by D. H. Aire
Interlude
“But,” she rasped, “how can you end the story that way? I don’t even know what she did?” She flipped through the next pages which were blank, “How to they meet up with their families. What happened to…?”
Who, dear?
“Everyone else.”
Perhaps, you will decide to read about them.
“But, I mean, what about the hounds, at least?”
Hmm, there are enough pages for just a bit about that, I suppose. But you do know that, though, to those looking for you little time has passed, but the search is growing more noticeable.
“Mother?”
Yes, she will hear about your latest absence.
“Just a few more pages, please…”
Epilogue
Agwin slept fitfully. “Ride Greth,” she mumbled in her sleep, tears building. She could not explain her need to accompany Casber and look out for him, but faced with what the Seeress warned would be the price she would learn for changing her fate… Hearing those words from Yel’ane, she knew that “bonding” the troll as apparently Nessa had, was not something she could ever do.
“They are Cathartans, Agwin,” the Seeress had tried to explain. “Their survival has created customs that many women cannot accept, while others see themselves free because of it.”
So, she slept fitfully, thinking that the unicorn’s rider would be a handsome figure one day, if he lived long enough.
The dragon’s scale slipped into the room beneath the doorjam and floated upward, tendrils scanning. :.: Repair in progress.
When she woke, she found the black gauntlet on her arm. Agwin blinked and frowned, holding up her right arm, “What?”
Her cheek twitched.
:.:
“I wear a symbol of the Dragon?” she muttered. “Who said that?”
:.: System repair complete.
#
The Hellhounds were nearly hale again, the old dwarf knew, and that was getting to be a problem.
“The ladies are growing concerned,” the old woman said as she walked to check the main gate, not truly happy trusting the duty to anyone else, even if they were keeping the gate closed except when needed.
“They just need to be loosed,” he replied.
“And you are just not young enough to work with them, are you?”
“Hmm, you thought me young enough the other night to…”
The woman shook her head, “That was a kiss between… friends.”
“You are not as old as you think, woman. Now, by centuries, I’m one old dwarf, and I know old…”
Her cheeks flushed and he grinned, her hair had more brown than gray in it from the magic buoying the Keep once more, which would link to older powers across the Badland, a place that once had a far grander name that he could almost remember.
“I think this place has wanted me around all this time so I could see to those beasties proper training when the time came.”
“We are not ungrateful for how… All right, I’m grateful for how much you have done here in the vill—”
“The Keep.”
“The, uh, Keep, and in helping the Hellhounds to heal and stay out of trouble.”
“You saw how they helped me raise the old mechanism back into place, now that it’s fixed itself.”
She frowned, wringing her hands slightly, knowing a lot of things seemed to be fixing themselves, due to the magic. “Having the rear portcullis able to be raised is a great boon and we all saw how they, well, raised it into place.”
“They are smarter than the hounds were, without a doubt.”
“Perhaps, because they are so much bigger.”
“Well, they are Hellhounds, but just as affectionate as the hounds they are, deep inside.”
“It’s the rather affectionate, which disturbs some.”
“You mind their licking you?”
“Well, my clothes are cleaner, I’ll say that for them,” she replied.
He grinned, “They like everyone here… Though how they can like that harridan of a woman—”
“Ahem.”
Sighing, he went on, “They see us all as part of their pack and will let no one and nothing hurt any of us. What more can you want?”
“Piece of mind isn’t the issue being raised. It’s the fact that you asked, last night, who would like you to train them–– to work with them.”
“Training is what they need, and there are more of them than, well, I admit these old bones can handle.”
“They are Hellhounds, not the dogs you once trained. You do see why everyone’s hesitant.”
“What I see is women complaining that those foul no good louts they called their men got themselves killed. You think men here in the Badlands–– good honest men like that son of yours, whose pregnant wife is the envy of the place, or Mac, now that his wife’s stopped his drinking once and for all—”
By hog-tying him every night to keep him from sneaking in our tavern cellar for another drink, she thought.
“Should such paragons even exist… are just going to walk up to the gate and shout—”
“HAIL, THE GATE!”
They both frowned.
“AHEM, HAIL, THE GATE!”
That call, from outside the main gates’ wall drew everyone in town. The Hellhounds let out howls like they had never heard before.
The old dwarf expected whoever it was to run for their lives hearing that.
“What was that?” a man could be heard asking.
“Almost sounded like…”
“Couldn’t be…” another deep voice said.
The old dwarf peered through the portcullis, frowning.
“…a hound,” the lad with them said.
“What you want?” the dwarf demanded. “And, where are your horses?”
“We’ve been walking,” one of the dusty brown robed men replied.
“Bandits?” one of the women behind them muttered.
“Uh, no, Ma’am. Just no horses available and we, well, didn’t care to stay and wait…”
“They look hungry and thirsty,” the old woman’s son said, hoping to earn coin.
“They look like they could use a bath,” Mac said, his plain but serviceable-looking sword at the ready, trying to look like he was a guardsman.
The old woman hit the dwarf in the shoulder, “Open the gate, you fool idiot!”
The townswomen smiled at the three men and two boys, one an adolescent. “What brings you here,” her son asked.
“Well, our, uh, hounds ran off… and we have been following their trail.”
“Did you see them?” the boy asked.
“Your hounds?” the old dwarf asked.
“We were their trainers.”
“Do say…” the dwarf muttered, “By chance there were hounds in these parts.”
“Which way did they go?” the boy asked in a rush.
The old woman gestured, “Come, you look hungry and thirsty, you must have come a long way.”
“The Caravan Road,” the boy said and one of the men hushed him.
“You’d recognize your hounds anywhere?” the old dwarf asked.”
“Of course,” one of the trainers said.
The taverner sighed, “Come, food and all the water you can drink’s at no charge for you… Ale’s a different matter, you understand.”
“That greedy…” the harridan muttered as the dwarf went to fetch a Hellhound, thinking this was going to be quite a reunion, and wondered which of the women would settle which man in their bed that night.
“Mister.”
He turned and could almost meet the boy’s gaze eye to eye. “Yes, boy.”
“The hounds are here, aren’t they?”
The old dwarf smiled, “Yes and no… A few came back here after… Well, that’s a story for later, I think. Come see the old kennel?”
“You’ve a kennel here?”
The dwarf grinned, “Those hounds of yours. Some of their ancestors lived here. We�
��re trained for the races they were.”
“Races?
The dwarf grinned, knowing this one would be sleeping by the kennels every night.
#
The words faded from the page. Then the words appeared: You have little time!
She closed the book, rising.
‘You will come back.’
“I promise,” she said, pausing, looking up at the ceiling which seemed to stretch up for an eternity.
‘One more thing,’ the voice said as she ascended the spiral step. ‘You need not run away to find the library.’
She paused, “What?”
‘I am with you, now. Just wish it and the entrance to the library will be open to you.’
She hesitated, closed her eyes, “I’m keyed to you?”
‘Yes.’
“Mother will know.”
‘She will, but not consciously… After all, you are too young to be heir in more than spirit.’
She ran up the last step and found herself in the hall, behind the pillar.
“Where could she be?” an exasperated voice said from just down the hall.
“The guards said they’d look down this way, but you know…”
“She could have doubled back, that tricky...”
Sighing, the little girl smiled, skipping down the hall in time to see them turn the corner, “Hi, looking for me, Ri’ori?”
Her half-sister blinked. “Where have you been? You’re late for your lessons with Lord—”
Rachiel waved her hand, “We’ve no time, he’ll tell Her Majesty, if we don’t get you to him fast enough.”
“Sorry,” she said too sweetly, “I lost track of time.”
“Of course, you did,” Ri’ori muttered, the black gauntlet on her arm practically gleaming.
As they hurried, the little Heir to the Empire had the oddest thought; she didn’t have a half-sister… Then she blinked, shaking her head slightly, knowing she was lucky to have her, even if she was a pain in the arse at times.
#
In the library, the last page of the book opened on its own and words began to appear for someone else, who was curious.
Lawson frowned as he bent to wake Yel’ane, who was one of the first to come around. Ani’ya was helping Casber, who muttered, “Surrender or die by my horn.”
“That’s telling them,” Ani’ya said.
Lawson blinked, lowered his hand to his belt tie and saw the merest hint of bright cloth…
Yel’ane opened her eyes, “What? He drugged us!”
“It’s all right. Lord Erkiil had an accident,” Lawson said.
“An accident?” she muttered.
Ani’ya grinning, “Lawson’s fist met his jaw, which means, Papa, sort of saved my life again.”
“Um, thank the Lords… But where are the guards?”
“Gone to put down the uprising, knowing better that to disturbing Lord Rian,” Ani’ya said, then frowned, thinking she should not share quite so much anymore.
Casber shook his head with Ani’ya practically standing over him. He stared up her too short skirt. “Um.”
“I had a bit of problem with Lord Rian,” she explained.
“Oh.”
Lawson muttered, uncomfortable, not certain how Ani’ya had accomplished her little trick. “A bit of one, yes.”
Ani’ya smiled back, then hurried over to Nessa, who, a moment later, stirred.
Helping Yel’ane to stand, she gaped at what she saw. “Lawson, cover him up.”
“Ah, sorry, I didn’t think…” he muttered.
Ani’ya didn’t help by saying, “He was very distracted, Yel’ane. He dragged Master Hynrik into the other room. The fellow tried to prevent, uh, Papa from saving me. Lord Rian enchanted me and, uh, Papa had to break the spell.”
“I broke the jewel she wore with my dagger,” Lawson said.
“Ever our hero,” Yel’ane said. “And due a boon, according to the old tales.”
He put his hands on his hips, “I’ve had boons enough, I think.”
Yel’ane glanced at him, frowned, “Oh.”
He glanced down, “Not what I meant.” There was a moan. “Jen’yan, you all right?”
“Milord?” she sighed. “I had a wondrous dream.”
“Oh, good.”
“We have four little girls… Not so pretty, but…”
He winced.
Ani’ya said, “Mother.”
“Mother what?” Yel’ane asked.
Lawson simply said, “Mother’s hacked you and the girls, so you dream of having my children.”
Behind her back Ani’ya mouthed, You and I do, at least.
“Casber, you all right? You should get up.” Nessa said, shaking her head as she rose.
“Give me a moment,” he replied. “I’m a little dizzy.”
Ani’ya was bent over, facing the other way, leaning over Vi’ya, who was stirring.
Lawson gave the boy a look. Ani’ya, glanced back and smiled proud at the jealousy her new husband was showing.
Casber started to sit up, curled up, “I, uh, need another minute.”
Lawson looked at Ani’ya, not knowing who was going to be the worse trial to deal with; her or Yel’ane.
:.: The dragon scale signaled as it observed, sensors extended.
En’sta sat up, “Oh, what happened? Oh, Milord, I just dreamed — our daughters.”
“Argh,” he muttered.
#
Elsewhere, the Seeres, Lady Grin, set down her pen, looking pale and exhausted as the rippling image of the girl faded.
The ripple said, ‘She is the one.’
“You can actually speak to me?”
‘Thanks to her, yes, I now can.’
“Uh, I must get Mother and tell her.”
‘No, do not. That might lock fate in ways that can never be undone.’
“She will come back.”
‘There is no other way… But we must take care lest she seeks to read an ill-fated book.’
“But she has to read about what happened in her past.”
‘You did not see it, then?’
“What?”
“There are more books in the library.”
“She is the one,” Lady Grin sighed.
‘The Jewel of all our hopes.’
“All to save the father she barely remembers.”
‘And key to the one future where the Demon does not devour all life in this world…’
Continued in Shattered House: Book II of the Hands of the Highmage
About the Author
D. H. Aire has walked the ramparts of the Old City of Jerusalem and through an escape tunnel of a Crusader fortress that Richard the Lionheart once called home. He’s toured archeological sites that were hundreds, if not thousands of years old… experiences that have found expression in his writing of his Highmage’s Plight Series.
In addition to his Highmage’s Plight and Dare2Believe series, he has also published a science fiction series, Terran Catalyst. D. H. Aire’s short stories have appeared in ezines and anthologies, most recently You Can’t Buy Your Dreams in How to Trick the Devil and Running on Selyn Alone in the first Sime~Gen Anthology, Fear and Courage.
D.H. Aire is originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. To learn more about Dare2Believe and his other projects visit the author’s website, www.dhr2believe.net or follow him on Twitter at @dare2believe1 or Dare 2 Believe on Facebook.
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