The Catalyst

Chapter 16

With a fire blazing in the riverstone hearth, the large dining room was cozy, smelled of tobacco and mulled wine, and featured several paintings depicting northern lights, where intense greens and blues danced across night skies.

Clothed in a velvet long coat, the man sitting at the far end of the table set down his pipe and book, rising from his chair.

"Jaden! By the gods, you look so much like your mother." His voice had the rasp of someone with a keenness for pipe smoke.

"Grandfather," Jaden said, "it is truly good to see you."

Instead of embracing him, Lord Fairlocks took his grandson by the shoulders and stared at him for a time. Lean and vigorous for his age, the lord's blue eyes were sharp beneath silver eyebrows and hair, with laugh lines and a trimmed mustache and beard.

"You should have written!" he exclaimed as he let Jaden go.

"My apologies, I—" Jaden started, but his grandfather waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind surprises. Life can be boring at my age. I do always tell my staff to keep at least a few guest rooms clean and tidy just in case. Your friends and yourself are proving me right." His gaze darted to Noah and Kitera. "That dress is lovely on you, my lady."

"Why thank you," Kitera said, and Jaden's grandfather came to take her hand, dropping a light kiss on her knuckles.

"Right," Jaden said, "grandfather, this is Lord Noah and his wife the lady Kitera."

"Pleased to meet you, my lord." Noah gave a little bow of his head. Then he realized he had no idea whether he was supposed to bow.

Lord Fairlocks gave a dismissive flick of his hand. "Please, call me Lyonel. We're all nobility here."

"We sure are." Noah smiled.

"Please, sit with me," Lyonel requested. "It should be a little longer for the food, but let us help ourselves to some wine. Dedrifel has the best mulled wine in all of Fellera!"

Kitera and Noah sat together, Jaden facing them, Lyonel returning to his seat at the end of the table. A maid swiftly came in, grabbed the silver pitcher's handle and poured the hot, dark red beverage into four blown glass goblets, its spicy scent drifting across the air.

"Thank you," Kitera said.

The girl blushed and scurried away after an awkward curtsy, Lyonel staring at Kitera as though she'd just done something odd. A sudden sharp pain in his calf made Noah realize Jaden had just kicked him under the table.

"Excuse my wife." Noah simultaneously took Kitera's hand and smiled at Lyonel. "She still falls back in her peculiar Azurian ways, sometimes." Kitera's nails dug inside his palm. Noah bit the inside of his lip not to wince.

"Strange," Lyonel replied, "I thought the Azurians were even harsher with their servants than we are. Don't they still have slavery there?"

Kitera raised her goblet, using this as a pretext to remove her hand from under Noah's.

"One of the reasons I left," she said.

Lyonel gave a nod, and raised his goblet as well. Jaden and Noah did likewise.

"Let us drink to that," Lyonel said, "and to my grandson. I hear tell of your prowess in the war. The finest archer in Fellera!"

"We still lost," Jaden pointed out.

Noah kicked Jaden's leg. Stop being depressed, I want grandpa in a good mood.

"Forgive me, grandfather," Jaden said. "Little point in discussing the war, now. Let us drink. To our reunion, it had been far too long."