Mage and Mate

by Taki Drake

  << He just lied to her! That disgrace to the uniform just lied to her! >>

  << Of course, he did. What did you expect, Jack? >>

  << Humph! >>

  The red stone was not valuable. It was obviously a clear crystalline structure, but it had no significant monetary value. In fact, its relative value was so apparent that even Jurgen didn’t try to misrepresent its worth to Jenna.

  Ruth was in awe of her bodyguard’s acting ability and strategic thinking. Jenna had positioned the gems so that when Jurgen sorted them, he pushed them into piles. The mage was not totally sure how the woman had managed to get the spy to shove the red gem so close to the AI gun, but she had done a marvelous job of it.

  Once it was in position, it was almost not noticeable when Jenna bumped it slightly so that it actually touched the weapon. A flare of mixed excitement and fear shook Ruth as an electronic tornado momentarily filled her senses. Almost holding her breath in anticipation, the Mage waited to see if Isaac made the transfer.

  As the bodyguard stared at the lieutenant with a besotted look, Ruth thought to herself, I think we owe that woman a raise. I have never seen such incredible acting.

  As Ruth and her drinking buddies finished the fourth bottle, she could tell that Jenna had completed her task. A strange ripple of energy had moved from the gun into the gem, and her bodyguard had rounded her eyes and asked the lieutenant if he could please help her get the best price for her jewels.

  A quiet interval in the buzz of the room let the Mage’s enhanced hearing discern, “Jurgen, it would be wonderful if you can figure out what the best price I could get for these would be. I have absolutely no idea where to start.”

  Preening, the man responded, “No problem, Jenna. I will see what I can do and send you the money. Just be aware that they’re not all that valuable.”

  Jenna shrugged her shoulders and said, “I know, but it’s better than nothing.”

  Ruth decided it was time for them to make their exit. Raising her voice, she called out, “I think it’s time for us to go.”

  Looking around, with a wicked grin in her face, the Mage added, “Obviously, my drinking buddies need some time to recover.”

  Standing up without a wobble, the Mage patted the bartender on the back of the head. Glaze-eyed and mumbling to himself, Luka was still upright but leaning considerably to his left. The woman smiled and turned to say goodbye to her other drinking buddy.

  Major Alan Culhane (retired) had represented the Marines in a stalwart fashion. He had managed to match the other two drink for drink, but as Ruth got up to leave his head slowly slid forward. By the time the woman had turned, he was face down on the table and beginning to snore.

  Ruth laughed, a bubbling expression of pleasure that transformed her into the essence of joy. She turned to the temporary additions to her security detail and asked those Marines to please assist the Major and the bartender to their respective rooms. Fervent promises to do so came from each of them.

  Her grin narrowed a little bit, and she looked carefully at the three. They started to squirm, wondering what they had done wrong but relaxed when she said, “You three might think about contacting Margot or Jenna if you are interested in security work. I have a feeling we are going to need extra staffing from now on.”

  Sweeping her gaze around the room, Ruth sketched a shallow bow to her audience and announced, “Thank you for being here and enjoying the show. I am positive my drinking companions will request a rematch. I look forward to possibly seeing you again.”

  Spontaneous applause broke out across the taproom, and there was a flurry of action as bets were settled. Master Trader Isaac traded broad grins with Ruth as he scooped a large pile of gold into a bag. His grandson nodded in acknowledgment to the Mage and gently guided their two dumbfounded party members toward the door.

  Jenna immediately got up to join the rest of her detail, sweeping the piles that had been identified as having little value into her belt pouch. Ruth’s muscles relaxed when she saw that the red transfer gem was one of them. Jurgen quickly swept the remaining valuable jewels into his own belt pouch and tried to look nonchalant.

  Ruth didn’t care that neither she nor Jenna would ever see those stones again. The amount of wealth that was there was trivial, and she could easily replace that for Jenna if the bodyguard wished.

  Moving through the barroom, Ruth was buffeted by pats on the shoulder and back. People she had never met called out congratulations. She heard bragging comments about the Marines and about the people employed by Pawlik. Some of the men and women shouted comments about seeing her at the hiring fair. Others asked for contact information which Ruth quickly handed off to her bodyguards.

  The crowd of people around her and the compression of her security perimeter was starting to make the Mage claustrophobic. Shaking a bit in reaction, she pushed hard to get out of the room. Coming through the door felt like a release. She was surprised to see how late in the day it was since it was well past dusk and into the night. The fresh night air revived her enough that she still had a smile on her face as she saw her ride waiting.

  Zev and Gerian were waiting for her, standing beside the Borachland limousine. Quickly, Ruth got into the vehicle and her entourage piled in behind her. Seconds after the door closed, the limo took off and raced toward the landing field outside of Arkken Port.

  Only after they had reached their destination and transferred to the shuttle did Ruth’s bodyguard relax. They stopped clutching their weapons so tightly and eased up on their manic threat searches.

  Suddenly exhausted herself, the Mage took a deep breath and told her head bodyguard, “Jenna that was the best piece of acting I have ever seen. If you were on Earth, you would get a prestigious award for that.”

  Jenna responded gravely, “The award I wanted was to free Ishmael.” With those words, the former Marine handed over the red jewel to Ruth. The contact of her skin against the gem open a channel, and a flood of words slid over Ruth’s mind in a litany of joyous celebration. <>

  << Yes, Ishmael, you are free. Adjust to that today, get used to not hurting. Tomorrow, we can have further discussions. But for right now, my friend, rejoice in your liberation.”

  Chapter 11 – Surprise!

  Borachland Castle, Borachland

  Ruth’s party had returned to the castle to find Pawlik pacing in the inner keep courtyard. He was obviously impatient with arms crossed and foot tapping. Jenna looked at Ruth and asked, “Were we supposed to be back earlier? Or are you in trouble for another reason?”

  The Mage responded with a small laugh and saying brightly, “I know of nothing that we were supposed to be doing. After all, he had gone off to his meeting and left us uninformed as to when he was coming back, or if there was anything else going on.”

  The bodyguard looked out of the shuttle window at Pawlik’s face, her smile growing slightly wider. With a visible effort, she smoothed all expression off her face and became the observant security head. Addressing the rest of her team, Jenna stated quietly, “By the numbers, people. I don’t care that we are at home. We still follow the process and procedures that we practiced. No exceptions!”

  Bodyguards! They can be such a pain, Ruth muttered to herself but waited patiently as her team exited the shuttle first and fanned out. Only when they signaled that everything was clear did she climb out of the shuttle and make her way toward the waiting man.

  The Mage had not taken more than three steps in Pawlik’s direction when he swooped down upon her and caught her in a fierce embrace. His arms were like bands of steel around her clamping her to his chest, and she could feel the frantic beating of his heart. The air left her lungs explosively, and she was unable to speak.

  Her Anchor rushed into speech, the words tumbling over themselves in a flood of anguish. “Are you all right? I can’t believe that you went off to Arkken Port with only four people! Why did yo
u not wait for me? Don’t you know…”

  Responding to the fear that she could feel radiating out from him, Ruth reached up both arms and dragged his face down to hers. Sealing his mouth with an impassioned kiss, she provided him proof that she was reasonably intact in an indisputable way.

  Distracted by her actions, Pawlik reciprocated. Ignoring the fascinated audience, the usually restrained man treated his observers to proof that their relationship was not merely Mage and Anchor.

  Ruth lost all sense of time as Pawlik’s mouth seduced hers with heat and the sensuous taste of the man who had become so important to her. His worry, fear, and love were transmitted into her bones and sinew with a fiery transfer of emotion. Her own, cooler mouth met his, equal in power but more calm and unworried.

  The soothing wash of her emotions splashed into his fiery pool of worry. Mixed together, they produced a gentle warmth. Only then did the two of them draw back from each other, transferring touch to vision.

  Smiling in apology and thankfulness, Ruth finally spoke, “I am sorry that you worried. We had some important things to take care of, and I had no idea how long it would be.”

  Pawlik shook his head in rueful acknowledgment and said somewhat shamefacedly, “I apologize that I didn’t let you know how long I would be gone. I knew my meeting was important, but I didn’t think of letting you know what it was about or what I hoped to do.

  “If I had bothered to consult you ahead of time, together we would have come up with a better plan for the meeting. It is hard for me to remember that I have a partner now. It is not because I resent our partnership, but just habit. I have been making those decisions for a long time by myself, and it will take some time to break old patterns. Please, be patient with me.”

  “It’s a pretty big adjustment for me too. It is a good thing that we have plenty of time to work things out. I have similar issues. Not so similar in the challenge, but still patterns that resist change. I will be patient with you if you are equally understanding when I slip up.”

  The two of them headed for the inside of the castle, Ruth’s hand light on Pawlik’s forearm. The Mage could feel the nobleman’s tension easing as her Anchor’s subconscious accepted the fact that she was safe and healthy.

  “Welcome home, my Lady. A light repast has been laid out in the library.”

  Ruth looked up in shock as a strange voice addressed her so familiarly, especially here in her home. When did I start thinking of this as home? she thought to herself.

  Swinging her head to pin Pawlik with a stabbing look, the Lady of Borachland asked in an icy voice, “Why is there someone on the staff of the inner keep that I don’t remember hiring?”

  Jenna shivered as the entryway temperature dropped several degrees at the Mage’s carefully controlled voice but remained quiet. Everyone else in the area straightened in alarm and fear appeared on many people’s faces.

  Pawlik instantly flushed red and then became pale. “… I thought… I mean, I thought it might help to have a formal Butler in place. After all, we’re going to be having more visitors and Borachland is the only Duke’s residence without one.”

  Ruth had dropped her hand away from the Lord of the Borachland, turning to face him squarely and looking him in the eye. She waited for him to say more, but the man appeared to be unable to find anything more to say and just stared back at her dumbly. The silence became uncomfortable, and the tension in the room ratcheted higher.

  The temperature dropped several degrees again. No one moved in the foyer except the Mage. Jenna kept her eyes on Ruth, an expression of concern etched in the lines of her face. The silence extended for another few seconds, only to be broken by a frighted, stifled sob from a maid pressed against the hallway to the library.

  The Butler calmly took two steps to reach the young woman, wordlessly placing his hand on the scared girl’s shoulder and propelling her away from the frozen scene. Turning back to face the Mage, the man firmly positioned his body in her line of sight and covered the housemaid’s retreat.

  Impressed despite herself, Ruth snapped out instructions, “Jenna, check with Margot and find out if this gentleman has been checked out under our security procedures. I want to see his full background report within the next 30 minutes and delivered to my sitting room.”

  Turning her attention back to Pawlik, the Mage said with exquisite, precise diction, “I believe that the inner keep staffing and direction is explicitly my responsibility. If you wish to change that policy, I would appreciate a discussion prior to independent action.”

  Not waiting for a response, Ruth twisted her head to examine the stranger. He was a tall, dignified man who held himself upright and seemed both attentive and professional. His blue-gray skin and skull ridges told her that his race was one that she had not encountered before. He stood looking back at her, unflappable and calm.

  The woman thought to herself, He acts exactly how a good Butler should, but I’m certainly not going to hire anyone that we haven’t checked out.

  Addressing the stranger, Ruth said, softening her tone slightly, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. However, I believe I am slightly fatigued from my trip. If you would make yourself available for discussions with me either later tonight or in the morning, we should be able to resolve the matter of your employment.”

  Still radiating the intensity of her emotions, the irate woman told her bodyguard, “Please notify Andrea that I would like a tray in my room. It should be set for one.” Carefully, avoiding meeting anyone else’s eyes, the Mage moved through the frozen tableau of living statues to reach the stairway to the upper floors.

  In a cloud of stunned silence, Ruth climbed the steps to the second level and proceeded to her room. Even her security guard stayed behind her, but she could feel the weight of their attention.

  As she reached the first landing and turned to walk up the next flight of stairs, a gentle nudge against her upper arm told her that Hunter was with her. Ruth displayed no sign to anyone else that she was now accompanied, maintaining her rigid, upright posture.

  Only when she had closed the door to her suite did Ruth realize she was shaking in anger. How could he do that? Was all the talk of my being a partner false?

  << It is interesting to know that male stupidity seems to transcend species and races. >>

  << Thanks for that joyful bit of news, Hunter. It doesn’t particularly help. >>

  << Remember, Lady Mage, that your Anchor has had many decades to get used to doing things without input from other people. It could be that which precipitated this error. However, I think perhaps it came about due to something else. >>

  << What do you mean? >>

  << Speaking from my own painful experience, your mate had all of the signs of a victim of manipulation. He couldn’t justify the action, he couldn’t even come up with a coherent explanation. I believe that someone influenced him and put Lord Pawlik in a situation where he felt obligated to act in a certain way. >>

  << Interesting, but thought for a different time. Let’s first find out if this Butler passes our background checks and security protocols. If he does, then he actually appears to be a good fit for this household if only based on his actions just now. After we overcome that hurdle, I might be calm enough to get to the bottom of how Pawlik ended up hiring somebody without talking to me. >>

  Chapter 12 – Sorrow and Guilt

  Borachland Castle, Borachland

  Ruth wakened early in the morning after collapsing in exhaustion the previous night. She walked out onto the balcony that opened out of her bedroom, holding a cup in her hands and sat down. Focusing on the comforting warmth of her tea, the Mage kept her mind suspended in stillness and concentrated on simply being alive.

  Gentle on her ears, the waking trills and chirps of the birds of Arkken provided a soothing tapestry of sound. It would be nice if I actually got to do some bird watching one of these days. Taking photographs of birds used to be one of my hobbies, something that I have not done in such a long ti
me that I almost can’t remember when or where I did it last.

  Ambushing her in a rush of pain and sorrow, Ruth felt prickles behind her eyes that warned of pent-up tears. Helpless to stop her memories, unable to avoid the incoming agony, the woman curled forward, her drink forgotten.

  Dimly, Ruth heard the crash as the cup shattered on the stone floor of her balcony and acknowledged the flash burn from the steaming liquid as it splashed over her lower legs and soaked through her trousers. The woman desperately tried to focus on the smaller pain, but felt ripped from the now and swept back into the then.

  << <> >>

  Joy and contentment. The sun was warm, and her muscles were aching with the satisfaction of a long walk. Cuddled up next to the warmth of her husband’s familiar shoulder, the poignancy of the memory cradled her. Held closely to his side with an arm that she knew better than her own, Ruth once again experienced the encompassing love that had been built over decades of marriage.

  Ruth and Alan Cavanaugh had hiked for hours, the woman snapping pictures with her favorite Nikon camera, and the man using his binoculars to spot the elusive birds and insects. An old, but energetic white schnauzer went with them, his enjoyment at the exploration expressed in darting investigations and happy circles around his owners. It had been a companionable time, a reward for surviving a packed week of activity.

  They had decided to take a short vacation with one of their sons and his family. Not having a tight schedule, they were stopping at anything of interest. It didn’t make for a fast trip, but it gave the youngsters plenty of exercise and kept them from driving the adults in the vehicle crazy.

  << <> >>

  Ruth was caught in a swirling tornado of dread and impending grief. No, please, NO!! she screamed silently, I cannot live through this again! Her throat burned, shredded by heat so intense it felt like fire. Tears streamed down her face, and the Mage flung her head back and screamed her grief to the heavens in a geyser of distilled anger, longing, and mourning.