The path they started upon was lined on either side by the beautiful ivory King’s Petal.  The fragrance of the new buds was almost as strong as a fully bloomed flower.  The pearl-like buds nestled against the lush dark green waxy leaves creating a breathtaking walkway that continued around the edge of the garden. The beauty of the kingdom’s most popular flower was its hardiness throughout the seasons regardless of which region it was located.  Its beauty and durability is what made it highly desired by the aristocrats while its abundance made it available to all in the kingdom. 

The walkway itself was comprised of an unusual pebble that looked not too unlike small fire rock stones mixed with a pale pink stone and another odd milky pearl stone.  Father Denadyne and Kaylan stayed in the middle of the path in between the King’s Petal barriers, never straying, yet Kaylan could see other shrubs, trees, and flowers on the other side of the lush green plants.  She saw slender trees with fresh budding leaves, small flowering shrubs, roses of various sizes and colors, jasmine climbing trellises here and there, and a variety of plants Kaylan had never seen before. 

Incredible to see so much color in this climate.  It appears the late Springtide snow from last night had little to no effect on them at all.  How strange.  She would never have thought it possible had she not seen it for herself.  As she took it all in, she felt like they were moving farther away from the fence line that protected the garden from view.  Suddenly, she realized it must be a spiral and they were walking their way toward the center of the garden.  Amazing, she thought in stunned admiration, gardens like this are generally reserved for the aristocracy.  They’re the only ones that can afford them.  Intricately designed gardens such as this one were a symbol of fantastic wealth in Kestra.  They were not common and unquestionably out of the ordinary for a churchyard.

They reached the center of the garden where the path opened up to a redwood gazebo large enough to seat four to five people comfortably.  But it was just the two of them and for a brief moment it was a bit peculiar to Kaylan.  That’s what you wanted – privacy.  This just seems a little too… intimate.  The moment passed quickly as she ascended the steps to the gazebo deck behind Father Denadyne.  There was a bench seat that lined the railing.  Father Denadyne took a seat on the eastern side motioning to Kaylan to join him.  She walked over but was not completely comfortable with sitting quite so close to him.  Finally she sat keeping one man-space between them.  She was forced to move closer, however, when he spoke for his voice, while crisp and clear, was too low for her to hear unless she leaned into him.

“This is as close to private as it gets around here,” he started, “however, I must warn you, voices will carry out here.”

“I understand,” she said quietly.  She took a few minutes to gather her thoughts.  She realized he would probably be her only source from which to gather information if there was any to be had in this town at all. 

Something, though, still had her concerned about what she assumed had to be some form of court training.  And then there is this garden, this amazingly beautiful garden.  She couldn’t shake the idea that there was more to this Father Denadyne than he was letting on.  If his “brothers” know more about him they definitely hide it well.  How could she be sure he wasn’t a Kensington spy?   How else could a garden of this magnitude be funded?  She had run into a few of Kensington’s men about two years ago up near Barthe.  They were all of good breeding, just not generally known for great intelligence.  No, they are not terribly brilliant.  Not a one of them had an original thought in their heads.  I guess that’s what you get when you hire muscles instead of brains.  But this Denadyne … he was different … he was educated – too educated for this small mountain town.

“How did Capri get so lucky to have such an educated priest to lead their congregation and otherwise wayward souls?”  Kaylan hoped approaching the subject this way would be less threatening and perhaps he would let slip some vital clue that would tell her for fact whether he was in Kensington’s pocket or not.

He smiled wryly while giving her a steady look.  “You’re a smart woman, Marshall.  I can see why you were chosen over your older brother, Makail.  That does not change the fact that you asked me for audience; you requested my time.  I did not seek you out nor do I wish to be in your presence.  Out of courtesy for your position and concern for my church I am here.  We are here to discuss this “private matter” as you requested.  If trust is an issue then perhaps we have nothing to discuss and should find our way back to the main complex.”  Oh, he is shrewd – and quick, very quick.  “Do not mistake my breeding and education for a frivolous courtly peacock.  I have neither the time nor the patience for such foolishness.  Now,” he stood to leave.

Kaylan stepped in front of him blocking his exit.  So much for non-threatening.  Standing directly in front of him, she realized they were eye to eye… but only in height, and only with my boots on.  Obviously, we will never see eye to eye… In a surprisingly calm steady voice Kaylan said, “You, too, should not mistake my previous act of compassion for your stable boy as a sign of weakness on my part.  Rest assured, my reputation did not create itself from nothing and was not built by random - acts - of - kindness.”  These last few words she bit off as she said each one to emphasize it was not her normal character to show mercy or kindness.  She took a deep breath to slow her pulse.  Her sudden anger with Denadyne’s threat caused her heart rate to explode.  She surprised herself that she didn’t draw her sword to separate his head from his shoulders right then and there.  Maybe later.  Of course, he is a member of the clergy.  Those ones are always more difficult to justify and it is infinitely more difficult to extract information from a headless body, she conceded to herself.  She cleared her throat.  Father Denadyne resumed his seat but did not make himself quite as comfortable as before.  Kaylan remained standing.

“How long have you lived in Capri, Father?”  She continued to stand in front of him.  She knew she took a chance on her voice carrying but it was a chance she had to take in order to regain control of the situation.

“About fifteen years, Marshall.  May I ask why?”  His voice was still low but she could hear him clearly now.  Since he now had to look up at her his voice carried to her without any difficulty.  That also meant that anyone that was in the garden itself would probably be able to hear the conversation.  While she couldn’t see anyone around, she needed to keep the subject of discussion basic until she could reassert her authority and then return to her seat.

“I know the elders used to hold council and exchange stories and tales of old.  Do you know if they still have their meetings in the town hall?” If it sounded like she was just looking for a good story then perhaps any curious brethren, as she was without doubt that there were several of them in the vicinity, might lose interest.

Father Denadyne looked away from her, almost wistfully, out across the garden.  “Yes, yes they used to do that.  They haven’t even held council in many years though.”  He looked back to Kaylan and smiled but the smile faded quickly.  “The elders here in Capri have not fared well over the last few seasons.  They are bred a bit hardier up here, of course, for the climate will do that to a person but they are not invincible.  Death still reaches them, plagues still reach them, and lean harvests have a profound effect on the old, the weak, and the sick.  Not to mention the lack of oil supplies to go around has made Wintervale a more interesting season.  When you aren’t having children because you cannot feed them then there isn’t much reason to pass down the stories.  There’s no reason at all if there is no one there to listen.”  He looked away again, his eyes glistening around the rims of his eyelids.  It was his turn to clear his throat then, “Why do you ask?”

Kaylan debated with herself as to how much information she should divulge.  She knew she would have to offer something in order to get anything in return. The true question was, what and how much to provide?

She stared at her boots for a few moments then at Denadyne.  “I need information,” she started.  “I am trying to track down some Kestrian history, particularly where the Marshall house and these northern territories are involved.”  She watched Denadyne’s reaction before she said anything further.  He didn’t actually squirm but it was close.  I think I just hit a nerve.  He adjusted his position but said nothing.  “Bearing in mind how our legacy began, it was important to our heritage to record the most notable of the Marshalls.  That part of our histories was not difficult to locate and compile.  However, some of the Marshalls managed to blemish the family name in some undesirable manner and thus their own names were struck from our family annuls.  Therefore, many of our own chronicles have been corrupted or eliminated altogether depending on which Marshall is in question.”  Again, she watched for any reaction Denadyne might have to her query.

He leaned back against the railing and looked out over the vast expanse of the garden.  Without looking at her he said, “I understand the difficulty that could be involved in such a task.  Considering the Marshall “legacy”, as you say, there must be decades of history missing from your records.”  He turned his head slowly to look directly at her.  The smirk he bore was quite arrogant in the late morning light.  Talk about hitting a nerve.  He’s treading on thin ice right now.  Kaylan struggled to get her emotions in check before she did anything rash.  She still needed the information from him but he was not as forthcoming as she had hoped.  In an attempt to relieve some of the tension that was building between them she returned to her seat next to him.  His facial muscles twitched as he appeared to struggle with something internally.  It was only moments but Kaylan could definitely see him wrestling with some demon just before he finally seemed to relax.  His brow was tight with the effort to control whatever it was and he was obviously still guarded.

“One person I have been trying to find in particular is Marshall Haedis, the Disgraced.  I know he was the Marshall to King Trau but I have yet to discover any recorded accounts of his deeds, good or bad,” she said sadly.  She kept an eye on Denadyne’s reactions to everything she said.  There was definitely something amiss with him and it frustrated her that she was unable to pinpoint it.