A.L. Jambor (4 page)

The name of the town was Shalton. It was a huge, sprawling city. People stood on corners hawking their wares and everyone looked clean and healthy. These were not the victims of war.

“Did Mace really conquer this city?” I asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because it looks so clean. I always thought war tore everything up.”

“They fought on the battlefield. Mace took Branford’s head on that field we rode through as we entered the city.”

A picture of poor Branford’s head lying in that field entered my mind.

“But this city still looks too good.”

“The people didn’t like Branford. They gave him up very quickly.”

“But they knew Mace would just take his place.”

“Mace has a good reputation. He knows how to keep the people happy.”

“I can’t wait to meet this guy.”

We rode down the brick-lined street past shops, stables, and houses. People eyed us suspiciously. Geezer and I are tall and most of the people in Tresteria are short. We stuck out wherever we went.

The top of the castle came into view as we climbed a small hill outside the main part of the city. Soon we could see the walls and the iron gate that was meant to keep Branford’s enemies out. It was open and we rode through it to the stable where we dismounted and let the stable boys take our horses.

The wall was thick and gray, the stones rough. I ran my hand over the wall and it felt cold. Geezer watched me walk the length of the wall. I turned and walked back, and as I reached his side, I heard an unfamiliar voice.

“There he is,” it said.

I turned and saw him for the first time. I’d read an old book once that said the character, upon seeing his love for the first time, was struck by a thunderbolt. I’d had no context within which to understand this because I lived in a pod and had never seem a thunderbolt. But I had seen thunderstorms on Tresteria and now, seeing Mace, I felt a thunderbolt pierce my heart.

February 3

“My old friend,” Mace said. “It’s been ages.”

“You look well, Mace,” Geezer said. He turned to me. “This is Margaret.”

Mace reached for my hand and held it between his two. The heat flowing through my body shocked me. The feelings overwhelmed me.

“She’s lovely,” Mace said. He looked into my eyes. “Would you sit with me at supper tonight?”

I nodded dumbly. He dropped my hand and patted Geezer’s shoulder.

“Come, I’ve much to show you.”

We followed him into the castle. The walls were the same stone pattern as the walls surrounding the building. I thought the pattern would be different.

A young woman was walking beside me. She was so quiet I hadn’t noticed her. She looked sad.

We followed the men through the hall to a room with a huge fireplace and pillows on the floor. I’d read in one of Geezer’s books that many places in England, all the Englands in the early part of their millennia, still used Roman customs, especially in the castles. I recognized the
pillow on the floor
thing from an illustration Geezer made.

“Sit,” Mace said.

I chose a pillow next to Geezer and sat down. It wasn’t comfortable. I was used to sitting back against something.

The woman didn’t sit. She stood. She didn’t move. I looked at Geezer, who was looking at her.

“You can go,” Mace said.

The woman turned and left without a word.

“She’s Branford’s daughter,” Mace said. “I’m not sure what to do with her.”

“Send her to Justin,” Geezer said.

“I may need to negotiate with Justin,” Mace said.

“She’s innocent,” Geezer replied.

“I’ll not kill her, old man. You needn’t worry about that.”

As I listened to Mace speak, I recalled a teacher I’d had when I was a teenager. He’d come from England and his accent drove all the girls crazy. Mace’s voice reminded me of that teacher. He didn’t talk like the townspeople I’d met in Esher.

I tried not to stare at him. I looked at the tapestries on the walls and counted the windows, all the while aware of his presence. When I did look at him, I noted his soft brown eyes and dark hair. Matt had brown eyes, but his hair was lighter. And Matt had never made me feel this way.

Matt wanted to marry me. I know now what I didn’t know then - that Matt was afraid to lose me. He married me to make sure he had me.

I felt guilty as I thought of him. Guilty that I didn’t love him the same way. Guilty over my lust for Mace. Matt wouldn’t have lived very long on Pryll. When I married him, I knew I’d be alone one day. If he had lived on Tresteria, would I have stayed with him? Not if I had met Mace.

“But why?” Geezer said.

I had missed part of the conversation.

“Because the country deserves better. It deserves a leader who will build it. Justin is a fool. He sits in London and plays with himself while Rome burns. He doesn’t see what’s happening.”

“But you’re advocating murder.”

“Geezer, I’m advocating the will of the people.”

Sometimes Geezer’s desire for peace at all costs irritates me.

“And what happens to his family?” Geezer said.

“They’re relocated to a neutral place to live out their lives in peace.”

I had just finished reading a Pryllian account of Tsar Nicholas the Second’s last days. There had been a Tsar Nicholas the Second on Sunge, too. Their families had not lived out their days in peace.

“But they will still have power,” I said. The men looked at me. “If they live, they can always take back the throne. They will always have supporters.”

Geezer glared at me. I was feeding Mace’s argument.

“Not if we send them far enough away,” Mace said. “I could send them east. As far east as they can go.”

Mace looked over and smiled at me. We were in agreement.

“Do you promise not to harm them?” Geezer said.

Mace took Geezer’s hand.

“My brother, I promise you I will not harm them.”

This seemed to satisfy Geezer, but something about it felt wrong. I dismissed the feeling immediately, though, when Mace looked at me again. His lips were full and I wondered what they would feel like on mine.

“Why don’t you go to your rooms? You must be tired from your journey. I’ll see you at supper.”

Mace rose from his pillow and walked over to me. He extended his hand and I took it. He pulled me up and for a second our faces were an inch apart. He smelled like cinnamon. He ran his finger over the palm of my hand.

“Tonight,” he whispered.

My heart began to pound in my chest as he released my hand. He walked out of the room leaving me alone with Geezer.

“He sounds sincere,” Geezer said.

“How do we find our rooms?” I asked.

“Someone will show us,” he said.

I followed him to the stairs where a young girl waited to show us to our rooms. She looked tired, too.

There were forty steps going up and I was happy to see my room was the first one at the top. Geezer stood by the door until the girl came out.

“I’ll come for you when it’s time to eat,” he said.

I nodded and closed the door.

February 5

The supper held in our honor was a drab affair. The food wasn’t very tasty and there were no sugary treats like the ones I’d had at Geezer’s. But the wine was a revelation.

We didn’t have wine on Pryll. We would order it from the transports but it never made it all the way to Pryll. I had my first goblet of wine as I sat across from Mace and felt his foot rubbing my feet.

The warmth I’d felt in his presence was intensified by the alcohol coursing through my veins. I couldn’t stop staring at him. I had no control. Geezer was next to him. I didn’t notice if Geezer was looking at me, but if he did, he would have seen how I felt.

Mace was brilliant. He talked for hours about the will of the people and how justice would be done in London. I wondered if he meant the death of Justin, but I really didn’t care. I just wanted to move to his side and kiss him.

This wasn’t me. I’d never felt like this before. Was it the wine that made me feel so free? The supper was drawing to a close and the serving girls were taking the plates away. We got up from our pillows and left the dining hall. The main hall was readied for dancing and I could hear music as we walked toward it. Mace was walking in front of me and I watched him walk. I could see his back muscles ripple under his tunic.

The hall was full of pillows for sitting, or lying if that’s what you wanted to do, and the musicians played. Mace was sitting by Geezer and I was by myself near a wall. I wanted something to lean against because I was getting sleepy. I must have dozed off, but I don’t know how long I slept.

I felt a hand touching my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw Mace looking at me. He lay down next to me and put his hands on my face.

“Was it the wine or my company?” he asked.

“The wine. Definitely the wine.”

He kissed me and I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His hands found all my secret places and explored them until I couldn’t take it anymore. I rolled him over and we did what we had wanted to do since the moment we met.

He picked me up and took me to his room. I was kissing him. He took off my tunic and lay beside me on the bed. We talked for a while and he told me how he had met Geezer.

He was young, about thirteen years old, and begging for change on a street in London. Geezer saw him and gave him a coin.

“He noticed my teeth,” Mace said.

“What?”

“He noticed that my teeth were white. He knew I wasn’t from Esher.”

I got up on my elbow and looked down at him. He put his hand on my breast.

“Then where
did
you come from?” I said.

“I come from Earth.”

“I knew it! I knew you came from somewhere else.”

“How did you know that?” he said.

He put his hands on my shoulders and rolled me over.

“Your voice. The way you talk. I’ve heard it before.”

“Do you come from Earth?”

“I come from Pryll. You sound like a modern Englishman.”

He smiled and shook his head as he ran his fingers over my neck.

“Have you seen Geezer’s book?” he asked.

“I’m reading it right now.”

“Ridiculous thing, that book. But brilliant.”

He kissed me and we made love. When I woke up, I was alone.

February 9

Mace and I are together every afternoon. He’s restoring the garden behind the castle. He’s given me clothes and a lovely gold necklace.

Come spring, the garden will have flowers. The man who tends it says the soil is bad, but Mace is determined to prove him wrong. He wants flowers in his garden.

There are trees, though - tall trees with thick branches. Mace pulls me behind those trees and kisses me. I still hate for those kisses to end. I want to become part of his body. I can’t talk to Geezer about these things but I wish I could. I feel so guilty.

Mace was quiet today. I knew something was wrong.

“I lied to you,” he said. Just like that.

“About what?”

“I didn’t meet Geezer in London,” he said. “I met him when he was coming out of the portal.”

“The portal? How?”

“The portal is on my father’s estate. I found it one day when I’d escaped the relentless eye of my tutor.”

I love the way Mace talks.

“Okay, so how did you end up here?”

“I followed him. I jumped into the hole.”

“Just like that. Without knowing what would happen.”

“I was young and impetuous.”

Damn, he was brave.

“But weren’t you, like, ten at the time?” The wine I’d had that night had clouded my memory.

“Exactly thirteen. I was home from Eton and bored. My tutor was also bored and fell asleep at his desk, so I tiptoed out of the room and ran to the woods.”

“I can see you doing that. And you found the portal.”

“I found the portal. It’s just like Geezer’s portal. It’s in a cave, glowing, windy. I think I scared the hell out of him when he stepped out of the cave and I was just standing there.”

“And I imagine he scared you, too.”

“I was an adolescent who played war games every chance I got. Nothing scared me. I’d cut off more imaginary heads…”

I felt a shiver run up my spine.

“Is that how it was with Branford? Was it just another war game?”

“No. I had no other choice.”

“Geezer thinks you did.”

“Geezer wants peace. The people wanted blood. They demanded blood.”

He walked away from me. I let him go for a few feet. He stopped and turned around.

“Have you seen my people? Do you see how they live?”

“I saw them when we rode through the city,” I said.

“Do they look unhappy?”

“No, but…”

“Branford taxed them and beat them and killed them. They had nothing when I arrived. Now they have food, shelter, and clothing.”

“He’s only saying you didn’t have to cut off Branford’s head.”

“Do you believe that? I mean do you
really
believe that?”

No. My first thought was
no
.

“But aren’t you afraid Justin’s army will attack
you
?” I said.

“Justin’s army is camped on my east meadow. They have pledged their alliance to
me
.”

He walked back to me and put his hand on my face. I loved the gesture.

“Do you believe I should have let him live?” he said.

“No.”

“And why do you believe that?”

“Because the people would still think of him as their lord, and you want to be king.”

He lifted my head so he could look into my eyes.

“Am I a bad king?”

No
.

“The people love me. They willingly pay their taxes because they know I will take care of them. My soldiers protect them. I’m a better man and they know it. And I’ll be a better king.”

“Do you love them, too?”

I saw a flicker in his eye, a split second of doubt.

“I take care of them.”

He took my hand and we continued to walk.

“What was your father like?” I asked.

“He was a banker. Our family owned a bank in London. I would have inherited it one day.”