Keeper: Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Jamie settled in to read.  His self imposed assignment wasn’t exactly much of a hardship though.  He had always enjoyed reading and the events and details he was reading now were more fantastical than any history book he had ever encountered, becoming more interesting with each page he turned. Apparently he wasn’t the only Keeper. And Jamie found himself wondering if there was ever a meeting between Keepers.

“Now that would be an interesting conference,” Jamie said to himself with a laugh.  He continued on and realized that such a meeting wouldn’t be as amusing as he thought.  Apparently the other Keepers only met when all of the available Keepers for one particular crossroads had been decimated. For this reason it was recommended that any Keeper search for a designated heir as soon as possible. Finding a suitable apprentice apparently took a great deal of time. The Keeper was cautioned to not look for an apprentice until he was at least two years into his tenure so that he could be fully vested in his duties before training another. Until that time, a younger family member could be designated.  The book specified a good mind, a caring nature and a stout heart as the requirements.

“Still interesting, but more war council than cocktail hour,” Jamie amended his earlier statement.  According to the book he was reading, all Keepers had some touch of human magic about them.  Jamie frowned at that.  He certainly didn’t have any magic.  “Perhaps Albe left off looking for too long and had to go with me as the best of the lot,” Jamie said. As he flipped the pages, he wondered if Albe had been disappointed at not finding a magician as his successor.

“Because there certainly was something magical about Albe,” Jamie muttered.  He paused wondering if Albe had been capable of true magic, like the kind in fairytales.  While he couldn’t exactly see his great uncle rushing off into the woods to save a fair maiden from a dragon, he could easily see the old man enchanting a sword that could kill a dragon and making sure the eager young hero took it with him.

“Of course that would only be after he had a talk with the dragon and realized that the dragon was just going to be stubbornly unreasonable about the young woman in the first place,” Jamie said, smiling.  “And assuming the woman didn’t need to be locked up for some reason.” Jamie shook the thought away.  Turning the pages he found the instructions for testing a potential apprentice.  Jamie scanned them with a bit of a frown and he wondered if he would be able to conduct the test if he had no magic of his own. 

“Perhaps Del could sit in on the testing,” he mused, then snorted in derision of his own thoughts.  “There is the strong possibility of me being killed in the next few days, worrying about training an apprentice is something I can do later.” Although given the danger of his first few days as the new Keeper, he could understand the advisement to choose an heir quickly.

“I wonder if the others started their tenure with quite this much of a bang.”  Jamie’s thoughts on the subject were interrupted by the mad jangling of bells.  To Jamie’s ears it sounded like hurricane had struck a warehouse full of Christmas decorations. Jamie clapped his hands over his years.

“What the hell,” he shouted, not quite sure who he was asking.  It didn’t seem to matter as he could not hear his own voice.  He could only feel the vibrations in his throat and his jaw muscles moving.  It was deeply un nerving. He moved towards the door and ran into Del.  The small man was armed with a cleaver and an angry expression.  Jamie saw Del’s mouth move but couldn’t make out the words.  He shook his head.  Abruptly the sound stopped. Jamie cautiously removed his hands from his ears.  The silence remained.  He wondered if he had gone deaf.

“What was that?” he asked Del.  His voice sounded softer than he thought it should and wondered if it was his voice or his ears that were the trouble.

“I was hoping you’d know,” Dell said.  His expression faded a bit more towards neutral but Jamie noticed he was still holding the cleaver in a white-knuckled grip. Jamie shook his head.

“House,” he asked, realizing belatedly that House might actually know.

“Yes, Keeper.”

“Do you know what that noise was?”  Jamie asked.  Del watched him intently, waiting for Jamie to relay House’s response.

“Of course Keeper.”

“Would you mind telling me what it was?”

“It was the perimeter alarm.  I wanted to make sure that it was loud enough so that your housekeeper could hear it as well.” Jamie realized that Del might not have been treated to the mad cacophony that he had heard and made a mental note to ask later.

“Did you say perimeter alarm?” Jamie asked.  Del stiffened beside him.

“Someone is trying to break in?” Del asked.  He looked towards the nearest window. Realizing that the study, where Jamie had been had no windows, Del gestured for Jamie to return to it, leaving the less secure corridor.  Del followed him in and stood watching the door into the corridor.

“Is someone trying to break in?” Jamie asked House.

“No Keeper.”

“No?” Jamie repeated. “So this was just, what, a systems test?”

“No Keeper,” House replied.  “Someone was trying to break in.  They no longer are.”

“Did the alarm just scare them off?”

“No Keeper.”

“So what happened to them?”

“They died, Keeper.”

“I see,” Jamie said slowly.

“Well I don’t,” Del said tersely. “Are we under attack or not?” 

“Apparently someone tried to break in and House sounded the alarm and possibly killed them.” Jamie told him.

“Does the House know who?”

“House,” Jamie asked, feeling silly for repeating Del’s question. “Do you know who tried to break in?”

“Someone with ill intent,” House said, sounding somewhat proud of itself. “Otherwise the wards would have just deflected them back into the road or the woods, depending on how they approached.”

Jamie had a mental image of the house being encased in a giant bowl of jell-o and bouncing intruders back into the woods. He wondered if a boing-ing sound like a bouncing cartoon spring would accompany the gesture. Jamie let the image go and frowned in thought.

“So the fairy who came to my window the other night did not have ill intent and so no alarm sounded?” he asked.

“My perimeter was not active when the fairy arrived. The architect fixed it.”

“Burr fixed it,” Jamie said slowly, working things through in his mind. “So now when someone tried to approach the house, the alarm sounded when it touched the window?”

“No Keeper.”

“No?” Jamie asked.  “Why, no?”

“My perimeter when fully active encompasses the garden in back and front yard as well as to the tree line on either side.”

“So why didn’t the alarm sound when people came to the front door?”

“A pathway has been left open for those wishing to properly visit the Keeper.”

“Of course,” Jamie said. “Thank you. Where along the perimeter did the ... intruder appear?”

“Near the tree line, to the east.”

“Same direction as the  small laboratory,” Jamie said.  Del cocked an eyebrow and Jamie relayed House’s information to him, in a more condensed form.

“So whoever came here did not know that Burr had repaired the damage to House.” Del said with a nod, picking up on the important bits immediately.

“Apparently not. Which leaves out the High Talbot and whoever he uses to arrange such things,” Jamie mused.   Del frowned. “It just means his office is clear of blame.”  Del relaxed a little at the comment.

“I suppose,” Del admitted.  Jamie knew that Del held the High Talbot in such esteem that it would never occur to him to place him on a suspect list.  Jamie however was pleased to have some indication of innocence ion his part.  The High Talbot may not bear the symbol of the Brotherhood of Shadows on his cheek, but from what Jamie had learned he was still High Court. Jamie opened his mouth to comment but was cut off by another round of bells.

“House,” he yelled, please turn the bells off.” The bells ceased immediately.

“As both Del and I are awake at the moment, could you just tell me that there is an intruder at the perimeter and let me tell Del instead of the alarms?”

“Of course Keeper.”  House sounded vaguely affronted by his suggestion and Jamie could easily imagine a more animate being adding the words ‘I was only trying to help.’

“Just for the moment,” Jamie said in what he hoped was a consoling voice.  “We can go back to your clever bells later.” He realized that he was setting himself up for a rude wakeup call later  but as he didn’t know if House could sulk, he thought that placating seemed wise.  Del grinned at him but didn’t say anything.

“As you wish Keeper.”

“Thank you.  Did you stop another intruder?”

“Yes Keeper,” House said, pleased with his phrasing.  “They are attempting the same spot on my perimeter. I can feel others just outside the perimeter but can tell you nothing more as they are outside.”

“Of course,” Jamie said. “Thank you.” He turned to Del. “They are attacking the same spot and House thinks there are more of them in the woods.”

“I think they are testing the perimeter,” Del said, frowning. “Before the bells I thought I caught the sound of something, but lost it in the alarm. I would bet that they are attempting to see how strong the defenses are.”

“House has agreed to leave off the bells and just tell me when someone tries for the perimeter.”

“That will help with my listening. Can the House also tell you when the defenses are close to failing?”

Jamie relayed the question and received a “yes Keeper’ In response, which he passed on to Del.  The news seemed to help Del relax.

“I’ll see what I can trace then,” Del said. He looked around.  “Aside from the basement, and that hidden floor of yours, this is one of the most secure places in the house.”

“Then I suppose we had better make ourselves comfortable then,” Jamie replied.  He watched as Del tensed.

“An intruder was stopped at the perimeter,” House said.  Jamie nodded but stayed quiet until Del relaxed.

“Another intruder,” Jamie passed along.  “Thank you House.”

“They are trying different things to get past the perimeter,” Del said.  “Even though I only caught a bit of the first, this one was a little different.”  Del walked over to one of the chairs set by the fire and seated himself.  He placed the cleaver down on the floor. Jamie took it as a sign that the small man did not believe a conflict was imminent. “It odd though,” Del said as Jamie joined Del in front of the fire.

“That someone would attack?”

“No,” Del said with a smile.  “That we could almost anticipate.  At least until your decision is turned in. No the odd bit is that there is strange magic in the perimeters.”

“Strange as in something is tampering with it?”

“No,” Del said shaking his head.  “Strange as in it isn’t pure fae magic.  I believe there is some human magic mixed in.  The combination is quite powerful.”

“And since most believe that the fae alone were the architects, it might make it harder to break?” Jamie guessed.

“It would be unanticipated,” Del said. “There is no record of human magics being added to it, even on those drawings you brought up.  All of the magics were too complex for the likes of me to comprehend, but they were all of the fae.  I could see that at a glance. Burr himself might not have known they were done.”

“Wouldn’t he... you know, sense them or something when he fixed House?”

“He might not have,” Del said.  “Whatever this is, was not active when Burr came to fix it and when I was with him, he only tinkered with the fae bits.  I have the feeling one of your ancestors decided to add a little bit of the extra after he was gone.”

“Non-factory standard, “ Jamie muttered to himself.  He waved off Del’s puzzled frown.  “But wouldn’t they be separate things then?  Fixing one wouldn’t fix the other. And tampering with one wouldn’t tamper with the other either, would it?”

“It would depend on when the magic was added.  If it was added as soon as Burr left, the fae magic might have been fresh enough to partially merge with the human additions.”

“Huh,” Jamie said.  “Like still wet paint.”

“Very much so.” Del’s face went blank again as he listed to something in the distance.  House warned him of another intruder.

“I have the feeling this is going to be a long night,” Jamie said to himself.  “I wonder if we have any books on human magic around or if Alexander contracted out.”