”

Obediently she tested the air blindly for the seat. She found it just where he had said it would be. She quickly slid onto it and away from the door. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out the dim outline of the Baron’s form sitting across from her.

After a brief exchange with Lachine, Quinn appeared in the doorway and took the seat next to the Baron. “He is going to take the southern coastal road,” he informed them as he secured the latch, shutting them into even more complete darkness.

“Good,” the Baron said over the sound of Lachine talking to the horses. The carriage began to move and Lora found herself clinging to the seat so that she wouldn’t end up on the floor as the coach lurched forward.

After a few moments of listening to the horses' hooves on the road, the creaking of the springs, and the other sounds of the coach’s movement, Lora felt sleep begin to fog her mind.

“Lay down girl,” a voice admonished. “Sleep while you have a chance.”

Lying down on the cushioned seat, she tried to wedge herself against the back. Within moments, she was a sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kneeling in the darkness, Seth listened carefully to the breathing of the girl on the bench before him. It was hard because of the racket of the carriage, but he was reasonably certain she slept. Her breathing was even, and when he brushed her shoulder, she did not respond. Returning to his seat, he eased back into the corner.

“She sleeps,” he informed Quinn in a low voice.

“Good,” the man replied. “She has had a traumatizing day.”

Seth frowned into the darkness. Trauma she shouldn’t have had to deal with. “Did Ratuer act suspiciously as he left?” he asked.

Quinn paused before answering. Seth knew that his friend was only reviewing the events of the past evening to be sure he gave a correct answer. “No more than usual.”

“Good,” Seth replied. He leaned his head back against the side of the compartment and closed his eyes. He was getting paranoid. That was never a good sign.

“What is your contact going to think of our newest addition?” Quinn asked.

Seth’s gaze fell to the form lying across from them. He could not make out much more than the outline of her shadow on the seat, but he frowned. “I am not sure what he will think. More likely than not, he will find it amusing.”

“Amusing, sir?”

“Yes, he will find it amusing that I have managed to collect a stray child in the midst of an undercover operation.”

“So, you are convinced she isn’t a threat?”

Seth smiled wanly. “I am confident she isn’t a threat, Quinn. Her responses so far have been honest. She appears to have a genuine desire to do a good job and earn her keep. She hasn’t pushed when I have told her not to. I don’t completely trust her, yet, but I am sure she isn’t here to infiltrate our work.”

His eyes were heavy. “Sleep, Quinn,” he ordered. “We are going to have little opportunity once we reach the border.”

“True,” Quinn agreed and silence fell over the compartment again. Seth shifted into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes. The oblivion of sleep was not long in coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly Lora opened her eyes. She was still tired, but her body was telling her that it was time to get up. It took her a few moments to realize where she was and register that the coach had stopped. Early morning sunshine was streaming in the windows and filling the compartment with light.

The Baron was still asleep. He looked so uncomfortable sitting with his dark head propped in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest, and his long legs stretched across the little floor space between the two bench seats. He had apparently gathered his cloak around himself before he had drifted off, but it now fell open, revealing the dark colored traveling clothes beneath. If she did not know who he was, he could pass for a wealthy farmer.

Quinn had disappeared. Lora assumed he had left the coach when they had stopped, possibly to help Lachine with something.

Cautiously, Lora pushed herself up into a sitting position. The Baron didn’t move. Smoothing her hair as best she could, she crept toward the door. The latch was fastened. She struggled silently for a moment before it finally released its hold on the catch. She eased the door open and stepped down and into the sunlight.

“Good morning,” Quinn greeted her. She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

Turning, she found him approaching from the far side of the coach. She smiled weakly. “Good morning. Where are we?”

“We are still in Braulyn, a few hours from the Anavrean border. We will continue as soon as Master Ethan is ready,” Quinn informed her. “Is he still sleeping?” He jutted his chin in the direction of the coach.

“Yes,” she frowned. “He doesn’t get much sleep, does he?”

Quinn shook his head. “He never does right before the end of an operation. Lachine has started breakfast. We weren’t sure when you would wake and we were hungry. If you would like some, the fire is right over there.” He pointed toward the edge of the clearing where she could make out the shape of Lachine bending over a fire.

At the mention of food, her stomach gurgled hopefully. Then for the first time since she had met him, Quinn smiled. “I suggest you hurry. Your stomach sounds desperate.”

Lora looked at him in surprise for a moment before she found herself smiling back. She decided that Quinn was quite handsome when he smiled. His smile took twenty years off his face and was quite infectious.

“Don’t look so stunned, child,” he said with a small chuckle. “The stern and rigid butler is just a role. It is part of the job. Give it time and you will get used to the roles soon enough. Now go.” He waved in the direction of the fire. “Lachine should have something waiting for you. I will wake Master Ethan.” He turned to enter the carriage and Lora obediently went to get breakfast.

After the change in Quinn, Lora was half expecting Lachine to have changed also, but he greeted her in the same manner he had been greeting her since the first morning. By the time she finished her eggs and bread, Quinn and the Baron joined them. The men fell into conversation and Lora listened and observed.

“Status?” the Baron asked as he took a seat.

Lachine handed him a slab of bread with fried eggs on top. “We are five hours from the border. Four Braulian patrol guards passed us in the night. I figured we should stop and approach the border in daylight so the border guard will be less likely to detain us. Did you let your contact know you were coming through today?”

“The Anavrean guards are aware of our timetable and were informed to start watching for me as early as last night.”

Lachine seemed satisfied, but Quinn immediately asked, “What is our story?”

The Baron had just taken a bite of his breakfast; so they all had to wait for him to swallow before getting an answer. “I am Baron Ethan still. You are my staff. Valet,” he said, nodding toward Quinn, “and coachman.”

“What about Lora?” Lachine asked. “You know they are going to ask.”

The Baron looked up and regarded Lora calmly with his stormy colored gaze. After a moment he said, “She is my kid sister.” A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth and his eyes lightened. “What do you say, Lora?”

Lora could not find her voice. Hesitantly she nodded and dropped her attention to brushing the crumbs off her cloak.

“What are we to say on the other side?” Quinn asked. “They are expecting the three of us, but not her. You know her presence is going to keep us tied up in explanations for hours.”

“Tell them the truth,” he said around another bite. “I hired her to keep the manor for the time we were there. She had nowhere else to go; so, I brought her with me. She will be useful later to draw attention elsewhere. Based on how well she handles this border crossing, I might make her the point character on the next one. I could play her father next time maybe.”

Quinn and Lachine seemed satisfied with this explanation, but Lora had more questions. “If you are to be my brother, what should I call you?”

The Baron looked up at her thoughtfully. “Good question,” he said as he chewed. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled. “Call me Seth. It is my real name, so there will be less confusion when you address me. I will call you Lora, but you now have the surname Ethan. How does that sound?”

She nodded. It made sense. “Why are you doing this?”

“Making up a story, or crossing the border into Anavrea?”

“Fabricating a story to tell the border patrol,” she clarified.

The Baron frowned slightly. “In my line of work, I need to remain hard to trace. I don’t want the Braulian government to figure out that I entered and exited the country when I did.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, child. We have done nothing illegal and I am not a wanted man. I just want to stay beneath their notice.”

“How soon do we leave?” Lachine asked. “I let the horses graze, so I will need a few minutes warning before we begin moving again.”

“Then start hitching them up,” the Baron said. He took the last bite of his breakfast and reached for his mug of water.

Lachine rose immediately and walked off in the direction of the carriage. Quinn picked up the water bucket and threw the contents on the fire. The wood sizzled and smoke filled the air. Rising, Lora tried to smooth out the creases in her skirts as she walked toward the carriage. The Baron fell into step alongside her.

“Don’t worry, Lora. We should have no trouble crossing the border. Just keep close to me and everything will be fine.”

Lora nodded, but she was not truly convinced that everything was going to be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the beginning of the four-hour drive, the interior of the carriage was silent. Seth leaned back in his seat facing the direction they were traveling and watched his companion from beneath lowered eyelids. Lora had taken the seat farthest from his and was intently watching the passing countryside. She looked appealing sitting there, her dark eyes taking in the view, sunlight flecking her dark hair with gold, pale face turned into the light while shadows clung to the rest of her.

Seth tried to determine her age as he watched her. Though she could pass for early teens, her behavior over the past few days declared her older. He brought to mind his sister, Danica, and tried to remember how she had looked at twenty. It wasn’t difficult because the last time he had seen his sister she had been twenty-two, balancing a child on her hip while her belly swelled with a second. Now, according to her last letter, she was mother of four little ones. She and Andre had been married three years the last he had seen her. That had been five years ago.

Five years. Seth sighed and closed his eyes. It had been too long. He wondered what had changed since he had last been home, besides the birth of his niece and nephews.

“Are you alright, sir?” Lora’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

He opened his eyes to find her looking at him with concern. Smiling reassuringly, he straightened in his seat. “Just thinking,” he told her. A thousand questions leapt to her eyes, but he didn’t let her voice them. “My name is Seth,” he said and watched as she realized her slip.

“Seth,” she repeated with a smile. “I will remember…Seth.” She hesitated, but managed to bite off the ‘sir’ that wanted to come out.

“Talk to me.”

She looked up at him, startled.

“We have to seem like brother and sister, so we need to be comfortable in each other’s company. Talk to me like I was one of your older brothers.” She smiled at that. Seth could not help smiling in return. “Tell me why you smile right now.”

She lowered her eyes and her smile dimmed slightly, but did not disappear. “You look nothing like my brothers…” She swallowed the ‘sir’ and ended the sentence on the wrong tone, making the absence obvious. Seth frowned. If she kept this up, he was going to have to tell her not to speak at all when they reached the border. A sister calling her brother “sir” would arouse too much suspicion.

“So your brothers are all handsome and popular with the girls,” he said. “And next to them I look quite ugly.”

“No,” she protested instantly, leaning forward in her sincerity. “You are not ugly.”

“So I am handsome.” He watched as the frustration at his misunderstanding fought with her desire to be honest.

“No.” The word slipped out before she realized it, and as the reality of what she had said dawned on her, her cheeks grew red.

“So, I am neither ugly nor handsome. I am at a loss. My dear sister, please inform me how you would describe my face to a friend.” He crossed his arms and waited for a reply.

“How did we get from my brothers to your appearance?” she asked in exasperation.

“Oh no, you don’t,” he protested as he leaned forward with a chuckle. “I am not going to let you slip out of this. I am not going to let this drop until I have an answer. Come on, Lora. Remember I am your brother now. I can take the truth. Which is it: ugly or handsome?”

“Neither,” she declared as she turned away from him to look out the window. Then as if thinking better of it she turned back to declare, “You are not ugly, but you are not what most would consider handsome. I like your face, though. It has character.” Then turning back to the window, she was decidedly silent again.

Seth found himself smiling. “Character,” he said softly to himself. He liked the description. He had heard his face described as craggy, rugged, and rough, but having character was a first. “Why, thank you, Lora, I believe I will consider that a complement.”

She refused to acknowledge him, but her cheeks grew pinker in the early morning light.

“Now back to the subject we have strayed from, your brothers. If I remember correctly you have three.”

“Four,” she interjected without moving.

“Four,” he agreed. “Are they younger than you?”

She waited for a moment before replying. “They are older.”

“Ages?”

“Kaled is twenty-nine, Waren and Jerat are twenty-eight, and Braun turned twenty-five last spring.”

“I am surprised they are still in school.”

“Father wished for them to go to university and pursue medicine. He left money to that effect when he died. Kaled is the only one who wants to become a healer. The others promised father they would finish university before trying something else. What about you?” She turned then and looked him straight in the eye. “You keep asking me questions about me and my family. What about you? Do you have any brothers?”

Seth studied her face for a moment. How much could he tell her before she was a danger? “I have one brother, younger, and a sister, also younger.”

She had another question on the tip of her tongue, but just then the carriage began to slow and voices from outside warned them that they were approaching the border. Fear suddenly appeared in her eyes as she met his gaze. He smiled encouragingly and said loudly, “See, I told you we would reach the border before nightfall.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He looked so certain of himself. Lora swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. “Kalya isn’t due for three more days. I am sure you will get there in plenty of time for the birth.” He winked at her.

A firm knocking on the door of the carriage relieved Lora of thinking up an answer to his previous statement. The door opened and a young officer in a Braulian uniform of red and brown looked in on them. “We have been ordered to inspect all vehicles. If you would please alight, this will take very little time.”

“Certainly,” Seth replied. “Come, Lora.” He exited and turned to offer Lora his hand. She placed her hand in his and he helped her climb down, but he didn’t release it once her feet were on the ground. Instead, he led her over to the shade of a tall pine. “Wait here,” he told her. Then he left her there with a reassuring smile and a brief brotherly kiss on the top of her head. “She is worried about our sister, who is due to give birth any day now,” he told the armed guard as they walked back toward the carriage.

“Congratulations, sir,” the young man responded in a bored, polite voice. “I just need to ask you a few questions.”

Lora watched as Seth and the man talked. Beyond them, the remaining three guards examined the coach from wheels to crown. They searched with purpose, as if they were looking for something particular, and Lora was very relieved when twenty minutes later they apparently had not found it.

The guards told them they could pass. Seth helped her back into the carriage and bid the guards a cheerful goodbye. Then they were moving again.

Once they passed the gatehouse, Seth’s face settled into a frown.

“They were looking for something specific, weren’t they?” She watched as he nodded slowly. “You know what they were looking for?” she asked.

He met her gaze and his frown deepened. He might have said something, but just then the carriage stopped again and he turned his attention to the activity outside. Not waiting for someone to knock on the door, he exited the coach. Not wanting to be left behind, she jumped down without the assistance of the folding stairs.

They were in a clearing similar to the one they had just left, except the guards were dressed in the deep green and gold livery of Anavrea and there were more of them. Seth had approached one of the more important looking men in uniform and was speaking animatedly with him.

“He told you it wasn’t anything to worry about,” Lachine said as he came up next to Lora.

“Now he is the worried one,” she said gesturing in the direction of Seth and the officer. When she looked up at Lachine, she found him also looking concerned. “Lach?”

Lach glanced down at her with a distracted half-smile. “They were looked for something, but they didn’t find it. Nothing for you to worry about, Lora. Come, let us find Quinn before they round us up for questioning.” Taking her arm, he led her in the direction of the coach.

A few moments later, they found Quinn looking even more worried than Seth. Spotting Lachine, he immediately declared, “They knew where to look.”

“But it wasn’t there,” Lachine protested.

“I know, but they shouldn’t have known to check that compartment. The only reason they didn’t find it was because I decided to carry it on me this time. You know what this means, don’t you?”

Lach nodded solemnly. “We have a leak.”

Suddenly fear gripped Lora. If there was a leak, she was going to be the first person they thought of as the possibility. As she glanced between the two men’s faces before her, she realized that they didn’t think she was the culprit right now, but she knew it was only a matter of time before someone pointed a finger in her direction. Before she had much time to think on her predicament, Seth appeared at Quinn’s elbow.

“He is here and he wants to see all of us,” he informed them.

Lora had no idea of who “he” was, but both Lach and Quinn met Seth’s gaze with disbelief.

“Now?” Quinn asked.

“Now,” Seth said. Reaching across, he took hold of her wrist. “Come,” he ordered as he gently pulled her toward him. “He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Obediently, Lora fell into step with him, the other two following somewhere behind them. “I know you aren’t the leak, so stop looking at me like I am going to eat you, girl,” he whispered. “You had no way of finding out what they knew. It was hidden before you appeared on my doorstep and your story checked out. I promised to take care of you, so stick with me and keep your mouth closed and you will be fine. Do you understand?”

She nodded as she tried to keep up with his long stride. In moments, they were all climbing the steps to enter a small building made of rough wood. The men’s boots shook the porch as they endeavored to wipe their feet on the mat before the door. Seth opened the door and ushered her in as the others followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2006-03-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Read Chapter One here.

Chapter Two

He listened carefully for the sound of the latch. The moment he was sure she was gone he turned and looked at the door with a frown. She was going to complicate things beyond his control. For him, a man whose life depended on the control he had of the situation, she was dangerous. Running his hands through his hair in frustration, he closed his eyes and tried desperately to think.

If only Danica hadn’t let slip to her aunt-in-law that he was unattached and staying near Jumare, Aunt Irene would have never come visiting and started meddling in his affairs. Firmly resolving to never again let his sisterknow where he was staying on business, Seth strode over to the bell pull and rang it hard for Quinn.

If he fouled up this operation, he was certain he would be sent back to Ratharia. As much as he had enjoyed his time of service there, he was eager to go home. He hadn’t seen his parents in years and he needed a break from the constant stress of his position. If he could just manage to complete this mission and report to Anavrea, then he could take time to rest.

“Sir?” Quinn’s measured tones interrupted his thoughts.

“Has the shipment arrived?”

“Last night, sir. I examined the whole myself, and Lachine and I distributed it into the appropriate vessels. It is ready and waiting.”

“Good.” At least one thing was going as planned. “I just instructed Miss Guinia in her duties. See that she has all she requires and Lachine is available for her use.” Waving a hand to dismiss him, Seth lowered himself wearily into the desk chair. The late nights and constant worry were beginning to take their toll on his endurance.

“Very well, sir.” Quinn bowed, but remained standing where he was.

Looking up to study the man, Seth frowned at him. “Is there something else?”

The Ratharian cleared his throat and shifted his weight. At any other time, Seth would have enjoyed seeing the somber man squirm slightly. But he had too much riding on this delivery and his sense of humor had gone the way of his endurance. He wanted his peace.

“It has come to my attention that the new housekeeper does not have suitable attire for her position.”

“So?” Seth doubted that it was important, considering they would all be leaving in four days.

“It might raise some suspicion with the buyer,” Quinn pointed out.

Seth sighed and hung his head. “I am not going to buy the child clothing for just one meeting with the buyer. If you are not satisfied with how she looks, we will simply not let her be seen. Lachine can serve and she can remain in the kitchen.” He looked up at the tall Ratharian.

“Very well, sir.” Quinn bowed again and left.

After a few moments, Seth found himself staring at the work scattered across the top of his desk. His brain was blank and refused to bend to his will. Most of his preparations for the meeting were already in place. The food was due to arrive in two days. Hopefully Miss Guinia knew how to prepare the Ratharian dishes he required, but if she didn’t, he and Lachine would manage. He had been planning on spending the next few days preparing the rooms so that it appeared he was living in the house, but with the girl’s arrival that had changed.

Unaccustomed to having spare time, Seth found himself suddenly at a loss for things to do. He had always meant to write home and let them know he was planning on coming to visit soon. He lifted his hand toward the stack of writing paper when a loud crash shook the floor. Jumping to his feet he crossed to the door and flung it open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of splintering wood still echoed in Lora’s head as she looked in horror at the mess. The ladder she had been using had collapsed beneath her just as she was reaching for the chandelier above the table in the dining room. She had jumped off of it and onto the table only a second before the ladder had fallen over, taking a few of the chairs with it as it crashed to the floor in pieces.

Dust blossomed in clouds around her. Her eyes burned as the wave of dirt washed over her. Coughing violently, she sat down on the dining room table and brought her apron to her face. The tears that soaked into the thin cloth were only partially from the dust in her eyes. Her coughing quickly became a hacking that tore at her chest. Forcing herself to remain calm, she labored to breathe evenly through the material. Now was not the time to be having an attack. The last one had been over a year ago and she was determined that this would not be the beginning of a new one.

“Miss Guinia?” a male voice inquired worriedly from the direction of the hall. She looked up expecting to see Lachine, looking amused, or Quinn, looking disapproving. Much to her humiliation, she found the Baron making his way toward her. The dust clouds now lingered in the air, filling the beams of sunlight with glinting particles and plaguing her lungs. Another cough tore at her throat.

Picking his way across the debris of the now broken ladder and the remains of the chairs, the Baron made his way steadily toward her. Suddenly realizing how she must look sitting cross-legged on the top of the long dining room table with her apron to her face, Lora felt her cheeks growing hot. She hurriedly swiped at the tears with the backs of her hands and smoothed her apron down over her dress. The process of getting down from the table was a more difficult feat, but she managed. By the time he reached her, her feet were on the floor and she was struggling to regain her composure.

“Are you alright?” he asked, eyes squinting against the thick air.

Nodding, Lora coughed again. Hurriedly covering her mouth with her hand, she reached for her apron. A second spasm constricted her chest and she fought against it.

“No,” he said as he produced a handkerchief from a pocket. “Use this. That thing is only going to make the coughing worse.”

Lora would have protested, but she didn’t have the breath. Another coughing fit, worse than before, drove her to accept the offered square of cloth. Clutching it to her mouth and nose, she concentrated on controlling the now painful coughing.

“Come,” he ordered. Taking the hand that wasn’t holding his handkerchief to her face, he led her out into the hall and left her. Lora sank down on the carpet and forced air in and out of her lungs through the filter of material. She didn’t notice where he had gone, but moments later he was back, pressing a glass of water into her hand.

“Drink,” he ordered. When she didn’t immediately obey, he began prying one of her hands from its place over her mouth. “Miss Guinia,” he began. After working her hand free, he forced the fingers to grasp the glass. “You must drink. It will help.”

Obediently, she did. The liquid helped sooth her throat, but another rasping cough followed soon after. She could feel the Baron’s steady gaze, but Lora was afraid to look up and see the disapproval she knew was there. Her ribs and lungs hurt, her throat was raw, and all she wanted to do was crawl away and cry. Of course that would only make the coughing worse. Lifting the glass, she tried to wash down the lump in her throat along with the dust.

“What is going on?” Lachine asked as he appeared at the end of the hall.

“She is having a coughing fit from the dust.” The Baron rose to his feet. “Could you find her a better ladder for cleaning the higher places? She about killed herself trying to dust the chandelier in there.”

Lachine nodded and disappeared.

“The chandelier was still swinging,” the Baron commented.

She looked up to find him smiling at her. Laughter sparkled in his eyes. “I am surprised that the thing is still attached to the ceiling, considering the tug you must have given it on your way down.” She smiled weakly, certain that she looked amusing sitting on the table with the chandelier swinging above her head. The laughter in his eyes dimmed as they narrowed slightly. “Are you going to be all right? For a few moments there, I wasn’t sure you were breathing in between.”

“Fine,” Lora managed roughly.

He nodded, but watched her for a moment before he turned away. Then he disappeared into the study again.

Before she had a chance to think, Lachine appeared with a ladder and asked, “Where do you need it?”

As she got to her feet to show him, she realized she was still clutching the Baron’s handkerchief and glass. She was going to have to return them later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lora’s next few days were filled with dust, coughing fits, and brief encounters with the men. She only saw the Baron at meals, but Lachine spent his afternoons helping her clean. He spent his mornings working outdoors before the sun was at its peak. Quinn would appear at intervals throughout the day, obviously busy about his own tasks.

On the morning of the fourth day, she finished scrubbing the floor of the parlor. Sitting back on her heels, she surveyed the glowing wood before her and sighed in relief. It was done; she had done it. A thrill filled her chest and for a moment she wanted to laugh. The rooms were clean, and after Lach helped her move the furniture back to their places, they would be ready.

She dropped the brush into the dirty water in the bucket and climbed to her feet slowly. Her muscles, unused to the hard labor she had demanded of them the past few days, complained. As she straightened, her stomach grumbled noisily. Closing her eyes she frowned. Now she had to start thinking about making lunch. The pantry was beginning to look bare. The men had finished the last of the bacon that morning and she had only managed to scrape half a bowl of porridge out of the pot after they finished..

Then she remembered the turnip and carrots she had found under the bottom shelf that morning. If she could find some potatoes, an onion, and flour, she could make a stew. There were still some bread crusts that were too hard for eating straight. The stew would soften them. Her stomach growled. Smiling at the thought of food, she picked up the bucket and headed toward the kitchen.

As she opened the door, she felt her jaw drop. Vegetables covered the table. The smell of onions and curry rose from the large kettle hanging over the fire, and a man was standing at the counter chopping up more onion. It wasn’t until he turned and glanced her way that she recognized her employer. He looked very different standing there with his sleeves rolled up and an apron tied about his waist.

“I could use a hand, if you are finished with the parlor,” he said calmly before turning his attention back to the cutting board.

“I just have to throw out the water,” she told him.

When she returned, he was scraping the onions into the pot. Without looking up, he nodded to the table. “If you start chopping up the peppers, I will turn my attention to the rice. They need to be chopped finely.”

Crossing to the table, she found the peppers and set to work. Taking the other cooking pot, he disappeared out the door. A few moments later he reappeared, set the now full kettle over the flame, and started sorting the ingredients on the table.

“Who is coming to dinner tonight, sir?” she asked suddenly. The movement behind her stopped for a moment. He didn't answer right away.

“I haven’t decided to trust you or not yet,” he said finally.

After a lengthy uncomfortable silence in which she finished the peppers, he spoke. “I know you never asked to be involved in this, Miss Guinia. I am sorry, but the less you know the safer you will be later.”

She turned to find him looking at her. His face was calm, but his eyes were tired as they met hers. Something in his gaze tugged at her. She felt drawn to him somehow, as if a part of him was asking her for help beyond the task at hand.

“I am here to help you, sir. What would you have me do?” she asked.

His gaze fell to the vegetables on the cutting board. “Add that to the first pot and start the carrots.” Then he turned to the pantry. Producing a large bag of rice, he emptied part of it into the now boiling water. He pulled a chair from the table to the hearth and began stirring the rice.

“So, Miss Guinia, tell me about yourself,” he said suddenly.

“What do you want to know, sir?”

“Anything…do you have siblings?”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “I have four older brothers: Kaled, Waren, Jerat and Braun.”

“And your given name?” he asked suddenly.

“Lora, sir,” she answered as she glanced at him. He was sitting with his head bowed as if listening intently. Even as she watched he lifted his head and looked at her questioningly.

“Are they good brothers?” he asked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The look that leapt to Lora’s warm brown eyes answered Seth’s question more than her quiet “yes.” He had to work to suppress his reaction to the emotion in her eyes. It reminded him of his own relationship with his brother. She obviously loved her brothers deeply.

“So, explain to me why you are here and they are…I believe you said they were in school?”

Sadness darkened her eyes before she turned away. “Father didn’t have a large estate, but he wanted to take care of us, especially when he knew he was dying. He set it up so that my brothers would have their schooling paid for, and he instructed them to look after me. I believe he wanted us to live together, where I could keep house for them and they could take care of me. After he died, Aunt Roalalt changed all of it. She arranged for the boys to go to a boarding school where I can never see them. Then she brought me here. I suppose she expects me to stay here until my brothers graduate and seek me out, but I am not sure she told them where I am.”

“Did she tell you the name of the school where they are?” he asked.

She sadly shook her head. “She refused, sir. Said I would just get them in trouble if I showed up there. She said it was better that we went our separate ways.”

Seth found himself frowning. Something was definitely odd about this arrangement. He was going to have to look into it later. If he could find Lora’s brothers and work out a way for them to provide for their sister, he might be able to settle her safely somewhere else.

Just then, the back door opened and Lachine entered. “The lamb you wanted, Jorthta,” he announced as he set the meat on the counter.

Removing the rice from the heat, Seth rose to begin the preparing of the meat. There was work to be done. The problem of his new housekeeper was going to have to wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four hours later, everything was ready. Lora had just placed the last freshly cleaned pan back on its hook when someone burst into the kitchen from the foyer.

“Ah! Jorthta Ethan does have something he is hiding.”

Swinging around, Lora’s breath caught in her throat. A man of medium build was looking her over with a lewd gleam in his eye. Dark and unkempt hair fell in greasy curls over his forehead, and two days worth of stubble darkened his weak chin. He licked his lips and then rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. “My, you look tasty. I told Ratuer that the Jorthta wasn’t as clean as he tries to make us believe.” He took a step toward her.

“Who are you?” she asked as she stepped back. The edge of the washbasin dug into her back, reminding her that she could go no farther. She spotted one of the knives she had left drying on the cabinet and forgotten to put away. Unfortunately, it was out of reach. Being careful not to look in its direction too long, she tried to think of a way to maneuver so she could get to it.

“Name’s Turny, sweet. What might I be calling you?” The man swaggered toward her in a way that he apparently thought was attractive. Lora’s stomach tightened painfully and the strong odor of unwashed skin assaulted her nose. The kitchen door swung open.

“Miss Guinia,” a new voice interjected. Turny turned to face to the new arrival, his hand going to the dagger at his belt. Taking the opportunity, Lora stepped sideways and slipped the paring knife out of sight beneath her apron.

“Ah, Quinny,” the stranger greeted the somber Ratharian. Visibly relaxing, the ruffian laughed. “I thought it was Woran coming to steal my prize.”

Bowing politely, Quinn acknowledged the man. Then turning, he calmly spoke to Lora. “Jorthta Ethan is ready for dinner to be served. Would you please bring in the first course?”

Lora met his eyes in surprise. She had been given specific instructions to stay out of sight. Of course, that was impossible now that one of the visitors knew of her existence in the house, but if she appeared in the dining room against the Baron’s wishes she did not know what would happen. In spite of the odd events of the past few days, she was determined to keep her position.

“The Jorthta hates to be kept waiting, girl,” Quinn reminded her firmly. “Which are to go first?” He gestured to the table covered with serving dishes and trays. When she still didn’t move, Quinn raised an eyebrow questioningly. Then it dawned on her: he was putting her in the safest place in the house, in the presence of the Baron and himself.

“I will wait. Anticipation makes the conquest all the better, don’t you think?” Turny said in a mock whisper with a suggestive wink. He drew out a chair and slumped into it.

Lora slipped the knife through the hole in her dress and into the pocket of her underskirt, out of sight, but still available. She wasn’t about to go unarmed if there were more like this stranger about. The lustful grin on his face as she turned to the table made her stomach churn, and for a moment she thought she might be sick. Hurriedly she looked over the trays and chose the one laden with the first course. Hoisting it to her shoulder, she followed Quinn as he preceded her out of the kitchen toward the dining room.

The foyer was empty, but she heard rowdy laughter coming from the front parlor. “Our visitor’s lackeys,” Quinn explained when he noticed her wary glance in that direction. “They are an unsavory bunch. I will fetch the remaining courses. You stay in the dining room and you will be safe. Just keep the water and wine glasses full, keep your eyes down, hold your tongue, and you will be fine. You understand,” he asked as they approached the dining room door.

She had barely nodded her understanding when he opened the door and held it for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth leaned back in his chair and studied his guest. Saan Ratuer, official trader of the Sardmaran nobility, was an unsavory character. A slave dealer who boasted that if a customer paid the right price anything was possible, he was not a man to be trusted. Wanted in Ratharia for slave raiding, kidnapping, and assassination, he made Seth’s skin crawl. Yet, Seth continued to smile over the wine in his glass, thankful for the blade nestled in his sleeve and Lachine’s armed presence at the door behind Ratuer’s back.

“So what is your assessment of the Raijia’s health?” Ratuer asked as he raised his own half-full glass to his lips. The Raijia was the ruler of Ratharia and there were rumors that he was dying.

Setting down his wine, untouched, Seth frowned slightly. “Last I heard, he was not doing well. His doctors are being sketchy about the details, which is never a good sign.”

“A regime change in the next few months,” Ratuer agreed with a nod.

The door opened and Quinn entered, followed by Lora carrying the first course. Seth felt his frown deepen. Something was wrong; she was not supposed to be here. He glanced at Quinn, who bowed slightly.

“Dinner is served, sir,” he said formally. “Pardon the delay, but there was a problem in the kitchen.”

Understanding that Quinn had determined it dangerous for Lora in the kitchen, Seth turned his attention back to his guest. The meal passed smoothly. Lora managed to stay in the background and the conversation flowed. Then it was time to do business.

“So, where is my merchandise?” Ratuer asked as he leaned back in his chair. He had eaten well and emptied four glasses of wine. A pleased smile lingered on his face. “I always enjoy your hospitality, but I cannot afford to make this trip every year just for that.”

“Waiting for your payment,” Seth responded. “Forty cases of Ratharian silk in a rainbow of colors are waiting in my storeroom. All we need to do is complete the exchange.”

Lora stepped forward to fill Ratuer’s empty wine glass.

“So you haven’t taken my advice and expanded your trading services.” The trader watched her movements with appreciation. “I am telling you; in Sardmara, you could get a nice price for just one young thing like this girl.” Moving quickly the man caught Lora’s wrist as she finished pouring. Grabbing her chin with his other hand, he forced her face to the light. Lora closed her eyes.

Seth’s stomach tightened. The ridges on the wine glass cut into his hand as he gripped it tightly. It was all he could do not to lunge at the pirate sitting across from him. If his behavior toward Ratuer wouldn't affect the international community, he would have had his fingers around the rat’s throat moments ago. Out of the corner of his eye, Seth saw Quinn straighten, a grim look crossing his face. Lachine took a step closer to Ratuer’s chair, his hand on the throwing knife hidden beneath the fall of his tunic.

“Fine bone structure, clear skin, and fine form,” Ratuer said, apparently oblivious to the tension in the men around him. “She would make you a pretty profit.”

“Release the girl.” Seth struggled to keep his voice even. “We are not here to discuss my business practices, we are here to trade. Have you brought the payment?”

Without releasing Lora’s face, Ratuer met Seth’s eyes across the table as if to assess how much he was irritating his host. Seth knew his face was a mask of disinterest, but he was not sure how much of the anger he felt was revealing itself in his eyes. After a moment, the trader released her and turned back to Seth. Draining the glass Lora had just filled, he said, “I brought the agreed upon amount. Where are the goods? I wish to inspect them before we finalize.”

The moment Ratuer’s hand dropped, Quinn stepped to Lora’s side and guided her out of the villain’s reach. She was visibly shaking as Quinn led her to the chair next to Lachine.

“Come,” Seth said as he rose from the table, “I will show you myself.” Anything to get Ratuer away from Lora, he thought. Quinn and Lachine would take care of her until he was able to finish this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2006-03-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

As the Little Dozen Fiction blog is being replaced, Lora is being given what she so richly deserves... a blog of her very own! Rachel Rossano's beautiful tale of love and intrigue will be posted here regularly, chapter by chapter, and left up for a limited time only! Be sure to bookmark this page so you can check back regularly, and spread the word to your friends.

Thanks! Enjoy it!

-- Rachel Thomson, the Story Woman

2006-03-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Chapter One

“You are not even worthy of this opportunity.”

Aunt Roalalt looked down her nose as she sat poker straight on the uncomfortable carriage seat. Rain hammered down on the roof, but Lora’s aunt’s voice carried easily over the roar. “I had almost given up on finding you a position, but when my good friend, Lady Irene, told me about the Baron’s situation, I knew he might be desperate enough to hire you.”

Lora nodded dutifully. Her aunt was probably right. Raised with her four brothers, she had never had much experience with social settings. Father had always stressed mental capabilities above the social skills a young woman needed to become a lady’s maid or companion.

“Even if he doesn’t find your skills with languages helpful, you can at least serve as a cook and housekeeper.” Her aunt sniffed and dabbed her nose with a fragile looking hankie. “Your dear mother would be horrified if she'd lived to see how you have been raised.”

Lora frowned and turned her attention to the rain streaking the glass panes of the coach. The vehicle jostled as it sped along the country road. Mother had approved of father’s beliefs and had encouraged them in their studies. True, she and her brothers would have been raised differently had mother lived, but not as differently as her aunt believed. Over the last few weeks, she had learned that Aunt Roalalt, mother’s only sister, had decided upon a different vision of Lora’s mother.

Quiet and graceful, Juna Guinia had always encouraged her children to grow and explore. Lora blinked back the tears that welled up in her eyes. Her mother was long gone: Lora had been ten when she had fallen sick and, within days, passed forever out of their lives. She still remembered Father’s face the morning he came to tell them. He had never smiled the same way again.

“Here we are,” her aunt announced as the coach came to a jerky halt. “Now hurry out, child. I have a long way to go before I reach Lady Irene’s tonight.”

The door opened and a sodden footman leaned down to unfold the stairs for Lora’s descent. Obediently, Lora picked up her handbag, pulled the thin cloak close around her shoulders, and tugged the hood up over her hair. The footman offered her a hand, and taking it, she stepped down into the muddy road.

As soon as her feet were firmly on the ground, Lora looked up and peered through the driving rain at the looming building before her. The glow of light could be seen from one of the windows on the second floor, but there were no other signs that anyone was in the building.

“Your trunk, miss,” the footman said as he plopped her box down next to her, washing her ankles and the bottom of her dampening cloak in mud. Then before she could say anything, he was gone. The coachman was clicking his tongue to the horses, and then the coach was moving away.

Lora watched it for a few moments as it disappeared into the driving rain. Everything in her wanted to run after it calling for it to stop and take her back into its dry interior, but she knew it would be useless. Aunt Roalalt had been abundantly clear that there was no place for a penniless orphan in her life. Forcing herself to turn back to the dark house, Lora straightened her shoulders beneath her already soaked cloak. Leaning down, she grabbed the rough rope handle of her box and began dragging it to the front door.

Once standing beneath the moderate shelter of the heavy stone pillared arch that framed the elaborately carved front doors, she pushed back her hood. She frowned up at the gargoyle that leered at her from the center of the left door and debated whether to knock or pull the heavy cord that most likely was attached to a bell. Remembering the lonely light in the window on the second floor, she decided on the bell.

She pulled the cord, but heard no sound from within the building. The wind picked up and blew the rain at and angle against the house. Lora stepped farther back into the alcove to the left of the door to avoid getting wetter.

“May I help you?”

Lora looked up to find a tall thin man standing within the doorway holding a covered lamp aloft.

“I am Lora Guinia. Lady Irene sent me to be the Baron’s cook and housekeeper.” She watched as confusion passed across the man’s dark features. Apparently, the man had not been informed of her impending arrival.

“Come,” he said tersely. Leaning down with his free hand, he lifted her box by its rope handle. Turning, he carried it into the foyer beyond the open door. Obediently, Lora followed.

The hall was large, two stories high, and dark. She could make out the vague shapes of paintings and tapestries along the walls. A large staircase rose from the center of the room and then split connecting the two balconies that ran the length of the room opposite each other.

“Wait here while I tell the master you have arrived,” the man instructed her. Silently he mounted the stairs. She watched as he climbed the right staircase and disappeared into the shadows. He had taken the only light, leaving her to stand in darkness until he returned.

Her cloak, now heavy with water, began to pull her down. Unfastening the clasp at her throat, she slipped it from her shoulders. Shivering in the cold drafts of the hall, she carefully folded the sodden material and laid it on her box. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the absence of the lamplight and she began to see shapes and shadows. The rain poured against the distant roof and somewhere distant something creaked. As she stood listening to the sounds of an old house on a rainy night, she found her eyelids getting heavy. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to keep them open.

I wonder what the old Baron is like. Her Aunt’s descriptions had brought to mind an elderly gentleman, or at least a man into his forties. After all, he has explored the Northern Regions of Rynlan and the Western reaches of Anavrea. He is the foremost authority on Ratharian culture and an expert in numerous languages. The image of a mild, older man, bookish but spry, presented itself to Lora’s eye. Maybe this isn’t as bad as I was dreading.

“What are you smiling at?” a voice demanded. Lora opened her eyes and blinked in the bright light coming from the lamp inches from her face. Squinting, she tried to focus beyond the flickering wick, but her eyes refused to obey.

“I asked you a question, girl,” the voice barked again. “I am not in the habit of repeating myself.” The tone annoyed Lora.

“I am not in the habit of explaining my thoughts, sir,” she replied.

A low chuckle came from beyond the lamp. “Quinn, you didn’t tell me she had a quick tongue,” the man said as he moved the lamp away and set it on a nearby table. “So, my Aunt Irene has seen fit to hire me a housekeeper.” He turned back to her, keeping his face in the shadows. “It is just like her to decide that I cannot hire one myself. Well, child, where are your references?” He held out a hand.

Lora found that she could not speak. Shaking her head, she looked up at the shadowed figure. He was tall and broad, but that was all she could discern while he stood as he did between her and the light. The shadows hid his face and everything but the outline of his form. The hand that hung between them looked large.

“What! No references?” He peered at her; his eyes glimmered in the dark void of his face. “Well then, there must be something else that recommends you. My aunt is usually very thorough in her choosing of hired help. Are you instructed to report to her all my strange actions?”

“No, sir,” Lora managed.

“Spit it out, girl,” he demanded. “I don’t have all night to stand here asking you questions. How did you end up on my doorstep on a night like this?”

Swallowing carefully, Lora tried desperately to formulate an answer. It was hard to understand what he wanted, since he obviously was looking for something.

“My aunt, Lady Roalalt, is a friend of Lady Irene, who told her you were in need of a housekeeper and cook. Since my father has just died, leaving me no place to go, Lady Irene told her that I had the position. I assumed that Lady Irene had spoken to you…”

He cut her off with a wave. “My aunt believes she can arrange my life while I am at home. So,” he said, walking away deeper into the shadows, “you do not know the Lady Irene?”

“I have never met her, sir.”

“And you have no orders to report to her?”

“No, sir,” she replied.

“Very well,” he said in a tone of finality. Turning on his heel, he faced her once again. He stared at her face a moment, as if to read something there. She still could not see his face, but she could feel the pressure of his gaze. Then, he turned abruptly and walked into the shadows to the left of the stairs. A door opened and closed as he departed the room.

“This way, miss,” the thin man said as he melted out of the shadows on her left. He crossed to her box and again lifted it. He cloak slid off of it to the floor. Taking the lamp in his free hand, he turned toward the stairs. Lora had to scramble to retrieve her cloak and catch up with him as he started up the stairs.

“So, I have the job?” she asked, still unsure of what had happened.

“It appears so, miss,” he replied .

She followed the somber man up the left-hand staircase. They were stepping into the second hall off of the foyer balcony when she finally got up the nerve to ask another question. “How many servants and occupants are there?”

The man paused to look at her a moment as if to accuse her of asking too many questions. “I need to know how many to cook breakfast for tomorrow morning,” she hurried to explain.

“Master is the only resident. Lachine, the gardener, and I are the only servants. I am the only one to serve the master. He breakfasts in his rooms at seven. This will be your room.” He set her trunk down before the last door on the left and handed her the lamp. “Good night, miss.” He bowed and disappeared into the shadows.

Lora shivered as she looked into the shadows after him. What was it with these men and walking about in the night without light? Frowning, she turned and opened the door to her new room. Stale air assailed her with its usual smells of dust and mold. The smell wasn’t promising, but she was here to be the housekeeper and she had to expect some lack of care. Leaning down, she grabbed the handle of her trunk and set to the task of dragging it over the door sill and onto the rug beyond.

She would worry about what lay ahead tomorrow. At least she had a dry place to sleep tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Lora woke early. The daylight revealed much more than she wanted to face as she sat up in her new bed. Dust clung to every surface, horizontal and vertical. Cobwebs draped the corners and some of the furniture. The sunlight that did manage to come in the windows was dimmed by the years of grime that coated the panes. If her bedroom was a sample of the condition of the rest of the house, she was going to have more than enough to keep her busy.

With a sigh, she pushed back the dirty bedclothes and began the search for dry clothing. Her only dresses were wrinkled from being packed tightly in her box, but they were preferable to the damp traveling dress from the night before. As soon as she was dressed, she decided she should venture forth to find the kitchen. She had visions of the amount of work waiting for her there.

After creeping through the silent and dust-laden corridors to the foyer, she discovered the kitchen behind a door to the left of the stairs. Rotting food, used dishes, and rags covered the counters and the heavy table that stood in the center of the room. The hearth hadn’t been cleaned in ages, and her shoes stuck to the floor. Just looking at the mess made her skin crawl. Rolling up her sleeves, she set to work.

Locating the water pump and the woodpile, she tackled the dishes with boiling water. She found no soap and not a bit of clean rag; so, she resorted to using a piece of broken pottery to scrape the crusted food from the pans. While the dishes dried, she swept out the hearth, found a scrub brush and used it to clean the table and counters. She was halfway across the kitchen floor, when a pair of muddy feet appeared before her on clean section.

She looked up to find a short stocky man looking down on her with a frown. “What are you doing?” he asked in a thickly accented voice. His dark complexion, black hair and eyes spoke of his Ratharian heritage.

Her back hurt and her arms ached. The sight of this man standing over her after tracking dirt across her newly cleaned floor brought up her temper. “Get those muddy boots off this minute,” she ordered as she rose from her knees. “I have just washed that floor and I am not about to have you dirtying it up again.” Reaching for the nearest weapon, the ratty broom she had found in one of the cupboards, she advanced on him as she would have one of her older brothers.

Surprise flickered briefly in his dark face. “I am here to cook breakfast,” he explained, holding up his hands to ward off the wooden handle she held before her like a club.

“Breakfast will be made after I finish the floor,” she told him. “You are just delaying it by getting the floor dirty again. Now get.” She waved the broom at him, showering him with bits of dust and dirt. He retreated back out into the hall, but remained in the doorway.

Satisfied that he was not going to walk back across the floor, she returned to her task while pointedly ignoring his watchful gaze.

“My name is Lachine,” he said suddenly.

She ignored him. The floor was almost finished now.

“Jorthta Ethan doesn’t like waiting for his breakfast,” he informed her a few minutes later. Jorthta was a Ratharian military title similar to “Captain.”

“Well, he is just going to have to wait until it is ready like the rest of us,” she replied as she rose to her feet and surveyed the stone floor. Slipping out of her shoes, she crossed to the pantry. Looking inside, she found it full. Taking down the ingredients for porridge, she set them on the counter. Grabbing the water pail on her way to the door, she slipped into her shoes and headed out to the water pump.

Twenty minutes later, she had a good-sized batch of porridge bubbling over the fire and bacon sizzling on a skillet. After a mutually declared truce, Lachine had pointed out the location of the bacon and the moracca beans. A pot of hot moracca was steaming on the table as Lachine instructed her on the workings of the household.

“Jorthta Ethan eats in his room most mornings. Quinn brings it to him.” Lachine placed a plate and a bowl on a tray. Pouring himself a cup of moracca, he sat down at the table.

His youthful face reminded Lora of the youngest of her brothers, Braun. The way he tried to act tough, but really was gentle as a kitten also reminded her of him. All of her brothers had been that way with her. Gentle, yet playful.

Pushing away the memories, she asked, “Why do you refer to the Baron as Jorthta while Quinn calls him Master?” She pushed the bacon around the skillet with a knife.

“Quinn has known him since his childhood. In some ways, he raised him. I only served under him while he was in the Ratharian infantry.”

Leaning over the bacon, Lora tried to piece together the impressions she had gained from the night before. She was unable to put a face to her new employer. Was it possible that he was Ratharian? She frowned. Then how did he gain the title of Baron, a noble title of the northlands? Something was decidedly odd about all of this. Using her skirt as a potholder, she lifted the skillet from the heat. As she turned, she discovered there were two new men standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She was so surprised she almost dropped the pan.

Noticing her gaze over his shoulder, Lachine sprang to his feet and turned to the door. The older man from the night before was standing behind the man who must be her new employer. The Baron was looking over the newly cleaned kitchen with appreciation. Whatever his bloodline, he was not Ratharian. His gray-green eyes were sharp and calculating, missing nothing as they scanned the clean dishes and swept hearth, and finally rested on her face. His face was not handsome according to the classic definition of handsome, but it was strong and full of character. As he looked at her, she felt he was measuring her worth.

“Good morning, sir,” she managed. Quickly devoting more attention than necessary to transferring the bacon to the plate, she tried to get her hands to remain steady.

“Good morning,” he replied. “I am going to eat my meals in the kitchen for the time being.” Stepping into the room, he took a seat at the head of the table. As she turned to retrieve the pot of porridge from the fire, she took some comfort in the fact that Lachine and Quinn were also disconcerted. They stood awkwardly for a moment, exchanged a glance, and then took seats also.

Unsure of whether she was expected to serve and then wait or sit down and join them, Lora decided to serve them and then busy herself with something else. Using the ladle she had cleaned earlier, she served the men, who watched in silence. As she placed the pot on the table, the Baron spoke.

“Are you going to eat?” He motioned to the empty bowl and plate she had left on the table.

“I thought you would wish me to wait on you.”

“Sit and eat,” he instructed her with a frown. “I don’t need waiting on unless we have guests.”

Silently she obeyed. As soon as she had taken her first bite, the Baron spoke to Lachine in Ratharian.

“I heard a ruckus as I was coming in this morning. Were you bothering her?”

Lachine looked up in surprise and replied in the same language. “Quite the opposite. She threw me out of the kitchen and threatened me with a broom.”

Both the Baron and Quinn stopped eating to look at the younger man in surprise. “Why?” Quinn asked.

“He tracked mud on my clean floor.” Lora replied in Ratharian without thinking. Then realizing what she had just done, she looked up to find all three men looking at her as if she had grown a third head.

“She understands Ratharian,” Lachine said in awe.

“And speaks it as well,” the Baron added with a frown. “Get your jaw off the table, Lach; I don’t want to see your breakfast.” Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms and studied her. “Tell me, Miss Guinia, how did you get this position?”

“I told you last night.”

“So, you expect me to believe that you were chosen for this position by my aunt simply because your aunt is her friend? You also just happen to understand and speak Ratharian, a strange skill for a young woman of working class. There are too many coincidences in this for my taste, Miss Guinia. I want the complete story and I want it now. I have too much at stake to risk it now by having you sneaking about my house collecting information for who knows who.”

Fear rose in Lora’s throat. She had nowhere to go. If she lost this position, she had no one else to turn to and her aunt would never consider taking her back or even helping her find a new position. She met the Baron’s gaze and told him the truth and prayed he would believe her.

“Everything that I told you last night is true. I am an orphan; my mother died when I was ten and my father died two weeks ago. All the money left over from father’s estate is invested in my brothers’ education. I learned Ratharian at home along with my brothers. Father believed it was a skill that would come in handy later on for the boys. I learned it to understand what they were talking about all the time.”

The Baron’s gaze never wavered as he watched her face. “And you swear this is the truth?” he asked.

Raising her right hand she solemnly swore it was.

After a long moment of silence, he finally nodded. “All right. You can stay, but only on two conditions.” Holding up one long finger, he said, “You speak of nothing you see or hear within this house to anyone and two,” another finger joined the first, “you keep out of my way. If you can do that, I will allow you to stay.”

Nodding her agreement, she turned her attention to her breakfast. Thankfully, the others did the same, falling into conversation in Ratharian about the events of the day. Lora found herself breathing a deep sigh of relief when the three of them finally finished and left her alone in the kitchen. What have I gotten myself into? she asked herself, and then started cleaning up the breakfast mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After finishing with breakfast, Lora decided to explore the house so she could plan her mode of attack. The foyer had received some attention at some point. The floor had been swept in the past week and someone had dusted the more obvious places. The wing to the left of the front doors displayed neglect similar to that in her bedchamber. Dust and dirt clung to everything. Her footprints were left in the dust on the floor that had taken years to accumulate.

The first floor of the wing to the right of the door showed signs of life, though Lora found herself despairing at the heavy cobwebs spanning the high corners and heavy oncemaroon drapes covering the towering windows that marched down the side of the dining room. She was pulling back one of the curtains to assess the condition of the windows when she heard a footfall behind her.

“The Master wishes to speak to you in his office, miss,” Quinn informed her as she turned from the grit covered panes. “If you would follow me.” Turning, he exited the room. Wiping her dust covered hands on her apron, Lora followed.

The Baron’s study was only two doors down from the dining hall’s main entrance. Quinn knocked and entered with an almost liquid movement. “Miss Guinia, sir,” he intoned and then retreated back out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Lora noted with surprise that this was the only room in the manor that looked remotely used. Webs still clung to the corners, but the furniture was dust free and polished. The thick rug beneath her feet was clean and the windows shone brightly in the mid morning sun. A fire was burning merrily in the wide fireplace. Leaning back in the chair next to it, reading intently a many-paged letter, was her employer.

“I will be with you in a moment,” he informed her. Shuffling the pages in his hand, he seemed to search for an item of interest on a previous page. Apparently finding it, he muttered something and then shoved the stack back into order. Rising, he looked up at her.

“Quinn told me you have been wandering about the house like a lost lamb,” he said.

Straightening her shoulders, she lifted her chin. “I have been assessing the job and deciding where to begin.”

Nodding, he motioned for her to take the chair he had just risen from. “A sound idea,” he said as he set the letter on the desk and then leaned against it, examining her. “This is a large house and I only need the use of part of it. As you have noticed, no one has been using the far wing for years. I myself have only been here three months. As housekeeper, I require you onlyto maintain the rooms I need: the foyer, parlor, dining room and the passages between them. Quinn will maintain this room and my bedchamber next door.”

He motioned in the direction of a door that Lora assumed connected to the room to the right. “I will provide for any supplies that you might require. Just ask Quinn and he will pass your request on to me. Lachine will also be available for your use if you should need any heavy lifting or moving done. Do you have any questions?” His sharp gaze fastened onto her face. Suppressing the urge to squirm, Lora shook her head. She didn’t trust her voice to remain steady.

“Good,” the Baron said curtly as he straightened to his full height. “I have a guest arriving in four days for dinner; please see that we are prepared to receive him.” Apparently feeling that the interview was over, he turned and picked up one of the tomes sitting on the desk.

Rising to decrease the distance between her and his height, Lora cleared her throat. He looked at her over his shoulder.

Lora suddenly felt heat creeping up her cheeks. “Is the guest expected to stay the night?”

“No,” the Baron replied curtly and turned back to the book.

Taking that to be a dismissal, Lora crossed to the door and exited into the dim hall beyond. As soon as the latch caught, she released a sigh of relief. At least now she knew what was expected of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~