A Fleeting Eternity - Chapter Four

Aleth fell into a silence as they walked, leaving Ky to fret with her own thoughts as she followed close behind him. There was literally nothing that Ky wished to “chat” with Aleth about. Not one single thing.

As they turned the corner to the last hallway, Ky saw another man walking towards them. She brightened slightly as she realized it was Alcan. He’d been the stable boy before she came, and made her transition bearable, before he left for his new position as a castle boy. Alcan was one of the two true friends she’d made in her time here, and he could make any day better, just by being there. She was glad for his bright smile as he approached.

He dipped his head respectfully as he passed, greeting Aleth. “Sir.”

He kept walking, never slowing his pace as he reached back and clapped Ky on the shoulder. She appreciated the sense of courage that it brought with it; the assurance that she still had someone on her side, in all this mess.

Aleth glanced back at the exchange, but didn’t comment. He pushed the door to his bedroom open, then gestured at the bench where he wanted the saddle to be placed. Ky walked over and set the saddle down as Aleth sank to his knees in front of his chest and began digging through the items within.

Ky stood behind him respectfully, hands clasped in front of her body. Her gaze wandered around the room. It was a spacious area, with three large windows in front of her, opposite the door to the hall. To her left was a massive bed with ornately embroidered blankets and pillows arranged neatly on top. To the right was a small desk covered with papers.

Ky glanced back at Aleth. His back was still turned as he bent over his chest. Her gaze traveled back towards the desk. He had numerous letters lying on the desk. She focused her attention on the one closest to her and was surprised to see the Atrayaian crest at the top. She glanced at the others and saw that he had letters from many countries – Lytias, Alheren, Lutalya, Nykeria, Atraya, and Griveka – although they were all written in the Trade Language. It seemed like he had colleagues in nearly every country.

“Do those interest you?”

Ky started, snapping back to attention as her eyes locked back on Aleth. He was standing now, next to the chest, but he quickly closed the distance between them in a few strides. He crossed his arms, standing uncomfortably close, as he glared down at her with narrowed eyes.

She wet her lips. “I was looking at all the different crests, sir.”

“Indeed.” Aleth stepped over to the desk and gestured for her to follow him.

Ky stopped on the opposite side of the desk from him, looking down at the letters. There was one from a lord in Atraya asking for financial support to hire soldiers. Another from someone in Nykeria, telling him what was happening in their court.

Aleth pulled out a sheet with all the crests stamped on them and handed it to her. “They’re quite unique.”

“Yes, sir,” she agreed, looking down at the page.

“This one is Lytias,” Aleth said, gesturing to the one of a python coiled around a scepter. He moved his finger to one of a bundle of roses on top of a shield. “Alheren.”

He moved his hand to point at the most interesting one on the sheet. It was a magnificent dragon with intricate scales, a small flame erupting from its mouth. “Nykeria.”

Aleth briefly pointed to each of the remaining crests, naming them, and then fell silent as she absorbed the information. She recognized several crests from the carriages she’d put up when Makata entertained international guests.

“Ky, hand me the letter from the Alherian Lord Elstan.”

Ky glanced down at the table. She quickly saw the letter, nearest her edge of the table, on the corner. Leikos Elstan, signed next to a bundle of flowers and a shield. She grabbed the letter and held it out to Aleth, finally looking up.

He didn’t take the paper for a long moment.

His suspicious gaze locked on her eyes again, cold and calculating as ever. She hesitated, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. Stable boys couldn’t read. She knew that. She should not have known which letter he was referring to, and she should have been smart enough to realize that before being stupid enough to tip her hand like that. “Can you read?”

“No, sir,” she lied quickly. “I just looked at the crest.”

Aleth took the letter, still staring her down, obviously not convinced. “Funny. There are four other Alherian crests in front of you… and yet you picked the right one, on the first try.”

Ky glanced down at the table, mouth dry. He was quite right. She stepped away from the table, refusing to look back up to meet his gaze. “It was the first one that caught my eye, sir.”

“Mm.” Aleth tossed the letter down on his desk, then held out the tub of cream to her. “Here’s the cleaner. Rub it into all of the leather.”

“Yes, sir,” Ky answered, taking it from him and silently going to work. She was as meticulous with the saddle as she was the horses, careful to clean each and every crevice in the design pressed into the leather, but also working as quickly as she possibly could.

“So.” Aleth sat at the end of his bed, ankles and arms crossed, as he watched Ky working on the saddle. “Makata said that he brought children ages nine to fourteen to his palace from sectors nine and twelve, two years ago.”

Ky swallowed hard, heart beating so hard she could feel it reverberating in her stomach.

“He sent the girls to his harem, and the boys to start training as barracks boys or recruits in his army,” Aleth said. “Is this how you remember things happening?”

“Yes, sir,” Ky answered gruffly, studiously avoiding his gaze. She rubbed the leather vigorously. If it’d been made of a lesser material, her anxious hands might have broken through the very thing she was meant to clean.

“Then how is it that you came to be a stable boy?” Aleth questioned. “Shouldn’t you be in the military now?”

Ky swallowed again. She’d have taken the military over the option she was actually supposed to be in now. She’d have even taken the military over her current situation, in this very moment, in this very room. Her head was starting to feel light. She forced herself to take a deep breath and gather her thoughts before she responded. She had to remember the details perfectly, to make her story as leakproof as possible.

“They needed a replacement boy in the stables,” Ky answered, keeping her gaze fixed on the saddle before her. “I was the only boy from my township who knew how to tend horses. I guess they figured it made the most sense to train the farm boy in the stables, rather than send me to the barracks and train another boy from scratch, since I already had the basics down.”

“I see,” Aleth answered thoughtfully. “And what happened to your predecessor?”

“I don’t know, sir,” Ky lied. The last thing she wanted was to have to name her friends to Aleth. “I think he might have gotten moved into the palace, but it didn’t seem like my place to ask.”

“Of course.” Aleth was silent for a moment. “I suppose I can make it my place to ask, then. I’ve got a fair bit more leverage than you.”

Ky glanced at him again. She didn’t think her stomach could feel any sicker than it already did, but every statement he made brought on that much more queasiness. She forced herself to take a deep breath. “Yes, sir… I mean, if it matters to you that much. He was just a stable boy.”

“And what was his name?”

Ky kept her gaze fixed on the saddle. “I don’t quite recall, sir.”

“You sure about that?”

Ky didn’t need to look up to hear the challenge in his voice – but she did anyway. A mistake. The edge in his voice was nothing compared to the way he set his jaw; brows drawn as he glared down at her.

“Yes, sir,” Ky answered, looking back to her work. “Apologies, sir. I didn’t know him well, and it’s been a while.”

“I see,” Aleth answered slowly. There was an agonizingly long pause. Ky couldn’t seem to draw another breath past the tightness in her chest, her conscience screaming at her for the lie. It was a weak lie – pretending to forget. And yet, she knew that if she made up a name then that lie would be even easier to uncover. “No matter, I’m sure I can track him down just the same.”

Ky let out a silent sigh, keeping her eyes fixed on the saddle as she resisted the urge to cringe. She wished she could go find Alcan and warn him to watch his back, that Aleth was coming for him – and yet she knew the chances of bumping into him a second time in the same day were slim, and she couldn’t very well go poking around the castle looking for him without some other valid excuse.

“You have a partner, Ky?” Aleth asked abruptly, changing the topic.

“No, sir,” Ky answered, startled. She frowned at the saddle and scrubbed at the flap of leather in her hands furiously.

“And why’s that?” Aleth questioned, standing up to walk towards her. “You’re not bad looking. I imagine you’re sweet enough around people you’ll say more than two words at a time to. Never found anyone to strike your fancy?”

“I’m not really interested in romance,” Ky answered, standing. Her eyes flicked up to meet his gaze, but quickly returned to the saddle when she saw the look he was giving her once again. “Is this suitable to you, sir?”

Aleth stepped past her and silently evaluated her work for a moment, then nodded. “Excellent work, Ky. You can take this back to the stable.”

“Yes, sir.” Ky swooped swiftly and grabbed the saddle, retreating as quickly as she respectfully could.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ky,” Aleth called as she reached the door.

Ky looked back at him. He wore the same infuriating, terrifying smirk that he’d given her nearly every time she glanced at him. She bit back another sigh. “Yes, sir.”