Orindis bowed silently and left the dining hall without another word. Once out of the room, he quickly made his way to Lord Vaenain's bedchamber, where he found his sister combing her hair.
She looked up as he entered, and her expression immediately fell. Averting her eyes, she said, "I already know what you're going to say, how I've lost my honor and brought disgrace on us all."
"Marina, no--I would never think or say such a thing of you," Orindis replied, coming to her and taking both her hands in his, looking into her eyes when she would let them meet his. "The past cannot be changed, but the present can be, and that is what I have come to tell you of. Marina, you must leave this place. All of you."
"But the childr--" Marina began, clutching the payment for last night's services closer.
"--I know," Orindis finished for her. "It is a handsome reward, but a bitter one for what it would cost you again and again. Lord Vaenain cares nothing for you. You are but one among thousands in his eyes. You deserve more than that from the man to whom you give yourself. Perhaps what I have said to him this morning was spoken far too out of place, but when I saw you--Marina, he will never share a bed with you again, but that is not enough. We must not depend on him or his hospitality any longer. Take what money you have and go to Adela proper with the twins; I have heard the other servants speaking of an inn called the Rowan Tavern that is hiring workers. It may be that you will find work for all of you; Percival and Binah are old enough, and you will have plenty of money to find decent lodgings until you are paid more regularly."
"But what about you?" Marina asked, looking up at him with concern.
"I'll be all right here," Orindis replied. "Don't worry about me. You just keep your mind on caring for our little brothers, okay?" His voice trembled a little with the overpowering emotions. "You have a choice where you will go and what you will do in life. You and Percival and Binah, you are all free. Maybe if things had been different, we would have--but never mind that now. You must go, and quickly." He kissed her forehead and held her close for a while. When he stepped away from her, he said, "Take care of yourself too, do you hear?" He tried to smile confidently, reassuring to her.
Marina, tears streaming from her eyes, nodded in return.
Orindis left his sister and went down the hall to the library and archives of the household. There he retrieved a small wooden scroll case with the Adelan seal carved on it and opened it. Inside was a document he had not touched in ten years, but he knew every word of it:
Orindis, eunuch, age fifteen years, of elven race, the property of Lord Nebinald of Adela and of his heirs. Signed and sealed this day in the presence of three witnesses, to be broken only by death or by the free consent of the rightful master, namely Lord Nebinald or his descendants by natural right, as proven by the signing of a document of manumission.
He could hardly believe that Lord Vaenain seemed unaware of this document. If only he did not have to tell him...but there was no getting around that. If Lord Vaenain ever found out on his own, if Orindis were indeed to leave with Marina and the twins, then Orindis could be arrested as a runaway, and he couldn't risk that, not with the law on the side of the master. Well, it was best to get this over with. If only being honest didn't give Lord Vaenain even more freedom to deal with Orindis as he wished, since technically the boy was mere property.
Orindis went back to the dining hall, where he found Lord Vaenain still at breakfast. Bowing as was customary, he said, "My sister and brothers have left this household, Master, and shall seek their fortune elsewhere. As for myself, I am obligated to remain." He presented Lord Vaenain with the closed scroll case. "I do not believe that Lord Nebinald told you the full story of how I came to be 'hired.' When my father died, he left too many debts and children too young to work to repay them, and so I was sold by local authorities for the amount demanded. Your father brought me here to serve you, and here is where I have been ever since. If you will look at the scroll, you will see Lord Nebinald's insignia." He took a deep breath. "Master, I--await your commands."