Chapter 32

Okay things are starting to settle back down and I can breathe again, woot.  so I'm going to try to go back to the twice a week postings. With luck the universe has tired of playing with me and will pick on someone else for a while. v

32.


Jamie’s dreams were filled with vivid details and altered memories as the restrictions placed on his training as the Keeper of the Crossroads dissolved and he woke up with his head feeling too full. He placed a hand to his temple as he sat up, feeling as though information was going to start leaking out of his ears. Slowly Jamie dressed, wondering what the evening’s court session would be like. He thought about calling Jim but decided it might be better to have a face to face conversation.



“I have to try and find a Michael proof lock anyway,” he reminded himself. The knot on the back of his head where he had been hit with the rock had disappeared overnight, even though when he touched the spot it was still tender.



“Let’s hear it for the elixir,” he said. Jamie went down to the kitchen where Del was hard at work. Jamie stood in the doorway watching the little man work. There were three bowls filled with various mixtures. A tray of biscuits was cooling on a rack and while Jamie watched Del pulled a second tray from the oven. It appeared to hold some sort of small cakes.



“Planning on company?” Jamie asked. Del jumped at the sound of Jamie’s voice but quickly recovered.



“Of course,” Del said. There will be plenty stopping by this evening and we will want to have refreshments available.” Del slid a plate out of the warming drawer of the oven and placed it on the table. A jar of jam and a dish of butter, with the accompanying utensils followed.



“I see,” Jamie said beginning to eat his breakfast. “I was planning on heading into town for a bit today, mostly to pick Jim’s brain about legal proceedings but also to pick up a better lock. Do you need anything?”



“I think I can hold things down here, and I doubt you’ll be in too much danger once away from the crossroads. Considering the issue deals with the Houses of the high court and most of them won’t interact with the human side any more than they have to that is.” Jamie finished his breakfast and left Del preparing copious amounts of sweet and savory snacks. He picked up his cell phone and keys and headed to his car. He glanced at his phone and was surprised there were no missed calls today from either his mother or brother. Jamie started the engine and headed down the drive.



“Maybe they are regrouping,” Jamie said to himself as he drove. More than ever before he caught movement in the woods as he moved. When he turned to look he only caught the tail of something shifting back into the woods but he could feel the eyes on him.



“Tonight is my first decision as keeper and they are curious,” he told himself. It didn’t help the creepy feeling of being watched dissipate. When he reached the gate Jamie found himself taking a deep breath before getting out of the car to unlock it, almost like a diver getting ready to plunge into icy water. He tried not to look like he was running but he did move faster than usual and heaved a sigh of relief when the gate was locked behind him and he was on his way to the highway.



“Scaredy cat,” he told himself shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair and his fingers brushed up against the tender spot on his skull. The reminder that he had a reason to be cautious made him feel a little less silly.



“Hopefully things will settle down after tonight,” he said to himself. The drive back to town was uneventful but felt vaguely surreal. He passed other cars and signs for gas stations and fast food places and shook his head. Even though he hadn’t been at Albe’s for that long it felt like a completely different world. He laughed at himself, realizing that it was an entirely different world. In this world he was just an artist with an ill mannered family. No one here was planning on dropping boulders on him while he slept or waiting with trepidation for his decision regarding a religious ceremony. Here he was a relatively unimportant cog. He felt some of the tension in his shoulders ease at the thought.



Jamie drove, comfortably pushing all thoughts of the esoteric away. Instead he watched the other cars and details of the road. When he reached town he pulled off the main road and into the parking lot of a hardware store. Before going in and beginning his quest for a Michael proof lock he dialed Jim’s office number. Lucy the secretary put him through as though she had been expecting him.



“Jamie,” Jim said pleasantly. “Good to hear from you, everything okay?”



“Well at the moment no one is trying to kill me so it isn’t all bad,” Jamie replied. “How about you?”



“A little less exciting then your life.”



“Sounds fabulous actually,” Jamie said with a laugh. “Do you have any time to meet with me today? I have a couple of questions I would like some help with.”



“Sure, glad to help. This wouldn’t by any chance be family related would it?”



“Not really,” Jamie said frowning into the phone. “Why?



“I had a visit from your Mother yesterday. She wanted to know the process for contesting Albe’s will.”



“Really,” Jamie said. He sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised I suppose. They showed up yesterday with an investor and were somewhat less than pleased when I told him the property was not for sale.”



“I see,” Jim replied. “Legally they don’t really have a case. Apparently after your father died he had paperwork drawn up to make sure that if anything happened to him before you reached adulthood your mother would have nothing to do with the estate. I believe he also filed paperwork legally disowning Michael as well. When coupled with the will, it makes a very strong case.”



“Albe did like to be thorough,” Jamie said. He knew that Bella and Michael were not Albe’s favorite people but had not known the extend of it. ‘Of course given the specific property details I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.’



“She also asked about mental competency while she was here as well.”



“Really?” Jamie asked. He wondered if Bella would really try to declare him mentally incompetent. “Um, neither she nor Michael are listed in my will. Is there something I can do to make sure that even if she does go that route the property is safe?” The thought sat rather queasily in his gut and he really hoped nothing would be needed.



“There is standard paperwork we use for the property when the Keeper has not designated an heir. It basically ensures the property and the money to maintain it is kept safe. I can have a set for you to sign when you come in.”



“That might be for the best.” They set a time for Jamie to come in to sign the paperwork and ask Jim his legal questions and said goodbye. Jamie slipped his cell phone into his pocket and got out of the car feeling like he had swallowed rocks. He had spent years dodging around his family but this felt more solid and permanent somehow.



“Maybe because there is paperwork involved,” he thought. Jamie went into the hardware store. “I’m sure once things settle down it will be fine,” he told himself. There were few patrons in the hardware store at this time of day. There were a few contractors, a couple of mothers with small children and a pair of older men who were slowly perusing the aisle of power tools. As he passed Jamie noticed that one of the older men was not in fact human.



‘Gnome,’ his brain told him. ‘Jabern clan,’ he thought, as he saw a small tattoo on the man’s wrist. The man smiled at him and Jamie smiled and nodded politely back. A clerk slid past him and Jamie realized he was not quite human either.



“Not non-human though,” he thought. “More like a cross several generations back.” The clerk was struggling with a heavy box and paid no attention to Jamie. ‘I wonder if he knows.’ Jamie continued towards the locks wondering. Centerville was the closest town to the crossroads and Jim was the lawyer Del said worked with those blending into the human world. ‘I wonder how many mixes there are in town,’ He thought, his mind scrolling through images of people he had known all of his life. It was an entirely new perspective on his hometown and guessing about his friends and neighbors kept him from dwelling too much on his family.



Most of the locks he came across were either less sturdy than the one he currently had on the gate or of equal strength. He was pondering two that he thought were about the same as the one Michael had cut when one of the clerks came by. It was not the one who had passed earlier and Jamie noticed this one appeared to be completely human.



“Can I help you sir,” the clerk asked. His smile was bright and empty.



“Yes, do you have anything sturdier than these locks?” The clerk cocked his head to the side as though hoping a thought would dribble into his ear.



“We have some industrial ones. Is that what you mean?”



“Yes,” Jamie replied, figuring any other answer would just confuse him.



“Then right this way,” he was told. Jamie followed as he was told and a short while later he left the store with an industrial lock that he didn’t think that Michael’s bolt cutters would be able to break.



“I’m pretty sure the lock is more substantial than the gate,” he told himself as he placed his new purchase on the passenger’s seat. He sincerely hoped this would not lead his brother to taper with the gate itself instead. As it was nearing time for his appointment with Jim, Jamie headed to the lawyer’s office. Once parked he caught himself glancing toward the bank, wondering if Erin the pretty teller was working. He stopped in thought for a second. He wondered if she was completely human and if not, was there a rule about the Keeper’s dating of non-humans? He shook the thought away.



“Best get through tonight before I start worrying about future dates. Assuming I asked and she said yes. So maybe future potential dates.” Jamie headed into the office where Lucy buzzed him back into Jim’s office.



“So my friend James of the paintbrush, what legal issues would you like to discuss?” Jim motioned Jamie to a seat. Jamie settled himself in the padded leather chair.



“What exactly do you know about Fey courtroom proceedings?” he asked. Jim chuckled and then looked at Jamie’s face. His smile faltered and fell from his lips.



“You aren’t kidding are you?”



“Unfortunately not.”



“Wow,” Jim said. He turned to his filing cabinet and pulled out the bottom drawer. He extracted a rather slim file from the back of the drawer and placed it on the desk. “How about we order lunch in, you can tll me how you got yourself into this and I can share what I know?”



“Sounds like a plan,” Jamie told him. “Does Ralph’s still deliver?”

I am still alive I swear...

Okay things got a bit insane.  I lost my job and had to readjust a bunch.  Long story short I am moving...again. Actually tomorrow I am moving.  So after about a week or so to get settled I will return with new chapter.  Sorray about the MIA. Gotta love being blindsided. v

changes

Hi everyone, remember the job that kept me on the road and broke up my posting?  Well not such a problem any more.  I'll start posting regularly again next week. v

Keeper: Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jamie returned to the library, his thoughts a swirling mass of half remembered images. Everything he saw sent memories flying in new directions. His eyes burned and he wondered if it was the effect of the potion, the rock hitting his head, the memory change or pulling an all nighter to put the map together.



“Probably a combination of all three,” Jamie muttered. He shook his head at the thought. As he began to scan the shelves for any books on court proceedings a thought occurred to him.



“House?” he asked aloud.



“Yes Keeper?” came the reply. The voice sounded lazily sleepy, like someone drifting off to sleep in the summer sun.



“Are you all right?”



“Yes Keeper, the architect is here and it is difficult to stay awake.”



“I see,” Jamie said, wondering to himself as he did why he always used that phrase when he never really did see. “I just wanted to make certain you were all right.”



“Of course Keeper, the architect is fixing the problems, why would I not be all right?”



Personally Jamie thought the statement was the equivalent of saying things were okay because you were in the hospital but decided to let House drift away. He returned his attention to the shelves and continued looking. It seemed strange to him that he would be the judge in a case where he was also the victim, but figured Fey courts probably didn’t function on the same principles as human ones did. Jamie pulled a likely looking source from the shelf and turned back towards the door as he heard a noise.



“I thought you might be needing a bit of something,” Del said wheeling in the tea tray. Jamie had no idea how he had gotten the heavily laden tray up the staircase but as he knew brownies did not like to be questioned about their magic, he refrained from asking. From what Jamie could see, the try contained a stack of three different sandwiches as well as plain slices of bread stacked next to a jam pot and a dish of butter. There were also small piles of shortbread, sugar cookies and macaroons, all giving off the warm freshly baked aroma. To the side of the plates was a piping hot tea pot and a coffee pot, a container of creamer, the sugar bowl and a dish of sliced lemons formed a half circle around the two pots. Jamie noticed the cups and saucers didn’t match and instead of a spoon, the sugar bowl had a fork with it. Jamie put the book down on the edge of the desk.



“Are you okay Del?” Del looked surprised at the question.



“”I’m not the one who nearly had his head bashed in,” the little man said somewhat stiffly. Jamie looked at him, recalling that brownies took their role as protectors very seriously.



“You do know that none of this is your fault, right?” he asked. Del half shrugged and began loading a plate with one of the sandwiches and lots of the cookies. “Del?”



“It is my responsibility the keep the occupants of my chosen domicile safe.” Del said fiercely. Jamie sighed.



“I know. But this is a somewhat different situation.” Jamie say the muscle in Del’s cheek jump as his jaw clamped down. “It doesn’t occur but every couple hundred years as far as I can tell. And I think the last keeper to deal with it was blown up with the last House.” Del jerked his head up in surprise and stared at Jamie. Jamie took the plate from him before it could fall. “Why don’t you fix a plate and join me,” Jamie said. “There seems to be enough.” Jamie took the plate over to one of the comfortable leather chairs placed in front of the fireplace. Behind him he heard Del fixing his own plate and the small man was soon settling himself in the chair opposite Jamie. Jamie tried to keep the extra cookies from sliding off of his plate as he unearthed the roast beef sandwich below.



“You know what is going on? Del asked.



“I think I might,” Jamie said. “Two groups are fighting over the same space. Each want to use it at the same time.” He began leaving out all names and references to simplify matters. “I’m willing to bet that the rock this morning will turn out to be from one of the groups.”



“So they thought that by killing you they would gain access to the Lustan?” Del said. Jamie took a bite of his sandwich and thought about it as he chewed.



“Maybe, but maybe not,” he said after swallowing.



“Why maybe not?”



“Since I’ve been here there have been three attacks. One on house itself, which probably happened before I got here, one with the boulder in Albe’s bed and another with the man in a human suit.”



“And then today with the rock.”



“Yes and the rock today, which sort of looks similar to the rock in Albe’s bed but it really isn’t.”



“Why not?”



“To get the rock in Albe’s bed required a great deal of sophistication. Enough that House’s security was bypassed. And so far there are no clues as to who did it. In addition when we captured the false Keeper, whoever sent him made sure to kill him so that he couldn’t tell anyone about anything that he knew. The rock today was thrown by someone who was quickly apprehended.”



“You think he was set up?”



“Maybe. He might have just taken an opportunity as it presented itself. Or he might be set up by the other House so they look good. Did you notice anything odd about Albe?” Jamie had to swallow the rage as he thought about Albe being alone and killed.



“That he had the same sort of rock thrown at his head?”



“That and his body. He hasn’t been missing that long,” Jamie said thinking about the packet of letters he had found. “His body should still be decomposing not completely desiccated. It looked like it had been freeze dried.” Jamie shivered a little.



“Dehydrated,” Del said after a moment of thought.



“But why?”



“It would kill him fairly quickly and not let him call for help,” Del said.



“True but then why the rock?”



“Maybe the rock came first?”



“Then why dehydrate him? Jamie asked.



“I don’t know,” Del said slowly. They each sat in thought for a moment, sitting in heavy silence.



“I wonder if there is a way to figure out if the rock came first or second.” Jamie mused.



“Well,” Del said after a moment of thought. “If the rock came first wouldn’t there be more, I don’t know, um spatter on the underside of the rock?”



“It would be dried by now but even with it being outside there should be some stains on the bottom of the rock if that is what killed him.” Jamie forced himself to think of it objectively and not to think of it as Albe.



“There was nothing on the rock, just some dust where it touched. No stains.”



“Then the rock came second. I wonder how soon after?”



“How soon?”



“Yeah was the rock used right after death to hide features or was it used recently to make it look like whoever hit me also killed Albe?”



“Huh,” Del said thinking things over. “I couldn’t tell you.”



“Me neither. A doctor might.”



“What would a healer do for a dead man?” Del asked, puzzlement across his face. Jamie guessed Del wasn’t a big fan of homicide detective shows.



“There are some doctors who specialize in figuring out exactly how people died. They might know the time lines.”



“Seems sort of gruesome to me,” Del said. “But humans do tend to kill each other quite often. I suppose it makes sense that you’d have someone to figure it out. Once you’re dead though our healers won’t have much to do with you. Don’t know what kind of dead healer you’d get to look at him.”



“Good point,” Jamie said thoughtfully. “If he had come across Albe’s body in a normal way he would have just called the cops. Here that wasn’t a possibility. “Jim deals with the Fey who pass in the human world right?”



“The Lawyer man?” Del asked. At Jamie’s nod he continued. “Well yes he deals with us and them so to speak. But we don’t really need a lawyer. We need a healer, right?”



“True but Jim might know someone. At least it would be somewhere to start.” Jamie’s thoughts were interrupted by a huge yawn.



“I think possibly you might wait until tomorrow to make that call.” Del said.



“I don’t think I’m supposed to sleep after a head injury.”



“With what you took to cure it,” Del said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”



“Really?”



“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the vial contained more than one dose.”



“In that case I may take a bit of a nap before looking into the court thing and calling Jim.” Dimly Jamie wondered if Jim would have any insight on the court he was supposed to judge. Jamie left Del stacking the plates on the cart and preparing to take it back down to the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned again. He pushed his bedroom door open, stepped inside and closed it behind him.

“Just a nap,” he said to himself toeing off his shoes. He fell on top of the bed fully clothed. “Just for a little while.” He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

Keeper: Chapter 30

30.


Images swirled in Jamie’s head. Fairytale creatures danced in and out of his mind’s eye with Albe’s voice a steady presence, teaching him about the world of the crossroads. Stories of knickknacks would end with Albe introducing the person who had given it to him. Treasured memories of summertime adventures with his great uncle replayed in his head, but this time with slightly different tones. Lizards were replaced with goblins, fireflies with fairies, and the glowing coals of a campfire winked at him with salamander eyes.



“Do you think we gave him too much?” Jamie heard a voice that did not come from inside his head. “He looks like he is having a seizure.” Jamie struggled to place the voice. He came up with the scent of freshly baked bread and hearty stew. Del.



“Del,” he said the name aloud. His voice sounded croaky in his throat, like he hadn’t had water in a week. The voices faded and the kaleidoscope of images and memories slowed. Jamie opened his eyes to find Del leaning over him, a concerned expression creasing his face. He looked past Del and saw the ceiling of the family parlor above him. “What happened?” he asked. Jamie tried to clear his throat and it caught on the dryness.



“Here,” a second voice said. A glass of water was passed to Del. Jamie tried to turn his head to see who it was but ribbons of color danced in his eyes.



“Slowly, Del said. “You had a nasty crack to the head.” Carefully Del helped Jamie to sit up. They moved slowly, stopping every time rainbow bursts of color danced in Jamie’s vision. As he moved Jamie realized he had been laying on the fainting couch, the velvet nap felt soft and almost fur-like beneath his fingers. When he was upright, Del handed him the glass of water and Jamie drank deeply.



“Thanks,” he said, his voice not nearly as harsh. “What happened?” He repeated. Remembering the other person in the room Jamie looked up. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as it had a minute ago. He blinked and Burr the architect and the High Talbot came into view. Burr was dressed in work clothes and Jamie remembered that he had planned to work on House. He appeared to have been pacing. The High Talbot was seated in one of the room’s reading chairs and seemed perfectly pressed. The slight frown line on his forehead was the only crease Jamie could see. He had the feeling the frown was due to his rumpled state. Jamie’s eyes darted from Del, to Burr to the High Talbot waiting for someone to answer his question.



“What do you remember?” The High Talbot asked. Jamie sighed.



“I remember going out to the Lustan. We followed the map,” Jamie indicated the stack of map squares sitting on the table and the High Talbot nodded. “When we got there we found Albe,” Jamie’s voice tapered off first in sadness. The sadness was pushed away by anger. The anger was white hot and Jamie took a deep breath to try to control it. “Someone killed him.” Jamie’s voice was hard and hot with the tightly controlled rage. “Someone killed Albe,” he repeated. He looked down at his hands and realized Albe’s ring was now on his left ring finger. He looked back up at the High Talbot. “And then someone tried to kill me the same way. The last thing I remember was seeing the rock come at me.”



“That is what we have heard,” the High Talbot said. “We simply needed to hear it from you to confirm.”



“I see,” Jamie said, not really seeing at all. He turned to Del. In doing so he spotted the coin and vial he had packed in his bag before leaving. The vial was empty and the coin had gone from shimmering like a rainbow to a dull matt black. Jamie picked up the coin and looked up at Del.



“Those saved your life,” Del said. “The coin of the Gogran deflected the worst of the blow so you were merely knocked unconscious instead of having your head crushed and the vial contained the elixir of Talgarim. You’ll still be bruised but it helped heal any internal damage.” He paused and Jamie contemplated the empty vial. He knew the elixir of Talgarim was extremely rare. It required more than a year to make and it’s ingredients were kept a family secret by the House of Talgarim. Jamie blinked.



“How did I know that,” he thought. A light bulb went off in his head. The elixir would have healed any damage it found and might have taken the conditioning that was traditional for the training of the Keeper as damage that needed to be repaired. He suddenly realized everyone was still staring at him and no one was speaking.



“Sorry,” Jamie said. “What happened after the big rock?”



“They didn’t realize you weren’t alone and when they came down to make sure you were dead,” Del paused. “Well I sort of picked up my own rock.”



“It is good that you showed more restraint than your aggressors,” the High Talbot said. “Otherwise we would not have anyone to stand trial.”



“Yes we will have a trial. The prisoner is in custody.” Jamie thought of the ins and outs of the last few days.



“Who will be the judge?” he asked realizing that that part of his education had not been filled in.



“Why you will be of course,” the High Talbot told him.



“I see,” Jamie said slowly.



“Do you? Good.” The High Talbot stood. “In that case I will leave you to your rest and I will see you when the trial convenes at sundown tomorrow.”



“Of course,” Jamie said. “Until tomorrow.” He concluded remembering just in time not to add the words Thank you to the statement as they could be miss interpreted as a debt. Propper goodbyes were said and the HighTalbot departed. Burr excused himself to begin work on House. Less than a minute after he left the room Jamie could hear him issuing orders to his crew. Jamie turned to Del, who still wore a worried expression.



“I suppose I had better see if there is anything on court proceedings in the library,” Jamie said.



“Yes,” Del replied. “I have the feeling that will be very handy information to have.”

on the road for work, again

Will post a chapter tomorrow when I return. v

Keeper: Chapter 29

Chapter 29

His mother was dressed in a chic suit of black lined with white piping. Her shoes were black with white polka dots and she struggled to look casual as the heels sunk into the soft earth. Bella was in full charming mode while Michael had the air of a ring master.



“That spells investor,” Jamie thought with a sign. “This is not going to be pleasant.” The stranger noticed him first. Somehow, Jamie was not surprised.



“Hello, I am George Jennings,” The man said, walking over and offering his hand to Jamie. Jamie shook it and smiled at the man, ignoring his family.



“Good morning Mr. Jennings. I am James Fulton. What brings you to my home today?” George quirked up an eyebrow in surprise but quickly suppressed it.



“I represent the Colfax Corporation,” George said pulling out a card and handing it to Jamie. Jamie glanced at the card. It had a shadowy outline of buildings behind the name and the tagline development for the future. The tag line ended in an oversized red exclamation mark.



“I see,” Jamie replied, handing the card back to George. “I think you may be under some sort of misunderstanding. My property is not for sale.” Jamie heard sputtering from his brother and a sort of hissing noise from his mother. He didn’t glance in their direction.



“Oh,” George said slowly, his gaze darting back towards Bella and Michael. “I see.” He held his card back out to Jamie. “If you change your mind…”



“I won’t,” Jamie replied, trying to not make the words sound too harsh. “But thank you. I am sorry you drove out this far for so little reason.”



“It was a lovely drive. You have a great place here,” George said with a faded smile as he tucked his card back in its holder and slipped it into his suit pocket.



“I think so.” Jamie replied. George once again extended his hand and the two men shook. George headed back to the car. Michael left him to Bella’s care and instead joined Jamie on the porch.



“What are you doing?” Michael hissed. “They are willing to pay us a lot of money for this rat hole.”



“It is not yours to sell.” Jamie said calmly, making no attempt to keep his voice from carrying. Michael’s eyes hardened and Jamie nearly ducked back instinctively as that look had always been a precursor to one of Michael’s punches. Instead he held his ground. Michael realized there was an audience and merely clenched his fists by his sides. “How did you get here, by the way?”



“We drove,” Michael said through clenched teeth. “Can’t you see the car?”



“I realize that,” Jamie said. “But I distinctly remember locking the gate.”



“We opened the gate,” Michael said. Jamie could see the muscle in his jaw clench.



“How?” Jamie asked, “I specifically didn’t give you a key.” Michael did not answer. Instead he turned and stalked back to the car.



“Bolt cutters,” George said with a frown.



“And you did not find that suspicious?” Jamie asked him. Bella’s face was a hard mask of marble.



“A little,” George admitted with a shrug. “But they said the lock was rusted shut and the key had been lost.”

“I’ll have to get a new lock then,” Jamie said.



“I am sorry for the inconvenience,” George said. Jamie waved away the apology.



“Not your fault really. Have a nice drive back.” George nodded and got into the car while Jamie re-entered the house. He shut and locked the door behind him.



“I take it that was your family?” Del asked. A deep frown creased his face. As Jamie’s frown was almost a match he didn’t mention it.



“Mother and brother, along with one innocent bystander named George,” Jamie confirmed.



“They really thought they could sell property that didn’t belong to them?”



“They thought I’d cave and sign off on it because it was what they wanted.” Jamie rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair, suddenly feeling tired. Del snorted. “Easy money del, it is all about the easy money with them.” The two of them walked towards the kitchen as they heard the car’s engine start and then fade away as it began the drive back to town.



“How would it be easy if it wasn’t theirs?” Del asked.



“Oh they’d make sure to keep the money,” Jamie responded. He sank into the seat at the table and Del handed him a cup of coffee.



“They would sell your property and then not give you the money from the sale?” Del asked slowly, as though trying to puzzle the logic out.



“Yup,” Jamie said taking a sip of his coffee. Del seemed to have no response to this and instead fixed two plates with biscuits, eggs and bacon. He set one plate in front of Jamie and settled himself behind the second plate.



“They will be back,” Jamie warned Del as they began to eat. A dark look crossed the little man’s face. “I’ll have to see about replacing the lock on the gate before anything else. I think Albe has some spare ones in the storage room off the back porch. I don’t know that any of them will be bolt cutter proof but I can always go back into town to the hardware store to find one.”



“Will that be today’s errand rather than out hike out?”



“No,” Jamie said shaking his head. “I’ll go put the new lock on and then we can head out. I’ll go on the quest for a Michael proof lock later.”



“Will you drive to the gate?”



“Yes,” Jamie said, “That might be easier.”



“Safer too,” Del commented. “Too much Iron. You should be safe enough. I’ll put together our lunch to take with us while you lock up tight.” Jamie didn’t point out that he was pretty sure his car was more plastic and steel than iron.



“After all he reasoned,” If Del didn’t know then most of the other boggles out there might not either.” They finished breakfast and Jamie retrieved a new lock from the box in the storeroom. He had to duck upstairs to grab his keys from his night stand. Next to his keys he saw the shimmering coin and the vial of purple liquid. Figuring they had to be some sort of protection he slipped the coin into his pocket and slid the vial into the front pouch of his satchel. Jamie retraced his steps back out of the front door. He pulled the door shut and got into his car. They old Toyota took a minute for the engine to catch.



“Gonna need a mechanic soon,” Jamie thought as the engine finally caught. His local mechanic Larry and his heavily used Toyota were close friends at this point. Jamie headed towards the gate and stopped before going through the wide open expanse of road. Leaving his car running he closed and relocked the gate using the new lock. He picked up the cut lock, silently grinding his teeth. He tossed it into the passenger’s side of the car and drove back to the house. Del was waiting for him with two wrapped lunches. Jamie tucked his inside the bag swinging from his side and the two took off in the direction of Lustan.



The two walked in relative silence, needing no chitchat to fill the morning quiet. Jamie smiled as he realized he felt comfortable with Del. The woods were alive with birdsong and the general sounds of the wind whispering through leaves. Off to their left Jamie could hear the sounds of water and he remembered the thin blue line Alexander had traced on the map. He couldn’t remember the brook’s name, and had not copied it onto his sketched map. As they moved Jamie say bits of stained glass color darting through the woods and in addition to birdsong her heard snatches of tinkling laughter or barely heard words. He had the feeling fairies were following their progress. He mentally shrugged, figuring that if they wanted to speak with him they would approach. If not they could watch all they wanted. Del set a brisk pace and in a shorter time then Jamie had anticipated they had reached the outskirts of the Lustan. Jamie could only stand and goggle at the sight, his feet frozen to the dirt pathway.



“A bit surprising, I’ll admit,” Del said stopping beside Jamie.



“How do they not see this from the road?” Jamie asked. The megalithic structure easily towered over the surrounding forest by what Jamie assumed had to be a good two stories. The place reminded him of a cross between a Mayan temple and Ankor Wat. The two main entrances seemed to be aligned with the two east/west roads marked on the maps. Unlike the thin dirt trail Jamie and Del had walked through the forest those roads were cobbled and looked well kept. Jamie walked over towards one.



“This looks like someone swept it.”



“Probably did,” Del said bemused. “This wouldn’t be visible on your roads as we went through the cross roads quite some time ago.”



“Really? I didn’t feel anything.”



“Were you expecting to?”



“I don’t know,” Jamie said slowly thinking about all of the sci-fi and fantasy stories he had read over the years. Jamie looked around and at the edge of one of the buildings he saw something white fluttering slightly in a stray breeze. Jamie walked over to have a look. As he got close he again froze in his tracks. The flapping white was the tail of an un-tucked shirt. The body, or what he could see of it, looked as though it had been mummified. The skin was pulled against the bone, causing the clothing to fall in loose folds. The head was buried under a rock that Jamie was not certain he had the strength to lift. Jamie gazed at the body, unsure what to do. Del knelt down and peered closely at the rock. As he moved he accidently bumped the man’s hand. The hand slid from where it had been resting on his chest and fell to the ground. As it moved a ring, too loose for the desiccated hand slid from his finger and rolled away. Jamie bent down and picked it up. He straightened and looked at the ring in his hand. Jamie’s breath caught in his throat as he turned the ring around and saw the design.



“Del,” he said hoarsely. “This is Albe’s ring.” Del glanced at him and then turned back to the body. “He hasn’t been gone long enough for this to be natural decay.” Jamie stared at the body having a hard time reconciling it to the shell that once held his great uncle. “How can that be?” Del tilted the weight of the stone to the side a little.



“Don’t know, but you’d have to be pretty strong to heft this weight.” Jamie heard a slight scuffle from behind and started to turn. He had time to see a stone, smaller in size than the one that had killed Albe but still plenty heavy, come hurtling towards his head. His vision went red as it connected and then black as he slid into unconsciousness.

Keeper: Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The long shadows created by the evening light made the dusty store room seem a little foreboding. Instead of making due with just the over head light he turned on a few of the extra lamps to chase the shadows away. He was a little chagrinned that the extra light made him feel better about the space.



“I’ll need to see the markings on the boxes,” he rationed aloud. Privately he hoped he wasn’t getting to the stage where he wanted a night light. Jamie scanned the inventory in case any of the older journals were mentioned but couldn’t find any. He picked a box at random, checked the numbers against the inventory. He smiled at the words Maps, assorted. Jamie pried the lid off and hoped that the maps would prove to be of some use. Instead of finding the maps rolled as he expected, Jamie found a stack of maps, each with a sheet of archival paper between them. The maps themselves were more artwork than map and each had the name Alexander Fulton scrawled in the now familiar handwriting. In various parts of the maps buildings had been depicted in great detail, nearly popping off the page while the map itself faded to the background.



Many of the places depicted Jamie had never heard of while others were familiar only from Albe’s stories. He was beginning to realize that those stories were a different sort of fairy tale. Some of the names were familiar to him but he couldn’t place why he found them so familiar.



“Perhaps I’ll see them in my dreams,” he muttered, thinking of what he had been told about the training of a new Keeper. Jamie thought of all the new terms and names he had come across in the last few days. The house of the Fiery Lilly, Stedovan, High Talbot Aldrous of the House Duval, the Gederan and the Federan, the Lustan, and Longrin of the Fedalas as well as Queen Genivia. All were things he looked out for as he carefully paged through the maps.



“After all who knows how long the Queen has ruled,” Jamie thought. The Lustan, it turned out had a page all of its own. There were roads leading to and away and they were marked only with arrows and numbers. For a moment Jamie stared at the numbers. 3, 6, 6, 9. They didn’t mean anything to him taken in total.



“Except they are all multiples of three.” Jamie leaned back from the page and took a broader view. Each of the numbers was placed squarely in the center of what looked like roads leading away from Lustan.



“Maybe they are mile markers,” he thought. The two sixes were in opposite directions. According to the corner compass, they were the east and west roads. The two roads ran straight in opposite directions. The other two roads, marked with a three and a nine did not seem to be as carefully placed.



“Almost like they were an afterthought,” Jamie mused. He placed the map to the side for later study. Other maps revealed details of towns and cities he did not know. Three pages later he came across a page with the House of the Fiery Lilly marked on it. It was located near the center of a the territory of the Federan. He pulled the map out of the stack and kept looking. Soon he found a map marked as the territory of the Gederan. There was also a House designation in it’s center.



“House of the Golden Rose,” Jamie read aloud. He did not think any of his visitors had mentioned the house. “But the week is still young.” Jamie stood to stretch and felt his back pop. True night had fallen and Jamie stifled a yawn. He looked down at the maps he had pulled and realized that the territory of the Federan had a road running due east from it’s center and continuing off the page. At the edge of the page a 6 was placed in the center of the page. He shifted his gaze to the one showing the Gederan. It too had a road running straight from the center house. This one ran due west but it had the same six written on it. Jamie place the three maps, with the Lustan in the center. The roads lined up perfectly.



“Maybe it is all one map,” Jamie thought. He looked around. There was not enough room here to lay out all of the maps flat on the floor. “There would be in the family parlor if I moved the furniture towards the walls.” Jamie gathered an arm load of the maps carefully. With the archival paper between them they were slick and inclined to slide. Jamie rethought his plan and decided to take only a couple at a time to minimize damage. It took five trips to bring all of the maps to the family parlor.



The kitchen was dark and Jamie realized that Del had gone to bed. Trying to work quietly so as not to disturb Del, Jamie moved all of the furniture to the walls. He carefully placed the knickknacks out of the way, thankful that he had at least completed the inventory of this room. When the floor was clear, he even rolled the oriental carpet up and leaned it in the corner.



“Nice flat surface to work on,” Jamie said to himself as he rolled up his sleeves and began to lay out the squares on the floor. Some of the squares were easy to place. On those the roads marked typically had whatever town they led to scrawled along its length. Those were relatively easy to match. The trick was in reading the faded handwriting. Jamie turned on all of the room’s lights. His shoes were kicked off and in his socks he padded between the squares, leaving just enough room between so that he could place his weight on the bare boards of the floor rather than on the old paper. He meandered the room, placing squares where he thought they would fit, only to have them moved a little while later. It was like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Finally Jamie was left with one square left to place. It had a three on the road leading north. With a smile he placed it below the Lustan and stepped back. With a start of surprise he realized that the last square he put in place was the one containing the house of the keeper. The garden’s placed around it had kept him from recognizing it immediately. In this map the Keeper’s house the small herb and vegetable garden stretched to the forest’s edge and was much wider.



“A lot more mouths to feed, I suppose,” Jamie said thinking of the many children Alexander and his wife had raised in the house. “Kids eat a lot.”



“Are we getting children?” Del asked. Jamie jumped and turned as Del chuckled from the doorway. Del’s hair was wet and he was dressed for a day of work.



“No,” Jamie said. “Just thinking of Alexander’s kids. Did I wake you?” Del chuckled again.



“I was just getting up to start the morning bread.”



“Oh,” Jamie said, looking out of the front windows with a puzzled frown. Through the windows he could see red gold light lining the edge of the earth and starting to rise into a sky that was beginning to fade from black to gray.



“Stayed up all night did you?” Del asked.



“I kinda got sucked in,” Jamie admitted running his hand through his hair. Del walked over and looked down at Jamie’s project.



“Wow,” Del said after a moment of flabbergasted silence. “I didn’t know such a map existed.”



“It was in storage.” Jamie looked at a few of the questionable placements. “Do you think I got all the pieces right?” Del circled the edges of the map, as careful of his foot placement as Jamie had been.



“Exactly right, as far as I know. Some of these places I’d heard of but never traveled to. But they seem about right.”



“These numbers,” Jamie said pointing to the three that lead from the keeper’s house to the Lustan. “Do you think that is marked in miles or some other measurement?”



“Who drew these?” Del asked.



“One of my ancestors,” Jamie admitted.



“Human then?” Jamie nodded. “Then probably miles would work. It’d be different if it was one of us.”



“So it might be walk-able,” Jamie said. He looked out at the lightening sky. “It is supposed to be a fine day.”

“Would you want to eat breakfast and just pack a lunch for our trip out or do you want to eat breakfast while we walk?” Del asked. Jamie smiled.



“I think we can eat breakfast here,” Jamie said. I still have to sketch out a portable version of the map, just in case we need it. Del nodded.



“I’ll just get started then.” Del returned to the kitchen while Jamie retrieved Albe’s field map and began marking out the various components of Alexander’s map n it.



“Hopefully this will lead to something more concrete about Albe,” Jamie thought. When he was finished, Jamie put the map aside and slowly began to stack the larger map squares up into a pile, careful to replace the archival paper between. Jamie then un rolled the carpet and began to put the furniture back in place. The scent of coffee and biscuits wafted from the kitchen and Jamie took a deep breath and smiled. His smile faded to puzzlement when he heard a car door slam.



“None of my visitors have driven cars.” Jamie walked to the front door and saw his mother, brother and strange man exiting his mother’s car. They hadn’t seen him and his first thought was to duck back inside and pretend he wasn’t home. He had done that before. However he didn’t think they would go home that quickly.



“And I don’t have time for this,” Jamie said. He stepped fully onto the porch, shutting the door behind him and waited for them to notice him.

oy

got called out of town.  There will be two chapters this week once I can reclaim my flash drive or get to my home computer in general.

new post tonight

Hi everyone, got up late this morning and didn't post before work.  also left my flash drive at home so I will post tonight when I get in. v.

delays

Sorry about the delays folks.  And the lack of explanation.  I'm trying to finish a draft of Alliance, the third book in the channel rider series, and I got a little caught up.  I should be back to posting the week of July 12th.  Again sorry about going MIA. v

Keeper: Chapter 27

Chapter 27

While the wait was not long, to Jamie it felt as though each minute took an eternity. He realized he was nervously eating and stepped away from the tea cart. He walked to the window and looked out over the front yard. Shadows were starting to stretch long fingers across the yard as if the forest was reaching greedily for the house. Jamie shivered a little. Nothing moved in the yard and he wondered if he had finished with visitors for the day. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Del helping Burr into the room. The robust architect looked as bad as the High Talbot had after dealing with Albe’s bedroom.



“What happened?” Jamie asked moving to help Del get Burr into a chair. Del poured out a cup of the tea and Jamie was glad the pot had been set on a warming plate as Burr seemed to need the warmth as well as the tea. There were tinges of purply blue on his fingernails and he seemed to be shivering. “I didn’t hear anything.”



“Wasn’t much to hear truth be told,” Del said to him. “Not all magic is showy stuff.”



“Still looks like it was a bit of a scuffle,” Jamie said with a shrug, taking in Burr’s condition. His tie was askew and his formerly white shirt had several dark smudges. His unruly hair had moved more into the unkempt category. It seemed to bother him less than it had the High Talbot.



“That it was,” Burr said. “The tea was a help though. Burr’s voice sounded tired but the shaking was slowly ending.



“What happened?” Jamie asked again, sinking back into his chair.



“What happened was someone was expecting me or someone like me to be called into repair the damage and I went in there expecting all the harm to be aimed towards you.” The tired voice sounded grumpy.



“I’m sorry,” Jamie said, unsure of his response. Burr waved away the apology and took another sip of tea.



“It was a stupid mistake on my part. The disruptor had my name on it. I should have thought before I acted. Would have saved some trouble.” Unsure what the reponse should be Jamie refilled Burr’s cup and then poured his own cup of tea, more to be companionable than for any other reason. Del stood behind Burr’s chair in case his assistance was needed.



“So is the problem fixed?” Jamie asked hesitantly as the silence stretched. Burr let out a short bark of laughter.



“Not exactly,” Burr said. “It will take a bit of work to set it right but there is a temporary block on it for now so nothing nasty will be sneaking in during the night. I’ll be back in the morning to start working on a more permanent sort of fix.” Jamie took in Burr’s worn appearance and Burr snorted. “There’s more life in these old bones of mine, never you fear. I just need a good night’s rest and the proper tools.” Burr’s face hardened. “I don’t appreciate people mucking about with my work.” Burr set his empty coup down on the small table and slowly pushed himself up out of his chair. The arms of the chair protested his weight and Jamie thought they were unused to such an ordeal. Del continued to hover, not wanting to offer assistance that would insult the architect but wanting to be on hand in case he was needed. The trio made it to the front door without incident where Burr made his farewells and promised to return with his complete set of tools in the morning.



“And I’ll also be thinking long and hard over who’d be able to do this nasty bit of work.” Burr said as he turned to go. “While I can think of several who’d not have a problem thinking of something like this, very few of them have the skill. I don’t think it will be a long list.”



“Do you think Terrell San Vojnoen of the House of the Fiery Lily would make that list?” Jamie asked. Burr lifted one bushy eyebrow in surprise.



“I don’t know,” Burr said slowly. “the San Volnoen Clan has always kept to itself. Have you had problems with them?”



“Not really,” Jamie admitted. “But he visited earlier and refused both drink and food while offering help.” Burr sucked in his breath at Jamie’s words.



“Then he should be one to watch,” Burr said. He looked Jamie up and down. “You know most new Keeper’s take a little longer to find trouble.”



“It isn’t like I went looking,” Jamie replied.



“No it isn’t. And that is something.” With those parting words Burr left the porch and walked into the shadows, becoming an indistinct blur faster than Jamie would have thought. Jamie blinked and Burr was gone. He turned to Del.



“Did he just disappear?” Jamie asked. Del smiled.



“No he just left this side of the barrier.”



“This side?”



“You are called the Keeper of the Crossroads,” Del reminded him as Jamie shut the door.



“So the cross roads are where the Fay world and the normal one meet?”



“Yes,” Dell said with a grin. “Although I’d probably not call the human world normal.”



“Fair enough,” Jamie replied with a smile. Del moved into the parlor and cleared the remains of the tea. Jamie decided he needed a short stretch of time to sort out what he knew and decided working on the inventory might be a good idea. Checking items off a list might just help him clear his brain a little and sort through events. With this thought in mind he went back upstairs to the library to retrieve the inventory. He looked at the thick packet of pages and was at a loss as to where to begin. Part of him wanted to return to the hidden rooms but half of him was a little afraid.



“That mirror wasn’t exactly showing me the fairest of the land,” he mused. “Of course the fairest wouldn’t be of much use to me.” He tapped the inventory in thought. “That room seemed to have the artifacts from the destruction of the older house stored there which means it might have more answers than anything.” Calling himself a ‘fraidy cat he picked up the inventory and decided he might want to go there after all. “For a short while anyway.” He set the alarm on his watch for two hours and told Del where he was going.



“Here’s hoping I actually find answers instead of more questions.”

Keeper: Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Jamie scarfed down a few more of the triangle sandwiches, washing them down with more of Del’s peppermint tea. He figured with a few of them in his belly he would at least not have the embarrassment of his stomach rumbling during his tea with Burr Alverson. Del moved around the kitchen preparing for the great man’s arrival. Jamie thought he looked something like a dancer, moving with sure steps between cupboards, pantry, counter and cart. Every movement was precise and calculated.



“May I ask why you served peppermint tea?” Jamie asked hoping his question would not disrupt Del’s movement. To his relief it didn’t. “My first visitor found it amusing.”



“The peppermint was grown in the yard, so technically it qualifies as fruits of your land,” Del shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything else he would eat that qualified. The peppermint was in his drink as well.” Del paused and fixed Jamie with a hard stare. “You aren’t going to tell me he didn’t drink either?”



“Oh he drank,” Jamie assured him. Del sighed with relief and resumed his domestic dance. “Actually everyone but the last one took something from the tray, whether it was food or beverage.” Jamie nibbled on another sandwich, thinking about the differences between Terrell and the other visitors. “The others also left me with things they either thought I could use or things that they thought paid off a personal debt to Albe.”



“Well the Keeper before you was well liked and very adept at getting people the assistance they needed without making a show of it.” Del said as he placed a small tray of tarts on the tea tray. “In all truth I doubt any but those who directly involved would know of his involvement. There would have been a great deal of gratefulness for that as well as the actual favor. A lot of stock is put by self sufficiency.”



“I can see that,” Jamie said thoughtfully.



“Did the last visitor try to give you anything? The one who didn’t eat?”



“An offer of assistance in my duties as Keeper,” he replied. Del snorted. A knock on the door forestalled any further comment. Jamie rose from his chair only to be frowned at by Del.



“I will get the door,” Del said. “And then come to get you.” Del headed towards the front door before Jamie could comment. While he waited for Del to return he brushed crumbs from his shirt and ran a hand through his hair. Butterflies were dancing in his stomach. With this visit he might actually find out some details of what was going on. Jamie glanced to the cabinet under the sink where the little bit of nasty Del had found was located. “This is going to be interesting.” Del returned to the kitchen and Jamie walked towards the front parlor.



His guest was sitting in one of the red stripped chairs and Jamie could make out a bit of thick curly dark brown hair sitting atop the architect’s head but nothing more. He walked around to the side and got a better view as he approached the chair. Burr Alverson had a thick and unruly mop of brown curls that seemed to extend down to his face in the form facial hair cut in the style Jamie thought was called a mutton chop. His bright blue eyes seemed to glow in the weathered brown setting of his face. At the moment those eyes were looking around the room.



“Good afternoon,” Jamie said. The head swiveled towards Jamie and he nearly felt a physical impact from the weight of those eyes. “I’m so glad you could make it Mr. Alverson especially on such short notice.” The architect slid out of his chair and stood, extending his hand to Jamie.



“The name’s Burr and it is no hardship to be here. Haven’t seen the place since it was finished and I have to admit to a fair amount of curiosity. Seems to be holding its own.” Jamie caught a note of pride in the statement and smiled. He reached out and shook Burr’s hand. The hand was roughly calloused and Burr’s grip was firm. They each took their seats.



“And I am Jamie.” Burr’s eyebrow shot up in surprise for a second and then dropped back down. The man smiled.



“Well then that’s something isn’t it? But I’m guessing you didn’t invite me here for a sightseeing visit.” Del wheeled in the loaded cart.



“You are correct, although I would be more than happy for you to look around.” Jamie sighed and considered his words. “I hope this won’t offend you,” he said. To his surprise Burr laughed. Del looked startled at the outburst and paused near the door.



“I tend to favor the straightforward,” Burr said. “There isn’t an awful lot of that though. Go ahead, I’ll try not to be offended.” Jamie nodded.



“Del if you could fetch the object?”



“Of course Keeper.” Del said. He disappeared into the hallway.



“We’ve had a little problem here of late,” Jamie began. “Someone has tried to kill me.” The smile dropped from Burr’s lips.



“I had heard rumors but didn’t give them much credit.”



“Yesterday a large boulder smashed into the keeper’s bed. Luckily I did not happen to be in it at the time.” Burr’s face darkened.



“In this house?” He demanded.



“Yes,” Jamie replied. Anger sparkled in his visitor’s eyes. “I do not understand much in the way of magic so perhaps Del can help with some of the details. Del walked into to the room holding the cloth wrapped object. Del refused Jamie’s offer of a seat and instead stood by the tea tray. Jamie had the feeling he derived some comfort from the familiar. Del carefully relayed the events of the past day, including the boulder, the false Keeper, the business card and ending with Del’s trip to the basement. When Del finished speaking, Burr’s face looked like a storm cloud with the brilliant blue eyes flashing lightning hot.



“That is what you found?” He asked, gesturing to Del’s hand.



“It is sir.” Came the reply.



“May I see it?” Jamie found the question addressed to him.



“Of course.” Jamie said. Del handed the small bundle over and Burr carefully unwrapped it. When it lay exposed on the cloth Burr narrowed his eyes in study. With his free hand he reached into his pocket and came out with a jeweler’s eye. Burr fitted it into his eye socket and studied the object the way a jeweler would study a diamond. He made odd rumbling noises as he looked. Slowly he turned the object over, careful not to let his skin touch it.



“It is a disruptor,” Burr finally said looking up. One eye was magnified abnormally large by the jeweler’s eye until he slipped it out and it again resumed normal proportions. Burr put the eye away and re wrapped the object. “It is designed to allow for a break in the house’s defenses.” He fixed his eyes on Jamie. “And I did not make it.” Del seemed to relax. “I also resent that my name was used to do so.” Jamie could still see the anger in Burr’s eyes. Burr reached over to the tea cart picked up one of the ham and cheese savories and purposefully took a bite. He finished the treat in two bites and Jamie saw Del’s shoulders loose a little more of their tension. Jamie thought of Del’s comments in the kitchen.



“If you wouldn’t mind I would like to have a look at where you found this. It would give me a bit of an idea of what damage was done and how to begin to repair it. The house of the Keeper is designed to be a secure location.” Burr fixed his gaze on Jamie. “A keeper stands for the balance and should be able to make decisions fairly and without fear of reprisal. That is the Keeper’s job. To interfere with that is not allowed. It was tried once before and that is why this house was built with all of the protections in place.”



“I understand and I am fine with you looking at it.” Jamie replied. “Do you know what happened to the house before this one was built?” Jamie asked.



“It was destroyed,” Burr said. “And the Keeper at the time with it. It was never discovered who was responsible or why it was done as nothing seemed to change. Or nothing noticeable anyway.”



“So nothing happened?” Jamie asked. Burr chuckled.



“Of course something happened. It just wasn’t showy enough to be noticed.”



“I see.” Jamie said. “Well I suppose I had better show you to the basement then.”



“No,” both Del and Burr said in unison. Both men were frowning at him. Jamie sunk back into his chair.



“I’m sure your housekeeper can show me,” Burr said. “I think it best you stay away from the cracks in the house’s defenses as they are where dangers will be more likely to be introduced. And as you seem to be the primary target… well it will just be safer.” Burr tucked the cloth wrapped disrupter into his pocket and indicated that Del was to lead the way. The two men left the parlor. Deciding there was nothing to do but wait, Jamie loaded a plate with the goodies from the cart and waited for their return.

Keeper: Chapter 25

Oops, I thought I had this set to automatically post last Thursday.  Must not have hit the right button. v

Chapter 25

Jamie blinked hard as the man with the face from his dreams swept past him and into the guest parlor. His heart was racing. ‘I wonder if keeper’s get used to this sort of thing,’ he mentally asked himself. Normally people didn’t step out of his dreams and onto the front porch. “If they did, dating in high school would have been a whole lot different,” he muttered as he closed the door, turned and followed his visitor into the parlor. The man with the scarred face was examining some of the knickknacks placed decoratively on the fireplace mantel. Jamie found himself being irrationally glad they were the impersonal sort of items Albe had never told stories about.



“I’m afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage,” Jamie said, recalling some of his mother’s lessons in manners and verbal sparring.



“Oh and how is that?” the man said, turning to face Jamie.



“Your face is somewhat familiar but I am afraid I can not place it, yet you have my name.” The man laughed and winked at Jamie.



“Of course, of course, I had forgotten the restrictions. They would have let you vaguely recognize me but nothing else in such a short time. You must be having an interesting time of it with visitors.”



“Oh?” Jamie replied. The man laughed again.



“Ah the training of a Keeper. Personally I always thought it was a bit over the top but who am I to flout tradition. And in this Albe was a traditionalist.” The man stepped away from the fireplace and executed a deep bow in Jamie’s direction. “I am Terrel San Vojnoen of the House of the Fiery Lily. You may call me Terrell of course.” Personally Jamie thought The House of the Fiery Lily sounded like the name of a bad brothel but he didn’t comment.



“And we have met before?” Jamie asked instead as Terrell straightened.



“Many times, a fact you will come to realize in the next few weeks.”



“Really?” Jamie said, trying to keep his disbelief out of his voice. Terrell smiled broadly.



“Of course. The traditional method of training Keepers involves the up and coming keepers not to know they are being trained. Memories are somewhat suppressed from what I gather or only found in dreams. A goblin kin becomes a giant iguana. Fairies become butterflies, that sort of thing. And then when the trainee becomes the keeper in actuality the veil gradually disintegrates.” Terrell gave a low chuckle. “I can only imagine what some of your dreams would be like in the next few weeks.”



“I think interesting would cover it.” Jamie commented dryly.



“Yes that would be a good catch all term I suppose.” Del reached the door with another load of delicacies on the tea cart. Absently Jamie wondered how many miles the cart had clocked between the kitchen and the parlor during the day. He had lost track of how many times it had arrived with the perfect set of edibles for who or whatever his guest happened to be at the moment. Jamie noticed the savory offerings were a little more on the stout variety and smiled. Apparently Del realized Jamie was going to miss lunch today as well. Del glanced up at the visitor and Jamie and did his customary nod before leaving. There seemed to be no surprise in Del’s face and Jamie realize he had only shown him the drawing of the fairy and not of his current visitor. Terrell’s face on the other hand registered surprise at Del’s presence. The flamboyant good humor seemed to drain for a moment, leaving his eyes cold and calculating. When he caught Jamie looking at him he smiled again, his eyes flashing nothing but good humor.



“I see you have hired a housekeeper then,” Terrell said. He walked over to the tea tray, placed a few of the small sandwiches on a plate and settled himself in the visitor’s chair. Jamie filled his own plate, his tastes edging more to the ham side of the sandwiches than the water cress and cucumber ones his guest had taken. He settled himself in the seat he had spent much of the morning occupying.



“Yes,” Jamie replied. “I did.” He took a bite of the small triangle of a sandwich. In two bites the morsel was gone. Terrell did not touch the items he had placed on the plate. He merely held it as if it were a prop.



“Good, good, always good to have help around the house,” Terrell commented. The line sounded somewhat stilted. Terrell’s jaw seemed to clench after he spoke the words and Jamie’s eyes drifted to the scar. It moved oddly with the muscles of Terrell’s face, almost as if there were something buried underneath the flesh and the scar was merely the covering.



“I thought so,” Jamie replied. He picked up a second triangle of sandwich and took a bite, wondering if Terrell would follow suit. Jamie watched him as he chewed and swallowed his bite. Terrell picked up a sandwich as though to eat it but did not bring it to his mouth. “So we have met before then?” he asked.



“Yes, many times,” Came the reply. Terrell set his untouched food back on his plate so his hand was free to gesture while he spoke. “Many times I would come over and Albe would be training you on some point or another of Keeper lore.” Terrell had a far away look in his eye for a moment. “He will be missed. Regrettable of course, but we now have you don’t we? So we must push on.”



“Regrettable?” Jamie said, watching Terrell. Terrell winced slightly, like an actor who realized he had misspoken one of his lines.



“I meant that he had to pass on of course,” Terrell said. “Ah, mortality.” Terrell quieted and his hand fluttered down to his plate. Jamie thought he might pick up one of the sandwiches but he didn’t. Terrell merely rested his hand on the edge of the plate. The silence stretched long and thin.



“So why is it you have come today?” Jamie asked, breaking the silence with a snap.



“Why?” Terrell asked with a smile. “Well to offer my condolences of course.” His face drooped into an expression of grave concern, then brightened a few heartbeats later. “And to offer my assistance of course.”



“Assistance?”



“Yes,” Terrell affirmed. “Albe and I were close friends and I’m probably the only one alive who understands the role of the keeper. Not accepting you of course, but then again you don’t actually understand yet due to the way in which you were trained.”



“And you can bypass the training?”



“Bypass? No not bypass. More of an assist really. Should something come up that you have to deal with before the training fully kicks in. I never really understood the method of training a keeper. They say it is so that the new keeper comes to the position fresh and without all of the old baggage of the previous keeper but I think it is somewhat ridiculous.”



“I see,” Jamie said. He stood and placed his empty plate on the tea cart. Terrell followed suit with his still full one. “That is a very generous offer.”



“Albe would have wanted it that way.”



“Of course.” Jamie began leading Terrell towards the front door. He opened it and thanked Terrell once again for his offer. Terrell stepped out onto the porch.



“Until next time, Keeper James.” Terrell said. Jamie inclined his head but did not offer his own farewell. Terrell turned and strode off the porch and into the woods. Jamie had to fight hard to resist the urge to follow him.

“He is heading east,” Jamie said to himself as he closed the door. Jamie glanced at the hall clock. Visitors had eaten the day away and he now had a little less than half an hour before his expected tea time visitor. Jamie retrieved the tea cart from the parlor and wheeled it back into the kitchen.



“I would have come for it,” Del told him as he rolled the cart to a stop.



“No trouble,” Jamie replied. He picked up his empty plate and loaded it down with sandwiches to quiet the rumbling in his belly. “What did you think of the last guest?” he asked.



“Seemed all right,” Del said with a shrug. “Why?”



“I had a dream last night about the destruction of the first house and he was in it.” Jamie reached for his sketch book and flipped the pages. He held out the picture to Del.



“Huh,” Del replied, his brow furrowed.



“He didn’t exactly have a hero’s role.” Jamie took a bite and chewed slowly. “He also didn’t seem to like that you were here.”



“Really?” Del asked. “Huh. Well as long as he ate the sandwiches no harm should come from him.”



“What did you put in them?” Jamie said looking at the sandwich in his hand. Del laughed.



“I didn’t add anything to them. I didn’t have to. The bread was baked in your hearth. The vegetables were grown in your garden. It’s an old law. None can eat of the fruits of your land, the bread of your hearth or the meat and salt of your table and then bring harm to your house.” Del’s voice was matter of fact and Jamie assumed it was some sort of fey tradition. His eyes drifted to Terrell’s uneaten sandwiches.



“And if he didn’t eat anything?” Jamie asked.



“Then I would definitely keep an eye on him.” Del replied.

Keeper: Chapter 24

24.


The figure was covered head to toe in a black hooded cape. The hood was pulled low over the face and Jamie could only catch the glitter of eyes in the shadows, no facial features. The figure was taller than Jamie but shorter than the High Talbot. As they walked towards the figure Jamie realized the person had found the deepest shadows of the porch to wait. He wondered if that was significant. Jamie passed the cloak he had picked up in the woods off to Del.



“Do you know what sort of refreshments to offer,” he asked in a low tone he hoped wouldn’t carry.



“Yes Keeper,” Del replied in the same hushed tone.



“Good,” Jamie replied. In a louder tone he called to the figure on the porch. “Good morning, sorry for making you wait.”



“The wait has not been long,” came the reply. The voice reminded Jamie of long dark hallways where dust collected in the corners and beetles scuttled under the floor boards. He gave an involuntary shudder.



“Good,” Jamie replied. They reached the porch. “Won’t you come in?” Jamie asked. He opened the door and Del moved directly to the kitchen. Jamie indicated the figure he was now was pretty sure qualified as male, should go into the parlor. The visitor settled himself in the guest chair. The guest chair was still in shadows as the parlor’s windows opened to the west. The entire room was dim and Jamie reached for the light switch.



“I would prefer you did not do that,” the voice came again. Jamie paused.



“Oh?”



“I am a creature of the dark and prefer the shadows,” he was told. Jamie let his hand fall from the switch.



“I see,” he said. Jamie stepped away from the switch and moved to his seat. “Del will be bringing refreshments shortly.”



“Does it bother you?”



“The refreshments?” Jamie asked, there was a low chuckle from under the hood.



“Meeting with one of the dark. One who might be evil?”



“Dark is a natural condition,” Jamie replied. “Many in nature are designed to live in the dark and suffer ill effects from the light. Evil is an intent. An action decided upon by an individual not a natural state.” Jamie blinked. The words had a familiar feel to them, like a lesson he had been forced to memorized. He couldn’t remember where it had come from though and that bothered him. “Although I do like to actually see the faces of the people I talk to. That sort of bothers me, along with not knowing your name.” There was another dark chuckle from under the hood.



“You are well trained by Albe that much is certain.” The man’s hands lifted to the edge of his hood. Jamie looked at them homing he looked politely interested rather than like he was staring. The man’s hands were pale, like skin that had never seen the sun. Jamie thought that was perfectly understandable. The man’s fingernails however were black. Jamie’s eyes were drawn to them. The black was not the black of nail polish but the purply black that you would sometimes see if you happened to accidentally slam a hammer into your finger rather then hitting the nail you held. As Jamie had made many frames over the years his hands were well familiar with the color. What struck him as odd was that it was a uniform color on all of the fingernails. Jamie had the feeling a hammer had not been used to create the color. The nails also seemed a little thick, more like the thickness of his mother’s acrylic nails than real fingernails. The hands with their odd nails pulled back the hood and Jamie shifted his gaze.



The skin of his visitor’s face was as pale as the skin of his hands. His eyes were black. Not the kind of black he had seen before on another human but black all the way through. There was no iris surrounded by black just the black. The eyes were also slightly more round than the normal human eye. His nose was sharply pronounced and made Jamie think of old roman coins. Over all the effect was more birdlike than anything else, a judgment somehow made more pronounced by the fine brown hairs on the man’s head although Jamie would be hard pressed to say why.



“Definitely of Albe’s teaching,” the visitor said with a slight smile. His eyes did not blink which made Jamie feel like blinking twice as much.



“Oh?” he asked, unsure of the appropriate response. The man smiled again, his teeth seemed somewhat sharper than normal and Jamie absently ran his tongue over the back of his teeth. He caught himself midway through but since his mouth was closed he did not think his gesture was observed.



“Yes most would view my appearance as confirmation of evil intent. After all I have seen many of your movies as of late. Am I not the picture of a demon inhabited one?” The tone was somewhat teasing and Jamie smiled slightly.



“I rather think the demon inhabited ones drool a lot more and tend to behave in a much more violent manner.”



“Indeed,” I will have to practice then before All Hallow’s Eve then if I am to pass muster with the latest Hollywood trends.”



“You could always throw a sheet over your head and go trick or treating as a ghost.”



“Indeed I could,” he said. Del interrupted the conversation, such as it was, by wheeling in a tea tray. Jamie noticed that while there was a tea pot on the tray there was only one tea cup. The second tea cup had been replaced with a dark glass. Steam seemed to be rising from its depths. Jamie decided he would ask Del questions later. Del wheeled the cart to a stop between the two of them, inclined his head at Jamie and then walked back out of the room. His visitor reached for the glass and picked it up. He seemed to enjoy the contents, by which Jamie assumed Del had chosen correctly. Jamie poured himself a glass of tea. There was already a lump of sugar in the bottom of the cup and it dissolved as the tea covered it. Jamie smelled the peppermint in the steam as it rose. His guest smelled the scent as well and seemed to find it vaguely amusing.



“I had heard that Millie had retired.”



“Yes,” Jamie replied, thinking of the conversation he had with Albe a few months before he disappeared. “She felt she had stayed in one place long enough and needed to see a bit more of the world’s changes.” At the time he had thought it a wish to see the world before she became too elderly to travel but her decision made a little more sense now that he knew Del. Idly he wondered where she was and if she knew Albe was gone. “You were a friend of Albe’s then?”



“I was,” although I must admit I had not seen him very much of late. A fact I regret terribly. The trouble with mortals is that you never really know how long you have them for.”



“I suppose that is true,” Jamie replied, never having thought of things that way.



“Regardless,” the man continued. “In the past he had done a favor or two for me. I told him I would like to do the same for him.” The man paused to sip his drink. “Of course finding something Albe needed was always difficult. He was quite adept at getting himself out of situations.” A fond smile crossed his face. It looked oddly lost but was gone before Jamie could figure it out. “And now he is gone so I suppose you will have to do.” The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin the size of a silver dollar. He held his hand out to Jamie. Jamie reached forwards and picked up the coin. As he did so his fingers grazed the palm of his visitor. The skin was icy to the touch. By contrast, the coin was quite warm. Jamie looked at it. The coin was silver but it had a slight rainbow sheen to it, like an oil slick on water.



“What is it?” Jamie asked. His visitor smiled finished the last of his drink and set the empty glass back on the tea tray. He reached for his hood, pulled it back over his head and stood in one smooth motion. Jamie found himself standing, as thought pulled to his feet by a string.



“Something I think you will need,” he was told. Once again covered with the cape the visitor turned and walked towards the door.



“Thank you, sir.” Jamie replied. “May I ask who you are?”



“I am who I am,” was the reply as the door opened. “What I am called is relatively unimportant as I doubt we will have cause to meet again in the future. Good bye child of Albe’s and be aware you have a great predecessor to live up to.” With those words of parting he stepped through the door and in a blink was strolling into the deeper shadows of the woods.



Jamie looked down at the coin in his hand but didn’t have long to ponder it as a second visitor arrived. This one was shorter than he was, the top of her head reaching only to the middle of his chest. She was as full of light and warmth as his first visitor had been full of the dark cold. Her stern expression however warned that her disposition might not be as bright as her countenance.



“You are the new Keeper?” She asked, sounding very much like he imagined a country school marm would have sounded at the turn of the century. Jamie tucked the coin into his pocket.



“I am,” he replied. “Won’t you please come in?” She entered and like his first visitor, she quickly got to the point. The point being that she owed Albe a favor and found herself instead having to pay it to Jamie instead. She seemed rather put out by the fact. She huffed back out a short while later leaving Jamie with a small vial that glowed vaguely gold and was sealed with purple wax. He had no more clue what to do with it than he did the silvery coin. Guests arrived in a steady stream. Some were polite and wanted to wax poetic about Albe. Others seemed to view their visit as the conclusion of a business arrangement. Each left him with an object or device he had no clue how to use or what to use it for. Lunch had come and gone and Jamie wondered if he was going to be able to eat before his four o’clock tea with the famed Fey architect. He escorted his latest visitor out, tucking the small packet of powder she had given him into his pocket as he moved. The next visitor was already on the porch and Jamie gave up his last thoughts of grabbing a late lunch.



Goodbyes were given to his departing guest and he turned to his arriving one. This one wore a gray cloak with the hood pulled over his head. Thunder sounded overhead and fat drops of rain began to splatter onto the already damp grass. Jamie invited him inside. As he moved he pulled his hood down and smiled at Jamie. Jamie froze in place as he caught sight of the half circular scar on the man’s cheek. Jamie took in the rest of the details and found himself staring at the man from his dreams the night before. The man smiled.



“Ah, young Jamie I see you do remember me.”

Back next week

Sorry for the delay but I have been moving to a new apartment.  No spiders, no loud white trash neighbors and much more space.  I will be posting again on tuesday April 6th.  Sorry for the absence.  v

Keeper: Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Jamie stared at the cloth for a moment in disbelief. Droplets of water from the night’s storm rolled off the material and fell to the damp earth.



“The inside is still dry,” he marveled. Del reached for the cloth and rubbed it between his fingers.



“Good material. Delfan weave. Someone will be missing that.”



“You recognize this?”



“Only the cloth,” Del said. Realizing the question was more important than it seemed, he took a closer look. “Like I said, Delfan weave. They make the best cloth,” he clarified. Jamie nodded. “Expertly sewn,” Del added pointing at one of the seams. “Tucked and rolled for extra waterproofing. My guess is you could stay dry in a monsoon with this.” He let the fabric fall. Jamie watched the length of fabric swing from his hand.



“The man in my dream wore this,” Jamie said. Del cocked an eyebrow at him but didn’t comment. “I don’t suppose the color means anything to you?” He asked hopefully, trying to shake icy feeling from his thoughts.



“Not really,” Del said. “It looks like it would be easy to hide in the woods with that on though.” Jamie nodded thinking of the men from his dream and the way the cloaks had moved.



“Especially at night.” Jamie looked around the clearing. Nothing else seemed out of place. There were no markers or messages. Nothing but the cloak looked out of place.



“I wonder why she wanted me to see this?” Jamie mused, more to himself then Del. “The fairy Queen wouldn’t have seen my dream.” He glanced to Del.



“No to my knowledge that is not one of the fairies gifts. They may be small and good at sneaking into things but sneaking into another’s dreams has thus far eluded them.”



“Can anyone else do it?”



“Sneak into someone else’s dreams?”



“Yes.”



“Hmm,” Del said rubbing his chin in thought. “I suppose it is possible although I’ve never heard of anyone doing so. Not that I think someone would brag about that skill. It would make them very unpopular I would bet. I know of some who can send dreams after a fashion.”



“After a fashion?”



“Well they never arrive in exactly the same condition because it is mind to mind.”



“Wouldn’t mind to mind be clearer?” Jamie asked.



“Not really,” Del said shaking his head. “Think about it. We all dream in images not words. So if I wanted to send you a message I would have to convert it to an image first. So If I wanted to tell you that I was coming for a visit I might send you a picture of myself with a suitcase boarding a train. You might see the image and think I was in trouble and running away. Or I could think I need to tell you that I am going to be late. If I didn’t send the image then your brain would just convert it into something that makes you think of being late. You might not think of me at all.”



“Huh,” Jamie said as he thought about it. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Course there are some that claim every now and again to have gotten it right. Never really is though. Kinda glad of that.”



Jamie looked around the clearing once again. In the trees, just a little further east of where he was standing Jamie could see a squarish outline that didn’t look altogether natural.



“Is that an old out building? Jamie asked, leaving the topics of dreams aside. Del turned in the direction Jamie was pointing. He shrugged.



“Don’t know. It’s not too far though if you want to look. And we do have some time before we need to get back.”



“And the building is due east.” Del shrugged at the comment and followed as Jamie headed out of the clearing and towards the building. He frowned as he moved.



“There is a sort of path worn into the earth.” Jamie pointed down to where the grass had been worn away and a straight line of trampled dirt shown through.



“Looks like it,” Del said. “I’m not much to the woods though so I’d have to take your word for it. Could be natural though, animals maybe?” Jamie thought about the purple suit and shoes Del was wearing when he first met him.



“Maybe,” Jamie conceded but he didn’t really think so. The pair reached the small building. Jamie stopped and stared at it for a moment. It reminded him of a small child’s drawing of a house. It had a sharply gabled roof and one small four paned window.



“All that’s missing is the chimney,” Jamie muttered. The small building was about two paces wide and as Jamie walked around it he discovered it was about two paces deep. On the far wall he found the door. It had a set of two concrete steps leading up to it. “I think we can rule out animals making the trail.”



“Why is that?”



“Animals don’t tend to put new hinges and doors on old buildings.” Del looked around Jamie to the door. It was new metal without a scratch on it. It was painted a dull rust brown in what Jamie assumed was an attempt to make it blend with the wooden frame building. Unfortunately while the door was wood like in color, the wood of the house had faded to a grayish tone. The hinges were bright silver. Jamie started forward but Del grabbed his arm.



“Oh no you don’t. I’ll go in first in case there is someone inside.” Del pushed past Jamie and climbed the two stairs to the door’s threshold. He raised his walking stick in a defensive position. With his free hand he turned the door knob. He pushed hard and the swung in soundlessly. Del pushed it hard enough to thump against the wall. Jamie could feel his heartbeat in his throat as Del stepped inside. As the building was small and had only one room it didn’t take Del long to look inside. He stepped back through the door with a grim expression on his face.



“I think you’ll want to see this,” he told Jamie. Jamie walked up to the door and followed Del inside.



“What the hell,” Jamie said as he looked around. Various pieces of lab equipment were laid out on a work table. The air had a thick chemically smell to it with an undertone Jamie couldn’t place.



“Is it a meth lab?” Jamie asked.



“What’s a meth lab?” Del asked.



“Methamphetamines, it’s a type of drug,” Jamie clarified.



“Oh, then no this isn’t a meth lab.”



“What is it?”



“Well I’m not a hundred percent certain but I believe this might be where our false Keeper made his human suit.”



“Oh,” Jamie said looking around a bit more. In one corner there was an old oil drum. The lid was slightly askew. Jamie walked over, not really sure he wanted to see inside but unable to resist. He gingerly pushed the lid to the side and peered in. It was filled with a dark liquid. Jamie sniffed, wondering if it was blood. Whatever was in the tub lacked the coppery smell of blood. Instead it had a briny, meaty scent.



“Was he pickling something?” Jamie reached forward but Del grabbed his wrist to stop him.



“Somehow I don’t think that is a good idea.” Del tilted his head towards the lab set. “No telling what that is or what it’ll do. Best call in someone who might.” Jamie nodded, slightly embarrassed by his own stupidity.



“So do we call the High Talbot?” he asked.



“Probably for the best,” Del said. “Of course it will save him a bit of reward money since you found it and not some yabo in the woods.”



“Actually I think Queen Genivia or one of her people would count as the discoverers,” Jamie said. “Although if they were interested in the reward I doubt they would have told me this in the middle of the night.”



“There is that,” Del said. He shrugged. “Well best we can do is leave things the way they are and send word of it. Your visitor’s will be arriving soon and we’ll be needing to get back to see to them.” Jamie glanced at his watch and realized Del was right. They would have to head back now and at a pretty fast clip to make their nine o’clock deadline. They stepped back out into the sunshine and Jamie shut the door firmly behind him. He still held the cloak in one hand.



“At least no one was reading my dreams,” he said. “That has to be a plus.” They turned back to the woods and took the shortest path back to the house, moving at a speed far greater than they had entered the woods. Both of them arrived in the front yard gasping for breath. Jamie had a stitch in his side. They walked towards the front door and realized their first visitor was waiting on the front porch.

Keeper: Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Jamie awoke bleary eyed and groggy. After he crawled into be sleep had rolled him under so completely that he didn’t think he moved the entire night. He stretched muscles that were a bit stiff. Next to his bed was his sketch pad and he picked it up.



“Longrin of the Fedalas line messenger of Queen Genivia,” he muttered, looking at the drawing. He flipped through the pages of sketches and studied the drawing of the scarred man from his dreams. He wondered how far dreams were to be trusted in this place. He thought of his last dream of Albe and how he was not certain he was really gone until he awoke.



“I understand learning on the job Albe, but you could have at least left a lit of what to expect in my first six months.” Jamie groused to himself as he dressed. On his nightstand his phone began to ring. Recognizing the Bandito’s song he had chosen for his brother, Jamie sort of snarled at the phone and left it to ring. Outside the rain had stopped but the sky was a sheet of gray that promised more would be on the way soon.



I wonder what is in the woods,” Jamie thought as he washed his face and got dressed. The phone stopped ringing. Jamie left it where it was and picked up his sketch pad before heading downstairs. Del seemed relieved to see him enter the kitchen.



“Had a bit of a lie in this morning?” Del said. He sliced a few pieces from the freshly baked loaf on the counter and placed them on a plate. He put the plate in front of Jamie and returned a moment later with a jar of strawberry jam which he set next to the butter dish. Jamie looked at the wall clock. It was only a hair past 7 o’clock.



“I suppose after yesterday morning most days start late,” he commented, spreading butter on his still oven warm bread. He noticed an envelope next to the butter dish.



“I expect so,” Del conceded.



“What’s this?”



“Confirmation,” Del said, turning slightly. “Your invitation to tea was accepted.” Both men glanced at the cabinet under the kitchen sink.



“Burr Iverson,” Jamie said. In the excitement of the night he had almost forgotten. Del nodded.



“Would you like some eggs to go with that bread?” Del was already reaching for the frying pan.



“No, thank you,” Jamie said. This will be plenty.” He didn’t add that this was more breakfast than Jamie usually ate as the brownie was frowning at him already. “Do you by any chance know anything about fairies?” He asked. Del snorted and swung the frying pan a few times like a tennis racket before hanging it up.



“Annoying little things,” Del said. “Tend to think they are better than the lot of us.”



“But are they trustworthy?”Jamie asked. Del started.



“They’d not lie to you. I wouldn’t be saying that. Least ways not straight out. But they are temperamental and inclined to think highly of their own worth.” Del paused. “Why?”



“One of them paid me a visit last night.” Del stared for a moment and Jamie could tell he was thinking hard.



“Odd,” he said sinking into the chair next to Jamie.



“Why? Don’t they visit the Keeper?”



“Oh yes they’d visit. Probably quite often and with many problems that they’d be after you to fix. But Like I said they have a very high self worth. Any one visiting would want to be seen coming in the front door and treated like a proper guest. I think it’s their size that does it. They are so small it is easy to think them cute and harmless and not pay them the respect they want.”



“So knocking on my window in the middle of the night would not be typical?”



“No,” Del said with a short laugh. It would not be typical.”

“Any reason why they would do it then?” Del thought about Jamie’s question and then shrugged.



“Why does anyone sneak in a back door in the middle of the night?”



“Because they don’t want to be seen?” Jamie answered thinking of one how he would sneak over to the house of one of his high school girlfriends.



“Or because they didn’t think they were high class enough to come in the front.” Del replied. Jamie thought of Robin’s father’s opinion of him.



“Always a possibility,” he admitted. “But somehow I don’t think that was the case.” Jamie related his experience with Longrin of the Fedalas line who came with a message from Queen Genivia. Del let out a low whistle.



“That lot wouldn’t think they shouldn’t come in the front door,” Del confirmed.



“Which means they probably didn’t want to be seen,” Jamie said.



“By who would be the question.” Del tilted his chin towards the sketchpad Jamie had brought down. “Is that her?”



“Yes,” Jamie said sliding the sketch pad towards Del. He added jam to his bread and began to eat while his companion studied the image.



“She has the look of the Fedalas,” Del said. “I knew her grandfather.”



“So how do you feel about a walk in the woods?” Jamie asked, polishing off his first slice and picking up his second.



“Risky, given recent events,” Del said. “However you aren’t going to find out much locked in the house.” He thought a moment more. “And well Queen Genivia might take it amiss if she risked a messenger to send you information but you didn’t bother looking into it. Do you know where the human cemetery is?”



“There is a map in the dining room,” Jamie said. I’m hoping it is marked there.” Jamie finished his bread and took his plate to the sink. Del shooed him away when he reached for the faucet to rinse it off.



“You go take a look at the map.” He was told. Jamie left Del to the plate and went into what had once been a formal dining room. Maps and papers dominated most of the table’s surface and random street maps and atlases were lined up against the wall. He was fairly certain Albe had a copy of every USGS Quadrangle map the government made. Jamie smiled as he looked remembering the games he and Albe would play. Jamie could almost see himself and Albe bent over one of the maps.



“No Jamie it isn’t enough to say the secret treasure would be hidden in the center of the city because it would be safest. You have to understand the people who built the city and what they would have thought about the artifact and what they were protecting it from.” Jamie smiled at the memory of Albe’s voice. The map he sought wasn’t on the table but pinned to the wall. It hung next to the large scale family tree. Glancing at it he saw names that were starting to become familiar. He smiled and turned towards the map. After a bit of scanning, Jamie found the cemetery. It was in a part of the forest Albe never really took him to. Jamie wondered if it was just the sadness that was kept there or if there was another reason Albe avoided it. Jamie placed his finger on the cemetery and traced a line due east. His finger encountered several squares and he wondered if they were old outbuildings.



“Only one way to find out,” Jamie said. He looked around the room and spotted what he needed almost immediately. In one of the corners slumped what Jamie always referred to as Albe’s adventure satchel. Jamie walked over and picked it up. It was nearly identical to the satchel Albe had left for him at the bank. This one however had the patches and stains that Jamie found familiar. He had been with Albe both when the bag had snagged on a rocky outcrop and torn and when Albe had patched it with a scrap from a worn out pair of jeans. Jamie set the bag gently onto of the map covered table, hoping not to cause a cascade of papers. He flipped the top of the bag open. Inside he found a compass, a water bottle, still half full, A notepad, a coil of rope, a flashlight, a set of colored pencils, a digital camera and one last item. This caused Jamie to let out a laugh of triumph when he pulled it out. Folded up was a waterproof version of the map on the wall. Albe referred to it as his field version. Jamie unfolded it and compared the locations. He could find the cemetery just as easily on the field version as he could on the wall mounted one.



“Excellent,” Jamie said. He folded the map back up and tucked it into the satchel. He slung the satchel over his shoulder and went to the kitchen. “There are rubber boots in the closet,” He told Del opening the storage closet off of the kitchen. There were several sizes of boots in there from the child sized ones Jamie had worn when he first started coming out here to the adult sized ones Albe always kept on hand for him. As a child Jamie had always been flattered that his boots, no matter what the size had always looked just like Albe’s. They were gray with black soles and a black band at the top. There were no choo-choo trains or sailboats. Now as he watched Del choose a pair that would fit his feet, Jamie realized they were designed so that no one would be insulted. He smiled to himself as he pulled on his pair. Del gave him an odd look as he straightened.



“What?” Jamie asked, adjusting the satchel.



“Nothing, it’s just that, well. You look like a Keeper.” Unsure what to say, Jamie didn’t say anything, which seemed to satisfy Del.



“The first of the visitors should be arriving around 9ish so we have some time,” Jamie said as they started off in the direction of the cemetery. Del nodded but didn’t say anything. He was busy scanning the woods and trying to look in every direction at once. To his gear he had added a stout walking stick that looked more like a weapon than a tool for getting over soggy ground. Jamie took a deep breath. He was beginning to feel an itch between his shoulder blades as though someone was watching him buit he tried to put it out of his mind.



The day was gray and the ground soggy from the night’s storms. Jamie could see patches of ice hiding in the shadows and in places his boots crunched over grass that had become brittle. They moved fast, Del’s caution and paranoia spurring them forward. Jamie’s eyes darted around the woods, picking up details. Here he saw an abandoned bird’s nest , stuck in a tree’s crook awaiting spring and a return of the next generation of hatchlings. There he saw a hole dug under the roots of an ancient oak to serve as a den against the coming winter. A few squirrels moved through the branches. They were fat and slow, the race to secure the last season’s harvest now moved in slow motion.



They crossed into the cemetery. It was planted around with boxwoods, neatly trimmed. The rows were neat and now weeds intruded. Jamie saw a rosebush and what looked to be a pot of rosemary. There were other pots and urns filled with plants that had faded to empty sticks for the coming winter but Jamie was not familiar enough with plants to identify them.



“It is well kept,” Del said, his voice hushed among the stones.



“Albe must have come here often,” Jamie responded. His tone equally soft. He walked past names he knew from the journals and from the family tree. Alexander, who drew the images in the field guide was buried next to his wife and their five daughters and two sons. Albe’s Grandfather had a tombstone carved to look like a tree stump. Jamie moved slowly among the dead. In the last row he found Eleanor and the baby who had died with her. The baby was named James. There were flowers placed on each of their graves, slightly withered by the weather. There was an empty space at the end of the row and Jamie decided that body or not, he would put a stone for Albe there. Jamie looked up from the graves to see Del standing at the edge.



“East,” he reminded himself and left the dead to sleep. Jamie and Del walked away from the cemetery and towards the east. They were moving slower now as they had no clue what they were looking for.



“Have you ever been out this way?” Del asked.



“No,” Albe never took me to this side of the property. He pause for a second, thinking. “But it looks familiar.”



“Familiar?”



“Yes,” Jamie looked around. He glanced back towards the cemetery, knowing he had never been there. He looked back towards the house and could see its vague outline through the trees. Jamie blinked hard. It was the same angle he had looked back towards the fire when the explosion occurred in his dreams. He transposed the image of the blasted ruin over the existing landscape.



“Yes,” Jamie said a little more confidently. He didn’t explain further but continued walking. He was now following the same path the five cloaked men had taken when they left to meet with the sixth. Jamie and Del were still moving due east. Jamie’s heart began to beat faster as they entered the same clearing. On the edge of the clearing, left as though it were simply old laundry was a pile of cloth. Jamie walked towards it and picked it up. He shook it out and found himself holding the same cloak the men had been wearing in his dreams.