Double Check
Year of the Golden Gilled Boar, 1983, Kliloln, Naesu 24th
As Litoc was taking me to see the withdrawing room the woman alluded to on the second floor, I realized that my question to the soldier about smelling something was useless. The castle had a stink to it. The smell I noticed in rooms we passed through earlier that night was subtle compared to the second floor.
It was stronger in some places but overall, it was more pungent there that it was downstairs. I smelled like damp, wet rag mixed with laundry that hadn’t dried in the sun properly, with some bit of decay mixed in. If ones olfactory senses can be desensitized in this environment, it can ignore other things too.
After our interrogation, Litoc spent a good amount of time indulging Juwen with stories of his life outside Bariststal while finishing his meal. Like Tukru before him, he skipped many things. Just like with Tukru, Juwen delighted in the stories anyways. Stories of where he lived, what he did there, the ladies he wooed, and why he left.
Towards half of the exchange, Jakeli finished his meal and announced that he was retiring for the night. Unlike him, we didn’t have rooms ready for us. Litoc called for an attendant and instructed him to prepare a room for all of us. The seneschal had to nod and wave him away before the attendant obeyed.
When the attendant returned, Litoc dismissed the old man politely by promising him that he’d visit him at his quarters first thing in the morning, but not before asking to have two attendants assigned to our party come the morning for the duration of our stay. The steward agreed readily and with that, we went our separate ways – we went towards the same rooms we had passed by when we arrived, the old man went the other way.
“Igom, ye take them ta our room,” Said Litoc as we reached the stairs just before the entrance to the archives, pointing to Tukru, Hanni, and Jibel, “an’ wait for us ‘ere after. An’ take ‘is bag with ye.”
I gave the bag to the attendant and Litoc led the way up.
“Figured ye’d take a look Jorj. ‘nother set o’ eyes an’ all that.” He explained.
The first thing that came to mind was Tukru. He knew how to sneak and he was a woodsman. If there was anything to be found here, it was him who’d have a better chance at it. But Litoc knew him better than I did. If he thought Tukru would be able to spot something, he’d have already asked. Besides, he needed to rest.
Turning right at the top of the stairs, we emerged into a junction in the corridor. Litoc went left, heading straight into the first open room.
“Don’t mind us. Ye’ll carry on.” Litoc told the six people in the room as they cast their gazes on us.
It was the Queen’s chamber. Though easily as large as Stakk-taran’s front house, the space was packed. The first thing I noticed was an attempt at a divider, meant to block direct view of the queen’s bed from the door. I was only two steps in and I could already see the foot of the bed.
The next thing I noticed were the tables, chests, and the shelves full of display pieces and trinkets. Interior designers may not exist in this world yet but if they did, this was not the way they’d do it. The late Queen was toeing the line between a collector and a hoarder. Large chests were set against the bottom of shelves. Where there was a table, there were smaller chests either above or below it. sometimes both.
The three soldiers guarding, what I guessed were ladies working under the woman we were interviewing, eyed us with curiosity. None of them stopped us, thankfully, so I was left uninterrupted while Litoc looked on at his mother being adorned with expensive, colorful fabrics in the shape of flowers. She was dressed in a predominantly green garment with yellow accents.
Out with the green, in with the blue.
The woman was correct. There was nothing in the room to indicate anything at all that led to the Queen’s death. Not even the ceiling with traces of soot presented anything interesting. One can hope, but I am no CSI.
The same was true of the King’s chamber. Although I did spend more time examining the mentioned curtain, there was nothing amiss in there as well. I even tried sniffing at the air and looking out the windows. The only thing that struck me about the King’s chamber was how orderly it was. I stood by the door observing the lamp’s flames and the curtain before I left.
Nothing.
In Our Family Portrait
“’twas worth a try.” Said Litoc as he led me to the other end of the corridor.
We found the attendant waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs by the archives when we went down.
“Bring us wine an’ somethin’ to munch on. Bring it there.” Litoc instructed, pointing to the music room.
We each took a seat by the curved table near the window. There were torchlights outside but nothing perceptible came to view. A meteor shower graced the dim sky. From where I sat, Greid and Kalin’s waning phases could be observed.
“’ere,” Litoc tossed me a leather pouch, “take yer woman an’ the child around Osmouth tomorrow mornin’. Early mornin’s best, ‘specially if ye wanna see what a real market looks like.”
He grinned at me while I opened the pouch. It was full of unals. I counted the coins and put them back. There were twenty five of them.
“Bit too much for a morning at the market don’t you think?”
“’snot ‘nough. I went with ye fer my own reasons an’ what ‘appens? Ye end up savin’ the kin’dom. Or give it a fightin’ chance at least. If that isn’t an unravelin’ of the wavin’ mysteries, ye can call me a fool.”
“You came, I repaid it. That is even. This,” I held up the pouch, “is too much.”
I wasn’t exaggerating. Even the way they were, on a good week, I could earn an esteris a week as a porter. That’s about fifty unals a year. From what I heard, months before my arrival, things were about a third the cost that they were presently. The pouch still had more than that.
“Learn ta take what is given will ye? There’s more comin’ too. ‘sthe only thin’ I could get on short notice.”
We paused the conversation as servants appeared with wine and grilled meat, already cut up into thin slices. There was a tray containing two grilled fish as well. And bread. More bread.
“Did this come from the same kitchen? We just ate!” I exclaimed.
“’tis how it is ‘ere. Better lavish than punished, ‘swhat they say.”
As he poured us drinks, it occurred to me how Litoc had his mother’s features. Same face shape, cheekbone, and nose.
“Know any good places? Something that won’t take half a day to get to.”
“Lots o’ old places ‘ere Jorj. What’ye thinkin’ o’ gettin’?”
“I’m not sure yet. But definitely clothes for the children. Like the one they have at Osea.”
“Ah, ye mean used ones. I’m not knowin’ now but if there are, won’t be in the big markets now.”
“A market is market.”
“They used ta ‘ave them, when I’s still ‘ere. But I ‘eard ‘sbeen replaced by clothiers. Merchants ye see, they want ta impress when they ply their trade. Soon ‘nough, none of those stores were ta be found in the markets, all clothiers now. Must be good business.”
“Then I don’t know what else I’d be doing out so early. I’d rather sleep in and rest.”
“That’ll be a good thin’ too. If yer really set on gettin’ clothes, I could just ‘ave the old ladies ‘ere make them fer ye. But that’ll take long, a shift perhaps.”
“I’d rather just go back.”
“I reckon ye’d say that.” He said, poking at the fish. “Listen, just go out tomorrow, ‘ave somethin’ nice fer ye, yer lady, an’ the children. Fer the innkeepers too if ye fancy. Fill a wagon. Just make sure there’s plenty o’ space left fer us.”
I looked up.
“You’re coming back with us then?”
“Ha. If ye’ll ‘ave me.”
“Of course we’ll have you! What kind of idiotic talk is that?”
“I just figured, ye knowin’?”
“No. I’m not knowin’.”
“Ye tellin’ me this,” he gestured vaguely around us, “doesn’t bother ye?”
“If you mean appeal, no it doesn’t. I’d rather go back to being a porter.”
“An’ I rather be there haulin’ lunch.”
“Aside from the other business, you mean.”
He fixed me a look and pursed his lips.
“Ha. There’s always that.” He waved for the attendant sitting in one of stools to our right to go. “’slong as I draw breath, there’s always that.”