Clan Green Bear
Wizards of White Haven
Book Two
Frances Howitt
Copyright © 2013 Frances Howitt
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my husband for his willingness to toss ideas around and my father for being my editorial backstop. This book would not be the same without you, thank you.
Table of Contents
1. Surprises
2. After the Event
3. Making Windows
4. Unexpected Changes
5. Relations
6. Uncertain Welcome
7. Winter Travels
8. Northwalt
9. Cassy
10. Repercussions
11. A Shocking Turn
12. Ebony
13. The Question
14. The Return
15. White Haven
16. Building Fences
17. New Arrivals
18. Bomb
19. Decisions
20. Preparations
21. Seek Them Out
22. An Unexpected Visit
23. Trapped
24. Parental Visit
25. Lord Trent’s Arrival
26. The Wedding
27. A Reckoning
Epilogue
1. Surprises
Wizard Headmaster Jim grinned, noticing his usually elegant friend, Lord Commander Drako, was sprawled casually before the recreation room’s roaring fire. Drako and his weary ruddy faced hunters had commandeered the best places and draped themselves limply across the most comfortable chairs. They had just returned from hunting, necessitating a dawn start and trudging for hours through deep unbroken snow. Their coats lay in an untidy heap and their damp clothes and boots were now quietly steaming. He joined them, listening as they related their success in pheasants and small game whilst lamenting the near miss of a stag. Jim congratulated them sincerely; the school kitchens could use anything they contributed, whether it was meat, nuts or berries. All were welcome in the lean months of winter, especially when they had to cater for so many newcomers.
‘By the way,’ Jim interjected to Drako during a lull in their conversations. ‘I’ve set aside some plots for you and your hunters at the village. Let Jasper know what style of homes you’d like him to design. I thought your wolves would prefer to be together, and close to you, but if there’s anywhere else you prefer to be, let me know.’
‘You mean the new lane?’ Drako asked, recovering his tongue.
‘Yes. You seem to like the hill and the head man ought to have a prominent spot,’ Jim said, enjoying Drako’s shock. Drako had asked for nothing for himself whilst tirelessly working on his people’s behalf. The brand new village they were building, at the edge of the school grounds, was taking shape nicely despite the bitter winter weather. Drako’s people were no longer terrified and homeless refugees. Jim fully intended to do what he could to reward Drako’s selflessness.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ Drako said softly.
‘I know. That’s why I reserved some proper space for you before it was all gone.’ Jim suddenly faltered and frowned. ‘It’s just occurring to me that you might have another reason for your reluctance to speak up for yourself. Are you ambivalent on settling here?’
‘That’s not it at all,’ Drako assured quickly. ‘My father will probably disapprove, but I want to stay. I like it here and I really want a home of my own.’
Jim’s worry evaporated. ‘I thought so,’ he said simply.
‘Thank you,’ Freddie, Drako’s second in command, and the alpha of the pack of wolf-men, said. The wolves were Drako’s security force and they had not been able to speak up until their lord had made his decision to stay. Because Drako had felt obliged to accept communal bunking until his people had settled, they had had to do so as well.
Jim watched them rush off to have a look at the area chosen for them, suddenly full of excitement at the thought of choosing a plot for a home of their own. Jim respected these men. They had aided and fought for him in battle and each had suffered injuries as a result. Ensuring they would soon have homes of their own, and privacy after months of sharing, was one way he could prove he had their welfare in mind and repay their support.
Amelie put her arms around Jim. ‘You’ve just made their day.’
‘I know. Feels good, doesn’t it?’
‘Did you really think Drako might not have wanted to stay?’ she asked.
‘I knew he wanted to stay. It was more a question of whether he had other commitments that would have prevented it. He did say his father was likely to disapprove.’
‘That village wouldn’t be the same without him. His people look to him constantly and if he left I’m not sure what they’d do,’ Amelie said thoughtfully.
‘I know. That’s why I want to make sure he has a place of his own that’s appropriate to his rank, but which will also suit him personally. He gives little away about what he wants for himself, aside from a partner to share his life with.’
‘He’s envious of what we have together,’ she agreed. ‘But there’s not much we can do about that, aside from make him welcome. Building him a cosy home will go a long way to easing his heart. He needs a refuge as much as, or maybe even more than, his people. They look to him to provide for them, but no-one thinks of his needs and happiness.’
‘Let’s give Jasper the heads up and see what he comes up with in the way of designs,’ Jim said. ‘Have you gleaned any idea of what building styles Drako likes?’
‘Some. You’re always doing the building work so can’t watch his reactions. Of course, he may already have something in mind for that site. He’s spent quite a lot of time up there watching.’
‘True. We’ll draw up some alternatives for him to choose from then,’ Jim agreed and they headed for the small, previously unused classroom Jasper was using for designing the village. It was taking most of his spare time, but he obviously enjoyed doing it and his designs were good.
Jim and Amelie entered the room and looked about them. Every wall had big sheets pinned up depicting a three dimensional building exterior in fine detail. Some had separate sheets beside them with interior layouts, Jim noted in surprise. Usually he only saw the plans when they were en-route to the building-site to start work.
‘Hi Jasper. Wow, you really get a feel for the scale of the work we’ve been doing when it’s all laid out like this. Did you do these interior plans too?’ Jim asked feeling a different touch to them.
‘No, that’s Cassy’s work. She has a real knack for it, doesn’t she?’
‘Are you two together then?’
‘No. I don’t think she’s ever noticed me,’ Jasper said with a small shrug. ‘She stopped by one day when the office was full and one of the villagers asked for her help. She just handled it,’ he added, his surprised admiration apparent. ‘I now get her to design the interiors when we’re asked for it. She’s much better at it than me, to be quite honest.’
‘Well, I’m just glad you’ve got some help. I was wondering if all this would be turning into a chore,’ Jim added.
‘No, I really enjoy doing it. It’s not at all like most school projects, that require lots of in-depth work, but which you know will never become real. Here, I get to see my creations come to life. I also know people are going to be living in something I’ve designed, for years to come. Having said that
, I admit I’m not keen on planning the interiors though; they’re too fiddly and you have to work closely with the people involved to get a feel for what they truly want and would use the space for. That sort of interaction is Cassy’s forte. She seems able to get clear pictures from people, even when they digress, or become distracted, or simply don’t know,’ Jasper rolled his eyes.
‘I’ve just spoken with Drako and his hunters,’ Jim advised. ‘They’re down at the village looking at their plots on the new lane at the moment, so I imagine they’ll be here soon.’
‘Thanks for the warning,’ Jasper said glancing around him. ‘I’d better clear some space.’ He eyed his walls festooned with plans and hastily began moving some closer together to make space for those still on the table.
‘How do you draw these plans?’ Amelie asked. They did not look drawn by hand.
Jasper pulled a small scrap of paper over. ‘Visualise something clearly in your head, a scene or object. Then transfer the image, ask the image to show itself on the paper.’
Amelie frowned wondering if she understood but closed her eyes. Under her hand, resting on the paper, a dragon suddenly appeared. Every detail of scales, the shades of green, with darker stripes on the paler legs and belly, were clear.
Jasper gasped seeing the extremely lifelike tiny dragon rustle its wings in agitation and turn its head to look at them. Eyes glittering like emeralds, the creature snarled revealing sharp white fangs. He was glad the creature was only fist-sized and had not manifested itself full-size.
‘Release him immediately,’ Jim said hastily. ‘You might have made a connection to the real creature that he can feel.’
‘He might think I’m calling to him?’ Amelie asked nervously.
‘He has plenty of magic of his own. He might feel this.’
Amelie looked again at Stripe. He did seem to be looking back at her and he was no longer snarling. The head abruptly tilted to one side in an expectant listening pose, almost as though he recognised her.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to reach out to you,’ she whispered and released the image. She had a sudden impression of resistance however. Had she truly somehow reached and actually connected to his mind? Dragons did communicate telepathically. Was Stripe now reaching for her? Was there a link between them that he was trying to keep open? He gave every indication of looking back at her with his complete attention as though waiting for her to speak. Tension was in his pose, but he no longer seemed angry. For the umpteenth time she wondered how the dragonets, his children, fared. It would be stupid however, to deepen the connection sufficiently to ask Stripe. He might misconstrue her interest in their wellbeing and perhaps seek her out. Leaving two-week-old dragonets, that she had cared for since their hatching, after their mother died, had been one of the most emotionally difficult things she had ever had to do. Persuading him she could not stay to raise them had also been difficult, particularly as he knew she truly cared about them.
‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured again and with mixed feelings of guilt and anxiety, she closed down the link and since it was her own spell, her will prevailed, and the paper went blank.
‘That was a real living dragon?’ Jasper whispered.
‘Yes. I met him when I was in dragon form. He thought I was a real dragon! Flying as a dragon is amazing,’ she added wistfully. She realised Jim was watching her, his expression unreadable. She turned and gazed out the window clearing her mind and concentrating on her impressions of Drako. This time she was careful to create an image containing inanimate things only on the large sheet Jasper slid before her.
‘Oh that’s interesting,’ Jasper said of the highly detailed house design. ‘You’d see that suiting Drako?’
‘As a home, yes,’ Amelie said, breathing a small sigh of relief that she had done nothing else wrong. ‘I was thinking it might be better to have a village hall or something down near the market square for official business. His house ought to have an office, but be primarily a private home. He’s a bear remember, he’s not the ostentatious sort. What had you in mind?’
Jasper frowned, considering her thoughts: but surely, a leader who was also a Lord’s son, ought to have a more formal residence. He concentrated and a very different building emerged on the paper under his hands.
‘Hi Cassy,’ Amelie said seeing her enter the room.
‘What are you working on?’ Cassy asked curiously, glancing at the three gathered around the table.
‘Drako’s place,’ Amelie told her and noted her sudden interest.
‘He’s chosen a place?’ Cassy asked in surprise.
‘Jim created a plot for him on the hill. He’s just told him about it and he almost ran down there,’ Amelie laughed.
‘That spot will suit him,’ Cassy nodded, well aware that was where he always gravitated to at the village. She glanced at the plan Jasper had done then spotted a completely different one slightly underneath it. She pulled it out and looked it over. ‘Did you draw this?’ she asked Amelie, who nodded.
‘For Drako?’
‘Yes. What do you think?’ Amelie asked her.
‘It’s lovely,’ Cassy enthused. ‘I love the big verandas wrapping around three sides. He is an outside kind of person. I can just see chairs and a table out there in the summer. Can I add that?’
‘Go ahead,’ Amelie said, curious of what Cassy would do.
‘I can see this place so clearly,’ Cassy murmured. Drako’s favourite corner of the hilltop plot was the far right, which overlooked a wide panoramic vista of village below, the expansive parkland divided by the main driveway to the left, and on up to the school buildings half a mile behind. At this right-hand corner, she drew a three-seater swing suspended on chains from the veranda roof above. She could not resist adding the outlines of substantial wooden furniture on the veranda alongside the swing. People surrounded him constantly; he would need space for entertaining visitors and thus she widened the veranda on the sidewall to a broad deck accordingly. She pulled a fresh sheet of paper over and only a few moments later the ground floor walls were set out. A room at a time she added architectural details. To the left of the front central door was a room she labelled office. Behind it was an L-shaped guestroom and a small washroom accessed from the hall. The remaining space to the left was the kitchen area, which spread across the back of the house, linking to the dining room to the right. The rest of the space on the front right half of the house was a spacious living area with an inglenook fireplace and a broad curving staircase up. There were double doors to the side veranda, a door from the kitchen in the rear wall and of course the front door. Lifting her head from her planning trance to see what she’d done, she realised the plan had even included her visualisation of furniture placement, although she’d included them as pale grey suggested shapes rather than solid and detailed fixtures.
‘I’ve never seen you design someone’s house so quickly or in so much detail,’ Jasper commented. ‘You haven’t even asked what he actually wants.’
‘I know; Amelie’s design inspired me,’ Cassy said airily. She glanced out the window sensing strong animus presences approaching. Sure enough, there was Drako walking quietly but accompanied by four men who all seemed to be talking and gesticulating animatedly. There was a tranquillity about him, even accompanied by excited people, that was remarkable and calming.
‘I must go,’ Cassy said quickly. ‘I’ve got masses of work to do. Jasper you will let me know if they need me?’
‘Yes, but what about finishing my design?’ Jasper asked peevishly.
‘If he likes it, I’ll come and do that, of course,’ Cassy said quickly, already heading for the door.
‘Aren’t you going to wait and hear what he thinks of these designs?’ Amelie asked her in surprise.
‘No, it’s your design,’ Cassy said and hurried out the door.
‘Wonder what that was all about,’ Amelie mused, noticing Cassy’s sudden tension and nervousness coupled with her hasty departure. The door opened
moments later, and Drako and his men entered. There was suddenly no doubt in Amelie’s mind that Cassy was avoiding Drako deliberately. That was most odd; Drako rarely upset anyone, especially women.
‘Hi Drako. Had a good look round?’ Jim asked and Drako nodded. ‘So, do you like the plot position? Or would you rather it was somewhere else?’
‘No, what you’ve chosen will do nicely,’ Drako said with studied casualness, although he was unsure how Jim had known he had his heart set on that particular spot.
‘Jasper and Amelie have each come up with a house design for you, but if you’ve something else in mind please say.’ Jim handed him the two sheets without saying which was which.
Drako examined the two very different exterior pictures, still struggling to believe people were thinking of his desires and wellbeing. He put one sheet down quickly and stared at the other. He would never have been able to think up such a beautiful place. As he turned the sheet, the three-dimensional view altered to show the side and then the rear as though he was looking at a solid scale model. Amelie silently handed him another sheet and he absently sat down, entranced, with the two sheets side by side before him. ‘You drew this? For me?’ he whispered.
‘You like it?’ Amelie asked him. ‘I don’t know what you had in mind, style-wise, so please say if there is something else you’d prefer?’
‘No, I like this.’
‘Excellent. Is there anything you would want to alter? It could be built in different materials of course which would change the look.’
‘No, it’s perfect just as it is,’ Drako said quickly. ‘Did you do this plan of the inside too? The magic feels different.’ He had an impression of a light feminine touch to the design. The magic in the plan meant the view of each room zoomed in as he concentrated on it and altered as though he stood inside looking around a real structure. It was simply amazing to behold, particularly as this beautiful house was to be his private home. After two years of tents and communal living, he was more than ready to settle in one place; make a home. Frankly, anywhere safe would have done, but every detail in the plan pleased his eye and soothed his spirit. Now he had seen it, he wanted it, now. Bitter experience tempered his hope of these plans ever turning into reality. Frequently given a glimpse of a reprieve, only to have his hopes cruelly dashed at the last moment, he was wary of getting too excited. White Haven felt the safest place he had come across in years, for all of them. The school grounds were extensive, private and surrounded by a high wall. However, it was having a school full of young wizards as neighbours that was the biggest bonus, because his people’s magical signature was thus easier to disguise from the authority’s notice.
Clan Green Bear: Wizards of White Haven Page 1