Jamil was as happy as he could ever remember being, he had a warm bed to sleep in, clean servant's clothes to wear and good boots on his feet, and with the house insignia on the collar of his coat he had no fears the constables would sieze him as a vagabond. He was free to run about the city carrying out the errands Zachary or Sarah the housemaid tasked him with. The master even gave him a small amount of coin for his pocket, and made sure to tell him he was free to spend it as he wished. Tancred the master's apprentice was nice to him as well, even though he had only had this position for a week it felt as if he had known Tancred a lot longer. Some people just fit together and became good friends easily he often thought. And living in the streets as he had done for a long time you learnt quickly who to trust and who to avoid. Now that he had carried out his errands he would make his way back to his master's house, but on the route he knew he would see Donae his sister, when he did he would give her a secret sign that it was safe to come into the grounds of the house today because the master would be out in the carriage, and that meant Zachary would also be out. Sarah was always busy in the kitchen and her husband the old man did little except light the lamps for the household now. That was another kindness of the master, that he kept the old man when he was much too old for work now. He had never known of a high born to act like this, the lords of the city were always beating their servants, or throwing people out of the hovels if the money for the rent was late. The homeland of the master must be a wonderful place if everybody was as kind as he was. Sarah gave him far too much food, used to scavenging for food he could never eat it all. If he took it back uneaten she would scold him and tell him to eat more to grow bigger and stronger. There was always enough for him to put food aside for Donae to have. When Zachary drove the carriage away from the house she was watching, and looked to see if anyone was about and then crept into the grounds and around to the carriage house where Jamil was waiting for her. As she sat making quick work of the food Jamil had made ready for her he unwound the filthy rag from her foot, she had been bitten by an angry dog when she was looking for a safe place to sleep some night's past. The wound was dirty and running with pus and even though Jamil had cleaned it with water each day it was not getting any better.
Zachary took his duties seriously watching the streets around the house, he had been spying for the King in this city for a number of years, he knew the rhythms and could sense the undercurrents well. Without his knowledge Jacob had also increased his ability to see and hear what was happening around them, so it was not surprising that Zachary had seen the girl hiding in the street two or three times now. Mentioning this to Jacob he was told to take note next time they left in the carriage, and then circle back to the house and stop outside the gates. The sight of Jamil gently cleaning the girl's badly infected foot was not at all what Jacob expected to see when he stepped into the carriage house.
"What on earth is going on here young man?" He said to Jamil.
Jamil looked up at the three stood before him with a look of terror. Seeing himself losing all that had come to him with this job tears came quickly to his eyes as he tried to explain and apologise at the same time.
Jacob went on "We can't have this going on, whoever this is she needs proper attention. Zachary go to the kitchen and tell Sarah to prepare a hot tub. Jamil bring her over here into the daylight, let me see what's wrong with that foot. Tancred please help Jamil with the child if you would"
Hearing Jacob's words and with the kindly tone of his voice Jamil calmed a little and did as he was bid by the master. Jacob crouched down and took hold of Donae's leg, raising it up as if to inspect the angry wound on her foot. His touch alone was enough for him to know how badly the girl was suffering from the infection, if it had been left many more days the chances were high that living in the streets, and with no hope of attention, the infection would spread throughout her and cause death.
"Who is this girl Jamil?" asked Jacob. As he explained that Donae was his sister a little mental pushing from Jacob caused him to spill out the whole story. Once Jacob heard how the boy had been undertaking all his duties, and still going about the city caring for his sister and using the coin he had earned to keep her safe he turned to Jamil and said "What a wonderful young man you are indeed, she has a true champion in you. We must ensure your efforts bear fruit and she stays safe and well. Come, bring her to the kitchen and carry her if she cannot walk"
Once the girl was brought into the kitchen and Sarah had the situation explained to her she quickly took charge, bustling the men out of the way and getting Donae out of the filthy rags, then into a tub of hot water, and pouring in to the water a large amount of disinfecting herbs. Prompting Jamil to stay with his sister to ease her concerns at all the strange things happening to her Jacob sent Tancred off to bring the medicine bag he carried during his travels since leaving the kingdom on his search. To keep their secrets safe from the growing number of people in the household he had to be seen to treat Donae's wound by conventional means and not with magick. Looking in the bag he saw there was little that would help this particular type of injury, even though the treatment was unnecessary with the magick healing that was already slowly working within Donae. He wrote out a small list of medicines and asked Tancred to run to the nearest Apothecary and get what was needed.
Jacob took Zachary off out of the kitchen as the others busied themselves with caring for Donae, walking into the carriage house he saw a quizzical look on Zachary's face. Speaking not as master and servant, but as he thought them to be, two equals engaged in a subversive role for their king he said to Jacob;
"Are we doing the right things here, surrounding ourselves with people who could bring us down by not knowing what who we really are?"
Jacob thought on this for a moment and decided to bring Zachary a little closer into events and reveal some of the long term objectives of the last few weeks. "Our task here is something that will take many years to come to fruition, it may be that neither you nor I will be in this city when that time comes. But what is happening over the boy Jamil is a secondary undertaking, one that has took shape since I arrived in this house. Pointing to the gates where the carriage still stood he said "I could fill that carriage with silver and not have enough to buy the true loyalty of a man who would turn his coat from the land of his birth, but giving him love, kindness, and a life full of possibilities, instead of him standing on a slave block with the brand of an iron on his face he will be ours forever. In a few years we can bring him to our homeland and tutor him in all of the secrets of our trade, and also in the ways of our best serving men if he proves able. Once he comes back here he will be an asset to any of the first families of this terrible city, all the while being our man deep within his heart. And not just him, there are many, many just the same as him who we can nurture, with no future and no families. Within a decade we could have eyes and ears in every Lord's house in the city, even within the palace if fortunate"
Zachary looked back at Jacob, his eyes widening at the endless possibilities of it all came to him. At that Jacob continued "Don't look at me as being the master tactician in this matter, this is Tancred's idea. He saw this stretched out before him without any help from me" which wasn't a full truth, but Jacob was using the opportunity of having Tancred thought of like that as a seed for the years in the future when he sat on the throne as Zachary's sovereign. That day would be quite a shock for Zachary when he finally saw who the apprentice had actually been. The tale of the new king planning and carrying out such a coup while still a boy would be whispered from one of his spies to another.
Over the next days Donae was nursed by Sarah in the house, with Jamil making every excuse to come indoors and see her recovering. While Donae was still ordered to stay in bed and rest Sarah had gone about the city with a purse of coin to procure clothing for the child. Told by Jacob she would be staying and be a kitchen maid to assist Sarah she chose similar to that which Jamil wore, but more suited to a girl, so it started to become something of a uniform for the house. The house insignia was also embroidered on Donae's new clothing. Although she would not be sent out as much as Jamil, that insignia gave her an identity and proved her standing in the house for the city constables. Jacob spent some time with Jamil, praising him highly for the love and devotion he had shown to his sister. Telling him how disappointed he would have been if Jamil had looked on his own good fortune to cast her aside and make a life without her. He told Jamil that from now on he would no longer sleep in the little room over the carriage house, but instead both Jamil and Donae would have a small room next to each other, on the top floor of the house, as their own quarters. This was the best news Jamil could imagine when he looked back just a few short weeks to a time when he slept deep in overgrown bushes with rats or feral cats to contend with.
By now it was drawing close to the end of the summer, they could expect the weather would close the mountain passes between the two kingdoms, so Jacob felt he should send further coded information to the king that would further reassure him that his heir was safe and well. This needed to be done now because the city held a week long celebration to mark the change of the seasons, and all the trading houses would close for the duration of the festival. Sitting in the library he composed a letter, which he would have Tancred copy in his own hand, addressed to his mother but still in the tone of the young apprentice.
My Dearest Mama,
I am enjoying this time with Uncle Jacob greatly, he has taught me so much about trading in just this short time. I am missing you terribly and hope this winter will fly quickly so we can start our journey back to you as early as we can. I have some lovely gifts for you, and even if I haven't yet given them to you seeing them here, and knowing they are for you will keep me happy.
I know Uncle will suffer the cold, he is already complaining of his old bones as we often hear him doing when he is sitting in front of a roaring fire at home. Let us both hope we have time for you to send a reply before the snow stops passage of letters between us Mama.
Although the letter looked very formal for a boy to send to his mother he had written it so it contained several key words within it that told the king much more than reading the content ever could. Once it had been rewritten by Tancred they went off the trading house that secretly served the king, and sent it on it's way. Returning to their home Jacob found that a messenger had called leaving him an ornately decorated letter. Opening the magnificent envelope he found an invitation inside from the head of the city goal.
My Friend Jacob,
Having enjoyed our time together recently, and the stimulating conversation I wish to invite you to a private evening with some of my close friends at our club nearby. It is to be held on the main night of the Summer festival. My carriage would collect you and bring you to my home where we can take a light supper beforehand.
Sir Samuel Alver.
Having already given Sarah and her husband leave to travel to a nearby town for the duration of the festival, to visit their daughter and their grandchildren, he felt that this brought him an opportunity to make the moves against Sir Samuel he had promised himself. Telling Zachary his only duties during the festival would be to take Sarah to her daughter's town, and collect her again at the arranged time for the return journey he allowed him the rest of the week away from the house. The streets would be impassable in the daytimes for the carriages, many of the piazzas and streets were blocked by street theatres or temporary markets, any moving around had to be done on foot. Finally he suggested that Sarah take Donae along with her because Sarah's grandchildren were both girls of a similar age to Donae. The house would be empty save for Jacob, Tancred and Jamil, although the two boys would also be away for much of the daytimes enjoying the entertainments, returning only as evenings fell. For all of the week they would eat at the tea shops and eating houses of the city as needed.
Jacob had already decided that keeping this house fell into line with the long term plans of the kingdom, and had told the trading house to negotiate a price for it's purchase from the landlord. Althought finalising the sale would take more time yet they had made agreement for the sale. Upon that agreement Jacob had a sigil designed, the same as the insignia embroidered on the servant clothing. Tancred and Jamil went out into the city and Tancred bought enough lower quality clothing for the two of them to wear during the street games of the festival. Some of the chasing and ball games boys got up started off with few rules, and those were soon ignored, so clothing was often an early casualty of the rough and tumble sports. Ripped trousers or missing sleeves were commonplace, and it wasn't unknown for some boys to come home wrapped in tablecloths grabbed from the tea shop keeping their boyhood from sight. Despite any cuts and bruises the boys of the city loved every minute of every day, putting aside their responsibilities and just being children. One of the final tasks Sarah carried out before Zachary took them off was to heat a small metal sigil and scorch the house insignia into this clothing, once again keeping the boys identified as belonging to the house.
During the festival the three went out in the city each day, and Jacob arranged times and points to meet the boys, him taking his rest sitting as peaceably as possible in the busy tea shops. He was never far from them, and although they didn't know it he was able to keep them in his mind at all times and know they were in no danger. Tancred was able to just be a happy boy at play, but to Jacob he was still his prince to be carefully guarded. Even from a distance should any event threaten the boy, he could stop it in an instant, and Jamil being a boy that had survived the dangers of the streets for nearly three years was the best companion he could have found for Tancred. Each night the three returned to the house happy but with the boys exhausted, by the time they had bathed away the grime of the day the boys were fit for nothing but falling into their beds and sleeping until morning. The main day of the festival was much more restrained, with ceromonies to celebrate the successes of the year, and to look forward to the year ahead. There were none of the games going on through the streets, instead they all wandered the street markets, the boys buying puzzles and games that would be good to have in the long winter months. They returned to the house while Jacob made ready for the arrival of Sir Samuel's carriage. Dressed in his finest clothes he looked every bit the rich, prosperous merchant. With a little time to spare he double checked the wards of protection he had set to keep Tancred and Jamil safe while he was away from them. Taking Tancred to one side he quietly told him that nobody save him could now enter the house, that he would be away until very late, and not to stay awake for his return.
Jamil didn't understand the feelings he held for Tancred, he had quickly become the best friend he'd ever known, even friend was something of a strange term for Jamil. The boys and girls he had spent life on the streets with were more of a band who worked with each other, survival as the thread that ran through everything. Working with someone to steal food from an open door didn't always mean that the morning after that accomplice, and the spoils, were gone as he slept. The boy that helped you one day could just as easily hold a knife to your gut next time they met. When things got too hectic during the street games Tancred was the one who pulled him aside out of the path of larger boys that would have trampled him underfoot. When they stopped to buy sweets from a street vendor Tancred was first to offer coin for them both, asking Jamil which they should have. He could no more put into words the concept of brothers in arms than an eagle could tell you how it soared in the skies, to both the boy and the eagle it was instintive and woven through every fibre of being.
The house being empty save for the two boys they chose to sit in the kitchen and take their evening meal from the cold meats and bread left for them. Talking of the fun they had shared during the week, laughing at some of the escapades they had gone through. In due course they readied for bed, and Tancred suggested they both use the large bathing pools to clean themselves rather than Jamil having to draw water to fill the tub in the servants quarters. Neither boy gave thought that they be seeing each other unclothed for the first time, to both it was no different than jumping into a river to play. Immersed to the neck in the water Tancred's thoughts went back to the times he had swam with his friend Darius, and inevitably to the feelings that had come to him at those times. Guiltily he realised that Darius had ceased to seem so important to him now, indeed it was a little difficult to picture Darius' face lying on the warm sand, and the features he was seeing in his head made Darius look rather like Jamil. Banishing such thoughts from him he concentrated on bathing instead. To Jamil the three separate pools were a luxury he could never have imagined, so he made the most of this new experience. When they both had finished bathing and dried they robed themselves in the light luxurious robes, Tancred having brought one of his own for Jamil to wear. Having lain for a long time in the scented waters they both laughed as they compared their water wrinkled fingertips as they went to the upper floor of the house. Reaching Tancred's bedroom he asked Jamil should they play some of the games bought through the week. Jamil chose a board game where each player had an army, and battles were fought out on the board between the two sides. Tancred had played this game often with his tutors as a way of learning military strategy and expected to win easily. He was very surprised to find his teachings had left him unprepared to match an enemy who did not know those rules of engagement. His opponent Jamil could only play this game as if a guerilla army, and his attacks on Jamil did not work out the way he expected. Jamil's attacks often left his army suffering many casualties, with many of Tancred's red wooden playing pieces stacked up near Jamil. After five games he had only won once, with Jamil being victorious three times and one game coming to an inconclusive draw.
The night grew late as they talked their way through the events of the games, with Jamil explaining the best way he knew why he had made some of what to Tancred were strange, but successful, moves on the board. Taking Jamil's hand he raised it above their heads and said "We salute the victor of the great war, General Jamil" and pulled Jamil close to give him a military style kiss on each cheek. With their heads close together their eyes met, in one of those instants that last a lifetime each boy saw the love that had grown for each other, the need for each to show that love couldn't be hidden as their lips touched and they pulled each other close. Did each kiss last a moment, a minute or an hour? Neither knew nor cared, as they lay together in that embrace of joy, their hands moving up and down on each other sending a message of love through their fingetips. Knowing that even the thin silken robes they wore to be a barrier between them they pulled them open and feel each other's naked beauty touching and joined together. The intense heat and the hardness of Tancred's member as Jamil's hand touched him there was almost too much for the boy to bear, his hand pushing between them to grasp Jamil in the same way. Opening his mouth he felt Jamil's tongue on his they rubbed their bodies together. The boys, lost in feeling they could not control, the throbbing of Tancred's member held in Jamil's hand became too much and he felt the pulsing of his seed between then, in almost the same instant he felt the release of Jamils's seed on his stomach. The tides of the seas would have been easier to stop than the seed of those two boys in love with each other. No words were needed as they lay together basking in the afterglow of that first time of loving, their essence becoming as one they held each other close. The tears of Jamil's happiness kissed away by Tancred, the taste of their seed on each other's fingers as they took them in their mouths. Neither boy had been schooled in the arts of the bedchamber, but this night they were each other's teacher, and each other willing student. As they discovered a world of love in that room they slipped into sleep wrapped in each other's arms.
Jacob stood in the dark and watched Sir Samuel's carriage pull out of the grounds of the house. His face was without expression and after a moment turned and opened the door. Pausing only to remove his outer cloak he climbed the staircase to his bedchamber. He wanted no wine after the sights of this evening. Seeing the door of Tancred's bedchamber ajar, with the light spilling from he went to turn off the lamp. Stood at the foot of the bed he looked down on the naked boys asleep before him. Their arms around each other and the smell of lovemaking still in the air. Reaching for the cover he pulled it gently over them, and leaning forward he kissed each gently on the forehead. Whispering to them "Sleep well my beautiful children, together you will bring this depraved city to it's knees"
Extinguishing the lamp with a glance he closed the door of the bedchamber and retired to his own, the beauty of those boys holding each other starting the difficult process of banishing the horrors he had witnessed that night.
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Not wanting to mix the dark events surrounding Jacob's night with the story of Tancred and Jamil it will be told in a separate chapter next.