The Finger of God: a Thalassia novel

by Patrick McClafferty

  Hedric, much to his credit, didn’t even flinch. “Yes.”

  A satisfied smile seemed to split Lexi’s exotic face, and the ring disappeared out of Hedric’s hand as if by magic. “I accept.” She pulled Colonel Harrison’s battered ring off the chain about her neck, deftly replaced it with the Schwendau signet and dropped it down the front of her shirt. “There!” She dropped the older ring into Hedric’s waiting hand. “Is there anything else at the moment?” Her eyes were sparkling.

  “Just one thing.” He stepped forward, grabbed her roughly and kissed her. He fell into her, and she into him, memories and feelings all swirling. For an instant he touched the foursome, and withdrew in shock.

  Gasping, Lexi pulled away. “Did you feel it? Was that the foursome?”

  He was shaking. “Yes, I think so.”

  “What does it mean, Hedric?” She took his hand in an iron grip.

  “It means we act very carefully.” He raised his eyes to find Dolores Isenhart studying the two young people, tucked into a small corner of her wheelhouse on the floor. The boy and girl stood slowly. “I can’t tell you a whole lot, Captain. Perhaps by the time this is all over you’ll know more. That could be a good or bad thing.” He looked out of the window, and a thought caught at him. “I have to speak with Colonel Harrison, and you might wish to come too. He is in charge of the local militia, and has access to a vast wealth of information. He could probably tell us what is happening downriver.”

  She glanced out a window, and her eyebrow rose, microscopically. “It might be a good idea. I'll put on a clean shirt and meet you at the pier.” A smile finally split the hard face. “You two might want to run a brush through your hair. You look a bit—rumpled.” Her smile widened as she saw the red course up the cheeks of the two before her, and she was humming happily as she left the wheelhouse.

  “It has been a while, Colonel.” When they had left New Boston, Hedric stood a full head shorter than the big Guardsman. Now they were close to eyelevel.

  Colonel Harrison studied the two before him for several long moments before he spoke. “Your trip has changed you, changed you both.” He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. “If half the rumors I’ve gotten are true, you’ve been busy, and New Boston owes its survival to you.”

  “I’m just glad that you didn’t have to fall on your sword, Colonel.” Hedric was grinning as he held out the old ring to the grizzled soldier. “I didn’t even have to use it, but it was a comfort having it near.”

  “Thank you, lad. I never doubted the honor of a Schwendau.” There was a flicker of mirth in the edges of the older man’s eyes.

  Hedric looked at him sharply. “When did you find out?”

  “Oh, about a month ago. It seems that a captain of a fast steamship out of Dimsdale was privy to all sorts of secrets. He eavesdropped, I suspect. He was waving a fat golden coin around. One of my spies managed to get a rubbing of it.” He gave the boy another long look. “It was your face on the coin, or another near enough to be your father.”

  “It was probably my grandfather.” Hedric replied quietly. “He was named Hedric also.”

  Colonel Harrison nodded slowly, then looked up in surprise. “And who might this be?”

  Hedric glanced over his shoulder, and smiled. “Colonel Benjamin Harrison, I would like to introduce you to Dolores Isenhart, captain of the armed steamer Golden Fleece.”

  If Hedric hadn’t gotten out of the way, the colonel’s polished boots would have trampled him flat. Colonel Harrison took Isenhart’s extended hand, and instead of shaking it, as was the common custom, gave it a formal kiss. “It is seldom that a gruff old campaigner has the pleasure of meeting a truly beautiful woman. It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain.” Two small spots of color graced Dolores’s cheeks.

  “Thank you for the kind words, Colonel, but I’m a ship captain, and certainly not beautiful.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that, ma’am.” He smiled and looked up, still holding the Captain’s hand. “The governor will be having a banquet in two nights in your honor. You will be expected to attend.” His eyes never left Dolores. “I am having a smaller dinner at my residence tomorrow night. I would consider it very much an honor if you all would grace me with your presence. There will only be a dozen or so couples.”

  “I think that would be splendid.” The Captain replied brightly. I look forward to meeting Missus Harrison.” Hedric blinked in surprise, and caught the tiny flicker of pain that flashed across the colonel’s face at the mention of his wife, only because he was looking for it; pain shining brightly through the cracks in the colonel’s thin veneer.

  “I’m sorry to deny you all that pleasure.. Jaelinth was an extraordinary woman, and I miss her every day of the last three years she has been gone. She was a doctor and the plague claimed her. We were out on a patrol to a remote village. She was infected.” Hedric could see the man fighting to retain control. “I killed her myself, before she could kill others.”

  “Oh gods, Benjamin. We’re sorry we brought it up.” She gave Hedric a strong glance, but he could tell she was quite happy about the colonel’s current status..” There were tears in the Captain’s eyes, and Hedric slowly drew Lexi away.

  Out of earshot, Lexi rounded on the young man. “You set that up, didn’t you?”

  “Well…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so. The colonel wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and I was hoping that…” She flung herself into his arms and kissed him, right there on the quay in front of all the grinning sailors.

  “Thank you, Hedric. Thank you for what you did for my mother. It has been five years since Dad died, and she has never even LOOKED at another man—until now.” Hedric glanced over his shoulder. Hand in hand, Dolores and Benjamin were talking softly, eyes never leaving each other’s faces. “Nothing may ever come of this, but now she is thinking of herself as a woman again, not just a ship’s captain.” She took his face in her two hands, and kissed him again. “I love you, Hedric Schwendau.” She turned, with tears streaming down her cheeks, and ran for the ship.

  For an evening dinner party, a whole platoon of seamstresses, tailors, barbers and beauticians showed up on the Golden Fleece bright and early the morning of the event. Hedric groaned when he saw the barber.

  He felt distinctly uncomfortable. The high collared coat had a definite military cut, and the colors were most assuredly not in New Bostonian style. They were, however, his house colors. Black with silver piping. He suspected divine influence of some sort in the selection process. Soft black leather boots came up to his knees and he wore the accompanying rapier belted crosswise. The heavy black cloak had silver piping, and a silver gryphon over the breast. He felt the absolute fool as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Alexandra was waiting for him, and they both stared at each other, openmouthed. Her sweeping gown matched his own clothes, in color, with the silver filigree replaced with baby pearls. A deep décolletage emphasized the fact that Lexi was very much a young lady on the cusp of womanhood, already rounding out in all the places Hedric found very interesting. Around her neck hung a sparkling gryphon pendant and jewels glittered in her hair.

  Hedric gave her the very best formal court bow he could remember. He had, after all, been a sad student of court decorum. “My lady.” He said softly, offering Lexi his arm. “Surely thou art the fairest maid in all the land, and my heart swoons at the sight of thy beauty.”

  Alexandra blushed prettily, and spoiled the whole thing by giggling. “I feel the absolute fool, Hedric.” She hissed. “Do you really swoon?”

  “Hush.” He reprimanded softly. “You look magnificent. Remember: back straight, chin up, look down your nose, just slightly at people, and keep telling yourself that you’re the queen of the world; you certainly look the part. Take small steps, too. No striding around like a seafaring swabbie.”

  She straightened up and lifted her chin, and her dark eyes became hard. “And how is this, sirrah?” Her voice held an imperial crack.
>
  Hedric was standing with his mouth hanging open. He closed it with a sharp snap. “Perfect. Just the right tone.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we go, my lady?”

  “Lead on, my lord.” She was getting into the part, he could tell.

  As they came down the ramp onto the stone quay, all activity ceased, and a hush seemed to fall over all present. The two young people, looking neither right nor left, proceeded at a stately pace directly to the carriage, where Hedric held open the wide lacquered door, and assisted Alexandra up the small steps.

  “Lord!” The doctor muttered, turning to the Captain. “Those two can’t be our Hedric and Lexi. They can’t!”

  “I heard a story once, doctor. In the story the young hero and heroine perished, saving their land. The gods brought them back and rebuilt their bodies, but they were never quite the same, since they were now the work of the gods, and not of mere men and women. I never thought much of it - until now.”

  All eyes in the grand ballroom turned as the four entered. A uniformed and bewigged herald banged a long staff on the floor as each person stepped forward, and then in a deep sonorous voice, announced their presence to the gathered diners. The light from a thousand candles in glittering crystal holders gave the room a fairy tale look. Finally Hedric and Lexi stepped up, still arm in arm.

  “I’m sorry, sir.” The man said in a condescending voice, “The young lady will go first, and then you.”

  Hedric’s eyes widened in anger, but Alexandra beat him to the punch. “Fie, sirrah!” Her clear ringing voice echoed across the now silent ballroom. “This is Hedric Schwendau, and I am Alexandra Smith, daughter of Captain Dolores Isenhart, Captain of the Golden Fleece, and Hedric’s betrothed. You will announce us together, or we will leave.” The glare she gave him would have withered lead, and from outside came a soft growl of thunder.

  The herald turned the color of chalk, and hastily slammed his staff down on the shining floor. “I have the honor of announcing Alexandra Smith, daughter of Captain Dolores Isenhart, Captain of the steamer Golden Fleece, and the betrothed of Hedric Schwendau.” The man cleared his throat. Hedric could see that he was trembling violently. “I have the great pleasure in announcing the presence of Lord Hedric Schwendau, Crown Prince of Vaigach, Duke of Dun, Lord of the Eastern Alliance and Supreme Commander of the dreaded Corsairs of Aethalia.” As each stupendous title was read, Hedric could feel Lexi’s hand clench. Her face, however, remained calm and composed. The shaking herald stepped aside after the announcements were finished, with great relief on his thin face.

  Alexandra stopped Hedric as he began the long descent down to the ballroom, and gave the herald a withering look. “Barely adequate.” The man flinched. Alexandra turned and, chin held high, let Hedric lead her down the vast staircase into the crowd below.

  A chuckling Benjamin Harrison met them at the bottom. “I must say that when I asked Simpson, my herald, to be obnoxious, I had no idea you would step on him so thoroughly.” He was laughing outright now, pausing only to wipe the tears of mirth from his eyes. “I wanted to test your mettle, you see. Find out if you really have a spine under all those flowery phrases.”

  “And did we pass your test?” There was an undercurrent of ice in Lexi’s voice.

  “Oh my, yes.” The colonel ignored the imperious look. “It may be a while before Simpson recovers, but he needed a lesson in humility.” He waved to the table. “Dinner will begin as soon as you are seated, so if you will?”

  The dinner of roast meats and fishes, freshly grown vegetables and newly baked breads fit the occasion, with stupendous overabundance. Afterward Lexi and Hedric, armed with crystal goblets filled with a sweet red wine, retired to a small secluded terrace set along the north side of the house. Medin was rising full, and with gibbous Hades’s waning influence, the night and Thalassian rings took on a soft pink glow while fireflies dotted dew covered lawns.

  “You both handled yourselves very well tonight.” Hedric felt Alexandra flinch, and they both turned slowly. Selene and Rhiannon stood facing them.

  Hedric gave the goddesses a short bow. “Ladies, what can we do for you?”

  The two women in white gave him an oddly formal curtsey. “Your presence has been requested. You both must come, now.”

  Hedric looked at the young beauty who was slowly crushing his arm. “We’re going to have a hell of a time talking ourselves out of this mess.” His voice was dry.

  “You think?”

  Turning back to the goddesses, he gave them a thin grin. “Lead on, ladies. We’re at your disposal.”

  “Thank you, Hedric.” Selene gave him a wink. “Just follow us.” With that, they turned and walked through the balcony railing as if it weren’t there, up a set of sweeping gossamer steps to a landing where a ghostly black carriage awaited on a spectral road. A pale, almost transparent coachman bowed deeply to the party, and swept open the carriage door, assisting them to enter. After the last of the party had been securely settled, he rejoined his companion on the high driver’s seat and, with a crack of a whip, the dark carriage and team spun off into the night.

  Far below two faces stared up into the evening sky. “Does this happen often with these two, Captain Isenhart?”

  The woman turned her pale face to observe the colonel’s matching pallor. “More often than you would think, Benjamin.”

  The man gave a cut nod. “Why don’t we retire to my office and talk about this over coffee and cognac?”

  “Mixing business with pleasure, Colonel?” There was light laughter in her voice.

  Colonel Harrison gently took her elbow, to steer her through the crowd. “Dolores, I have never before found myself in the position of being able to mix business with pleasure. I won’t let it slip through my fingers.”

  The Captain studied the colonel’s hard face, and decided that he probably wasn’t talking about the coffee and cognac. It gave her a small fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  Clouds whipped by the carriage windows, and though he had a million questions, they rode in silence. It was THAT sort of night. After a time, an hour or a day, he couldn’t tell, they heard the driver speak softly to the horses, and the carriage slowed and stopped. The door opened onto a wide plain, set under a single solitary white moon. It wasn’t until he was helping Lexi down that he noticed the greatest change of all. There were no rings in the sky.

  The stars in the sky were strange, the chill air holding the crisp smell of cedar. Selene and Rhiannon stood by the carriage, silent, unmoving. Out in the darkness two shapes seemed to be coalescing, moving toward the waiting four. The moonlight made it bright enough for Hedric to tell that it was a man and a woman. When they got close enough, he heard Alexandra gasp.

  Hedric’s eyes widened. “Fa…” A hand reached out of the darkness to grasp his arm, demanding silence. The man just stared at the two women in white.

  “Oh all right.” Selene muttered in disgust. “We’ll leave as agreed. Meet us here in an hour.” The anger was evident as the women climbed into the carriage, making a curt motion to the driver. There was the crack of the whip, and the conveyance rolled a few feet before it banked upward and into the night, disappearing from sight.

  The man still watched the tall slender woman at his side. “They’re gone.” The honey smooth voice murmured. “They can no longer eavesdrop.”

  “Thank you, Anya.” The man turned back to Hedric. “As you have probably guessed, Hedric, I am your father.”

  “But…”

  “My death was a story concocted by your mother to cover my disappearance. Like the two of you, I work for Selene, except in a different land.” He smiled sadly. “We didn’t bring you here tonight to talk about us, but about you. You and Alexandra.” The woman who was Anya walked over and placed a gentle hand on Lexi’s shoulder. “We only have an hour to teach you certain things, and we’re breaking enough rules simply by doing that.” He smiled. “You and Lexi have touched something very special, and very dangerous, Hedric. A
nya and I broke the rules when we two merged together. Now…”

  Hedric interrupted. “You’re talking about the foursome.”

  The man sighed. “Yes, the foursome. Joining four-ways will put you in terrible danger, but there is a way around that.” Hedric and Alexandra leaned closer. “It’s all about love, children. Remember that. Love your partner, love your K’Dreex companion and love yourself. It will help you retain your own identity. Soon you will have to use the foursome to solve certain problems, and then you will know what I mean. Another thing to bear in mind. When you become the foursome, Medin and Thallia on Elysium will know. You two will then inherit the responsibility for this planet. If you wish, and I would recommend this; leave Selene and Rhiannon in caretaker status, while you two, with Medin and Thallia, make the major decisions.”

  “Selene and Rhiannon will just be there for show, then?”

  “Essentially.”

  “And what happens to you and Anya?”

  “We all have our jobs to do, Hedric. We will continue to do ours. There are a few other things we would like to show the two of you. Things that will make you better able to defend yourselves.” The man squatted before him with a wide grin, and Hedric knew a sudden love for this man he’d never seen. “This is my personal favorite.” Next to his father he saw Anya roll her eyes dramatically. “It’s called FIREBALL.”

  An hour later, the carriage carrying the two young people arched groundward through the deep clouds.

  There was a pause, a reflection, before she answered.