Spellkeeper

by Courtney Privett

  “Good afternoon, Gretten,” Shan said with a smile. He looked down to adjust the knit hat on Maritan's head and tuck Rayna's tail away from his mouth. “Maritan is well. I'll have to take him home in a few minutes. Don't want him to wake up and get fussy down here because it's a long walk back.”

  “He's a beautiful baby, Spellkeeper. Lucky little boy to have a dad who so clearly adores him.” She patted the booted foot of her own baby. “This one's not so lucky. Her dad was sent off to fight the Fae and never came back. Not sure if he died or just ran off. Oh! I'm sorry. I forget sometimes that you lost someone, too.”

  “It's all right, Gretten. Your lovely little girl is fortunate to have you. I was raised by just my mother for most of my childhood. She's the reason I became who I am. We give our children everything we have and hope for the best.” Shan reached into the pouch on his belt and drew out several coins. “I would love to buy two bouquets of your asters. You always have the most beautiful flowers of any Anthoran market, and Maritan's nurses love to receive them. Oh, why don't you sell me one of those pansy baskets, too? I could use something to brighten my bedroom now that the days are getting shorter.”

  Gretten grinned as she exchanged flowers for coins. “You flatter me, Spellkeeper. I've heard the gardens up in The Halls are the most beautiful anywhere. I should be buying flowers from you.”

  “There is a different energy surrounding things grown with love.” He sputtered his lips and looked up through the light strings, flags, buntings, and bridges to see the towering mountain of The Halls of Anthora. “I suppose I ought to go back now. We'll be able to stay here for longer once he's a little older. He's five months old now and I'm not sure if that feels like an instant or a lifetime. It's certainly the latter for him. I wouldn't mind him lingering at this age for a little longer. It's fun when a baby thinks my ugly face is the funniest thing in the world.”

  “I won't keep you, Spellkeeper,” Gretten said, dropping the coins into her lockbox. “I'll see you again later this week, then?”

  “I'm sure you will. Have a nice rest of your day, Gretten.”

  “Thank you. Same to you, Spellkeeper.”

  Shan left the market behind for the tiered bridge network. The mountains loomed overhead, but they had not yet swallowed the sun for Lower Anthora. As he climbed, he watched an enormous black dragon swoop around the upper towers of The Halls. Lyssandra's dragon. She seemed to have no intent of leaving the Bacran capital again now that she had Spellkeepers to play with.

  And Shan would continue to play her game, as long as necessary. She was the one who knew everything—about the Jarrah, the Uldru, everything. He knew that if he continued this charade of calm nonchalance, she would eventually reveal to him what he needed to know. This was his long game now.

  33

  Tessen

  Drift away on gentle tides,

  As the waves lap at your sides.

  Feel the sweet moon, shining bright,

  Dream of beauty on the night.

  Stars reflect on deep blue seas,

  Always you'll return to me.

  “I always forget how well you sing.” Ragan picked up the empty teacup and flipped it onto the saucer to splatter the leaves. He smirked at the mess and sighed. “My mom used to read tea leaves. All I see are blobs and bits. I used to make up fortunes when my teahouse customers asked me to read for them. They carried on simple lives, so it was easy enough. Do you want another cup?”

  “No, three is enough,” Tessen said. He laid his head against the back of the rocking chair and breathed in the baby's sweet, milky scent. “Urzal taught me that lullaby. She used to sing it to Benny. There's more to it, but I can't remember the rest.”

  Ragan set the cup and saucer aside, then leaned over Tessen to kiss the baby's thick black curls. “Fatherhood looks good on you, Tessen. You're exhausted, that much is clear, but there is so much light in your eyes now.”

  “I love this,” Tessen whispered. He walked his fingers down the creamy brown skin of the baby's arm and let his eyes wander across her face. Long lashes ringed eyelids that would open to dark brown irises when she woke. Full lips pouted beneath a slightly-upturned nose. Her distinctly half-elven ears twitched as she smiled in her sleep. He wasn't sure what she was dreaming about, but it filled them both with warm contentment. “My Alonna.”

  Ragan sat on a low stool and smiled. “I thought it would tear me up to hear you call her that. Doesn't, though. Brings me some peace, really. Some part of my son lives on in his niece, and that tie extends beyond shared blood.”

  “I wanted to honor him. Our next one will be named after Kai. I know there will be more. After that easy labor she had, she won't let me get away with only giving her one. She thinks she wants a bunch of children now. We'll see about that.” Tessen tilted his head to the side until his neck popped. “I'll need to adjust this chair a little before I sit in it again. The padding is high in the wrong places and it starts to hurt after a while.” The air between them vibrated with agitation. “Why are you anxious?”

  Ragan bounced his leg on the floor and glanced toward the window. “I dunno. I guess that's normal when you're waiting for your little sister to have a baby. Just a lot of waiting, and hoping things are going okay.”

  “She has all the best people caring for her.” Tessen concentrated on Alonna. Her dream had ended and a vague hunger began to gather in her belly. “We'll need to go over there again soon so Kemi can feed Alonna.”

  “I have never once heard your baby cry, Tessen. Six weeks and not once.”

  “She does sometimes, mostly at night when I'm so exhausted I don't feel her cues in time to wake. You should have heard her wail when she was born. Slippery little thing in my hands, and she screamed so loud that I startled and nearly dropped her.” He wiggled his hips against the lumpy cushions and rotated his ankle to wake up his tingling foot. “I can feel her. What she needs, what she wants. It's amazing. It really confirms that there is no way my father would have willingly abandoned me. Not if he felt people like I do, and Mom assures me he did. She also said Alonna looks like him. I was kind of wondering about that. She doesn't look much like me, and she certainly doesn't look like a Lightborn. That's not all she inherited from me, unfortunately.”

  “Do you think she's an empath?” Ragan asked.

  Tessen stroked the soft skin of Alonna's brow. “She's as responsive to me as I am to her. Even if she's hungry, she doesn't want Kemi to hold her when she feels I'm in pain. This is what I was afraid of, Ragan.”

  “Good thing you're here to help her with it. It'll be different for her than it was for you. You'll teach her from early on what you've had to learn on your own, and she won't have to go through what you did.”

  A soft rap sounded on the door, then the door creaked open as Adina let herself into the cottage. She fidgeted with her braid and smiled. “Kemi sent me over. She said they're ready to see you now.”

  “Oh? Baby's here?” Ragan asked. Despite his blue eyes brightening, worry swelled around him.

  “Yes. About an hour ago. Don't worry, everything's fine. You come too, Tessen. Kemi said Alonna will need to be fed again soon, anyway.”

  Ragan scooped Cadriel out of a basket and stuck him in a satchel. The pixie dragon, now the size of a small cat, protested, but quickly gave up and curled up to return to sleep.

  “Alonna, maybe Grandpa will carry you for me. Or Aunt Adina if Grandpa thinks you're too heavy.” Tessen grinned at Adina, then tilted his head toward Ragan. “I can't get up until someone takes her.”

  “Damn it, Tessen. I'm thirty-five. I don't think I can abide by anyone calling me Grandpa. Uncle, sure. Not Grandpa.” Ragan eased the waking baby off Tessen's lap, then held her up to kiss her. “I could hold you all day, sweetness.”

  “You're not my brother. You're my dad, so you're her grandfather. Get used to it, Grandpa.” Tessen dug his fingernails into the rocker armrests and stood. He retrieved his crutches from the wall and limped toward the door. �
�I'd stick her in the sling, but that late autumn rain is slippery. I'm afraid I'll fall with her.”

  Ragan wrapped a blanket around Alonna and pulled a hat over her pointed ears. “I'll carry her for you whenever you need me to. Let's go, Adina.”

  Adina held open the door and Tessen hobbled onto the worn path. It was slowly getting easier to walk, but each step brought a burst of pain. The recent adjustments he'd made to his brace helped, but there was nothing that could repair the twisted bones and scarred muscles his injury had left him with. He'd never again be able to walk without support, but he hoped to eventually graduate to a single cane and less pain.

  “Watch yourself by that mud,” Ragan said.

  “I'm watching,” Tessen mumbled. It was a long walk to Benny's house, made longer by the slowness of his gait. No one was allowed to build on the side of the cove where Tessen and Kemi lived, so it was a painfully long walk to everywhere. It was necessary, though. He needed the sanctuary that only distance could provide him.

  They wiped their feet at the door and entered the large outpost house Benny's family still shared with Berra and Urzal. Iefyr and Radamar were building a cottage to move the family into, but it wasn't finished yet.

  Tessen heard Radella giggle as Adina led them to the back of the house. The little girl ran past them, pausing only to gleefully sign, «I have a baby!» before disappearing into the kitchen.

  Radamar followed her a moment later. “Sorry, excuse me. Can't let her find the pie Adina baked or there won't be any for the rest of us.”

  Kemi met them at the bedroom door. She beamed as she took Alonna from Ragan. “There you are, my Alonna. How are you this hour?”

  “She's starting to get hungry. She's not quite sure whether she wants to cry about it, or come back to me because I had to walk.” Tessen kissed Kemi, then looked past her into the bedroom. Benny was propped on the bed, a red-haired newborn at her breast and Iefyr cuddled up next to her. Their bliss reached Tessen as a silken whisper. “Was I right again?”

  “Yes. You're going to be wrong one of these days when someone has an Adina.” Kemi clicked her tongue at Alonna as she carried her to an armchair next to the bed.

  Ragan was already at his sister's side. “Benny-girl, how'd you do?”

  “That sarding hurt, but it's so worth it,” Benny said, stroking the baby's chubby hand. “His name is Farad, after Iefyr's grandfather. Farad Vale. He's a little upset that he had to come out and he's busy taking that out on my nipple, so don't mind me if I start crying.”

  Ragan ran a knuckle along the back of Farad's head. “Well he's got your hair, Iefyr.”

  “No mistaking his orcan ancestry either,” Iefyr said, tears in his eyes.

  “Well, don't cry about it. Benny thinks you're cute, so I'm sure she'll fall for his weird face, too.”

  “He's beautiful. Perfect little face.” Benny turned to the side and kissed Iefyr. “I think. We only saw it for a moment between when he calmed down and when he latched on and refused to let go. Ragan, you'll have to wait a bit to hold him. Iefyr hasn't held him enough yet. We'll see if we can get you a moment before Radamar steals him again.”

  “You know raising your kid with Tessen's is gonna cause nothing but trouble, right?” Ragan said with a laugh. His smile fell as he glanced toward Tessen. “Maybe it's a good thing Maritan isn't here, too. Can't imagine the chaos four little Goldtrees, a Lim, and a Vale would cause around here. Did you finish that thing you wanted to send to Shan yet, Tessy?”

  Tessen tried to let the joy in the room overwhelm his sadness. “Haven't started it yet. I haven't slept more than three hours at a time for six weeks, remember? I can't even figure out what words are right now.”

  “Well, you've got a while. Haven't figured out where to send mail from yet, and no one's heading up into those mountains until spring.” Ragan leaned over the bed to kiss Benny's forehead. “Love you, girl. Congratulations.”

  Berra entered the room before Tessen could fully identify the notes of sorrow and envy rising from Ragan.

  Berra set a pale green drink on the nightstand next to Benny, then turned toward Tessen. «Go see your mom, will you? She has something for you.»

  Kemi stood from the armchair. “I can walk and nurse her at the same time. We're not going far.”

  Tessen stepped around her to embrace Iefyr. “Congratulations, my friend. Try to sleep when he does or you'll end up so tired that you hallucinate. You may regardless. Trust me on that.”

  The Goldtree cottage was next to Berra's so Tessen and Kemi were there within a few dozen painful steps. Tessen didn't bother to knock before going inside. Living among so many Uldru had broken most of the new residents of Haven Cove of that formality.

  “Oh! Good! Did she have the baby?” Rin chirped. She stood from her chair to allow Kemi to sit down.

  A fair-haired baby toddled past Tessen. Hael, who sat with Yana on the floor by the hearth, caught her and turned her around before she could venture too close to the fire. The curious twins were early walkers, forcing everyone around them into constant vigilance.

  Kemi smiled and switched Alonna to her other side. “Yes. Little boy. They named him Farad, after Iefyr's grandfather. Everyone's doing great.”

  “Good. Yana and I were was just helping Hael with a reading lesson,” Rin said. She took a sip from her cup, then set it on the table.

  “Elan still reads better than I do,” Hael said with a laugh. “Most Uldru do. Don't tell anyone I still have trouble reading. It's embarrassing.”

  “Don't be embarrassed, sweetie. Not all skills are easy for all people.”

  Hael tilted her golden head and looked past Tessen. “Where is your dragon today?”

  “Lenna's giving her and Auna some sort of dragon lessons up in the mountains. If our last conversation was any indication, it has something to do with how to be gentle with babies. Auna was a little overeager when she met Alonna, so it seemed necessary.” Tessen limped toward Rin. “Berra said you had something for me.”

  “Sit down, will you?” Rin said, pulling out a chair for him. “Your leg swells when you're on your feet too long.”

  Tessen gathered his crutches in his left hand and sat. “Not as bad as it used to.”

  Rin kissed the top of his head, then dropped a leather bound bundle in his lap. “These are for you. Elsin wanted me to wait until today to give them to you.”

  “Are these . . . are these the letters my father wrote to him?”

  “Yes, and some little stories Elsin wrote out about their childhood and friendship. He was afraid he'd never see you again, so he sent them with me when we left Mountain Home.”

  Tessen clutched the bundle to his chest and inhaled the scents of leather and old paper. “Why today? Why didn't you give these to me months ago?”

  “You've been busy. Recovery, baby . . . but today is special. This would have been Rohir's fortieth birthday. He only lived for half of that, but that short life was long enough to give life to you. Now you've given life to his granddaughter, and I see so much of him in her face.” Rin leaned over his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “I don't know the content of these letters. They're yours to read, not mine. I know I'm a big part of them, though. Judge me kindly for what you read, will you? I made a lot of mistakes with you, both before and after you were born, and I said and did a lot of things I now regret.”

  “I know how much you love me. Don't be afraid. Whatever you did when you were a scared eighteen-year-old, you've long-since redeemed yourself. My father loved you, and I have a feeling that will reflect in his words. I love you, Mom. These letters won't change that.”

  Rin sniffled as she embraced him. Her anxious heart thundered against his spine. “I know he'd be as proud of you as I am. I can hear your stomach growling. Let me find something for you and Kemi to eat. Just . . . just don't start reading those until you get home. I don't think my heart can handle watching you read.”

  “I've already waited this long. Another hour won't hurt,” Tes
sen said, and Rin's anxiety abated just a sliver. He wanted nothing more than to unbind the leather and read every word his father had written, but he could wait if it relieved his mother's discomfort.

  He pressed the bundle against his chest and watched Alonna play with Kemi's fingers. All he felt from either of them was happiness. A rise in Alonna's contentment told him she felt the same from him.

  ...TO BE CONTINUED IN Emberstorm.