Tales of Fire and Ruin - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Brittleton castle was only a taste of what was waiting for me at Wildewall, and it was already far too strong for me to stomach.
My morning started with me jolting upright in my bed at the sound of rustling fabric. The servant standing in my room stammered he'd only entered to wake me and help me get dressed, and almost literally crawled out with his nose pressed to the floor when I told him I didn't need help. The look on his face before he closed the door left me feeling like I'd insulted his ancestors and kicked his horse, too.
The servants at the Thundercoast had never behaved like this. It left me wondering if it was simply the result of the Seydal family running a tight ship, or if all servants of the richer families of the court were like this.
If I ever had people working for me again, I'd teach them to not crawl for me or buy me clothes that cost a fortune. The shirt and pants the man had left in my room were smooth but sturdy. They were the most comfortable garments I'd worn in a long time, but my skin crawled thinking of how they could probably pay for all the labourers needed to repair our mansion.
After getting dressed, I did my best to avoid people as I strode past the stained glass windows. Oleander would be proud of me, because I managed to sneak outside of Brittleton's castle unseen. Only the unblinking eyes of the portraits dotted across the corridor walls saw me leave.
I thought the horses would make for pleasant company in the early morning, and it seemed there was another person who shared my sentiments. When I walked into the stables, Endris was already with the horses. He often seemed to prefer being with animals whenever he wasn't out in the mountains guiding people to dragons. Perhaps I would feel the same way if I lived in Wildewall.
Spot came to the front of the fence with her ears perked, and I gave her neck a soft pat in the passing. She snorted, making Endris look up at me.
"Endris. You're up early," I greeted him.
Endris crossed his arms. "The servants are whispering about you."
"Oh no." I groaned, flicking my gaze upward to the wooden ceiling. "It wasn't about wanting to get dressed on my own, right? Because I swear—"
"They're saying you killed Ytel."
I shot Endris an incredulous look. "I didn't."
"You don't need to convince me," Endris said. "To be more specific, they think you gave the order."
I turned to the entrance of the stables with a sigh, placing my hands on my hips. "I'm not giving orders to anyone. I'm not even the head of house Montbow yet."
We'd had little time to solve murder mysteries before we were forced to depart or risk being late to the queen's ball. While on the road, however, I had pondered about this stabbing incident. By now I was pretty convinced it was Conrad and Ariane scheming again. They were awfully fast with pointing out how I could get my family out of this accusation by attending a hearing in the capital. It was dangerous to point fingers, however. If they found my brother guilty of Ytel's death, it would play out as my father had said: he'd hang in Wildewall. Ariane could probably get out of that morbid fate, but her name would be tarnished, too.
I turned back to Endris. "Who do you think did it?"
"I don't know," Endris replied with irritation lacing his voice. "I was too busy stealing the horn and making them retreat."
"Yes, but who do you think did it?"
Endris shrugged. "Does it matter? The kill will be attributed to the Montbow family, which means it'll be attributed to the most prominent member of that family, which is you."
"Great," I said with a wry smile. "Now I'm going to Wildewall as a knight killer and a boorish, disgraced coastal merchant. They're just going to love me, aren't they?"
"They might, if you walked around bare-chested and kept your mouth shut."
"Bare-chested, huh?" I raised a suggestive eyebrow, knowing full well that Endris was talking about my mark and not my upper body. But I still enjoying watching the vein pop out on his forehead.
With a huff, Endris marched past me and left the stables. I jogged after him with a chuckle, and caught up to him on the long, winding stone path leading to the castle.
"How can you stand it, anyway?" I asked. "Living in the capital? Wildewall sounds like the last place someone like you would be."
Endris glanced at me. "It's a place with many possibilities."
"Like what? Having five-hundred ridiculous social rules and if you accidentally sneeze wrong, you have now gravely offended someone's mother?" I snorted at my own joke.
Endris frowned at me."To have influence. Wildewall is the beating heart of the court. It's the place where decisions affecting an entire country are made."
"What do you want to change then?"
"Many things," Endris replied vaguely. "But most of all, our knight's trial."
I shook my head. "Endris, I've told you this before: you're in the wrong trade. You guide people up that mountain for a living. That doesn't sound like something you should do if you're so against the trials."
Endris avoided my eyes. "It's complicated."
"I'm sure it is," I said. "And you never told me why you want to protect Oleander so badly, either. Why?"
"I did tell you. I protect him because he has done nothing wrong. He doesn't deserve scorn for the crime of being an elf in human lands."
We had almost reached the castle. Endris' gaze rested on a few servants scurrying about. He stopped walking, grabbed my arm, and pulled me to the side, out of sight of the servants.
"If you want what's best for Oleander too, make him cross the woods," Endris told me in a hushed voice. "Now is the perfect time for him to disappear. Convince him. The city is no place for him."
"I already offered," I said with a shrug. "But Oleander is quite determined to learn about his past, and he thinks he will be able to in the city. He is willing to risk it."
A pained expression crossed Endris' face. "He's walking into the dragon's den. Only cruelty awaits him if he gets caught as an elf inside Wildewall."
"Have you told him?"
"Repeatedly. But he won't listen to me. Or to you, apparently."
"Maybe if I didn't go, he wouldn't either, but..."
"You can't refuse an invitation from the queen," Endris finished my sentence. "Regardless, if we are all going to Wildewall, you and Oleander need this." Endris reached into his bag and handed me a thick envelope, and a green, wool brimmed hat.
I raised a brow, but accepted both items and put the hat on my head. "Alright. Why do I need a hat? Is this Wildewall fashion?"
Endris pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "That's not for you. It's for Oleander. To ensure his ears stay hidden."
"Oh. Right." I plucked the hat off with a sheepish smile. "And the papers?"
"A written speech for your hearing regarding knight commander Ytel's death. Read through it and memorize it when you have the chance."
I glanced at the envelope and tucked it into my bag. "Fine. And I will try to convince Oleander one final time," I said. "But let's get out of here as soon as possible first. This place gives me the creeps."
It wasn't the building itself that made my skin crawl. The castle was well-maintained and the stained glass beautiful. It was definitely built for Seydal family, with itbeing extravagant, big, and manned by servants who were scared of a noble's shadow.
I was glad to leave Brittleton and the Seydal castle behind me, even while knowing I was heading for a similar place. We travelled on roads wide and narrow until the sun went down, and I studied the text Endris had given me by candlelight in my tent at night. It blamed Ytel for his own death, which didn't sound like my words, but that was likely the point. I was kept busy studying at night. But while the sun shone, and we rode our horses, my thoughts often wandered to home and I prayed there hadn't been more attacks.
Days passed this way until we entered the only woodlands of the north. I knew immediately where we were. The Starcross woods.
I had expected to feel something as we entered and rode in the shadows cast by tall trees, but felt nothing. I stopped to pay tribute to the god of thunder by carving their sign into a tree and asking for them to continue lending me their strength, and still felt nothing.
When I'd thought of the Starcross woods, I had imagined sensing echoes of an ancient magic. A reminiscence of the powerful artefact these lands used to house. I'd imagined feeling a certain sadness left by the bloodiest war that had ever taken place in our history. But there was nothing. Aside from birds chirping overhead, the woods were empty and silent. The trees were the same as the ones at the Thundercoast, and there was no one here.
While I was disappointed, Oleander stared wistfully into the distance. We were never alone during the day, so I couldn't ask him what was on his mind nor touch him like my hands were itching to do. Given Oleander's reaction to this place, I decided to make my last attempt to persuade him to go across the border and bring himself to safety here. I was running out of time to do it. Wildewall was close to the woods.
When we ended our journey for the day and the servants set up our camp, I thought of ways to sneak to Oleander's tent. He shared with others, so it would be difficult to go there unseen. Then I realised I didn't need to go unseen. The rules were different away from the Thundercoast. To the people here, Oleander was my servant. He wasn't, and I refused to call him such, but nobody knew about that in this encampment.
I was lord Montbow, a man with an invitation to the queen's ball, Ariane's betrothed, and a storm-touched soon to be a knight. I had my rights, and I could simply march up the servant tents and demand for my 'servants' to walk with me outside.
As I straightened my back, tilted my chin up, and marched to the servant area, I already hated every moment of acting like a lord. There was a young man standing guard in front of the tent. He froze when I caught his gaze.
"You. Get Oleander and Endris. Bring them here," I ordered. The command was strange to my tongue, but the young man bowed and all but dashed past the tent flaps to do as I told him.
A few moments later, Oleander and Endris stepped outside and looked at me in question.
"We're going for a walk," I said.
"Yes, lord Montbow," Oleander replied meekly, darting a glance at the young man who'd retrieved him and Endris.
I lit a torch and led Oleander and Endris away from prying eyes until the campfire was only a small dot of light. After Endris checked and gave me a curt nod, indicating we weren't followed, I took a deep breath.
"It's not too late. You can still leave, Oleander," I said. "I would come find after the entire ordeal in Wildewall is done."
"You also don't have to worry about finding the lands across the border empty," Endris now offered. "I have seen the people who live there."
I turned to Endris, shocked. "And is there a reason you've failed to mention that sooner?"
"Because," Endris started slowly, narrowing his eyes at me, "I have brought people there myself. Men and women from Wildewall with elven blood, and wither-touched who would have likely ended up dead or facing made-up trials for having a hated gift."
"Endris, you smuggle people?" My jaw dropped. "Is that why you live in Wildewall?"
Endris pressed his lips into a thin line. "If this comes out, you kill me. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I mumbled, my mind still reeling from this revelation. "I understand."
After letting his gaze linger on me for a moment longer in warning, Endris turned to Oleander. "And you are squandering the second chance you've been given. Do you understand how incredibly lucky you are that Laurence is from the far southern coast and not a northerner who feels much more strongly about elves? Everyone on this side of the country lost someone in that war. Everyone on this side of the country will cut you down where you stand if they find out who you are."
Oleander's eyes were wide and watery. He looked at Endris, and then at me. "But... I want to stay with you," he told me. "We were going to be together in Wildewall."
"I know," I said. "But—"
"Lord Montbow? Lord Montbow!"
Oleander, Endris and I all jolted and whirled around when a female voice suddenly interrupted me. It came from the direction of the camp. Twigs snapped underneath boots, and a few moments later, Nele appeared in front of us. She bowed for me.
"Forgive me, lord Montbow, but you and your servants musn't leave the camp. It's simply not safe out here."
"Of course, I understand," I said. "I believe we are done here, regardless."
Oleander dodged my gaze, but there was nothing I could do or say about it. Nele escorted us back to our respective tents, and I already knew I wouldn't have a chance to talk to Endris or Oleander alone before we'd reach the city. I could still hardly wrap my mind around Endris being a smuggler, but making Oleander vanish was truly the safest option. If he just waited for me across the Starcross woods, I would happily bring him any book or knowledge I could find in Wildewall's library.
I hoped with all my might that Oleander would be gone by dawn, even if my chest hurt at the thought of possibly not seeing him for several weeks. But when the sun rose after a restless night, Oleander was still with us. Endris hid his disappointment well, not giving a single outward sign of what he had to be thinking. I had not quite mastered the same skills, so I kept my distance from Endris and Oleander as we packed up and left the Starcross woods.
Within a few hours, the land flattened, and the trees thinned, until we reached golden plains. Soon after, I saw large city walls looming in the distance, surrounded by a wide canal with glittering water. Behind the tall walls, even higher spiralling towers made of blinding white stone rose into the sky. They reminded me of Oleander. Even if the sparks coming from the stone were only the sun playing tricks on my eyes, they looked like flares of magic, just like his eyes. At the centre of the walls, there were two massive red stone gates. As we got closer, I recognised the gate's arched emblazoned symbols as god-touched signs. Mine, a branching bolt of lightning, was there too.
I was nervous for many reasons. Part of it was of course worry for Oleander's safety, but I was nervous for myself too. The city walls stretched as far as I could see, and the towers overlooking the city were so tall they made me feel tiny like an ant.
"You see how large those towers are, do you?" Ariane asked when she noticed me looking up. "Welcome to the city of wonders, which is not only the queen's home, but also the magical capital of the entire world. Widely admired by people for the splendour of our houses of worship."
"Yes, I have read about that," I replied vaguely.
Ariane didn't mention it, but the 'houses of worship' were part of a past competition that ended in tragedy. The larger your temple was, the higher your status. Priests of various gods, in a quest to show they worshipped their god more than any other, no longer paid mind to safety and whether their structures were actually strong enough not to collapse under the weight of a higher and higher towers.
The books about Wildewall I'd read said some of the collapsed buildings still lay in ruins in the temple district. Since then, beliefs had reformed into emphasising honouring gods equally and thanking all of them for the gifts they share with a few of us. Naturally, people still had their favourites in secret.
I snorted. "Well, at least the people of Wildewall eventually grew past the urge to compare temple-sizes."
Ariane ignored my remark. "Open your shirt," she stated flatly as we approached the stone bridge crossing over clear, glimmering water.
"My, you also want to see my bare chest?" I asked. "It's in very high demand these days."
"Don't flatter yourself. Reveal your mark," Ariane amended with a shake of her head.
"Fine." I opened a few buttons on my shirt to reveal the mark carved into my skin. "But now I wonder: what do people who have their mark on their lower stomach or leg do? Do they simply cut a piece of fabric from their pants or wear a shirt three sizes too small to show off their mark?"
Ariane just glared at me. I didn't get an answer while I genuinely wanted to know.
I received little time to mope or ponder about it further. As our horses stepped onto the bridge, hooves clopping on stone, there was movement up ahead. With a loud rumble that vibrated in my chest, the gates of Wildewall opened for us. I saw several stone-faced guards in blue uniforms behind the gates. The sides of the bridge had carvings of ferocious-looking dragons spitting fire on a swordsman.
Nothing about this was threatening. Not at all. My stomach lurched with nerves. I rolled my shoulders back and undid one more button of my shirt to show more of my mark. I had a creeping suspicion I was going to rely on it a lot in the coming few days to carry me and Oleander through this city and the queen's ball safely.