The Coffee War - chapter thirteen
Chapter thirteen:
Color spread down the snowy street in all directions. The building fronts were painted scarlet and vibrant orange, sun-yellow and grass-green. Colorful banners hung between the buildings, exclaiming things in bright Korvalstieniav fonts. The white snow formed drifts here and there against the buildings, but the colors just stood out even brighter by contrast. Compared to the dark and filthy back alley, it was absolutely stunning.
There were no guards paying near the alley, though they could be seen further down patrolling a large open area where a brilliantly colored crowd had gathered. The sea of color was as though each person was trying their best to defeat the monotony of endless white snow and ice. Alone, one man in crimson cloak and verdant hose would have been swallowed by the snow filled street, but with all the shop fronts and banners, the people sparkled like jewels in a silver expanse.
After a minute, a few people passed Kovel and Life without a second glance, hurrying to the gathering.
From where Life stood, he could make out part of a strange stage. On it several figures stood, wearing the distinctive bright rust and white denoting the Korvalstieniav military uniform. As he watched, an aisle parted between the soldiers and a tall elegant woman strode forth. She was in a wide-skirted, heavy winter gown that, at this distance, appeared almost to be made of flames. Her skin was as pale as the snow, and her hair, as brilliant orange as her gown, had been intricately pinned up and studded with sparkling gems.
Life gaped. “That must be Sebelius, the new Tyria! She looks cold as ice, even from this distance.”
Kovel hushed him, but didn’t stop staring. “Beautiful, though.”
One of her soldiers stepped close, bending to speak to her. Life and Kovel were too far away to hear what he said, but after she held up a russet-gloved hand, the murmuring from the crowd ceased.
Kovel lean toward Life. “Should we sneak closer?”
“Are you mad?”
“That’s the Tyria of Korvalstieniav!” he whispered. “It’s well documented that when you kill the Tyria, it throws the entire nation into chaos. They might even pull back from the war.”
“Or they might just kill us before we get the chance. Look at all those soldiers.” Life shook his head, watching Sebelius step forward to address the crowd.
Kovel scowled. “Still, I do wish we could hear what she was saying. It might be important to relay back to Arisle.”
Life put his hand on Kovel’s arm. “No, we’d better not. We’re suspicious enough as it is. Dressed like we are in that crowd, we’d be spotted instantly.” He put his mouth to Kovel’s ear. “Besides, you fool, she’ll be speaking Korvalv!”
Kovel grimaced. “Well, that certainly makes the decision easier.”
Despite agreeing to not approach, they continued to watch as the Tyria inspired the crowd. Soon the crowd was responding in chants, waving their arms with emphatic agreement. It was easy to see how she influenced the people, or how she could inspire a mob mentality.
When the chanting started to die down, Kovel dragged him into the continuation of the alley across the thoroughfare. “Come on!”
Life didn’t take his eyes off the spectacle until he was pulled into the drab gray of the alley. He blinked his eyes fiercely to burn away the afterimages, aware only now that he could hear music as well, wafting down the streets before it was swallowed by the noise of the crowd.
“What a sight!” Kovel put his back to the wall of the alley, breathing hard. “And music, too?” He tilted his head, listening. “That’s Arislean! I recognize the tune.”
It wasn’t Denny’s sophisticated playing, but Life recognized the tune as well. He could only hope it was Korvalstieniavs playing the songs and not Arisleans forced to accompany an anti-Arislean speech. Just thinking about it-and the fact that it might even be Denny out there-made his throat tighten. “Let’s keep moving.”
It took only seconds for the music and noise from the cheering crowd to fade behind them, but it made the silence of the alleyway feel somehow unnatural. They could hear the distant howl of the wind and the slush crunching under the feet, but the knowledge that a colorful and musical world was just on the other side of the buildings became harder and harder to imagine.
Then the alley ended, opening up not to another thoroughfare or street, but to a boulevard that ran parallel to the vast shore of the crater-made lake.
“Have we gone too far?” Kovel ducked back into the safety of the alley, where the blowing snow wasn’t nearly so fierce.
“No. This map is not to scale.” Life pointed to the massive stone building they were headed toward. On the map it appeared to run dead up against the alley, but in reality it was several yards ways away, quite near to the shore. It was also surrounded by a large fence and an abundance of snowcapped evergreen shrubs and trees.
“Bet the front of that thing is chartreuse.”
Life stared at him.
“It’s a sort of bright yellowish green color. Have you ever had andulean rum? That’s a chartreuse color. That color would really stand out against all those trees.”
Shaking his head, Life said, “Shut up.”
“Right.” Kovel glanced at the sky. “Figure we’re still another hour or two away from sunset. Do we wait?”
Part of Life wanted to wait. He knew it would be much easier to slip inside without being seen once the sun was down. The rest of him couldn’t bear waiting any longer now that the building was in sight. More than that, he knew how much more difficult it would be to navigate that terrain. With the cloud cover from the snow, there would be no moon and no starlight and they couldn’t dare risk lighting a torch.
They were also quite behind schedule already. “Let’s go.”
The benefit of the snow storm was that not many people were out. It was clear that during warmer months the lake was something of a pleasure spot for tourists. It looked as though it had frozen over during the winter, but now it had begun to thaw, for all the ice carts and such had been brought ashore-though not yet stored.
By keeping his hood up, Life passed the few pedestrians they encountered without incident. It let them reach the large fence surrounding the perimeter of the building unmolested.
“I think our best bet is to climb the fence and seek a back door somewhere.” Life threw his sack over, and then quickly scaled the fence. He found a clump of shrubs and stored the sack there; he hardly needed to be carrying around that much food. Hiding some of his other snow clothes as well helped him feel less bulky and gave him more maneuverability. He checked to make sure the dagger was still secure on his leg, then ran an ungloved hand through his hair, now released of its hood. “Maybe you should wait here.”
“Are you kidding?”
Life scowled. “No. If something happens to me, I want to know you got away.”
“How about this: if something happens to you, I’ll get whoever got you!”
“That’s too dangerous.”
“Listen, I didn’t come all this way just to wait by the trees outside. We go in together. You find Denny, and I’ll look to see if I can liberate anyone else.” He grinned. “Or anything else.”
Life grabbed him by his collar. “Be careful. The last thing I need is to have to come rescue you, too.”
“That goes double for you. Kill the bastard that took Denny if you have to, but don’t go out of your way.”
Life reached out and grasped Kovel’s forearm firmly. “May the Gods deliver you.”
Kovel grinned. “And good luck to you, my friend.”
They stared at each other a moment longer and then Life pulled away, and began picking his way through the topiary garden toward the back of the building. To his relief they soon came to a series of windows. There was a door further down, but he could see it opened into a room with people in it. From the sounds and smells, it was a kitchen, and he ignored the protests of his stomach.
None of the windows were open, but he found one that didn’t have the heavy wooden blinds shuttered. Inside it was dark and empty, so he went to work on the hinge. Within a short while he and Kovel worked the screws out of the frame and pulled it open. Kovel gave him a lift through, and then Life pulled him in afterward. He longed to start through the house, but instead took the time to partially screw the window back together; he had no desire for anyone to notice a strong wind from an empty room and discover the window had been unhinged.
Kovel chaffed his hands together when they finished. “Thought it’d be warmer in here.”
“Shh.” It was cold inside, though and Life shivered with the chill, wishing he’d at least brought his gloves with him. He crept to the doorway that opened onto a corridor, glancing down it both ways. In the distance he could hear the sounds from the kitchen, but the rest of the house was quiet.
“Bet you anything he’s kept upstairs,” Kovel whispered. “If he’s here at all, that is. If this place is built anything like Arislean design, the staircase will be in the middle, facing the front doors.”
Going to the middle front of the house seemed to Life the most likely place to be caught, but the structure was definitely not Feorean in design and he had no better suggestion.
The inside of the house proved to be as colorful as the thoroughfare they had walked through had been. Many of the rooms were dark, but the corridor was lit every few feet by oil lamps, showing the vibrant yellow covering of paper on the walls. The floor was stone, but a thick carpet runner ran the length of the hall, so green it was as though they were walking on grass.
Eventually the corridor opened into a very large front room, where even the flagstones were laid in intricate green and pink patterns. The staircase was majestic, sweeping to the left in one big curve. The entire thing was painted sky-blue and the banister had silver trim. To Life it was hideous and gaudy, but in a land where it snowed most of the year, he could almost see the appeal.
As they steadily but quietly started up the stairs, he wondered if Denny had ascended them before, and if so, how often.
When they reached the top, they found the staircase opened onto a large observatory. The ceiling was domed and covered with panels of glass that looked up into the sky. On a clear night, Life imagined the stars would be visible, and that sunlight would stream in during the day and warm the room. Now, it was grey overhead and snow had gathered along the windowpanes. Ignoring the observatory and the books and stargazing equipment in there, Life wondered which way to go.
The building stretched on to the left and the right and neither wing looked any more or less likely to be the potential holding place for a well-kept Arislean prisoner.
Hearing a noise, Life grabbed Kovel and dragged him into the shadows of the observatory. They soon heard a Korvalstieniav man calling for someone. The man’s voice faded as he started down the stairwell, and Life quickly peeked out, discovering it was a manservant talking to a woman in a dress and apron, carrying an empty tray of dishes.
“Well, we know someone must be that way,” Life whispered, glancing down the right hand corridor.
“Would servants tend to a prisoner?” Kovel asked.
Life swallowed down his uncertainty, but found he couldn’t reply. It entirely possible that if Denny had wanted to be treated like royalty and had come willingly to this place that it very well might be the sort of thing he’d have. Unable to speak, Life just nodded his head and moved out of the shadows. Perhaps he’d open the door and find Denny happily in the arms of General Visnek.
“Maybe there’s a cellar,” Kovel whispered. “You know, like, a dungeon. They have those in Fioryss, don’t they? We keep prisoners underground in Arisle, sometimes.”
“Shh.”
Kovel looked offended, but then his eyes widened as the faintest strains of music began wafting down the hall toward them.
Life heard them only after he had ordered silence, but his heart lifted at the notes. If it wasn’t Denny playing, it was someone on a lute that sounded very like his, playing a song that sounded very similar to the ones he’d once played Life.
His pace quickening, Life began recklessly passing open doorways, no longer concerned for who might see him.
“Hey, slow down!” Kovel whispered.
He only did because he reached the large double doors where the music was coming from. They were shut, but that was such a little obstacle now that he’d come all this way. The music stopped as Life was staring at the doors, and then, much more hesitantly, began again. It was the same tune and melody, but this time weaker and reedy. There were missed notes and awkward pauses; it was clearly a student learning the instrument, which meant there were at least two people in the room.
Life gestured for Kovel to step aside. For once, Kovel didn’t need words to know when he ought to remain unseen. Once Life was certain Kovel was hidden, he took a deep breath, put his hand on the door handle, and pushed it open.
The practicing musician-a girl-cut off in mid song. Life’s eyes scanned the room, fear clutching his chest. Two lute players sat together on a wooden bench by a large bay window, both dressed in sunset orange, and they stared up in shock at him. Both the man and the woman had fair skin and dark hair and he passed them over immediately, looking for Denny.
Seconds later the man rose to his feet and cried, “Lie?”
Stunned, Life looked back at the man, and his knees went weak as he realized that, though the hair was dark now and the shoulders broader, the face belonged to Denny. “Denny!” He didn’t consider anything else, just strode forward and grabbed the other man in a fierce embrace.
After a brief moment, Denny hugged him back, even tighter. “I never thought I’d see you again,” he breathed against the collar of Life’s neck. Then, sense returned to him and he pulled back. “What’re you doing here? How did you even get here?”
Still seated, the woman spoke, but her words were Korvalstieniav and meaningless to Life. “I don’t have time to explain.” He looked over his shoulder and fear clutched him at the sight of someone in the doorway. It passed only when he realized it was Kovel, who quickly shut the door behind him. Turning back, he said, “I’m here to rescue you, Denny. If we want to escape, we must leave now.”
“Rescue? Oh.” He blinked. “I just . . . I this is so hard to believe.” Denny put a hand to his hair and Life noticed it was shorter now too, barely touching his collar now. “It’s been so long.”
“I’ve missed you.”
“And I you . . .”
The woman set down the lute and got to her feet to grip Denny’s sleeve, speaking intently to him.
He reluctantly took his eyes off Life, answering her in Korvalstieniav. Then he looked back to Life, his eyes a bit less dazed. “This is Mila. She’s . . . she’s also here because of Ral. Uh, General Visnek, that is.” His eyes ghosted past Life, settling on Kovel. He lifted his chin. “Who’s this?”
“You remember Kovel, don’t you? You met once, long ago.” Life shook his head. “No matter. Quickly, change out that ridiculous outfit. We’ll never make it across the city with you in that get up.”
“What about Mila?”
Life stared at the woman. “We’ll take her with us, providing she doesn’t mind a jaunt to Arisle.”
The words were hardly out of Life’s mouth before Denny flung himself into Life’s arms again, kissing him quite soundly on the mouth. Surprising even himself, Life held Denny back to return the kiss. He would surely have not remembered the need for haste if Kovel hadn’t soon cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” Denny said with a shy smile. He moved away to speak to Mila, taking her aside with him.
As the two began changing, Life focused on Kovel. He felt himself smiling quite foolishly, tried to stop and ended up smiling even more. “I appreciate the lack of mocking.”
Kovel shrugged. “Wouldn’t be a very happy ending if he wanted nothing to do with you, would it?”
“I hope you have a happy reunion of your own, soon.”
That turned Kovel a bit pink and he nodded toward the doors. “Perhaps we should ask if there’s a better route out of the place than the one we took getting in.”
Loudly enough so Denny could hear, Life called over his shoulder, “Are there other prisoners being held here?”
“You can turn around now.” Denny had changed into plain travelling trousers and was busy pulling on a heavy coat. Mila had changed similarly. “I wouldn’t call them prisoners, but.” He shook his head. “There are quite a few others nearby, but we’re the only two housed here. The rest are servants.”
Life worried his lower lip. “Do you know where the other prisoners are kept? Could you tell another rescue party if we got you back to a ship?”
Denny stared for a few seconds before nodding. “Yes. Yes, I think so.” He hurried forward and picked up his lute, bending to begin wrapping it in its oiled carrying leathers. “Ral often let me walk along the shore late at night. I memorized the location of most of the great houses.”
Kovel leaned close to Life. “He can’t carry that thing through half of Tykovalt.”
Life held up his hand to silence him. “Make sure you remember them well, Denny. Their lives may well depend on it.”
Denny packed the lute into its case and got to his feet. “I have an excellent memory. We won’t go for them now?”
“No. There aren’t enough of us.” He reached out and brushed his hand against Denny’s cheek. “I just came for you. The rest of the fleet won’t arrive for some months yet.”
Kovel coughed loudly. “You two really need to wait until we’re back on the Lightning.” To Denny, he said, “Is there a way out of this place that doesn’t take us down the main stairs?”
Smiling sheepishly, Denny conversed a few moments with Mila, and soon she was nodding and speaking quickly. Denny translated, “Yes, oh, yes, there’s a servant stair all the way down at the end of this corridor. It’s outside and we almost never use it, but that means no one should be watching it.”
“That’s the opposite side of where we left our supplies,” Kovel said.
Life took Denny by the elbow and led him toward the door. “Take us there.” Over his shoulder to Kovel, he said, “We can double back around.”
Kovel scowled, and then noticed Mila beside him. He said, “Hello” to her in Korvalstieniav, then pointed at himself and said, “Kovel.”
Surprised, she smiled and said, “Kovel.” Then she pointed to herself and said, “Mila.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kovel said.
With a questioning glance, Mila pointed to Life.
“Reckless,” Kovel said with a smile.
As Mila tried to work her mouth around the word, Life scowled and gestured with his head for them to follow. “Stop fooling around!”
Denny, already in the corridor, widened his eyes. “Wait, wait.” He broke free from Life and hurried back into the room. He went to a large wooden dresser and rummaged through it.
Life followed him back inside, ready to chastise him when Denny pulled the golden coronet Life had bought him long ago from the drawer.
Denny fondly fingered it before putting it on. Against his dark hair, the contrast was even more striking than before. “I couldn’t leave it behind,” he said when he noticed Life watching.
“I can’t believe you even still have it.”
Denny’s smile was shy. “It’s always been very important to me.”
From the doorway, Kovel hissed to catch their attention. “What’s taking so long?”
Chastised, Life quickly ushered Denny back out of the room, blowing out the lamps and closing the door behind him in the slim hope that they wouldn’t be noticed missing until morning.
Kovel found the door that opened onto the outside stairwell, but it was frozen shut. It took both Life and Kovel’s combined strength to budge it. When it opened, the wind blew out the nearest lamp, sending an icy chill through the corridor.
Kovel shivered. “I guess it’s warmer in here than I thought.”
Life ushered them outside, pulling the door shut behind him. Even though the sun had now set, he doubted very much they’d be gone long before someone noticed what had happened. “Hurry!”
“You don’t want me to slip and break my neck, do you?” Denny whispered back.
Life nudged past Kovel and Mila and grabbed the lute from Denny. “Come on.”
He took the rest of the steps two at a time and began tracking back behind the house, scowling at the obvious tracks they were leaving in the snow. If they were followed soon, they would be easily caught.
“What about the kitchen?” Kovel said, nodding to the pool of light that was pouring out of the open kitchen door.
“Shh.” There was no way around the kitchen, so he moved beyond the pool of light and quietly passed, hoping only that no one looked out at them, or that if they did their eyes were too dazzled by the interior lights to make out more than shadows on snow.
They slipped past the open doorway without incident, though Kovel and Life were both shivering by the time they reached the shrubs they’d hidden their packs behind. Life handed the lute back to Denny and dragged free the bag of food, which he set down to pull on his coat, gloves and scarf. His warmth had dropped so fast and the coat was still so cold that for a time, he was colder wearing it than he had been without it.
Kovel was faring better. “Stop shivering and let’s get moving.” He picked up the pack of food and, stepping in the original tracks they’d made, headed back to the fence.
It was something of an effort to get Denny and Mila over the fence, as both were soft from months of fine dining, sitting and lute playing. Life’s fingers were unwilling to grip, and he nearly lost his traction at the top. When at last he landed on the other side, he was heartened to see Denny reach out and give his hand a squeeze.
The wind began to pick up again as they hurried through the night, trying to navigate the darkness toward the alley. Though the wind sliced coldness through every article of clothing Life was wearing, he was grateful for it. With the wind came more snow flurries and the combination was doing a good job of erasing their tracks.
When the stench of the alley reached him, Life smiled. He’d never dreamed he’d look forward to such a scent, but now it was just one step closer to freedom. Their prints didn’t track into the alley, though Life knew anyone chasing them would be smart enough to check for them there. The high walls kept the growing storm winds down to a minimum as well, which, coupled with the running they were doing, did much toward warming Life up.
They ran straight through the alley, stopping only when someone tripped on a crate or slipped on a patch of ice. It wasn’t until they reached the thoroughfare that they slowed. The brilliant colors of before felt muted now, all running to shades of gray in the moonless night. There were no people out anymore, and they crossed the gap quickly and easily. Kovel lagged behind slightly, taking the food sack out to drag across the street to scatter the tracks they made across the freshly fallen snow.
After another hour, they stopped to catch their breaths. Kovel passed around hunks of bread and cheese, which Life ate at ravenously, but which Denny and Mila passed upon. Instead, as if to keep his warmth up, Denny unfastened Life’s coat and nestled himself close inside.
After seven years apart it should have felt like holding a stranger. But it wasn’t.
It was like coming home.
Chapter fourteen