The Alarna Affair

Chapter 5: The Discovery of the Guardians' Door

"Father's gone on business for the moment," Djaren said, opening the carriage door for his mother.

"He'll be home quite soon, I imagine." Hellin Blackfeather picked her small daughter up nimbly and set her in the carriage. Ellea bore this with dignity and chose a window seat for herself. Hellin took the hand Tam offered and climbed up into the carriage, revealing in that motion that her full skirts were in fact voluminous trousers. The Professor followed her in. 

Jon wavered a moment, finding his choices were to sit between Hellin Blackfeather and the Professor, or next to Ellea, who was regarding him steadily with some unreadable expression. She edged over an inch. Jon took the motion as an invitation and sat down carefully. The Professor smiled across at him. Tam and Djaren took the remaining seats. Djaren wiped dust from his spectacles with an equally dusty handkerchief and settled them back on his nose with a smile. "Off to the dig. Wait till you see it!"

They traveled over an arid landscape on bumpy roads while Djaren described the dig and what had already been uncovered. Ellea interrupted him halfway through a description of some jeweled daggers. "The thieves took those."

Djaren looked embarrassed. "We didn't want to tell you right off," he explained, looking from Tam, to Jon, to the Professor. "No sense in alarming you, but yes, you're not the only ones to have run-ins with thieves lately."

"What else did they take?" The Professor sounded worried.

"The usual things," Djaren said.

"Everything shiny and small," Ellea answered at the same time.

"And the household silver," Hellin smiled ruefully. "I'm afraid one of the maidservants has a dangerous taste in suitors. She alone had access to the household, and she disappeared with the lot. I only hope the girl was plucky enough to get her fair share. The thieves of Alarna are not very egalitarian in their divisions."

"Mama Darvin told you not to hire her," Ellea said.

"I know, I know," Hellin Blackfeather sighed, "but I felt that girl had spirit, and could make good use of some opportunity."

"Well, she did that." Djaren grinned.

"As Mama Darvin has been continually reminding me." Hellin wrinkled her freckled nose at her son. Jon decided that Lady Blackfeather was a great deal younger than he and Tam's mother. She was extraordinarily lovely. Jon had expected something quite different. Hellin Blackfeather's name appeared as a co-author on all of Doctor Blackfeather's writings. Jon had thought she would be older, or sterner, or maybe even more like his own round, dimpled mother, whom he was trying manfully not to miss.

"Haven't you called in the authorities about the theft?" Tam asked.

"Of course," Djaren answered. "But Alarna is a small province. Thieves and authorities are close cousins here. Though up till now we've been on good terms with the lot of them."

"We've been fortunate," Hellin explained. "We Shandorians are allowed to dig where others–"

"Like the Arienish," Djaren put in.

"–are not," Hellin finished.

"They take things home with them," Ellea explained. "Big things."

"One noble took home a whole temple, it's true," Djaren said. "We, on the other hand, are here for the history. Father's discoveries have founded two museums and four libraries." Djaren looked proud. "We work with governments to find and preserve treasures."

"Yes," Hellin remarked dryly. "We dig up antiquities and document them. Then the governments sell them to foreign nobles. Priceless artifacts for a quick penny."