The Lord Son's Travels (45 page)

“I
can’t fail,” he said to her.
 
“I
can’t fail Allè-dôn.”

“You
won’t,” she soothed.
 
She reached
out blindly into the darkness with her hand and encountered his shoulder.
 
She stretched her hand higher to stroke
along the edge of his cheek.
 
His
breath caught in surprise, then slowed as he relaxed into the gentleness of the
caress.
 
His whiskers had grown in
during their service as slaves, since they had not been allowed to access
razors or any other sharp tools while in the house.
 
She grazed the back of her hand against the unfamiliar
roughness.

 
Adrien lifted his arm so that she could
slide in closer.
 
She lay on her
side with her hand resting on his chest, head nestled into his shoulder, so
comfortably it was like they had always spent their nights so.
 
Elenna was nearly asleep when she felt
his fingers hesitantly brush through her hair down to her chin to tilt her face
into position.
 
Their second kiss
didn't have the passion and urgency of their first but instead was warm and
comforting and what they both needed to counter the despair of their
situation.
 
Silently they enjoyed
the warmth of their cuddling, unwilling to acknowledge anything right now but
the solace it gave.
 
When both had
drifted off to sleep, they clung even closer to each other throughout the
night.

Another
fortnight passed and their situation stayed the same.
 
The long days of drudgery continued.
 
Though the slaves were never allowed to
talk within sight of the overseer, there were a few precious moments when he
was out of sight and Adrien could question his fellow workers.
 
He then could confirm that the
plantation was now officially the property of the Lord of the Southlands,
though the previous owner had been allowed to remain as overseer.
 
Months ago, the legendary Lord had
visited the main house for one night after a visit to a nearby worksite.
 
The large rooming house he had observed
at their arrival at the plantation housed slaves that were transported daily to
and from the distant worksite, but none of the house slaves knew what was being
done there, and Adrien never had opportunity to speak with any of the other
workers.
 
Southland's link to the
site raised his suspicions about what the stranger could find interesting out
in the middle of inhospitable desert lands.

Elenna
avoided the fearsome overseer the best she could.
 
Most mornings he spent away from the house, so she tried to
plan her cleaning schedule to be away from his study when he might still be at
home.
 
She also tried to talk to
other slaves and ask questions, but the other girls knew nothing about events
outside of the house.
 
All of the
girls she approached merely warned her to stay away from the overseer if
possible, and to never anger his wife.

Their
reward for surviving each day were the few precious hours they could spend
alone in their small room.
 
Elenna
and Adrien would talk.
 
Elenna
would bring dinner from the kitchen in a bowl, wrapped up in a pair of towels
to keep warm.
 
Both would change
out of their filthy work clothes then meet at their tiny dining table to share
the meal.
 
They would share tidbits
of their day; both keeping back the bitter moments to offer anything that could
be shared in a positive or humorous light.
 
After the meal, they shared housekeeping chores for their
tiny domicile, using this time to share anything serious information they had
obtained that day, and banter plans back and forth for the future.
 
When these discussions had run their
course and their work was done for the day, they would extinguish their lantern
and climb into bed to continue the conversation.
 

Here
by unspoken agreement, the conversation would drift back to more pleasant
topics as they lay comfortably with arms and legs intertwined.
 
Conversation topics changed daily and
ranged far and wide.
 
He was
utterly fascinated by her stories from her own world, especially ones about
politics and history.
 
Elenna had
never been a news junkie but the previous election had caught her attention,
and she described the issues the best she could to Adrien.
 
He taught her about the Allé-dônian
system, and described the role his family played in the history of the
Kingdom.
 
On another night he
taught her everything he knew about Evenral and the prophesy.
 

Not
every night had a serious theme.
 
No one in all of Allè-dènè would have ever expected Adrien to have committed
to memory the best of the jokes the Bards had brought to Court and be able to
tell them with relish.
  
Luckily silly humor seemed to be pretty universal and not only could
Elenna appreciate the humor, but was also able to add a few new jokes to his collection.
 
They shared funny memories from their
childhoods and their families, marveling at the few similarities in experiences
despite the vast difference in environments.
 
They had one brief awkward conversation; stammering with
discomfort and regret Adrien reminded her that he was legally bound by royal
treaty to marry another woman, and likely he would be expected to follow
through in the next few months when they arrived for a scheduled visit to
Roden.
 
She accepted this calmly,
already knowing that this was inevitable, and declared herself still intent on returning
to her home anyway after their victory in the war, if the possibility still
existed.
 
The only secrets they now
kept from each other was how badly it hurt to think that their blossoming relationship
would end as soon as their freedom was achieved.

Chapter 41

Brendan
was healed.
 
It had taken nearly
three weeks of nursing, but he was now able to rise from bed, dress himself,
and try to keep himself entertained by watching out of his bedroom window to
the bustle of the main street of the town.
 
His new owner lived on the east side of the busy street in
one of the largest buildings in town.
 
Apparently she ran a popular tavern; the front door below him was
constantly swinging open from sunrise to moonrise.
 
Brendan began to recognize some of the regular customers
from his aerial view; several times during his recuperation he saw the man who
had purchased Adrien and Elenna.

His
owner had visited him a least once a day as he recovered from his wounds.
 
She would sit on the edge of his bed
and talk brightly of the town’s gossip.
 
Part of him remained suspicious of her plans for him once he was able to
work again, but he reluctantly grew to like the vibrant older woman.
 
She told him that she was a widow,
inheriting the inn from her doting late husband several years before.
 
She had a number of slaves she used in
her business; one quiet older woman had brought most of his meals and tidied
his room; another had done the majority of his medical care.
 
Both answered his inquiries politely
but with minimum information.
 
All
he learned so far was that the town was called Backwater and under the rule of
the Lord of the Southlands.
 
His
owner mentioned a plantation far outside of town, which Brendan guessed was the
most likely location for Adrien and Elenna to have been taken.
 
He worried constantly for them and
hoped for good news.

When
his owner believed he was ready, Brendan began his new career as a delivery
boy.
 
At first he was sent only
within the house to take messages between the workers in the inn.
 
After a few days, when he had proved
his strength and good memory, he began to run messages outside of the inn.
 
He learned the layout of the small
village while hauling messages and packages for his owner and inn guests.
 
He was quick and discreet, and soon
began to earn small tips he did not share with his owner.
 
He had not seen any of the few
belongings he had kept after the traders took him; he hoarded a few small gold
coins in his room for his escape, which he planned for as soon as he learned
where he friends were being held.
 
He kept his ears working, and began to hear stories about the
plantation.
 
Even the slave owners
of the village always discussed the slaves of the plantation with some expression
of pity.
 
Many replacements were
being purchased on a regular basis; when the slave wagon came to market, the
small serious man would buy as many as he could win bids for.
 
A common effective threat for village
slaves was to be sold to the plantation overseer.
 

One
morning came when Brendan had reported to the inn kitchen for his first run of
the day.
 
The cook shook her head
sadly, and told him to go seek his mistress.
 
She was in the common room preparing for the morning meal
and waiting for him.
 
When she saw
him in the doorway, her normally cheerful expression was grim.
 
“I have bad dealings for you this
morning.
 
I must send a message to
the plantation for the overseer.”
 
She handed him a sealed paper.
 
“This needs signed by the overseer and returned directly to me.
 
You’ll ride there in the wagon with my
best driver.”
 
She paused.
 
“He’ll offer to buy your freedom in
exchange for a year of work.
 
Do
not believe him.
 
I’ve lost many
good men that way, and they only leave that land straight into the Lady’s
hands.”
 
Brendan nodded, inwardly
joyful for the opportunity to maybe catch sight of his friends there.
 
She shooed him out the door to the
waiting carriage.
 

The
girl who answered his knock at main door glanced at the paper Brendan showed her
and pointed to the main sitting room.
 
She had seen the overseer enter earlier, and like the rest of the girls
avoided him as much as she could.
 
Brendan went alone to the chamber, knocked softly, and entered
quietly.
 
A glance around told him
that the room was empty.
 
As he
turned to leave, a figure kneeling on the floor in the corner caught his
eye.
 
He stepped closer and gasped
loudly when he recognized her.
 
Elenna startled, and turned his way with a rapturous smile.
 
She nearly leapt into his arms.
 
“You’re alive!” she exclaimed in joy.

“Aye,
and so are you!”
 
He held her at
arms length to examine her.
 
Her
eyes were red, her skin pale and haggard from too much work and too little
sleep.
 
He tried to hide his
concern under a joke.
 
“You look
like Penderallaë!”

She
smiled.
 
“That’s bad, considering
the only prince I know is out back mucking the horse stables.”

“Rian?”

“He’s
fine,” she promised him.
 
“Oh, it
is good to see you!”
 

He
glanced to the door.
 
“I don’t have
much time.
 
The others will wonder why
I’m staying in here so long.”

“Where
can we find you?” she demanded.
 

He
gave her the name of the inn.
 
“We
must go soon.
 
Talk to Adrien and
make plans.
 
I’ll look for you.”
 
He hugged her briefly and
disappeared.
 
She tried not to look
radiant as she continued with her scrubbing.
 
When she had finally been released for the night, she flew
back to their room, where Adrien was waiting at the table for dinner.

“I
saw Bren!” she exclaimed.
 
She
covered his face with excited kisses as he swung her around in joy.
  

“Is
he well?” Adrien demanded.
 
She
told a brief version of their conversation.
 
He glowed in relief.
 
Enclosing her hands in his, he pulled her to the table.
 
In their excitement they ignored the
cold unappetizing meal and focused on creating a plan.

Adrien
theorized out loud, “We can leave this house well enough, the guards walk
regular paths and we can avoid them.
 
We can take some horses and reach the town before anyone can tell we are
gone.”

“Tonight!”
she urged.
 

He
shook his head, and suddenly grew serious again.
 
“Before we leave, I want to show you what I have seen
today.
 
I have no explanation for
it.”
 

He
had been working in the barn when his supervisor called him over.
 
“I need this horse taken to the work
site.
 
You can ride back with the
others in the wagon.
 
If you are
foolish enough to try to escape, you’ll find your wife with her throat cut
waiting for you on the road.”
 
Adrien had listened to the man’s directions, pleased for the opportunity
to solve the mystery of the purpose of the settlement.
 
He had ridden for almost a half-hour
when he reached the site, hidden behind some high dunes to the east.
 
He stopped in wonder at the edge,
forcing himself to memorize the sight well enough to draw it for Elenna when he
returned to the house.
 
He had
remained on the site for over two hours until it was time for the wagon to
return all of the slaves home, and he still could not understand what he
saw.
 
He had taken charcoal from
the fire and used it to draw a picture on the table, hoping she might recognize
something when she came in.

Elenna
 
studied the scene rendered in smudged
grey.
 
She turned to Adrien, eyes
somber.
 
“I want to see this in
person.”

“You
have an idea?”

“I
need to see this,” she repeated.
 
He mentally pictured the layout of the plantation.
 
“We can get to the stable tonight, ride
out and return by the time anyone would notice.”

She
reached for a cloak.
 
“Let’s
go.”
 
She remained silent following
him as they crossed the dark yard and easily avoided the house guards to reach
the barn.
 
Adrien led out two of
his favorite mounts, who recognized him in the moonlight and meekly followed
him to the strange woman.
 
They
rode silently to the perimeter of the house grounds, careful to avoid the
guards circling the slave house to the north of the barn.
 
Adrien pondered taking the road to town
right now; they would be able to reach Brendan’s inn without any difficulty, he
surmised.
 
But Elenna seemed intent
on seeing the worksite; he supposed she had a good reason to take the risk.
 
He led the way across the dunes to the
site.
 
She dismounted at the first
sight of the large tower that had perplexed him. The noise was horrible; he
winced at the sound of metal scraping loudly; she didn’t seem to notice.
  
He followed her lead and crossed
the loose sand to stand beside her.

“Dammit!”
she said emotionlessly.
 
He
followed her gaze, still not understanding what he was seeing.

“What
is it?” he demanded.

“That
is an oil well.”
 
The well was
working, with a skeleton crew overseeing the process from pumping to
storage.
 
A large number of barrels
waited for delivery the next day.
 
He asked what it was used for.

“The
only reason for an oil well is fuel for machines you don’t want to
imagine.
 
Who would know how to
build a freakin’ oil well?”
 
She
frowned and bit her lip.
 
She
wanted to go down closer to the well and look around, but Adrien refused,
worried that the men on duty seemed too observant to take the risk.
 
She settled for remaining behind the
tallest sand dune and studying the site from a distance.
 
By the time Adrien could convince her
to leave, the first colors of dawn were rising above the horizon.
 
They would not have time to reach the
road now before dawn and discovery, so he led her back to the barn.
 
They had barely reached the house and
crept inside before the first risers had lit lanterns in the yard and began
their early morning labors.
 
They
had only a minute to mess up the bed to hide their absence before they needed
to report to their duties.
 
Adrien
returned to the barn to begin his labors.
 
Elenna yawned, exhaustion piling up on despair, and began her work.

She
was in the overseer’s office again, so tired she could barely move the mop she
was swishing around the wooden floor.
 
She didn’t hear the door open or click shut, she was so lost in her own
thoughts and fatigue.
 
Then she
felt her arm nearly ripped from its socket as she was slung onto the sofa.
 
She gasped and instinctively leapt back
to her feet.
 
The overseer slapped
her and pushed her down again.

“You
have displeased me,” he said softly.
 
“and you will be punished.”

“What…”
she started, and he slapped her again.
 

“You
do not speak to me,” he ordered.
 
“Your guilt is unanswerable.
 
You were not in your room last night. I do not care where you were or
why you came back.
 
You will be
punished for your disobedience.”
 
She blanched and thought of her accomplice.
 
He must have guessed her thoughts, because he laughed.
 
“Your husband will be here shortly for
his punishment.”
 
To her horror, he
climbed on top of her, holding down her arms with his and blocking her legs
with the bulk of his body.
 
“Such a
lovely girl,” he mused.
 
“You must
give your husband great pleasure.
 
Tis a shame to waste you on a slave.”
 
He let go of her left arm to play with the fasteners on her
dress.

“Don’t
you dare!” Elenna snarled and tried to push him off.
 
She couldn’t get her fighting hand free to call for
Midiral.
 
He calmly reached down to
his belt and pulled out a short knife.
 
He held this up so she could see the needle-sharp point gleaming in the
afternoon light.