The Tales of Tarya, Books 1-3

Chapter 1 - Escape from Aurea-3

Mina looked out the window again. A girl stumbled along the street. She barely looked where she was going, her shoulders stooped, her eyes deeply shadowed.

‘What if I told you I created those buildings using the power of Tarya?’ Mina said softly.

Sofia gasped. She came closer and looked out the window too. They both watched the girl across the street, a basket carelessly dangling from her hand. Suddenly she looked up, her dead gaze directed at the two women who watched her. Mina drew back from the window. The girl looked down again and stumbled away.

‘What if it’s not just about telling stories, Sofia?’ Mina asked, her voice low. ‘What if it’s not just about finding my brother? Would you help me if I told you I have enemies, and there’s something I have to do that could be very dangerous?’

Before Sofia could respond, the door opened, and Gianni strode in.

‘Good news, Mina. Papa’s gone to arrange passage for you to Pedon. We’ll help you find your brother. Will Sofia be travelling with you?’

‘Absolutely,’ the story teller said.

~

Isabella finished shoving her spangled dresses and baubles into the calico bag, then thrust it at Mama Tina. Shouldering a second over-stuffed bag she’d picked up from the floor, she hurried down the corridor, past the many rooms that had housed competing artisans during the festival. Cirquers, dancers and players scurried around, packing and making ready to leave the palace. These rooms would soon be returned to their former purpose, housing the royal artisans for the next five years. Already stewards were pushing their way past the departing crowd, followed by servants staggering under the weight of mattresses and bureaus to refurnish rooms emptied for the festival.

Isabella led Mama Tina to a lavishly decorated suite where the Andreini troupe usually resided. They had been the royal troupe coming in to the competition, so they had retained their luxurious quarters right next to the Guild banquet hall rather than having to bunk down on makeshift mattresses. Ceramic plaques on each of three doors bore the name Andreini in elaborate lettering.

Lucien Andreini opened the door at Isabella’s knock. He swooped her into his arms and kissed her passionately before turning to thank Mama Tina for delivering his love back to his side. It took several minutes of his effusiveness before Mama Tina was able to withdraw. Isabella, eyes and lips again locked on her husband-to-be, did not bid her troupe mother farewell.

As Mama Tina hurried back down the hallway, she heard one of the royal stewards call her name. She hoped he brought clarification of the troupe’s status, but instead he indicated a haggard looking woman with grey hair. As soon as the woman clapped eyes on Mama Tina, she seized both her hands.

‘Cristina, please, can you tell me where to find Jal?’

Belatedly, Mama Tina realised it was Amora, Jal’s mother. She and her husband had feasted the troupe last time they visited the city. Then, she had been a generous host, buoyant and lively. Now, she looked exhausted and shrunken. Mama Tina led her to the troupe’s quarters, speaking quiet courtesies to the distressed woman, who leaned heavily on her the whole way. When they entered the room Jal ran to his mother, shock sweeping across his face.

‘Mama, what is it? What’s wrong?’

He had dined with his family only a few days ago, during the festival, returning with news that his father, a sculptor, was excited at new developments in his work. Now Jal stared at his mother’s bowed figure. Oblivious to the others in the room, Amora fell into her son’s arms. Watching them, the other players didn’t notice Uberto quietly slip into the room.

Amora’s voice trembled. ‘They’ve taken your father. The Royal Guard. They said he was practising Arcani.’

Jal held his mother tight and shook his head. ‘That’s impossible. He’s a sculptor. He doesn’t know anything else. How could he …’

Uberto placed a hand on Amora’s arm, his voice soothing. ‘Of course this is nonsense. I will speak with the Council of Muses as soon as I can.’

Amora clutched Uberto’s hand gratefully. He held hers briefly, then released it and turned to the waiting players.

‘But I fear we have our own problem.’

Mama Tina could tell even before he spoke that the news was not good. Roberto began to pace furiously while the others stood still, their faces grim.

‘We have lost our position,’ Uberto continued. He held out his arms to his wife, who fell into them with a cry. No one ever recognised how much it cost her to feed and organise the players, always optimistic and reassuring, caring for them through illness and pain. She had hoped their festival victory would allow her a time of rest. Though Uberto did not show his age in his sprightly manner, Mama Tina ached with various pains and longed to stop travelling.

A sombre silence filled the room. There was nothing to say as their golden future evaporated before them. In the silence, the door to the room suddenly slammed open, thudding against the wall. A beautiful girl with elaborately styled black hair and vivid green eyes rushed over to Mama Tina.

‘Mama, Mama, it will be all right.’

Uberto reached for his daughter. She gave him a challenging glare and avoided his embrace. Unperturbed, he demanded, ‘What do you know, Miranda?’

Miranda flicked a curl of black hair over her shoulder with a bejewelled hand. She was wearing a fitted emerald green dress. One of the advantages of being a maidservant to the queen was access to the royal tailors. Another was the opportunity to meet wealthy admirers. Miranda clearly enjoyed both these advantages, for which Mama Tina was glad. She hoped her daughter would have a better life than her own. When Miranda spoke again her voice had a sharp edge to it.

‘They want the girl. The little witch from Paolo’s village. The king loves what she did, creating the buildings during your performance. The Council is not so happy. They’re still debating whether what she did was an illusion or Arcani. At the moment they’re undecided, which is why you won and she wasn’t dragged off and imprisoned. But they want her here so they can question her.’

Uberto nodded slowly.

Miranda continued. ‘I’ve never seen the Council so divided. Those who support the king are arguing strongly it’s all just pretty tricks. The others say it’s a clear case of Arcani.’

‘So either way, our bargaining chip is the girl.’

Miranda nodded. A smile flickered at the corners of her mouth. ‘They’re talking about reinstating the Andreinis.’

Vincenzo swore, and the other players reacted with equal disgust. Mama Tina let out a cry. Miranda turned her back on her father, comforting her mother again.

Jal’s mother spoke into the silence. ‘What about my husband?’ she demanded.

‘My dear lady,’ Vincenzo said, ‘if we lose our place as the Royal Players we will have no power to help you.’

‘He’s right, Mama,’ Jal said. ‘We have to sort this out first. Then I’ll help you find Papa.’

‘We’ll need to talk to the city wardens,’ Amora responded. ‘They’ve locked him away. They won’t let me see him.’

Before Jal could respond, Roberto charged at Dario, pushing the taller man up against the wall. Roberto might have been thin, but he was all wiry muscle and Dario was overwhelmed by the swiftness of Roberto’s rush.

‘We have to find Mina, and quickly. Without her we’re finished. Where’s she gone?’ He was practically growling. Dario shook his head, mute. Roberto pulled Dario toward him, then with a swift shove, banged his head into the wall.

Uberto placed a hand on Roberto’s shoulder. ‘You are not on the streets anymore.’ His voice was quiet, but laden with menace. ‘This is not the way, Roberto. You will pay a fine of ten silver for this outburst, and count yourself lucky I keep you in the troupe.’

Roberto spun to face Uberto, looming over the older man. ‘I’ll pay nothing. We need the girl.’ His eyes flashed black, for the briefest moment, the entire iris filling to a nightmare colour.

Uberto’s face sagged and he took a step back, then another. He caught Mama Tina’s worried gaze, and stopped his retreat from the younger man. Straightening his shoulders, he repeated his earlier words. ‘This is not the way.’

He turned to Dario. ‘My boy, you’re part of our family. You know how hard we have worked to become the royal troupe. If Mina wants to travel she can, but surely she owes us enough loyalty to ensure we are securely in place at the palace before she leaves?’

Dario shook his head.

‘Dario, Dario,’ Uberto continued, ‘if she comes back, you can explain to her why you told me what you did. When she understands she will forgive you, and the two of you can be together.’

Dario looked around the room, indecision flitting across his face. ‘She said you tried to kill her.’

‘Dario, my son. Have you ever known me to do anything violent? You have lived with me since you were three. You know me. We argued, things became confused, but she is wrong. Ask yourself what I, Uberto, am capable of.’

Dario reached a decision. ‘I won’t tell you where she is. But I’ll go and talk to her, if she’ll let me. What she does after that will be her decision though.’

Uberto nodded. ‘Wise thinking, my son. I respect your choice.’

Roberto snickered. Dario glared at him, then pushed past him and out the door.

‘Follow him,’ Uberto hissed at Roberto after Dario was gone.

‘But you said …’ Luka began.

Uberto held up a hand, palm outward, silencing the young player. ‘We must stop her before she gets out of the city,’ he said.

Roberto flashed a feral smile, and ducked out the door.

~

Dario disappeared down the steps to the garden maze. Roberto followed silently, confident he could keep an eye on his quarry. After all, he had been a thief before he was ever a player. In some ways, he thought wryly, his profession had not changed much.

~

Sienna returned from the market with supplies for Mina—bread, cured meat, pickled vegetables and cheese. Together they packed two panniers with enough food for several days’ travel, adding bottles of water and oil, and a generous quantity of olives. Sofia had told them it was two or three days travel to Pedon at the most, though some of the terrain was very steep so it was slow going.

Mina paced the kitchen. She was grateful for the family’s hospitality, but she would only be safe from pursuit once she was out of the city. The players wouldn’t follow her, because they were the royal troupe now. But while she remained in Aurea they could turn up at any moment and she feared Uberto might have some way to impel her to go with him. He understood Tarya far better than she did and might be able to draw upon powers she couldn’t imagine.

Sofia was on lookout in the front room, and Gianni had gone to help his father’s merchant friend load the cart that would take them out of Aurea. Neither of these things lifted Mina’s anxiety.

Sienna closed the panniers, leaving them on the table, and beckoned for Mina to follow her out the kitchen door, through a yard with a small vegetable patch and rampant herb garden, to a back gate. Beyond the gate was a narrow alleyway.

‘They’ll bring the cart this way. You won’t even have to go out on the main street. Papa has organised blankets in case you want to hide under them, although in this heat I can’t imagine anything worse.’

Sienna’s tone suggested she could not understand the urgency, but not once had she questioned Mina’s numerous requests that they hurry.