Most Glorious Land: Tales of Balia

By Jill Penrod

Taken from his home in his youth, Nikolai is now a guard protecting the royal mistresses in the Most Glorious Land of Long.  When invaders from his homeland kidnap the girls—and everyone else in the summer palace—he begins a journey to get help for those missing and find the truth behind the invasion.

He manages to rescue two of his charges, and with the help of a woman from his past who despises him, a guard from the main palace, and a boy who dreams of adventure, he works to restore the girls to safety, but secrets from his past, as well as secrets within the House of Long itself, threaten the entire Glorious Land.  Can one tired, broken guard, even with TrueGod at his side, restore the kidnapped souls?  And where does his allegiance truly lie?  Nikolai must answer these questions and more as he takes a trip into a painful past and faces people and places he thought gone from his life forever.

Take another journey to the Land of Balia in this installment of the Tales of Balia, Christian fantasy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jill Penrod
• Release date: Nov 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386489610

Jill Penrod

Jill Penrod wrote her first novel in high school. It was a space opera (she watched Star Wars A LOT), and it was not great literature. But she persevered, graduating college with top honors in writing. Since then, she’s published more than thirty novels. She writes in several  genres including Christian teen romance, sweet romance, Christian fantasy stories, and non-fiction. None of them are space operas. Jill lives in Kentucky with her husband and youngest son. She has three adult children out there doing adult things like work and marriage. When she isn’t writing, she gardens and spoils her long-haired Chihuahua Sparrow, along with a few other cats and dogs. Recently she fulfilled her dream of moving to the country, although it has yet to be seen if this city mouse can become a country mouse or not.  

Book preview

One

NIKOLAI WAS THE FIRST to see the smoke. The sun was barely over the mountains, which were covered in morning mist and looked like giants standing on the horizon, tall and slender and imposing. The gardens and trees around him were still bathed in shadow, and nothing save the early marga birds sounded through the summer palace grounds.

But the mist wasn’t quite right this morning. Instead of a light fog around the entire mountain chain, the mist over the Hannar pass swirled darker, and when a faint smell hit his nostrils he stood straighter, realizing the truth of it. For smoke to reach this high, smell this strong, meant something huge was burning, and in the Hannar pass, now lightly coated in snow, the only thing that could burn that way was the watch station.

Sighing deeply, Nikolai called the warning and ran from his post at the palace door around the west of the main house to the enamora house, as was his duty. He heard the clanging of the gongs as the lead guards set the alarm and let all in the palace know of the coming attack. The servants would take the lower roads, which were clear and wide and meant to help them escape but also allow them to be bait for any attacking. And then the foreign visitors, the enamora, and the Imperator’s bastard sons would go down the low passes or through the forest paths, whatever was closest to them at the time. Built on a mountainside, the Hannara Palace was crossed with escape routes, all unknown to outsiders, all leading to the river below, where fleets always waited in case of danger.

The enamora were guarded by three men besides Nikolai, two of them very old and native, and one younger man who was, like Nikolai, an imported citizen. A slave, really, but the Long house would never admit they did things of the sort. No, Imperator Long the Fourth liberated people and brought them to his way of thinking; he never conquered. And his new subjects, often working in chains, were welcome new guests in his land, now living for his gods and his family and granted the joys that came with such service.

Nikolai called to Dmitri that there was an attack, although the young man surely heard the gongs himself. Already he opened the heavy door to the enamora house and called orders, and Nikolai raced past him and down to the lower floor of the huge house, as he’d been taught to do during a hundred training exercises before.

Although the sun was just coming over the horizon, enamora rose early, and he stood in a large open room and faced two dozen girls dressed for their day’s events, their faces pale, makeup hiding their features, their hair and robes impeccable. Nearly fifty eyes stared at him with identical looks of wariness.

Not a drill, he called, running past them to the back door, which led to the path to the water. Grab your supplies. Come; you know what to do.

Some of the girls burst into tears, but Nikolai ignored this, holding the door and helping the smaller girls slip bags over their shoulders as they ran out to the long path down into the trees.

The smell of smoke was stronger now, and Nikolai heard men yelling from the front of the palace. He had no idea why anyone would attack today, when neither the Imperator nor his heirs were in residence. Two of his bastard sons were present, as well as many of their favorites within the enamora, but there were no heirs or foreign politicos visiting at the moment, which made things easier. Nikolai thought all this briefly, because his sole responsibility was the enamora, but he knew what was currently happening in other areas of the palace, and he hoped his friends within the guard fared well as they proceeded in their duties.

Yi is missing, little Maylin said to him, tugging on his jacket as she ran past. Her stomach was angry this morning, and she stayed in bed. Li was upset with her, but she threw up on him, and that convinced him.

Nikolai took a deep breath. Of course it would be Yi. The oldest of the enamora and kin to the house of Long, she was important enough to the Imperator and the state that she could do what she wished, and it seemed she wished to cause trouble more than anything else.

Dmitri, Nikolai called. Lock the front. I need to find Yi. Escort the rest.

Dmitri took his place, and Nikolai watched down the hill, where the older guards helped the smaller girls travel the path in their ridiculous shoes. An enamora was dressed to be ridiculous and nothing else, he thought. He’d never found the girls’ costumes to be sensual, nor their makeup and wild hair, but then very little about this world brought him any feelings other than anger. Which, he realized, was even more ridiculous, because slavery in the Land of Long had saved his life.

He ran up to the fourth floor of the wood and reed house where the oldest and most important of the enamora lived. Yi had her own suite and her own attendants, for she was the favorite of the summer palace girls. He thought she was nearly twenty-five, a few years older than he was, but she was slight, as were all of them, nearly starved for the sake of beauty. He’d never seen her without her makeup, so he knew nothing of her features. She was simply a pasty mask with bright lips like the rest.

Yi, he called, finding her in the bed, sitting up straight, her makeup on but the rest of her natural, from her hair to her linen bed gown. It made a strange picture.

The gongs, she said breathlessly. Attack?

Yes, mistress Yi, he said, bowing slightly at the waist. You are preparing for your day?

She nodded, looking at the tub of creamy paint in her fingers. My stomach was better, and I knew I needed to attend to Long Ro today.

We must flee, he said. The others are heading for the river. Take supplies.

Turn, she said, stepping from beneath her silken sheets, and he did, standing stiff while he listened to her change. When she told him he could turn again, he found her in her robe, tying the sash and sliding on her ridiculous shoes.

Do you have better shoes? he asked.

What? I have only these.

Sighing, he nodded and waited as she collected items in a bag and slipped it over her shoulder. Then he led them back down to the ground floor, although he heard men’s voices and held out his arm to stop her.

Up, he hissed. The balcony.

She nodded and ran ahead, and he poked his head out the door, saddened to see Dmitri and one of the girls on the floor, dead. He wondered how many of the girls would perish today, running down the hill in their wooden shoes, sliding and slipping and crying as evil men chased them.

Silently closing the door, he ran up after Yi, who was already to the balcony, sliding open the screen and slipping as her wooden shoes hit the dew-dampened wood floor of the balcony.

Take off your shoes, he ordered.

What? she asked, shocked at his request.

Now, he said firmly, and she looked at him and nodded, doing as he asked. He pushed them into her bag and pointed, and she started down the lattice that lined the house.

This side of the house opened to dense trees, and they would not quickly make the path, but as the enemy had already found the path, that made sense. He decided to take her down through the forest, which meant he would have to cut a path through the brush, but it seemed wise to avoid following the enemy down to the river.

When Yi got to the ground she jumped around, not used to being barefoot, and he gave her a long look.

Your shoes are a liability, he said. We must go quickly and quietly.

She nodded, looking frightened, and he felt for her. He’d guarded enamora for over two years now and knew their lives were limited in scope. They were trained for nothing but the seduction of men, and anything unusual was outside their realm of understanding.

A scream to the right caught his attention, and he told Yi to stay out of sight while he moved through the trees. Little Maylin was in the arms of an unknown soldier, and Nikolai watched for a moment to determine how best to liberate her.

Yi, the little girl cried. Yi, where are you?

The man said something to her in a dialect of Nikolai’s native tongue, and he threw her over his shoulder, which meant he was here to take the girls, not to kill them, although one at least was dead in the house. The man was alone, it appeared, and he headed down toward the river, which concerned Nikolai. It might mean the enemy had men at the bottom waiting.

Maylin cried the most pitiful cries, and Nikolai sneaked up behind them, putting his fingers to his lips as the girl spied him. With a quick nod she cried more loudly, winking at him while she did, and he had to grin. The little girl, like the rest, had been taught to act, and all of them could use drama to manipulate when they needed to. With her sound as cover, Nikolai ran forward and plunged his sword into the man’s side, catching Maylin as she fell and using his leg to kick the man down the hill at the same time. The clansman rolled, slammed into a tree, and didn’t move, and Nikolai put Maylin on her feet, took her hand, and ran back to the trees toward Yi.

The gong still clanged, and the sounds of battle came from the front of the palace, but Nikolai paid them no attention. His responsibility was right here, and as much as he wanted to run to the front and defend his fellow guards, he put the sounds and his own sick fears out of his head and led the girls through the trees, chopping brush out of his way as he did.

My feet, Maylin said, sliding into him. He stopped her, sat her on the damp ground, and pulled off her shoes, stuffing them in his own pack before continuing their run. The river was far below, and the ground here was steep and difficult, but he didn’t dare move to the main path, feeling this attack had been planned well enough that following normal protocol would be the end of them.

Who attacks? Yi asked, shrieking as a branch snapped back and hit her.

I don’t know, Nikolai admitted. Clansmen, but I didn’t recognize the dialect.

She said nothing else, and he continued running. Then the terrain changed, the trees giving way to an opening, a patch of smooth ground. He slowed and realized the ground had slid here, and there was a drop-off ahead. He dug in his heels, glad for his heavy boots, and held out his arms to stop the girls from passing him.

Unfortunately, Yi’s bare feet slid, and although she grabbed his arm to slow herself, her feet completely went out beneath her, and Nikolai pulled her close. Maylin was right behind, screaming, and Nikolai wrapped his arms around both of them, pulling them in as he slid with them. He tried to tuck them in to his body, and as they bounced down the hill he shifted so he would take the hits. Twice his head and shoulders hit the ground, and when he saw a tree ahead, he turned so his back slammed into it. With a thud they stopped, and he took one final breath, feeling consciousness slipping away from him as the world dimmed to black.

PLEASE, SIR GUARD, LITTLE MAYLIN SAID, her voice pitiful and teary. Please wake up.

Quiet, Yi said gently. What if they hear? We are currently quite vulnerable.

Nikolai groaned and opened his eyes, focused only on the pain in his head and then other pains throughout his body, which were minor compared to his head. Then he remembered what had happened, and he pushed forward, thinking he had to get the girls to safety. As he did he groaned, for the world swam before him and threatened to go black again.

Not yet, Yi said in her high voice. He’d often wondered why all the enamora had such small, high voices. Something about them wasn’t quite human, and they’d always made him nervous. Just lay back, sir guard.

Nikolai, he muttered, hating his palace title.

What? Yi asked, stroking her hand down his chest.

My name, he said, is Nikolai.

Truly? she asked with a giggle. Nikolai. Very strange.

West Slavend clan, he said. Ansinov.

Ah, she said. So your people joined us just a few years ago. Welcome to the glorious house of Long.

He sighed and said nothing. Perhaps she had no idea what it meant for a city or nation to join the house of Long, and she actually believed it was a simple shaking of hands and a feast. Her entire life had been nothing but shaking hands and feasts and gentle jaunts beneath the sheets. How could he blame her for knowing nothing else?

What hurts? she asked when he again focused on her.

He shook his head, still not able to differentiate specific pains. Give me a moment, he said. He took a deep breath, cringing at the pain, and then he decided he had to sit up, even if it killed him.

Now, now, Maylin said in her small voice, putting cool hands on his wrist. Slowly, sir guard.

Nikolai, he said again, not sure why it mattered to him.

Sir Nikolai, Maylin said, and he had to smile. Your face is bloody.

That isn’t all, Yi said, opening her palm, which was red. He assumed from her words it was his, and then he realized he’d not yet assessed their health.

You are hurt? he asked her.

Sore. Nothing worse.

And you? he asked Maylin.

Just bruises. We need to go to the boats.

No, Nikolai said. They were heading for the boats, the enemy. I suspect some came up the river. I’ve told Donnor the palace was vulnerable, but they all think the Glorious House of Long is invincible. We must find another place to hide.

He pushed the girls away and stumbled to his feet, firmly gripping a tree as his head spun. Closing his eyes, he took a very deep breath.

You look like you plan to dance with that tree, Yi said. Is that so much better than simply lying still until you are able to stand alone? We can tend your wounds, Nikolai. We are skilled at that.

He didn’t know if this was true, but the tree wasn’t going to keep him upright, so he let them take his arms and help him to the ground. For the next few minutes he closed his eyes and listened to them discuss his wounds. They stripped off his jacket and tunic, and he shivered in the morning air as they dabbed ointment on wounds and bound two bleeding gashes on his arm. Yi smiled into his face as she tended his head, and as he gazed at the pale features he wondered what she really looked like. Everyone said she was beautiful, but they meant with her makeup and costume, and he’d never found beauty in either. In his original land women had looked more natural, even those considered beautiful.

Better? Yi asked at some point, and he slowly sat up, sliding his tunic and jacket back on to still his shivering.

Yes. Thank you.

We need you healthy, she said with a nod. You are our escort to safety. Since you wish to ignore protocol, have you another plan, or should we abandon you and do what we’ve been taught since our first days?

Her tone was harsh and yet amused, and he narrowed his eyes at her, for she was making fun of him.

The man who had Maylin was taking her down the hill toward the others. He was taking her, meaning he wanted her alive. What better way to get hold of the palace household than herd them down to the river and wait at the bottom?

Yi tightened her lips into a line. Perhaps this is true. But you didn’t answer the question. Have you a plan?

Not really. To the west is the village, and there is another down the river a way. We can find help there, I think. You will be easy to disguise.

The girls looked at each other. Why are we so easy to disguise?

You never leave your quarters without your makeup and robes. If we clean your faces and find common gowns for you, nobody will have any idea who you are. We can find safety or deliver you to the Imperial palace or... I don’t know what, but we can find you safety.

We are enamora, Maylin said with great arrogance. All will know this, even without our makeup.

Nobody will know it, Nikolai said. Trust me. I will protect you.

Yi nodded. Already you have done so. And thank you, sir Nikolai, for keeping us safe at your own expense. I was told foreign guards can’t quite be trusted, but you didn’t even think before protecting us. We are grateful.

Nikolai knew he blushed at the compliment. She was right, and foreigners conscripted into service weren’t always honest or worthy, but he’d decided early on that he would do as he was told, and he would do it well. Not for the sakes of the girls, and definitely not for the sake of Imperator Long, but because he trusted a higher power had this situation under control. TrueGod walked with Nikolai, and that meant he would give the god his best whatever the situation.

Two

SIR NIKOLAI WAS AN enigma. First, Maylin had learned never, ever to entrust herself to a foreign guard. She couldn’t understand why they were here if they weren’t to be trusted, although she figured they were fodder. Always they were sent to the front in a battle, although she assumed the men in front should be loyal, and the foreign guards were known for their lack of loyalty.

This made no sense to her, either. If the Glorious House of Long freed so many from their former lives, gave them better gods, more purpose, and lives worth living, why would they not be loyal? But foreigners were a strange lot generally, so she didn’t give it much thought.

Nikolai could be trusted. She’d known it before today, of course, or she’d not have sent him after Yi. When the other foreign guards escorted the enamora on their walks or to their baths and lessons, they seemed bored, or they stared at the older girls with eyes glazed in adolescent lust. Nikolai, though, seldom looked at the girls, his eyes always scanning the horizon for trouble like he honestly cared what happened to them.

Today, though, had convinced her once and for all that this foreign guard was an honorable man. When she and Yi had slid in their bare feet, pulling him over a low drop, he’d not pushed them aside. He’d not let Maylin go and grabbed only the beautiful Yi. No, he’d pulled them close and tucked them in to his sturdy body, and he’d rolled them safely to the bottom of the drop at great expense to himself.

By the time they hit the bottom, he had released them, already unconscious, and Yi had rolled him to his back and checked his breathing, nodding that he was alive. Then she sat back and did a cursory scan of his condition, for all enamora could deliver first aid. Yi could do more, including stitching wounds and applying various herbs. It was part of the position, knowing how to give pleasure as well as remove pain, and Yi was the best enamora in the entire Land of Long.

Will he wake up? Maylin had asked.

He will, she said, brushing her fingers through his hair. This lump bothers me, though. It may slow us. And the bleeders might need stitching, but I didn’t grab my medical bag. Which is silly. I have useless shoes but no medical kit. Sometimes I am the silly girl the men expect of me.

Yi had sighed and placed her hand on Nikolai’s arm, and in a few moments he had wakened, needing time to gain his balance but no stitches, which was a good thing.

Now he said he was ready to travel again, and he pushed himself to his feet, weaving frightfully and then pointing to the edge of the forest.

West, he said. I feel our safest course is the village to the west. I know people there, and we can find a change of clothes and figure out our next step.

He took two steps and almost slammed into a tree, and Yi put her shoulder beneath his and guided him slowly west. At first he tried to pull away, but Yi was strong, clearly stronger than he expected, and he let her help him. Maylin wondered if Nikolai was as taken with her looks as others. All the men fell in love with her, but the Imperator let very few escort her. Mostly she spent her time with his bastard sons Ro and Xiang and a few important men in the administration. Yi herself said nothing of her escorts, which Maylin felt was wise. The other girls gossiped and giggled and griped about their escorts at length, but Yi’s actions seemed much more professional and mature. She was a woman in a house full of girls.

Here, Nikolai said when they arrived at a small creek that roared down the hill. Wash your faces.

Yi narrowed her eyes. Nobody sees enamora without their dressings.

Well, in the village, you will not be able to hide like that. Women in the real world show their skin and their eyes. They don’t look like paste dolls.

Yi’s reaction startled Maylin, for she released Nikolai with one hand and slapped him hard across the face with her other, hard enough that the gash on his cheek opened and bled down to his neck.

You will not speak such of the Imperator’s enamora, she said quietly. We are sacred.

Nikolai looked angry, and Maylin feared he would hurt Yi, but he simply knelt by the creek himself and washed the blood from his face. When he stood, his legs shifted, and he fell, but from his spot on the ground he pointed to the water.

Long Yi, he said calmly. I have been charged with your safety. The summer palace has been taken by an unknown enemy. It appears the household has been either kidnapped or slaughtered. I can take you to the boats and hand you over. I can leave you here to fend for yourselves. Or, you can wash your faces, and you can come with me, and I will protect you. With my life, mistress Yi. You know this is the truth. But the choice must be yours.

Yi took a sharp breath, and she knelt by the water and scrubbed off the pale foundation and the bright blush, and Maylin did the same. The water was cold, and the colors didn’t come off easily with mere water, but they didn’t have beauty oils here, so they scrubbed in the cold water, finally using their sleeves to scrape off the remaining color. Nikolai pulled to his feet as they did this, leaning against a tree, and he nodded when they finished.

Beautiful, he said quietly, looking from one of them to the other. Maylin was only ten, and she knew she wasn’t beautiful yet, especially with her face bare, but the words still made her blush. Yi simply nodded and followed when Nikolai led the way again.

The sun was high overhead by the time they heard the village. The trees thinned, and the ground rose and fell, common in the mountains. Maylin’s legs were exhausted. She realized what had truly happened this morning, especially seeing Ling’s broken body at the back door, as well as Dmitri the guard, and she found herself falling behind, weeping as she walked.

Maylin, Yi said quietly, running her hand through Maylin’s hair. It will be well, little one. It will be. I hear the village; it will be well.

Maylin nodded, and yet Yi’s tender words made her cry harder, which shamed her.

My legs are very tired, she said.

Then climb on, Yi said, and she let Maylin climb on piggyback, laughing as she took two skipping steps to catch up with Nikolai. He heard Yi laugh, and he turned, his poor face bloodied and pale. He stopped and shook his head.

Mistress Yi, I will carry her, he said. Apologies for not realizing how exhausting this is for you.

Yi stepped away from him and gave him her prettiest smile. It was an honest smile, and she used few of those on men. Sir Nikolai, I think I should carry her. You still struggle not to run into trees. I promise, if she gets too heavy, I will put her down.

Nikolai looked at her and then nodded, walking forward again. Maylin stayed on Yi’s back until the ground leveled and the village sounds were close.

How large is it? Yi asked when Maylin was walking again. The village. Is it large?

Nikolai looked surprised. I forget you don’t get out much. It’s large for a mountain village. This village largely supports the summer palace, so many things happen here. Fields are terraced on the mountain, and craftsmen weave clothing. Your silk robes and linens, though, come from far away, and the village arranges their purchase. Much of your lives are dependent upon this village.

Maylin watched Yi as he said it, and she looked angry somehow.

You think us ungrateful.

Nikolai smiled and backed up a step, and Maylin wondered if he feared another slap.

No. I may guard you, mistress, but I know little about you. If you knew all this already and I am making you feel foolish by speaking the words again, I apologize.

Yi looked ahead, where a bit of the village showed through the trees. No. You are right, and I know nothing outside the walls. I am educated in many things, including books and philosophies, so I may speak with educated men, but I know nothing of the village or the nation. But I am grateful.

I never considered you ungrateful, Nikolai said with a small smile. Maylin wondered if Nikolai was falling for Yi’s beauty, although right now she was very plain. It made no sense for him to find her attractive now and not before.

Sir Nikolai, if we mean to sneak into this village, I wish to tend you before we enter, Yi said formally. She shrugged and looked ashamed. Your face is a mess, and I apologize for hurting you, especially since the wound is our fault to begin with.

Nikolai stood very still as Yi cleaned his face. When she finished, she cupped her hands around his jaw and placed a tender kiss on his forehead.

We are sacred, she whispered. And now I’ve given you luck. I believe we will need luck today.

He smiled and backed away. Thank you, mistress. I think we will be fine without it, though. We foreign servants find our luck in other places.

Yi raised her eyebrow at this, and Maylin wondered what he meant. She’d had lessons in religion and philosophy herself, at least a few, and she understood the blessings of the sacred—the Imperator’s family, the enamora, and the temple staff—kept life aloft in the Land of Long. Eventually that would extend to the entirety of Balia, and all would know the blessings known by her people now. Where else would a man find luck if not here with enamora?

Maylin was unprepared for the village. Noise and chaos surrounded them, from children, carts, and animals in the muddy streets to the calling voices of dozens of people trying to sell their wares. She stopped at the edge of the forest and found herself unable to move a step, completely terrified.

Yi didn’t look much surer of herself, and Nikolai stood between them, looped each of his arms around one of theirs, and led them into the mess with great confidence.

Nikolai, a boy said to him as he passed.

Yura, Nikolai said, nodding his head. Is your mama home, perchance?

She is, the filthy child said, pointing to a run-down hut across the road. Nikolai nodded and headed that direction, entering the home with great boldness.

Annea, he called, and an older woman came from the back, stopping short when she saw Yi and Maylin.

Nikolai? she said.

I need cloaks, he said. There was an attack on the palace, and I need to hide these women.

You take them to Tanya?

I do, he said. But I hate to take them through the village looking like enamora. If anyone here is part of what’s going on there, I don’t want to give us away.

The woman looked at Yi a long while, her face hard to read, and then she looked at Maylin. She leaned forward sadly. How old are you, child?

Ten, Maylin said. Although this woman, like many in the village, had West Slavend ancestry, she spoke the tongue of the Glorious Land of Long, although she had a funny accent.

Ten? So young, poor dear, to be the plaything of spoiled men.

Nikolai winced at the words, and Yi stood up to the woman. Even though the woman was much larger, she took a step back at the darkness in Yi’s face.

Enamora are sacred, she said evenly with her beautiful voice. We are the lifeblood of the palaces. To become an enamora is a privilege. You will not malign us, or we will send those from the guard to find you. You are foreign born and should be thankful you have the honor to live in our borders.

Maylin watched Nikolai, who shook his head at the woman behind Yi’s back. He rolled his eyes, and the woman clearly bit back a smile.

Apologies, mistress, she said with a curtsy, and Maylin realized she didn’t mean it at all. For some reason, neither this woman nor Nikolai understood the royal life of Long, and that bothered her. How could someone live in the glorious land and not see it for what it was? Your robes are very beautiful. Would it be forward if I asked to touch the fabric? Silk is rare here.

Yi smiled and nodded once, and the woman hesitantly reached out and stroked the sleeve of Yi’s robe, which was now muddy and torn.

It’s lovely, mistress. I’m sorry you had a difficult day. Tanya will help you, though. Nikolai?

Maylin looked at Nikolai, who leaned forward, letting a chair support him. He stood up straight and shook his head.

I’m fine, Annea, he said. We need to get to Tanya. And please, if anyone asks, we weren’t here. Please let Yura know this, too.

The girls were given cloaks to cover their robes, and Nikolai took off his outer jacket and accepted an open linen robe over his tunic. Soon they moved through more muddy, loud, ugly streets to the other side of town. Here the roads were farther apart, and the houses were clearly owned by farmers, although the farms were small. Or, Maylin thought, they were all farmers with joint farms, for behind several farmhouses lay a huge terraced field that would clearly require many hands to keep and harvest.

Nikolai entered a small farmhouse without knocking, dropping his robe on a chair by the front door. This house was in better condition than the other woman’s house, sturdy beams filled in with reed walls. Nikolai slipped off his shoes at the door, and he told Yi and Maylin they could sit on the cushions in the front room.

Tanya, he called, sliding a panel aside and disappearing from sight. Tanya?

He continued through the house and then out back, and Yi sighed and looked at Maylin.

This is a very strange place, she said.

They don’t know very much, Maylin said.

Perhaps, Yi said. "I suspect it is we who don’t know very much. But I don’t understand how Nikolai knows so much here. I thought he lived on the palace grounds, but perhaps the guards leave, at least the foreign ones. Although the village