Keeper (First Ordinance #2)(37)
"Their time is different from ours," Kaldill observed.
"I'll make sure to point that out the next time I see any of them."
"Do you believe it will do any good?"
"Probably not."
*
Quin
I'd never seen so many cakes, pies and cold or frozen treats in my life, and all of them sat proudly on shelves inside the same treat shop. A sign outside the shop, lit in bright colors against the constant night of the Le-Ath Veronis city, read Niff's.
I'm sure there was a story behind the name, I merely couldn't decipher it at the moment. Regardless, Berel had no trouble pointing out what he wished to take back to Siriaa, so all of it was carefully packaged for the trip.
I chose several things, thinking of Dena and the others we'd left behind in Lironis. Before long, we had a rather large crate filled to the top, which Reah promised to transport without any of it melting.
Daragar and Kaldill arrived when everything was ready, so we were transported back to Lironis with barely a thought.
Chapter 8
"I brought these back for you," I placed the small, white box in Justis' hands after I walked into our suite. "The berries are covered in what they called dark chocolate, and when I saw it, I thought of your wings."
"They look good," Justis opened the box and lifted out a red berry dipped in the dark, cold chocolate. He closed his eyes in pleasure the moment he bit into it.
"Did you have one?" he asked, holding the box out to me.
"I was still too full after tea and cake, but I'll try one now," I lifted one of the three remaining berries from the box. They were quite large and one would have filled the palm of my hand had I chosen to squeeze it.
After my first bite, I considered that it was just as good as Justis thought it was—cold but not overly so—to keep the chocolate crisp until it melted on my tongue.
"Thank you for this," Justis lifted a second berry from the box and devoured it.
"You're welcome," I smiled and shrugged at him. "You should have seen the Queen's palace on Le-Ath Veronis. It was incredible. When are you flying out tomorrow?"
"At first light. If all goes well, we'll only be gone three days."
"All right. Please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you or the others."
"Do you see something?" Justis had the last berry in his hand.
"No, I merely desire your safe return, that's all. Good-night," I said and walked toward my tiny bedroom.
*
"Marid knew he had the wasting disease, else he'd never have taken his own life," I told Dena over breakfast. Justis and the black-winged guards had left early at first light, after a quick meal. They wouldn't eat again until their arrival at Avii Castle, which concerned me.
"I wish I knew how to do that—to know things," Dena shook her head at me.
"At times it seems a terrible curse," I responded. Berel sat beside me then, setting his tab-vid and his plate of food on the table.
We'd chosen the balcony to eat while the others had breakfast inside. I knew they were discussing recent events, which included Marid's death. Gurnil and Ordin chose to join Reah and the others in that discussion, but after another troubling night of fitful sleep, I avoided a meeting and more disturbing news.
"I left a second tab-vid with Tory—he said he'd make sure the meeting was recorded for my father," Berel informed us before spearing scrambled eggs with a fork.
"Your father's shoulders must bear a terrible burden," I sighed. I knew from reading Berel that Sector Two was demanding an inquiry after the arrest of their President. I wanted to laugh—they'd demanded an inquiry into his actions and practices shortly before he'd traveled to Sector Five to make an assassination attempt.
"You know there's a saying in Kondar—that someone is as fickle as Sector Two," Berel grinned before shoving eggs into his mouth and chewing.
"I find that humorous," I smiled at him.
"You're supposed to," he swallowed and grinned. "I heard the army is on its way back, but as they're riding instead of skipping—that's what Tory says he can do—skip somewhere, it'll take them more than a week to get here."
"What are they doing for supplies?" Dena asked.
"I heard that Vhrist was cleaned out before they left, but that didn't stop Tamblin from stealing anything he could along the way."
"How are the people of Vhrist faring, then?" I asked.
"Orik was at breakfast with the others—Fen too. They say that the news they have is that Vhrist has been forced to ration everything, because the army took their surplus."
"You've learned a lot about Fyris in a very short time," I said.
"It's fascinating, and I have to present good information to my father," he shrugged modestly. "Gurnil found maps for me—I can't tell you how happy I am that the Larentii gave me the ability to read as well as speak the language. Everything is so much easier because of it. I've interviewed a few castle servants, too. Father was appalled by the descriptions of their treatment at the hands of the nobles."
"I believe Tamblin and Yevil saw to that," I said, toying with my fork. "I can't say how things were when Tandelis had the throne, but it had to be better, didn't it?"