Eramane (9 page)

We sit at the long table in the room of candles and moonlight, and I watch in silence as something inhumanly human enters the chamber. It is tall and thin. Even underneath a thick black cloak, I can make out its emaciated features. Softly uttered words from Adikiah’s lips send the cloaked being out of the chamber, but in moments several more return with plates of food. I assume them to be his servants. I reflexively lean away, as one of the servants places a plate in front of me. I get a good look at this one. It is tall and thin, just like the first one I saw. It may in fact be the first one; I cannot tell. The face of this servant is masked by dark shadows cast by its cloaks, as if it has no face at all. The servant has long, skinny fingers, the color of a dull gray stone, with long, ragged fingernails that taper into points. I do not study the servant for very long before the smell of my meal reaches my nostrils. I turn my focus to the plate and forget about everything else; I just want to eat.

I am eating meats from animals I have never tasted before, and I cannot remember ever being as hungry as I am at this moment. I tear at the food, as if I am eating for the first time. The shadowlike servants scurry about, replenishing our plates with every bite. Adikiah makes only small gestures, and they grant his every command. These tall figures unsettle me; they are not human. I look across to Adikiah.

“They frighten you,” he says, looking at the servant next to me.

“Yes, a little … they are not human.” I strain not to offend them, but the longer they linger, the more uneasy I become.

“No, they are not human. They are mere remnants of their previous form,” he states, as if his explanation is a cure-all to my rising fear. My eyes keep careful watch on the servant closest to me. Adikiah notices my discomfort and orders the servants away.

“They are my servants, Eramane. Their only purpose is to do as I command. Do not fear them. I would torture them infinitely if they even thought about harming you.” His words relieve some of my apprehension, momentarily at least. I look down at my food and begin again to eat pieces of everything. The meats, the breads, the colorful vegetables, they all melt in my mouth. I sip on a glass of sweet water infused by fruits and, for a moment, lose myself in the satisfaction of filling my belly. Adikiah sits at the opposite end of the table, eating at a pace much slower than mine. Mostly he is focused on me, as if he is studying my movements.

The frequency of the sharp clank from my fork hitting the plate slows and soon ceases entirely; I am full. “Are you finished with your meal?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply. Adikiah stands from the table and walks over to me.

“Come with me. I want to show you something,” he says, holding out his hand. I look up at him and realize that there is really no choice in the matter, and besides, he did order my belly to be filled. If he had ill intentions for me, would not it have been easier to let me starve to death in the twinkling chamber?

We walk down the corridor that leads to the chamber where I awoke. I know that the chamber is not where we are headed only as we pass it. A few torches are lit down the entire length of the corridor. It does not seem to be endless, as it did before, when only a few torches lit my way. Yet even with the torches lit, this place is dark. I stay close to Adikiah, afraid that if I do not, I might be taken by the shadows. Ahead I see another large door. Adikiah makes a quick gesture with his hand, and the doors part. We get closer and I catch the smallest movement: the bottom of a cloak. I did not see it before; it stayed out of sight in the shadows. One of the cloaked servants opened the door, and it must have been a servant that opened my chamber door both times, and the door to the eating chamber. I am glad that I did not see the servants before, for if I had, I might have chosen to remain on the white fur.

We enter a smaller room, where only stairs occupy the space. They lead up in a circular pattern.

“This way,” he ushers, and we begin to walk up the staircase. The stairs are stones that protrude from the wall, supported by nothing underneath. We walk up many stairs that take us up inside his mountain palace. Adikiah holds my hand as if not to lose me. This gesture scares me; his hand is what I distrust the most, because holding it makes me feel … powerless.

We continue up the stairs. I watch the movements in his back as we make our way up. He is defined, powerful. We top the stairs and exit through a door that leads us out of the mountain’s interior. The space is airy, and looks as though the hands of giants carved it from the rock. There are no walls, just ruggedly sculpted columns that support the overhang of rock above us. This open space is a welcoming environment compared to the darkness of the long corridors and dimly lit chambers. It is night and I cannot see beyond the columns, but I hear the sound of waves crashing on rocks below. Large black lanterns hang from the rock columns, and they flicker against what can only be an ocean breeze. This place is a spectacle, but then again, everything about Adikiah’s palace is that way.

In the middle of this ocean overlook, a sleeping area is situated, similar to the one in the chamber where I woke. This area has more furs, making a larger area to lie in. It looks as if it is a nesting den for a pack of wolves. Five chiseled steps lead up to this area, encircling it. I stare at the fur throws for a few moments; Adikiah’s hand is no longer a matter of my concern.

CHAPTER SIX

Samiah’s Search

“
W
AKE UP, LOVE.” MIRA TUGS
on Samiah’s foot. He jerks his leg up to get it out of Mira’s reach, hitting his nose with his knee.

“Ouch!” Samiah grabs his nose. Mira bursts into laughter and bends down next to Samiah’s face.

“I am sorry, my love. I only meant to wake you,” she says, calming her laughter. “The sun shines and the day is warm. Let us go to the market.” She rises and cinches the linen wrapping her. “I saw the most beautiful scarf yesterday. Maybe the merchant has not left town yet.” Mira turns to walk out of the room. “But first I would like a bath. Would you like to join me? I had Brenna draw fresh, hot water.” Her linens fall to the floor, and she slowly strides out of the room. This has Samiah’s attention, and he springs from the bed, chasing her into the washroom.

They soak in the steaming water, kissing and nuzzling each other. There is a knock at the door. “Yes!” Samiah shouts.

“I beg your pardon, sir, but there is a man here for you.”

“What man?” Samiah asks.

“He said his name is Inandaug.” Samiah rises from the hot bath water, steam coming off his skin.

“Hold on. I am coming,” he announces. “I will be right back. Do not remove yourself from this tub.” He kisses his wife and drapes a robe around himself. As Samiah makes his way to the front door, he passes Eramane’s room and notices that she is not there; more concerning is that her room looks exactly as it did yesterday, a green dress laid out across her bed, a dress she did not choose to wear yesterday. Samiah turns and walks back to the washroom. He pokes his head in the door. “Did you see Eramane this morning?” he asks.

“She was not in her room this morning. I assumed she went out to the stables.”

“What about that dress lying on her bed? Was it not the one she left there yesterday?” Mira ponders Samiah’s question and realizes what he is concluding.

“Yes, it is the same. Does this mean that she never returned yesterday evening?”

“I am not sure. Did you not notice her arrive back home before you went to bed yesterday evening?” he asks.

“I was feeling ill, Samiah; it was still daylight when I lay down for bed. What about you? Did you check on her last night when you returned from town?”

“When I came in, I saw the blade and strap that she took with her lying on the cutting block. I assumed she made it home safe.”

“I took it from the cupboard, sir,” a feeble voice admits. Samiah looks behind him and sees Brenna.

“You took what from the cupboard?” he asks.

“Yesterday evening while I was preparing supper, I saw the blade and strap in the dish cupboard and thought it a strange place for blades and leathers, so I placed them on the cutting block. I am sorry, sir,” she says without looking at him. Samiah looks back to his wife as the situation becomes clearer to him.

“Would you mind checking the stables for me while I speak with Inandaug?”

“Of course.” Mira stands and grabs her robe. Samiah rushes back to the Rider at his door, leaving wet footprints on the floors as he goes. He reaches the door and pulls it open with a jerk. Inandaug slouches, his right hand resting on the top of his sheathed sword. Everything about the way he stands, shoulders hunched forward, head low, eyes hooded by a heavy brow, has Samiah convinced this visit regards Eramane.

“High Commander,” Inandaug greets Samiah.

“Inandaug, what is the matter?” Samiah asks, knowing something is terribly wrong by the tight look on his Rider’s face. None of his men would bother him while he was home unless it was of dire importance. Before Inandaug can reply, Samiah interrupts, “Is it Eramane?” Inandaug’s expression answers his question. “What is it?” Samiah asks as he grabs Inandaug by his arm and pulls him inside the house.

Inandaug follows Samiah to the back of the house, where he dresses. Hastily, Inandaug tells Samiah what he knows. “This morning I took my sons to the meadow near the waterfalls. We were bow hunting and we decided to ride the horses along the river to spear fish.” Samiah is already putting his undergear on, and Inandaug takes a breath before finishing his words. He stares at Samiah for a moment, as if Samiah might read his mind so that he does not have to finish his sentence. Samiah looks at Inandaug with eagerness.

“What did you see, Inandaug?” Samiah asks through a clenched jaw, half not wanting to hear the answer. Samiah stands frozen for a moment; he knows he will not want to hear the news from Inandaug. Samiah gathers himself and steadily finishes gathering his belongings while Inandaug continues.

“First we saw a horse that had been relieved of its insides. Then we found a hair ribbon, so we went out to the open to see if we could find who the ribbon and the horse belonged to.” Inandaug gulps another time and tries to finish his report. “We found the blacksmith that your sister was with.”

“I will kill him!” Samiah rages as he attaches his knives to his belt. Grabbing his sword, Samiah darts for the door.

“He is already dead, sir,” Inandaug announces. Samiah turns to face him. “We found his body in the meadow. There were no fatal wounds, only some minor cuts and bruises.” Inandaug finishes and looks to Samiah for a course of action.

“Where is Eramane?” shouts Samiah.

Mira enters the room, out of breath. “She is not at the stables, Samiah. What is going on?” she asks, tears welling in her eyes.

Inandaug addresses Samiah. “We could not find her, sir. We were hoping to find her here.” The Rider sadly hangs his head, as if he were to blame for Eramane’s disappearance.

“Eramane! Eramane!” shouts Samiah as he searches the home, hoping that maybe the attack happened after her safe return. Although Samiah knows that Lebis would not need to pass back through the meadow to return to his own home, he holds on to the hope that Eramane was not with him. He goes to her room once more, the kitchen, and the quiet room near the back of the house that Samiah and Mira have prepared for a baby. He can find no sign of her. Samiah bolts through the back door to see if she is sitting under the large shade tree near the spring; she is not there either. “Please be in here,” Samiah begs as he makes his way to recheck the stables, the last place to look for Eramane. He shouts her name repeatedly until he reaches the stable doors, giving them a hard shove open. “
Eramane
!” No reply. “Where are you!?” Samiah is overwhelmed at the thought of Eramane being dead. He rubs his head and eyes for a moment, trying to gather himself.

“She has vanished, High Commander?” Inandaug asks from behind. Samiah regains his composure and focuses on finding his sister.

“Inandaug, send a Rider to inform my parents in Dandridge that they need to return home; then meet me at the river waterfalls. I will get the Ghosts. Hurry; we have to search the area!” Samiah commands and grabs gear to saddle his horse.

At the waterfalls, Samiah gathers with Nahmas, Terrin, Aurick, Inandaug, and ten other men that he commands in Lord Danius’s forces. The Ghosts cluster together, making their distinct features stand out above the other Riders. Their scalps and faces are hairless, their skin pale, and their eyes the color of the clearest blue skies. Years of practicing their craft has changed their natural appearance to resemble their ability. Their grayed leather clothing fits tightly and exactly, so that it blends when they trace cast.

Samiah dismounts and slowly makes his way to the area where the Riders found Lebis. As he moves closer, he notices the places in the grass that have been trampled down, and in other places, clumps of dirt and grass lie scattered about. This is where the conflict occurred, and Samiah wonders about the placement of Lebis’s corpse.