"Amazing" Grim said. "I could drink coffee at night and still get a good nights sleep." Looking at the man a much younger Thomas and Randolph Holden had learned to call Ziggy because as children they could not pronounce Xavier, Grim said; "You Grinleans really are out to change the world!"
Xavier put his cup down and looked at the two holding hands across the small table. Seeing the focus of his gaze Grim went to disengage his hand from JayDee's but the older man just smiled and nodded towards his daughter. "Speaking of changing the world. My Jacquelyn seems to have taken a liking to you. I approve... And not just because an alliance between our families would be good for both our Kingdoms... But because in the end all a father ever wants for his daughter is the love of a good man. I know you to be a good man."
Grim froze. His coffee cup halfway to his lips. Slowly, almost imperceptibly he placed the cup down. With a clarify of purpose he remembered a promise he had made to himself many years ago. When and if he married it would be for love and nothing less. He knew in that moment that he loved this woman named JayDee. Hers was the companion spirit he had been looking for.
Looking into JayDee's moist eyes, Grim began slowly "Sir... I'd like to ask..."
"He says yes and so do I" JayDee said before either man could say more.
***
The next several days were a blur. Grim met with various members of the Grinlean Navy as well as the heads of several fabrication houses. King Xavier accompanied Grim on most of these visits. If Grinley was going to involve itself in the 'war to the north' as they referred to it then they wanted to make sure the correct side won the conflict.
Missives were sent via the hallmark Grinlean blue carrier pigeons to agents in Pershara advising them to get word to Vandenburg and the liberation army with all due haste... 'King Thomas Holden was safe and would soon be rejoining his compatriots.'
Word was soon received that GrimHolden's armies were encamped outside the capital. Finally he had an objective. As soon as was feasible Grim and JayDee made arrangements to sail for the Persharan coast. Their goal was the mouth of the Egon river which would provide Grim with ready access to the capital city and ultimately reunite him with his troops.
Grim and JayDee found every chance they could to spend time together. On the evening of the third day the 'Old Bear' as JayDee insisted on calling her father arranged a formal dinner. Grim happily signed an engagement contract that established a formal intent to marry Jacquelyn DeCotes within the next twelve months. It further specified a tighter economic and cultural union between the two nations.
Finally it was time to make sail for Pershara. The Lucky Blue Wing under the command of Captain William left port with a very encouraged Thomas GrimHolden and JayDee DeCotes.
Chapter Eighteen - In Lamb’s Clothing
Arathin
Night’s shadows fell slower now that spring had arrived. Even so, it was cold and Runa wanted to be near the fire. Dan’s past reprimands about a hunter being able to take the cold without whining, kept her from saying anything aloud. That didn’t mean she couldn’t complain within her head. Mentally protesting against the cold, Runa raised her hands to her mouth again.
“Swift! Come on girl! Swift! Come back here!”She called for the umpteenth time.“Swift!”Runa dropped her hands. The dog was nowhere to be seen. She bent down and picked up her lantern. Holding it high to push the darkness farther away, Runa continued on.
Runa couldn’t understand it. Swift was a relaxed wolfhound. As relaxed as a hunter could get. Runa had raised her from a pup, so she should know her dog’s attitudes. Swift was not like Dol’s Fashar. That dog was as flaky as anything could be, like a skittish horse. Runa shook her head. She couldn’t leave the camp too far behind. There was no telling what predators were out at this time. She shivered. Mountain lions were common here.
Listening to the surrounding forest, she could faintly hear the rest of her Pack calling their dogs. For some reason, the dogs all panicked and disappeared into the trees. For half an hour they had been calling the dogs back to them. Runa worried that something terrible had happened to Swift.
Light fell upon a spot of mud. Several paw prints were captured in it. Runa crouched beside them. As a hunter, she needed to memorize her dog’s prints so she could track it to the kill. Runa had spent days by a mud patch memorizing Swift’s tracks. That time was well worth it now. They had Swift’s distinctive look.
Something moved in the underbrush. Runa tensed, looking around. Silence. Then there was a thrashing in the brush and a frightened whine. A dark form left the shadows of the forest. Runa caught sight of a grey wolf hound before it crashed into her.
“Swift!”Runa cried. She ran her hands soothingly over the trembling animal. Holding Swift’s head with her hands, Runa forced the dog to look at her. Swift’s warm brown eyes were surrounded by a ring of white.“Swift, what is it girl? What has given ye nerves?”The dog calmed only slightly under her hands.
“Is she alright?”Came a male voice from the forest. Runa started and looked up. Her eyes caught sight of a shadow leaning against a tree.
“Who’s there?”Runa said raising her lantern to get a better look at her visitor. The light was having trouble finding him. The shadows seemed against giving him up. Her hand went toward her belt knife.
“Peace.”The man stepped into the light with his hands visible. His curly sand blond hair was only long enough to cover the top of his ears. His frame was well built without a pinch of excess weight. His clothes looked like those of a fellow hunter. She knew him to be a hunter. His tunic had a dog stitched into it with an arrow pointing the same as the dog. His brown eyes were warm and comforting. Runa felt her cheeks warm slightly. She felt silly; she, a huntress, had been startled by this man.“Is she alright?”He asked again in a melodious tenor.
She stood, brushing her tawny hair behind an ear in a self conscious motion. Swift pressed against her legs, trembling. “I don’t know. She seems a’right, but she has the shakes bad.”
The man smiled ruefully.“It might be me. Animals don’t like me.”
Runa nearly gaped. How could anything dislike him? He seemed so kind and protecting.“Why?”She asked.
He shook his head, watching Swift.“Never will find out.”Swift shrank from him.
“Quit it, Swift, there is nothing to fear.”Runa scolded the dog. Swift whined.
“Don’t scold her.”The man said and Runa felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.“She is a good dog. Tell me; are you out here on your own?”
“No.”She replied.“My group be northeast of here, back th’away.”She gestured behind her.
He nodded his head.“Would you mind if I joined your Pack for the night?”
“I don’t mind.”Runa said quickly. A little too quickly. She blushed again.“Although I don’t know about Dan. He’s the Alpha.”She said looking at his feet. She glanced up saying“I think he would let ye.”
“Thank you…”he raised an eyebrow.
“Runa.”She told him quickly.
“Ah. Thank you, Runa. Will you lead the way?”
She turned and clucked for Swift to walk beside her. She held the lantern up to light her path. She felt the man behind her. If it wasn’t for that feeling or that she saw him every time she glanced back at him she would have thought he wasn’t there. He moved so quietly making little or no sound. Vaguely she realized that his accent was not of the wild folk. Hunters, trappers, and guides should all have the same accent. Who was this man? And what about his dog? All hunters had dogs. What had he said about animals not liking him? A tiny bit of nervousness tickled at her neck. She continued to glance back at him, wondering. Her nervousness was smoothed away. How could anyone who was so wonderful to be around be dangerous?
Silence was an unsettling blanket around her. She wanted to talk, but she had a problem. Runa wasn’t much of a talker. She was more of a listener. He seemed to be the same way. The silence was grating on her.
“So what be yer name?”she finall
y asked.
“Qwin.”
“Oh.”She fell silent again biting her lip.“Where do ye come from?”
“Faraway north.”Qwin replied.
Runa glanced back at him.“Near the dead lands?” The lamp light caught his puzzled expression.“Ye know, the barren mountains where the dead live?”
“Ah. The Nirami’s Grave.”A pause.“Near there.”
“I’ve only seen it once when I visited my cousin in Wazan. It was creepy.”She shuddered. One could always see storms raging through those barren teeth. Once she had been walking Swift and she had seen a man with no legs. He had been ghostly. Swift didn’t notice him. So when Runa had decided to flee, Swift had thought it to be merely a game. “How do ye stand liven near it?”She asked.
She glanced back in time to see Qwin shrug.“One gets used to it. I think I see your camp ahead.”
Runa looked and saw the welcoming fire’s glow.“That be it”she confirmed.
***
The hunter’s camp was small with a nice fire burning. Over it was a bubbling pot that smelled good. The hunters who were in the camp were all sitting in a ring around the fire. Many of them cast him measuring glances. They were uneasy because the dogs were uneasy. The wolfhounds all shied away from Kaishan. He could see the poor beasts trying to flee again. He recognized this reaction. All animals tended to react negatively to his presence. Fellow predators went almost as weak as rabbits. It was rather annoying after a while and undermined harmless looking illusions. He sighed quietly. Animals were also unaffected by illusion. They saw what was underneath. He could only act as harmless as he could. The hunters could think as they willed. He only hoped that they would be willing to share some information with him.
Runa sat with the younger hunters across the fire. He saw her and some other girls sneaking him glances. They didn’t seem to fear him. Their dogs, however, did. They kept their mistresses away from him. Kaishan sighed, annoyed. The dogs kept looking at him as if he might suddenly attack. He could smell their fear in the air. It was irritating when all he wanted to do, at the moment, was talk. Surely the dogs would relax after a while when they saw he made no threatening overtures. Kaishan mentally grunted. Like that would ever happen…
“So what be yer business in here parts, Qwin?”Asked a stickily built man with several axes in his belt.
“Wandering though.”He replied. The man furrowed his brow. Something Kaishan noticed was that these people had an accent and they seemed to expect him to have it too. Has it really been so long since last I played this game?He sighed. He knew it had to do with his illusion. He had mimicked what he had seen the hunters wearing when he flew over earlier. All the way down to the hound and arrow embroidered in the tunic. But he seemed to be missing something. All well. Too late to change it now, that would be breaking character. All he wanted was information. If they wanted to fight him, well that was their problem. He wasn’t concerned. In fact, if he was honest, a small part of him thirsted for a fight. He had no idea what it was that was causing this violence within him, and because of that he didn’t trust it. He cast out with his mind searching for what it might be, but couldn’t sense more than a trace.
“Wanderin’though? Where is yer Pack and dog?”The hunter continued when Kaishan raised an eyebrow. The man pointed at the hound on his tunic.“Yer a hunter, are ye not? Where is yer dog?”
Ah.That explained a lot. They all had dogs. He did not and could not have one because the stupid animal would run from him. The hunter within smiled. He knew then how to get his information without these kind people ending up dead.“My Pack and I were up near the Nirami’s Grave when we were led by a soft voice into the hills. I told my Pack that it was probably a trap, but I was ignored.”Kaishan shook his head.“A storm struck and killed them in a torrent. My dog died trying to help me out…”He trailed away. Through his lashes he saw them all turn pale.“I came south to see if I could find someplace where the life was good and the memories were scarce.”There, he smiled inwardly. That would explain the missing accent and the lack of s dog. And would put them into a pitying attitude. They are more likely to give me what I want that way.Kaishan saw it work as the people around him made the assumptions he wanted them too. Perhaps it hadn’t been too long…
“Well, ye have definitely come far. I would think these hills are better stocked then near the Dead Mountains. Although, without a dog, I don’t know how ye would make a liven.”
Kaishan met his eyes and the man backed slightly away.“You think I don’t know that? My dog is dead. My Pack is dead. My life is gone.” An illusionist learned to act quickly, or the illusion wouldn’t hold to him. He saw how these people saw things through this hunter in front of him. It was easy enough to skim the information from the surface of Dan’s mind. It’s a shame I can’t just pick his mindKaishan thought. It would have been quicker that way, but if he did that, he would run the risk of calling unwanted attention. Silently shoving his impatient thoughts into their cage, Kaishan turned back to Dan. Dan couldn’t see life without his dog, Yan. So a man without a dog was, in his eyes, dead. Kaishan just had to play a wondering, lost soul. Kaishan wondered briefly if the man knew what the name‘yan’meant. The name‘wolf’just seemed repetitive for a wolfhound. And unimaginative.
Dan held his eyes for a moment, and then he nodded understandingly.
“You nod your head at me as if you understand. But let me tell you, you don’tunderstand!”Kaishan said standing. Dan backed up a little, taken aback.“You see me as a dead man!”Kaishan made himself tremble as if from great sadness. Then, as if his strength had expired, sat on the log again.
“Yer pain is not something that I would like, but I think I could understand it. At the very least I could pity it.”
“I don’t want your pity.”Kaishan mumbled in his hands. He looked up at the man and asked.“What am I to do?”
“Well.”Dan sat down, thinking.“Ye could become a guide…or if ye can, ye can raise another dog.”
Kaishan shook his head.“I was thinking of leaving the woods. Maybe a dragon lord would take me in.”He mentioned. As he last remembered it, the land had been governed by the Dragons. Maybe these hunters could tell him where the nearest one was. The answer he received was a bit unexpected.
Dan guffawed.“In his stomach, perhaps.”
“That’s if they truly exist, Dan.”A woman said with a steaming mug in each hand.“Ye can only find a dragon in a tale.”She said, handing the mugs to Kaishan and Dan. She eyed Kaishan warily.“Why ye would want to find such a monster is beyond me.”With a shake of her head she left them for her own group.
Kaishan stared after her. All the other hunters were shaking their heads at him. They thought the dragons were man eating animals, he saw it in their minds…How could they not know their own protectors? What happened to the dragons? Whatever happened, the dragons were no longer Marlhema’s kings. Kaishan looked into his mug, his eyes hidden by his lashes.
Did the dragon’s spell backlash on them? He nearly laughed. Oh, the irony! Their last defense, and it destroyed them.
I can’t know that for sure. He cautioned the celebrating conqueror. These hunters hardly ever leave their beloved woods. It is possible the Dragons have withdrawn to more populated areas. Hmm.Kaishan’s eyes glittered, the predator preparing for the hunt. He glanced at the hunters around him. They thought themselves the greatest of hunters in this wood, but they were only small prey. Bloodlust rose sharply, surprising him.
A dog’s yowl and a hunter’s shout brought him out of his thoughts. His eyes focused on the hunter disappearing into the trees. His gaze dropped to the other hounds.
“Yan!”Dan's shout was soon joined with others as the rest of the dogs fled into the woods.
“What is it with them today?!”Runa wailed as she followed the rest into the trees. Kaishan sighed. Animals… They see what I truly am, Runa. The predator even dragons feared.
***
Morning’s light painted the sky rose and the
trees gold. The veil of night was lifted. No longer was the world his domain. Kaishan’s wings pushed the air below him. There was no need to warn the dragons, if there were dragons, of the coming war. He doubted if the dragons would forget his people. Then again, who knew how much time passed? Maybe the dragons had forgotten them. Kaishan looked at the land below him wonderingly then shook his head. Couldn’t run the risk of someone remembering yet.
He had left the hunters early that morning. He didn’t want the animals to run again. He hated it when animals ran from him. It was damn annoying.
Kaishan continued to rise. When it got hard to breath, he leveled out. Far below him he saw the Teheadra Mountains. Far to the east he could see the faint glimmer of the Golden Sea. The sun was bright in the east. Turning away from it he flew. Where were the dragons? Did their spell backlash? The spell had sent the Sheyestivans back to Sheyestiva. If it did something similar to the dragons where would it send them? He didn’t know enough of the dragon’s history to know where they had originated. Or did they always come from this land?
The land passed as he thought. He needed to find out if the dragons were truly gone or not. Perhaps they had gone as far from the north as they could. That would mean south. When he started out, he had been flying west toward Sada néMariel. Now he turned south. The Teheadra Mountains lounged to his left.
Hours passed as he flew. Near noon he dropped upon a stag crossing a lonely field. Immediately he covered himself with the illusion of a field with a stag stately walking its length. Quickly Kaishan fed. It was good. The stag had been young, in his prime. Finished sating his hunger, Kaishan lunched himself into the arms of the wind once more.
The Ways of Mages: Two Worlds Page 15