CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS
Welcome!
Magic, murder, intrigue, missing relatives, secret caves, fantastical creatures, royalty, nobility, romance...
Who ever said our lives were dull?
To follow our story, use the sidebar links and start at the beginning of it all...

Keish- June 12, 2004


June 12, 2004
Cottage-on-the-Green, Cruxholm
Dear Arri,
I promise you, not only are the rumors not true, I have no idea how they started.
I was as surprised as everyone else when Jace announced that we’d be leaving a couple days after the wedding to spend a week in Cruxholm.  (It worked out nicely, though, since you were also leaving on the 6th.)  While there is a lovely old castle that has been crumbling for centuries, it’s not a place of “society”.
This, of course, suits us just fine, but it makes the rumors all the more unaccountable.  I doubt much news from Adya reaches here, (though news seems to travel from here just fine) so how ever did the populace, small as it is, seize instantly on the idea that I’m a sorceress come to perform some sort of ridiculous ritual?  It’s the sort of thing the Gazette would publish and yet I am quite certain you cannot obtain the Gazette in this little corner of Arella!
I’ve already had a letter from Gretel asking what on earth I’m up to, which is how I know news seems to leave the area quite easily.  And, of course, if the rumors have already reached Adya, they’re likely to reach Rousha soon enough.  (I’ll ask Taty to keep an eye out for anything in the Fly-By and send me any relevant clippings.  I’m amassing quite a collection of such clippings-- perhaps I’ll start a scrapbook.)
Anyway, just ignore anything you hear.  I am most certainly not a sorceress and I have no plans for the castle outside of touring the ruins.  Of course, if the rumors get too bad Jace may have to put on some silly show of defending his wife’s honor, which with likely lead to further rumors insisting that I’ve bewitched him somehow.  (His wife!  That’s me.  It still sounds strange.)

June 13th
Ten days.  I’ve been married ten days and yet it doesn’t seem quite real.  Someone addressed me as Lady Pren last night and I nearly looked around for Jace’s mother.
(We were invited to dinner by the local minor nobility.  It was a strained affair and left me wishing I’d played along with the sorceress rumor.  It would have given me an excuse to do something scandalous.  That might have livened things up a bit.  As it was, nothing noteworthy happened.)
The wedding was perfect, even with Tulson’s unexpected arrival.  We had invited him, of course, but as it was the week of his brother’s birthday we didn’t really expect him.  And, being Tulson he didn’t think to write.  Luckily, Marta believed me when I said I had no idea.  I think she and Cook were ready to roast me, wedding or no, for letting royalty catch them by surprise.  At least he hadn’t brought a full entourage.  (Though it is too bad Clara wasn’t able to come with him.  I’d like to get to know her a little better.)
Did having Tulson with you on the return trip make things easier or more frustrating?  I can’t imagine he’d be easy to travel with.
It’s really too bad Nysa couldn’t remember anything about Ryland.  Maybe it will come to her.  Since she and Brynn both promised to try and come up with a better solution, Ryland will hopefully not have to cast the shielding spell daily forever.  At least it’s working, though.  After how brilliantly Malia managed the day of the wedding I’m certainly not going to give her up!
I thought our day out for Taty’s birthday was excellent.  We really must find a way to do that more often.  Though probably without the lecture from the seamstress.  (I did warn you.)  If any of us changes a bit, she may scream.  Those bodices would be awful to alter.
The sun is rising and it is beautiful.  We have a large window facing east with an amazing view.  Soon we’ll take the horses out for a morning ride.  I’m so glad we brought them.  I’d have gone mad spending the entire two-day trip here in a carriage.
How did Tulson manage to find such a perfect match for Argentum?  Argyros was such an amazing wedding gift.  (We look very fine riding our matched pair, if I do say so myself.)  If I didn’t know you’d been so busy, I’d be sure you picked her out.  Tulson must have had help.

Later
We received a letter from Imato today, which I’m sure will surprise you as much as it did me, especially since it’s addressed to me and not Jace.
Imato has had to move into one of the guest rooms.  There was a delayed reaction in his room-- some combination of magic and alchemy-- and the room is entirely uninhabitable.  The alchemical remnants are very simple to clean up-- or would be if anyone could enter the room.  I won’t know exactly what kind of spell it is until I arrive home and can study it, but Imato is surprised by how strong it is.  If Liop has found a way to use alchemy to enhance his power, heaven help us all.
Of course, Imato wrote to Uncle W. already, so you will likely already have heard all this before you get my letter, but I’ll be writing to Uncle W. as well.  Imato is not at all happy-- he’s holding Uncle W. responsible.  I’ll try to word my own letter more softly.  (Honestly, that won’t be very hard.  I’m feeling quite charitable towards Uncle W. at the moment.  Whatever he said to Papa worked-- he has engaged a butler!)
“How did Liop manage to gather what he needed to do something like that?” Jace asked, completely puzzled.
“Well, he didn’t ask you or me, or Gretel or Imato.  Arri would have said something and neither she nor Nysa would have given him anything like that.  Marta knows not to give Liop anything more suspicious than sweets and I can’t imagine he would have asked Papa or Uncle W.”
Jace’s expression grew more and more serious as I said this.  He crossed quickly to the door and called Ryland, who appeared almost instantly.
“Ryland, did Liop ask you for anything unusual while he was in Adya?”
Ryland considered a moment.  “He had a list from Lord Brio.  Some standard alchemical supplies, I gather.”
I sighed.  Of course.  We forgot to warn Ryland about Liop.
He looked very concerned.  “Is something wrong?”
Jace briefly explained the situation.   “We should have warned you about him,” Jace finished.  “I’m afraid in all the excitement it slipped my mind.”
Ryland looked miserable.
“It’s alright, really.  Better that we know what he’s up to.  And next time you’ll know,” I told him.
This didn’t seem to make him feel any better, but he bowed as Jace dismissed him.
“Poor man,” Jace observed.  “He’ll be terrified of Liop now.”
I laughed.  “No, Liop has a way of winning everyone over.  He’ll never give him anything without asking you first, though.”
So, that’s one mystery solved.
If Liop is going to combine alchemy with his magical experiments, Uncle W. had really better just tutor him himself.  Which is exactly what I intend to tell him in my letter, in case he doesn’t share the contents with you.  A magic tutor such as I recommended last week will not be enough.  Surely since Uncle W. is always going on about the hazards of magic he must be able to see that it will be far more dangerous if Liop continues such experimentation without proper training and supervision.  (I also plan to tell him to spare us the dramatics of forbidding Liop’s use of magic.  We all know that won’t work.)
Jace asks if Liop is this devious at home of if there’s something about Adya that makes him take greater risks.

I should probably wrap up this letter, even thought it’s not very long.  It’ll likely take nearly five days to reach you, so I’ll be back in Adya before you even read it-- tomorrow is our last day here.
(How long will Clotho and Hermes be otherwise occupied?  I’m starting to despair over the time it takes to send a letter!)
I also need to write that letter to Uncle W., so I’ll end now and send both off in the morning.

Love Always,
Keish (Pren!)

Go to NEXT Letter

No comments:

Post a Comment

Leave us a little note-- Hermes or Clotho will be sure to deliver it!