Winnie

Their home was being taken apart. At least that was how Winnie felt. Most of them had been brought to this place at a young age, after facing some type of crisis or misfortune. They had grown up here and formed the familial bonds that made up their kinship. It was their haven, their safe place, their home. And now, they were abandoning it. Winnie rolled her eyes at the melodramatic nature of her thoughts. They were moving up in the world. Their company of orphans was moving into the castle. They weren’t giving up their home, they were upgrading, and it could mean they could finally move forward with their plans.

Auraya would probably think it was too early. No-one will take a seventeen year old seriously, she would claim. She would caution patience. But patience was not something Winnie had in abundance. Regardless of her vice, what she did have in abundance was determination and persistence. She would get what she wanted, and those who stood in their way would feel the creep of her vines around their necks until they complied. Her macabre thoughts caused a bubble of laughter to escape her throat. A couple of her kin gave her a look that told her they thought she had lost a few of her marbles. She shrugged. They were used to it. Perhaps she needed to spar or head out on a mission for Rafe. Her musings were interrupted by Tristan.

“Are you glad you extended your stay now?” Her tone was only a little bit smug.

“Coincidence aside,” he retorted. “I’m glad I was here for this. Not that being elsewhere would have changed that.”

He waggled his eyebrows, clearly finding himself entertained at least. Winnie rolled her eyes. There was no arguing with Tristan. He was an roamer at his core. He wasn’t happy unless he was on the move.

“How are you going to handle the crops?” He effectively changed the topic.

“Mostly manual travel,” she replied. “Seems we’re putting on a bit of a show.”

Auraya wanted them all to be seen by the people of the city. She wanted it known that their new ruler was of humble birth and was surrounded by her peers. Winnie thought it was just plain annoying having to walk when a stepper could have them all there in moments. But it was understandable, it would appear like they had hidden the move to those who did not yet know of their abilities. That knowledge would no doubt start to leak from the castle immediately. Every corner of Jude would know their closest guarded secret by the end of the quarter. Appearances had always been important, but now it would be even more so. Their lives would begin to intermingle with national politics.

Winnie sighed. Would the benefits really outweigh the coming hardships? It didn’t really matter anyhow. They would cut down any who dared to get in their way. The thought brought back her earlier smile.

They walked away from the apothecary gardens, leaving their kin to their work. She had already issued her orders, and her team rarely needed to be micro-managed. She had remained out of nostalgia. Tristan informed her of the progress in the house. All who were present had packed their things and had begun packing for those who were absent. Everything was running smoothly so far.

In Winnie’s office, together they began putting paperwork away to be packaged. Most of the room’s contents would be moved by Tristan and his team of steppers. They weren’t all doomed to walk.

After making good headway, one of their kin knocked on the open door, announcing a guest.

The woman who came in had poorly disguised her affluence. She wore simple, well-fitted tunic and skirt, but both were made of costly material. The scarf she had about her neck was intricate sewn and obviously worth much. She had no jewellery on display, but her hair was arranged in a complicated twist and tie. She looked slightly uncomfortable in her surrounds, but her expression reeked of despair. They were – by now – accustomed to being approached by those who lived within the walls of Jude. The distress she radiated was tinged with the desperation that usually followed those like her when they sought out her kin.

“Winnifred?” Her tone was hesitant, somewhat wary. No doubt noting their young ages.

“Why don’t you take a seat, Mrs…?” Winnie’s tone was soothing and hopefully reassuring.

“Felton, Regina Felton,” she replied as she sat. “My sister, Nel suggested I find you. Baker.”

“Aah, Nellie Baker.”

“That’s right,” she confirmed. “She’s been coming for cycles. Always has a good word for you kids. Talented beyond your cycles, she says.”

Winnie simply smiled at the compliment and wondered if the woman understood the double meaning. She waited for the woman to speak.

“Father was very angry when she ran off to marry Jim. ‘Marrying down’ he called it. At least… at least she was happy.” She trailed off, her sight distant and wistful, almost sad.

“Father made sure I didn’t ‘make the same mistake’,” she sighed. “My husband is a good man. He’s just… stubborn, and very traditional.”

She seemed to want confirmation, so Winnie nodded, still unclear where this was going.

“Our son… our boy was never what Phil expected. He was softer than he liked. Our Brian is a kind-hearted boy, you see. When Phil found out… he had no interest in… girls, he lost sight of his love. He made Brian leave, and I… I didn’t fight for him.” Tears started to silently leak down her face. “Phil was upset when I spoke up, he… he can be unreasonable when he’s upset. I tried to get Brian to stay with Nel and Jim, but Brian is just as stubborn as his father. He felt betrayed, by both of us.” She took a second to compose herself. “He was staying down by the docks in Ivy Harbour. Behind a warehouse with some other kids. I check up on him every day. Try to convince him to go to Nel’s sometimes, but mostly to see him with my own eyes.” She fought the onslaught of emotions before continuing. “He hasn’t been back in days. The boys say he disappeared. He went on a food run and never came back. He’s a charmer you see, always gets more food than the others and always shared with his group. He looked after them like that.” She took a steadying breath, looking at her wringing hands.

“Something has happened to him. I know it. He isn’t the first either. The boys say it happens all the time.” She took another breath, then looked at Winnie. “Nel told me to come see you and tell my story. I don’t know if you can help me, but I didn’t know what else to do. The city guard sent me away telling me he’d turn up or he wouldn’t. They said they don’t have enough manpower to worry about homeless kids. I know my Brian, and something has happened to him. Phillip won’t hear it, and… and I have no money of my own to hire help.” She squeezed her eyes then visibly swallowed before speaking again. “Will you please help me?”

Winnie sat back in her chair, taking in all she had heard. They were quite used to people coming to them for help, even for matters that weren’t related to health. This precedent had been established long before they were old enough to help, let alone take charge. Regardless of the circumstances, they would find a way to help. She stood, taking a moment to relay instructions to her kin as she walked to the far corner of her office. She retrieved a wallet, placed a fair number of coins in it, and then walked around the desk to stand near Mrs Felton.

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“Mrs Felton,” Winnie said, drawing her attention. “I’m very sorry for what you have been through.”

The woman gave a weak smile in reply as one of their kin entered the room with a steaming pot of tea.

“Have a cup of tea whilst we talk.”

After the tea was served, Winnie asked the woman some questions, seeing if she could tease a few more details from her. She wanted a full description of Brian, his friends, his last location, information about the disappearances, and a detailed account of her interaction with the guards. She got some, mostly about Brian and his friends, not much else. She had attended the guard house in Ivy Harbour more than once and had been turned away each time. All she knew were rumours from the other homeless youths about the disappearances. Some came back, others didn’t.

Eventually, another of her kin appeared with a bag on his back. He was tall and wiry, with a head of wild brown curls and a soft easy smile that spoke of youth.

“Gilly,” Winnie called, motioning for him to enter. “This is Mrs Felton. I need you to escort her to Sal’s before you head over to Betty’s. Her son is missing.”

Gilly entered the room and went straight to the distressed woman. He laid a hand on her arm and she visibly relaxed. Winnie handed him the wallet of coins as he motioned for their guest to rise.

“Mrs Felton,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to help you, okay?”

She nodded, allowing Gilly to handle her and guide her out.

“Thank you, Winnifred,” she called over her shoulder before crossing the threshold.

“What do you think?” Tristan asked after the sound of their guest and kin had faded for a time.

Winnie sighed, running her hands through her hair. “I’m not sure. We can ask Rafe in a few days. Sal will know if it’s worth pursuing.”

“I hope she finds him.” The tinge of sadness in his voice caused her to turn to him and squeeze his bicep. They all had some kind of trauma or conflict in their pasts, usually related to their parents or family. Offering comfort was the norm.

“Hopefully,” she offered.

They both reacted to the message that came through from Rafe, locking eyes.

“Shall we?” Tristan offered the crook of his arm, all sadness forgotten. Winnie rolled her eyes as she took it.

The familiar tingling of Tristan’s magic enveloped her and from moment to moment they were stood next to Rafe.

The room they appeared in was gaudy. The walls were grey stone with giant pictures of some man or woman or horse. Huge windows lay in front of them from floor to ceiling, with double glass doors that led out to a balcony. A desk that could house three people sat in front of the window. All deep chocolate wood and fancy carvings. To the right was a similar but smaller desk. To the left lay a sofa with armchairs and a low table in the middle. Two large plants sat in the corners ahead. In the room Winnie spotted Auraya eyeing the large desk, Gina eyeing the smaller one, Trevor lounged on the sofa, Rafe was staring out the window, and a man she did not recognise in full armour.

“What have you gotten us into now O?” Winnie enjoyed poking at Auraya.

“Looks like I’m a royal bastard,” she replied with a grin.

“Rafe says you’re giving me a garden the size of Whitegate.” The boy himself rolled his eyes.

“Well, I haven’t seen much of our new home, so your guess is as good as mine.” They had always shared easy camaraderie, and as usual, Auraya slipped from that easy friendship to authoritative leader in a flash. She turned to Trevor, whose mouth was still hanging open from the opulence.

“T,” she called, drawing him from his awe. “We’re going to need to do a sweep of the entire wing.”

“The teams are still packing,’ he replied, glancing at Tristan. “Tris will bring them over when they’re done.”

“Why would you need to do that?” The guard asked.

“Trust is earned, Patten,” Auraya told him. “No one here has earned it yet.”

He simply nodded, then looked at Trevor with a slight frown, who had a hand over his chest and closed eyes.

“Rafe,” she called, looking at him next.

“The shadow-walkers have already started their sweep.”

Auraya nodded then rounded on Gina. “I think we need Seelie to get us up to speed.”

“Already done,” Gina said. “She’ll find you when she gets here.”

A man came clambering through the door with rolled up paper under his arms. He strolled into the room, looking very pleased with himself. His hair had far too much slick in it and the smug expression grated on Winnie’s nerves. The gaggle of awed hangers on – perhaps assistants – around him also seemed somewhat annoying.

“I found the blueprints,” he said.

Auraya beckoned all the room’s occupants to the large desk the man had laid the blueprints on.

“I need you to explain the layout of the castle for us Evans,” she commanded.

The first sheet had an overview of the castle as a whole. It was divided into four sections in a square ring. The centre seemed to be devoid of buildings, whereas the outside had several lone buildings dotted about.

“As you can see,” Evans began. “The castle is divided into four wings: north, east, south, and west. Starting with the south wing, where you entered from the city. It is mostly functional, no living quarters. It houses the throne rooms, ballrooms, council chambers, administrative rooms and the like. The east wing usually houses the royal family, families of the council and a few other prominent nobles. There are galleries, libraries, dining halls and so on. The north wing again is mostly functional, but also houses staff that wish to live in the castle. It consists of scholars, builders, carpenters, tailors, cobblers, blacksmiths, farrier, you know. Finally, the west wing has traditionally held visitors, or those who live in the castle temporarily. It’s mostly living quarters, similar to the east wing.”

“How many groups are in the west wing at the moment?” Auraya asked.

“Perhaps 27,” Evans looked to one of his assistants who nodded their agreement.

“Has someone started to move them?” Auraya asked him in a manner that demanded the answer ‘yes, done and done’. Winnie felt a spike of pleasure watching Auraya boss other people around. She was fairly short, and pale with orange locks. She looked unassuming, innocent even. But that was only skin deep. Auraya was focused and determined. She could not suffer fools and brooked no argument when she made demands. Luckily for them, she always acted in their best interest.

Evans only hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He turned away and began the process of issuing orders to his assistants. Auraya frowned slightly but said nothing.

The solemn looking knight made it clear with his shuffling that he wanted to converse with Auraya. She simply raised her eyebrows at him.

“Your highness,” he began. “We need to discuss your security going forward.”

“That’s sweet Patten,” she replied, only a touch condescendingly. “You can discuss security measures with T and Rafe.”

“But, your highness…”

“Drop the ‘your highness’ nonsense. It’s irritating.”

“I…”

“In formal settings or in the company of the unfamiliar, then fine. But here, surrounded by my kin, it can go. I have a name.”

“Very well,” he replied with a sigh. “However, the matter of your security should be discussed between the two of us. I…”

“Patten,” she said, with what seemed like sympathy, but Winnie knew was dwindling patience. “Trevor here deals with training and general security. Rafe here deals with intelligence. If you have questions or would like to add your guards to the mix, you will need to go through them.” She raised her hand to prevent his complaints. “I am a firm believer in the art of delegation. They have their jobs and they do them damn well.” She sighed, reigning in her annoyance. “I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, but if you all believe I need an added layer of security, I will defer to your judgement.”

It took several dragged out moments before he nodded and stepped back.

“I need more pots,” Winnie called out, effectively breaking the tension.

Auraya smiled her thanks before turning. “Evans. Winnie here has graciously volunteered to direct the procession to collect our kin.”

Auraya’s smirk elicited a growl from Winnie that entertained all the others in the room.