“Princess? You were saying...”
“Oh, excuse me, lost my train of thought-”
After the meeting was over she told Kadric about her vision. “What does it mean, Kadric?”
He frowned and finally shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not a dream interpreter and I’m not sure I know what all the symbols mean. Do you know what the man looked like?”
She couldn’t remember, the details were blurred. Shaking her head, she told Kadric.
He sighed. “Well, we’ll just have to write them down. Maybe something will happen that will make them clear. Maybe I can find someone-” he walked off mumbling to himself.
The Earl Delphane strode into her study and slapped down a thick stack of paper. “There! I’ve done it!”
Riva skimmed the accounts a smile growing on her face. “I don’t believe it. This is amazing! How did you ever manage?” She looked up at him in awe.
He was grinning, unabashed. “I employed the help of some very clever fellows I know. Together we were able to make trades and invest, look-” he pointed out a few of the places. “We didn’t expect them to pay for another year or so but, we got lucky. The donation of your jewelry and dressed was very much appreciated.”
Riva waved a hand dismissively still going through the accounts. “I can’t believe it. We’re completely free of debt.” She let out a laugh and stood, energy running high. “We should throw a ball! Or have a festival or something. This is something to sing about!”
The Earl laughed. “Now don’t go putting us right back into debt. We’ll keep working on it and raise enough money to throw a party, but for now we have to watch ourselves.”
Riva sighed in relief. “Oh, I feel like I could fly!”
Someone was arguing with the guards outside her room. Thumps sounded through the walls and Riva got up to see who was causing so much disturbance.
Lloyd of Gareth was trying to get through the guards. “Let me in! I must see the Princess!”
“Let him through.” Riva ordered crisply. “What gives me the pleasure of-”
“Enough!” he snarled. “You are sending the Palace Guard to protect my people? This must be some sick joke-”
“They are all I have left.” Riva stated through clenched teeth. “These men are the only troops within the realm that I can spare. All other troops are otherwise occupied. If you cannot accept them then you will receive no assistance.”
Lloyd jut his chin out his chest rising and falling quickly. “I’ll take them. Here.” He shoved several letters into one of the guards chest. “I hope you can decipher these better than I could.”
*****
She couldn’t. The letters were in some kind of code and addressed with false names and places. They were absolutely no help in finding the spy within the palace.
“I wish I could just see who it is. Why can’t I have a vision that tells me who the spy is?”
Ergil looked at her solemnly. “The Powers that Be work in strange ways. There’s no way to know what they are thinking or why they do things.” He was helping her look over the letters. “Princess, without some kind of hint to start with, most of this is guesswork. We need some kind of key.”
“I know. I just had all my hopes riding on these. I’ve got nothing else.” Riva muttered bitterly.
“We’ll get ‘em, Princess. No doubt about that.”
Riva put her head in her hands and rubbed her eyes delicately. “Really? How do you figure?”
“I just know so, your Majesty.”
Riva laughed. “Alright, if you say so. I’ve got to go check on the prodigies. Maybe I’ll see you later tonight.”
The “prodigies” were a long way off from their namesakes meaning. Riva had convinced a few of the military leaders to teach them a little in the ways of fighting and stratagem. They were more interested in how to fight a war than how to rule a people anyway.
Riva had noticed that there were two groups among the boys, the ones born from high places and the ones born in low ones. Some of the fights that broke out had many of the boys in a bed for weeks. Riva let the military leaders punish them, they were used to boys and knew how to handle them. Jessaw would come and meet with Riva at the same time every night to report and to ask questions. His frankness and fierce inner code of right and wrong made him likable and easy to talk to. In ways he reminded her of Glen, who had a similar fierce moral code.
Jessaw started bringing some friends and the meetings turned into open discussions. They would talk about any number of things. Riva opened the library to them and would read with them when they had trouble. Many were still learning their letters and didn’t take to books easily. Riva did her best to ease the transition.
“Princess?”
“Just Riva, Mark. What do you need?”
Mark blushed in embarrassment. “Uh, R-Riva, what does it mean when it says...”
Different boys showed interest in different things. Mark liked law, Geoffry wanted to travel and was constantly asking about other countries. He didn’t like learning the languages though. Jessaw wanted to know more about strategy. He was determined to become a commander.
“You know what I don’t understand?” Jessaw said once. “Is why the Colonel is always sulking around. I mean he should be happy! He’s got a great position and had men under him and everything but he’s always a sourpuss.”
Riva had a hard time not laughing at Jessaw. She was sure that his outspokenness got him into trouble and endless hours of punishment. “He seems fine when I talk to him. Maybe it’s just the way you smell that makes him have such a sour face.” She murmured quietly.
Jessaw stuck out his tongue.
Riva smiled and a thought struck her. “Jessaw, you know how to pick locks, right?”
“Yep, had to learn to stay alive.”
“Will you teach me?”
His face lit up. “Sure! It’s easy really...”
It wasn’t. But Riva kept at it until she got the feel and could do it consistently if at a excruciatingly slow pace.
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