Keeper: Chapter 51

This is the final chapter of the first book of the Keeper of the cross roads.  New chapters of the next book will be posted beginning February 7th. Thanks everyone for all of your input.

Chapter 51

It was early when Jamie wok the next morning and he got out of bed quickly dressing in a pair of jeans and a warm sweater.  He tugged on his hiking boots, knowing the ground would be rough.

“I just hope no one throws anything at my head this time,” Jamie muttered to himself as he laced his boots tight.  In the kitchen, Jamie found Del wiping down the platters that would be used for the funeral feast in the afternoon.

“We should have time to get to the Lustan and back before we need to get ready for the funeral guests,” Jamie said.  On our way back in I’ll run up to the gate and unlock it so they can drive up to the house.”  Del also seemed dressed for an outdoor adventure and Jamie wondered if he missed wearing his spiffy purple suit.  Jamie opened the front door and before he could ask Del about his clothing preferences, his attention was caught by the woods in front of them. Everything seemed to glitter as though diamond dust had been mixed with the morning dew.

“Wow,” Jamie said, feeling that anything he said would be completely inadequate to the situation.  He slowly walked to the edge of the porch and took the few steps down to the ground. “Just wow.”

“What is it?” Del asked, following behind him.  Jamie stepped aside and with a sweeping gesture of his arm indicated the woods. Del peered at the woods and seemed to study them for a moment.  He glanced at Jamie.

“I think you’ve been cooped up inside too long,” Del said.  Jamie frowned.

“You don’t see anything different about the woods today?” he asked.

Del looked again at the trees and the pathway. “No,” he replied.  “Should I.”

“But everything is glowing.  Can’t you see it? It looks ... shiny.” Jamie let his arm fall to his side as Del shook his head.

“It just looks like the woods in the morning to me. A little dew still on the grass, most of the leaves gone for winter.”  Jamie looked at one of the trees.  The bare branches looked like they had been lined with silver.

“Maybe it’s a Keeper thing,” Del said.

“Maybe,” Jamie said hesitantly, still marveling that Del could not see what his eyes were showing him.

“We had better get a move on if we are going to be back in time,” Del reminded him.

“Yeah,” Jamie agreed, shaking himself as though waking from a dream.  The world didn’t change as they took the road towards the Lustan. At the spot where Jamie and Del had watched the buildup of power the night before, Jamie stopped again and looked at the ground.  There was a small brick pathway embedded in the ground that he had not noticed before.  The bricks formed an x and looked a little like a section of a crossroads.  Although the brick x only extended about eight feet in all four directions before fading into a dirt path. Each brick was lined with silver as if someone had mixed quicksilver into the mortar between them.  The bricks themselves had a faint sparkle to them.

“Tell me you see that?” Jamie asked, pointing to the ground.

“I see the pathway, a dirt track, same as before,” Del replied. “I take it that is not what you see?”

“I see bricks,” Jamie said.  “Forming a crossroads.”  At his words Del seemed to relax a little.

“See there,” he said with a grin.  “I told you it’d have something to do with you being keeper.”  The two of them continued towards the Lustan and Jamie glanced at Del as they walked.

“What exactly did you see last night?” Jamie asked finally.

“I saw a light in the distance,” Del said. “It flashed and came towards the house but stopped, about where you saw the bricks.  After a while there was a flash and it was gone.”

“You didn’t see the second flash of light when the crossroads sent the power back?” Jamie asked.

“No,” Del said shaking his head.  “I only saw the flash as the light went out.”

“Maybe that’s a Keeper thing too,” Jamie mused.  They walked in silence the rest of the way to the Lustan.  Jamie gasped when the building came into view.  If the trees had looked lined in silver than the Lustan looked as though it were carved entirely of the precious metal.

“It’s still stone and mud to me,” Del told him before Jamie could comment.  “And I’d like to continue thinking of it that way if it’s all the same to you.”  Jamie mutely nodded, his eyes watering in the reflected sunlight bouncing off of the gleaming silver. They circled around and Jamie was glad he had Del with him.  Jamie could hardly bare to tear his eyes away from the building but Del kept a sharp look out in case any more rocks were thrown.

“That’s new,” Del said.  Jamie turned to see what Del was looking at.  It appeared to be a small pile of black dust.

“Charcoal?” Jamie asked.  “Maybe they burned something as part of the ritual.”

“Maybe,” Del said.  “But they must have burned a lot if they did.” When Jamie frowned, Del pointed out the other piles of what looked like crumpled charcoal.  The piles were not neatly heaped.  Some formed neat piles, while others were spread out like elongated ovals.  As Jamie looked the piles seemed to multiply.  Now that he was looking for them instead of gazing at the silver, he saw the piles everywhere.

“There must be thousands of them,” Jamie said.

“Seems like,” Del said.  They continued looking around but found nothing else significant and decided to turn back.  The various piles of burned matter gave Jamie a somewhat creepy feeling.  Del seemed to feel the same way and they were quiet all the way back to the house.  Del followed Jamie up to the gate so he could unlock it and then they returned to the house.  Del began assembling platters and Jamie pulled on a pair of dress slacks and a nice dress shirt.  He fastened the one tie he owned around his neck, thankfully it was also black and slipped on his jacket.  He thought about putting on his dress shoes but realized he would be tramping through the woods to get to the cemetery.

“At least my boots are dark brown instead of that light tan,” he thought as he laced them back on his feet. Shortly after he was dressed, the funeral home, bearing the coffin arrived.  Jamie was surprised at first to see that each of the men hauling the coffin was at least part troll.  It made sense however when the funeral director ordered them to pick up the casket to carry into the woods. They lifted the long wooden box as though it weighed nothing and waited for Jamie to lead them.  Jamie was surprised to see that each of the partial trolls had a shovel strapped to his back the same way a soldier would carry a rifle.  Jamie led them into the woods.  He expected to hear crashing and mutterings as they moved but instead heard nothing.  The three men behind him made virtually no sound.  It was somewhat eerie and he wondered if all trolls moved like that. Somehow he pictured them making a lot of noise.

At the cemetery they set the coffin down and began to dig. The stone had arrived a few days earlier and it seemed odd in its factory fresh perfection next to the weathered stones of those who had been buried here before.

“Give us two hours,” the funeral director said.  “We’ll have everything ready by then.”

“Of course,” Jamie said.  He turned and left them, the sound of their spades digging into the half frozen earth filling his ears.  He had no clue how they would dig a hole deep enough for a burial in two hours but was willing to give them the space to try.

At the house, Jamie tried mostly to stay out of Del’s way.  He grabbed a small sandwich and retreated to the library.  After a time, guests began to arrive.  Jamie could hear their tires crunch on the gravel and headed down to meet them.  A steady stream of mourners came and Jamie was quite surprised by the number.  He did notice that most of the people had at least a portion of Fae blood in them but could more or less pass as human.  Jamie supposed it made sense that these were the people who would know the Keeper of the Crossroad’s best. 

No one commenter on the fact that the world still seemed dusted with diamonds and lined with silver. He wondered if he was the only one who could see it. Jamie was surprised to see Erin the bank teller among the crowd. He had thought of her as pixie like when he had first seen her.  Now with the abilities of the keeper, he could see that she had a smattering of pixie blood running through her veins. Jamie shook his head and did his best to serve as the gracious host.  The few folks that looked to be fully human were either a part of Jim’s family or were married to those who had a mixing of Fae blood. As the two hours the gravediggers had requested passed and Jamie started to lead the group into the woods, Bella and Michael arrived. 

Bella pursed her lips and frowned at the crowd as she slid out of her car.  Michael followed and Jamie thought that he looked as though he had a slight fever.  Even at a distance, his skin looked pale and sickly.  Jamie did not stop to speak to them, rather he continued leading the group into the woods.  At the cemetery, everyone fanned out to form a circle around the new headstone.  Jamie was pleased to see that the grave had been dug and a tan canvas tarp had been placed over the mound of dirt waiting to be piled over the coffin.  Jamie noticed that the coffin was held over the hole by three boards laid across the grave.  He could see where ropes were discretely tucked under the casket as well.  He could easily imagine the boards being removed and the ropes lowering the casket down.

“We are all gathered here today to say goodbye to our dear friend Albrect Fulton,” The minister began.  Jamie noted absently that the minister bore a striking resemblance to the High Talbot. As he spoke generic words of praise for Albe’s long life, Jamie wondered if any of the gathered knew how much Albe had accomplished in his long tenure as Keeper of the Crossroads. Jamie had started to skim through the volumes containing Albe’s thoughts and experiences while waiting for the Lune Merdos.  After barely surviving his first week, Jamie had marveled at his length survival.

The simple words continued, but not long.  At the house people would share more personal memories of Albe. The short formal service wound to a close and Jamie bend to place the flower he carried on top of Albe’s casket.  He stepped away as others began to place their offerings on his grave.  He stood to the side as the line of mourners passed him, heading back to the house for warmth and refreshments.  Neither Bella nor Michael placed a flower.  Jamie noted that the two grave diggers were standing in the shadows.  They remained there after the mourners had filed away and Jamie was left in the clearing.

“I’ll do my best, Albe,” Jamie said in lieu of a farewell, knowing Albe would have appreciated that more than goodbye. Jamie turned and walked back to the house as the gravediggers came out of the shadows and began to lower the casket into the ground.  Jamie emerged from the woods to see Bella and Michael driving away.  Apparently they did not see the need to join the other mourners for refreshments.  Jamie shook his head and continued on to the house.

Keeper: Chapter 50 and request.

If anyone has any problem viewing this post can you let me know?  Someone commented they were missing various sentences and I want to see if it is a common problem.  I'll try messing with the format over the weekend to see if it can be fixed or not.  Thanks v.

Oh and BTW, Rabbit is now available on smashwords for those of you interested. v

Chapter 50

Jamie spent the time before the Lune Merdos holed up in the house.  He knew that word had spread regarding his decision but felt it was safer to keep a low profile in case the decision upset anyone. Well anyone who might retaliate. He made a conscious decision to not think about his family or the faux goblins until after Albe’s funeral. Thankfully, no one tried to force themselves against house’s defenses and things remained pretty quiet.  Del happily perused cookbooks and seemed to be planning an elaborate funeral feast for Albe.  Jamie only hoped that enough people showed up to eat it.

Instead of dwelling on the many mysteries surrounding him, Jamie began working on the inventory during the day, picking up where he had left off and grabbing books at random from the library to read at night.  He felt he had earned himself a little breather.

In his studies, Jamie found out that it once was more common for Keepers to speak and that there was something called a visilore that enabled them to do so.  A few more days with the inventory and Jamie found that the visilore gifted to this Keeper’s household had been stashed on the hidden floor.  A few more days of searching and Jamie managed to find the visilore and haul it to the living room. It resembled a full length mirror but shimmered oddly as if instead of silvering a rainbow hued oil had been suspended inside it.  Unfortunately no matter how closely he followed the instructions, Jamie was unable to get it to work. After each try he was left with a somewhat colorful and slightly blurry view of himself staring into the mirror as though he were Snow White’s evil step mother.  Jamie resisted the urge to ask after the fairest in the land. He instead put it to the side and looked for more information.

The morning of the Lune Merdos dawned bright and cold. The air had a snap in it and Jamie could see his breath puff out in a cloud around him.  The air had a weighty feel to it and Jamie felt like insects were crawling on his skin.  Jamie stepped out onto the front porch and looked out towards the road that led to the Lustan.

“Don’t even think about it,” Del said as he joined Jamie, handing him a large cup of steaming coffee.  Jamie smiled.

“I wasn’t really,” Jamie said.  “I was just wondering if anyone was going to try to sneak over to the Lustan and try the ritual despite being told not to.”

“Wouldn’t do them much good if they tried,” Del said with a snort. “Without permission the magic would turn back on them as a powerful and dangerous force.”

“They might consider it worth a try.”  Jamie personally had misgivings on the bounce back theory.  The air seemed to grow thick around them and Jamie saw the hairs on his arm stand up. Del also seemed nervous and together they watched the road.  The sky was dark and Jamie began to wonder if it was going to rain. With the temperatures where they were, he was pretty sure the rain would have ice around the edges.

In the distance they saw a glow.  It seemed to rise from the ground and grow steadily brighter as they watched.

“Is that the signal for the Lune Merdos?” Jamie asked.

“Not a clue,” Del replied as the light began to pulse.  The strange pulsing light continued through the day and both Jamie and Del found themselves watching the horizon in fascination. The sky grew darker as evening began to fall and Jamie was not sure if the light got brighter or if nightfall made it seem to have more of a contrast.  They watched the pulsing light and all of a sudden Jamie was startled to realize that it looked as though it was coming closer.

“Um, Del?” Jamie said, a little nervously. 

“I think we might want to be going inside now,” Del replied.  Jamie wondered what would happen if the house was destroyed with him in it. The light raced towards them, filling the landscape and obliterating any sign of anything else. Even the outlines of the trees disappeared.  It was as though someone had erased the world, leaving behind only a blank sheet of paper. Del tugged the door to the house open and Jamie started backing towards the open door, unable to take his eyes from the light even though it’s brightness made his eyes tear up.  The light came to a sudden stop as though it were a wave hitting a wall.

“Del look,” Jamie said his voice a whisper. Del turned and they watched as another wave of light rolled forward and slammed into the same barrier.

“Is that House’s defenses?” Jamie asked.  Del shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he said slowly.  Jamie noticed that he too was whispering as though afraid to disturb what was happening. “The defense line was even with those trees there and there.”  Del pointed to the trees and Jamie nodded, remembering walking the line of Houses defenses.

“Then what...” Jamie started.

“I think that’s the line where the crossroads start,” Del said. His whisper held a tone of awe. “I think the crazy bastards tried the rite.”  The two of them watched as wave after wave of light crashed into the crossroads. As time passed the light began to crackle and turn red.  Each wave left a layer or two behind, like sand washed onto a beach from the incoming tide.  The layers left behind got deeper and deeper.  As Jamie and Del watched they began to accumulate at a faster rate than the waves came. Jamie remembered one of Albe’s lessons telling him the threefold rule of magic.  Jamie squinted at the light and as he watched the white wave of light left behind a glow.  The glow then increased before the next wave hit.  He thought it might have grown by a factor of three but wasn’t sure.

“I think the light is coming slower,” Jamie said finally after studying the phenomenon for a while.

“I think you might be right,” Del replied. The both waited, wondering what would happen next.  The left over light glowed a deep red color and as the yellow waves of light slowed and then stopped, the red seemed to grow brighter and to pulse like a beating heart.  The glow began to die in the distance and all that was left was the red.  It pulsed in the darkness for a few minutes and seemed to grow three times larger.  With a burst of energy that Jamie felt rather than heard the glowing red light shot off into the darkness towards the Lustan.

“Was that the crossroads fighting back?” Jamie asked.

“I think it might have been.”  They waited in the quiet. It was completely silent and Jamie felt as though he had gone deaf.  All he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. Slowly normal night noises began to occur and Jamie heard the last of the season’s crickets chirping in the grass. He let out a shaky breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“What would you say to an early morning visit to the Lustan,” Jamie asked.

“I think you’d be hard pressed to leave me behind,” Del replied.

“Good,” he told the smaller man.  The two of them stepped into the house and closed the door against the night. As they settled in for the night, Jamie wondered what they would find at the Lustan in the morning.

Keeper Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Jamie and Del walked back to the house, each lost in his own thoughts.  When they approached the house, Jamie noticed that he had some of Michael’s blood on his shirt.  Comments about Michael not being his brother flashed through his mind and Jamie decided to keep the shirt safe just in case he ever needed to get the blood tested.  At the house Jamie went to the kitchen, took out a large zip lock bag and took off his t-shirt.  Del watched with amusement as Jamie stuffed the t-shirt into the bag and then zipped it.

“It has Michael’s blood on it,” Jamie explained.  “I figure in case we need to test it...” Jamie trailed off as he wondered if there would be anything in Michael’s blood from the woods.

“That’s not a bad thought,” Del said pouring them each a cup of tea. Jamie sat in one of the chairs and sighed tiredly.

“You know, there was a time not long ago when I didn’t need to think of blood samples or of what lab wouldn’t mind if fae contamination was part of the sample.”

“True,” Del said. Jamie rubbed his hand over his eyes, feeling the sleepless night settle in on him. They drank their tea.

“Do you have any guesses as to what’s going on?” Jamie asked.

“There is a thought but it isn’t a nice one,” Del responded.  Jamie looked at him.

“Well,” Del continued.  “If something did infect Michael when he was out here and got bitten, It might be calling him back.” Jamie thought about it and was chilled by the potential implications.

“He didn’t say what his latest plan was,” Jamie said slowly.  “He could have just been too shook up to mention it or he never really had one and just thought that’s why he wanted to come out here.” They finished their tea in silence and Jamie wondered if there was something in the woods calling for his brother.

“Damn,” he said finally.

“You aren’t really going to get much done until you get some sleep,” Del said.

“True but I might have a look at the surveillance footage before I go to bed. Who knows, maybe the sight of a    real monster will banish all of the imaginary ones that would give me nightmares.” Del snorted but followed when Jamie went to look at the video footage.  Jamie could tell he was curious and not a little bit nervous as Jamie rewound the tapes and found the right section. 

In silence they watched Renee’s car arrive.  Renee and Michael got out and Michael seemed agitated and angry.  He grabbed the gate and tugged it a few times, trying to rip the lock from the gate with his bare hands.

“That doesn’t look right,” Del said.  Jamie nodded in agreement.  This did not seem like typical Michael behavior.  If he hadn’t known better he would have sworn Michael was jacked up on some sort of drug. Renee seemed to have her doubts as well.  She walked over and put her hand on Michael’s shoulder.  She said something to them and Jamie wished there was audio on the cameras.  Whatever she said seemed to enrage Michael further and Del sucked in air through his teeth with a hiss as Michael reached back and backhanded Renee.  She fell against the hood of the car and Michael hauled her to her feet by her hair.

“Son of a bitch,” Jamie said.  Del nodded as Michael hauled Renee to the gate and forced her to climb over.  Michael followed and the two of them moved out of camera range.  There was nothing on screen after that, just the car waiting as they had found it the morning after.

“He seemed rather ...excited,” Del ventured.

“He looked hopped up on something,” Jamie replied.  “He gets angry and yells but he is always convinced that eventually he can talk you out of anything so he never loses it like that.” Jamie shook his head and stepped away from the monitors as the phone began to ring.  Jamie answered it.

“Jim hi,” he said, hoping that yet another disaster had not occurred.

“Jamie,” I got word this morning that I was to arrange things for the funeral, you know talking to the funeral home about the special circumstances and getting the coffin and headstone ordered.”

“Right,” Jamie said thinking fast.  The term special circumstances caught him at first and then he realized that as Albe looked like a 2000 year old mummy, sans wrappings, someone well versed in the outré would be useful. “Is there a separate funeral home?” he wondered out loud.  Jim laughed.

“Of course,” Jim said.  “Just like there are special lawyers.”   

“Makes sense I suppose,” Jamie told him. Jamie relayed the details of his plans to hold the funeral in the small cemetery the morning after the Lune Merdos and asked Jim to spread the word on the off chance anyone else would want to come. After settling the details, Jamie decided he ought to be the one to tell Bella and he dialed her number before he could put it off.

“So, finally decided to call,” his mother snapped when she answered, proving she had checked the caller ID.

“I called to tell you that Albe’s funeral will be on November 3^rd in the small cemetery out here.  We will have a small service and then some food and drinks at the house.  A few of his friends will be stopping by and I wanted you to know you are welcome to attend.”

“Well that is mighty gracious of you,” she said in a cloyingly sweet voice.  “I’ll be sure to clear my social calendar.”

“If you want to bring Michael, let him know,” Jamie said with a sigh, too tired to rise to the bait.

“Did you have a fight with your brother?” Bella asked.  “He’s only trying to do what is best for this family.”

“Is he really my brother?” Jamie asked, the question slipping out before  he realized he was going to ask. On the other end of the phone Bella sputtered indignantly.

“That’s what this is about isn’t it?” She finally demanded.  “That old man left you a letter or something telling you were weren’t your real family and now you think you can just cut us off.  Well you were just a baby when I married your father and I took care of you even after he died.  I could have sent you to live with that crazy old man out there in the woods but no, I raised you as if you were my own, with only a pittance sent my way for your upkeep, and I will not be cut out of my share. Do you hear me?”

“I hear you,” Jamie replied softly. Bella continues on her tirade of how she was short changed but Jamie had the gist of the situation.  Bella was not his mother and Michael was not his brother.  Jamie wondered who his mother was. He hung up on Bella mid rant and tucked the phone into his back pocket.

“I think I’m going to go take a nap,” Jamie told Del.

“Sounds like a good plan.  Did I hear you say we’d be having folks up to the house after the funeral?”

“Yes,” Jamie said.  “If it’s too much trouble I can order something...”

“No trouble,” Del told him, cutting him off mid sentence.  The small man seemed excited by the prospect of company. Jamie left him planning his menu and wandered back up to his room, head full of unknowns and odd situations, he never expected to fall asleep.  To his surprise, sleep pulled him down quickly.

Preview of upcoming book

I've just created a preview of an upcoming book release.  The book is called Rabbit and it is the first in a series of four Fantasy novels. The book is available on Kindle at the moment but will also be available as a paperback in a few weeks.  Please click the link below and let me know what you think of the preview.  Thanks.  v.

https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1093950

Keeper: Chapter 48

Chapter 48.

The inspection was more difficult than Jamie thought.  In his mind he pictured dozen’s of crumpled bodies lining the perimeter of House’s protection.  He also somehow suspected there would be a line on the ground marking the edge of House’s perimeter.

“House said the perimeter extended to the tree line on this side,” Jamie told Del as the two of them tromped through the yard.  “I don’t see anything. There ought to be something if people kept throwing themselves against the perimeter all night.”  Dimly Jamie wondered if House had been mistaken and had some sort of glitch in the system.

“I think I might have found something,” Del said.  Jamie walked over to where the smaller man stood looking at the ground. He looked down and for a moment saw nothing.  Then a gust of wind stirred the leaves and something more along the ground.

“Is that dust?” Jamie asked.  Del shook his head.

“Ash,” he confirmed. “Apparently your House is quite thorough.” Jamie stared at the shifting ash on the ground.  He kept his eyes focused on the ground but shifted his line of sight to look along the tree line.  Now that he knew what to look for, he couldn’t stop seeing small piles of ash.  The wind was stirring the ashes, but Jamie noticed that no matter what direction the wind blew, none of the ashes crossed the perimeter.

“Even in death they are denied entry,” Jamie said softly.

“That would keep even death magic out I expect,” Del commented.

“Death magic?”

“Just scary stories from what I know,” Del said with a shrug.  “Never saw anyone use it but if it isn’t just something to scare children with then it seems like a good thing to keep out.”

“Oh,” Jamie replied, not quite sure how to comment. A soft rustling sound in the trees distracted him and Jamie focused his attention on the underbrush rather than on the accumulated ash. He wondered if it was the wind.  Del grabbed his arm, the small fingers feeling like bands of iron.

“Whatever it is,” Del said softly, in a voice barely above a whisper. “Make it cross the perimeter first if it is able.”  Jamie nodded at the wisdom of that thought and took a large step away from the perimeter and towards the house.  Del nodded his approval and stepped back as well. The rustling sound came again.

“Hello,” Jamie called.  “Is anyone out there?”

The rustling stopped and they heard a tentative, “Jamie?” called out.  Jamie frowned.  The voice sounded familiar.

“Michael?” He asked.  The rustling sounds increased and Jamie saw a hand reach out to part the underbrush.  Slowly, his brother crawled forward into the open.  He crossed the perimeter with no problems and Jamie helped him to stand.  Del still eyed Michael warily as he regained his feet.  Michael looked much worse for wear than Jamie had ever seen him.  His hands and arms were scratched and dirt was imbedded in his fingernails so that they looked like little black crescents above his fingers. There were scratches along his face as well and it looked as though his nose had been bleeding.  To Jamie’s eyes it didn’t look broken, just bloody. The biggest change in Michael was his eyes.  They were wide and frightened and darted around as though looking for an attack.

“Michael, what happened?” Jamie asked.

“Where am I?” Michael asked.  His fingers bunched in Jamie’s shirt. “Where,” he repeated, a trace of the old Michael’s demanding tone coming back.

“You are at Albe’s place,” Jamie told him. “Were you trying to break into the house?”

“Albe’s place?” Michael repeated.  “How did I get here? I was with Renee. Did she bring me here?”

“I don’t know,” Jamie said frowning.  He let his eyes scan the underbrush, wondering if Renee, his brother’s sometime girlfriend, was somewhere in the woods as well. “We can call her house and see if she knows how you got here,” Jamie suggested. ‘Of course if she doesn’t answer we will have to search the woods.’ He avoided looking at the piles of ash.

“Do you have your cell phone?” Jamie asked Michael. Michael fumbled his phone from his pocket and Jamie could see that his index finger was swollen and might be broken.  Jamie looked to Del, who had noticed the finger as well.

“Might as well get that looked at while you give the girl a call,” Del said a little reluctantly. Jamie nodded and got Michael to let go of the front of his shirt and move to where Del could inspect him. Jamie pulled Renee’s number from Michael’s contacts list and pressed the call button.  The phone rang. Tinny music came from the underbrush.  It was not in the same place Michael had crawled from, but off about twenty yards to the right. Jamie started to step forward.

“No,” Del said.  Jamie stopped, looked at Del and nodded.  Del stepped forward, crossing the perimeter and entering the underbrush.  Jamie let the phone ring.

“Found her,” Del called.  Slowly he escorted a small brown haired woman out of the trees.  She looked nearly as scratched up as Michael and had a bruise coming out on her left temple. Del was muttering the sort of nonsensical comforting comments one normally said to those in shock. Jamie noticed however that when they approached the perimeter, Del let her go and had her walk across the line on her own.  Apparently House deemed her safe.  Once across the line, Del once again began escorting her.  Jamie put a hand on Michael’s elbow and Jamie and Del guided the two unexpected guests towards the house.

‘This should be interesting,’ he thought. He didn’t know if their condition was due to their other late night visitors or House’s protection.  Jamie brought them into the house, leading them into the kitchen rather than either of the parlors.  Once seated at the table, Del began seeing to their various cuts and bruises, cleaning out the dirt and bandaging when necessary.  Both looked wide eyed and somewhat shocky.  Jamie stepped back into the hallway, shutting the door to the kitchen so that he couldn’t be heard.  Somehow he didn’t think adding someone who talked to a house into the mix would help either of his visitor’s mental state.

“House,” Jamie asked. “Did the two of them come in contact with the perimeter last night?”

“No Keeper they did not come in contact with my perimeter last night.” Came the reply.  Jamie paused.

“Did they come in contact with the perimeter anytime prior to when Del and I found them?” Jamie asked, figuring they might have reached the border in the early morning.

“No Keeper.”

“Good,” he said.  “Do you know anything about them being here?”

“No Keeper,” House replied.  “They were not within my sight so I could not see them.”

“Well that rules out Michael trying to break in.” Jamie said half to himself.  He wondered if the Brotherhood of Shadows had something to do with their condition.  “After all it seems highly suspicious for everyone to be running around last night in roughly the same area without running into each other.” 

“Thank you House,” Jamie said and he opened the door, stepping back into the kitchen.  Both his brother and Renee were cleaned up with smears of antiseptic goo covering various cuts and scrapes.  Del was bandaging Michael’s finger as Jamie stepped back into the room.

“The finger’s broken,” Del said, both to Michael and Jamie.  “But it is a clean break.  Keep it straight and it will heal that way.” The kettle Del had put on began to whistle and as Jamie slid into one of the empty kitchen chairs, Del moved to make the tea.  Both Michael and Renee started at the sound of the kettle.  The sighed with relief when they saw what it was.

“So is there anything you can tell me about last night?” Jamie said. 

“It a blur,” Renee said softly. ‘I don’t...I...” Jamie covered her hand with his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Do you remember how you got out here?” He asked softly.

“I...drove, I think,” Renee said.

“You think or you know?” Jamie asked.  “Do you remember driving?”

Renee closed her eyes as though trying to picture it.  “Yes,” she said.  “I drove.  We were at the bar, The Silver Star,” Renee began.  Jamie nodded, knowing that Renee worked there at least part time. “I was working,” Renee continued and Michael came in.  He said he had figured out a way to make you sell the land but that he needed my help.  So after my shift was over I drove us out here because he didn’t want to bring his car for some reason.”

“I see,” Jamie said.  He tried not to get angry about whatever his brother’s latest attempt to get Albe’s property was.  Del settled the mugs of tea in front of the two people.  Jamie noticed that the mug set down in front of Michael was set down rather forcefully and Del’s lips were compressed in a thin line. He kept his own council however and said nothing.

“Do you remember what happened next?” Jamie asked, keeping his voice calm and deliberately not looking at Michael.

“We had a fight,” Renee said.  Her hand fluttered towards her bruised temple almost without thought.  “I think...” She started to trail off.  Del placed the honey pot gently in front of her and she added a spoonful of honey to her tea.  Michael started to reach for the honey, but the look on Del’s face stopped him cold.  Michael’s hand retreated and he picked up his mug, taking a sip of the hot, unsweetened beverage.

“I think we had stopped at the gate,” Renee continued. “But everything is vague.  I remember getting out of the car, but nothing solid after that, you know?”

“I know,” Jamie said softly to her.  She wrapped both of her hands around the mug and brought the mug up to her mouth. She inhaled the scent of the tea deeply before taking a tentative sip.  Jamie turned towards Michael.

“Well,” he said, not nearly as gentle as he had been with Renee. “What do you remember?”

“I remember wanting to come out and see you,” Michael said.  “After all you have been holed up here all week doing god knows what and I was concerned, what brother wouldn’t be?” Michael began, regaining some of his normal tones.  Apparently the shock was wearing off.

“And?”

“And,” Michael repeated sarcastically. “I figured since you had not been very polite last time, you might feel more hospitable if I brought Renee with me. Her being company and all.”

“So she drove you here and you parked at the gate?” Jamie asked, ignoring the side commentary.

“Yes,” Michael said.  “And we got out because that gate of yours is always locked. Really Jamie, how are you going to have any friends if you lock yourself away out here and then bar the only entrance?”

“So you jumped the gate?” Jamie asked, trying to keep Michael on track. He made a mental note to check the video surveillance footage of the gate as soon as Michael left. He didn’t feel the need to alert his brother about the gate being under surveillance, especially if Jim decided he wanted to take Michael to court for the damages to his car.

“You don’t need to make it sound so nefarious,” Michael snapped.

“What happened next?” Jamie asked.

“Next,” Michael began.  “Next...,” his voice faltered and Michael frowned.

“You can’t remember?” Jamie asked.

“Of course I remember,” Michael said.  “I must have run into a tree or something because there are no lights out there at all, I could sue for that you know, I got knocked out by a tree because you didn’t properly light your driveway.”

“Do you remember running into the tree?” Jamie asked.

“Who remembers getting knocked out by a tree,” Michael said dismissively. “Don’t be stupid.”

“You weren’t found anywhere near the gate,” Jamie said.

“So I walked in my sleep,” Michael shot back.  “I was having nightmares.”  Fear flickered across his face for an instant.

“What sort of nightmares?” Jamie asked.

“That’s none of your business,” Michael snapped, his fear edging into anger. Jamie knew that if he pushed, he would get nothing more.

“Renee wasn’t too far from you.”

“So she followed me,” Michael said.  “Unlike you, I have people who care about me.”  Michael stretched a hand across the table towards Renee.  She stared at it for a moment but kept her hands wrapped around the mug.  Michael cleared his throat and pulled his hand back.

“Clearly that’s what happened.” Michael pronounced.

“Did she get knocked out by a tree too?” Del asked dryly. Michael frowned but did not bother to answer.

“Is that everything?” Jamie asked.

“Yes now I think it is time we go,” Michael said standing.  “You will of course hear from my lawyers unless you want to make a financial settlement out of court. I’ll give you a few days to think it over.  Come Renee.”  Renee stood slowly, placing the mug back down on the table.

“Do you still have your keys?” Jamie asked her. She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and extracted the keys with a jangle. “Then we will walk you back to the gate.”  Renee seemed relieved by the offer.

“Thank you,” she said softly. Michael also looked somewhat relieved by the offer.

“If you feel it necessary,” he said.  Del led the way back towards the front door and the group of them trouped off to the front gate.  It was a quiet march, with Michael somewhat sullen and Renee listening nervously to the sounds in the woods.  They reached the gate and found Renee’s car parked just where she thought they had left it.  She quickly unlocked her door and got in, locking her door behind her.  She started the engine and Michael had to scramble to get into the passenger’s side before she took off and left him.  Del and Jamie watched the car recede into the distance.

“How much do you want to be those dreams weren’t exactly dreams,” Jamie asked Del.

“That’s a sucker’s bet,” Del told him with a rather grim smile.

“True,” Jamie admitted as they turned and began walking back towards the house. “Do you know of anything that could affect their memories like that?”

“Not personally, no,” Del said.  “But I might know someone I could ask.”

“I think asking might be a good idea,” Jamie said softly.  Even without Michael’s sham of a lawsuit he had the feeling whatever this was would not fade away anytime soon.