Chapter 17: Escape To The Library

“Thank you for offering to house us.” Apollo, the understudy of the priestess and priest, spoke for the trio. They reserved their words for speaking the wisdom of the Creator while he dealt with the more mundane things like water and housing.

“Thank you for doing my family the honor of accepting.” Sihara smiled. She could have dispensed with the trouble of using a oil lamp to light the hallway. The Followers Of The Creator glowed with their own light.

She led them to one of the few empty guest rooms in the Elementi wing of the Ambassadorial Halls. Most of the rooms were taken by the visiting Sikars and Kamdars.

The room had a single cot and a book shelf furnished with books from the Grand Library. “I will have a servant bring more cots.”

“No need. The floor provides much the same function.” Apollo answered.

Sihara shook her head. “I would never have it said that I made Followers Of The Creator sleep on the floor.”

“If it makes you feel better, we will accept.”

Sihara looked through one of the drawers and found a wick. She lit the oil lamps in the room with the flame from hers.

She paused at the doorway.

The High Priestess met her gaze. “You have something more to say.”

Sihara nodded. “I would ask you to pray for the Creator to grant me a vision of his plan for me so my heart is not torn in two with worry.”

“You worry about the alliance?” The Priest asked.

“Always, but that is not what I wish to know.” Sihara should trust these Followers, but they were not the ones she had known since her birth. Trusting them with her innermost thoughts was more difficult than she expected. “My fiance frightens me with both how much he says loves me and how little he seems to care for my feelings. His words are encouraging, but his actions make me cautious. He speaks of his happiness, but his actions say he doesn’t care about mine. He speaks of true love but keeps secrets from me.”

The High Priestess and the Priest shared a look, before she answered, “We shall speak to the Creator on your behalf. If he sees fit to grant your request, then it shall be done.”

After making sure the Followers Of The Creator were settled in their room, Sihara made her way out into the library instead of returning to the dwindling crowd in the banquet hall. She would read for a time to calm her thoughts and then make her way to bed.

The library was closed to other patrons at this hour, but she was the dottir of the Taj. She made her way up to the second story where the familiar shelves of the chronicles of the Ambassadorial Halls lay.

She picked a handful of books and brought them to a private reading nook where she could read by the light of the twin moons. It was bright as the twilight sun. She almost didn’t need the oil lamp.

Just as she was getting to the best part of the argument between the Mineralite count and the Taj, Mikel cleared his throat.

“I’ll come to bed when I’m ready, Mikel.”

“Oh, I’m not Mikel.” Sebastian’s smug voice replied.

Sihara’s eyes snapped up to his face and she corrected her posture. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“And you should?”

Sihara raised an eyebrow, “I have a few privileges as the dottir of the Taj. This is one of them.”

Sebastian closed the space between them and gently touched the side of her face. Their faces were mere inches apart.

Something inside Sihara stirred, some deep wellspring of emotion she did not know she possessed.

“I must tell you something, something that took me away from the banquet hall as it was so urgent, I could not wait another second.” Sebastian measured his words carefully. “You know when Rosabella died, I thought I had lost my one chance at true love. When I met you, I knew that I had found true love once again. When your fathko agreed to arrange our marriage, I knew that I would have happiness once again.”

A moment passed between them as Sebastian drew in a hesitant breath.

“I realize I have not assured you of my commitment.” Sebastian knelt and pulled the chain with his wedding rings off his neck. The rings were made of copper, one was a thick band while the other was tiny with light blue gems.

Rosabella’s wedding ring.

Sebastian put the tiny ring in her palm. “This has belonged to my family for seven generations and is my most precious possession. I would not want to think you did not love me as much as I love you. I want to hear you say you want to marry me.”

She didn’t want to marry him. She didn’t love him. But she didn’t have a choice.

Sebastian’s face creased with worry, “Please, I beg of you, Sihara, do not refuse me my last chance of happiness. I could not imagine a future without you in it.”

“Sikar Sebastian! I must speak with you now,” A servant came running breathlessly into the library.

Mikel followed the servant and glared at Sebastian. “My sincere apologies for allowing him to interrupt your meditation, Taja.”

 So Sebastian eluded Mikel’s detection. Perhaps he knows a secret passageway into the library?

The servant looked between the trio. “I know this is a bad time, but this problem cannot wait!”

“A bad time? You think this is a bad time, Ned?!” Sebastian stalked towards the man with a murderous scowl on his face. “You have redefined the meaning of the words ‘bad time’!”

“I know, sir. I tried to reschedule the conflict, but they would not be moved!” Ned cringed and rubbed his hands together as his master neared.

“If you are willing to risk your job and your life over this, it had better be important,” Sebastian grumbled and towered over the cringing man. His hands were clenched into fists.

Ned straightened and whispered into Sebastian’s ear. He recoiled away from Sebastian as if half expecting a beating.

Sihara watched the interaction with growing dread. Ned had to have received a beating in the past to act that way. Oh Creator, how am I supposed to make him a better man?

“What?” Creases formed on Sebastian’s head.

“What is going on? How can I help?” Sihara asked, putting aside her inner turmoil for the moment.

“I’m sorry I don’t have time to explain. I promise I will return to you the second I have sorted this out.” Without another word, Sebastian followed Ned out of the library.

Sihara stayed in step with his hurried pace. Whatever it was, he considered it to be more important than their marriage. He couldn’t expect her to let this go. “You have to tell me what is going on!”

Sebastian pulled Ned aside and whispered instructions.

The servant disappeared into the Ambassadorial Halls.

He glanced in her direction and rubbed his face. “Look, I already told you I do not have time to explain this to you.”

Sihara grabbed his forearm to stop him. “Please don’t treat me this way. I am supposed to be your confidante. Why must everything you do be a secret?”

Sebastian jerked his arm away from her grip and glared at her. “Sihara, please leave well enough alone and go back to your precious books or the garden or wherever else you want.”

Sihara watched as he trailed off into the winding corridors and soon all she could see was a wisp of his shadow on the far wall. She opened her hand and stared at the tiny copper ring. His habitual manner of sweet words followed by abandonment and secrecy drove her mad.

Mikel bowed before her, “I will have the Ambassadorial Guard search for the entrance by which Sebastian gained entry into the library undetected so it may be closed up.”

Sihara closed her hand over the ring. “You can do that tomorrow. First, I must speak to my fathko.”

First she visited the banquet hall where the soiree was winding down. Casper told her that her fathko and the Lord Ambassador had been called away on urgent business.

Sihara made her way to his study. She would wait for him to finish. He had left his door ajar, a clear invitation for anyone to step in.

"Well, that was a whole lot of noise for nothing. No need to pull us away from the soiree." The sound of Kern’s familiar voice stopped her. “Have your contacts have informed you about Lord Byron’s betrayal?”

“Indeed.” Her fathko replied, the fatigue in his voice made her remember he had bigger problems to deal with than her frustrations with her fiance.

She saw Kern through the half-opened door open a side cabinet and pull out a bottle of burr. 

So that’s where fathko keeps it.

“You are lucky you have a son that wants to continue your work.” Paper rustled as Tarak put away his books. “As much as I wish my dottir could take my place, my people’s prejudice forces me to rely on Sebastian. If that is even possible.”

Sihara covered her mouth. Her fathko would have trusted her to become the ambassador if only her people would allow it. Maybe if he had his own doubts about Sebastian, he would listen to her.

“How many good men are left? What if they have already died on the battlefield?” Kern peered into his drink as if he could find the answer at the bottom.

He had a point, Sebastian may not be a good man, but he might be the best option she had left.

Tarak peered over the top of his empty cup. “We have known each other for a decade, and in those years I have found you to be one of my most trusted allies, even if we don’t always see eye to eye. I fear I must ask you for a favor.”

Kern shot back his drink. “Ask.”

“If things don’t work out, if we can’t forge the alliance… Please have your people take care of my wife and dottir.”

A lump formed in Sihara’s throat. Things must be far worse than I realized.  

Kern tried to interrupt, but Tarak held up his hand.

“I have thought of this every way I could, and if we fail, I will die. I am not like you. No matter how much passion I feel for my people, I am a ‘soft’ man, used to living in the lap of luxury. You are a survivor. I just ask if things don’t go as planned, you take my family to whatever safe house you have hidden away.”

Tears caught in Sihara’s eyes and she turned away. This conversation was not for her ears. She was foolish to eavesdrop on them.

Kern replied, “If we fail, my friend, I promise to take you and your family with me. And if you die, I swear by the Creator and my powerstone, your family will survive.”

A friend. Eshe, how long had it been since a Mineralite had trusted an Elementi enough to call them a friend?

Sihara rushed around the corner and right into Mikel. “Shall we go back to your room?”

Sihara shook her head, "I must speak with Victoria."

"It is late. Perhaps..." Mikel trailed off as he followed her.

"I am not tired." She was the Taja. If she was not tired, then anyone she called on was not tired either.

The door to Victoria's room was open. Sihara lightly rapped her knuckles on the door before stepping inside.

"Oh perfect, you can put the extra suit cases over there." Victoria pointed to a partially packed dresser. Their whole room was in various forms of being packed up. Cloths were folded neatly on the bed. Every drawer open.

"I don't think that is the footman, dearest." Elias, Victoria's husband, bowed to Sihara.

Victoria spun around covering her mouth. She curtsied, "Taja."

"What has gotten into you?" Sihara blinked at the sudden formality. "You're leaving?"

"I am not a titled highborn anymore, Taja. Not after my family gave my title and lands to my sister." Victoria wrung her hands, struggling with the words, each one leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. "My parents have informed me I have no reason to stay here."

"I have given my testimony, so I have been recalled to the front lines where I can do the most good." Elias crossed his arms. "Victoria will go to live with my family in Balar. I have a modest home there."

"But..." Sihara grabbed a chair to steady herself. "You are my closest friend and I need you here. I can't do this by myself, Victoria. I'm trying to plan a wedding in the middle of a war... And it doesn't help that Sebastian is just so..."

Sihara groaned. "No, I may not be able to control Sebastian, but this I can do something about. I will speak with my fathko in the morning. Will you accept a position as one of my companions?"

Victoria hugged her with all her might. "Oh thank you, thank you! I thought when you found out about... well, everything, you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

"I was mad at first." Sihara admitted, "But I need you here. I need someone I can rely on, other than Mikel that is."

Mikel nodded from beside the doorway.

Elias smiled, "You have two allies now, Taja. Though I may be far, if you ever find yourself in need of a soldier, you need only send a message to me."

"Does he know?" Sihara whispered.

"That my lovely wife is a nosy busy-body who passes on what she hears to your father." Elias said with a smirk and wriggled his eyebrows at Victoria.

Victoria gaped at him and swatted him on the shoulder. "I am not a busy-body!"

"Oh, you should tell her about how we met." Elias chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Victoria's ear.

"Perhaps another time." Victoria cleared her throat, a bright blush rising to her cheeks. "You came here for a reason. Other than offering me a place in your inner court?"

Sihara showed them her copper ring. "This is the problem."

Victoria gasped, "Oh, it's beautiful! Sebastian gave you that?"

“Sebastian gave it to me and asked me to tell him I wanted to marry him, right before he rushed off to take care of something he said was more important.” Sihara tried to swallow her anger, but it was simmering right on the surface. "This is a political marriage. He knows that it is, so why would he ask me this?"

"He obviously does not see it as a purely political marriage." Elias said.

"What he sees me as is replacement for his late wife, my cousin Rosabella." Sihara fiddled with the ring, "This is her ring."

Victoria and Elias shared a glance. "You are marrying a widower, your relationship may always be haunted by the spirit of his wife."

"I wouldn't mind if he compared me to her, but to marry me simply because I resemble her is..." Sihara rubbed her face, not willing to speak the words. "I thought maybe I could grow to love him, but he doesn't even love me. He loves her, he loves the parts of her he sees in me. Now he asks me to tell him I love him, that I want to marry him."

"I am sorry. I wish you could marry for love." Victoria held Elias's hand. "But your unko will destroy our only chance at winning against the Animalians."

Sihara shook her head, "I know, it is for the good of my people. I honestly can accept that, eventually. But it’s always secret this, secret that with him. I’d like him to trust me for once.”

"You should speak with your fathko about this." Victoria asked. "I don't know how we can help?"

"My fathko has enough to worry about without putting up with my cold feet." Sihara sighed. "I wanted to tell him, but he was in a meeting with Kern. It seemed... private. I thought perhaps I could use your... skills."

Victoria nodded, finally understanding. "Where did Sebastian say he was going?"

"That's the thing, he didn't say. His servant came rushing into the library all upset and then they both rushed off. He refused to tell me what the matter was."

Victoria bit her lip, hesitant to speak, "It likely has to do with his merchant business. Maybe a deal fell through or a shipment was lost. You know how he is about his precious maps."

"Or maybe his fathko died." Elias said. "Sebastian is a very private man. I wouldn't be surprised if it was something deeply personal. By asking for you to agree to marry him and giving you an option to leave, he is making himself very vulnerable and opening up to you in a way he hasn't before."

Sihara took a deep breath. "You are right, I am not seeing this from his perspective. He is trying to reach out to me, in his own way. Maybe he isn't ready to trust me with everything, but this is a first step. Thank you, both of you, I needed your counsel. I will go to him in the morning and settle this matter."

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