Sons (Book 2)

by Scott V. Duff

  “It is not an easy task to remove or influence a geas,” he continued, “but you recall how easily I removed Shrank’s? I would’ve had a far more difficult time with yours this morning. Now, I don’t think I could do it at all.

  “I don’t think anyone could.”

  Chapter 30

  “Good morning, Ellorn,” I said when I stepped through the door to my room into the main hall. The brownie waited for me, so it was a good thing I decided to walk. “You’re looking good this morning.”

  “Thank you, Lord Daybreak,” gushed the brownie, puffing from the praise. “And good morning to you, sir.”

  “Did you enjoy the festivities yesterday?” I asked, pausing our walk as Jimmy opened his door and stepped out to join us. “Good morning, First.”

  “Greatly, Lord,” squealed the brownie, the smile splitting his face ear to ear. “I got eight marriage proposals!”

  “Ellorn, you stud!” Jimmy cried out, laughing. He then pumped his fist in the air and made “whoo-whoo” noises, making me grin at the pair of them.

  “Alas, I cannot seriously consider them,” Ellorn said airily. “My position here does not allow it.”

  “Really? Why?” I asked. It’s a reasonable question.

  “I… do not know, Lord,” Ellorn answered, confused by the question.

  “Well, why don’t you and Jimmy find out sometime in the near future,” I suggested. “If it’s something we can change maybe you can consider one of those eight… Unless there’s a reason you don’t want to. It’s not like you have to get married in a hurry or anything.”

  We stepped off the Road, barely aware of the passage of the distance, and turned into the Borlands’ foyer. Both Peter’s and his parents’ front doors were propped open and music played softly somewhere in Peter’s. Apparently he’d managed some batteries, either for a laptop or an mp3 player. All the Borlands were in Peter’s kitchen fixing breakfast with the help of a small number of brownies. We sat on the bench facing the two doors and Ellorn climbed a few steps beside the bench, bringing himself much closer to my shoulder height.

  “So, what’s going on today?” I asked.

  “The migrations have started, as expected, Lord,” Ellorn answered. “Of course, the clans are merely spreading across the main valley. The families with Changed requiring special environs are moving closer to them and further out. Alsooth reports that the barracks should have enough stores through Friday afternoon and with Major Byrnes’ help, we have successfully completed a gross index of four large storerooms along the main concourse. They were quite helpful, actually.”

  “That’s good news all around,” I said nodding. “The First and I are playing politics all day today at the Cahills. Call us if you run into anything dangerous or too difficult to handle. Once the Courts arrive, though, I won’t be able to leave there and I doubt I’ll spare Jimmy either.”

  “Yes, Lord,” Ellorn chirped. “Have you given any thought to additional staff yet?”

  “No, not yet,” I answered, standing. “But I know we’ll need it eventually. Our primary goal right now, though, is to get the… steadholders, I guess is a good word, set up and going. Figure out things like how long the seasons are and how harsh winter will be. What we have to do to prepare for it. If staffing the Palace will remove some burden or even help in some ways, then go ahead and do it. Otherwise let’s take some time to be sure of what we’re doing, okay?”

  “Yes, Lord Daybreak,” Ellorn said, bowing his head. I would’ve, too, if I were him, just to pop my neck from looking up so much.

  “All right, Ellorn. We’ll be around,” I said and headed into Peter’s apartment, yelling, “Knock, knock!” as we came through the door. Jimmy waved goodbye to Ellorn and followed me.

  “In here, Seth!” I heard Richard yell in reply from the kitchen, over a lively something recorded in mono with a banjo and an accordion. I couldn’t even tell what category of music it was supposed to be, Alt Sux?

  “Justine, take that crap off my stereo! You are not killing my batteries to hear two cats f— having sex,” Peter said as I walked into his kitchen. He stood with a marble rolling pin in one hand at the bar that separated his kitchen from his “breakfast nook.” His sister and mother sat on the other side of the bar while he and his father cooked.

  Jimmy chuckled softly beside me and said, “I see why you don’t cuss. It makes it a lot easier when you shouldn’t and more emphatic when you do.”

  I let the grin bleed into a smile. “Good morning, Borlands. Everyone sleep well?” We were met with a chorus of “Good Mornings.”

  “Slept like a baby,” Elise murmured, stretching. “What do we call you, by the way? None of Peter’s friends have been so highly placed before now.”

  “Most of the time, ‘Seth’ is fine,” I said, chuckling. “In the Family Wing, you’re safe with ‘Seth’. ‘Daybreak’ or ‘Lord Daybreak’ is only necessary when we’re talking in a public place on Gilán or with or about my Fae. They’re very protective of me.” I watched as two brownies climbed up two stools on either side of the oven door. Once at the top, one of them leapt and grabbed a towel hanging on the door, causing it to swing slowly down. The second, still standing on the stool, chittered in alarm, pointing inside and looking to Peter.

  “They look perfect, thank you!” Peter said, peering inside the oven. He grabbed a towel from the counter and pulled a pan of triangular scones out of the oven, filling the kitchen with smells of butter and cinnamon. Setting the pan down in front of his mother just as “Sweet Home Alabama” started in the background. Peter looked stricken. “Justine!” he hissed and she took off for the living room, giggling. Jimmy was missing; he probably had more to do with the song choice than Justine did.

  “Sudana,” I said to the little brownie standing on the stool beside the oven, “I think you should avoid making such leaps for awhile.” She looked up at me, panicking and thinking she had done something wrong. I realized that she didn’t know yet. “Is your mate here?” She nodded hesitantly, pointing to the little man almost shaking on the floor beside her chair. “Congratulations are in order to the two of you, Nidon and Sudana, soon to be the proud parents of twins!”

  Elise gasped and moved to kneel beside the stool. Both brownies stared up at me in shock and all I could do was smile at them. Elise sent questing magicks out to the little faery, gentle waves of earth magic. She smiled beautifully at the faint echo she got in return.

  “Seth, I’m astounded that you can see the fetus, much less differentiate twins at this stage,” Elise whispered, nodding slightly when Sudana looked down at her for confirmation.

  “He is Lord of the Realm, madam,” Nidon said calmly, smiling broadly. “Thank you, Daybreak. Sudana, perhaps you should climb down from there.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Richard said coming in between us to slide a pan in the oven. “That way my bacon can be done before your children are born. Congratulations to you both.”

  “Richard,” Elise said with a frown. Justine whipped through and muttered, “Men.” When she slid into place at the bar, her smile and mischievous eyes said she was playing. I just couldn’t quite tell with whom.

  “Careful, dear,” Peter said in a singsong voice, moving his scones to a cooling rack. “Remember the ruling body here is singularly male and not likely to change.” I waved.

  Richard snorted. “Run, Seth, run,” he whispered hoarsely with mock fear on his face. “The feminist revolution of the seventies has arrived.”

  “Can I, at least, build a society before I have to change it?” I asked innocently.

  “So long as women are not treated as second-class citizens along the way, you can do anything you like,” Justine said self-righteously.

  “I think I have too much to do today to have this conversation,” I said with a smile. “Perhaps another time.”

  “Coward,” Peter said, holding out a plate of scones, muffins, and biscuits. “Take these to the table, please. We’re about to be over
run with help now that you’re here.”

  Two short people popped around the bar just as he said that and I saw two groups of four not far behind them. Oh, and another ten came out of the Borlands’ apartment and headed this way. Chuckling, I took the plate of baked goods from Peter and said, “If it’ll get me out of that conversation, certainly. Jimmy, would you bring that stack of plates, please?” I went for the balcony table as we had yesterday, grabbing a stack of plates myself. Stopping for a moment at the doorway to admire the view of the lake, I was still totally impressed by the sheer beauty of it. That and it was mine.

  “Peter, he is so hot! How have you not jumped his bones?” Justine asked in a quiet voice, causing Peter and his mother to laugh and his father to groan.

  “Must you talk about targets of your lust in front of your father?” Richard moaned with a touch of amusement. “Yes, please, we’re feeding about twelve, I think, so we’ll need three dozen—okay…”

  After a moment and several short answers to high pitched questions, a happy train of Borlands came out to join Jimmy and me on the balcony where we’d been sitting side by side looking over the lake, silent. Peter brought up the rear and stepped through the doorway just as Kieran and Ethan shifted over, landing a pace apart to the right along the wall.

  Peter turned, unabashed by their arrival, and said, “I think they threw me out of my own kitchen.”

  “So?” Ethan sneered. “You ate last night. Why are you complaining?”

  “Master Borland?” a brownie, one of the taller Changed ones, called for Peter’s attention. “Mister Henry and Mister Norton are at the front door. Shall we allow them inside?”

  “Yes, please,” Peter said, smiling at the little girl in the purple satin gown. As she walked away, she seemed as though she was skipping. It was really cute. Shaking himself a little he sat down, a little self-consciously, at the only remaining chair left: the head of the table. I was on his right facing his father with Kieran then Ethan to my right. As he eased his chair forward, he looked down the table and with an evil grin said, “You do know, Justine, that Seth heard every word said in the kitchen? Elven-Lord hearing being what it is and all…”

  “Thank you, by the way,” I said, not quite able to meet her face at that moment and I’m pretty sure I was blushing. “The brownies were amused by it.”

  Mike shifted from Ireland onto the balcony carrying a large box of paper. David and Steve walked out onto the balcony carrying a plastic urn between them. “We brought coffee,” Mike said, dropping his box lightly to the ground. Taking the top sheaf of papers clipped together, he looked up and stopped in his tracks, startled by all of us staring at him. “Itineraries. I thought you’d want to eat first… before you lost your appetites,” he said with small grin.

  “We’ve got a few minutes before whatever they’re cooking that smells so good is ready,” Peter said facing the apartment, almost drooling. Two brownies appeared in the doorway, both carrying coffee mugs to David at the buffet table. Richard was very nearly shoving Steve out of the way to get at the urn then. I joined him in the queue while Mike got the itineraries passed out.

  “It’s been five days since my last cup,” muttered Richard as he passed me with two mugs of steaming hot coffee in his hands.

  “Thank you, David,” I said, chuckling at Richard as I took the mug David offered to me. Back at the table, everyone was quietly leafing through the pages of the book that Mike called the Itinerary. It was an amazing work of speculative fiction that involved several twists of time and quite possibly space. Glancing around the table, I noticed that several people actually had thicker sets than others. Mine for instance was only about five pages long, while Mike’s looked about thirty.

  “What time is it over there?” I asked as I read down the schedule and blew on the hot coffee. “Is there any sugar?” Nidon stood beside me with a bowl of sugar before I blinked twice. “Oh, thank you, Nidon.” Smiling, apparently my announcement of his impending parenthood garnered his attention.

  “It’s about nine twenty,” Mike answered.

  “He’s not giving us much time to sweep the area,” Ethan noted, turning a page.

  “Doesn’t matter,” I said. “I’m taking as long as I need anyway. You should, too, and I’m sure Gordon and Felix expect that.” Kieran murmured in agreement. “Well, my part’s easy. I walk around and do nothing until two when I change into formal clothes for the official councils greetings. It says here that this event has a hard end time of five o’clock. Then we all…” I adopted a snooty accent for one word, “retire to change and wait for the elves to show up. I suppose it’s neurotic of me to wonder if they’ll actually show or stand us up, huh?”

  The food started smelling better and better when the first of the brownie train burst excitedly through the doorway. He pushed a small set of steps before him up to the buffet table, then jumped to the right and, luckily, out of the way. A scant second behind him two more brownies darted up the steps carrying a warm pan of what looked like scalloped and braised potatoes with crumbled bacon and ham. Another second passed and two more brownies came in, nearly running, with scrambled eggs with green onions, red peppers, and something I didn’t recognize.

  “Thank you, Sudana,” I said, settling back into my seat. The little pregnant brownie stood beside my chair with a plate fixed for me already. This was still disconcerting to me, but I got to eat first this way. Peter speared some potatoes from my plate before I set it down.

  “Oh, my God, that is fantastic!” Peter exclaimed, covering his mouth while I covered my plate protectively.

  “Getcher own, pretty boy!” I growled at him. Peter snorted a laugh, almost choking, and left to fix a plate himself. Satisfied my territory was no longer at risk, I stole Kieran’s itinerary to compare to mine and started eating. The plate was empty before I got through the first page—it was just that good. “I’m afraid to go back for seconds. I don’t think the first plateful has made it to my stomach yet.” Looking down the table, there were similar dazed looks on David and Mike.

  “Hunh,” Peter grunted. “I can’t believe this was made with the stuff in my kitchen. Now I understand the prohibition on eating faery food. Where do you get hash browns like this anywhere else?”

  That was a very good point, but one that I didn’t have to worry about. “It’s not like you’ll have too much trouble getting them again, you know,” I pointed out. “They’ll probably be quite happy to make it again if you ask.”

  Surveying the barracks for a few moments, I asked, “Is there any reason to visit the barracks today? Everything seems to be normal.”

  “Not particularly, no,” Kieran said. “We still haven’t talked to Messner yet, though, which is mildly alarming but not unexpected.”

  “Okay,” I said. Then called, “Alsooth, may I have a moment?”

  I had a strange shift of perspective when Alsooth answered with “Yes, Lord Daybreak?” Suddenly I was standing in front of him, an apparition that only he saw. It was akin to working in my cavern and still reacting in the regular world. Just… inside-out.

  “I just wanted to check in with you before we left for the day,” I said, kneeling down on one knee. “Do you need anything? Anybody need to be threatened?”

  “No, thank you, Lord,” Alsooth squealed pleasantly. His grin curled wickedly at the idea of me bullying for him. “Major Byrnes and his men have been very helpful, many useful and nearly all quite polite. We have a few fellows on my staff involved in training exercises with Major Byrnes’ men. I have limited how far my fellows can go before they decline very clearly. Obviously I don’t want anyone hurt and these are only exercises.”

  “As long as Major Byrnes is aware of it, I’m fine with it, too,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “If I find the time, I’m gonna look in on it. It’s an intriguing idea and I’d like to see what they’re doing. Unfortunately, we’ve got a rough day ahead of us. Anything comes up you can’t handle, go to Ellorn first. If you can’t fix the problem t
ogether, call the First or me, but we may not be able to answer immediately. This is my first contact with the Courts of Faery and I do not know what to expect. My previous experiences have been… violent.”

  “I understand, Lord Daybreak,” Alsooth said. “We should be quite stable until tomorrow morning when, according to Lieutenant Brinks, they will exceed their supply of eggs and breakfast sausage. He also says that the midday lunch is not a problem but that dinner will be remainders.”

  “Hopefully, they’ll be leaving after breakfast,” I said. “Thank you, Alsooth. You and Ellorn are taking a lot of the worry out of this situation for me. I appreciate that. I’ll at least check in at the end of the day.” My apparition stood and merged back with me on Peter’s balcony.

  “Seth, Gordon’s got you down for three different speeches here,” Peter warned me as he turned through his papers.

  “What? I only saw one,” I exclaimed, flipping back to the beginning of mine to read through it again. “Ten minutes? I hope they like the word ‘um.’ I have no doubt I’m gonna say it many, many times today. Fifteen? He’s nuts!”

  Peter chuckled as he stood. “Come on,” he said. “Help me get the kitchen cleaned up and we’ll work on some lines. Get you started anyway.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I asked, laughing and looking up at him. “Your kitchen is spotless right now, and you wouldn’t get past the doorway with a dirty plate in your hands before a brownie snatched it from you and ran to the kitchen with it. Or do you not remember getting tossed out twenty minutes ago?”

  “Oh, not fair,” Elise groaned. “It took me ten years to build decent habits into that boy and you’re going to destroy that in a month.” Richard laughed heartily while the rest snickered or grinned at Peter.

  “So we’re ready to go to Ireland, then,” Kieran said standing and stretching. Then he announced to the room at large, “Breakfast was excellent. My compliments to the chefs.”