by Megan Derr
Joffer tore his eyes from the gravestones, and hatred blazed in his eyes. "Until the murderer steps forward, and I have both my jewels and the killer's life, I will not cease making them all suffer. They know what happened to me, and they know it was unjust, and still the one responsible will not step forward, nor will anyone else tell me who it was. I do not even know if it was one or several. I—" He looked away, making a rough sound, and stared again at the gravestones. "I hope it was just one, for I would hate to think it many."
So he did not completely hate all the villagers, though Kaleo knew he would never love them again, not as he obviously had for so many years. A dragon who had, until recently, not entirely hated being human. Quite the contrary, it seemed. "Your daughter does not know?"
"I told her they were sick, too," Joffer said, sounding closer to tears than Kaleo had yet heard him. "She was devastated, of course, for she feels guilty that she lived and they did not—but that is preferable to the truth, that people she trusts murdered her family in cold blood over a matter of wealth. I will have to tell her one day, but not now."
Kaleo nodded. "Then it sounds as though we must force the killer to reveal their identity.
Joffer sneered. "What do you think I have been trying to do?"
"We simply need to strike where it will hurt the most," Kaleo said. "Take me to your preset spell, and let us tweak it."
"What are you planning?" Tihan asked, finally speaking.
"I worked hard to get rid of those rats," Kaleo replied. "If the town refuses to pay me, then I intend to have my revenge."
Tihan frowned. "Just don't pass out again."
Kaleo waved his concern away. "If I am not allowed to fret about that scar on your stomach, you are not allowed to fuss over me. Now, I want to see that preset spell."
Joffer frowned, but slowly motioned. "It's the tree," he said. "Much easier to keep all my magic in one place. What do you want to do?" He rubbed his forehead, looking suddenly exhausted. "I do not know how the two of you even heard it. Part of the spell keeps the villagers asleep while the spell is renewed." He pursed his lips at them, equal parts annoyed and thoughtful. "I guess being a sound mage yourself, you are attuned and somewhat immune. That does not explain your guardian, but then again mates do pick up one another's traits as the years pass. I learned music from my mate, you know."
He looked so sad as he said those last words, Kaleo ached, but what could he possibly say? That he understood? He knew that if Tihan died, he would be equally devastated, but there was no point in saying that when they both stood there healthy and alive.
Instead, he stepped forward, and explained to Joffer what he planned on doing, and together they reworked the preset spell.
They finished as night fell, and ate a hasty dinner at Joffer's home.
"It's harsh," Tihan said quietly.
"No harm will come to them," Joffer said firmly.
Kaleo said nothing, merely finished his tea and then rose. Bundling up in his colorful coat, pulling up hood and scarf to fight away as much of the chill as possible, he ventured back out into the cold. A hand rested briefly on his lower back, warm and reassuring, and the words he wanted so badly to say actually seemed as though they might finally dislodge from his throat—but then they were at the knoll from the night before.
Below, the village was dark, save for a smattering of lit windows. The moon was waning, her light weaker now. Joffer leaned against the tree, looking tired and grim.
Tihan grasped Kaleo's chin, and kissed him softly, and looked as though he wanted to say something—but in the end, he let go and stepped back, saying only a gruff, "No passing out."
Rolling his eyes, Kaleo pulled out his pipe and played.
The fact they were using children did not make him happy. The children had done nothing wrong; they, in all of this, were innocent.
But they were also the best place to strike, and it was his sworn duty to solve such problems in the name of the king.
So he played and played and played, too focused to really see anything. As with the rats, he could feel as each child was pulled into the power of his song. To manipulate so many children required he and Joffer working together—Joffer's preset spell setting the groundwork of destination, sleepwalking, that only children of certain ages would be affected. Kaleo had only to guide them.
The adults slept on, kept asleep precisely as they had been for the enchanting of the rats.
One by one, occasionally in two or threes or fours, he felt it as the children came to the end of the spell, found a place in Joffer's house to lie down and return to true, uninterrupted sleep. When the last child left the web of the spell, Kaleo finished the song and slowly tucked his pipe away.
He held a hand to his forehead in a futile effort to stave off dizziness, then realized too late the gesture would give it away.
Sure enough, an arm slid around his waist and Kaleo could almost feel the way Tihan was scowling at him in the dark. "I didn't pass out," he said, though he really would like a very long nap. Too exhausted and drained to resist, he let his head fall on Tihan's shoulder, oblivious to the cold when arms wrapped round him.
All he wanted was to stay right within the circle of those warm arms, kiss Tihan soundly, then drag them both to bed. Unfortunately, their business was not yet concluded.
"Come on," Tihan said quietly. "We've got to make certain you are ready and waiting when they discover all their children are gone."
Kaleo nodded and stifled a sigh. "I wish we could wait in bed." He turned to Joffer. "Lord Mayor, it probably would be best if you were not around when they come looking for the source of the trouble. They will go straight for you, for obvious reasons, and pay little attention to me."
Joffer nodded, though it was with obvious reluctance. "I will go look after the children, and see they are well. Let me know when the spell can be broken…" When, hopefully, he would have his jewels back—and his revenge, for King's man or not, Kaleo could not deny him that. Those who bore the King's Seals learned quickly when the strict letter of the law should be obeyed, where it could be bent…and when to look the other way.
Slowly he pulled away from Tihan, wishing once more there was time to say what he wanted. Well, once this affair was over. Somehow, taking the risk was becoming easier to take, when set against the possibility that next time, Tihan might not be rescued by a mage in time.
Bidding a good night to Joffer, he followed Tihan away from the knoll, down the hill and back into the village, where they made their way to the square and waited.
He hummed a spell to keep them warm, but that seemed to sap the last of his energy, for he remembered nothing more past Tihan's scent, the warmth of him, the firmness of his shoulder—until shouting jerked him awake.
Kaleo stared, then snapped fully awake as the anger and fear washed over him. Pulling out his pipe, he played until the threatening crowd around him fell into a still silence. He could not control so great a crowd, but he could persuade it.
"You stole our children," a man said, and Kaleo recognized him as the barkeep at the inn where they stayed. "Why would you do that, Piper?"
If not for the spell holding them in place, Kaleo sensed the man would have attacked him. All of them would have—not that he could blame them. Not for that, anyway. He could, and would, blame them for other things.
"I agreed," he said slowly, "to rid this village of the rats for a small price. No one paid me that price." He blew a series of sharp, piercing notes when they began to shout and bellow again in outrage. "You cheated me of my fee," he said, "but I may be willing to overlook it, if you confess to me which among you committed a far greater crime."
He looked over them, meeting glances and waiting until guilt drove each villager to look away.
"You know the crime of which I speak," Kaleo said quietly. "You know it was wrong. Return to me the stolen jewels, and surrender the guilty parties, or you will never see your children again."
"You can't do that!" a wo
man snarled, all but vibrating in place as she fought futilely against Kaleo's spell. "That's not fair! They're only children!"
"What of the child slain?" Tihan demanded, drawing his sword, causing more than a few people to back away in fear. "Did that poor dragon child, who never did a one of you harm, deserve to die? Do not try to say they deserved it, for the theft of the jewels proves it was a mission of greed, not justice. In the name of the king, whose seal I carry, you will surrender the name of the guilty or your children will be the price you pay for your cowardly silence."
The anger and noise had died abruptly at Tihan's declaration he bore the king's seal, and the silence deepened as Tihan and Kaleo both drew their seals to prove their claims—and that the threat to keep the children was not idle.
One moment everything was dead silent—and in the very next the square was flooded with anger and accusations, as everyone bellowed and shouted and pointed fingers, each simultaneously declaring his own innocence—until, at last, they threw forward a man who was short, bulky, and deceptively cheerful looking in nature until Kaleo really looked in his eyes.
"He did it," the woman from earlier said viciously. "He discovered the whole lot of them were dragons, and said they were probably stealing our money to hoard as treasure, and he went and took it back—we don't deserve to lose our children over that."
The rest of the village chimed in, reaching all new levels of chaotic noise, enough that it made his head throb and ache. Lifting his pipe once more to his lips, Kaleo hit a note that caused every last one of them to scream in pain and clutch at their ears.
Save for Tihan, who merely sneered at all of them, long used to Kaleo's methods of dealing with crowds.
"It seems to me," Tihan said coldly, "that every person here is guilty in some fashion. If you knew the crime was to be committed, and did nothing to stop it, then under the king's law you are nearly as guilty as he who committed it. The penalty for any involvement in murder is execution. One woman and one child are dead; the king would stand by us if we declared that each of you deserves the full penalty of the law." He motioned sharply with his sword when the noise started up again and bellowed, "Silence!"
Kaleo stepped forward. "We are within our rights to sentence you as we see fit. However, to kill an entire village accomplishes nothing, and there are still the children to think of. So here is what you will do, if you want to avoid being clapped in chains and hauled off to the gallows. First, return the jewels which were stolen."
Tihan stepped forward and snatched up the guilty man. He rifled through the man's clothes, at last coming out with a small leather purse. Letting the man go, uncaring that he fell to the ground, Tihan pulled open the drawstring—then whistled. "Beautiful," he said. "Diamonds like these could buy this village a hundred times over, I would wager." Closing the bag again, he shoved it into his tunic, then returned his full attention to the villagers.
"You have the jewels now," another woman said defensively, and motioned to the min. "As well as him."
Kaleo played a short, idle tune that spoke of guilt and shame and recrimination. Lowering the flute a moment later, he said, "That does not absolve you of guilt. As I said, those who know, but fail to act, are nearly as guilty as he who committed the crime. Your penalty is this—go to the mayor, make your apologies, beg him to return your children. The decision to return them or not is his."
"That's not fair!" the barkeep snarled. "He can't keep our children."
"But you can kill his, or stand by why another does the killing?" Tihan asked coldly. The barkeep fell silent. Tihan said, "The Piper has spoken, and with the weight of the king. I uphold his decision, and bear the same weight. If you want your children, you must beg them from the man you wronged."
Kaleo played a sharp, commanding note to stave off the protests he could see looming. Tihan gathered up their belongings, and he continued to play as they walked away, not stopping until they were well out of sight and near Joffer's house.
Joffer was waiting for them outside, and Kaleo let Tihan return the jewels and explain to him all that had transpired.
"What will you do?" Kaleo asked when Tihan fell silent.
"Give the children back," Joffer said, "if they are brave enough to face me. It will not undo what they did, but…" He shrugged, and said nothing, merely tucked the jewels away in his own tunic. "I thank you for helping me. Though I would like nothing more than to hate all humans, you have reminded me that is not a wise thing to do. After they have their children back, I think we will leave."
Kaleo nodded. "If ever you need us, please send word. The royal palace will always know how to find us, should it be necessary. Please."
Joffer nodded, and took each of their hand's in turn, shaking firmly. "I will, and I thank you. Did you want to stay and rest a time?"
"No," Tihan said, shaking his head. "We had best get going, and our presence will not help. By this point, they hate us nearly as much as they hate themselves. I hope all ends as well as it possibly can, and am sorry that such tragedy befell you."
"When next we meet," Kaleo said, "I hope it is to a happier tune."
Joffer nodded one last time, and Kaleo and Tihan turned away, leaving the village and taking the road that would eventually lead to the royal capital. Eventually, they would go their separate ways, but Kaleo hoped that moment was many days in the future.
They walked in silence for a little while, until Tihan broke it with an idle, "It looks as though we'll be sleeping outside tonight."
Kaleo nodded, unable to be displeased because it was, after all, time spent with Tihan. "We should make camp early, I think, since I doubt you got any sleep." He grimaced. "I am sorry for falling asleep."
Tihan rolled his eyes, and suddenly reached out and looped his arm around Kaleo's shoulders, dragging him flush against Tihan's side. "I didn't mind," he said quietly. "You've worn yourself out with the amount of magic you've had to cast, and all of it high-level. I'm astonished you're still walking."
"I—" Kaleo bit the words off. "You told me not to faint again," he said finally, but the jest fell flat.
Abruptly Tihan stopped, arm sliding away, and he held tightly to Kaleo's elbow. "Look, Kaleo…we've been…well, we've known each other for a while now, right?"
Kaleo blinked, then his heart began to speed up with dread. Was this the end? Had Tihan finally decided he'd had enough? "Yes."
"I—" Tihan sighed. "Well, first off, I might have underplayed a little bit how severe my wound was—and how close I came to dying. There wasn't a mage right there and the wound—well—I came a lot closer to dying than I thought you probably wanted to know."
"What!" Kaleo said, angry and afraid. "Why—"
But he was cut off by a finger over his lips. "I didn't want you to worry," Tihan said quietly, eyes serious as they locked with his. "As a matter of fact, Kaleo, I thought about you a lot while I lay there thinking I was going to die. Alone in the woods, with not a single friend even remotely close, and not where anyone was likely to ever find me. Where you would never be able to find me, and that bothered me a lot, because I didn't want you to ever think I had just vanished for good without saying something to you."
"Tihan…"
"I know you and I have always been…a bit of a lark. Nothing serious, or anything, but well…being a few breaths away from death makes one think, and all I could think about was you. We've never been serious, and I don't know what you—"
Kaleo cut him off with a kiss, unable to think of another way to express his fear and relief and unadulterated joy. "I love you. I have. For a long time, I mean."
Tihan stared for a moment, then his stunned state gave over to a bright, lopsided smile, followed by a kiss that made Kaleo dizzy.
"Pretty Pied Piper, won't you play me a song?" Tihan said against his lips, when they broke part that small bit.
"What song shall I play thee?"
"Play me a love song."
Kaleo smiled and drew him into another kiss. "As you wi
sh."
100 WordS
Drabbles. Each one is exactly 100 words, including title.
SLIPPER
Her ankle was warm as he held it to pull off her cheap slipper. He remembered how deceptively delicate it felt in the curve of his fingers.
"We should dance again another night," he said, as he held her ankle and replaced her lost slipper. He let his fingers linger.
She tossed her dark curls, and said, "If you can find me."
He held the slipper, lost a second time as she had fled. Looking up, he smiled at the dirty, cynical, but secretly hopeful scullery maid. "Found you," he said softly, and fit the slipper to her foot.
APPLE
They had sobbed as they told him his betrothed was lost to sleeping death, horrified when he only seemed amused.
It had taken him only a glance to confirm his suspicions—she had done the deed herself. If she could not prove her stepmother guilty of an actual crime, she would create one.
Kneeling beside her, he lifted her wrist and saw the minute puncture where she had poisoned herself. He kissed the wrist, then leaned up and kissed her mouth, red as a ripe apple, or fresh-spilled blood.
Her eyes opened, she smiled. "My prince, you saved me."
WAKE
He dragged himself up the winding stairs, desperate to get away from the men following him, wanting only to die in peace. When he reached the top, he stared in wonder at the sleeping beauty lying on a stone altar.
His vision blurred, and he hobbled to her, clambered onto the altar to lie beside her. He kissed her lips, then rest his head on her shoulder. There were worse ways to die.
