The Ghía

Chapter 4

Yet another tern let out a sharp screech and dove deep into the water, only to reemerge a moment later with a glittering fish in its beak. Swiftly it took to its wings once more and speeded away with the catch, a white arrow against a sky that was so blue it nearly hurt to look at it.

Chiséra watched the feathered turmoil through his lashes and crossed his arms more comfortably under his head. It amused him to watch the roiling storm that the gulls and terns made in the middle of the otherwise calm bay, diving through the surface over and over again in a shrieking frenzy. Apparently a school of fish had strayed a little too far into the narrow, deep, rift-like bay and was now thoroughly confused as to which way they should be going – a feast for the birds that patrolled over this swath of water squeezed between upright cliffs.

For a while the sight held his interest, then he let his eyes slide shut. The noise drifted into the background, melted into one with the eternal sigh of the sea and the whisper of the trees far above him.

How he loved this place. Somewhere overhead, invisible and yet close, stood his own villa, a miniature castle with its walled garden that sheltered it from the raw sea winds. On its one side stood miles and miles of rugged forest that was unsuitable for farming and hopeless for hunting, the terrain too rough even for grazing cattle. On the other side was the narrow, long bay. As if a giant had grabbed a twisted knife and hacked off a slice of the rocky terrain, leaving a chasm that cut deep into the shoreline.

It was a dark and forbidding place, just deep water squeezed between sheer walls of cliff, nor did the area offer enough foothold by the sea for houses. The nearest fishing village was nearly ten miles away. Only the occasional peasant boy sometimes strayed closer to snare hares or to shoot the occasional bird, and such trespasses could be overlooked if they didn't get too numerous.

The place was secluded, solitary, mysterious, and it had this heavenly little haven, his hideaway. Just a tiny patch of flat rock and pebbles, a shoulder of stone some twelve feet wide and thirty feet long, accessible only by a steep, treacherous path from above or by a boat from the bay. A place that shouldn't have been there, but was nevertheless.

This was a place where Chiséra could spread a blanket and lie down to just be. Not do anything. The pebbles were hard underneath him as he lazily stretched his lean body, let a hand skim along his side, scratched his hip. It was so beautifully quiet here, in the middle of things living in their own realities, right next to the people and yet seeing the world through different eyes.

Low, lazy waves echoed from the cliffs, lapping against them in a slow and yet relentless rhythm. High above the foliage of trees shushed in the wind, a soft background for the gulls and terns shrieking like banshees.

Water made the pebbles rattle; the tide was turning. Soon it would be rushing into the bay and swallowing Chiséra's favorite rock for a while, but not yet. Now the sea breeze was still licking his naked body, deliciously cool despite the heat of the sun that didn't quite reach this spot at the foot of the cliffs. It coaxed his arms into gooseflesh and tousled blond, straight hair.

Chiséra smiled lazily to himself, eyes closed. Here he was completely alone. Such a sweet feeling, a memory from his boyhood days on the farm, when he would lay down after a meal, still sweaty from hours of work, and steal a few precious moments of peace and quiet before the toil continued once more.

A baffled snort made him open his eyes, and he peered questioningly towards the water's edge. Disgruntled brown eyes met his gaze and he pushed himself up on one elbow to see better.

"What've you got there, boy?"

The dog looked at the offending lump on the sand as if asking it to please introduce itself, then turned its melancholy eyes once more towards Chiséra and shook its head, loose skin flapping. The lump saw its chance and began to scurry away but didn't get very far before a huge paw stomped experimentally over it. Chiséra laughed aloud.

"Com'ere, Chestnut. It's a crab. Leave it be."

The paw was moved away and for some moments the dog directed a hard, droopy-eyed glare at the crab that luckily stayed immobile. Then he snorted again, got up and lumbered towards his master, tail wagging. Chiséra let out a groan when the dog nearly sat on him and then rolled to lie on the blanket as well, back pressing to his side.

"You are a pest, Chestnut, you really are."

They just lay there, side by side, Chiséra's left hand absently scratching the dog's thigh.

"Soon I can't take you here with me any more," he told the dog. "You're already such a lumbering big thing, too heavy and clumsy for the path. Can't do anything to help if you fall."

He felt the stump of the tail move. "Yes, that's right. I don't want you to break your neck, Chestnut."

Chiséra wasn't sure how much later it was when the dog suddenly raised its massive head and let out a low growl. He opened his eyes as well and frowned.

"What did you hear?"

The dog was already getting up and he followed suit, observing that the tide was indeed coming in at an increasing pace. It was time to go.

It was definitely best not to hurry on that footpath, especially when he was holding the leash of a dog that already weighed more than half as much as Chiséra himself and was climbing up ahead of him. If Chestnut lost its footing and rolled down, it would most likely take him down with it. Chiséra shoved the thought away and grabbed the rope that had been anchored to the rock to provide some help in the most difficult passages.

The dog was sniffing the air with an expression that clearly told that it smelled something unusual, and when Chiséra reached the top of the path he stopped to eye his surroundings. Fresh grooves in the gravel road leading to the villa told that someone had driven on it not long ago, and the depth and width of the grooves pointed towards a large but not extremely heavy carriage, four-wheeled, probably pulled by a team of four. A slow smile crept onto Chiséra's face.

His feet crunched on the gravel as he closed the distance between himself and the villa, slipped in through the smaller gate and grinned. A familiar carriage was standing just outside the front door. Two horses were still waiting in front of it, the other two had already been taken into the open stable behind the house.

"Welcome to my humble abode, brother dear!"

Gioréo whirled around, then his eyebrows jumped up and he smirked. "I see you're enjoying yourself here... though perhaps I should blindfold my wife before letting her see you."

"I hardly think that's necessary, and you should know it!"

Chiséra embraced his brother with both arms and kissed him deep, feeling how gloved hands squeezed his waist tight. The embossed metal buttons of Gioréo's jacket scratched his chest where the shirt was half open, and he laughed as they rubbed their noses together.

"You look splendid," he offered. "Simply breathtaking. How are things in town?"

"Going smoothly," Gioréo replied, then his eyes went wide. "Good heavens, Chiséra, what is that?"

Chiséra glanced over a shoulder and grinned. "What, don't you recognize Chestnut?"

"Oh my, how he's grown! I declare that you've spent a far too long time here, if Chestnut has had time to reach such proportions." Gioréo took a step closer and pulled his gloves off. "Hello, boy, you still remember me?"

"He'd better," Chiséra pointed out. "But where is the fair Amíria? You talk about blindfolding her and yet I can't see a trace of her. Surely you haven't come here all alone?"

"No, no." Gioréo laughed, scratching the dog behind a drooping ear. "Are you sure you don't get lonely here, though?"

"Not in the least. I have good company." Chiséra pointed at the dog. "Besides, don't you think that I can find my way to the city quickly enough if I do get lonely sometimes?"

Gioréo sighed. "That's what you say, but I just – well, I hope you don't somehow resent my getting married after all."

"Why on earth would I?" Chiséra frowned. "I just want to give the two of you some space, that's all. And I assure you that I'm perfectly content here!"

"All right, I take your word for it." Gioréo shrugged a little and together they entered the pleasant coolness of the house, Chestnut at their heels.

"Oh my... you might have a point after all." Chiséra stopped in front of the large mirror on the wall, tilting his head at his reflection. "Maybe I should after all go and change before joining the two of you. I guess I've let myself get a little, well, countrified."

"Too late, brother," Gioréo grinned and took the hand of his wife who right then emerged from the small drawing room and stopped in surprise. "She's already seen your countrified semi-nakedness."

Chiséra turned and greeted his sister-in-law with an ornate bow. "Fair Amíria, I pray you to forgive my attire, and hope that you will not let it prevent you from accepting my humble greeting!"

"Well!" Amíria's eyes opened wide and a very charming blush rose to her cheeks as she quickly tried to fix her gaze just on Chiséra's face. "It is, oh, a delight to see you, Chiséra!"

Both of the men laughed and Chiséra shook his head. "Sister dear, I don't want to scandalize you any more than I already have – I'll be back in a moment, just make yourselves comfortable in the meantime! Chestnut, you wait here."

Up in his own bedroom, he tossed the wrinkled shirt and trousers on a chair and pulled on fresh ones, laughing under his breath. Amíria was incredibly sweet but she still had some learning to before she'd be quite comfortable with them both in the same room.

She had led a sheltered life and was even less used to dealing with young men than the average lady of her birth and status, so it was no wonder if she frequently felt baffled in the company of two brothers as close – and dashing – as Gioréo and Chiséra. All that considered, she was so far doing admirably well, and Chiséra didn't doubt for a moment that the three of them would eventually get along wonderfully well. All she needed was some time to get settled, both in her marriage and in her new surroundings. She was so obviously right for Gioréo, and he adored her.

He buttoned up his waistcoat, straightened the cuffs of his jacket, and nodded to the mirror. This was better. He'd show her that even here, in the privacy of his own enchanted realm, he could still cut an equally presentable and familiar figure as in the city, even if he did let himself run wild every now and then.