Naming Day (Jake Underwood Book 1) (21 page)

Me? I don’t mind but, Lord Belsoumnde might not like it. He’s a might particular about who comes in collapsing gateways and spewing eldritch light all about.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, but I will tell you one thing, he was right about the hell’s brew he had in those mugs. One little sip of that stuff and I felt like I had, well, a bolt of lightning shot straight at my private parts.  My vision cleared and became very sharp. My various aches receded and my head stopped throbbing. I felt great. I shook my head as if to clear it of the influence of the herbs. I started choking, as did Dalia.

“You just drink that all down. The initial rush will pass and you’ll need the rest of it to keep you going. You two look pretty hard used.” He smiled a friendly enough smile, if I was to believe it, and finally took picked up his own mug and took a sip. I didn’t want to tell this guy anything and I was trying to think of a good tale to tale this guy when Dalia spoke up.

“Forgive me my bad manners sir, but as you have observed this has not been the best of days for us and as much as I thank you for this restorative, I have to wonder what your interest in us is?” Her eyes were large above the mug as she stared at him.

He smiled and held a shark like grin and then relented. “Fair enough. As I said, I am Jervalas Stormcrow, Gate warden of the Nassoni Temple mound, at your service. You can call me Jarvelas if you’ve a mind to.” I got the impression of a bow even though he didn’t move an inch. “My interest is that I ‘m supposed to keep track of comin’s and goin’s from there to here and vice versa. While it’s not strictly illegal to use this gate it’s damned peculiar and…  I ain’t such a fan of damned peculiar. It means trouble and that means paperwork and testimony among the bunch of idiots that make up the third and fourth circles of the Court. You ain’t goin’ to cause any trouble are ya?” He directed the question at me and I sighed.

“Probably. Lately, I can’t seem to get away from it. I won’t intentionally make trouble but it seems to following on my heels pretty closely.”

‘I knew it the moment I saw that blast of light at the mound, I knew it. I said ‘Jervalas, that there is trouble, no mistaking it, trouble!’” His face got a gloomy cast over it as he considered all the trouble we were likely to cause and how many reports would have to be filed and officials of the court spoken to. He clearly wasn’t a happy fey.

His unhappiness lingered in the air and Dalia stirred uneasily. “Forgive me Lord Stormcrow,” Dalia said, “But your manner of speech is most strange and seems ill met with your aspect as an official of the Bright Kingdom. I mean no disrespect but frankly, it seems very odd to my ears.”

              “Well, that don’t surprise me much.” He sighed, “I always did have a way of putting folk of quality’s nose out of joint.” Dalia started to protest, but he held his hand up to forestall her. “No, it’s all right. It’s true that my speech is a little odd, by court standards. Part of that comes from living in the boonies for so long, but most comes from spending too much time in the Mortal realm.”

              I was surprised and showed it. I guess I shouldn’t have been. It was clear from his speech that he had spent some time in the mortal world. Apparently, it had rubbed off.

              “Yes, It’s true. I spent many years there over the centuries. I grew to quite like the place, up until World War II. Then it got a little nasty.” He sipped at his mug. “I was part of the Mortal Initiative for a couple hundred years. Some of it was bound to rub off. “ He narrowed his eyes and looked hard at me.

              “Do I know you boy? You look familiar to me.”

              “We’ve never met to my knowledge. My name is Jake Underwood.” I was surprised to hear myself give my name. I had planned on telling him something innocuous, but out slipped the truth. I realized with a cold chill that I had little choice. Jervalas must have seen the look of surprise on my face.

              “Now never mind about that. It’s just a slight side effect of the restorative that your drinkin’. It won’t make you do anything foolish. It just puts you at ease and makes it easier for you to trust good ol’ Jervalas. It doesn’t last long.” He smiled and I agreed with him. Inside a small part of me was seething, I was angry at him, but even more at me for being so stupid as to trust any Fey I met at the Court of Dawn.  

              ‘Jake Underwood? That don’t ring any bells. Is that your Fey name?” He looked at me intently. “Com’n now! How are you known at court?”

              “I don’t spend much time at court, but when I am there I go by my mortal name.” I tried to stop my traitorous tongue from talking but it had a mind of it’s own. “But you might know of me by my father’s name, Lord Stavros Melliscant, I’m his son.”

              “You’re his son?!? Well, well, we haven’t seen much of you around these parts. Now that you name him, I can see a certain cast about the eyes that reminds me a little of him. Hmm, I seem to recall some bad blood between you.”

              “Yes”, I smiled cheerfully, “I am his bastard son and he despises me. I hate him for abandoning me and my mother.  He has never had a kind word to say about me, I’ve been told.”

              He frowned. “Stavro’s boy. Well, that explains a lot. I think you might be doing your father a disservice, but that ain’t my problem. What are you doin’ comin’ through the Nassoni Temple gate?”

              “My Naming Day Ceremony is tomorrow and I have to be present for it.”  I told him the truth as far as it went, I had to after all. But I realized that I didn’t have to tell him all the truth, just what he asked.

              “Hunh. What about her?” He pointed at Dalia who looked slightly astonished by what was going on.

              “She’s my cousin. She ran into a spot of trouble in the mortal world so I’m helping her out.” Spot of trouble? That was a slight underestimation. It was like considering World War I a bit of a dust up. I could feel the power of the compulsion fading and I knew that I few minutes it would pass. I waited for more probing questions from Jervalas but none came. He sat there, cheerfully humming and rocked back in his chair, his hands behind his head as if he were watching clouds drift by. I started to say something, but he shook his head. 

              “No, just wait a minute or two and the effect will pass. I think this is something I am better off not knowing.” 

              In about ten minutes I felt the truth compulsion fade away. “You bastard.”

              “Now, now. That ain’t no way to be. I got my duties and I’m all by myself out here. I had to know if you were a danger to me.”

              “Why should I be a danger to you? I don’t even know you!”

              “You think I’m out here in the middle of nowhere because I felt like a little vacation in the woods? I’m here for my health.” He paused and considered, his face wrinkling as he gazed at me. Some internal decision reached he continued. “His lordship, Lord Belsoumnde, decided that perhaps, if I wanted to be around for a while, I should get out of court for a spell. It seems that my …blunt ways… may have offended a few of my fellows enough so that they thought it might be a idea to push a lot of sharp, pointed objects directly into my body, so he assigned me here. I just wanted to be sure that you wasn’t any of those humorless fellows.” He smiled.

              “Umm. You look like you can take care of yourself.” I said dubiously. While he had done nothing that could be constituted as threat, he had the sure, deadly moves of a predator.

              “Maybe so. But there are certain risks to killing members of Lord Belsoumnde’s court willy-nilly. Besides, if his lordship wants me to keep a low profile, who I am to argue?  But enough of my issues. What can I, as a proxy to his lordship, provide for a member of his court?”

              I said nothing. I didn’t trust the guy and I wasn’t sure about exactly his game was. The thing you have to remember about the Fey is that everyone of them is tripled faced and six hearted. The most charming of them could be waiting to slide the blade in. Still, there was something likeable about the man. Maybe I was lulled by his folksy speech or maybe his drugged tea.

              “The thing is, I could have used the compulsion to get a lot more out of you if I had chosen to, but I didn’t. I know as well as you that you were a bit dodgy in the answers you gave me, mind you, I don’t blame you for that. I woulda done the same meself in your position. But I can be more helpful if you’ll tell me a little about what your’ doing here.” He casually reached behind him and put a jug of apple cider on the table and produced clean mugs to go with it. He poured and waited for use to drink and wash the taste of the restorative out of our mouths.

              I realized that he was probably right. I didn’t know much about what was happening in the Bright Kingdom or either court. Kevin had been killed before he could have told me anything. I just didn’t know who to trust and what games were being played at court. Such ignorance could get me or worse Dalia killed. So I decided to tell him the least dangerous part of my story.

              “Basically, my whole world turned to shit about a week ago and hasn’t gotten remarkably better. I’ve lost two friends in the past week and all because they were trying to help me out. I discovered a cousin that I didn’t know I had and she’s been forced to flee her home because of some crap about her relationship to me. I am forced to come here because everything seems to be leading me here and on top of all that I let myself be drugged by you. I have been shot, exploded and insulted and I am getting really pissed off.” I paused to take another swig of cider.

              “I have a bunch of hard cases after me for reasons that I don’t understand and on top of all that someone from the court is reaching out to bring me here. Well, they succeeded. Here am I am and that is why I came crashing through your gate and making such a racket that every sensitive from here to Lord Belsoumnde’s privy heard it.

              He considered for a moment. “Well, that didn’t tell me much except that you are in trouble, which I knew already.”

              “Okay. How about this? Sergeant Bermuda is looking for me, but probably isn’t trying to kill me. He’s investigating the death of one of my friends and I’m pretty sure that he tried to protect me when I came through the gate.”

              Stormcrow looked confused. “Sergeant Bermuda? Do you mean Angel Bermuda?” When I nodded yes he actually smiled a grim little smile. “ He and I are old comrades. I knew him long before he became “Sergeant” Bermuda. He ain’t no “Sergeant” and he ain’t no cop.”

              “He sure sounded like a cop when he spoke to me. He had all the police moves and talk down and the other cops listened to him. Well, except for Crosswich, but he never listens to anyone.”

“I don’t know that name, But Bermuda is a very tough customer and a good bastard to have on your side.” He looked thoughtful for a minute. “I could see Bermuda as a cop. He’s got the brains and a motivating passion for doing what he thinks is right. If you’ve got a break coming he’ll make sure you get it. More than I can say for most cops I have met.”

“Amen to that.” I smiled. “I could use a break, let’s hope he thinks so as well.”

“What are yer plans then? You got to have a plan. You can’t just show up at court and hope that everything will just turn out peachy.” His intent look told me that he was trying to reach a decision about what to do with us so I chose my words carefully.

“I don’t see much choice. I have to get to court and attend my Naming Day Ceremony or risk being declared Unclean. I can’t have that. I still don’t have a clear idea of exactly what is going on, but it involves the Court of Twilight and some kind of domestic mess involving the Lady Klaris here.” I thought about how much to say about Kevin and the identities of his killers. Nope. That had high level stink all over it and until I found out if it was a rouge squad or a sanctioned hit it would be best to keep it under that table. ”One thing is certain, there have been violations of the Compact and somebody high up in court needs to know about it and deal with it. Hell, I’ve had some friends killed and a house burned down around me. That certainly is not in line with the way the Compact is supposed to be executed.”

“No, you’re right about that. Too showy and it doesn’t seemed to have worked.” He smiled.

“Yes, that certainly seems to be the kind of thinking that is going on here. Break the rules, but make sure you succeed.” I looked at Dalia and despite the pickup from the drugged tea she seemed miserable. She had been very quiet and I wondered what was going on in her mind. I needed to get moving. If I remembered correctly, I could still make it to the court in time if I hustled. I couldn’t miss that ceremony. My trouble meter told me that things were escalating and that perhaps they would come to head in the next day.

“Frankly”, I said, “My plan is pretty simple. Get to the Court. I can just make if I leave now. Once there I find my father and scream for a Noble’s privilege and hope that he cares enough for the family name to exert enough influence so I won’t be killed on sight.  He may not give two shits about me, but he seems to care bout the name at least. Honestly, I’m not sure if I am wanted by the authorities at Court of Dawn or not, but I know that someone from the Court of Twilight is trying to kill me and I hope somebody at the Court of Dawn will care enough to offer sanctuary until the dust settles.”

“Huh. They should at that.” He again looked thoughtful. “Well, I can help you with gettin’ to the court. I have mirror portal and can pass you through. That should save you hours of traveling time. Also, if anyone is looking for you on the roads from here to the Court, they will certainly miss you. But you will have to trust me that the mirror is safe.” His eyes asked the question and I before I could answer Deila shook her head yes.