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.