He turned and went back to his shop. There he found Leah slowing down in her healings as her pregnancy slowed down her activity, and he helped treat several people. Most did not believe that the young boy could be as good as Leah, but she convinced them that they could trust Alec, something she found very amusing, and Alec bore it with a wry shrug of his shoulders.
When the waiting room was clear, Alec inspected the supplies they had, and began to make a list of the items he thought they should acquire. He considered Merle’s warning that prices were starting to rise, due to hoarding, and went upstairs to ask Ellen whether she saw food getting more expensive in the market.
“As a matter of fact, yes, flour and bread are going up a little each day, and fresh vegetables are too, but less so. Smoked meats and dried meats are disappearing from the shops, not that we ever bought much of that anyway,” she commented.
Alec went next door to talk to Henree, the neighbor he rarely saw because of his busy schedule. Henree too moaned about prices increasing for flour and sugar. After that he returned to the shop, and told Leah he was going to go out to the hills and look for some herbs and plants he needed.
The walk gave Alec time alone, and he savored it as he strolled through the city, and then into the country east of Goldenfields before finding the hills and bogs he had explored before. He remembered Cassie’s delight in visiting a forest for the first time, and looked at the landscape with renewed appreciation as he strolled along finding occasional items to add to his collection for treating patients.
Within a short time Alec had wandered deep in the forest during one of the shortest days of winter, and he didn’t realize how late it was getting until he noticed a fire burning in the forest off to his left, towards the city. He began walking back towards the trail he had abandoned, but cut at an angle as a shortcut towards the city so he could see what manner of fire he had spotted.
When he got fairly close to the fire he noticed there were figures walking around it, mostly men. He grew suddenly cautious, and edged behind a tree to think about the situation. It could be a local group of hunters about to go out he realized, but that made little sense with night falling. Alec edged closer to the fire and saw that in a clearing across from him there were a number of swords and pikes piled up, while the group of men, he suspected at least fifty, were eating food off to his right.
He stood and watched for a time more until darkness had nearly fallen. He decided he could learn no more, and was about to leave when he recognized a face in a group across the fire from him. It was the Duke’s son Airmed. Alec froze in place for a moment, then started to slowly work his way out of the forest and back to town. There were apparently no pickets established by the group in the woods, and Alec fled the area easily. He returned to his shop, apologizing to Ellen and Leah for his late return.
After a quiet dinner and talk with Leah about Oyster Bay and the palace, Alec went to bed to get a start on his upcoming first day back in the service of the Duke. He heard Leah enter the room. “How are you feeling?” he asked her.
“You mean pregnancy feeling? From what all the ladies have told me about their own pregnancies, mine is going just fine. Every one who comes in with a cold or headache or twisted ankle or cough, they all want to talk to me for ten minutes about something that happened when they were pregnant. That’s part of why I’m so slow waiting on them,” She said. “I feel like this baby should come about any day now. I’m glad you’re here to help Alec. I didn’t really expect you to be, but it’s a comfort to have you back, in many ways,” she added as she climbed into her own bed.
Alec wished her a good night and fell soundly asleep. As soon as he awoke the next morning he went downstairs to eat some bread and then left to go to the duke’s palace. The guard on duty at the gate was one who recognized him from his former service at the palace. “Welcome back, Alec. Come on in. I heard you had returned yesterday. I heard that you’ve gotten pretty nimble with your sword. I’m glad to hear it. We could use you.”
Alec thanked him and went back to the Colonel’s office, noticing the empty feeling of the Guard area that lacked the many members who had shipped out to fight the lacertii.
An aide allowed Alec in to see the colonel, who was already at work. “All ready to start service? Would you like to be posted to the Duke today for the morning shift as bodyguard?”
“I’d prefer to work morning shifts if possible, and as often as you need me,” Alec said. “That’ll allow me to do the medic training and gathering of supplies in the afternoon, plus work with Merle a little bit too.”
“I’ll plan to use you that way, and having you as a steady morning guard will help establish a regular order,” Ryder told him. “After your reinstatement this morning, you’ll just remain with the Duke. The regular shift is due to change half an hour later anyway. So two will leave and one other will join you. Your function is to be with the Duke at all times, no matter how embarrassing or personal or intimate his behavior is. Don’t stray away, don’t lose focus. I know I don’t have to tell you these things, but I tell them to everyone who is on bodyguard duty.”
“Colonel,” Alec said, “before we start, I wanted to let you know that last night I was east of the river in some woods looking for medicinal plants, and came across a large fire, with maybe fifty men around it, and a stack of arms, and Airmed was with them as well. It didn’t look like a typical country hunting gathering, but I can’t say there was anything wrong taking place.”
Ryder looked at him. “Thank you Alec, that is good to know. If he’s building a force, he’s trying to do it out of sight of the city, and right now we’d be tested to battle against a large force. I think we’d withstand fifty, but a surprise attack by a hundred or two would be a test.
“Now, let’s go see the Duke.”
Alec followed the Colonel through the halls of the palace, in places he didn’t recognize or know well, though by the furnishings he could tell they were in the formal parts of the building used by the Duke and his ministers.
Ryder opened a large door and he and Alec entered a formal Hall where the Duke was sitting at a table at one end, with two Guards stationed close by. An aide saw them approaching and whispered in the Duke’s ear. He looked up, saw them arrive, and stood up. “Colonel, good to see you again. So you’ve brought back our wayward son? Alec, I’m glad to see you. How was your stay in Oyster Bay?” he asked with a warm smile that gladdened Alec’s heart.
Alec thought about his answer; he remembered mornings on Rubicon‘s patio and healing Cassie‘s legs. He remembered cutting the back of Bethany‘s dress as a prank, and struggled to avoid grinning. “Educational sums it up best,” he said.
The Duke laughed. “I’ll bet it was! So now you’re ready to return to my service?”
“I always intended to come back, sir,” Alec told him.
“Very good! Then by the power vested in me, I officially reinstate you as a captain in the Duke’s Guard of Goldenfields, and charge you with upholding the honor and glory of that position. Welcome back,” he said, and held out his hand to shake Alec’s. Alec extended his own hand and felt the Duke’s firm grasp.
“So what will our healer do first, Ryder?” the Duke asked the colonel. “Attend to the medical training and supplies we discussed?”
“Actually sir, he will do that, and quite a bit of it. But first I am assigning him to be one of your morning bodyguards on a daily basis. He seems to have been educated in many things in Oyster Bay,” the colonel said.
The Duke looked at Ryder with unfeigned surprise. “You think he’s good enough to serve at his age? How would you compare him to Imelda, for instance?”
“As a matter of fact sir, he crossed blades with her yesterday, and did very well…both left-handed and right-handed,” Ryder replied evenly, and Alec saw the two Guards on duty tilt their heads fractionally to look at him more closely. He tried to stand a little straighter.
“Well, Alec, I look forward to having you with me. Than
k you for coming back; it’s a shame you ever left us, and we’re better off having you here. Anything else, Colonel?” the Duke asked, picking up his pen to start writing again.
“Yes, sir, but it can wait until lunchtime,” Ryder said, and turned and left the room.
Alec stood in front of the table as the Duke returned to his paperwork. He decided to move around the table to one end closest to a corner, from which he could best survey the greatest portion of the room. He took up his position, and then for the first time in days, he called upon his warrior powers, at a very low level, and directed his alertness around him. He heard and saw numerous small events, and judged their meaning constantly. At one point he put his hand on the hilt of his Guard sword because of a sound in the hallway. He practiced raising and lowering his level of energy, then settled it at a low level that put no strain on his body or abilities.
Soon he watched another Guard arrive, and the two that had watched during the early morning left. Alec edged over from his corner spot to be closer to the Duke, and watched the new Guard, a man he didn’t know, take up the opposite side location.
Shortly after that, visitors began to arrive in a steady stream. Businessmen, ministers, citizens, and others came to ask or address many questions, and Alec watched them all minutely, examining every gesture he saw to make sure no threat was posed.
After two hours of interviews, the doors closed, and the Duke stood up. Alec followed as the other Guard led the way in front of the Duke out a side door and to another room, where a meeting was underway. Alec realized it was about the battle with the lacertii, and included in the meeting was Major Abraham, who Alec had last seen commanding the road-building expeditionary force many weeks before the lacertii attack.
Abraham and the others in the room stood when the Duke arrived, and sat again when he sat, but took no notice of the Guards who were accompanying him. Unrecognized, Alec listened to the conversation and debate.
“Our men acquitted themselves well after the initial shock. That’s why I think we’ll hold with a reasonable force in place at the fort. If we send too many men there it will become crowded and unproductive, especially with winter coming upon us,” Abraham was saying.
“You’ve sent enough men to start a counter march against the lacertii, but the question is, are we ready to do that? We haven’t scouted the area, we don’t know where their base is, how many we’ll face, and again, we’re going in the face of an approaching winter season. The lacertii we killed and captured, and the supplies we found, all give the appearance of a group that had come a long way towards us. I don’t think we’ll find any battles until we get very close to the mountains,” he continued.
“We may have over–reacted by sending so much of our strength so quickly,” agreed another officer Alec didn’t know. “What would you recommend?”
“I believe we need to establish a series of fire beacons from the fort towards this city, so that any attack can be reported immediately as far and as fast as possible. I’d also suggest we strengthen the fort further and build up and maintain stores so that it can withstand a long siege. As far out there as it is, we’ll need time to send a force to its aid, even if we speed up the idea of building another fort at the canal around the fens, which I think we ought to do,” Abraham said.
“We’ve just sent most of the army in the duchy in the direction of the river fort. It will look indecisive if we reverse course and make them come back now,” another adviser at the table said. “It may also give doubts to the public about having enough men there to win.”
Alec listened to the back and forth arguments about the likelihood of lacertii attacks, how well prepared they needed to be, what the public would think. He continued to keep looking at all those in the room as well as the doors.
Finally, after an hour, the Duke stood. “Very well,” he announced, “I’ve appreciated the chance to hear your views. We’ll reconvene tomorrow and make a decision.” He left the room with his aide, and one Guard in front, with Alec bringing up the rear.
They mounted horses and left the palace, with two additional Guard members joining them for the trip the Duke took to his granary storage facilities along the river. Barges of grain were arriving and their contents were being stored in the large stone bins set up on top of a bluff above the river, which used much labor to lift the material. The Duke inspected the bins and the labor and asked questions about the quality of the grain and the prices they were paying.
After that they returned to the palace again, and Alec and his companion were officially relieved by the other two Guard members who had gone to the granary. “I’m Alec, good to work with you,” Alec said to the man he had been on duty with.
“Likewise Alec. I’m Rom. If you have any questions, just ask me,” his companion responded as they walked back to the Guard’s quarters.
“I’ll take you up on that when I know what to ask,” Alec promised with a smile, as they parted ways.
Alec went into the infirmary, and shut the door behind him. He stood stock still for a moment, alone, and remembered all that had happened there when he first arrived. The building was empty, and Alec easily placed memories in vacant spots, seeing faces and reliving emotions that had become indelibly etched in his memory, momentous events that had changed his life beyond comprehension. At last he walked back to the storage room and began to check the amount of supplies that were available, noting that many were dangerously low, or empty. He presumed that was because the medics had restocked their supply kits as needed, or perhaps had taken extra along in the case of those who had left recently to go to the river fort.
He made a list of what would be needed, and went to see Colonel Ryder, only to be told the colonel was out. Alec remembered that he had mentioned meeting the Duke for lunch, and resolved to come back later.
Instead he walked to the ingenaire end of the island, and called upon Merle. Alec asked for an introduction to the boy who might be a potential warrior ingenaire. He was a very young boy, only twelve or thirteen, Alec judged, and his name was Indie. “What are you learning?” Alec asked him. The boy looked at Merle for confirmation that he could talk to Alec about ingenaire things. Merle nodded.
“I’m learning to find my spirit inside myself, between the barriers of the world. It’s not easy, but I think I’m learning,” the boy said.
Alec looked at him and smiled. “If you practice hard and learn to do it right, you’ll find it gets easier all the time. I hope you do practice hard. I’d like to have a warrior ingenaire here to help us protect the Duke.” He stood up to leave, and as he walked out he said to Merle, “Would you like for me to help with anything yet?”
“Just come back frequently, encourage the boy with words like you just did, and when the time is right, we’ll ask you to be active in training him,” Merle replied.
“May I speak with you privately for a moment?” Alec asked.
Merle raised an eyebrow. “Let’s walk down this hall,” he indicated, showing the way Alec had taken in the past when he had trained with Merle.
“What is on your mind?” Merle asked, opening the door and admitting Alec to the same secluded alcove he had used to grasp his ingenaire powers for the first time.
“Did Aristotle tell you about my efforts to heal Natalie?” Alec asked.
“You refer to Noranda Locksfort?” Merle asked. “Yes, Aristotle did tell me about the unusual treatment you gave her, but he told me no more than you told me yourself yesterday.”
“Did he tell you his ideas?” Alec asked hesitantly.
“When he wrote to me he did ask whether I believed you could be a time ingenaire,” Merle confirmed. “I believe you are.
“And I haven’t told Ari this, but as I’ve thought about it, I wondered whether you might be the one and only time ingenaire,” Merle stated with a heavy emphasis on the word “one”, looking at Alec intently.
The youngster blinked in uncertainty. “The records told Ari about two others a long time ago,” he
responded.
“I suspect that the few references we have to rare appearances of time ingenairii, always alone in the records, are really a single ingenaire who travels through time to those particular eras, for whatever reason he has chosen. I think you are that ingenaire,” Merle said. “We have so few records of these men; I believe that information about them may have been deliberately hidden. Think about how much you would write in the records if you were suddenly presented with a one-of-a-kind event; I would expect there would have been scribes with crabbed hands from trying to write everything they could about such a talent. Yet we are not even given a name.
“The lack of anything but these bare bones makes me think that there must have been direct orders to write nothing. The only reason I imagine was that the time ingenaire did not wish to be identified, perhaps because he did not want his own future time to know and expect him,” Merle continued.
“But how will we ever know that? Unless the day comes that I suddenly travel back, there will never be any way to prove or disprove your point. I don’t have any idea of how to make myself travel through time; I don’t even know how to undo the time spell I cast over Noranda,” Alec replied. “And there’s no one to ask and no way to know, and even when I do manage to get to Stronghold and do manage to understand how to undo the spell, there’s still going to be the matter of…” his voice trailed off as he realized he was saying more than needed.
Merle looked at him in a way that made Alec uncomfortable. “I’m sorry to start whining. I’ll take my leave and go run my errands.”
“It’s not whining when it’s something as potentially important as this. Come talk to me any time, Alec, especially before you do something with unknown consequences,” Merle said cryptically, “even if it is just whining next time,” he chuckled, then showed Alec out of the quarters.
Alec left and went to the market, where he bought some supplies for the Guard infirmary. He took the items back and dropped them off, then returned to his Bakers Street shop. He again helped treat several of the patients who were waiting, and enabled Leah to finish up early again.
At the Seat of Power: Goldenfields and the Dominion Page 28
