“I do not think we can go any further unless you want to risk the horses.” Tnok’s voice came from the driver's seat as the carriage rolled to a stop.

Orn’s exhausted father murmured, “will have to do then.” Then opened the carriage door so they could step out.

Liv and Orn’s mother rushed out of the carriage first, which left Orn to follow his father out.. Orn stretched as his feet touched the ground following the long ride.

The carriage was stopped in front of an inn in a small town, miles north of Sapphire City. The light from inside flickered dimly onto the worn stone road. The village’s tired appearance was a far cry from Sapphire City where they had planned to say the night.

I still do not understand exactly what happened. Leaving Master Jerkin’s shop everything had been fine. Orn thought tracing back the events of the afternoon. His father and the old tailor finally stopped reminiscing, and they left to catch up with his mother and Liv. The trip to the dressmaker’s was quiet, and the shop itself seemed to be more of a lounge where people waited. The back seemed to be several rooms with people rushing between them. The staff members were busily carrying finished dresses, and bolts of raw cloth between the rooms. Everything had been fine. Then his mother and Liv marched through the lounge area, leaving Orn and his father to catch up to them in the carriage.

“Orn do not just stand there in a daze,” his father’s voice brought him back to the present. Placing a hand on Orn’s shoulder his father steered him inside.

A large man in a stained apron waved at them from behind the counter, and his father crossed the room to speak to the man. A few moments later and Orn’s father handed the man a few coins. “Up the stairs and last door on left,” the man said loud enough for them to hear from the doorway.

Not waiting for another word, Orn’s mother headed for the stairs. She was as tired as the rest of them, but she rushed up the stairs. Liv followed closely behind her, her expression fluctuated between worry and anger. Orn was going to follow, but his father pulled him aside.

“Orn I need you to do something for me,” He began glancing nervously up the stairs. “I need you to go to the carriage and get rid of the third necklace you bought. The one with the red stone. And do it in a way that ensures your mother does not see it. I do not care if you drop it down the well, or bury it behind the tavern; as long as your mother will not see it. I will give her an excuse about you forgetting something in the carriage.”

“But why?”Orn stared at his father, who seemed to deflate a little. Nothing had made sense after they entered the dressmaker’s shop, now his father wanted him to throw away a necklace. Why is no one saying anything? No one spoke at all int the carriage and when I tried to ask I was shushed.

“Orn,” his father placed his hands on his shoulders, and looking him in the eyes. “Please just do it. I am not sure what happened, but I have a bad feeling about it. I will tell you when you get back from the Academy. But for now, just trust me. If I am right that necklace could really hurt your mother if she saw it. It would have been a joke before, but I do not want to risk it.”

Without another word, his father gave him a gentle shove toward the door, and started up the stairs. Rather than trying to explain that he had given the necklace away, Orn decided it was better to go back to the carriage and pretend to dispose of it.

Tnok raised and eyebrow at Orn going back into the carriage, but apparently did not feel it was worth asking. He did manage a rare smile when he saw Orn exit with a couple bags of clothes. “I thought I would save you a trip,” Orn said absently closing the carriage door.

If Tnok was about to respond the words were cut off by the appearance of the stable boy, who sleepily started to give Tnok directions. Not looking back, Orn adjusted the bags and made his way into the inn and toward the stairs. Last one on the left…

Orn barely made it to the top of the stairs when he heard voices coming down the narrow hall. The sound of his father;’s voice echoing out of the room caused him to momentarily stop in his tracks.

“How dare she!” The anger in his father's voice sent a shiver up his spine. “You should have told me what she said, not just that we had to leave! I would have dealt with it…”

“Dealt with it how?” his mother snapped back. “Would you have challenged her to a duel? Or dragged her son out of the waiting room, to fight you?”

Boy? Orn’s thought back to the boy at the dressmaker. He had been dressed like the mannequin in Master Jerkin’s shop, and spent the time in the shop lounging on the couch by the opposite wall. Why would father want to do that?

“Or would you have gone for the duke himself? Are you ready to fight the duke’s forces, in his own city? Do not give me that look! You know it is a terrible idea. So we left, and have not spent another copper in their lands. No one needed to get hurt because the Duchess is a…” Orn’s eyes widened as his mother displayed a mastery of obscenities he did not know she had.

A whistle broke into the diatribe. “Not a word Olivia.” Orn’s mother snapped.

This was immediately followed by his father, “not helping Olivia.”

The voices suddenly became more soft and Orn crept down the hall to keep eavesdropping. He was nearly at the door when he caught his mother’s voice again. “… I do not want him to know. You know how he is. He is almost as bad as you.”

With a sigh audible even through the door his father replied, “Our son’s reaction aside, we have to do something. She cannot be allowed to refer to you in that way. If we do not do something the others will think it is fine to talk about you as a …” His father almost choked as he tried to find the right words.

Orn swallowed as his mother listed several unflattering terms in a matter of fact manner, “… and concubine is about as kind as I have heard. They already think it, and I have heard it. Do not look at me like that. They always whispered when I was just far enough that they could pretend I misheard. You cannot fight the entire kingdom, and I have no intention of seeing you try. There are limits to even the best duelists, I will not see you worn down by fighting one duel after another. I do not care what they call me.”

“I do!” his father replied. “And you have been holding back tears since you stormed out of the dressmakers. Do not try to say otherwise, you even ran up here so Orn would not see. Oh no, if they have been saying this they will likely go after him. And then Emmy… Oh no, Emmy. With her path they, what should we do?” Orn’s father's voice tightened at the mention of Orn’s little sister.

“I do not know,” His mother’s voice was strained, and Orn leaned closer to the door to hear better. “I do not think fighting would help the matter.”

“Actually… No, you are right there was not the best place.” his father said quickly changing his tone. “Not in the seat of their power, but if it is someone else, somewhere else, An example could be made...”

“What if we made an example in a less direct way?” Liv’s voice was flat, but that somehow made it more menacing. “All we need to do is make it clear that we will respond to these insults. That the ones who made them will suffer for it.”

“Oliva, what are you suggesting?” his father asked slowly.

“No one needs to die. I keep saying that,” Orn’s mother said irritation clear in her voice.

“I said less direct,” Liv replied though Orn could hear irritation creeping into her voice. “I suggest we hurt the duchess in a less direct way. You always take the taxes to Sapphire City and let the duke take them to the king. You do this every year just like the other lords in the area, and he sends an accounting to the king. Correct?”

“Yes,” Orn’s father said slowly. “That has always been the way things are done. Everyone takes the funds to a nearby powerful noble. They should have the strength to protect it on the way to a stronger lord, until it reaches the king.”

“We have Tnok staying with the carriage, so I imagine it is with us. Which means this year we did not take it to the Duke. So what if we take it straight to the King instead? And I do not mean just this year. I mean every year.” Liv’s voice was deliberate as she continued clearly inviting the other two to fill in the rest.

“It would be a blow to his honor,” Orn’s father continued slowly. “Without saying a word I would be implying he did not have the power to protect the funds.”

“I am sure his wife will make clear that everyone knows what she said before we reach the king’s city,” his mother added thoughtfully. “I am sure there will be no mistake it was not a matter of power, but trust. But will it really matter to him?”

“Of course. He has been taking all of the taxes for himself.The Blackthorn is known as a dangerous wasteland that pays nothing to the crown. So he will not only loose the money he has embezzled, but the king will likely ask questions about why money has started showing up only when it was taken directly to him. It may become very awkward for the Duke.” Olivia responded cackling.

“Wait. Wait!” His father said quickly. “What do you mean the Blackthorn does not pay taxes to the crown? Where did you hear this?”

Orn stepped toward the door to try to hear the response when the board under his foot suddenly creaked loudly. Immediately the voices stopped and he heard footsteps, heading to the door. They definitely did not want me to hear this.

Scrambling, Orn awkwardly readjusted the bags and tried to open the door first to feign ignorance.

His hand was barely on the knob when, the door swung inward to reveal his father looking angry. His father dropped, and seeing Orn fumbling with the awkward bags, the tension drained out of him. He reached out and took one of them to help Orn and stepped out of the doorway.

“We will leave that matter for another time. Orn was kind enough to bring us our bags while he was grabbing his own.” His father said ushering him in the room.

“That is sweet,” his mother said wrapping him in a hug. Though Orn could tell she was using the opportunity to wipe her eyes where he could not see.

It bothered him that they did not want to tell him. But the amount of time it took for his mother to feel calm enough to face actually hurt. Unsure what else to do, he hugged her back.

From the corner of his eye he caught Liv wink at him, and knew she was aware how long he had been outside the door.