Kalie Rana

Three days later

Over the following days, I was stuck in a loop that I hated. We spent morning and night in the carriage as the verdant landscape barely changed. Now, it wasn’t the travel that was bothering me—boredom was something I was accustomed to—it was that I was entirely preoccupied by my own mind. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from dwelling entirely on the implications of Sinnok Barru, the Ravencourt, and even Grandmother all being related somehow to the assassin that tried to cut my life short.

As it wasn’t completely out of character for me to fall into slumps like that, Maria was quiet and ready to listen as always, but Lux seemed to have a harder time coping with me sulking around. After the first day, he decided that it was easier to sit out with the coachman than deal.

It wasn’t that I blamed him—far from it actually—I understood more than most that I was being miserable to be around, but no amount of understanding was able to pull me out of my funk.

It wasn’t until the fourth day that something finally broke.

Even if I’ve got real things to be stressed about, what can I actually do about it right now? I’m riding in a little carriage heading off to be shuffled around and presented like a show pony. This, right now, is the most freedom I’ll get until I am back on Cerith, and I am letting it go by due to a foul mood.

At the very least, I could use this time to get a little closer to Lux. If I do it right, then there’s no way he’d forget about me before I’m able to snatch him up after the White Raven finds a better match from his wealth of candidates.

Across from me, Maria perked up after seeing my face.

“Feeling better my lady?”

“In fact, I am. Could you ask the coachman to stop for a moment?”

“Of course!” Maria seemed delighted at the idea of me doing anything after a funk, and with a knock on the dividing glass, the carriage came to a slow stop. Taking the opportunity presented to her, Maria went off for a walk. Lux, seemingly wanting to do the same, no doubt to avoid me, stepped off the carriage. Understandable, but I wasn’t willing to let that happen.

“Lux! Wait.” Lux stopped in his tracks a few feet from the edge of the well worn road. He turned to face me but his expression gave nothing away, as usual. Despite that, I had a sneaking sense of intuition about the emotions he was keeping hidden away from me. “Do you have a moment for me?”

“A moment, a minute, or an hour my lady.” His deadpan made it impossible to sense the sarcasm. At the very least, it was a little ironic.

“Then come join me in the carriage for a moment,” I said, opening the door for him.

“Yes m’lady.”

“And sir,” I said, looking at the coachman, “if you wouldn’t mind standing watch down the road a little ways for us? I can’t shake the feeling that there may be good reason.”

“Of course your highness,” the coachman said, dismounting the carriage quicker than I thought possible for the older man.

Seems like a princess’s concerns are valuable to the right ears.

After shutting the door behind him, Lux sat back, but refused to relax.

“So, is this intuition of yours something that I should be concerned about?”

“Are you planning on avoiding me until we reach your tyrant king?”

“I wasn’t doing anything of the sort, my lady. But, you never answered my question, do you think that there is going to be trouble?”

“You hold the answer to that question in your own hands. Do you plan on avoiding me for the remainder of this trip? Because, if you do, then yes, I can imagine quite a lot of trouble I could manage in the meantime. Do you think this carriage would withstand a sudden gust of wind or the horses a slick of ice? Not that I would ever hurt such beautiful creatures.”

“You’re not serious are you?”

“You tell me.” Lux’s eyes, darker in the shadow of the carriage bore into me unblinking.

“I know you’re not.”

“Do you? Are you sure? Have I not been different from what you expected this far? Have I not at the very least earned a little bit of your distrust?”

Lux’s lips pursed slightly, breaking his expression for the first time since he sat. “That’s exactly the problem Kalie. That despite your inexplicability, you are one thing above all others; someone that I can trust. Maybe not to always make the right decision, but at least to make the decision that you think is right. So, in a word; yes. I do trust you.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

“Why would you want to?”

“The whims and whills of a maiden’s heart are not something that I should go bearing to you at the slightest drop of a hat, should I? Rather, answer the question that I asked you. Are you planning on avoiding me until we reach your king? Or, are you going to help me make the most of what remains of my freedoms.”

“Freedom in the box of a carriage? Or do you intend for me to help you escape.”

“I see no reason that we be limited by the fact that the space we’ll have is small. Just join me, and tell me stories of this land of yours.” As I spoke, I hesitated to offer a hand to him. For some reason, I desperately wanted to feel the warmth of his wrapping around mine, as he told me he would stay with me, once more. But his stiff lips, and his tightly curled fists told me that even though I may have been ready for it, he was not. “And, if the time comes, would you mind giving me the helping hand you’ve offered to me today, and before?”

“On your word, Kalie. If you so desire it, I will take you far away from the Ravencourt. All you need to do is say the word, and I promise I will do whatever I can to see you have what you desire.”

“And if that foolish maiden’s desire is you, what will you do then? Will you still do all that you can, at my word?”

“If… if that is your desire, then I will see it done.” Upon hearing that, the funk I had fallen victim to had officially flown away. Instead, my cheeks were burning with hot blush, and my lips were pulled as tightly as I could muster—anything to avoid grinning like the idiot I was and ruining the entire thing. Whether or not his words would ever come true was something that I would have to wait to find out. But, one thing that gave me solace, was that his fists weren’t so tight nor were his lips so pursed, once Maria returned to the carriage.

***

Two days later

The next day we arrived at the Jesop dukedom and the following morning, we departed. While it was more or less completely indistinguishable from the warm, prairie-like, land of the northern Lacan Protectorate, the ducal seat itself was quite interesting. The castle itself wasn’t overly grand, but unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was situated on the side of a jagged, and imposingly tall mountain. The most interesting aspect of which was the fact that it was the only mountain as far as the eye could see. The apartments that were given to us were furnished for royalty, and unlike Marcroft manor’s, the furnishings were obviously expensive, and new. With the duke gone on business, and the duchess unavailable due to illness, we ate alone. I was happy that I avoided playing games with another set of hoity toity mainland nobles, and even happier that I was able to eat a meal fit for extravagant royalty, with Lux and Maria by my side. And, even better, out of sight from the judging eyes of those around me.

Two gifts that I knew would probably be my last.

Back in the privacy of the carriage, I finally let loose with all the questions I had built up since our arrival the night before.

“Earth majin?” I asked, as we left the castle’s stables, which were situated at the base of the mountain, practically under the semi-hanging castle.

“How else?” Lux answered matter of factly, “the Jesop clan is famous for their stone-mover majin.”

“But they’re so deep in the mainland! How in the world did they survive the empire?”

“Lets just say that the Duke and his ancestors have always been quite shrewd, and the stone-movers have always been quite adept at finding the most precious gems and metals, whenever they were required.”

I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or disgusted by the fact. A majin noble clan, rich and powerful enough to perform feats like raising a mountain out of the flat prairie, and yet, they did nothing during the persecution of their own people during the rule of the despotic empire.

My mood soured once again as we continued into the countryside. As we travelled deeper into Corvus, we left behind the lush forests of the Lacan Protectorate, and the rolling prairies of the Jesop dukedom, until our carriage rumbled into the wet, and humid swampy country side of Corvus.

“If the whole kingdom is as dreary as this, I can imagine your lord’s expansionist tendencies.” The jab was as barbed as I dared, but at the same time, saying it made me feel a little better.

“The southernmost region is relatively humid but as we make the trek to the king’s city, you’ll see just how drastically the climate changes.” Lux did his best to not even acknowledge the barb, no matter how much I wished that he did. If he joined in on my near-constant ribbing of the White Raven, then maybe that would make me feel a little better. Instead, he did as he always did, and just ignored me.

The high ranges of distant mountains rose blue above the horizon, only fully revealing themselves when we were at their doorstep. As we climbed the curving road toward the capital, I finally got a full grasp on the city that I had only ever heard of in passing over the last eleven years.

Cartigia, the king’s city of Corvus, was a capital unlike any other that I had seen, this life or my last. While the closest in my previous life would probably be something like Rio de Janeiro the similarities would be superficial at best. Positioned in a valley between two large and impressive mountains, the city climbed the sharp cliffs in a way that seemed impossible for the technology of this world. The gap only being explained by magic itself. The switchback road became paved with stones as we got closer to the expansive city gates. The walls, no doubt raised by majin towered high, blocking the view of all but the highest buildings that hugged the sheer cliffs of the mountains.

“It’s wonderful! So huge!” Maria’s eyes were wide, and glued to the glass of the carriage. All her attempts at prim and propriety had gone out the window as the city grew larger.

“Have you never been to the capital before?” I asked.

“I have m’lady, but… it’s changed so much!”

“Changed?”

“The walls, and those great buildings on the cliffs, did you see them? They weren’t there when I first left for Cerith. In truth, the city of Cartigia was nothing like this,” Maria said without turning from the window.

“Things have changed drastically in the last five years. But, ever since the fall of Hol Sagra and the empire, Cartigia has grown almost five times as large,” Lux said, allowing Maria to return to her gawking.

“Five times? How—” But, before I could even ask the question, the lines and lines of haggard looking people, looking far worse, and far more numerous than those outside of the gates of Scuttleview, came into sight. “Here as well? What, did the slums run out of space?”

“There are no slums in Cartigia.”

“How did your lord manage that then? Did he just expel anyone who couldn’t afford the tax?”

Make it illegal to be homeless? Jesus, starting to sound too much like home.

Although this world was obviously backwards in many respects, there was one thing that I desperately wished I could export back to that place. At least it was the case back home on the isles, and sadly not here, but every peasant from prince to pauper was taken care of on our islands. To each according to his needs, and from each according to his ability. It was a dangerously progressive system, but even for a kingdom we managed to make it work. Nobody was expected to work themselves to death, nor was anyone going to starve because they weren’t able to work. But here, an ocean away, it was just like I was back in my old life again. Seeing people being crushed under foot by other’s greed.

“Space within the city is hard won from the mountains, but earth-movers are working tirelessly to rectify that. I hate to admit it, but there is little that can be done for these people at the moment, even if we wanted to,” Lux said, the indignity of his words contrasting with his stoic expression.

“So you’re saying that they’re just abandoned out here? Who’s going to protect them? Where are they supposed to live? Are there bandits or others who are seeking to see them taken advantage of? I could only imagine. After seeing how the peasants lined up outside of Scuttleview and now here, I question whether the White Raven truly even cares for the people who helped him become king.” Lux had already shielded his eyes from me. “I question any ruler who would allow so many to go without, especially when there’s so much to go around. It probably won’t be long until another rebellion comes then, won’t it?”

It was difficult for me to put him in this position, but on the same token, I couldn’t stop myself. There was no way that I would be able to talk this openly with someone like the White Raven, but if there was a possibility that I could change Lux’s mind, then just maybe, I’d have someone who felt the same way by my side in this world.

“Wealth is one thing, but there’s not enough to go around. Not yet at least,” Lux said, staking his position against me.

“Is that what you think? Do you think that the White Raven and the Ravencourt are doing their best to find space for those people? Or do you think, the much more realistic possibility that they’re doing their best to appear like they’re doing their utmost? What do you think Lux? Not what you’re told to think.”

Maria, who I was sure had been completely inoculated to my way of speaking, was the first of the two of them to look at me. Her expression was pretty much exactly the one that I was most worried about. She wasn’t mad at my impropriety, nor was she confused by what I was trying to get across. She was worried, and worse yet, not for me.

The carriage finally arrived at the large gate house allowing passage into Cartigia, casting a wide shadow over the carriage. Only torchlight flickered in the cab.

“While I cannot now give you an answer for what the White Raven, the Ravencourt as a whole, nor the rest of the people of Corvus are hoping to achieve. There is one thing that I am sure of. With you here, Princess, I’m sure you will be able to wrestle the answer you seek from them all.”

While I wanted to believe him, the wide, clean street that greeted us told me that he may have been misguided. The absolute disparity between the homeless peasants outside the walls and the clean, stately city within the walls, told me that if I was looking to better this place, I’d have a long road ahead of me.

But that would have to wait because, like the mountains, I didn’t see the palace until it was almost right in front of us. And by then, it was too late to see anything else. The moment we passed the palace walls, and the tension became visible over Lux’s entire body, what I had feared originally became an absolute certainty. If a stickler like him was worried about us being here, god only knew how bad it’ll be for someone like me.