Palace Ghosts

Chapter 5

"Kianna! Kianna!" Rhys exclaimed once I had closed the door to my room.
"What is it?" I asked, glancing around, hoping to see what had set him off.
"That man, Taviq Elwinn, can see ghosts too!" he exclaimed.
"What?! How?!" I asked, in surprise.
"He isn't faded like the rest, though he is more faded then you," said Rhys excitedly
"Why haven't I ever seen him talking to ghosts? Or why haven't other ghosts told me that he can see them? Fudin was with me last night in the throne room, when no other ghosts were around, and Taviq was there too! Why didn't Fudin tell me?" I asked, slightly hurt, but very excited that I had found someone, aside from myself, who could see ghosts.
"Ah! Kianna some people who can see ghosts believe that they are insane, and that the ghosts are just hallucinations conjured up by their own mind. That's why he isn't as vibrant as you, I don't think that he actually believes ghosts exist, but I saw his eyes follow my movements for a moment, he could definitely see me, and as for Fudin, he's not as observant as he claims, he probably didn't even notice that Taviq Elwinn was brighter. And ghosts don't like talking to people who can't, or pretend they can't, see them," concluded Rhys, jubilant with his discovery. "You need to confront him, and find out together who killed the King," said Rhys.
"What?! He's the son of a Baron! He'll want nothing to do with me!" I said, horrified.
"Yes, but what if he saw a ghost on his way to get the lieutenant, what if this hypothetical ghosts saw the whole thing!" exclaimed Rhys.
"Yes, I see where you are going with this. But you still haven't told me how to bridge the gap between our social standing, I'm a middle class girl and he's a Baron's son with a large inheritance," I objected.
"Kianna! A murder just happened! You can't let your social standing decide if you're going to solve it or not!" he exclaimed.
"Tell that to an aristocrat," I muttered.
He began to gaze at me sternly, with eyes that would melt stone.
"Fine! I'll give it a try, one try," I finally agreed, angrily.
Rhys nodded triumphantly. "Good, try today, when you are summoned again, no doubt Taviq Elwinn will be hanging around, or perhaps even being questioned himself. Then you will talk to him." It wasn't a question, it was undoubtably a statement.

I waited in my room for about an hour before a guard arrived at my room, banging on the door with the palm of his hand.
"Kianna Latricia, the Interrogator summons you," said the guard.
I stood up from my bed, smoothed out the wrinkles in my skirt, opened the door and followed the guard back to the small room, with Rhys at my heels. In the small room sat the Queen, the two lieutenants, the Commander, the Interrogator and a horde of ghosts. Valena, Fudin and Lathion, the blustery ghost, were among them.
"Have a seat," commanded the Interrogator. I sat down swiftly in the chair opposite.
"I have deemed you incapable of the crime and, as you are weak minded, I have also deemed you incapable of any affiliation with the murder, whether in the devising of the murder, or a bystander of the crime committed," said the Interrogator.
A collective sigh went up from my ghost friends.
"You are free to leave," he said, nodding his head towards the door.
I quickly scrambled out of my chair, curtsied, and left the room. Outside, I let out a sigh of relief. I turned toward Baron Elwinn's rooms, for I knew that I was far behind in my chores. I jogged down several corridors, rounded a bend without slowing down and crashed straight into Taviq Elwinn. He managed to catch himself by grabbing a pillar, but not I. I slammed into the ground, full force, knocking the wind out of my lungs, I crashed into the wall and sat in a sore heap.
My knee had hit the corner of one of the blocks that the pillars rested on, and was bleeding profusely. I managed to get to my feet within fifteen seconds of hitting the wall.
"Forgive me m'lord, I did not see you," I managed to say.
"No, forgive me m'lady," Taviq said, bending down to inspect my knee.
"You mustn't m'lord, I am from the middle class," I said, shocked that he was looking at my knee.
"Nonsense, nonsense," he said absentmindedly with a tsk.
I stood painfully still.
"That scrape looks nasty, here, come with me," said Taviq standing up and putting my arm around his neck, and his arm around my slim waist. I limped while he walked and half carried me. The cut on my knee was deep, and painful, soon it started to drip and I tied a piece of my shawl around it. He led me into the laundry room, which was unoccupied, and sat me down on a short, squat stool. I was about to ask him why he had taken me here, after all it wasn't a very ideal place. Servants could come and go, most of which would talk about what they had seen. Then I realised that this was the only room, aside from the royal quarters, that had running water.
He untied the piece of cloth that bandaged my knee. Then he took a clean rag from a shelf, turned on the tap, and ran the rag underneath. Soon it was wet through, then he squeezed it out, and gently dabbed at my wound. He began to press on the wound, encouraging it to seal. I clenched my jaw against the pain.
"So, what's your name?" he asked, trying to make small talk.
"Kianna Emilia Latricia," I said, through my teeth. "Your's?" I asked, in a less strained voice.
"Taviq Kamarion Elwinn," he replied, with a slight smile.
Suddenly, my filter and politeness dropped.
"I was under the impression that you didn't want anything to do with me," I said.
He looked, up slightly startled.
"Well, that was while you were still a suspect. I had my reputation to think about, and until you were cleared I didn't dare affiliate myself with you, I didn't think you could have possibly committed the murder, but then I wanted closure before talking to you," said Taviq.
"You make it sound as if you wanted to talk to me," I said, hesitantly.
"I did, and I do," he said, without looking up at my face.
I felt my cheeks grow hot. "What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked, once he had retrieved a piece of cloth for a bandage.
His grey eyes pierced mine. "Several things, but first, I know you didn't come across the throne room by exploring, why were you there? Did you see something suspicious?" he asked glancing up from my now bandaged wound.
"You're the only living person I can tell, because you have the same gift, or curse, as I do," I said.
He looked at me strangely, like all people did when they heard me talking to a ghost.
"I can see, hear, and talk to ghosts," I said.
"You can?" he asked, almost uninterestedly.
"Yes, a ghost told me that he had found the king dead in the throne room, he led me to the throne room, and right as I entered, the lieutenant, you and his squad entered," I said.
"Did any of your ghost friends see the murderer?" he asked.
"Well Fudin Gallton, who was a mercenary back in the day, he saw a person all clad in black, but the clothes were too baggy to distinguish the gender," I said, with a shrug.
"Interesting. I've never met another person who could see them as well," he mused.
"You knew they weren't conjured from your mind, yet you never talked to them, why is that?" I asked.
"Why should I? No one I knew could see them, and they were the dead, nothing is considered more bewitching then talking to the dead," he said.
"You seem to know a lot about them," I said.
"I do, I've observed them, and listened to them, but I never talk to them," he said.
I didn't say anything for awhile. "So you heard a scream?" I asked.
He leaned against one of the walls and nodded.
"All I heard was a bloodcurdling cry, I hear screams often enough, but cries like that, never. I pulled on a cloak and ran straight to the nearest patrol of guards, then together we went towards the general area I thought I had heard it, after breaking down several doors, we came upon the throne room, and there we saw you and the king," said Taviq.
I nodded, remembering that the King had still been warm by the time they came upon him. There was a long pause between us, neither of us said anything.
"Where are you going? Perhaps I can take you there," said Taviq.
"I was actually going to your father's place, I need to catch up on my chores," I said, getting to my feet and limping towards the door. Taviq took my arm in one of his hands.
"Lean on me, I can tell you need the help," he said courteously.
"Oh, I dare not," I said, blushing furiously, trying to graciously extract my arm from his helping hand.
"Why not? I have no evil intentions toward you," he said, confused and perhaps even slightly hurt.
"Well, compared to you I'm a 'scum of the gutter,' so to speak," I said, with another blush.
"Ah, I see," he said, with a slight laugh. "Your talking about the social dynamic, I'm a Baron's son you're a middle class craftsman's daughter," said Taviq, wryly.
I blushed again.
"It would be very improper for you to be seen even touching me," I said.
Then I was saved! Rhys Caiden glided into the room.
"My dear Kianna, whatever has he done to you?!" he asked, aghast at the sight of my knee.
"I fell," I said, simply.
Rhys frowned, not believing me. "Now listen here young man, if I catch you alone with my little girl again, I'll give you a run for your money," he threatened in a menacingly quiet tone. Taviq started backward at Rhys' words.
"Yes sir," he replied.