The Awakened: Book One by Jason Tesar Page B

garden and waited at the top of a short flight of steps that descended to the gravel courtyard.  The last of the rearguard were just entering through the north gate when, farther to her left, a guard reached up and opened the door to the most expensive looking carriage of the whole procession.  Maeryn was glad that she had sent Kael away at first light to spend the week with Saba.  Until she knew what kind of man this steward was, it was better to keep her son away from him.
    The man who climbed out of the carriage blinked at the harsh morning light as if he had just awoken.  He was a tall man, taller than Adair, but much thinner.  His jawline was narrow and coupled with his protruding nose, made him look like a rodent.  He was dressed as every other Orud male of importance; he wore a pure white tunic underneath a metal cuirass.  The sculpted abdomen and chest muscles of the cuirass looked out of place on his narrow frame.  Over his clothing he wore a red cloak fastened at the left shoulder with a golden torc.  He appeared uncomfortable in this elaborate style of dress.  So you have no prior experience!
    He smiled when he looked in Maeryn’s direction and spoke loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear him.  “Hello.  You must be Maeryn.”  He spread his arms wide and lifted them up to the sky, keeping his gaze fixed on her.  “Now this is a mansion fit for an emperor.”
    After his brilliant observation, he strode confidently over to the garden’s entrance and climbed the stairs, stopping when he reached Maeryn.  His height was imposing and he knew it.  He stood uncomfortably close, by social standards, looking down on her.  “I am Lemus,” he stated with a smile that was too big.  “You may show me around my new home.”
    “You’re to be a steward only,” Maeryn corrected, “until my husband returns.”
    The tall man glanced quickly around the courtyard to see if anyone had overheard.  Suddenly, he bent down until his mouth was close to Maeryn’s ear and she flinched in response.  When he spoke his voice was a whisper.  “If you ever speak to me in that tone again I’ll have that disrespectful tongue of yours cut out of your mouth.  If the coward ever does turn up, he won’t be allowed to return to his former position.”  When he straightened up to his full height, he still had a smile on his face.  He gestured past Maeryn toward the garden.  “You lead the way.”
     
    The days dragged on and Maeryn’s anxiety increased.  Her once optimistic attitude about Adair’s absence was being steadily worn down with every passing moment.  It wasn’t unusual for Adair to be gone for long periods of time, but this was starting to scare her.  It only complicated her emotions to be sharing a house with Lemus.  The more time she spent with him, the surer she became of his mental instability.  He had the look of a starved and unpredictable animal.  After showing him around the mansion and answering hundreds of his questions, Maeryn tried her best to avoid him, spending most of her time on the balcony staring at the city below.  On days when Lemus stayed close to the house, she would go with one of the slaves into the city and help shop for food and other supplies.
     
    As the morning sun rose over the bay, Maeryn watched from her balcony as she always did.  Clouds had rolled in during the night and the sun was struggling to warm the air through the gray blanket.  The skies over Bastul only lightened to a hazy purple.  It made everything look drab which seemed fitting to Maeryn.  It had been weeks now, but Adair had not returned.  She feared the worst, that he was dead.  Nothing except death would have kept him away for so long.  Tears began to well up in her eyes and blurred her view of the city below.  There was bitterness growing inside her.  To be honest, it had been there for some time.  It was the Empire and its stranglehold on their lives that angered her.
    When