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.