Gods Save The Queen Bk. 01 Pt. 02

© 2025 Duleigh Lawrence-Townshend. All rights reserved. The author asserts the right to be identified as the author of this story for all portions. All characters are original. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This story or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review or commentary.

This is a tale that I have been aching to write for a long time. Once again, I return to a genre that I absolutely love: Romantasy. My awesome beta reader (thank you so much, K!) loves this part of the tale, but if you don't like it, blame me, not her. This is part 2 of book 1, if you missed part 1 it's right here.

Gods Save the Queen

Book 1 - Part 2, The Enchantress

Chapter 11 - A Kingdom of Two

Nick lowered himself into the hot springs, a large pond lined with smooth stones in the heart of the palace forest garden. Hot water circulated and bubbled away his aches and tension from the past month. At the far end of the pond was an ornamental bamboo fence, which made no sense in a forest, but it looked nice. He closed his eyes and leaned back so that only his head was above the surface of the spring. Nick felt motion in the water, and he opened one eye and saw that Major Leomaris Autumnfall had joined him in the spring.

"Is this helping my friend?"

"It surely is," said Nick.

"How is the Captain feeling this evening?" asked Leo.

Nick looked up into the trees where glowing fairies fluttered around in their all-night orgies of silliness. They fluttered and sang and tussled with their friends and occasionally came down and whispered embarrassing things in Nick's ear. "Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu is dead. All that is left is Nick the witch."

"Well Nick the witch, I know not where you head from here, but I suggest to avoid the Mons Sunnah mountains. Somehow the word got out that you and the queen were heading back to Breaze, but with their temple down you had to go overland, and you chose to follow the Mons Sunnah mountain range to throw off pursuers."

"I wonder how that happened," said Nick, knowing exactly how that happened. He and Octavia have been holed up in the Teurnian castle for a week, relaxing and getting over the horrible memories brought up by the hearing.

"I had sent out teams of hikers to map the range, I do hope Breazian mercenaries don't follow their tracks."

Nick thought of what dirty trick Leo played. "Are your hikers draconians?"

"Come to think of it, they are!" which caused both Leo and Nick to laugh. A draconian is a dragon that is capable of changing into humanoid form. One of their tricks is to walk into a stream in humanoid form, then fly away, leaving the search party to wonder where the hikers went. Normally they avoid humans, but for some reason they like King Lars, and he's got several draconians on staff. "Are you going to remain a guest of the crown Captain Nick-the-witch? I could use your swordsmanship on my staff training the young recruits."

"I don't know... I feel a calling to take my queen back to Torwin-Armistad, and after that? I want to see what my garden looks like."

"Your garden at Nana Partridge's cottage? You haven't touched that in nine years."

"I have garden gnomes," said Nick.

"Very wise," said Leo. Garden gnomes live in the Snow Cross mountains where Nick spent his early teen years. The gnomes are small humanoids with no magical abilities at all, but their horticultural skills are nearly magical. If you invite a family of Garden Gnomes to take up residence in your garden, they do the work for the sheer joy of maintaining a neat, healthy, lush garden... and ten percent of the yield. No farmer with a family of garden gnomes working in his kitchen garden goes hungry, that is for certain.

"I invited Rys Oladi to come with us when we leave. We're going to head out as soon as he can travel."

"Oh? You are taking him to Torwin-Armistad?" asked Leo.

"No, my farm. I think some time on the farm sitting on the porch and looking up at Morna Oron will help with the healing and spirit.

"Morna Oron? I thought your farm was on Black Mountain," said a suddenly excited Leo.

"We just call it Black Mountain. That's what Morna Oron means in common Torwin, right? Rys calls it Oromorna. That's the same isn't it?"

"It's the same but it has a different meaning to the elves," said King Lars as he slid into the hot springs next to Nick. "Oromorna has religious meaning, doesn't it?"

"It's a gathering place, a place of refuge," said Leo, completely shocked. "I was there, was I not?"

"Yeah, eight years ago. Nana called it Black Mountain and I never thought to mention the high Elvish name to you," said Nick.

"Artafána is on that mountain," said King Lars. "Rys will want to look for that."

"The who?"

"Artafána is known as the Fortress of White," said Leomaris. "It's a castle of white built inside of a black mountain. It's supposed to symbolize the eternal struggle between inseparable and contradictory opposites, like light versus dark, day versus night, old versus young..."

"Male versus female, North versus South," added Lars.

"Uh, high prices versus low quality," ventured Nick.

"Right... you dick," and Lars gave Nick an elbow in the side.

"I can't believe it, I was there!" said Leomaris. "I was on Oromorna!"

"So what's in it?" asked Nick.

Leomaris shrugged. "I have been told it's a refuge of some kind, others say it's a gateway, still other say it's a vast underground garden." He shrugged. "The ancient elven Library of Nolmë is supposed to have all the information on the construction and contents of Artafána."

"Where is the Library of Nolmë?" asked Nick.

"Inside Artafána!" said Leomaris and Lars in unison, then all three laughed.

"It's nice to know I own a library," said Nick.

"How do you own a library?" asked King Lars.

"Mom's family has owned Black Mountain for generations. We own all the land from a mile north of Creel Creek in Elm Springs north to the Gjorgiev River and that's all Morna Oron.

"So you're a rich land baron," said Leomaris.

"Lot of good it is," scoffed Nick. "It's a lot of land but most of it is vertical. We... I mean I lease out two plots to farmers on either side of me. I make enough to cover the taxes and little more."

They looked back and stared up at the stars above, and Lars asked, "Do you think Rys will be ok?"

Nick shrugged. "It's a mountain. He's a mountain elf. He'll probably like it, if he doesn't, I'll bring him back here temple hopping. Olah, Lana and Nora are going to pack him food for several days."

The king was moved by Nick's offer to take care of the disabled elf. "You are a good man, Nick Stein."

"I owe everything I am to King Alfrich," said Nick sadly. "I arrived an angry sixteen-year-old student, proud of myself because I could read three different languages and speak three more. I knew I had magical ability because I had drunk holy water from the temple for years and lived. But King Alfrich saw through my bluster. He shaped me into what I am today."

"He molded me also," said King Lars. "My father was a fair leader, but he preferred to enjoy the incubus life. I have half-sisters all over Teurnia. It was King Alfrich that trained me to rule fairly and justly, just as he did to you."

They relaxed in the water, letting the hot water soothe their aching muscles and release the tension of the past days. Looking up at the sky, Nick said, "The demi-giants say that when a hero dies, he becomes a star."

"If that is so, the sky is crowded with the men and women you led, my friend," said Leomaris.

"Ok, this is boring," said the king. He snapped his fingers, and the bamboo wall slid aside, revealing the other half of the hot spring. Over there, Rania, Octavia, Nora, Lola, and Olah soaked in the hot water, and the triplets cried out in joy.

Octavia cried out in surprise and covered her breasts, but Rania said, "This is where you show your royal muscle," and the queen got up and waded to the other end of the hot spring and changed places with Nick. As he waded to the far end of the hot spring, Nora remained next to Octavia and whispered 'encouragement' in her ear. "Here he comes. Look at that riist on him! You're a lucky girl..."

She saw his riist... his spindle, as the girls at temple school called it. She had caught glimpses in the past as he bathed and dressed, but now it was right there in front of her and she couldn't take her eyes away from it. She felt herself being drawn to it. She wanted to reach out and touch it in its relaxed state before it became an engine of destruction, but Nick sat down in the water next to her and leaned back against the smooth rock lining the spring. He relaxed, and then he began to frown and fight back tears. Octavia kissed his shoulder and asked, "Are you well?"

"No," said Nick sadly. "Just having regrets."

"What kind of regrets?"

"Lars has invited me here several times in the past... I had mentioned it to Ziska and she wanted to come here on our honeymoon. He was expecting us to step out of the temple back on Mystara twelfth." He sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I supposed we should celebrate our freedom instead of our pain."

Octavia worked her way behind Nick and wrapped her arms around him and kissed his shoulders. "It's acceptable to feel pain, dear. But it is also acceptable to enjoy life also."

"You are right, my queen. I am letting my sorrow shade all that I do. I need to learn to enjoy what I have.

<><><><><>

Rys Oladi slowly made his way through the streets of the palace to the temple of Sapona. He was too proud to use a wheeled chair or cart; it wasn't proper for a mountain elf to be carted around like a load of groceries, so he was escorted by the King's harem, Lana, Nora, and Olah Ulavaris. There was a crowd of people, elves, and dwarfs in front of the temple of Sapona, and there, at the entrance to the temple, was Sapona himself. The god had stepped out of the temple! Of course, he was the god of stone; it is said he constructed the entire fortress-city known as Termagant's Bane in one day. Nick didn't doubt the legend because the entire fortress that surrounds the capitol city of Teurnia was entirely constructed of the marvelous gray granite that the Mons Sunnah mountains were famous for.

A crowd had gathered to see the god because most people didn't enter the temple when the god was present. He was tall, over eight feet in height, and he was husky with gray skin, the same color as the granite that made up their buildings. He had unruly black hair and wore a heavy canvas toga. When Rys approached, Sapona turned to the mountain elf. "Come my son, we have much to talk about."

While Rys and Sapona spoke in an ancient tongue, many friends from the Teurnian orchestra were playing nearby, wishing Rys a safe journey with their music. Octavia stood at the forefront, wearing her deep blue gown with mithril silver piping and her diamond tiers, and she was speaking to Queen Rania as the crowd watched curiously. Two queens? This rare event was not explained, but to royal watchers, it was a boon.

Inside the temple, Lars and Nick spoke softly. Nick looked at the king and fought the urge to weep. He was surrendering his command and heading off into exile. "Please, your majesty, be good to my men."

"I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for you," said King Lars.

"I never imagined it either. I had expected to head home after my king married, with a wife of my own on my arm. I was looking forward to it not thinking of pain of any form. Not in my worst nightmares did I ever think it would come to this, my wife dead, my king dead, my command dead, and an expatriate queen to guard, but here I am..." He sighed and clenched his jaw before continuing. "My men are well trained and patriotic, but they realize the Breaze they swore their life to protect is gone. They took a vote and voted unanimously to accept your offer."

"I look on them as my special forces," said Lars. "I want them to help me keep an eye on what the usurpers are doing in Breaze."

"They are the ones to do it. I just ask that you love them like you love all your other fighting men and women."

Lars patted Nick on the shoulder and said, "Once they take their oath of citizenship, they are my special children. I'll keep you informed of their operations and when they need rest, I'll send them to your farm where you can get some work out of them."

"Thank you your majesty."

Soon, King Lars and Nick stepped out of the temple. This was his last appearance as Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu, and they took up position with the queens.

The chanting of cadence, the drumming of boots, and the click! click! click! of swords being sheathed in rhythm, let all know that the Queen's Guard was approaching. The blue and silver uniforms of the Breaze Royal Guards were accompanied by the brown and gray uniforms of the Teurnian Guard. The members of the Teurnian Guard halted while the eight Breaze guardsmen continued through the crowd and formed a single line before the king and queens.

King Lars nodded, and Nick stepped forward to address his men for the last time. "I am so proud of the short period that I was given to command you fine soldiers. I officially commend you for your skill in tracking Queen Octavia and me as we fled the supplanting renegades." He then held a cutlass high overhead. Its edge was chipped, and it was still covered in dried blood. "This is the blade of your first sergeant, Touénot Duhamel. He was a giant in stature and in heart, he gave all for his king and he was my dearest friend. Make this blade your symbol that will never be sheathed until the guilty are brought to justice and peace returns to the land. Swear your oaths to your new king on this blade and go forward in strength!"

Then he stepped up to each of his remaining soldiers and he asked them by name to swear to follow King Lars Ranzau, to serve him with honor and fortitude and to hunt down the killers of their king and their brothers. Dante, Benedict, Arto, Sara, Isin, Nolan, and Van. When he got to Lieutenant Claus Hillingham, he said quietly, "this blade is yours to wield now, captain. Follow your orders and your instincts and we will meet again." He handed the blade to the new commander, then he stepped back to the line next to Octavia.

The new captain called, "First sergeant, present the colors." Sergeant Dante Fletcher took the unit guidon, a simple midnight blue flag pendant with a mithril silver horse emblazoned on it, that was atop an eight foot tall staff. Beneath the pendant streamed ribbons showing various awards won over the centuries of existence of the "Kings Finest." The first sergeant presented the staff to Octavia, who took the staff and looked up at the symbol of the Breaze Royal Mounted Guard, then handed the staff to Sergeant Fletcher. Dante did an about-face and handed the staff to King Lars, who nodded and handed it back. That was it. The change of command was complete. The Breaze Royal Mounted Guard now belonged to the King of Teurnia.

Leo stepped forward and said, "I am Major Leomaris Autumnfall, and I bid you welcome to the Teurnian forces. Years ago, Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and I stepped from this very temple looking to get training in the medical arts. We both had to serve our kings for twenty hours a week in uniform to pay for our education, and we both found out that we were better soldiers than healers. Our friendship nurtured an already existing friendship between our kingdoms. Now the nightmare of so many people has descended on Breaze. A faction of Zeddicus worshipers believed the lies of the dark god and they showed no mercy on those who stand in their way. May their twisted god have mercy on their souls should they stand in our way because we won't!"

A shout of agreement went up between the seasoned Teurnian troops and the new Teurnian Mounted Guard. "You, my new friends are going to be the core of our new cavalry, keeping the northern plains free from the tyranny of an army gone mad!" Another shout went up among the troops, and if any had looked they would have noticed that Nick, Rys, and Octavia were gone.

<><><><><>

When Nick, Octavia and Rys stepped out into the temple of Snupp, Nick sagged to the ground as the sorrow and misery of parting with his troops overwhelmed him. "My captain!" gasped Octavia, and she dropped to her knees next to Nick as Rys slowly walked over to the offering plate and left a raw steak on the plate. The temple was dark and musty. It looked to Rys that it was built out of shadows and fog. He returned to Octavia and Nick, wishing he could comfort the former soldier, but he still had a deep seething anger for not having been protected by Nick and his men.

"I failed... I failed... I failed..." groaned Nick over and over, beating his fist into the rough cobblestone floor until it was bloody. He stopped only when they heard a sniff that was so loud it echoed off the unseen walls.

"Beef," came a growl from the darkness.

"We bring a gift from Teurnia in thanks for passage through your temple," said Rys.

"You must want more," came the growling voice in the dark. "I smell blood." Then Snupp, the god of wolves, stepped from the darkness. Half man, half wolf, he was covered in brown and black hair. While he didn't have a muzzle like a dog, he had a similar nose, teeth, and ears. "I smell fresh blood! You must want something!" barked the god.

Nick pulled himself up and dropped the backpack he was carrying. From a rolled blanket, he pulled a mithril/steel cutlass and stood before the superhuman being. "IF I was to ask you for anything it would be to kill me and put me out of my misery!" shouted Nick. "Why do you look at kindness as a bribe?" he shouted.

"You are lucky human!" snarled the god of wolves. "You have the stench of Saehrimnir on you, as does the woman, but the elf, he's available to me," snarled Snupp with a grin full of sharp teeth.

"NO! I WILL NOT FAIL HIM AGAIN!" roared Nick, and suddenly he appeared to be a foot taller than Snupp. "He is the one that brought you a steak out of the kindness of his heart and this is how you repay him? Threatening to kill him?" Nick raised his sword and placed the point at Snupp's throat. The blade was covered with the blood that ran down its length from Nick's bleeding hand. "HERE'S BLOOD FOR YOU!"

The wolf/god looked terrified for a moment, then sneered and said, "You can't kill me with that, human."

"Are you so sure? Are you willing to bet your life on that? Because it looks like I'm willing to take that bet," shouted Nick.

There was a long, terrifying moment where Nick and Snupp glared at each other down the blood-covered length of Nick's sword. Octavia whimpered in terror, and Rys pulled her close to him. Snupp merely grinned and stepped back and bowed. "Well played, Nick of the house of Saehrimnir. It's been a long time since I've been put in my place. In my own temple yet!" The wolf god laughed and said, "Sit! You need to rest."

"Thank you Lord Snupp," said Nick as he cleaned, then sheathed his blade and wrapped it back up in the blanket. He sat on a bench and stared at the crouching Snupp while Octavia bandaged his bloody hand.

"Why do you flea? Was there no home for you in Teurnia Captain Pommeraie?" asked Snupp.

"You know the answer to that," said Nick. "Had I stayed, the men would have followed me instead of Major Autumnfall. I had to leave to insure troop cohesion."

"A lie of omission is still a lie dear captain," said Snupp with a toothy grin.

Nick frowned. For such an animal, Snupp wasn't stupid. "Octavia could not stay either. Had she remained, she would have been known as a queen, she was crowned Queen of Breaze and the gods see her as a queen. That would have sewn conflict in the troops and the human residents of Teurnia who would rather have a human queen rather than an elf queen. There can only be one queen so Octavia had to find another home."

"Annnnd?" said Snupp with a grin.

"And I swore an oath to protect Queen Octavia so here we are. We're a kingdom comprised solely of two."

"Is there more, my lady?" Snupp said to Octavia.

Octavia trembled and squeezed her eyes shut. Of course, there's more, and try as she might, she couldn't hold it back. The emotional dam burst, and Octavia clutched Nick's arm and cried out, "HE'S MINE!"

"And now the entire story is told," said Snupp with a throaty, growling laugh. "You may pass when you are rested. And do not worry for your men, dear captain. Their enemies will be harried by my children and will not be able to make a move without my children's howling giving away their position."

"Thank you very much, lord Snupp."

"Why not? We're going to be in-laws one day."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 12 - The Mountains of Uduithia

The change from the darkness of Snupp's dank temple in Elbreshowth on the Moor to Uduithia's little non-denominational temple in the woods was like the difference of night and day. The sunlight poured in through the ancient stained glass windows, depicting heroic visions of gods and dragons. "I hear birds!" said Octavia, and she quickly threw off the exhaustion that traveling from one temple to another causes. She headed over to the main door of the temple, but Nick said, "No, we need to go out the back."

"Ok!" she said cheerily, and she went through an ancient oak door to what looked like a combination of office, library, and classroom. A sweet-looking old man sat at a desk and smiled at her as she entered the room.

"Good afternoon your highness," said the old man. " I have recently prepared a delightful pot of tea; might you care for a cup??"

"I would love a cup of tea. They didn't seem to drink much proper tea in Breaze, they preferred something made from mint." Octavia smiled. Grandpa talked like he was several hundred years old, using an archaic version of the Torwin language.

"Pray, accept this exquisite infusion of black breakfast tea, and may it bring you great pleasure." And he poured her a cup, which she sipped with delight. Soon Nick and Rys entered, and Grandpa smiled. "Pommeraie, my dear fellow... alas, thou hast reverted to the moniker of Nick. Pray, what hath occasioned this transformation?"

"Because I was a failure as Pommeraie. I failed my king and kingdom as Pommeraie. At least as Nick I showed some improvement. Besides, who's going to believe in a witch named Pommeraie de la Montesquieu? Witches have common names, like Granny, and Nana, and Maud. Pommeraie de la Montesquieu just isn't a witch's name."

"Neither is Nick," laughed Octavia.

"It's much easier to spell," said Rys as Grandpa handed him a cup of tea. "I am Rys Oladi of the Snowcross Mountains."

"A most cordial welcome to thy native land, lord Rys," said Grandpa. "I am Grigeor de la Montesquieu. I bestowed upon my grandson the esteemed family name, yet it appears he hath quite muddled it with his antics."

"He did not!" demanded Octavia. "He made that name proud, he trained the royal guard and honed them to razor sharpness! My husband saw him as a potential heir should we not produce one."

"My queen, please. We failed," said Nick. "The Army killed the king; they killed a ball room full of guests and the entire royal guard."

"You saved me," said Octavia.

"Pommy, please," said grandpa. "It was not solely the military force. Zeddicus had labored within Breaze for countless years, cultivating his assembly of adherents long ere your arrival. On that fateful eve at the coronation ball, the culinary artisans did poison the majority of the repast. You and Octavia, having abstained from the evening's fare, escaped unscathed; yet, mark my words, had you partaken and still eluded fate, you would have met with a most agonizing demise before setting foot in Teurnia."

"How did you know all this grandpa?" demanded Nick.

"The deities do engage in discourse amongst themselves. Hadst thou remained and embraced the station of temple priest, thou wouldst have been privy to their most intriguing exchanges."

"And why are you here now, you wouldn't appear when Ziska was here."

"Thou art obliged to confer with thy grandmother regarding that matter," said Grandpa with a playful smile. He winked at Octavia and faded from sight.

"Wha... grandpa? Grandpa Grigeor?" Octavia looked around in confusion.

Nick patted her on the back and said, "He's a ghost, didn't I tell you that?"

"I would have remembered if you had!" She leapt to her feet and swatted Nick on the arm.

Rys chuckled while Octavia cursed Nick, but Grandpa reappeared behind his desk and said, "Dearest one, pray, allow me to present unto you, Uduithia. I find myself compelled to convey that matters are quite disparate in this realm when compared to your grand metropolises. Should you perceive sightings of elves and dwarves as a marvel, prepare thyself for a most profound astonishment here. Pray, both of you, direct your gaze upon me... approach closer... do indulge in the pretense of mutual affection... splendid, I convey my gratitude!" and he faded from sight again, causing Rys to laugh more.

"What was that about?"

"He liked the way we look all dressed up pretty and all. He wanted to save the memory, " said Nick. He washed the teacups in the spring just outside the back door, then returned to the office to find Octavia gazing at the wall behind her in wonder. The wall opposite Grandpa's desk was covered with framed paintings of Nick as he grew up in Uduithia. Young Nick fishing in the stream, young Nick swimming naked with other boys and girls in a pond, Nick handling a pair of mules as they hauled a load of firewood down a snowy mountain road, then Nick, the center of attention as a group of people bade him goodbye. "That's when I became Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and headed off to Breaze to study healing, it's my going away party."

As Octavia looked at the paintings, they suddenly reshuffled themselves on the wall. Some changed in size, but they made room for a larger painting, which soon appeared. It was a painting of Nick and Octavia in the temple dressed as they are now, he in his captain's uniform with medals and badges, she in her midnight blue and silver gown and her tiara. "Grandpa!" groaned Nick.

"Grandpa Grigeor did this?" asked a startled Octavia.

"Yes, I told you he liked how we looked and he wanted to save the memory."

"But how did he do that?"

"I don't know, he's a wizard, you're a wizard, talk it over with him." Nick shouldered his backpack and said, "Come on Rys, we have a ride waiting for you."

"I'd rather not," said Rys, but Nick grabbed Rys's pack also and stepped outside.

"Oh my gods, it's beautiful here!" gasped Octavia.

"This is where I learned to be free of terror and hunger," said Nick as Octavia and Rys looked up and down the main road. It was a gravel road that was lined with elm trees that made a green tunnel that sheltered the tiny village. Next to the temple was a blacksmith shop that was shaded by a huge spreading beech tree. In the shade of that tree, the blacksmith and his apprentice worked while a few fellows idly looked on.

Across the street was a quaint watermill, its wheel turning, and from inside the mill, the groan of machinery could be heard. There was a tiny cobbler shop, and next to that was a small general store. Further up the main road was an intersection with some large houses on the other side. Through the breaks in the trees, Octavia could see mountains surrounding them. "This is Elm Springs in its full entirety. The road to the left winds back and forth up Breeder's peak, then back down the other side to Waleston, the capital of Uduithia. The road to the right is the wagon path to Nana's cottage and the occasional ice pond."

"It's so beautiful!" gushed Octavia.

A large, impossibly strong-looking man came up to her and said, "Ma'am, you're either crazy or you've been hanging around with this creature too long." He pointed to Nick, who just shook his head and moaned.

"Honey, this is Trei Metsker, the village smithy and sole source of entertainment for these guys," said Nick.

"My lady," said Trei as he bowed. "Welcome to Elm Springs. If I didn't know better, I'd say our Nick has taken a liking to you."

"I quite agree," said a stunned Octavia.

"What? You people..." sputtered Nick.

"You called her honey," whispered Rys. Such an address in elven culture is common, it's like saying "I'm pleased to meet you," but Rys had discovered that human culture has a definite difference in the way a male speaks to a woman he loves and a woman he doesn't. It often makes human society seem cold and brittle. Humans rely more on facial expressions to transmit their feelings to people they don't know.

"I did not," said an embarrassed Nick.

The boys chuckled, and a younger version of Trei Metsker joined the crowd and said, "You sure did, Nicky!" which made Nick blush even more furiously.

A smiling Octavia turned to Nick and said, "A slip of the tongue, was it not, Pommy?" And her fingertips brushed his cheek. The moment she touched him; the entire world seemed to fade into the background. It was just Nick and Octavia in Nick's mind, and she was whispering in his mind, "Pray, tis well to feel such a manner. I will be here waiting for you when the pain is gone." Nick's heart began to hammer in his chest, but then calmed before it could reach such a crescendo. When it was over, Nick realized that Octavia was right. It was a slip of the tongue, nothing to be embarrassed about, so he continued with the introductions.

"Pardon my lady," said Nick, and he made introductions. "Lady Anghart, Rys Oladi, this is my chief accomplice in my youth, Wayne Metsker, and his mother, Trei's wife, Erin. And this is our village cobbler and leather smith Harry Neumann, our miller, Kevyn Haven, and our unelected mayor, Sieffre Merrick."

Octavia smiled and shook hands with everyone, and Rys bowed to each as he was introduced because elves don't shake hands. They embrace, which is too much for most humans. Octavia took special care to remember each. Wayne was clearly an apprentice blacksmith, as he wore an apron and was carrying the tongs rather than a hammer. The cobbler, Harry, was clearly someone who did precision work on a small scale as he had a shirt pocket full of fine punches and leather needles, and he wore small round glasses. The miller was a jolly-looking man who has clearly seen many long days of hard work, and Sieffre was much older than the rest, and he carried himself like he once carried a lot of responsibility on his shoulders but was now done with it and was enjoying his life.

"Why are you in town?" asked Erin.

Octavia didn't pause for one moment. "When Captain Stein's enlistment ended, he stayed on as my bodyguard. He agreed to escort Master Oladi to Black Mountain, so here I am!" she said cheerfully. What she said was true, not the entire truth, but it was true.

"You follow the bodyguard?" chuckled Sieffre. "Is it not the other way around normally?"

Octavia shrugged and gave a sweet smile. "It works for us. I have no plans for the moment and I am loath to return to Torwin-Armistad or the temple."

Immediately Octavia was buried in a barrage of questions. She's from the big city? Nick is from the big city too! Is that where they met? She calmly explained that no, they had never met when they had lived in Torwin-Armistad. She was isolated in temple priestess training.

"You're a temple priestess?" gasped Erin.

"Among other things, yes." Octavia did not want to reveal that she was a wizard, and she didn't want to lie and say she was a witch, so she left it unsaid.

"We could use a temple priestess," said Erin. "Gods know that Grigeor is a smart man, but his being dead makes him useless in some respects."

As they spoke, Nick led Rys to a bench in the beech tree's shade, then returned with a cup of spring water. "Thank you captain... this water is delicious! Is it from the stream I hear yonder at the base of Breeders Peak?"

"No, there's a natural artesian spring behind the temple. It was capped years ago, but there is a faucet..." his explanation tapered off when a rider came down the mountain behind them. He squinted at the rider, then shouted, "Sean!"

The rider laughed and said, "Ah! Nick my old friend!" and the rider leaped down from the saddle and the men embraced. "Gods be damned if you don't look like you grew some competence my friend!" said Sean with a broad laugh.

"And you look like you're ready for that to occur yourself," said Nick as he laughed and patted Nick's back.

"Watch yourself Mister Stein, I'm married now with two sons and a daughter on the way," said Sean.

With a jolly laugh, Nick hoisted Sean into the air and spun around. "I can't wait to meet the little Fahys!" Then he turned to make introductions. "Rys, Octavia, this is a dear old friend, Sean Fahy. His mom, Esadora, is a mentor of mine. She was the closest thing I had to a living mother and Sean was my kid brother. Sean, this is Rys Oladi of the Teurnian Royal Orchestra..."

Sean bowed to the elf and said, "King Uric looks forward eagerly to talk about music with you. He's trying to form a local orchestra."

"I will be happy to speak with the king, but my playing days are few now," said Rys.

Nick continued. "And this is Lady Octavia Anghart of Folstonborough."

To everyone's shock, Sean took her hand, dropped to a knee, and lowered his head. "By the king's command, my sword is yours, your highness."

Flustered, Octavia said, "Thank you but I have Captain..."

"My lady, King Uric the Second requests the pleasure of your company, along with that of Captain de la Montesquieu."

Nick, Octavia and Rys all knew that when a king makes a request, it's actually a polite order.

"As soon as I can find a ride for us," said Nick, looking around. There must be a farmer who can hire out a mule and cart. It was late summer, so the harvest hadn't started yet.

"The king was able to secure seats on the morning coach," said Sean.

Nick and Octavia looked at each other and shrugged. How did he find out?

<><><><><>

The daily coach ran twice a day, every day that the road was clear, between Waleston, the capital of Uduithia, and Slate Bottom Creek, the only passenger tram station in Uduithia. If the coach was flying a green flag, it meant that there was an empty seat on the coach and any traveler could flag it down. There was one stop to water the horses in Elm Springs and a rest for the horses at the crest of Breeders Peak.

The coach was slightly early, so as the driver and Nick lowered the canvas top of the coach so the queen could enjoy the warm weather of late summer, Erin Metsker made beef sandwiches for Nick and Octavia and a sandwich made of preserved fruit for Rys. (Erin knows what elves like!)

With the horses watered and the sun warming the mountains of Uduithia, they were off with Sean riding alongside the coach when the road was wide enough. The road was narrow and in some places quite steep as it wove back and forth up the face of Breeder's Peak. Octavia knew they were climbing, but the trees were so thick on both sides of the road it was hard to tell how high they climbed. It was pleasant, however; she sat in the center of the rear seat of the coach, sandwiched between Rys and Nick.

"This side of Breeder's Peak can be very dangerous," said Nick.

"From falls? Out of control carriages?" guessed Octavia.

"Bandits."

"Aye, tis true," said a passenger who was sitting in the front seat. "I learned not to carry much money when traveling from Slate Bottom Creek."

"Maybe when someone of courage moves into Elm Creek, the bandits will think twice about waylaying travelers," said Octavia.

Nick sighed and thought to himself, 'I'm a farmer now, not a cop.'

"Do you think that is so?" asked the fellow traveler.

"I'm sure some brave farmer will use his free time to secure the roads," said Octavia brightly. Nick looked at her. She was doing it again. She was reading his thoughts. "On occasion," she responded to Nick aloud.

"Pardon my lady?" asked the traveler.

"The farmer, he can patrol the roads on occasion," said Octavia with a smile. Nick sighed as she leaned against him and batted her eyelashes. Before he could respond, they were at the top of Breeder's peak, and stopped to rest the horses after the climb.

Octavia stood in the carriage and looked around her. With the trees no longer blocking her view, she could see for miles. The mountains were magnificent! They were huge compared to the Mons Sunnah mountain range in Teurnia, and Breeders Peak was tiny compared to these mountains, just a ridge in comparison!

Nick rose too. He had been gone far too long; he forgot how beautiful Uduithia was from up there. He could see his farm down below, the pond he swam in, the pastures and fields. It was home, and it was calling him back. He pointed out the mountain peaks of Uduithia, and Rys gazed at Morna Oron as if it were a book he was reading. "That one to the left of Black Mountain, Copper Mountain, there's plenty of ore under that mountain. It will make someone rich when they get a railroad back there to haul that ore away."

"What about our mountain," Octavia asked.

Nick chuckled and said, "we don't own the mountain; we just pay taxes on it. The mountain is for the enjoyment of all races and species. Think of it as an enormous park." Then he turned around, and right below them was the Barkridge Defile, a box canyon that contains the one thousand year old city of Waleston. Nick pointed out the major buildings, but his voice faded, and without explanation he returned to the carriage and sat down.

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 13 - The House of Chandelier

Octavia and Rys noticed a change come over Nick as they worked their way down into the Barkridge Defile. He was quieter, more somber. The tour guide was gone; the tour was over. "Are you ok?" asked Octavia. She clung to his arm as they wound back and forth across the southern face of Breeders Peak.

"When I looked at Waelmore Castle I felt someone step on my grave."

"There's no grave that can hold you, my captain," she whispered in his ear. But in the back of her mind was the nagging question - could he see glimpses of the future also? His mind is filled with centuries of wizarding knowledge. He doesn't know how to use it, but it's there.

"Then why do I feel like one is yawning wide open for me?"

"We've faced death a thousand times over in the past month. What is causing this fear now? Is the king a terrifying monarch?"

"No, from what I remember he's a nice guy. When I left he and the queen had a girl that should be in her teen age years now, and just had a boy they named Xavier." Nick looked at the city getting closer as they descended the mountain. "I just have a feeling he's going to ask a lot of questions that I don't want to answer."

The carriage eventually crossed over the narrow Barkridge River and entered Waleston. The streets were cobbled and lined with shops and businesses. All were made from gray stone similar to the buildings Octavia saw in Teurnia, but these buildings showed fewer signs of aging than the 400 year old buildings in Teurnia. They stopped at the carriage station and dropped off the three other passengers that were riding the carriage with Nick, Octavia, and Rys before circling the block and heading toward the castle.

"This city is a thousand years old?" asked Octavia.

Nick shrugged and said, "that's what the king told me, but the only thing that seems to be aging is Waelmore Castle." Octavia looked and saw the castle in the northwest corner of the box canyon. It was a huge square castle with towers at the four corners. The towers rose higher than any other castle she's ever seen, but it was clear that they were weather-worn. The roof had collapsed on the northwest tower, and several ornate balconies had broken away. The castle walls were easily a hundred feet tall, and she saw that the castle had a huge front entrance, but there was also a portcullis in the southeast corner.

Nick pointed to the large main entrance and said, "that's the primary entrance, when the city is called to shelter, that's where everyone goes. The entrance with the portcullis is where the nobility enters and exits the castle because the stables and carriage house is near."

Sean Fahy led the carriage through the portcullis to the nobles' entrance, where they were met by Harold Lorchester wearing the traditional robes of the court herald. "Harold the herald?" asked Octavia, giggling.

"Cor blimey, me lady! Bloke like me's meant for this gig, innit?" Harold had a deep Torwin-Armistad accent, which made her giggle even harder. He led them to a conference room that held a few people. He cleared his throat, and the man at the head of the table looked up at the visitors.

"Yes Harold?"

"Your royal highness, I bring you Queen Octavia, boss of Breaze, Rys Oladi, Mountain Elf, and Captain Nick Stein, proper keeper of the crown in Breaze."

The king rose and appeared to be a marionette. His skin was white, and his limbs were long and slim, and when he moved his limbs dangled oddly, like his marionette control strings were tangled. He had long, wavy blond hair, narrow-set hazel eyes, a small mouth and a long nose. He stepped up to Nick and shook his hand. "Nick! Dear gods, pray tell, how much time has elapsed since your departure?"

The king spoke as if the Torwin language was a holy relic to be polished to a high gleam. Nick remembered the king's father, Uric the First, speaking more like Grandpa, so this was an improvement. "Nine years," said Nick. Was it that long? It had seemed like just a few months ago.

"It appears to be an eternity hence, and you appeared so youthful at that time; pray tell, how old were you upon your departure?"

"I was sixteen, sire. And you were the same age that I am now."

"Gods below! Was it truly such a considerable span of time since then? Your absence has been profoundly felt. Permit me to offer my sincerest condolences; I am truly heartbroken for your loss, fully aware of the depth of your love for both your lady and your sovereign."

"Thank you sire," mumbled Nick.

Then the king turned to Rys and said, "Rys Oladi, I solicit your pardon for the delay to your journey; however, it was imperative that we converse with you at the earliest opportunity. I assure you, we shall see you on your way forthwith."

"Thank you sire," said the elf, who was surprised to meet a human that was taller than him.

Then the king turned to Octavia. "Lady Anghart, I extend my sincerest condolences for your loss, as well as for the lamentable events that have befallen your nation."

What does one say in that situation? Octavia barely knew King Alfrich, and she knew less about Breaze. She had one tour of Enkmaar, the capital city, and she only knew the king and queen's apartment of Mariseau Castle. Yes, it was horrible, but the worst part was what happened to her poor Pommy. Even the terrifying fight to escape Mariseau Castle was nothing compared to watching the blood drain from his face when he watched his wife and king die at the same time. Just the memory brought a tear to her eye, and her voice trembled when she thanked the king for his kindness.

The king turned to his wife, Queen Elinore, and said, "Dear, Would you be so kind as to escort Lady Octavia to a place where she might find repose?"

"Thank you, but I will be well. I want to hear this briefing."

"Pray, all three of you, do take seats at the table and join the discourse," said King Uric. They sat down with the other people at the table. "These are my security advisors, arranged in a clockwise manner around the table, namely Lord Baltimore, head of Intelligence and the Duke of Pellingham, Lord Slipspring, head of National Security and the viscount of Stormchester, Lord Cadence, Prime minister, and Lord Singe, my chief international advisor."

They made their greetings, and Nick felt like he could trust no one. But that was just a first impression. He needed secondary impressions to truly distrust anyone. " As you are all aware, the fall of Breaze constitutes the most significant political upheaval of our era," said King Uric. " We have three individuals who witnessed the assault and may provide answers to our inquiries."

"It was my fault," said Nick. "I'm sorry to speak out of turn, but it's true, it was my fault."

"Pray, young sir, what folly is this?" said Lord Baltimore, a large round man with a huge mustache. "It was a most egregious conspiracy that extended to the loftiest echelons of society."

Nick wanted to argue, but Lord Baltimore's ancient way of speaking reminded him of Grandpa. Still, the truth must come out. "I should have seen it! I should have stopped it!" insisted Nick, his self-loathing boiling over.

"Nay!" said Lord Baltimore. "Thou were the sovereign's sentinel; thou didst safeguard the monarchy and executed thy duty with commendable valor. Such was the sole purview of thy commission. It was the City Watch and the Army that hath so disastrously faltered."

"He is right. Your job was guarding the royal family from immediate threat," said Octavia, "not city or national security."

"By the time thou didst assume command of the Royal Guard, the nefarious conspiracy had already tainted the realm.," said Lord Baltimore. "Prior to your esteemed induction into the Royal Guard, Prince Talon was most foully abducted by the very individuals who, in later years, brought about the untimely demise of the monarch. Naught could be done to prevent the demise of the king at the hands of Zeddicus's minions. The army bore the solemn duty to seek out Prince Talon, yet they were well aware of his whereabouts."

"They knew where he was?" asked a shocked Nick.

"Indeed, it is most certain that the dastardly Army command structure was well aware. It was their armed cavalry that possessed him," said Lord Baltimore. "Thou couldst not prevent Her Majesty, Queen Elören, from relinquishing her precious life, for thou were barred from her sacred chambers; nor couldst thou quell the tumult wrought by the entire army, as thine inquiries were met with interdiction."

The king turned to Rys and said, "Héru Rys, thank you for joining us. I cannot apologize enough for the horror you were subjected to. It was inexcusable to treat a guest like that. If there is anything we can do here in Uduithia to ease your pain and suffering, please let me know."

Rys nodded slowly and said, "Thank you, your majesty, maybe a chance to speak with local musicians would be sufficient. Captain Stein is going to take me up Morna Oron. The opportunity to do that alone is worth the pain."

"I asked you here because maybe you had an insight to what happened the night the attack occurred."

Rys nodded sadly and said, "I doubt there is anything I can add to what Queen Octavia and Captain Stein could tell. My eyes were on our conductor and even though General Steinhauer walked past the orchestra in armor, it didn't register with me. We were playing The Breaze Harbor Waltz, and the newlywed couples were dancing, then during the third chorus the dancers changed partners, and the king was dancing with Lieutenant Thornhammer and the captain was dancing with the queen."

"Might one err in mistaking the lieutenant for her majesty the queen?" asked Lord Singe, the chief international advisor to King Uric.

"Normally no, but that night, dancing in a candlelit ballroom? I believe it was quite easy," said the elf.

"How so?" asked Nick, who was shocked at Rys' words. To Nick, the women were vastly different, but to Rys a human woman was like any other human woman.

"The lieutenant's dress uniform was the same color as the queen's gown, from the back in a dim room they are quite similar. Most of the visual difference is the hair color and the front," said Rys. "Facial differences aside, the lieutenant's uniform jacket showed her white blouse underneath, and the lieutenant has an athletic figure while the queen is..." he struggled to look for a word. "Matronly?"

"What?" demanded Nick.

Then, for the first time since that night, Octavia's words came to Nick and whispered in his head. He's saying I have bigger boobs. Nick turned to Octavia, and she nodded. It was true Octavia's breasts were much larger than Ziska's firm little mounds. Octavia's gown's neckline showed cleavage that threatened to distract the members of the king's security staff.

But Ziska's hair... it was so blond it was almost silver while yours was raven. Say what you will about Victor Steinhauer, he couldn't have made that mistake...

That means Ziska was the primary target, came Octavia's thought. How did he know that she was dancing with the king?

"He didn't," said Nick out loud, as the realization came to him.

"Pardon?" said Lord Cadence, the prime minister. "Do you have something important to share with us?"

Nick looked at Lord Cadence, and to Nick he looked like a henpecked lizard. He was the only non-royal in the court, and it looked like his wife was getting as much out of her husband's position as she could. "A thought came to our minds that it wasn't the king they were after. Lieutenant Thornhammer's hair was bright blond. Even if General Steinhauer had put on his helmet and lowered the mask, he wouldn't have missed that. She had to be the target."

"How did he know that she would be dancing with the king?" asked an outraged Lord Slipspring, the head of National Security. To Nick, this man looked completely out of his depth in that position. He had the nervous look of an incompetent man who was hoping he didn't get caught.

"He didn't, he didn't want to kill the king," said Nick. "He didn't know we changed partners as we danced, that was a move that the king and Ziska dreamed up the day before. He attacked from behind Lieutenant Thornhammer. General Steinhauer didn't look for anything but her, believing she would be dancing with me."

"Pray tell, art thou declaring that thou wert the quarry?" shrieked Lord Singe. Nick immediately pictured Lord Singe as another henpecked incompetent. Any advisor who becomes outraged at an input during a discussion needs to be removed far from the king.

"Yes, I was the logical target, but the queen was also a primary target."

Lord Baltimore chuckled and said, "Captain, pray tell, aside from your most dashing uniform, what might have compelled the general to single you out for his ire?"

Nick thought Lord Baltimore looked like one of those enormous seals that sunned themselves on the rocks in Breaze Harbor, but other than the king, he appeared to be the only competent member of this committee. "I was King Alfrich's top swordsman," said Nick. "Kill me and you have the king in your hand."

"Pray, might I inquire concerning your esteemed lieutenant?"

Nick frowned and said, "She was good, but she clearly was not the best of my guardsmen. Jehans Du Gouey was a far superior fighter, so was Touénot Duhamel, but the king promoted Elodie Sandherr and Franziska Thornhammer to lieutenant."

"You're saying that your fiancée was not the best fighting guardsman?" demanded Lord Slipspring.

"No, and she knew it. I worked hard with Ziska and Elodie to get them up to fighting snuff. They improved, but the hours of training did more for me than it did for them."

"So," sneered Lord Singe, "Didst thou engage in the embraces of both thy lieutenants?"

"I slept with NONE of them! And I fail to see what that has to do with the assault on Breaze," roared Nick. "I suggest that if you wish to continue to make false accusations and question my loyalty to my king that you first fill your hand with steel." There was a ring of steel, and suddenly Nick was holding a sword. It had untangled itself from the blanket it was wrapped in and shot across the room to Nick's hand. He was shocked that it happened, but he maintained his image of righteous anger. "Did I also mention that I am a magic user?"

"How dare you pull a weapon on the king!" shouted Lord Cadence.

"I pull my weapon to defend the king... from incompetents and fools who know nothing about security and defense yet use their royal status to shove their ignorant opinions down the king's throat."

Sean Fahy appeared behind Nick as if by magic and placed a large hand on Nick's shoulder. "We have a rule about weapons in chambers with the king."

Nick handed his sword to Sean, pommel up, and sighed, then said, "It's a shame that rule doesn't apply to fools and asses."

"Come my friend, let's cool off." Sean led Nick away and led him deep down into the bowels of the castle. They stopped at an office where a skeleton wearing an ancient guard's helmet and breastplate was seated in an ancient wooden office chair. It was leaning back against the wall, looking up at the darkness, jaw dropped. Cobwebs covered the skeleton, so it's been there a while. "Up you go Stan, break time is over!" called Sean.

With a sigh, the skeleton sat straight up and turned its skull to look at Nick. "Oh! A witch! I haven't had the opportunity to burn one at the stake for over a century. Can I?"

"No!" demanded Nick.

"He's here just to cool off," said Sean. "The king will be down to slap his wrist in a few minutes."

"He's not afraid?" said Stan, his jawbone trembling in disappointment.

"Lord Dungeon-keep, I was raised by two ghosts, you have to hone your skills if you want to scare me."

"Aww," groaned Stan. "The living have all the fun." He pulled a key from a keyboard and said, "Number three is for you short timers," and he led Nick and Sean to cell number three and opened the door. It was a large cell with benches on all four walls.

"Thank you Sean, and you Stan. They also serve who sit and wait." Nick found a bench in the dark and sat. It's been a long day, and it's still afternoon.

<><><><><>

"I hold a fondness for that young gentleman," said Lord Baltimore as he chuckled. "It doth seem that he hath previously taken his seat in committee."

"He did draw a blade upon me, if you please!" squealed Lord Singe.

"He is acutely aware that, on occasion, it is requisite to exhibit a measure of forcefulness if one wishes to penetrate the utter frivolities," said Lord Baltimore.

"You should feel lucky, Lord Singe," said Octavia. "Most people who saw the blade of his sword died soon after."

"What dost thou know, pray tell?" snarled the shaken advisor. His intent was to make Octavia feel weak and useless in a room full of powerful men.

"I know far more than you could imagine," said Octavia in a husky voice that struck terror into Lord Singe's soul. "I watched sixteen army and city watch rebels die to the captains sword, and twice as many stagger away leaving their sword arm behind. He fought to guard the kings body and when the task of guarding the king and myself became impossible he fought our way to the door, even pausing to decapitate the coward that slaughtered the orchestra. I watched as Lord Droul, the god of death, feast on the souls of the traitors that night."

As Octavia spoke, the room grew darker, and Octavia seemed to grow taller. Her beautiful gown had become a midnight blue wizard's robe, and her tiara had become a pointed wizard's hat. An item she took out of her purse was now a six foot tall, gnarled wizard's staff, which at the top ended in what looked like an open cupped hand. "When Captain de la Montesquieu speaks, he speaks of combat and revenge and how he wants to take back what is his. When Nick Stein speaks, he speaks of kindness and love for this country, of how he wants to heal the sick and wounded and of how he wants to help bring children into the world." She pointed her staff toward Lords Singe, Cadence, and Slipspring. "You chose who should speak and now you cower in fear..."

Suddenly the room was light and warm, Octavia was seated next to Rys Oladi explaining to the king how the captain of the royal guard convinced a young queen who never raised a frying pan in her life to sign on as a cook on a river barge for a trip up-river on the Arn River. King Uric, Queen Elinor, Lord Baltimore, and Rys Oladi roared with laughter as she explained how she tried to learn to cook. "Twenty years training as a temple priestess and a wizard and not once was I ever taught how to light the fire in a cook stove, or politely relieve my bladder on a barge full of men!"

"Good gracious me, my esteemed lady!" gasped Lord Baltimore between gales of laughter. "He undertook all such endeavors for your sake whilst he bore the weighty sorrow of his noble king and beloved wife! That witch possesses the heart of a lion and the spirit of a gentle lamb."

"Deep inside, he can still be a naughty boy," said Octavia with a slight blush. "I hope he is well in the dungeon."

<><><><><>

A light appeared in the hallway outside of Cell #3, then slowly a grinning skull raised up into view and peered into the tiny cell window, then began an evil laugh... "Boooooowah ha ha ha ha haaaaahhh!"

Reclining on the bench across from the door, Nick was impressed. "That's good!"

"Thank you. When I'm with a timid audience, their screams of terror bring out the best in me," said Stan modestly.

"I'm sure they must. Do you have the magic to simulate a flash of lightning?"

From out in the hallway, there came a bright flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder. "Is that what you mean?" asked Stan.

"That's perfect. Next time you get a chance, try it like this," said Nick. Stan heard a scratching on the floor inside the cell, then a soft tap, tap, tap on the door. Then suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light from inside the cell, a roll of thunder and in that flash Stan saw Nick's face close to the cell door window, his eyes and mouth open wide and Nick screamed, "YAAAAAAA!"

"Ye gods!" cried Stan as he jumped back across the hallway in shock.

"I know, it's good, right?" said a laughing Nick.

"Let me try that one," said the skeleton guard.

"You have to make small noises out there to get them looking at the door, that's what really sells it," said Nick.

"Here I go..." FLASH! BA-BOOM! "YAAAAAA!"

"Hells yes Sergeant Stan!" cried a laughing Nick. "That was superb!"

<><><><><>

"I suppose his time in the dungeon is about up," said King Uric after Lords Slipspring, Cadence, and Singe had left the palace. "Will you be joining us for dinner Lord Baltimore?"

"I daresay I shall, now that the troublesome younglings have taken their leave. The mem-sahib doth presently sojourn with her kin to Spatz Mountain, whilst I find myself in solitary contemplation for the foreseeable morrow. Might we venture forth to behold what remains of the valiant young captain? I do fervently hope that Sergeant Stan has preserved some trace of Nick for our inquiry."

"I'm going to stay up here and talk with Queen Elinor and Princess Sophia," said Octavia, and the three women headed off to the nursery. The queen was pregnant with their third child, and the local witch said the child hadn't decided what it was going to be. "I couldn't stay in Teurnia because there could be only one queen," said Octavia to Queen Elinor.

"I can see that," said Elinor. "Teurnia is closest to Breaze and there were Breaze troops in their armed forces."

"Uh huh," agreed Princess Sophia. "They're trying to attract refugees from Breaze to join their military, so there needs to be a clear chain of command, but that is no longer a problem."

"Why not?" asked Octavia.

"What Sophie is avoiding saying is that Breaze no longer exists as a political entity, no kings, queens, princes," said the queen. "They executed their dukes, and most barons have flown. Breaze has fallen, the house of Alfrich is torn asunder, your throne is gone. You are no longer a queen."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 14 - Welcome Home

Lady Octavia, Queen Elinor, and Princess Sophia sat down to dinner in the king's apartment, and soon they were joined by Rys Oladi, Lord Baltimore, King Uric, and Nick. Octavia ached to jump up and throw her arms around Nick, but she wasn't sure if she could weather being pushed away in the name of 'decorum.' Instead, she remarked, "I see you survived the dungeon."

"It was horrible," groaned Nick as he sat down at the table next to Octavia.

"We found him playing chess with the jailer," chuckled Lord Baltimore.

"I was afraid you were being beaten," said Octavia.

"I was! It was brutal. He beat me two out of three games," said Nick as he winked at Octavia.

When he sat down, she placed her hand on his thigh, and she was surprised when he gently put his hand on hers. She sighed silently with joy. Holding hands at the king's table! Her heart leapt, and she wondered if Nick could hear it beating. Dinner was a simple country stew and fresh crusty bread. "A simple repast for a simple king," said King Uric. "I endeavor with utmost diligence to maintain the palace's expenditures at a minimum."

"You are not the only one," said Octavia. "King Alfrich was the same way."

"King Lars of Teurnia is not. He loves his frivolity and ornamentation," said Nick.

"It doth not astonish me," said Lord Baltimore. Then in a conspiratorial tone he said, "I have heard whispers that King Lars is not of mortal ilk."

"He's not," said Nick. Then he turned to Queen Elinor and said, "The butter you serve is incredible! It's been so long since I tasted butter this good."

"I churned it," said Princess Sophia with a blush.

"She adds salt like I used to do," said Queen Elinor.

Octavia took a terrifying leap and said, "Maybe if we get a cow I can churn butter for you."

"That would be wonderful," said Nick, and Octavia's heart leaped. It was almost like a proposal of marriage!

Tired of being ignored, Lord Baltimore asked, "Pray tell, if His Majesty King Lars doth not possess the qualities of humanity, what manner of being might he be?"

"It's not a secret, he's an incubus," said Nick.

"What did you think of my committee?" asked the king.

"With the exception of my friend Lord Baltimore, I think your committee was a cluster of incompetent buffoons," said Nick between spoonfuls of the stew.

"I second that opinion," said Octavia. "I sat in on a lot of meetings with King Alfrich; it was a completely distinct feeling in those meetings. People at those meetings were concerned with Breaze. It appeared to me that those three were concerned with their own personal interests. That was especially true with Lord Singe."

"With the exception of Lord Baltimore, the rest of your committee was over their heads..." Nick suddenly fell silent.

"Captain Stein?" asked the king. "Is there something else?"

"It's not captain anymore, sire. Captains get paid. I'm just Mister Stein... farmer and wood cutter, that's only if my tools are still in the barn. And take my opinion for what it's worth. I'm the commander of the royal guard who lost his king and his subordinates entire guard."

"Dear Nick, thou didst stand as a solitary figure against the whole of the army and the criminal City Watchmen; thy performance hath far exceeded our anticipations. I assure thee, I speak with utmost conviction," said Lord Baltimore. "His Majesty doth desire a gentleman of thy caliber to grace his esteemed assembly."

"What would the king want with a worn out old war horse like me?" asked Nick.

"The finest steeds I have ever ridden were rigorously trained and deemed irretrievably lost," said the king. "They appeared to possess an innate understanding of where to tread cautiously and take the most secure route to their destination."

"Don't you require royalty on your court? If I understand right, the only non-royal on your court is the prime minister who is generally a toff. I'm just a plebeian at best."

"Pray, allow me the burden of such concerns. Should I find it necessary, I shall engage your services to instruct my personnel. I shall subsequently command you to attend my court," said the king, which caused Octavia to laugh. "Pray, refrain from laughter, dear lady; my court is in need of a wizard, and here resides one with royal blood!"

"Me?" gasped Octavia. "I was a queen for six hours. Is that enough time to pollute my blood with royalty?"

"Should I declare it so, then it indubitably is," said the king. "The remuneration shall amount to two gold pieces per assembly; herewith, I present to you your initial payment," and he slid two gold pieces across the table to Octavia.

She glared at the coins. If she touched them, she would become part of the king's court. If that was so, then Nick wouldn't be able to take her back to Torwin-Armistad. She quickly snatched up the gold pieces.

Lord Baltimore cried out, "Huzzah! All hath been most satisfactorily resolved!"

King Uric chuckled and said, " At last, I comprehend the essence of my father's words. 'To be the sovereign is indeed a most fortunate circumstance.'"

"If you insist, your majesty, but I would like to go home first before I get drafted. Winter is coming and I have nothing put up for the cold months ahead."

"Done!" said the king. "Should you lack the requisite provisions to sustain yourself throughout the winter, I shall, without hesitation, relocate you here to Waelmore Castle."

After dinner, the men gathered around the fire in the great room while the women and young Prince Exavier gathered in the queen's sewing room. "You don't look disappointed to no longer be a queen," said Queen Elinor.

"I don't think I ever wanted to be a queen," said Octavia. "But I knew I was going to Breaze to meet someone. I hope that someone is Nick. For some reason I never thought I was going to get married, but it happened, and immediately followed the coronation. I don't even know if it counts, we never consummated our marriage."

"You didn't?" gasped Princess Sophia, who knew what consummated meant, but she didn't believe it.

"We were far too busy," said Octavia. "Same with Nick and Ziska; they never consummated their marriage." Then she looked out the window and chuckled. "Imagine that... two unmarried virgins at our age, in this day and age!"

"Nick too?" asked Queen Elinore.

The picture of Ziska naked, riding King Alfrich, who had reached up and was squeezing her breasts, came to Octavia's mind. She wasn't angry at Alfrich, but she was worried about getting a social disease from his conquests. She never loved him, so she wasn't jealous, yet somehow she couldn't ignore that mental picture. Her heart still breaks for Nick, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Is it best to let, as they say, sleeping dogs lie? "Yes, Nick too. He was so busy that many evenings he never got to eat dinner. The weddings and coronation day was so hectic for him... then it went to hell..."

"Octavia, darling. Are you sure you're cut out for farm life? Life can be especially hard up here in the mountains."

"I need to stay by Nick's side," said Octavia as she looked at the needlework in her hands. "I just know I'm fated to remain by him... I know it."

Over in the great room, the men were smoking cigars and quietly talking about days gone by. "Shall I be permitted to fish upon your estate now that you have returned?" asked the king.

"Just as long as you promise not to catch anything... like aways," said Nick with a grin and a wink.

"The trout in that stream!" gushed the king. "Truly they are beyond belief!"

"Might one surmise that dear Octavia shall find delight in the pastoral existence?" asked Lord Baltimore.

"I really don't know. I'm torn, should I let her try it or should I take her back to the temple where she can find a husband with money. She was raised to be a lady in an enormous estate, not a one room cottage next to a cattle pen. She deserves a husband that can give her a good life and not come in reeking of manure and running off to help the neighbor's daughter give birth."

"Indeed, that is the manner in which she was brought up," said the king. "Yet, she seeks not merely any gentleman; I daresay she has discovered her true match."

Lord Baltimore nodded in agreement. "Permit not the pursuit of perfection to impede the attainment of the commendable."

<><><><><>

As the sun peeked over the shoulder of Black Mountain, the morning coach between Waleston and Slate Bottom Creek stopped at the Temple in the Woods in Elm Springs. While the coachman drew two buckets of water for the horses from the spring, Nick, Octavia and Rys stepped out of the coach. Each was now wearing common clothing. Nick was wearing leather trousers held up with suspenders, and a flannel shirt. Rys was dressed similarly, and Octavia was wearing a flowered blouse and a long skirt made of coarse fabric held up with shoulder straps. Rather than the dainty slippers that she normally wore around the palace, she was now wearing work boots similar to Nick's.

"You look like you're ready for farm life," said Nick. The scowl on his face could be mistaken for anger.

"I'm not," said Octavia cheerfully. "But this is where my life has led me, and I can't wait for the adventure to begin."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt," said Nick softly. "If you can't take it, if life gets too rough, let me know and I'll find you a more comfortable home. They will have a room ready for you in the castle."

"Ready for us," insisted Octavia. "I go nowhere without you."

Nick looked around, then set his jaw and said quietly, "I gave my love to two women, my mother and my fiancée, and both are dead. It's hard to get past those images in my head."

"You're saying that you're afraid if you tell me you love me that I'll die?"

"Every woman I told that to is now dead, it's a hard lesson to ignore."

"Then I'll just have to stay alive forever just to prove you wrong," said Octavia brightly. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "trust me Pommy, I won't die."

Nick pulled Octavia to the side to ensure nobody heard him. He looked in her deep brown eyes and said, "I know who you are and what you can do. If you wish to cast your spell on me, there's nothing I can do about it. Maybe you already have, I have feelings for you that are vying with my feelings for Ziska."

Octavia felt her heart leap when he said that. Her mind bounced for joy in her head, and she wanted to scream like a young teenage girl, 'he likes me!' "I have feelings too," said Octavia as she looked in Nick's deep blue eyes. "I know if I stay by your side that a grand future lies before us."

"You should align yourself with a prince that's bound for a throne," said Nick as he ran his finger down her cheek.

"Who says I haven't?"

"All right then folks!" called Wayne Metsker from beside the blacksmith shop. "I have a cart and mule for you, if you desire."

"What is this?" asked Octavia as Wayne led out their ride.

"It's a Ralli cart," said Nick, "And a yearling mule." The cart was little more than a box set on an axle with two large wagon wheels. The driver sat on top of the box. There was a footrest between the traces and a low backrest for the driver's comfort.

"It's so cute!" cried Octavia as she looked at the Ralli cart and the mule. "I want one!"

"The cart or the mule?" said Nick with a chuckle.

"Both!"

"I can let you use Teddi and the cart for a week," said Wayne. "But I will need it back, unless you're keen on buying it."

"I suppose we will see what two weeks brings us," said Nick as he began loading the sacks of clothing and provisions the castle gave them inside the Ralli cart's box. He placed two cartons of jarred provisions on the seat and then helped Rys up into the seat.

"I am loath to force an animal to do my walking for me," said Rys.

"You had two horses pull you from here to the castle and back," insisted Nick.

"Ah! But I wasn't able to see them do it. Now I have to watch this poor beast struggle to pull me up that hill."

"Friend, this is a mule. They're not fast, but they love to pull. Let Teddi do her job and you'll see."

As they prepared to head out, a small group of people arrived. It's not often that somebody moves into Elm Springs. The assembled gathering was delighted to see that it was Nick returning. News of Breaze hadn't reached the common man, so regardless of what he thought of himself, Nick was the returning hero.

"So, we finally have a witch in town?" called a woman.

"Yes we do," said Octavia.

The woman looked her up and down and said, "You're too young to be a witch."

"I'm not the witch," said Octavia. She pointed to Nick, who was talking with Rys, Wayne and Wayne's dad Trei.

"Nick?" laughed the woman. "Nick's the witch?"

"He said his grandma taught him."

The woman smiled and nodded. "Nana Partridge trained him? He'll do. I'm Ena McCrory. My dad is the fellow your husband is talking to."

"Oh, we're not married," said Octavia. She blushed and avoided eye contact with Ena.

"Give it time. I used to be sweet on your beau when we were young. He'll come around. If you have a question or need help you let me know," said Ena as she put her hands on Octavia's shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"I have a question and I need some help," said Octavia.

"On what?"

Octavia looked like she was going to cry. "Everything."

"Come on kid," said Ena with a smile. "Stick with me." She picked up one of Octavia's bags, and Octavia grabbed the other, and they headed up the hill to Nana Partridge's cabin. As they walked, they talked, and they got to know each other. This was a magical moment in Octavia's life because she had never made friends with another woman before. Temple school was highly competitive, and in wizarding classes, she was the only woman, and she hid her gender. She found out that Ena had known Nick since the day he had moved to Nana's cottage and teased him mercilessly. Octavia learned that Ena and her husband Calum have two children, Moyra, who was ten-years-old, and Gavin, who-was-seven.

"How many children do you have?" Ena asked.

"None," said Octavia sadly.

"I'm sorry, I heard you're a widow and assumed you had children."

"He died on our wedding night," said Octavia. Ena had almost made a joke about being too much woman for her husband when Octavia said, "How many virgin widows have you ever heard of?" Ena saw that Octavia was near tears, and was about to say something encouraging when Octavia said, "Just me and Pommy."

"Nick was married?" gasped Ena.

"He and I were dancing at the party when our spouses were killed."

"Gods below!" gasped Ena. "What did you do?"

"I stayed behind Nick. He had his sword out and killed the man who killed Alfrich and Ziska, then he killed anyone who got near us."

"Nick... Nick Stein pulled a sword? My Nick? Pommy whatever that old ghost named him?" said Ena.

Octavia nodded. "... de la Montesquieu, yes. He was head of the royal guard. Please don't tell anyone I told you. Only King Uric is supposed to know."

Ena was stunned; she desperately looked to change the subject. "So... you can't cook. We'll start with something simple - hot water."

"Hot water?"

"With hot water you can make coffee and tea. If you know how to use a stove to heat water, you can use a stove to heat soup, or stew. It's just baby steps." Soon they were talking like old friends as Ena tried to determine what household skills the pretty, buxom brunette had.

It wasn't a steep climb, but it was a noticeable incline as they walked up the hill. The wagon path was narrow, just wide enough for one wagon. It was like a narrow green canyon with a wall of trees on either side. Octavia looked back to see that the path was just wide enough for the Ralli cart with maybe half a foot of clearance on each side. Occasionally, there was a wide section to allow carts or wagons to pass in either direction.

Behind her, Nick was leading the young mule, and she could hear Nick calling commands to the mule; "Up Teddi!" and "Woah Teddi!" He had the young mule on a long lead and he was trying to teach the mule to walk about three feet behind him. If Teddi fell back, Nick would tug on the lead and say, "Walk up!" and if Teddi got too close, Nick had a leather ball on the end of the lead that he swung around and bopped Teddi in the nose and the confused young mule eventually learned to drop back. By the time they were finished with the mile walk up the hill, Teddi was following nicely.

"Oh look! He's got garden gnomes," said Octavia as she neared the cottage. There were half a dozen little figurines in the garden staring at her. Then one of them waved his hand and called, "Ahoy!" Octavia nearly jumped in the air in shock, and Ena started laughing so hard she almost wet herself.

Nick was right behind her and got a chuckle as Octavia, wizard that she is, looked in shock at a living, breathing garden gnome. He set the brake and helped Rys down, and they walked up to the garden. "Ahoy, Mister Highgrower," said Nick as he bent over at the waist.

"Welcome home young master!" said the head garden gnome. "And you brought me an elf to converse with, a proper elf I dare say!"

"Mister Highgrower, this is Rys Oladi. He wants to explore Morna Oron."

"Oh, do ye now!" said the gnome with a broad smile, and the gnome and the elf began chatting in a language that Nick couldn't understand. He grabbed a chair off the porch and set it so Rys could chat with the gnomes, then he took the crates of canned goods off the cart.

"Ready to see the inside of the cabin honey?" said Nick.

"You called me honey again," said Octavia.

"Did I?" he said with a grin, and he led her onto the broad covered porch and then into the cabin. "This is a witch's cabin, so I'm not sure what is going on in there. It's bigger than it was when I was a kid." Holding the crates under one arm, he opened the door and allowed Octavia to enter first. The interior was simple but homey and everything that Octavia could imagine in a cozy cabin. It was dominated by a living room with a large fireplace at one end and a few comfortable looking chairs facing the fireplace. Behind the fireplace was a stove that shared the chimney and an enameled steel sink with a hand pump for water. Nick sat the jars on the kitchen table and turned to face a comfortable-looking but empty wooden rocking chair, and said, "I love what you did with the place, grandma."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 15 - The Black Mountain Witch

"Grandma, this is Octavia," said Nick excitedly.

Octavia looked at the empty chair, then at Nick, who was holding one side of a conversation, then at Ena, who had just walked in the door. "Who is he talking to?" asked Octavia.

"He's talking to Nana... can't you see...?" Ena pursed her lips and then said, "Nana! It's rude to hide from guests!"

Octavia heard a voice that sounded like it was coming from a mile away, but with each word the voice grew closer. "I'm sorry dear, but I wanted to have a talk with my boy Nickie first."

To Octavia's shock, there was a sweet-looking little lady sitting in the rocking chair. She was tiny but sounded like she had the strength of will that comes from commanding an enormous family that obeyed her every word. In her hands was a wooden embroidery hoop, and she was stitching something with brightly colored thread. "Good morning ma'am, I'm Octavia Anghart and..."

"Aldana," said Nana as she concentrated on her next stitch.

"Pardon? The name my adoptive parents gave me was Anghart."

"Of course they did dear," said Nana. "Your birth name is Aldana. Now what are your qualifications to spend the rest of your natural life with my Nickie?"

This suddenly sounded like a job interview. "I'm a wizard," she started slowly.

"I can see that. Can you cook?"

"Not yet,"

"Can you sew?"

"Not really."

"Are you fertile?"

"I think so."

"Are you squeamish at the sight of blood?"

"Not anymore."

"My Nickie is a witch, in the mountains that's a very important job, it's doctor, pharmacologist, sooth sayer, surgeon, lawyer, judge, and large animal veterinarian all wrapped up into one. Will you help my Nickie?"

"Of course," said Octavia. She looked around, but Nick wasn't anywhere to be seen. Then she heard footsteps above her head. Then Nick rushed down the narrow stairs behind Nana.

"We have bedrooms!" he gushed.

"What?" asked Octavia.

"We didn't have an upstairs before, now there's a second floor with two bedrooms."

"One bedroom, one nursery," said Nana. "I'm hoping you two fill that nursery up."

"What do you mean you didn't have bedrooms?" asked Octavia.

"This was a one room cottage, there was no upstairs, no kitchen, I cooked in the fireplace and ran to the pump outside for water."

"Where did you sleep?"

"Right there on the floor in front of the fire, sometimes in the root cellar when it was hot and Desdemona MacTavish was here."

"Desdemona?" asked Octavia. She didn't know Desdemona, but she was already jealous.

"You'll be seeing Desdemona before long," said Nana.

"She married Uther Borsen," said Ena.

"He was always crazy about her," said Nick.

The shower of local names was confusing to Octavia, so Nana said, "Nickie dear, Octavia is going to make you pork chops and baked potatoes for dinner, why don't you go cut some firewood?"

"Yes Nana."

"And take your basket, you need to collect herbs."

"Yes Nana," and Nick scooped up a small basket off the table, then before he stepped outside, he whispered in Octavia's ear, "She'll be more open if you kneel or sit on the ground in front of her."

"Why?"

"It shows Nana that you are willing to learn." Octavia gave Nick a questioning look, and Nick whispered, "Trust me, I learned the hard way." With a wink, he was gone.

"He's a good boy," said Nana.

"He said you never appeared when he brought Ziska here," said Octavia as she sat on the floor at Nana's feet. Nick was right; it just seemed right to Octavia to sit there and look up at the shade of the once powerful witch, and Nana now sounded more open.

"No I didn't, but that's between Nicky and me. Your problem is that you don't know how Nick feels about you and you are contemplating enchanting him."

"I agree, but I want to know about my parents," said Octavia. "What can you tell me about my parents?"

Nana shook her head and said, "Your name is all I know. I do know that all will be revealed to you when the time is right."

Octavia frowned, but she knew better than to push against a witch. "Can you tell me how Nick feels about me?"

"Yes, but remember that he doesn't know himself. He needs to work out his heartbreak, and nothing that you can tell him will help. In fact, it might make him angry with you."

<><><><><>

When Nick stepped outside, he found Rys still talking to the garden gnomes. There seemed to be more of the little gardeners, and they were all speaking a variation of Elvish that Nick wasn't familiar with. He could speak Ühine Keel, or Common Elvish, and he understood Metsa Keel, or Forest Elvish, but Mägede Keel, or Mountain Elvish, was considered a dead language. He received a lot of information on all three languages in that huge dump of knowledge that Saehrimnir gave him, but he didn't have any experience with it, like most of that knowledge he was given, so it just lay in his head taking up space.

"How are you doing?" asked Nick.

"This is fascinating!" gushed Rys. "These plucky fellows have so much knowledge of Morna Oron!"

"Well, they live there in the winter," said Nick.

"I can't wait to explore the areas they've been describing!" The injured elf was bouncing in his seat with excitement.

"Oy, Captain Stein!" called Mister Highgrower. "I want to apologize for taking up your valuable gardening time with my jabber about that big pile of rock."

"You continue to do that," said Nick. "Consider it a needed assignment for a friend of the garden."

"Aye Captain, we shall do just that!" and they went back to their conversation in Elvish. Nick went up to Teddi, who was munching on long grass on the side of the wagon track, and he took the last of the groceries that the castle kitchen had packed inside the Ralli cart. They knew that Octavia didn't cook, and they were worried about them starving even before winter set in, so they sent plenty of canned vegetables and fruit.

Nick led Teddi up to the barn, and they parked the Ralli cart inside, and Nick left Teddi to nose around, knowing that mules were docile and caused little damage unless angered. He dug up his large bow-saw, his limb saw and an axe and sat down at the big grinding wheel. He used the grinding wheel to clean the rust off the blades of the saws, and he brought the axe to a nice sharp edge. Then he dug up a wedge and a sledgehammer and sharpened the wedge and set them aside.

He took the saws, axe, and a crossbuck out of the barn and found his ancient logging skid leaning against the barn. It was simply a large flat ramp of wood with two wooden rails on the bottom that you skidded wood out of the forest with. Normally he would fell a tree, cut it into stove length and fireplace length rounds and split the rounds, then stack the wood in the forest and leave it to dry and haul the wood back down at a later date, usually after the first frost, but right now his wood box was empty, he needed to find a dead tree and slice it up. He dressed Teddi in her pulling harness and hitched her up to the skid. "Come up girl," and Teddi started walking up the old logging road.

He didn't have to go up too far, and he found an ash that had fallen several years ago. It was dead and dry and ready to split. He started by cutting the limbs off the main trunk. Many of those limbs were going to make nice fireplace logs, so he cut them into two-foot lengths for the cottage's fireplace. As he cut, he wondered, why didn't Grandpa appear when he brought Ziska? Why was Grandma so brusque with Ziska? And why did Ziska and King Alfrich insist on changing partners at the wedding dance? Nick was sure he would have seen the general coming in time to stop him if he had been dancing with Ziska... what was the king looking at as they danced?

The anger fueled a rage that kept the bow saw slicing through the dry ash, and after two hours he had half of the tree sliced into twelve-and eighteen-inch sections and stacked on the skid. "Let's go Teddi," growled Nick as he held the lead, but the mule didn't move. "Come on Teddi!" but the mule gave him a look with those big sad eyes. The sadness in Teddi's eyes echoed the sadness in his heart. "Teddi please? Come on girl..." Then he realized he was using the wrong command.

Exhausted in mind and spirit, Nick dropped to his knees and began weeping. He wept for his lost Ziska and his lost king, his dead friends and the little country he loved. He wept for the betrayal he had suspected. And he wept because he had used the wrong commands for Teddi and he confused the poor young mule. Alone in the woods, he cried until the tears stopped coming.

"That bastard," muttered Nick. What the hell was the king up to? Nick wanted Jehans Du Gouey to be the first lieutenant, Dante Fletcher to be second lieutenant in charge of the Palace Guard, and Claus Hillingham second lieutenant in charge of the Mounted Guard. Ignoring Nick's promotion list, King Alfrich promoted Ziska Thornhammer to first lieutenant and Elodie Sandherr to second lieutenant in charge of the Palace Guard. Both Ziska and Elodie were beautiful, athletic women, but they were barely competent when it came to using a sword. That king caused Nick to do many hours of work trying to train those two up to his standards. To make it up to Jehans and Dante, Nick made them both first sergeants, then gave them more power than he allowed Ziska and Elodie.

Still... Nick loved Ziska... but he began to wonder why. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?" cried Nick to the sky, then he climbed to his feet and walked up to Teddi and petted the confused mule on the nose. Come on, girl, let's go home." He stepped back, held the reins, then called softly, "Come up, Teddi," and the young mule began to pull. "Let's go, girl, walk up," and the young mule pulled harder. The skid was moving, it slid on the carpet of dead leaves and pine needles, but it was a tough pull for Teddi. Nick should have had two mules for this pull but Teddi pulled the skid straight until they came to the logging road. "Here you go, Teddi, haw."

Hearing the word 'haw' Teddi turned left and pulled the skid downhill. Now, it was Nick's worry that the skid would start sliding faster than Teddi was pulling it, but luckily it never happened. Teddi pulled the skid like she had been a logging mule for years, and soon they were at the cottage. Nick stopped by the old stump near the cottage, and he unhitched Teddi from the skid. He fed her an apple, then removed her "dress," the buckles and belts and chains necessary for a mule to pull something heavy. He turned Teddi loose in the empty sheep pen and then turned back to the logging skid.

Nick started splitting the firewood. He placed a cut piece of tree on the old walnut stump behind the cottage and split it with the wedge and sledge. It was dry with straight grains, so he made the first split with a wedge and a sledgehammer, then after that he was able to make the splits with an axe. He chopped and split straight and true, all the time pondering what his king and his fiancée had done to him.

<><><><><>

Inside the cabin, Octavia had an embroidery hoop in her hands, and she was trying to follow the lines drawn on the towel she was monogramming. Ena and Nana both had an embroidery ring and needle in hand and were telling Octavia about young Nick, how he was troubled and angry when he first came to Elm Springs. As Ena was telling Octavia the story about Nick's first trout, they heard the rear door of the cabin open and footsteps enter the cabin. They heard the stove door open and the sound of wood being piled in the firebox. Nick called, "When do you want this stove lit?"

"Now is good," said Ena.

The sound of Nick snapping his fingers filled the cabin. "Fire magic?" asked Octavia.

"First trick he ever learned," said Ena. "Made him real popular with the boys when they went camping."

"Took me weeks to teach him that," said grandma.

"I'm taking the stove ashes to the outhouse, you may need to inform Octavia of what they're for," called Nick.

"Very well, what are they for?" asked Octavia.

"Up in the mountains we build the outhouse close to the main house. Not a good idea in the summer, but a life saver in the winter," said Ena.

"You can get lost in a winter storm and die just yards from your door," said Nana. "That's what happened to me."

Ena nodded and added, "I remember my grandmother telling me about that. Anyhow. After you use the outhouse and tend to yourself, you toss a scoop of those ashes down the pit to keep it sweet as the old timers would say."

"I have so much to learn," said Octavia.

"You sound excited about that," said Ena.

"I am! I lived in temples and castles my entire life, I felt like a doll, a plaything. When Pommy grabbed me and we ran away, I never felt so alive! I know he was doing it because it was his job, but..." She looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on the conversation. "He rescued me from more than those killers... he rescued me from a life of misery. It felt so good to be free! Sailing from Haddosa Bay down the Edux coast to Edhellond I wanted to scream 'take me now' the entire journey."

"Gods below!" gasped Ena. "I wouldn't have wasted my breath screaming... not until he was properly engaged." A saucy wink left no doubt in Octavia's mind what 'properly engaged' meant to Ena.

In a conspiratorial whisper, Octavia said, "we went swimming off the shore of Edhellond."

"And what was your bathing costume?" asked Ena with a broad grin.

"My knickers," whispered Octavia, causing Nana to laugh.

"Swimming in the pond like that you'll be considered overdressed," said Ena, which caused Octavia to blush.

"On the hot days of summer, we would have all the youngsters here at the pond, swimming and splashing all in the nude," said the ghost.

"That sounds like fun," said Octavia.

"It's where Calum and I met," said Ena.

"This is so different from what I was taught," said Octavia. "In the temple, just the word 'naked' was considered sinful. And you grew up where a pond full of naked children was normal life?"

"The parents will swim with the kids too," said Ena. "It can get hot up here in High Summer."

"It's not like Mad King Ulrich's day," said Nana as she reviewed Octavia's needlework.

"I don't see what this embroidery is doing for me," said Octavia.

"It's teaching you dear," said Nana. "When Nick junior comes through that door with torn britches, it's a day trip to Waleston and back to replace them. So instead, you pull some cloth out of your rag bag and make a repair using the skills you learned stitching your initials on that face towel. You'll see the boys at play in Elm springs and trust me, each one has at least one patch on his britches. You will probably make at least one baby quilt, probably two for the twins."

"Twins?" gasped Octavia. She sighed a shivering breath. She's told no one, but her fondest dream is to find her mother and show her the twins she produced and say, "Look what I did mom!" Just then, an overpowering need came over Octavia, and she said, "I need to boil some water."

"Put the kettle on the fire then go outside and watch your husband at work," said Nana.

<><><><><>

As Nick split the wood, he was getting overheated, and he took off his shirt. Sweat was pouring off of him, and he allowed his anger to help with the work. He set a twelve-inch section of the ash trunk on his 'splitting stump' and tapped the wedge into the center of the log, then he stepped back with the sledgehammer and glared at the top of the wedge. This time he pictured Ziska's face on that wedge, and he swung the hammer.

Octavia stepped out onto the porch and saw Nick, his long hair stringy with sweat. Sweat was pouring off his bare chest, and the muscles in his arms and gut tensed up as he swung the hammer. With a 'ping!' of steel hitting steel, the wedge was driven completely through the piece of ash and the two halves flew off the trunk in different directions. He put one of the halves back on the splitting stump and neatly sliced it into four pieces of firewood with four vicious swings of the axe. The other half met the same fate. He picked up the firewood and half went to the woodshed. The rest was stacked up next to the covered steps that led into the root cellar under the cottage. It would later be stored in the root cellar for snow emergencies.

Octavia was excited by watching Nick. For some reason, she wanted to bathe in the pond with him, naked, wash away the sweat and grime, then discover what Ena really meant by the term 'properly engaged.' He looked up at her and smiled. "Having fun with Nana?"

"I'm having more fun watching you."

Nick chuckled, then he heard a dog bark, and he looked to his left. He saw a young couple with a small child in a dog cart running up the hill. "We have a customer coming." He pulled his shirt on as the young family ran up to Nick.

"Our son is hurt, we need the witch," gasped the man.

"That would be me."

"No, the witch! Witches are women."

"Look, I've trained most of my life to be a witch, here in the mountains and in Breaze. If you want a female witch the next nearest one is Agnes Dempsey, in Soilly, but your lad may not make it in time. She'll probably fly down here and double check my work when I'm done. Your choice."

"Can you do it?"

Nick crouched down and looked at the lad in the dog cart. The little guy had a fever and was too exhausted to cry in pain anymore. His left arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked rag. "I'm his only hope." He scooped the little guy up and looked to see which parent was the least hysterical. The mother was the least hysterical, so he had to find something for the father to do. "Sir, take your dog off the cart and you can let him run in the sheep pen. He'll probably want to play with my dog back there. Don't worry, my dog thinks she's a mule. Mom, you come with me." He headed to the cabin's front door and stopped by the gnomes. "Mister Highgrower, do you have Cuggaron, Ummi Root, and Thorn Fennel in the herb garden?"

"Aye laddie. And they're ripe too!"

"Ok, can you gather me enough for a small plaster or two?"

"Will do laddie," called the gnome, but Nick was gone. He led the mom into the cottage and sat her at the dining table. "Just hold him and try to keep him calm." Nick turned to his backpack and took out his tools of the trade. "I'm sorry but we just moved in today, and we're still unpacking."

"You have garden gnomes," gasped the woman.

"They've been tending this herb garden for generations. My name is Nick by the way, and this is Octavia. What's yours and what's this little guys name?"

"Smith, I'm Edna, my husband is Merrill Smith, and this is Dylan."

"Ok Dylan I'm going to take a look at that arm of yours." Nick slowly unwound the blood-soaked bandages and looked at his arm. The wound was still bleeding, but he gently felt his arm and realized that the bone was broken. The wound was red and hot to the touch. "I'm going to wrap you back up for a moment, Dylan, then I'll get somethings to make you feel better. Hang on fellow."

He pulled the dagger he had taken from the Army private during inspection and stepped outside. "Mister Highgrower, do you have those herbs?"

"Aye, I have them here Captain."

"Thank you." Nick took the bundle of herbs and dashed over to the pond, where a huge weeping willow grew. With the dagger, he slashed off a branch, chopped it to a foot in length, then ran back to the cottage. While he did that, Octavia and Ena found Nana's rag bag and pulled out some white cloths that Ena suspected were once diapers. They ripped one into strips and left the other whole.

Nick dropped a needle and a length of thread into a bowl and poured some boiling water over it, then took the Ummi Root and chopped it rapidly with his dagger. He then ground it to a paste in a mortar and pestle. As Merrill joined them after releasing the dog, Nick told them what was on his mind. "This is Ummi Root paste; it will numb the pain. I'll put it on the cut, let it numb up the area and then I'll sew him up. Then I'll make a paste with the cuggaron and the thorn fennel and add some Ummi Root and put that on the cut. That will draw out any poisons that may have gotten in, then bandage him up, then I'll make a splint and wind that up around his arm. Then we'll have some willow tea and talk. Are you in agreement with me?"

Edna and Merrill just nodded numbly.

It took Nick less than thirty minutes to complete the entire task. While he worked, he asked Octavia to chop up the green willow bark that he peeled off the branch, chop up a piece of ginger, then wrap that up in cotton organdy, put it in the teapot and pour the remaining boiling water over that. While she did that, he went out to the woodpile and shaped a splint from a piece of firewood with a hatchet and came in and splinted up Dylan's arm. He was just finishing up when Agnes Dempsey stormed through the door.

"All right - who needs a witch around here?" she demanded.

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 16 - Aunt Agnes

"That's good work," said Agnes as she studied the bandage and splint that Nick had put on the hapless child's arm. The Ummi root paste had done its work, and the child was pain free for the first time in hours and was now asleep in his father's arms.

"How did this happen," squawked Agnes.

"That's none of my business, so we don't ask that in my cottage," said Nick firmly. "There's enough pain already but I would guess a horse stepped on him. I asked Octavia to brew some willow-ginger tea to calm our nerves and soothe our headaches."

"You are so like your great grandmother, young Nick," scolded Agnes. "But this tea is exquisite."

Octavia beamed with pride, and Ena hugged her from behind. "It's the first pot she ever made."

Agnes glared at the young parents and said, "Are you happy with having a male witch stitchin' up your wounds?"

Merrill said firmly, "As long as Dylan is healthy it doesn't matter who sewed him up."

"Would you want a man to deliver your next child?" Agnes demanded.

"I'd rather have Nick than some nasty old crone I never met before," said Edna. "He was so sweet and kind with our Dylan. I'm sure he will do just right with a birthing."

"Calm down Edna, Merrill. Agnes means well. She just forgot what it's like to be different," said Nick.

"Captain de la Montesquieu, do not test me," snarled Agnes.

Octavia stepped up behind Nick and placed her hands on Nick's shoulders. "Agnes Dempsey, do not test me," echoed Octavia. Agnes looked up at her, and suddenly the room grew dark. "My captain is not someone you want to anger," snarled Octavia. Octavia faded from sight, and Agnes found herself in a fancy ballroom with people being slaughtered left and right. Nick was crouched down over an older man and a young woman who lay on the floor pinned together by a broadsword. He rose, and Agnes saw the tears of anger and agony in his eyes. He tossed Agnes a sword and sword belt and shouted, "Hold this!"

"No!" screamed Agnes. It was madness, but she clutched the sword, chanting to herself, "I'm a witch, people don't kill witches!"

"They're followers of the demon god Zeddicus, they don't give a shit who you are," snapped Nick as he brought his sword to bear.

Almost two dozen screaming men and women, some in army uniforms, others in City Watch uniforms, pressed forward to kill her, stabbing and slaughtering terrified people as they approached, but Nick stood between Agnes and the mad crowd. Nick's sword danced and slashed, driving people back as he nudged Agnes away from the crowd. Just as she was about to scream, it all stopped. The room went dark, and Octavia stepped into a pool of light. "That was us, about two months ago. We're still dealing with the terror we saw. You saw what he went through to protect me and I can never repay that. Now, we just want a quiet place to live and work and help our neighbors."

"What are you?" gasped Agnes.

"I am a woman that just wants to live in peace, love my man, and raise our children" said Octavia. "I was raised to be a wizard and was crowned a queen, but right here at Nick's side is what I am." and suddenly Agnes was back in Nana Partridge's cottage. Nick and Merrill were talking about how much money Nick wanted. Merrill had his purse out, and Nick was holding his hand up.

"Let's worry about that in two weeks," said Nick. "I want you to bring the little guy back so I can cut the stitches out and see if he was infected. If he still has a fever tomorrow, come right back ok?"

"You sure?" said Merrill as he closed his coin purse.

"Positive."

"I don't make much money. I'm just an apprentice farrier." Merrill was proud, but he was also broke and embarrassed.

Nick chuckled and said, "then find something else. I intend to have a pair of mules one day: they're probably going to need shoes at some point. How about a discount on mule shoes?"

"I can do that?" asked Merrill in surprise. "A doctor in Waleston would want payment immediately."

"This isn't Waleston and I'm not a doctor. This is the county of Hay-on-Wægn, it's a different world. There's only a few coins that change hands in Elm Springs; we have our own economy here." Merrill, Edna, and Nick talked as they went outside to hook up the dog cart and send his first customer's home. "We exchange favors, hardware, even livestock."

"Livestock?" asked Edna.

"Lambs, rabbits, chickens, goats. I generally pay in firewood, but I need to get back to cutting."

After goodbyes and promises to return in two weeks, Nick returned to the cabin and glared at Agnes. "What is your problem?" demanded Agnes.

"For hell's sake Aunt Agnes. In front of a patient?" demanded Nick.

"I didn't know you were allowed to practice medicine," the old witch replied.

"You could have asked first," said Nick as he sagged down on a chair at the table. "The king and queen both signed the permit."

"AUNT Agnes?" asked Octavia.

"He's the grandson of Gertrude Wolfe," said Agnes, "The most powerful witch since Nana, and his mom would have been just as strong if she hadn't met that..." Agnes stifled a string of obscenities and instead said "Nick's father."

"Grandma and Agnes were buddies," said Nick.

"Cousins," said Agnes, and she began reciting a list of names and relationships that confused Nick and Octavia completely, but Ena seemed to know everyone that she talked about.

Nick saw how confused Octavia was with all the names and relationships and Nick said, "It's said in the mountains the families are large and the nights are long, so it's part of a mountain wedding ceremony to determine how closely the bride and groom are related."

"It's wise to spend the quarter and hire a witch to do the checking before the ceremony so there's no surprises," said Agnes. "Family lore isn't always accurate."

"Well!" said Ena as she stood and stepped behind Octavia and patted her shoulders. "The stove is hot so I'm going to teach the river barge cook how to cook on dry land. Ready dear?"

"No."

"Good, let's get to work. Step one is potatoes. You, ya nasty old witch, go wash up!"

"Yes ma'am," said Nick. He stepped outside, and the sun began its descent to the southern range of the Snowcross Mountains. The red moon, Rahn, was following right behind. Rys was still chatting with the garden gnomes, and now there were imps, brownies and a couple of fairies in the conversation.

"Dinner will be ready soon," said Nick.

"Oh my, I've been snacking out of this garden all day," said Rys. "I'll not be needing dinner."

"Let me know if you need anything," said Nick as he walked over to the pond. The old bench where the mothers sat and watched their children swim was still there, and the waterfall that filled the pond remained. He and the other nine-year-old boys once dared each other to dive from the six-foot height into the pond. At the far eastern end of the pond was the stream that flowed south through the woods, ultimately ending in Creel Creek and the mill pond. When he was a boy, he and Wayne Metsker explored every inch of that stream and the streams that feed the pond.

Nick stripped down and hung his leather trousers on a tree limb, then scrubbed his shirt, knickers and socks in the pond, then wrang them out and hung them on the back of the bench to dry in the sun. Feeling nostalgic, he entered the pond and swam. It felt so good to be back where he belonged, swimming in the pond that nurtured him. He swam out to the center of the pond and floated, looking at the trees that surrounded the north side of the pond. They looked so much larger now than they did fifteen years ago. The northern edge of the pond was brushed up against the mountain, and there was no shore like on the south side. There was a narrow beach here and there, but there was a cliff that reached twenty feet tall in places. He and Wayne Metsker and "Joonie" McMurphy used to camp up there at the edge of the cliff.

Nick swam back to the west end of the pond and got out, then sat on the bench, drying in the warm afternoon sun. It's been a long day, starting with a ride over Breeders Peak, then a return home followed by an afternoon of trying to flush the agony of defeat and loss out with axe and saw followed by his first patient as a practicing witch. He sat looking at the mountains that surrounded Nana's farm, letting the tranquility of returning home sink in.

Octavia came up behind him and knelt on the grass behind him, kissing his shoulder. "Is this life in the mountains?" She whispered in his ear. "Sitting around naked while your woman prepares dinner?"

"Yes, and tomorrow you get to cut the firewood and sit around naked while I make dinner," said Nick.

"Why do I get to cut the firewood tomorrow?" she demanded, taking a playful bite at his shoulder.

"Silly girl. Tomorrow is Wednesday."

"I think you're making things up. Come on get dressed, your aunt is having dinner with us."

"Come here, sit on my lap," said Nick. "I want to talk."

Octavia's heart fluttered. Her hands shook as she came around the bench, then her shoulders sagged as she said, "you have your knickers on."

"Disappointed?"

Octavia didn't answer, and she sat on Nick's lap. In truth, she was disappointed; this would have been the second time she had ever been alone with a naked man, and she wanted to try it again. The first time was when they swam in the Western Sea. Sitting in the bow of a sailboat, bare-breasted, with him sitting naked just ten feet away caused thrills she was still feeling.

They sat quietly, their arms around each other, and Octavia studied the lake, the waterfalls and high cliffs on the northern shore, the southern shore being grassy fields where sheep once grazed. Here, the western edge was a beach and an ancient pier that extended out into the pond. Trying to break the silence, she asked, "Do you get many ships a day at the pier?"

"That's for fishing. Wayne Metsker and I would sit on that doc all day fishing in the pond. The fish I pulled from this pond were so delicious. Sometimes I think Nana somehow moved the fish to this end of the pond when we were fishing, and chased them away when we were swimming."

"Nana did that?"

"I think so, she can do some amazing things from that rocking chair of hers."

"Is Dylan going to be ok?" asked Octavia.

"I'm pretty sure he is. Aunt Agnes checked him out and said I did good work. That's the highest compliment I ever heard from her."

"Really?" said Octavia.

"That's right. She didn't call me an incompetent fool, a butcher dressed like a witch, or any number of other charming adjectives I've seen her use on other witches she was training. She said I did good work. That's the highest compliment I ever heard her give out."

"So, you're successful because you're not a buffoon?"

"Exactly. Welcome to the wonderful world of witchcraft." He smiled and hugged her close. "I'd be a doctor right now except for the fact that I would have to turn all my friends away."

"Why would you do that?"

"The medical guild rules. Rule number one: Cures for cash. Credit is not an option. A doctor cannot treat pro-bono except in an emergency declared by the sovereign ruler. There's no cash in Hay-on-Wægn county, and you know that Merrill and Edna didn't have ten dollars. I did over a hundred dollars of work on little Dylan and I would have had to use drugs from the pharmacy instead of my garden. If I violated any of the guild's rules, they would notify the king that I was incapable of practicing medicine and the king would pull my license and I could go to prison. Witches don't have a guild, we have covens, we're self-policing and we don't mind the barter economy. I can't wait to get my first goat. A farm just isn't a farm without a goat."

"You really love it here, don't you," said Octavia.

"I can't wait for children. This is the greatest place to raise kids. A boy can run and play all day, after his chores are done. For a girl there's always farm animals to nurse and mother. Wait until you see the chicks and ducklings! I was thinking about that while I was cutting wood."

"Oh?"

"Cutting wood is repetitive, boring and it's hard work. A woodcutter exercises his mind along with his back when cutting wood. We think things over carefully. Sometimes we speculate, I thought of what life would be like if we had kids." Then, Nick's voice changed before Octavia got excited. "Sometimes we ponder the cruel fate life hands us. I finally got to re-think our wedding day over, and over, and everything that led up to it."

Octavia didn't like where this was headed, but she said, "What did you figure out?"

"I want to thank you for not telling me about Ziska and the king."

"What?"

"The affair that Ziska was having with the king. If you didn't know, I'm sorry, but I think you know. He wasn't subtle."

"How... how did you find out?" said a furiously blushing Octavia.

"From your reaction right now."

"What! I just... it didn't..." Octavia sputtered and spouted and tried to get up, but Nick pulled her back down into his lap.

"It's ok, I had suspicions, but I was dumb and in love. I finally put two and two together and figured it out for myself. If you had told me before the wedding, I would have denied it and got mad at you and right now, you'd be dead. If you told me after the wedding I still would have denied it and got mad at you and you'd end up in Torwin-Armistad."

"I'm sorry," said Octavia. "I really should have told you the moment I found out. Then, after the wedding, I didn't want to bring it up and tarnish your memories."

"If anyone tarnished the memories it was Ziska... who takes a shower BEFORE and AFTER a meeting with the king?"

"God she was so stupid," whispered Octavia.

"I knew something was up when he promoted her to Lieutenant. I thought he did that so I could date her and not worry about rank. I can be pretty stupid when I put my mind to it," said Nick, and he sighed sadly. "Alfrich did it so he could make me busy then he could call her in to chambers for a meeting and nobody would be the wiser. He couldn't do that when she was a corporal."

"That's the same conclusion I came to," said Octavia.

"I wanted to think it was all coincidence, but there are no coincidences. Ziska wasn't the only one. I think he was fucking Elodie also. When I was training Ziska he would call Elodie in for an update. Neither of them deserved promotion, but he promoted them anyhow."

Octavia kissed Nick's forehead and said, "Looking back on it I think there was more. I want to think that Queen Elören's death caused it, but maybe he was doing it before she died? I just don't know."

"Well, it's over. We're free. You can stay here with me and learn how to milk a goat and we can practice our own kind of magic. What do you think?" He didn't mean to seduce her, but he said words she was aching to hear.

"I... want..." Their lips grew closer and closer when suddenly a piercing whistle echoed through the forest. "What was that?"

"Aunt Agnes," said Nick. "Dinner is getting cold."

<><><><><>

The fire was getting low, and Nick was mostly asleep in the easy chair as Octavia and Rys talked about what to expect up on the mountain. For the past three days, they have been getting settled in at Nana Partridge's cottage. Nick saw several patients, made house calls in Elm Springs and earned five silver, several loaves of bread, a joint of bacon, and a tiny goat. He was proud of that goat and named it Nanny and let it loose on the farm, where it ate the long grass along the fence line and tried to climb on everything.

Nick had hung the two swords crossed over the fireplace. One sword was etched with scrollwork that said, "To my Captain," the other said, "To my Queen." He was sure that the second one said something else, but he could see the scrollwork clear as day now. Both were mithril/steel, a shining, glimmering metal that was only made in Breaze. It was said that a mithril/steel sword would keep its edge eternally.

Rys spent the past three days speaking with citizens of Morna Oron, Black Mountain. He met with gnomes, brownies, and fairies. A family of dwarves also stopped by and spent a full day on the porch, and he was excited about going up there. For her part, Octavia had never walked in a forest before she met Nick, nor had she ever cooked a meal, swam, ridden in a boat, or even seen a mountain; now she was going to climb one! Images of scaling tall cliffs with ropes, pitons and hammers filled her imagination.

Now, late at night, exhausted from non-stop cutting of firewood and performing the witch's duties, Nick couldn't keep his eyes open. "Come, my captain," said Octavia, and taking his hand, she led him up the stairs to the master bedroom. He had been sleeping on the floor like in his youth, on the rag rug that Nana had made back when she had hands, in front of a fire that was lit for entertainment more than warmth.

He was awakened by the light of the tiny moon Livi. He could feel an odd excitement that came so rarely. He realized he was naked in bed with Octavia, who was wearing a light shift, and his rising woke her. "What is it my Captain?" she whispered.

"The stars," he said softly, and he headed naked down the stairs, which were so steep you could probably call them a ladder. He stepped out onto the porch and looked up at the sky. Tiny Livi was brighter than he had ever seen before, but it was alone, which made the moonlet seem brighter than normal. Usually, Livi has to share the sky with Thaal, the sun, or one of the other moons, Kuu the giant, or Rahn the red moon. Tonight, Livi was alone in the sky, and that meant the stars were out.

Something moved in Nick's mind, and those centuries of knowledge revealed the names of the constellations. Octavia appeared next to him and gazed up in wonder. She had learned about the stars, but they're a rare sight, especially in the city of Torwin-Armistad. She brought a blanket with her, and she wrapped it around herself and Nick as they gazed at the sky. Nick pointed out the constellations. "There's the Southern Throne, Citrine the Pheasant, Iris Major, Caeli's Shield, Oriana Minor, the Horn of Urocyon..."

"You must have studied the stars a lot living out here."

"To be honest, I saw them, but I only knew the names of the major stars. This is all knowledge that Saehrimnir poured into my head."

"I remember a few star names from my astrology classes, there's Ablead, it predicts weather events."

"Do you know any more?" asked Nick as he turned his attention to the beautiful brunette.

"Jacktay, the third star on the Scythe blade."

"What does Jacktay predict?" asked Nick as their lips grew closer.

"Unrequited love," she whispered.

"We must do something to prevent that," he said, their lips just an inch apart.

"Yes, we..." and suddenly they were kissing. It was a sweet, heart-pleasing kiss that, for Octavia, had been overdue since they first met. Nick pulled Octavia close, their bodies pressing together, the warmth reminding them both that the horrors of Breaze were over. Soon the kiss was over, and they remained clutching each other, their breath coming in pants. It was Octavia's first kiss of passion, and she was terrified, but overjoyed.

"Was I that bad? You look scared."

"It was wonderful," gasped Octavia. "But I am scared. I can't let it go further. Kissing is one thing, but I have a spell deep inside warning me. That's what I'm afraid of."

"It's ok, I've got something inside of me warning me to relax."

"You have a spell warning you off too?" asked Octavia.

"No, I have common sense," said Nick. "I'm holding the most beautiful wizard in the world that can squash me like a bug. We do nothing that you don't want to do."

"You are a wise man, my captain." And she pulled him close for another kiss.

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 17 - The Castle in Black Mountain

Around sunup, Rys Oladi came downstairs to find Nick and Octavia cheerfully packing the food they planned to take on their hike. He listened to them chat happily and realized that they had cleared a hurdle of some sort. Nick was calling Octavia his queen, and Octavia was calling Nick her captain as normal, but something had changed for the better.

"So you pretty much have the entire mountain mapped out in your mind," said Nick. "Do you have any location in particular you want to see?"

"There's several natural sights I want to see, like the ice ponds, the hot springs, and the falls of Saint Penaela, but my primary desire is to see the Artafána."

Nick started chuckling. "The Artafána is a myth. Everyone knows that. The dwarves started that myth to keep people from looking for their Rkund Hold which has been lost for centuries."

"The Rkund Hold is there," said Rys in a soft voice. "And it is yours," he said, pointing at Octavia. "The Artafána is there also, and that is yours," he said, pointing to Nick. "I just want to visit it before you take possession."

"Good! I can't wait to see the Rkund Hold," said Octavia.

"Do you think the Ball of Yarn is in there still?" asked Nick.

"It's Orb of Jørn," said Rys. "The most sought after treasure in dwarven history."

"You say Jørn, I say Yarn," said Nick as he headed outside with the food and hitched up Teddi to the Ralli cart. He had the cart ready by the time Rys and Octavia arrived. The Ralli cart had space behind the passengers for children to sit, but there Nick had secured rolled up blankets and Rys' pack. His pack with his and Octavia's clothing was inside the Ralli cart with the rations. Nick also brought a bow and a dozen arrows; he wanted to do some hunting on the way back.

"Ok, we're ready," said Octavia as she took a seat next to Rys, who had a dulcimer on his lap.

"I found a little music helps the miles go by," said the mountain elf as he idly tuned the dulcimer by ear.

Nick stood next to Teddi, twirling the end of the lead with the bopper ready to strike. "Come up, Teddi! Good girl." And with that, the Mountain Elf's grand adventure had begun. "Which way are we going?" asked Nick.

"Follow the road you call the logging path," said Rys as he strummed the dulcimer. "It will take us to the place we want to be." The dulcimer was a large teardrop-shaped instrument with four strings that Rys sat across his lap as he played. The elf strummed a tune in rhythm with Teddi's clip-clop steps. It was a familiar tune, and as the forest swallowed them, Nick sang.

Come up sweet Molly

Come walk with me, girl.

Boss man wants his cargo

and we've miles left to go

Rys was playing the Mule Driver's Hymn. It was an ancient mountain song that mule drivers had sung for over a century. The words mattered little; most lyrics were made up as you walked with your mules, but the docile beasts loved the music. The more Rys played, the better he got at it until he sounded like a professional dulcimer player, if there was such a thing.

"Is that my grandfather's dulcimer?" asked Nick.

"Yes, your grandmother said I could borrow it if I taught you to play."

"Good luck with that, she tried for eight years," Nick chuckled, and the adventure continued. They soon reached the ice pond. It was a broad, flat plain that formed a large lake. This is where the villagers come and cut big blocks of ice and haul them down the mountain to store them in one of Sieffre Merrick's barns. Packed with hay, the ice will last the people of Elm Springs all summer long. They buy the ice in blocks for their own iceboxes, or they store their meat in the ice-filled barn in rented meat lockers. Nick made extra money cutting and hauling ice when he was big enough to work the ice saws.

"It's peaceful here," was all Rys said about the pond, and soon they were off again. As they traveled, the path faded from view in the underbrush but soon came back, and Nick could see the path far ahead as it wound through forests and up the mountain. They were soon in a forest of trees with white bark scored with black vertical dashes, and spade-shaped leaves that were nearly black. It was a sweetwood forest, and Nick said, "I could make some money from a sweetwood deadfall!"

"Why is that?"

"They're a very romantic wood," said Nick. "They look beautiful in the fireplace, they burn hot with an orange flame that changes hue, and it smells so sweet."

"It's like a perfume," said Rys as they headed through the forest. The sweetwood forest gave way to a forest of trees whose trunks were smooth with golden brown bark. The leaves were green on the upper side and white on the underside. The leaves would flutter in the slightest breeze, and the forest would flicker from dark to light as the leaves fluttered. "Hirmul trees," said Rys in answer to Octavia's unasked question. "Hirmul means scared, the leaves are always trembling."

Nick noticed that the path was actually an ancient road. Under the years of dirt and dead leaves, was a road paved with cobblestones. There was evidence of drainage ditches on each side of the ten foot wide road. The more he looked, the more fascinating was the construction of the road. There were even ancient mile markers on the side. Most were worn away, but some kept their ancient markings from centuries ago.

Occasionally Rys would say something like, "Turn left ahead," and the path would bend left as Rys described it. "I've never been this far along the logging path," said Nick. "We go around the mountain over the east side, the pass is easier to climb over there."

"The pass on the west side is made easy by the road, if you know which road to follow," said Rys, but he never expounded on what he said.

Nick realized that this ancient road was an easy trek around the mountain. It wound left and right and never got very steep. It seemed that at the steepest they were climbing four feet up for every hundred feed forward they went. Teddi seemed to enjoy the walk. She just had to follow Nick's instructions of Gee (right), Haw (left), Whoa (stop), Come up (start), Walk up (faster), and Easy girl (slow down).

"Hello!" Nick was so shocked that he almost fell over. "Are you feeling well? Do you need water?" The voice came from a tiny naked woman with dragonfly wings. She had metallic silver hair styled in waves, and she fluttered and hovered right in front of Nick's face.

"I'm well, just a little shocked. I haven't had fairies flying around me in a long time."

"A long time? Who took care of Nana? Where were you?" cried the fairy.

"I was far away in a country called Breaze. I worked for the king there. How do you know about Nana?"

The silver-haired fairy just shrugged at his question.

"Aww, too bad about the king," said a second fairy. "He's dead." The second fairy had black hair, dark as anthracite and just as glossy.

"Do you know who killed him?" asked Nick. Sometimes fairies are good at sharing information.

"Some Zeddicus worshiper. His name was..." The fairy rolled her eyes in thought. "General! That was it. Good thing a guy named Captain was there to save the queen, all the other girls say she looks just like me!"

Nick decided to have some fun. "See that girl on the cart behind me?"

"Yeah!"

"She thinks she's the queen of Breaze. And she doesn't believe in fairies."

"Leave it to me!" said the fairies, and with a salute with the wrong hand they were off. Moments later, Nick heard a squawk of shock from behind him, then a laugh from Rys. Nick turned around to see the two fairies sitting on Octavia's open hand, and they were engaged in a deep conversation.

"They invited us to soak in the hot water," said Octavia, who was having fun chatting with the tiny creatures. They were about six inches tall, and when they started singing along with Rys' playing, they had good singing voices. Soon there were soon a dozen fairies fluttering around their queen, singing her praises in their own sweet language.

"It's about time for lunch and I could use a break," said Nick.

"Turn right up by that marker post," said Rys, and sure enough, there was a stone post with dwarven runes on it. Nick never studied dwarven languages, but something in the back of his mind told him that the runes said, "hot spring."

"Gee, Teddi, Gee." Obediently Teddi turned right, and Nick guided her on the remains of an ancient path and they ended up at a steaming pool at the base of a cliff. A steaming hot stream of water flowed out of a fissure in the stone wall and filled the pool. Fairies fluttered around, excited that the queen was visiting their pool. As Nick secured Teddi and staked him out by a patch of grass that looked like Timothy hay, Octavia inspected the pool. It was circular, about twenty-five feet in diameter, and surrounded by large, smooth rocks. She took off her walking shoes, hoisted her skirts and waded into the water.

"Divine gods this is so perfect!" cried Octavia as she waded deeper into the water. "We have to stop here on the way back!"

Nick chuckled and took off his boots and socks, then rolled up his pant legs and put his feet in the water. "It is incredible," said Nick. He looked around, and the site was perfect for an overnight camp. How did he and Wayne miss it? Probably because they always followed their favorite fishing streams and stopped at the ice pond or veered east where the ground wasn't as steep. The water flowing out of this spring follows a stream bed into a Hirmul tree forest. From there, it probably joined up with other streams and flowed into the ice pond. To young Nick and Wayne, the ice pond meant hours of backbreaking labor for too few coins, so they avoided it at all costs and stayed away from this side of the mountain until it came time to man the ice saws.

"Centuries ago, when the mountain elves still populated the western edge of this continent of Edux, the dwarves were our ally," said Rys. "We shared this mountain, our fortress of refuge Artafána, and their keep the Rkund Hold were both on the west side of Morna Oron."

"What were you hiding from?" asked Nick.

"Hiding? Why do you think that?"

"Two huge refuges built under a mountain, sounds like the ancient Mountain Elves and the dwarves were afraid of something," said Nick.

"The logs of those times say most peoples on this continent were hiding from followers of Zeddicus." Rys looked dark and serious. "He was driven off Kodu but not destroyed, and now he is returning. He found people arrogant and stupid enough to build a temple in his honor giving Zeddicus an entry back to Kodu."

"The Breaze Army leadership," groaned Nick.

Rys nodded in agreement. "If Zeddicus regains his toehold on Kodu, he won't be stopped. Not without the prophesized warriors."

"My fellow warriors are dead, my king is gone and my sword is now a decoration. I suppose I'm doing the same thing that the ancient elves did," said Nick. "I'm hiding in the mountains."

"We weren't simply hiding," said Rys. "Here is where we gathered our forces from all over Kodu. And here is where we met the forces of Zeddicus. The Gjorgiev River on the north face of Morna Oron ran red with blood for days until every follower of Zeddicus was gone and the demon god was run off of Kodu."

"We'll never gather an army like that ever again," said Nick sadly.

Meanwhile, Octavia was preparing lunch, a simple repast of bread, cheese and potatoes with a jar of peaches for dessert. As they ate and laughed, Rys brought out the dulcimer and gave Nick a few basic instructions on how to play. "This is the sound of the people of the mountains," said Rys. "Be they human, elf, or dwarf, this music is what tells all of Kodu, we are the people of the Snowcross Mountains."

Nick looked at the four-stringed instrument in his lap, and memories of playing... playing folks songs... playing while waiting for a spell to coalesce... "I've never merged a spell in my life!" cried Nick as he came to his senses.

"Silly," laughed Octavia. "Nobody has merged a spell in over a hundred years, it's much easier to use an existing spell in a different way."

"I don't even know what that means," said Nick. "But I had memories of waiting for a spell to coalesce, and I knew that meant merging, but that's not witchcraft, we don't merge anything except potions."

"A spell is nothing but a series of declarations to a specific god or goddess or multiple gods or goddesses requesting permission to use mana in such a way as to cause a specific outcome." Octavia repeated the definition she had to learn by rote in a sing-song voice.

Nick then said, "To merge a spell is to combine the declarations in a specific pattern and grant them to the patron god which combines them into a single spell. The act of merging into a spell is properly called coalescing... I know this, it's textbook bullshit written by some ancient wizard, but how did I know this?"

"Here, let me help," said Octavia, and she leaned back against a sweetwood tree and she had Nick lean back against her. She gently rubbed his temples and peered around inside his mind. "Oh my, you have so much knowledge... but it has yet to come forth as wisdom."

"That happened months ago, and all that knowledge hasn't done anything but give me headaches and nightmares."

"I can see it falling into place," said Octavia. "It looks like the thought of your grandfather's dulcimer was the key to unblocking a logjam."

"I always wanted to play this thing for Nana, to tell her thank you for raising me," said Nick.

"Then play it," said Octavia. "Someone in your head once played beautifully. Use his memories to teach your fingers how to play."

Nick placed his fingers on the dulcimer, and the music he loved as a child came forth, and as he played, Octavia sang the old Yuletide folksong.

The fire dimmed, and the hall grew still.

While frost crept o'er the windowsill,

And outside, 'neath moonlight's glow,

The holly bore its weight of snow.

O red the berry, white the shade,

The leaves in icy lace arrayed,

A crown for winter's somber reign,

Yet joy endured through cold and pain.

The oaken harp began to play,

With voices raised in roundelay,

And children danced 'round hearth and flame,

Each year returning, all the same.

For every flake that kissed the tree,

Was blessing from eternity,

And holly, bold through storm and sleet,

Brought mirth and peace with berries sweet.

So sing we now, as old ones did,

When tales were passed from sire to kid,

Of snow upon the holly bough-

And love that still abides somehow.

The old winter folksong can be played many ways, from a slow hymn to a quick roundelay that inspires the young to dance, but Nick stayed with the rhythm he learned as a child from his mother before she died. Rys smiled and said, "Well done, I think you are what we're looking for."

Soon they were back on the road. Twice they crossed deep, treacherous ravines over skillfully engineered stone bridges. Over a thousand years old and the bridges still stood, craftily designed to look to the rider that the road continued on, and you didn't realize you were on a bridge until you looked down to the rushing stream far below.

After the second bridge, they came to an intersection. At the corner was a low stone cross not much bigger than the occasional "mile markers" that Nick noticed as he led Teddi. There were universal runes on each leg of the cross. The top and bottom of the cross had diamond-shaped runes for safety, the left leg of the cross had an x which signified danger, and the right leg of the cross had a square that signified a dead end. "We want to turn right," said Rys.

"Ok, Teddi. Come up girl, gee, gee." Reluctantly, the sad-looking mule turned right and followed the path that began to wind back and forth, climbing the face of the mountain. A wagon wouldn't be able to negotiate these curves, but the Ralli cart was perfect for tracking up the steep climb. One of the final weaves ducked behind a grove of evergreens, blocking their sight of the road far below.

After turning one last switch back, they ended up in a flat circular area that looked like it was designed to park wagons, or maybe turn them around. To their left was a view of the forest down below leading out to Copper Mountain to the north, and Breeders Peak to the south. The view was spectacular, and they stood looking for a long time. Behind them was a wall of basalt columns that stretched up over a hundred feet. Thousands of black octagonal columns formed a solid wall. "It's here," said Rys.

"What's here?" asked Nick as he helped Octavia and Rys off the Ralli cart.

"Artafána, the Castle of White." Rys spoke like he was approaching a religious monument as he walked up to the wall.

"A white castle inside a Black Mountain?" muttered Nick. "It makes sense in an elvish kind of way."

"Exactly," said Rys as he studied the face of the wall. "First find the Artafána Stele, then ask Saatus for permission to enter." He walked along the face of the wall, touching each column as he passed. The columns were not huge in diameter; a basalt column chopped into four-inch lengths makes perfect cobblestones when set up on end. Nick began pondering how to harvest a few columns so he could pave the drive leading up to his barn and the path in the garden leading to the front door. Since basalt was harder than granite, his driveway would be the envy of the Uduithia farming community.

As Rys touched each column, he sang what sounded like a hymn. It was slow and mournful and was sung in Mägede Keel, the language of the mountain elves, known to humans as "High Elvish." Nick and Octavia watched from next to the Ralli cart, and they felt sad for Rys. His long, painful journey has come to this sad end. A futile effort to locate a myth that probably never existed. Nick was almost crying for the elf he felt closest to. With his pack in one hand, along with the cane he had been using to hobble on, he sang a mournful ballad while searching for something that probably never existed.

And then, a sound was heard. From inside the mountain, a sound like two rocks being knocked together was heard as the column that Rys touched changed from dark midnight gray to creamy white. Nick and Octavia rushed to his side as an invisible horizontal seam opened ten feet up and the mountain slowly opened. The huge ten-foot by ten-foot door made of basalt columns opened just wide enough for the Ralli cart to pass through if they wanted to enter, but the entrance was blocked by a goddess.

Saatus was so tall she had to duck to step outside of what could only be Artafána. She was a twelve foot tall elven woman, with ivory skin, silver hair, and green eyes. Her breasts were large for an elf, but like a typical elf woman, she had a slim waist and narrow hips. She wore a toga of white that left one breast exposed. Her nipple as well as her fingernails were as green as the green of her eyes. Saatus, the goddess of fate. One of the two gods that could not be avoided.

"Rys, my son," she said cheerfully. "Behold, thy kin doth yearn for thy presence, and an ensemble of the finest musicians awaits the touch of their foremost cellist."

Rys stepped toward the door, but he stopped and turned to Nick and said, "Here, I don't think I need this anymore," and he handed Nick the cane that King Uric gave him.

"Behold, the reluctant wizard now wields his righteous staff," said Saatus with a smile.

"I'm a witch, Lady Saatus, may I use it for a broom?"

The goddess laughed a deep, throaty chuckle. "May it bless thee abundantly in both pursuits, dear captain. Eternally grateful am I for thy sacred act of guiding Rys back to the embrace of his kin."

Then Nick placed his hand on Rys's shoulder. "I want to apologize, first for not believing your tales of Artafána, but for not saving your orchestra. I... I was operating solely on blood lust that night. Blood lust and my desire to save the queen. I wish I could have saved more than just one."

"And I apologize to you, friend. I know you could not have saved any of us, but you saved me, and for that, the blessings of the Mountain Ergonians, the last Mountain Elf race on Kodu, go with you. You and your family are members of our house." He put a hand on Nick and Octavia's shoulder and said, "Take my music with both of you. It will help pass the cold winter nights when you can think of nothing else to do."

Then Rys Oladi picked his bag up, and with a wave goodbye he entered the mountain. Nick and Octavia looked into the open door, which was partially blocked by Saatus. They could see a large white room with a white floor. Even the inside of the door was white. It almost looked like there were stables set up in there, but everything was white, so Nick couldn't determine where the stable ended and the wall began.

Saatus held out a hand, stopping him, and said, "Not yet, O esteemed captain. Vital tasks await thy hands ere thou mayest cross the threshold."

"What vital tasks?" he asked.

"Thou art beckoned to commune with Lord Saehrimnir within the hallowed confines of his sacred temple. Therein lies a divine task he will bestow upon thee and thy queen. This is thy fate." And with that, Saatus stepped back, and the mountain closed. Except for Rys footprints in the soil at the base of the cliff, there was no evidence any of this had happened.

"Oh crap," groaned Nick.

Octavia echoed his sentiments and said, "I don't want to go to Torwin-Armistad."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 18 - Downhill

Nick and Octavia were able to ride in the Ralli cart together as they headed back to Elm Springs. Nick played the dulcimer while Octavia drove Teddi via the reins. "You don't have to shout," said Nick. "She knows the commands, but you sometimes have to let her figure it out."

"Can we stop at the hot spring again?" asked Octavia. "I want to get all the way in the water this time."

Nick shrugged as he stumbled through a few cords. "You're the queen, it's up to you."

"Hot spring it is... how do we get there?"

They were still winding their way down the switchbacks on the west shoulder of Black Mountain. "Turn left at the bottom of this switchback." Nick continued to strum.

"Here?"

"Not yet."

"Here?"

"Close, but not yet."

"Here?"

"Yes here."

"You sure?"

Nick looked at Octavia, who was grinning. "Yes, I'm sure"

"Why didn't you say so? Teddi! Haw!"

"Don't shout, she's tender. You'll hurt her feelings."

"Sorry Teddy," called Octavia. "She forgives me."

Teddi was startled by Octavia's shout, but she turned the corner like she was trained and began clip-clopping down the mountain following the ancient road. "We should clean this road off," said Octavia.

"It's not like we don't have anything else to do. We got a farm that's not ready for winter, our only food is going to be vegetables from Mr. Highgrower's garden and whatever else is stashed in the basement."

"We can buy food in Waleston," insisted Octavia.

"We don't have a sleigh. I suppose I can fly over on a broom if I ever figure how to get one started." Octavia looked at Nick and laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Witches flying on brooms? Seriously? You even asked a goddess about that?" She continued laughing.

"We do. We really do."

"You're serious?" asked Octavia.

"Yes, we do. Not very often, mostly in emergencies."

"Really?"

"Yep, it's a great way to get somewhere fast."

"Oh... why not more often?"

"It's a pain in the ass," said Nick. That started Octavia laughing again. "Believe me, ask Agnes. She flew all the way from Soilly just to see what I was doing."

"How far is that?"

"About thirty miles cutting through mountain passes. That's why most witches wear flannel bloomers." That got Octavia laughing again.

"Kiss me my captain."

"With pleasure my queen," said Nick, and he leaned over and gave Octavia a sweet little kiss, which led to another, and another, their tongues intertwining, small whimpers escaping from her as they kissed. Nick pulled her closer, and their kiss grew more intense. His hand closed in on her breast, and Octavia thought, "He's going to touch me there!" She didn't know if she could push him away or grab his wrist and pull his hand to her breast. Sadly, the dulcimer began to slide from his lap, and the moment ended as Nick rescued the instrument. They leaned on each other, panting as Teddi pulled them through the forest.

"We should get married," said Octavia.

"You sure?"

"I couldn't bear the shame of having our first child out of wedlock... but I can't bear the need to make that happen."

"It happens in the mountains all the time," said Nick. "Like Ena said, winters are cold and the nights are long, and that leads to..."

"Not to me," said Octavia. "I want a proper wedding with a proper gown. Not that over-inflated mess that was my wedding in Breaze. I want friends, I want love, I want... you!" They kissed again, this time the passion soaring in their breasts, and again Nick almost dropped the dulcimer. "You did it again," said Octavia as her head spun and her breath came in pants.

"I'm not the only one," said Nick.

As Octavia's head stopped spinning, she realized that they had stopped. Teddi stood motionless in the middle of the road on a small bridge that crossed over a stream. "Teddi, come up," said Octavia, but he didn't move. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's probably thirsty, hang on." Hanging under the foot box of the Ralli cart were two canvas buckets for occasions like this. Nick unfolded them, then went down to the stream and filled the buckets to the brim with ice-cold water. He set the buckets on the road, and the mule drank thirstily. In fact, she drank two buckets of water. "I'm sorry darling," said Nick. "You should have told me you were thirsty." With a cup, Nick tasted the water and found it cold and refreshing, and he offered Octavia a cup.

"How do you know it's not poison?" asked Octavia, who for months had been inundated with warnings about poison. Poisoning was called "the curse of being a queen."

"I'm a witch," said Nick as if that were a satisfactory answer. It wasn't, and Octavia's expression said that loud and clear. "A witch has an innate ability to taste poison and harmful toxins in food and drink. We may not be able to tell you what is dangerous in the meal or drink, but we'll know if it's a danger."

Nervously, Octavia sipped the water and smiled and drank the entire cup, and she sent Nick back twice for more water. "This is incredible water, it's almost as good as the water at your house." She sipped again and said, "what kind of spell is on our well at home?"

Nick's heart leaped when she called the cottage home and the well ours. "There's no spell on it; that's natural water from the Snowcross mountains."

"But you don't have to pump the well, you lift the handle and water starts coming out."

"It's an artesian well, it's tapped into an underground stream that pushes the water up the well shaft and that's not a pump, that's a valve made from an old pump. My great-great-grandfather that built the cottage was married to a dowser, a water witch, and she found that underground stream. She was Nana's mother and she put the spell on the cottage that made it change size depending on the family inside."

"So if we have children it will grow?"

"That's what Nana says. I didn't believe her until I showed up and the cottage added an upper floor with two rooms."

"What if we have family move in? Like cousins or something like that?"

Nick shrugged and refilled the buckets one last time and hung them on the hooks under the foot box. "Maybe Nana knows, we can ask her." Then he climbed aboard and they were off. The buckets weren't covered, so they sloshed some water out with every bump, but Nick was hoping they'd have enough water when they stopped for the night.

Nick started strumming the dulcimer again. A voice told him to play scales, up and down the fretboard, and the voice sounded like Rys, so he began to do that. At first his fingers stumbled. The memories in his head that weren't his own memories soon began to teach his fingers how to play, and he became better. "I think I have the potential to become a professional," kidded Nick as he played the scale error-free for the first time.

"A professional dulcimer player?" asked Octavia. "Is there a calling for dulcimer in the larger orchestras?"

"I don't think so, but there should be. It makes Teddi happy."

"You're right about that. It's nice to have music around. It's probably best by the fire with friends or in the cabin on a winter evening," said Octavia, looking forward to seeing actual snow for the first time. Snow in Torwin-Armistad is a nasty, slushy affair. Snow doesn't accumulate; it just mixes with the filth on the streets and becomes a slushy mess of excrement, both horse and human.

"We need to concentrate on storing food up for the winter," said Nick. "Our basement is enchanted and is perfect for storing food. It's enchanted in portions, one half is always deep below freezing, and the rest is a nice cool place to escape a hot sweaty day. Perfect for root vegetables and canned goods."

Octavia grinned; the wizard in her came to life. "I want to study that enchantment! It sounds so perfect!"

Nick gave her temple a kiss and said, "just don't break it."

"We could make some money enchanting basements like that if I could figure out the spell."

"Most cottages in the mountains don't have basements, but it's a thought."

They came to the hot spring, and Nick set up camp. They still had a large jar of water from the cottage and a jug of cider for later. He had a tarp and a warm quilt to sleep under, so he released Teddi from the Ralli cart. He staked Teddi out under the trees near some sweet-looking clover, and he set out a bucket of water for her. "Thank you for a good day, Teddi," he said as he stroked the mule. "It was a good pull."

Octavia had stripped and had climbed into the hot spring and was lying back in the soothing water. "This is heaven," she sighed. "Hurry up!"

"Just gathering firewood for later," said Nick, and soon he had a large pile of fallen branches. He piled up the branches and then stripped and climbed into the hot spring with Octavia. She demurely turned her head as he approached. From her angle, she looked at the last rays of the sun slicing horizontally through the trees as it set behind the Snowcross Mountains. Nick was facing Octavia and the wall of rock behind her.

"What are you looking at?" asked Octavia demurely. Her foot reached out and touched his.

"I'm trying not to look at you," said Nick.

"Why? Am I ugly?" said Octavia with a very cute pout.

"No, on the contrary. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," said Nick. He was actually shaking.

"Tell me," she said with a smile.

"I can only compare you to Ziska, she's the only woman I've been close to," said Nick. "The only living woman," he added quickly.

"That's fine. Tell me what you see."

"Your hair, it's fine and silky and thick, and it's the same color as mine. Ziska had super bright blond hair which was pretty but it was dry as straw. She always wore it braided up tight, it looked painful but she braided it every morning when she got up." Nick started running his fingers through Octavia's hair and said, "Your hair even smells good."

"Thank you," giggled Octavia.

"Your eyebrows, do you trim them or pluck them?"

"No, why?"

"Because they're not big and bushy like Ziska's. Hers were growing together into one but that was hard to see because they were light blond. So was her mustache." That caused Octavia to continue laughing. "Your nose is cute and little, Ziska's nose had been broken several times in fights." He ran his finger down Octavia's nose and to her mouth. "Your lips are full and naturally red; Ziska's were narrow and pale."

Now Octavia was panting heavily. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she could feel her breasts swelling with excitement. Nick leaned in and they kissed. "Is that it?" gasped Octavia as their lips parted.

"No, your ears are small and cute," said Nick as he brushed her hair back and traced his tongue around her ear. Then he gently nibbled her earlobe. She squirmed and twisted, then he kissed lower. "Your neck, so long and perfect," he began kissing and suckling her neck gently just below and behind her ear.

"Don't!" she giggled as unexpected waves of pleasure radiated from where he suckled, but he didn't stop. "Your breasts so firm, and large, much larger than Ziska."

"Yessssss..." hissed Octavia as Nick pinched her nipple and twisted it. Words ended as their lips met, their tongues slithered together in a timeless dance of love. Their hands under the water touching, exploring. Simultaneously, their hands found the target of their passion. His fingers started lightly exploring her flower as her hand circled around his manhood.

At that precise moment of passion, both heard a mental click and a booming voice in their heads that shouted "NO!" Octavia was pushed aside, and Nick was tossed to the other side of the pool. Octavia screamed in terror, and Nick grabbed his aching head. He struck the side of the hot spring and hurt his head and back. As Nick writhed in pain, Octavia stood and shouted, "Father! Stop that!" then she hurried over to Nick, who was pulling himself out of the pool.

"What was that?" groaned Nick as he sat on a rock at the side of the hot spring.

"Saehrimnir," said Octavia with a look of anger in her eyes. " He must be jealous. I was ordained temple priestess and blessed as a wizard at Saehrimnir's temple." Then she saw the scratches on Nick's back and hurried to his side.

"He's awful strict," said Nick as he patted himself dry with his shirt.

"You're bleeding," said Octavia. She touched his head, and her fingertips were covered in blood.

"Oh damn, Agness is going to see this and think I was fighting again."

"Here," and Octavia took her petticoat and tore off a strip and fashioned a bandage.

"You shouldn't do that to your nice skirt."

"It's an underskirt, what do you think it's for?" She used the strips to bandage his head, even though he protested. "There, it's not a lot of bleeding but this will help," said Octavia as she viewed her work.

Nick rose, snapped his fingers and pointed at the wood he had piled up earlier. A small flame appeared in the twigs and branches and slowly grew into a campfire. Nick turned to Octavia and pulled her to him and said, "Why did Saehrimnir do that?"

"I don't know, it felt like Saehrimnir doesn't want us to..." She was interrupted by Nick pulling her naked body close to him, and they kissed, their bodies pressed together and their passions soaring. Finally, Octavia pushed him away. "Don't," she gasped. "I don't want to see him hurt you again."

"I'm just a gutter rat to him," said Nick. "I was born to be kicked."

"Don't," said Octavia softly. "Don't believe that. You are my man; I chose you because I saw the qualities that make you. You're no gutter rat and if Saehrimnir doesn't like my choice, then to hell with him." After one more kiss, they reluctantly dressed and sat down by the fire. Nick had brought out their meal, cheese and meat in a crusty bread, and canned peaches. He sighed and frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"We're not ready for winter," groaned Nick. "Besides firewood, I have no idea how to can food. We have an entire garden of vegetables waiting for us to can, I don't think we have the tools."

"It's ok, we'll be fine," said Octavia. "As soon as we get back home we'll go down into the basement and see what we have."

"I can hunt," said Nick. "I'll go to the duke and request permission to hunt. I hear from the other farmers that the deer are tearing up their crops."

"Deer? You eat deer?" gasped Octavia.

"Yes, and if they've been grazing on Eric and Lala MacClenny's wheat like Eric claims, we're in for a treat. Grain fed venison! I haven't had venison in ages."

"Eww. How can you eat deer? They're cute."

"Pigs are incredibly cute when they're young, and they're very smart. That doesn't make them any less delicious."

"What are we going to grow?" asked Octavia.

"I just want to grow old. But we'll raise corn and hay at first and sell it for cattle feed. I want to raise sheep too. I got good at sheering them before I went to Breaze. There's good money in wool."

"The lambs are so cute!" Octavia pictured a stable in the barn with several lambs in there and almost swooned.

"The hard part is keeping their poop out of their wool. Sheep are notoriously stupid." Then Nick groaned and lowered his head into his hands. "I'm sorry, but we will not be ready for winter. Maybe you should accept Queen Elinor's go to the castle. Yuletide is wonderful there I understand."

"No, please don't send me away, don't. "We've come too far," wept Octavia, and for the first time in her life she felt a crushing loss and wept long and hard clinging to Nick's arm. "Please, Pommy, my captain."

"My queen, I couldn't bear to watch you freeze or starve to death."

"Then come to the castle with me, please Pommy!" she wailed.

Nick was soon crying with her. "I wasn't invited, that invitation was for you only. Please, my lady, forget me. I'm doomed to failure. I've done nothing but fail. I failed my wife, I failed my king, and now the gods themselves are kicking me like a dog. It would be a mercy if you conjured a bolt of lightning and killed me now."

"If you are doomed to failure then let me fail with you. I've done nothing but study my entire life and look where it got me," wept Octavia.

"Milady, I angered a god and it was sheer providence that you were not injured, the next time you may not be as lucky.

They clung to each other, wondering how they were going to survive.

"Hello!"

Still clinging to Octavia, Nick looked up and saw the fairy they had seen earlier. "We have company," whispered Nick.

"Who?" asked a panicked Octavia, and she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hello again!" said the silver-haired fairy. She had with her the black-haired fairy from earlier and another fairy with bright orange hair. "Rys told us to say thank you again, he loves his new home with his family."

"I never caught your names," said Nick. "I'm Nick, and this is Octavia."

"I'm Tasi, she's Solara, and she's Yitry," said the silver fairy, pointing to the other two.

"The queen!" shouted the orange-haired Solara.

"Girls!" growled Nick as the three fairies orbited Octavia and chattered as fast as they could speak. "The queen thanks you for your adoration and requests that you treat her as a friend and not a goddess."

"But she IS a goddess!" cried the fairies in unison. "The prophecy!" said the black-haired fairy Yitry.

"What prophecy?" asked Octavia.

The fairies recited in unison.

"Twice was a queen, twice was a wife,

Sweet temple priestess with infinite life.

Virgin to virgin, her new king a witch,

Her wife, an empress; her kingdom, rich."

"That's not me girls, sorry," said a blushing Octavia.

"It is," cried silver-haired Tasi. "It's you! I've known you forever! It's all about you!"

"Look, I'm sure that a couple of hours seems like forever to a fairy," said Octavia. "But I'm not immortal, I'm never going to marry a woman, and I'm done being a queen. Where did you get this prophecy from?"

"The lady," said Solara while Yitry and Tasi nodded in agreement.

"Which lady?" demanded Nick.

"I forget," said Tasi, "But she always shows one boob."

"It's really big," gasped Yitry, her eyes bugged open wide.

"You mean Saatus?" asked Octavia.

"Yeah, her," said Tasi. "She said that it's your fate."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 19 - The Duke

Octavia woke as the skies lightened and she heard a noise behind her. She rolled over and saw Nick wearing just his shorts, exercising, using his cane as a practice weapon. Shirtless, he found invisible threats, dodging, attacking, blocking, thrusting. Nearby, in the ashes of the fire that warmed them last night, a new fire crackled, and some kind of meat was skewered on sticks and roasting over the fire. Nick only stopped when he saw that Octavia was awake. "Good morning my queen."

"Good morning my captain. Have you been up long?"

"I got a brace of bunnies for breakfast. If you want you can scrape the hides while they roast."

"Wha?" Octavia's eyes grew wide in shock.

"Just kidding, I didn't keep the pelts, these guys were too small and skinny. If we survive the winter I'm sure we'll be raising rabbits because they're so easy to raise."

"Rabbits?"

"Yeah, the meat is tasty, they eat garden waste, they make more rabbits at the drop of a hat, and the skins make the softest mittens and the warmest hats," said Nick as he came over and gave her a kiss.

"From rabbits?"

"Yes, that fur wrap you wore around the cottage is a couple dozen rabbits worth or so. I made it before I went to Breaze."

Octavia looked worried. "When you said farm I was thinking vegetables, I didn't consider killing things."

"Well, when the chicken stops laying eggs, you still have to feed the children, so you make chicken soup."

Octavia thought about it, then said, "I've always had my food handed to me. I guess I have to learn how to make it."

"Are you certain?"

"It's your farm, and as soon as I have a talk with Saehrimnir, I will be yours. I want to have your children; I want to help deliver our grandchildren. I want to retire quietly, give the farm to the children and come up here to the little cabin we build."

Nick plucked the rabbits off the fire and brought her a cooked rabbit carcass on a stick and said, "A cabin here? This would be a pleasant camp site." He sat down next to Octavia and began eating his own rabbit. Octavia took a couple of bites and paused. She expected it to taste much worse, but it wasn't bad, so, being hungry, she ate. "How is it?" asked Nick.

"It's good but at the same time it's kind of bland, it needs..." She took another bite then said, "it needs salt and something else... garlic. Yeah, garlic and sage."

"Good choice, I think we have both of them in Mister Highgrower's garden."

"Rosemary?" asked Octavia.

"Yep."

"Fennel? Fennel seeds would work well with this."

"I thought you didn't know how to cook," said Nick.

"I don't. But I know how to eat. I'm sure I can read a cookbook."

As they laughed and ate their breakfast, Nick got nudged by a mule. "Teddi, how did you get loose?"

"When did you put a saddle on Teddi?" asked Octavia.

Nick stood up, still holding his roast rabbit on a stick, and said, "This isn't Teddi. This is a male." He looked in awe at the mule. It was a little older than Teddi, with good teeth, and it was wearing a bridle and a pack frame. There was a leather pouch attached to the mule's frame that Nick inspected and found five gold coins, which looked like Breaze currency. The leather pouch was stamped with the name Kaleb. The only other things they found on the mule were a few coiled lengths of rope for tying down cargo on the mule's frame, and a coiled-up lead with 'bopper' at the end.

"Where did you come from," Octavia asked the mule. "Did you get away from a hiker? Did you wander off from a mine?"

"He better not have been at a mine," said Nick as he petted the mule.

"Why not?"

"It's our mountain," said Nick. "I report to Duke Roem on all activities on the mountain. Mostly hunting and any form of prospecting. A mine would cause the Duke to increase the taxes so high we'd be driven off our land. Eric MacClenny has been covering for me while I was in Breaze. I suppose we'll go chat with him tomorrow and let him know I'm back."

"Are you going to tell him about the elf castle on the west face? And the road?" asked Octavia.

"Hell no, he'll say it's major improvements and raise my taxes. He hates that mountain, his son died hunting on it and he tried to hold me responsible."

"Did you have anything to do with it?"

"I was ten years old!"

"That's so odd," said Octavia as they packed up and put the fire out. "Why would he do that?"

"I think he's senile. He doesn't like his surviving son for some reason as well." They headed down the mountain with Octavia holding Teddi's reins, and Nick walking with Kaleb. He was a well-trained mule. He took to commands readily and wasn't startled when Nick would occasionally whistle and shout, "Anyone lose a mule?"

When they got to the sweetwood forest, Nick took the hunting knife he took off an army soldier (he was pretty sure he killed that bastard later that night) and chopped up large branches that had broken off of trees. He found several dead trees that he could saw up later. He could use the old manure spreader as a lumber wagon. With several armloads of sweetwood branches tied to Kaleb's frame, he tied Kaleb's lead to the Ralli cart, and climbed in next to Octavia. He began strumming his dulcimer in time with the mule's clip-clop down the mountain. "Why do you call Teddi she and Teddi he?"

"Because he's a boy and she's a girl."

"I thought mules didn't have a sex."

"They each have a sex, Kaleb is male, and Teddi is female, but they're sterile. If Teddi were a chicken she wouldn't be laying any eggs, and if Kaleb was a rooster he'd... uh... he'd be sleeping in until noon."

"That's silly," said Octavia.

"Believe me, you're going to learn a whole lot more about sex than you ever thought existed after a year or two on a farm. I'll ask for something bizarre and kinky and you'll say, 'after what I saw the sheep doing, that's tame.'"

"Sheep are kinky?"

"They're perverts."

<><><><><>

The next morning, Nick and Octavia returned Teddi and the Ralli cart to Wayne Metsker as the sun rose behind Black Mountain. They promised to buy Teddi and the Ralli cart if the original buyer backed out. "Don't worry about the Ralli cart," said Wayne. "I can make one in three weeks. Even quicker if I have a pair of wheels to work with."

They wanted to get going sooner, but Wayne's mother insisted they have coffee and watch the sun rise above the mountain. A beautiful young woman stepped out of the house. She was pregnant and had a small boy following her. She had light brown hair and hazel eyes and was incredibly cute. She kissed Wayne's cheek and asked, "Did you ask him yet?"

"No..." Finally, Wayne turned to Nick and said, "Silver and I want to get married." Silver was neighbor Eric MacClenny's niece.

"It's about time," said Nick. He put an arm around Silver, which caused her to giggle. "You two already have one child and another one on the way. I'd be honored to be your best man."

"No, not best man. Silver and I would like you to perform the wedding."

"Sure, when?"

"Is tomorrow too soon?"

"I would be honored," said Nick. "Would you like me to deliver your daughter? She can't wait to meet her daddy."

"A girl? We're going to have a girl? Yes! By all means!" Wayne and Silver hugged each other and kissed. It was abundantly clear that they wanted to have a girl.

Nick and Octavia left the happy couple and continued up Breeders Peak riding on Kaleb. They didn't have a riding saddle, so they used the blanket from the pack frame and rode bareback. Octavia sat in front holding the reins, and Nick sat behind her holding her around the waist. Kaleb was as good a riding mule as any and responded to voice commands as well as he responded to the reins, and most of the time Octavia didn't have to use any command; Kaleb followed the road nicely.

"I didn't know you were a cleric," said Octavia excitedly.

"What? No, I'm just a witch. You're the cleric, you can probably officiate beautiful temple ceremonies. I can only officiate witch ceremonies. They're rustic and rural and designed for folks that don't have two pennies to rub together. The wedding isn't binding until I report to the king that I performed the wedding."

As they traveled down the face of Breeders Peak into the Barkridge Defile where Waleston, capital of Uduithia, sat safe and protected from the outside world. Nick told Octavia some of the history of Uduithia. "Village lore holds that Elm Springs was the capital of Uduithia but they were attacked by the Kingdom of Yalvara. Uduithia fought them off and eventually won, but they paid a heavy price, the capital was destroyed so they relocated the entire town inside of this box canyon."

"That's incredible," said Octavia.

"They said it happened almost overnight with the help of a powerful wizard."

"Do you believe it?" she asked.

"No, most of the knowledge in my head is just a litany of failures or surprises."

"Surprises?"

"Yeah," chuckled Nick. "I have a memory of a wizard that was trying to get rid of cockroaches but he ended up turning the cockroaches into rats."

When Octavia was finished laughing, she asked, "Could you drop me at the castle? The queen gave me an open invitation to stop by when I was in town."

Nick nodded and said, "We can do that," and they turned up the drive to Waelmore Castle. Both the main entrance and noble entrance portcullises were open, so Nick slid off the back of Kaleb and walked alongside up to the noble's entrance. "Kaleb, woah," and the mule stopped. Nick grabbed Octavia by the waist and said, "Are you ready darling?"

For the past two hours, Octavia had a warm, live, muscular beast between her legs, so when Nick asked, "Are you ready darling?" She was ready, but for something else.

"Yes," she said in a breathy voice, but when Nick set her on the ground, she felt her cheeks burning.

"Why are you blushing?" asked Nick.

Honesty being the best policy, she said, "I guess I'm ready for something else."

"I don't get it," said Nick.

"And you won't. Not until we speak with Saehrimnir."

"Oh, I understand... I think."

"Sire," said one of the guards, "I need you to hand over your blade."

"Huh?" Then Nick realized that the guard meant the sword he was wearing. "I'm not going in, I have other business to attend to."

"I'm sorry my lord. Could you wait until I clear it with Captain Fahy?"

"I apologize, but yes, I'll wait. Anything beats getting wrestled to the ground on a sword violation."

Meanwhile, across from the open courtyard, over by a sinister stone building, several wizards were sitting outside having tea in the warm sunlight. All had white beards and pointy hats; a couple were puffing on strangely carved pipes. "Mate, check out that bloke over there. He just took a Sheila on a mule up to the posh gate."

"What's the crack with it?" his fellow wizard asked.

"He's got a sword on him and the coppers didn't strip it off," said the first wizard.

"Pray, what of it?"

"The blokes in uniform didn't even chuck him to the ground. They're giving him a fair bit of respect, mate."

"What dost thou imply, good sir?" asked another wizard.

"The prophecy of the throne!"

The wizards fell to stunned silence. They just saw a prophecy come true before their eyes. "We need to tell Lord Baltimore," said the second wizard in a hushed voice.

"Pray, what was it you wished to impart to me?" asked the Head of Intelligence as he stepped out of the block building.

"Your grace, there is a prophecy from the days of the Yalvaran war. It's quite brief but very revealing."

"And?" snarled Lord Baltimore. His wizards were champions at burying the lede.

"It says...

On a mule she shall ride

The swordsman at her side

To the guards true and brave

To the throne they must save.

"It could be just dodgy," said the first wizard. "But we watched the first three lines unfold right in front of our eyes, mate."

"Verily, it may amount to naught," said Lord Baltimore. But too much was happening, especially up in Breaze, or what was once Breaze. He couldn't discount anything. "Let us return to our labors, whilst we remain vigilant for any deposed sovereigns or valiant swordsmen."

Over at the nobles' entrance, Sean Fahy came out and asked Nick why he was carrying a sword. "I'm going to go see Duke Roem. I'm politicking for a position in the Duchy staff."

Sean put on his helmet and said, "I'll go with you. Nobody has heard from the old cuss in weeks, he's missed several meetings."

Nick turned Kaleb over to the groom, who took Kaleb over to the stables for a brush down and lunch. "He laughed at my mule," said Nick.

"I think he laughed at the name. In Handverkarar it means 'gift,'" said Sean.

"I don't think Kaleb speaks dwarvish," said Nick as he took a half foot long piece of wood out of his pocket and pulled at each end and it stretched out to a full-size walking stick with a wooden knob at the end.

"Neat trick," said Sean. "Some kind of magic?"

"It's a trick Octavia taught me. I can stretch it out to six feet in length and it becomes my wizard staff."

"And then what?"

Nick shrugged. "Beats the hells out of me. I suppose I'll have to research that issue."

As they walked, an elderly lady passed them going the other way. "Good morning Captain Fahy, Mister Stein."

"Good morning Missus Hallewell," said Nick and Sean in unison.

Amelie Hallewell was the witch of Qullog, a village ten miles from Elm Springs. She was old but tough as nails and almost as cantankerous as Agnes Dempsy. She glared at Nick and said, "Pommy! The coven will be at Ezzie's house. Tonight. Moonrise!"

"Yes Missus Hallewell," said Nick. Although everyone in the Snowcross mountains called her Oma, Nick had always called her Missus Hallewell, even though there's no evidence that there ever was a Mister Hallewell.

"Pommy?" chuckled Sean as they were out of earshot.

Nick shrugged and said, "Only Octavia calls me that. Just about anyone else that used that name is dead."

"Here we are, 2121 Honeybutter Lane," said Sean. The Duke of Wægn Duchy did not live in his own duchy. He lived in a townhouse that was made of the same gray stone that nearly every other building in Waleston was made of. His house was made from standard eight inches by two and a quarter inch bricks with white mortar between the bricks, giving it a unique look for a Waleston mini-palace. Honeybutter Lane was the upper level of the upper class. They even had their own police force, whose job it was to chase out ne'er-do-wells like Sean and Nick. However, two young men carrying swords, one in Palace Guard armor, meant that the Honeybutter Lane Watch would not come snooping.

Duke Roem's house, like all other houses on Honeybutter Lane, was surrounded by an ornate six foot tall gray brick wall. "His gate is unlatched," said Nick. Alarm bells went off in his head. They slowly entered the gate to find themselves in a highly manicured garden. On the right side of the walk was an ornate flower garden and a goldfish pond; on the left side of the pond was a perfectly cut lawn bowling pitch/croquet field. "He enjoys his sports," said Nick as they walked up to the front door.

Sean pulled the bell cord twice. They both heard the ring, but there was no answer. Then Sean lifted the door latch; it wasn't locked. "You stay here, it could be dangerous," hissed Sean.

"Are you serious?"

"Sorry, force of habit."

The solid oak door opened silently on oiled hinges, and they entered, swords drawn. The house had a smell that Nick knew; he often smelled it in the forest, and too often he smelled it in Breaze, the smell of death. The house was silent, and there was no apparent foul play other than the door being unlocked and the gate open. Nick went to the only room in the building he knew. The duke's office. Duke Roem terrified Nick for several years, threatening to take Black Mountain away from him if he didn't report every hunter.

Nick was there to tell the duke in essence that, "I'm a witch now, witches don't pay taxes," but he realized that would be a waste of time. The dead corpse of Duke Henna Roem was nailed to his chair by two crossbow bolts. Sean shook his head and took off his helmet. "Whoever done it really hated the guy,"

"Why do you say that?" asked Nick.

"One bolt is right through the heart, that was enough to kill him, so it would take a lot of hate to reload and shoot a second bolt. If the one that missed the heart was the first, then the killer had to reload while the duke was in agony from the first bolt and shoot again."

"But he wasn't a thief," said Nick. Several stacks of coins were laid out before the duke, clearly untouched. "When was the last time anyone saw him?" asked Nick.

"Month, maybe two?" guessed Sean as Nick poked around the office.

"I need your witness," said Nick, and he went up to a portrait of the duke and swung it away from the wall on hinges. Behind the portrait was a large safe. Nick spun the dial. "The man had no sense of security," said Nick as he easily unlocked the safe. "I watched him open the safe as an eleven year old and memorized the combination."

"You must have an incredible memory."

"No, the combination was twenty, then one, then twenty one. His address, 2121 Honeybutter Lane." Nick stepped aside and showed Sean the interior of the safe. It was filled with gold coins and bars. "This wasn't a robbery." He looked sadly at the stack of coins and sighed, then closed the safe and spun the dial. "Gods below but grabbing some of that gold was tempting!"

"I wouldn't have seen anything," said Sean as he found a key locker and found the keys for the front door and front gate.

"I would have," said Nick, hating whatever stopped him.

<><><><><>

"Was naught at all disturbed?" asked King Uric. He had invited Nick, Octavia, and Sean Fahy to lunch to discuss the incident.

"The books appeared to be in order and the coins were neatly stacked," said Sean.

"I just took a quick look at the ledger he was compiling," said Nick. "His total appeared to be what was stacked on the desk in front of him."

"Who would do such a thing?" gasped Queen Elinor.

"Stefen Roem," said Princess Sophia.

"What impels you to state such a thing?" the king asked his daughter.

"He was nasty and mean. He was always grabbing at my... my bubbies."

King Uric was shocked. "That scoundrel! Pray, why did you not inform me?"

"I was afraid you would have hanged him," said Sophia.

"I would assuredly not have executed him, regardless of his pleas to the contrary."

"Here are the keys to his estate," said Sean, and he handed the keys to the king.

"These keys must be delivered to the executor of his estate and the steward of the affairs of the Duchy of Wægn until a new duke is duly coronated," said King Uric, and he handed the keys to Nick. "I would be most grateful if you could keep me apprised of any findings within his records won't you? There's a good lad."

Octavia gasped, shocked and delighted with the responsibilities that had just been thrust on Nick. For his part, Nick started chuckling. "I can see we're going to be good friends your majesty. But why me?"

The king smiled and waved a chicken bone at Nick. "I firmly assert that the executor of his estate and the custodian of the affairs of the Duchy of Wægn should be a citizen of Wægn, and you are the sole individual I am acquainted with who possesses the capability to read and write. Where do you intend to inter Duke Roem?"

"We have a potters field in Elm Springs, we can plant him there, and if family doesn't come forward to protest, I'll let the folks of the Duchy of Wægn select what should be on his headstone... if in good taste."

"Let it be done!" said the king. "I clearly made a most judicious choice!"

"You have a busy day tomorrow," said Octavia.

"Yep, my first wedding and my first funeral. If you will excuse me my lord, but I must go make arrangements to plant Duke Roem in the heart of the duchy he hated so much."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 20 - The Coven and the God

"How far do you have to fly?" asked Octavia.

"Two blocks," said Nick. He and Octavia were in the garden of 2121 Honeybutter Lane. He took his walking stick, which the goddess Saatus called his "righteous staff," and extended it a full six feet and stood straddling it. He was required to fly to the coven to be considered a witch, and he had flown nothing in his life. "Please don't laugh," and Nick closed his eyes and imagined he was weightless and the planet Kodu was pushing him away. That did nothing. Then he imagined that he was pushing Kodu away, which also did nothing. What is it? What could it be?

"Better hurry, the sun is setting," said Octavia. Then, with a grin, Nick slowly lifted off the ground. "You're flying! What is it? How did you do it?"

"I'm not flying, the stick is flying, I'm just along for the ride" said Nick with a grin of accomplishment. "I convinced Kodu to push the stick away." He rose a little higher, just over the garden wall. "Love you!" and he leaned forward, pushing his staff's 'nose' down a little, and he started moving forward. Turning was a matter of proper leaning and twisting, but soon he touched down in Ezzie Fahy's backyard as Octavia entered Duke Roem's townhouse with Sean Fahy to inventory the furniture and locate any hidden valuables or documents.

The seven crones watched as he touched down lightly, and immediately they hated him. He flew like a witch, but he didn't dress like a witch. He was wearing black leather trousers he wears when cutting wood. The trousers prevent cuts and abrasions from tree limbs. He was also wearing a tough-looking brown leather vest over a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The vest was also for protection in the woods. And how did he fly a broom without bristles?

He turned to Sean's mother and said, "Mrs. Fahy, thank you for permitting me to visit your home." Then he turned to Agnes Dempsy and bowed. "Madam Dempsey, I thank you again sincerely for assisting me with young Dylan Smith."

His politeness wasn't welcome, and even though he was wearing sensible work boots like a good witch, he wasn't a witch. "Witches don't carry swords!" demanded Bunny Keeling. Bunny was well past eighty years old, and there was nothing left to justify her moniker. Nick assumed that because she had eleven children, at one time she did something like a bunny.

"Madam Bronwyn," said Nick, using her proper first name. "I apologize. All day I have been assisting Captain Fahy in the investigation of a murder most heinous. I carried my sword to defend my captain should the murderer take offense to our probing of his activities."

"I don't care!" she squawked. "Swords kill people."

Nick took the sword from its sheath and stabbed it into the ground. He stepped back and pointed to Bunny. "KILL!" he ordered. The witches jumped, but the sword did nothing. Nick crossed the yard to Bunny and growled, "as you can see, swords do not kill people. I kill people." Bunny was sure she heard the echo of long-abandoned crypts in Nick's words, but looking again she saw Nick on the other side of the yard laughing with Ezzie Fahy as he cleaned his sword and sheathed it again.

Soon, everyone gathered around the fire. Nick was relieved to discover that there was no dancing around naked or otherwise. Nick was the youngest witch by far. The next closest witch was Xantha Highmore from Wret, and she was twice his age, and until Nick arrived, she was called "the new kid." What happened was the witches formed a circle around a fire and sat down on wooden benches and complained about their aches and pains as they drank tea with milk and honey, then one by one they related what they had done since they last met. Agnes Dempsy ran the meeting with the warmth and kindness of a drill sergeant. When she got to Nick, she said, "Witch Stein, tell all who you are, who trained you, and what you did this month."

"I'm Nick Stein and I'm the witch for Elm Springs. I was trained by Nana Partridge..."

"She's dead!" cawed Granny Depraysie from Little Brimp.

"I know," said Nick. "She raised me for eight years. Before that I was abandoned by my pa in a trash heap behind the temple of Saehrimnir in Torwin-Armistad."

"He's Catrin Wolfe's boy," said Agnes. "Gertrude Wolfe's grandson." When she said that, the arguing and sniping stopped. Gertrude Wolfe was the most skilled and powerful witch in the Snowcross Mountains, and her daughter Catrin was the patron saint of battered women.

"Ivo just threw you away?" gasped Nonna Umbra from far off Vale Wood.

"Yes, I survived by eating trash and drinking holy water from the font in the temple. When I was eight Saehrimnir ordered an acolyte to take me to Elm Springs, but my dog got left..." Nick couldn't believe how much it still hurt to lose Pepin. He remembered crying non-stop for days, maybe a full week. "Enough of that," he said, hating the fact that these crones saw the tears in his eyes.

"I returned to Elm Springs and moved into Nana's cottage with Queen Octavia Anghart, the only surviving member of the royal family in Breaze. My first patient was a two-year-old male, compound fracture of the left radius. I numbed the pain with a plaster of Ummi Root paste then set the bone and closed the wound with four sutures and topped that with a paste of cuggaron and thorn fennel to draw out any infection. I immobilized the wound with a splint made of Ash and gave him willow ginger tea with too much honey to help with the pain." He realized that everyone was staring at him in disbelief. "Aunt Agnes came and checked my work, she said I did good."

"That's because I thought the girl did it. I expect better from a grandson of Gerty."

"Yes ma'am. This week I worked with Archie MacMurrough, east of Elm Springs, his sheep had droop-foot, and with Lorcan Neenan on the next farm checking on his wife Pippa who is expecting in seven months."

"Seven months, isn't that a bit early?" asked Granny Depraysie.

"Never too early, ma'am. Tomorrow I have my first wedding if anyone is interested, and I'll also have my first funeral."

"Who ya planting?" asked Oma Hallewell.

"Duke Roem," said Nick, "Captain Fahy and I have been investigating his murder all day and I've been named the executor of his estate and of the duchy. Oh, and I was given this staff by a mountain elf, and it was blessed by Saatus herself."

"That's quite a month you had!" said Ezzie Fahy happily.

"Week," corrected Nick. "Last week we were in Teurnia being tried for my actions in the murder of King Alfrich and my wife Franziska Thornhammer. Did I mention that Saehrimnir demands our presence at his temple?"

"Are you going?" asked Aunt Agnes.

"I've got too much to do," said Nick.

<><><><><>

It was late when a guard led Nick to the room that Octavia was in. After the coven, he had gone back to Duke Roem's estate and worked on the books until his eyes refused to remain open. Now here in Octavia's room he could get a little sleep before they headed down to Elm Springs for the funeral and Wayne and Silver's wedding.

A small fire in an iron stove provided warmth and a warm flickering light. She was in a nice bed with a fur quilt for warmth. Nick undressed and slipped under the covers trying not to wake her, but she sensed he was there. She rolled over and hugged him, and they kissed gently, hoping to avoid stirring up Saehrimnir's wrath again. "How was the meeting?" Octavia asked sleepily.

"They hated me."

"Aww, I'm sorry."

"Then they found out who my grandmother and mother were, and they loved me."

"Nana?" asked Octavia.

"No, she's my great-grandmother. My grandmother, Gertrude Wolfe, was a very powerful witch. Mom was on her way to becoming a witch when she met dad."

Octavia snuggled up to Nick and asked, "did anything else happen?"

"Uh... I told the girls that you were my fiancée."

"Really! I don't see a ring on this hand!"

"I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry."

"I don't see a ring on this hand either."

"What happened to the ring that Alfrich gave you?"

"I hate it," said Octavia. "It's big and arrogant. When we get to Torwin-Armistad, I'm going to sell it at a reputable jeweler and we'll have some money for the farm."

"Really?"

"I want to get you a box of blades for your saws, and a wagon so Kaleb can pull the firewood down off the hill."

"That's sweet, thank you."

"And I'm going to get a cookbook!"

"We have something even better," said Nick. "Grandma's recipe box."

"That's better than a new cookbook?"

"New cookbooks are written for new modern kitchens in the cities. Grandma's recipes are written for that kitchen, for what is in that garden, and what is stored in the root cellar. They're magic and they'll never ask for an ingredient that's not available. I'll show you when we get home."

"You really think of me as your fiancée?" asked an excited Octavia.

"I feel closer to you every day, and when we're apart it hurts. This is so much more than what I felt with Ziska," said Nick, and he pulled her closer.

"I love you too," gasped Octavia. They held each other tight, mouths pressed to each other, tongues entwining, hands searching each other's bodies... "NO!" exploded in their heads. Octavia was pushed off the left side of the bed, but Nick was kicked off the right side. He sailed through the air and slammed into the wall.

"Pommy!" gasped Octavia, and she dashed across the room to Nick and found him holding his ribs. "Where does it hurt?"

"Just my pride," gasped Nick. "And my ribs. And my head. And my back..."

"I'm sorry, I was reaching for your... you know. I must have touched it."

"No, my what?"

"You know," said Octavia. She was turning bright red now.

"My wallet?"

"No!"

"My boots?"

"NO!"

"Then what?" said Nick, trying to hide his grin.

"Your... stones."

"Stones?" asked Nick, knowing exactly what she meant. "I'm not a troll, I'm made of meat like everyone but trolls."

"Your... gitzi."

"That would be a great name for a goat!" said Nick. "But what is it?"

"Your... BALLS!" she shouted. "Stop laughing at me! Girls don't have them, I wanted to see what they were and I must have touched."

"With you they're mostly blue and swollen," groaned Nick as she helped him up. "When we get home, I'll show you how bath night in the winter works.

<><><><><>

The sun was rising above the east shoulder of Black Mountain, and Octavia loved the view from the top of Breeders Peak. They were riding in the King's carriage with King Uric, Queen Elinor, and Princess Sophia. Kaleb plodded behind while Nick and Octavia rode with the royal family. A small contingent of Royal Guards escorted the king as they crested the peak at sunrise.

"How did this ridge become known as Breeders Peak?" asked Octavia.

"It's a euphemism, dear," said the queen.

"It used to be a warning to invading armies," said Sophia, who loved history and studied the history of Uduithia like it was a romance novel.

"A warning?"

Sophia nodded and said, "Any invading army would have to fight their way up this hill to get to Waleston. If they think they can do that, they're fucked."

"SOPHIE!" scolded the queen.

"That is the reason, dear," said King Uric, trying not to laugh.

"There has to be a more reasonable way to say it," scolded the queen.

"We could use a warning like that," muttered Octavia.

"Oh? Trouble in paradise?" asked the king. He was reading the report Nick wrote last night on Duke Roem's finances.

"It appears that the god Saehrimnir wants to keep us chaste," said Nick.

"What makes you say that?"

"If we are close and if either one of us touches the other's family jewels, he shouts no! in our heads and he kicks Pommy across the room," said Octavia.

"No!" gasped Elinor.

"He's nicer to Octavia, he pushes her aside, but me he kicks," said Nick. "Life is tough for a virgin widow," and Octavia nodded in agreement.

"Virgin Widow?" asked King Ulric. Then he remembered. He made a mental note to check with Lord Baltimore to find a prophecy about two virgin widows. That thought rang a bell in his head, and he was sure he had read it in the past.

They entered Elm Springs, and there was a small crowd waiting. An eagle-eyed resident saw the king's carriage working its way down the mountain, and the word went out. People hurried into town to see the king's convoy. Behind the king's carriage was a hearse, and behind that was another passenger carriage. "Nicky!" cried Ena McCrory when she saw Nick and Octavia riding with the king. "What is going on?"

"We have a funeral, and a wedding this morning," said Nick as they turned west to the little village cemetery. The curious people of Elm Springs followed the funeral procession out to the cemetery if only to find out who had died in Waleston but was carted to Elm Springs for burial.

The hearse stopped before an open grave, and the men guarding the king lined up behind the hearse as the ornate coffin was slid out. The six men lifted the casket and paused for Nick to open the casket and examine the body. Normally a witch would pinch the body somewhere to see if the person was still alive, but the duke had been dead for over a month, so there was no need for that. Nick nodded and closed the casket, and the men carried the casket to the grave.

Nick turned to King Uric and said, "Your majesty, Duke Roem is dead." This was the final proclamation, the one that would be remembered in the records of Uduithia.

King Uric nodded and said, "It shall be recorded, thank you ma..." he almost said Madam out of habit, but he corrected himself. "Thank you sir witch."

As the guards lowered the casket, Nick stood by the grave and repeated the ancient words that Nana had taught him years ago. "As Kodu circles Thaal and Zigu dances with the stars, we are made from all of them, Kodu, Thall, Zigu, and the stars. For a brief time, our spirit animates our portion of Kodu, and with the guidance of the patron gods, we use that time to enlighten others. Duke Roem's spirit now walks with Droul and let only Droul speak with him now."

He tossed a handful of dirt onto the casket, now in the grave, and stepped away. It wasn't a prayer as much as an admonition to those at graveside not to speak ill of the dead nor attempt to speak to him through necromancy.

The king took his place by the grave and said, "Duke Roem was a man of few words, preferring solitude; my acquaintance with him was limited, thus I shall allow his actions to delineate his character. The executor of his duties proposed a notion which I find agreeable: let his subjects ascertain the final inscription upon his memorial stone. The decisions made by you, the subjects who existed beneath his reign, shall accompany him into the annals of eternity." The king then tossed a handful of soil onto the casket followed by the queen, the princess, and Octavia. Soon all the people of Elm Springs that followed the king to the graveyard followed suit, but some kicked dirt into the grave, a public display of hate for the man. Nick noticed that every guard kicked dirt into the grave. He would have to ask more questions in his investigation.

" Pray, sir witch, we are graced with a wedding?" asked King Uric.

"Yes sir, my boyhood friends are a bit overdue for this, but I'm honored and delighted to help unite them."

King Uric looked up the road, and it was a beautiful summer morning. "It is a splendid day; let us take a leisurely stroll."

Nick and the king walked along the main road back into the village, followed by Queen Elinor, Princess Sophie, and Queen Octavia. The guards walked at a discreet distance, and they were followed by the people of Elm Springs, who were shocked to see royalty walking. "Pray, do enlighten me, esteemed sir witch, regarding the nature of your upbringing in this place."

"This is the perfect place to grow up, your majesty, especially for boys. There are ponds to swim in, streams full of fat trout, forests to camp in, mountains to climb, and plenty of pretty girls to join in our adventures."

The king sighed and said, "It sounds to be idyllic. I was reared within the precincts of Waelmore Castle, and seldom permitted to roam beyond its confines. I would have cherished the opportunity to engage in swimming and angling during my youth."

Nick turned to King Uric, the sovereign ruler of the land, and the king looked sad. "Sire, I want to extend an open invitation for you and your family to come out to my farm and enjoy your kingdom. Swim in my lake, fish in my streams, hike on the mountain."

"I am uncertain whether that would be prudent."

"King Lars in Teurnia goes fishing and swimming all the time, he says it's the only way he can keep his sanity with four wives. He even built a small forest in the center of his castle for them. I'm sure your guard would enjoy the day in the country too."

"I might indeed do so..." said the king. "Yes, I shall proceed with that. Might one inquire as to the whereabouts of the bride and groom?"

"They will be waiting for us at the Temple of the Woods. They wanted a witches ceremony but they wanted it held at the temple," said Nick.

As they approached the village, they saw a small crowd of people in front of the blacksmith's shop, and Nick saw two pointy hats sticking up from the crowd, so two witches had shown up to approve of his handling of the wedding ceremony. They were soon close enough to see that it was Ezzie Fahy and Aunt Agnes, but word went through the crowd - the king and the queen were here! People bowed deeply or knelt as the king and queen approached - everyone but Ezzie and Agness. "Pray, do not concern yourself!" said King Uric. "I am present here, as you are, to witness the nuptial ceremony. Arise! Let us celebrate this glorious day!"

The people of Elm Springs slowly rose, each having trouble with the idea that deep down inside, this king was a real person even if he talked funny. Nick decided that it was time for a little payback. "Your highness, this is my Aunt Agnes, as far as I know, my only living relative. She trained me for this moment. Aunt Agnes, this is King Uric, Queen Elinor, Princess Sophia, and of course you know Queen Octavia."

"I still don't bow nor curtsey to no man, be he king or emperor. The only man I ever knelt before was my husband."

Elinor stifled a snort of laughter, and Uric fought back a grin as he bowed to the witch and said, "As it should be, my lady."

"And this is the captain of your guard's mother, Esadora Fahy."

The king took Ezzie's hand and said, "Your son is a credit to the kingdom, my lady."

"Ain't he a pip!" said Ezzie. "I wish I knew which one was his father, I could use another just like him to help around the house."

"MOTHER!" growled Sean from behind the king.

"Your majesty, may I present the mother and father of the groom, the closest person I ever had to living parents, Trei Metsker and Erin Metsker. Trei is the blacksmith for the entire duchy."

Trei and Erin looked like they were going to faint as they shook hands with the king. Uric was star-struck himself. "Blacksmith! A profession of great nobility, the very soul of the realm. Might I have the pleasure of observing you at work one day?"

"Uh... yes, any time you wish sire," said Trei.

"You may have your vocabulary expanded," said Erin, causing the crowd to laugh, including the king.

"And this is the couple, my dear friend Wayne Metsker, and the woman he stole from me, Silver MacClenny."

The king kissed Silver's hand, which caused her to squeal with excitement. "What a most exquisite bride; did the groom truly whisk you away from Captain Stein?"

Silver was too star-struck to answer, but Wayne said, "We were eight years old."

The king turned and saw that Nick was holding a tiny boy, barely a year old. "And this is the ring bearer, aren't ya?" The little boy nodded his head firmly.

"Pray, what is your name, young sir?"

"Nick!" said the toddler proudly.

Silver gasped and grabbed her son. "His name is Trei, your majesty." She glared at Nick, who clearly will not babysit her child again.

"Nick is easier for a little guy to say!" said Nick, defending himself.

"This is for you," said Aunt Agnes, and she handed Nick a folded set of black robes and a pointy black hat with a broad brim. "You're a witch, and you'll dress like one!"

"Yes Aunt Agness," groaned Nick. He put the robe on, and he wore the hat at a rakish angle, but he buckled the sword belt outside of the robe. "What do you think?"

"It's an abomination!" snapped Agnes.

"I think it looks good," said Ezzie Fahy.

"Me too," said Silver. "That's how a male witch should look."

"The bride has it. The sword stays," said Nick. "Are you folks ready?"

"Let's do it!" said Wayne. Then, he and Silver led the crowd behind the temple and there, in the shady grove of maple trees, next to the little stream at the base of Breeders Peak, they stopped. Wayne and Silver stood with their backs to the stream, and the crowd watched on. Nick turned and said, "Can we get an open path here for the bride in case she wakes up?"

"Oh stop!" said Silver, and she held Wayne's hand tightly. However, it was part of the ceremony, and they all knew it, so they stepped aside, leaving a path through the crowd.

"This is the spot where Wayne and Silver and I met almost ten years ago," said Nick. "Of course, they fell for each other immediately, but they were kind to the new kid in town and included me in the fun. Silver taught Wayne and me to fish, and I taught them my only skill, stealing the bread from the offering plate in the temple."

When the chuckling stopped, Nick said, "We don't want any second thoughts, so I'm going to give them three chances to run. I'll give them a little truth spell and ask if they're being forced to do this. Then I will check and see how closely related they are." Nick noticed the king and queen's questioning expressions. "You looked shocked sire, but in the mountains families are quite big, and folks may lose track of who is related to who... and the winter nights get awful cold," which caused the crowd to chuckle. "Then I will give them the opportunity to run. If someone runs, it's your job to let them go, and to console the one left here with me. It happens, and they'll work it out eventually, but let them run, and let them cry, and later, we'll deny it ever happened." He turned to the couple and saw that Silver was looking guilty.

"It happens," said Silver to Nick. "I ran off when we tried this six months ago."

"Looks like you made up," he said with a wink. "Let's get started. Think of why you're here, don't think of the people watching, this is just between the three of us... and Little Trei and his sister." Nick closed his eyes for a second and cast a gentle spell that would prevent Wayne and Silver from lying for one minute. "Silver MacClenny, are you being forced to do this against your will?"

"No, not at all."

"Wayne, are you being forced to do this against your will? Did you lose a bet? Were you bribed?"

"No. I've wanted to be here for eight years."

Nick sighed happily, and said, "hold each other's hand and take my hand. Joined in this circle I look to see..." and he looked... He practiced this before when Agnes and Nana were training him, but he always seemed to do this with siblings or first cousins. This was the first time he had seen the pathways of more distant familial relationships. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins... he saw the familial pathways leading from Wayne to Silver. It stunned and dizzied Nick at first, and in the end Wayne and Silver were related, but they were far distant, double-digit cousins going back ten generations for the first link. "There's no reason for me to stop this wedding," said Nick.

Then he stepped aside and said to the couple. "Here it is, last chance, if one or both of you want to run, then go, I'll trip the other one and we'll hold him or her back while you run for your freedom... Last chance..." When neither ran Nick stood in front of them and said, "Wayne, do you have anything to say to Silver?"

Wayne blushed; he didn't realize the crowd was going to be so big! "Silver, I've loved you since the day we met, and I'm going to work hard to provide for you and our children. I will love you until the day I die."

"Silver? Any words?"

"Wayne... I love you too, and I will follow you anywhere you lead."

"Remember if you have any problems, you can ask any one of us for help," said Nick. "By the power vested in me by King Uric the Second of Uduithia, I pronounce you married. Wayne, kiss your wife." As they kissed, Nick turned around and bowed to the king. "Sire, on this day I performed a wedding in your name."

The crowd surged in to congratulate Wayne and Silver and Little Trei, and Nick turned to Octavia and gave her a kiss. "I love that ceremony! So simple but so meaningful," gushed Octavia.

"Did I look nervous?" asked Nick as he wrapped his arms around Octavia.

"No, you looked friendly and happy. Did he really steal her from you?"

"No," said Nick. "I was afraid of girls... up until that point most of the girls I know were either very mean, or they were dead." When Octavia looked confused, Nick said, "Street kids. It's a tough life." He saw the king, queen, and princess heading for their coach and said, "Let's head back to Waleston and try to make sense of Duke Roem's finances."

"Lets go Mister Witch," said Octavia with a huge smile. They both pulled out their staffs, extended them to full length and started walking toward the corner where they could join the royal family in the carriage.

"STOP!" The voice boomed in their heads, and they couldn't help but stop. "I ORDERED YOU TO APPEAR BEFORE ME!" They turned around and saw in front of the tiny temple was Saehrimnir. The twelve-foot-tall man was incredibly handsome, with masculine features and curly sandy hair. He radiated a glowing aura of power, and he wore a simple toga with a belt and sandals that showed off his muscular physique, the common clothing of 3000 years ago.

Something inside Nick snapped. "I have responsibilities! I can't just drop everything when you get a wild idea. I will go to your temple when I get a chance."

"I ALLOWED YOU TO COMPLETE YOUR TINY TASKS, NOW GO!" boomed Saehrimnir. This time everyone could hear and see the god as he glared at Nick and Octavia. The crowd gasped and fell back at the sight of an actual god.

"We will go when we can!" shouted Octavia. "We have a murder to solve!"

"YOU INSOLENT CHILDREN! GO NOW! YOU HAVE FAR MORE IMPORTANT TASKS AHEAD OF YOU."

Nick drew his sword and advanced on the huge being. "Like what? Are you going to kick me across the room again? I've had enough! I'm tired of being kicked like a dog! This time the dog bites back." Blinded with rage, Nick charged at the god, his sword out to attack, his staff held crosswise to block. Octavia too was consumed with anger. She too had had enough, and she began an unholy incantation. A halo of sapphire flame appeared around her as she prepared to cast Saehrimnir out into space.

"CHILD," rumbled the god, and with a blinding flash and a roll of thunder, Nick and Octavia were gone.