The Chaos Circles #8

The journey from Jaymes' farm to the heart of Enatuh took a good length of three hours and they were in a hurry. Jaque and his father moved only as fast as the Samuel's horse-buggy could take the two women, the later led the way with a lighted lamp on a staff.

Lya gazed at the landscape as the skylight faded from a gold-red sunset to a purple velvet speckled with tiny spots. They passed other farmsteads and a lone cottage or two from a distance. Many of them were dark or glowed faint with small lights.

There were others headed for the same direction but they seldom spoke. Not too soon when a more stable hard packed road replaced the muddy brown path. By the time they could see the silhouette of the largest and only tiled roofed building in the village, the bread and cheese were eaten clean from Dydine's basket and there was enough light from the bright Fire Tower to see with little use of Terrence's lamp. He blew the light out and returned a greeting from a passing Jeramson.

The Fire Tower was the only structure taller than the village hall. It was used to light the village during festival nights or for important visitors from far away to see the village from a distance after dark.

For most of the year, the Fire Tower held a great bell, where Mr. Patrickson the elderly watchman sat in on guard every night. Tonight, a good-sized blaze shone on the very top, lighting high above the earthen streets, thatched dwellings and shop houses everywhere.

It appeared that the King's Mages had just arrived. Two horse drawn coaches drove pass by the Hall. They were deep red of colour, almost black under the firelight.

Lya could barely make out the emblem on their doors, a green peacock with a sweeping tail entwining itself around a lighted staff. The words written in a circle around the peacock-staff were in old Isaqn language, Isnut inotu Avaasi ina Uqona.

She felt out of ease by the sight of the emblem. As they got closer to the Hall, Terrence Jaymes rode a bit back to Faerilla and broke the long silence between them.
"We shall part for now. If you don't mind Mrs. Samuels, your husband approved of me borrowing some room in your stables for my son's mule and my horse. We are already close to the hall and my brother's home is on the other side of the village."

Faerilla seemed to have woken from a trance when Mr. Jaymes spoke. But she nodded to him before turning her attention to Lya.
"Lya sweetheart, would you take the buggy and drive back by yourself back home? Just make sure Rosa scrubbed them down nicely. I'll see you at the back entrance of the Hall later. I must be with your father. He would need a hostess," said Faerilla.

Lya was about to follow obediently before she suddenly saw Jaque turned his head to her. He spoke the soundless language with wide, searching eyes. Nothing's changed, I need to disappear.
"Mother, why don't Jaque take the horses instead? It isn't safe for young ladies to be alone after dark, even with the Fire Tower lit. Rosa can..."

Her voice faltered when she saw Mr. Jaymes shook his head.
"I'm sorry daughter, but my son needs to be punctual in this meeting. Most of the men around his age are already in the Hall. It was requested by the Mages," said Terrence.

He got down from his steed and motioned to Jaque to do the same before handling him the reins. Jaque tied his father's horse and his mule to the back of the buggy. All the while, he looked to Lya and his eyes spoke again, in a way she could not really tell if it was softer or harder. You're the one with the Ability. I'll look after myself.

Lya sighed steadily as she took the reins from her mother and led the buggy away with the two other esquires. The Samuel's residence was little more a house yet much less than one of those fairytale mansions she had read about in her father's library. It was the oldest and one of the few double story buildings in Enatuh, itself enclosed in a large private garden surrounded on all sides with a seven feet high fence wall.

Outside the abode yet adjoined to the wall was the stone stable. Lya got off the buggy and knocked gently on the wooden sliding gate. Predictably, Rosa answered the summons almost immediately, her dark eyes gleaming.

Rosa Samueldottir was her father's first cousin. She lived with them just after the terrible butchery thirteen years past that made her a widow and childless. The woman's face always lit up at the sight of Lya, whom she considered as her closest female companion.

"You are a too early to return here, butterfly," said Rosa. She had never once called Lya by name and often spoke in riddles and metaphors.
"Not tonight, auntie. There are Mages in the village and they don't seem willing to wait for tomorrow to round up the head of clans," said Lya.

But then she thought for a moment.
"Are they staying for the night, Rosa?"
"Not to my knowledge. The only thing on my mind since this morning was if your flower had shared its secret earlier than flowers were supposed to."

Lya ignored the growing heat on her face, either caused by her continuing uncertainty or Rosa's statement. She untied the reins of the Jaymes' steeds as Rosa led the buggy inside.
"Ahh, yes. Mages Dangerous. Dangerous Mages. See how they rhyme! Be quick, butterfly, before you are missed. All flowers shall be bloomed but sweetness is best when tasted twice. So hurry now," said Rosa, smiling as she remove the straps.
Lya's face stiffened but she returned the smile with a wave. Now she wondered how many others who thought she had already a Bonding Night with Jaque.

She was running before she stopped at the front gate of her house. If the Mages were staying at Enatuh for the night, they would definitely stay the head villager's house since there were no inns, her father's house.

Lya felt a sense of presentiment with that thought. Knowing how long it would take for Rosa to take care of 3 animals, Lya opened the gate and walked quickly up the garden pathway to the stone porch to the front door.

There were only five rooms at the ground floor but three of them were very large. A modest hall that had been turned into a classroom, Rosa's bedroom next to the only kitchen anywhere that could cook a boar indoors and a good-sized library.

Quietly entering, she went straight for her father's study. Four generations of Samuels had completely ignored the historical treasure just under the very stone floor they walked upon and ten generations after that, including her father, did not even knew it existed.

Out of habit, Lya knocked gently on the thick door. There was no answer. She had expected it but she was being careful and always armed with an excuse in ready. She had been caught twice before but never while she was in the actual act of taking the set of keys out from a small hidden cache under the grand mahogany desk. After removing them, she gave a sigh of relief. Now she must hurry to get to the Hall.

She left the room as quietly as she came, pressing the set of keys close to her so they won't make a sound. If the Mages were curious as Lya was as a child, all they could only find that was curious enough would be an empty box in the study. Unknowingly, a pair of eyes had watched her every move from the window in the cover of outside's darkness.

To be continued...