I grinned at Gordon, looking into his slightly watery eyes as I clutched the pods to my chest. "This is brilliant! I was hoping to get my hands on some of these, thank you Gordon."
I tucked the seed pods into the pouch of blackberry seeds hanging from my belt, when I remembered something I had meant to tell the old gardener earlier.
"Ah, I should mention, that tree I repaired will probably lose most of the leaves I made it grow." I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a twinge of guilt. "It won't die or anything, but since I forced it to pop out so many leaves so quickly through magic it's not going to be able to sustain them unless I infuse it with more magic regularly. The tree will grow all the leaves back on its own, but it'll take some time," I explained.
Gordon made a dismissive gesture, and didn't look fazed by the news. "Don't worry yerself about it missy. I'll make sure the other fellers know about it so they won't go gettin their panties in a twist."
I smiled at him, relieved he wasn't upset. Gordon rubbed his hands together, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"Alrighty then, what would yer say to givin this ole man a hand 'round the grounds fer a bit? There's a few things I've been scratchin me head over that an earth magus may be able ter fix."
Well, that should keep me from being bored.
"Of course," I replied with a nod. "I'd be happy to help."
"Excellent!" Gordon began to walk back towards the trees I had seen him come from, indicating that I should follow him. "C'mon, I'll introduce yer to the others."
Gordon introduced me to the five other gardeners who maintained the mansion's grounds. All of them were non-magicals, which wasn't surprising since many of the jobs that catered to serving nobility were still mostly occupied by non-magicals, despite slavery having been abolished over a century ago. Many magus were too proud and self important to want to work such menial jobs.
The gardeners were all very welcoming of me, much to my relief. I had worried they would resent a magus coming in and seemingly taking over their duties, but they eagerly asked my advice and opinion on various matters. I also found they knew quite a lot which I did not, so the work turned into a kind of information exchange. I found myself having quite a bit of fun, and before I knew it the afternoon was fading into night. I returned to my room with the promise of helping more tomorrow.
I settled into a new routine quite quickly. I would get up at dawn and have a quick breakfast in the kitchens before going with Gordon and the gardeners to begin work for the day. After a morning of pruning and weeding, we'd all go back to the kitchens for lunch, before spending the afternoon working at installing a new garden towards the back of the mansion's ground.
Seeing me so often with the gardeners helped the rest of the mansion's staff relax around me. Now they would greet me as I went past, or happily stop for a chat during breakfast and lunch. The maids, manservants and kitchen staff seemed only too happy to divulge any and all gossip that had made its way around the mansion.
In this way I learned that, although Captain Strykar was the Duchess' eldest son, he had refused the position of heir in favour for his younger brother Callum. The Duchess had been disappointed about his decision. Apparently she had only agreed to this arrangement on the condition that the Captain train Callum in swordsmanship until he succeeded the duchy. Many theorised that this was the Duchess' way of keeping the Captain around in the hopes that he would change his mind.
Some of the staff speculated that as soon as Callum was declared as Duke, Captain Strykar would leave both the duchy and the Lycan Guard and strike out on his own. One particularly giggly maid confided to me in hushed whispers that she believed the Captain had fallen in love with a commoner, which was why he seemed only too willing to abandon his noble title.
I nodded along to her musings, but couldn't honestly bring myself to believe any of it. What kind of person would willingly give up all the money and power associated with being a Duke just to be with one person? The Captain had seemed too practical a thinker to not realise how difficult supporting yourself could be in this world.
During my work with the gardeners, I discovered that the back of the grounds housed a training yard and accommodation for the Lycan Guard members. I often saw them training in the later part of the afternoon, and Max told me they would also train in the morning. Jayce, Liam, Hunter and Ethan would wave to me whenever they saw me wander past. It was also quickly made apparent that Captain Strykar had a loud bellow. He would often use it to bark out instruction to his soldiers, and I was able to hear him with relative ease over in the new garden we were building.
Every evening, Alice would bring me my dinner in my room. At my request, she had begun to sit and eat with me. Our conversations were enjoyable. She seemed to know nearly everyone in Windscar as well as what drama and scandals they were currently embroiled in. In turn, she seemed fascinated with my experience on the farm, and my part in maintaining the Deadwall, and would ask me questions about it nearly every night.
Before I knew it, a week had passed in this way. The Duchess had allowed me to send a letter home so my family would know not to worry. I missed them terribly. I made sure to keep my mind occupied throughout the day so I wouldn't wallow in my home sickness.
True to her word, the Duchess had provided me with a token signifying my status as an official guest of the Strykar family. It was a metal disc about the size of my palm and engraved with the Strykar family symbol - a flaming sword rising over waves. Harold's face had seemed rather puckered when he presented it to me, as though he had just eaten a lemon, and I had the distinct impression he didn't want me to have it. Perhaps he considered me an unworthy recipient. Regardless I had so far not used it, instead remaining within the mansion grounds. I had no money with me anyway, so a trip into the town seemed like a waste.
On the morning of my eighth day at the Strykar mansion, just after I had finished pulling on one of my sets of shirts and pants, I had a knock on my door. I quickly pulled the leather arm brace on - still the only thing I had with a magic circle - and opened the door to find Harold standing there. He looked me up and down quickly, and I swear his nose wrinkled a bit in distaste.
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"Miss Rowan," he said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Her grace has requested your presence in her study. Immediately."
"Er, alright," I said, quickly gathering my still unruly hair into a low ponytail. "Can I ask what this is about?" I picked up my boots, hopping a bit on one foot as I pulled them on.
Harold's nose definitely wrinkled this time. "You will find that out once you have spoken to her grace," he replied.
Wonderful. That's not at all ominous.
Once my boots were laced, Harold turned on his heel and strode off down the hall, not looking back to see if I was following. I hurried after him, closing my door behind me while clicking my tongue in annoyance. Before long, we were once again standing before the double doors of the Duchess' office. The silver eyes of the carved wolves glimmered under the magical lights as Harold knocked.
A low voice that did not sound like the Duchess called out "Enter," and Harold opened the door and ushered me through.The light in the office was dimmer than last time I was here, the sky outside the window was still grey with the light of dawn. More magical lights were set around the room, casting a warm glow over the people already in the present.
The Duchess sat on one of the soft looking couches, one ankle tucked neatly behind the other, and she was sipping carefully on a steaming cup of tea. She wore a sleek dark red dress that fell down to her ankles, delicate white embroidery running down the long sleeves as well as across the hems. Her hair was swept back into a low bun, the white streak of hair set in an elegant swoop that skimmed over her ruined eye. Her feet were clad in small black heels that came to just beneath her ankles. Seeing her, I felt like a mess, and had to stop myself from trying to smooth down my hair.
Callum and Captain Strykar stood together on the other side of the room, both wearing simple grey tunics and black pants, their gold fire lanterns attached to their belts. Callum was holding a book in one hand and gesturing wildly with the other while quietly talking to his brother. The Captain was frowning, shaking his head at whatever was said. Both stopped and looked over as Harold announced me to the room.
"Thank you Harold, you may go." said the man sitting behind the desk.
He had a large frame, the outline of hard muscles showing beneath his black tunic. His wavy black hair was scattered with gray, and kept long enough to sit just above his thick black eyebrows. Light blue eyes glimmered at me, the same colour as Callum's. I noticed his clothing was conspicuously bare of any embroidery or magic circles which, along with his paler skin, made him stand out almost jarringly compared to the rest of the family. I gulped, feeling the prickle of nervousness at the pit of my stomach. It was the Duke.
Once the door had clicked shut behind me, the Duke straightened in his seat, motioning with a large calloused hand towards the couches.
"Please, Miss Rowan, take a seat," he said, his low voice holding a commanding edge that had me feeling like I should run to comply.
I had heard stories of the Duke, although I didn't know how many of them were true. It was said he was a non-magical that used to be a mercenary, and after showing great strength and bravery against the demons in the Deadlands had been granted a knighthood by the King himself - something previously never achieved by a non-magical. His marriage to the Duchess was one of major contention. A former nobody commoner marrying into one of the most formidable ducal families in the country caused many other noble families to petition the royal family to separate the couple. From the rumours I heard, Duke Strykar challenged every household that had backed the petition to a duel. All the nobles who accepted said duel were then soundly beaten by the Duke, with one noble barely escaping with his life.
I walked over to the couch that was opposite the Duchess and sat, trying to covertly wipe my now sweaty palms onto my pants. My chats with the maids had taught me that the Duke rarely handled any business for the household himself, conceding the important duties to his wife. The fact that he was here now, along with the Duchess, indicated something big was up. Something I probably didn't want to be part of.
The Duke stood from his seat, moving around until he came to the side of the desk closest to me and the Duchess. He folded his arms in front of him and lent back against the desk in a relaxed manner. The Duchess continued to sip her tea calmly. My mouth was dry. I felt neither calm nor relaxed.
Why do I feel as though I've just stepped into a predator's den?
"As my wife told you the other day, we sent your report on the Wall to the Royal Palace so they may determine the severity of the event," the Duke began, shifting into a more comfortable spot on the desk. "Last night, we received their answer."
He nodded to the Duchess, who gave him a small smile before setting her teacup onto the low table between us. She regarded me with a serious expression.
"The Royal Palace has informed us that the event you experienced wasn't an isolated incident. The Deadwall Fortress was also attacked by demons on the same night." She smoothed the fabric of her dress over her knees. "However, before all the demons that breached the Wall could be found and destroyed, all the earth magus in the area were killed."
My stomach dropped like it was filled with stones. Callum and Captain Strykar - who had both moved closer as the Duchess began speaking - both exclaimed in shock. I felt like I had been punched. All the earth magus around Deadwall Fortress were killed? But, that was at least fifteen people, that can't be. I'd met most of them, I knew them.
What was to become of the Wall now?
"How were the demons even able to make it past the Wall in the first place?" Callum was asking, voice cracking near the end. "Shouldn't the Barrier Stones have stopped them, even if the Wall had failed?"
The Duchess held up a hand, and her son fell silent. "That is the main concern for many of the noble families I have been in contact with over this matter," the Duchess said, placing her hand back onto her lap. "We believe the Barrier Stones may be failing, since it has been so long since they were last charged."
"Which is why," the Duke cut in just as Callum was about to speak again, "we, along with a number of other noble families, are petitioning the Royal Family to deploy the current Vessel of Bolcan to recharge the Barrier Stones."
Silence fell on the room. The Barrier Stones were huge mysterious stones which held the power of the Gods, and prevented the demons from stepping foot on the land they protected. Every country had four of them. But their power dissipated over time, and needed to be recharged by the only person capable of channelling a God's power - the Vessel. In the case of Ardere, the Vessel was of the God of Fire Bolcan. There was, unfortunately, a slight problem with the current Vessel of Bolcan.
"The Vessel is still just a child," Captain Strykar protested. "She's not yet even ten. It wouldn't be safe to send her to the Stones yet, not after what happened to the last Vessel, and with..." he trailed off, glancing down at me.
I knew what he had been going to say. Not after what happened to Arbor, my country of birth. Arbor had been attacked by demon worshippers, who had killed the Vessel of the God of Earth and destroyed the country's Barrier Stones. This caused the land to be overrun by demons, and most of the people slaughtered. With the goal of destroying all the Gods, and driving the world into chaos, the demon worshippers had then come to Ardere and killed the former Vessel of Bolcan.
The Ardere soldiers had been able to fight them off before they destroyed the Barrier Stones, but the Vessel had been killed before she could recharge one of the Stones. Within a year, that Stone lost all of its power. Demons flooded the area formally guarded by the Stone, and all life gradually wasted away until it became the Deadlands it was today.