Chapter 48:
My Mother
There’s a knock on the door. The sun has just started to peek over the horizon, and Trevus and I are still under the covers.
Trevus gets up, dressing himself before opening the door. I tug the blankets up to my chin, hiding my state of indecency.
A young boy greets him, “Hello Sir Trevus.” He’s breathing heavy, like he just ran a footrace.
Trevus smiles. “Evan. You are early today.” He has a little friend – perhaps a boy who wants to be a botanist?
“Yes. I knew you’d want to hear about this right away,” Evan says between labored breaths. “Two Versillian men arrived on the Osis just a few minutes ago.”
“Hmm,” Trevus rests his hand on his chin. “Clad in uniform?”
“No, but they had short funny-colored hair – definitely Versillian.”
“Did they transport trade goods?”
“Nothing I could see.” Evan’s eyes land on me. “Hi Miss.”
“Hello there.” I smile. He’s Trevus’s lookout. How many precautions has Trevus set up that I don’t even know about? He’s been building a sanctuary.
“Excellent work, Evan.” Trevus hands him two coins. “A bonus for your rapid report.”
“Thank you, Sir Trevus.” He pockets them and runs back down the stairs.
Trevus closes the door.
“Has King Tytius sent soldiers after us?” I ask.
“No. All who travel under the authority of the king wear uniform, whether soldier, servant or messenger. They’re likely migrants, criminals at worst. Neither of which is our concern.”
The thought of new Versillians arriving in the city is frightening, but perhaps I’m being as judgmental as the people of Antiock where to me. Regardless, we can’t stay here any longer.
I put on my short black dress. Trevus steps into his boots and tucks a small knife in his belt.
We split up after recovering some of our coins from the building owner. Trevus heads off to purchase supplies and a riding horse, while I have one thread to tie up myself.
I make my way to the tailoring store. After taking a moment to compose myself, I raise my knuckles to knock.
What am I doing? I work here every day. This would be like knocking on the door to your own home. I open it and step inside.
Lara is stitching a garment at her desk. It’s the oldest, most worn-down table in this place, but it was her first, and habits are hard to break. I was planning on replacing it once I took over.
“There you are.” Lara jumps up from her chair and races over. “Your behavior yesterday has Lady Norah in a state! She knocked on my door in the middle of the night to cancel all her orders. She’s not a difficult customer. How did this happen? Do you have any idea how long it took to convince her not to import from Oartha?”
I look past her, finding the half finished jolcan lying on my desk. That was my proudest work so far. Lara said it was to be mine when it was done. It’ll also be left behind.
“Hello? Jade? Are you even listening?” Lara’s face is twisted in anger. Just yesterday I was trying so hard to impress her and prove my competence. None of that seems to matter anymore.
“I’m grateful for the time I spent as your apprentice,” I say.
“Hold on, hold on.” She raises her hands. “That is not where I was going with this conversation. This can be smoothed over with an apology to Lady Norah. I’ll write it, and you can learn it like an actress in a play. Just tell me what happened.”
“I won’t be speaking to Lady Norah again,” I say. There isn’t a hint of uncertainty in my voice. While this stage of my life was pleasant, it’s over.
Lara pinches the bridge of her nose, and she sighs. “Okay. We don’t need to service Lady Norah anymore. Why don’t you get started on the patch garments that arrived yesterday?”
She believes I’d rather quit than see Norah again, and she’s willing to sacrifice Norah’s business to keep me around. It’s sweet, but I shake my head. “I didn’t know until the visit, but I share a bitter past with Lady Norah’s family, stretching back to my childhood years. Zaybeth isn’t safe anymore. I came to thank you and say goodbye.”
Her eyes widen as the seriousness of the situation becomes apparent. The conflict between Norah and I is more than a petty argument. I’m not just leaving Lara’s store. I’m leaving Zaybeth.
Lara’s shoulders fall. She looks over at my desk – seated right next to hers. Maybe she hated being alone in a room as much as I did.
She takes my hand. “I hope to see you again one day.”
I nod. I hope so too.
She squeezes my hand tight. “You’ll make a great tailor.”
I smile, and for the first time since we met, she smiles too.
Trevus and I ride northwest through the day. We’re taking the shortest path to Tarsis in hopes of encountering Asarus before he leaves, meaning we’ll be forgoing comfortable inns to sleep outside.
Trevus purchased two brown horses to carry us. His horse keeps bucking against him, as if trying to throw him off. He seems to hate following Trevus’s commands and hopes to inflict an injury, so I’ve named him Gid, after Giddius.
My horse is infatuated with Gid, taking every opportunity to nudge against him and smell his tail. I’ve named her Gal, after Galia, the woman who was enamored with Giddius on our night in Cidon.
We ride side by side across the Ceramayan plains. This is the first time I’ve had my own horse, with the freedom to direct her anywhere I like. My time riding Becky wasn’t the same, as in place of reins, a cord kept her tethered to another rider nearly the whole time.
The sun begins to set, and we find a corner between two large stones to settle down in. We hitch Gid and Gal, then begin preparing our camp.
I unpack our things and dig a fire pit while Trevus collects sticks from nearby shrubs. Two months ago I knew nothing about traveling through the wilderness, but watching Trevus, Giddius and Marcellus for weeks has taught me a lot.
The open plain means Trevus is always in line of sight, and that makes me feel safer. There’s a brand-new sword on his right hip, and his black shield rests beside our sleeping pouch. He had to buy new weapons, or we’d be left vulnerable out here by ourselves. It wasn’t a purchase he was eager to make, nor a way of life he yearned to return to. While he may not wear his soldier’s oban anymore, his new outfit – black pants and a button up long-sleeved shirt – looks nearly identical at this distance. He’s not on this quest because he wants to be. He’s out here for me.
Trevus returns with a stack of thin branches.
“Thank you,” I say.
He glances at the branches in his arms, then raises an eyebrow. My voice was too heavy to be talking about firewood.
“For coming out here,” I add. “For helping me find him.”
He drops the branches beside the pit I dug. “Do not be concerned. You did the same for my benefit.”
I smile, sliding over to build the fire with him. “It wasn’t quite the same.”
Soon it’s lit. Trevus chops a pumpkin, and it’s not long before soup is brewing.
He hands me a warm bowl and takes a seat on the opposite rock. “What is your verdict?”
I take a sip with my wooden spoon. Even freed from my boring diet of the tower and having eaten many new dishes, Trevus’s ability to draw flavors from even the simplest of vegetables never fails to impress. “It’s great.”
Trevus finishes his bowl before I’m halfway through mine. There’s not much left in the pot, but he holds off dishing more. He’s making sure I’ve had my fill.
“Take the rest,” I say.
He dishes and finishes another bowl, then his eyes settle on the fire, not leaving for a long while.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“This was my mother’s recipe,” he says. “I recall when she cooked it, back from a time when just a single bowl would satisfy my hunger.”
“You have her talent.”
His eyes meet mine. “I shall pose a question. You may abstain if the answer is too difficult.”
“I’m listening.”
“How was your mother lost?”
I think back to the small village that was my home. It’s not the first time I’ve tried to remember that far back. Living in a stagnant present makes you dwell on the past, analyzing every little detail. My earliest memories are with Elder Hannah, an older woman who took care of many local children. She allowed me to stay when the others returned home to their families in the evening.
“I don’t remember my mother, nor my father,” I say. “She brought me to the village, as she knew I’d be looked after.” That’s what the elders told me. They didn’t know anything else about them, not even their names. The memory hurts. Even in my village I was often outcast, the only child without a family. I can’t imagine she abandoned me by choice. She must have passed on before she could return.
Trevus nods. “Though Elie’s loss is painful, I am fortunate to have had fifteen years with her.”
I don’t know if that would have been easier. I never had to grieve the loss of my parents, as I never knew what it was like to have them.
There is one part I left out – a memory from when I was just old enough to walk. A woman pulled me through the forest. I was tired and sore. I don’t remember her name or much of what she looked like, other than the frightening red scratches on her face. Was she my mother? It may be nothing but a dream, reminisced on over and over by a girl who longed for a family, eventually growing into a fabricated memory.
Trevus lays out the sleeping pouch so it’s guarded on one side by the rocks and the other by the fire. He brought one large enough to share. Gid and Gal are hitched on either side, close enough so we’d hear if they awoke.
We both take off our boots and slide into the pouch. Unlike our last journey, the Cerillis army isn’t searching for us, and the dry open planes of Ceramaya make it easy to spot opportunistic wild men at a distance. We both settle in for the night, no watch log on the fire.
Trevus wraps an arm around my middle, and I close my eyes to the crackle of the flames. Tarsis isn’t far. It won’t be long before I confront Asarus.
So Jade may have been cursed instead of born with the magic
There is both pain to be had in the loss of something you could have but never had, but also in the loss of something you did have…
She was abandoned by her parents?
She was very kind
Indeed
Cause he loves you! you are his life and his life is with you
Omg this lady is auctually really sweet!
She really does…
Oh she really likes Jade doesn’t she…
The lady wanted to flee… damn I’m surprised Lara isn’t more angry
She’s not used to the idea of having her own home… a space to call her own.
Because he loves and adores you!
That’s cute
Awww, but I’m glad Jade is honest with her
I feel bad ☹
Awww, but I’m glad is honest with her
I hope these two are going to be safe
I love how she continues to name every horse around her
I was thinking the same thing!
IM CRYING NOW
I’m going to cry no😭😭😭😭
Well now I kind of feel bad😭😭😭😭
The taste is fine, it’s just the texture
We getting deep now
I feel bad, but pumpkin soup makes me gag lol
lol
imagine if the two versillians were Giddius and Marcellus lll
Probably thinking “what is your deal man, calm down here” lol
I hope you’re still not wearing that dress, the thought of leather pinching bare skin makes me cringe
aw
Poor woman just wants to retire 😭
Little does she know, he’s building an entire infant army XD
hehe 😅