Perilous Travels (The Southern Continent Series Book 2) (23 page)

“He was possessed by a demon,” Grange blurted the information out.

All heads turned to look at him, many eyes wide open in astonishment.

“What do you mean?” Bartar asked.

“I can see demons,” he admitted simply.  “It’s why Brieed is training me,” he nodded to Grace.  “It’s why the demons attack me – I can see them.

“There was one that possessed Trale,” Grange said.  “That’s why he rose up to attack again, even when he was dying.”

“He’s the one that came from the southern outpost!” Persole repeated.  “Does that mean there are demons there?”

“It probably means there was at least one there,” Grange said bleakly.

“So was the demon there to attack the Queen, or to attack you?” Clientes asked.

Grange shrugged in uncertainty, although he suspected he was the target.

“Musician, I want you to proceed to visit Asloe’s outpost as quickly as possible, to find out what is happening,” the Queen ordered.

“He can’t go just yet,” Grace spoke up.  All heads turned to look at her.

“We’ve been working on a tool for him, another weapon, his wand,” the girl said.  “We need a few more days to complete it.”

“Well, make it the top priority,” the Queen told her new wizard.

“Bartar, we’ll finish up your trade treaty before the boy leaves, in appreciation for the work he’s doing,” the Queen said next.  “Move the Musician into the palace for the next few days so that Wizard Grace may finish her work with him,” she added.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Bartar bowed low.  “We’ll make all our arrangements immediately.

“Grange?” the ambassador turned to the boy standing next to him.  “Do you want to spend the night here tonight?  We can have your things shipped over tomorrow morning.”

Grange looked at Bartar, then at Grace, then at Layreen.  Both the women had guarded expressions in their eyes.

“I’ll go back with you tonight,” he said.  “I won’t be able to accomplish anything with Grace tonight.  I’ll pack up to come over here very first thing in the morning.”

“Is that your idea of first thing in the morning, or our idea of first thing in the morning?” Grace asked with sudden whimsicality.

“His idea is before the sun is above the horizon,” Grace smiled as she informed the Queen.

“We’ll have none of that here,” the Queen answered with mock sternness.  “Layreen and her daughter are a bad enough influence with their early morning habits.  We don’t want more of their kind.” She smiled then to emphasize the humor of her words, and nodded to Layreen.

“Let’s return to the embassy, so that you can prepare for your move,” Bartar said to Grange.

“A word before you go,” Layreen spoke for the first time.  She rose from her seat, and walked over to Grange and Bartar.

“I’ll escort them to the docks, my Queen,” Layreen offered.

“You go with our thanks,” Queen Shajo spoke to Layreen, as well as Grange and Bartar.  They all bowed their way out of the Queen’s presence, then began to walk through the palace halls.

“Shaylee and I will be returning to our village the day after tomorrow,” Layreen told Grange.

“You’re leaving?  Just when I’m moving in?” he asked, crestfallen.

“That was not the intention, young marvel,” Layreen said with a smile.  “I wanted Shaylee to see the court and the city, and of course we wanted to bring you to where you belonged.

“Now she has seen the city and the palace and the ways of the court.  She has seen you fighting in the Melee today, doing the extraordinary things that you alone can do,” the woman smiled.  “I am ready to return to the peace and simplicity of our village, and so is she.

“She wants to return to the place where she can live her daily life without worrying about wearing blouses, or these other encumbrances,” Layreen explained breezily, causing Bartar to raise his eyebrows as he looked at Grange for enlightenment.  Grange gently shook his head, preferring not to explain.

“Will I get to see her – both or you – tomorrow?” Grange asked.

“Without a doubt, young friend.  She’ll demand it when she hears that you’re coming to the island.  She’d probably try to postpone our departure,” Layreen said, momentarily raising Grange’s hopes.  “Except that everything has been planned and set in motion, with the escort canoes and supplies.  We won’t travel as fast as we did with you along!” Layreen laughed.

They had reached the docks, and Layreen motioned to one of the palace’s ferries.

“Thank you for your assistance, my lady,” Bartar said as he bowed over her hand.

“I’ll see you and Shaylee tomorrow,” Grange promised, as he followed Bartar’s example and similarly bowed.  The two men entered the boat and were quietly rowed to shore, then walked back to the embassy for the end of the night.

Chapter 16

Grange went among the embassy staff the next morning, bidding them farewell after he packed his belongings.

“We’ll have to adjust to having no wizards in the house,” Bartar told Astel, who nodded glumly.

“Once the treaty is signed and finished, we’ll head back to Palmland,” Bartar told Grange.  “And then, King Leonide will undoubtedly appoint a permanent ambassador to serve here on behalf of our countrymen.  And though it’s confoundedly hot, it wouldn’t be such a bad posting for some ambitious young nobleman for a few years.

“But I’m looking forward to returning to life in Palmland, to see Aubrey,” he said, referring to the princess who was the heir to the throne and his fiancée.

A servant helped Grange carry his bundle of belongings towards the docks, though they stopped at the armory first.  Grange said good bye to Luri, then turned to Casey and Jadie, who were already at the armory.

“But today’s the day we were going to thrash you!” Jadie protested upon hearing Grange’s news.  “My leg’s healed even better than it was before the Melee!”

“Come to the palace sometime soon and I’ll give you a chance to beat me.” Grange laughed with his friends, then parted and went to the dock.  Half an hour later he stepped up out of his boat at the palace docks.

“Grace,” he called out, after requesting help from the energy to convey his voice from the place where he stood to wherever the other apprentice happened to be.  “I’m at the palace now.  Where should I go?”

There was a pause.

“I can tell you where to go,” the female wizard moaned grumpily.

“It’s too early,” she protested.

“I’ll go look for Shaylee then,” Grange proposed.

“Oh stop!  I’ll be there in ten minutes.  You just hold still and wait for me,” Grace immediately ordered.

She arrived at the door a half hour later, as Grange sat on a nearby bench, his belongings piled beside him, having undergone considerable scrutiny from numerous passersby.

“Well, come along,” she said impatiently when she pulled the door open.

Grange looked at her, then stood up.  He began to gather his bulky belongings, looping and piling bags and items together to handle them all.

“No, no, no,” Grace uttered in disgust.  She pulled her wand from its usual spot in the front of her dress.  “Put them all down,” she ordered, and watched as Grange obeyed, then she muttered a few brief words of enchantment, and the luggage smoothly rose from the ground, to hover in the air at waist height.

“They’ll follow you.  Now, let’s go,” she commanded.  “You follow me.”

Without looking at him, she turned and walked back into the palace, with Grange and his luggage in her wake.  Their route passed through small passages, not the grand halls Grange had imagined throughout the palace.  They cut through a garden, and came to another building with a series of rooms, into one of which Grace led Grange.

“This will be your room,” she told him flatly.  “There’s no upper story for you to climb up on to be closer to the stars,” she finally smiled a warm smile.  “My room is right next door, through that passage,” she pointed.  “I figured you might as well be close if we’re going to try to finish your wand training before you leave.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Grange demurred, undecided whether he was pleased or uncomfortable with the proximity.  “We were next door neighbors in Brieed’s space,” he recollected.

“I need to get cleaned up.  You run along and find your girlfriend, then be back here by noon so that we can start working on your wand,” she told him.  She walked away, not into the hallway, but through the side door that led directly from his room to hers.

“Wait!” Grange called, making her turn towards him as she stood in the doorway.  “Which way to Shaylee’s place?” he asked.

“She stays on the east side of the palace,” Grace answered.  “Go to the canoe docks over there, and you’ll be sure to find her.”  The girl began to lift her blouse over her head, then stopped and shut the door between them, ending the conversation.

Grange wandered circuitously through the palace to find his way to the eastern docks, where he found Shaylee standing on the end of a long pier, holding a fishing pole and talking with a pair of boys.  The trio heard and felt Grange’s footsteps treading along the pier, and all three turned at the same time to see who was approaching.

The two boys who flanked her had blank faces, but Shaylee’s face broke into a broad smile.  She swiftly handed the fishing pole to the boy on her left, then skipped forward to meet Grange, turning suddenly shy when they came face-to-face.

“I heard you were coming to the palace; mother told me this morning,” Shaylee told Grange, as they stood together.

Grange had hoped that the girl would offer a hug, an easy way to touch, so that he could feel the warmth of her flesh and the welcome of her spirit.  He was at a loss, afraid to initiate a hug on his own, afraid he would look presumptuous or be rejected.  Instead, he reached out with his hands and gently grasped both of hers.

“Your mother told me you’re leaving Kilau, to go back to the village,” Grange spoke.

“I was at the arena, and saw how magnificently you fought in the Melee,” she said at the same time.

They both smiled.

“Yes,” Shaylee answered after the pause.  “We’re going home.  I’m ready to see my friends, and I’m tired of wearing so much clothing,” she told him.  “Everything is more comfortable at home, even though there’s so much more to do here.”

“I thought the village was a wonderful place,” Grange agreed wistfully.

“You should come back too,” Shaylee said quickly.

Grange thought about the promised journey with Asloe’s trading group, and the presumed, eventual war with demons.

“I’d like to do that someday, after other things are finished,” he told her, making her smile fade away.

“Are you busy this morning?  Would you like to visit?” Grange asked.

“What could we do?” Shaylee asked.

“We could go to the mainland.  I could show you the places I know there,” he offered, and so they did for the next two hours, taking a quick tour of the embassy and armory and market, before returning to the palace so that Grange could resume his work on his wand with Grace.   The distance between them melted away, as their previous intimate friendship rekindled with laughter and small talk.  When they parted ways on the palace island afterwards, there was real regret.

“We’ll see you at dinner tonight?” Shaylee asked.  “There’s a banquet.”

“I’ll see if I can attend,” Grange promised.

Grace was in a kinder mood when Grange found her shortly thereafter.

“Will there be a full moon tonight?  I think there will,” Grace answered her own question.  “We can work on your wand this afternoon, and if we get enough done, we could take a big step forward tonight under the full moon.”

Grange hesitated.  The night was going to be his last chance to see Shaylee before they went their separate ways.

“How long will we work tonight?” he asked, then was suddenly inspired to ask a second question.  “If it’s not too boring an action, could I bring a friend along?”

“Is this the friend I think it is?” Grace asked.

“It’s Shaylee,” Grange admitted.

“Is she a virgin?” Grace asked.

Grange looked at her in shock.  “What does that have to do with it?” he asked heatedly.

“You need a few drops of blood from a virgin tonight as part of the capstone ritual,” Grace said.  “To begin to weather your wand.”

“What would I have done if I hadn’t asked to bring her along?  What will I do if she doesn’t want to come?” Grange asked with less heat.

“You’ll need to have another virgin,” Grace said calmly.

“Where will I find one of those?” Grange asked heatedly.

Grace’s hand shot out and slapped his cheek hard.

“What do you think I am?” she asked in a hard, deliberate voice, each word drawn out slowly.

“I’m, oh, I’m, oh,” Grange stuttered.  “Yes, of course.  I didn’t mean anything,” he tried to find words to excuse the unintended implications of his words.

“I’m sorry; I apologize,” he belatedly added.

Some of the color left Grace’s cheeks, and the angry spark in her eyes diminished.

“I forgive you,” she said loftily.  “Now, come along,” she told him, and led the way to a small rooftop garden that was deserted.

“I want you to stuff as much energy as possible into your wand,” she told Grange.  “Any and all kinds of energy.  Generate it and make the wand absorb it.”

Grange looked at the girl, pursed his lips, and decided to comply without any questions.  He focused his attention on connecting with the energy, then called it forth, watching as the glow of the activated energy’s presence began to grow.  He directed and shaped the energy, sending it crawling into the end of his bramble branch wand, letting the wand grow more and more charged with power. 

He spent an hour at the task, until he felt himself grow strained from the effort.  He stopped and looked at Grace, who was leaning back in her seat, eyes closed and face turned up to the sunlight.

“I’m done,” he said simply.

“Alright,” Grace answered.  “Go walk around the garden, then come back here.”  She spoke without opening her eyes.

Grange gladly did as instructed, walking to the railing around the garden, and looking down at the grounds below.  He paused to observe servants carrying loads of goods between buildings, then returned to where Grace remained in her languid pose.

“I’m back,” he informed her.

“Good.  Now, put more energy into the wand.  At least as much as you’ve already put in it,” she told him, tipping her chair forward and opening her eyes to look at him.

“But it’s completely charged.  I filled it,” Grange answered.

“You think you gave it as much as you could, but there can be much more put into it; there’s always more room the first time.  If you want to have an effective wand, you need to discover that it can accept a greater amount of energy, and you want it to have as much as possible tonight for the operation,” Grace said directly.  “So get to work again.”  Without waiting for his response, she stood up and began to walk around the garden herself.

Grange obediently sat down with his wand, and began to summon the energy forth, almost apologetically, then discovered to his surprise that he could induce more of the power to reside within the wand.  It seemed to enter at a slower rate than it had before, but it steadily continued to disappear into his sleek device.

He focused intently on the power, unaware of Grace’s return, or her sitting next to him, or the setting of the sun.

“We should go to the dinner,” Grace startled Grange by saying sometime later. 

He looked up.  “It feels like there’s room for more,” he told her.

“There may be, but it doesn’t need more power.  What it needs now is to bond to you.  Take out your knife,” Grace said.

“Now,” she instructed after Grange had pulled free the knife with the jewel in the haft – Brielle’s knife.  “You need to dip the power end in your blood.  Cut your palm and dip the wand in the blood,” she told him.

Grange raised an eyebrow and paused momentarily, checking to see if Grace was serious.  She seemed to wait impatiently, so he did as instructed, wincing as the blade scored his palm, and releasing a long, red line.

He immediately put the knife away in its scabbard, and picked up the wand, then gingerly poked it into the bloody pool in his palm, and rolled the wand so that all sides were immersed in the red fluid.

“We’ll come back after dinner.  You can bring your virgin friend if you’d like,” she mocked him.  “Put the wand down and leave it here.”

The pair left the roof and went in search of the farewell dinner being put on for Shaylee and her mother Layreen.  The room was filled with three score of people or more, it seemed to Grange, and the two departing visitors were honored by the Queen’s presence at the meal.

“Grange, it’s so nice of you to come,” Layreen commented as she crossed the room to join him.  “And you’re with your companion again, I see,” she directed her eyes towards Grace.

“We’re in a training exercise, your grace, before Grange goes on a dangerous journey south,” Grace addressed the woman.  “But Grange wanted to come to see you and your daughter.”

“I’m sure he wanted to see my daughter more than he wanted to see me,” Layreen laughed.  “You go over and talk to her,” she motioned to Grange.  “I’ll stay here with your magical friend and ask her a few questions,” the mother suggested.

Grange smiled warmly at her and took advantage of the offer to dart away from Grace, to join the circle of boys who surrounded Shaylee, as she was facing and giggling with a pair of other girls from the palace.

“You’re the one who came to her village, aren’t you?” one of the other youths asked Grange.

“I am,” Grange confirmed.

“She talks about you all the time; says you’re like a brother to her, even though you’ve only known each other a short time,” the boy told him.