CHAPTER 1
The sun beat pleasantly upon the Murdoch estate. Carriages came up the lane and deposited their young, finely dressed occupants into the courtyard, then moved off to allow the next carriage in line to do the same. Children of all ages ran up the hedge-lined walkway, followed by their teenage nannies, towards the front door of the great mansion. The children were redirected by a waiting servant to a wide, gaily festooned lawn on the west side of the house. Tables were joined together to accommodate the children of Port Augustus’ high society. A smaller table sat slightly lower on the lawn for the nannies of the privileged children. On a lanai overlooking the celebration sat a few of the mothers who had chosen to take the time to attend. Since it was a child’s affair, adult attendance was low. The birthday girl was Aideen Amirson, granddaughter of Traven and Akala Murdoch. It was her eleventh birthday.
Akala was in the kitchen sitting on a stool working the crank handle of an ice cream maker. “I think it needs more salt, and a bit more ice,” she said to Ninole. With her free hand, Akala pushed a strand of her silver-streaked light brown hair behind an ear and rubbed her lower back.
“Half a minute, milady,” replied the middle-aged cook as she removed another cake from the oven, setting it to cool upon a marble slab next to other cakes already stacked in triple layers.
“I thought we were long past such formalities, Ninole,” Akala said with an exasperated sigh. “You’ve been here longer than anyone, even Dorfin.”
“Aye milady,” responded the cook. She took a scoop of rock salt from a canvas bag on the floor and slowly poured it into the outer ring of the ice cream maker as Akala continued cranking. “But today’s one o’ those days it might not hurt t’ keep up appearances.” She went to the evaporator, opened the freezer side, and removed a canister of crushed ice. “By the way, I think the heat exchanger’s got a bad bearing. It squeaks when it’s makin’ ice.” Ninole raked several ice chips into the bucket.
“I remember when Lord Townsend had a man flogged for improperly addressing a lord and the poor wretch didn’t even work for ‘im.”
At the mention of Townsend’s name Akala’s face went flat. “If anyone causes trouble for you, they’ll deal with me,” she asserted.
“Yes Milady,” Ninole agreed. “I doubt it not. You aren’t like other folks born to wealth and privilege. See that’s the difference. One o’ them’s insulted, an’ they’d have the culprit in the stocks, but not you. You’d be teachin’ ‘em manners by the strokes o’ that sword o’ yours, even if’n they was a lord.”
“Oh come now,” Akala responded with a sheepish grin. “I think you’ve been reading too many romance novels.”
Ninole returned the canister to the evaporator, and then wiped her hands on her apron while looking boldly at her boss.
“We’ve all heard you practicin’ with Lord Travin. You can’t hide the sound of clashin’ steel behind a closed door.” Her gaze narrowed on a point below her employer’s chin.
Key Keeper’s Daughter Description:
Key Keeper’s Daughter:
A guild Assassin from Hamaud is hired to kidnap an eleven-year-old girl, Aideen. There may be one man who can stop him, the girl’s father, weapons master, Imar Amirson, but he is away on a quest so the girl is left to the mercy of assassin’s master.
Imar has a bounty on him for a powerful device, the octagon key which can unlock the underground fortress and old world technology of Washington DC.
Aideen’s grandmother, a retired privateer, learns of her granddaughter’s abduction while in the southern reaches and must choose between rescuing her husband or returning home in the world’s first and only airship to help the girl.
Aideen must use her mind skills to survive and her charisma to gain friends and alliances until her father can buy her freedom with the octagon key.
Technology is moving this feudal world of tall ships and edged warfare to cartridge rifles and powered flight.
