by Karen Garvin
“Well I…”
“No.” Dr. Kipling looked into Prince Andrew’s eyes. “You do not have the influence either.”
Prince Andrew growled to himself and flopped into the chair he’d been in before. He knew Dr. Kipling was right. He just didn’t want to believe it. How could the eldest son of the King and Queen of Donostia have no power? Because this is Seguribar, and magi heritage does not count here, he could hear his chaperone say. Where in Iturria was Mr. Winston? Not that the prince minded being on his own right now. Still hadn’t the man been charged with keeping him safe?
“So, what can I do?” Being powerless did not make Prince Andrew happy. “He saved my life when he threw that bag.” And, the prince remembered, he had collapsed and twitched just like now. More of the same odd technological magic? “I have to repay him somehow.”
“Well, you can replace the broken supplies.”
“That’s not enough!” Prince Andrew pounded his leg and winced. “I will of course replace the supplies,” he moderated himself, “but surely there must be something else I can do. He saved my life!” He looked to the doctor pleadingly.
Dr. Kipling sat at his desk and leaned upon his elbows, his fingers steeping before him. “Well, I suppose there are two options.”
*****
Life moved forward at Dr. Kipling’s after Prince Andrew left. Left to go where, Herbert didn’t know. The doctor said nothing about the supplies that had been broken. Yet each time Herbert saw the medicine bag with its purple stain he felt guilty and concerned. Guilty for having thrown the bag, concerned because the events on the train didn’t make sense.
The plans that Prince Andrew had chased after had been blank. No one else had been robbed that Herbert heard of. He was certain Dr. Kipling would have shared such news. There was the leader’s claim that they didn’t take nicely to those who didn’t know their place. And even the police officer had mentioned Prince Andrew was here under special circumstances. If someone disliked the fact that the prince hadn’t been fostered they were going through a lot of trouble to let him know.
But what could Herbert say? What could he do? No one could remove the do-not-tell command, because he couldn’t tell them which part of the phrasing had taken. He didn’t have much time to ponder it, either, as he took on more of Mrs. Abbot’s duties. Mrs. Abbot, in turn, took on nursing Mrs. Kipling as the wasting disease continued to weaken her.
A fortnight after the train’s events, Dr. Kipling beckoned Herbert to follow him into the office. He gestured for Herbert to sit as he moved around his desk. Herbert perched upon a chair, folding his hands into his lap. Dr. Kipling lowered himself into his seat and stared for a moment at the big black ledger of income and expenses. Heaving a huge sigh the doctor shut it.
“We cannot keep you over the winter, Herbert, as much as we wish to.” He looked up, his eyes moist. “You do not belong with the fosters. And I fear what assignment they will give you with this incident on your record.” Herbert bowed his head and looked to the floor. “Why did you take such a risk? Surely you know the consequences of such actions by now?”
“Instinct?” Herbert glanced up, knowing that answer wouldn’t satisfy the doctor.
“Take your time to explain.” Dr. Kipling leaned back. “I know you must choose your words carefully.”
Herbert pondered, eyes on the dark wood desk. “My… my birther and her husband.” He glanced up and then back down. “They were employed to protect… Andrew and his… others.” So far, he’d avoided using any of the trigger words that kept fosters from talking about their past life and family. “I was trained to also do so, by them.”
Dr. Kipling nodded. “Does he know this?”
Herbert shook his head. His parents had kept him away from Prince Andrew and his younger brother, Prince Travis. Instead, they taught Herbert to be a protector from the shadows. We’ll introduce you once we know your skills, they’d told him. But Herbert had never been able to cast a spell, so he’d been sent here to be a foster.
“And how did you recognize him?”
“Taste the grapes of my wrath.” Herbert smiled at the memory. “I only know one person who says that.” He looked up.
Dr. Kipling chuckled. “It is a unique …”
The bell clanged at the door, ringing incessantly. Mr. Abbot flung it open as Herbert and the doctor rose, ready for an emergency.
“I have got it!” Prince Andrew bounded in. “You said it would be impossible,” he beamed, “but I have got it!”
Herbert blinked as the prince turned to address him.
“You are officially free!” Prince Andrew handed Herbert a rolled scroll. “You are no longer a foster. Ha!” He turned to Dr. Kipling. “Money is worth something, though I shall miss my visits to Upper Leore.”
“He is still marked as a foster by his bracelet,” the doctor cautioned. “They will not take that off.”
Prince Andrew waved his hands as if such a little detail didn’t matter. Herbert wasn’t so sure. The papers looked official. But papers were easily destroyed. And what did a free foster do? Dr. Kipling was right. He would be marked forever, the bracelet sealed to his wrist with a spell only a magi could counter. And he knew of no magi in Seguribar who would or could. At least, if he remembered from his extended time with Alc. Wakefield, the bracelet would lose potency. It was recharged with enough energy to kill you only at the Foster Palace, which is why they collected fosters every so often to redistribute them. It was also why they charged so much to allow someone to keep a foster for longer. Iturria forbid that a foster forgot his place and wasn’t punished for it.
“So…” Prince Andrew rocked upon his heels before Herbert. Herbert looked up. “What do you say to becoming my personal valet and physician? We will have to remain down in Lower Leore, but it is much more Donostian down there.”
It was hard not to catch Prince Andrew’s enthusiasm. Herbert had only vague recollections of Lower Leore from his passage through it seven years ago. They would have to remain there. Was that a condition of Prince Andrew freeing Herbert, or was it the result of the train incident? Still it was likely to hold less danger for a free foster than staying on the Segurian Plateau. And, Herbert realized, it would allow him to protect the prince as he’d been trained. Though, perhaps, not in the way his parents had hoped.
Herbert glanced to Dr. Kipling. The man nodded and Herbert looked back towards the expectant prince. “Yes.”
Prince Andrew clapped Herbert on the back. “Excellent! Go get your things. We must make Great Lift’s last run down the cliff.”
The authors would like to thank their writing group, which formed from the energy of National Novel Writing Month
(NaNoWriMo.org). Without the dedication and support of our group we might not have completed stories, let alone figured
out how we wanted to publish them. We’d also like to thank each other for the collaborative effort that’s gone into forming
Corrugated Sky Publishing LLC and this book, our second anthology.
Cathryn Leigh would like to thank Protagonize, and one of its contests, for taking what had originally been a simple Cinderella
story and turning it into so much more. More thanks go to her beta readers of “Unearthing Magic” for liking Herbert enough to
make her want to write more about him. She’d also like to thank her husband and children who try to give her room to write and
to all of her family and friends who believe that she can.
Karen Garvin would like to thank her husband for putting up with being peppered with yet more harebrained ideas for stories and for providing some much-needed perspective on plot points.
JC Rock is an IT professional from rural Virginia who has been writing on the side for more years than he would like to
mention. He has several books available on Amazon and other retailers. When he’s not on the road for work, he’s usually fighting his four cats for the comfy chair. You can find out more about JC on his website at
www.jcrockbooks.com and follow him on Twitter @jcrockbooks.
Karen Garvin has a master’s degree in history and works full time as a copy editor. She does freelance writing on a wide range of historical topics and is working on several novels and nonfiction projects, including a book on Victorian detectives and detective fiction. She is a Steampunk afiionado and avid Victorianist, with one foot in the nineteenth century and one in
the twenty-fi rst century. Forget the fl ying car; where’s her airship? Read Karen’s blog Focal Plane at https://ksgarvin.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter@ksgarvin.
Michelle Schad is a short-story author and upcoming novelist. She has work appearing in Bards and Sages online fiction magazine and now in Corrugated Sky’s Black Dog anthology. When not entertaining others with words, she is a tamer of chaos created by her husband, four children, and too many pets. You can stay in touch via Twitter at @ChelleSchad.
Cathryn Leigh likes to experiment in different creative mediums. So far, sewing and writing are the successful ones. Of course, she must balance these with marital bliss, motherhood, and a full-time day job. She uses the skills she’s praised for at work (organized and thorough) to craft worlds for her stories. Stories of stronger-than-they-think women, inspired by her maternal New England heritage. “Freedom for a Foster,” however, focuses on two young men, who become key in the drafted novel
“Unearthing Magic” (planned release—unknown).
Other titles from Corrugated Sky
Tales of the Black Dog
by Cathryn Leigh, JC Rock, Karen Garvin, and Michelle Schad
Sightings of black dogs go back for centuries and are found in the folklore of many cultures from around the world. In some
legends the dogs are harbingers of death, while in others they are protectors. This anthology of four short stories provides
a modern take on these ancient legends, and includes Luison by Cathryn Leigh; Carolina by JC Rock; Inn of the Black Dog by
Karen Garvin; and Black Dog Asylum by Michelle Schad.
Tales of the Black Dog is available from Amazon in paperback and ebook versions.
Visit the Corrugated Sky website at www.corrugatedsky.com/ and sign up for our Twitter feed @corrugatedsky to stay connected. Be sure to like us on Facebook.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Dedication
Wings Over Staria - JC Rock
Hekatite - Karen Garvin
Heart of the Matter - Michelle Schad
Freedom for a Foster - Cathryn Leigh
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Other Books