The Sampler Platter: A Little Bit of Everything

by Susan Skylark

1

  Word quickly spread of Jace’s miraculous recovery, and near miss, and of the tragic death of a certain longstanding servant. None knew exactly what it was the man intended, but none could fathom Jared as a murderer, especially of a moribund boy. With the lad’s recovery, it was whispered about that Jared had some secret knowledge as to the boy’s malady and its cure, which he effected but at the cost of his own life. So strangely, the servant went from murderer to martyr in a very short span of time, which Jaire found vastly amusing. There was some talk of a grand funeral, but the Lady said he would be buried in the usual manner of the Brethren, having no living kith or kin to argue the fact, as he had served them long and faithfully and died in the course of his duties. So it was that the swordmaster and Jace carried their dead captain quietly out into the forest surrounding the city, but rather than burying him, they simply woke him up.

  “A hero, huh?” he said with a wry grin, “strange how these tales get started.” Jace hoped he would gape with his next revelation, but he only nodded, a knowing smile on his face, “no surprise there lad, you’ve proved yourself time and again to be ready, at least as far as the Brethren are concerned, but you still have much to learn of the Shadow.” He caught the swordmaster’s eye, who nodded his agreement. Continued he, “so you will still be under Baye’s tutelage for a little while at least.” He grinned, “speaking of which, I believe you have your orders, if you have finished with all those pesky funereal details that is.”

  The boy nodded, summoned his mount, bid them both a fond farewell, and raced back to the keep to make his preparations for departure. They exchanged a grin at his youthful exuberance and settled on a more leisurely pace, said Jared as they set forth, “I might need your help getting back into the castle, the Lady has offered me a position but I am not yet known to the guards.” The swordmaster grinned, promising to see what he could do. Jared assumed the visage and name of Jaire and settled easily into his new position, as if he had been doing just that for years beyond count.

  With all of his friends, and most of his former acquaintances, gone from Astoria or occupied elsewhere within it, Jace really had no one but his mother to see before he set off. It was not yet midday and he hoped to share a quick meal with her before taking his leave. Said she, in some concern and no little surprise as he entered the kitchens in the uniform of a full Brother, “is this a joke?”

  Jace shook his head, “the Lady would kill me if she knew I had donned this uniform in jest.”

  Juliene smiled grimly, “your sister will kill you if she finds out you have been promoted so soon.”

  Jace grinned, “I would like to see her try.” He sobered, “I have come to bid you farewell, I am off right after lunch.”

  She gaped, “but you are just out of a sickbed!”

  He nodded in understanding, “and I have never felt better. Care to dine with me?”

  She gave him that patient but exasperated look mothers reserve for their grown children when they think them making foolish decisions but must respect their supposed independence and maturity. She said at last, “of course, but is this not a questionable time of year to be traveling?” She shook her head at his impish smile and declined giving any more sensible advice.

  She sat beside him in a quiet corner of the pantry and they talked of this and that, a far cry from his one-sided conversations with Ella. Afterwards, she bid him a quiet farewell and he set off just as the sun reached its peak, eager to find his comrades but knowing he would miss his mother keenly and she him. He smiled broadly at this unfamiliar sensation of having someone to miss and to be missed by. The unicorn picked up his jovial mood and frisked his own joy as they rode off into the broad, bright world.

  Night came early and suddenly this late in the year in the northern half of the world, and this was no warm, genial summer evening when one rejoiced at being caught abroad at such an hour but a chill, dark, and lonely time without even a solitary star for company. The only sound was the wind moaning forlornly in a hollow tree; Jace wondered how he had ever thought the world so broad and wonderful only hours before. He huddled beside his pitiable fire, cloak and blankets doing little to keep out the morose wind with a bite as cold as the forsaken soul it sounded. The unicorn stood within the ring of light, suddenly tossing his head and snorting in amusement, for it seemed he was untouched by the dark, the solitude, or the cold.

  Jace frowned at him in annoyance, happy that the creature was apparently beyond such paltry mortal concerns but vexed that he would take pleasure in a friend’s discomfort. The creature blew out his nostrils in consternation at being misunderstood and then very clearly told the boy what was on his mind. Jace smiled in spite of himself, “why did you not say so to begin with?”

  The unicorn whickered sheepishly. Jace nodded and smiled the more, “because this is as new to you as it is to me, I understand completely my friend, we both have much to learn about our new occupations. What is this you say? It makes sense, I suppose, as much as anything does any more. If death is now just a nuisance, why should cold, hunger, tiredness, or loneliness be aught but a mild irritation? You say I can ignore them completely if I so choose?” The unicorn tossed his head excitedly, the boy shook his in amusement, and then focused on not being cold anymore. He grinned widely, for his friend was right!

  He turned to the beast and asked, a thoughtful look on his face, “does this mean I can go indefinitely without food or sleep?” The unicorn whickered his affirmation and Jace smiled ruefully, “so what is the sense in camping this night? As neither of us will suffer for lack of sleep or rest, let us put the time to good use.” The unicorn snorted, as if asking what had taken Jace so long to figure that out.

  He asked, “you can see well enough in the dark? Even with these clouds obscuring the stars?”

  The unicorn snorted in ill-contained amusement and communicated another long overlooked fact to the boy, who gaped in astonishment at so obvious a revelation. Said he with a wry smile, “now that you mention it, I had noticed it on occasion, though only subconsciously. I can see as well as you in the dark! What else have I to discover in this peculiar service?” The unicorn’s amused but mysterious whicker was answer enough. Jace shook his head in exasperation as he began collecting his gear, that they might get underway as soon as possible, while the unicorn watched in vast amusement.

  The days and miles passed swiftly as the pair sought their comrades, somewhere to the north and west of Astoria. Jace wondered why anyone would want to linger in the Wilds this time of year, he could understand the allure during a more pleasant season, but with winter coming on who would not go south, especially those possessed of a means to do so? Of all the occupations in the world, a traveling merchant had the greatest flexibility when it came to choosing where and when he would go about his business. To his mind, this was a perfect season to investigate the trading options available along the southern coast. But they must have their reasons and he was very curious to learn what exactly they were, it must be something important to keep them in such an isolated part of the world at this time of year.

  At last, as evening was falling, the unicorn alerted his rider that they were nearly upon their long sought companions. They rounded a bend upon the miniscule trail, which one overly generous might call a game trail, and suddenly a small glade opened before them. It was crammed near to bursting with wagons, horses, and people. Jace grinned openly, suddenly minded of market day in Astoria, but with everyone crowded into half the space. He recognized three wagons of similar make to those of the merchant train but the rest were of a design he had never before seen, there were also far too many people about to be the handful of families that had split off from the main group some months prior. They were studying him with as much interest as he did them.

  Suddenly a familiar face registered and he was immediately out of his saddle and assaulting the unfortunate personage with quite undignified exuberance. Baye grinned at the lad, jo
y and surprise written all over his face. Adan waded through the crowd and joined their happy reunion. Once their initial enthusiasm had been satisfied, Baye said, “we need to find somewhere quiet to talk at length.” The boys nodded and followed silently after, many curious gazes watching them vanish from the encampment.

  They settled upon a trio of stones, covered with brown moss and frost, in a little clearing not far from the camp. Baye asked eagerly, “what passes in Astoria? Are you come to tell us that our quest is a futile one?” He said this last in a strangely hopeful manner.

  Jace frowned, “why are you so eager to be acquitted of your quest?”

  Baye shook his head and smiled wryly, “I have found something else to do if we can somehow get that other little business out of the way.”

  Jace smiled, “well, you are in luck. The fiend is destroyed, as is the Eye of Phil, may nothing ever be named so inanely again! The Lady sent me to aid you in whatever it is you have gotten yourself into.”

  Baye said with a laugh, “that isn’t the only thing she’s done lad, you forgot to mention your sudden change in uniform.”

  Adan gaped, just now noticing the significance of Jace’s outfit, said he, “you are a full Brother already?”

  Jace smiled ruefully, “for as much as it matters to us, Jared isn’t about to let me run loose unsupervised any time soon, no matter what the Lady thinks appropriate.”

  Baye grinned from ear to ear, “at least someone is being sensible in this situation, now tell us all the tale ere we tell you ours.” Jace nodded and told of his many adventures in the short time they had been parted. Baye shook his head in amazement, “no wonder the Lady saw fit to promote you lad, you’ve had more adventures in two weeks than the average Warrior has in two years! But now for our own wild tale, though quite calm by your standards.” He laughed, “this may be downright dull in fact, but here goes. You probably noticed a few peddler wagons in the adjacent clearing, the rest belong to the gypsies. We interviewed the refugees and learned that a few of their comrades had broken off from the main group a few months prior, possibly taking the orb with them, so we set off in pursuit. We found them, but alas, no orb, rather we discovered a most curious situation.”

  Their conversation broke off as they heard approaching footsteps, all eyes turned to look upon the intruder: a greying man in his middle years, slightly bent with age and hard labor with keen eyes that minded Jace of some avian predator. The three stood at the man’s approach, as Baye said, “Jace, this is Helve, he is quite an intriguing fellow.” He met the other’s eye, “Helve, this is one of my apprentices, just arrived from Astoria.”

  The hawkeyed man studied the boy with cold indifference, dismissing him immediately as uninteresting and unimportant. Said he to Baye, “I had hoped he would be a useful addition to our party, what use have I for another giddy lad?” His tone darkened, “I have little enough use for you. Can’t you just be on your way and leave things well enough alone?”

  Baye crossed his arms and said, “I have as much right to be here as you do, it is up to the gypsies and their peddler companions to dismiss us, if they so wish.” He smiled, as if at some secret joke, “but I doubt the gypsies will find any reason short of murder an excuse to be rid of us, such is their love of company.”

  “We shall see,” murmured the other as he stalked off into the night.

  They resumed their seats and Baye continued, “he is the main reason we have remained here even when it became apparent the orb was not in their keeping. The peddlers are enchanted with the gypsies and seem eager to join their number, which would be no concern of ours, but that enthralling fellow arrived a day after we did and he is desperately trying to convince some, if not all, of their number to go north into the Wastes.”

  Jace gaped, “this time of year?”

  Baye nodded, an ironic twist to his mouth, “certainly a strange proposition and thus our reluctance to leave. Who would venture into the Wastes, even at high summer? What would draw a man thither with winter setting in? It is uncanny, that and there is just something about the fellow I find fascinating, as do the others, they seem drawn to him by some inexplicable force or charm. I do not think him a worker of evil magicks, but he certainly has a mystery and charisma about him that most find intriguing.”

  Jace smiled, “something in which I am completely lacking. So we will just keep company with the gypsies until he gives up and goes home?”

  Baye said thoughtfully, “I was thinking we could take him up on the offer, if no one else is foolish enough to do so. We can’t keep people from going, if that is their wish, but we can see that nothing untoward happens on the journey, that and I really want to know what he is up to.” The boys nodded their eager agreement and then Baye suggested, “come lad, the gypsies will be dying to know all about you, regardless of what our intriguing companion says, and will likely throw a party in your honor.”

  Jace gaped, “but they hardly know me!”

  Adan grinned, “what does that matter? They’ll use anything as an excuse to break out their fiddles and finest ale. Someone’s horse wandered off two nights ago and when it was found in the morning, boy did we celebrate!”

  Jace grinned, “seems like a merry crew, what interest can our intriguing but dour friend have in them?”

  Baye shook his head, “that is what we need to discover.”

  Baye was right, the gypsies were both eager to make his acquaintance and celebrate that amazing event with every fiber of their beings. They danced, fiddled, ate, and drank until dawn was imminent, and then it was all to bed to recover from the night’s festivities, all save Helve, who paced about the camp, muttering and fretting as if such frivolity was anathema to all sense and civility. Jace watched him in fascination for a time and whispered quietly to Baye, “people think the Brethren rather dour and fastidious, but I think Helve makes us look as carefree as these wild and wonderful gypsies.”

  Baye smiled warmly, “that he does lad, but it is a misperception on the part of outside observers that makes them think the Brethren are ill-acquainted with joy and merriment, we just do not take them to inebriated excess as some think the only proper way to rightly celebrate and enjoy life. We serve the very source of all Joy, so it follows that we should be well acquainted with the subject. Poor Helve sees all of life as a burden and a weary journey at that, begrudging anyone who thinks otherwise.” He grinned, all amusement, “that’s why he finds us so tiresome: we are supposedly learned men, such as himself, yet we refuse to see life as dull, tedious, and uninteresting. Rather, we are told to be cheerful, to rejoice, and to see everything through the wonder-filled eyes of children.”

  Jace shook his head, “why would he want to convince the gypsies to accompany him anywhere if he cannot abide their way of life?”

  Adan shivered, “perhaps he wants to make them as dour and grim as himself?”

  Helve suddenly turned towards them and seemed to gaze into their very souls with his far too keen eyes, at last he approached at a deliberate pace, for there were no others about in the now abandoned camp and it seemed he had tired of his lonely outrage. He approached with all the imperiousness of the king of the world, making Ella look humble and meek by comparison. Said he in a condescending tone, “why are you fools not abed?”

  Baye shrugged, “we did not revel as hard as our hosts last evening, thus sparing us some of the repercussions.”

  Said he with disinterest, “perhaps you are not as foolish as you seem, which is not saying much, however. I tire of these rascally buffoons; they weary me exceedingly. I must soon part ways with them, though I fail in my endeavors, perhaps it is a relief that I am spared their company after all.”

  Baye frowned, “why exactly are you so intent on someone accompanying you into the Wastes, especially this time of year?”

  Helve smiled like a mysteriously smug cat, “you will have to come with me to find out.”

  Baye nodded, “very well, lead on.” />
  Helve actually gaped, “you are crazy enough to come with me?”

  Baye shrugged, “why not?”

  Helve mastered himself and said, “very well, when do we leave?”

  Baye grinned, “the day is wasting.”

  Helve barely managed to avoid another discomfiting display of astonishment, but nodded abruptly, “very well, to your saddles.” They swiftly obeyed, vanishing like the last shadows of night into the rising day.

  Helve turned out to be as mysterious and grim a companion as one could hope, often vanishing for hours at a time yet always reappearing just ahead of the party, which traveled at a pace fast enough to satisfy even their dour leader, at least as much as anything seemed to please him. They had a horse for the man, a parting gift from the gypsies, but he was rarely in the saddle, preferring to forge ahead on foot until he vanished beyond the horizon or behind a stand of trees and then they would not see him again for hours, or even an entire day. Always they pressed north and west, passing through the horrid boglands that festered upon the northern borders of the Wilds, beyond which lay the fabled Frozen Wastes, where it was arguable whether the weather or the denizens were worse; the curious trio was eager to find out. They rested as often as Helve saw fit, which was far too little for a mortal man to survive upon, but he did not seem to realize his companions throve even so, which made them wonder who or what their companion was that he could do likewise.

  Baye at last saw the sense in traveling through that awful country in the winter, at least as far as the swamps were concerned, for everything was frozen over or had died back, allowing for easy passage, where in warmer months it might have taken days to travel the distance they covered in hours. One morning several days into their journey, Helve returned from his routine vanishment and roused the camp ere the sun was on the rise. Said he, eagerness strong in his voice, “up lads up! Let us see what the day shall bring!”

  The Brethren exchanged a curious glance but were soon enough in their saddles, wondering what could so excite their rather unflappable companion. The unicorns alerted them to the presence of a dragon in the vicinity before they had traveled more than an hour. They exchanged an uneasy look, wondering what the creature’s presence could portend; hopefully it was a green dragon, else things might grow interesting indeed. Helve paid no heed to his horse, making as good of time afoot as his mounted companions in the tangled mess that was the forested swamp through which they rode and knowing full well what effect dragons had upon horses. The beast snorted uneasily as they emerged into a rocky clearing at the base of a great escarpment, then screamed and fled when a massive eye on a serpentine head and neck blinked curiously in their direction. Baye wore a slight smile to see the creature was indeed green, eager to know what was afoot.

  Said the dragon, studying the small company with interest, frowning slightly at the three seeming horses that stood unperturbed in his presence, “this is them, then? They will do I suppose, not as many as I had hoped, but enough to begin with. I had hoped to make an in-depth study of the topic, which will require far more than three, but one must certainly start somewhere.”

  Baye almost expected the creature to adjust a pair of nonexistent spectacles as it studied them and droned on, but as it trailed off, he asked, “exactly what are you studying, sir?”

  The dragon looked at him sharply, as if surprised the creature could talk and annoyed at being thus interrupted, said he in a piqued voice, “I suppose you have the right to know what your contribution to posterity will entail, though I do not like being interrogated by my subjects.” His brow wrinkled in consternation, “though I suppose squirrels are not equipped to make such demands.”

  Baye frowned, “squirrels?”

  The dragon brightened, “my last topic of research, I made a thorough study of the various species of squirrel indigenous to this part of the world. I have the manuscript here if you would like to peruse it?” Baye blinked in wonder at this astounding offer while Helve cleared his throat far too audibly. The dragon snorted abashedly and returned to the subject at hand, “perhaps another time. As to my current area of interest, your companion here has intrigued me upon the topic of blood magic. He says there is no topic so little studied in all the expanse of the wide world and has promised to provide me with all the subjects I need to fully explore the matter, hence your presence.”

  Baye gaped and said in astonishment, “you do know such a topic is little understood because it is forbidden?”

  The dragon chortled like a doting mother whose spoiled offspring is up to some small mischief, “perhaps the laws of men prohibit it, but as you can see I am no man and this place is far outside any human jurisdiction, thus it is perfectly legitimate.”

  Baye shook his head, “it is not humanity that has outlawed the practice, but rather it is written into the very fabric of creation itself. The Master has forbidden it from the first.”

  The dragon exhaled through his nostrils sharply in irritation, “perhaps, perhaps, but this is purely a scientific pursuit and can have no negative connotations.”

  Baye said grimly, “any practitioner of said arts, whether merely curious or intent on gaining mastery of such forbidden power, will draw the Master’s wrath upon himself.”

  The dragon frowned, “art? Art did you say?”

  Baye nodded, “the dark arts are another name for them, yes.”

  “Well,” said the dragon in disappointment, “I cannot pursue them then, if they are a form of ‘art,’ and I a creature of pure science. You had best be going then.” He added hopefully, “you don’t want to look at my squirrel paper do you?”

  Helve interrupted with an outraged squawk, “what do you mean you can’t proceed? After all the trouble I had in bringing them to you?”

  The dragon shook his head, “it cannot be helped, this is an area outside my ken. I study the natural world, this gentlemen is quite right in saying this is a matter of the supernatural. Perhaps the Brethren would have some insight into the matter? I will take up a topic far more palpable, perhaps the catfish that inhabit the sloughs hereabouts?”

  Helve motioned sharply for his companions to continue on their way, leaving the dragon to his musings. Said he in quiet fury once they had left the incomprehensible reptile far behind, “so be it, I will have to take this matter to the Council. They shall decide your fate and that of all your race.”

  Baye said in some startlement, “which council? How is it you can decide the fate of all humanity when that prerogative is the Master’s alone?”

  Helve said in cold fury, “you will stand before the Council of my people as representatives of your own. A horrible crime has been perpetrated against me and mine by members of your race and someone must be held accountable. I had thought embroiling a dragon in the dark arts would be just the thing to wreak havoc amongst your kindred, but alas, the creature is far too interested in the mundane to be of any use to me. Instead, the Council will deal with you as they see fit. Move.” Baye exchanged a wondering look with his apprentices, but did not slacken their pace.