“Dear gods,” Bleidd sighed, giving up and struggling into a sitting position. “The thought of you wandering the market unsupervised is terrifying. You’d end up buying magic beans or a dragon egg or something equally random.”
Jess laughed, unbothered by the criticism. “A dragon egg hardly. They have terrible tempers and never stop eating, not to mention being sentient creatures owning one is entirely illegal. But I think Allie might like magic beans if I could find any.”
“And that’s why I can’t let you out alone,” Bleidd stood and stretched again, already feeling better as he moved around. “Besides we’re agreed on what we’re going to get her, and she’ll love it.”
“Are you so certain she wants a hound then?” Jess asked from his position, still reclining on the bed.
“Yes, believe me, she’ll be delighted,” Bleidd said firmly. He remembered only too well the look on Allie’s face when she’d conjured the shadow hound last month, the instant attachment she’d developed to the magical construct, her insistence on naming it…Oh yes he thought, yawning, she’ll love this. I was more than half convinced she was going to insist on keeping that mage crafted thing, if it hadn’t been destroyed when we confronted that stupid girl. Even if she hasn’t mentioned it since or said anything about wanting one, I’m sure she wants a dog. And why would anyone want a mortal dog when we can get her a fairy hound which is superior in every way? He yawned again, then sighed as Jess came up behind him and slipped his arms around his body, resting his cheek against Bleidd’s back.
“As you will,” Jess said agreeably. “I have no choice but to trust your superior knowledge of what constitutes an appropriate gift for one’s betrothed on her birth day.”
Bleidd felt himself smiling almost against his will, finding Jess’s good mood hard to resist, despite his own fatigue. “Commander you would probably be wise to trust my superior knowledge more often.”
Jess snorted, his laughter vibrating through both of them. “I’m sure you would enjoy that, and certainly when it comes to things in the human world and human customs I do trust your experience with the subject. But I have my areas of expertise as well.”
Bleidd made a heroic effort to bite back the response he wanted to make to that, knowing how very easy it would be for a bit of double entendre to end with both of them back in bed. It was certainly tempting. Enormously tempting actually, despite the way they had spent the previous evening. But he knew that if he indulged himself now they really wouldn’t get out of the inn until after noon and on the chance that it did take longer to find the right animal than he expected he didn’t want to risk wasting the entire morning. So instead of the comment he wanted to make about exactly what areas he felt Jessilaen excelled in, he said, “We all have our skill sets. And as it happens I do trust you to know in this sort of place when we are likely to miss the best food selection, and I am in no mood for cold leftovers to start my day.”
“Then, as I said, we should get moving,” Jess repeated, hugging him closer for a moment before stepping away. He eyed the other elf in open amusement. “Although before we grace the common room with our presence you might want to get dressed. And consider taming your hair slightly.”
Bleidd gave his lover an annoyed look, “We can’t all roll out of bed at the crack of dawn already dressed and prepared for the day. And I might point out that whatever issues my hair is suffering from are entirely your doing.”
Jess leaned against the wall next to the window grinning impudently. “Well I’m certainly not about to apologize for it. So if you want a hot breakfast and more to choose from than two consistencies of porridge you’d best make yourself presentable as quickly as possible.”
“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”
“Immensely,” Jess agreed, still smiling. “Now, get moving, or I shall go without you and regale you with tales of my reasonably edible breakfast while you’re choking down your porridge whenever you finally get downstairs.”
Bleidd groaned but did move faster, pulling on his loose trousers and tunic, and grimacing as he started brushing the tangles out of his long hair.
***********************************
Allie walked slowly into the kitchen looking around for either of the party conspirators, but the only person currently in the room was Shawn. The young actor was sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal and reading what looked like a script. Relaxing slightly Allie went over to get her morning cup of coffee. “Morning Shawn.”
Shawn looked up, grinning widely at her, “Morning Allie. Coffee’s fresh. And don’t worry, Jason and Hannah aren’t here, they both already left for work.”
Allie blushed even as she added milk to her coffee and joined Shawn at the table. “Am I being that obvious?”
“Not really,” he said, taking another bite of cereal then talking as he chewed. “But the look on your face last night during dinner was pretty funny. I mean, really, it’s pretty easy to tell you aren’t thrilled about this party idea.”
“No I am,” Allie said, sipping from her cup. “I mean I kind of am. I’m not against the idea. I just haven’t ever been the party sort, and especially not the birthday party sort. So I guess the whole idea is weirding me out a little bit, you know?”
“Not really,” Shawn said again, reminding Allie that she had often thought ‘really’ was his favorite word. “I love parties, especially birthday parties. I mean who doesn’t love a party all about them with presents?”
“I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Allie said, hoping that it would be. “Which reminds me, do you want to bring Wendy with you? She’s more than welcome.”
“Are you sure? Hannah kind of really emphasized that it was supposed to be super small, just the roommates kind of thing.”
“No, bring her,” Allie said. She’d only met Shawn’s girlfriend once when she’d been talked into attending a play at the theater a few weeks ago, but she’d liked the other woman right away. Wendy was the exact opposite of Shawn – shy and quiet to his talkative, thoughtful to his questioning. Even physically the two were a contrast: Shawn was medium height, while Wendy was taller than he was by several inches, he was slim and angular while she was all soft curves, and he had wavy light brown hair that fell just to his shoulders while her straight black hair cascaded to her hips. When she had seen them together Allie had loved the way they seemed to unconsciously gravitate to each other and the feeling of happiness around them. She thought the two of them seemed like a good couple. “If you think she’d like to come that is.”
“I’ll ask her,” he said, shrugging slightly. “Speaking of asking people though, Jason said you were looking for help at the store, any chance I could apply?”
“You?” Allie said, genuinely surprised. “I thought, I mean aren’t you happy at the theater?”
“Sure, love it,” he said, waving the script slightly. “But our grant from the town’s tourist board only covers paying everyone full time during the busy tourist seasons. November 1st is the official end of tourist season according to the theater board and I get put on a part time stipend until spring. Well except for Christmas, I guess there’s a one month full time thing from the second week of December through the first week of January, but anyway. So I need to find a part time job to make up the difference. I was hoping maybe you could use me?”
“Oh Shawn,” Allie said, suddenly immensely grateful that she’d already found someone and was spared the awkwardness of having to explain why Shawn wouldn’t work out. “I just hired someone. I’m sure you’ll find something else though.”
“Bummer,” Shawn said. “But I’ve got some other applications in around town so hopefully something else will come through.”
“It’ll work out,” Allie said confidently. “It seems like things are finally turning around for all of us.”
“Yeah,” Shawn said, going back to his breakfast and opening his script back up. “I’m really glad I moved in here. I mean at first things got kind of hairy, to be honest. But
after – I mean since you took over the house, things have been really good. I really like it here.”
“I’m glad Shawn,” Allie said, meaning it. “I know this isn’t your typical boarding house, and things here can be a little strange. I mean it’s not just a bunch of random people sharing space. There’s me and Jess and Bleidd, being together, getting married, and with the baby. That’s a bit odd, I know, and I was worried you guys might not want to stay with things changing.”
Shawn looked up again, smiling, “Yeah that is a bit weird. But it makes it feel more like family than living in an apartment, you know? And I kind of like that. I grew up in a big family, five siblings, we were all really tight, and it’s actually nice to be somewhere that reminds me of home. Maybe that’s kind of weird too, but that’s part of why I like it here.”
“No, I understand, I think,” Allie said, feeling relieved. It had taken her a long time to warm up to Shawn but after six months of living with him she realized she’d miss the young actor’s perpetual cheer and endless questions if he left. She already knew that Jason didn’t plan to move out anytime soon, no matter how crazy things got, and Hannah had moved in knowing about Allie’s domestic situation and impending new addition. The only person that Allie had been unsure about was Shawn, and she felt herself relaxing slightly as he went back to memorizing lines, knowing he actually liked the sort of domestic chaos that he found himself in the middle of.
There was no guarantee of course that come summer and an infant people might not change their minds about staying, but for now, for the first time in a long time, Allie felt really happy. Her house felt like a home again.
****************************
Jess peered carefully down the street, taking in both the shopfronts as well as the market stalls set up in the roadway itself. Duncennaigect was the main trade city in the Queen’s Holding and more than half the city proper was taken up by shops of various sorts. The key when visiting was to have some sense of where to go to find what you needed, or else you might spend weeks wandering aimlessly, searching the hundreds of sellers and going through their diverse wares. Luckily for Bleidd Jess had recently spent more than a month here on assignment tracking down the illegal trade of human alcohol into the Holding and that experience had given him a fairly thorough knowledge of the ins and outs of the city. He had known immediately where they would need to go to look for a fairy hound, but he had also known that the search would prove more difficult than his lover was expecting.
Duncennaigect had hounds of course, and horses, and a wide array of other animals. The trick, he knew, would be to find the right kind of hound, the sort bred to be a Lady’s pet rather than for hunting or guard duty. And, as well, they would need to find a quality animal, not some cast off misbred thing, and that was likely going to be the hardest part. The trade city had everything anyone in the Holding could want, but finding what you sought was another matter entirely. They had already wasted several hours following Bleidd’s lead and looking in the shops that catered to mages, before Bleidd finally admitted that all the animals they carried were too exotic. Now, at Jess’s suggestion, they’d crossed from the Drai district to the Beo district across town – another hour’s walk, with a stop for a midday meal on the way – and Jess was hopeful as the day waned that they would have better luck here.
After a moment Bleidd stepped up next to him, frowning as he also looked up and down the street. The former Outcast’s nose wrinkled slightly at the distinctive smell of livestock that permeated the air here. “Alright Commander, you claim to have some knowledge of this place. Feel free to demonstrate it any time now.”
Jess grinned, knowing that it had rankled the other elf to admit that his ideas on where to look had turned up nothing. “When I was here last there were several people dealing in hounds in this district. I’d suggest seeing what each has to offer before making a selection.”
Bleidd sighed in a long suffering manner, then gestured for Jess to lead the way, falling in behind him as the Elven Guard Commander began walking slowly down the street. Wordlessly the crowd parted a few feet ahead of him, allowing them clear passage, then closed a few feet behind. Conversation had a tendency to die around them as well, something that Bleidd was keenly aware of but Jess barely noticed; he was so used to the effect his uniform had on those around him that he didn’t even pay attention to it any more.
They reached the first place Jess thought might be worth checking out, an old store with a faded sign written in Low Elvish which said ‘Elvore’s Menagerie’. Jess walked in with Bleidd following, stopping just inside to look around. The interior was worn hardwood, but it was spotlessly clean, and despite being filled with neatly segregated open-topped, wooden cages and the noise of many small animals it smelled of nothing worse than wood shavings. Bleidd tilted his head slightly, taking in the interior, then thought to Jess, “I am safe in assuming a gnome owns this place?”
Jess felt his lips twitching in an almost-smile and fought to keep his expression serious as he peered towards the back looking for Elvore. “Indeed,” he thought back. “I have known him for some years. The Guard buys from him sometimes, and his animals are always well bred and fairly priced.”
The gnome in question was nowhere to be seen, but Jess knew he never left the shop unattended. He moved confidently to the back where a short counter was set up with a stool behind it. For a moment he was overwhelmed by a longing for Allie, as the visual reminded him of her store. An instant later though the proprietor appeared, slipping out from a backroom carrying a fluffy winged kitten. His small black eyes were squinting down at the little animal which was squirming to escape his grasp, it’s wings, covered with soft down rather than the flight feathers of an adult, flapped helplessly in the gnome’s face; his hat was already gone and its antics were turning his carefully coiffed grey hair into a windblown disarray. All four of its legs scrabbled against his body, its claws digging into his red tunic and pants as it mewed piteously.
Elvore stopped short when he noticed the two elves and sensing the gnome’s reaction the chatten stopped struggling as well, craning its head around and staring fixedly at them with wide owl-like yellow eyes. “Er,” Elvore said, scooting past them, around the counter, and hastily shoving the animal he’d been carrying into one of the few lidded cages. He swiped nervously at his hair, trying to get it into some semblance of order, as he peered up at the elves who towered over him by several feet. “Er, good afternoon then good sirs. Welcome to Elvore’s Menagerie. I be Elvore. Whatever sort o’ animal yer lookin’ fer iffin its legal to buy or trade in the Holding I have one or know where one’s to be got, iffin yer can get one ‘round here at all.”
The gnome puffed out his chest in obvious pride as he spoke and Bleidd regarded him in open amusement. When he spoke though his voice was even, “Indeed. We are seeking a fairy hound, preferably young, preferably good natured.”
Elvore’s eyes flicked between Jess and Bleidd, clearly wondering why the Guard Commander wasn’t talking but Jess remained silent for the moment. Let Bleidd begin he thought to himself and I can intervene when it will be the most useful. It already hurts his pride that he has to rely on me as much as he does here. Jess fought another grin, amused at the thought as they both followed the gnome through the shop. He didn’t know why it bothered Bleidd so much to depend on his guidance in the Holding, whether it was because Jess was more than three hundred years younger, or because he didn’t like feeling as if he wasn’t in control, but he couldn’t deny that he was enjoying the other elf’s grumping about the situation. It all seemed to be fairly good natured to Jess, and he liked being able to show his own competence when so often back in Ashwood he had little choice but to rely on his bondmates to navigate the Bordertown or understand the nuances of human culture. Now that the tables had turned and he knew he was proving himself essential on this errand he was having a great deal of fun with the experience.
The gnome stopped in front of one of the larger cages gesturi
ng at the enclosure, which came up to his shoulder but was barely waist high for the two elves. He gestured magnanimously inside, “Here’s a good selection o’ Fey hounds. Meant for Lords an’ Ladies not working animals mind ye so they’s got good tempers. Bred from a solid hunting animal and a smith’s companion hound so yer lookin’ at fast and smart but also sweet. Not a vicious bone in any o’ ‘em, fer certain.”
Bleidd made a thoughtful noise looking at the collection of puppies sleeping in a large pile in one corner. “Cross-bred though if they’re mixed between hunting hounds and court animals.”
Elvore twitched slightly, “Er, yeah, that’s so. But ye won’t find better animals for temper nor quality even so.”
Bleidd nodded thoughtfully, considering the puppies. Jess reached out to his mind, not wanting their conversation to be overheard, “Are you so set on a purebred animal? I doubt Allie will care.”
“I doubt Allie could tell the difference between a hunting hound and a court hound if presented with both,” Bleidd thought back wryly, and Jess gave him a sharp look over the gnome’s head. Bleidd made a soothing gesture in response, “I don’t mean that as an insult to her, only that I don’t think she is an expert in the details of the different fairy hound breeds. But I was trying not to get her a hunting hound because they don’t always get on well with other animals and it won’t be much of a gift if it kills her cousin’s cat five minutes after we give it to her.”
“Ah,” Jess thought back, only then remembering the house cat that had belonged to Allie’s deceased cousin and still remained as a sort of community pet. “True. I had not thought of that. Still he says their temperament is good and I trust him not to make such a statement unless he had some confidence in his words.”
Bleidd looked thoughtful again. He leaned over slightly giving the hounds a closer inspection. “How old are they?”
Fairy Gifts: A Between the Worlds Anthology Page 4
