Night Bells

  * * *

  The next morning passed very slowly for Soryn. He awoke abruptly before dawn from his nightmare. He had dreamed of the fire before, but the fact that this dream occurred after his encounter with Ulla made him wary. Lord Maslyn ran a shaky hand through his sweat-soaked hair and trembled, both from the cold and his nervousness. He wanted to compose himself before Jori came.

  He rose from his bed and walked across the freezing stones to the table. Snippets and phrases of the last several days flashed through his mind. In a very short time, his world had become increasingly complicated, perhaps more than he was ready for. Every second, Soryn was poised to hear some snide remark from Ulla in his mind. Every second that Ulla did not speak made Lord Maslyn even more anxious.

  Jori came and went. Soryn was dressed at the table and eating breakfast when Ulla finally greeted him.

  Good morning. I trust you slept well.

  “I’m sure you know exactly how I slept.”

  No need to be belligerent. I’m here to help you, after all.

  “Are you, Ulla? Because sometimes I think you are just trying to get me to do something that you want me to do. I’m not sure it’s something good, either.”

  What gave you that idea? Haven’t I been helpful? Haven’t I tried to tell you to take things slowly and not overload yourself all at once?

  Soryn considered the pig’s statement. Ulla had tried to tell him not to read into things too quickly and to investigate the people around him first before delving deeper into the Seidh.

  “I suppose you’re right. I’m sorry. My life has just changed pretty dramatically in a very short period of time,” Soryn apologized.

  That is something I can relate to, my young friend. Now, why don’t you ask that pretty servant of yours about life in the castle? After all, you have been shut off from quite a bit these last six years.

  “How do you know about that? How do you know how long I’ve been in the tower?”

  I know a lot about what goes on in this castle.

  “How? I’ve never seen you come through the fireplace to leave the study. Is there another way out?”

  Maybe. Maybe not. I have sources for the information I need.

  “Why don’t you tell me, then, about what goes on in this castle?”

  Why would I want to take away your opportunity to speak with a pretty girl? Besides, she may be of use to you later on. I think it is far more important for you to get to know her better. I also think it is far more entertaining for me to listen in.

  Soryn bristled at Ulla’s comment. Arna was not someone he wanted to “use”. He wanted to get to know her. Besides, he needed someone else to talk to other than Ulla alone. The pig made him nervous more often than not.

  That hurts me. I’m just trying to be helpful.

  “Sorry. Give me some time to get used to your mind reading, Ulla. Also, I’ve never really talked to girls.”

  Ah, well…you’re twelve. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you for experiencing new things. Think of the last two days as the beginning of a much larger journey.

  “I suppose.”

  She’s coming. Bye-bye now. Don’t forget to tell me all about it.

  Soryn could sense the sarcasm dripping from Ulla’s encouragement; as if the pig would not hear everything going on in the tower room.

  As Ulla foretold, Arna’s footsteps rang out in the corridor and she appeared in the doorway carrying her laundry basket under one arm.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning, Arna.” Soryn tried to sound as friendly as possible.

  She immediately changed the sheets and picked up other laundry about the floor. She reached for his black clothing that had fallen from the under-frame of the bed in the night. Soryn sprang from his chair to stop her. Their fingers met on the top of his shirt. Again, they both blushed as their eyes met.

  “Alright, this is just silly,” Arna giggled, clearly embarrassed. “We both act as if we have never interacted with the opposite gender before. Let’s just clear the air before we continue with our work, shall we?”

  “What?” Soryn stuttered.

  “If we’re going to be friends, Bialas, we have to be honest and open with one another.”

  “Bialas? Why are you calling me that and what are you—friends?” he coughed.

  “Yes. Friends. Don’t you want to be my friend, Bialas?” she asked, still touching his hand.

  “I would like that very much,” he admitted.

  “Good. Now, first things first. Do you think I’m pretty?”

  “Huh!? I-I…well, I mean…”

  “Yes…?” Arna prompted.

  “Yes. I think you’re very pretty,” Soryn confessed.

  “That’s grand. I think you’re very handsome as well. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I say we interact with one another very adult-like and dispense with all of this blushing nonsense. It clouds my head and I’ve got lots of work to do. Agreed?”

  “I suppose that sounds agreeable,” Soryn managed.

  Now that was entertaining.

  “Now is not the time, Ulla,” Soryn said aloud without thinking.

  Realizing what he had done, horror lodged in Soryn’s throat and he desperately looked up at Arna, snatching his hand away.

  “Who’s Ulla?” Arna asked, a smile on her face.

  Soryn tried to think up a proper excuse when he heard the pig again, Why not tell her the truth? She wants you to be honest and open, remember?

  Arna continued to stare at Soryn and it unnerved him in a way that was entirely different from Ulla’s stares.

  “Arna, can we talk sometime? Sometime when you don’t have to work?”

  She seemed surprised by this question. Instead of answering right away, she merely reached again for the black clothing on the floor. Soryn blushed again, cursing himself that he could not control his emotions around her.

  “I think that would be nice, Bialas,” she told him.

  “Really!?”

  “Yes. How does tonight sound? After Jori has gone to bed?”

  “So soon,” Soryn muttered in disbelief. He suspected she would try to suspend such a meeting.

  “Well, truth be told, I have been bored to death lately and it would be wonderful to have a little conversation in my life.” Arna smiled.

  Soryn merely grinned and said, “That would be nice. I look forward to it.”

  Without saying anything more, Arna took her laundry basket and waltzed out of the room. Soryn felt the huge pit of snakes in his stomach suddenly uncoil and he sighed a great breath of relief.

  I think it went rather well, don’t you? Ulla chimed.

  “I suppose.”

  I told you she might be more agreeable if you tempted her with serious talk.

  “You were right, I guess.”

  Ulla was quiet for the rest of the day. Though this made Lord Maslyn uncomfortable, he brushed it off and went about his daily routine with increased vigor. The thought of Arna’s clandestine visit to his room made him feel warm inside. Since he was six years old when they placed him in the tower, Soryn never really remembered friendship. He had been alone for half his life. He appreciated the thought of a friend more than Arna could ever know.

  Soryn half expected Ulla to pipe up with some terse quip about his thought, but nothing came. If Ulla had anything to say about the matter, he stayed quiet. While Soryn waited for the suns to set, he studied his room some more. Since he had discovered something so extraordinary in his fireplace, he thought it a worthwhile task to seriously inspect the rest of his room. He started with his bed.

  The candles and flint still rested beneath the frame, but Soryn found nothing of further interest under the bed itself. He tried to lift the mattress, but found it too far set in the frame to move it much. Abandoning this pursuit, Soryn stared at the wooden finials and posts that held up the curtains. They were ornately carved, but harbored no secret compartments. After exa
mining the bed, he checked the stones on the same wall. Using his fingers, he gingerly traced the grout between the rocks. To his disappointment, he did not find anything suspect. He continued to the center of the next wall, examining the section on the right side of the fireplace. All he found was a mouse hole. He made a mental note to ask Jori to fill it up later.

  On the left of the fireplace was a desk that Soryn never used. He had always preferred to work at the large table running down the center of the room. Soryn admitted to himself that it was a shame he had never used the desk. It was a lovely old thing, carved in a similar fashion to the steps that ran down to Ulla’s study. He wondered, again, who had created all the wondrous things in his tower and if someone important might have lived there. His parents and his brothers certainly never came to the tower from what he remembered. Lord Maslyn found the tower itself to be a mystery that needed solving.

  The desk had a small shelf section connected to the top, with tiny compartments filled with all sorts of scholarly artifacts. There was a dried up ink well, styluses, and old parchment paper. No books or notes were stacked on top of the desk. He searched the ubiquitous drawers running along the bottom of the desktop. Each was narrow and deep.

  He found nothing of great interest in the drawers—merely stores of parchment, ink wells, twine for joining notes, etc. Shutting the drawers in disappointment, Soryn crossed the room to his window. It was dusk. The suns were beginning to set. Purple and pink clouds yielded to grey, heavy ones. It would snow again tonight. Soryn hoped it would not keep Arna away. He had no idea if she lived within the castle walls or elsewhere. He hoped she would be safe and that they would have their meeting. Jori would soon arrive with his dinner. The boy went to the table and sat. While he waited, he continued to meditate on all of the changes that were taking place and the new adventures to come.