Sons (Book 2)

by Scott V. Duff

  Jimmy hesitated momentarily, “Nothing that can’t wait, Lord.”

  “Fifty-four million can wait, yes,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  Peter snorted. “You know about that already?”

  “Didn’t take long,” I said without further comment. “If you guys want to come back tomorrow for an hour or two, I’m sure the boys would love some playtime with you. And First, would you stop by and tell Kieran and Ethan our plans have changed? I’ll be having supper early tonight and turn in early, say an hour after sundown.”

  “Certainly, Seth,” Jimmy said smiling again.

  “I’d love nothing more, Lord Daybreak,” Ellorn responded. “Until tomorrow, Coulter, Connor. Good day, Lord.” Then he tried to shift out of my room.

  And found Guitar at his feet smiling up at him politely forbidding him to do it, with authority of the Palace–Ellorn’s own Authority–backing the brownie. “Your pardon, Master Ellorn and First of Gilán, but the exit is this way.”

  “Of course, Guitar, I should have realized,” Ellorn said in relief and followed the brownie away with Jimmy. I started wiping off the mud from myself then knelt down in front of the boys and cleaned them up, thankful for magic towels. The boys just stood there and soaked the attention in.

  “Did you two have a good time investigating the bushes with Guitar and Gibson?” I asked them, settling back on my heels once they were clean again.

  They grinned and nodded boisterously. “Yes, Daddy,” they said together.

  “There are two more people for you to meet today,” I told them solemnly. “We’ll do that during supper. They are Kieran and Ethan, my brothers, like Peter. Now, I want you to be prepared for this meeting. You two are going to be a bigger shock for them than you were for First and Ellorn. It’s going to take them longer to get used to just the idea of you, much less the two of you, but you shouldn’t be scared of either of them. They will love you, too, more deeply than you’ll ever know.”

  “Are they scary, Daddy?” Connor asked fearfully.

  “They can be very scary,” I admitted. “But they won’t be here.” At least, they’d better not be, not to my kids. “But before we do that, I promised Connor to give him a copy of Coulter’s gift. Would you like me to do that now?”

  “Would you, Dad?” Coulter asked. “Please?”

  “Now’s as good a time as any,” I said brightly. “Then we can go a pick out a few toys before supper.” Sitting the boys down, I sat down in front of them, knees to knees, and triggered my Pact Lock, delving into the library for its copy and transfer functions. Lifting Coulter’s Pact free of its Lock, I copied the main Pact in a blur of archaic magic that sealed behind a formidable wall of even more archaic magic, tied up so tightly it was indecipherable. Next, the personal cache of Eliot wrapped itself up tightly and became a mere mote in the constant conflagration of moving, twisting history of millennia. Then I slipped the two copies right into place in the boys’ Pact Locks, sealing the Locks shut around their Pacts.

  “That was an amazing show,” Peter whispered, taking advantage of the boys’ daze. They’d be staring at the Pact for a few moments still, especially Connor. “I didn’t realize I’d see the whole thing.”

  “That’s what having a Pact means, Pete,” I said. “Ya gotta have one to see the others.”

  “You have one, too, Uncle Pete?” Coulter asked. “Because we can’t see yours and Daddy’s.”

  “It hides in our auras better,” Peter explained. “The magic of the four of us brothers hides us from just about everybody. As far as we know, we are the only four left with the Pact.”

  “Eliot told you the rules, didn’t he?” I asked sternly, but without the threat of Daybreak behind me.

  “Yes, Daddy,” they said solemnly together.

  “Good. Now let’s go find some toys,” I said, peering about distractedly. “Gibson, where do you suppose I would have put toys in here?” The boys perked up excitedly at the mention of toys.

  “Toys, Lord?” Gibson asked coyly, knowing the toy room had appeared in his radar. “I’m not sure I’ve seen toys in your sanctuary. Perhaps in a side room?”

  “Not on the first level, I’m sure,” Guitar added, darting in to pick up the towel at my side.

  “Hmm. It’s been a while since I’ve looked on the second level on that side,” I said, pointing to where I knew the toy room was. “But maybe we should look on the first floor first anyway.” The sun was just dropping below the horizon and my room darkened perceptibly.

  “Daddy!” Connor objected. “That might take an hour!” Coulter added. Together they pleaded–okay, whined–“Please, Daddy, find it faster!”

  With a smile as broad as my face, I shifted the six of us to the toy room and said, “Okay.” Their eyes were the size of saucers as they took in the room, floor to ceiling toys. Peter took action against their apoplexy by knocking a netted container of colored Ping-Pong balls from a shelf onto the floor. It was a madhouse for a good twenty minutes after that as toys of various sizes and shapes went flying in all directions and we all remembered our inner five-year-olds. I called out to Guitar and Gibson, reminded them to have plenty of brandy, beer, and coffee for after dinner, and sent them off to their chores.

  “Time to start cleaning up some,” I announced, standing up among the six inches accumulated on the floor. Peter complained and whined more than the twins. “Now, the sooner it’s cleaned up, the sooner you can pick what to take with you tonight.”

  “We can take…” Connor asked, popping his head out from a fortification of rubberized blocks. “…some with us, Daddy?” Coulter finished for him, coming around a homemade ballista set to fire sticks of foam weakly at Connor’s fortress.

  “Yep, two or three to play with after supper and maybe a stuffed animal to snuggle with tonight,” I said. “Providing we get this place clean enough.”

  In a whirlwind of action, the boys had the room cleared in five minutes, with a lot of help from Peter and me. It wasn’t perfect, by any means, but certainly acceptable for a toy room. Once I announced it good enough, the serious business of toy selection began in earnest, and I had forgotten just how serious this business was for children. They finally decided on an interlocking construction set with thousands of tiny pieces and two foam swords. When I reminded them of the stuffed animals, they both went very quiet while they perused the shelves, but I knew which ones had already caught their attention and would again. I formed a solid pole of Gilán’s energy in my hand so the boys would see it and prodded the nearest down: the dump truck, not an animal at all. Connor was on the floor under the plush toy and ready to catch it as I knocked it from the shelf. I went after the next when Connor’s shriek of glee told me he caught it squarely. The purple bunny with the big floppy ears was actually within my reach, but with Coulter on the floor with his arms outstretched expectantly, I just had to knock it off for him to catch. Peter’s smile at their happiness with those two stuffed toys was enough to wipe the aggravation of any repetitious “Daddies” from my mind and the boys’ expressions made me forget the clinginess.

  Okay, I’m a sucker. I admit it.

  Shifting us from the toy room, I dropped us in front of my bathroom and asked, “Anyone need to use the toilet before supper?” I asked. I got a breeze instead of an answer. Strolling slowly in, I met Peter at the vanity, where the twins had left their stuffed toys beside a sink apparently in claim of it.

  “Good news!” Peter chortled. “They’re potty trained.”

  “That is good news,” I said, grinning at his reflection as I washed my hands and face. Gibson hopped onto the counter with hand towels just as the boys came running in. “Thanks, Gibson.”

  “Supper is on the table, Lord,” Gibson chirped, happily. “Guitar is by the door awaiting Lord Kieran and Master Ethan.”

  “Thanks, Gibson. Okay, everybody, wash up for supper,” I said, drying my face and hands. “Then Gibson will lead us to our table. I know lunch wasn’t that long ago, but I know you
two are hungry from all that playing.” The boys looked up and grinned, nodding. Once they’d washed and dried, we walked our way around my bedroom, crossing the now-dormant Road and into the alcove across from the Worldgem. We took the boys to the dome for their first real look out onto Gilán. Nothing had yet enchanted them so much as that look.

  “Daddy… the stars are so different…” Connor whispered, staring at the sky.

  “Did some fall down, Daddy?” Coulter asked, pointing down at the valley below.

  “Look, Coulter! Two moons!” Connor squealed with excitement as the second, lavender moon rose in the southwest. I waited a moment for their noise to quiet before I explained the distant nocturnal Fae in the valley below and how we had three moons for the next few hundred years.

  Then I heard a muffled, distant shout, “Wait, Ethan, it’s not–” followed by a soft thud. Then Ethan burst through the anchor.

  Little Brother, what the hell?!

  There’s a brownie named Guitar four feet to your left, Ethan. Just walk with him and he’ll bring you in, I told him without dropping down into my cavern with him.

  What’s going on, Seth? Is there a problem?

  Just follow Guitar, Ethan, I said again, chuckling. Giving the boys until Kieran and Ethan passed the halfway point, I interrupted their ogling of the landscape and said, “Come on, boys, they’ll be here in a moment.” Peter and I slowly urged them away from the domed window and we walked past the table. This time, the table was round and set for six. Both buffets on either side were set with steaming pots of stews and plates of roasted beef, pork and some fowl, turkey, I think. Brownie dishes were mixed with familiar Earth fare and frankly, the aromas cranked my appetite into high gear, even after a huge lunch recently.

  “Seth!” Ethan yelled from a distance.

  Chuckling, I said, “That’s your Uncle Ethan being impatient. I took his favorite toy away and he doesn’t like it.”

  “Truly?” Connor asked. “Why did you take his toy?” Coulter asked, “What did Uncle Ethan do wrong?”

  “He didn’t do anything wrong, but his toy is a grown-up toy that runs throughout the Palace,” I explained. “In here, it’s a little extra strong and he likes that. I won’t turn it back on until you two can handle it.”

  “Is he going to…” Coulter started and Connor finished, “be cross with us?”

  “Not at all, boys,” Peter said confidently.

  “Besides, it’ll only be for a day or two,” I said, tapping Connor’s chest lightly. “I’ve run with you, ‘member? It’s that kind of toy. You’ll master it in no time flat.” Connor grinned at Coulter. “Can you wait here with Peter for me? I just want to walk down the path a ways and say ‘hello’ and sort of prepare them, first.”

  “Are you scared, Daddy?” Coulter asked me. Peter stifled a chuckle, changing it into a smirk over the boys’ heads. Connor looked up worriedly.

  “Absolutely not,” I said with absolute confidence. “They’re my brothers and we have nothing to fear from each other. I’m just a little unsure of one’s reaction to some information that’s related to you. I just want to make sure that he remains calm when he meets you. I want all of us to enjoy this experience since we can’t have it again.”

  “We can’t? Why not?” Connor asked. He was scared and not thinking.

  “You can only meet someone for the first time once, Connor,” I answered. Gibson, would you bring me their stuffed toys, please? “Now give me a hug, both of you.” They glowed with pride at my demand and glommed on like iron filings to a magnet. Peter took the toys from Gibson as I released them. “Take Peter’s hand and I’ll be right back for you.”

  When they reached behind them blindly, Peter placed their toys in their hands instead. The boys giggled and hugged the plushes then turned to take Peter’s hands this time. I was still smiling as I left the alcove and turned onto the Road to see Guitar just beginning the straightaway of the loop with Kieran and Ethan towering behind him.

  This was going to be an interesting supper.

  Chapter 78

  Ethan was still wiping blood off his face. I couldn’t help myself. After fifteen yards, I stopped and stared, arms crossed on my chest. “You followed Peter through successive shifts, yet you can’t see my door is shut?” I shouted down the corridor, laughing at him openly.

  “You do usually open the door especially when you invite us,” Ethan shouted back indignantly.

  “Ethan, it’s a big-ass piece of granite! How could you not see it hadn’t moved, man?” I bellowed, still laughing hard.

  “You haven’t been holed up in here all day, have you?” Kieran asked more quietly as the distance lessened.

  “Nyah, I’ve had quite a busy day actually,” I said with a smile, still easy for my boys. “Most of it was outside the Palace actually. Thanks, Guitar, I’ll take it from here.” They’d finally reached me by then and we were speaking in conversational tones. “And how was your day?”

  Kieran shrugged. “Hmm. Okay, I suppose. We spent the day with Dad and Olivia. The good news there is your idea is working. Dad seems to be pulling it together again.”

  “Good. That’s a load off my mind, Kieran. It really is. It’s so hard for me not to check on him. But now we have to avoid talking about him completely while you’re in here. Completely and immediately. It’s important, as you’ll find out. I haven’t been idle either, though after last night, I did sleep in a few extra hours. Had my new staff terribly worried I was sick or something.”

  “Well, why’d you cut the Road off?” Ethan asked.

  “That will be clear shortly, Ethan,” I answered. “By the way, I appreciate the idea of a day off, but let’s not do that again. So far, I’ve dealt with a huri problem, and ransé gambling problem, discovered that Dominick hasn’t fulfilled his obligations because he’s dead, visited Sara White and had a major conflict with the second druid clan, found the third and fourth Pactholders, adopted twins, destroyed two mountains in the Hinterlands with Peter and visited the Sundered Realms.

  “All in all, a pretty busy day for a day off, wouldn’t you agree?” I said smiling and waiting for it all to sink in.

  “You ran those together awfully fast, Seth,” Kieran said amicably. “Would you mind repeating the items between the second druid clan and destroying the mountains with Peter, please?”

  “I’m pretty sure you heard, Kieran,” I said, grinning. “And I think it will make more sense once you’ve met them. Hold on a moment.” I turned and moved back to the alcove entrance at Daybreak speed. The boys’ faces lit up the moment I turned the corner and came into view. “Are you ready, sons?” I asked, reaching out to take their hands.

  “Yes, Daddy,” they said cheerfully, but hugging their toys in one arm anxiously.

  “Comin’, Pete?” I called without looking back.

  “Of course, Seth, I wouldn’t miss it,” Peter said, walking on Connor’s left. We started walking.

  I could see the calculations start in Kieran’s head the second we turned the corner. Ethan’s smile was instant and delighted, but Kieran’s crept slowly and evenly across his face. I was pretty certain he didn’t see the fact that swung my decision to adopt them. We’d get to that, though.

  We stopped a few feet out from my brothers and I said to my tremendously anxious boys, “Connor McClure, Coulter McClure, I’d like you to meet my brothers. This is Kieran, also called ‘Free Lord’, because he holds faery in geas but holds no land currently.”

  “Hello, Connor, Coulter, it’s very good to meet you,” Kieran said smoothly.

  The twins stared up at him wide-eyed and fearful. “H-hello,” Connor said meekly. Coulter didn’t say anything until I squeezed his hand gently. “Hello,” Coulter mumbled quietly.

  “And this is Ethan,” I said. Ethan was glowing with excitement.

  “Hi, boys!” Ethan said, stepping forward. “I couldn’t be happier for you and Seth! Gimme a hug!” The boys grinned and jumped on Ethan.

  Kieran smiled
at the giggles and laughs from Ethan and the boys. “Is that all you have to do to get a little affection around here? Just ask?” he said, joking.

  “How long have you lived here?” Peter asked him as Ethan untangled himself.

  Laughing at Peter, I said, “Come on, boys. Gibson has held supper long enough.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” they answered, grabbing my hands and pulling me toward the alcove, bunny and dump truck still tightly held in their other hands.

  “Betcha never thought you’d hear that about Seth, huh?” Peter asked behind me.

  “Not this soon, anyway,” I heard Kieran murmur.

  “Where did they come from, Peter?” Ethan asked.

  “The Hinterlands,” Peter answered. “Seth will explain it, probably after he puts the boys down for the night. It’s a sad story, though.”

  The alcove was lit beautifully by the starscape behind the dome. Gibson and Guitar had several small torches in the plants and trees around the tables and several candles and small covered oil lamps on the tables to add enough light. The aromas were even better than a few minutes ago and the boys’ hunger was becoming contagious.

  We scrambled around to the far side, with Kieran sitting opposite me with the boys on either side of me. There wasn’t much “adult talk” while I attended to the boys and Gibson and Guitar took care of everyone else. Kieran watched me with bemused interest.

  “This is very good, Gibson,” Ethan said of a soup he was eating. “Is this millet?”

  “Barley, sir,” chirped Gibson. “And thank you.”

  “So Seth, what were the huri issues this morning?” Kieran asked.

  “Just one issue,” I said, watching Coulter slurp down a small portion of barley soup. “It frustrated Ellorn mostly because he was part of the problem. The huri lacked self-confidence in their decisions so anything of any importance was brought to Saun Ellorn for approval.”

  “Isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid?” Ethan asked, rather needlessly I thought.

  After squinting at a candle for a second, Kieran said, “Instant massive bureaucracy, would be my guess.”