Haunted (4 page)

In the two months he'd been at Grunhall Abbey, Kestan was making no
progress with Nunos at all. The boy could barely read, his
Mathematics was well below the levels expected of any under-graduate
and he knew nothing of the Natural Sciences or Geography at all. And
as for Magic and all its permutations, he still refused to learn it.

"This is boring!" protested Nunos, waving his arms around
the library. "I hate this and I hate you!"

"That has no bearing on the matter, Master Nunos. Your father
wishes me to teach you so you can attend the academy and that is what
I am going to do. You are going to pass that entrance exam if it's
the last thing I do. And do pass that exam you are going to need to
know all the subjects, which includes Magic! That will be all for
today." Kestan could barely bear another minute in the young
man's company.

"You said you were going to read some more of that novel!"
Nunos protested. "I want to know what happened!"

So, Nunos found something of their lessons interesting, did he?

"Then you had better pay attention to our next reading lesson,
hadn't you? That way you will be able to read it yourself and won't
have to rely on others. How do you know I'm even reading the correct
words? I could be making the whole thing up."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"But how can you know for sure? Tell me, what does your father
expect you to do once you've left the academy?"

"He wants me to become a soldier and then take over the family
business after I've finished my army service. Father is a very famous
merchant. He even sells silks to the king!"

"Right, and that will involve dealing with letters from
suppliers and handing out wages. How can you do all of that if you
can't rely on your own reading and you need someone else to add up
the figures for you? What if you had someone unscrupulous? They could
be robbing the business blind and you wouldn't know it."

Nunos' face reddened and he sat up straighter in his chair. "I
won't allow that to happen! No one is going to make a fool out of me!
Let me see that Mathematics book again."

*

For the next month, Nunos worked like a demon on improving his skills
and not once did he talk back to Kestan whenever they had lessons.
His handwriting was improving too and Kestan had no doubts that if he
kept this up, the entrance exam would go well. It still didn't negate
the fact that Nunos was a lot older than the other candidtates. Most
boys were sent to the academy when they were fourteen, with six years
there before they were sent into the field of battle. If Nunos had to
also do those six years, he would almost be too old for an officer's
commission. But as Kestan and everyone else in the land knew, money
talked and Sir Grunhall had plenty of that. His son would get to the
academy and become an officer in the King's Army, even if Grunhall
had to bribe the king himself.

But however much Nunos was enjoying his lessons now that he could see
some practical use for them, Kestan never forgot Mistress Jessamyn's
hints that something was terribly wrong at Grunhall Abbey. From what
little he knew of Syldas, he didn't seem the type to abandon a young
lady he'd got into trouble. Kestan would almost hazard a guess that
Syldas didn't know she'd been an earl's daughter either. This house
seemed to breed secrets the way spoiled food bred flies.

Kestan hadn’t seen the
ghost
during that month and he
was very worried about the boy. Why were the Grunhalls keeping him
locked up? Who was he? And how was he going to help him if he didn’t
know where he was?

One day, Kestan was making his way to the library along the ground
floor hallway and saw a small black and white portrait almost hidden
beneath the stairwell.

There was a young man with round-framed spectacles, his arm around a
young woman who in turn was holding a toddler by the hand. The
child's hair was wild and messy, but it was a head of hair Kestan was
almost sure he'd seen before. On the so-called
ghost
.

"Master Ordgar," Kestan called, for Ordgar the Yonger had
been in the hallway watering the indoor plants. He almost dropped his
watering can.

"S- sir?"

"Do you know who these people are in this painting?"

"Th- that's the Duke of Sapphire Lake, sir. Th - they used to
l-live here b- before the G- Grunhalls. It was Saphire A- A-bbey
then."

"And the Grunhalls bought it from the duke?"

"N- no, s -sir. Th- they died. L-Lady Nydia inherited
everything. The d-duke's wife was her s-sister."

"I see. And the child, he died as well?"

"Th- they said he did."

"Who said he died?"

Ordgar glanced nervously around him. "Th-the G-Grunhalls."

"Did you know his name?"

"Aedyn, sir," replied Ordgar, no trace of his stutter now.
"He was my friend."

*

"More tea, Master Kestan?" asked Mistress Merlia, the
teapot already in her hand and hovering over his cup. Kestan nodded
and accepted the second cup, even though the tea tasted like
dishwater. It gave him an excuse to linger in the kitchen once the
others had left to go about their duties. Kestan had very little to
do in the afternoons, as Grunhall took his son with him to visit his
place of business and so most of their lessons took place in the
mornings.

"Do you remember the Duke and Duchess, Mistress Merlia?"

"Aye, I was their cook before the Grunhalls came here. They kept
us all on, I think more to do with the fact that we knew how to run
the house, rather than they really wanted to. Garom was the only new
one." The cook glanced around as if to make sure they were
alone. "I don't think Syldas left of his own free will, if you
get me. And now with Misstress Jessamyn disappearing so soon after
him? There's something fishy going on here, Master Kestan, I don't
mind telling you. Maybe you can see it better than the others, with
you being new and all."

"You suspect foul play?"

"Well, I can't say for sure, but I do know what I've seen.
Syldas and Mistress Jessamyn were more than friends, if you get me. I
don't think he was the type to run out on her and I know she was
being ill in the mornings. Maybe she left before the Grunhalls found
out, or maybe they found out and did something to her. I wouldn't put
it past them, I really wouldn't. Any hint of scandal and you're out,
they are so afeared of what other people think of them."

"Well, I do not know anything about Syldas fate, but I do know
that Mistress Jessamyn is safe, or was the last time I saw her. She
was returning to her parents and the Grunhalls hadn't yet found out
about her condition."

"Oh, you've set my heart at rest, that you have. I was so
worried about that poor girl. Grunhall is a letch; I feared he might
have ill-used her. It wouldn't have been the first time; she was the
Mistress' fourth companion in two years. The others were turned out
when that boor… Well, you're a man of the world Master Kestan;
I don't need to go into details, do I?"

"No, I understand."

"Let's hope that Syldas had enough sense to leave too, maybe
he's gone to find Jessamyn?"

"No, she was worried for him too. I think you are right,
Mistress Merlia. I don't think he ever left Grunhall Abbey."

*

Kestan lay wide awake in bed, just staring at the ceiling. He didn't
feel remotely tired. So his ghost had a name now. Aedyn. For Kestan
was sure the ghost and the boy in the photograph were one and the
same. He hadn't died at all; the Grunhalls had locked him away so
that they could claim the boy's rightful inheritance. There was only
one thing to be done; Kestan had to get the boy out of this house
before the Grunhalls could discover it. But how could he go to the
authorities with Grunhall's threat hanging over his head? Kestan
would be lucky if he survived any sort of interrogation.

If only he knew a friendly guardsman... but Kestan didn't know any
guardsman, friendly or not. Then his mind went to Mistress Jessamyn
and her father, the earl. Dare Kestan write to him for help? The man
didn't know him very well. Would he even remember Kestan had been one
of the king's entourage at his frequent parties? Would the earl even
want to help?

"You're still awake," came a voice from the foot of his
bed.

Kestan's heart almost stuttered to a stop in his chest. He hadn't
heard Aedyn come in at all! One minute the room was empty and the
next Aedyn was there. Kestan glanced at his door, as he remembered;
it was still locked fast from the inside. How did Aedyn get in?

"Do you think you could knock in future?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you if you were still
asleep."

"As you can see, I am very much awake. I don't sleep very much."

"Why?" Aedyn's eyes were wide with undisguised curiosity.

"You're very curious for a ghost, Aedyn."

"Aedyn? Is that my name?"

The boy's bruising had faded to yellow and light green now. Kestan
had to still his hands; he wanted to reach out and touch him, to make
sure that he was as real and solid as Kestan remembered. But how
could someone solid pass through walls?

"I believe so. Who hurt you?" Kestan asked softly, although
he suspected he already knew the answer.

"The demon. He always hurts me," replied Aedyn, rubbing his
cheek as if he could still feel the sting of the blows.

"What does he look like, this demon?"

"He’s fat with a moustache. He doesn't have a tail or
horns though. Not like they taught me at the temple."

"Do you see other people around the house? Do you remember the
boy who used to help out in the garden? Syldas was his name."

The boy paled as if he really had been a ghost. "No! Don't ask
me! I can't tell! I can't tell! I’m not allowed to tell!"

So, Aedyn did know something of the boy's fate and from his distress
Kestan guessed it couldn't have been pleasant. Would Grunhall stoop
to murder to keep the secret of Aedyn's continuing existence intact?
The man seemed to have no qualms about beating and, judging by
Aedyn's jutting bones, starving someone in his care.

"Very well, Aedyn. I won't ask you anything more about that
tonight. Do you still want to learn to read?"

"Yes, sir. I want to read more than anything."

Chapter Five

The months passed and both of Kestan's students were making progress.
Grunhall could hardly believe that Kestan had lasted so long and that
Nunos was actually learning for a change. Of course, Kestan told no
one of the progress he was making with Aedyn's reading, for no one in
the house admitted to the boy's existence. Surely some of them had to
know? Kestan wanted to run away and take Aedyn with him, but Aedyn
refused to go, insisting that he couldn't leave until he could read;
otherwise the demon would just bring him back. Kestan didn't know how
to convince the young man that Grunhall was all too human.

Kestan suspected that some of the staff knew or at least suspected
there was another young man in the house but were either in league
with Grunhall to hide it, like Garom, or were too scared of losing
their place. More and more Kestan was convinced he needed to contact
the earl, perhaps get some sort of investigation underway. The fact
that such an investigation might lead to his own arrest was what was
stopping his hand. He wanted to help Aedyn, but he didn't want to end
up in a dungeon for the rest of his life or worse. He could almost
feel the rope around his neck.

"You're not listening to me," Aedyn said softly and Kestan
was brought out of his reverie. Aedyn had his book open in front of
him and was staring at Kestan with such intensity that he felt his
breath catch. Even in the dark with little light other than that from
the candle, Aedyn's eyes shone like emeralds.

"I'm sorry, Aedyn. Please continue."

Aedyn was sitting on a stool by the side of Kestan'ss bed (Kestan had
found the stool in the attic one day), his nightgown trailing on the
floor around him like a white pool. Kestan had never seen him in any
other clothes and wondered if he in fact possessed any. The book
trembled in Aedyn's hand; it was a fairy tale for much younger
children, but they had to start somewhere. Aedyn was around the same
age as Nunos, but because he had been isolated for so long, he
sometimes seemed much younger, an innocent in so many things.

"Go on, read the rest," Kestan urged him, knowing how far
Aedyn's reading skills had come.

The candle flickered, making Aedyn's hair glint with russet
highlights. Kestan wondered at how it might feel to run his fingers
through it. Aedyn looked up, his eyes so wide and green that Kestan
felt himself falling into their emerald depths. Aedyn was beautiful.
The bruises had gone and he had started filling out. Kestan gave him
food every night, but he knew that Aedyn must have been able to sneak
some food for himself as well, for he received no nourishment from
the Grunhalls. Kestan tried to will the growing attraction away; he
wanted to help the young man, not corrupt him, but hadn't beauty
always been his downfall? Did he want to start Aedyn down that path
where he was afraid for his life every day?

Considering himself so ugly, Kestan had always been drawn to beauty
and Aedyn was no exception. He was even more beautiful than King
Varathorn. The soft raven curls of his hair; the inky eyelashes
dusting his cheeks, seeming so long for a boy; the pink rosebud mouth
and peaches-and-cream complexion that any woman would envy. Aedyn was
like beauty and temptation personified and Kestan was not very good
at resisting temptation.

"And the princess awoke with love's true kiss." Aedyn
closed the book and smiled at him, the first smile Kestan had ever
seen on the Aedyn's face. "I did it! I read a book!"

"You did indeed, Aedyn. Well done. Did you enjoy the story?"

Aedyn nodded. "But some things I didn't understand."