Laugh of Destruction (Book 3 of the Death Incarnate Saga)

by Jr H. Lee Morgan

  Tiffa’s sapphire blue eyes met their mirror in her daughter’s. “Yes, about a month ago I decided to take one on. Millie’s ten year old granddaughter Kim actually. She is much more willing to learn about herbs and medicine than sewing. She now lives with us in your old room.” Meeka shrugged, not caring since she doesn’t live there anymore. “She almost as spirited as Rena here. Oh, and she knows her letters and likes to read the basics of herbs. She hasn’t learned mixing, but I left enough salves and potions she knows how to use properly and the town knows she is in my place… And before you ask, no she isn’t alone. Millie and her husband are staying with her.”

  “I’m glad, Mother. I’m sorry though I left you like that, but the Utala were in great need of a proper healer. Cage isn’t always able to do things since he’s so busy and I enjoy it. Sean and a few of the girls are also proving to be good apprentices for me as well.”

  Tiffa looked to her grandson. “Really? What has Meeka been teaching recently?”

  “Sleeping tonics.” Sean replied quickly. “Meeka Mother showed me the herbs, but I didn’t do the right portions last time and made it too strong… a chicken died as a result.”

  The older healer managed not to laugh and asked what he used and was astounded he had all the names right and how his method of creation was adequate, but she gave positive corrections and was proud Sean said he would do as she said.

  “Enjoying the jets?” Cage asked Cillian.

  “Immensly.” He groaned while draping his arms over the ledge, one arm casually holding his wife’s soft shoulder. “I could use this after a long days work.”

  “If not for making them at the spur of the moment I might not have survived.” The warlock admitted as he felt two jets beating his lower back while a third rushed to the space between his shoulder blades, where the infinity mark is. “I barely had time to sleep and several times these things made me sleep harder than Daku is snoring at the moment.” Just then the griffin released a loud snort and rolled to his side so the jets could beat a different spot. “There was just so much to do and I’m just one man. If I didn’t have magic, nothing would have gotten done in time. The past few days are the first I’ve had to myself.”

  “Better you than me… Ow!” Cillian cursed when he got kicked in the shin.

  “Sorry.” Cage said, but clearly didn’t mean it.

  Changing the subject quickly, Tiffa asked “Will you tell us more about the island? Oh, is there any soap?”

  Meeks shook her head, answering the second question first. “No, we weren’t able to make any before the freeze. If you want, I can go get some sand if you feel dirty?”

  “No, I was just wondering since you seem to have everything I’ve dreamed of and much, much more.” Her mother replied.

  “Don’t worry about that. You won’t be going home empty handed.” Was all Cage said and when asked, he just smiled at their growing irritation.

  For the next two hours they sat in the bubbling bath, enjoying the company and the conversations that bounced around. Sean eventually fell asleep on his dad’s shoulder and was only wakened by Cage saying “Now that we’re all refreshed, let’s get out and exchange presents.”

  Rena groaned as her grandmother made her wake while her blonde mother pulled the plug to drain the lukewarm water. Cage pulled out fibrous leaf size towels for everyone, but worked a spell on the water clinging to his Familiar’s coat. Since it wasn’t a direct spell it wasn’t negated. Daku gave thanks and left the room where Tiffa’s anger returned for the loss of her garments. Meeka ended the tirade by giving the one she uses to her mother. Cage knew he’d have to find Meeka a replacement. They then all put on their clothes, already feeling much better because of the bath and conversations.

  Downstairs they found the griffin again curled up on his bed beside the fire.

  Everyone sat around the fire in a large circle, but Cillian was adamant that he and Tiffa give out their gifts first and brought their packs over, and passed each out to the appropriate individual. The husband and wife watched warmly as the gifts were opened. Brooke and Meeka were each given rare spices along with seeds, already knowing Cage didn’t have all these spices. Sean received a leather ball that bounced almost like an old fashioned basketball while Rena got a handmade doll with actual horsehair for hair. Cillian said he made both the ball and doll for them while Tiffa spoke how fierce negotiations resulted in the spices.

  “Careful with that.” Cillian warned.

  Cage did as instructed and opened a wooden box to find it stuffed with cloth securely containing a nearly clear glass flask with some kind of amber liquid. The flask had a rather thin neck, about five inches long with a glass stopper and encased with hard wax to keep it sealed. With great care, Cage removed the wax and removed the stopper to catch a whiff and it made his eyes water. He plugged it quickly. “Awesome Cillian! This acid will do wonderfully for an experiment.”

  “Just be careful. The scholar guild made it clear that the acid will eat through flesh like a wild, starving animal. What did you want it for?”

  “I’ll show you tomorrow.” He then put the flask back and closed the box. “Kids, get the presents you made for your mothers.” Cage said as he stood and moved over to the tree himself. The three of them quickly found the covered presents they made and brought it back.

  Rena and Sean made careful carvings with bones. They had yet to have the finer skills as an adult, but it showed they put in hard work into making the necklaces and bracelets. Not wanting to make the grandparents feel left out, Rena asked her mothers if they would give either a necklace or bracelet and it wasn’t long till Tiffa wore a delicate necklace while Cillian marveled at his new bracelet.

  Cage held onto his gifts since Brooke and Meeka wanted him to. They had made two small cloaks out of old dresses, changing the fabric and dying them all earthy colors. Sean and Rena gladly put them on and were a little big, but were told they would grow into them.

  Cage then laid four presents before Cillian and Tiffa along with one much smaller present before the rest of his family. “Open them together.” And he watched as they did. Each family member uncovered a small wooden box and opened it to find a six inch long, device. Everyone got one, but Cillian and Tiffa’s other present contained a thick stack of two hundred sheets of whitish orange paper crafted from the very leaves of the house before they all fell before winter. Also in the box was a simple glass eyedropper along with a wooden container. “What all of you have will make writing so much easier now. No longer will we need to suffer with a quill and dipping it into ink after every few letters.” He then retrieved his from a pocket. “Pull the cap off like this and begin writing.”

  Cillian looked closely at the thing called a pen. “How does it write? Magic?”

  “No, not magic, but I did need to make it by it. In that little wooden bottle is ink I made myself from blackberries, salt and vinegar. Ink is stored inside the empty cavity and to refill it without spilling, put the dropper in the ink, cover the end of the glass with a thumb and have the end of the pen unscrewed. Then just release your thumb and the ink will flow inside. At the tip of the pen is a tiny ball that will make writing effortless. Go ahead and try it out.”

  Taking a sheet of paper, Cillian sat it down before him on the hard wooden floor and pressed his gift to the paper. He tried writing and his jaw dropped as ink flowed onto the paper smoothly. He wrote nothing in particular to get the feel of how well it fit his grip. “If I had a quill I would have dipped a dozen times.”

  “But did you notice that the ink is already dry.”

  “You jest?” But Cillian was already running his finger over the paper to find it to be true. “But how?”

  Cage smiled. “You waste much less ink with a pen. The tiny ball at the end flows an even amount of ink so you will not need to worry about spilling excess as when I scared you half to death that fist time. Since it uses less ink it’ll dry almost instantly. With the vials of ink and the pen, you’ll not need to ge
t more ink for another year, unless you start writing books.”

  “Cillian Grandfather, may I try?” Rena asked and crawled over to draw with her brand new pen.

  Paper was also given to Brooke and Meeka as Tiffa said “It is so easy to use. It will save time writing, but what if the ink clumps?”

  “Just boil the pen itself.” Cage answered. “They are sturdier than they look. Just remember to put the cap back on so you don’t accidently start writing on things you don’t.”

  While they were marveling over something as simple as a pen a gray orb appeared in the room. “What’s that?” Tiffa asked as she looked up to the thing she learned to be a fan.

  “Excuse me.” Cage stood and walked to a eastern facing window. He lifted the translucent piece of wood and felt the cold rush over him while he squinted to the pillars. Only a person who entered without knowledge of the password would be held. If thirty seconds passed and the correct word wasn’t revealed a gray warning orb would alert Cage’s house. His new eyes focused as he saw a suspended individual floating alongside a smaller being out over the water. He grinned. Blackness appeared in the room and before any could question what was happening he Jumped out to the pillars.

  “Do you know what is happening?” Tiffa asked with a touch of concern.

  “Cage would have told us if there was danger. And so would have Hammit and his mates up at the mountain’s peak. They would alert us to danger.” Meeka said and enjoyed her new presents.

  Moments later the front door opened as Cage said “Guess who decided to drop by?”

  “Frill!” “Megdline!” The children exploded and rushed over to get hugs.

  “My goodness! Did you miss us that much?” Megdline laughed joyfully while Frill purred loudly at all the attention.

  “But we didn’t think either of you were going to make it.” Meeka said as she and the others all came over in greeting. Daku simply cracked an eye, smiled and went back to sleep.

  Frill meowed like a chirping bird and Megdline translated. “He says we almost didn’t, but we were able to finish up a situation in Beytm a few hours ago.”

  “Beytm?” Cillian asked incredulously. “But that is the furthest town of Emroc. What were you doing all the way out there?”

  Frill suddenly hissed a laugh and Megdline said “Quiet you! It wasn’t funny… alright, maybe it was a little bit.” To the others she said “Some genius got it in his head to try and take a wyrm from the moment it hatched and raise it for a pet. I went to investigate the claims from the inhabitants of unexpected animal killings and odd prints found around farms. It took less than a day to follow the obvious tracks. Clearly it was a long kept secret for it was older than a hatchling.”

  Meeka shivered and not from the cold. She and Cage knew all too well about the carnivorous wyrms and how those giant lizards almost killed them. Two ripped a horse in half and swallowed the pieces whole before herding them to mommy dearest. Cage though asked “Emroc has wyrms too?”

  “Yes, but not as many as here in Vlara to the east and southern terrain.” Frill said and was translated. It was odd both hearing his birdlike yowling mixed with a rich male timbre. Cage held the large feline’s golden eyes and listened closely. “Usually they are found to the west of the Keyta River since they cannot swim and cause too much havoc in Emroc. The water is a natural barrier so they aren’t much of a pest. If we had not acted the wyrm could have potentially staked a new territory and invaded Emroc more fully.

  “We found the culprit easily enough, but when we found them last night the man was eaten by the very lizards he was unable to train as soon as he turned his back!” Frill hissed hilariously and Cage joined him, imaging how it likely happened. A giant, ravenous iguana fifty feet long eating the idiot who deserved it. Cage remembered those angry, voracious eyes that wouldn’t stop till it ate its target. Frill then finished the short story. “We had no other choice than to kill the adolescent size wyrm since it was clear the creature was a threat and couldn’t be returned back across the river. It was put own and burned this morning. Then we decided to come enjoy this Earth tradition of yours. Tell us more about it.”

  “I’m glad you two could make it.” Cage rubbed the Maine Coon’s soft fur.

  “Megdline, why did Cage have to leave and get you?” Brooke asked.

  The sorceress removed her boots while answering. “I haven’t been here in weeks and he changes the password often. I didn’t know it so I just waited for someone to help out… Cage, I see you’ve modified your hearing and eyesight. It looks good on you.” Before he could say thanks for the compliment Megdline sniffed the air. “Something smells good. When are we going to eat?”

  “Soon, Granny. Let me go get your present first.” He said and left for his office and retuned moments later with her pen and showed her how to use it.

  “Remarkable!” She said as she sent her senses into it and could gain more understanding. “It is so simple yet effective. Why hasn’t anyone figured this out before?” She asked no one in particular. “This will revolutionize the writing process. My husband will certainly want one.”

  “Speaking of, when is he coming to meet me?” Cage asked. It has been quite awhile since he’d promise to extend an invitation to the magical city.

  Megdline quit studying the genius device to set her grey eyes on him. “I’m sorry it hasn’t happened yet, but there is still trouble with the war still happening between Emroc and the Laqura Empire. He and you are more alike than you realize for you both rarely get time to yourselves as your people are always in need. The rest of the council is just as overworked and they all have to deal with two whole kingdoms. I promise that he hasn’t forgotten you and hopes by spring he can come.”

  “Alright.” He sighed. “I wouldn’t be able to visit quite yet anyway. I’m still needed here since a few more things need to be done… Go warm yourself by the fire while I go finish dinner.”

  He left the room and went to check on the cooking pig and could tell it still needed another good hour so he crafted salads and side dishes. While he worked he listened to his teacher telling the children stories of dragons and magical places. She also spoke of some of the wonders she had recently with Frill these weeks and wasn’t surprised by their enthusiasm. Cage also enjoyed the stories, knowing some tales were slightly exaggerated for the children’s benefit.

  The Christmas meal was soon ready, but Cage worked a little magic to hide the table till he was done. “Come eat!” he said and revealed the perfectly placed table with the pig as the centerpiece.

  Everyone was thrilled as they all sat down and ate. He then opened the cask to reveal a warm golden liquid of his first successful creation of honeyed mead that every adult enjoyed. Megdline drank the least for too much would be dangerous to any other mage except Cage who could drink tirelessly and not get drunk. Cillian said it was a fine, smooth brew and asked how it was made to give suggestions that would seem to make the process better. Cage couldn’t help feeling at peace by doing something truly normal for once. The greatest gift to him was seeing all the smiling faces at the table. All seemed right in the world.

  After the meal and with overstuffed stomachs, Cage had everyone gather around the fire again as he took out his ocarina and played for an hour till his lips were numb. The songs were a variation of those common to Christmas and those he loved gladly listened or were so lulled and full they fell asleep contently.

  By the time darkness came Cage said “Thank you everyone… Oh, Granny, I’m doing an experiment tomorrow if you want to come?” she said she would be delighted before leaving. All others soon went to bed and fell asleep.

  The next morning there came an odd sound Cillian hadn’t heard in months, but as he walked around the balcony he found Sean looking over the railing with a hot mug of some kind of drink as it steamed in the cold morning air. “Morning, Cillian Grandfather.”

  “Good morning to you too.” He replied and peered over the banister.

  On the backside of the
house where the third support arched and held the house secure were an odd assortment of things Cillian clearly figured to be training equipment. From the pillar was a long wooden bar about nine feet above the ground that reached from the support shaft to the backside wall of the building beneath them. Hanging from the first few feet were two large, baglike cylinders that looked exceptionally heavy. Beside them was a clear training dummy with dozens of sticks sprouting and when hit would spin and force the person to either react quickly or need to jump back. But further down were four of them in a circle and in the middle moved Cage. He struck like lightning, weaving in a maelstrom of rotating dummies. His arms were but a blur of motion as he used his most lethal physical weapons. He jumped and shot a heel to one bar behind him to blindly hit and the connection was perfect. Cage weaved, not getting hit once while fighting against foes he controlled at such speeds that Cillian couldn’t tear his eyes away. Few things ever made the mayor of Kote speechless and it seemed commonplace whenever his son-in-law was anywhere nearby. He knew Cage was a lethal man to be sure, but he was constantly being reminded by just how much.

  After a few more seconds Cage came to a halt, sweating and breathing deeply. He made a defensive pose and with a crack, all the rotating bars slapped against his flesh. Wiping sweat from his eyes, Cage looked up to say “Come on down, Boys. Sean, show your grandfather how to use the equipment. I can see you both want a turn.”

  “Yes, Dad.” Sean quickly drank the remainder of his drink and led his curious grandfather downstairs.

  By the time they walked around back they found Cage stiffly punching a wooden beam with a dent created by his outstretched fingers. “What are you doing? Trying to break your fingers?” Cillian asked when he got closer.