Luminous

33 - Jezia's Message

Christopher slid the alphabet table around the pile of Meya's messy hair to himself, his lips pursed in thought,

"My governess used to have me recite this song, learn the letters and geography in one go." He raised a fist to his mouth, cleared his throat, then jabbed his finger at the first letter, "A says ah, Amplevale. B says buh, Bore-"

"...ring." Simon finished for him, shrugging at Christopher's raised eyebrows, "How about...A says ah, Arinel. B says buh, Beau. Rest in peace."

Simon joined his hands in actual prayer, tilting his head at Beau's portrait on the wall. At that moment, the same inspiration struck the holy bells in all their heads. The teens glanced at each other, eyes wide in excitement.

"Ooh, I've got one!" Fione bobbed about, hand outstretched towards the ceiling, "C says cah, Coris. D says duh, Donghead."

"Why must it always be the obscene with you?" Heloise tutted while Simon gave a barking laugh of approval,

"E says eh. That's for Sir Emery Nethan, the seneschal."

"F says fuh, Fione." Fione rested a hand on her heart, unperturbed. Meya nodded vigorously, reciting under her breath as she moved her finger from letter to letter.

"G says guh, Gretella." Arinel joined in with a small smile as she side-eyed Heloise, who sighed but ultimately floated with the flow,

"H says hah, Heloise." 

And on the rhyme went until Arinel ended with,

"Z says zzz, Zier."

Meya's finger skidded to a halt at the last letter. Silence wrapped around the throng, tight as a cloak drawn against the winter cold. They shared no whispered words nor dark looks of knowing, all staring at the name Arinel had flourished under the large, bold letter;

Zier

"Wonder how Zier's doing," mused Fione in a rare moment of seriousness.

"Knowing Coris, much worse than us," said Simon without a snark for once, as the rest nodded.

"I can understand him, though." Heloise shot Arinel a quick, apologetic glance, "Must be heartbreaking watching the woman you love marry your brother."

Arinel blushed. Her lips swallowed, she tore at her tattered dress with fingers adorned by bone-white knuckles. Meya cleared her throat and steered away,

"Right. From the top," Snatching up the parchment with renewed vigor, she recited, "A says ah, Arinel..."

Coris's clepsydra kept time as Meya chanted, interrupted now and then by the nobles correcting her errors. With each attempt, she plodded further down the rhyme before stumbling. When she reached the end without a hiccup, Meya decided it was time she challenged Jezia's letter to a rematch. With a deep breath, she raised the charcoal-smudged paper high and stared it in the eye.

"Meya...we hope this...letter...reaches...you well," She screwed her eyes, piecing together each word one syllable at a time, each syllable one letter at a time,

"Our...caravan...will join...the May Fest in...Hadrian. Maro...Marcus...Myron...Farmer Hild...Deke and Farmer... Armorheim...will be coming with us. We'll be staying at the...Silver Jug Inn. Send word...when and where to meet.

Love, Jezia and Jason.

Postscript...A very...happy...seventeenth...birthday...from all of us."

Sighing, Meya lowered the parchment and glanced around the circle. Simon smirked, then mussed her hair. Arinel beamed as she clutched at her heart. Meya slammed her fist on her palm in triumphant glee, sliding so far down Coris's chair her toes brushed Heloise's dress.