Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (112 page)

Mary heard her name and approached the counter. “I’m Mary, but I doubt you have a package for me. I’ve only just arrived.”

Kebble grinned. “I think we’ll let the package decide if you’re the correct being it seeks.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to understand, young lady. There are many things a young woman of your seasons has not experienced. Give me your hand.”

Mary looked at Athena. “He called me young. I think I like this place.”

Susanne pushed Athena aside. “Mother, give the man your hand. I want to know if the package is yours.”

Mary stuck out her arm. The elf’s hand was much smaller than hers as he pulled it toward him. He removed the note from the top of the package and placed her fingertips against it. Sure enough, the paper changed color from a bright yellow to a passionate red. The package was for her.

As George watched the note change color, he thought,
Holy freaking Harry Potter.

Kebble puffed his pipe, then nodded. “Yep, yep, yep ... this is yours, madam. A parchment’s magic is never wrong. Someone has their eye on you.” He leaned in and winked. “Someone important.”

Mary was not sure if she should be happy or scared. She had never had anything like this happen before. “Thank you, Kebble … I think.”

“You’re welcome, my lady.” The chubby elf turned his attention back to George. “You must be a talented apprentice to be given such an honor. To be invited to this world by the Head Master is a rare occurrence. I’m sure you’ll be assigned a goswig. You’ll be able to learn about them for yourself.”

“Ohhh, Mother!” Athena exclaimed as Mary lifted the lid off the package.

Mary gasped. “I know! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” Mary held up an elegant dinner gown. “Blue is my favorite color. And...” She gasped again. “And it’s my size. I wonder who it’s from. How could this person know so much about me?” She looked at the innkeeper. “Mr. Kebble, do you know who sent this? Should I be concerned?”

“I do know the culprit, my lady, but I cannot tell you his name. I will say this ... you have nothing to fear. Your admirer is not a threat to you or your family.”

Kebble looked at George, leaned across the counter and whispered. “As I was going to say earlier, tell your kitty not to pee on the floor. I don’t normally allow animals who aren’t goswig to stay inside my establishment. But I’ll make an exception since you’re new to this world. I know it’s hard to keep an un-bonded animal in line. Filthy little critters, don’t you agree?”

George could feel the jaguar’s agitation. He thanked Kebble for his generosity and asked for the keys to their rooms. The family stepped onto the circular platform and appeared in front of their doors on the fourth level. Once inside, George familiarized himself with every detail.

As soon as Athena was settled, George gave Kepler the nod. “Are you ready to go?”

Kepler lifted from the floor and stretched.

George shook his head. “Damn, you’re a big S.O.B. It’s a good thing this room is huge, or you wouldn’t fit. I’ll meet you out front in a bit. I want to say goodbye to Athena.”

The demon left the room without responding. Kepler jumped over the top of the railing on the fourth floor and landed next to the front desk on the first.

George grinned as he shut the door behind the cat. “I wish I could do that.” The mage walked into the washroom, put his arms around his beautiful wife and then rubbed her belly. “I’ll be back in a little while. I’m going to go pick up Susanne’s baby.”

“Ahhh, that sounds wonderful, honey. Take me with you.”

George had to think fast. Taking Athena was impossible. “You know, babe, I just need some moments to myself. I’ll make it up to you later. Can I do this on my own, please? I need to chill for a bit.”

Athena smiled. “I just can’t get over how funny you talk, George Nailer. I know our trip has been stressful on you. Just try and hurry back with … with … ummm. That’s strange. I can’t remember the baby’s name. Honey, I’m a terrible aunt.”

“Garrin. His name is Garrin,” George replied as he kissed his wife on the cheek. “Tell your sister I’ll be back in a bit. I’m sure you’re going to be the best aunt this world has ever seen. The whole family will be happy to see the little guy.”

George hated lying to Athena, but he could not figure a way around this one. The lie was necessary to get Abbie back. If he had to raise Lasidious’ kid to get his daughter’s soul released from the Book, then so be it. But he would be damned before he would allow lying to his wife to become a habit. He desperately wanted to protect their relationship.

Once downstairs, George found Kebble. “Do you know where the Rolfe family lives?”

“Sure,” the innkeeper responded. “Kebble knows everybody. They’re Ashdown. It’s not a far trek. When you leave the inn, take the road south. You’ll come across two bushes. You’ll know they’re the right ones because they fight a lot. The—”

George interrupted. “Kebble, you want me to look for fighting bushes? Aren’t there any signs or something better to navigate by?”

“Well, of course, but this is far more fascinating. Trust me. The roses think the blushel berries have no right to be planted on their side of the road. Just between you and me, I agree. The roses are far more pleasant. I’ve seen the blushel berry bush throw its rotten berries at the roses on many occasions. It’s not very neighborly.”

Again, George stopped the elf. “Kebble, perhaps you could just tell me the signs I need to look for.”

“Kebble could do many things, but let him write it down for you.”

After a while, Kebble handed George a parchment. Everything was written in the Elven language.

You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t read any of this crap,
George thought. He looked up and smiled. “Thanks. I’m sure this will help. I’ll have to visit the Rolfe family one of these Peaks. I’ll find you in the morning and get the package that you said was left behind for me, if that’s okay?”

“That’s fine by Kebble. He has a safe place to store your belongings. The Head Master asked me to give you anything you needed. I wouldn’t want to keep that much coin on my person if I were you ... especially in this village. We have many shady characters come through here. I’m sure you understand.”

George nodded. “Thanks again, Kebble. See you tomorrow.”

Once George stepped outside, Kepler was quick to speak. “Kebble is an irritating man. Can you believe the nerve of that elf? He has called me a kitty more than once. Ever since I watched you torture the Saber Lord, I’ve hated that word. I have half a mind to go back in there and devour him. ‘Tell your kitty not to pee on the floor,’ he said. ‘It’s hard to keep an un-bonded animal in line.’ The nerve of that guy! The sound of his voice makes me long for blood. If his soul didn’t smell innocent, I’d have my first skeleton on this world.”

George reached up to pat Kepler’s enormous back. “Once we kill these damn witches, we need to lay low for a while. We’ve got to chill out until we’re contacted by the Head Master. Let’s not do anything stupid until we hear from Lasidious.”

Kepler snarled. “But I refuse to garesh in Kebble’s sandbox.”

George grinned as they continued their midnight walk toward the witches’ home, his magic lighting the way.

Later that night, George was standing over the stone bodies of the elven witch family as he studied their gray faces. The mage had used his magic to keep them silent while Kepler feasted on parts of each of them before the mage had turned what was left to stone. After a moment of staring at his handiwork, George looked for the baby. He found the god-child in one of the bedroom chambers and then lifted Garrin into his arms.

On his way out of the home, the mage waved his free hand over the witches’ statues. They crumbled to the floor into mounds of powder. He opened the front door and commanded a small whirlwind to enter the home. After gathering the piles of dust, the funnel disappeared into the night to scatter their remains across a nearby field.

George looked down at the baby’s innocent eyes. “Hey, little guy,” he said, holding the child’s tiny hand in his palm. “I’m your Uncle George, and this is your big kitty-cat, Kepler.”

The demon growled, “That’s not funny, George!”

George reached up and scratched Kepler’s chin. “Can’t you just let a guy have some fun?” He looked back down at the baby. “Anyway, I’m going to take care of you. Let’s go find your new mother.”

The mage reached up and placed his hand on Kepler’s neck. After teleporting back to the room at the inn, he handed the baby to Athena. He smiled at the joy the newborn brought to his wife’s face. Soon the entire family was in their room, loving and ogling over the god-child, Garrin.

Southern Grayham

The Serpent King’s Kingdom

Sam’s army crossed the Snake River as they headed west. The legions had to pass through an enormous mire. It was cold, wet, mossy, waist-deep in spots, and it slowed the pace of the army significantly. The men were not able to sleep that first night while in the mire. The area was full of predators, and any man who traveled alone would have been attacked and devoured. However, due to the size of the army, those same predators fled—all, that is, except the leeches. They attached to the men’s legs, feet and other places considered more private. It was not until the army reached dry land that a tent could be pitched, and the men were able to burn the blood suckers off of their skin to get some sleep.

The underground city of the Serpent King sat beneath a vast area of lava stone. Sam could not figure out how the serpents burrowed through the rock, but since his arrival on Grayham, he had seen many things he never thought were possible.

The General Absolute was nervous about the army making camp in such a vulnerable location. Michael feared a surprise attack, but one never came. It was as if the snakes wanted to stay below ground to wait for Brandor to enter their lair—or better yet, they did not know the army was approaching. Either way, their absence did not bother the general’s king.

Over the next 2 Peaks, Brandor’s army moved into position. As Sam looked up, the sun had reached its highest point. “General, I want a report.”

“Sire, the four legions you ordered to meet the barbarian army should be in position by Early Bailem. I sent Dreston and his legion into the serpent’s lair. We have another 5,500 men waiting outside the entrance. They’ve been given the order to attack once Dreston flushes them out.”

Sam patted the side of his horse’s neck as Michael maneuvered his stallion into a better position from which to converse. They had hoped to find a tactical location with high ground to command the army, but the area was fairly flat, and a single, small hill was all the terrain offered.

The heavy trunks of large trees had broken through the lava stone, blocking any chance at having a clear line of sight. Sam and Michael would need to rely on their scouts to deliver updated information. It was a miserable battleground.

The Serpent King’s Lair

Dreston and his legion descended into the opening of Seth’s reptilian hideaway with torches held high. Their swords were drawn and every man’s eyes searched for the enemy.

The air was putrid with the sound of dried snakeskin crunching beneath their feet. Every so often, a rattle or hiss could be heard, but their origin could not be determined. It was as if the serpents were toying with them.

Many moments passed before they came to a path that was no more than 12 paces across. To the left was a drop into darkness with no visible bottom and to the right, more of the same. The path of lava stone was too narrow, an impossible crossing for 2,300 men. The ceiling was too high to be seen, their torches not strong enough to penetrate that far into the darkness.

By Dreston’s estimate, the men had descended nearly 300 paces. Something was not right. He held up his scar-covered hand. “This will have to do,” he whispered. “We can go no further.”

Dreston was a strong man, with nine previous battles to his name, all of them with barbarian scouting parties. His legion was Sam’s finest, and his men were known for their fearless acceptance of impossible assignments. This Peak’s task was no exception. “Lieutenant, bring the barrels forward and place them every 15 paces on either side of the ledge.”