Without Rhythm (The Lament) (10 page)

"What? Do you know what time it is?" He growled the words before he pulled the door all the way open, looking a bit put out by the whole thing.

"Judge Claire would like to speak to you about some matters, what that is she didn't say. As to the time... About four hours past when you should get up if you do most of your work on a ship?" She didn't know that, but Pran thought it sounded pretty good.

Ben just groaned at her.

"You'd think, but that's only about time to get up for a performing Bard. Let me get myself around. Could you tell her I'll be by in about half an hour?"

"I could... I won't though. Stop being lazy, she just wants to talk and you don't seem drunk, throw on some clothes and go back with me. You'll probably be back in bed before you know it, snoozing away the afternoon." She grinned when she said it, trying to take the whole thing in, like she was supposed to, remembering to stand upright and balanced the whole time.

"OK...
bitch
. I'll be out in a minute."

He shut the door, which got her to smile, a real thing this time.

"Fine, but if you aren't out in five minutes I'm coming in after you."

It wasn't much of a threat, since he was a full Bard and she was just a fake Apprentice Guardian, but regardless he came out two minutes later, hair brushed hastily and wearing a nice tan leather and red silk outfit with a lot of straps. Those he gestured at lazily.

"Help with this? If you want me to hurry at least."

It didn't take that long, the ten straps having brass buckles that needed to be cinched along the sides. He could get himself out of it at least, even though it would take longer. When she did his boots for him he sighed and shook his head.

"This is why I need to get my own apprentice. It takes fifteen minutes to do this myself. Well, let's go then." The Bard's face was unshaved, showing a day's growth, but not too soft on the jaw line. He didn't look old, being nineteen or so, but he carried himself as if he were important. It was a thing, she realized, that she was doing too, if for a different reason. Her aligned spine and upright chin would serve to make her seem much the same way.

It had taken her ten minutes, but she delivered Ben without too much waiting, the Judge giving her a kindly expression when they knocked on the door, announcing themselves.

"We're alone." Pran didn't know why she added that, but it felt right. Official and everything, which meant she should have done it before the door was opened. It was a heavy thing that could hold people off for a good long while if they tried to break it down, but the Judge had simply opened it on hearing who it was.

"Very good time, were you up for the day already Bard Benjamin?"

"Oh no Claire, not at all. Pran threatened to dress me herself if I didn't run to heed your call instantly. As it was she had to do half of it anyway. Not the good half either. So, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, just a few matters. Would you come in please? Pran, if you could rouse Clark and see to his meal for him? Just go to the galley and explain. Mara is still abed?"

It was a jumping of topics, but she nodded anyway.

"About two hours sleep right now."

"Don't wake her then. We'll let Clark do that just before we need to leave."

That created a whole different problem then, or would have, except that she ran into Dovish in the galley door, trying to beg some food from the rather stern looking cook, a woman that made a face at her too, but softened after a few seconds, her blue dress and white apron showing a bit of wear.

"An' I suppose you'll be starving too, needing food afore the noon meal lest you perish of it?"

Pran shrugged.

"I do need food, for Guardian Clark. If possible we should set something aside for Guardian Mara too, since she may not have time for a proper meal before we all leave later... I could also use directions to Clark's room? I have to go and get him for the day now. I don't know where everything is though." She looked at Dovish, who seemed pretty eager to help. He was waving his right hand a little at any rate.

"I do, I do. I can take you there... My stomach..." He looked sad, like helping her might mean not eating soon at all.

"If you can guide me to his room, I bet there will be something to eat when we come back." She glanced at the woman in the apron, who didn't look that old, but seemed happier suddenly than she had been.

"I think we
might
just arrange that, if it's for the Guardians. You two get and let me see what I can come up with, this far before the meal." She showed them out, her hands waving as if trying to get rid of pesky flies. It was probably pretty close to that really.

"This way." Dovish jogged awkwardly, looking back to make sure she wasn't getting lost. The layout of the ship wasn't that hard to master, though she felt ridiculous when she saw where the Guardian's doors were. She'd walked past them several times already, on the second floor almost right outside Judge Claire's chambers.

Pran rolled her eyes and decided to just not mention it to anyone.

"Thanks. Wait here? We can go back for the food together." That way the woman in the galley would have some time to actually make something.

She knocked on the solid door quietly, wondering if she'd have to pound for a while like she had on Ben's, but it opened not ten seconds later.

"Problem?" It wasn't gruff, just relaxed and ready, sounding fresh, like he hadn't been asleep at all.

Pran shook her head.

"I was asked by the Judge to wake you, so that things can be arranged for the day? The lady in the kitchen is making something for you to eat. Dovish here too." She waited then, wondering what she was supposed to do next, but the man just nodded and shut the door, coming out ten minutes later, clean and tidy looking. He clearly had his own shower and restroom too.

Dovish had waited, shifting anxiously from foot to foot, but not saying anything at all. He looked to be in his mid-twenties but reminded her of a little child in many ways. His hands wrung, as if nervous that they'd forget he needed food too. He'd probably missed breakfast after all, being in trouble for sneaking out like he had.

Bard Benjamin left Claire's chamber just in time for Clark to walk out into the hall, but hurried away, seeming more than a little perplexed, which wasn't the state that Pran had left him in. Clark didn't ask about it.

"Alright, who's on watch with the Judge?"

"Um, me. She locked herself in with Bard Ben, I made sure of that. Mara said the ship would be safe, but I tried to hurry..."

"Heh. Fine then. Let her know that you're back and stand at the door. If anyone tries to get past you that doesn't belong here..."

"Flail at them with the stick I don't know how to use?" Pran grinned, then corrected her body posture and tried to focus again. "Without using a repeated pattern of movement?"

Clark nodded.

"Pretty much. It shouldn't happen, which means being twice as vigilant. That's the most dangerous time after all, when you think everything is safe." He patted Dovish on the back once then, speaking softly.

"Let's see to that food, eh?"

The slow young man was nearly the same size Clark was but he bounced a little then, happy enough to go along. Not speaking, just bobbing his head a bit.

Instead of standing in front of the door she was invited back in while Claire got into her official robes, which weren't the ones from the day before at all, but were rather thicker and heavier looking things, though also all in white. She sighed and smiled a bit.

"Do up the back? This is a horrible design, the old ones were better for the circuit Judges, you could just drop them over the head. Clark always acts like he's about to see me naked when I have to have him help. It would be funny, except that I don't want anyone to feel out of place. Truly there should be four of you here with two being women. You can do that part at least already. Probably better than the others can, given your training. I spoke of what you could likely do with Bard Benjamin." She sounded muffled, her mouth turned to the heavy collar trying to see Pran.

"It seems that you're a magical creature of resplendent talent, did you know that? He suggested that, if we were intelligent, we'd forget this Guardian nonsense at once and set this right in town. Which, I assure you, we
will
try to do. Our own needs do not outweigh right, or goodness. Unfortunately I don't have jurisdiction over the school council in this matter. They have the right to remove you from the school at any time during your stay, without reason. It seems strange that they would, but it is within their rights to do so at whim." She shifted the heavy cloth around by brute force then, trying to get comfortable.

"What I can do is try to find out why it happened and suggest that they review the matter. It might not leave you any better off, but it could work. If not, well, you have us now, so you don't have to worry. Can you aid me with make-up as well? I like to have some on for official things, but I seldom get to..."

It didn't take that long to do, Pran making sure that she didn't over do anything, mainly smoothing her complexion and then adding just a hint of color to lips and cheek. It was lighter than what would be used for a performance, but no one wanted to see a Judge looking like a clown anyway. This should be just enough to make her look good without seeming out of place.

It was an hour later when she moved down to the front of the ship, where the wagon waited with the carriage and two heavier wagons, one with a cage on the back. Clark already had the prisoners in that one. They didn't look all that happy and the rapist had fresh bruises on his face, real ones that were already turning green and purple, so they probably weren't from the large Guardian at all. Someone had beaten him in the cell most likely, earlier in the day. Probably his friends who'd risked their necks to try and save him, only to have it turn out their buddy was actually guilty.

She'd have felt worse except the man fully deserved it.

Mara hopped up in the carriage and picked up the small woven basket covered with a heavy napkin.

"What's this?" She sniffed at it, but looked at Clark closely, as if expecting a trap of some kind.

"Lunch. For you. Martha from the galley made it up. Pran asked her to." He sounded neutral about it, but Mara pulled the covering off and smiled happily.

"You know, I think I could get used to this having an apprentice thing. She can be rewarded by doing the walking guard while I eat then too." There was a strange look on her face when she said it, but Clark nodded.

"I'll do it going in. Pran doesn't have a Kinetic pistol yet. You two can share the duty on the way back here later. Right now I want Pran in the lead wagon with Paul, on rifle." That was already sitting on the front seat of the thing, and looked to be the same one from the night before, or its twin. She tried to keep her mind attentive the whole time, but the news that someone was going to even try to talk to the school council was distracting her a lot more than it should have. It was a
chance
.

Still, she had a job to do in the moment and had told Mara that she'd try to commit fully. If this wasn't what it meant, she didn't understand the idea at all. Her mind kept struggling under the load of new information and things to pay attention to, but Pran kept after it, trying not to fail on her first real day as an apprentice. It was good practice if nothing else, because everything benefited from being able to pay attention, right?

The trip was more interesting this time, with a lot more to see, including Clark, who moved in a strange fashion, running and walking, sometimes stopping dead still, vanishing from view every thirty feet or so, which she only noticed when he moved directly in front of them. He'd appear about five feet away from where he should have been, which was the real point. It wasn't magic, he was just not doing what was expected. If she relaxed her eyes and looked down, so that he wasn't directly in front of her field of vision it was a little easier to track him, but still hard. Her eyes wanted to find the direction he was going and follow along, but that wasn't happening very well at all.

At the same time she had to try to keep her mind on everything around her, in case of attack.

When it came she almost didn't get the idea at first, the half dozen men waiting for Clark to be in the back of the convoy, near the rear wagon. They were good enough not to shout or anything when they came out of the trees, wearing leaves and branches to make them look like bushes. It wasn't perfect, but she didn't notice them until it was almost too late.

 She shot without thinking, not expecting to hit anyone at all, her thumb flicking the safety as if she actually knew how to use the weapon.

"Hold! This is a Guardian convoy and you're surrounded. Come out now or face the consequences." She waited a beat, looking back just enough to realize that both Mara and Clark weren't there anymore. The Judge wasn't either. That could mean anything, but hopefully she didn't have to fight all these people on her own.

"Attack! They can't kill us all!" One of the voices screamed, an older man it sounded like. Carefully, not really knowing what she was doing, Pran pointed the rifle at the man, then forced a low laugh. She was pretending to be a guardian after all.

"You mean that the one apprentice in the front can't kill us all, don't you? There are two things wrong with that statement." She called this out very loudly her voice firm, stalling for time.