A Promise of Iron by Brandon McCoy (the reading list .txt) 📕

I grabbed a few specimens from the nearest tree and headed over to the first hot bath.

I made myself at home in the wading pond fed by the local stream and washed with a complimentary bar of soap scented with lavender. After a brief stay, I moved on to the hot baths. They were larger than the tubs in Forhd, but there were only three in total. One was secluded behind a heavy curtain and kept off-limits to Ruks.

I climbed the ladder and eased myself into the water. These baths were always heated, fed from an unground hot spring just north of the estate. My muscles began to relax. My last soak wasn’t so long ago, but I was in such a rush then I didn’t get to enjoy it properly. Ever since I earned my stars, time had become increasingly more valuable. Oh, but I needed a good soak- the work on the forge, the work in the study, not to mention my fall from Steven. No, I would enjoy this time; I earned it.

I peeled an orange and tossed the remains on the steam vent behind the tub just as Crylwin had shown me years ago. My thoughts drifted to Lira as I ate. How I wished she was here with me. At first, my thoughts were innocent, seeking only her company, then more primal reasons bubbled to the surface. I thought of her coiled around my body. I pictured her naked form, the imagined curve of her hips and breasts, the fullness of her lips as she kissed me. Just the thought of her left me aroused.

I heard a faint knocking on the edge of the tub. Richard was there with my clothes in hand.

“The master just arrived. He will see you now,” he said—smiling from ear to ear, “at your convenience.”

Richard handed me my clothes and a towel as I climbed out of the bath. I covered myself and proceeded to the changing room off to the side. As I pulled on my pants, a sinking feeling settled in. The iron circle was still in my pocket.

Did Richard discover it? No, if he found it, why bring it back to me? No telling where Cyllian loyalties placed Richard, but my gut told me that if he saw the ring, he would have ridden straight to Forhd with it. I breathed a little easier, then realized he wouldn’t jeopardize his position with the Monroes over something like this. He would have reported to them first.

“The master has arranged for dinner in the atrium,” Richard said.

I looked at the glass ceiling and calculated the time to be close to fourth hour—early to be having dinner. The hair on my neck stood. “Okay, I’ll just need a minute.”

“Of course, sir.”

I fingered the ring in my pocket as I looked for a place to stash it. If I was being set up, they weren’t going to catch me with the proof in my pocket. There was a set of potted plants behind me. No, that was too obvious. I looked at the wooden screen that separated the changing room from the baths. I could see Richard lingering just on the other side.

“Everything alright, sir?” Richard asked.

I heard footsteps approaching. I searched frantically but saw nothing; I would have to settle for the obvious. I took a step towards the plants just as Richard rounded the corner.

“Ah, good, you’re dressed. Let’s be off then, mustn’t keep the master waiting.”

“Lead the way,” I said, bending down. “I just need to get my boots on.” I slipped the first one on then looked off into the distance. “Hey, Richard, what species of tree is that?” I said, pointing. As he turned, I pushed the iron ring into the damp soil.

“Mulberry, I believe, sir, though I’m no expert. Elder Quill would know better; he tends to most of the flora on the grounds.”

“Oh, great, I’ll ask him then,” I said as I pulled on my other boot. “I’m ready if you are.”

Richard led us back along the stone path. As we neared the manor house, I looked up and saw Crylwin waiting at the top of the hill.

“Father is in the atrium,” he said, placing an arm on my shoulder. “I’ll take him the rest of the way.”

“Of course, my lord,” Richard replied, nodding politely to me as he departed.

“Why the rush?” I asked.

“Father just arrived from town; he says Southquarter’s a mess. He’s heading back out this evening with Quill, wants him to take a look at some of the sick, that is, if he can convince the old shut-in to leave the grounds.”

“Well, if anyone knows a cure, it’s Quill,” I said. “Speaking of, where is he? I’d like to hear his thoughts on Nahdril.”

“Later,” Crylwin said, holding open the door. “Father wants to meet with you first.” He led me down a long corridor lined with portraits of important men. We passed two desks where rented clerks busied themselves over stacks of documents. Beyond them lay the solid oak door to the atrium. Crylwin gave a quick tap, then pushed them inward.

Chapter One and Nine

Summer 1272, Cyllian Imperial Count

The atrium walls were carved of smooth white stone, and the floor was of polished marble. The front half of the room housed statues of kings and priests; their likeness immortalized in sculpture. The far half housed a grove of elder trees, left undisturbed from when the atrium was first constructed.

The grandeur of the atrium notwithstanding, like many places in Windshear, it was the ceiling that was most spectacular. Jets of sapphire light trickled in from a dome cut entirely of dark blue glass. It cast the room in an ethereal blue glow. Other houses might find their colors dashed on rugs or long curtains. The Monroe house painted the very sky in sapphire.

At the center of the room, directly beneath the glowing blue ceiling, was a wide desk shaped from the stump of a once-great elder tree. Comfortable chairs of