They had followed a wagon path; well-worn wheel tracks knifed into the sightly muddy dirt.
"Bringing firewood to the castle," Colin said, and Dorian nodded.
Neko wanted to ask what castle, but he, Shosha, and even Reggie were already in silent mode. Reggie was a hawk for the duration of their visit. As long as Neko stayed close to him and Dorian, the spirit animal was fine. If Neko wandered off, so would Reggie.
They emerged from the wilderness into a sloping valley lined with groups of buildings at varying levels. Their wagon path became lined with well-worked stone, although it was not often used. Newly grown spring weeds vied for space with saplings and piles of last year's autumn leaves. Most of the buildings looked abandoned, and only a few people walked the stairways and winding paths.
Their entrance had not gone unnoticed. People peeked out of darkened doorways, and children froze in mid-play in yards. The sight of the young ones made Neko realize that this was not a fae settlement. There would never be so many children if the fae lived here. They rarely raised any young. These appeared to be human.
He hadn't realized it at first because there was a touch of magic in the air. Neko sniffed at it, fearing this was the work of human power. Humans with such magic were most often troublesome. The power felt diffused, though, and rarely used. Neko thought it might be nothing more than a protection spell. Apparently, they did not trigger it as a danger.
Their road crested one last hill and then led straight down a steep slope to a wide stone bridge over a river and then to the castle gate.
The imposing castle stood four stories high, with several square towers rising an additional two floors above the curtain wall. The building's stonework appeared to be a uniform white and gold marble, glittering in the sunlight. The inner keep rose even taller, graced with several glazed round windows. Neko had seen nothing like it, even in all the books he'd studied.
They didn't slow. Dorian and Colin said nothing, so the rest of them kept quiet, although Neko had questions. Very many questions. He could sense magic nowhere but at the castle, and that was not fae power. Few humans had attained this powerful of magic.
Neko wondered why they hadn't asked Luna about any upcoming trouble. Probably because they had no choice. Besides, the few times they had asked her, it had led to complex and ultimately useless plans. If she offered advice, though, it worked out well for them.
Neko glanced her way in hope. She said nothing. They walked on in silence.
"A lot of activity at the gate," Colin said softly as they reached the bridge. "But no banner is flying. The Lord of the castle is not in residence."
"That may be a blessing," Dorian replied and didn't miss a step.
"You know where we are?" Colin asked, a frown growing.
"I fear I do."
There was no time to ask more. Luna even frowned, and Shosha tried to find a pocket to hide in. Neko just walked along, only glancing at Reggie-hawk, who was holding onto Dorian's shoulder. He looked down and nodded as if they shared a common understanding.
Neko was starting to get annoyed.
The guards escorted them through the gate, a corridor that led through the curtain wall, and out into a remarkably well-maintained inner courtyard.
A man in fine robes strode across the courtyard to meet them. If this was not the lord of the keep himself, then the place must be very rich to afford such clothing for an underling.
Neko realized the guards were well-dressed and carried excellent short swords as well. Despite a decline in population in the surrounding village, this wasn't a backwater border settlement.
"Greetings," the man said when he reached them. "I am the castellan, Tamaran. I fear we did not expect guests and are unprepared for such an unusual group."
He looked at each of them in turn, and Neko had the oddest feeling that he could judge them well. Tamaran looked bothered, but not worried.
Then he gave a quick look upward, as though he expected trouble to fall out of the sky. "Let us go inside and speak," he said.
Luna emphatically nodded in agreement. No one else spoke.
Tamaran took us straight inside, waving aside questions from several anxious servants and guards. He finally stopped by a door and looked at the people still milling around.
"There is no news. These travelers have come on a different matter."
Neko saw many of the people turn away with apparent regret. He realized something else was going on here, and he feared they were soon going to be drawn into it.
Tamaran unlocked the door beside him, pushed it open, and waved the others in ahead of him. Neko was last in line and paused at the threshold, his ears folding back --
Tamaran looked him in the face. "You are a cat. The curiosity would have you yelling at the door if I locked you out."
He was right, of course. So Neko walked in with no more show. Tamaran followed and locked the door behind him. He looked relieved, and Neko wondered if it had been the servants and guards who worried him so much or something else. He supposed they would soon find out.
Everyone found seats. Neko settled at Colin's feet like a friendly, polite, and normal cat, but he had the feeling none of it fooled Tamaran. He took his place behind the desk. Neko suddenly thought he looked too young for this kind of power.
"I am curious what brought two fae and their unusual companions to Lord Myrddin's realm, especially at this time of trouble."
Neko thought his heart stopped and then raced to catch up again. He twitched, but so did all of his companions.
Myrddin. Merlin.
No comments:
Post a Comment