Category: Lerran

“That’s it,” Lerran repeated, as Ash carried him onward with a sickly pace.  “That’s not a mirage or a delusion.  That’s Lo Mallago.”

They were descending the highland of the Barren Road toward the coastal city of Lo Mallago, after fifteen days, three whole weeks, on the road.  Lerran had finished drinking all of his rum and most of their water, leading to a few joking comments from Kolt and Paksis, while the other guards were content to smile at his agony.  He tried to put on a tough game, but while he could handle himself in a fight, surviving dry climes had never been an area in which he’d accustomed himself.  He wiped his brow, the irritated skin crying out at his bothering, and they travelled their final day into the city his father had possessed. Continue reading Lerran 28

“Just like the good old days, isn’t it?” Kolt asked Lerran as their horses walked quietly along the dirt road.

Though the rainy clouds had covered them the last few days, only a few traces of grey remained in the sky and the partially blocked sun beat down on Lerran with the heat to melt a candle or cook a pork.  Sweat dripped from Lerran’s forehead into his eyes and he started rubbing them, only to find them so dry it hurt.  When at last he recovered, he had only to deal with the overwhelming layer of sweat on the inside of his legs from the heat of his horse.  They’d be better off walking the Barren Road, except for how much longer it would take. Continue reading Lerran 27

It took Lerran two days to get all of his affairs in order—mainly that just involved convincing Tassina to let him leave.  On the morning he was to depart, he was awoken by her singing.  He couldn’t remember the name of the song, something about the little boy from Varravar, but he remembered its flitting melody from late nights in the tavern as a younger man.  He crawled out of his blankets and hurriedly got dressed in his black uniform tunic.  He armed himself with his short sword, and buckled up his leather riding boots.  Tass came into their room, humming the chorus to herself and started when she saw him. Continue reading Lerran 26

Tass spent the New Year with him, first in the feast hall in the Family estate, with his siblings, aunt Mara, and a handful of trusted attendants, but later in private.  They opened a bottle of 1461 red port and shared it on the balcony as they watched the sun set.  Later, they retired to the bedroom.

But after a week of easing back into things, Lerran was once again so busy he felt like a captive in his office.  Might as well lock myself in the basement cell, he thought. Continue reading Lerran 25

The New Year was quickly approaching and Sheld was preparing for its celebrations.  For Lerran and his Family, that meant only a few nice meals and time spent with loved ones, while the public put on a number of plays, feasts, and other good-hearted gatherings.  Lerran was relieved to get word that his ship had landed in the harbour before the end of the year, with the weapons shipment from Starath he had dispatched for a month ago. Continue reading Lerran 24

They stopped walking just before the mansion’s outer gate, where the Lerran Estate joined to the street of Sheld.  Erril’s hands were free, and he was not sweating as much as he had been in Lerran’s cell; there was a warm breeze out, but it was a mild day.  Lerran was wearing a dark grey tunic, with his green eye brooch clearly visible.  “I take it for granted that you know…” Continue reading Lerran 23

There were a few circular town centres in Sheld.  The city had a population, according to the copy of last year’s consensus that Lerran now owned, of some four-hundred thousand, and it seemed like a quarter of them had packed into the central ring of the city to see the hanging.  Lerran and his escort marched through the busy streets and up the scaffolding in the middle of the town circle without giving the crowd much of a word or reaction.  Some people shouted “murderer!” and “patricide” at him—it seemed many in Sheld thought he had killed his own father.  But for every taunt, there was a praise.  The Family provided many of these people with finances or jobs or even just security, and many were glad that they now ran the city instead of the greedy Lord Employers. Continue reading Lerran 22

The Rogue River Inn was a three storey building, with a stable and a storage house adjacent to it; it was built on a rocky cliff above the uptown rapids, where the Shalan River roared in the direction of Comet’s Cove.  A balcony extended out, so the patrons could enjoy the cloud of spray from the water while they drank their fill.  It was a popular tavern, with an intermediate price range and a wide selection. Continue reading Lerran 21

For a few hours after the sun rose, Lerran kept training in their yard.  Antha had been using the field less, but Lerran picked up the slack.  He had seen the carnage wrought by Okarnan in Worker’s Rise, even if he had not solved the mystery of that attack’s savagery and strength.  The man had no extra-human abilities, as far as he could tell—not like Paksis.  He had just surprised all the Lord Employers and had set to work on them with his blade.  Between that, and the shadow that a still-living Gharo cast, Lerran needed every edge he could get.  The fever he had fought a few weeks earlier, left over from the poison in his father’s lockbox, had finally passed and he needed to rebuild what muscle it had wasted. Continue reading Lerran 20

Lerran was below his office, in the mansion’s dining hall, when he got word.  They were serving him a fruit salad, with a topping of sesame seeds and pecans.  For meat, he was offered a platter of cold cut pork, well-seasoned, and for drink, white wine.  Tass had joined him, and Eseveer sat with one of her friends nearby.  It was not a formal dinner, just a lunch break from their work.  Lerran’s wife worked with the property care staff, both overseeing their labours and getting involved with the gardens of their estate. Continue reading Lerran 19