FIREFANGED

Chapter 6 (Snow's keep)

The city of Berykholt spread in an unconfined manner across the valley on the south side of its castle. Berykholt Castle was initially built to guard the northern border and could hold a respectable garrison of up to five hundred in times of siege. Anchoring the stone block castle walls were four square towers at the cardinal points of a compass. The castle held a stable and four sizable keeps around a functional courtyard. An area for two hundred yards in every direction outside the castle walls was kept clear for tactical readiness and training. As the threat of open war was rare these days, most of the Order's soldiers stayed in roomier barracks a quarter-mile west of the stronghold or in the town proper if they had a family and the means to live there.

Captain Glenn showed me into the Vigil's Keep, which permanently housed Vigil Snow, Warden Hartwell, and their families. This last bit surprised me. Traveling in their company the past fortnight, I didn't notice any hint of family life for these men. Perhaps, I saw everything through a disconnected view of the world, but I never suspected their personal life would be so near to their work. Vigil Snow's keep was modestly comfortable, and there were larger keeps allocated for visiting dignitaries and for royalty, and a fourth shared by the castle servants and garrison troops.

In Lockrun, I was content in an attic storage room with a small window for ventilation. It was private enough and had just enough space between boxes for my bed and a chest. In Berykholt, I was given a full bedroom in Snow's Keep, complete with bed, dresser, chest, weapons rack, and a great view of the castle's inner courtyard. The door to my room opened onto a common living area shared by six other bedrooms plus a shared pair of bathrooms. Currently, three of the additional bedrooms were occupied by my constant companions, Glenn and Loeb, and by Glenn's second in the House Guard, one Sentinel-Sergeant Gulliver Barnes. Vigil Snow's and Warden Hartwell's families occupied similar settings on higher floors, and we all shared a common kitchen and dining area on the ground floor of the keep.

I spent my first afternoon cleaning my armor and equipment while watching the comings and goings of the courtyard. In the evening, I took one of my usual catnaps that soon turned into a ten-hour slumber as my head got used to the soft pillow and mattress. Having a quiet night, one free of nightmares, demonic cats, and assassins, was a rare boon, and I felt rejuvenated the following morning.

On my second day in Berykholt, I was invited to attend a welcome dinner with all the Vigil Keep's inhabitants. An Order recruit had shown up at my door late in the afternoon with a word from Lady Rebecca Snow that I would be expected in the dining hall at dusk for food, drink, and formal introductions. I had been given plenty of sets of day-to-day garments for training and Order activities, so I washed up and put on a clean set of dark gray pants and a light gray shirt. I left my newly scrubbed armor on the rack in my room, only wearing the stiff leather wrap on my left arm and the fang-knife in its sheath on my back. The exotic dagger was growing on me, and I didn't feel comfortable without it.

Entering the dining room that evening with Loeb and Glenn dressed in their finest, I had a feeling I was in for a rude awakening. We were served mugs of warm ale while we waited for the families to arrive. I found my heartbeat quickening with anxiety at the thought of meeting the full families of both Vigil Snow and the Warden of the North. Loeb noticed my worry and gave me a knowing smile. He enjoyed seeing me sweat for once. My experience with family life was sorely lacking, and I would soon be well beyond my comfort zone.

Vigil Snow walked in with Lady Rebecca Snow on his arm. Lady Rebecca smiled and thanked me for attending her dinner party. She was a good ten years younger than her husband and had a healthy glow about her. Vigil Meryck Snow gave me a formal handshake and introduced his two daughters, Lynda and Meryna. Both spitting images of their mother, they had auburn hair, brilliant green eyes, and healthy complexions.