The Sampler Platter: A Little Bit of Everything

by Susan Skylark

  1

  An excited whicker drew Baye’s attention back to the present. It had been nearly eighty years since Jace had vanished and he had been musing on when and if the boy would return, wondering what the lad would think to find his sister the new Lady of Astoria. Baye’s smile deepened as the source of the sound burst out of the vibrant spring growth that engulfed the forest around them. Jace’s unicorn stood before them, dancing and snorting in excitement, urging them both to follow. Baye immediately assented and the two unicorns took off with all their native speed. A few moments later, they were standing on the far edge of a clearing, gazing down into a deep but narrow gully at the base of a great tree.

  Baye eyed the unicorn amusedly, “you want me to climb down there.”

  The beast snorted the obvious answer, Baye shrugged, and began the descent. Lying amidst the ferns and moss, lay the remains of a human skeleton, half buried in the soft soil, gnawed by rodents and further weathered by wind and water, little remained but a gaping skull in which a rodent had once nested, a shattered rib cage, and a femur that bore an impressive callus testifying that it had once been broken.

  Baye smiled eagerly, “so this is where you have been hiding yourself.”

  The unicorn whinnied excitedly from above as he laid a firm hand upon the crushed chest. Light engulfed the skeletal remains and immediately Jace lay on his back in the bottom of the gully staring up at Baye in pure joy. He took the offered hand and was soon on his feet. He gazed at his onetime mentor and said, “that was dreadful.”

  Baye clapped him on the back and said, “it always is, but there is no way around it if you want to become a full Shadow.”

  Jace grinned sheepishly, “I did not say it was not worthwhile, I just said it was unpleasant.”

  Baye laughed, “it is good to have you back lad, I have missed you.”

  Jace frowned, “it could not have been more than a few days, a month at most.”

  Baye said soberly, “nay lad, it has been eighty years.”

  Jace gaped, “eighty years!”

  Baye nodded and urged the lad to climb out of the ditch, wishing to continue their conversation in a more sensible location. As the boy climbed, Baye continued, “Adan was gone for eight years and Hawk for twenty three, but now we are again at our full strength.” Baye climbed up himself and paused while the lad exchanged greetings with his unicorn. Continued he once the pair had quieted, “your mother died nearly thirty years ago.” He grimaced, “I explained to her as best I could and she seemed to understand, or was at least content to know you’d meet again one day beyond time.”

  Jace nodded sadly, “thank you, I know it could not have been easy.” He grinned impishly, “how has Briane taken it?”

  Baye tried to hide his smile, “exactly as you would expect; she is also the new Lady of Astoria.”

  Jace nearly fell back into the ditch as he exclaimed, “what?!”

  Baye laughed, “that’s about how I thought you would take it, come on, we aren’t far from Astoria and you can see for yourself.” They mounted up and were soon on their way, Jace still reeling from all the revelations in the last few minutes. Baye gave him some time to absorb what had already been revealed before continuing, “there are a few things you need to know about your new position.”

  Jace eyed him keenly, “I am no longer considered an apprentice then?”

  Baye shook his head, “neither of the Brethren nor of the Shadow, you are a full member of both now lad.” He grinned, “even if it means doing exactly as your sister tells you.” Jace rolled his eyes but Baye continued, “you once saw me rid the world of the carcass of a dead lurker; you can now do the same. You can use the light within yourself to move, change, or destroy certain objects. You will also find walls and other physical barriers no obstacle now, just will yourself through them and you can pass like sunshine through an open window. You can also hide from casual sight if you so wish. Obviously you’ll need to practice these new skills but they will be quite useful now that you must venture forth alone.”

  Jace grinned, “can they hide me indefinitely from my sister?”

  Baye laughed, “I am afraid not lad.”

  Jace sobered, a thoughtful look in his eyes, said he, “what happened? I thought death and mortality were behind me. I thought our Master’s light could never be quenched.”

  Baye nodded, “they are now truly behind you, but you had things to learn which you couldn’t while imbued with our Master’s power, thus it had to be taken away for a little while that you might learn thereby.” He smiled grimly in remembrance, “it is an uncomfortable feeling to wake up and suddenly find yourself mortal again, to know you will die and death will have its way with you.” He eyed the boy keenly, “it is what everyone outside the Shadow lives and experiences on a daily basis and it is vital that you remember it.”

  Jace shuddered, “it will be a lesson I never forget.”

  Baye nodded, a broad smile on his face, “excellent lad, but now it is time to face your sister.”

  Jace groaned, “this will likely be a lesson I never forget either.” Baye grinned all the more and the boy frowned, “what is so funny?”

  Baye chuckled, “you get to introduce the Shadow of the Unicorn to your sister, at least as much as she is allowed to know.” Jace groaned all the more.

  Jace saw a few faces he vaguely recognized amongst his comrades as they entered the city and rode towards the castle, but no one he once knew well. The city seemed unchanged, save perhaps a little more crowded and the outlying district was perhaps a little larger, but it was the same familiar Astoria. The guards on the castle gates let them pass unhindered, they gave a nod of greeting in passing but otherwise focused their attention on the small crowd waiting their turn to enter the castle proper. Jace dismounted as if it had been only yesterday that he had stood thus, but to his sensibilities it very nearly had been. Jared was there to meet them, smiling widely and wearing a new face, but otherwise the same old Jared, said he quite properly, “you would like to see the Lady?”

  Baye nodded, “we would indeed.”

  Jared nodded, “I will see to it at her earliest convenience.” Said he in an undertone, “welcome back lad!” Then he hastened off to see to the fulfillment of his promise.

  As they waited his return, Baye said quietly, “I will accompany you but I think she will wish to speak with you alone.”

  Jace nodded and then sighed in resignation before grinning impishly, “it cannot be worse than what I just went through.”

  Baye nodded, “that’s the spirit lad, she can’t kill you, at least not permanently.”

  Jace sobered at the thought but grinned when he saw Baye’s own smile, said he, shaking his head, “you are no help at all.”

  Baye shrugged, “that is the thanks I get for teaching you everything I know?”

  Jace snorted, “is that why my apprenticeship was so short?”

  Baye raised an eyebrow quizzically but Jared’s return interrupted his witty repartee, said he, “she will see you immediately.” He added quietly, “and I am not sure if she is more eager or furious.” He grinned and returned to his accustomed place near the gate, leaving the pair to find their own way to the Lady’s usual chambers.

  They bowed themselves in quite appropriately and the Lady immediately dismissed Baye before he could say anything. He gaped in surprise but hastily made his bows and departed. Once the door was shut and Jace was alone with his sister, they continued to study one another intensely. Said she at last, “you have not changed in the least!”

  Jace shook his head, “and I won’t, not unless I wish to or must.”

  She frowned at him, “where have you been all this time? And then to just waltz back in as if nothing has happened?”

  He smiled at her, with that grin she found so infuriating, said he, “to me it has been barely a week.”

  She gaped openly at him, “a week! It has been eighty years! Our mother died of old a
ge and I am the Lady of Astoria!” She smiled ruefully, “if you can believe it, I still don’t.” She left her great chair and began pacing before the window, her hands clasped at the small of her back. Then she turned her keen eyes upon him, “I need to know what is going on Jace, with you and Adan and Baye.”

  Jace nodded, “you had best include Hawk and Scamp on your list.” He smiled, “and Jared.”

  She looked up in astonishment, “that servant that tried to kill you when you were comatose? Didn’t he get himself killed in the process?”

  Jace smiled at the memory, said he, “oh, he did get himself killed. We all have, on more than one occasion.”

  She gaped at him anew, “you had best start at the beginning.” She resumed her seat and stared at him, a brief pained look flashed across her face but she soon schooled her features to neutrality, said she, “I thought you long dead, but the Master Himself said you would come and that you would tell me strange things but that I must not seek too much information.” She smiled ruefully, “as I once might have done.” Continued she, pain and joy in her voice, “I thought never to see you again and here you are, walking in as if you haven’t been gone for nearly a century! And now I’m the Lady and we can’t be just brother and sister anymore.”

  Jace nodded, “I know, that was part of the reason for my disappearance: to sever all ties with that which had gone before. I will always love you Brie, but things cannot be as they were.”

  She bowed her head in sad acceptance of facts to which she had already resigned herself, said she, “what is it you have embroiled yourself in?”

  A sudden thought occurred to him and he thought to practice one of the new skills Baye had broached. He thought intently and suddenly there came a flash of light and two aged volumes rested in his hands. Brie gaped anew, which was becoming a bad habit this day. He handed the books to her and said, “this is where it all began. Read the stories and they will give you some idea of what this is all about. I will tell you what I can, but it will never satisfy you.”

  She sighed mournfully, “I know,” but she eyed the books eagerly.

  It was his turn to pace, said he as he walked up and down, “it is called the Shadow of the Unicorn, my Lady, for we are very servants of the Master yet must live and act in secret, our existence known to none but you and ourselves. We possess various skills and traits that enable us to successfully accomplish missions that even the best of the Messengers cannot hope to survive, but the price of our service is that we must live apart from other men, even our Brothers and comrades though we serve the same Master.”

  Brie asked incredulously, “you cannot marry?” Jace shook his head. The Lady shook her own and rolled her eyes, “no wonder my love life was such a disaster! Every man I ever fell for was destined for such a life.” She smiled grimly, “but then the Lady of Astoria rarely marries, so I suppose things have worked out for the best.” She motioned for him to continue.

  Jace obliged her, “while you may assign us tasks to accomplish, the most dire and dangerous known amongst the Brethren, we also receive our orders from Jared or even the Master Himself. We may seem defiant or mysterious at times, but can never betray or disrespect you, Lady. But there are some things to which you will never be privy.”

  “That’s it?” asked she as Jace quit his pacing and stood calmly before her.

  He shrugged sheepishly, as if they were still Students together, “that is all I may convey at the moment.”

  She sighed and nodded, “quite fascinating, really,” her smile grew impish and for a moment she was a simple girl again, “I may have to find you some such horrid mission just to see what you can accomplish?”

  Jace bowed deeply, “you have but to speak my Lady.”

  She frowned, “what really happened with those that kidnapped me? Baye said you survived the mission but I begin to think otherwise.”

  Jace grinned proudly, “there is still no hiding anything from you, little sister.” She flashed him an annoyed glance but let the remark pass, as they were alone. Continued he, highly amused, “you are correct, though Baye technically told the truth. You were captured by minions of a practitioner of blood magic and they needed your blood, or ours, they did not care which as long as it was one of the Brethren, to complete their fell rites, though due to our curious nature, our blood had the opposite effect to that which they had intended. Needless to say, it was not pleasant but everything worked out for the best.”

  She frowned, “you are telling me you can survive death?”

  He bowed, “it is not so much surviving as waking up.” She sat back in her chair, her thoughtful smile enough to send a chill down Jace’s spine. She gave him a bland look but could not hide the eagerness in her eyes, which boded ill for Jace and his compatriots. Before dismissing him, she asked thoughtfully, “I suppose it would be foolish to try apprenticing anyone with you?”

  Jace shivered, “aye Lady, just ask Hawk how he fared under such an arrangement; it was not pretty.”

  She nodded as he made his bows and withdrew, strangely relieved that the interview had gone so well. Baye met him without and asked with a grin, “you survived?”

  Jace laughed, “don’t look so surprised. Now what do I do as I no longer have a mentor to order me about every waking moment?”

  Baye smiled, “what any of the Brethren do between assignments: brush up on our skills and knowledge, teach, catch up with old friends, rest...”

  Jace nodded, “rest? Now there’s an idea!”

  Baye laughed, “after what you have been through of late, I would think that would be a good idea.” He sobered, “it is not of physical rest that I speak lad, at least not in your case.”

  The boy nodded, knowing his friend spoke wisely. He asked brightly, “who, besides yourself and Jared, is still running about the keep?”

  Baye said thoughtfully, “Hawk is the new swordmaster, well relatively new I should say, as he’s been at it the last forty years or so. The others are out on assignment.”

  Jace nodded, “what is it we actually do? How often do we actually have an assignment?”

  They settled on a bench under a spreading elm upon the great, walled-in lawn, as Baye replied with a smile, “you really have no idea what a ‘typical’ assignment is for the Shadow, do you? Or even for one of the Brethren! Your whole career has been one impossible scenario after another, but perhaps things will settle down for a time and you can figure out what ‘normal’ is, if there is such a thing in our profession. Most often we are chasing down one member of the Brotherhood or another or investigating the disappearance of one of our colleagues. Sometimes the Lady finds us some impossible political situation to rectify or a mission of dire urgency that needs our attention. It never gets dull, that is for certain.”

  Jace suddenly changed the subject, “how long has my sister been Lady of Astoria?”

  Baye grinned, “about a week.”

  Jace gaped and then laughed proudly, “she will do well then.”

  Baye nodded, “they always do, the Master never chooses ill.” He stood then, studying the boy intently, a proud light in his eyes, “I will find you later and we can catch up, but I have a prior engagement; I think you would benefit from a chat with our new swordmaster.”

  Jace grinned, “is that an order?”

  Baye laughed, “nay lad, only a suggestion. But I suppose I can still order you about, as you are the youngest and least experienced of the Shadow.”

  Jace frowned as he stood, “but I thought I was recruited before Adan and certainly before Hawk.”

  Baye smiled, “you forget that you’ve been gone a very long time and they’ve been through a lot in the interim. You are barely out of your apprenticeship.”

  Jace stood with a sigh, “I suppose you are right.”

  Baye clapped him on the shoulder, “easy lad, these things matter little in the grand scheme of things. Give it a few centuries and it won’t matter at all.”

>   As this realization sunk in, Jace exclaimed, “a few centuries! I cannot even fathom one!”

  Baye grinned, “aye lad, one day you will, one day you will.” He nodded in farewell and vanished out the door, Jace following slowly after, as this great revelation of just how long he might endure in such a service sank in. Baye headed for the city but Jace made his way to the weapons yard, hoping to find Hawk.