The Argent Star

  Chapter 4

  The manor was huge, and Ren thought that it could be called a castle. It would take her forever to learn where everything was, although she knew most of the rooms would go unused with the amount of people staying there. Ren thought Maks might use it as an excuse to keep some of his former soldiers around, since the scow over Novae had yet to leave after dropping them off. In a way it was comforting, like Ren still had a chance of returning home.

  As Abetha walked Ren around the manor, she took note of the how much marble was used to build it; clearly the Monarchy had a say in building it. Everything was shining in white, with mahogany accents and great paintings on the walls. They depicted mostly the nature of Novae. A few workers went by, all of them keeping their heads down as Abetha first had. Ren found she wasn’t able to talk to them as easily as with Abetha, and ended up avoiding eye contact just as much. She knew how bad that must have looked to them.

  When they descended the spiral staircase Ren asked, “Are the people happy about our being here?”

  “Pardon?” Abetha asked, looking up at Ren.

  “The people,” Ren said. “Are they upset that we just swooped in and took over? Nobody wants to kill us for it, or send us away?”

  Abetha looked away but shook her head. “No, no, never, my Lady. All Novaeans are very happy to have strong leaders now. The past Prime Ministers were not very good at their jobs. When the Monarchy found us we were very happy.”

  Ren nodded, and they continued the tour. Nothing that Abetha had said sat right with Ren. She couldn’t believe that everyone was happy; in all of human history that never happened. The more she walked the more she thought she could be wrong as she caught glimpses of the crowd outside. They didn’t look angry, and their occasional cheers didn’t sound threatening. Maybe my anxiety is acting up again, Ren thought. Maybe it’s all in my head, like usual.

  Ren took a deep breath and tried to calm her heart, but it still pounded away. Her palms wouldn’t stop sweating either, and she had to constantly rub them on her pants just to make it bearable. She was glad Maks wasn’t around, or the ever bubbly Elian. Ren wondered if he was still outside with the crowd, and if he was, how he was managing it. She wished she could be more like him.

  “The Advisor told me you enjoy reading and learning about history,” Abetha said, drawing Ren’s attention back to the marble hallway.

  “Yes,” she replied, “back on Earth I was training to be an archeologist.” Her eyes fell to the floor, disappointed. So much for delving into the depths of Earth’s oceans and discovering secrets of the sunken cities.

  “I believe you will enjoy this next room,” Abetha said with a smile. She struggled to push open a large door, and was only able to crack it. Ren joined her, feeling the true weight and wondering why a door would be so heavy. It was strange to Ren to have to open a door herself; she’d spent her entire life watching them move for her. Together they managed to open it wide enough for their bodies to squeeze through.

  “Welcome to the library,” Abetha said when they were inside. Dust swirled in the air, making Ren sneeze a few times. Her eyes felt puffy, but she cracked them open just to get a look at the library. Clearly the Monarchy hadn’t cared enough about this room to have anyone clean it.

  Despite the size of the door, and even the manor, the library wasn’t very large. It was filled with books though, some new and some old. Many looked burnt, as if they would crumble to ashes with a single touch.

  “Was there a fire?” Ren asked.

  “In a way, yes,” Abetha said. “Before the Beginning, when the Absolution crashed, many of the books were destroyed. Some of the ones here were the ones my ancestors rescued from the ship.”

  Ren took a moment to walk between the shelves, heading for the back of the room where she saw sunlight spilling in. “The Beginning?” she asked as she walked.

  Abetha followed. “The Beginning was when the prophet came, and blended his blood with those aboard the Absolution. He taught them the ways of Novae, and it was the Beginning.”

  Ren made a mental note to get more information on this prophet, and hoped the Monarchy didn’t plan on making her convert to the local religion. It did spark a bit of worry in her though, because with religion came devotees, and she didn’t think they would like having leaders that didn’t believe. Maks was an atheist, while Ren didn’t know what she was. Would they follow a man that only believes in the government?

  “Are there any journals about what happened to make the scow—ship crash?” Ren asked. First hand reports were her favourite thing about history, and even though they were always biased, she loved reading them. Trying to figure out what was truth and what was simply someone’s point of view was one of the best parts of her research.

  “There may be some, I will check,” Abetha replied. She began scouring the shelves immediately.

  “Oh, you don’t have to do it right now,” Ren said, stopping her. Abetha’s brow furrowed as her hands returned from the shelf to her sides. Ren wasn’t sure if it was funny or sad at how easily confused Abetha was.

  Ren shifted her gaze to look over the old books, hoping that hers would arrive soon. It would probably be weeks until she was able to get them back, and even then it wouldn’t be all of them. Maks could have at least allowed her to pack her own things rather than kidnapping her.

  “You enjoy books?” Abetha asked.

  “I do,” Ren replied. “Reading is my favourite hobby. I’d almost managed to turn it into my job back home.” She faced Abetha. “What about you?”

  “I enjoy…stories,” Abetha said carefully. “But I cannot read.”

  Ren jumped. “You can’t read?” Abetha shook her head. “Why not?”

  Abetha started playing with the edges of her shirt again, as if afraid to answer. Her head lowered, and she refused to look Ren in the eyes. Ren thought it was from both shame and embarrassment.

  “I am…” the girl whispered.

  “What?” Ren asked.

  “I am not allowed,” Abetha finally admitted.

  Ren couldn’t breathe. Anger had risen in her chest and blocked her throat, making it clench shut. Her mouth moved up and down, and the edges of her vision began to turn red. Not allowed? She turned around and tried to compose herself, managing to ask, “Who says you’re not allowed?”

  “I know some words,” she told Ren, “but mother and father say that I should focus on more important things and—”

  “Calm down,” Maks boomed from the doorway. Ren and Abetha both jumped as they turned to see Maks and Garret coming towards them, as if on a warpath. “This isn’t something to cry over.”

  Ren hadn’t even noticed the tears that had begun to fall down Abetha’s cheeks. She quickly wiped them away and bowed to Maks, who only looked at her with distain in return. Abetha hurried to Ren’s side.

  “Does Novae not educate their women?” Ren asked.

  “Oh, they do,” replied Garret, “Abetha’s family is a bit behind on the times.”

  “Five hundred years behind,” Ren countered, and immediately regretted it as she made eye contact with Maks. She didn’t drop her eyes though, and held his stare.

  “That is why Abetha and Ross were chosen for this position,” Garret said with a smile. Ren flinched back, surprised. She hadn’t expected the Monarchy to think like that. “I was certain you would gladly educate her.”

  “It is not necessary,” Abetha whispered to Ren.

  “I will,” Ren declared.

  Garret grinned. “I’m happy to hear it.”

  Maks took a deep breath that Ren thought might have been a sigh. “The mayor of Mahendra would like to meet you and Elian. Where’s your brother?”

  “I think he’s outside meeting some of the people,” Ren said, her anger dying down. As it did her limbs felt tired, and her vision returned to normal. She hated how fast her anger came, and that it couldn’t commit to staying
very long. It made her feel weak, especially in arguments like this. She looked at Abetha. “Mahendra?”

  “The capital of Novae,” she explained. “It is home to about four hundred citizens.”

  “How many cities are there?”

  “Five,” replied Abetha. “But there are only between fifty to a hundred people in the surrounding villages.” Ren was glad to see that she’d calmed down a bit.

  Maks didn’t give an order, and only turned and started walking. Garret took a moment to nod to the girls before following, a silent gesture to keep up. Ren’s feet started moving obediently, and Abetha after her.

  The closer they got to the front doors of the manor the more her palms began to sweat again. Was Maks really going to make her go outside? She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle that, and her stomach rolled.

  “Your Grace!” a man called. They were barely inside the lobby when the man approached them. He gave a deep bow to the new royals, a large smile on his face. “It is an honour to meet you both.”

  Maks’s jaw tightened. Garret cleared his throat.

  “They are honoured to meet you as well,” Garret said. “Mayor Kai, this is King Maksin Argent, and his daughter, Princess Loren Argent.”

  Kai was a very small man, Ren thought, hoping to distract herself from the fact that she’d just been called a princess again. He squinted his eyes as if he couldn’t see properly, and his teeth were a bit crooked. His white hair sparkled in the little sunlight that hit it, and Ren spotted small flecks of dandruff on his blue shirt. Over his heart was the same swirling symbol she had seen on the flags outside.

  “I would like to introduce my son, Kian,” Kai said. He waved his hand behind him. Kai looked far too hopefully at Ren for her comfort. The man behind him stepped forward, the same shocking white hair as Kai being the only physical trait they had in common; it almost looked like silk as it draped over his shoulder in a ponytail. Kian was as tall as Maks, and wore a dark green fabric rather than blue or black. The swirling insignia over his heart matched the black on his cape. Ren stared at the drape, wondering why someone would wear such a thing. It seemed so impractical. “He is in his twenty-third summer; I thought if the Princess or Prince needed a guide that he could oblige. Kian is very knowledgeable about Novae.”

  Kian bowed. Ren nodded and looked away, wondering if they were hoping she would take them up on the offer because it didn’t feel like Kai wanted his son to just show her around Novae.

  “I would introduce my son to you,” Maks said, “but it seems he’s disappeared.”

  “I met Prince Elian outside,” Kai revealed, “a wonderful boy. Very full of energy.”

  “Among other things,” Maks replied. “No matter, we have much to discuss. Come with me. Kian can entertain Ren for a while.”

  Ren opened her mouth to argue, but Garret signaled her away. The three men then started walking down the hall, not even considering her opinion. She turned to Kian, “You don’t have to.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” Kian said. “Shall we walk in the garden? It’s a bit stuffy in here.” He threw his cape back and offered Ren his arm, already facing towards the back doors. Ren gave a nervous look to Abetha, but she didn’t give a response; her head remained bowed with the occasional shy glance upwards.

  “Sure, then,” Ren agreed. It was just a walk. She tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong.

  Ren ignored Kian’s arm and began walking. Abetha hurried ahead and held the sliding glass door open for them, and shut it behind them. When Kian offered his arm again outside to escort Ren through the garden she quickened her pace and folded her hands together.

  Breathing in the soft air, Ren knew she was on another planet. It had trees, and vines, and flowers, but it wasn’t artificial like on Earth. These were real; they grew out of the dirt, and some of the trees looked hundreds of years old. It was fascinating.

  Neither Ren nor Kian took the lead, and they ended up wandering in the garden. It felt like a maze with rose bushes on either side, and before she knew what had happened, Ren found herself in the centre of it all, sitting on a stone bench with carvings etched into it. Tall pillars stood beside the benches, holding the heavy stained glass roof above them. Splashes of pink and violet and blue danced around them in the sunlight, warming Ren’s skin.

  Kian joined her on the bench, and Abetha only did the same when Ren ordered her to. The girl decided to sit directly across from Ren, hands folded neatly in her lap and ankles crossed.

  As Ren traced her fingers along the carvings beside her Kian said, “You’re very kind.”

  Ren looked up, her hand stopping. “Pardon?”

  Kian nodded towards Abetha. “You allow your servants to sit; it’s very kind of you.”

  “Oh, Abetha isn’t really a servant,” Ren argued. “She’s more of an…assistant.” It sounded better than servant at least.

  Kian squinted his eyes slightly. “Do you not wish to speak to me?”

  “Why do you ask?” Ren wondered how it was so obvious.

  “You are leaning away quite a bit,” Kian said, motioning towards her body. Ren hadn’t even noticed that she was as far away from him as she could get on the bench, and was even leaning over the nearby bushes. She quickly straightened herself, wiping her palms on her pants again. Her pulse was thumping against her throat.

  “Sorry,” she murmured. “Habit.” Her fingers started tracing the lines again.

  Kian’s eyes fell to her hands. “The symbols are from the ruins,” he explained, “nobody but the prophet knows what they mean.”

  “The prophet is still around?” Ren questioned, stopping again.

  “It is said that one will come again,” Kian answered cryptically. “Would you like to see the ruins? I know the way.”

  Ren perked right up. “Are they far?”

  “A bit of a walk,” Kian admitted, “but we would easily be back before sunset.” As they stood Abetha jumped from the stone bench.

  “You cannot go, my Lady,” she said, “the ruins are in the forbidden land.”

  “Forbidden land?” Ren said, holding back a laugh. “Why is it forbidden?”

  “It is said to be dangerous,” Kian said. “I’ve not seen any danger though, least of all from the—”

  “Monsters,” Abetha finished. “I’m sorry, Princess—my Lady, but the King would be very upset. I was ordered not to let you go there. It would be dangerous to go with a Sotarian, let alone by yourself.”

  Ren wanted to argue but didn’t have the energy. She hadn’t been on Novae even two hours and she wanted to run to her bed and hide under her covers. “What’s a Sotarian?”

  “They watch over the planet,” Kian answered. “Though they only stand guard on the edge of the villages now; I’ve actually been trained as one. It would not be an issue…”

  Ren thought a moment before she spoke. “Maybe another time, after I’ve spoken with Maks.”

  Kian’s eyes narrowed. “Of course, Princess, another time.”