Engines & Demons - The Undestined

Chapter 32i

Still, she did as she was told, so as not to unbalance her mother's sudden improvement in mood, and when she returned with the woman, her mother ordered her to her own room to change into her neatest dress. The order was followed by further commands to keep the dress clean and in one piece, for the ceremony at the temple that evening.

"What ceremony?" Tahlia asked.

"You know what ceremony, child! You have been schooled! The Chapters are to have their new positions sanctioned. Then your father and Commander Galder are to receive Fortak's blessing before their contest tomorrow. This is an important day for him, and I do not want you to be the cause of any embarrassment."

"Of course not, mother," Tahlia said guilelessly, but her mother was not fooled. She took her strongly by the chin and held her so she could not turn her eyes away.

"Promise me, daughter. Today of all days. Do as you are told."

"I promise, mother."

Her mother seemed satisfied, and sent her on her way.

When she entered the young ladies' quarters, she found them in excited uproar as their inhabitants readied themselves for the evening. Girls, particularly the older ones who, in Tahlia's opinion, should have shown a little more decorum, ran between each other's rooms, wearing one dress or another, all chatting eagerly about whether the dress matched their hair or their jewellery or whatever. Tahlia finally made it to her room through the girlish glee and slammed the door behind her on the noise, only to find one of the quarter's maids waiting for her. Her best dress was laid out on the bed, and a basket of brushes and combs was sitting on her dresser.

"Oh no, not the hair," she sighed.

"I'm afraid so, my lady," said the maid with equal resignation.

So, after what felt like an hour of tugging with combs, followed by platting and pinning, Tahlia managed to escape the maid's ministrations, and went in search of her mother. She was not in her quarters, or in the solarium, where the other ladies were gathering in their finest dresses, so she went to the gardens. There the terraces were beginning to fill with knights, dressed equally as finely as their ladies. Tahlia, feeling uncomfortable in her tightly pinned hair and stiff dress, stood in the shadow of a high eroni hedge, wondering what to do with herself.

By all the accounts she had heard, the ceremony at the temple would not take place until that evening, which meant she would have to occupy herself for the whole afternoon without getting into a mess. She sighed at the prospect.

Looking around, she noted that many of the knights and their ladies were sipping wine or eating pastries and other delectable, so she decided to go in search of their source. Thankfully, she had managed to take her belt and its tatty pouch from her room without the maid noticing, so she would be able to stock up on rations and then find a nice quiet place, somewhere out of the way.

She was about to set off on her little mission when she saw something that made her frown.

Tasker.

He was making his way along one of the lower terraces, dressed in his burgundy squire's uniform. There were other squires in the gardens so his presence was not that unusual, but Tahlia wondered why he was not down at the arena-field, in Sir Galder's attendance.

She watched him suspiciously as he passed down the terraces. He seemed to be making for the chain-carriage station, so maybe he was simply going to attend to his duties as he should have been. Still, it would do no harm to follow him and make sure. So, with thoughts of a snack forgotten, she set off in pursuit.

When she reached it, the chain-carriage station was not very busy, and as she spiralled down the stairs beneath the gear house, she saw Tasker at the platform's end, waiting for the next carriage to arrive.