Keeper 2: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

At Del’s insistence, Jamie smeared antibacterial ointment on the worst of his scratches before heading upstairs. In no mood to read, Jamie took a long hot shower.  Afterwards he felt guilty about the shower washing off the ointment Del had insisted upon and reapplied it. As he dried his hair with the towel, Jamie thought about Michael.

At Albe’s funeral he had looked tired and drawn. “Like he was just coming out of a long illness,” he muttered as he hung his damp towel up to dry. Tonight there had been little light but Michael had looked to Jamie’s eyes at least, less drawn and ill and more manic.

“And he was looking for something or someone,” Jamie reminded himself.  He replayed the details over in a continuous loop as he prepared for bed and slipped between the sheets. “I think it might have been a something rather than a someone,” he decided as he closed his eyes. As he started to drift off, he wondered if anything in his dreams would help him.

Jamie awoke to a watery sort of light. He glanced at the clock and realized he had slept through the night without dreaming. He sighed as he sat up. “Perhaps my meeting with the queen will be more fruitful,” he muttered.  Jamie rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and chuckled a little at the absurdity of his taking tea with any sort of queen.

“Well maybe a drag queen,” he thought remembering his friend Charlie who now did a stage show in a club in Denerton. “Although I don’t know if he drinks tea.” Figuring he would be meeting with Levas and then leaving directly for town, Jamie decided to get dressed. Instead of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt however, he slipped on dress slacks and a white oxford shirt.  He looked out of the window and shivered as he heard the morning’s rain hit the window glass.  It sounded like it had ice around the edges.

“Won’t that be fun,” Jamie thought, wishing he hadn’t agreed to leave his nice warm house. He pulled one of the dark gray sweaters that had magically appeared in his dresser out of the drawer and slipped it on over his shirt.  He looked in the mirror and though he looked presentable enough.  When he joined Del in the kitchen for breakfast, the brownie smiled at his outfit but said nothing.

At quarter past eight Hose informed him that Levas had arrived on the porch. Del smiled as Jamie glanced at the clock.

“Mid-morning for a tomte,” Del said with a laugh as he went to let Levas in. Jamie listened to the thumping arrival and heard voices as Del escorted Levas into the parlor.  When Del returned to the kitchen to prepare a tea tray, Jamie left and went to join his visitor in the parlor. In the hallway he saw a blue-gray rain slicker and matching hat had been hung up to dry.  Below them were placed a set of rain boots.  They were the kind meant to fit over a set of shoes so Jamie didn’t think his visitor was wondering around in his socks.

“Although that would be appropriate here,” he thought.

Jamie walked into the parlor and found the tomte staring out of the window at the icy rain. “Good morning,” Jamie said. The tomte turned and Jamie found himself somewhat surprised that he looked exactly like his picture in Alexander’s Field Guide.

“Good morning Keeper,” the tomte replied. Jamie indicated the chairs and walked over to one of them while Levas took the other. The tomte was slightly shorter than tell but seemed a little stockier.  While he wore plain gray brown work clothes, they looked as though they had been cleaned and pressed for this meeting.

“My apologies for not inviting you sooner,” Jamie began. “I saw the card when I arrived however things were a bit unsettled at the time.”

The tomte chuckled and settled himself in the chair as Del wheeled the tea cart into the room. “No offense taken Keeper. That was a nasty bit of business to get through.” There was a short but comfortable silence as they each fixed a cup of tea.  Levas picked up one of the oatmeal cookies from the offered trays and sniffed it before crunching into the morsel.  In three quick bites it was gone.

“Now, is there anything I can help you with?” Jamie asked. Somehow he didn’t think the tomte had shown up just for a cookie and a chat.

“Direct, I like that,” Levas said.  He took a deep sip of his tea to wash down the cookie. “I don’t know how much you know about me,” he began.  “But a while ago I spent some time here.”

Jamie nodded. “During alexander Fulton’s tenure as Keeper I believe?” He replied.

Levas lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “That is correct. I know it will take a while to get back up to full working order here, and truth be told you won’t need everything up and running right away.  It will take a little time before it gets to that point, however it will soon be more than your housekeeper, good as he no doubt is, can handle alone. Additionally, if things are set into motion now so when you need them they will be here.”

The little man pause and took a sip of his tea while Jamie tried to puzzle meaning from the words.

“Now, as I helped set things up before, I figured I’d offer my services to you in setting them up again.” Levas nodded as though punctuating his thought.

“You are offering to help reestablish this as a working farm?” Jamie asked, making certain that he was interpreting the tomte’s comments correctly.

“Not a full one, at least not at first. The orchards are in good repair and you have no need of commercial crops. However the barn and such will need repairing before they can be used. I’m sure the dairy will need work as well.”

“That sounds like an awful lot of work,” Jamie said hesitantly.

“Hard work never hurt anyone,” Levas told him with a grin. “Besides, you’ll be needing it. Things will be getting quite busy around here. Best to get the heavy work done before then,” He tapped the side of his nose and then drained the last of his tea.

“This is true,” Jamie said. He wondered if Levas was trying to escape the political upheaval on the other side of the crossroads. He thought of the half tumbled down barn that seemed to loom at the edge of the woods. “And they do need repair,” he continued.  Jamie thought of the ad hoc lab that had been set up in one of the out buildings.  If the buildings were repaired, they could be secured and no longer used as experimental laboratories. The thought decided him.

“I think that is an excellent idea,” Jamie said, noticing the slight easing of tension in Levas’ shoulders. “Although I do need to warn you, there might be some un pleasant surprises.”  Levas frowned as Jamie told him of the chemical vat he and Del had found.

“Nasty business,” Levas said. “I’ll be sure to let you know if I come upon anything like that.  We certainly can’t have that type of thing around.  Especially not with the children.”

“Children?” Jamie repeated. Levas tapped his nose again and winked at Jamie.

“No time like the present to get started,” Levas told him.  Jamie glanced out of the window. He thought there might be snow mixed in with what he was now certain was sleet and not rain.

“Why don’t you meet with Del and let him help you get settled first,” Jamie suggested.  “I think today might be a planning in the kitchen over tea kind of day rather than a work outside one.”

 

“I suppose I could wait to survey the current conditions when the light is better,” Levas told him.  The tomte stood up and nodded to Jamie. “I’ll just take this back to the kitchen and have a chat with your housekeeper then.” Before Jamie could say anything the little man trotted out of the parlor, pushing the tea trolley ahead of him.

“I wonder how much busier he thinks it’s going to get around her,” Jamie thought shaking his head and wondering if tomtes could see into the future.  “Children?” he repeated to himself. “First the wall and now the tomte.” He drank the last of his tea and stood, planning to drop the cup off in the kitchen before leaving for town. “As long as House doesn’t start signing me up for a dating service I should be fine,” he decided.

Book out

My latest novel, Miss Chrissy's Cooking School for Young Ladies is out on both Amazon and Smashwords. Finally! It is a straight up general fiction novel that oddly enough contains no young ladies. The urge to add zombies and ghosts was strong but I managed to resist. I probably won't be doing that again any time soon.  But now that it is done, next week will see a return to a normal schedule.  Thanks everyone for your patience. Links are pasted below for anyone interested.  Now I will do the happy dance of the completed novel.  Please turn away. val

http://www.amazon.com/Chrissys-Cooking-School-Young-Ladies-ebook/dp/B00GUW0LQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385237876&sr=8-1&keywords=Valerie+Gaumont+Miss+Chrissy

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/380710

Keeper 2: Chapte 10

Tying to do final edits on a manuscript right now so things may be a little off schedule for the next couple of weeks.  I'll still attempt two posts a week, just no clue what days. v

Chapter 10

Jamie found himself unable to settle. He tried reading more about human magic.  He felt his mind drifting and picked up a book that dealt primarily with the role of the Keepers of the Crossroads.  While the information was interesting and gave him a great deal of insight into how the system was supposed to function, nothing was mentioned about the fall of a Keeper’s House.  It was with a great deal of relief that Jamie realized it was close to dinner time and he gratefully stepped away from the books.

“I’ll have to let Del know about tomorrow’s schedule anyway,” he consoled himself as he realized he was going to have quite a busy day. He wiggled his socked feet. “I may even have to wear shoes all day long.”

Jamie made his way down to the kitchen and Del lifted an eyebrow in surprise at his arrival. “You’re down early,” Del commented as he stirred a pot.

“I needed a break and wanted to talk to you about tomorrow,” Jamie replied, keeping his primary concerns to himself.

“And what is tomorrow?” Del asked.

“Well I start off with a meeting with a tomte named Levas,” Jamie began.  “He said mid morning.”

Del chuckled.  “If he is like every other tomte I’ve met mid morning means he will be here no later than nine, possibly eight thirty.”

“Really?” Jamie said startled. He had envisioned racing from his meeting with Levas to his lunch with Jim.

“Tomtes tend to be up just before the dawn and go to bed just before dusk,” Del explained.  “They dislike changing their schedule and think that eight or nine in the morning qualifies as late enough.”

“Well in my case it actually works out better,” Jamie said.  “I’m supposed to meet Jim for lunch in town to discuss a few things.”

“So you won’t be here for lunch then?” Del asked. His eyes narrowed.  “You aren’t going to get one of those frozen things you had stashed in the freezer when I got here are you?”

Jamie smiled remembering Del’s horror after reading the nutrition labels of his emergency frozen dinners. “No we will be eating real food,” he assured the suspicious brownie. “After which I will be returning here to have my meeting with Queen Genevia.” Jamie thought of the one actual suit he had bothered to bring with him when moving to Albe’s house. “I suppose I’ll have to change.”

“That would be advisable,” Del said with a snort of laughter. “Fairies have very sensitive dispositions.”

“Well the only ones I’ve dealt with have been either bringing me a message at night or trying to kidnap me,” Jamie thought about it a moment. “Oh and there was one when Albe was training me who tried to poke my eyes out with a toothpick sized sword. How bad could tea be?”

Del smiled.  “You might prefer the sword after tomorrow’s tea,” Del warned.  He began dishing out a tick rich stew into bowls and after placing them on the table pulled several small loaves of freshly baked bread from the oven. As always, Jamie found his mouth watering as he inhaled the scents of Del’s cooking.  As most anything Jamie attempted to cook came prepackaged and involved the microwave to make presentable, Jamie didn’t know if Del’s cooking was the result of culinary skill or brownie magic. After the first few bites he decided it didn’t really matter.  He would just be thankful that Del had agreed to stay on after realizing that a Keeper’s House was not exactly the most quiet of environs.

Once fed Jamie returned to the study determined to focus on one topic and possibly actually find an answer to one of his questions. “I just have to pick the right question,” he decided as he looked over his now expanded list of bullet pointed problems. Most of them had either reached the point where he needed information from others or had taken on a maze like quality. Somehow it seemed like more than just a few days since Albe’s funeral.  After all how could his nice neat lists become so tangled in such a short span of time. As he sat contemplating his list, a beeping sound began to emanate from his desk drawer.

“What the…” He opened his drawer hoping that no one had managed to plant some sort of bomb in his desk during dinner. Instead of a bomb, he found a small plastic box with a red light blinking on and off in time to the beeping coming from within.  He stared at it a moment before he realized what it was.

“The gate alarm,” he said, jumping from his chair.  Jamie grabbed his discarded sneakers and jammed his feet into them as he hop-stepped towards the door. He had them mostly on and tied as he reached the stair case.  He reached the main floor and grabbed his jacket from the coat hook in the kitchen.

“What’s going on now?” Del asked, stepping into the doorway leading from the kitchen to his personal quarters.

“Gate alarm, I think it’s Michael,” Jamie told him. Del nodded grimly and grabbed his own coat from the hook.

“You weren’t thinking of going alone were you?” he asked, the question coming off as more of a statement.

Jamie smiled, pleased to have Del along.  “Of course not, that would be foolish.”  The two of them slipped out of the kitchen door and keeping to the edge of the long drive so as not to stand out in the open space, they made their way to the gate as quickly as possible.

When they arrived at the gate, Michael’s car was parked on the other side.  There was no sign of Michael. Jamie scanned the area while Del bent down to study the earth. As the brownie motioned him to follow, Jamie wondered how he had managed to pick up any sign of a trail in the dark.  The two moved quietly through the woods.  Even though Jamie had learned wood’s craft from Albe and had spent countless hours learning how to move silently through the forest, beside Del he felt like a rampaging elephant. The little man moved as silently as a shadow and Jamie was certain that the winter bare bushes that snagged his clothes and scratched his skin parted to allow Del passage.

Luckily the noise Jamie produced didn’t matter much.  After a few minutes of travel, they could hear someone blundering around with no care to keep quiet. They edged closer and Del motioned him to stop.  As they stood still Jamie heard a voice muttering.  He easily recognized it as Michael and frowned as he listened.

“I know you’re here, you have to be here. Where else would you be?  There is no place else for you to be, you have to be here,” the muttered ranting continued and it was clear that Michael was searching for something. Michael stumbled in widening circles, meandering back and forth, each moment he could not find what he was searching for making him more frantic. His mutterings were beginning to sound like pleas and finally Jamie couldn’t take it anymore.  He knew that there was no one coming to join Michael. Jamie tapped Del on the shoulder and straightened out of his crouch. Del nodded and shifted slightly to the side, braced in case of trouble.

“Michael, can I help you?” Jamie asked, keeping his voice gentle.  Michael spun, his eyes wide in the moonlight. He snarled at Jamie.

“You can’t have it,” he yelled.  “It’s mine.”  He charged Jamie, knocking him down and running back towards the gate.

“You all right?” Del asked. Jamie nodded and got up.  The two of them ran after Michael. Jamie heard Michael crashing through the undergrowth ahead and felt branches slap his skin leaving stinging welts behind.  This time he was certain that the trees and bushes got out of Del’s way. He reminded himself never to chase a fae through the woods. They reached the tree line and spilled into the gravel drive.

Ahead, Jamie saw Michael run to the gate. He watched in amazement at the speed of Michael’s run.  He thought the gate would slow him down but instead Michael grabbed the top of the gate in one hand and vaulted over it as though he had spent a lifetime training for the Olympics. Before he and Del could even reach the gate, Michael was in his car and peeling away. Jamie stood panting at the gate as the dust settled back down into the road bed.

“Well that was certainly different,” Jamie finally gasped.

Del nodded. “He was moving faster than I would have thought,” Del agreed. He sighed.  “Well there doesn’t seem to be much else we can do at the moment. Why don’t we go back to the house where it is warm.  We can see to those scratches of yours.”  Jamie nodded and the two began walking back to the house.

“There is no need to feel so smug,” Jamie said as he lifted a hand cautiously to a stinging welt on his cheek.  “I saw those trees move out of your way.”

Del laughed and shook his head.  “Trees don’t move Keeper, everyone knows that,” Del said, amusement glinting in his eyes.

“Sure they don’t,” Jamie said as he slowly caught his breath.  “They don’t move at all.”

swamped

trying to fix a radio play for the library's veteran's day event.  Hopefully will have a chapter up tomorrow or Monday.  val

Keeper 2: Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As Jamie left the basement he realized that he had never taken the time to look up the name of the keeper the basement kept showing him.  He knew that the brownie who tended his house was named Robin, but as Robin always referred to the man as Keeper that was all he knew.

“Well that and someone named Jonathan took over for him,”  Jamie let his eyes slide to the door leading to the map room.  “The family tree only gave me problems when I tried to look into my mother’s family,” he reminded himself.  He took a deep breath.  “I can’t be scared of a wall in my own house,” he said firmly.  Before he could think too much about the possibility of renewing his headaches, Jamie forced himself to march into the map room and turn to face the family tree.

“Jonathan Fulton, please,” he said before he could lose his nerve.  As though trying to prove itself helpful, the tree blurred and the name Jonathan Fulton was placed directly in Jamie’s line of sight.  He read the dates. This Jonathan Fulton had been one of Albe’s brothers and it looked as though he had died sometime during World War II.

“I need an earlier Jonathan,” Jamie muttered.  Again the wall blurred and a different Jonathan was listed. “Still not early enough,” Jamie said.  “I need one who lived before Alexander Fulton.”  After two more tries, Jamie thought he had the right one.

“Great, thank you,” he told the wall, hoping it appreciated the nicety. “Now I just need to know who was Keeper before him.” He was surprised when the words again blurred and the name William Fulton was featured. “Very handy, thanks.”  Jamie stepped away, figuring he would not press his luck. He was satisfied that William was the Keeper that the basement enjoyed showing him. At the moment that was all he needed to know.

“Too bad there isn’t a way to find out what happened after William allowed those with human magic to stay,” Jamie said.  He was certain the basement considered the information useful for him but he couldn’t quite see the picture.  He went upstairs to the study, leaving the maps splayed out on the floor in the family parlor.

He thought about what he knew as he settled himself in the parlor. He could see the individual pieces clearly, but he couldn’t make them fit together.  “It’s like someone stole the lid to my puzzle and I’m still expected to put it together,” he grumbled.  Jamie wondered if his entire tenure as Keeper would be the same.   After a long while ruminating on the subject and getting nowhere, Jamie decided he needed to actually do something.  He looked at the notes he had taken on the visilore and decided that he had learned enough to use it to see the houses of the other Keepers even if he couldn’t directly communicate with them yet. 

“Especially if my list is accurate,” he told himself.  Jamie picked up the notebook from the living room and then went to retrieve the visilore. He took them both to the study. The visilore, which resembled a mirror but shone like obsidian instead of silvered glass, he set in the center of the room.  As he moved it around, he was surprised by how heavy it actually was.

“Perhaps it is made of stone after all,” he said as he wiped the sweat from his face.  He looked at his notes and  Leaned against the front of his desk. Carefully he followed the instructions.  His hand movements were precise, the strange words of the incantation crisply enunciated and as the last word left his mouth, Jamie felt a tingle in the air as though he were standing too close to a lightning strike.  The obsidian surface started to glow first silver and then blue.  The blue glow seemed to sink into the surface and when it was gone Jamie found himself looking into a mirror.  Albeit a mirror that reflected nothing.  He realized he had not given it a direction and read the first name off of the list he had made from the map.

At first Jamie thought it was a failure, but then he sensed some sort of movement, as if the mirror was searching for the destination and slowly zooming in on it’s target.

“Like a spy plane coming in for a landing,” he thought, afraid to speak out loud.  “Not that I’m spying, exactly.” He shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the thought of spying on the other Keepers.  Colors whirled across the surface of the mirror and Jamie found his excitement growing.  He pushed away his unease. The image solidified and Jamie frowned as he found himself looking at a house.

“Or rather the ruins of a house,” Jamie corrected.  He could tell that the house had once been large and constructed of brick and stone.  At least the parts that remained had been. Gray foundation stones peeked up above the dark earth and half tumbled down walls of what appeared to be fire blackened brick, formed supports for creeping vines sporting small white flowers.  Three chimneys still stood, their columns pointing to the sky like accusing fingers. Jamie swallowed hard. A shiver of foreboding ran up his spine.

“Maybe it isn’t the right place,” Jamie said softly to himself.  “I don’t see any runes on the foundation stones.” He realized that he was just trying to convince himself, but the visilore took his words as command and he was soon studying the stones closely as the visilore panned over them. Jamie sagged as he saw runes on several of the visible stones.

“That’s enough,” he told the visilore.  It paused and seemed to be waiting.  Jamie took a look at his list and sent the visilore to scan the next name on it, eager to leave the desolation.

The next location was no better.  This time the visilore let him see the general ruin before scanning the rubble remains for the foundation runes.  Jamie took a deep breath and sent the visilore to the next name on the list.  It was the same.  With a growing sense of dread, Jamie pushed through all of the names on the list. The runes let him know that these had once been the houses of Keepers.  The locations were where the golden lines on the map created crossroads.  Every house except his own had been destroyed.

His insides feeling like jell-o, Jamie carefully spoke the words to end the visilore’s search and make it dormant again. When it was once more a panel of obsidian encased in a heavy wooden frame, Jamie covered it with a sheet.

“What happens when a Keeper’s House falls?” he asked as he sat heavily in his chair.  “Does it mean that the cross roads are destroyed or simply that the gate allowing the crossroads to be used is closed? Or does it mean that it is left open?”  Jamie shivered as he realized how close his house had come to falling. “If I’m the last House standing, what does that mean?” He didn’t know, but Jamie was certain it did not mean anything good.

“Everyone acts as though the other Houses at the other crossroads are still standing,” he thought.  “Perhaps it might not be the best idea to tell them this is not so.” Jamie leaned back in his chair and thought.  According to the High Talbot, all of the crossroads were closed until their internal matters were settled. 

“Meaning I have some time to figure out exactly what is going on before it re-opens,” Jamie smiled ruefully to himself.  “So at least political strife is good for something.”

“Is it?” Del said from the doorway making Jamie jump. He chuckled.  “Sorry about that. I figured you’d be about ready for some lunch.” 

Jamie noticed he was carrying a tray containing a sandwich filled plate. “Thanks, I am actually,” he said, clearing a space on his desk.  Del set the tray down and a though occurred to Jamie.

“Del,” he asked.  “Do you know anything about the other housekeepers who have served in the House of a Keeper?”

“Some, I suppose.  I never really paid much attention, but one always hears things.” Del replied with a smile.

“What about a brownie who went by the name of Robin.  He would have been here with William Fulton, in the House built here before this one.” Jamie asked as he picked up his sandwich.

Del’s face split into a wide smile. “Oh everyone knows of Robin,” Del replied.  “He’s famous. Killed in the line of duty with the Keeper he was. He died a hero’s death. Not many of us can say that as most of the tales of daring-do are for the high court folks.”

“Do you know how he felt about those with human magic?” Jamie asked.

“Human magic? Well I expect he felt about it the way most of us do,” Del told him.  He shrugged.  “That it is unpredictable and often more trouble than it is worth.”

“Is there a reason he would worry if the Keeper took on a few who were capable of human magic in the House so they could be safe and learn control?”

Del laughed.  “Well it would create quite a mess. Especially if they were still new to the learning.  I expect he’d want them sort of blocked off from the normal parts of the hose, like the kitchen and the parlor and such so they didn’t ruin the dinner or spoil the guests. But if the Keeper wanted it I’m sure Robin would have dealt with them just fine.”

“Isolated, like the east wing,” Jamie mused. He lifted an eyebrow in surprise as Del’ laughed.

“Is that what was out there?” He asked.  “I had wondered.  “My first pass at cleaning only took off the dust.  There were several rooms with unidentifiable and thus far un-removable stains.  If new trained mages were using them for practice it would explain a lot.”  He tilted his head in thought.  “And truth be told it would be safer for them to practice out here with fewer people to notice or get hurt than in town.”

“They would want to avoid notice wouldn’t they,” Jamie said half to himself, his mind drifting to a neighborhood where every house and every yard looked the same, and a little boy who thought he saw something odd was not asked to come back to play a second time.

“Except for the mess, I don’t see as how Robin would mind as long as they kept things confined,” Del continued snapping Jamie back to the present.  “It’s mostly the High Court that takes a real dislike to them.”

“Why?” Jamie asked.

Del shrugged.  “Well some claim they are dangerous.  Some claim that humans are bastardizing an art that rightly belongs to the Fae and some think that given time and practice, they would be formidable enemies making humans more dangerous.”

“Really?”

Del smiled. “It’s been centuries since most of the high court have ventured through the crossroads and most don’t get past the House of the Keeper if they do. When they warred with humans, magic was their primary weapon.  Humans had strength of numbers, High Court had magic. If humans were to truly master magic, then the High Court’s main defense would be useless.”  Del shrugged. “Of course humans have other weapons now and to be honest, I don’t think magic, on either side would make much of a difference. But I wouldn’t exactly go telling that to the High Court if I were in your shoes.”

“No,” Jamie said.  “I think that is something we will just keep to ourselves.”  Del winked and left Jamie alone with his sandwich and his uncomfortably swirling thoughts.