fandomania | The Adventure continues...

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The next day, word came that the Merry Nell would be arriving in Garmay port by mid-afternoon and Eoin with it. Arrangements were made for the family to greet him at the docks. However, with the recent deaths and the fact that Brian and his family were due in the next day, a celebratory party was put off for another time. But still, if the time of a person’s arrival is known, the family will always be on hand to welcome them home. It was one of the many open-hearted things the conDylar family did. They always seemed to live life to the fullest. For me, it was a wonderful thing and it made me very happy to be a part of it.

We all climbed into the carriages and arrived at the docks not long before the Merry Nell sailed into the bay. It was fascinating to watch Captain Bayard and his crew handle their ship. When the pilot and the guiding boats came alongside the ship, they slowly manuvered the ship to the dock, where it was quickly tied up and secured. When the gangplank was lowered, Eoin was the first off and quickly greeted by his father, his brothers and the rest of his family.

As I was watching this, I felt a tug on my skirts. I looked down to find a young child, maybe three or four years old, staring up at me. She was dirty and wearing rags, but she had the biggest brown eyes I had ever seen. The child, a little girl, was holding a silk rose and handed it to me. “You’re pretty!” was all the girl said.

“Thank you, sweetheart!” I replied. I leaned down to her level. “Who sent this to me? Was it you?”

The little girl solemnly shook her head ‘no’.

“Then, who sent it?” The little girl pointed to her left, towards the harbormaster’s office. There, leaning nonchalantly against the wall, was Count Torfen. He smiled at me and waved. As I straightened up, my hand tightened around the rose and I felt a prick. Within seconds, everything started to spin, although I did manage to cry out and say ‘help’ before everything went black.

When I came to, I heard humming, the sounds of the ocean, and the murmur of concerned male voices.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a couch in someone’s office. I immediately saw Fiorenzia. She was humming and was waving her hands over my body. I tried to speak to her, but a wave of nausea hit me. She noticed and grabbed a nearby waste basket in time as I began to retch convulsively and uncontrolably for quite a few minutes. I heard her ask for a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth and a towel. When my paroxysms eased up a bit, she asked if I was finished, but just shaking my head, started the vomiting up again. When it finally stopped, I lay there as weak as a newborn kitten. Fiorenzia washed my face and mouth.

“What happened?” I managed to ask, weakly.

“I was hoping that you could tell us that. As far as I can detect, you were poisoned, by something non-lethal, but strong enough to render you unconscious. Fortunately, Piatrus was quick thinking enough and sent for me immediately. When I got here, the poison had invaded your body, but I have managed to prevent it from reaching your womb, so your baby is safe. Can you tell us what happened?”

It took me a few minutes to pull myself together, but I told her what little I could remember.

She turned to Tru, who was standing nearby, with someone I didn’t recognize, and she asked him, “Did anyone see or find a rose near where Patra fell? If they did, please be sure to handle it carefully. It is poisoned.”

The unknown man went out and returned several minutes later with something wrapped in a handkerchief. He carefully unwrapped it and showed me the rose inside it. “Is this what you were telling us about?”

I nodded positively.

Fiorenzia took the rose. She examined it, smelled it and, even, tasted it. When the men looked alarmed, Fiorenzia smiled at them and explained, “I may have the appearance of humanity right now, but I still have my dragon constitution. Very few human poisons affect dragons.

“This tastes of agonacia and tincture of poppies. I think that it was an attempt to harm Patra and her baby, but not kill her.”

Tru looked grim. His face was stoney, but his eyes looked angry. It seemed to me that he was formulating some plan, but he said nothing to me about it.

When he looked at me, there was concern on his face. “Are you well enough to move now, Patra dear? We really should give the harbormaster back his office.” I then realized the stranger was the harbormaster.

“No! No! Take as long as you need. I am just embarrassed that something like this has happened here on my docks, to such a fine young lady.” The man said kindly.

“I am not sure that I can walk yet. I feel so weak. Although the nausea has gone away.” I replied.

Fiorenzia and Tru helped me to sit up. But the room started to spin and I was allowed to lie down again.

A thought occurred to me. I looked at the harbormaster. “Have you seen a little girl around here before? Brown hair, big brown eyes. Maybe three or four years old?”

The man thought a bit and then replied. “I can’t say that I have. There are a lot of urchins living around here. Their parents are poor refugees who work all day getting day labor jobs here at the docks. Or they are children from the brothels nearby. If we see them here, we run them off because they are usually here to steal. I can ask around. Why do you ask?”

“I am afraid that she might have fallen into the hands of that monster, Count Torfen and his cult. I would hate to have any child fall into their hands. I was hoping that you knew her or knew where she might live.”

“Sorry, my lady, I can’t help you there. If I see her or one of my employees does, we will find out more about her if we can.”

Fiorenzia tried to help me up again and this time I felt better doing so. Tru then picked me up and carried me to the carriage. I felt embarrassed by all the attention that I was getting. But there was nothing that I could do about that. Everyone should have been paying attention to Eoin and not me.

Just as we left the docks, I thought that I saw the little girl again, but she disappeared into a shack before I could mention this to Tru. I hoped and prayed that she remained free and with her family.

Once home, Tru carried me to my rooms, where I was sent to bed immediately. I was only allowed up for meals and the privy. When Brian and his family arrived the next day, Tru forbade me to go and Fiorenzia backed him up.

“You need your rest. And I don’t want anything further to happen to you. Once was too many times, in my opinion. So, young lady, you are going to take ‘no’ for an answer. When everyone comes back, you can be up and greet them here, in the safety of the compound.” From the look on his face, I knew that I had to obey him.

The memorial service that was held several days later was very different from Donal’s, because there were no bodies and no need for cremation. The service was well attended. Not only did the conDylar family come in droves, but also Wini’s family. In some respects, it was an easier service to get through. When it came to the part for the lighting the pyre, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of white butterflies were released instead, to symbolize the souls ascent to Empyrean.. It was a moving and very beautiful service. The wake afterwards was held, but I did not attend, as I just didn’t have my strength back. It did last all through the rest of the day and well into the night, from the sounds that I heard in my bedroom.

Haral sent word several days leter that he had found Ancil conMoros and was working to arrange a good time to meet him.

Later in the week, Dashal conAgri’s public trial took place. It was mostly a formality, but according to law, it had to occur. Tru hadn’t wanted me to go, but I insisted that I had to go. We had a huge argument about this, but in the end, I prevailed. He and I and many of the family went together. It was comforting to know that I had such a supportive family surrounding me.

The courtroom was large. To the left and to the right, there were floor to ceiling windows that were hidden behind huge filligreed screens, which let in a lot of light, but didn’t allow outside viewing or access. The back wall consisted of a pair of large plain, but solid doors for the public to use to enter. The rest of the wall was paneled with inlaid woods, in a subtle but remarkably beautiful pattern. In the front of the room, there was a wooden bench, tastefully carved from rare woods, with three large red velvet upholstered chairs behind it for the judges to sit on. On the wall behind the bench, there were two single doors on either side; the one to the left was the judge’s entrance and the one to the right was the prisoner’s entrance. In between the doors, there was a beautiful painted mural, depicting the ghod of justice, Teismo Narys, sitting in judgment of the world. In front of the judges’ bench, to the right, was the prisoner’s dock; to the left was the lawyer’s table, where both the prosecutor and the defense attorney sat.

The public gallery was behind a railing, which had a swinging gate corresponding to the main aisle. The gallery held seats for one hundred people. Our family took up at least thirty of the seats. I wasn’t sure who the rest of the people were, but every seat was filled.

While we waited for the trial to start, an elderly, slender man, of middle height, with a pleasant face and a ring of white hair surrounding his balding head approached Tru.. He was dressed as we were in black. His outfit was befitting his age, a loose coat of rough wool, with few embellishments. He didn’t look poor, but then he didn’t look rich either. He looked like a man who had spent all his life working with his hands.

“Hello, Piatrus, I don’t suppose that you recognize me. I am Ancil. Ancil conMoros. We met ages ago when Ercil was courting your daughter Helene.”

Tru got up and extended his hand to him in a gesture of greeting. “Yes. Yes, I do remember you. How have you been? I am sorry that we lost touch. There didn’t seem to be a point to, after Helene eloped with … that man.”

“That man? Oh, yes, him. I have been cursing the day that I was so stupid as to accept him as my apprentice. I wish I had known then what I know now.” Ancil replies sadly.

“You couldn’t have known. You couldn’t have known. If I had, I would have locked Helene in her room until she came to her senses. But we cannot change the past and we must think of the future.”

“True. Very true, “ replied Ancil.

“Forgive my manners!” Tru exclaimed. “Ancil, this is Lady Patra, Donal’s widow. Patra, this is Ancil conMoros, Donal’s other grandfather.”

I gave him my hand and then a respectful curtsey. “I wish that we could have met under better, happier circumstances. I wish that you could have known your grandson. He was a wonderful, loving man and a very talented sculptor. You would have been very proud of him.”

“I wish I could have known him. Do you have any pieces of his that I could see? Are there any on public display anywhere?”

Tru said, “Yes, we have a few. I will consult with his agent about arranging viewings for you from some of his patrons, if you like.”

“Thank you. It is good to know that he followed in the family footsteps and was a sculptor.” Ancil sighed.

“Donal and I have several children and another on the way, so there are great-grandchildren for you to meet and get to know, if you like ...” I offered.

Ancil looked surprised and pleased. “Yes. I would love that very much. You have offered me a ray of hope and solace in this time of sorrow. Thank you.”

Before we could say anything further, the court bailiff cried out. “Pray silence! Will everyone rise out of respect for Justices Zinovas, Rensor and Siegval?” Every rose silently, as the three men entered and took their seats at the bench.