Return of the Clonsayee

by Elaine Bassett

  Walter shook his head. “No, I don’t suppose you could have passed on these…”

  Bev and Charles dismounted and tied the reins to the fence.

  Carson said, “Gretchen would you mind helping us take the saddles and bridles off the horses so they can be put in the pasture?”

  “My pleasure.” They made quick work of it and released the animals into the pasture.

  Carson gave Charles a quick glance. “I think we’d better head back for the rest of them.” Charles nodded.

  Walter said, “I’ll give you a ride to the house.” Carson thanked him.

  Gretchen had already climbed up on the wooden fence and was petting the creatures, talking to them. The clonsayees took turns nuzzling her hand trying to get her attention.

  Once the three men were back at the house, they got out of the truck. Carson and Charles mounted a clonsayee. Walter helped by giving them the reins of the remaining animals. They followed behind the truck back to the barn.

  Gretchen climbed down from the fence and walked over to help take the animals’ saddles and bridles off. She commented, “These aren’t like any horse I’ve ever seen before.”

  Bev turned to Gretchen and said, “They are better aren’t they?”

  Gretchen said, “Yes, Ma’am. They are.”

  Bev winked at Carson. “See Carson, I told you we were getting a deal of a lifetime.”

  Gretchen said, “I don’t know how much you and Mr. Jones paid for these horses, but Mrs. Jones you know the horses you bought today aren’t meant for the pasture. Are you going back to showing horses, Ma’am?”

  Bev smiled with amusement. “Gretchen, you know my showing days are long over.”

  Gretchen shook her head. “Mrs. Jones, as young as you are I wouldn’t put it past you.”

  Bev laughed. “Thank you, Gretchen. No, we haven’t decided yet, but I agree these creatures are worth showing.”

  She continued, “Won’t Molly love them?”

  Gretchen nodded. “I know she will.”

  Bev said, “I thought Persuasion could use some company.”

  Gretchen asked, “Are these Molly’s horses?”

  “No, they are ours. We just thought having more horses would be nice in the pasture. The stables are in good condition and this will help liven things up again.”

  Carson, Charles and Walter were talking inside the barn when the two ladies walked over to them. Carson ended the conversation with, “I’ll take care of ordering for the horses in the morning.”

  Walter nodded. He offered to give them a ride back to the house. They said goodbye to Gretchen and climbed in the truck. Walter drove them back to the house.

  Before leaving Walter said, “I can assign one of the boys to care for the horses.”

  Carson said, “Thank you Walter. I know you’d be happy to care for them but I have someone in mind already. Bev and I talked about hiring a trainer for the stable.”

  Walter said, “Well, from the looks of it Gretchen may want to help out. She sure took to those animals.”

  Bev said, “I think you’re right, she did. She was always good with Persuasion.”

  Walter agreed. “I bet she won’t want to leave tonight.” He waved and left to go back to the barn.

  When he drove away, Carson said, “We will have to figure out who is going to take care of them by morning.” Bev agreed.

  Chapter 15

  Once on the other side, Joseph noticed the law office was dimly lit with the after hour lights. He looked at the clock before finding his keys to let himself out of the building. After locking the door, he walked to his car. Joseph pondered on the numbness he felt inside, as he tried to make sense of his life. It was all such a jumbled mess. He doubted that he’d ever be able to straighten everything out. Now that Nxy was in his life, Joseph realized his perception of Dolores had completely altered. Nxy was different from the others. She was exciting and she was there to stay.

  Joseph smiled hoping desperately for an heir that he could mold and groom to take over the business when he was ready to step down. He realized that Sterling was not of the temperament to be able to endure the harsh realities needed to run the organization or take on the responsibilities for which he’d been born. Joseph faulted himself for not taking Sterling from his mother in order to force the boy to be tougher. Since he had come to realize the negative aspects of his son’s personality, Joseph had fretted over who would inherit his role when he died. He had envisioned big plans for expanding their dynasty in innovative ways his grandfather and father had never explored. Now with the news he had just received, Joseph believed there was hope for the future existence of his family’s business on Bridgeiro. The law firm’s shell may fold when he was gone, but the Stygian Market and the way of life within the “Unknown” sector compound would survive. He was convinced he’d be able to count on Nxy to make certain of it.

  Now that he had other matters to occupy his time, Joseph thought another trip to the lake for Dolores might be in order, to get her out of his presence for a while. He smiled deviously knowing how much she hated going to the lake. That was the ace in the hole he was looking for. He would play her game tonight at dinner. On the way home, Joseph stopped at the travel agency’s office and picked up two round trip airplane tickets to the lake. That ought to twist the knife in her future plans.

  When Joseph pulled the car into the garage, he was in such a good mood he was determined to say nothing about Dolores rearranging his closet. He walked through the door and kissed Dolores on the cheek. She was cooking dinner, so he turned and walked out of the room. Dolores continued to stir the contents of the pot. Joseph went to find Sterling and playfully grabbed his son in a hug. Sterling immediately wiggled out of his father’s hold. Joseph sat down to look at Sterling’s card collection with him. Sterling glanced at his father with a puzzled expression then returned his attention to the cards. Dolores peeked around the corner to see what was going on between father and son. She stood and eavesdropped for a minute. Joseph’s dialogue was completely inappropriate and she was just about to say something to him, when the timer went off in the kitchen. Deciding she needed to take care of dinner, Dolores returned to the kitchen to take the casserole out of the oven.

  Joseph knew Dolores had been standing in the doorway all along. When her attention was diverted, he stood and began to walk away.

  Sterling mumbled, “You should put things back where you found them Father.”

  Joseph closed his eyes and counted to ten. He was not about to be drawn into getting angry, on one of the best nights of his life, by the worthless people living with him. He continued down the hallway. Joseph opened the door to his office and walked in, forgetting to completely close the door.

  Sterling put his cards away and followed his father. He pushed the heavy door open then stealthily walked in. He looked around. He’d never been inside his father’s office before. He peered at all the items on the desk. Sterling picked up some glasses to have a closer look. He put them on his face but didn’t like the strange things he was seeing so he dropped them. As his finger touched a crystal, it began flashing with pulsing light. That caught his attention. He picked it up to hold in his hands. Sterling observed the inside of the crystal changing and swirling.

  He couldn’t help himself and blurted out, “Awesome! Look Father.”

  Joseph turned around and frowned. He scolded the young man, “Sterling Grey, carefully put that back down on my desk this instant. Do you hear me?” His son involuntarily shuddered as he quickly dropped the crystal onto the desk.

  Dolores hurried to the door and asked, “What in the world is going on in here?”

  At the same time Joseph swooped down to grab Sterling by the shoulder. “Get this brat out of here!” he screamed.

  Sterling was crying out, “You’re hurting me! You’re hurting me, Fath…!” Dolores ran to Sterling just as Joseph shoved the boy at her.

  Joseph pushed them out the door and slammed it shut. Once the hea
vy door was closed, he couldn’t hear Sterling’s explanation of what happened on the other side. He cursed the brat for making him seethe.

  He went over to his desk to put the things that were disturbed back in place. Joseph picked up his Sojourner glasses and noticed the fingerprint smudge. He snarled as he wiped off the streak. He put them in his desk. Then he reached for his crystal that was still swirling. Joseph concentrated on what he remembered seeing and thought: That idiot son of mine can cross over after all. This complicates things. He was aware their family’s will agreement stated that everything was to be left to the first rightful heir who could cross over. He became enraged at the thought and began to scheme, thinking of ways to get around this predicament.

  Joseph stayed in the office until he was certain both Dolores and Sterling were sleeping. He went out to the kitchen, fixed a plate of leftovers for his dinner and went to bed.

  The next morning when Joseph woke, he turned on the lights in the bedroom. Dolores rolled over and looked at the clock.

  Joseph commented, “I hate the room darkening shades. I can’t see a blasted thing.” He went into the bathroom, turning on the lights there and in the closet, as he dressed for work.

  Dolores sat up in bed and quietly laughed, knowing she had made him the court’s fool after all. It was worth it. She didn’t complain about the lights being on, she simply asked, “Are you looking for something in particular?”

  Joseph moved to the doorway and looked at her. His face contorted into a particular smirk that Dolores always thought made him look like the devil himself. He replied, “No, nothing comes to mind.” When he finished getting ready, Joseph walked out of the bedroom leaving all the lights on. Dolores rolled her eyes.

  As he walked across the kitchen toward the garage, Joseph threw the round trip tickets to Anchorage Pointe on the table then slammed the door. He opened the garage door and revved up his sports car’s engine. He pulled out of the driveway. As the garage door was going down, he stomped on the accelerator roaring down the street. It felt good to be free at last! It was a new day and he was a new man. Joseph cranked up the radio on the way to work and flirted with every woman that pulled up next to him. He didn’t care who she was…

  Chapter 16

  They walked into the office. Carson walked over to his desk and sat down. He turned to Charles and said, “As I said before, Virgil told us some facts about the clonsayees. He mentioned that they are lightning fast and that they never die.”

  Charles asked, “The creatures are similar to Airabelle and Airasten?” Carson nodded. Charles continued, “Well, that’s good I suppose.”

  Carson agreed then said, “They are enchanted creatures, Charles. Let’s just say they have special powers. Someday soon I’ll research the facts and explain everything to you. Honestly, I don’t understand it all myself right now.”

  Charles asked, “So they weren’t naturally like this? A sorcerer cast a spell on them?”

  Carson replied, “Not exactly. In their case when I say enchanted, I’m not necessarily referring to a spell. There are some things that are very unusual about the clonsayees. Each of their markings means there is something unique about each one.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, Virgil didn’t exactly know how the enchantment works. The creatures belonged to the queen and she won’t say.”

  Charles frowned. “She won’t say?”

  Carson shrugged and repeated, “She won’t say.”

  Charles asked, “The queen gave me a priceless gift, and I have to figure out what is special about each one?”

  Carson looked at Bev for help. She said, “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure she has her reasons. We have ways to figure it out.”

  “Where do we start?”

  “At the clonsayee races, of course.”

  “Where are they, and how will we enter?”

  Bev said, “We have connections that will help.”

  Charles looked at Carson and asked, “The queen?” Carson nodded. “She wants us to go to the races with her?”

  Carson said, “Yes.”

  Airabelle joined in, “The clonsayee are truly remarkable creatures. I’m sure a clonsayee race will be a spectacular event.”

  Charles turned to look at her. “What do you know about these creatures and the races?”

  Airabelle said, “Well, I came from their world. I know a thing or two about them.”

  Carson cleared his throat. They had already had this discussion in private.

  She cautiously proceeded, “As your grandfather said, you can tell a lot about the creatures by their individual markings.”

  Charles waited for her to continue. “And…”

  Carson interrupted, “And that’s all for tonight.”

  Chapter 17

  The next day Carson drove Charles home after school. When they arrived at the house, they immediately walked to the office. Dimitrios and Natalie were waiting with Bev. Dimitrios asked Charles about his day at school. Charles answered that it was fine. He put his backpack on his desk and sat down.

  Dimitrios said, “I heard the queen gave you a generous gift yesterday.”

  “Yes, and it was very unexpected too.”

  “I bet. I can’t imagine what you were thinking, seeing them come directly from the office.”

  “It was an astonishing surprise.”

  “I was discussing clonsayee creatures with Carson and Bev, before Carson had to leave to pick you up at school. I think we have solved the dilemma of who will take care of the creatures for you.”

  Charles asked, “You did? Who?”

  Carson said, “It seems Todd was already at the pasture with them this morning.”

  “Todd?”

  “Can you believe that? He was grooming the clonsayees when Walter arrived at the barn this morning. Walter then came to talk to me. I guess Gretchen mentioned the creatures to Todd and Molly late yesterday at the market. He asked if he could take a look at them before work this morning.

  “I went to the stables to see what Walter was talking about. I believe the huge nests the creatures made in the pasture concerned him. When I arrived at the stable, I figured out really fast that Todd knows how to handle the animals. I pulled him aside for information. He explained something to me about their nature and how they need to be handled. He actually has experience training and caring for the clonsayees. Todd told me that after he went through the Incident Passageway, he worked with creatures on a ranch there. If it’s okay with you, Todd will work part time at the market and full time at the stables.”

  Charles shrugged. “That’s wonderful! How can I say no? How did Mom take the news that he will go to part time hours at the market?”

  “She knows we need to have someone at the stable, she herself said that we need someone to help with Persuasion. She’s got a soft spot for her pet. Your mom and Gretchen were fine with our suggestion. Todd can go back and forth as they need him.”

  Dimitrios said, “He’s good with the creatures. We went to see what he has done with them. It was very impressive.”

  Natalie added, “I watched him work with the beauties. Trust me, he knows what he’s doing with them.”

  “Did he say what experience he has had in order to work with them?” asked Charles.

  Carson said, “He told me he worked for a wealthy man when he was transported to the other dimension. His employer had a stable of clonsayee creatures. Todd learned how to handle them during his time on the ranch. He’s never raced them though. He mentioned he’d like a shot at it. Todd said the creatures we have are faster and stronger than any of the ones he’d ever worked with before. Your clonsayees are a special breed.”

  Charles was puzzled. “A special breed?”

  Dimitrios cleared his throat. “They are thoroughbreds.”

  Charles raised an eyebrow. “So they don’t all behave and act like the ones we have in our pasture?”

  “No, definitely not. The animals outside the Hub, on the natural pa
rt of the planet, are truly wild. It takes generations to train them.”

  Carson said, “Todd made some suggestions on how to construct a training facility for them. I’ll share that with you later.”

  “Okay, time to get to work on your school assignments,” said Dimitrios. They went over Charles’ homework and discussed plans he had for Charles.

  Before Dimitrios left, he and Carson stood off to the side having a private discussion. Charles observed their body language. When they finished their conversation, Dimitrios and Natalie said goodbye and returned to the Hub.

  Bev said, “I have plans to meet Todd to observe what he can do with the clonsayee creatures.” She abruptly left them.

  Charles turned his attention back to his homework. Once he finished the assignments, he walked over to join Carson and Airabelle at Carson’s desk.

  There was an awkward pause before Carson hoarsely said, “Charles, I have something I need to reveal to you.” He turned in his chair to face Charles. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation for them to have, but it was necessary for him to explain things.

  He began, “Before Caroline’s coronation, Dimitrios came to me. He told me of something he’d learned in his research of the kingdom’s history. It seems that he made a discovery about our ancestry.” He looked at Airabelle and then turned to Charles. “I was trying to find the right time to talk to you about this matter, but the truth is that I have discovered there is never the right opportunity to disclose things that you regret happening.”

  “You regret something? Why?”

  “It seems that our bloodline…” Charles’ eyes grew wide. “Well, we are ancestors of the king who destroyed the kingdom. There I said it.” He slumped back in his chair, wishing he didn’t have to say more.

  Charles couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He froze processing the information. Then he whispered, “Our relative destroyed the king’s family and slaughtered the people of his kingdom?” He waited for a response. Carson slowly nodded.