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clarification or to interrupt with a caustic retort. She wanted to remember every word, to etch every nuance of tone and expression into her mind. She tried to memorize changes in his posture and face, however subtle. Gaelen’s voice was low and flat as he laid out his proposal and reasoning. When he finished, after what seemed like a long silence, he rose and called the guards. As though unwilling to leave anything to chance, he and Klast both accompanied her as they escorted her to the castle. Marja experienced an instance of shock as she realized she had forgotten Klast had been present the whole time. How could she have done that? What kind of man could make himself invisible like that? The thought made her skin crawl. She vowed be more careful.

~ 6 ~
     
    KLAST
     
    In his usual fashion, Klast remained silent when they left Marja’s new chamber, waiting for Gaelen to ask his opinion of her. Gaelen made him wait longer than he expected. When the question finally came, it showed just how much his new lord needed his support. He knew that Gaelen trusted him to be strictly frank. Gaelen had never wanted approval unless it could be given sincerely.
    “ Well?” Gaelen turned to him as they walked together and let the question hang.
    Klast chose his words carefully. “She is strong and intelligent, not someone who can be swayed by pretty words. Your strategy is a good one, though not traditional, which will prick some. If the lady can be persuaded to your plan and agrees to join with you, you will have a useful ally. If she cannot be persuaded to your plan, she could prove a formidable opponent.”
    Gaelen nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you, my friend. Then we are of the same mind.”
    Klast studied Gaelen as he walked away. It seemed his young lord had aged ten years in the last day. The unexpected burden of lordship sat heavy on his shoulders. Yet Klast believed the best son had achieved that title. Lionn, Gaelen’s elder brother and heir, while popular, had shown no vision. He had been unable to think beyond what tradition dictated. Gaelen, on the other hand, had always found original and clever solutions for traditional situations.
    Klast gave his head an imperceptible shake as he recalled how he had come to serve Bargia over fifteen years ago. Now, his loyalty to the House of Bargia would never fail. He owed them his life.
     

~ 7 ~
     
    KLAST’S STORY
     
    Klast had entered the service of the house of Bargia in a very roundabout way. Born in neighbouring Gharn, his father, Nathis, owned a small tack shop close to the border of Lieth. Until the age of four, Klast enjoyed the love of family and the security of a quiet, if humble, home. All that changed when his mother died in childbirth, along with his stillborn sister. No relatives lived close by to look after Klast, and as the shop bordered the road out of the village, he did not have access to other children. He had to learn very quickly how to amuse himself.
    While his father did his best; his work demanded almost all his attention. Klast soon knew to stay out of his way and not distract him with questions. Klast learned, mostly by trial and error, how to make porridge, feed their six chickens and gather and cook their eggs. Before he turned six, his father could trust him with errands in the village. By age seven Klast had the responsibility for the home, such as it was.
    Young Klast spent much of his time silently observing. He began to pick up on nuances in a customer’s tone, posture and facial expressions that his father missed. On more than one occasion Klast alerted his father to an unscrupulous customer. When his father came to realize this talent in his son, they developed a secret signal. Klast would scuffle his feet while he sat on the floor, and hum a familiar tune as he pretended to play.
    It was a lonely, hard life, but not an altogether unhappy one. That all changed when Klast was nine.
    On this day, four youths looking for trouble crossed the