Chapter 8: City Denizens

Andra feels independent and learns to keep an eye on her belongings while walking through the city.

 Chapter 8: City Denizens

 

“Daughter? Have they no sons?” Andra asked quizzically.

 

            “No, they didn’t. But Solvale has been ruled by more female heirs than not, or din’t you know that? Where’s you twos from, again?”

            “Eastern Almania,” Andra mumbled, embarrassed at her lack of knowledge.

            “Oh, well tha’s alright, then. Only the sons inherit there, I hear. Rotten luck for you, lass,” Maighen finished sympathetically.

            Andra shook her head. “No, I’m my mother’s only—” She was her mother’s only heir. And now her mother was dead. “I inherit it all,” she said to herself, willing herself not to cry again.

            Gryphon, seeing Andra fighting her tears, tried to turn the attention off the succession and asked, “Who was in the procession? Was that the royal family?”

            “Procession? I en’t seen no procession today as I’ve been workin’.” Still balancing her tray, now empty of food and drink, against her hip, she asked the man at the table next to theirs. “Bally, din’t you say somewhat about a parade just come in today?”

            The man, Bally, was clean shaven and tending toward plump, with a thick mop of dark hair. He nodded and said, “Aye, Ghenny, I did. They were Tory nobles, I’d bet my horse on it. Come to pay their respects to the king, Solanis rest his eyes.”

            “You en’t got a horse to bet, Bally,” she said to the man. To the other two, she said, “Tory nobles they was, then.”

            It had the right effect. Andra was incredulous.

            “All the way from the south? From Tor?” Her eyes were wide as she tried to imagine how many leagues away that distant country was. “They were Tory soldiers!” The Tory soldiers were widely regarded as the best fighters in Solterre. In her younger days, she and Gryphon had spent hours pretending they belonged to that elite group, slaying elves that dared cross the border between the lands. While she had given up such ambitions now, she could not help but feel some awe at the legends made flesh.

            “Tory nobles, lass. Nobles is even more dangerous than the soldiers,” she whispered conspiratorially. “All that long hair, they braid it when they fight, a long beautiful rope just hangin’ down...would be a sight to see, that would.”

            Andra nodded. She would like to see them again, now that she knew who they were. Maybe they were still in the city. She could try and follow them, maybe. See what they were like, how they talked; catch a glimpse of their weapons. With a jolt, she remembered the sword at her own hip. Maybe they could teach her something, add on to Eyrie’s lessons.

            When Maighen went off to continue on her rounds, Andra ate her food slowly, mulling things over in her head. Eyrie had said to stay. Probably a wise course in any case. Best choice in any situation would probably be to listen to Eyrie. But if she hurried back, just took a peek around, nothing too difficult would happen.

            “Andra, Eyrie said stay,” Gryphon said sternly, reading her mind. He always was too bloody good at that.

            “Don’t you want to see the city? You can’t tell me you aren’t curious. You’ve never been to a city this big, either,” she cajoled.

            “No. She. Said. Stay.”

“You really are no fun, Gryph. I’m going to go. You can come or you can stay, alright?”

It was like this that many rules had been broken. Andra, stubborn and curious, goading the reasonable Gryphon, who always went along to make sure she did not fall into too much trouble. And so it was that Eyrie was disobeyed.

Both wore their blades on their hips as they meandered about the curved streets. They retraced their steps back to a main street, hoping that Eyrie would not catch them in the larger masses of people. Following a narrower straight street, they reached another circular road, tighter than the previous roads.

“Can you imagine living somewhere like that?” Gryphon asked, craning his neck up to see the top of a white house with gold painted trimmings.

“How many people do you think live there?” Andra asked. There had to be many for something so grand.

And it wasn’t even the biggest. As they walked along the road, the houses seemed to get bigger and bigger. Down another straight lane, an even smaller circle. What they saw in this circle made the bowyer’s apprentice and the horsebreeder gasp. Behind another giant stone wall, they could see the gentle white spires rising toward the sun, the gold glinting in the light. It was like a vision from Solanis himself. The Sun Palace, Andra thought to herself in awe. What she would not give to see it up close....

Andra was reassured to know that Gryphon was gawking as much as she was. As she pried her gaze from the bits of the palace she could see rising above the walls, Andra noticed that the street was very empty. There were not many casual strollers in this area. If Eyrie was looking for them, here would be all too easy a place to find them.

They backtracked again, to the street with the big houses, and then again to the crowded main street. Apparently, the quiet for the time of mourning did not mean nothing was done at all. Though no one hawked their wares, it seemed that a sort of business did go on, however subdued. Andra turned to point this out to Gryphon, and was stunned when he was nowhere to be seen.

“Gryph?” she said. She did not want to call attention, and certainly did not want Eyrie to hear her calling out, wherever she was. “Gryphon?”

While she was looking about, she did not notice the youth and collided with him. He was an inch or too taller than she and wore a ragged strip of cloth tied around his head that covered most of his ears, and worn dark breeches with a loose matching tunic. The shirt underneath his tunic might have been cream at one point, but it was definitely a long time ago.

“Beggin’ your pardon, lady,” he said, pulling at a lock of his jet hair sticking up from his cloth strip and making a hasty bow before turning off and continuing on his way.

Andra nodded at the lad’s apology and placed her hands on her hips, scanning the crowd for Gryphon. Where could he have—she stopped mid-thought. The pouch on her belt with the key to her room. Eyrie was going to kill her. The boy!

She looked back the way he had left and spotted him walking calmly through the crowd. If this is how these city folk want to play, I’ll play, too, she thought. Running as fast as she could without trodding on toes and causing a commotion, Andra followed him. It was almost like stalking a rabbit, except so much more fun! She was just a few paces away from her quarry when he turned about, glancing through the crowd. He spotted her, and before she could pretend she hadn’t been staring, he bolted. With no choice, she sprinted after him, her sword swinging uncomfortably at her side.

“Oy!” she yelled between breaths. “There’s no money in it! Just give it back!”

She heard him laugh from up ahead before he turned a corner. A straight street, she found a moment later. She looked left, then right, saw him and then followed. This street was much less crowded. If there was one thing Andra’s mother had taught her, it was how to run. This bloody sword made everything awkward, though, jostling left and right, threatening to get caught between her knees. He was strides ahead, but if she could outlast him, maybe he would start to slow.

“There’s nothing you can use in that!” she tried again as she chased him.

To her great surprise, he stopped running and turned around. Andra slowed, wary.

“If there en’t nothin’ I can use, whys you want it back so bad?” he drawled. “Maybe we can reach an agreement. This pouch of ‘nothin’’ for that sword you got?” He dangled her pouch in his hand.

“The sword is not up for a bargain,” Andra said through gritted teeth, edging around the boy as she edged around Eyrie in their sparring matches, drawing closer. Was he trying to bait her into drawing it? She had seen the signs; no swords were to be bared within the city walls. She would stay within the bounds of the law.

He watched her, a mischievous glint in his eye. He was almost attractive, his hazel eyes handsome over his sloped, narrow nose and high, prominent cheek bones.

“An’ ‘ave you got anything else that might be?” he leered. Perhaps better manners first.

With a growl of fury, Andra leapt at him. She managed to land a solid punch on his cheek before she found herself wrestled to the ground. For a brief moment, the boy had the upper hand, having caught her by surprise. But if Andra was only learning how to use her sword, she had been wrestling with Gryphon and her mother since she was young.

Andra jabbed two fingers under where she figured the boy’s ribs were and was gratified by his grunt and his suddenly relaxed grip. She did this again until he squirmed just enough for her to roll him over. Her fist connected with his jaw twice more before a voice said coldly, “Tha’s enough.”

A shiver ran down Andra’s back and the boy looked hopeful as she climbed off of him.

Eyrie was glaring at her, her jaw tight, her eyes storm clouds of fury. The look promised that this would not be the last the young woman would get on this matter. Turning from her young charge, she dragged the boy to his feet by his collar.

“Who are you and who do you work for?” she asked quietly.

The boy’s hope had rapidly fled. Now he looked terrified, but he remained defiant. “I’m Kylan Terrco. I won’t tell yous who I work for.”

“Loyalty among thieves? Just tell me, Kylan. There’s a good chance I know him already.”  The boy just narrowed his eyes and spat at Eyrie’s feet.

“Alright,” she said. Releasing the boy’s collar, she jerked his arm behind his back and marched him in front of her. Andra followed at the woman’s side, watching the boy. “I’ll just wait until Salthis posts for your ransom.” His sudden look of fear told Andra that Eyrie had struck gold. This Salthis was someone to him.

“Ah, but that’s right!” Eyrie continued as if she had forgotten something. “Salthis won’t take back a thief who has been caught, will he? The world of thieves is merciless, it is. You should look into another line of business. Mayhap I’ll even make sure he doesn’t kill you for your troubles.”

The boy was pale, positively sick looking now. If Andra had not been so afraid for herself and the confrontation with Eyrie’s wrath she had yet to face, she would have felt bad for the boy. As it was, she could only swallow and thank Solanis that she was not him.

Author's Note

As usual, I'd appreciate any and all constructive criticism.