Ginn Hale - Lord of the White Hell Book One

"Good, because a huge package just arrived for you and Nestor is so sure that it's crammed with more of those candies that your mother always sends that he's overcome all fear and is guarding it up in our room."

When Kiram reached the tower room he discovered that Nestor was indeed there. His hair was stringy with dried sweat and he sat on the floor with his shirt hanging half open. He looked exhausted. A huge wooden crate towered up behind him.

"Nestor, I can't believe that you came in here." Kiram grinned at him. To his surprise Nestor shot Javier an irritated look and shoved his spectacles up on his nose imperiously.

"He made me help him carry it up. Three flights of stairs!" Nestor complained. "And once I was here what would the point be of running off? If the white hell is going to take me then at least I ought to get a few of those sweets your mother sends first. Don't you think?"

Kiram chuckled and said, "Yes, absolutely."

Javier might tease him for considering selling his soul for knowledge, but Nestor was obviously willing to give it up for candy. Though when Kiram considered the amount of weight Nestor had lost and how much he'd grown over the last four months, Kiram supposed he might just be desperate for anything to eat.

"Well," Javier said, "let's get it open and see what's inside."

"You don't think that there could be one of those autumn meat pies in there, do you?" Nestor asked. He sounded almost delirious. "I'm really not going to be devoured by the white hell, am I?"

"No." Javier began to pry the crate open. "You're under protection as a courier."

Kiram rolled his eyes at this.

"I don't know if I believe that the white hell recognizes the king's protection of couriers," Nestor replied.

"You'd be surprised what it can recognize." Javier wrenched a wooden crossbar off of the crate and tossed it aside.

"I've got a small pry bar down in the shed, you know," Kiram informed him.

"You can't possibly make Nestor wait that long for his reward," Javier replied. They both glanced to where Nestor sat on the floor. Nestor still seemed lost in some mix of thought and exhaustion.

"I've always been curious about what it was like up here." Nestor flopped back on the floor. "It's nice, really. You have so much space and all this light just pours in."

"Don't get too settled in," Javier said as he jerked another crossbar free. "I'm not looking for another underclassman." He pulled a third wooden bar free. "Are either of you going to help me with this crate?"

Kiram shrugged. "I offered to get a pry bar and you turned me down." His attention still lingered on his discussion with Scholar Donamillo. He would need to remove the roof from the shed as soon as possible. If only this damn tournament was over, he'd have some free time. As it was he'd just have to endure another week of training and then the week of the tournament itself before he could get back to work on his steam engine. His thoughts were interrupted by Javier waving a board in front of his face.

"Kir-Zaki, you have absolutely no enthusiasm. Look at this crate. It could have anything in it. Aren't you desperate to tear it open?"

"I am," Nestor moaned from the floor, "but I'm just so sore from carrying the damn thing up the stairs."

"Why didn't you use the gear lift?" Kiram asked.

"The gear lift is only for scholars' use," Nestor grumbled. Javier smiled at that and then ripped the last cross bar free. One entire side of the crate fell aside. Javier caught it before it hit the floor and leaned it up against the wall.

"I smell honey cakes," Nestor said. "Honey cakes and roast pheasant."

"He's out of his mind," Javier commented to Kiram.

Kiram helped Javier unpack the individual wooden boxes from inside the crate. They stacked them on the floor around Nestor. Outside the bells sounded from the chapel. It would be time for dinner in an hour.

"Isn't Master Ignacio going to notice that the three of us are missing?" Kiram asked.

"You're in the infirmary and Nestor is assisting me," Javier replied. "Master Ignacio won't expect any of us back today."

"What's Nestor supposed to be assisting you with?" Kiram eyed Nestor's prone body. Then he picked up one of the smallest boxes and cut through the cord that held it closed.

"Cleaning my armor. Bringing it up to a high polish," Javier said. "I finished it myself last night."

"I don't remember you polishing any armor." Kiram frowned at Javier.

"You wouldn't. You sleep like a log."

"I do not-"

"I definitely smell a honey cake!" Nestor sat up suddenly and leaned over the box Kiram had just opened. His delighted grin collapsed as Kiram lifted out a dozen beeswax candles.

"Sorry," Kiram said. He unpacked five deep-red cakes of sealing wax and then fished out a linen satchel.

"I'm going to starve to death," Nestor said. "I really am."

Kiram opened the satchel. Nestled among countless dried rose petals were six marzipan pears. Kiram guessed that each of the boxes would have similar treats hidden in it. He could be generous.

"Here." Kiram handed the satchel to Nestor. "Leave one for me and Javier."

Nestor's face lit up as he discovered the pears.

"One each or to split?" Nestor bit into a marzipan pear and closed his eyes as if he were in a kind of ecstasy.

"One each," Kiram told him.

"Oh God," Nestor murmured. "These are so good. Oh God." He let out a low moan.

"Damn, Nestor, you sound like you're ten inches down some trollop's throat." Javier shook his head and he took out his penknife.

"I don't care." Nestor sighed. He bit into another pear and gave another groan of pleasure.

Kiram wasn't sure if it was Javier's crude language or Nestor's moaning but he could feel his cheeks growing warmer. Javier crouched down beside him with a rectangular box. He cut through a cord holding a box shut but didn't open it. Instead he pushed it over to Kiram.

Kiram lifted the lid and gazed at the contents. For a moment he thought it was some kind of amazingly embroidered winter blanket. Then he lifted the silky yellow cloth out and realized that his mother had sent him a formal jupon to wear over his leather armor. Simple leaf designs embroidered in red thread decorated the collar and hem of the long jupon. But a single black silk sun blazed across the back. Kiram stared at it. The black sun was the Tornesal crest.

How had she known? He hadn't mentioned the tournament in any of his letters for fear that she'd worry about him. His letters were always unfailingly happy, concerned with his classes and often verged on being entirely fictional.

"I assured your mother that since you are under my protection it would be appropriate for you to wear my emblem," Javier said.

"You assured my mother." Kiram thought about this for a moment. "You wrote to my mother?"

"She wrote to me, actually." Javier glanced down at the empty box. Kiram imagined that he was attempting to appear sheepish, but it wasn't working. Javier looked as smug as ever. "I've just been replying to her letters."

"You-how long? What did you tell her?" Kiram cut himself short despite his sense of outrage, remembering Nestor's presence.

"Her first letter arrived a week after you did. She thanked me in advance for looking after you and asked me to write to her should you need anything. She's only written four more times since then, but she's always very polite. Very refined. Even her script." Javier smiled a little and Kiram suddenly realized that Javier wasn't trying to disguise an arrogant grin, but to hide a look of fondness.

"Don't worry. I didn't give her anything to fret about." Javier pulled the jupon from Kiram's loose grip and held it up to the late afternoon light. Tiny gold threads glinted all along the length of the yellow silk.