Lia glared at me. “Well, at least you haven’t gone completely stupid. You were talking to those people as if they were a group of followers. You haven’t gone and gotten some kind of ridiculous deity complex, have you?”
I shook my head. “Of course not, they are just thankful, and justifiably so. I help them and they show respect. It’s not like I’m asking for money or sacrifices. Don’t worry about me, but did you see how many women put their hands up? My women troubles are certainly over!”
“Seth, you may say you’re all right, but I’m worried. With the lack of recognition you got for any of the things you did at Wizard’s Castle, I think all of this may be going to your head.”
“I love you, sis, but you’re worrying for nothing. I know I’m just a guy that can use magic, like dozens of others in Eredwynn. I’m not going to turn into a Calla and start demanding virgin sacrifices. If I did, it would certainly be a different type of sacrifice. I’m just kidding; don’t look at me like that.”
Lia sighed. “I’ll take your word for it, but keep an eye on yourself and I’ll check on you to make sure you’re ok. I’ve heard that you’ve bottomed out once and come close a couple other times since you’ve been here. Don’t injure yourself, even if you’re trying to help others. You’re no good to anyone if you burn yourself out.”
I chuckled. “All right, sister of mine; now we should go upstairs and find out how much damage my mom has done. I’m sure Tabitha and Anne don’t want to hear stories about chasing skunks.”
Lia laughed, “But that’s a good story! You stunk for a week!”
Back upstairs, we walked into my bedroom. The normal attack didn’t come, even though I could see Karly standing quietly in a corner. Tamia was curled up in my mother’s lap and waved as we came in. I smiled. “Ladies, while I was wandering with Lia, I noticed we had a lounge, a study, and a dining room. Why do we always entertain and have meals up here?”
Tabitha shrugged. “James’ castle was set up with everything in one living quarters, and I just got used to it. If you’d like, we can start going downstairs.”
I chuckled. “I like the setup here and it’s been working for us. Has my mother told you enough for you to figure out that I’m evil incarnate?”
Tabitha waved me over to sit by her. After I sat, she took a deep breath. “What we’ve been talking about is Eredwynn. She assumed I missed it a bit and she’s right. I love my home here and don’t want to give it up, but I would like to see some of my friends from Kethos City. The rest of the family at Wizard’s Castle would fall in love with Tamia, just like everyone does, and she’d love watching them practice magic at the range. Anne has never spent the night in a castle and thinks it would be fun. Your mother suggested that we’d just have to talk you into taking us or letting us go with her and Lia.”
I smiled. “If you ladies would like to go to Eredwynn with Lia and my mother, it would be fine. I’ll try to be a good boy and not do anything stupid. Without you two here to nurse me back to health, I’d be in trouble.”
Mother grinned. “I have an idea that you just might like. It will help to keep you out of trouble and can cover any magical duties that you might need performed while your girls are gone.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “You can see that I have one consort and there are others that would be with me if I asked. I don’t want you sending a bevy of trainees in tight clothes to ‘take care of me’.”
Mother giggled. “Well, that was one idea, but what I was really thinking was asking just one girl to come up. She’s a pretty thing and is only a couple years younger than you. You know her and get along fine, but she wouldn’t make a good consort for anyone. I think that she’s too darn hardheaded.”
“Ok, now you have me curious; who is this mystery girl?”
“She’s a young lady named Celina and you’ve known her most of your life!”
I laughed. “If the lovely Celina would keep me company while the ladies are away, I’d be honored. I feel like I haven’t seen her in ages and now that you’ve mentioned her, I remember how much I miss her.”
Tabitha cut in. “Mother, this person isn’t someone that I should be concerned about, is she? His voice changed when he spoke of her, and I can tell he loves her.”
Mother smiled and patted Tabitha on the leg. “No dear, you don’t have to worry in that way. Celina is fifteen and is half a foot larger than Tamia, and that’s because both my children are small. She is Seth’s baby sister and he does love her. He’s always been a very protective big brother and she’s the one in the family without the temper. She won’t be floating your Valet off the balcony like some have been known to do.”
Tabitha grinned. “So Seth, will you let us go for a couple weeks? That way we can visit everyone and I can see Ivy and hopefully Jana at Davie’s place.”
I shrugged. “I’d like for Mother to know something about what we suspect before you go eight thousand miles from home. I think you should tell her what you suspect the baker done… did.”
Tabitha blushed. “Ok everyone, I’m not sure and won’t be for about two weeks. The way the Halflings put it is, ‘the baker done added the yeast’. That’s what Seth was teasing me about, but you’ll better understand if I say, Tamia might have a brother or sister in a little over four months.”
Tears started flowing from mother and the other ladies in the room surged forward. Even the reserved Karly came up to put her hands on Tabitha’s shoulders. My mother turned to me, grinning. “Like I said, you don’t waste time. Thank you for having her let us know, so we won’t be pushing her too hard.”
I finally pulled Tabitha aside. “You mentioned Ivy and Jana and it made me think. I love Anne, but it is a bit intimidating being with a human. Besides, I’ve developed quite a fondness for tiny women. I’ve learned I like women about three feet six inches tall or so. If you had a close friend or two in Kethos that might be interested in joining the family, feel free to bring them back. If they don’t want to stay, I can always port them home. If they were smart, pretty girls, I’d be even happier.”
Tabitha giggled. “I do know quite a few young ladies my age and I’ll think about it. I didn’t know you were addicted to Halflings, though. When did this happen?”
I smiled. “I met this beautiful, smart, and utterly adorable Halfling at my brother’s place. It must have happened shortly after that, because when I close my eyes and picture the perfect woman, all I see is you.”
She threw her arms around me and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. She was fighting tears. “I don’t have to go to Eredwynn. It would be nice, but I could stay here.”
I chuckled. “That isn’t why I was saying those things. Maybe it was just to assure that you’d remember where home is. Go get packed and I’ll have Karly get Tamia ready.”
Before she walked away, she whispered, “I’ve approved Diana, just in case you do something silly again.”
I chuckled and called, “But she ain’t no Halflin’, an ya know how I am ‘bout them Halflin’s.”
She laughed and continued to gather clothes. I asked Karly to get a change of clothes for Tamia. I told her that she wouldn’t need to take much, because I was sure that Mother would be taking her to visit our friendly tailor. Mother grinned and nodded.
Lia came up and put her arm around me. “Celina should be here shortly after we leave. Do you need her to bring you anything?”
I nodded. “Actually, I don’t want to raid the funds here until I’ve learned how much I get paid. If she could go to my section in the vault and grab a gold bag and platinum bag for me, that would be great. I’ve got them set up like Alec does with one hundred coins per bag. I would just remote port them, but I’ve been a bit low in the magic department lately.”
“Are you going to be ok with the situation we saw outside? I won’t mention it to your mother or father if you’ve got it under control. I admit I can see the allure, but it wouldn’t go over well with the family. Father has spoken against cults of
any sort for years. If they start believing you’re a healing god or something, Father will step in.”
I chuckled. “I always thought that a god would be taller. Ok Sis, I know what you’re saying and I’ll keep my head. I love you and am glad that you love me enough to worry.”
I stood out of the way while they packed a few items and gathered in the middle of the room. Karly stared at them, a bit confused, since they’d said they were leaving. There were hugs and kisses all around and I moved Karly back out of the way. We stood by the door while Lia located a safe spot to arrive in Eredwynn. There was a soft pop, and they were gone. Karly sucked most of the air out of the room with her gasp and muffled a scream.
I laughed. “They are now eight thousand miles away at the place where I was born and raised. It looks like you get a two-week paid vacation, so you’re free to do whatever you’d like.”
She smiled shyly then kissed me on the cheek. “You said I could do whatever I’d like.”
I nodded and shrugged. “That I did; please tell Noam that I’m going to lie down for a bit, but to expect my sister. She’s a little girl, but as magical as I am. He might not want to try to make her leave.”
Karly giggled and left, closing the door softly behind her. I killed the lights and crawled under the covers, still dressed.
Chapter Eleven
I hadn’t even managed to doze off before I heard Noam’s bass voice, “Welcome, young Miss, it’s always an honor to meet the family of our Lord.” There was a light tap on the door and I was halfway there before I realized I was up. I yanked open the door and wrapped Celina in a hug. I had to fight against her shield, but that was expected. Our training told us that whenever we were going into an unknown situation, we had to be shielded. From the time we’d turned six, that had been repeated daily, and we never forgot.
“Welcome to my humble home, sister of mine. You can lose the shield now, because we have Noam at the door. I’d be afraid of anyone that made it past him. Only one has tried and she made it past and I was afraid, but that’s just because it was Mother.”
Celina laughed. “This is a very nice place you have here. I’m going to be here for at least two weeks, so will I have a room?”
I laughed. “I’ve filled up half the rooms since I’ve been here, but there are two up on this floor that I haven’t even looked in. I’m sure, if they’re nice enough, we can put you in one of those.” I pulled the braided rope by the bed and we chatted as we waited.
“Oh yeah, here you go, big brother. Here is that money you asked for. I don’t like carrying that much coin on me.”
“That’s understandable, but did you know that you can scare these people to death with any simple spell? They have had no contact with magic here. I’m sure that I could cast ‘flamestrike’ in the courtyard and the people would do anything I asked. Actually, they probably would right now, anyway. I’m sure I’m the most loved person in the country.”
“Lia told me you’d been healing the folks here. She acted a bit concerned about it, but wouldn’t tell me why. What has her so worried?”
“You know Lia; she always tends to over-react. I showed her the people that were concerned for my health. They usually bow when I go to the porch and wave to them, and she was worried about a cult or some such nonsense.”
There was a knock and Evette came in. “How can I assist you today, sir?”
“This young lady is my sister, Celina. She’s fifteen, not nine like she looks, so could you pass that to the staff? Also, I noticed two doors up here that looked like they led to bedrooms. Did I guess right?”
She answered, “Yes sir, those are the rooms that the governor would save for his special guests, and I’m sure that your sister would be one of those. Would you like me to show her to a room and prepare it for her?”
I nodded. “Yes, please, and I’m interested in seeing them, too. It’s strange that I’ve lived here this long and haven’t even seen all the rooms in this place. To be honest, I just found the dining room today.”
Evette laughed. “It is a very large house and has a lot of unused space. I really enjoy working here now that you and yours have taken over. The entire district is much more tranquil now that you’ve arrived, and the people of Krose love you. All of us do.”
“Evette, I have to ask you a question and I need an honest answer. You can answer and not be worried if you don’t think I’d like the answer you give. Do you think that I’m doing what I do for the people of this district for some self-serving purpose?”
“Self-serving? You are kidding, aren’t you? The people all think that all you do is give and you’ve never asked for anything. The guards have been told that people would pay handsomely for your services. The reason your gates are lined with people is because they want to be there if there was ever anything you asked for. So I’d have to say no, you aren’t doing this for yourself.”
“Thank you, Evette; now let’s see about Cel’s room.”
She led us down a short hallway and opened a door, then walked into the darkened room and slowly walked toward the curtains. Celina lit up the room’s candles and lamps with a wave, drawing a startled gasp from Evette.
Celina grimaced. “I’m sorry, Evette. At home we’re so accustomed to magic that we don’t even think about it. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Evette smiled. “That’s quite all right, My Lady. The household might get used to it sooner or later. We’re not used to Seth doing what he does, so when someone else did it, it caught me off guard.”
She turned down the bed and left us to look around. Celina really liked the room and considering what we’d grown up with, that was something. She put her clothes away and turned to me. “Well, big brother, what would you like to do? I was told this was going to be like a vacation, but for us, those turn out to be a lot of work.”
I chuckled because I knew she was right. “Let me show you around the house and I might learn something, too. Later I’ll need to check on the people out front. After that, we could just take a walk around my city, if you want.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Your city? Was it your saying that kind of thing that bugged Lia?”
“Naw, she didn’t like the way the folks hang out in front. I’ll show you that, too, and maybe I can get some to go home.”
“That sounds like a plan then. It’s better than plumbing a castle because I fit in the crawl spaces.”
I showed her around the house and the important things, like the location of the kitchen. I introduced her to the staff and located Emory. I introduced Cel to him and told him that we’d be going out for the afternoon.
We walked out the door onto the porch and I gave my now customary wave. The people bowed and I shrugged at Celina. “That’s what our dear sister was worried about.”
Celina shook her head. “I don’t see a problem with that. Lords and Kings have people bow when they come out and there isn’t a cult problem.”
“That’s what I told her, but she’s Lia.”
In my opinion, there were way too many people gathered along the fence. I knew that there must be jobs being neglected. I saw a group of middle aged men and women gathered in a knot by the gate. By the open space around them, I thought they might command the respect I needed.
The guards opened the gate for me, Celina and the ever-present Noam. I walked to the group and they smiled at my approach.
“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I need your assistance. I see the crowd in front of my home every day and have to wonder if the people are all here because they are ill. I do appreciate the love and caring that I’ve been shown, but I don’t want people or their jobs to suffer. Since you appear to be people that the crowds would listen to, this is what I ask. Explain to everyone that I enjoy them showing they care, but they have families and jobs, too. If their duties are attended to, I’d be very happy to see them. As for you, if you’d wear an arm band or something easy to see, it would be helpful. That way, I could pick you out of the crowd if
I needed your assistance.”
The men and women bowed their heads in agreement. Celina, Noam and I turned down the street toward Anne’s estate. I’d decided that I could show that to Celina from the road and then we’d head into town. I had some other things that I wanted to look at. I had to see for myself that the people were taking care of my city the way they should.
On top of our magical training, the princes and princesses of Eredwynn were trained in other things as well. We took classes in wilderness survival, hand to hand combat, monster identification and threat detection. When Celina and I heard the snick of the sword clearing its scabbard, we instantly went defensive. Our shield power jumped and our postures changed.
A tortured voice screamed from the crowd around us, “Two weeks earlier and I might have believed!” A large man shoved his way through the crowd and swung a sword. With a resounding clang, it contacted with my magical shield and I quickly disarmed him with telekinesis. I held the sword ten feet above the crowd and out of hostile reach. Noam pushed me behind him and shoved the man into the following throng. His demise was swift and unpleasant, but Cel and I didn’t have to see much of it. We were swiftly surrounded by the dozen middle-aged men and women that I’d talked to at the gate.
As I lowered the sword from the air above us, someone passed the scabbard that had been recovered from my attacker. I sheathed the blade and handed it to Noam. “Have you ever used one of these before?”
Noam shook his head. “No, sir, I haven’t, but I will learn.”
I smiled. “Unfortunately, it would seem that I haven’t made everyone happy. Perhaps a sword would make us a bit safer and no one will get hurt.”
Celina looked at me. “Big brother, please tell me that this kind of thing doesn’t happen often. If it’s an everyday occurrence, then I’ll plan on returning to Eredwynn very soon.”
Seth, A Naiad's Son (Generations of Eredwynn Book 3) Page 10