Chapter 90: B2 Chapter 85: Missive

Moving through the motions of getting dressed I felt sluggish from the harsh dreams and subsequent break in my morale. My clothes felt heavy and my body sagged in on itself as I tried to put steel in my spine. Deep steadying breaths slowly brought me into more control of myself as I went through an ancient exercise that the monks of the east taught those to clear their mind with.

Five things I could see, the bed, windows, curtains, the mouse scurrying across the floor, and the chamberpot. Four things I could hear, approaching footsteps to my door, the call of birds outside, my own heartbeat steady and strong, the pattering of the mice in the walls. Three things I could smell… the knock interrupted the routine and I looked to the door.

“Come in,” I called sure it was a summons for breakfast.

Angela stepped inside and curtsied deeply, “I am sorry to disturb you but Lady and Lord Ermine have requested that you no longer will dine with them in the main hall and that instead you will receive your meal in either the servant’s quarters or here in your study.”

This was the beginning of how they would shun me and isolate me further. I nodded to Angela. It was best not to show her my anger, “I’ll take it in the lounge and then I would like to arrange a meeting with Lord Ermine, he has something he has promised me.”

Another curtsy was given to me as Angela turned on her heel and walked away. I finished dressing and walked to the lounge that was afforded to me. A suspicion that this was the last night I would be given this room boiled in my mind as the Ermines would no doubt slowly demote me back to the place of a servant and no longer a guest to the Ursal family. Without the Duke here to fight them I had no chance at resistance unless I enchanted them with magic. A waste of it if I even knew one.

I let the anger of the situation stoke that inner fire I used to fight off the interminable sadness that was like a sea inside me. I was on an island in its midst and had finally crawled back ashore. I took my seat and continued my exercise. Three things I could smell, the wafting perfume of Angela, subtle and rosy, the smell of the books from the study that wafted through the air, and the subtle smell of food running through the house.

I was calm and composed when Angela came back to the room. She set a platter down before me. The meal was meager in comparison to what I had been given. It was still greater than any meal I would've been able to but myself in the peasant’s areas so I thanked Angela and began to eat. I noticed a small slip of parchment beside the meal.

“What is this?” I looked at her while holding the rolled up message.

“Lord Ermine says it is the key that you were looking for. The message reads, “A fool dances for me.” That you would be smart enough to figure things out from there.

The taste of the food soured in my mouth at the insult that had been given me. He didn’t have the decency to tell me himself. I vowed then that I would let Arianna know of his affair and punish him for his foolish nature. “Stay here a moment Angela. Let me write something for you to deliver to the Lady Ermine for me. Make sure she receives it alone, would you?”

I wrote the following, ‘Your ram is led astray. The cook prepares his meals and more. His bed is warmed by her.’ I had a subtle and indirect way to let her know what was happening behind her back. “Thank you Angela, please deliver this when she is by herself would you.”

It might have been a little silly not to be so direct about it but if they wanted to play games they would get games in return. I made my way as soon as the meal was finished to the master study with the slip of paper being my last clue that I would get on breaking the code. I would have to power through it today in order for me to be able to send this message and warn the Duke of the dangers of the capital. He would have to use the war as a means to keep himself safe in his estate if anything else.

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Looking at the slip of paper I was able to parse out a fraction of what the code could mean while I was looking at the pages of the encrypted journals. My mind ached after a few hours of what words I could make sense of and I put something that looked silly on paper together but would have a sense of warning if not a true one that I would be able to send to Duke Ursal. I walked down to my room soon after when it was near midday. I rang the bell for Angela.

When she arrived I gave her curt instructions. “Please summon me a guide to the pigeon master. I have a message to send to the Duke and inform the head servant that I was able to accomplish what he asked of me.”

She shook her head, “I can only find you a guide. I know nothing of the head servant but I will let him know what you said.”

I waited at the front door when a runner was sent to me at the front door. “Aye sir you wanted someone to bring a message to the roost?”

“I wanted to bring it myself with you guiding me actually. I find myself needing a bit of fresh air.”

A scowl crossed his face for a moment as something dangerous glinted in his eyes, “As you wish sir. I usually handle these matters on my own but if you insist that you must come I won’t stop you.”

I could smell a rat when I saw one. This man had been part of what had been going wrong with messages from this house and I wondered who had bribed him and how much he was getting paid to parade himself as a dutiful worker. I didn’t let any of this show on my face and just nodded, “Lead the way if you would.”

The air was damp and the smell of rain was in the wind. We walked at a brisk pace that I thought must’ve been chosen to tire me out. I kept my senses on high alert though as I watched my guide nod to several others walking about with messenger bags on their hips.

I was almost disappointed when there wasn’t some sort of ambush but I guessed on such a short notice he wouldn’t have been able to arrange someone else to intercept me. We walked to a place that smelled of bird shirt and cooped up animals. The stone building had no chimneys and I could feel the cold permeating the entire building when my guide knocked on the door. It took several minutes and the sounds of crashing inside the roost for anyone to come to the door.

The man was hunched over and smelled something awful as his breath thick with alcohol seemed to fill the air. “What do you want? Oh if it isn’t the limey bastard you thinks he could swindle me of my money.” The man’s eyes glimmered as he took in the exasperated runner.

“You lost that cock fight fair and square. Please you ate the damn bird after so I don’t want to hear it from someone that got to have a full belly after a night like that. I’m not here for me. This is a guest of the Ursal family and he has a missive to send.”

The emphasis on Ursal was plain to me and I wondered who else they might be targeting. I stepped past the runner and slid a pence into my hand and shook his, “I’d like to pick my own pigeon if you don’t mind.”

The man felt the coin in his hand but I could feel the hot burning holes being stared into my back. “I’m sure the roost master doesn’t have time for you to learn how to pick a bird. Tell him Charles.”

“Oh posh, let the man choose. I let you choose that cock of yours and you know nothing about birds ya daft bastard.”

I turned my eyes over my shoulder and saw how stiff the runner was. “I won’t be but a moment but I know my way back now if you don’t want to wait.”

With a huff the runner turned on his heel and stalked away mumbling to himself. His movements were stiff and full of anger as he walked and I knew that I had foiled something that he was paid to do.

“Well come on young man. I have five pigeons that know their way to the Ursal estate so you can choose whichever one.”

After going through the roost it truly smelled horrendous in comparison to the rest of the noble quarters. I fought off the urge to plug my nose or change it into something that wouldn’t smell anything as well and instead was brought to a wall.

Five cages held nearly identical birds in them. Gray beasts with shining wing feathers and white heads. Their beady red eyes swiveled around and looked at us both. They began to coo and flutter their wings when they saw the roost master.

“Oh my darlings how good it is of you to finally have a job.”

I hammered my words full of overpowering magic now that I had him truly alone. “Will these truly lead to the Ursal house?”

The man stiffened and his eyes glazed over as he turned to me confused. “Why would these birds go there. They are of the Gaelin family roost. The Ursal’s are on that wall over there.”

“Stay still,” I commanded in the tone the Shepherd had taught me and he stiffened.

I walked over to the correct pigeons and plucked one out gently and secured the small scroll to its ankle and let it loose out the window. The roost master began to shake in fear as he couldn’t move and the magic I had used on him began to fade. I pressed a finger against his temple and plucked from his memories of ever meeting me or being alone in this room with someone all day. I took the pence I had put in his hand away and he collapsed in a heap.

I walked away without a word and let the man recover from such harsh and sudden treatment. If I didn’t have the full time to delve into his mind but now I knew one more piece of an ever growing puzzle. Gaelin families were intercepting messages from the Ursals. Plus who knew what else.