Update

I don't know if anyone is still paying attention to this blog but if you are, I have started posting on my website blog.  (www.valeriegaumont.weebly.com). Each Wednesday I will be posting a part of an ongoing story.  It is not Keeper (which I am still working on) but something new. I'm trying to get back into a normal schedule again. Thanks everyone for your understanding and continued support. Hope you'll take the time to check out the new story. Thanks and Happy new year.  V

Book Six in the Channel Riders series out

The Sixth in the Series is called Councilor and is currently available on Smashwords. It will be out on Amazon by tomorrow morning and soon after on my website, valeriegaumont.weebly.com Links to follow

basic notice I forgot to give

I started a new blog attached to my website for basic notices and availability of things as they come out.  And it was just pointed out to me that I forgot to let everyone who reads this site know about it.  Sorry about that.  I think sometimes my brain's record has a scratch that causes the needle to skip.  The website is www.valeriegaumont.weebly.com I'm still not quite certain what I am going to do about this particular site.  Once the next Channel Rider book is out and I get back to working on Jamie I'll figure it out. Sorry for all the confusion and lapses.  Thanks everyone for reading.  v

Keeper 2: Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As Jamie reached the Centerville city limits, the sleet and ice he had left behind seemed to catch up to him. It edged its way into Centerville and he drove deeper into the storm’s heart. The icy rain solidified into sleet.  Sleet began to be mixed with snow.  The snow became thicker and by the time he climbed out of his trusty Toyota to unlock the gate at the property line, he could barely see more than three feet in any direction. He pulled his care through, relocked the gate and made his slow and steady way up the drive to the house.

Jamie parked and ran quickly to the house, seeing the darker outline of the porch in the distance.  He sighed with relief as he climbed up onto the porch where the overhang at least gave him a little protection.  He looked out at his yard.  Visibility had shrunk to nearly one foot.

“I don’t know how a fairy could even fly in this,” he muttered to himself.  The snow falling was thick and wet.  Icy droplets were still mixed in. He shook the snow from his head and turned towards the door. He reached for the door knob but stopped as he heard the click of something walking towards him across the wooden porch boards. He had forgotten to turn the porch light on and in the absence of the sun, the porch was filled with deep shadows.  Jamie sucked in a lung full of icy air and felt his insides squirm as the largest white wolf he had ever seen stepped into plain view.  For a moment Jamie could do nothing but stare.  Somehow it had never crossed his mind that a wolf attack on his front porch would be what killed him. 

The wolf paused about three feet in front of Jamie and seemed in no hurry to attack.  Instead the wolf bent forward and Jamie heard the click of metal on wood. Jamie frowned and watched in silence as the wolf nudged what he had set down with his nose, sending it rolling towards Jamie’s feet. Jamie looked down to see an eight inch long metal cylinder.  He looked up and saw the wolf had retreated and now appeared to be sitting and waiting for a response.  Jamie took a deep breath and tried to control the pounding of his heart.

Slowly he bent down and picked up the cylinder.  He could feel the wolf’s eyes watching him as he tugged the capped end off of the tube and extracted a roll of paper. The writing on the paper was small and Jamie had to hold it close to his eyes to read in the dim light.

“Keeper,” the note began. “We would like to tender our deepest apologies as due to the weather we will not be able to take tea with you this afternoon as planned. In the hopes that you will not take our cancelation ill, we would like to offer this information for your use. The one known to you as Michael has been seen wandering our woods of late.  Our trackers have observed him and we have reached the conclusion that he is under the influence of ghatran. The effects will wear off in time and we have ordered that no one in our demesne provide an additional source of the drug. We regret the somewhat discomforting period of withdrawal he will no doubt suffer, but are certain he will come through the other side with no permanent harm.” The note was signed by Queen Genivia.

“Well that settles that doesn’t it,” he said.  Jamie glanced at the wolf, who appeared to be waiting. He flipped the page over and pulled a pen from his pocket. He leaned against the door and tried to make his letters neat and small so the diminutive queen would not have to stand at a distance to read his response.

“Your Majesty,” he wrote. “Your note provides me some relief as at this time the weather has deteriorated to the point where I fear anyone not born of ice and snow might take harm from too long an exposure. While I am disappointed in your absence I am thankful you will not be subjecting yourself to such potential harm. I thank you for the information regarding Michael and I look forward to rescheduling our tea at your convenience.”  He signed the letter James Fulton.  After tucking his pen back into his pocket, he rerolled the page and slipped it back into the tube.  Jamie fitted the cap back on and looked at the wolf.

Jamie bent down and rolled the tube across the porch towards the wolf. “You will make certain she gets the message?” Jamie asked.  The wolf bobbed his head, picked up the tube and sprinted off of the porch and into the snow.  In a blink he was gone. Jamie shivered as he realized his rain slicker did not provide much insulation and that he had stood out in the cold far too long.  He took one more look around in case anyone else was lurking in the shadows.  Seeing no one Jamie opened the door and slipped inside, thankful for the House’s warmth.

Jamie walked straight back to the kitchen figuring the mud room  in the back would be a better place for his rain slicker and wet boots than the front hall.  Del was pulling a loaf of bread out of the oven as he stepped into the kitchen and Jamie’s belly rumbled in response to the scent.

“Weren’t you supposed to eat while you were out?” Del asked with a smile at the sound.

“I wanted to beat the weather home,” Jamie responded.  He stepped into the mudroom and shucked his coat and  boots as Del peered out of the window into the snowy yard.

“It was just raining last time I looked,” Del said shaking his head.  “So you’ll be joining us for lunch then?”

“If you’ll have me,” Jamie replied with a smile.  “And we can cancel the afternoon tea.  Queen Genivia sent her regrets via white wolf as I got in.”

“Ah,” Del said as he placed three plates down on the table. “I wouldn’t expect a fairy to fly in that, but you never know what some of them would try, just to prove they can.” Both of them turned as Levas stepped into the room.  He seemed surprised to see Jamie, even more so to see three plates at the kitchen table.

“Keeper,” he said with a short bob of the head.

“Jamie is fine,” Jamie told him. Levas lifted his eyebrows high enough that they almost disappeared into his hairline.

“As you wish.” Levas replied.

Del chuckled.  “We tend not to stand on ceremony when there isn’t company about,” he explained as he stared laying out platters containing  slices of ham,  cheese and tomatoes along with the bread so everyone could make their own sandwich.

“Levas,” Jamie said as he piled his bread high with the offerings. “Can I ask you  about what you meant when you said we would soon be busier?”

Del snorted. “Hard to think of this place getting busier.”

“Just that with more people living here, you’ll need the extra is all, sir,” Levas replied. He took a bite of his sandwich and washed it down with a hefty swig of milk. Jamie waited for him to continue but the tomte apparently thought he had expounded enough.  As Del’s eyes were twinkling with amusement, he figured it was a Fae thing and let it go.

“Well,” Jamie said after he had finished his lunch.  “As my afternoon has cleared up I guess I’ll be back in the study.”

“There is a bit of a chill upstairs,” Del told him. “I’ll be along in a bit to bring you some tea to help take the chill off.” Jamie nodded.  He had learned very early in their acquaintance that Del believed everyone should consume mass quantities of tea on a daily basis to maintain regular health.

Jamie rinsed off his plate and headed up to the study.  To his surprise a fire was already crackling merrily in both the study and the library, making the upper rooms quite cozy.  Idly Jamie wondered if he should actually tell Del that the house did in fact have a central heating and air-conditioning unit and didn’t need to be heated by fire. As he settled himself in the chair behind the desk, Del wheeled in the tea trolley.

Jamie blinked in surprise wondering how Del had managed to have a full put ready in so short a time when none had been evident when he left the kitchen mere moments earlier. He also wondered how Del had managed to get the tea trolley up the stairs so easily or get fresh tomatoes from the garden in the dead of winter.  He decided none of those questions were ones he should ask.

“I don’t suppose you could answer my question from earlier or is it just one of the Fae mysteries?”

“About the tomte knowing we’d soon be busy?” Del asked.  Jamie nodded. “It’s a bit of both I suppose. Tomte’s are always tied to the farms they work and seem to know things about them that no one else can explain.”  Del shrugged.  “Actually I doubt Levas could explain it either. It seems to be something they just know in their bones.  They just accept it like you accept rain or wind.”

“Or talking houses,” Jamie said.

“Or that.” Dal answered.

“I don’t suppose you could get him to be more specific?” Jamie asked.

“I can try,” Del replied.  “But I make no promises.”

“He mentioned children earlier,” Jamie confided. Del blinked in surprise.

“Children?  Well, well, that would make for a bit of a change wouldn’t it. And it would make things a fair deal busier to boot, I’d say.  Children have a way of doing that.” He looked pleased by the prospect. He turned towards the door and started to leave, still talking to himself.  “I’ll have to look into my recipe books for some sweets to make. Children like sweets. Not too many of course, it would never do to have them spoil their dinner of course. Maybe some almond cakes for after lessons though, no one could object to that.”

Jamie shook his head as Del continued to talk to himself as he headed back to the kitchen. “Not even here yet and we’ve already got snacks after lessons,” Jamie said shaking his head.  Apparently there were some things Brownies took in stride as well.

Keeper 2: Chapter 13

And now back to our regularly scheduled program. v

 

Chapter 13

Jamie left Dave’s house in a much better frame of mind than he had arrived.  As he left Oak Hill behind, he even began to hum along with the radio. While he had no illusions he would turn out to be a great sorcerer, he thought any teaching Dave might provide would help him to stay balanced. 

“After all if I am stuck in a world where runes and things keep appearing, I might as well learn to read them.” He told himself as he pulled up in front of Jim’s office building. He checked the inside pocket of his coat to make certain the vial the High Talbot had given him hadn’t fallen out somewhere and left the warmth of his car. He walked quickly across the parking lot, shivering in the icy wind but unwilling to run in case he slipped. While he figured he would survive a fall to the frozen ground, he was less certain about the vial and every part of him railed against the thought of letting the noxious goo loose in a public place.

“I’ve never been so aware of my steps in my life,” he muttered to himself as he made it safely inside the building.  At his entrance Lucy looked up from her computer screen and smiled.

“Jim and I were taking bets on whether or not you would cancel given the weather,” Lucy said after they dispensed with the greetings.  “Isn’t it snowing out towards your place?”

“Just about,” Jamie told her. “And it looked like it was heading this way.”

“Its going to be a cold night then,” Lucy replied.  “Why don’t you go on back,” She told him picking up the phone.  “I’ll let him know you are here.” As she told Jim of his arrival, Jamie headed down the short corridor to Jim’s office.  Jim greeted him with a warm smile and a handshake. They exchanged the obligatory comments about the weather and Jamie took the vial from his coat pocket. He held it out to Jim, who took it as though it were a live bomb.  Jim placed the vial into a metal strong box and once it was inside, he locked the lid.  Once the box was locked Jamie realized he had been holding his breath and let it out in a whoosh.

“I’m thrilled it is now someone else’s responsibility.” He said as he slipped off his coat and took a seat. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Jim said.  “I’m already longing for the moment I can pass it on to trained professionals.”

“Is there any way we can skip lunch today?” Jamie asked.

“Not a problem,” Jim replied.  “Are you hoping to get home before the weather gets too bad?”

“Partially,” Jamie told him.  “Mostly however I wanted to talk to you about something that probably shouldn’t be discussed in the open.”

“Really?  Would this have anything to do with your family?”

Jamie laughed.  “Oddly enough not this time. Although I still want you to quietly find out about my birth mother.”

Jim nodded and frowned, his face suddenly becoming serious.  “You know that was very strange.  When you called I figured it would be easy to trace, after all we have so many files dealing with your family.  So I went back into our archives and pulled the records.”

“That was easy,” Jamie said, pleased that something finally came about without a herculean effort.

“Not exactly,” Jim told him.  “I picked up the file, opened the file and read the file. I know your mother’s name was listed in the file and I know I saw it.”

“But you weren’t able to read it?” Jamie guessed.

“Exactly,” Jim responded, sounding exasperated. “I knew I had read the name and that everything was in order but I couldn’t tell you what the name was.”

“The same thing happened with my birth certificate,” Jamie told him with a nod. “When I tried to force it I gave myself a headache so bad I passed out. Luckily I was sitting on the bed at the time.”

“Well at least it’s not me going crazy then,” Jim told him.  “And I can see why you wouldn’t want to talk about it in public. It happened to me and I still think it sounds insane.”

Jamie laughed. “Actually I wanted to talk to you about the crossroads.”

Jim’s face lost the pained look and he frowned. “Is someone trying to break them again?”

“No,” Jamie assured him. “At least not mine anyway.  When the High Talbot dropped off the vial of goo he told me they were locking the crossroads while they sorted out some internal debate.”

“Internal debate?”

“Yup,” Jamie said with a nod. “Apparently several of the people who were fried trying to destroy the crossroads held positions of power. Those positions are now open and from what I gathered there are several people wanting to claim each spot.”

Jim let out a low whistle.  “The Fae don’t deal well with change, even the ones that spend time blending with us humans. The High Court Fae are known to be even worse though.  I can’t imagine they are very happy right now.”

“Well the High Talbot seemed a bit put out,” Jamie told him. “Actually I am kind of pleased the crossroads are closed for a bit.”

“Needing a break?” Jim asked with a smile. “You seem to have had a busy start to your tenure.  I can see where a breather would be needed.”

 

Jamie smiled.  “Actually, I’m hoping to deal with a problem while they are closed.”

“What sort of problem?”

“You know that there isn’t just one crossroads right?” Jamie asked.

Jim nodded. “Yes, Albe explained it to me once.  There is a network anchoring the borders between lands, everywhere there is a place where the crossroads meet there is a Keeper and a Keeper’s House.”

“In theory,” Jamie said, pleased that Jim understood the basics.

“Theory?” Jim replied, wariness creeping into his voice.  Jamie explained his jaunt with the visilore and the destruction he found at each site.  Jim grew pale and started shaking his head slowly back and forth as though trying to deny Jamie’s words.

“That can’t be,” Jim said softly when Jamie was done. “Someone would have known.”

“You would think,” Jamie said. 

“Why wouldn’t they say anything?”

“Well I do know that not all of the Fae are too thrilled by what they see as human interference.” Jamie said remembering the hatred on a face now turned to ash. “But whatever their reasons, I’m not exactly thrilled by being the only crossroads with a keeper.”  Jamie had thought long and hard about those ruined houses.

“I know that you and your family have handled all of the paperwork and such for this crossroads for generations. Do you know who might have dealt with the paperwork for the others?”

Jim nodded slowly.  “There are several firms like ours that deal with the fae and I would assume if there was a crossroad in their area, they would have dealt with it as well. If you have locations I can check.”

Jamie pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and tried to smooth it out before handing it to Jim.  “Then I would officially like to hire you to look into the status of these properties.”  He sighed.  “I hate to say it but time is sort of short.”

“Yes,” Jim answered nodding his head. “This is something that screams urgent in big red letters. I’ll see what I can find out and let you know.” He held up the scrap of paper.  “This is now my top priority. You are a good man, James Fulton and there is no one I would trust more in the capacity of Keeper, but I am a bit uncomfortable with the fact that at the moment you are the only person holding the line between worlds.”

“You and me both,” Jamie said.  He felt oddly better at being able to at least share some of the concern with someone else. Jamie stood and picked up his coat. “And now I better get back before the weather gets any worse.”

Jim stood and walked him out of the office.  “You drive safely,” Jim told him, concern still shining in his eyes. “I mean it.”

Jamie smiled.  “I’ll do my best to stay alive long enough to get things sorted.” He told his friend before stepping back out into the cold afternoon.

Holiday note

Between getting sick and nearly everything in the house from oven to water pipes staging a rebellion over the last month to the general holiday craziness, my schedule got completely off track.With luck once the champagne of new year's is poured things will get back to normal.  Or as normal as they get.  In the meantime, My book Miss Chrissy's Cooking School for Young Ladies is now on sale for $.99. The price change has already gone into effect on smashwords and should be ready on amazon by this time tomorrow. And for those of you who have asked about the Channel Rider's series, the next book should be out late February, early March.  I will definitely let you know when it is available. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.  v

Chapter 12 and free book announcement

Hi everyone. Chapter 12 is posted below and for those of you interested, my fantasy novel Rise of the Old Blood will be available for FREE from Amazon from December 10th through December 14th. Download and enjoy! I'll post a link as the date gets closer. v

Chapter 12

Jamie donned a bright yellow rain slicker over his clothes and added a pair of rubber boots over his shoes.  Thus armed he stepped out of the front door and raced to his trusty Toyota. 

“There is definitely snow mixed into that,” He decided as he turned on the car and let the engine run. The day was gray all around.  The snow and sleet obscured most of the forest and left what he could see in deep shadow.  The sky was a uniform sheet of grey with no sign that there was a sun hidden anywhere above. Jamie shivered in the cold metal box his car had become.  Finally when he was certain the engine had warmed up enough, he turned on the defrost to clear away the windshield. Clearing the windows didn’t make the day look any better.

“I hope Michael doesn’t try wandering around in this,” Jamie thought as he shifted the car into drive and headed towards the gate. Even with the crossroads officially closed, Albe’s property stretched for miles in nearly every direction.  It would be easy for Michael to become disoriented and lost. With the temperatures dropping, he didn’t think wandering alone and lost would be a good idea. When he reached the gate, Jamie hopped out of the car, unlocked it and swung it wide enough to let his car through.  After driving through, he returned to close and lock it before continuing on his way.

To Jamie’s relief the bad weather eased up a bit as he drove towards Centerville. By the time he reached the town limits, the sleet and snow had stopped all together although the sky remained gray and threatening.  Jamie glanced at the clock and realized he had arrived far to early to justify showing up for lunch.

“I could always kill some time by taking a quick look at Oak Hill,” he thought. Thought turned into action and Jamie skirted the main part of town taking roads that would lead him to the Oak Hill neighborhood. As the day was gray and cold, he saw no one wandering around. “The kids are probably in school and the adults at work,” Jamie told himself as he passed the subdivision’s entry sign. 

At first the neighborhood looked as it had when he visited as a boy.  The houses were model perfect and looked as though they had been freshly rolled out of a factory or had been scaled up from a model train landscape. While Jamie had always found the subdivisions with strong homeowner association regulation a little eerie in their attempts at conformity, this was something different. Each house and yard in Oak Hill was exactly the same. The roof lines were exact.  All houses were white with blue trim and each yard had one large tree located ten feet to the right of the front door.

Remembering that Dave had lived next to a small well-kept park, Jamie slowly headed towards the area he remembered.  As he drove something kept niggling him in the back of his mind.  He couldn’t quite work it out.  When he saw the park he pulled to a stop by the side of the road.  With the exception of it being Winter instead of Spring, the park and what had once been Dave’s house, looked the dame as they had years ago.  Jamie looked at Dave’s house and then he looked at the house next to it.  They were identical, right down to the tree. Jamie blinked.

“The trees are identical,” he said slowly as he realized what had been bugging him.  He looked from one tree to the other. They were located in the same spot in each yard.  They were the same species and the same size.  Exactly the same size.  Jamie let his eyes take in the pattern of winter bare branches on one tree and then found the exact same pattern of branches on the other tree.  He turned to look at the trees on the other side of the street.  They were exactly the same.

“Nature doesn’t make exact copies,” Jamie said softly to himself. While he could chalk the identical houses up to a builder creating from a template and maintained by an overly enthusiastic Homeowner’s association, he could not accept the trees. Jamie turned back to what he thought of as Dave’s house. He focused on the house, studying it. The house blurred a little around the edges and he thought he saw the shape of an entirely different house for a brief second before he felt a sharp pain between his eyes. He gasped and shut his eyes.  The pain stopped and Jamie rubbed his temples.

“That’s the same pain as my birth certificate,” Jamie said to himself. “Although not as strong.”  When he had studied his birth certificate he had not glimpsed anything and the pain had been intense and long lasting.  Here he had managed to catch a glimpse of what was behind the shield and the pain was less intense. As he sat wondering if staring through the pain long enough to actually see what was on the other side was worth it, the door to the house he was studying opened and a dark haired man about his age stepped out.

As the man crossed the road and headed towards Jamie’s car, Jamie realized how strange he must look.  Here he was sitting in a parked car in a residential neighborhood staring at a house.  His brain tried to come up with a logical excuse for his presence that didn’t sound creepy or illegal.  His mind drew a blank.

The man stopped outside Jamie’s car and tapped on the window.  Jamie rolled it down and looked at the man about to question him.  To his surprise, he recognized him. “Dave?” Jamie said questioningly.  Dave lifted an eyebrow and studied Jamie’s face for a moment.  Dave shook his head and gave Jamie a half smile.

“Looks like I was right after all,” Dave said, causing Jamie to frown. “Why don’t you come on in before the neighbors get too nervous.” Jamie nodded and as Dave stepped back, he rolled up the window and turned off the engine.  He slipped out of the warmth of the car and into the icy air.

Jamie followed Dave back into the house. In the entry way, he slipped off his boots and slicker, hanging the slicker on the hook Dave indicated. Inside the house had been upgraded, altered from Dave’s parent’s taste to what Jamie assumed was Dave’s taste. It seemed very masculine and Jamie saw no evidence that suggested a woman’s presence. Dave led Jamie back to the kitchen and soon he found himself sitting at the kitchen table, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee.

“What exactly were you right about?” Jamie finally asked when they were settled. 

Dave smiled. “You remember the last time you were here?”

“It was the last day you talked to me,” Jamie said with a nod.

Dave sighed.  “Yeah sorry about that but I was told I wasn’t allowed to play with you anymore. When you commented about the neighborhood and the houses all looking alike it sort of freaked everyone out.”

“It is hard not to notice,” Jamie commented.

“Most people don’t,” Dave said.  “They assume it was just built en masse.”

“How do you explain the trees?” Jamie asked.

“The trees?” Dave replied frowning.

“Yes. They are all the same, exactly the same. Nature doesn’t do that. I actually had nightmares about those trees for weeks,” Jamie confessed.

“The trees,” Dave repeated shaking his head.  “I’ll have to talk to the others about that.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you were right,” Jamie prompted.  He took a sip of the coffee.

“True,” Dave answered. “When my parents told me I couldn’t be friends with you anymore because you could see that something was different, I told them that you could see because you were like us. I tried telling them about the things I had seen around you, but it had been so long since anyone paid any attention that they just wanted it, and you, to go away. And now here you are. So I was right.”

“Were you?” Jamie asked, wondering what Dave had seen as a child, but not yet ready to ask.

Dave smiled.  “I felt you push on the wards,” he said.  “You almost broke through them actually.  Its been a while since they’ve been tested but to do that on your first try means that you not only grew up to be one of us, but you grew up to be quite powerful.” He smiled.  “I hope you won’t hold my actions at school against me.”

“You were a kid following your parent’s orders,” Jamie said, willing to let the past go as he was much more interested in the present.

“True. I have to ask, who did you get to teach you?  If you had trained with anyone here I would have found out and then I could have done my ‘Ha Ha I was right’ spiel a long time ago.”

“That is actually a long and very complicated story,” Jamie said with a smile.  He looked Dave over and decided to trust him a little. “Have you ever heard of the Keeper of the Crossroads?” he asked.

Dave nodded. “Of course, the old man who stands between the humans and the Fae. Everyone’s heard of him, but I can’t say as I’ve ever met him. He couldn’t have trained you though as he had no magic of his own. Well a little I suppose, but not the same sort as we have.”

Jamie smiled and reached into the neck of his shirt.  He tugged the long chain containing the symbol of the keeper out from inside his shirt. Dave’s eyes went wide as he recognized the symbol.  “Actually the old man was my great uncle and he died recently.”

Dave blinked in surprise. “And so you got a promotion.” He said finally.

“Something like that,” Jamie said tucking the medallion back into his shirt.

“But he couldn’t have trained you. Not enough to break through a ward. His magic wasn’t like that.” Dave said, sounding perplexed.

“He didn’t,” Jamie replied.  “He trained me to be Keeper but nothing else. It was recently suggested to me that I might want to look into Human magic.  I’ve scanned through a couple of books but nothing else.”

“Nothing else?” Dave said incredulously. “You mean completely untrained you nearly broke through my wards?” he asked. “Damn.” He sat back in his chair as though stunned.  Jamie could practically see the thoughts swirling through his brain and sat quietly drinking his coffee.  As Jamie’s brain had recently been teaming with formerly unusual thoughts he understood the need for a moment to sort through new information.

“Who suggested you look into magic?” Dave finally asked.

Jamie smiled.  “Honestly, I believe it was some sort of ghost.”

“The ghost of the former Keeper?” Dave asked, seemingly unfazed by ghostly interference.

“No oddly enough it was the ghost or spirit or whatever you want to call it, of one Reginald Huffington the fourth. He left a note on my to do list after I found his book on the shelves,” Jamie told him, leaving out the rest as he didn’t want to trust anyone with the entire truth.  He felt odd enough about confessing to the ghost sighting.

Dave grinned.  “Added a note on your to do list.”  The line seemed to crack him up and Dave started laughing. Jamie smiled seeing the humor in the situation.

“Only you Jamie,” Dave finally said as his laugh died to a chuckle. “Hank Adams tripped over his own feet and fell flat on the ground breaking his nose before he could even threaten to take away the new kid’s lunch money. Sally Jensen was pushed down and cried over tearing her new dress, but when you helped her brush off the dirt, the tear turned into just a crease the was easily brushed out. Now the spirit of one of the strongest mages ever born is leaving you post it notes recommending you get training.”

“I didn’t do anything to either Hank or Sally,” Jamie said.

“Oh I know it wasn’t on purpose,” Dave said with a wave. “That was always clear. You never seemed to realize that you were doing anything, that’s why I thought you belonged with us.” Dave shook his head.  “So it was recommended that you learn magic and you ended up here?” He said returning to the main topic.

Jamie decided to ignore the details and push forward. “It occurred to me that if I was going to study magic I might as well do it right.”

Dave nodded.  “As opposed to going at it on your own with whatever books you happen to come across. Smart. Less danger that way.”

“Seemed so.  Unfortunately I can’t spend that much time away from the crossroads,” Jamie told him.

“Which means you’d need someone out there to teach you.”

“I would,” Jamie confirmed.  He wondered how Del would take to his learning magic. He had the feeling that if he contained the mess to the already stained rooms in the east wing, there would be little trouble. And the brownie did seemed quite fond of company.

“Can you give me a couple of days to think it through?” Dave asked. “Most here aren’t willing to go too far from home.”

“I understand.  I have no problem waiting,” Jamie replied. If you’d like to call or come by the house when you have something, that would be fine.”

“I’ve never seen the House of the Keeper,” Dave said. “It’d be interesting to visit.  I’ve heard the wards on it make ours here look like tissue paper.”

“You are welcome to come out.  You’ll have to call from the gate though so that I can come and unlock it.”

Dave nodded.  “Can’t have people wondering in on their own,” he agreed.

“Can you find the house?” Jamie asked as he set his empty mug down and stood up.

“I can,” Dave confirmed as he stood and walked Jamie back to the door.  Jamie slipped on his boots and slicker. Dave handed him a pen and paper and Jamie quickly jotted down his cell phone number.

“I’ll see you in a few days then,” Jamie told him.  He left Dave and jogged back to his car.  The sky had gotten darker and snowfall looked eminent but Jamie smiled even as he shivered. He turned on his car and circled the block, leaving the neighborhood and heading over to Jim’s office.

“Finally looks like I’m making some sort of progress,” he said to himself as he began to hum a happy little tune under his breath.

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.