by J. A. Pitts
Of course, he kept the flaming rages to a minimum most days. If he got a little over excited or scared he would sprout blue flames, like burning off alcohol. I bet if pressed he could raise a righteous flame. Luckily I’ve never had the occasion to see him in full rage. The one time I’d fought him, he’d been toying with me, back when he was feeding off Anezka’s crazy.
But, once the amulet transferred to me, he changed. His personality got a lot more mellow. Then we introduced him to Jai Li, and the troll twins, and he’d turned into a lovable muppet. And he kept the burning thing under control here at Black Briar. I think he’d become attuned to the place, felt it was home for him. It was bizarre. He called me master and wanted to be in my presence, but was at home here at Black Briar.
“More swords?” he asked after a few minutes. He’d just stood in the doorway and watched. He usually helped tend the forge, but with propane, there was no real need to keep the bellows rolling or stoke the coal.
I shrugged at him. “I like making them and it’s Ren Faire season. Time to get some stock made up, ya know? Get some money rolling in.”
Bub didn’t have any use for money. Oh, I’m sure he’d love a lifetime supply of frozen bean burritos, but beyond that, what did he really need?
“You should make something for your motorcycle,” he offered. “You have strength within you that you have not tapped.”
It was strange carrying on a conversation with a smith. You could only get words in while the metal was firing. Then you had to wait while we pounded the metal in whatever fashion we were working at the time. Bub and I had a good rhythm. Didn’t seem to miss a beat.
“The bike, huh?” I asked, setting the sword on the work bench and putting aside the tongs and hammer. “What did you have in mind?”
“You’re a maker,” he said, shrugging. “Make something useful.”
“Swords are useful.”
He shook his head and scratched his backside.
I grinned at him. He was very clear on his opinions. “Do you have any suggestions?”
The smithy we’d built here had the lifting walls like the one out at Anezka’s place. They were hinged at the top, allowing me to push them out from the bottom and prop them open, leaving most of the four walls open to the outside. Only the load bearing parts didn’t move. That and the doors.
Bub kicked his feet on the dirt floor of the smithy and shrugged again.
I caught a glimpse of Frick and Frack chasing Jai Li around the yard and up onto the deck of the main house—not looking at Bub, giving the little guy some space to formulate his thoughts.
“Well,” he said. “You could put a rack mount for your sword instead of carrying it on your back. That way you could carry someone behind you without the sword smashing their face.”
I sat on the work bench and thought it over.
“Bub, my friend. That is a smoking hot idea.”
He beamed at me, raising his head and pulling his shoulders back.
“It’ll take some design work but shouldn’t take a whole lot of work to make it right.” I walked over to the desk, pulled down one of the sketch pads we kept around, and picked up a charcoal pencil.
We spent the next hour drawing out ideas and calling up specs of the bike on my laptop. The bike was out at Circle Q in one of the barns. There was no place for it and the pickup at the Kent apartment. And I couldn’t get both Katie and Jai Li on the bike.
In the end we opted for a latch mechanism that would allow me to lay the scabbard along the frame at a forty-five degree angle to the ground. It would rest flat against the bike to keep a low profile and not impact my leg position and allow for the tip to stop just to the side of the rear tire.
Looked good on paper. In the next few days, I’d drive out to Circle Q with Gram and see how it would lay out. It would definitely not fit with the sleek lines of the Ducati, but with the right push, the right bit of maker skill, and help from Bub’s brand of magic, it should work. Hell, if the dwarves of legend could make a flying pig that glowed as it flew, I could adapt a rack for my sword on a motorcycle.
That was the theory. Bub was excited in any case. Maybe I’d get Gunther’s opinion as well. He was good with tinkering with things. Couldn’t hurt.
Five
Sunday afternoon we all had big plans at Black Briar. It was coming up on the one-year anniversary of the battle with the dragon, Duchamp, and his minions. We lost a lot of good people that day and we felt it was appropriate to have a little gathering to remember the fallen and the living. Rolph and Skella were coming, but not Qindra. Jimmy couldn’t take having the witch there, even if he knew she meant us no harm. She was still the dragon’s, still Nidhogg’s property.
We agreed to stay for dinner. No sense going all the way back to Kent only to have to get up and drive back north for the gathering.
Jai Li was excited to stay. She led a game of tag with Bub and the troll twins, Frick and Frack, as soon as Katie had accepted the invitation. I’d barely had time to wash up when Deidre was shoving dishes into my hands to set the table
After dinner we sat out on the deck for a little while, watching the kids play hide and seek. It wasn’t too late, about eight, so the kids were still wide awake. The trolls shrieked with joy as they tumbled out of the barracks and tackled Jai Li. They didn’t care she was in a dress, and apparently neither did she.
We chatted with the permanent crew of the farm: Trisha and her team, as well as a few new trainees who were on duty. Jimmy said he had some work to do out in one of the sheds, so I followed him out while Katie chatted with Deidre.
As we were heading past the barn, I saw that there was some construction going on out in the center of the fields where we had had our skirmish line set up the day the giants arrived by helicopters and we saw our first dragon.
I asked Jimmy about it, but he was noncommittal. Said I’d see what it was when everyone else did. I helped him work on the truck for a bit, then headed to the house. It had been a long day. I was looking forward to some sack time.
It was nice to stay with Jimmy and Deidre from time to time. Katie had grown up in this house, so she was comfortable here. Though she complained in private that it made her feel like a little kid again if she stayed too long. We got Jai Li bunked down in the living room after everyone else had gone. Katie and I would be staying in her old room now that Anezka had moved out.
Seems Anezka had moved in with Gunther. It was all hush-hush, but I’d be pressing him for details the next day. After her psychotic break, he’d been the one to help her find her way back. She wasn’t one-hundred percent better, by any means, but she was stable and loved the big Viking. What could you do? I slept pretty well that night. Katie didn’t have any more middle-of-the-night vomiting sessions so we all did pretty well.
The next morning was a blur of activity. We dragged the long tables out into the back yard, tapped a couple kegs, and generally cooked until we could barely stand. Deidre ran her kitchen like a drill sergeant. She had three different shifts, each for an hour or two, depending on the food being prepared. I was a gopher, running things out to coolers, or covering dishes for later. I was not allowed to actually assist in food prep if humans wanted to consume it later. Deidre was pretty blunt about my cooking skills, or lack thereof. Good thing I wasn’t sensitive about it or anything.
Two o’clock rolled around and we had the food stacked all over the tables out in the yard—everything from roasts and whole chickens, to a dozen types of salads. There were desserts galore as well. I figured if I managed the day correctly I could easily gain a pound or two from carbs alone. Then there was the alcohol: mead and moonshine, beer and wine. This crew liked to party.
Rolph wouldn’t show up until after dark, which was getting later these days, so we had to wait until then for the big unveiling out in the ruined hay field. We did some sparring, horseshoes and singing … lots and lots of singing. The more we drank, the louder we sang. It was like we were trying to make sure those we had
lost over the last year could hear us singing their praises.
Just after dark, when the twilight hadn’t faded and the stars were not quite yet out, Skella vanished to get Rolph. There was a mirror set up behind the barn, it turned out, a fairly wide one. I was surprised to find not just Rolph, but seven other dwarves trudging through the mirror and out into the field as the last rays of the sun fled the sky.
Deidre knew what was going on but wouldn’t share. I was getting antsy with anticipation. The kids were dancing in the yard as Katie and a few of the others started another round of drinking songs.
At first there was a flash of light out in the field, like someone had touched a strobe light for one quick burst. The crowd fell silent and we began to hear the dwarves.
They were singing. Nothing too loud to start, more of a hint of sound, the deep rumblings of the sea. Then they raised their voices and the music became clearer. It was dirge, a song of mourning, and they sang it in their native language. I could pick out words here and there, something about rejoining loved ones after the end times, and passing across the black water. I wish I could’ve understood it all.
The crew got the point, though. People were crying and hugging each other. Jai Li made her way over to me and crawled into my lap. Bub ended up sitting at my feet, and Frick and Frack waddled back over to Trisha. We settled down and listened as the song went on.
I’m guessing there were eighteen or twenty stanzas in the song as they hit a chorus that many times. Each time I felt like a piece of pain was plucked from me and left to float up into the stars, preserving the memory, but easing the hurt.
When the eight voices finally fell silent, no one moved. Jai Li was holding her breath with her hand over her mouth. I could see Katie standing beside Deidre, her hands on the back of the wheel chair, with Jimmy beside them both. He had one hand on Deidre’s shoulder and an arm over Katie’s shoulders.
I know they were family and all, but I wanted her back with me, with Jai Li. We were her family, too.
Anezka and Gunther were sitting on a picnic table. He was nestled with his back between her legs and she had her arms over his shoulders.
Stuart stood by the kegs, draining his favorite goblet, the white foam of the beer glowing in the few hurricane lamps that were lit.
The dwarves were in shadow, silent and waiting for a signal. Jai Li finally took a gasping breath as the sky exploded in fireworks.
Great streamers roared into the sky followed by an assortment of flying Catherine wheels and shooting stars. The kids oohed and ahhed. People clapped and called out as each new light burst into the sky.
For the finale, a huge wall of white sparks shot up into the night. After the final spark died and our eyes began to adjust to the remaining light, we saw that the construction wall was gone.
A long statue was revealed. It showed several men and women struggling in battle with a giant while others pulled away the wounded. We began to walk forward as a series of spotlights came on, illuminating the statue.
It looked to have been carved from a single block of stone. Rolph glowed with pride as I followed the others in a hushed wave.
“This is but a token,” he said, turning to face Jimmy, Deidre, and Katie. “My cousins who remain in Vancouver sought to make amends, pay the first drop in the long reconciliation with your clan. The last year has been unkind to all people of peace.”
It was beautiful, and way beyond anything I’d ever dreamed of.
Jimmy strode forward and clasped Rolph in a wrist-to-wrist hand shake. They spoke to one another in hushed tones then they embraced. The hug was brief, then Deidre moved forward and Rolph knelt beside her chair. Jimmy moved down the line of solemn, bearded dwarves, clasping each in a warrior’s hand shake, exchanging brief words. The crowd moved forward, each person either moving directly to the statue, or waiting their turn to shake hands with the dwarves.
Jai Li looked over her shoulder at me, eyebrows raised.
“Go on,” I said, smiling. “Go see how well the carvers worked.”
She hugged me, took Bub by the hand, and they scampered over to slip in and out of the crowd.
I sat on the edge of the deck, watching the survivors mingle around. There was a reverence here, a sense of honor and tribute.
Rolph finally pulled himself away from the crowd and came toward me, his arms flung wide and a huge grin on his face.
“Smith,” he bellowed. I smiled and slid from the deck, letting him sweep me into a bear hug. He still smelled of the forge to me, hot metal and coal dust.
“Pretty amazing,” I said, stepping back from him.
He shrugged. “They sought to honor you,” he said, his voice dropping. “But I told them you would want no monuments in your name.”
“Damn straight,” I said, maybe a little too heated.
He looked at me, shaking his head. “You are a hero, young Sarah. Whether you want to hear it or not.” He held up a hand to stop my protest. “No one asked your opinion on the matter. We were able to persuade them to honor more than just your deeds.”
I knew I was blushing. Hell, I didn’t want glory. I just wanted my family and friends to be safe.
“And the young elf,” he said, gesturing over to where Skella stood laughing with Katie. “She has served as well, ferrying us back and forth each night for a month, letting us work when the sun was gone and the glory of the night embraced us.”
“She’s a good kid,” I said. “She’s done all right by us.”
We turned to watch the crowd. I leaned back against the deck and he did the same, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “This is something my people can be proud of,” he said, quietly. “There is much they have to atone for.”
“So say we all.”
Rolph made his way back into the crowd, accepting a huge mug of beer from Stuart. I made my way over through the crowd and took Katie’s hand. She leaned against me and we studied the statue up close. I recognized the faces carved into that black stone. Each person who fought, whether or not they survived, was included in the long wall. The statue stood at least seven feet tall and ran twenty feet or more across the field. It wasn’t a straight line, more of a wave. The lights shadowed several points and cast some into stark relief. In the distance you could make out the helicopters and the field of the dead. This was our final stand, just before the dragon took down Susan and Maggie. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Katie was crying quietly, holding my hand like she was afraid I would fly away. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Yeah,” I breathed. “It’s something.”
We’d always have a place to honor our dead, but we also could never forget. I’m not sure which was better in the long run.
“Can we go home?” Katie asked me.
I looked down at her. “Sure hon, whatever you need.”
“It’s too much,” she said. “I need a place to breathe.”
I went and plucked Jai Li from the crowd while Katie went into the house to say goodbye to Deidre. We were leaving while the party was still going. I understood everyone’s need to celebrate life, but there was a point where we just needed to pull away and find ourselves, even among the ruins of the past.
Six
As I approached the house, I saw that Jimmy was standing in the kitchen, gesticulating pretty forcefully. By the time I heard the shouting, I handed Jai Li off to Trisha and asked her to cover for me while I went in.
Trisha grinned. “I won’t deal with them when he’s in a tirade,” she said, hugging Jai Li to her chest. “I’ll take her and the other kids over to the barracks to start settling down. They can play cards.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Trisha. We’ll come get her as soon as I figure out what’s going on this time.”
I hated when Jimmy and Katie fought. I’d thought they’d gotten past that little spat over the ring now that the necromancer was defeated. This was likely a new issue. I sighed and opened the door to the house, letting Jimmy’s voice roll over
me.
“Don’t be such a damned child,” he was bellowing.
Awesome. Just what we needed on this night.
Deidre made a face at me as I stepped into the kitchen—somewhere between run-for-your-life and get-me-out-of-here. A shame I was learning to gather that much from the set of her face and the nods.
“What’s going on?” I asked loud enough to catch both Katie and Jimmy’s attention.
Jimmy turned to me, his face livid. “You were with her,” he said, pointing his meaty finger in my face.
“With her where?” I asked, calmly.
His nostrils flared and he blinked a couple of times before pulling his finger out of my face. “You met with the Mordred folks,” he growled, swinging his attention back to Katie. For a moment, I thought he was going to hit her.
“Settle down, Jim,” I said, taking a step between him and Katie. “Have you lost your mind?”
He shoved me in the shoulder, his fist up.
I stepped into him, grabbed his shirt in both of my hands, and slammed him back into the fridge. “You need to calm the fuck down,” I said, pushing way from him and leaving him off balance. All that swinging a hammer and wrastlin’ with horses gave me an edge.
He took one step toward me when Deidre barked out, “James, stop it.”
That was the secret sauce. The fight seemed to fall away as his shoulders sagged and he lowered his arms. “You had no right,” he said, the anger barely under control.
“No right?” Katie said. “They had mom and dad’s wedding rings. Did you know that? Did you know that some elf died trying to steal those rings from their hotel room?”
Jimmy swallowed before answering. “No, I had no idea.”
“It wasn’t an official visit,” I said, trying to be as reasonable as I could. “One of their people reached out to us. He claims he’d be in big trouble if his people found out he went around channels.”
