Dream of Embers Book 1 Read online

Shala sent for Kaell when the morning had not yet dawned. She wore a plain brown coat over garments that were old and worn and mostly used for her trips to Norwain, so that she looked noble no more. All except for her riding boots that is, which she was sure would not easily fall under scrutiny. With her hood up she made her way down to the front entrance, with all the to-do of one aiming at escape.

  It had been such a long time since she had last gotten the chance to ride and the idea of putting Attoras behind her was enthralling. There were no such freedoms in the current state of affairs, and definitely not after a funeral and on the eve of a coronation. ‘I would be a reluctant companion Highness,’ Merohan had said when she had asked him to accompany her, ‘with so many matters of state to settle it is not advisable to be seen gallivanting around town. Besides, it is before a coronation that a royal member has the most enemies. Let us not tempt the dangers of going out on the road.’

  deBella's own response was simply ‘no!’ and much to Merohan's relief Shala called the idea off. In her waking hours however she had changed her mind, she would go about it without them, in secret, and if Erika her chambermaid could keep her mouth shut, return without them knowing a thing. She had sent the selfsame chambermaid to fetch Kaell, who Shala needed to get out of the castle, and as a companion besides.

  In the morning hours she merely nodded at a scant few guards monitoring the halls and they were none the wiser of who she might be. The odd one cast but a glance at her passing, just to assess whether she was someone of threat.

  She escaped notice until one of the guard did indeed call her over, and she approached reluctantly in defeat, lest he chase after her in suspicion and bring her down in a tackle. He would recognize her of course, but she would demand silence from him.

  But with the hood over her head, the dimness in the hall, and the thick-headedness of standing watch through a night shift, the man could not care to take a proper look at her. She was going to be lucky.

  ‘Ah, you have nice slim arms on you maiden,’ said the guard as if in revelation.

  Shala made a face below her hood. That was the last thing she had expected the man to say.

  He seemed to realize the nonsense of his statement and said, ‘I mean to ask for aid my Lady, I played with a coin of my pittance, to keep myself awake as you might understand, but I dropped the blasted thing and it rolled in underneath these pews! Built as they are I can't get my arm in underneath. Might I ask simply for you to retrieve it?’

  With some sympathy and without answering Shala swooped down and reached in beneath the narrow frame of the corridor pew, where men in waiting to petition the King might sit, and she found the man's golden coin without trouble.

  ‘There you are,’ she said in a voice unlike her own, handing it over.

  ‘Much obliged,’ he thanked her, and held it up, polishing the dust from it with a wolfish grin. ‘Have you ever seen a coin so splendid?’ he said, still with a grin and a sideways glance at her, in an obvious attempt to impress.

  Shala should have left then, but could not stop herself. ‘Yes, many times. A lot of men who are paid in monthly silver trade their coins for a single gold coin, for the convenience or the vanity of it. But you stand to lose a portion of what you earn. As it stands there are roughly twelve silvers to a gold, but you would not get twelve silvers' worth paying with a gold coin, especially if you are inclined to roaming from one merchant to another.’

  Now the guard made a face that was not of comprehension.

  ‘It is customary for merchants to keep a half-silver of change if there is any. This way the rich pay a little more for the convenience of carrying less weight. To us common born however it is worth the effort to simply carry the silver and make use of its full value.’

  ‘Fine advice! I did not even know that there are any maidens working in the treasury,’ said the guard airily.

  ‘No dear sir, there are no women in the castle dealing with treasury, and that's a shame. I'm simply close to Her Highness and make use of the little wisdom she preaches,’ said Shala.

  ‘I am Salonce. Might I ask your name?’ he blurted.

  ‘No you cannot, we are still strangers you and I, and until we meet again you will remain so.’

  ‘And why would a maiden wander around at these hours? If I had a choice myself I would still be wrapped in a coat of blankets.’

  ‘I assure you there is no choice to it, I have many duties to see to and I decided to get an early start. Farewell guardsman, dawn approaches and you'll be off duty soon enough.’

  ‘I wish! The marshal Gibbon makes it his pride to do an assembly every other morning and sets us marching as though we are preparing for a parade. The man is merciless... But let me put it out there, next time we meet we'll not be strangers, and then I'll have your name and have you know that my bunk has always room for a fair maiden.’

  ‘I would certainly have to think about that, till next time soldier, now I must be off,’ said Shala and stalked away, wondering if the man would ever realize he had just offered his... affections, to the daughter of the ruling House.

  ‘Farewell and thank you kindly!’ shouted Salonce after her.

  She'd been wrong. The man wasn't thick of skull because he was tired, he was simply a half-wit and not blessed with any great amount of sense. But then again she was not judging of this man, she could always have found him sleeping on duty, which was rumoured to happen, and then he would have no purpose as a member of the guard. At the brink of leaving the hall she heard the man tossing his coin up and down again and she left thinking about a story of a fool and his gold that were soon parted.