Techromancy Scrolls: Adept (14 page)

Bernadine was back with some parchments, another map, and a ledger. She smoothed out the map, it showed the area of my find in much larger detail. With smooth strokes using a calligraphy quill with a brass tip and inkwell instead of one of those self contained pens, she wrote Baroness Laney of Wexbury on the map, and with a ruler she deftly marked out a fifty acre parcel. The uneven north edge through the middle of the Hawktail.

She added something in the ledger then started putting parchments in front of me pointing at a signature line. “Land title.” I signed and then she and Celeste signed the witness lines. Then came, “Assignment of Treasure of the Realm.” We all signed. “Writ of intent for archaeological dig and spoils share for lands assigned to Treasure of the Realm under your stewardship.”

Then she smiled and offered a hand, I shook. She placed her other hand over mine as we shook. “Congratulations, Laney you are now a land owner who signed her lands away to the public.” She looked at Celeste with a grin before she released my hand. “I'm happy to see she lives up to all the hype circulating the keep.” She shook her head in amusement and murmured, “A settlement from the Before.”

Then she looked at me. “You have one year from today to assign a steward or trustee to oversee your holdings. Eighteen months to start the archaeological dig.” I nodded dumbly. I'd figure out how all that worked later. She finished with, “I'll have copies of all of the records sent out with the monthly couriers to the other realms.” She smiled, “It truly was a pleasure.”

I nodded. “Likewise.”

Celeste winked at me, I melted, and she offered her elbow which I gladly accepted. She keeps winking like that and it turns my legs to jelly every time. She said, “Bye Bernie. Thanks for your help.”

She wiggled her fingers like she was dismissing us. I said, “Goodbye,” as I was dragged off. I got my legs back under myself as she brought me down to the ground floor and to a back room past the great hall. I was giggling at her haste. “What next?”

She responded smugly, “Now the painful stuff.” I looked around, we seemed to be in a seamstress parlor.

The rest of the morning was filled with fittings, trips to the armory to find I was better suited to knives and a very small sword the length of my forearm. It was all I could heft. The Man at Arms said it was really just a short sword used as a parrying blade in two bladed combat, usually used in the off hand while the fighter wields a long sword in the other. Okay, that was embarrassing. Celeste commissioned a custom sword for me and passed my measurements to the armor smithy.

Then we slowed down as we headed to Donnovan's office for lunch. She told me. “There will be days of little things here and there that have to be done to get you set up for your station. The only major things left are to get your family into some quarters and to the seamstress for proper fittings of appropriate clothes, to move your belongings in, and to assign duties to your family.”

That got me thinking about home again. “What happens now. I mean to my home? And our flock? I mean...” I wasn't sure what I was asking and was probably coming off like a fool.

She saw my frown and chimed in, “This is a rare occurrence, but believe me, there is a procedure for every contingency in the realm. We will have some porters help your family move in the morning. The property will revert back to the control of the keep and a son of a herder who is of majority will be assigned the cottage. Your mother will be recompensed for the stock.”

I was sort of saddened by that. It was my home. It was all I knew. I know we never owned it but it is where we lived and mother and father made a successful chicken farm on the double lot. But if we could not live there.... I looked up at her and asked, “Can we make a suggestion as to who would get it?”

She nodded and mused, “Of course, someone you know the abilities of would be better than some random pick or lottery among the herders.”

At least if it is someone I know, the sting wouldn't be as bad. “Then I recommend Hank, son of Joseph and Ursula Herder. I have known them all my life and they are successful rabbit farmers. Hank is their youngest son and has reached majority. He would do well with the chickens.”

She nodded, “I'll make the recommendation then.”

We reached Donovan's office and I heard laughing. We stepped in and mother was almost in tears as Donovan chuckled. Jace was looking between the two with a grin as mother choked out between spurts of laughter, “No? Tell me she didn't. Laney did something similar on her twelfth birthday. Only she didn't wind up in the...”

She paused when she saw us walk in and looked at the Prime Techromancer. They burst out laughing again. I was smiling at their antics. I hadn't seen mother laugh like that in such a long time. “What, you two?”

Donovan waved us off as he composed himself. “We're just talking about raising headstrong girls in these modern times.” Celeste and I shared terrified looks.

Then the big man smothered a smile and asked. “How did you two fare, daughter?”

She replied in a matter of fact tone, “All of the pressing matters have been addressed. All that is left for this day, is to get Laney's family some quarters in the castle or an Uptown manor if any are available, and have them assigned duties. The porters will assist in the move.” Then she added with a mischievous smirk at me, “And the armory needs to figure out how to fit a hilt onto a letter opener.”

I opened my mouth wide in a disbelieving smile. “And here I thought you to be a lady... my Lady.”

She chuckled and acted innocent, “What? I have knives longer than the blade you chose Laney.”

I blushed profusely and feebly attempted to defend myself, “I'm not a fighter. I'll make a terrible knight.”

She had fire and... pride? In her voice as she said, “Tell that to those two marauders. You bring a shovel and a signpost to battle and you walk away unscathed while two Knights of the Realm suffer injuries.”

She pushed that aside and smiled at her father, “She has released her new lands as a Treasure of the Realm.” His eyebrows arched in question. She looked sideways at me as she told him, “Yet another secret she has harbored. The remains of a settlement from the Before Times.” He looked impressed and it was mother's turn to look surprised. I just shrugged at her.

At that, Celeste's father straightened and said as he made an ushering motion with his hand to the door, “Shall we break bread before we attend to Lady Margret and Lord Jace here? I'm sure the day has been most tiring for the Lady. It would be best to get them settled in somewhere...” He paused looking at mother's dress. “...and get some attire more befitting a Lady.”

Before we could say a word, Donovan offered an arm down to mother. She took it lightly and stood from her chair. I could see the man skillfully supporting her without being obvious like he had practice at it. Then my heart fell realizing he had. His wife Shavey had suffered from the same affliction and succumbed before this new treatment had been developed.

I grinned when Jace comically offered his arm up to Celeste, mimicking her father. She smiled at him, crinkling her nose cutely and took his arm. She gave me an imperious look as she strode off with him. Leaving me chuckling as I ran after them. Taking my place behind the Knight to her left.

We entered the main dining hall and moved back to a smaller dining hall I didn't know existed through an arch behind it. There were only five decent sized tables and it appeared to have a private entrance directly into the main kitchen. There was a couple siting in the far corner, their elegant robes told me they were high-ranking nobles.

Donovan moved us smoothly to the farthest table from them to give them and us some privacy. He held out a chair for mother so she could be seated. Jace quickly did the same for Celeste and me before hopping into a chair beside mother. I grinned, he was learning manners by proxy. I think he had the same hero worship I had of the Prime Techromancer and his daughter.

Then Donovan looked at Jace when a woman dressed all in white came rushing to the table and started laying out linen napkins and formal silverware place settings. You needed more than one spoon fork and knife? “So young Lord Jace. Is there something in particular you'd like for lunch? The matron of the kitchen can prepare anything your heart desires.”

Jace scrunched up his brow in thought. “Some beef or pork jerky stew? Or perhaps some biscuits?”

We all looked at him with fond smiles. The big man said, “I think Cook can do a little better than that.” Then he turned to the woman that was now just standing by Donovan's side. He looked up to her and said, “Dear, could you just have Cook prepare something to welcome this new family into the fold? And Emily is always going on that I'm losing too much weight, I'm sure Cook is in cahoots with her and will know what the Queen of the Scrolls means.”

I could hear the fondness in his voice when he spoke of Emily, it was the same tone Emily had for him. I also was not blind to him looking at his daughter every time he said Emily's name. I think the man was ashamed of his affection for the woman since she was barely older than his daughter. The sad look Celeste shared with me told me she was aware too but was sad her father felt he could not act on it.

The woman tittered a little and echoed softly, “Queen of the Scrolls.”

Donovan's eyes went wide and he sputtered out in a panic, “That's not to find its way to her.”

The woman bowed out and started toward the door to the kitchen. “Of course not, my Lord, of course not.”

He looked at Celeste. “She didn't sound sincere.” Then he glanced at mother. “Did she?”

Mother reached over for the pitcher of water at the center of the table and poured a glass as she said mischievously, “I wouldn't count on it. I remember how quickly gossip travels in the castle. No doubt word has already reached her.”

He placed his head in his hands and shook it slowly. Then he straightened with a smile. “What is done is done.”

Then Celeste jumped out of her seat standing at attention when a woman's voice from behind us said, “Margret? We heard rumors you were dead.” My eyes bulged when I turned to see the Duke with the Duchess on his arm entering the dining room. I was on my feet and bowing deeply. Donovan just stood and inclined his head. Mother was in a deep curtsy too. She slapped Jace's shoulder and he hopped up and bowed.

Then Duchess Lucia detached herself from Fredrick's arm when he made a dismissing motion with his hand and we all stood. She took a step toward mother, looking her up and down and she smirked. “Or that you went to work in the brothel in the Trough. Judging by your dress that is a quarter century out of date, that one was closer to the mark. But no, I hear now that a herder was the rank you rose to.” The Trough was the seedy area of the village, where the taverns, beggars, and brothel were. It was the lower east portion of the village across from Cheap Quarter and below Beggar's Creek.

The Duke cleared his throat. “Lucy, please be civil.”

Then Donovan spoke, “And you would be familiar with the brothel how?” With a smirk he added, “My Lady?”

My eyes snapped open, that was as close to a personal attack on one of the rulers of the realm as you could get. He could get the stockade for that. Mother just stood impassively and the Duchess raged. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and silver sparkling energy was pouring out of Lucia's eyes as power gathered in her hand. “You dare?” Not only the Duke but the Duchess had magic? Why did nobody know of this in the village?

Donovan's eyes narrowed dangerously and he cocked his head. The Duchess paled and then looked at her husband as her power dissipated. “Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

The Duke looked tired. He had patience in his tone and softness you have for someone you love behaving badly. “To be fair love, you did fire the first volley, unprovoked.”

She seethed then glared at mother as she hissed at him, “You always did take her side.” Then she stalked off calling back over her shoulder, “I'm not hungry anymore.”

We watched her retreat as the Duke chuckled. “I knew it wasn't a good idea bringing her here, but I just had to confirm the rumor that our dear Squire Laney here had returned our Shining Lady to us.”

He stepped up to mother and took her hand and kissed the back of it. She grinned and kissed his cheek. “Hello, Fred.”

He smiled at her then looked away with a touch of shame in his eyes. “I'm sorry that Lucy had used that archaic law to strip you of your titles for marrying a commoner without your father's title to protect you. It was a terrible manipulation, but my hands were tied.”

Mother nodded and went to sit, he held her chair for her. The rest of us sat and he sat after Celeste and I did. Then she said with an encouraging smile, “It is the past, and all has worked out.”

He nodded then assured her, “Well rest assured that such a travesty of justice will never occur again, as we petitioned Highland Reach and had that law stricken from the books.”

She nodded and something clicked into my head when he mentioned her father dying. I remembered the story of what had happened after the Mage Wars. Grandfather was Sir Tannis? The Hero of the Realm? I started breathing hard and then calmed when a warm hand forged of steel slipped into mine. I looked over and Celeste gave me a smile of encouragement.