Flight of the cardinal

I heard the jingle of the keys before my bedroom door unlocked. This only meant that my workday was starting. The hauntingly black figure of the head maid appeared in the still black shadows of early morning and threw a burnt piece of bread at my feet that would serve as breakfast.

The maids' and servants’ corners were in the north wing of the High Hill Estate. It currently housed Duke Kestrel and his family. They had been moved here to oversee the governing of the capital of Airedah—Seagull’s Bay. Duke Kestrel had been in power since the fall of King Cardinal - which was about ten years ago.

I grabbed the bread quickly before any rats could spot it and immediately ate it to satisfy the rumbling in my belly. I would later have any leftover scraps from the Duke’s breakfast. My day started around four in the morning, so this little piece of bread would have to carry me until then. I tried to savour it, but my hunger compelled me to just shove it in my mouth and eat it promptly.

I snatched my black maid’s garment from the small wooden peg near my bed and pulled it over my head. I slid my toned arms in the sleeves and pulled down near the waist, smoothing any wrinkles over my stomach and chest. The lacing on the front was easy to tie and helped adjust the somewhat enormous dress on my frame. I wasn’t petite by any means, but I was not big enough to fit in it properly. However, this was the only garment they gave me when sold to this estate one year prior.

“Ida, hurry up!” Called the head maid from the darkness of the hallway.

She had already freed most of the other servants and maids, and I could see their black silhouettes passing in front of my door. She was looking at me with her usual displeased look.

I was probably the most annoying one out of all the servants and maids she had to keep in check. It wasn’t my fault, though; I wasn’t born to this life of indentured servitude. The system was rigged. Once you near the end of your indenture somewhere, they would sell you to another home, and you’d have to restart that contract with your new owner and worked until you had repaid your money value. It was a way to keep us as slaves. I had lived this way for almost a decade now, and I had issues with being compliant. What could I say? Old habits died hard?

I pulled my white apron over my tousled hair and deftly tied it on my back.

While moving to the door, I slipped my feet in my thin leather work boots and hid my red hair in a bonnet. Having fiery red hair in this new era was not something that people would consider lucky. Although it was not uncommon to have red hair, it left people with unsettling feelings because all Cardinal descendants had red hair.

The late king Cardinal and his predecessors, who reigned for well over five hundred years over Airedah, had all bright red heads in the paintings that I had seen. Most of them would have been destroyed now, though, by the new king.

Since my hair was red, I hid it as much as I could under any possible headwear. If I had to wear a cap, I used a mix of ground coffee and tinctures to colour my hair a dirty brown. They had whipped me frequently in my past indentures just for having that hair colour. Anything remotely red was now forbidden—a painful reminder for anyone still loyal to the old crown.

I closed the door hurriedly behind me and shuffled between the others. We were going close to the kitchen quarters to learn about our work schedule for the day.

They assigned many maids to the scullery or kitchen, others, laundry or the main lobby. Since I was among the prettier maids, they usually sent me in the parlours or living quarters, where lords and ladies lived. They always sent the nicer one with a pretty face and all their teeth to better blend with higher society.

“Ida and Maud, you two are attending the Lord’s floor for today. No one else is available to do it.” Said the head maid with disdain. “He will be entertaining lady guests, so make sure everything is spotless and that his guests are well received. I will send you some kitchen maids around teatime,” was all she said. He was probably inviting over single ladies again, hoping to find a wife. I had heard that this was a common occurrence. After all, he was indeed a wealthy and very eligible bachelor.

Duke Kestrel’s son, Alexander, was a mystery. I hadn’t even met him, and I already feared him. He didn’t like to have maids running around his quarters, and his floor was off-limits to us, except on special occasions like this one. Apparently, he was very intimidating.

I glanced at Maud, and I saw the same uneasiness in her eyes. Good, I was glad not to be the only one with this weird feeling in my stomach. I had never worked on Lord Alexander’s floor, so I didn’t know what to expect. I understood she had worked there twice, so my uneasiness diminished a little knowing that I would follow her lead.

I moved to the front to where the head maid was and took the key she held out. It was the master key for the Lord’s floor. I heard Maud scuffle behind me. The head maid grabbed my wrist before I could leave for the servant’s stairs.

‘’Do not enter the room with the carved wood door. That one is… off-limits, and if I find that one of you went inside, you will suffer the consequences.’’ Her eyes lingered on me a bit too long, and I understood what they underlined. I had to behave.

My curiosity last week had earned me eleven lashes on my backside. I winced at the thought and nodded before making my way toward my destination.

I pushed the door that led to the fourth floor. Once Maud and I were out, I closed it neatly against the wall. It was seamless. The servant’s stairs entrance was behind an enormous painting and looked like the end of a corridor. If you didn’t know what to look for, you would think that this part of the floor was a dead end.

Maud pointed in a direction, and I knew she was silently telling me to take care of that section. We hurried and cleared the hearth where we would eventually light fires in all the main rooms. It was winter, and having friendly fires in the foyers would do wonders on all the lady folk that would gather here in a short while. I remembered when I loved sitting down near my fireplace to read a good book. Faiths, it’s been ages since I have done anything remotely for myself and leisure. These last ten years have been hard on me.

The Lord was nowhere to be found. He must have left early to start his busy day. Still, there was no need for us to linger here too long. I didn’t fancy a chance to meet with him.

I set out to one of the main reception areas and determined that this would do nicely for teatime. I started dusting and polishing the furniture.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the carved wooden door that I could not open. It was stunning and looked to be a massive slab of hard oak. Just looking at it made me wonder how someone would push open such a door. It looked cumbersome.

To my surprise, the chamber door opened, and a tall half-naked man walked out. I hurriedly lowered my head and pressed my back to the wall, but not before I saw him smirk at me. He was only wearing his night trousers, and his torso was all on display.

I tried to hide the growing redness of my cheeks. Although it was not uncommon for the residents of this estate to walk as they pleased in their assigned areas, usually they kept themselves in the proper attire and were shy, always afraid of what gossip could follow their indiscretions.

Once I heard another door open and close further away, I returned to fluffing the pillows and straightening the paintings. I noticed that the door from which the man had come out was still opened. Technically, if I simply pass by and have a peek, I still respected the head maid’s warning. I would not open the door or go into the room.

“Loophole,” I snickered to myself. Good thing there was a painting that needed 'straightening' right beside the door.

The carpet muffled my steps in the hallway. So, I quickly went in front of the door and rapidly peered inside. It was pitch black. There did not seem to be windows in the room, which I found pretty odd. But the overall feel that the room gave me was like a warning.

The hairs on my neck stood up when I smelled the metallic scent of blood, rust, and sweat.