Chapter 22. Wedding Feast

nce they reached the open sea, their captors showed a little mercy and one of them at a time was allowed the freedom of the upper deck.  Their little prison was doused with seawater and scrubbed and, at Uriel’s request, they were given some rough canvas to lie upon.  She slept for the first time in what seemed like eons.  Lemony enjoyed the time Uriel might otherwise have been basking in the sunshine.  Pendaran also yielded his deck time in favor of sleep.  His features were pale and drawn when Uriel glimpsed him during the brief flashes of light that followed the opening of the hatch.  The nights, however, were miserable, finding them back in irons and pressed against the rough wall of the hull.  None of them slept during that time, only dozed distractedly between moments of Lemony’s blind panic. 

For three days, they endured in this way until the fourth morning they were released and urged up into the scarlet dawn.  The sleek black ship’s two masts billowed at full sail, its narrow prow slicing through the ocean at top speed toward the smudge of gray that lined the eastern horizon.  Seagulls wheeled and squawked, making slow circles as they drifted around the ship.  Their winged envoys presaged their approach to land.

Each of them was stripped and doused with seawater in turn before being given loose garb consisting of baggy gray pantaloons, scratchy fiber sandals, and a long loose tunic of worn slate blue cotton.  Their own clothes were thrown overboard, filthy beyond redemption.  Pendaran watched the proceedings with a mournful expression, clearly hating his new attire.  Lemony, however, brightened considerably, even though there had been no clothes suitable for her tiny frame.  She appeared to be wearing a bag and her feet were completely obscured by the folds of her too long pants.

They were urged to sit at the prow as the business of trimming the sails and guiding the ship toward their destination went on. Uriel counted eight crew members and one man bearing the scarlet cape of the Red Lotus Clan.  Of the six guild members who had captured them in the mountains, he was the most imposing and was obviously a leader in their organization.  All of the others had treated him with great deference, silently obeying his briefly issued orders.  His lone presence intimidated the crew as well.  With an air of practiced menace, he stood near their huddled group, allowing Uriel to note the myriad tiny daggers and blades barely concealed upon his sleek form.  He wore fine black silk and form-fitting armor of hardened leather to protect his vitals. Never a word passed from his tightly pursed lips, but she shuddered when his ruthless black eyes strayed toward her.

It was nearly noon when all but one of the sails were struck and the ship slowly drifted toward the tangle of piers and docks that formed the greatest of Cantha’s ports.  Uriel watched the crew work frantically to strike the final sail and tie the boat to the cast iron bollards that had been forged to resemble dragons.  Within an hour the ship was moored, the gang plank was lowered, and the three of them were guided off of the boat.

The vastness of the teeming city never failed to amaze Uriel.  As she swayed on her sea legs, her eyes traced the crowded buildings and rooftops.  The graceful lines of the imperial palace were barely visible from this vantage and behind her the harbor was a forest of slowly swaying masts.  Their captors herded them south through narrow streets that smelled both of rubbish and freshly cooked food.  Uriel observed that the assassin clutched Lemony’s arm, a veiled threat, perhaps.  The monk made no sound, only walked beside him without protest.

Pendaran wobbled along beside her wearing a dull expression, perhaps relieved to be away from the boat but also afraid of what was about to befall them.  They did not have long to wait.  Deep within the warren of the great city they stopped abruptly as the sky rained people and six more members of the Red Lotus Clan appeared.  Uriel swallowed as the three of them were hooded.  The next part of their journey they passed in darkness, stumbling along at the mercy of their captors.

The slam of a gate behind them signaled their arrival.  The man who clasped Uriel’s arm pushed her forward and slammed a door after releasing her.  She waited for her next order, and when nothing happened, she slowly lifted her hood and surveyed her surroundings.  The three of them had been brought to a small windowless room.  It was barely six paces wide and perhaps eight long.  A pair of bulbous paper lanterns shimmered above the heavy doorway, casting its warm light upon the simple furnishings which consisted of a low black lacquered table and a half dozen flat gray floor pillows.  The wood floor gleamed warmly in the lantern light, spotless and smooth.  A bowl of fruit and a steaming pot of tea with three small cups awaited them on the table.

“It’s alright, they’ve left us alone,” Uriel murmured as she approached the table and poured herself some of the sweet smelling amber tea.  Pendaran and Lemony cast off their hoods and joined her, sitting dourly upon the pillows with their elbows propped on the table and their heads in their hands.

“So what is this Kiku woman likely to do now?” Uriel asked, her voice still husky from long disuse and thirst.  Pendaran would not look at her, only ran a nervous hand through his untidy chestnut hair.

“She’s very traditional,” he murmured, “She’ll most likely treat us as guests before she announces what she wants to do to.”

They waited for perhaps an hour, listening to the dull sounds of general busyness outside the heavy door.  Lemony dozed in a corner amid a pile of pillows while Uriel and Pendaran took turns pacing.  At last the door opened and the three of them were fetched back into a lantern lit courtyard.  Blossoming trees lay at the center of the yard and a red stair lead up into the low green tile roofed buildings.  The mightiest of them was lined with trees, its steps wide and shallow as they trailed up to an elaborately decorated doorway warded by a pair of dragon entwined columns.

Within, the hall was held aloft by more carved columns and intricately detailed beams laced with red and gold.  A long low table took up the center of the hall and it was arrayed with steaming bowls and vessels of food and drink.  Floor pillows were arrayed along its length and the red-caped figures of the Red Lotus Clan stood beside all but three of them.  A lithesome woman in an embroidered red gown stood at the head of the table.  Pendaran halted stiffly at the sight of her, all color draining from his face.  He was pushed toward her and made to sit at her right while Uriel and Lemony were escorted to the two seats that remained empty at her left.

Kiku’s hair had the luster of watered silk, black and adorned with tiny mother of pearl pins and a spray of gold.  Her almond eyes were inscrutable as she slowly lowered to her seat and her guild mates followed her to the floor.  Uriel and Lemony awkwardly followed suit while Pendaran was rudely shoved down by the man who had warded them during their journey at sea.

“Pendaran, how kind of you to visit me,” Kiku said delicately, her long white fingers  trailing into a bowl of rose water that was being passed around the table.  When he made no response, she continued, “What a pity it is no longer the occasion of our wedding day.”

Uriel noticed that the twenty other people at the table were now busily pouring drink and enjoying the feast, but in silence and with surreptitious glances up table to where Kiku and Pendaran sat.  The woman had done nothing to acknowledge Uriel and Lemony, and oddly, she was grateful for this.

“Eat your wedding feast, Pendaran,” the woman continued, a distinct chill in her voice, “before it goes cold this time.”

He stared at the food on his plate, then with a shaking hand he took up chopsticks and made an attempt to pick up a bite sized morsel of fish.  Kiku spat on his food and backhanded him.  He fell over and lay staring at the ceiling.

“You played me for a fool!” she screamed, unable to contain her anger for another moment.  No one stirred as the woman’s rage chilled the chamber, “Sit up.”

Pendaran rose with the help of the other assassin.

“Look at me,” Kiku ordered, “This was my wedding dress.  Is anything missing?”

“The golden phoenix carcanet,” Pendaran replied quietly, unable to hold her gaze.

“Where is it, scum?”

“I sold it to Albrict.”

“Where are my father’s rings?” she demanded.

“In a chest hidden under a fist-shaped stone outside of Quarrel Falls.”

“Your honesty will not buy you your freedom,” Kiku snarled, “but I am grateful you have chosen not to insult me with your abundant lies.”

“Oh, he can’t help it,” Lemony said conversationally, “He has to tell the truth now.”

Kiku’s eyes narrowed as she looked upon Lemony as if she had not noticed the monk before.

“Is that so?” said the woman, “Why do you say that?”

“He’s cursed,” Lemony replied cheerfully.

Uriel watched Pendaran’s pale visage grow taut with fear as the woman turned her bitter gaze upon him.

“Did you never love me?” she demanded.

Pendaran gulped, clearly trying to avoid breathing a word, but he could not stop himself.

“No, I never loved you.  You were cruel and perverted.   I was put in mind of lying with a washboard.”

A collective gasp filled the chamber.

“Get out!” Kiku screeched, rising to her feet, “Lock him away until I see fit to deal with him.”

Pendaran glared at Lemony as he was hauled unceremoniously to his feet and dragged from the room by a pair of burly guards.  Kiku then gazed contemptuously upon Uriel and Lemony, her teeth flashing as she spoke.

“As for you, there are two courses.  Either pay off his debt or die.”

“Oh, we have no money,” Lemony said, “I had to use all my coin to spring Uriel out of prison in Orr.  I think her money was used for that, too.”

“Lemony!” Uriel hissed.