Jake's War, Book Two of Wizards

by Booth, John

  I gave Mr. Griffith a pained look and he laughed.

  “Come on, Jake. Show me around. And don't forget to teach me the language.”

  And older people are always going on about how teenagers don't act mature.

  Our arrival caused some consternation. The guards at the gate must have called for reinforcements because twenty or thirty jittery armed men surrounded the bus. I recognized the Captain of the Guard and waved at him through the windscreen. He shouted to his men and I saw them relax. I got Mr. Griffith to hold out his hand and taught him the language.

  Captain Cari banged on the coach and Mr. Griffith pressed the door button. The Captain jumped back at the unexpected noise as the pneumatic doors folded open.

  “You have brought your caravan with you, Wizard Morrissey. Can we expect giant horses to follow or is it pulled by dragons?”

  I grinned. The Captain was a good guy and I liked him a lot.

  “It pulls itself and you'd better get used to it because I'm going to be moving a lot of wedding guests in it.”

  Captain Cari gave me a sympathetic look. “My wife invited everybody but the beggars in the street to our wedding, and that was only because she didn't have their addresses.”

  “Aren't you going to introduce me, boyo?”

  I smiled at the eagerness in Mr. Griffith's voice. He sounded like a schoolboy on a trip to the seaside.

  I stepped off the coach and bowed low as Mr. Griffith came to the steps.

  “May I introduce my good friend, Mr. Daniel Griffith? Mr. Griffith, this is Willem Cari, Captain of the Palace Guard.”

  The Captain and Mr. Griffith bowed to each other. I should carry a camera because that was something special to see, let me tell you.

  “Jake!”

  Only one person can sound so happy and annoyed at the same time. I turned to see Esmeralda hurrying towards me, hands on tummy to keep the bounce down.

  “Mr. Griffith can I introduce Princess…”

  “Later,” Esmeralda said, sounding worried. “Hop to Urda's room. Something's happened to Anna and we think she's dying.”

  Chapter Twenty-One: Death

  Urda's room was bathed in sunlight and all the windows were wide open creating a hell of a draft. Urda knelt before her bed where the frail form of Anna lay. Behind Urda, Wenna stood wringing her hands nervously and looking upset.

  “What happened?”

  Urda turned to stare at me. Her face was stained and dripping with tears. She gulped and turned back to her sister.

  “I came looking for Urda and found the child on the floor,” Wenna said. She sounded close to tears.

  I stepped past her to the side of the bed and knelt beside Urda. She held her sister's hand and I put my hand above hers so I touched Anna's arm. Her little body was burning up. I looked inside her and saw damage everywhere. Every organ in her body was dying. I could sense Urda repairing the damage at a frantic rate, but even so it was a losing battle.

  “I can't do it, Jake,” she whispered in despair. “It's happening everywhere too fast.”

  Joining in the battle with Urda wasn't going to help. I needed to find the cause.

  “Carry on with what you're doing. I need to think.”

  Sunlight covered the bed, revealing how emaciated Anna was. I used my magic sight but could see nothing magical on her. Then I remembered something.

  “Shut the windows and close the curtains!” I shouted at Wenna.

  She stared at me blankly and then looked stubborn. “Sunlight and air are good for a sick child.”

  I waved my hand and every window in the room slammed shut, I heard glass shatter. I waved again and the curtains wrapped themselves to the frame of the windows blocking out most of the light. Wenna grabbed me by the arm.

  “What are you doing? Stop.”

  I didn't have time for this. “Leave this room now.” Wenna turned and sleepwalked out of the room. I hate using compulsion, but I didn't have the time to explain. I'd apologize to her later.

  Urda was far too wrapped up in keeping her sister alive to notice anything around her. I stared into Anna in the reduced light and saw exactly what I'd feared. The almost invisible glow of The Eating Death spell was upon her.

  “I know what it is, but it's gone so far I don't know if I can fix it. You have to keep her alive while I take the magic off her.”

  Urda nodded, her eyes focused inside her sister and not seeing me. I started to move my hand across Anna's face, removing the despicable magic killing her. It wasn't easy. The magic had travelled inside her and what worked for Fluffy would not work for me now. If I didn't get all of it I might as well not bother.

  I heard the door open behind me, but ignored it. Someone knelt beside me and spoke softly in my ear.

  “What is it, Jake?”

  “The Eating Death.”

  Esmeralda sighed. “I'll secure the door. Good luck.”

  The world around me faded as I moved my hand slowly down Anna's body. We would need to turn her onto her side soon as I had nearly finished all the skin I could reach. Urda was working less effectively as she tired, but on the upside the amount of healing she needed to do was steadily decreasing. It was becoming a tortoise and the hare race. Could I destroy the eating death before Urda ran out of magic to keep Anna alive?

  Urda helped me roll the child on her side and the disease got ahead in the short time that took. From some hidden reserve, Urda beat the illness back. Her breath sounded ragged as though she was running a marathon and I knew she was close to collapse.

  I slid my hand slowly down Anna's spine. Every vertebra stuck out, she was more skeleton than child. It was all so unfair. I called up my reserves; this child had a right to live. How dare somebody take that away from her? Time rolled on, uncaring and remorseless.

  I went over Anna for the third time to make absolutely sure I had got it all. Urda lay on the bed beside her sister, unconscious. I wondered what Inspector Thomas would think if he burst upon this scene. Two unconscious girls, one of them naked and a child, lying helpless as I ran my hands all over her body. They'd probably lock me up and throw away the key. I needed those sorts of thoughts to keep me awake. I giggled insanely as I discovered a small piece of the eating death lurking between Anna's toes. The tiniest sliver of it would kill her. I had to get it all.

  Then it was done and I slumped against the side of the bed and fell asleep.

  “Jake, wake up!”

  I didn't want to wake up. In my dream I stacked piles of wood in Mr. Griffith's woodyard. It was pleasing to see the stacks rise, every plank put exactly where it should be and no one to know it was right but me.

  “Wake up!”

  “Okay, no need to shout.” I fought to open my eyes as Esmeralda leaned over me to get at Urda.

  Esmeralda ignored my protest and shook Urda urgently. We were still in Urda's room, the curtains drawn and from the small gaps between them I saw the sun shining. I couldn't have been asleep all that long.

  Urda struggled to wake up and rubbed at her eyes. Esmeralda seemed satisfied with her efforts and sat down on the only chair in the room.

  “We have only a little time in which to decide what to do. Jake, you told me Anna's sickness was caused by the eating death, which can only be put on someone by a wizard. It makes me shudder to think it could be any one of us next.”

  “No, it's easy to block. I protected everyone in Salice the day we came back from Dragon World.”

  “But not Anna,” Urda said as she stroked her sister's brow. Anna slept peacefully, a half-smile on her lips.

  “Anna wasn't here. It never occurred to me to protect her. I wish I had though.”

  “Then you're wishing her dead,” Esmeralda said sharply. “She knows or has seen something that someone doesn't want us to know. If the eating death failed to work on her, they would have found some other way. This way she has survived.”

  “It must be the Valhallan wizards.” I stood up with my fists clenched. It was time to take care
of those bastards once and for all.

  “I wish you would learn to think.” Esmeralda said angrily and gestured I should sit back down. She's a bit of a control freak. “It's highly unlikely the Valhallans were involved.”

  “Give me any good reasons,” I suggested, well snapped at her if truth be told. I felt so angry with them I could burst.

  Esmeralda held up a finger. “One, because what they do on Anna's world is none of their business.” She put up another. “And two, because everybody here would approve of their actions if they knew. However, the only reason anyone could have for killing Anna must relate to that world. That's all she knows.”

  That made sense. I started to calm down. There's little point in anger if you don't know who to be angry at.

  “Then she's still in danger,” Urda said, and Esmeralda nodded.

  “Exactly. We have a short time to make a plan to protect her and keep our enemy off guard.”

  I don't understand girls all that well, but I do know Esmeralda.

  “Why don't you just tell us what the plan is?”

  Esmeralda grinned and leaned forward.

  “We tell everybody Anna is dead and Urda is weak and distraught from failing to save her life. I've already arranged for a child's coffin to be delivered to the corridor outside. We'll tell people that Urda will only let me and Jake touch Anna's body. Jake can hop somewhere and bring stones back to make the coffin the right weight. He can also seal it so no one can look inside.”

  “What do we do with Anna?” I asked. Word would soon get out if food for two was taken to the room.

  Esmeralda pursed her lips. “I thought you could take her to Wales. Either your parents or Jenny's could look after her for the next few days.”

  Urda looked worried. “I'm not letting her out of my sight.”

  Esmeralda smiled at Urda. “I wouldn't expect you to. You'll go together. It will be easier to maintain the illusion that you won't come out of your room if you're not here. You'll have to attend her funeral though. It's arranged for the cathedral at noon tomorrow.”

  “This keeps Urda and Anna safe, but I don't see how it confounds our enemies,” I said. I liked the idea of catching them out. Lord knows, they were doing it enough to me.

  “We have the opportunity to discover what Anna knows and they'll think Urda is out of the game. We may well need all her gifts during the wedding. By the way, it was a good idea to block Wenna from the room as she might try to come in here to see what's going on. She can't even enter the corridor as it is.”

  I shook my head as I tried to figure that out. Then I realized I'd ordered her to leave the room. I hadn't put a time limit on it.

  “I need to take that off her.” I stood up again and Esmeralda waved me back down.

  “A conspiracy of three is difficult enough to keep. I don't even intend to inform my mother though the King must know what's happening. We are best off if Wenna doesn't find out what's going on. I would not like to rely on that girl's acting skills. If she resents you, then so much the better. It strengthens the illusion we wish to project.”

  “You are a mean, devious woman, Esmeralda Doran,” I said in open admiration.

  “That's Princess Mean Devious Woman to you, Jake.”

  I gave her a low bow, which she graciously accepted.

  “I'm going to protect everyone I know, here and on Earth from the eating death, whatever you say.”

  Esmeralda nodded. She might as well agree because it was something she couldn't control.

  “You must go and take your friend back to Earth along with that oversized caravan you brought. Then hop here to help me with the coffin. Urda must stay out of sight if we're going to convince everybody she's exhausted and in mourning.”

  I sat there like a lemon, still trying to get my head round everything that had happened.

  “Now, Jake. And when we finish all this you will come to my room and we will have a long talk. Is that clearly understood?”

  I nodded. Sometimes the women in your life were in charge and that was all there was to it.

  I hopped back to the coach and learned that Mr. Griffith was getting a tour of the Palace by Captain Cari. It took me half an hour to track them down and another half an hour to get the coach back to the woodyard.

  Mr. Griffith patted the side of his bus lovingly as we got out.

  “She may be old, but when you think of the miles per gallon she's managed today you have to admire her,” he said.

  “You could get Malcolm to clean the inside of it,” I suggested. When he nodded I smiled. Another good deed accomplished. Well, at least it was a deed that made me feel good.

  I hopped to Dad's hut and stole a roll of rubbish sacks. A quick hop to the side of a river on a world I used to visit and I dropped to my hands and knees to put rocks into a sack. Anna didn't weigh much and it was easy to carry the sack of stones over my shoulder as I hopped back to Urda's room.

  It was proving to be a busy day.

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Revelations

  I hopped into my room at home carrying Anna. Urda had her hand on me as she'd never been in the house before. She pulled off the folded sheets and blankets on my bed and started to make it. Anna stirred in my arms, but stayed asleep. The poor kid was going to be confused when she woke up in another bed on yet another world.

  I put her on the bed and Urda tucked her in. It was proving to be a tiring day and I still had to go and see Esmeralda. Taking Anna's hand I taught her English and Welsh. Though the things she had no knowledge of wouldn't take until she learned what they were, words like television and microwave.

  “Jake, is that you?” Mam's voice came from halfway up the stairs.

  “Yes, Mam. I've brought some friends to visit.”

  Mam entered the room and took in Urda and Anna in a glance. She smiled at Urda and Urda smiled back. Then she touched Anna's forehead.

  “Who is she? Is she sick?”

  “This is Urda's sister, Anna. Someone tried to kill her and we've brought her here to keep her safe.”

  Mam went to Urda and gave her a warm hug. “I never got the chance to thank you for saving Jake. I didn't know you had a sister.”

  I suggested we go downstairs to avoid disturbing Anna and then I explained to Mam what was going on. Mam said that the girls could stay with them as long as they wanted. However, Mam and Dad were due to travel to Salice on Thursday along with the other wedding guests.

  “This wedding is rushing up on me from all sides. I wish the girls had given me a little more time to sort things out. I mean, being five or six months pregnant, what does it matter?”

  Until I expressed it I didn't realize I felt that way. But it was true. Bronwyn was out there ready to strike while all Jenny and Esmeralda were interested in was marrying me as soon as possible.

  “Jenny's only thinking of you,” Mam said. “And it's only right…”

  “How is she thinking of me?”

  “Because of the power,” Urda said. Mam looked away as though embarrassed. Urda's words brought me up short.

  “What power?”

  “Urda, shouldn't you go and check on your sister?” Mam said before Urda could reply. Urda bolted for the door, but I stopped her.

  “I want to know what you mean, Urda. What power?”

  Mam glared at her, but Urda had no choice about answering.

  “It was all over the Palace, the day I cured you. A wizard who marries for love increases in power. They all believe it. Thom said it was part of Salice's history.”

  I looked at my mother. “Mam?”

  “Esmeralda believes it might be enough to keep you safe from Bronwyn. Jenny and Esmeralda watched you dying in agony for over four months, Jake. They would have married you in the hospital if they could.”

  I stared at the floor as I tried to take in such arrant nonsense.

  “How can marrying anyone make me stronger? If that was going to happen it would have happened when I … when we made… Mam, I've already got them p
regnant.”

  “Esmeralda said it was in the books about magic and their histories. And don't you go knocking marriage, Jake. Marriage is a magical thing even for ordinary people. Vows binding spirits together.”

  “They're doing this to try to protect me?”

  “They're doing this because they love you. Though I'm blessed if I can see why given how ungrateful you always are. As for Urda and Anna, they can look after the house while we're at the wedding, so us going to Salice won't be a problem.”

  “I've got to think about this,” I told them, and hopped to the Bat Cave.

  The cave was empty and felt desolate without the presence of my dragon. I got the camping stove working and brewed a pot of tea. Tea always helps me to think.

  The months I spent under Bronwyn's spell were a blur to me. I only came out of it a few days ago and yet I could remember almost nothing of it. By contrast, I could remember the weeks I spent in prison as though they were only a few days gone, and making love to Esmeralda after defeating Talder Plath was equally vivid.

  Jenny and Esmeralda watched me lying in agony for months, seeing me slowly getting closer and closer to death. It must have been horrible for them. They trained Urda to save me with no idea whether it would work and they concocted this marriage as a way to protect me from Bronwyn. It would have taken something like that to get Jenny to agree to me marrying Esmeralda as well. I should have known something was going on.

  I sipped at my tea and pondered. Was it fair to marry the girls like this? Should I insist we wait until after we found Bronwyn? Mind you, that could take years. I wondered if Bronwyn knew about this marriage magic. Urda only found out after she rescued me. If Bronwyn did have a friend in Salice they could have told her. That might explain the attack on Fluffy. Getting rid of one of the brides was almost as good as killing me, so seeing Fluffy with an unidentified rider would be enough incentive to risk it. Of course, this made it even more essential for Bronwyn to attack before we got married if she really wanted to take over Salice.