Westhaven by Rowan Erlking (best sci fi novels of all time TXT) 📕

from his side with another Cordril to steal the horse cart from the farm. They took all the trappings needed for the horses to pull it. Though in desperation, theft to escape had proved necessary, it left an uncomfortable feeling in Key’s stomach. He wondered how the farmer would fare without his two horses and the cart, especially in the winter. The cart they could return, but Key had a feeling that those horses were now as un-returnable, much like a meal consumed by an animal. Less even.

The Cordrils dressed the horses, putting on the blinders, which diminished Key’s view of their blue eyes considerably so that they looked like normal horses. Then they fixed up the cart, dumping their packs into it and covering it all with hay from the farm.

Lesar beckoned Key over.

Ducking down, Key jogged to where they were nearly ready.

“We’ve done the easy part,” Lesar said. “But we need you to drive the carriage. Those men may resent you a little after the ride, but forgive them. They’ll remember being horses, and the relationship between horses and man isn’t as friendly as you’d like to imagine.”

“I should say not,” Key murmured, walking over to Cordrils disguised as horses. He leaned close and whispered in the nearest one’s ear. “I’m only trying to make this look good. Please forgive me if it hurts when I have to snap the reins.”

He then climbed up top of the cart as the others scrambled to get under the hay.

It was still early morning when they managed to pass through the gates.

“Halt.” The Sky Child soldier at the gate made them stop.

Key pulled on the reins, calling to the horses. Gently tipping the farm hat he was wearing without taking it off, he then turned to look at the Sky Child. “G’morning. Just bringing in the hay for a lady’s horses in town.”

“We have to search it,” the soldier said with all the hostility and suspicion Key expected.

Cringing, however, Key nodded. He hoped the others in the hay knew what they were doing. Men and weapons would be too easy to find. In many respects, it wasn’t the best plan for passing a guard post.

The soldier went around and jabbed his rifle into the hay. But then Key heard a squeak. The soldier shouted out in surprise. He turned around again to look. A rat had come out of the hay and bitten the soldier. The rat then jumped and darted back into the hay as fast as it could scurry, though Key was sure he had seen blue eyes on that rat.

He restrained himself from grinning.

“Agh!” The solider kicked at the cart. “Get a move on with your rat infested hay!”

Cracking the reins, Key obliged him, making the horses start back into a walk, though they seemed to trot a bit as they went up hill. They slowed after a block and drove on the rest of the way. It took over an hour, but Key steered them straight to Madame Olisa’s home.

Hopping down, he rapped on the servants’ door as soon as he arrived with a glance over his shoulder. It was several minutes before the housemaid opened it. When she saw Key, the whites of her eyes expanded. She grabbed at him.

“Master Smith!” She tried to pull Key inside. “For pity’s sake! You’ve had this place in an uproar with your disappearing. They’re all out searching for you!”

“All of them?” Key said, resisting her with a glance to his cart.

She ignored it, tugging to get him indoors anyway. “Well, the men anyway. Your lady Sadena was here fretting that you went and got yourself killed by a bunch of demons.”

“Not hardly.” He then gestured to the cart. “I need to get those inside your stables.”

“There’s no room,” she replied, peering at him as if he looked feverish and she wanted to feel his head.

“Then make room. I’m bringing the cart around. You open the doors.” He jogged back to it, climbing up, and took the reins again.

Huffing in irritation, the housemaid went back inside to call for the house porter. When he emerged, he and the maid both opened the carriage house doors. Sure enough, there was hardly any room inside for two more horses and a cart. Luckily for them, they did not need space for two horses. The moment they passed though the doorway, both of the horses transformed back into men, thankfully still dressed, though Key had to jump down and clamp his hand on the maid’s mouth to keep her from screaming. The other Cordrils hopped out the cart’s back. They pushed the cart the rest of the way inside, closing the doors behind them.

“They’re demons! You brought demons into the mistress’s house!” The maid had pushed back his hand, but made her shout nothing more than a loud whisper. She retreated from the blue-eyed men, especially the ones taking off the horse livery, and removing the blinders from their heads.

“Not demons,” Key said, gesturing for them to continue inside as the Cordrils gathered their belongings from under the hay. “And they are no more dangerous than a wizard, and you have had one of those in your house for quite a while.”

“At least a wizard is human,” the maid snapped, still looking at the Cordrils and back to Key again.

“Nice reception,” Lesar muttered as he walked up. “Will we always be met like this?”

Yadis and the others gathered behind him, waiting for Key to lead the way. The porter had fled near the back of the carriage house, watching Key as Key bickered with the maid.

Key gave Lesar a mild shake of the head. “I’m sorry, but probably. You have to understand, so many generations of oppression under the Sky Children makes us suspicious of all blue-eyes.”

The Cordrils shared a commiserating look. Yet Key continued to lead them into the house.

The maid hissed at Key, tugging at his side as she ignored the Cordrils’s—even when they walked through the servants’ quarters where Key pointed out the room where they could get washed up then later acquire something for breakfast.

“I don’t think Madame would approve!” She tried to pinch Key as she hissed through her teeth. “Regardless of what they are, you can’t just bring in strangers into this house and expect—”

“I expect Madame Olisa to keep true to her word that this can be the main base for our operations. And that means us being able to bring in strangers that will become allies.” Key then waved for Lesar to come. He said to him, “I’ll need you to make your men look completely respectable. The lady of this house is an aristocrat, so everything counts to gain her favor. She is an important ally.”

The maid stomped her foot. “Who will not stand for them muddying up her—”

But Key cut the maid off again with a warning glance. “Shouldn’t you be making her breakfast? She’ll be up soon.”

“Ooh!” The maid stomped her foot once more. “You may be an important figure to Madame, but you are not the boss of me!”

“I’m not ordering you,” Key said with an intent look. “Just reminding you of what you already know. And as for her approval, I will work on getting it. You can be sure of that.”

“It may come at a high cost,” the maid warned him with that flicker in her eye to remind Key of Madame Olisa’s nature.

Key returned her look with an incredulous face. “Oh, for pity’s sake. If you are worried about my what’s-it…innocence as a single man, think again. All I have to do is drop that Sadena would not approve and that would be the end of it.”

“And not your other girl?” the maid asked, folding her arms and tapping her foot. “Isn’t she also a wizard?”

Blushing with the realization that the Cordrils were still watching him, intensely interested in the conversation at hand—especially when it came to women wizards—Key turned around and snapped at them. “I said wash up. The lady of the home is not someone to cross.”

“And yet you do it so boldly,” the porter murmured, making his way through with care. He maintained his distance from what he considered gate-crashers.

The Cordrils ducked into the washroom together, snickering.

“And as for you,” Key said in a lower voice to the maid, “I would appreciate you do not bring that other woman up. There is no understanding between us. It is just one-sided. And I don’t need an audience to my humiliation.”

“You think you can actually threaten me into silence?” the maid asked, a sly look in her eye. “My loyalties are to Madame.”

“Kemdin! You’ve returned!”

Key whipped around and straightened up, looking up to where he heard the voice.

Sauntering down the wide stairs, Madame Olisa descended in her dressing robe. She reached out her arms to embrace Key.

Giving the maid a nod first, Key marched up the steps and took hold of one of Madame Olisa’s hands, shaking it. “Yes, thank you. I’m glad to be back.”

But Madame Olisa tightened her grip on his fingers. She pulled his hand in and staggered down, using her other arm to draw him into her bosom. He tried to push back without seeming impolite, but was failing.

“My heart beats with joy at your return!” she said with a fair blush. Her makeup was not quite on yet. Her powder and her eyeliner were the only things set. It was obvious she had come down after hearing raised voices. “But why did you ever leave, dear boy?”

“Kemdin!” Glaring, Lady Sadena trotted down the stairs. Her hair fell down her back, past her waist, a length he had not noticed since most of the time she wore it up partway. It made her look even more elegant.

Madame Olisa let him go, innocently batting her eyes.

Key stumbled back, struggling to keep his grin. “Hi, Sadena. I—”

“And what did you mean by sneaking off like that?” Sadena’s usual deep smooth voice had a sharp bite. “You worried us half to death. The least you could have done was bring Tiler with you.”

Giving a slight shrug, Key glanced back at the servants’ hall. But all he could see was the steam coming from the washroom. The maid had gone when Madame Olisa had smothered him, perhaps to finish breakfast after all.

“And where did you go? I certainly hope you did not try to go after that general for killing your friend.” Sadena closed the distance. She propped her hands on her hips. “Or worse, seek out those Cordrils you keep talking about.”

“About that…” Key stepped between the servants’ quarters and the ladies. “You’re not going to be angry with me if I actually did, are you?”

Lady Sadena froze.

But Madame Olisa broke into a laugh. “You didn’t seriously….”

That’s when Lesar emerged from the washroom, dressed, clean-shaven and searching for Key. When he saw the women, he made a bow. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was just looking for where our friend said was some food to eat. But if I am interrupting something….”

Madame Olisa blushed, blinking at him. She took a step back.

Lesar winked at her.

Lady Sadena grabbed Key’s ear and dragged him to the far side of the stairwell. He moaned under the pinch of her fingers. “What is the meaning of this?”

Shaking her hold off, Key clenched his teeth. “Alright! I did it. And I’m not sorry. You never listened to me when I said all of our people ought to learn to read—and when I went ahead and started teaching people anyway, you realized that I was right—though it took a while. And I’m right about this. Come on, you’re a wizard. They can’t hurt you any worse than you can hurt them. In fact, you are more dangerous than they are. And I don’t think being human should be the only qualifier for allies. With them, we will win this war.”

But Sadena just stared at him. “How can I believe this? Key, do you have any idea how impossible—”

“I am sick of people telling