Of Maagik, Swords and Crowns (Chapter 5)

Of Maagik, Swords and Crowns (Chapter 5)

CHAPTER 5 – RESHER’S STORY

In the dark of the middle of the night, I woke when I heard a twig crack outside. Conrrin was in his bed of hay, so I didn’t know who was making the noise. Probably a spy sent by the king. I pulled on a jacket and crawled to the door of the barn. It creaked as I pushed it open.

The night was black, foggy and cold. It pressed you until you almost thought you would suffocate from the mental pressure. Through the haze stepped a furtive shape concealed by a cloak. I shivered. The figure shivered too, and looked both ways, not seeing me, and then decided everything was OK. It removed the shroud over its head.

It was Resher.

She jumped when I grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing here?” I asked angrily. “Don’t you know the king is watching out for me? You might have just shown him where I am.”
“I made sure nobody was following,” she said shakily. “I know what I’m doing. Can we go inside? I’m a bit cold.” I glowered at her and she drew herself up in indignation.

Conrrin was already awake.
“Who is it?” he said cautiously.
“Ex-duchess Resher. Removed from House Rotteme,” I said. Conrrin’s eyes widened. “Resher, this is Conrrin.”
“The one who…?” muttered Conrrin.
“Yes,” I replied impatiently. “What do you want, Resher?”
“I want to help you and give you information,” she said. “I’d like to tell you my story.”
“What’s your problem?” I lashed out at her. “Why do you keep changing your loyalties?”
“I figured you might help me gain power and get Hailoe on the throne if I faked being nice to you,” she replied regretfully. “Then Branhjol wouldn’t help me, so I thought I might help you to put him off!”
“Weird,” I said, wondering at her strange logic. What if I decided to kill her for what she’d done to me? She probably knew I wasn’t capable of murder. “Anyway, tell us what you wanted to tell us. I’ll know if you lie,” I warned.

“Well, Zaidaanj and Conrrin, I was actually born on Diprassy. The island of forest. Everything was moist, the trees and bushes and grass. It was as if it was always Spring.
“My mother was a poor seamstress who loved my father the poor farmer. They were forbidden to marry because Mother’s parents wanted a rich son-in-law, but when Mother unfortunately had me they had to marry. Mother’s parents especially didn’t want to be the laughing stock of the village.
“Father was hard to live with as he wanted me to do things a son would do. He was young, 24 when I was born, and he wanted to train me to help my mother when she got older. Mother was already 30 when she had me.
“All day I had to tend the crops and sow the seeds, and all evening I had to cook a meal grand enough for my father’s eyes and tongue. My mother would do nothing but sit and slowly knit jumpers, underwear, and sew together pants and shirts from second hand material.
“I couldn’t stand it anymore when I turned 20. One day, my mother said I’d have to work even harder. She was 50 then, but still looked young; my family members have all lived to about 90. I asked why, and she said that Father had come back from a party drunk with rice wine. She had accidentally become pregnant again. I was so angry that I ran away. How? A neighbour was on his way to the harbour, so I hitched a ride for a few stolen copper coins. When we arrived, I thanked him and caught a small boat to Dipmaagik for one silver dollar. I went to Branhjol, the young king, and his court to ask for a job. Actually beg. It turned out he was in need of spies at that time so he decided let me be trained.
“For 5 years I trained with the master spies of Dipmaagik, then I went on missions for the next 5 years. That’s when I fell in love…with the king himself. He had me in his chamber often when Lullau his snooty, possessive wife was away, which was a lot. She found out about us a few months later and told Branhjol they could have a spy in the noble ranking if I married Duke Wontur, a soppy man in line to the throne. It was her scheme to get rid of me, and Branhjol bought it.
“But she didn’t plan on me having a son. Branhjol was so happy and he treated little Hailoe like his own…because he was. Only five months after I married Wontur, oh gourd I hate him, I had Hailoe. I could have been killed by Lullau, she was so angry.
“So I spied under command of my lover, when your parents stepped into fame. Our code for them was ‘the high ones’. Branhjol knew that his ally, the king of…Dip-something, can’t remember, needed sorcerers for his many fights. So he sent them to a ‘war’, which was only a little scuffle, in Dipthongg. His plan was to have them captured by the other king’s men and taken to his domain, wherever that is.
“I don’t know what’s happened after that, three years, because Branhjol stopped my flow of information for some reason. But, Zaidaanj, when I was in the palace a few months ago, I heard this…‘you need to gain the trust of two people to access the high ones: the king, and Maria von Schnider’. I don’t know who this Maria woman is, but I think you need to find her to find your parents.”

“R-Resher, do you know the amount of information you’ve given me?” I stuttered in wonder.
“Yes,” she replied promptly, scowling. “I’m not stupid. Enough for you to find Zaambique and Arrill, and get revenge on Branhjol.”
“I thank you very, very much,” said Conrrin and I in unison.
“What have you got to do with it?” I asked him indignantly.
“I could help you,” he answered, shrugging. “I’m not that bad with a sword.” I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
“Is there something about you that I don’t know, Conrrin?” I questioned.
“Yes, there are many things you don’t about me,” he said matter-of-factly. “As there are things I don’t know about you.” I sighed and nodded, wondering why I was accepting defeat so readily, then turned back to Resher.
“Sorry about that, Resher,” I apologised. “What do you want to do now, then?”
“I’ll go,” Resher said slowly. “Branhjol might have a tag on me, too!” She smiled brightly and stepped outside into the crisp dawn.