Family of Lies: Sebastian (9 page)

“Margaret stops by when Harold opens his door. She never comes by too early because he doesn’t sleep as much as he should.” Sebastian handed the lieutenant a list of sales. “Match these books to their buyers and wrap them in those cloths by Sergeant Hooper.” The soldiers obeyed, and Sebastian showed them how to tie neat ribbons.
Not bad
, he thought when he saw their first bundles. Be it moving books from one table to another or setting up a display of newer books in the windows, they quickly performed the tasks. “I think Harold would hire you if you decided to leave His Majesty’s service.”

“We were in Anerith with Prince Turren. Law books and old forms of legislation had to be hunted down, and the country’s main library was in shambles; at least all their history hadn’t burned,” Sergeant Hooper said as she lifted a stack of books away from the door and put them in Sebastian’s pile to be sorted.

“Speaking of books, sir,” Adams said while he swept, keeping his arms close to his body so dust wouldn’t cover the books. “For two years, we searched for that book. The prince spoke with historians and booksellers during his downtime to find it, and they told him about other lost books. It became our mission not just to find books that had been burned, but copies of Anerith’s constitution before the war. The man they have sitting on the throne today damn near sobbed when Prince Turren presented it to him. In that moment, we weren’t just well-meaning neighbors saddling them with a glory-seeking royal. We earned their respect, and that made all of our jobs easier in a tense situation.”

Sebastian’s hands stilled as he listened.
I didn’t tell that fool to go to such lengths for me.

Adams scratched his head. “I wish to know why your book, that started it all, was so important. Since we’re protecting you, sir, I think we deserve a straight answer.”

Sebastian sighed.
Fine, I’ll be a little gracious.
“I had an original copy when I was a boy. Due to circumstances out of my control, it was destroyed and the prince felt responsible.” He held up his hand when the lieutenant opened his mouth to interrupt him. “The other times, I admit I was being coy, but past transgressions need to be discussed delicately, especially when they involve a man who will be king. Do you fault my logic, Lieutenant?”

Lieutenant Adams shook his head. “It makes sense to me, sir.”

“Now, if you don’t mind, there’s too much work for chatting.” Sebastian pointed at the windows. “They could do with a scrubbing.”

“Sergeant Vendrix!” Lieutenant Adams shouted.

“Yes, sir!” The tall soldier with a halo of yellow hair shot around the room looking for rags and cleaning solution.

Sebastian walked to the door and unlocked it, using the keys he had borrowed from Harold’s desk. “Opening time.”

Adams sighed. “Sir, please take no chances with your safety. One of us should have unlocked it.”

Sebastian looked over his shoulder at the soldier. “The only real danger I’m in is getting a paper cut.”

“How are you supposed to sell books with a cloak on?” Vendrix asked.

Adams cleared his throat. “Vendrix, remember orders?”

“We were told not to ask about his… condition,” Sergeant Vendrix said diplomatically.

Condition? Gods, I’m not diseased.
“I’ve helped run the shop many times, so the townspeople are used to it.”

Sure enough, the jingling bell rang in the first customer, Mr. Jenkins. The man nodded at Sebastian’s hooded form but paid more heed to the soldiers, who while dressed in civilian clothes, still screamed of military with their belted weapons and stiff posture. Mr. Jenkins bent to Sebastian’s ear and whispered, “Is Lord Pasley in attendance?”

“No,” Sebastian whispered back, even though every word easily traveled to the soldiers. “They are escorting me because of recent troubles. I unwisely stuck my neck out, and someone might cut it.”

“You’re supposed to be the man who hates adventures. Don’t become too bold. None of us want to see you end up like your brother, Richard,” Mr. Jenkins advised.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime flight of fancy. It won’t happen again.”

“Wait a moment, are you the lad who rescued the prince?” Jenkins grabbed Sebastian’s arm and Adams stepped closer to them.

“Guilty, but if my name isn’t being spread around, I hope you keep it to yourself.”

“You ask too much! My wife would love to hear that you’ve been doing a little more living than usual.” Jenkins glanced at the soldiers again. “But if the king is guarding you, then the threat must be serious. All right, I’ll stay quiet.”

Sebastian removed Jenkins’s hand from his arm and placed it in his hand. Shaking it, he said, “Thank you.”

“Only because you’re sweet and talk to this old man.” Jenkins accepted the book Sebastian handed him and dropped two heavy coins into his palm. “You take care of yourself,” he said on his way out the door. He stopped and pointed at the soldiers. “And you take care of him. He’s grouchy but worth it.”

Adams watched the man depart. “So you’re nice to the people in this town?”

Sebastian shrugged. “I behave myself around books.”

Before Adams could say anything else, the bell over the door jangled again, and the smells of fried pork and sweets reached Sebastian’s nose.

“Margaret, you’re a goddess,” Sebastian said before turning away from the lieutenant. “You’ve brought me cinnamon rolls.”

“I brought cinnamon rolls for all of you to share,” she corrected him.

“Harold is still asleep, and he’s rounder than when I last saw him. It would be unkind to give him more sugar.”

“I’m not asleep.” Harold climbed down the steps in an identical outfit to the one he wore the night before, buttoning his vest in place. “And I weigh the same as I always have. Stop trying to steal my buns.”

Margaret smiled. “He’s right, Sebastian. You shouldn’t steal what I already possess.”

Sebastian groaned. “It’s too early in the morning to visualize any of Harold’s body parts.”

“You’re grumpy this morning.”

“He’s annoyed because I’ve been teasing him.” Harold relieved Margaret of the food basket, placed it on his desk, and carefully separated a gooey roll for himself.

Margaret frowned. “You tease him all the time. Why are his hackles up now?”

“I’ll tell you in private.”

“I’m right here.” Sebastian grabbed one of the rolls from the basket and stuck it under his hood. The soldiers watched him, probably waiting to see if the roll would reappear.
A simple trick and people feel the need to stare.
Buttery cinnamon bread filled his mouth, and Sebastian sighed.
What else am I going to do? There’s no point in trying to be serious all the time when I wear these enchanted cloaks.

Margaret rolled her eyes. “Harold, you should pass out the food before he makes the whole basket disappear.”

The hungry soldiers quickly surrounded Sebastian, and the basket soon emptied. Sebastian shook it, and not even a solitary crumb rolled about.

“I have other treats to ply you with, so cheer up,” Margaret said.

“How do you know he’s down, miss?” Adams asked.

“You don’t need to see a face in order to know what a person is feeling. Sebastian is easy to read. For example, his shoulders are sagging like his puppy’s been stolen.” Margaret laughed while retrieving her basket.

“Keep the sir fed, read him a book, and he’s more expressive than he looks.” Lieutenant Adams removed a piece of paper from the pocket of his jacket and wrote down the advice with a pencil lying on Harold’s desk. Light gray scribbles appeared on his wrist. GET THE BOY HOME, FEED AMELIA WHEN I GET BACK, AND MAKE POTION FOR FATHER.

Harold coughed. “Sorry, but I’m terribly forgetful. It will disappear in an hour or two.”

“There’s no reason to apologize, sir. If I forgot about Amelia’s food again, she would probably shed her skin in my breakfast again.” Lieutenant Adams grinned at Sebastian. “I bet you’re dying to know what she is.”

“A seevil mongoose,” Sebastian guessed.

“Big smarty pants,” Adams muttered.

“I use them to look after my garden, so Sebastian knew what it was when you mentioned the skin.” Margaret slid her arm through Sebastian’s elbow. “Isn’t that right, little cheater?”

“Oh, that’s what those little creatures are called. I never knew that,” Sebastian said.

“Funny, I recall you bugging Margaret to let you take one home every day, but she wouldn’t because your siblings would kill one within a week,” Harold said.

“And you tried to smuggle one under your cloak.” Margaret shook her head. “To this day, I still have to keep an eye on you.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes under his hood at his two friends ganging up on him. “I hope the two of you marry soon. The springtime love in the air is too much for my cynical heart to take.”

“There were plans for giving you more food, but maybe I’ll change my mind.”

“Ma’am, that’s unnecessary,” Sergeant Hooper spoke up. “We could divide his share among us instead of letting the whole group suffer.” Her five military brethren nodded in agreement.

“You’re forgetting rule number one, Sergeant,” Sebastian said. “Keep the sir fed.” They argued back and forth until more customers came in, and since the soldiers were doing such a great job helping Harold, Sebastian left the work to them and pulled Margaret to the side. “Has there been word from Ophelia?”

“This morning by mirror. She says your parents are on their worst behavior. They showed up at the castle in carriages your father hired. They walked around like they owned the place, saying the king was indebted to them all because you saved his son’s life. The king is giving them leeway because he doesn’t want to appear ungrateful. Ophelia said he smiled like a demon when he told them you had left the castle.”

“How did they receive the news?” Sebastian asked, wondering just how dramatic his parents would play it.

“According to Ophelia, your mother’s mouth opened and shut like a fish while your father had to be escorted out for heart palpitations,” Margaret said.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Palpitations, my ass. The only thing Father suffered was hearing bad news after gorging on expensive food.”

“When Captain Pembrost explained your search for enlightenment, your mother asked to be excused from the throne room. As soon as the doors shut behind her, Ophelia said your mother started shrieking out orders for you to be found and brought back.”

Sebastian sighed. “I’m not surprised. We should be prepared for one of my siblings to show up.”

A disturbance broke out near the front of the shop, and Sebastian and Margaret turned to see why. Downstairs, Sebastian’s brother, Kevin, was being physically restrained by the soldiers.

Kevin glared at Sebastian. “Our parents sent me to recover the fool who turned up his nose at the king’s goodwill so he could surround himself with second-rate wizards and books,” he said while pointing at Harold.

“Boy, the position of court wizard was offered to me before he sent for his cousin, so I suggest you watch your tongue.” Harold sat back at his desk after leaving it to see who was making a fuss.

“Well?” Kevin asked, still blocked by the soldiers.

“Well what?” Sebastian asked when he joined the others.

“Call off your dogs.” Kevin glared at Hooper and Bradley, a soldier who had barely spoken during their time together, holding his arms behind his back.

“You should attend to your own mental affairs before calling me an idiot. Those are royal guards, and one would assume they only answer to the king or queen.” Sebastian waved his hand in the air loftily. “Nothing I can do. Harold, do you need any more sales slips?” He ignored his brother and joined Harold at his desk.

“Sergeant Vendrix and Sergeant Bradley, let him go,” Lieutenant Adams ordered.

Margaret gave them space as Kevin made his way to his errant little brother, but Sebastian ignored him and picked through bookshelves.

Kevin tapped his foot to get Sebastian’s notice. “I should be making deliveries and taking as many orders as I can for our smithy before winter hits. Instead, Mother won’t let me return to my home until you go back to the castle.”

“You’re a grown man and married. There isn’t much she can threaten you with.” Sebastian picked up a book with red thread embroidered into the cover like a ribbon wrapped around a present as he spotted Ms. Crane limping toward the shop.

“Alice’s house is being remodeled, and she needs a place to stay for a few
weeks
,” Kevin said.

Sebastian shuddered at the thought of being around Alice for that long. “Okay, there are still a few things Mother can threaten you with. Can’t you foist her off on James?”

“James is married to a wizard. I think she has some clairvoyance, because they’re always on a journey whenever a troublesome sibling wants to visit,” Kevin said.

“Wait, so if I go back to the castle, she won’t be staying with you or James, she’ll be staying with us?” Sebastian shook his head. “You’ve lost the argument.”

“There’s still Rebecca,” Kevin wheedled.

“Alice would never stay in a small house. It’s you or us. Congratulations, I’m never going back. Excuse me.” He opened the door wide before Ms. Crane moved her hand.

“Sebastian, you’re such a dear. And that looks like Kevin. I never see you visit our neck of town. What brings you here?” Ms. Crane waddled inside the store, and Sebastian guided her to Harold’s desk. Harold stood and gently embraced the woman.

“Mother sent him to pick me up or else you wouldn’t see hide or hair of him.” Sebastian glanced at his brother, but Kevin didn’t deny it.

Kevin said, “The king invited him to stay at the castle for saving Prince Turren, and before the prince was out of his sickbed, Sebastian left in the dead of night, knowing full well that Mother and Father were on their way.”

Ms. Crane slowly lifted her head to look into Sebastian’s hidden face. “Is that correct, young man?”

“I stopped to see Prince Turren when I left. He was awake and healing due to Lord Pasley’s great power. There was no need for me to stay, and”—Sebastian swept his hand around the room to encompass the soldiers—“I did accept a little of the king’s hospitality. They’re an escort in case I’m targeted, but I’m not in any real danger. Am I excused from your wrath?”