When Halding came out of Carth’s office, he took a quick look around for Corvus, but didn’t see him. Halding shrugged and figured that the wolf-man had wandered off somewhere. Right now, Halding didn’t care what Corvus did so long as he didn’t get in the way. Right then, Halding had a great deal of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in.
Lady Venus hurried through the halls to the suite of rooms Gregory had given her for her use. She pushed open one side of the large, double doors and quickly closed it behind her. Gone was the sweet look she’d given Carth when she’d been with him. Her eyes were cold and frustration caused her to frown.
“Suri! Suri, where are you?”
“Right here, Mistress,” a young girl of about 15 years replied with a curtsy. Suri had been in service to Lady Venus most of her life. She always traveled with Lady Venus. She had just finished straightening the furniture when she heard the door practically slam shut. As she rose from her curtsy, green eyes looked up at the beautiful Venus out of a face framed with red curls.
“What do you need, my Lady?”
“What is going outside these walls? What do you know? Quickly, now!”
Suri put down her feather duster and tapped her chin with a finger as she gathered her thoughts. Among her duties in caring for Lady Venus’ belongings, she was also the lady’s eyes and ears throughout the mansion.
“Rumor says that the Church isn’t happy with the nobility. They want to do away with all the nobles that won’t side with them. I’ve heard that there’s someone stirring the peasants up to revolt, but I haven’t heard anything further than that. That’s all I know, Mistress. Is something wrong?”
Lady Venus had taken a seat on a large divan and was massaging her temples. Suri moved up behind her and gently removed Venus fingers, then resumed the massage herself.
“Mistress?”
“My plans are in danger, Suri. We need to be ready to run. Have you found out if there are any secret ways out of Kanoth Springs?”
“No, Mistress, there are no secret ways out of the town, though there are many ways out of the mansion.” Gently, she moved her hands from her mistress’ temples to her shoulders, easing away the stress her mistress was so obviously feeling.
“Rats! The peasants are indeed revolting. Gregory thought I was far enough way not to hear, but I heard that captain’s full report. The gates are locked by now and the peasants may launch their first assault any minute.”
She stood suddenly and began pacing briskly. “Suri, begin packing immediately. Pack as lightly as you can in case we have to run. I am going out to the garden to think.”
Lady Venus then left a very confused Suri to her newest chore. She had much to think about and plans that required changing.
Slave remained blissfully unaware of the events that were about to unfold around her. She wore a blue dress today with matching slippers. Her long hair was done up in a single braid today with a blue ribbon at the end. She paused in her work for a moment to watch a little yellow bird sitting on a branch of a small tree, singing his heart out.
Today, she was learning a bit of gardening from the head gardener. He was a nice, elderly man and was pleased to have such a bright and interested pupil. Already, she had memorized which rows needed watering on which dates and was able to identify several different types of weeds. He watched her with a smile on old, creased face. He’d always wanted a daughter, but had never quite managed it. Instead he had four boys, all grown now. Three of them had joined the military, the fourth had taken after his father and become a gardener.
Slave laughed softly as the bird she’d been watching took wing. Then she turned her attention to the head gardener.
“Mr. Johnson, am I done with my lesson for today? It’s almost time for my daily walk.”
“Yes, child, you are done. Enjoy your walk. You can come back anytime you want.”
Slave thanked him with a curtsy and hurried out of the garden, she almost ran into Lady Venus and stopped quickly to give a deep curtsy her. “I’m sorry, Lady Venus. I will remember to walk in the future.”
“Not to worry, child, no harm done. Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“Mr. Johnson said that I was done with my lessons, so I thought that I would go for my walk. Did you need something, Lady Venus?”
“No, dear,” Venus replied absently, “go on with your walk.”
As Slave started her walk, Venus roamed through the garden, not really seeing the flowers that were still in bloom or the other flower beds being prepared for winter. Neither did she truly hear the singing of the birds. Her mind was lost in thought over how she was to accomplish her purpose in coming to this lonely estate in the middle of nowhere.
Outside, the mob finally began moving forward. It moved slowly at first, but then gained momentum. In a few minutes, it had arrived at the mansion gates and spread along the wall. The soldiers on the inside frowned and tried to talk to the peasants, but nothing seemed to work. A few were trying to climb the gates, but were easily pushed down with the butts of the soldiers spears. The peasant uprising had begun in earnest.
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