Jurgen slid the key into the lock, then pushed open the door. Inside, a staircase led to the second floor, and the first floor seemed to be some kind of storage area-too small and uncomfortable for a living space. Upon reaching the upper level, Valyrie took note of the narrow build of the house, the open floor plan, and the stairwell along the western wall. Each section clearly had a specific purpose-a writing desk, a sofa, and a table with chairs in the back, and each area had been plotted with no more room than necessary to perform its function. Tight, but comfortable. Like the inn in many ways, but much nicer.
The memory of her former home fell upon her like a ton of heavy timbers, and she collapsed to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. “He’s gone, Jurgen! My father’s dead and gone, and he’ll never be back!” The surreal feeling suddenly transformed into a very real, very present ache in her heart. Each time she thought she caught her breath, the air escaped her body like water from a bucket riddled with holes. She wept for her dead father and felt a whirlwind of emotions-the anguish for his loss, the contempt for his plans for her, the mistakes for which she could never apologize.
Jurgen rushed to her side and took her by the hand. “Come, have a seat on the chair.”
“They killed him! How can we help those men? How can we help men who would do such a thing?” She tried to restrain herself, but she couldn’t contain her rage.
“We were betrayed, Valyrie,” Jurgen said. “It’s my fault. I see that now.”
“Yours?” She wiped her eyes, shocked by his statement. “How could it be yours? You didn’t kill my da.”
“I may not have thrown the dagger, but his blood is on my hands. He was killed on my account. My return to this city triggered a chain of events that led us to our present circumstances.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Jurgen.”
“Then you cannot blame those men, for their error was in trusting their friend. All we can do now is right the wrongs and stop this war. What’s done is done, but we will always remember these sacrifices.”
“I miss him. Creator! All of our future moments lost by the utterance of a lie. All of them, Jurgen, destroyed by a traitor.”
Jurgen closed his eyes, a frown forming his wrinkled face. “I miss him, too. Arthur was a dear friend, but we have little time. We can either wallow in our pain or do what we must to end this fighting.”
She wrapped her arms around her body. “I shall help you. I’m trying to be strong.”
“Be strong, but not so much that you lose what makes you who you are.” He brushed his finger against her chin. “Such is the path to callousness and a cold heart.”
Who could want this man dead? She had known Jurgen since before she could remember, and he had shown her nothing but kindness and compassion. Remembering those years past, she recalled more recent events. “They beat you, didn’t they?”
He seemed almost disheartened by the question. “Yes, but don’t concern yourself with that now. Such thoughts will only make it harder to do what we must do.”
“How can you move past them so easily? Even if done based on the word of a liar, the wounds aren’t closed by simple apologies.”
“I’m an old man, Valyrie. This isn’t the first time I’ve had hardships.” Jurgen sighed when she gave him a cross look. “No, the sting remains, but sometimes we must overlook smaller grievances to do our duty. Would I have liked to beat Piers as he did me? Perhaps. But we’d be no closer to our goals. We have no time for petty revenge, and like our sorcerer friend said, we need the help.”
Sorcerer friend-Lae. He had tried his best to hide his attraction to her-an attraction she shared, in fact-when they had first met. Had circumstances been different, she might have pursued those feelings, but her father was dead and a war raged. “Have you known him long? Our sorcerer friend, as you put it?”
“Long enough to know he’s grown wiser since our first meeting. Long enough to see he’s good at heart. Perhaps mages aren’t the demons the church proclaims them to be.”
“I never agreed with that line of thinking.” One of the many arguments she’d had with her father came to mind, about sorcery’s place in the world.
“No?”
She shook her head. “Blanket statements have never sat well in my mind. The church would have us believe that the Al’Qarans are barbarians, but are they not known to sail the seas for trade? To build wondrous palaces and, somehow, keep cities in the farthest reaches which are not swallowed up by the desert? Surely not the behavior of the witless.”
“I can see your father did not instill in you his dislike for foreigners.”
“He tried, but his attempts were for naught.” She smiled. “He always said I had the will and stubborn nature of my mother.”
Jurgen paused, then grinned, seeming to drift through distant recollections. “Like the sky calling the ocean blue, is it not?”
“Yes, you knew him well.”
“Come,” he said, offering his hand. “Let us be off to the consulship. I hate the thought of being in that place, but I dread the thought of our doing nothing.”
* * *
Nearing the structure, Jurgen slowed. Valyrie couldn’t tell if his reduced pace was caused by the daunting size of the consul chamber or the number of people milling around in front of it. The building stood taller than most of the others in the city, the golden dome atop the perfect cylinder extending nearly ten stories into the air. Massive marble columns with gold and silver inlays ringed the chamber, the arches between them adorned with gold and silver banners. A huge censer hung by a thick chain from the ceiling, the incense burning within filling the room with a pleasant scent like roasted lemons mixed with fresh pine needles. Though Valyrie had seen the consul chamber many times before, she always stood in awe of it.
Seeming to recognize Jurgen, the commoners stopped and whispered to each other. They were apparently filled with warmth and excitement at his approach because the words spoken under their breaths changed to a dull chant, then mixed with applause until the entire square cheered his every step.
“It would seem the people are joyous at your return, Vicar,” she whispered.
Jurgen gave her a smile, then turned and waved at the crowd. “Thank you. Azura bless you.” Entering the arched hall to the central chamber, he whispered, “And may she watch over me here, too.”
Valyrie felt small and miniscule, more so than usual, and not because she was thin; the size and grandeur of the assembly room filled her with angst. So many eyes watching us enter already, and the place is but half full. Long, sturdy desks made rings around the room, each set atop a terrace of steps extending high above in every direction. The rings terminated opposite the entrance at a wide platform with a throne glimmering with gold, silver, and jewels. That must be where the Grand Vicar sits. Only the highest would be placed on such a chair.
A man rushed over. “Vicar Jurgen? We didn’t expect you. Can we help you?”
Jurgen removed his fine overcoat and draped it across the man’s arm. “I’ve come to sit at the consulship, of course.”
“Y-yes, as you wish,” the man said.
“Can you point me to an empty seat, Chamberlain? Or have things changed since I’ve been gone?”
“No, of course. Please, this way.” The chamberlain escorted Jurgen to a desk on the floor, and Valyrie followed, her footsteps echoing no matter how lightly she walked. “I hope this is fitting, Your Grace, on such short notice.”
“Fine, worry not. When arriving without warning, a traveler must take whatever he can get.”
“Your Grace is kind.” The chamberlain bowed, then scurried away to attend the other vicars.
Sitting, Jurgen extended his hand to offer Valyrie a chair at his side. “The chamber is different since last I sat within these walls.”
“How so?”
He studied the walls as if they had an answer scrolled across them. “The priests are anxious and uncertain. You can tell by the looks on their faces and the trembling of their hands.”