Bant Meets Rynn
An Excerpt from The Chronicles of Quat: The Gryphon
By Bryen O’Riley
As the
Quatists finished latching the manacles around her wrists, arms, abdomen,
thighs and ankles, Rynn watched an older man in a long, deep blue mantle climb
the stairs to the platform. When they
were done the four made as if to leave the platform but stopped when they saw
that a visitor was approaching their ward.
The
Quatists bowed as the man reached the platform but before they could say a word
in salutation the man dismissed them with a wave of his hand, “I would speak to our prisoner alone.”
The Quatist
with glasses opened his mouth as if to disagree but thought better of it and
hurried after his companions.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mistress den Lyra,” the old Quatist said quietly after the other men were
out of earshot.
Rynn peered
at the man's face, trying to discern his intentions.
“Who are you?” she asked, unable to hide
the wariness from her voice.
“My name is Bant.” The man's long white beard nearly hid his
friendly smile, “I had the distinct
pleasure of teaching both your son and your husband in Scientific
theories. I must say that you are
beautiful. I hear, of course, that your
evils are legion being Fae and all but I confess I cannot believe it from such
a lovely young woman.”
Bant rubbed
his hands together, glancing at the four Quatists who had left, they were
finally reaching the bottom of the steps.
Rynn
remained silent.
“In any event,” Bant continued, “I wanted to meet you, obviously, after having my
curiosity pricked about the kind of Fae woman who would marry a Quatist. Your marriage was the first time it had
occurred, was it not?” Bant peered at her through blotchy
spectacles.
“To my knowledge, yes.”
“And you have the ability of the Fae, I assume?” he seemed a little excited about this question.
Rynn just
nodded. This was surely the man Etan had
said recognized him and that he was too befuddled to be considered a threat but
Rynn wasn't so sure. His mannerisms were
certainly scattered but his eyes were sharp.
“Could I,” he looked around,
embarrassed, “this is probably not the
right place for it, but could I see something?”
“I am not an entertainer Quatist Bant.”
“Oh no, of course not!
I would never think you were anything but an honorable married woman!” Bant seemed quite
shocked by the very insinuation.
Rynn rolled
her eyes. She hadn't meant that kind of entertainer! She had meant that she wasn't going to put
her abilities on display for a stranger.
“I am a researcher in my heart, you see, and while young
Mikhail went to your islands, even then I was too old to go traipsing about the
world, I was the one who set him to the task.
Or at least, I mentioned the very interesting study your people
presented. So while you could blame me
for your present predicament in a way,” he motioned to the
contraption she was chained to, “I hope you will focus on
the very positive result of the birth of your son instead.
Rynn
couldn't help but smile. He might be a
Quatist but he did seem kindly.
“Watch my eyes closely,” she said. She only had the tiniest amount of power
available in her personal store. As soon
as she had started to use it on Erdin it had begun refilling but that had only
been as long as the walk from the tower to the coil Besides, even if she had had a full store she
didn't want to waste any of her precious store on a demonstration and she certainly
didn't want to give away any tricks.
However, Rynn couldn't resist proving to a Quatist that the Fae did have
Scientifically unexplainable abilities.
Bant leaned
forward, intently watching her eyes, and Rynn changed her eyes, including the
outer white part, to pitch blackness.
Bant jumped back unintentionally at the ominous creature before
him.
Rynn
changed her eyes back to normal, unable to hide her grin. It was fun to put anybody, but especially
Quatists, off balance with that. There
was nothing dangerous or threatening about it, and she didn't give away what
she could do, but it was disturbing somehow.
It would leave him wondering if, perhaps, she was some different
creature under her seemingly human exterior.
He would have to wonder if it wasn't that she had changed herself to
something different at that moment but rather if instead she had revealed a
small part of her true self. The human
mind was a marvelous thing. She didn't
want to threaten an old man and doing so would hardly help her. But it didn't hurt to sow doubt or fear into
the minds of her enemies.
Bant
fumbled his spectacles from his nose and nervously wiped them on his mantle.
“Well. That was
something. I would love to see more, of
course.” In an instant,
his discomfort was gone. It was utterly
replaced with curiosity. “I don't suppose you could do something like that to your
entire body?” He peered at her through
the replaced eyeglasses.
“I am afraid you will have to be content with that,” Rynn smiled.
“I am here because I wanted to offer to notify your
husband of your…predicament.” The old man shrugged, “I am not certain where he is so you'd have to point me in
the correct direction but I should think he would want to be notified of his
wife's imprisonment. I would imagine he
would have some harsh words for the Governeur.”
How Rynn
wished it would be so easy. To have her
husband ride up and challenge the Governeur to combat or whatever it was
Quatists might do to settle disputes.
Then her husband would tear apart that tower, and this coil, as he
rescued her and sought to right the wrongs that had been done to her.
“I appreciate the offer, Quatist Bant, but I do not know
where my husband is and if I did I am not sure he would care about my plight.”
Bant's
eyebrows furrowed in consternation. “I hope we have not fallen
so far as an Order that one of our most esteemed brothers wouldn't protect his
wife as he would protect himself.”
“I would rather not have you contact him but I do
appreciate the offer.”
“What of your son?
May I advise him of your imprisonment?”
Rynn shook
her head, “I think that would do him
more harm than it would do me good.”
Bant seemed
reluctant to accept her answers but she insisted and the Quatists on the ground
were getting frustrated.
“I thank you again for your willingness to help me.”
“I will speak with the Governeur. This is unacceptable.” Bant turned away
and took the first step down before turning back for one last comment. “It was a pleasure to meet
you, Mistress den Lyra. I swear to you,
I will try to make this right.”
Rynn nodded
and watched him walk down the stairs.
She appreciated his kindness but already her mind was forgetting him,
trying to prepare herself for the pain to come.
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