In the Shadows: The Tale of Saraphenia de Thena

 

 

 

Chapter One

 

I hid in the library behind a shelf of books, trying to still my heavy breathing as I heard my governess and tutor searching for me.  It was time for what my tutor called “Family Time”.  I had no wish to read about my own family.  They were typical of what I’d read in so many history books.  The family comes into the spotlight by having one of its members doing some great deed.  The monarch amply rewards them and the hero’s descendents spend their lives trying to live up to him or her.  And they usually fail such an endeavor. 

 

No, I was most certainly not interested I hearing about my own family.  My passion was the Royal Families of the solar system.  I’d have to say that of all the royal houses, my favorites would have to be the saPiros and the suBabio families.  Such imaginations they had back during the days before the Silver Millennium!  Both families had conjured up more ways to kill off their rivals than there were crown jewels in the Royal Vault in Pallas.

 

So, now that Master Tino and Kat, my governess, were moving their search towards the other end of the manor, I slumped against the shelves.  Made it.  No boring lectures this week about how important Arthur de Thena was, or how arrogant his son was.

 

Grinning cheekily, I turned and began to comb through the books.  My grandmother, Margaret Putnam de Thena, had been a very dedicated reader.  As a wedding gift, my grandfather had given her sole ownership of every book in the manor.  When she’d died, she had given my Uncle Edward, her favorite son, custody of the books. In turn, he’d left them here in the manor in Papa’s care.

 

But as Uncle Edward hadn’t visited Athéa since I was two, I’d had free reign over the library.  And I enjoyed that privilege to the maximum. 

 

Giggling, I grabbed the book I’d been searching for and plopped down in a nearby stuffed chair near the fireplace.

 

To this day, I don’t remember how long I sat there, reading contentedly about the founding of Serenity’s Line, but out of no where, the sound of hysterical wails jolted me out of my nice, safe web of tranquility.

 

I jumped up, dropping the book in the process.  ‘What is that sound,’ I wondered as I raced for the door to the library.  I could still hear the screaming; it seemed to be coming from the front of the house.  Picking up my skirts, I rushed down the hallways and the winding staircases.  I didn’t stop until I’d reached the foyer.

 

I looked about the room.  Kat, Master Tino, Annika, the head housekeeper, and a few other servants were standing there, their faces drenched in tears.  Standing before them was a man I’d never seen before.  It wasn’t until years later that I remembered that he’d worn the uniform of a Druid Council Courier.

 

Instead of focusing on the unfamiliar man, I focused on the sobbing Kat.

 

“Kat,” I demanded, “Master Tino, what is going on?”

 

They all whirled at me, their faces shocked.  If anything, all of them paled all the more at the sight of me.  I stood there and stared back at them, my hands placed on my hips imperiously. 

 

When none of them answered me directly, I drew myself up.  I may have only been a child, but until my parents came home from their vacation on Earth, *I* was mistress of Athéa.  Thus, I was to be accorded the same respect my mother had.

 

“Governess Champerowne, Master Tino, your lady has just asked a question.  Your duty is to answer to the best of your abilities,” I hissed in a deadly tone.

 

Everyone present immediately went to attention.  It wasn’t often that I used that tone with them, especially Kat.  I rarely had to.  She had always been absolutely candid with me, never seeking to protect me from what I knew to be a cruel and harsh world.

 

Dabbing her tears away with a handkerchief, Kat stepped forward timidly.  “Sara, my lady, a courier sent by your Uncle, Edward de Thena, has informed us of some tragic news.”

 

My eyes widened.  Surely Uncle Edward and Aunt Diana were all right.  They hadn’t visited in so long, but we received letters from them almost weekly.  There couldn’t be anything wrong with them.  So why would they send a courier?

 

“What has happened?”

 

I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded, which was a direct contrast to what I felt inside: terror.

 

“I-I’m afraid that the Druid Council has received w-word that the Andromeda, the t-transport ship your parents were on, has… crashed off the coast of the Western C-Continent on Earth.  There w-were no s-survivors.

 

It didn’t sink in at first.  I immediately rationalized that it had to have been a mistake.  *My* parents, my Mama and Papa couldn’t be… dead.  But looking into the eyes of everyone present, I could see that it was quite true.

 

Suddenly, the world around me tilted and the stone floor came rushing up to greet me.

 

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I awoke to the sounds of voices speaking furtively and a splitting headache.  I didn’t open my exhausted green eyes for fear my head would explode with an even greater pain.  Instead, I merely lay still and listened to what happened around me.

 

“… Shouldn’t have broken it to her so quickly…”

 

“… She commanded us…”

“… She will not tolerate…”

 

“… The Lady Saraphenia is now under their care.  They are her only family…”

 

“… Enough, the lot of you!  You will wake the Lady!”

 

The last voice that was spoken had the essence of whip-crack authority, causing everyone to immediately obey him.  For several minutes there was silence.  I was about to announce my return to consciousness when the voice, which I did not recognize, continued.

 

“Counselor and Lady de Thena are the Lady Saraphenia’s only remaining family.  And with the Counselor’s duties, he is unable to move out here to Athéa.  So it has been decided that the Lady Saraphenia will move to their house in Pallas.  When she reaches the appropriate age, she will undoubtedly attend the University.”

 

Kat then spoke, her voice laced with bitterness.  “Ah, yes.  I’ve heard this so many times in the past.  She’s eleven years old, for God’s sake!  And you’re already planning her life out for her.  Let her choose.  Her father did!  He was the one who was ‘supposed’ to become the Counselor on the Druid Council!  It was ‘expected’ of him!  And instead, Edward de Thena took that position, while Lord Charles took the part that of a country gentleman, living quietly with his wife and daughter.  He took another path, do not assume that she cannot either.”

 

The voices faded away and I heard the shutting of my door.  My green eyes shot open.  So it was true.  It wasn’t a horrible joke.  Mama and Papa were dead and I was alone.  Alone enough to know that they were going to send me to live in Pallas with an aunt and uncle whom I had not seen in years.  I was to leave Athéa, the home that I loved so much.

 

I sprang from my bed, as though I had been stung by one of those Earth insects.  I raced towards my wardrobe, which was filled to the brim with my summer clothes, or what passed as summer clothes.  I blindly grabbed at a few outfits and all but threw them over to my bed. 

 

Reaching into my wardrobe one final time, I pulled out a big, but thin, drawstring bag.  It would work for what I was about to do.  I stuffed the articles of clothing into the bag and left my inner chamber.  The outer chamber was deserted, as I’d expected.  Everyone thought I was still unconscious. 

 

Moving as quietly as possible, I stepped up to my door and listened.  There wasn’t a sound coming from the hallway.  Stepping back, I turned around and stared.  This had been my bedroom for my entire life.  My parents had come in here every night to wish me goodnight, and even tell me stories on occasion.

 

My resolve wavered as tears filled my eyes.  I blinked viciously, fighting to push them back.  Now was not the time to cry.  And besides, crying solved nothing.  Squaring my thin shoulders, I turned on my heel and opened the door leading into the hallway.  Just as I’d suspected, it was deserted.

 

Silent as a cat, I slipped through the hallways and up several staircases until I came to the library.  The books may be technically Uncle Edward’s, but he’d never cared about them. 

 

Indigent anger filled my heart.  He’d left them here to collect dust until they came under my care.  I kept them from being damaged in any way.  And Grandmother Margaret wouldn’t be happy to know that her favorite son had left the books she had loved so much to rot here in the library.

 

I wouldn’t be here to make sure that they were regularly dusted any longer.  But I could save a few of them from such a fate.

 

I bolted towards the shelf where the books on the Royal Families were kept.  Running my finger along their bindings, I pulled five of them off the shelf, noticing that one of them was the book I’d been reading earlier that day. 

 

I quickly put them inside the drawstring bag and left, not trusting myself to look back.

 

After that, it was quite easy to make my way down to the kitchens.  Everyone seemed to have retired to their quarters for the evening, most likely to allow themselves to weep for the fate of Mama and Papa.

 

I darted here and there in the vast kitchen, grabbing a few loaves of bread, some imported fruits, and a little bit of chocolate that someone had left behind on the counter.  Once I’d placed my food into the overstuffed drawstring bag, I grabbed a knife to cut the bread with.  I briefly wished to take some cheese with me, but it would spoil all too quickly. 

 

I moved towards the door that opened out to the side of the manor.  The fence was a bit of a distance away, but once there, it would be simple to climb.

 

I ducked through the maze of bushes and trees, trying to remain as quiet as possible.  Though everyone was in mourning, there were sure to be several guards patrolling.  After all, I was still at Athéa, and as Papa’s heiress, I would still need to be protected.

 

The sound of footsteps caused me to freeze in my tracks.  I could hear the steps coming closer, along with a pale beam of light.  Franticly, I whirled about, searching for somewhere to hide.  In desperation, I dove behind a large clump of bushes and peered through them.

 

Sure enough, it was a guard.  He looked around him cautiously, searching for whatever he had come searching for.  I held my breath.  I must not be caught. 

 

After several heart-stopping minutes, the guard shrugged and left back the way he came.  Slowly, I crept out of my hiding spot and watched him move farther away.  When I could no longer see the beam from his light, I continued on towards the fence.  I had only a little more way to go.

 

I continued on, the sounds of small animals and bugs coming from all around me.  When I reached the sought for fence, I stopped again and stared.  Here it was. 

 

Clutching my bag tightly in my hand, I managed to grip the iron bars tightly and hoist myself up.  I slowly inched my way towards the top, trying not to slide back down.

 

Once I was at the top, I was able to throw my bag down to the ground on the other side.   I soon followed it. 

 

On the ground again, I picked the bag up once more.  Staring through the bars of the fence, I was still able to see Athéa.  There were several lights on throughout the manor.  They must have discovered my absence by now.  Kat probably.  Perhaps…

 

I cut the thought off before it could fully take form.  No.  I’d crossed the bridge and it was burning quickly.  I could not swim back across the treacherous river that lay alone now. 

 

Turning my back on Athéa and its familiarity, I stared at what was before me.

 

And slumped slightly.  Now what was I going to do?  I’d come this far on sheer adrenaline alone.  Where could I go?  How was I to survive?

 

I bit my lip, now filled with indecision.

 

Suddenly, swimming that treacherous river didn’t sound so bad.