The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (5 page)

“Leave
it alone,” she snapped at Nicolass. “He didn’t hurt us.” She looked up at the
griffin. “Sorry for stealing your home.” She bowed to it once more and then ran
to her father, throwing herself into the protective circle of his arms.

Later
that night Teddy crept into her room and crawled into bed beside her. “Thank
you for not telling them I was scared,” he whispered.

“You
were brave.” She rested her forehead against his. “You’re always brave.”

—

She
was brought back to the present by the sound of leaves rustling around her. A
pair of starlings perched on the branch above her. She watched them, taken in
by their chirping until she heard a faint splashing in the water. Wading over
to her were two ducks, brown in color with their beaks a glossy black. She
smiled at their ease as they glided closer, and her fingers itched to touch
them. She kicked off her shoes and gathered the bottom of her dress in one
hand. She waded into the freezing water, biting her tongue so she wouldn’t yelp
as the iciness bit into her skin. She was pleased to find that the ducks did
not scurry from her. She reached out her hand and grazed her fingers along the
back of the smallest duck. She giggled as the other one waded towards her.

“Fascinating
creatures are they not? One would expect them to disappear when a being larger
than them entered their domain.”

Tempani
jumped at the sound of the deep voice, causing the ducks to scurry away from
her in alarm. An odd looking man stood beside the tree watching her with a
smile. Warily, she dragged herself from the pond and stood before him, ready to
scream for help if need be.

He
was short for a man, only just passing Tempani’s height, and chubby. He had a
wild, shaggy blonde beard and blonde hair that had white strands starting to
come through. His blue eyes glistened, though they were hard to see under his
thick brows. He was dressed in a long, dark blue robe that distinguished him as
a teacher at the palace.

“Has
anybody told you how much you look like your mother?” He asked, picking up the
book she had discarded on the ground. He dusted it off and handed it back to
her. “But you like to read, just like your father.”

She
eyed him curiously until he grinned and then she remembered. Lord Darby of
Coastir. He used to sneak her treats at palace dinners and tell her tales of
other lands when he came to visit at Amarill.

“The
famous Lord Darby,” she said. “It has been a long time.”

“Famous?
I like that,” he chuckled. “That memorable am I?”

“My
mother always spoke so fondly of you, my lord.”

“We
shared a mutual struggle,” he said. “Both new to the world of nobility and
struggling to find our feet in that viper’s nest we call the palace.”

“Something
I now have to look forward to.”

“If
you are anything like your parents, you will handle yourself well.”

“I
wish I had my mother’s charm,” she said. “My mouth gets me into too much
trouble.”

“You
should be proud that your years at the convent didn’t rid you of that. Who are
we if we don’t speak what’s on our mind?”

“The
mindless nobles we are forced to socialize with.”

Darby
laughed. “We are going to get along just fine,” he said and offered his arm as
he limped along. “If you find yourself bored tonight, please seek me out. I do
like a fine intellectual conversation, and they are sometimes lacking from
these formal dinners. Now hurry along. I too have to make myself look
presentable this evening.”

Tempani
laughed and bid goodbye to the man in the long robe. The more she looked at
him, the more he began to resemble the trolls she had read of in her tales.

She
returned to her room, preparing to take a hot bath, and she was startled to
find her tub was already filled with warm water and scented leaves.

“Lady
Tempani?” A soft voice spoke from the corner.

She
turned to find a woman a few years older than she was. The young woman had
copper skin and hair as black as coal, tied neatly in a braid down her back.
She was a few inches shorter than Tempani and her black pinafore over a white
shirt made her look stocky. Her sandaled feet drew Tempani’s eyes to the tattoo
on her left foot. All slaves were marked with the crown seal. It was rumored
that it was poisoned, and if they dared escape their master, the poison would
seep into their blood, killing them within moments.

This
wasn’t the first slave she’d encountered. She had seen many in her childhood at
the palace and in the city, but this was the first time one had been in her
home - working for her. And it made her sick to her stomach. She drew her gaze
away from the tattoo.

“I
am Zadi, my lady. Sir Otto has assigned me to you.” She bowed her head.

Tempani
shook her head, frowning at her father’s insensitivity. “Oh, I’m sorry but I do
not require your services.”

“You
wish for a different slave?”

“No,
I don’t want any slaves to wait on me. Is there not a ladies maid I can have?”

“No,
my lady. Sir Otto was very insistent that I be put under your charge,” she
said, bowing her head again. “He has made sure I’ve had all the right
training.”

“Does
it not bother you that I am of your blood and you have to wait on me?”

“No,
my lady. You cannot help that you are of nobility any more than I can help
being a slave. It is the path our blessed Goddess has laid before us.”

“It’s
wrong,” she snapped and stomped out of her room in search of her father.

She
found him in his study pouring over a book. He was an imposing man. He reached
six feet and two inches, but where other men were thin and lanky, Otto was
solid with strong arms. He kept his dark hair cropped short and favored no
facial hair. His brown eyes had once been warm and welcoming; now they were
weapons of authority. The scar that ran down his cheek was a mark of his battle
as a knight with a border knight of Horatia. In spite of his scar, he was a
handsome man. She longed to rush over and be wrapped in his embrace, which she
used to find comforting, but their relationship no longer allowed for that, and
it made her sad.

He
didn’t bother glancing up from the page he was on when she barged in.

“We
cannot be late this evening, Tempani.”

Five
years of silence, and they were his first words to her. She clenched her fists
at her side, and when she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “Why do
you have slaves in your employ here?”

“Things
have changed since you went away,” he said tersely.

“Since
you sent me away,” she snapped.

“Here
we are closer to the palace, and I do not have the authority to do as I wish.”

“And
what of mama’s wishes?”

Otto’s
voice was tense as he stood. “You know nothing of her wishes.”

Tears
pricked at Tempani’s eyes, but she refused to cry in front of her father. She
would not give him the satisfaction.

He
sighed and sat on the corner of his desk, folding his hands in his lap. “You
have no idea the scrutiny you are under Tempani. Every pair of eyes at court
will be on you. They are waiting for you to slip up so they can say that we
have no place among them. Chae has proven himself. Now you must. We have no
choice but to follow the ways of the Kamaris, no matter how much we disapprove.
Do you understand me?”

She
glared at her father. He was no longer the man she had known and loved as a
child. Had losing Hamalia stripped him of his ability to love?

His
voice was soft as he spoke again. “Think of what will happen to Amarill if we
are forced out. Think of your friends in the village. You may think me a
monster, but I do what I must for Amarill.”

Tempani
left without saying another word and returned to her room, where Zadi was
waiting patiently for her. She swallowed hard and bit her quivering lip. She
peered into Zadi’s dark eyes and saw a fire burning deep within.

“Please
take my dress and see if you can get the mud out. And I’m afraid that I tore a
hole in the sleeve. My father will be most dissatisfied if I ruin all of my
dresses.”

Zadi’s
face lit up and filled with pride. “Yes, my lady,” she said before hurrying
off.

“Zadi?”
She poked her head back into Tempani’s room. “I won’t have you lowering your
heard when you speak to me. You have interesting eyes. I want to see them.”

“Yes,
my lady.”

“My
name is Tempani, and I prefer being addressed as such. Where is the point in
letting my name go to waste?”

“It
is not proper, my lady. Slaves do not address their owners so personally.”

“I
don’t want you to think of me as your owner. Over time I hope you will think of
me as your friend. Maybe then you will use my name.”

“Maybe,
my lady,” she said, bowing her head and scurrying away.

—

Tempani
stood at the top of the grand marble staircase that she would have to walk down
at any moment into the Royal Dining Hall to be presented to court. Her stomach
fluttered with nerves, and she wished she could have entered the Hall through a
side door rather than this. She did not care to have so many eyes on her,
especially when they’d be thinking that she was not welcome. She wiped her
sweaty palms on her dress as the herald announced her.

She
descended the staircase, praying to the Goddess Allarah that she did not trip
on the hem of her dress. An audible gasp swept over the Hall as the court got
their first glimpse of the young woman. Tempani was striking in her deep purple
gown, her black hair set in flowing tendrils cascading down her back and held
off her face by a band of amethysts settled around her head. Such extravagant
clothing was foreign to her after years spent in her white shift.

Otto
walked forward and offered his arm to her. Tempani thought for a second that he
had smiled at her, but whatever it was, a smile or grimace, had faded too
quickly to be sure.

He
walked them to the High Table where the monarchs were seated regally in all
their splendor. The king and queen looked picturesque side by side. He in a
long black silk robe with wide sleeves and she in a white silk dress and her
golden blonde hair falling to her waist.

“Your
Majesties, may I present to the court my daughter Lady Tempani of Amarill.”
Otto bowed and extended forward the arm Tempani was clutching.

“Lady
Tempani of Amarill, it is an honor to have you back in our company,” the queen
spoke, her voice gentle yet strong enough to carry through the room.

Tempani
stepped forward and sank into a deep curtsey, the fabric of her dress rustling
as she did. As she rose to take her father’s arm again, Teddy caught her eye
and gave her a quick smile before she was escorted to her table. She was
pleased to see Chae rise and extend his arm for her. Seated alongside him were
Sirs Xanthir and Madoc and a pretty girl with pale blond locks, Lady Dahlia of
Raine.

“Lady
Tempani,” Madoc said curtly.

“Madoc
has filled us all in on the fun you had on your trip,” Chae laughed as he
slapped Madoc on the back. “I warned him you were a handful.”

Tempani
scowled at her brother. “The trip wasn’t exactly a breeze for me either.”

“Don’t
worry,” Dahlia whispered to her when the men were distracted by the arrival of
their food. “He’s a lot kinder than he comes across. He just takes a while to
warm up to people. I guess you could say he’s shy.”

Tempani
smiled at her. It was true he did seem more relaxed now that he was among
friends. “Perhaps I will not judge him too harshly then. Travelling is hardly
easy.”

She
looked down at her plate and inhaled slowly, taking in all the delicious
smells. She took a bite of the venison and chewed it slowly, savoring the
richness of it. She had missed these flavors.

“You
should count yourself lucky he was even available to go,” Chae said, returning
to their conversation. “He seems to be busier than the rest of us.”

“That’s
what you get when you finish top of the class,” said Xanthir. “He will be so
decorated and famous soon that we will be able to say we knew him when.”

Madoc
blushed slightly and waved their jokes aside. “I am sure my only claim to fame
will be as Nic’s friend.”

“Well,
whatever the reason, I am sure you will milk it for all it’s worth,” Xanthir
said and rose from the table. “Do excuse me, I see I am being summoned to my
mother’s side.”

Tempani
watched him sidle up to the High Table and greet Duchess Sylena, her blonde
curls falling across her face as she whispered in her son’s ear.

“Another
high ranking friend, Chae,” Tempani said as she turned back to the table. “I’m
impressed.”

“I
guess I forget my friends have titles. To me they are the same boys I was a
page with. Titles didn’t matter when you were studying and training every
waking moment. If you’ll excuse us.” Chae and Madoc rose and wandered over to a
member of the Raiders, the personal guard to the young princes and princesses.