Keeper: Chapter 34

Chapter 34


Terrell stepped back, seemingly somewhat shocked as the High Talbot pronounced the words of closing. Jamie stood up and stepped down the steps and into the yard. The low murmurs of conversation increased and the yard took on the air of a garden party rather than a court hearing. The general feeling seemed to be of approval and Jamie found smiles greeting him from all sides as formalities slipped and introductions were made. Albe’s teachings and Alexander’s drawings spun in his head and he had a hard time keeping track of who he was greeting. No one seemed to mind his dazed expression though.



“Hadrus of the Gladonir,” a man with a smirk introduced himself. “Congratulations on your first ruling.” Jamie politely accepted the complement, vaguely recalling that the Gladonir had no love for either the Gederan or the Federan due to some sort of land dispute.



“Keelt,” introduced another person who stood barely knee high. The dress she wore was an eye searing yellow and covered with large print fuchsia flowers. By contrast the large robin’s egg blue straw hat seemed quite restful. Unfortunately, it obscured her face completely and Jamie couldn’t begin to guess her race. He managed a polite hello before being spun about by a creature with a large belly and a walrus like mustache. The term bodkin flew through his mind as introductions were made. The bodkin didn’t get to keep him for long however and Jamie soon found himself passed into a gaggle of sprites, who then passed him to a pack of gnomes.



Jamie quickly began to feel like an out of control pinball. Some of the creatures he could identify by race. Some had house names that his mind could latch on to and others were people he had actually met during his training. Some of the folks he met wore deeply hooded cloaks, disguising themselves but Jamie took no offense as he knew those that did were hiding more from the light than him. Eventually it ended. Jamie stood on the porch exhaustedly watching the last of his guests disappear into the cross roads. He was still dizzy from the introductions and a little stunned that the episode had ended so well. He stared out into the yard for a moment, somehow mystified.



A large group had just left the yard. They drank and ate, talked and laughed yet there was no sign that they had been there. The grass was not trampled, the gravel was in place. There were no empty cups or plates stashed anywhere. It was as if nothing had ever happened.



“That went well,” Del said, appearing by his side. The small man was wiping his hands on a spotless dishtowel and looking satisfied.



“It did, didn’t it? The Gederan and Federan didn’t seem pleased but I suppose that is understandable,” Jamie said. Del snorted.



“They won’t be happy until a decision is made. And even then they probably won’t be happy.”



“Well one of them will be I expect,” Jamie said with a sardonic smile.



“I doubt it,” Dell said with a shrug. “One will be upset if they lose but the winner will still be upset that you didn’t see it was their right all along.”



“So then no one will be happy, regardless of what I do,” Jamie mused. “That sounds familiar.” The sound of gravel crunching reached their ears and Jamie turned to see Jim walking towards the house.



“I thought you left,” Jamie called as Jim neared.



“I did,” Jim said. “Because of the new lock I parked on the other side of the gate and walked in.”



“Sorry about that,” I didn’t realize anyone with a car would be coming out here for this.” Jamie gestured for Jim to join him and Jim stepped onto the porch.



“No problem,” Jim said, waving off the apology. “I usually don’t tend to come to these sort of things unless I’m needed but it was hard to pass up the opportunity to see a new Keeper’s first ruling. Besides the walk was good for me.”



“Ah,” Jamie said. “Not exactly Perry Mason worthy but I think I managed to pull it off.”



“You impressed me,” Jim said. “And I have to say I’m glad the little guy Maashin didn’t get punished.”



“Rooting for the underdog?”



“Seems he was already duped which is punishment in itself.”



“That was my thinking,” Jamie said.



“Figured as much,” Jim said. At Jamie’s raised eyebrow Jim chuckled. “I grew up with you remember.”



“True,” Jamie conceded with a smile. “Does that mean you have insider info?”



“Hardly,” Jim said. “Anyway I came back because when I got near where I parked my car I noticed another one heading this way. As it looked like Michael’s van I came back to warn you that you might have some additional company soon.”



“Just what this night needs,” Jamie said. Del’s face darkened at the news and Jamie sighed. The wind sighed along with him making the tree limbs rattle and shake. Jamie wondered if any of the night creatures were still out and about. He shivered with the bite of cold in the wind. “No use making it look like we were expecting him,” Jamie decided. “Would you like to come in for a drink?”



“Sure,” Jim replied a grin on his face. The three of them went into the house, closing off the chill of the night. Jamie made sure the door was locked.



“I’ll check the back and make sure nothing has been accidentally left open,” Dell said.



“Thanks,” Jamie told his retreating back. Neither the formal nor the family parlor seemed appropriate so Jamie led Jim up to the library. Jamie moved slowly, knowing Jim would want to look around. Even with checking the locks on the doors, Del had made it to the library before they did and a merry fire was burning in the fireplace. A crystal decanter half filled with amber liquid was placed on one of the side tables, two matching glasses beside it. Jamie poured out two glasses and they each settled comfortably in the warn leather chairs. Jamie found himself straining to hear a possible approach by Michael and shook his head.



“You know I always pictured Albe sitting here on a long winter evening with a couple of his friends,” Jamie said to distract himself. “I figured they might be a couple of white haired old gents swapping stories about the past. The last few days have somewhat altered that.”



“I’m willing to believe that,” Jim said taking a sip of his drink. “The first week I was allowed into the more outré of the law practice I was told I would be dealing with a land transfer and will restructuring. Given the amount of property involved I thought I would be dealing with a crotchety old land baron who didn’t like the life choices of one of his children.”



“What did you end up with?” Jamie asked his amusement showing.



“A troll, one of the Sengal clan. He had passed for human for about eighty years and needed to will his property to himself so he could fake his own death.”



“So not a crotchety old man then.” Jamie knew the Sengal clan was not as hairy or as massive as some of their cousins. In fact they were considered the runts of the troll species. They were still large for humans but not overly so and in some places could pass.



“Well he was quite crotchety,” Jim admitted. Jamie laughed. And for the first time since Albe’s death, he felt something in him loosen.



“You know it feels really good to talk to someone who knows about,” Jamie waved his free hand in the air as though searching for the end of the sentence.



“I know,” Jim said with a smile. “You either know or you don’t. It kinda changes your world view a bit.”



“Yeah,” Jamie replied. “When I went into the hardware store I started evaluating people. I saw a gnome and someone who a few generations back had an ancestor who wasn’t human. Made me wonder about Mrs. Kirkpatrick.”



“Mrs. Kirkpatrick was just pure evil,” Jim replied. “Although if you do find out she was a goblin or troll or something I want to be on the list of people you tell.”



“Deal,” Jamie said. “I’m half convinced she could spit acid although I don’t know what race that would be.”



“That would be the pure evil part,” Jim said. They sat in silence for a little while. It was companionable silence though the backdrop of the crackling fire made it feel cozy.



“I really will miss seeing Albe,” Jim said. “It seems real now that they found him.”



“I know,” Jamie said. “The High Talbot is scanning him…the body, for traces of magic. He said it will take a few days. Which is about how long it will take for the headstone to be carved. I’m going to bury him in the family plot out here if you would like to come.”



“I’d like that,” Jim said.



“It will be a very small ceremony,” Jamie said. “I doubt many of his friends will come. They seemed to say their goodbyes when they came to see me.”



“They aren’t really much on funeral rites,” Jim said.



“Makes sense,” Jamie responded. “One of his friends told me that the problem with making friends with mortals is that you never knew how long you had them for.” Jim chuckled and shook his head.



“So us mortals will say goodbye to one of our own in our own way,” Jim commented. Jamie lifted his glass in mock salute but before he could comment he was interrupted by House.



“Keeper, there is a man on the porch.” Jim looked at Jamie quizzically.



“Apparently Michael has arrived,” Jamie informed him.

Keeper: Chapter 33

Life, Love, Lunacy. Hopefully coming soon, Sanity and stability. I realize it has been a while. If you are still interested, the continuing adventures of Jamie are below. To be updated more regularly in the future. v

33.


Jamie drove back to Albe’s house, his lunch sitting like a rock in his stomach while Jim’s information danced with Albe’s newly released teachings. At the gate he added the new lock and continued on to the house.



“I doubt they would postpone the trial for a few days to let me sort my brain out,” he thought. The feeling of being watched increased as he parked and left the vehicle. There were rustling sounds all around him but there was no wind to account for the movement. He sighed, climbed the steps to the porch and opened the front door. It was a relief to close the door on all of the expectations of the world.



“Would you like something to eat?” Del called from the kitchen. Jamie walked down the hallway towards him.



“No, I don’t think I could keep anything down.” Jamie stepped into the kitchen and stood in the doorway his eyes opened wide at the sight before him. Nearly every flat surface boasted a tray of some kind. There were crusted meat pies nearly as big as his head and a tray of delicacies so small Jamie was unsure what they were. Cups the size of his fingernnail were placed next to goblets he could probably drown in. All of the sizes in between were represented as well. While the larger sizes were somewhat disturbing, Jamie found himself drawn to the smaller items.



“How did you make pastry so small?” he marveled staring at a tray he could fit in the palm of his hand that seemed to be filled with glazed pastry twists. “Never mind,” Jamie corrected himself. “I don’t want to know.” Del chuckled.



“Very carefully,” he answered.



“Uh huh,” Jamie said. “If you have an enslaved army of ants that do your bidding, I definitely don’t want to know.”



“Very well,” Del said a twinkle in his eye.



“You don’t do you?” he asked. Del only chuckled. Jamie sighed.



“We have about an hour before I’ll need to start taking this to the front yard for the early arrivals,” Del said. “You’ll want to change and get ready.” He eyed Jamie who sighed again.



“And I won’t be able to mix with the crowd until after the completion of the trial.” Jamie said. Del’s shoulders relaxed a little as he realized Jamie had managed to read up on basic trial procedure. Jamie left Del to his preparations, realizing he was more in the way than anything else. He went upstairs and took a shower. As most of his better thoughts had come to him when he let the water run over him, he was hoping inspiration would strike. The hot water felt good against his back and shoulders and he ran it hot enough to redden the skin. No earth shattering ideas arose, just one word swimming like a fish through the sea of information crammed into his mind. Jamie turned off the water and reached for a towel.



“Balance,” he said aloud. Everything the keeper did was for balance. Every lesson, every ruling. Del had told him that the keeper was human so he couldn’t take sides. “And evil is due to intent not inherent nature,” he thought remembering his first guest with the birdlike features. His newly freed mind supplied details of what that creature actually was but he pushed the thoughts away for later. Jamie stepped out of the bathroom and into the small bedroom he had always taken at Albe’s. His clothes were spread out but he rejected the clothing that resembled office wear. Instead he dressed himself in a plain button down shirt with jeans. He pulled on a sturdy pair of hiking boots, making sure to knock the mud off of them first. He slipped Albe’s worn traveling satchel over his shoulder, adding a few items he thought he might need through the evening. Jamie squared his shoulders and went downstairs.



Del had taken the trays t the front yard and Jamie could hear the noise of the gathered crowd through the still open front door. They were not loud but he could hear the shuffling and movement as well as the low rumble of sound indicating a mass group all having low voiced conversations in a confined area. Jamie stepped through the front door and on to the porch. He knew he was not allowed to mingle with the others yet but nothing prevented him from taking a seat on the porch. The crowd quieted at his appearance but slowly resumed its earlier noise as he settled himself on the porch to wait.



The light from the house spilled into part of the yard showing him gatherings of fairies and clutches of gnomes. The tinkle of laughter from some sprites enjoying themselves reached him and he smiled at the sound. Jim was in the yard as well, moving quietly from group to group. Jamie didn’t call out to him, as he was unsure if the not mingling rule included other humans as well. Beyond the light, Jamie could sense rather than see movement although occasionally he caught the glimmer of an eye peering from the edge into the light. The ones that did not seem to blink were even more unnerving. Jamie tried to swallow his reaction to them. As if a gong had sounded the crowd parted in the center, leaving a clear path to the porch’s front steps. Out of the darkness, his coat tails swaying with his movements stepped the High Talbot. He stepped through the open space as though it were a red carpet laid out solely for his use. He stopped about an inch from the lowest of the front steps.



“Keeper James Fulton,” the High Talbot called. Jamie stood and walked to the edge of the porch. He stopped when he was even with the High Talbot.



“I am here,” Jamie responded with the ritual greeting.



“We come to you this night asking for a resolution to a situation we face. Will you listen to our tale?”



“I will listen,” Jamie replied. The high Talbot dipped his head in acknowledgement and then gestured behind him. Two men who looked as though they could have been the High Talbot’s brothers stepped out of the darkness and started forward. Between them was a smaller figure. The smaller figure had chains clamped around its wrists and ankles The sets of chains were connected with a longer one. The longer chain did not seem to be long enough to allow the figure to stand upright. Jamie could see that the insides of the chains were padded and thought this was a good plan as the chains looked to be composed of iron, which most of the fey could not touch for very long without blistering and burning. The two men frog marched the smaller figure towards the High Talbot who stepped aside to allow Jamie a better view.



The person before him had a thick coat of black fur that was matted in places. He wore no clothes and Jamie could see his flaccid genital hanging down below his clasped hands. The hands ended in fingernails that were more claw-like in nature. Several of them were raggedly chipped and broken. There was a slight bruise on his temple. The person’s nose had a smashed in look that reminded Jamie of a pug and his black eyes were far enough apart that Jamie wondered if he could see behind him like a greyhound. The look on his face seemed to be more confusion than fear and Jamie wondered at his intelligence level.



“Early yesterday, this creature threw a heavy stone in an attempt to kill an unarmed person,” the High Talbot explained. He then stepped to the side and gestured towards the harry man in a way that clearly meant, it is your turn to deal with him. The two guards stepped backwards, reinforcing the gesture. The crowd seemed to be holding its collective breath. Jamie glanced at the edge of the light and saw Terrell standing half shadowed. His eyes looked cold and his lips were curled in a smirk.



“Right then,” Jamie thought. He turned his attention to the creature in front of him. It was looking up at him but with the shortened chain it was having a hard time with the action. To make it easier on him, Jamie sat down on the top step of the porch stairs. The creature took this as a sign that he could sit and did. He grinned up at Jamie looking for all the world like a puppy that had just learned a new trick. He had small fangs in his mouth but they looked more like canine incisors than anything else.



“What are you called?” Jamie asked, half curious and half testing the creature’s ability to speak. As he looked a little like a cross between a dog and a monkey he didn’t want to take anything for granted.



“Maashin,” the creature said. “Me called Maashin. You called?” There were small gasps from the crowd along with a couple of stifled giggles. The High Talbot looked as though he wanted to cuff the creature for it’s impertinence.



“I’m called Jamie,” he said with a smile before anyone could say anything. The creature nodded and smiled. It started to rock back and forth on its haunches.



“Do you know why you are here?” he asked. Maashin nodded.



“Maashin throw rock at bad mans. Maashin get hit. Maashin wake up and Maashin here.” Maashin lifted his hands up towards Jamie. “You take hard ropes from Maashin?” He looked hopeful.



“Maybe later, but not now,” Jamie said. Maashin lowered his hands. “Maashin, why did you throw a rock at the man?” He realized that Maashin did not realize he was the bad man.



“Mans bad.”



“Why was the man bad?”



“Mans tell Mashin mans bad.”



“Did he tell you why the man was bad?” Jamie asked, trying to resist slipping into a sing song tone.



“Mans disturb dead mans,” Maashin looked down at his hands and shook his head. “Dead mans sad.”



“Why is the dead man sad?”



“No give back to ground, no crawlyes to take parts back and join with life just stay staring at sky till dust.”



“He stares at the sky?”



“No eyes but stares,” Maashin confirmed with a nod.



“Interesting,” Jamie thought. “Apparently Maashin saw Albe before the rock hit him in the head.” Out loud he asked. “Did the man tell you what to do about the bad man?”



“Yes,” Maashin said nodding vigorously. “He said bad mans need hit with rock.”



“And if I tell you the man was not a bad man?” Maashin looked confused.



“Mans disturb dead, mans bad.”



“The man was kin to the dead man and wanted to find out what happened to him.”



“Not bad mans?” Maashin asked. Tears welled up in his eyes and began to roll down his cheeks. “Maashin bad. Maashin bad.” Maashin began to rock harder bending all the way forward to bang his head on the ground. After each smach he repeated the phrase “Maashin bad.”



“Maashin,” Jamie said. The creature did not seem to hear him. “Maashin,” Jamie said louder and more forcefully. Masshin stopped his rocking and looked at Jamie. Dust clung to his wet cheeks and snot dribbled from his nose.



“The man was not hurt by your rock,” Jamie told him.



“Maashin not kill mans?” he asked. His voice was that of a small child asking if the boogie man had really been evicted from the closet.

“Maashin did not kill the man,” Jamie confirmed.



“Maashin not bad,” the creature said, a large smile splitting his dust and tear streaked face.



“Maashin are you going to throw any more rocks at people?”



“No Maashin not throw rocks. Maashin good. Maashin not bad.” Maashin tilted his head to the side and looked at Jamie.



“Mans told Maashin throw rock bad mans.”



“I quite agree,” Jamie said. He turned to the High Talbot. “I as Keeper recommend Maashin not be punished for the thrown rock as no one was hurt.” He turned towards Masshin. “And I recommend that you not throw rocks again just because someone says it is okay to do so.” Maashin nodded.



“Still throw rocks at crawlies to eat okay?” Maashin asked.



“That’s okay,” Jamie said not wanting the creature to accidentally starve. He had the feeling that despite his claws most things he ate were killed using a smaller rock than the one hurled at his head.



“Okay, no mans just crawlies.”



“If that is your decision,” the High Talbot said. He gestured towards one of the waiting guards who stepped forward and removed the chains. “Maashin, you are free to go.” Maashin looked up at the words, still rubbing his newly freed wrists. He glanced at Jamie who nodded. Maashin gave a whoop of delight and turned a summersault.



“Mans nice, Maashin go.” And with that the creature raced off into the night, sometimes moving on two legs and other times on four, and moving swiftly in the direction of the Lustan.



“Our thanks Keeper Fulton,” The High Talbot said. As he opened his mouth to give the formal words of closing Terrell stepped forward.



“This is outrageous,” he said. “That thing tried to kill the keeper and he is just turned loose?”



“Maashin tried to kill me at the behest of someone else,” Jamie said softly but firmly.



“And you didn’t even ask who,” Terrell declared loudly. “You have only been keeper for a few short days, due to the conditions of training it is clear you are unable to make this decision.”



“Maashin was told to kill me so I could not make a decision regarding the Lune Merdos. The man who convinced him to throw the rock was either of the Federan or the Gederan.” Terrell had gone pale but after a second recovered his voice.



“And the creature could have told us which. He…”



“He could have told us who the man appeared to be,” Jamie said. “He could not have said if it was a Federan or a Gederan in truth. He could not have said if the man was a Federan dressed like a Gederan or a gederan dressed like a Federan. Or someone who was neither dressed like one of them. All he could do was state what he saw and thus cast aspersions on one group so that when I made my decision regarding Lune Merdos I would be inclined to favor one or the other. I was asked merely to determine the guilt of Maashin tonight, not the fate of the Lustan on Lune Merdos.”


“But he through the rock,” Terrell said weakly, realizing he had lost the argument.

“And I maintained the balance.”