Reader Beware

Chapter 35

            In the end, Rika found herself dressed in clean clothes, her hair pulled back into a still faintly damp braid, sitting in what she thought had to be the formal dining room. The table which they sat around one end of, could easily seat forty people, its dark wood a match for every other bit of furniture she’d seen in the manor. All done in clean, elegant lines, with only little flourishes of style.

            Zobah sat at the head of the table, with Rika to his right. Ahisu sat beside her, while Elthia was across the table from her with Damek seated next to the healer. With the exception of the four guards standing by the doors and the servants only now carrying the food in, they were the only ones there.

            The first dish brought before them all was some kind of stuffed bird, form its size, Rika was fairly certain it was a chicken. What she wasn’t sure about, was what it was stuffed with. She waited until Zobah had taken the first bite, something the others did as well, before trying a piece. She had to admit, the chicken was really good, the stuffing being eggs mixed with some spice or another.

            After a few minutes of silence in which everyone was eating, Damek spoke up. “What do you plan to do with Rika, my lord?”

            Laying his fork gently down beside his plate, Zobah met Damek’s gaze steadily. “I have no plans I had only wished to meet with her and offer my assistance in her endeavors. I have no intention of imprisoning any of you. You are free to leave at any time.”

            Elthia and Damek exchanged glances while Ahisu only studied the lord. Servants came forward, removing their plates and putting down the next course, some sort of meat pie and vegetable pie. Like he was unaware of the scrutiny, Zobah cut himself a sliver of pastry, sauce, and stuffing, bringing it carefully to his lips.

            Rika followed his example, finding that while the meat reminded her a bit of beef, it definitely wasn’t from a cow. The aftertaste alone told her that. Still, mixed with the carrots, gravy, and crust, it was delicious.

            After another long silence where everyone tried the new dish, Damek’s voice again broke through the quiet. “You’re after the crown, are you not, my lord?”

            “I have made no secret of my ambitions. I believe most of the country is aware that myself and Atelic are both pressing hard to be named as the next king. The difference between us is that I am aware that power begets responsibility. You only need to look to the province of Mugit to see how my rival abuses the power he was given at birth. If he ran the country as he does his province, it would be the ruin of us all.”

            The servants again cleared the dishes, replacing them with bowls of a milky looking soup. Rika recognized what one of the ingredients was with her first spoonful. She’d had almond milk with Myra enough times, her friend’s lactose intolerance something she’d been used to since she’d been able to spell it. That thought had her pausing, realizing in all this time, she hadn’t thought of her friend once. She hadn’t even thought of Connor in days. She was so worked up about getting home and getting through the obstacles that kept popping up that she’d half-forgotten why she wanted to go home so badly in the first place. As odd as others might have seen it, Connor and Myra were what she thought of when she thought the word family.

            A wave of homesickness washed over Rika, making her want to either run all the way to Harniche or break down and cry at the table. But she fought it down, knowing neither would do her any good. As bad as it might be to be shoving her emotions and thoughts of home away, that’s what she did. When she was back home she’d deal with it. For now, she had more important things to worry about. Things that could help speed up her return.

            She realized that Damek was talking again. “…be the one from the prophecy, but that doesn’t give you the right to drag her, and us, around at your whims. Both you nobles are alike that way. You’re obviously far more concerned with yourselves and winning the crown than what’s best for her, no matter what you say.”

            Zobah sighed. “What else can I do? The leadership of our country is important. I cannot, in good faith, sacrifice the welfare of everyone just for the sake of one girl. Indeed, I issued a forcible invitation. However, from here, you are free to do as you please. I only wished that she hear my side and understand my plans, so that Atelic’s probable lies were not the only words she heard. I have no intention of standing in the way of whatever endeavours you embark upon from now on.”

            Seeing Damek open his mouth again with his eyes narrowed, Rika shook her head. “It’s fine. We already decided to stay the night. And in the morning, we’ll continue on our way. He’s already promised to provide an escort of horses as far as the road, then leave us to do as we wish. There’s not much else we can ask for.”

            While the next dish, a colourful salad of flowers, was put before them, Damek stared at Rika. She held his eyes, hoping he understood what she was trying to communicate silently to him. Arguing with a lord in his house, which you know for a fact is filled with soldiers and guards, is not a good idea. Under any circumstances.  And she had to admit, of the two of them, she much preferred Zobah. He at least had given them the go ahead to leave. If you kept his word, and let them go without problems, she’d give him her seal of approval if she did end up some kind of hero. He had to be better king material than Atelic.

            It wasn’t until she was finishing up the last bit of dessert, some kind of fruit and cream tart, when a thought occurred to her. What if that had been his plan all along? What if Zobah had waited to see how Atelic reacted, just so he could appear so much better by comparison? Rika wanted to sigh. Politics had never been her strong suit, and the way things looked to be going, she was going to be mired up to her neck in it soon enough.