Staring at them, I noted for the hundredth time the multitude of scars that marked his large, rough hands. Dorian had had large hands and feet even when we were young, and much like a puppy he had grown into them. Now there was little about him that was small, from his broad shoulders to his powerful legs, yet in my mind, I still saw that awkward youth, tall and gangly, with oversized hands and feet. Time passes too quickly, and in doing betrays us all. My friend and I were no longer children, but men with children of our own.
“They’re out there Mort, somewhere, and not as far as we’d like. They know you, and they know me. They know where we sleep and where our children play. They are neither alive nor dead and they will never rest until they have had their vengeance, upon us and every other man, woman, and child alive.” He stopped for a moment and then repeated himself, “They will never rest… and neither will I, not until they are dust, or I am.”
A long minute passed before I replied, “There will always be an enemy or threat. Once the shiggreth are gone, we will still face the shining gods, and after them the dark gods, and after them… who knows? We can never be completely safe, and if we spend our entire lives trying, then we’ll wake up one day and find our time spent and none of it on the things and the people we loved.”
The massive man who had grown from my weedy childhood friend, gave a deep grunt and looked at me from beneath dark heavy brows. “Men I can fight, and thanks to you and this sword, the dead as well. Gods and their kin I leave to you. Once the shiggreth are done, I will stay home and tend the hearth, until you command me to rise again, whether against human foes or for some other purpose. But until the dead stay in their graves, I will not rest.”
“And if I command you to set that sword aside and stay home?”
Dorian’s jaw clenched. “Don’t do that Mort. I’ve never broken my word or vow, but if you force my hand…”
Letting out a deep breath, I stepped forward and hugged the stubborn giant. “I was just making sure my friend. If this is really your choice, I will not keep you from it. We’ll find a way to end this quickly, for both your sake and the sake of your children. Until then, I’ll take the blame from Rose. I can do that much for you easily enough.”
Chapter 5
Later, I filled Penny in on my conversation with Dorian. She didn’t agree with his decision, or with mine, but we had already agreed to disagree anyway. Over the years the tempestuous woman I had married had mellowed into the most agreeable person I had ever argued with. I told her as much and she responded with a different viewpoint.
“It isn’t so much that we’ve changed, but more that you never seem to change. I’ve simply given up the hope of reforming you of your stubborn ideas,” she explained with an expression that bespoke both affection and amusement.
Sounds like the very definition of ‘mellowed’, if you ask me, I said silently to myself. You’re just too stubborn to agree with me. Rather than say that aloud I gave her my most innocent smile.
“Sometimes I’d like to wipe that smug expression right off your face. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking!” She took a threatening step toward me.
Never fearing a challenge, I caught her around the waist and after a few playful seconds I stole a kiss. The moment didn’t last however… a cry of dismay erupted as Matthew walked in and saw us.
“Ewww… ugh! Moira! They’re kissing again!” he cried. I never understood why he called for his sister at such times, as though she could save him. Personally I think he just liked sharing the trauma.
Moira appeared, followed by Conall, and any hope of a private moment vanished. I gave Penny a mournful look before replacing it with a smile, then I released her and turned to chase the children, threatening to curse them with kisses as well.
* * *
That afternoon I went back to my rooms and checked the message boxes again. After my first box had proved so useful years ago, I had seen fit to make many more. Of course, so many boxes were inconvenient to carry about, so most of them we kept in my study where I could check them once or twice a day. It had gotten to be a bit of a chore and I worried that someday I might not be present to get an important bit of correspondence, but I had yet to change the arrangement. Just a year past, Genevieve, now Queen of Lothion, had suggested a better solution during a brief visit.
Her idea had been to set up a messenger’s office and staff it with a trusted clerk. It was a wonderful idea in my opinion, but I had yet to find the time to make it a reality. I also wasn’t sure if some of the boxes should be trusted to other people’s hands and eyes. The messages sometimes contained sensitive material, as a result I was still putting the idea off to sometime in the future.
As I stepped into my study, I noted two of the boxes had gems glowing on their lids. One I expected; it was the daily report from the patrol Cyhan was leading into Gododdin. The other box was the mate to the one that I had given to Marcus. He was still living in Albamarl and it was handy to be able to communicate with him now and again without having to make a trip to see him.
Taking a seat at the desk, I checked Cyhan’s field report first. As expected, it was dry and impersonal, much like the man who had written it.
My Lord,
We are now two days past the border of Gododdin. No contact with locals yet. We should reach Dalensa tomorrow. From there, we will proceed upriver from there to Surencia to make contact with King Nicholas. Everything has been normal thus far.
Your Servant,
Cyhan
I thought about my reply for several minutes before dipping my pen and touching it to paper.
Sir Cyhan,
I’ve had time to discuss matters with Dorian, and he has convinced me that the shiggreth may have moved north and east, skirting the mountains and heading to Dunbar. After paying your respects with King Nicholas, please continue upriver. Do not bother heading west to check Issip this time. I want you to head for Dunbar and renew our warning to them. If they need assistance, be ready to continue onward and render any and all aid necessary.
Mordecai
I dried the nib of my pen before scattering sand over the sheet of paper to blot any excess ink. Once that was done, I carefully folded the paper and placed it into the box that would transport it instantly to Cyhan. After that I reached into the box that held Marcus’ note and withdrew it. Leaning back in my chair I began to read.
Mort,
You need to visit as soon as you have time. Partly for social reasons, as we have a lot of catching up to do. I have been working on a book; part philosophy and part compendium. I hope to lay a clear description out for those trying to understand magic and the nature of reality. When you first started learning about your gift, we understood so little of how things worked. Things that were once common knowledge are now forgotten. Perhaps in the future my book will help to educate someone who doesn’t have a tutor.
Anyway, I need to pick your brain a bit. I also need to tell you about the things I have recently discovered. The archives of Celior held many secrets and some of them might interest you. I also found a few things of interest here in your family library.
Marissa would like to see you as well. She wants me to tell you to plan on eating dinner when you come. Try to give me some notice though, so she will know when to cook for you.
Don’t wait too long. Some of my news won’t keep very well, if you take my meaning.
Your friend,
Marcus
Interesting, he had mentioned the desire to write a treatise on magic before, but I didn’t realize he had actually started on it. Some might think it an ambitious project for someone who wasn’t a wizard, but I knew how keen Marc’s mind was, and he had also had far more exposure to magic than most people. I also wondered if his perspective might make him more objective, considering that he had been one of the rare ‘chosen’ who had acted as a vessel for one of the gods. Not many men had been given such a rare honor, and fewer still had then later rejected it… none that I knew of, t
hough there may have been others in the past.
His last line had hinted that his news was urgent, and I trusted Marc’s judgment. Flamboyant in person, he had a tendency to understate things when he put them in writing. I started a second letter.
Marc,
I’d be glad to join you this evening. Tell Marissa I look forward to her cooking.
Mordecai
I put the letter in the box and went to tell Penny. The thought crossed my mind that she might want to join me. Elaine was waiting for me in the hall outside our apartments.
“Where’s your father? I thought this was his day.”
She smiled, “He was busy, so I offered to take his turn.”
I could tell it was a terrible hardship for her. “Have you seen Penny?” I asked. I was fairly sure already that she was with Rose, but since I had just entered the keep through the portal from my apartment, I hadn’t had a chance to locate her yet.
“She and Rose went for a walk I believe.”
My mind found the children. The twins and Conall were with Dorian and his son, Gram. They appeared to be attempting to drag my large friend down to the ground in the castle courtyard, much like a pack of hounds on a boar. At a guess, the ladies had left him in charge of the herd while they enjoyed a quiet chat. “Did they take a guard with them?” I wondered aloud.
“I would assume so,” replied Elaine, though I hadn’t actually meant to ask her.
I decided to check on Dorian. As I walked, I double checked to make sure our youngest, Irene, was with Lilly Tucker. She had helped Penny frequently over the years, first as a maid and then more recently as a nanny. We had debated the subject carefully before we let her help with the children, considering her past. The only other people in the castle who knew of Peter and Lilly’s grudge against me were Penny, Rose, and Dorian.
Over the years we had gradually come to trust her, though she never knew that I was aware of their secret grievance with me. Penny had been the one to make the final decision several years ago. “Peter might still want to stick a knife between your ribs, but neither he nor Lilly would hurt the children,” she had told me. Naturally I had questioned her certainty. “Trust me. My intuition is never wrong. I would know if they were a danger.” She had been pointing to her forehead as she had said that, a particular reminder to me that she frequently had visions of the future.
Sure enough, Irene was safely tucked in Lilly’s arms as she walked her around the castle nursery. Sometimes it was handy being a wizard. It had taken me less than half a minute to locate each of my children, an ability I imagined most parents would envy.
When I reached Dorian, he was still in the midst of a heap of squirming children. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen our children anywhere have you?” I asked him drolly.
He grinned at me, his face half covered by Conall who seemed to be doing an impression of a hat. “Nah! I haven’t seen ‘em all day. I’ve been busy taking care of all these wild animals.”
I laughed, “You do seem to have quite a herd of them. Can you tell me what sort of beasts these are?”
“Easily! This one up top is a baby bear. I just found him in the woods earlier today. I haven’t decided what to call him yet.” As he spoke, Dorian put a hand up to steady Conall, who had almost slipped and was now clutching at his hair and beard. It looked distinctly painful, but my friend didn’t show it. “This one is a wolf cub I found last week; I call him ‘growler’,” he shook his left leg to indicate he meant Matthew. Continuing, he reached down and pulled Gram up from where he was clinging to his right leg, “And this one is a mountain lion I’ve had for a few months… I named him ‘Percy.’”
Gram hissed to display his displeasure at being named ‘Percy’. Clearly it wasn’t a name fit for such a fierce animal.
Moira was crawling around at his feet so I pointed at her next. “What’s that one?”
Dorian reached down to pet her carefully. “Oh this one’s not wild at all. This one is my favorite pet, ‘Fluffy’. Isn’t she just the sweetest kitty?”
My daughter purred and butted his hand with her head.
Dorian Thornbear didn’t look particularly warlike as he stood there, covered in children. In fact, with his baggy shirt and crouched posture, he could have been mistaken for a heavyset baker, or perhaps a broad shouldered porter. I doubted anyone could confuse ‘Uncle Dorian’, as my twins called him, for Sir Dorian, the deadly warrior that led the Knights of Stone.
“That truly is a beautiful kitten you have there,” I said encouragingly. Moira let out a loud ‘meow’, to let me know she approved of my remark. “I hate to disturb you, since you obviously have your hands full,” I waved my hands to indicate all the ‘animals’, “but I wanted to let you know I’m going to visit Marcus this evening. Do you think you and Rose might want to accompany us?” I knew he hadn’t seen our mutual friend in almost a year.
My large friend grimaced, “I’d like to, but Rose and I already have a prior commitment this evening. In fact I was going to ask if you’d mind sending us to Albamarl later. We’re planning to visit her family in the city for a few days.”
Requests such as this were a daily occurrence… so much so, that I had restored the large circle at James Lancaster’s private house in Lancaster. Since he had become our monarch, James had little use for the house, so we used it and the storage buildings there for moving goods and people to and fro, between Castle Cameron and Albamarl. It had gotten to be such a frequent need, that Walter and I had set up a schedule, and nearly every day one of us would ferry people and things back and forth between the two circles, usually around noon. The possibilities created by instantaneous travel, and the increase in Washbrook’s prosperity, had been the inspiration for the giant World Road project that consumed so much of my time currently.
“I don’t mind at all,” I answered him. “We can use the circle to my house in Albamarl.”
Dorian nodded, “Sounds good, that way Rose and I can at least say hello before we traipse off to see Lord Hightower.”
Chapter 6
I took another spoonful and felt a burning sensation spreading from mouth to stomach. In my bowl, the broth looked deceptively tame. The soup was light brown with small bits of meat and vegetables swimming in it. The flavors were delightful, but I was fearful of what consequences might result from the powerful spices it contained. I reached for the bread, hoping to calm the fires in my mouth.
“Is it good?” Marcus asked me. There was an almost hidden smirk on his lips as he spoke.
“Quite,” I managed to say. Sweat was beginning to bead on my forehead. I really did like the dish, but I was afraid to admit that its heat might be too much for me. Marissa sat across the table from me, and I didn’t want to offend her. She was such a demure woman, her eyes rarely left her plate to meet my own.
“What was it called again?” Penny asked. Her bowl was already empty. As Marissa had been ladling out the portions, Penelope had been honest enough to admit her palate could only take so much spice and our hostess had given her a very small portion. As a result, she was now enjoying the more moderate parts of dinner, while I was still struggling with a bowl full of liquid fire.
“My people call it dag’n sufir,” Marissa responded modestly. “It is thought to give strength and passion to those who eat it, and because of that, is one of our most popular recipes.”
Penny’s curiosity was piqued, “I thought you were from Albamarl.”
“I moved here after joining the Church of Celior, but I am originally from Agraden,” answered our hostess. As usual, I felt slightly uncomfortable at the mention of Celior, since I was directly responsible for the imprisonment of her god, as well as the banishment of his priesthood from the capital. Marc had frequently reassured me that she had come to terms with the reality of the situation, but I still wondered if she might have some secret resentment.
“Isn’t that where Cyhan is from?” Penny said, nudging me from my unpleasant thoughts.
Though h
e almost never spoke of his origins, much less his birthplace, I did know that much about the deadly man who had become one of my most trusted knights. “Yes, at least that’s what he told me, Agraden, the jewel of the southern desert.” It was known as the ‘jewel’ of the southern desert because of the large oasis that it was built around. It was a lush, almost tropical city in the midst of an arid wasteland.
I managed another bite of the soup. If only Dorian had stayed for dinner. I would have dearly loved to see his face as he tried to eat this. While I considered myself to have an adventurous palate, our childhood friend was entirely the opposite. Dorian had been known to blanch at overly spiced potatoes, and by ‘spiced’ I meant salt and a pinch of pepper. Marc grinned at me as if he could read my thoughts. Glancing at Marissa to make sure her eyes weren’t on me, I mouthed the words ‘you bastard’ at Marc.
“Your bowl is almost empty. Did you want some more?” he asked immediately.
“I’m afraid I might not have enough room for dessert if I eat any more,” I responded, keeping my face neutral. Marissa’s eyes were on me now.
“No need for modesty, Mort! I can tell you want more, here…,” he leaned over and spooned the last portion into my bowl.
I briefly considered doing something seriously unpleasant to my childhood friend, but before I could decide on the specifics, Marissa spoke, “I am amazed at your appetite. Even my family limit themselves to one portion normally. Not many can handle such strong flavors.”
It was a good bet that I could not handle such strong flavors either, but I wasn’t about to hurt her feelings. “I may regret it later, but right now I can hardly restrain myself,” I told her. “We have nothing like this in Washbrook.”
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