Age of War

Chapter 21

It was another bright, clear day and, as Aethlan pulled her shawl close around her shoulders, she could almost convince herself it was summer. There would be no meals on the terrace with the Empress this morning though. The palace was quiet. It was always quiet, but now it seemed much more so. She wondered what had convinced her to send Huldane away on this quest into the distant mountains that, from a tower she’d discovered not far from her chamber, she could make out piling up on the horizon, their peaks permanently white with snow. That same chain of mountains reached north into Talos and, if she squinted, she could imagine she was back home looking at the same frozen slopes. But she was not at home, and she’d never felt more alone than she did now. There were other Talosi in the palace – her maids, whom she trusted implicitly – but there was a distance between them. She would always be the lady, and they the servants, even if they weren’t treated as such here. Even though Huldane served her too, there was something different about him. She knew what it was, and that was part of why she’d made him go with Jonis, as much as she might feel incomplete without him by her side. He was an inconvenience, a distraction, and she would do much better to follow the Empress’s advice and seek out an Atlasian lord who could help her restore her homeland. The airy veranda on which she walked opened onto another terrace – there must be hundreds of them nestled in the labyrinthine palace – and the strangeness of the architecture was an acute reminder of lost Talos. Like Huldane, part of her dreamed of returning, of taking back the city and punishing Wodan for his rebellion. She knew it would never happen though. She could raise an army, go crusading across the border, but to what end? The ice would come whatever they did. No, Talos was lost.

She stepped out onto the terrace. The white flagstones were cold, even through the slippers she wore. There was no one around, and this terrace was bordered by high walls on each side. Creeping vines were interwoven with lattices against the pale stonework, now just dead grey sticks, and there were flower beds around the edges that were just empty patches of soil. On the other side was a sloping lawn, dotted with sculptures, but on the edge of the terrace was a curious object. It was a sort of carved pedestal in the same white marble as almost everything else in the Enclave, with two curving benches built into its base on either side as if it were a table. It was far too small for two people to comfortably eat a meal at though, or even share a drink. The top of the table – if that’s what it was – also bore an odd design. It was a grid of small squares, alternating black and white. The white was the same material as the table, the black was veined obsidian. She cocked her head at it and counted the squares on each side. There were sixty-four altogether. She couldn’t imagine the significance.

“Do you play?” a voice asked.

She turned, surprised, to see a man standing in the veranda, leaning casually against a column. He was handsome, with a completely shaved head, a style that was unknown in Talos but which seemed popular here with men and women alike. He was dressed like all the Atlasian nobility, in a loose silk shirt and tight hose. She could see his lean musculature and something about the way he smiled at her made her heartbeat quicken. “Play?” she asked.

He pointed to the pedestal, but when she looked at him uncomprehendingly he laughed and walked over to her. “It’s a game,” he explained, “you don’t have it in Talos?”

“How do you know I am from Talos.”

“You’re the Lady Aethlan. Everyone knows you.”

“Everyone? I hardly ever see anyone in this palace. I thought there would be feasts, balls…”

“Not these days,” the man said, sounding almost sad. “Many have left. War is coming.” He made a show of sniffing the air. “Can’t you tell?”

“I obviously lack your faculties, lord….?”

He smiled easily. “Lord Valcon.”

“I am sorry not to be more familiar with the nobility of Atlas but, as I said, I see very few people it seems.”