The Bond - 10. Chapter 10

Adrian the White stepped forth from his carriage onto the gravel pathways that led up to the Di Coteau manse. His entire party had come to a halt, and they were all waiting for him to start moving before they dismounted. Not wanting to delay his tiresome journey any further, he began walking towards the monstrous estate briskly, after which he satisfactorily noted that everyone in his party began walking as well.

It’s so strange to see buildings made out of nothing but stone and wood, he thought. Where Adrian had come from, most structures were at least three quarters ice and snow bricks. Wood was a commodity that was used for fires, and retrieving stone from the only quarry on the island was made difficult due to the permafrost in the soil. Summer was the only time picks could chip away at the frozen deposits atop their stone reserves, so seeing full buildings that didn’t gleam with transparent crystal was shocking. He thought the land seemed plain, imposing, and harsh.

Just like it’s people. On arriving, Adrian docked at the nearest port he could find that bore the seal of Alexandre Di Coteau, with whom he would be a guest. Almost as soon as the bridge from boat to pier was dropped, merchants, citizens, and soldiers gathered to see what wares the ship was trading. The pale blue and silver silks of the sails did indeed bear the mark of a trading ship, but that was all that Adrian had in the way of transportation without being conspicuous. He supposed it was natural that people flocked, until he realized that the sailors and officials that had come with him were trading almost exclusively in armor and weaponry. When he asked one of his advisors why people who looked in need of a good meal would spend their money on weapons more readily than the food that was also onboard, he received the simple answer that this was the Nabian way of life.

This was abundantly clear after he watched several ice daggers sell for high prices. In the Illjard, these were common, practical weapons that could be made by the average person. In Nabius, the heat of the sun would melt them after enough exposure. Evidently, the Nabian people had figured out that they made excellent tools of murder – after the blades melted, there would be no weapons to trace back to and match with the wound on the corpse. Again, the advisor he had brought with him simply shrugged.

Now, however, Adrian had gotten away from the swarm of the small dock towns and was outside of the Di Coteau manse. His procession wasn’t nearly as impressive as the army stationed outside the estate, but they still turned heads. Even in Mullansburg – where Adrian also noticed that each citizen seemed to be armed – everyone they passed stared openly. He wasn’t sure if it was the natural look of the Illjardi, white from head to toe, or just the natural allure of strangers, but his troop had been bombarded with stares from the moment he had arrived.

The sailors’ stories are true. They really never have seen people that look like us. This worried him slightly, considering he was there to find a potential partner.

Looking up at the grand entry doors of the estate as he approached, he wanted to gulp, but remembered the advice of his advisors before leaving. As if he needed the reminder not to show emotion of any kind when dealing with Nabians, the advisor to the right hissed in his ear.

“Remember, no faces!” Eamon nodded, and approached the top set of stairs leading to the doors as they began to swing open.

I smell death, he thought. A quick glance upwards confirmed that there had been a body hanging over the doorway recently, as rope stains hanging down the front face of the palatial home had yet to be scrubbed away. He focused back on the doors, out of which the shapes of four people began to emerge.

I wonder which one is Luca.

The man in the center was devilishly handsome, and Adrian secretly hoped that this man might be the Luca that he had corresponded with so often. The man to the right was wearing an apron, and the one to the left seemed dirty with a hard day’s work, so he suspected that the gentlemen in ornate black and grey armor must be the head of house. The fourth person was a woman, and he knew Luca was male, so he ruled out her as well.

“Greetings, Prince Adrian,” said the young man, with a respectful bow. Adrian looked him up and down, hoping he was being subtle.

Wow. Sandy hair, very fit, tall… he looks like a fighter. And those pale grey eyes. What a specimen. The greeter had not broken eye contact with Adrian, even when bowing, and Adrian found something about that transfixing.

“I’m Eamon, head of security for the Di Coteau household. This is Alfie, our head of staff and an excellent chef. To my other side is Elizabeth; she’ll take care of any of your needs during your stay with us. Finally, to Elizabeth’s left is Sir Jamison Hadeaux, Grandmaster at Arms for the Di Coteau estate. On behalf of all of us, we’d like to bid you welcome, Prince.” His words were curt, but friendly. Adrian resisted the urge to smile, and could feel his mouth muscles twitch in an odd fashion. Knowing that the people he now faced were probably able to notice this, he felt embarrassed, and tried to make his face not flush. He wasn’t sure if he was successful, and criticized himself mentally.

First impressions Adrian, come on. As an afterthought, he realized that Eamon was not Luca. Damn.

“Thank you so much for your hospitality… is your title master? Master Eamon?” Adrian left the question hanging, unsure how he should be addressing this crowd. Eamon smiled with a bit of mirth, and made Adrian wonder if facial neutrality was reserved only for tense conversations that weren’t amiable.

“Eamon is fine. There is no title of Master here, except perhaps for Luca, our current head of estate. He apologizes for not being here, but has some difficulty navigating the house at the moment.” Adrian wondered what that was about, and it plainly showed on his face.

Oops. He looked back at Eamon, who didn’t say anything more. At least Eamon doesn’t seem to care. Maybe our information on Nabian trust-building is outdated.

“Not a problem at all,” he said with a terse, but polite – to his country’s standards – smile. “I understand that General Di Coteau is out probably until the summit here, and the formality of meetings is tiring.” Eamon smiled back.

“You’ll do well here. I will escort you to Luca presently, and Elizabeth will show your party to their rooms. I’m sure you all must be tired.” Adrian thought about nodding congenially, but thought twice and just gave an affirmative grunt.

Maybe I shouldn’t say things like I’m tired. Who knows?

At this, Eamon promptly turned on his heels like a soldier, bidding Adrian to follow. Adrian looked back at his advisor on Nabian culture and the few other officials that were following behind him, and shrugged. He walked on, and heard Elizabeth addressing his party members and discussing room placement with prompt haste.

This place is nearly as big as the ice palace, Adrian thought as he walked behind Eamon. He marveled at the artwork and statues they passed, and at the architecture of the manse. At one point, a hallway that they walked along turned into a covered bridge that connected different wings of the house and went outside, with courtyards down below. Eamon said nothing, but Adrian could tell he was being inspected carefully through peripheral vision. It made him uncomfortable, but he supposed as head of security it was the attractive youth’s job to be vigilant. Finally, the pair stopped outside of a pair of enormous black doors, laden with ornate patterns and gild.

“Here we are,” said Eamon with almost a defensive tone. “This is Luca’s office.” Adrian could tell that this was an important room, and Eamon knocked using a heavy ring hanging off of one of the doors. There was silence for a few moments, then a voice called out from within.
“Come in!” Eamon swung the doors open, and the two of them walked into a massive room with pillars and floors of white marble, which were headed by a giant black desk on an upraised section of floor. At the desk sat one of the most adorable faces Adrian had ever seen, made even more attractive by a warm, white smile.

“Hello, Prince Adrian!” said Luca from the desk, while Eamon and Adrian walked across the room. Their boots made small echoes on the polished stone floor as they walked. Adrian couldn’t resist the urge to smile at the cheery voice directed towards him.

“Greetings, Master Luca,” Adrian said with a sideways glance at Eamon. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” Adrian continued smiling, but his smile faltered when he saw – and heard – Luca struggling to get up from his chair. The young man twisted and rocked to get up on his feet, and used a slender wooden cane to balance himself. He hobbled down the steps of the desk, and moved to meet his guests in the middle of the room. The cane clicked loudly on the tiles with every step, each note emphasizing the slow speed at which Luca approached. Still, the younger man was smiling and seemed to think nothing of the pain that he was obviously in.
Is he crippled? Adrian wondered.

“You too,” said Luca when he finally reached him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to greet you at the front of the house, but I’m currently recovering from a wound that makes it difficult to move quickly without reopening it. I’m very glad you’re here, and hope I haven’t offended your royalty.”

Ah.

“Of course not, of course not. Eamon gave me a small tour of the manse on our way here, and has been very welcoming. Everyone here has been, that is. Very welcoming.”

“Good,” said Luca with a small smile at Eamon. Adrian noticed Eamon smile back, and this made him frown. Eamon gave a look of complete infatuation towards Luca, that shone through even his stony Nabian mask of indifference.

Uh-oh. I hope there’s not something between them. Adrian realized that Luca was looking back at him, concerned, which brought him out of his thoughts.

“I hope everything is alright?” Luca inquired.

“Yes, of course. I was just caught in thought, it’s been a long journey. I suppose I’m very tired,” said Adrian, and Luca’s radiant smile was back.

“I’m sure you are. I’ve arranged for nothing and no one to bother you for the rest of the evening, save dinner with Eamon, Alfie and I. I hope you’ll join? And of course feel free to bring anyone you like.”

Adrian studied the boy in front of him, noticing the depth of his eyes and light wavy hair. He has such faint freckles. When he had registered Luca’s words, he could feel himself light up.

“Absolutely. Thank you so much for hosting us. I look forward to dinner this evening.”

“As do I,” said Luca. “Eamon will show you to your room. See you then.”

***

Over the course of the next several days, Luca came to find that Prince Adrian was just as agreeable in person as he was via trade correspondence. The two had dined together every night since his arrival, and had traveled to Mullansburg on several outings to meet with business owners and local leaders of the community. Luca showed the Prince where most of the food he had received from the Illjard had gone in the town, and explained crop management techniques and the purging of most brothels, gambling venues, and festered zones of society from Mullansburg. He loved that Adrian seemed eager to see how resources from the Illjard had helped this foreign town, and that Adrian seemed interested in improving the lives of the common folk as well. Indeed, Adrian had offered several suggestions that Luca thought might be useful in the future, even though power would be handed back over to Alexandre soon.

It’s nice to have another ally here as well. I certainly need them…

Luca felt he had managed successfully so far, but he had few people to talk to. Alfie was often busy with the kitchens, and Eamon was often too busy flirting to be a good friend. That said, he thought the two of them were growing closer lately, and it had been Eamon that almost single-handedly kept Luca afloat after the most recent attempt on his life. With Alfie, Eamon, and Adrian, Luca felt more confident around the estate. He had people he knew he could trust nearby, and that made running things and setting up for quite possibly the most important congregation of the thirteen in history more bearable.

“Master Luca?” inquired the soft voice of Elizabeth, Meredith’s replacement. She was outside the office doors, calling in towards a group of Adrian, Eamon, and himself sitting around the desk.

“Enter.” One of the heavy doors swung open, and the serving girl stepped in.

"Yes?"

“I wasn’t sure if you’d like to know, but Mikhail, the blacksmith’s son, has just returned from his journey. More importantly, the parties of three generals arriving for the summit are to arrive within the hour.” At this, Luca sat up straighter in his chair, and nerves shot through his body.

What?

“Thank you for informing me. I’ll head down to see Mikhail immediately then.” Luca counted his blessings, glad to hear that another friend was arriving. On the other hand, he worried at exactly what he should be doing to greet another general. He supposed he had met Damien Di Coteau and Ysabel Clarion before, but under less pressured circumstances.

“Sir,” said Elizabeth, with a small smile. She backed away, heading to exit the room.

“Elizabeth?” asked Eamon.

“Yes?”

“Any chance you know which generals?” The girl thought, biting her lip for a moment.

“I’m not entirely sure, sir, but if I’m correct the flags the soldiers are bearing are those of Laura and Giovanni Nandra, and Elsa Torne.” She paused there, waiting for another question.

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” said Luca with his brow furrowed.

Not good. Luca had expected the first group of leaders to arrive to be Di Coteau family members, given that they resided in the closest territories to Alexandre’s. The nuances of how to deal with other generals weren’t things that he knew, and was praying that he didn’t have to work on.

If I’m being honest with myself, I was hoping Alex or Talia would be back by now to deal with the other generals. I guess that was stupid of me. Luca thought quietly for a moment, and then bid Eamon and Adrian to follow him. At least Mikhail will be a welcome sight. The group began walking to meet their friend, slowly due to Luca’s pace. He swam in thought all the way until reaching the south wing of the house, where he listened in to Eamon talking to Adrian.

“I’m sure you’ll like Mikhail, he’s an excellent guy. You can hang out with him.” There was something unfriendly to Eamon’s voice in Luca’s ears.

“I’m sure all of yours and Luca’s acquaintances will be delightful,” replied Adrian.

“Yeah. I’ll introduce you.” Luca thought long and hard about how he might introduce himself to the influx of generals that was so near. He knew very little about them, but figured he could use gossip to inform how he might approach.

Laura Nandra is supposedly friendly with Alex, so that’s good. I know she knew about the marriage plan even before Alex and Carl arrived in Tomacia, so she probably won’t represent much of a threat. Hopefully just being a good host will satisfy her. Giovanni Nandra, on the other hand… Luca frowned. He hadn’t heard much about Laura’s brother, only that he was a hard man and served justice with an iron fist. There’s also some rumor that he tends to follow his older sister’s ideas, so maybe there’s not as much to worry about with him. I guess I’ll just hope. It’s Torne that’s the wildcard…

Elsa Torne was the lauded general of the region of Nabius where the capitol of the nation was, so Luca figured she must be one of the most dangerous generals of all. Historically, the general that was in charge of maintaining the capitol had to be ruthless in order to keep their position, and dealt with the most influential members of Nabian society. Because they staged the most important events, such as the games, and coordinated the curriculums of academies across the country, they would have to be well connected and hold a high degree of influence themselves. From what Luca had heard, Elsa Torne absolutely fit this profile.

Okay… what do I know about her? What do the people say? … pretty. Smart. Less of a killer, more of a talker… she’s definitely a seductress, and probably uses her looks to get what she wants. I know she employs the most spies of any Nabian general, even more than Devan Di Coteau, which is saying something. Until Alex rose to general, she was also the youngest general on the council. I think she’s 23 or 24… maybe. Ugh. I don’t know.

Luca broke thought to make a remark to Adrian, sparing him from what Luca thought would be a rude retort from Eamon. I wonder what he’s pissed about, Luca thought while rolling his eyes at Eamon’s grimacing.

Okay. So she’s smart, connected, beautiful, and runs the most difficult region of Nabius to command. Luca smiled slightly. She sounds like Talia. I heard they even look similar. And so, Luca decided that that’s how he would introduce himself. As if I’m introducing myself to Talia for the first time. Right. He finished his plan, and felt slightly better about how he would present himself. By the time he looked up and noticed where he was, his breath was cut short by a chiseled bicep squeezing itself around his ribs. The guttural laughter of Mikhail made him smile, and the tight hug he was in released itself shortly.

“Mikhail! Welcome back home,” said Luca. The smith was covered in the grime of travel and sweat, and looked exhausted despite his ever-present smile. Mikhail was always cheery, and Luca thought it would be nice to have his presence at the estate once again.

“I’m glad to be back! Looking good little buddy,” Mikhail said while he tossled Luca’s hair. He turned, and greeted Eamon with the same enthusiasm before Prince Adrian shook his hand and made a formal introduction.

From where they were on the estate, Luca could look through an open door, over the hilltop of the property, down the long road between Mullansburg and the Di Coteau house, and see parties of approaching with tens of people under each banner. He squinted to make out the emblems on the flags, and sized them up.

Elizabeth was right. Giovanni Nandra, Laura Nandra, and Elsa Torne. He recognized their seals from correspondence that had gone through the Di Coteau house during his time as its head. Here we go.

***

Eamon leaned back against a bedpost, propped up with a pillow in between the wood and his shirtless torso. It was night, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of linen trousers designed for sleeping comfortably. He was lucky to have a room in the house, and felt that especially now that soldiers from the parties of three additional generals were sharing the camp space near the Di Coteau estate. Sleeping in the soldier’s quarters in hammocks strung between tent posts didn’t sound appealing at all, especially now that there was less space per man.

Luca has been good to me, he thought. Luca had placed Eamon into a room near his almost immediately after Alex and Carl had left, and chosen him to stay by his side at all times. Even without the command, Eamon would have done so willingly anyway. Taking care of Luca was the one thing that mattered, because Luca was the one person that was truly making a difference in Nabius to his eyes. Alex is too I guess, but it’s been so long since he’s actually been here. He thought of Luca storming through Mullansburg and sticking up for the poor folk in every brothel and tavern there was, and felt a surge of pride to have been a help in that. He’s the kind of guy I’d stand behind no matter what. He rolled over onto his side, adjusting the sheets that draped from his body. Then, he frowned.

I guess everybody feels that way though, he thought bitterly. The Prince, Elsa Torne, even Mikhail even seemed a little flirty with Luca today. But Eamon shook his head, knowing that wasn’t right. I guess Mikhail has always been friendly with everyone. Merchants are like that. And General Torne… he thought of the way she had draped an arm around Luca almost right after meeting him, exclaiming how she was just dying to know all about him and his role in Nabius. Yeah. She’s just a slut.

But the Prince was a real obstacle, and Eamon didn’t trust him. When the word jealousy brewed up in his mind, he scoffed mentally and rolled over once more. He didn’t like the idea of the Prince becoming close to Luca, even though there was absolutely no reason for him to be uncomfortable. I don’t get jealous. I mean I. ME. I just don’t get jealous. With looks like this… Eamon started to feel insecure for the first time in his life. I guess Luca always did kind of rebuke my advances from the start. Am I not handsome enough for him? Eamon thought back to his days in the academy, where he had successfully landed every lay that he could have possibly dreamed of. This included the beautiful Talia Di Coteau, who had high standards and probably was the most difficult person in the world to impress.

No, no. It’s not possible. Maybe it’s just my personality. But Eamon discredited that idea too, hoping that he didn’t have any character flaws that would deem him unworthy. He supposed if he did, he wouldn’t be able to correct them anyway. It must be Adrian. They’ve been writing for so long… am I really that oblivious? Eamon mulled it over, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep despite it being quite late. They must have started a relationship beforehand.

He sat up, wide-awake at this revelation. No. I never even had a chance. And with that, his rage and jealousy boiled up to the surface, making him fume over the fact that his constant care and effort had been completely blown off by the only friend he had in the Di Coteau estate. Luca doesn’t even care. Eamon threw his covers off, and stood up in his room. He looked at the sky out a window, and decided that he had to know. It was late, and no one would be awake or question his patrolling through the house. He walked over to a pair of soft leather slippers, put them on, and walked quietly out of his room. I have to know.

In a few short minutes, Eamon had made it noiselessly down the hall, past the night guards, and to the huge doors of the Di Coteau office. It was not guarded now, because it was locked and no one would be back to it for another several hours. Luckily for him, being the head of security meant having access to a key. Eamon slipped the key into the lock of the door, and stepped inside. He transversed the lengthy stone room, climbed the steps, and looked at the huge black desk before him. Okay. Letters to Adrian. Let’s find these records.

Eamon sifted through the piles on the desk, careful to place everything where he had found it. After a short time, he realized that there wasn’t anything of interest in the shelves of the desk, and certainly there was nothing detailing a secretive romance between Luca and Adrian. He sat in the chair, sighed, and considered for a moment that he might just be ridiculous. He ran a hand through his hair, which made it stick up in the front, and propped up a leg along the face of the desk. A click made him sit back up straight, and he noticed a compartment along the ornate wood scrollwork reveal itself.

Ah ha. Eamon grinned triumphantly, reaching for the hidden drawer. If I was in a secret romance with a prince, this is where I’d hide the evidence. Eamon opened the drawer, and immediately felt the sear of acid striped across his eyes. For all his training, his knowledge, and his built up tolerance to pain, Eamon screamed.

A black adder. He knew the snake immediately on sight, but had never felt its venom on his skin. After a second or two more, he couldn’t stop screaming. The snake was coiled in its drawer, poised to strike.

Eamon backed away, clutching his hands at his face but careful to avoid touching the poison there with his bare hands. He knew that the black adder’s projectile venom could be deadly, but that a bite was almost a one hundred percent chance of fatality. He reached for a letter opener on the desk, brandishing it with shaky confidence as the world around him began to go black. He could see only shapes now, vague blurred lines that made up the room around him. The adder was a black blob, slowly bobbing back and forth in front of him. He closed his eyes, ignoring the agonizing burning within them. He listened for a moment, eventually finding the hiss in the darkness. He whipped the letter opener in the appropriate direction, and heard the noises of blade impaling flesh and the furious sounds of an animal dying. He backed away from the thrashing of the snake’s body, tripping over the steps and landing on the cold stone floor.

He knew what the snake’s venom did, and he knew that it had gotten in his eyes. He called out for help one last time, and lay on his back. He wondered if he would survive. As shapes became less and less clear, and the light of the stars through the windows began to fade, he had one last thought before slipping into unconsciousness.

I’m going to be blind.