Blood of the Righteous

Janelle's Reassurance

Eleenia poured the tea into Janelle's cup.

"I think you'll enjoy this blend. The merchant said it was brought all the way from Cathay."

Janelle placed a honey dipper into her tea and stirred it around. She took a slurping sip of the hot liquid. "Hm! Quite good," she said. "How much did he charge you for it?"

"A full bag for four coppers," Eleenia said, replacing the teapot on the serving tray.

"Only four coppers? Did he pinch the bag or mix in some oak leaves?"

"No, I watched him measure it out. And does it taste of oak leaves?" El asked.

Janelle took another slurping sip of the brew. "No, I can't say that it does. But how did you get him to sell it so low?"

El sipped from her own cup and relished the earthy taste. "My father had us trained in negotiations by Master Cohen himself. You just have to know what to look for. First off, it is summer, and not many people buy tea in the summer. It was also late afternoon, and the tea merchant was hawking very loudly, which indicated he had had a slow day. He was selling outside of a tavern, and the smell of the food had..." El noticed that Janelle's eyes had begun to glaze over. "It's not important, I suppose."

Inhaling the aroma of the tea deeply, El sat back in her chair.

Janelle had maintained her family's house well since her brother and father left on their most recent campaign two years earlier after a month-long leave. With the extra money Janelle had earned training Eleenia while she could still afford the lessons, plus the ample coinage her brother Felix had left her, she had transformed the sparsely furnished dwelling into a respectable home.

The two friends sat in silence for several moments, drinking their cooling tea.

Janelle decided to break the silence. "Gabriel most likely would have completed his Test of Combat by now."

El sat her teacup down on the saucer with a clank. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You shouldn't let yourself get so ruffled, El. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"How do you mean?"

"When I was over at the betting parlor the other day, Gabriel was showing less than even money on becoming a knight. A poor bet indeed. The best odds in the whole house were on his failing one of his tests. No one was foolish enough to throw their coin away on that wager," Janelle said with a wry smirk.

"People are betting on the Holy Defender initiates?" El asked incredulously.

Janelle shrugged. "Of course. With no movement on either side of the war in years, plus the last three seasons of plentiful crops, the people have a lot of time on their hands. Not much else is happening, and the goings on in the church are always a source of drama."

"You didn't wager on him, did you?"

"Of course not. Not worth betting on him making it, and knowing the buffoon I wouldn't dream of wagering against him." Janelle raised her teacup to her lips. "Although if the Archbishop kicks by the end of Summerlight I'll make a few golds," she said under her breath.

"Oh, Janelle, you didn't!" exclaimed Eleenia.

"It's not as if I'm causing him to die, El," she said defensively. "He hasn't left his bed since the end of Frostwane!"

El shook her head in mild repugnance. "Gambling on a clergyman's death. Indeed."

Janelle rolled her eyes. "Please. You are beginning to sound like your brother. It's bad enough that I'll have to listen to him pontificate for the next several decades. I don't need two moralistic busybodies in my life."

El stopped and glanced towards her friend. "What do you mean? You believe he is going to stay in Avonshire?"

"Of course," Janelle said. "Everyone is also talking about his three charges and how after only two years their swordsmanship has become astounding. The consensus opinion is that 'Brother Gabriel' will be given the task of training high initiates or even full knights! The Templar Majoris was overheard stating those exact plans. The church would be foolish to send him off somewhere.

"And you know how much it pains me to say this about that popinjay, so you can rest assured that it is the truth."

El smiled. "Thank you. I truly needed to hear that."

Janelle sat back on her comfy chair, pulling her legs up under her. A clap of thunder echoed in the distance as rain began to lightly tap upon the roof.

"It is good to see you out of the library, El," Janelle said, staring into her teacup while circling her finger around its edge. "Here it is the beginning of Summerlight, and you are so pale I can almost see your guts if you turn against the light."

Eleenia let out an exasperated sigh. "Seems I'm not the only one who sounds like Gabriel."

"Please. Don't insult me."