Soul of the Sorcerer - Part Three: Daughter of the Dragon (19 page)

“What are you thinking?” Lloyd asked Edala, who had a distant dreamy look on her face, as the wagon wobbled its way along one of the City’s major thoroughfares. On either side were a mixture of buildings, both residential and commercial. They passed a large inn, but there would be no stopping today. They would be home within the hour, with a little time to spare before sunset.

Edala’s focus returned to the horses in front of the wagon, and she turned to the man sitting beside her with a smile.

“I can’t wait to get home, have a bath and some tea, and then spend an hour giving you some serious attention...this has got to come off!” she said, probably for the fifth time that day, while tugging his beard, “I’m sure kissing you is giving me a rash!”

Lloyd grinned, he could not wait to spend some time alone with her, he moved in to kiss her again.

“NOPE!” she said placing her hand over his rough mouth “When it’s gone!” she finished with a laugh.

Lloyd smiled in defeat; the next hour, till they got to the daughter’s home, would drag by. He turned to look through the cover into the back of the wagon. Here the other daughters of Ingemar were trying their best to coax the ebony girl, Themisia, out of her shell, which she had closed herself within, when meeting all of Edala’s other sisters.

Lloyd had thought that all Daemen were inherently evil. He had been concerned about their close proximity to this creature which, although being strangely attractive, was still an absolute unknown to them.

“Child, we won’t punish you for not telling us anything. We would just like to know, for certain, whether you may be a relative of ours?” Maria asked gently.

The girl’s fearful blue eyes flicked from Maria to the others, then back to Maria.

“I...I am sorry, I know I should be thankful to you all, but the mistress and JalTak will come for me, they will not let the seed within me fall outside their control” she said quietly.

“You think you are with child?” Umaia asked

“The child of the ebony monster our Edala described?” Amelia added.

Themisia nodded.

“And why do you think this creature’s seed is valuable?” Justina asked.

“JalTak would not have allowed me to have bred, if he did not perceive some incredible value in that beast and its parentage” she concluded thoughtfully.

“But are you certain you have dragon blood within you, child?” Maria asked.

“It is, as I have already said. I was told stories that it is so” Themisia replied, running her hand through her bright red hair.

Lloyd had enjoyed his ride through the Empire. He had wondered whether, between the three of them…Edala, Bethany and he, that they may have been able to translocate all of them, and the wagon, if they had merged portals. However, he doubted it and, in reality, the chance to not use magic and to reflect on the past few days, including the horrific deaths he had caused, had been welcome.

He still had not really come to terms with the unnecessary deaths at his hands, especially to innocents; but on reflection he still also struggled to accept the deaths of Mal and the other mages who had abused Edala back on the island.

He hated the fact that he had blood on his hands, but strangely, almost disturbingly, he was able to box all of these deaths up and separate them from his here and now.

He looked to the side, as the thoroughfare opened into a market square. Even this late in the day, there were people busily going about their business. What amazed him the most, however, was the mix of races that made up the people of the Empire. He admitted that in his limited knowledge of the world, he had expected the people to all be oriental in nature, like the girl called Husaka who had robbed him of his clothing back in the Monks Habit a long time ago.

The empire, though, was a very cosmopolitan mix of peoples, where all colours and beliefs mixed in a harmony, which would be a beacon of example back on Earth.

“Why is the empire such a mix of peoples?” he asked Edala?

She looked at the people around them and smiled thoughtfully,

“The empire, out of all the modern kingdoms, is one expanded beyond recognition, by the refugees from the devastation of the Southern Kingdoms back in the first Daemen war. All were welcomed and those that were prepared to work and become citizens, were given equal value to those that had been here for centuries.”

Lloyd shook his head in disbelief “Although this world seems so far behind my own in knowledge, learning and technology, you shame us for our intolerance and inability to forgive.”

Edala looked at him intrigued, “Sometimes, Lloyd Brook, I think it is you that is thirty years in age and not I!”

Finally, after another forty minutes or so on the road, they pulled up outside the three story building which the daughters of Ingemar called home. Currently a collection of the sick, poor and homeless, sat beneath the lower windows on either side of the three steps leading to the front door, dejection on their faces.  

“I am sorry to have left you for so many days my friends, but here is some silver to see you through for a week or two” Maria said, jumping out of the wagon, and placing a silver coin in each person's hand. At this point most of them left, leaving just three particularly frail looking people, two women and a man, who all looked to be in their seventies. Lloyd wondered, however, whether this was just the combined effects of long term poverty, homelessness and starvation.

“Can you provide us with shelter Mother?” the frail old man asked of Maria, from the floor, gently reaching forward to touch the hem of her dress.

“Yes we can” she said kindly “wait here for a few minutes while we unload.”

Lloyd and Edala jumped down from the seat at the front of the wagon and stretched to ease the dull ache in their backs, they then joined the others in grabbing a box, mostly empty, from the back, before walking through the front door and into the internal passage, which divided the building in half.

The house reminded Lloyd of some of the larger Victorian properties found in England, where these though would have had a large reception room and dining room downstairs. The daughter’s home had been rearranged to provide a kitchen and dining area on one side and a large dormitory running the length of the building on the other. This had been achieved by knocking two rooms into one. Lloyd noticed that there were eight small beds placed against the wall.

After the kitchen, at a right angle to the passage, were a set of steep stairs. Lloyd, however, followed Umaia, in front of him, who entered another room on the other side of the stairs. This would have been a large dining room in a Victorian house, but here was a room with large
French
doors leading out into a conservatory, which was a vision of green and other splashes of colour from the plants going within. The room itself was used as some kind of brewing room, as there were workbenches with many different types of vats and bottles, plus a host of old black heating stoves.

“This is where I make my wine” Umaia explained as she noticed his quizzical look. She then led them to a door which would lead directly under the stairs and Lloyd was not surprised to find another set of stairs leading down to a cellar.

In England such places can be incredibly damp and unpleasant, with horrible musty smells. The aroma that wafted from the room below the house here, however, was one of spices and herbs and stored food. The cellar, when they entered, was surprisingly well lit and aired from several skylights and vents at the front and rear of the house. Currently the setting sun was casting orange beams across row after row of shelving, upon which were all manner of supplies, from onions hanging on strings, to whole legs of cured ham. Lloyd’s stomach involuntarily rumbled, he could not remember the last time he had sat and eaten a solid meal.

Umaia chuckled “Do not worry Sorcerer we will soon have a spread set before you fit for a prince” she said placing a box in the far corner of the room and indicating for the others to follow suit.

Lloyd was wondering whether Umaia had said that; knowing that he was in fact a prince, or just because it was a saying in this world like – “fit for a King”- was back home.

Once they had finished unpacking, and the wagon and horses housed in the stable at the rear of the property, Lloyd had been shown around the rest of the house.

The second floor had been divided into four bedrooms at the front, which were of small yet comfortable size; two of these were currently Amelia and Justina’s and the other two were apportioned to Themisia and Allen.

At the rear were two larger bedrooms, on either side of a bathroom. Lloyd was amazed to see that the bathroom had rudimentary plumbing, including to the toilet. The larger bedroom on the left hand side of the property had two single beds; one, assuming by the clothes thrown everywhere, was Edala’s and Bethany was directed to the other. The adjacent bedroom was the largest he had seen so far and was Maria’s, and it was the
Mother
of the sisters, who now led the young Sorcerer up another set of stairs to the third floor.

This was divided by a passage and on one side, towards the front of the house, was a single door leading into a large lounge and dining area; which also looked to have another row of stairs at the back leading up to the roof. On the other side of the passage were two bedrooms; one at the front, he guessed was Umaia’s, the other was given to him. He was pleased to see that there was a tin bath in this room.

Maria noticed his gaze at the bath “If you carry up some water from the bathroom below I will get Justina to come warm it for you.”

“No need” he said with a smile.

“Aquastream, Aquafast, stream of water, water fast!”

He said pointing at the bath; a stream of water began to emerge from his pointing finger splashing violently against the side of the tub, some water splashed both he and Maria. She looked like she might cuff him, so he edged a step away with an apologetic smile.

“Blazefire, Blazemight, heat blast, heat fast” he commanded and his fire energy began to plough into the water which had filled the bath very quickly.

Lloyd turned from the tub of steaming water to smile at Maria; her face had changed from one about to admonish punishment, to one of impressed respect.

“Okay Sorcerer you have your uses. I can see why Edala was in such a state for so long when she first arrived” she said finally smiling at him fondly; Lloyd smiled, a little embarrassed, back at her.

“Now make yourself useful and go fill all of the tubs! It will mean we can get to supper that much quicker!”

Lloyd was happy to oblige and it certainly won him many a brownie point with Edala’s sisters; for which he was very glad...you can never bank enough brownie points!

It was sometime later that Bethany and Edala sat in their bedroom with the kidnapped Themisia; the two of them having decided to adopt the ebony girl into their friendship group, rather than leaving the still unsettled girl, in the clutches of the more overbearing older sisters.

They currently sat three in a row on Bethany’s bed, wrapped in white towels. Edala sat behind Bethany, a brush running through her damp, but drying hair. Bethany did the same to Themisia; who only just a minute ago had stopped flinching with every stroke. The ebony Daemon now sat with tears of happiness streaming down her face, having very rarely ever experienced a gentle touch of affection from another person.

“You realise I get the bum deal in this arrangement?” Edala said, bemoaning the fact that her hair was short enough to be brushed in less than a minute.

“It’s your penance for ignoring me on the journey here,” Bethany replied “anyone would think you two love birds hadn’t seen each other for months.”

“It nearly is!” Edala protested with a grin.

Themisia turned to face the two girls, “What is it like to be in love?” she asked cautiously. It was the first time she had initiated any conversation and the other two lowered their brushes.

“It’s both the best and worst feeling in the world” Edala said after a moment's thought, her mind drifting through her times both with and without Lloyd.

“When it’s good, it’s like nothing can touch you, it’s like two souls becoming one, it’s…”

“It’s bloody frustrating that’s what it is!” Bethany interjected, “You give them all little looks and hints that go completely over their dumb skull heads!”

Edala laughed at her friend and then turned to Themisia, “Yes it can be - bloody frustrating - as Bethany puts it, but the scariest thing of all is having someone have such a hold over your heart. Lloyd has broken mine twice now and I am not certain he will never do it again.”

Themisia looked at her two companions, processing that which had been said, “It sounds horrendous, but I would like to know that a man can be gentle and loving” she said, obviously referring to her only awful sexual experience at the hand of the Ebony Being.

“One day I am sure you will find someone, just not Lloyd or Allen please!” Edala said. Themisia was uncertain whether she detected any humour in Edala’s statement and looked to the floor with a blush. This of course was completely unnoticeable to the two girls on the bed, hidden, as it was, behind such dark skin.

“I will return to my room now, thank you for brushing my hair; it was a kindness I was not expecting.”  Her eyes briefly lifted up to meet those of the other two girls, before returning back to the floor as she left the room.

Edala moved over to her own bed and threw the clothes she had deposited there to the floor; before finally sitting herself upon it, near the head of the bed.

“I think we made some progress there” she said, referring to the ebony skinned girl.

“Yes, I don’t think she will be too long in realising that we are no threat and start to trust us a little. Now less about her, what about you and Lloyd? You seemed deep in conversation for most of the journey.”

Edala’s cheeks reddened, soon followed by her neck and a small patch on her chest. “Did I just touch a nerve?” Bethany grinned.

“No! Oh...alright a little, it’s taking all of my willpower to not bound upstairs and assault him! Well, assault him with a shaving blade at the very least! But Maria would kill me!”

“She is like a Mother to you?”

“Yes…as you know, I was brought here by my Father after my Mother had died giving birth to me. Although my Father visited and stayed with me a lot during my childhood, it is Maria who really has nurtured me, plus of course Justina added a bit of wickedness along the way” Edala smiled, but then looked down at the floor and bit her lip deep in thought.

“Bethany, on the way back Lloyd told me about how you two have worked together a lot over the last months, he even said you have merged your portals in a way to strengthen what is capable with the translocation spell...do I need to be worried?” she said with anxiety in her voice. Bethany shook her head in disbelief, before rising from her bed with a smile and moving to sit next to the daughter of Ingemar.  She cupped her hands around her oval, elfin like face, and lifted her head up to look into her eyes.

“I will admit this, when we have merged portals I have felt a sexual excitement on both of our parts, but my heart belongs to the dumbass soldier and Lloyd’s heart belongs to you...and we are sitting here today because of his love for you. You must not let fear of heartbreak taint your love...just embrace the here and now!”

Edala’s eyes filled with tears and Bethany was stunned when the diminutive girl collapsed into her arms sobbing. She hugged her tight “Let it out girl, let it out.”

After a while Edala sat up and wiped her eyes with a foolish chuckle, “I’m sorry; I have bottled it away for so long, that it caught me off guard!”

“No problem, it’s amazing you survived so long without me” Bethany grinned. Edala's face then turned serious; “The portal merging thing, show me how to do it?”

Bethany nodded, “It’s fairly simple; we can open our portals without the command words to do it, just gently push them together” she said opening her portal. Edala did the same and they both gently eased their portals closer together. As they touched, Edala could feel the surfaces tense against each other; it then took a lot more effort to force them together. Edala’s pupils suddenly dilated in pleasure and goose bumps appeared on her skin. Bethany, who was now experienced in this, kept her emotions controlled.

“Oh my! This is just wrong!” Edala said with a flush returning to her face and neck. Bethany smiled a little awkwardly, it was hard to ignore the unbridled passions swirling around her friend’s head.

“Remember it’s Lloyd you want to kiss, not me!” she said, as a warning.

“Yes, Lloyd…think of Lloyd!” Edala responded. Bethany chuckled however; as this only made Edala’s sexual arousal heighten. Before things got a little too embarrassing she withdrew her portal.