Luminous

15 - Duty and Atonement

"Across from him is the chamberlain, Sir Rondell. He takes care of our quarters and our wardrobe. And, of course, that's Sir Jarl, the marshal. He's in charge of the grounds, the stables, the men-at-arms and the craftsmen."

Sir Jarl, a muscular, broad-chested knight with suntanned skin, downed his oatmeal as if in a race against time. Zier sent him to fetch Beau earlier, and he needed to catch up.

Meya sneaked a worried glance at the door, where Beau had bounded off when she whispered into his ear to bring the note to Coris. There was no knowing for sure if the message would reach him. To top that, Zier just left to bring breakfast to Coris. Would he run into Beau on the way or in Coris's room? How would he react?

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After breakfast, Baroness Sylvia took Meya to see her daily routine and show her around the castle. She hosted a tea party in the outdoor pavilion to entertain the visiting ladies, while the Baron took the lords out to hunt game in his forest.

A blanket of bright red hexagonal roses embraced the pavilion. As they swayed in the breeze, the silvery-white pavilion seemed to float on a rippling crimson lake.

"These Hadrian Roses are the only ones in Latakia." The Baroness leaned down and caressed their velvety petals, "They bloom all through the year, except for winter. Sir Rondell is in charge of harvesting their petals and making the Hadrian Red dye."

The party's guests were just as colorful. Most of the ladies had brought their teenage daughters, decked out in their clan's unique colors and giddy with excitement as they discussed the upcoming feast—mainly, who the most attractive young heirs would choose to be their pairs for the dance. Zier was the target of many affections.

The Baroness left the guests to their leisure and took Meya to the scullery. Through the dizzying maelstrom of cooks, assistants and maids, Meya spotted Lady Arinel, Haselle and the Crossetian maids standing guard over the stew vats.

Meya fitted herself into the Baroness's shadow, pretending to listen as she discussed tonight's menu, the preferences and food allergies of the guests and the procurement of supplies with Head Cook Apollon.

During the evening celebrations, the scullery would prepare food for the nobles' feast in the Great Hall, and set up a station in the courtyard to cook for the commoners. Thus, the Baroness headed next to the courtyard to supervise the food marquees. Next, she took Meya to the treasury to meet Sir Claptorpe, the treasurer, to review the budget for the wedding.

Finally, the Baroness led Meya to the chapel. Though built of thick sandstone, the chapel's interior was flooded with the light of high noon from rows of tall stained-glass windows. Sunlight filtering through the tinted glass pooled on the granite floor slabs in rippling rainbow puddles.

Meya had never seen this much glass in one place before, much less stained glass, not even in Crosset Castle. The Hadrians really were disgusting rich.

Stone pillars beset with ornate curlicues protruded from the walls at precise intervals. The panels in between were blanketed with paintings of the goddess Freda and scenes from Latakia's war of independence from Nostra. However, the first panel to the door's left depicted a bizarre scene Meya couldn't interpret.

On one side was a mountain with fire rising from its summit. A flock of dragons of all colors flew away from it, crossing the sea towards the mainland. The dragon in the lead was dark green, with glowing green eyes. A human knight in armor clung to it.

Bells rang in her head, then it hit her. The insignia on Dad's old belt buckle. A dragon flying over the sea! There were runes on it, too.

Meya had nicked the buckle from Dad's belt for a closer look one day. Myron told her the runes read We Shall Return. Return where? The seven siblings wondered. The Hilds had lived in Crosset and nearby manors for seven generations, and Meya reckoned their history went no further than that.