Dralin

Chapter 18

Three days after the death of Bobbell, Pelya was out for the day with Lieutenant Kally Nevala, a strong woman with curly blonde hair that whipped around in the strong breeze.  Her hazel eyes glittered in the sunlight and a scar ran along her chin from a battle that went badly the year before.  The lieutenant was the daughter of a successful noble who had made certain Kally was well educated as a child and gave in when his daughter made the request to join the City Guard.  A high education and wealthy parents would allow a person to enter any military group as an officer and the Dralin City Guard was recognized as one of the most highly-trained and dangerous military groups in the world.

Pelya was dressed in unadorned brown pants and tan tunic with her longknife back at her side.  She wasn’t allowed to wear the colors of the Guard, black pants and brown tunic like Kally had on, so that no one would mistake her for a member.

It was only the second time she had been out, having gone the day before to Carnival for a short while with Bava and Herman.  While there, she never smiled and only spoke when absolutely necessary.  Bava and Herman spent the day worried about her, but eventually let her deal with things her own way.

It had been debated whether or not to let her go with just one guard at a time, but Bobbell had specifically broken the rules as to where Pelya could be taken.  Frath made it clear that anyone else who did something stupid with his daughter would die by his hand regardless of their position.  It was a threat everyone took seriously.

Lieutenant Nevala was an extremely capable warrior and Frath trusted her.  They had decided to go to a safe park in the Noble District where Pelya could feed ducks around a peaceful lake and sit quietly if that was all she wanted to do.  Kally had a book to read and money for lunch and treats.  It sounded like a nice day to Pelya who just wanted to sit and stare awhile.  The lake would be perfect.

“I need to make a stop on the way, but it shouldn’t take long,” Kally told her in a pleasant voice that could split the air when giving orders.

Pelya stopped in her tracks, causing the lieutenant to jerk in surprise as they were holding hands.  “Uncle Bobbell said he just needed to make a stop and that it wouldn’t take long,” she said grimly.  “That’s when they killed him, Aunt Kally,”

The woman stared at Pelya for a minute, not saying anything.  She brushed hair back over her ear.  Lieutenant Nevala was a pretty woman even with the scar and the ability to gut criminals.  Occasionally a man would stare at her when walking past.  Kally gave no notice of it most of the time.  She resumed walking and Pelya went along, not knowing if they were going to make the stop or just go to the park. 

Pelya liked the Noble District.  It was quieter than most.  Even though there were guards at the doors of most estates and many of the nobles were a bit stuck up, it had a pleasant atmosphere.  People were dignified and wore the most beautiful clothes.  Everyone moved at a stately pace instead of the hurried velocity in other districts.

It was also where the Shining Shield Inn was.  Frath brought her to it every once in a while to have a nice meal in the garden with Albert and Purla.  Most of the staff remembered her mother and they were always happy to see Pelya.  The memory of the place was painful to Frath, so they never stayed long.

A few blocks before reaching the park, Kally stopped in front of a large manor.  She sat down on a low wall in front of manicured grounds and took Pelya by the arms.  “This is where I need to stop.  You can see that it’s not a dangerous place.  The man I need to speak to is a minor lord.  He knows my father and they have business dealings.”  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “It’s a personal matter that I can’t take care of while on duty.  If I could talk to him now, it would help me out a lot.”  She squeezed Pelya’s arms gently and then let go.  “That said, if you feel uncomfortable with this or have a bad feeling, we’ll skip it and go straight to the park.”