Rise of the Red Harbinger (31 page)

Any inn that welcomed Descendants had a lowercase “l’ in its name, and the inn’s name was written outside so that the bottom of the “l” extended lower than the rest of the letters, so it resembled the black line of the Descendants. It was how Horatio had known to stay at the Happy Elephant as well.

After Soren had gotten his maids and nurse to attend Baltaszar, he’d set Horatio up with a room and a change of clothes. Horatio had decided to eat before going to his room. He knew that once he went upstairs again, very little would be able to pull him away from a bed. A couple of maids had brought him up briefly to bandage his torso while the rest tended to Baltaszar.

The common room was busy with the murmur and bustle of merchants, travelers, and gamblers. Every town had at least one inn like this. Horatio knew, however, in certain nations, while inns like this were welcoming to Descendants, certain people frequented them just to spy. Soren sat down across from him. Horatio was about to speak but the broad-shouldered man held a hand up to stop him. “Eat boy, eat. An’ let me know if ya want more. Got plenty o’ food.”

Horatio realized that although Khiry was a long way from Vandenar, the accent was still the same. Soren continued as Horatio bit a huge chunk of meat from a chicken leg. “Yer Shivaani friend’ll be back ta normal soon. Lost a lot o’ blood but he was smart enough ta tie up the wound I guess as soon as it happened. Likely saved his life.”

Horatio cocked his eye, “Shivaani?”

“Yeah. The boy ya came in with. Got that brown Shivaani skin from the east.”

“He told me he’s from Haedon, and not far from Vandenar.”

“Impossible. Nobody on this side o’ Ashur looks like that. An’ I never heard o’ Haedon. Maybe he’s makin it up. Ya know how ya Descendants are. Always tryin’ ta be mysterious an’ all. Anyway, he just needs ta rest fer a day or so an’ take it easy. Let him rest today an’ tomorrow. Ya can explore Khiry if ya want. Let me know if there’s anythin’’ I can get ya. Doesn’t look like either of ya got any coin. Anythin’ ya need, horses, food, clothes, just let me know boy.” Soren stroked his slicked-back hair.”

Horatio swallowed a gulp of wine. “Well wherever he’s from, we’re both very thankful. But why are you helping us so much? The moment we walked through your door, we were in need and you haven’t stopped helping us since. Why?”

Soren’s eyes narrowed. “The King, curse his name, sees all o’ ya Descendants as abominations. Like yer lower than everyone else or somethin’. Been livin in Khiry my whole life, never seen a single Descendant wanted ta cause trouble. Ya ‘Black-liners’, as we call ya in Khiry, were always in an’ out o’ this city until Edmund’s soldiers set up camp on the Way o’ Sunsets. That’s when all the trouble started. Ta hell with the King an’ his soldiers. They can all rot in Opprobrium.” Horatio listened intently as he wolfed down his food. Soren continued, “There’s a war comin’, boy. Whole world knows it’s only a matter o’ time before Jahmash comes back.” Horatio nervously looked around at the rest of the crowded room. Soren reassured him, “It’s no secret. They all know, too. An’ they all think the same way as me. If he does come back in my lifetime, I’ll bet the ‘Traveler’ that ya Black-liners stand a better chance against him than King Edmund does. That’s why I take care o’ you an’ yer folk, boy. We need ya. The world needs ya. It’s wrong the way yer all treated. Yer lives are graced by the Orijin his self, yet ya live like ghosts. Yer the Ghosts o’ Ashur.”

“Are there any others here now? Other Descendants?”

“We haven’t had any o’ ya in months. Them soldiers out on the ‘Way’ been deterrin’ Descendants fer years now. Even when we do get Black-liners here, they usually come in like ya an’ yer friend did. Hurt, dead tired, in need o’ medicine an’ nurses. Pardon me fer bein forward, but how did ya manage ta get past the soldiers anyway?”

Horatio finished chewing and hesitated another moment, then spoke quietly. “I can control the lightning. They bombarded our wagon with arrows. Killed our merchant and took down Baltaszar before he could attack. I was able to take enough of them quickly from a distance, which caused most of them to run away. Those that stayed were either badly burnt or killed.”

Soren nodded. “Ya see what I mean, boy. It took one o’ ya ta defeat dozens o’ them. What good are they ta the world if they’re attackin’ our only hope? Anyways, I only sat down here ta check on ya. Make sure ya got everythin’ ya needed. Eat ‘til yer stuffed. An’ like I said, when ya go out inta town, come back an’ tell me before ya decide ta buy anything. I’ll give ya the money fer whatever ya want.”

“Thank you, you’re too generous. I’m already stuffed, so I think I’ll go check on Baltaszar and then get to sleep. I’ll be sure to visit the markets when I wake up in the morning.” Horatio arose from the table with Soren and picked his plate up with him.

“Leave it boy, we’ll clean it up fer ya.”

Horatio nodded in appreciation and walked upstairs.

***

Baltaszar groggily awoke to a pair of women sitting beside his bed talking quietly.
Another unfamiliar bed.
When he tried to move, they sprang from their chairs and forcibly held him in place. Both women possessed similar features to Anahi, yellowish skin and almond-shaped eyes, though both were older than her. One was slender and not well-endowed as Anahi had been, while the other was plump with a small nose. Both wore frocks similar to the maids in Vandenar, except these were dark blue.

The chubby one spoke first. “Please don’t move sir. We’ve given ya lots o’ herbs an’ ointments ta help with the pain, but as ya see, we’re not nurses. We can only do so much. If ya start movin’ around, ye’ll certainly start ta hurt again.”

Baltaszar could barely remember any of the past day. He remembered leaving Vandenar with Horatio and trying to use his manifestation. He also remembered coming upon soldiers on the way to Khiry and being hit with an arrow. Everything after that was lost to him. “What happened to me?” His words were somewhat broken, likely from not having spoken in a while.

The chubby maid responded, “Yer hand was burnt black an’ ya got an arrow through yer thigh. Yer friend brought ya here an’ we took ya in. Soren had us tendin ta ya the moment both o’ ya walked through the door. ‘Twas smart on yer part ya wrapped yer leg. If ya hadn’t, well either you’d be dead or usin’ a wooden leg the rest o’ yer life.”

Baltaszar knew he’d been hurt, but felt a certain shock about the direness of what had actually happened. “So I’ll be back to normal soon?”

“Ye’ll be fine, dear. Just stay in bed a while an’ let us care fer ya. Soren will make sure we all cater ta yer every need. Ya can bet on that. In fact, now that yer awake, we’ll have the cooks bring ya up some breakfast, though actually it’s about time fer lunch. What’s yer fancy, dear boy?” The woman had a jolly nature to her, as if she was always seeing the upside to everything.

“Fancy? I…I don’t really know. I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever you bring. Wait, you said time for lunch? How long have I been lying here?”

“You an’ yer friend showed up early in the evenin’ yesterday. Ye’ve been lyin’ here ever since. Sleepin’ most o’ the time. That boy yer with, the handsome fella, he came in ta check on ya in the night, but yer snorin’ made it clear not ta wake ya.”

“Oh. Have you both been here with me the whole time?”

“We’ve been takin’ turns, me an’ Vera here.” She nodded to the slender woman to her right. “My name is Shara, we’re sisters. Our other sister Cara has been helpin’ as well. Cara’s been very anxious ta help, givin me an’ Vera lots o’ breaks. She’s more yer age, an’ most o’ ya Shivaani don’t come this far west. Usually ya go ta the City o’ the Fallen, but don’t come up this way. Even the Black-liners don’t come here anymore.”

“Shivaani? I’m no Shivaani.”

Shara chuckled. “Sure ya are, boy. Sure, yer a bit light-skinned, but ya still look just like them brown-skinned folks from Shivaana. Only people in Ashur that look like that.”

“I swear. I’m from Haedon, up north past Vandenar.”

“It’s probably just the herbs messin’ with yer head. Or maybe ya lost too much blood. Only thing north o’ Vandenar is the Never. An’ people don’t live in that place. Just monsters”

How many people am I going to have to convince?
Baltaszar was too tired to keep arguing. “Fine, fine. Believe what you want. I’ll take that breakfast now if you don’t mind. You can both leave now. I’ll be fine.” Vera eyed him skeptically. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to get far.” Satisfied with that, Vera followed Shara out the door to the right of the bed.

Baltaszar sat up and hung his left leg over the side of the bed. Shara was right; now that his blood was flowing, his leg had started to throb. He wondered if they had any medicine to help with that. His hand also throbbed and burned now that he’d sat up. Baltaszar wondered what Yasaman would have thought of all this. He imagined her watching him now, and wondered if she’d be worried about him or maybe impressed that he had made it this far. At times Baltaszar wanted to stop thinking about her, but other times he couldn’t get himself to stop. Meeting Anahi hadn’t made him stop loving Yasaman, but it did make it obvious to Baltaszar that he and Yasaman were no longer together. He wasn’t completely sure what he wanted to do, but Anahi was right. At some point, he would have to go back to Haedon and confront her. In the meantime, he would just continue on to the House of Darian.

The door opened and Horatio walked in followed by a girl who looked like a younger and shorter version of Vera. While Vera had been pleasing to the eyes, this younger version was much prettier. She was carrying a tray that held a mug and what seemed like a slice of dark brown bread or cake.

“Is that my breakfast?” Baltaszar had never seen anything like it before. Steam billowed from the mug and whatever was in it smelled strong and somewhat nutty.

Horatio sat at the foot of the bed, already smiling. “Cara’s sisters came down and said you were awake. She had just finished making this cake for you, so we figured we’d come up together and bring you some food.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Baltaszar could feel the girl, Cara, staring at him the whole time Horatio was speaking. Then she spoke up. “Horatio had just come back ta the inn an’ I came over while Soren was talkin’ ta him. We got ta talkin about ya an’ he said ya haven’t seen much o’ Ashur. So I thought ta make this cake fer ya. It’s chocolate. He said ya likely hadn’t had it before.”

More strange food. First elephant. Now chocolate. At least it smells good.
“No I haven’t. What is it? Chocolate? And what’s in the mug? It smells…interesting.” Baltaszar put his good leg back on the bed and took the tray on his lap.

Cara sat next to him on the bed, closer than Baltaszar was comfortable with. “Chocolate…it comes from a bean that’s only found in Galicea. It’s bitter by itself, but it is wonderful if ya mix it with milk an’ sugar. Khiry an’ the City o’ the Fallen are the only places ya can find it outside Galicea. Same fer the coffee. That’s what’s in yer mug. Also comes from a bean, but we roast the beans an’ grind ‘em ta make a drink, an’ then mix it with milk an’ sugar. This one ya got was roasted with hazelnuts. It’s unfortunate fer that wall between Galicea an Fangh-Haan, else yer country might be able ta get it too.”

“I can’t wait to eat. Wait…my country? This again?”

Horatio cut in, smiling, “I tried to tell her, Baltaszar, but it was, well…difficult for me to explain.”

Cara looked confused. “Yes yer country…Shivaana? Yer Shivaani, ain’t ya? What else could ya be with that skin color?”

Baltaszar was growing frustrated at these presumptions. “What is it with all of you? I’m not a blasted Shivaani! I come from a town called Haedon, north of Vandenar. I’ve never been to Shivaana. I don’t even know where it is!” Cara stood and moved to sit at the foot of the bed next to Horatio. Baltaszar felt guilty at the outburst. He couldn’t tell if he’d angered or offended Cara, or both. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just, since leaving Haedon so many people assume I’m from this Shivaana place that I’ve never even heard of. And the people who do actually ask me where I’m from don’t even believe that Haedon is a real place. It’s like everyone thinks I’m crazy or a liar or something.”

Cara’s expression softened. “I can understand that. But ya don’t have ta get so angry with me. Yer too cute ta be huffin’ an’ puffin’ an’ such. Now eat yer breakfast before everythin’ gets cold.” Horatio looked at her with a somewhat stern look that Cara understood immediately. “Oh don’t start cryin’. What are ya, a baby? Yer a handsome fella too. There, ya happy now?”

Horatio pursed his lips and shook his head. “You’re just saying that now to make me feel better.”

Cara leaned in closer to Horatio, “O’ course I am, dear boy.” She kissed him on the cheek and then walked to the door. “Enjoy yer cake an’ coffee Baltaszar. An’ if ya need anythin’ else from me, anythin’ at all,” she glanced at Horatio then back at Baltaszar, “just let me know.” Cara winked at Baltaszar and left the room.

The moment the door shut, Horatio’s head swiveled back to Baltaszar. “Before your head swells up, well before both of your heads swell up, she was flirting with me the same way downstairs.”

Baltaszar chuckled, “I wasn’t going to say a word.” He bit into the massive slice of cake. “Wow. This is amazing! What did she say it was called? Chocolate?” He then sipped the coffee to wash it down. “By Orijin, that’s even better! Chocolate and coffee. How have I not known about these things my whole life?”