The Darkness at the Edge of Noon: a Thalassia novel

by Patrick McClafferty

  “Sir, yes, sir!” Tiana called back over her shoulder as the two left at a run.

  An hour before sunset the two overloaded soldiers staggered back into the camp.

  “We gots us a side o beef, Logan.” Grady gasped, puffing.

  “And this!” Tiana chimed in brightly, setting down several full wineskins on the ground.

  “Well, now.” Megan picked up one skin, popped the top and took a long pull. Her face lit. “Well now indeed. It will be a nice night.”

  Logan gently took the wineskin from her hands, and picked up the ones from the ground. “We can have a drink just before we play. One drink. We can have the rest when we finish. Tonight we have a twelve tune set, so get ready.” There were groans from all around. “Check the strings on your instruments, and your drums for tightness.”

  “Yes, mother.” Someone grumbled.

  Perhaps it had been the one drink that turned into one wineskin before they began, and perhaps they were just getting better. The dozen tunes went by in a rush, and before they knew it they were putting their instruments away after another rousing evening of music.

  Bel touched his arm. “Logan, don’t look now but we have company coming.”

  He swung his gaze to the darkness, and saw the huge shape of the Zzzkntti walking slowly toward the fire. The eyes caught the reflection of the flames and looked like burning coals. It seemed to be holding something in its hands, and it was approaching very slowly. Logan swallowed the dust that was suddenly in his throat, stood, and dropped his sword belt to the ground with a clatter. Silence descended around the fire.

  He took a step toward the approaching Zzzkntti, and then another. Hair stood up on the back of his neck. The seven foot monster gently handed him a musical instrument of some sort. It was long and skinny, very similar to Megan’s tambura. Two of the six strings were broken.

  Logan took the offered instrument warily and looked at it. The shape was odd, and it was evident that it had never been designed for human hands. He turned and handed it back to Megan. “Megan. See if you can fit your tambura strings to this, and then tune it, as quickly as you can.”

  Her eyes were big. “Sure thing, Logan.” She began digging in her pack, frantically. She pulled out her spare strings and began to string and tune the strange instrument with shaking hands. In a few moments she handed it back to Logan.

  He held the thing gingerly, then placed his fingers on the frets and strummed a familiar chord. The sound was deep and melodious, and the Zzzkntti let out a low moan. He placed the repaired instrument in the creature’s hands.

  The Zzzkntti stared at Logan for a long time, and then its mouth began to work. “Thak yu.” The voice was hoarse and guttural, but understandable. It gave Logan a short jerky bow, before it turned and disappeared back into the dark woods. Logan stood there, staring, unable to comprehend the enormity of what he had just seen and heard.

  “Did I just hear what I thought I heard?” Maeve’s voice was excited.

  Logan just nodded, still too stunned to speak. “Whhhh.” He still couldn’t get it out. “Whhhh.” Maeve put her ear closer to his mouth. “Whhhhere’s the bloody friggin wine!” He thought to himself. Maeve began to laugh, and the rest of the evening passed without further incident

  “Logan!” There was a hand roughly shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to stare into Grady’s unshaved face. “Logan. You’d better come and see this.” A hand was pulling insistently at his arm.

  “All right, already. I’m getting up.” He struggled to his feet. He wished he hadn’t drunk so much wine the night before, but at the time it seemed the appropriate thing to do. “What is it, Grady?” The man seemed to be racing across the meadow. “Didn’t they want the side of beef?”

  “Oh, yeah.” There was laughter in Grady’s voice. “But they left something in return.”

  Logan stopped and looked up into the deep brown eyes of a jet black stallion. He reached out, somewhat hesitantly, and stroked the animal’s neck. It whickered gently and pushed against his hand.

  Was Jade’s first comment.

  Logan reached out and touched the saddle curiously.

 

 

 

 

  Jade interrupted him.

  Logan’s answer was somewhat dubious.

  She paused for a second.

  He had been about to swing his foot into the stirrup, but now he paused.

 

  They rode around the meadow for a while, Logan’s head pounding in time with his horse’s steps. The animal kept trying to break into a run, frisking against his reins.

  “Enthusiast.” Logan grumbled sourly. Finally, with a pat on the black neck, he gave the animal his head, and they were off in a shot. Logan clung desperately at first, and then with growing excitement and not a little wonder. He’d never experienced anything like this before; the feeling of flowing across the meadow on a magnificently powerful being. He laughed into the wind and the stallion, responding to his wishes, put his sleek head down and lunged into a full gallop.

  They circled the meadow twice before Logan brought the horse to a shuddering halt next to the small camp.

  Jade said helpfully.

  Logan led the steaming animal to the stream.

  The squad had come up to stare in wonder at the strange animal. In all the years he could remember Logan had never seen anything like it. Considering that they lived underground, it was no small wonder.

  Aileen touched the muscled neck almost reverently. “The Zzzkntti brought you this?” There was awe in her voice.

  “Before you get too sentimental, look at the saddle. It was designed to fit a human backside. Think for a moment, about what happened to the rider.” Logan was brutally direct. “We’ve come a long way with the Zzzkntti, but although we have a temporary truce, I still don’t trust them. We’re going to have to a go a lot further in our relationship, before I trust them.” There were nods all around. “Now, I think that we should pack up.” He looked at the horse in some consternation. “You, my friend,” he said, addressing the horse, “are going to make quite a stir in Medin, I’ll tell you.” He laughed out loud. “The kids will love you.” Still laughing he touched his hand to his medallion. “Ahh, Rhiannon? Are you there?”

 

  “We would like to come home, but we have a problem.”

  there was curiosity in her voice.

  “Pretty big, I’d say. The Zzzkntti gave me a horse.” There was dead silence. “Rhiannon? Nan?”

  Her perfect voice sounded stunned.

  “Yup. We repaired their version of a tambura, gave them an impromptu concert and fed them. Their leader said ‘thank you,’ and showed his appreciation by leaving me the horse.”

 

  “And the horse?”

 

  “Oh?”

 

  “Oh, dear.” Logan was chuckling. “He works fast, I see.”

  Rhiannon was trying to sound despondent.

  “Would you h
ave them return to the way they were?”

 

  There was an inexplicable lump in his throat. “I would love to.” He turned to the waiting squad. “I just had to make arrangements for the horse.” He gave them a weak smile.

  “Is that why your face is so red?” Tiana chimed in, with a wicked little laugh.

  “Let’s go home.” He touched the medallion.

  Eager hands were waiting to lead the wide eyed stallion away, while Logan and the rest of the squad breathed a long sigh of relief just to be home. Although it had only been a few short weeks, it felt like it had been forever since he’d hugged his children. He was amazed to note that they both had grown like weeds. Shucking off his pack, Logan looked out over the small crowd, searching for a certain face. He wanted to introduce Maeve to his children and Rhiannon, but she was nowhere to be seen. Logan shrugged his shoulder in disappointment. She must have already disappeared down a side corridor to visit with her fellow Stirling recruits.

  “Daddy, we missed you.” His arms were suddenly full of children, and he hugged them tightly. Looking over their heads he saw Rhiannon, standing aside, giving him a little free time. “How long will you be here, Daddy?” Kenzie was saying as he held Logan’s hand with a small death grip.

  “Only a couple of days, my boy. Then I’ll have to go back.”

  “What was that animal you brought back?” Kenzie asked breathlessly. “Is that a monster? Does it eat people?”

  “No, it’s not a monster.” Logan laughed. “It’s called a horse. People use them for riding and carrying heavy loads. He’s a vegetarian.” The little boy frowned. “That means he only eats plants.”

  “Oh...”

  A soft hand touched his shoulder, and Rhiannon was there, silently demanding all of his attention. “Hello, Nan.”

  “Hello, Logan.” Her eyes were deep violet pools, and he felt himself falling into those mysterious depths. “I missed ...” She began, but got no further.

  He kissed her; long and hard and right in front of all the rest of the people. He didn’t care. Her lips still tasted of strawberry. He pulled away after a minute, or an hour, and held her at arm’s length. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Rhiannon. I know that it will never work for us, you being a goddess and virtually immortal and me being human, but I don’t care. I’ll take what time...”

  She put a slim finger to his lips, a smile playing at the edges of her mouth. “You talk too much, Logan. I love you too.” Then she kissed him. Vaguely he heard Silvie tell her brother not to bother Mommy and Daddy right now. They were just saying hello, like Mommies and Daddies do.

  The Council table was full. The two goddesses sat on either side of Logan, while the squad filled in on both sides. At the far end sat Tam Kirby, looking splendid in a silver edged cloak, surrounded by other members of his impromptu town council. He looked mildly disgusted when he saw Logan’s glance turn his way.

  “It was my wife’s idea. She said that I ought to look the part of a Mayor, though heaven knows I don’t feel like one.”

  “You’re doing a fine job from what I hear.” Logan grinned at the man. “I may just let you keep the position.”

  Tam frowned, and growled his reply. “You’d better not.”

  Logan’s gaze swept the table. “There have been a few changes since we were here last time. We have actually had friendly contact with the Zzzkntti.” There was a buzz of voices from the council. “I have actually spoken with a Zzzkntti, and one gave me that horse you saw me arrive with.”

  “You actually spoke with a monster? Real words?” A thin Councilwoman with short red hair said abruptly.

  “Real words.” Logan smiled. “He said ‘thank you’ when I fixed a musical instrument for him. Well, actually Megan fixed it, but you know what I mean.” Logan looked at her stunned face. “Music seems to be the key to the Zzzkntti. We’ve had one big fellow following us around for the better part of three weeks. He listens to us play and disappears back into the forest. In some strange way I think that he has been the reason we’ve not been attacked since we arrived back on the beach, some few weeks ago.”

  “You didn’t try to kill him?”

  “No.” Logan gave the woman a hard look. “We won’t solve our problem with indiscriminate killing. We need information, not bodies.” He heard her mutter something about reckless.

  “Now what?” Tam, the ultimate politician, asked the leading question.

  “Now we go back and get more information. I’d like to develop this Zzzkntti to a point that we could actually bring him here to talk with us.”

  There was a babble of angry voices and the hard faces of the Councilmembers turned toward him. A tall woman with graying hair stood up, her face hard and her eyes like ice. “You will not bring any of those creatures here without the express permission of the Council, do you understand me?”

  Logan looked at the woman for a long minute.

 

  Jade was chuckling.

 

  “I understand to you, Madam Councilor.” Logan replied in glacial tones. “I was hired to do a job by Rhiannon and Selene. I am doing that job, to the best of my ability. This job is bigger than you or me or our particular personal foibles. If I think it is in our best interests to bring one or ten or a hundred Zzzkntti right here,” he slammed a palm down on the table, and the woman jumped, “then I will. What I do is critical to the survival of our race.” His look hardened even more. “You aren’t. If you don’t like it here I will see you relocated to the island of Sverd I Fjell. There are no monsters there. All you will have to worry about is the occasional boatload of pirates. Do YOU understand me?” Logan felt a hand on each of his shoulders, calming him, restraining him, but also supporting him. An ethereal glow seemed to surround him and the goddesses at his sides. Around the table he noted eyes widening.

  “I understand.” The Councilwoman whimpered, sitting and scrunching down in her chair.

  Aileen stood up and cleared her throat. “Why don’t we adjourn for lunch? We’ll meet back here in two hours, after tempers have cooled somewhat.” She glanced at Logan and rolled her eyes, as if to say “did you have to do that?”

  Jade murmured sarcastically.

  Logan replied.

 

  Logan mused.

 

  Logan chuckled.

  Jade was silent for some time.

  He leaned back in his chair and stared around the empty room.

 

 

  He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

  Jade was silent for quite some time. She sounded scared. his.>

  < I’ll be right there beside you, Jade, and I’m about the most pragmatic, stubborn, son-of-a-bitch you’ve ever seen. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.> He hoped that he was right.

  Jade couldn’t help a little laugh.

  The Town Council wisely decided not to attend any more staff meetings, assuming instead, that what they didn’t know about couldn’t hurt them.

  “I didn’t see you at lunch.” Rhiannon’s voice was deceptively calm.

  “My appetite left about the same time that councilwoman stood up.” Logan replied dryly. “I’ll have something to eat tonight.”

  “I know.” The red haired goddess was smiling. “I’m cooking dinner for all of us; you, me and the children.”

  “You?” Logan was surprised.

  “Be careful, Logan. Yes, me. I’m a good cook. I’ve been doing it for a long long time. I’ve just never had anyone to cook for besides Selene and myself.”

  “Will Selene be coming to dinner?”

  A hand touched his shoulder and Logan looked up into Selene’s violet eyes. “Selene will not be coming to dinner with you.” The dark haired goddess said in a smug voice. “Padraig Hansen and I will be going down to The Rose for dinner.”

  “Well, now.” Logan raised his eyes.

  “Ahem!” The voice of Tam Kirby clearing his throat cut through the idle conversation. “Shall we continue where we left off?”

  “Always the stickler for protocol. All right, Tam.” Logan chuckled. “If we can get a Zzzkntti up here, can we get this room isolated from the rest of the complex?”

  “That will not be a problem.” Rhiannon murmured, smiling. “Medin can be quite accommodating.”

  “I’m sure.” Logan blushed lightly. “Is there anything in the records about Zzzkntti musicians, or their musical instruments?”

  Selene looked thoughtful. “There was an old text I read once that said the Zzzkntti were accomplished musicians, and had a wide variety of instruments and styles of music. There are no recordings of Zzzkntti music. The only thing we have is that instrument that you repaired. Was there anything special or unusual about it?”