Wherever I Am

Chapter 11 - Part 1

We stayed three days at Suata, which allowed us to heal up more before continuing to our next stop, Bacea keep. It was a one-day ride to get there, home of Lord Emil Tomas, Burgrave of Bacea and its lands, which included Suata. He and Lady Ralu were Boian and Doina's parents.

I kept watching the dense scrubs for an ambush, though none came. With the four contingents and the servants who came along, we were well above sixty people, an attack was unlikely, but I couldn't convince myself of that. This area was also more populated, which should assure me that I was safe, but occasionally touching my blade's hilt reassured me more than anything else.

To Lady Sabina's consternation, during the trip here, Ellie rode to and past the road's edges and sometimes stopped to talk to the people working in the fields and along the roads, then galloped to catch up. Boian watched his wife with amusement, then looked at me with a chuckle. "You're not even going to try to stop Maid Elexus from riding off, are you, Lord Kevin?"

I laughed. "Not on your life. It wouldn't work, anyway." I'd noticed that she kept close to me when we were in the less inhabited areas. Her fight-or-flight anxiety probably was worse than mine, though she seemed fascinated by day-to-day activities going on around us by the local populace.

Ellie galloped up just then, her ducklings riding to catch up. "Kevin, those people at the cactus were scraping insects off the pads to make crimson dye. I had no idea, and we've been around these prickly pear cacti all of our lives."

Lady Sabina caught up then in another attempt to corral Ellie back to where the women were supposed to be riding, with Doina, Sorina and Mara following. Ellie had split skirts made for the women, though could only get Sorina and Mara to wear them and ride astride. Lady Sabina and Maid Doina chose to ride using the more lady-like sidesaddle. Sorina gave me a slight smile as Lady Sabina tactfully explained to Ellie once again that we weren't supposed to be riding with the men. Ellie flashed a smile that let me know she'd be back up here within an hour.

Then we were riding through the town and into the walled keep, both called Bacea. Limestone walls, with the same for the buildings inside the walls, and really was the usual building stone everywhere around here. We were definitely expected. Lord Emil and Lady Ralu and their entourage were waiting at the bottom of the steps to the main building when we arrived, while the various contingents and servants moved away while we approached the steps.

It seemed they were expecting someone older than us, but they quickly recovered as Boian provided introductions. He also inserted himself as Steward to the Lord of the Realm, and his wife, Lady Sabina, as Lady to the Maid of the Realm. He whispered to me, "I saw who my father had lined up for those positions, and trust me, you'd rather have us than them."