[Ridge]
"Can we talk?" She didn't correct me, so I guess I got her name right.
"Sure." I responded. She glanced around nervously. I was on my way back across the property, just having finished gate duty. My plan was to play around with my new yarn bundles, but the paranoid look on her face makes me think that won't be happening today.
"Great. Follow me." She nods her head in the direction she wants to go and sets off at a fast pace.
"Um, okay." She doesn't look back to see if I'm following her, but I do as I'm told nonetheless.
When we reach the edge of the garden she makes a sharp turn into the small maze made of large, green hedge walls. I hesitate only a second before following behind her again. I don't sense any malice or ill intent from her, and we seemed to get along well enough last night, so it should be fine.
"Isn't this a bit excessive? Is something wrong?" I demand. Obviously something's off, but pretending like she's not an open book will keep her from getting defensive and closing up.
"This is important." She finally slows her ridiculous pace before stopping completely, "I know we just met, but I need to ask you a favor."
I raise an eyebrow but motion for her to continue. She fidgets with the corner of her freshly pressed uniform and scuffs the toe of her shoe on the dirt path. The hot evening sun has sweat perspiring on her dark skin. Why is she so nervous?
She continues, "I need some information."
"You're the one with experience around here. What could I possibly tell you that you don't already know?" I ask, growing tired of all the secrecy.
"Well, I heard you're close with Lord Kadeeth..." Her hands twist harder into the fabric of her dress. I furrow my brow in confusion.
"So?"
"So, I was wondering if you knew if there's any truth to the rumors going around the Manor?" She looks desperate.
"What rumors?" I'm getting frustrated. Not at Amira, but at myself for never knowing what's going on. It's her turn to look confused.
"You haven't heard?" I shake my head, so she carries on, "A letter arrived this afternoon for the Duke. It's from the east, stamped with General Alva's seal."
That's what all the fuss was about? A letter from the general in the east means something happened on the front lines. Is the conflict over? Or did it get worse, like Kadeeth implied it would?
"What did it say?" I step closer to her, causing her to back up cautiously at my anxious tone. I distance myself again and try to calm down.
"No one knows. We're not permitted to check mail with personal seals on them. That's why I was asking you." She answers, grinding her teeth.
"Right, that makes sense. Sorry for getting worked up for a second there." She nods, accepting my apology.
"I guess if you hadn't even heard about the letter, you probably wouldn't know its contents." She offers, still sounding slightly hopeful. I think back to the fight with Kadeeth last night, to our promise.
"No, I wish I could be of more help."
"It's fine, I should get going." She turns to leave, but looks back at me for a second, "See you at supper?"
"Uh, yeah. Probably." I give her a small wave and she leaves the maze.
What the fuck? The battles at the border have been going on for almost an entire year now. They've been small, with hardly any serious injuries, much less casualties. If the border is breached it would mean that the Nymour forces have made it past essentially our county's entire general fighting force.
That's not even possible. Since we're not fighting in any major wars right now, the Imperial family has been focusing our efforts into ending these minor battles at the Nymour border. The amount of troops we have there should be enough to not only hold them back, but to invade and end the conflict when we're ready to make that sacrifice.
Breaching that line of defense shouldn't be feasible for Nymour's army. But on the off chance that something like that could really happen, it would mean that the only remaining protection would be smaller private forces like Ravenous. We wouldn't last long like that, with only small groups of warriors spread out across the country.
Not that any of that matters, Nymour has no way of overcoming our technological advancements or our sheer numbers. There's been no real threat for the duration of the conflict. It's simply a property dispute, not a war.
Instead of heading back to my room I set off in search of the one person who might know something. By this time Kadeeth has usually seen his father at least once at some point in the day, and when we met up for dinner he never once mentioned the Duke or a letter. He was calm. Which means he probably hadn't seen his father yet, and that he should've gone to talk with him sometime after we went our separate ways.
If he knows something now, I'm going to wring it out of him. I don't ever want to have to make good on our promise. If he knows something that can help prevent things from coming to that, I'm going to find out.
Once I enter the Manor through a servants entrance I try to slow my steps. I don't need to draw any extra attention to myself by speeding down the halls when there's a potential crisis at hand. I'd also like to avoid being approached by anyone else who's discovered my ties to the Riddotha family. They clearly want to keep this situation under wraps.
I stick to the shadows the setting sun casts through the looming, glass windows of the Riddothas home, moving as fast as I can without attracting too many eyes. Luckily most people are either in their rooms or already claiming their seats in the dining hall, so the corridors are fairly empty.
I make a bee line for Kadeeth's room, hoping to catch him before he leaves for supper too. When I reach the top of the stairs heading to his chambers I turn the corner and slam into a wall. A wall adorned in purple silk and topped with dark red hair.
"You bastard!" I yell at him as we both tumble downward. Despite my hurdling insults at him, his hand darts out and wraps around my head before it hits the ground.
I end up sprawled out on my now aching back, with Kadeeth's hand crushed between my skull and the cold stone floor.
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Chapter 10, double digits!! Any favorite characters yet?