The Frostwoven Crown (Book 4) (21 page)

Garrett swallowed down the bitter aftertaste of his victory and hung his head.

“Where did you learn to fight like that anyway?” Brix asked, “I haven’t taught you that yet.”

Garrett looked up at her and shook his head. He remembered a little of what Cenick had shown him on the road home from the swamp. “I don’t know,” he said, “I guess my friend taught me some stuff.”

Brix looked impressed. “I’d like to meet her,” she said.

*******

Garrett found Banden washing his shoes in the barracks and approached him hesitantly.

“Hi, Banden,” Garrett said, “I’m sorry about… earlier.”

Banden looked up at him, smiling. “No problem, Garrett,” the younger boy said. He went back to scrubbing his shoes in the soapy bucket on the floor before the wooden bench where he sat.

“I’m really sorry about your shoes,” Garrett said, wincing a little, “Can I buy you a new pair?”

“Nah,” Banden said, “these are almost clean, and they won’t take long to dry.”

“Still, I feel really bad about… all of it,” Garrett said, “I really wasn’t mad at you. I was just… I don’t know what happened.”

“It’s really all right,” Banden said, “It’s just practice. We’re still friends.”

“Thanks,” Garrett said, sitting down on the bench beside him. He looked down at the floor and said nothing more.

“What’s wrong, Garrett?” Banden said, wringing out one of his shoes and setting it off the side.

“My uncle is leaving,” he said.

“Where’s he going?” Banden asked.

“I don’t know… up north somewhere,” Garrett said.

“For how long?”

Garrett shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, “he told me he didn’t want to be a necromancer anymore… I don’t know if he’s coming back at all.”

Banden sat up straight, looking at Garrett. “I’m sorry, Garrett,” he said.

Garrett nodded.

“What are you going to do?” Banden asked.

“I guess I’ll just keep doing the same thing,” Garrett said, “He made me an official necromancer now and left me the house.”

“Congratulations!” Banden said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Garrett gave him a thin smile and a soft, “Thanks.”

“Are you going to keep coming to class?” Banden asked, “Or do you have to go be a necromancer full-time now?”

Garrett shrugged again. “I don’t really have a reason not to come here,” he said, “I told everybody I would, so…”

Banden leaned close, lowering his voice. “Do you
want
to be here?” he asked.

“I really don’t know what I want anymore,” Garrett sighed, “I don’t know what’s going on… It feels like I’m… someone else now… I don’t know.”

“Well, whatever you decide,” Banden said, “you’re still my friend.”

“Thanks,” Garrett said. He fell silent for a moment and then asked, “You want to come to magic class today?”

“That thing you do with the ghouls?” Banden asked, looking a bit dubious. He had never warmed to the bestial corpse-eaters during their time together on the road south.

“I’ve got some other friends coming today,” Garrett said, “two humans that I met in the market, Lethians. I’d like you to meet them.”

Banden smiled, but shook his head. “Actually, I’m supposed to meet someone else after class,” he said.

Garrett gave him a questioning look.

Banden blushed and looked around to make sure none of the other boys were eavesdropping. “You wanna meet her?” he whispered.

*******

Banden led Garrett through a twisted hedge maze that grew between the outer wall of the main temple and the great reflecting pool at the western edge of the temple grounds. The morning rain had died away, and the gray sky glowed with the light of the afternoon sun.

Banden stopped when they came to a small open area near the center of the maze. He smiled when he saw the girl, dressed in a green acolyte’s robe, sitting on the curved stone bench beside a small, vine-wreathed fountain.

“Frae,” he called out, waving at the girl as he approached.

The girl turned toward them, and Garrett saw a flicker of alarm in her blue eyes at the sight of him, but she covered it with a warm smile as she rose to greet them both.

Banden gave her a quick hug, and Frae gave him a little kiss on the cheek. The boy looked a bit embarrassed by it as he gestured toward Garrett.

“This is my friend Garrett,” he said, “Garrett, this is Frae… She and I are…”

The girl smiled and leaned forward to take Garrett’s hand in greeting. Her sandy blonde hair was braided into two long tails that hung down over each shoulder, in a style favored by many of the young priestesses that trained at the Temple of Mauravant.

“Nice to meet you,” Garrett said, releasing her hand after giving it an uneasy squeeze.

“Banden has told me how you saved him from the demons that he faced in the north,” Frae said, “I am in your debt, Garrett.”

“It was just lucky,” Garrett said, “It’s a good thing that demons don’t like fairy magic.”

“Fairy magic?” Frae asked, giving Banden a quizzical look, “I thought your friend was a necromancer?”

Banden shrugged. “He’s good at a lot of stuff,” he said, “Today he even beat me in sparring.”

Frae’s eyes flashed. “What?” she said, eyeing Garrett suspiciously.

“I didn’t beat you!” Garrett protested, “I just went kinda… berserk or something.”

“Are you hurt?” Frae demanded, taking Banden’s face between her hands and examining him closely.

“No!” Banden laughed, taking her by the wrists and gently lowering her hands from his face, “He didn’t hurt me at all. It was just practice.”

Frae looked at Garrett again, her eyes softening. She smiled and nodded and then kissed Banden softly on the lips. “You know I worry about you,” she sighed.

“I’m all right,” he whispered, his hand on her shoulder.

Garrett looked away, feeling a bit uncomfortable. After a moment, he spoke up. “Ah, I’ve gotta go do magic class now,” he said, “So, would you mind showing me the way back out of here? I kinda got turned around on the way in.”

Banden laughed, and Frae smiled. “Of course,” Frae said, “I have to be going as well.”

“What?” Banden whined.

Frae smiled apologetically. “Matron Shelbie has asked me to help consecrate the altar for the Feast of the Fallen. We’re supposed to have everything ready by tomorrow night.”

“But the feast isn’t for three more days!” Banden said, “Why do you have to do it now?”

Frae took his hand between her own and kissed it. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

Banden nodded.

“Let us walk together,” Frae said, looking at Garrett, “I’ll show you the way out.”

“Aren’t you afraid someone might see us together?” Banden whispered.

“So what if they do?” Frae said, “Let them talk. I don’t care.”

“No,” Banden said, “I’ll take Garrett back. You go on to the temple.”

Frae narrowed her eyes.

“Look,” Banden said, “I don’t want you to get in trouble over me.”

“I’m not afraid,” Frae said.

“But I am,” Banden said, “I’m afraid they might tell you to stop seeing me.”

Frae shook her head. “That wouldn’t stop me,” she insisted.

“I know,” he said, “but what if they…”

“What?”

“What if they
hurt
you because of me?” Banden sighed.

“Matron Shelbie would never let anyone hurt me!” Frae scoffed.

Garrett choked on a snort of derision, and Frae gave him a hard look.

“I just don’t want to take any chances,” Banden said, stepping between the two of them, “You’re too important to me.”

Frae relented, nodding her assent. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, “It was good to meet you, Garrett.”

“Yeah,” Garrett said, “Good luck with the… altar thing.”

Frae smiled at him and then hugged Banden again before taking her leave.

Banden watched her go. “What do you think?” he asked.

“She seemed nice,” Garrett said.

Banden looked at him. “
Nice?
She’s great!” he said.

Garrett waved his hands noncommittally. “Yeah… no, I like her,” he said, “I just don’t know what else to say… She seems nice.”

Banden frowned.

“How’d you meet her?” Garrett asked, “I thought the girls weren’t supposed to talk to the boys here.”

Banden smiled again. “I met her a few weeks ago,” he said, as he began to walk, leading Garrett back out of the hedge maze, “I had first watch outside the barracks again… You’re lucky you don’t live here, or you’d have to pull night watches like the rest of us who do… but, anyway, I was out on watch when I saw someone headed toward the gardens, and I stopped her to see what she was doing.

“It turned out to be Frae. She was out past Curfew because she had forgotten her prayer cord in the garden, and she’d be in big trouble if she didn’t have it for morning prayers. She begged me not to tell anyone… I guess I should have… It’s the only time I’ve ever broken a rule since I came here, but I just couldn’t, you know. I don’t know what they do to you for losing a prayer cord, but after what they did to you for missing a few days…”

“Mauravant’s not the most forgiving goddess, is she?” Garrett laughed.

“Hey!” Banden said, “Don’t…
blaspheme
, all right?”

“Huh?” Garrett said, taken aback.

“Just don’t say bad things about the Goddess,” Banden said, “You have to show respect for the gods.”

Garrett looked at him for a moment. “Yeah, all right,” he said, “I’m sorry.”

Banden smiled. “Anyway,” he said, “I saw her again later, and… well… we kinda see each other whenever we can now.”

“I’m glad,” Garrett said, “I know it must have been hard, coming to some place you’ve never been before, not knowing anybody here… especially this place. I remember what that was like when I first came here. I went to bed every night that first year, thinking something was gonna crawl out from under my bed and eat me while I slept.”

“I wasn’t alone,” Banden said, “I knew you and Matron Serepheni.”

Garrett felt suddenly ashamed. “Look, Banden,” he said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t around more than I was… I guess I just sorta didn’t want to be here, at the temple.”

“But you do now?” Banden asked.

Garrett sighed. “I don’t know,” he said, “Sometimes it seems like I’m just doing what everybody expects me to do.”

“What do
you
want to do?”

Garrett smiled. “I want to find my girlfriend,” he said.

Garrett slipped inside the pet shop to find Mrs. Veranu dusting the back shelves. She turned to greet him, her amber eyes smiling at him over the top of her red scarf. “Good Afternoon, Garrett,” she said.

“Good Afternoon, Mrs. Veranu,” Garrett answered, his eyes scanning the gloomy shop, more out of habit than any real hope of finding Marla there.

Mrs. Veranu tugged down her scarf and gave him a broad grin. “
In the back
,” she whispered, tilting her head toward the curtain behind the counter.

Garrett’s heart leapt, and he grinned back at the vampire woman as she opened the gate to let him pass. He laid his satchel on the counter and nodded his thanks as he lifted the curtain aside and slipped into the storeroom at the back of the shop.

Marla sat with her head resting on the palm of her left hand. In her right hand, she clutched a black quill pen, and her lips moved silently as she stared down at the enormous book open before her and the stack of parchment beside it on the table where she sat. She wore a uniform of gray trousers, polished black knee-high boots, and a high-collared, close-fitting black jacket.

Garrett stood there for a moment, smiling as he watched her study. Her lips stopped moving, and she flipped the great book back a few pages and reread something as her brow furrowed in frustration.

“It doesn’t make sense!” she groaned.

“Maybe I can help?” Garrett offered.

Marla looked up, suddenly aware of his presence, and her eyes went wide.

“Garrett!” she cried, crushing him in a hug before the quill pen could even hit the floor.

“Hi, Marla!” Garrett squeaked.

She released him, leaning back to grin at him with her hands still on his shoulders. Garrett managed to draw in about half a breath before Marla leaned close and kissed him, and he forgot all about breathing for a while.

Garrett grinned sheepishly as she stepped away, letting him recover. Her pale cheeks blushed a warm pink as she looked down at the floor, her hands behind her back. “It’s good to see you again, Garrett,” she said.

“Yeah, you too,” he said.

“I’m sorry I haven’t had time to…”

“No,” he interrupted her, “it’s all right… Klavicus told me about all the things they’re making you do… I know you don’t have a lot of time these days… It’s just really good to see you.”