April 11, 3131
Teine woke to the unaccustomed sound of dishes rattling. Blearily, he opened his eyes. The kitchen Bess had brought down a fresh candle and was bustling around the small, windowless chamber, stacking the dinner dishes onto a tray and generally tidying up. After the long night behind him, Teine was confused, disoriented, and more than a little stiff after sleeping in a too-small chair. To top it all off, Marne had slept fitfully. Although Teine was used to dormitory living and the usual snoring and murmuring of many sleepers in one room, that came along with it, he barely got a moment's sleep; the strange child must still have been suffering the after-effects of his illness, as he had tossed, thrashed, and babbled feverishly most of the night. After having awakened the third time Teine put some thought into the matter, and wondered if Marne might be chilled. The room was very damp and cool. He ended up adding his own blanket to the pile, hoping the extra warmth would help Marne rest more comfortably. It seemed to work. Eventually both boys had fallen deeply asleep, and it appeared that Marne was still well and under.
Teine stole another look at his patron's alien features, partially to assure himself that he hadn't dreamed their conversation. Although the child himself was still odd-looking, Marne's unhealthy flush had faded overnight, and he seemed to be resting comfortably, with his arm draped over a very well-worn stuffed model of a holidocrith, made of suede leather and threadbare velvet. Teine smiled. One of its yellow glass eyes was hanging by a thread and it seemed to have lost an ear at some point, as well. Teine himself had a cherished stuffed bear he'd kept for years, until the poor thing finally fell apart shortly after he'd been transferred to Mastiff cohort.
"Good, I'm glad you're awake," the matron told him, shaking him free of his drowsy memories. "The storm petered itself out around dawn, and the Lord has come calling to take brunch with his brother and son. Best get to tidying yourself up, in case he wants you to present yourself before mealtime." Her expression was wizened, yet friendly. Teine rose slowly, twisting his neck this way and that. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, daylight streaming in from the open door made him wonder if he'd missed breakfast, and he immediately worried that he'd slept too long.
"Where do I go for a good washing up?" Teine murmured hastily, trying to collect himself before Marne woke up. "I'm sure I stink to high heaven, after moving all that furniture yesterday. I'm surprised the Aoife can't smell me from here."
She giggled and handed him the tray with the previous night's dirty dishes on it before giving him directions to the servant's washrooms. Just as Teine had shouldered his satchel with his change of clothes and toiletry kit, there was a clicking noise and all the electric lights came back on, flooding both the shelter room, and the main basement storage room with light. He could hear muffled cheering from upstairs.
"That's a relief," the old Bess quipped. "It's a lot easier to cook over the electric range than the wood stove."
"I can only imagine," Teine replied before taking his leave. For his part, Marne muttered something under his breath, stretched luxuriously in his sleep, and rolled over to hide his head from the morning light.
"Breakfast in a half hour," she told Teine's retreating backside. "You'll be dining in the kitchen, with us."
Teine took his time washing, enjoying the large tub, the privacy, and the nearly unlimited rush of hot water to their fullest advantage. His close cropped auburn curls made shampooing easy, and he found he even had time to shave the copper colored stubble from the few patches on his chin and cheeks that needed it. Determined to make a better impression on Lord Solmurrian this time, he dressed carefully in one of his new outfits. The deep green tunic with a black hem, matching black trousers, and his new leather ankle boots were easily the finest clothes Teine had ever worn, and he examined himself in the mirror several times to be sure he hadn't missed anything shaving, that his hair was tidy, and that his bag was carried jauntily over one shoulder. Finally satisfied, he headed to the kitchen to join the rest of the servants, stopping only once to survey the storm damage through one of the windows.
From the amount of debris in the courtyard, Teine guessed that they'd lost at least one tree, but it was hard to get a good enough view to tell from his vantage point. It looked like a clear and beautiful day, and he hoped his duties might take him outdoors for a bit. Although the Tower was spacious, and he'd had plenty of exercise toting furniture down the stairs the previous day, Teine couldn't help but feel as though he had a little cabin fever. After all, between his procedure in the hospital and the storm, he'd been cooped up indoors for several days in a row.
By the time Teine made it to the kitchen, Kenneth and his boys were already seated and feasting on fresh buttered biscuits and jam while waiting eagerly for more substantial fare. Teine could hear low tenor voices and the occasional soprano interjection from Marne filtering in from the formal dining room. Thus alerted to the presence of the noble Aoife, Teine took his place where Hamoni indicated, at the end of the table opposite Kenneth. The positioning wasn't lost on Teine- or Kenneth's two boys, who scowled, then returned their attention to the food. Servants were usually seated in order of rank, and Teine's placement at the foot of the table instead of one of the sides spoke volumes about his status within the household. It was all Teine could do to avoid grinning like a fool when he realized that he wouldn't be taking orders from anyone, except possibly Kenneth, once he learned his way around.
The matron was putting the finishing touches on stuffed omelettes and fruit compotes for Lord Solmurrian, Madric, and Marne, while Hamoni was heaping a gigantic pile of scrambled eggs into a serving bowl. "I swear," the Aoife girl groused, "I feel I've been cooking since sun-up. As if I don't have enough to do today. I thought the Rangers and refugees would never leave!"
Teine was momentarily sorry he didn't get to say good bye to the Aoife children he'd been playing with, but he still didn't miss the irritated glance the kitchen Bess gave Hamoni. Teine got the impression that the Aoife girl was somewhat of a complainer, yet the Human servants didn't feel they had the authority to upbraid her. With an irritated sigh, the old woman loaded a tray with the omelet plates, then arranged a small vase of flowers, some silverware, the teapot, and all the usual breakfast accessories. "Here, Hamoni. You can serve-"
She didn't have a chance to finish, as Madric appeared in the doorway, his hair tousled. He was still wearing the same clothes from the day before and carrying an empty bread basket. "We've decided to take our meal in the courtyard, Pasha-my-dear," he told her playfully. "Hamoni can serve us out there, when it's ready. Are there any more biscuits?" he added, holding out the basket like a beggar child offering a hat for loose coins.
Teine made a mental note of the kitchen matron's name, now that he'd finally heard it. It'd be easy to remember, as he and Leis had had a character in one of their earlier stories with the same name. Likely, they'd heard someone mention this Pasha at one point or another, and it stuck. Teine watched with interest as Pasha refilled Madric's bread basket with a fresh batch of biscuits while the magician waited patiently. "Perhaps I'll even get to eat some of these," Madric joked, eyeing the steaming pile with eager eyes.
"I take it Marne's feeling better?" Hamoni asked with a grin.
"And then some," Madric added, his expression jovial. "I don't know whether to be alarmed or relieved. He was bold enough to snatch the last one right out of his father's hand!"
"Saints preserve us!" Pasha chortled. She added an extra layer of biscuits to the basket, for good measure. Hamoni picked up the tray with the omelettes on it and followed Madric into the formal dining room.
Teine could hear Madric encouraging his brother and nephew to follow them to the courtyard, while Pasha brought the scrambled eggs and a plate of fried ham to the servant's table. There was no standing on ceremony; as soon as all the items were on the table, everyone simply helped themselves. Teine hesitated, looking at Hamoni's empty spot for a moment before digging in. He didn't have to wait long, as the Aoife peasant came flouncing in and plopped herself down on the bench next to Pasha a moment later.
"It took him long enough," Hamoni grumbled. "I can't believe he did it again!"
Teine, unsure what or whom she was speaking of, decided to remain silent for the moment.
"You've got to be kidding," Kenneth replied, keeping his volume low so as not to be overheard. "Again? I've seen Aoife take more active interest in the lives of their servants than that man takes in his own son. It's shameful."
Teine couldn't help himself. After swallowing what he was chewing, he asked, "What did he do?"
Hamoni eagerly turned to face him and hissed in his ear, "He was home for three whole days, and didn't even make the time to see Marne. Even when he was in the hospital and nearly died!"
Thoughtfully, Teine shovelled in another fork full of eggs and chewed while he contemplated the news. Even though he and Master Solmurrian hadn't gotten off on the best foot, Teine was surprised and more than a little saddened by the information. Perhaps Madric had stepped into the boy's life to fill the void left by his Father's disinterest? Though, on second thought, Madric the magician, was very interested in magical oddities- an appellate which certainly described his nephew. Teine's heart sank. But, he rallied, it could explain why Marne still had a nanny. Although that was also easily explainable by Marne being so child-like.
Even with so much evidence, Teine was reluctant to condemn Lord Solmurrian without further information. Not every parent was a good one- it didn't mean they didn't love their children. He was equally reluctant to automatically cast Madric in the role of the completely altruistic doting uncle- Madric had surely reaped benefits from having his nephew there to study. However, judging from the conversation going on among the other Humans, a few things were abundantly clear. Madric's people loved him. Lord Solmurrian's didn't. And Marne needed companionship-possibly even protection- far beyond what a nanny could offer. Teine's own role in the mystery unfurled itself with a resounding crack of sudden insight; Teine wasn't privileged above and beyond the other Humans- instead, he was in training to be a companion to Marne in the style to which the child was accustomed.
The other Humans assumed his silence meant shocked outrage, and had all began to speak- pretty much at once- about how Lord Solmurrian neglected his son. From what he was able to sort out of the hastily whispered conversation, this sort of thing happened all the time. It seemed that months might pass between the Lord's visits home, and even when he was at the Solmurry Demesne, he treated his son as an obligation that was strictly optional. Teine's own sire, whom he only saw him a few times a year, greeted him with pride and enthusiasm and would have leaped at the chance see him more often, if it were possible. That Lord Solmurrian had opportunities to see his son and passed them up boggled Teine's mind.
"At least he lets him take all the classes he wants and visit Madric whenever they wish," Hamoni finished, with grudging approval. "It's a good thing that boy has an Uncle who cares, otherwise..." She trailed off sulkily, and Kenneth nodded his agreement.
"So..." Teine asked, looking back and forth between the adult servants for guidance. He'd found a real treasure trove of information and advice as to how to best perform duties that hadn't even been spelled out for him. "What do you think I should do? I don't want to get the Master angry at me, and I want to do a good job, but no one has really told me much of anything yet."
Before anyone could answer, one of the bells fixed above the kitchen exit chimed once.
Hamoni groaned, and rose from her place at the bench. "I swear- I just left them! What more could he-"
Then the bell chimed again, several times in a row, as if whoever were ringing it were frantic and urgent.
To read the next installment, click HERE!
The Gilded Shackle is the first book in The Evermancer Saga, a series of online serial novels. Go go right to the most recent chapter, go to www.evermancer.com.
To read the whole story, starting at the beginning, click HERE!
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