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.

Keeper: Chapter 21

Sorry about last week folks.  I was sick as a dog for most of it. Feeling better now though. v

Chapter 21

Jamie blinked sleep out of his eyes and tried to focus. Even without the extra hidden floor showing, his room was far enough off the ground that it would be hard to reach. For a moment the mental math of figuring out how far above the ground he was made his head swim. He shook the numbers away.



“Unless you were a giant you couldn’t reach,” Jamie said thinking of his dream. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. The tapping continued. “Maybe it is a tree,” he muttered rubbing his face as he walked toward the window. Outside he could hear the sounds of the wind picking up. It made a rushing sound as it blew through the forest. Jamie had always liked that sound. It made him feel as though he were in the middle of an enchanted forest from a fairy tale. Tonight it made him feel isolated.



“And of course it is an enchanted forest, more or less.” He peered out of the window as a small rock hit the glass. “Not a tree then.” His eyes focused beyond the glass and there fluttering in the wind was a fairy. Jamie blinked and stared. She didn’t change. The night made her seem to be made up of subtle shades of gray rather than the many colors in the book Albe had left him. She carried a small sack that appeared to be full of pebbles. She looked at Jamie and spoke but he couldn’t hear through the glass. She seemed to be having a hard time keeping steady in the wind. Jamie opened the window.



“Good evening Keeper,” The voice was light and airy and nearly lost in the wind.



“Good evening, May I help you?” He asked feeling slightly ridiculous as he was fairly certain she had not stopped by to ask directions or to use the telephone.



“I am Longrin of the Fedalas line and I have been sent with a message from Queen Genivia for you Keeper.”



“Really,” Jamie said. The small fairy was panting with the effort of holding herself and her bag of rocks steady in the wind and looked nothing like a royal messenger. “Won’t you come in?” He wondered if he was in any danger from the small fairy but decided to risk it. Her wings were straining against the wind and she was starting to dip lower. She was nearly even with the windowsill. He noticed she curled up her feet in order to avoid contact with the house.



“After all,” he thought as she landed on the window sill. “any longer in the wind and she is likely to collapse from exhaustion.” The small fairy walked in the window and seemed relieved to set her bag down. A gust blew in through the open window and threatened to tumble her to the floor. He wondered if she had not been allowed to touch the house until he invited her.



“Do you mind if I close the window?” He asked. “It is a bit chilly tonight and I am not dressed for the outside.” The small woman seemed relieved that he did not point out her weakness.



“If you wish keeper,” she said. “I would not wish you any discomfort.”



“Thank you,” Jamie said. He slid the window shut, trying not to thump it too hard when it hit the sill. The fire had died down somewhat but still cast a warm glow about the room. By its light the small woman changed from shades of gray to jewel tones, albeit somewhat muted. Her skin was light pink with spots of red from the cold wind on her cheeks. Her straw colored hair was cropped short in an uneven bowl cut. She wore a short brown tunic belted around the waist with dark green pants that tucked into brown boots. Without getting too close to her, Jamie couldn’t tell what the materials her outfit was composed of. He wondered if her boots were leather and if so what sort of animal provided it.



“Maybe they raise mice like we raise cows,” Jamie thought. He shook his head and realized he was staring. Since she seemed to be studying him, he hoped she wouldn’t take offence.



“My apologies,” he said. Would you like some refreshment?” He wondered if Del knew where fairy sized utensils were kept.



“No thank you keeper,” she replied. To Jamie’s eye she seemed pleased that he had asked.



“I see.” Jamie said, unsure if he should ask for the message. Silence stretched. “You mentioned a message?”he finally prompted.



“Oh yes,” she said startled. “Of course. From the queen.”



“Queen Genivia.” Jamie said.



“Yes. You know her?” Longrin asked. Jamie smiled.



“Not personally no.”



“Ah, well she sends you greetings.” Longrin bowed low and almost lost her footing. She straightened, tugged her tunic straight and tried to play it off. “And welcomes you as the new keeper. She has heard of your recent trouble and wishes you to know that her soldiers will keep a sharp eye out for any more trouble heading this way.”



“That is very nice of her. Please convey my thanks.”



“I’m not done yet,” Longrin told him somewhat crossly.



“Oh sorry,” Jamie said. “Please continue.”



“As I said her soldiers will keep watch for trouble.” She paused as if daring Jamie to interrupt again. He kept his mouth shut and wondered if all fairies were this cross or if Longrin was just in a bad mood. She cleared her throat. “Our magnificent queen also sends word that there is a spot in the wood that bears looking into. And that you might be the one to look into it.”



“Really?” Jamie asked. Longrin scowled at him.



“No I’ve just flown through high winds at night carrying a bag of boulders to get your attention so I could make stories up.” For a moment Jamie was unsure how to respond. Longrin blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes with a noisy huff.



“Did your queen happen to mention where in the woods this place was?”



“Yes. She said to head east out of the old human cemetery.” Jamie thought of Albe’s wife and child.



“How far east?”



“How would I know?” Longrin replied. “We don’t exactly use the same measuring system. She said you’d know it when you saw it.”



“Thank you.” He paused. “Was that the entre message?”



“You want more?”



“No that was plenty,” Jamie said hurriedly. “Please convey my thanks back to your queen for both her watchfulness and the information.”



“I will,” Longrin turned back to the window and flexed her wings. She picked up her bag once again and flexed as though getting ready to leap into the air to give her wings a head start. Fascinated at how a human shaped creature with wings got off the ground Jamie stared. Longrin let out a dramatic sigh. She turned to Jamie. “I don’t suppose you expect me to open it?” Jamie realized she couldn’t leave until he opened the window.

“Sorry about that,” He said. He reached over and tugged the window open. Like a flash she was gone.



“Apparently fairies don’t put much stock in long goodbyes.” Jamie said to himself. He shut the window and sat down on the edge of his bed. “A place in the wood that I might want to check out.” He muttered. Not a very detailed piece of information as far as messages went. It could be an attempt to lure him out of the safety of the house or it could be a problem the fairies usually expected the keeper to deal with. Jamie was still hazy about what his new job as keeper entailed.



“I don’t even know how trustworthy fairies are,” he said. “I suppose I could talk to Del about it in the morning. Jamie wondered if the brownie would insist on coming with him. Jamie didn’t think he could resist going. “If I go thinking it might be a trap I’ll be on guard.” He reassured himself as he lay back down. He tried shutting his eyes. The crackle of the fire was soothing and the wind seemed less lonely but sleep would not come. Jamie sat back up. He crossed the room and pulled the fire grate away from the front of the fire.



Using the pokers and extra wood he punched up the fire until it was again blazing. Jamie slid one of his sketchpads out of his bag and picked up a pencil. Sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the fire he began to draw. The first set of drawings were of Longrin. He especially liked her exasperated looks as she blew her hair from her face. After a while his dream began to intrude and Jamie found himself sketching the face of the man with the odd semi-circular scar. Rain began to patter against the glass as the wind blew a storm in.



Jamie wondered if the rain would erase what the queen wanted him to see. Jamie made notes next to the scarred man about the hooded cloaks and their movements through the woods. Eventually his eyes began to droop. With a sigh, he put his notepad down, replaced the fire grate in front of the blaze so that a flying ember would not set the house ablaze, and crawled into bed. His sleep was mercifully dreamless.