The Salamander Prince

by S R Nulton

  When I returned, the brothers all looked at me expectantly. Finally Pond spoke up. “How?”

  I laughed. “I’m an enchantress. I spelled it to keep it safe from river pirates. As you can see, it’s quite comfortable.” They nodded and looked at each other.

  “You will keep her safe, lady?” Tom asked.

  I blinked enjoying how much more polite they were than most who found out I was a magician. In fact, we were treated like nobility in Lettelach instead of servants or weapons like most places.

  “Of course. We’ll be family shortly. Family defends.”

  “Always,” they said in unison before wandering off to explore while Thyme changed into something not covered in dust from cleaning earlier that day.

  “What did that mean, when they said ‘always’?” Jeshu asked.

  I looked down at him. “It’s sort of an unofficial motto in this country. Family is incredibly important, but not because of tracing back to nobility or for land rights. It is all about defense. The more family you have, the safer you are. It goes back to when they were clans that fought to protect themselves against each other. When their first king united the country, things changed and they began to consider any of their fellow countrymen to be family, but real family is still very important. As the wife of their soon to be brother-in-law, I am family. Therefore, I am tasked with defending my family always.”

  He pondered the words as Thyme finally walked out, Stone hopping alongside. “I think I understand why you like this country,” my husband said quietly as we moved to watch the ceremony. “It is a place of honor and truth at all times. They do not grasp. They just live.”

  I smiled and nodded, but said nothing. He understood. At that moment, I was content to watch the ceremony proceed.

  It was different to view it as an outsider. It also helped to be completely awake. Because of it, I was able to see the enchantments take hold as each vow was spoken and as each drop of blood was spilled. I was also able to watch the exchange of magic.

  “It wasn’t as blinding as I expected,” I said as Thyme collapsed into Yew’s arms. How he managed to catch her while still holding onto the bulk of the frog was a mystery, but he did.

  “Not as much magic in either of them. She had just a speck, it appears, and Stone’s has always been less abundant and volatile than my own.”

  We watched Yew carry the newlyweds to their bunk to sleep off the magic transfer and smiled at the confused brothers. An explanation would be expected. Soon.

  Still, it was a lovely wedding.

  “She’s fine,” I told the worried quartet. “Just sleeping off the magic she received.”

  They blinked and Spring’s face visibly brightened. “Magic? She has magic now?”

  I smiled. “Yep. This particular ceremony works by combining both their magic and sharing it between them. Thyme is a magician now.”

  Nothing happened for a moment, and then all four men began laughing and talking excitedly. Having a magic user in the family was a coup for anyone in that country. It also could be used to justify himself or herself to the merchant when he tried to cause a fuss. Magicians were separate entities from their families, thus outside the realm of control specified by first rights.

  “Now, make sure you tell people that I saw her magic and confirmed what you have wondered about before,” I warned.

  “But that is a lie. She didn’t.” Leaf was obviously concerned at this little twist.

  “Actually, it is true. She did have magic, although slight. When we had tea today, she mentioned being interested in healing. Has she ever healed anyone in a way that was unusual?”

  They looked at each other, speaking wordlessly. Finally, Spring spoke up again. “Yes. Several times. We weren’t certain that it was really her though.”

  “Well, there you go. Telling this truth will keep the merchant from telling the wrong person about Stone and Jeshu. We don’t want that. We have family to defend and it will be harder if word is sent.” I didn’t know for a fact that the merchant would send word to others, but I had a feeling that he might. He seemed like a sore loser and reminded me of several other merchants I knew that informed on people to make extra money. He was already upset. There was no reason to give him the arrow for his bow.

  “You are correct. He is not honorable, but we must tell the village of this great boon.” Spring paused for a moment. “We will use your truth for now. When it is safe you will send us word so we may tell all. For now, family defends.”

  “Always.” I shook their hands and they left the ship.

  “Odd place, this,” Yew remarked as he walked up to us.

  “The ship or the country?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 6: Ghosts and Scars

  Having less magic meant that Thyme and Stone woke much faster than I had. Also, they hadn’t just partied for four days straight. That does tend to make a person more.

  Stone was the first awake though, just as Jeshu had been.

  “Evening, sleepy head,” my husband said as his brother entered the galley. “Finished getting your beauty rest? It doesn’t seem to have helped much.”

  Stone stood there with a giant grin on his bearded face. “What’s your excuse, brother?” And then they were both in the middle of the room, hugging with a lot of back pounding. A lot of back pounding.

  I’m going to have to check Jeshu’s back for bruises tonight. It sounds like a blacksmith’s forge in here! I thought to myself before turning my attention to my new brother-in-law.

  If I hadn’t known they were twins, I would have never guessed. They were the same height and had the same deep brown eyes and same cheekbones, but those were the only similarities. Stone had red hair. Very, very red hair. I knew he’d called Jeshu ‘Fire’, but it almost fit him better. His skin had large freckles, looking more like paint drops then the usual perfectly round one’s I saw on others. To make it even more interesting, he had a tan that made him almost the same shade as the freckles!

  He was bigger than my husband too. Jeshu’s muscles were all lean and used for quick decisive movements. Speed was his specialty. Stone was bulkier with his muscles, showing that he’d decided to focus on strength instead. It wasn’t over the top, by any means, but it was clear that the two had slightly different philosophies about training.

  Oh, and both men had some of the messiest beards I’d ever seen, although Stone’s hair was much shaggier than my husband’s

  “Stone, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Grace. Grace, this is my brother, Grentiin. It’s Fey for ‘stone in the river’ but we shortened it to ‘Stone’.”

  I was starting to see a pattern in their family’s naming habits as well.

  “Is that why he called you ‘Fire’ earlier?” I asked.

  Jeshu nodded, but gently moved me toward his brother with a hand on the small of my back. Then he whispered in my ear, “I like hearing my real name from your lips,” making me blush slightly.

  Stone bowed and smiled, choosing to ignore Jeshu’s remark. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sister. I’m disappointed that I didn’t win the bet, but glad to meet you all the same.”

  “Bet?” I asked, brow raised as I looked at my husband.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, yes. I forgot about that. He owes me a tankard of ale for marrying first.”

  I blinked. “Seriously? Skies, I was hoping it was more interesting so I could guilt you into giving it to me. You two are no fun!” I accused.

  Stone seemed taken aback, but Jeshu just laughed. “I’ll be sure to consult you about stakes next time, love.”

  “Good. Otherwise, I’m not sure how this relationship will work out. Now, what would you two like to eat?”

  “Steak,” called another voice from the open door. Yew followed it just a moment later. “I want steak and mead, if you have it. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a good steak? Months! Months of nothing but travel rations. No one lets you into a pub whe
n you’re traveling with a salamander or a toad.”

  “Frog,” Stone protested half-heartedly.

  “Whatever. They still don’t let you in!”

  I laughed, enjoying the camaraderie between the three men. The creak of a board drew my attention to the hall and I spotted Thyme watching as well. Only she didn’t look so happy.

  “Thyme, honey,” I said, interrupting the frog-toad dispute. “You look like you just saw a ghost. What’s wrong?”

  She didn’t speak for a long moment, just stared at the men and fingered the scar on her neck. “I–I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” And then she fled back down the hall.

  Stone made a move to follow, but I stopped him.

  “No. Let me. Jeshu, honey, grab some steaks and get them going while I deal with this.” I left before Stone could do more than start a token protest. I knew that look. I’d worn that look. That was the look of seeing a nightmare when you were awake.

  ~

  I knocked on the door to Thyme’s room lightly before entering. She was curled in a ball on the bed crying. I didn’t take that as a good sign.

  Moving to the bed, I sat and began to rub her back.

  “What happened? What was the trigger?”

  She gulped in a huge breath before turning to look at me in confusion.

  “Trigger?”

  “Yeah. It’s something that sends you spinning back into a bad memory or bad emotions. Mine is when someone speaks in third person. My mother always did that right before she hurt someone. So what’s yours?”

  Thyme lay there, clearly thinking about what I’d said. It was okay though. I knew that waiting was the best course of action. She’d tell me when she felt she could. All I could do was make sure she knew that she wasn’t overreacting or strange, that how she felt and what had happened was much more commonplace than she knew. It was what helped me.

  After about fifteen minutes of gradually slowing tears, she turned over and looked me in the eye.

  “Large men with beards. Really, any man with a beard.” She held her neck in one hand as her eyes went glassy again.

  I nodded. “Is that where you got the scar? A man with a beard?”

  It was her turn to nod. “Two years ago, I was traveling to visit my cousin and the coach was stopped by some highwaymen. They stole everything and killed the driver and one of the other passengers. They were going to slit my throat next when they heard someone coming and ran. Ever since…” She swallowed before continuing. “It’s gotten better over the past year, but it still scares me.”

  I searched her eyes, trying to see if there was anything else, but she was already relaxing. “Well, you need to talk to Stone about it. Keep in mind, that appearance was not his first choice. He’s been in another form for the past few months, and it seems that it didn’t keep their hair from growing. You’ll have to deal with this fear sooner or later. It’s best to get it over with so you can start seeing your husband for who he is and not as a violent highwayman.”

  “B-but he’s so big.”

  I smiled. “All the better to defend you, my dear. Besides, they are still half-cursed, so he’ll only look that way at night.” When she didn’t calm down, I sighed. “You just got married. You have to work on building a healthy relationship and starting off with fear isn’t healthy. Now come on,” I said, smacking her thigh. “Let’s go eat. Then you need to find out exactly what happened and where we are headed. For that matter, I need to know where we’re going too. I am the captain after all.”

  I held my hand out and helped her out of bed before pulling her gently back down the hall. As we entered the galley again, all the men turned to face us from where they sat. I held up a hand to stop them from standing and began speaking.

  “Your beards freaked her out. Frankly, I’m not surprised. They are awful. At least trim them or something.”

  Jeshu grinned at me, but it wasn’t as lighthearted as usual.

  Stone just sat there, eyes on Thyme, waiting for her to speak. She, meanwhile, fingered her scar and looked ready to bolt.

  “I, um, well. The men who hurt me had beards. It scared me for a bit.” She rubbed her scar before looking up. Stone stood and walked to the washbasin. Then he took a knife and cut his long beard shorter and chopped his shaggy hair into a ridiculous length. Well, most of it anyway. Honestly, his hair looked like a two-year-old had gotten ahold of it, sticking out in all directions and in uneven layers.

  “Better?” he asked, turning to his wife. She teared up and nodded before walking slowly over and touching his face gingerly. “I don’t ever want to scare you and I promise that no one will ever lay hands on you again.” There wasn’t a drop of doubt in his voice.

  Thyme whispered something and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him gently before leading him back to the table.

  When they sat, Stone turned to me and asked, “Grace, do you have a shaving kit here? I’m a bit hesitant to use a kitchen knife for a close shave.”

  Before I could answer, I was interrupted by a, “No!” Everyone looked at Thyme. “I don’t want to be scared anymore. You just need to give me time to adjust and get used to it again. I don’t want to hide anymore. Besides, all the men aboard have beards to some extent. I was just a bit surprised.” That seemed to settle things and the mood shifted away from the tense air of moments before.

  Jeshu beckoned me over. When I arrived at his side, he pulled me down onto his lap and moved in until we were nose to nose.

  “Thank you. He was beside himself with worry. We weren’t sure what to do, how to help. Thank you for helping my brother and his bride.” His deep brown eyes refused to let me look away, uncomfortable as I was with his praise.

  Then, I remembered what he said about people trying to sabotage Jeshu and Stone, and realized that he was really thanking me for caring about his brother’s wellbeing. I smiled softly. “Don’t you remember, family defends, even against ghosts?” I kissed his nose before moving to my own chair, hoping he knew I meant his ghosts as well as Thyme’s. “Now, where is dinner, and where are we headed?”

  Everyone laughed, breaking the last bit of tension and getting things back to normal. Well, as normal as I hoped they would ever be.

  ~

  It turns out that Yew was a fantastic cook and had made pan seared steaks topped with sautéed mushrooms and a side of veggies. Everything was perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor, making me feel like purring. I loved good food!

  The destination news was not so nice.

  “You can’t tell me? Seriously? Nothing?”

  They shook their heads. “We can’t tell you where we’re from, only the direction we need to go, and right now it is just south. When the river meets the Barrier Sea, then we will be able to tell you more.”

  I fumed. I hated being left out of important information. But, then I thought about what I’d learned during my time with my husband. After all, they may not be able to tell me straight out, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t guess.

  I knew they weren’t from Lettelach. That was obvious by the culture shock. South meant that Fretche was out. So was Crechel, judging by the rude comments I’d heard aimed at the merchant we’d left behind. That really only left Mindep, Shessat, or possibly somewhere on the southern continent. The last was unlikely because of the lack of accent. Everyone south of the Barrier Sea had a very distinctive accent. The northern continent had some differences in speech patterns, but they were usually found in close-knit farming communities or the slang used by the lower class citizens in the large cities. My husband was from a wealthy family, so he’d been trained to speak without an accent.

  It was hard to tell where they were from based off the few clues I’d been given… I tried to remember as much as I could about the two possible countries they might be from.

  Mindep tended to use names from famous warriors and were very militaristic as a rule. In fact, the nobility came in second to the military leaders in that country. Jeshu and Stone were well-trained warriors, b
ut they didn’t have quite the same bearing as someone raised to be a soldier. Also, their names were ancient Fey, not a common tradition in Mindep. The big problem was, I’d never been to Shessat and didn’t know anyone who had, so I had no way of knowing how they named their children or anything else for that matter.

  Then it hit me. The mercenaries that were sent after Jeshu! There’s no way that those men were trained in Mindep. They were wearing the wrong boots!

  Mindep soldiers were obsessive about their boots. They all had to do tours in the hills near Stonesford. Those hills were easy to hide in, full of hideaways perfect for thieves, smugglers, and trolls. They were also full of shale. As a result, every Mindep soldier was very cautions about footwear afterward. None of them would have worn boots with a smooth sole and a slight heel. Certainly not ones made out of soft leather either. That was a sure way to end up with a twisted or broken ankle.

  “You’re from Shessat,” I stated finally. The absolute silence that greeted my outburst told me I was correct, as did the astonished expressions. “Okay, do you want to sail around the tip of Crechel or up the river by Perim?” Perim was the capital of Mindep and much friendlier than Crechel’s capital, Rallin. It would also be safer because a lot of heavy storms hit the tip of Crechel in late spring and early summer. My ship was sea worthy, but too small to be much use against those storms.

  “Perim,” Jeshu said, seeming to accept the fact that I’d discovered their country of origin and ignore it at the same time. “We can take the river nearly the whole way there.”

  I snorted. “I can take us all the way there. This vessel is land worthy, but it will take a good hour or two for the magic to change it. We’ll need to lie low somewhere while it makes its change.”

  Everyone was staring at me incredulously. Again. It was starting to give me a complex.

  “What?”

  “You enchanted it to work on land? Why?” Stone asked.

  I blinked. “Why not? I didn’t want to have to pack a carriage in here or figure out a safe place to store my boat. It was easier to make it land worthy so I could take it with me when I needed to.” They continued to stare. Finally I gave in. “Okay, I was bored two winters ago. And my friend may have mentioned that it should be possible but had never been done before. It was practically a formal challenge!”