The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (4 page)

The
man’s eyes were wary as she offered the food to him. Others, just as thin as
him, crept forward out of the shadows of the decrepit buildings. So many
starved bodies. It hadn’t always been like this, had it? Perhaps as a child she
hadn’t cared to notice. She wished she had more to give away.

“Take
it,” she said slowly. “It’s all right.”

He
glared at her, the hatred clear on his face, and she shook her head sadly. A
starved man wouldn’t even take food from a Kalaowin.

Rando’s
hand wrapped around her elbow. “Come along, my
lady.”

She
nodded and allowed herself to be pulled along. Before they reached the carriage,
a wrinkled hand tugged at her sleeve.

An
elderly woman held out her palm. “I’ll ‘
ave
it miss,”
she croaked. “I
ain’t
picky.”

Tempani
shrugged and handed the sausage over before climbing into the carriage,
ignoring the angry tirade that Madoc threw her way. They rolled forward as they
were waved through the checkpoint, and Tempani did her best to avoid staring at
the sad faces below them. Tears pricked at her eyes as she bit the inside of
her mouth in a desperate attempt to stop them from flowing.

The
men travelling with Tempani became more alert as they got closer to the city.
They nudged their horses closer to the cart and formed a protective circle
around it with Madoc nearest to her.

“Is
this really necessary?” Tempani asked as a group of curious bystanders shuffled
backwards to avoid being trampled by the group. “Surely my father did not
request such a close guard.”

“There
has been trouble on the streets,” he said as he scanned the crowd. “We’re just
being cautious.”

“What
sort of trouble?”

“There
was a riot shortly before we left for the convent.”

She
was about to ask why the riot happened when they were joined by a handful of
the King’s Guard. Tempani lowered her head and tried to look inconspicuous.

Madoc
nodded to Rando, signaling for him to keep an eye on their charge, and nudged
his horse forward. His men made room for him to approach the King’s Guard.

“For
what reason are we being held up?”

The
Squad Leader sized him up and then straightened himself in his saddle. “Sir
Madoc,” he said. “I didn’t see you there.”

Madoc
nodded curtly. “May we continue?” He asked. “I’m on orders from Sir Otto of
Amarill.”

Tempani
noticed the looks pass between the Guard. Perhaps her father was not as
respected as she’d been led to believe.

They
moved aside and allowed the party to pass through. Their eyes fell on Tempani
as she passed them, and she felt their stares on her back as they rode on.

As
they moved deeper into the city, she noticed the health of the Kamaris seemed to
improve, so too did the buildings. Tempani shrunk back into the carriage. The
noise of the bustling streets was a shock to her ears after the peacefulness of
the convent. Bright colors hit her eyes, and strong smells wafted up her nose.
Tilaw
panted excitedly, his tail thumping against her
thigh, as his eyes darted back and forth. She remembered loving the excitement
of the city as a child, but now it was too much for her.

Noblewomen
walked in groups, their heads held high as they seemed to glide through the
crowds, their servants trailing behind them. She doubted she’d ever look as
graceful as they did. A pair of young knights rode by and called out a greeting
to Madoc, who acknowledged them with nothing more than a nod of his head.

They
picked up their speed as they moved out of the throng of travelling carriages.
Tempani breathed a sigh of relief as they left behind the noise and rolled
along the road. The homes became more scattered as land was a sign of wealth in
Kamara. Soon they were passing grand manors, and she knew they were almost
there. They descended the hill and rode around the bend, and there it was. As
beautiful as she’d remembered.

The
gates opened as they approached and were promptly shut behind them. The manor’s
servants lined the path and staircase leading up to the front doors. They sank
into deep bows and curtsies as Tempani stepped down from the carriage. She
recognized some faces, but most were ones she’d never seen before.

The
household manservant, Lindow, rushed forward. “It’s good to see you again, my
lady. Your father sends his apologies that he is not here to greet you in
person. He has been held up at the palace, but he asks that you make yourself
comfortable and he will see you in the morning.”

Had
she really expected any different? “Thank you Lindow. Please prepare
refreshments for the men before they return to the palace.”

Madoc
cleared his throat. “These are your father’s men,” he told her. “Only I’m to
return to the palace.”

Tempani
tried to hide her shock, but she knew she failed. She wondered why her father
needed such a large guard when he himself was undefeated as a knight.

“He’s
very big on security,” Lindow said.

“Of
course.” She turned to the men and was about to order them to the stables, but
they were already on their way.

Lindow
ushered Tempani inside as the servants rushed forward to gather her bags. She
was led up the wide staircase, but instead of heading to the right wing of the
house where she had stayed as a child, she was led to the newly refurbished
left wing.

“I
apologize that we have moved your room, my lady,” Lindow said as her eyes
lingered on the right wing. “Your father has moved everyone over here. Much
nicer rooms.”

“I
don’t mind taking my old room.”

“No,
my lady. Sir Otto uses that wing for storage now. Strictly off limits to
everyone except him.”

She
frowned as Lindow opened the door to her new room. Life as she knew it was
over.

~2~

Tempani
woke the next morning, confused by her surroundings and lack of bells chiming.
And then she remembered. She rolled over in bed, her bare legs enjoying the
feel of soft sheets after years of coarse ones. She stretched out her arm to
pat
Tilaw
, but the space beside her was empty and a
sudden rush of loneliness washed over her. He had been her constant companion
for five years and waking up in a strange room without him wasn’t a pleasant
feeling. But he would be around somewhere. Perhaps he had just gone outside to
relieve himself.

She
sat up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Someone had already been
in and unpacked her belongings. A dress had been laid out on her table, and a
pair of slippers had been left on the floor.

The
paintings that had hung in her old room had been moved into her new one. So too
had the books she had read over and over again as a child. In the corner of the
room she saw the two dolls she had once slept with each night. Well someone had
wanted her to feel at home again.

She
slipped on the dress and then sunk to her knees, closing her eyes as she began her
morning prayers. It felt strange to be kneeling at her bed instead of at the
shrine to the Goddess, but it would feel even stranger to not pray at all.

She
padded down the stairs to the kitchen, where she greeted the old cook Leela
with a peck on the cheek and grabbed a cold sausage from the plate. She took a
bite and chewed it slowly before offering the rest of it to
Tilaw
,
who was happily lying beside Leela as she worked, catching any crumbs that fell
to the ground.

She
was licking her fingers when she walked into the drawing room, hoping to find
her father but instead finding two men deep in conversation.

“Oh,
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said quietly and took a step back
towards the door.

“Since
when have you ever been sorry for anything?”

Tempani
froze and then her face broke into a smile as she recognized one of the men
standing before the hearth, “Chae!” She cried before running across the room
and throwing herself into his arms. He hugged her back fiercely as tears
trickled down her face.

He
laughed and pulled free of her grip to get a good look at her. She in return
studied him. His eyes were still warm, intelligent even. His nose was long and
sat above a pair of full pink lips and his hair now fell to his shoulders. He
was only slightly taller than she and had a lean, wiry build.

“Just
as I remembered,” he said. “And you still lack decorum I see.”

She
followed his gaze down to her bare feet and bit back a grin. “Why change what
isn’t broken?”

“My
thoughts exactly,” he said and wiped the tears from her cheeks. A cough from
behind him interrupted their brief reunion. “Now I’ve forgotten my manners,” he
laughed. “I brought along an old friend to say hello.”

Tempani
looked over his shoulder at the sandy haired young man. She stared at him,
bewildered for a moment until he smiled, causing his blue eyes to sparkle with
a joy that she envied. As though untouched from any despair.

“Teddy?”
She cried again and went to hug him also before she stopped suddenly and sank
into a curtsey instead. “Apologies, Prince Theodore, I forgot my place.”

Teddy
gripped her arms and pulled her up to face him. “To you, I am always Teddy.”

“I
almost didn’t recognize you. What happened to my little runt?”

“I
grew,” he laughed. “But I’m still no match for my brother.”

“He
is no match for you.” She grinned at how easily they fell back into their
patterns of old, but it made her face burn with shame knowing that she had
ignored his attempts to contact her over the years.

Before
Hamalia’s death, Chae and Tempani had spent half of their time at Amarill and
the other half staying in their manor in Fenella. When in Fenella, their days
were spent playing with the young princes, Nicolass and Theodore.

Nicolass
and Chae had been the same age and had played together, often excluding the
younger two from their games. So Tempani and Teddy had stuck together, running
around outside pretending they were knights like Otto.

And
during the summer when King Wimarc and Queen Tryphena made their visits to the
kingdom’s estates, the princes were left with the kingdom’s greatest knight,
Sir Otto, and his family. Tempani had loved those summers. Swimming in the lake
and sneaking treats from the kitchen. And then Hamalia had passed away, and
Tempani stopped visiting Fenella. She was glad she didn’t have to play nicely
with Nicolass anymore, but she had missed Teddy’s friendship.

“I
hope you don’t mind my tagging along with Chae. I wanted to see you before
you’re launched on the court tonight,” he explained as they all sat down.

Tempani
grimaced. “Of course not. I’m glad you came now while I’m in a good mood.
Needless to say by the end of tonight I will be grumpy from having to engage in
mindless conversations with boring nobles.”

Chae
looked on nervously until Teddy laughed, and then he relaxed enough to let out
a sigh. “You may want to keep those thoughts quiet tonight,” he warned his
sister. “People here aren’t forgiving.”

Tempani
groaned. “I have just spent five years biting my tongue at the convent. I get one
moment of freedom, and then it’s snatched from me again.”

“Was
it really that awful?”

Tempani
shrugged, not really wanting to delve into her life as a Daughter of the
Convent. “Tell me what is happening here,” she said. “It seems so long ago that
I received your last letter.”

Chae
stretched his legs out before him. “There’s not much to tell. Since I was
knighted, I’ve been doing some work with the Raiders, which has kept me busy.
I’ve been lucky to have my friend, Xanthir, with me,” he said. “We were worried
that once we were all knighted we would be sent to separate parts of the
kingdom because of all the trouble we used to cause.”

“Nic
would never allow it,” said Teddy.

“I
don’t understand why you’re still friends with Prince Nicolass,” she said. “No
offence, Teddy.”

Teddy
held up his hands. “None taken. I must admit my brother has matured since you
last saw him. He no longer pins me to the ground while he counts to one
hundred.”

Tempani
snorted. “We’ll see.”

—

The
sun was high above in the vast blue sky that afternoon as Tempani sat beneath
the oak tree by the pond in the furthest corner of the manor grounds. A thick,
heavy book rested in her lap. Chae and Teddy had stayed for an early lunch and
then left to attend to business before dinner at the palace.

She
had thought of them both many times over the past five years. Anytime she’d had
a problem, she had imagined conversations in her mind where they gave her
guidance and told her what to do. Or to calm down. That was Teddy’s voice. Chae
was her voice of reason, her conscience, but Teddy was her calming influence.
He always had been. And she saw herself as his protector. As the one who stood
up for the quiet, reserved prince. She closed her eyes and found herself back
at Amarill.

—

The
day was warm, the heat held in by the clusters of grey clouds. She breathed in.
She smelt the dampness in the air. It would rain soon. She knew he would want
to be back inside the castle before the rain came. He hated getting wet. She spun
around, her eyes searching for Teddy. She spotted his blonde hair as he
crouched behind the bushes. She smiled to herself. He was never good at hiding.
She always had to pretend to search for him for longer or he’d get upset. His
brother never did that and always teased him about it causing Teddy to cry. She
hated Nicolass for that.

There
was a clap of thunder, and she heard Teddy stifle a scream. It wasn’t just
rain. A storm was rolling in. Now he really would be scared. She ran towards
him, her calls to him getting lost in the howling wind.

She
gripped his hand when she reached him and pulled him to his feet. “Come on,”
she said. “We have to run.”

The
thunder boomed again before the clouds opened up and the rain fell down in
sheets.

“It’s
too far,” he cried, his eyes shining bright with fear as the sky flashed with
lightening.

Tempani
bit her lip, her mind racing. It was true. They had strayed far from the castle
during their game. Teddy’s guard was normally close by, but today he had gotten
sick and had run for the privy. He had told them to stay put, and he would send
another guard out but as soon as he’d disappeared they’d run off, eager to play
on their own.

“There’re
caves,” she called out as she dragged him. “We can hide in there until the rain
stops.”

They
ran slowly, their feet sliding on the mud as they rushed past trees and began
to climb up the path to the caves that overlooked the sea. She knew the climb
well and led him over fallen logs and around large rocks until they stumbled
into the first cave. It was small, but they were little so it would do.

Teddy
slumped to the ground and shivered. The air was still warm so she knew it was
not out of coldness that he shivered. She sat down beside him and put her arm
around him.

“I’m
not scared,” he whispered. He was only five yet he knew that as a prince he was
expected to be brave.

“I
am,” she lied. “It’s all right to be a little scared.”

He
nodded. “Just a little.”

They
sat together, listening to the waves as they crashed violently against the
cliffs. She sent a prayer to the Goddess to watch over any fishermen out in the
waters. The sky outside darkened as the storm rolled across the coast.

“Papa
will know where we are,” she murmured as he rested his head against hers.

“Will
you tell him I was brave?”

She
opened her mouth to respond but no sound came out. Her eyes widened as she
heard the sound of scratching at the entrance to the cave. She felt Teddy move
and quickly put her finger to her lips urging him to stay quiet.

Amarill
was outside the protective charms that kept strange creatures out of the city.
She had seen a herd of half horse, half human creatures that her mama had told
her were called centaurs. And she knew their lake was home to a water sprite.
Chae swore he’d seen it, but she never had.

She
looked around her for something she could use to hit whatever it was that
lurked outside. There were a few twigs, but they would snap in an instant.
Teddy’s bottom lip trembled as he watched the entrance. Her fingers grazed over
a rock as her hands fumbled in the darkness. She gripped it in her hand and got
to her feet, her legs shaking now as the fear set in.

Teddy
screamed as the creature blocked the small stream of light that they had coming
in through the entrance. Tempani inched forwards, squinting her eyes in the
darkness, and she too almost screamed in fright. Staring back at her was a
griffin. She had seen one in the air once but never this close.

She
turned back to Teddy and held out her hand. His eyes were wide with fear.
Living within the protective charms of the city, he had never seen such a
creature. A griffin had the body of a lion, but its head and wings were that of
an eagle. Tempani loved looking at paintings of griffins. They seemed so grand
to her.

“You
have to bow,” she whispered as she bobbed her head in acknowledgement. “It’s a
griffin.”

Teddy
frowned as he struggled to his feet and then bowed quickly. “Why?”

“Papa
always said to bow if I saw a griffin. He said it’s like seeing the king.”

The
griffin eyed them, its head cocked to the side as they stood before it.
Suddenly it jerked its head and moved deeper into the cave with them.

“Teddy!”
Nicolass’ voice was close. “I found them.” He called out as he came upon the
cave. “Stand down beast!” He roared when he saw the griffin.

“Tempani?”
Otto’s voice made her smile, and she felt Teddy relax beside her at the sound
of it.

“Papa!”
She tried to move toward him, but the griffin blocked her path.

“Stand
down!” Nicolass shouted again. “Kill it,” he snapped when it didn’t move.

“No!”
Teddy cried as he squeezed Tempani’s hand. “It didn’t hurt us.”

“Bow
before it,” Otto instructed the older boy. “You must show respect to a
griffin.”

“I’m
a prince,” Nicolass said arrogantly. “I don’t bow to animals.”

“You
show respect to a creature whose home we have disturbed,” Otto said slowly.
Tempani heard the annoyance in his voice.

“Griffin’s
have magic in them,” Nicolass said. “We should capture it and take it back to
the palace.”

Tempani
stepped forward and cautiously rested her hand on the griffin’s back. It looked
down at her briefly and then turned its gaze back onto Nicolass. She coaxed
Teddy forward and pushed him towards her father.