Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter One: The Glory of Aimonbay Estate

"The Law maintains the sanction, endowed upon it by God, to classify all citizens as Persons or as Slaves, as well as the authority to define the words in question."

The Southern sun shone its hot rays onto Rein Bow's eyes and rudely awakened her from a shallow sleep. Such a nuisance was why she generally preferred to sleep somewhere that enclosed her in sanctuary, but she didn't have the heart to leave the abandoned Princess Nadia alone in a world in which she had not been prepared to live. After the miracle worker of the Aquamarine Ocean had left the princess in the cave the night before, Rein had decided that she would personally escort Nadia to the palace in Helvetica where she was to live with King Darren and Queen Ariana for the rest of her life; a life which was expected to be more pleasant than the life she was forced to live with her severely unhappy mother in the ocean.

Rein glanced at the once-mermaid princess to find her in a deep sleep beside the warm embers left over from last night's campfire. The pixie couldn't find it in her heart to disturb the child just yet and decided to fly off in search for some breakfast. Hopefully there were some type of berry bushes not too far from the shore.

However, Nadia awoke not long after Rein had left. She slowly sat up in the sand and brushed her messy crimson hair from her pale face. When she finally managed to open her sapphire eyes, she noticed the pixie missing. All the sorrow from the night before quickly returned to fill the empty cave with a melancholy ambience. She had hoped that by some miracle she would awaken in the comfort of her oyster bed in the Obsidian Palace that was her original home. Instead, the misfortunes that the miracle worker had explained to Nadia were confirmed to be true when she found herself still in the cave with two legs replacing her mermaid tail. No more bathing in bubbles, no more shellfish meals, no more tutoring sessions with her octopus governess. None of this was a nightmare; it was all real. She scanned the rocks around her one last time; it seemed that Rein had abandoned her as well.

Nadia's next thoughts were the instructions that the miracle worker had given her before they parted ways. Since the princess could think of nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, she thought she might as well do as she was told. What had she been told again? Her name was Sierna. She was ten years old. She was only allowed to take on her mermaid form every... three weeks, was it? For a total of two weeks? Because she needed to eat more crystals every... four years?

Nadia shook her head in frustration; she would figure out those minute details later. Her name was Sierna, she was ten years old, and she was not a mermaid. Her eyes fell onto the golden ball beside her.

Your mother has cursed you. The miracle worker's strange accent resounded in Nadia's head. This golden ball is your life. If someone touches it, you lose your strength and you have a month to touch the ball again before you die.

After this recollection, Nadia did not hesitate to frantically bury the golden orb in the back of the cave behind a rock. Sand flew from her fingers as she clawed the ground, tearing it apart to create a hole deep enough to cover the orb completely.

Keep it hidden at all times.

She even placed another rock on top of the spot to make it appear as though nothing had been buried there at all, and she prayed that nobody would find it.

No one can know it exists, echoed the miracle worker's voice. No one.

Nadia stared at where she had hidden the ball to make sure that the area appeared natural and unmolested. She hoped it wasn't obvious that something had been buried there. She sighed, wiped away a stray tear with the back of her hand, and then left the cave in the direction the miracle worker had told her to head. Her new home was another palace, which shouldn't be too difficult to find.

Rein returned a while later with a leaf full of blueberries to feed her and Nadia. There had been a berry bush close by after all! But as soon as she entered the cave, fear hit Rein like a shock of lightning and the berries tumbled into the tide.

"Oh no," she murmured.

Rein knew exactly where the princess had gone. She was also aware that the streets of Helvetica were not kind, especially today – on Market Day. Not half a second had passed before she shot out of the cave to go find the princess before some unsympathetic citizen found her first.

                                                                     ***

Weaving around the hordes of townsfolk who infested the streets of Helvetica was an aggravating feat. If it were permitted by law, most people would take their horses, zebras, donkeys, or mules to Market Day. But as Noelle was a wealthy kingdom, such freedom would promise packs of horses and carriages, guaranteeing a countless number of problems involving injury. Therefore, only law enforcement, nobility, and the servants thereof could ride equidae or take wheels to the market on this notably hectic day.

Today in particular, there were a smaller number of Helvetica's nobility present in the market. Among them was a satyr butler with long black hair, which matched his hairy legs and hooves in shade. He kept his disgusted sneer ahead of him as he rode his silver stallion through the crowd with two footmen behind him; Alik and Nazar. Both servants glanced around at the crowd with expressions on their faces similar to that of their superior. One could only imagine how much more upset the three of them would be if they were on foot rather than riding into market: Nazar on a zebra and Alik on a dark gray mustang.

It was almost amazing how the frantic and impatient customers would still endeavor to move aside for these three servants, simply because of the family crest they wore on their rides to display that they worked for Sir Rallian, Count of Helvetica. Despite the fact that the townsfolk made way for them, these noble servants failed to arrive at the center of town as quickly as they would have preferred.

                                                                     ***

Rein experienced much duress while she searched for Nadia among the mass of Helveticans. Everything was so colorful that her gaze darted in all directions. The people here dressed in light blues, rosy pinks, and bright greens, with silver, bronze, and gold sashes, saris, and turbans. The women weren't the only ones to decorate their bodies with shining jewels that shot painful glares into Rein's eyes, but the men seemed to enjoy adorning themselves as well. In addition to the colorful people, the surrounding adobe buildings had been painted in aqua, magenta, turquoise, and lavender. Flowering vines climbed up the walls and framed the doors and windows, which only added to the rainbow-likeness of the town.

Rein didn't move from the security of the hot copper rooftops, as it was the ideal place to see and not be seen while she adjusted her eyes to the painter's pallet beneath her. But Nadia was so small that it was nearly impossible to spot her among the hoard of townsfolk with their yellow carts, blinding coaches, giant baskets, and whatever else the people possessed to obscure Rein's vision. She quickly grew frustrated. There had to be an easier way to search for a child among a bedazzled crowd.

                                                                     ***

Nadia endeavored to remain in the cobblestone alleyways, edging around fragrant flower bushes and pale pink trees. The large number of townsfolk frightened her. She was not used to being alone, nor being around so many odd creatures in a strange world that she'd never seen before. To make matters worse, everyone's clothes were clean and fitted, whereas not only were hers filthy after having been at the bottom of the ocean for countless years, but they were loose on her tiny body. Perhaps this meant little for her harem pants, but it was quite obvious that her pink choli shirt was not her size. Of course, there finally came the moment where she had no choice but to emerge onto Helvetica's main road which led directly to the palace. Nadia stood at the edge of the alleyway behind a neatly heart-shaped shrub. There she hesitated. She turned away from the terrifying swarm of people to give herself time to build up some courage. After having steadied her heartbeat, she faced the street again and found herself nose-to-nose with a white thoroughbred. Riding it was a royal officer who peered down at her with a mischievous grin.

"What are you up to, my dear?" the officer asked.

"I – I'm trying to get home." Nadia hugged herself in an attempt to ease her trembling and avoided eye contact with the officer.

"And where might that be?" the officer questioned further.

"That way," Nadia pointed.

"Only the palace is that way." The officer dismounted his horse. "You can't tell me that you live at the palace."

"My... my mother's a servant there."

"I'm sure she is. Let's tell the truth now. Where are your parents?"

It was no wonder the officer didn't believe her, considering the ragged condition of her appearance. Having figured that out, Nadia bolted to the other end of the alleyway, where another officer emerged from around the corner. Nadia managed to dodge him almost too easily and both officers chased after her on horseback. Nadia wisely chose to turn a tight corner and dart into the crowd where the officers were forced to slow down to avoid trampling over the townsfolk. She continued to weave around the people in the streets and dodged their coaches and cattle. It wasn't easy of course, since legs were new to her and she had yet to master them. Soon, she grew weary.

"Grab that girl!" the first officer demanded.

Rein heard the officer's cry from where she was perched on a grocer's sign and shot in his direction without a moment's hesitation.

Only a few of the townsfolk heard the officer however, and merely one of them went through the trouble of grabbing Nadia to hand her off to the officer and his partner. Rein watched helplessly and bit her hand to keep herself from screaming.

"I'm under the impression that your parents are nowhere to be found," said the second officer.

"Or that you don't have any at all," added the first. He set Nadia on his horse. "And as I'm sure you're aware, Their Majesties have zero-tolerance for any homeless folk roaming the streets. It's unsanitary."

"Off to the auction with you."

"Aren't you a fortunate one? You made it just before the auction begins."

The officers rode off with Nadia to the center of town where a snowwood platform had been built to last for years, though it lacked in color and stood out from the surrounding buildings. Behind it was a matching pen which held a handful of shackled people, all of a variety of ethnicities and ages. There, the officers handed Nadia to a round-bellied auctioneer. Rein watched in horror from afar and tried desperately to divulge some scheme to get Nadia safely to the palace.

"This one should sell fast," said the first officer.

"And hopefully for a heavy purse," added the second with a nudge to his partner.

"Oh, certainly," the auctioneer replied. "I've seen her kind sell well. I expect you both will make a contented crescent today."

The auctioneer and his assistants shackled Nadia and put her in the pen with the many other filthy homeless people who waited to be sold as slaves. She scrunched her nose against their stale odor before she realized that she probably didn't smell much better. Her eyes moved up to the platform where five people were chained to posts; they would be the first to be auctioned off. Nadia, who hardly understood how she ended up in this situation, furtively made her way to the very back of the pen with the hope of hopping over the fence to dash off into another alley. When she heard a set of hooves approach from behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to find that the first officer had trotted to this side of the stage, possibly to keep an eye on her should she try this very stunt. He narrowed his eyes at her. Nadia quickly forgot about escaping the pen after she caught the officer's silent yet nasty warning.

Rein darted to a nearby blacksmith's shop and hid behind his sign to ensure she remained unseen. The last time she remembered it necessary to hide behind buildings and signs, she was in Arcor looking for this child's mother. Now here she was trying to save that woman's daughter. Would there ever be a time when things went the way they should with this bloodline?

When everyone's attention seemed to be on the stage, Rein dove towards the pen and hid behind a post so to avoid the officer's line of sight. She had to admit that sneaking around was much easier now that she had wings again. Running about on foot was obnoxiously time-consuming and made her vulnerable to more than just people with bad intentions.

When Rein was certain that the officer's attention was fixed to the stage, she flew to Nadia and landed on her shackled wrists.

"Rein!" Nadia whimpered.

"Shhh!" Rein replied. "I'm going to try and get you out of here."

Nadia didn't know how Rein was going to accomplish that with the officer still mounted on his horse right beside her. But she didn't argue as Rein stretched her thin little arm into the lock and fumbled with the mechanism. Nadia cupped Rein in her hands to hide her light and glanced up at the officer who only shot her the same angry glare in return. The look sent a bout of hopelessness through Nadia's soul and she never wished to lock eyes with him again.

Finally, the auction began and though Nadia couldn't follow what happened exactly, she knew enough to understand the end-result. Not two minutes after the bidding began, Rein noticed that the slaves were selling a bit faster than she cared for.

"Sold for five dawns!" Ten thousand dollars.

The crowd grew wild, and not entirely with joy. Some buyers didn't feel the auction was being run fairly, in addition to other more personal matters among the buyers themselves being interjected into the situation. Fights broke out and law enforcement was forced to get involved, though the officer beside Nadia refused to move from his spot. Hopefully, the ruckus would provide Rein with more time to spare. She could hardly remember the last moment when time was so scarce and if that moment was just as critical as this one. There was the one day when she helped a forest sprite named Pryce and a rat, Lusitania, steal money from the infamous Emperor Mentir. That could've gone better than it had, but luckily the three of them had made it out alive. Hopefully, this situation would have an equally happy ending.

"Sold for two dawns!" Four thousand dollars.

Rein had to focus. This was no time to dwell on the past. She had to save Nadia to make up for failing to save Empress Renée, Nadia's unhappy mother. Although, Rein had saved the empress from being a ceremonial sacrifice for a brainwashed cult. She felt lucky in her success on that day. However, she couldn't help the guilty feeling which resulted from her failure to show Renée what the miracle worker had really wanted her to accomplish: to become humble with her life. Rein had known that simply telling her to her face wouldn't have done the trick. Altogether, she felt that she had failed Nadia by not trying it anyway. That was all the more motivation to get these blasted shackles off the princess's wrists!

"Sold for three dawns!" Six thousand dollars.

At this point, there were two people left on stage before five more would be brought up to auction off and Rein was getting nowhere with unlocking Nadia's shackles. Why was the lock on these shackles so different from what she was used to?

"Sold! For a dawn!" Two thousand dollars.

One more person to sell.

"I don't think I'll get it in time!" Rein painfully admitted.

"I hope I'm not next," said Nadia.

"Sold! For five dawns!" Ten thousand dollars.

"They're coming!" Nadia warned.

"I'll always be around!" Rein whispered. "No matter what happens, don't worry."

Rein wanted more than anything to comfort Nadia and keep her from worrying too much while she waited on stage to be sold, but there wasn't time. There was never enough time! Rein flew away and the auctioneer's assistants approached the pen to drag more homeless people onto the platform.

"Where's the redhead?" one called. "The little girl we just brought in before the auction started."

"Over here!" called the officer. "Right beside me!"

"Get over here you!" the assistant demanded.

The officer shoved Nadia forward with his booted foot and she slowly made her way to the front of the pen. The assistant snatched her shackles and yanked her onto the platform where he hooked her chains to a post. She would be the first to be sold.

                                                                     ***

Out in the audience were Alik, Nazar, and Makiar the satyr butler, still seated on their extravagant rides with the count's family crest displayed for all to see. They perked up when Nadia was brought on stage. It was about time that the auction became interesting.

"That must be her," said Makiar as he tugged at the collar of his gold and dark purple sari jama.

"May I see the note again?" Nazar reached for the paper in the butler's hands and Makiar handed it over. "She does fit the description," Nazar commented after he read the words. "I can't imagine there's another girl in there with these same qualities."

"How far up do we bid?" Alik asked.

"His Lordship says his limit is one million," Makiar replied. "But based on his tone I'm certain he has no limit. I'll let you do the bidding, Nazar."

"Very well," Nazar replied. "Let me know if you wish for me to stop."

"Here's a young and pretty one, folks!" announced the auctioneer. "She's certain to grow up strong and glamorous! You can tell by her crimson mane alone; who in this kingdom has such lovely hair besides the queen herself? If only you could feel her soft skin, it's as if she bathes in saltwater every night! Just imagine these arms around you when she becomes of age. Surely you can see her sapphire eyes from where you stand. They shine bright as the Northern and Southern suns put together! So, can I get a worthy starting bid from the audience?"

"Two dawns!" Nazar called out.

The starting bid was about four thousand dollars. Makiar glanced tenuously at Nazar. Had he made a mistake in permitting this footman to play bidder? If Nazar noticed he had set Makiar on edge, he didn't show it. He felt confident that this excessive starting bid would scare off any unworthy opponents.

"Great griffins! It seems as though the Count of Helvetica is very interested in this one, folks!" said the auctioneer. "Does anyone dare to challenge him?"

"Three dawns!" a random gentleman called out. He, too, was dressed nobly with his own family crest draped over the horse on which he was mounted.

"Five!" shouted Nazar. His face crinkled at the fact that his scare tactic had failed.

"Six!"

"Ten dawns!" Nazar made sure his words were clear and the crowd around him fell silent.

Nadia turned her gaze to the sky, and she trembled as her very first tears flowed from her eyes. She wasn't certain about how currency worked here in Noelle, but the urgency in the bidders' voices and the silence from the rest of the crowd made the amount sound frighteningly high.

"Twelve dawns!"

"Fifteen!"

"Twenty thousand crescents!" called the gentleman.

"Fifty thousand crescents!" Nazar locked eyes with the man bidding against him. He was sick of fighting. "So, who among us is the serious buyer?"

"Your superior, it would seem," said the gentleman. "Is he aware of how much he's spending on this child?"

"I don't believe that is your concern. Cast your bid or let it be!"

The man paused and then waved his hand in surrender.

"Sold!" cried the auctioneer with a grin that almost claimed his entire face. "For fifty twilights! Give the man his slave!"

Makiar, Nazar, and Alik rode out of the crowd and approached the pen to claim their employer's prize. Makiar and the assistant took care of some paperwork while another assistant handed Nadia to Alik and Nazar along with the keys to her shackles. The three men intimidated Nadia and she didn't dare look them in the eyes, much less put up a fight. She felt these were the last people she wished to anger. Makiar set her on his horse when he was finished with the paperwork and they all rode off to the count's estate without a word said among them.

Rein couldn't believe how much Nadia had sold for. She had to take a seat where she stood on the blacksmith's sign to let her brain process that number. No doubt this meant that it would be a lot more difficult to get Nadia to the palace since the Count of Helvetica would feel more protective over her. Rein would need help, but who would possibly help her? She knew good and well that Count Rallian and Queen Ariana were close friends and she would defend his actions... but the miracle worker had mentioned that Their Majesties were expecting Nadia to arrive, so the queen shouldn't be happy about the count taking Nadia from her. Something wasn't adding up. None of this should have happened.

Rein decided that she would head over to the palace to see how the king and queen would react when Nadia failed to show. However, she first wanted to visit the count's estate to verify that Nadia would be safe while she sought help. Rein arrived to Count Rallian's property before the servants. The castle sat on a hilltop a couple miles from the Lucierna Forest. While she waited for the others to catch up, she took the time to study the castle and the manor surrounding it. As much as she loathed the thought, she felt the need to prepare in case Nadia would have to live here for an extended period of time.

Slaves and servants seemed to be the dominant residents of Aimonbay Estate. There were dozens upon dozens of them, all dressed as colorfully as the townsfolk and all of different origin. Some were fawns, some were satyrs, some were dryads, humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, but most were mixed-breeds. Many of the slaves were golems, which was expected. Golems were known to be nothing but slaves all over the world, and the count had all three types: stone, clay, and wood.

Rein kept hidden in trees and hedges as she made her way around the courtyard with its museum of statues and sculpted bushes. She landed atop a flambeau behind the castle and took note of how it appeared to be undergoing vast extensions. Then Rein turned her attention to the large garden which was also under construction, a lengthy cotton field, a plantation of fruits and vegetables, a pasture of sheep and cattle, and finally a spacious stable where she assumed the count also kept a multitude of equidae, coaches, and carriages.

Rein could easily tell the servants from the slaves. For one, the servants did not wear gold cuffs on their arms and they simply stood around to monitor the slaves who tended to the gardens behind the castle and in front, harvested the produce and cotton, cared for the sheep and cattle, fetched water from the large well, and whatever else was required to keep the estate in routine. For two, the servants also dressed in finer materials and some even wore jewelry. It disgusted Rein to see how disinterested they appeared, as if they were painfully bored and wished to be elsewhere.

Rein took a deep breath to give her overwhelmed brain a moment to rest and accept this abundance of new information. Count Rallian's riches were ridiculous. How could one man alone be so wealthy? Queen Ariana must have had a lot to do with it. The two of them were best friends after all. What had Rallian done to deserve such a leisurely life?

Eventually, Rein dove down to a tall, stained glass window and peered inside the castle, only to find more servants and more slaves cleaning, cooking, and rehearsing to entertain on stage. Here, even the slaves dressed gloriously in silk, satin, and jewels. Besides the maltreatment of people, the castle itself was beautiful. Rein observed what she assumed to be the drawing room, lavishly designed and eternally tidy. The silver and white tiled floors were spotless, but someone still mopped them. The ivory pillars and pale yellow and blue walls hadn't a smudge on them, but someone still polished the painted copper vines which curled up from the floor and down from the ceiling. The turquoise and rosy curtains along with the multi-colored furniture appeared freshly laundered and upholstered, but someone still dusted and fluffed them. It was a place in which anyone would be honored to live, if they weren't obligated to work aimlessly without pay, of course. Rein would go so far as to claim that the vast number of slaves sucked the beauty from the walls of the structure and made the estate more grotesque than glamorous. Nevertheless, she prayed that Nadia would find some morsel of comfort here.

At last, Rein heard the recognizable sound of hooves in the distance and her ears pricked.

"Open the gates," she heard someone call out. "They've returned."

Rein took off and hovered over Aimonbay to witness the three servants enter the courtyard with Nadia. After the long ride down the road which extended from the gates, Makiar helped Nadia off his horse and directed her up the marble steps to the iron double doors. He had Alik take the zebra and two horses to the stables while he and Nazar led Nadia through the entrance into the castle. Rein flew back to the large window, hoping to see where the servants would take Nadia. To her relief, she was led to the drawing room, where Lusi had been shown previously. Here, Rein had the perfect visual of what may happen next.

"Wait here." Makiar's words were muffled through the stained glass. "The count is currently away, but he'll return soon to speak with you."

Nadia obeyed without a hint of resistance in her demeanor. Where was the count? Rein glanced around the area for a moment as if the count could be behind her. Then she shot straight up above the castle to peer down the single road which led from Aimonbay to Helvetica. Far off in the distance she could see a white and grey coach ever so slowly making its way down the road. That had to be no other than the count himself.

Rein was relieved to know that she wouldn't have to wait much longer before she got her answer about Nadia's safety. She sighed and landed back on the window sill where she turned to look at Nadia, who had laid herself out on the settee. She hadn't moved at all from the spot she was told to stay, but if Nadia had obtained any of her mother's traits after the ceremony which made her family by blood, this obedience was only temporary. Count Rallian had better not get used to this behavior from his new slave.

"Hang in there," Rein said softly. "This won't be permanent."