Amelia Merlin and the Game for Okamila

Part 34:The Effect of a Little Blue Bottle

"Are you sure you're not cold?" Don hovered over Callie's shoulder like a hummingbird.

"Yes I'm sure!" She laughed and pushed her hair out of her face. They stood in the courtyard at Castle Rock. White snow was packed around the black fountains. The floor of the courtyard could not be seen under the mounds of snow around them. Callie loved it. She actually got to enjoy snow whereas usually it was just annoying and made all her stuff soaking wet. Living in the forest during the winter was much less comfortable than living in the most prestigious castle in the entire north.

"I can get someone to bring you a scarf-" he seemed to be constantly frowning. Callie laughed again and stepped towards him. She put her gloved hand on his cheek and kissed his forehead.

"Don. Shut up and come play in the snow with me."

"I hate the snow." he grumbled. "It's cold and wet."

"I thought Northerners loved the snow?" she smiled and started packing a snowball in her hands.

Don pulled his grey cloak around his body. Callie really wished he wouldn't wear that colour. It made his pale skin look even fairer, combined with his blonde hair and grey eyes, he looked very sickly. "I'm nothing like any of the other Northerners."

"Yes I know."

"I'm not like Blaxton or Moira or Father. They're all warriors and I'm just weak." he dropped his snowball and squished it under his boot.

"Who told you you're weak?"

"Everyone. No one. I don't know. It's just the truth. I can't wield a sword or shoot an arrow. I can barely ride a horse. How can I ever be a warrior?" his small voice shook in anger. "Not that I want to be anything like any of them. I hate all of them. I never wanted to be a Monatheon. I wish I was anything else."

"Why are you saying this?" Callie's voice broke. She could hardly stand to see this boy so horribly miserable.

"It's true. I've never fit in and they know it. I don't belong here."

"That's not true. You have Northern blood in you. Which means you will always have a place in the North."  She reached out and took his hand.

"Do you want to come eat supper with me?" He asked shyly, his eyes focused on the snow underneath his boot.

"Of course." She beamed at him and they walked to the dining hall, hand in hand. Roderick was waiting for them. He was looking worse for wear these days. His eyes were sunken into his skull and the usual ferocity that emanated from him was no longer there. A pretty girl stood beside him, she had been the lord's cup bearer for the last few weeks, or was it months? Callie hardly knew how long she had been at the castle. She didn't plan on staying though, once the snow had melted she would be on her way south. Don pulled out a chair for her to the left of where he sat opposite his father. She sat down elegantly and smiled as the cup bearer poured her a glass of wine. Supper that was delectable, a roast ham with rosemary and balsamic dressing. The potatoes were soft and sprinkled with a lemon zest that paired wonderfully with the grilled asparagus. Callie adored the cooking at Castle Rock, especially when dessert came. It was Don's favourite, a large chocolate pudding with raspberries around the edges.

They never said much during suppertime. Don hated his father and Roderick as much too ill to be much of a conversationalist. Sometimes Callie would talk to the pretty serving maid but the girl didn't really have anything useful to say either. They had both grown up in High Valley but that was all the two of them had in common.

"Callie?" Don said when they left the dining hall.

"Yes?"

"I think my father's going to die soon."

"I'm sure he'll get better soo-"

"No, he won't."

"I don't know what I can do to help you."

"I don't think there's anything that can be done." Don Monatheon brushed past her and walked silently up the stairs to his chambers, leaving Callie alone in the black halls, her face illuminated by the burning blue torches.

......................

Axel Gorodetsky loved running High Valley as Lord of the City. When he walked through the streets, people always brought him gifts. Small jams they had made or paintings from their children. He loved it. He loved his city and he loved taking care of them. He spent hours in the library with countless lawyers trying to get laws passed to better the lives of the citizens. He couldn't even keep track of all the days he had spent in the Hall of a Thousand Trees, talking to people and sorting out what sometimes felt like meaningless situations. Settling disputes about land or whose market stall was set up where.

He had spent another long night in the library with the lawyers, and after finally sending them to bed and insisting each of them take a bottle of his finest wine for all their hard efforts the past few months, he went to bed. Axel walked through the corridors, each step requiring more effort than the last.

"Goodnight, m'lord."  one of the maids smiled at him.

"Have a great night Victoria." He said, the exhaustion filtering through his voice. Minutes later he saw Jakob walking towards him, carrying about a hundred books in his arms and struggling quite visibly. Axel groaned, he was nearly at the staircase to his chambers and the library was another ten minutes in the opposite direction. But of course he did it anyways.

"Here let me help you with those." Axel took a load from the young boy. Jakob beamed up at him.

"Thank you so much m'lord. I know you've had a long day!"

"Think nothing of it." he smiled even though he was regretting his choice to help the boy. All he wanted to do was go to bed. "Tell me about your day."

And so Jakob went on and on about the tribulations he had gone through. Axel tried to listen but it was much too difficult so he just focused on walking for the time being. Finally they reached the library and put the books on the table where the withered librarian would sort them in the morning. No one dared putting a book away without the librarian present, if you made a mistake then he would have your head. Jakob thanked Axel profusely again and again before leaving for bed.

"Someone likes you." a voice sounded from some dark corner of the room.

"Most people do." he sighed. "What do you want, Brice?"

His brother stepped out of the shadows, his dramatic features accentuated by the shadows that fell over his face. He was smiling and playing with something in his hands.

"I don't want anything from you, dear brother. I have everything in place already."

"Please tell me that you haven't put some stupid plan in place that is going to get you killed? Or me killed?" he groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. Brice grinned, confirming all of Axel's fears. "What have you done, Brice?"

"I've gotten rid of our enemies. And I'm going to get her back." The maniacal look that was only too familiar, spread across his face. "I'm going to get Callie back. And the fuckers who took her are going to pay for what they did."

"What have you done?" he repeated.

Brice said nothing but tossed a small blue bottle towards his brother. Axel caught it and carefully opened the lid. One whiff told him that Brice had poisoned someone.

"Who did you kill?" he whispered in shock of the crime his younger brother had committed.

"The Lord of the North, who else?" Brice Gorodetsky grinned to himself. Axel turned on his heel and ran to the stables. Within the hour his horse was saddled and a bag was packed. He would reach Stone Garden in three days. He could only hope Roderick Monatheon would still be alive when he got there. But what if he didn't make it in time?

If he didn't make it in time, then they would have another war on their hands. Between the Gorodetskys and the Monatheons.