The Gift of Fury (26 page)

For the second time in twenty four hours, I shock everyone around me. Before, they thought I was a little crazy. Now, they don’t know what to think.

Kalen asks Aleric “Is there anything in our laws against killing the mentally handicapped?”

Aleric shakes his head as he leaves the circle where our combat is to take place. Kalen wastes no time. I’m surprised he didn’t make some sort of grandiose speech. He just wants this over and done with.

The Glamour Kalen throws against my senses and reality would be enough to frighten someone to death. Everyone can feel its power rushing out towards me, warping the confines of the circle. I don’t know how Nightbringer would have coped with such an attack. The magic washes over me like a tidal wave. I feel the world sway but only for a moment. The Glamour breaks against my power.

It looks like I am on a roll. For the third time, I shock everyone. I wasn’t sure my gift would protect me. It was a risk, one Kara didn’t think we should take. Even though I survived Kalen’s attack, I never want to go through something like that again. Who knows, in time he might be able to overwhelm my gift. I don’t give it to him. I charge forward, lunging with my staff.

I’m not as good with weapons as I am with my bare hands so I’m careful. I use what I hope is the right amount of force to drive the air from his lungs. As he doubles over, I swing the staff in a tight arc to crack him on the side of the head. It’s hard enough to send him down but not hard enough to crack bone or draw blood. You can kill someone with a stick or club as easily as you can with a knife. I can hear everyone yelling while Aleric shouts for order. Out the corner of my eye, Rook and Nightbringer hug one another. There is just one last thing to do.

“Kalen, yield,” I say.

The Unseelie spits up at me. He spits the word “Never” at me, followed by another Glamour. This one is not a powerful as the first. It does no better than his last spell.

“Kalen, you owe me a boon. I ask that you surrender and we’ll be square.”

I look down at Kalen as he curses my name but he can’t refuse. He is bound by the law and his word. I don’t know what the penalty for refusing a boon is. It is probably worse than death.

Kalen mutters “I yield.”

I turn from him to wave to Rook and Nightbringer. They are laughing and cheering for me. It feels good, then the cheering turns to cries of warning. I glance back at Kalen who is still lying where I left him. The Fae rips two blades of grass from the ground and flings them at me. In midair, his Glamour turns them to knives.

Kara screams “
Move!
” but I don’t. I’ve proven that his spells can’t hurt me. Now, it is my turn to be surprised. One of the knives buries itself in my shoulder. The other lodges between two ribs.

Kara continues to scream at me as I tumble into the darkness.

***

“You are very lucky my friend,” Nightbringer smiles down at me. “You would have died if it weren’t for Rook.”

“What happened?” I ask even though I remember the knives thudding into me.

Kara’s voice is soft but tinged with anger. “
Your gift has limits, Count. This is one of them. Most magic won’t be able to touch you but things created by magic are still dangerous. You have to be careful. You have to trust me.
”

“We couldn’t use the Glamour to heal you. It took all of Rook’s skills to have any kind of effect on you,” Nightbringer says. “Your ‘gift’ is a double edged sword.”

“
That is the other price for your power. It works against all magic, not just the stuff trying to harm you,”
Kara says.

I nod slowly, closing my eyes as Nightbringer continues. “It took a lot out of her to save you.”

“
You owe Rook your life but don’t say that,”
Kara murmurs. “
I doubt she would use the words to enslave you but it’s best to be careful.
”

“Thank you,” I say.

“No Count, it is I who should be thanking you. This land is ours now and forever. Aleric used Kalen’s actions to get the Unseelie to relinquish all claim to it. That’s good. It was the least they could do since one of the royal household tried to murder you.”

“Royal household?” I wince at that.

“You didn’t know Kalen was one of their Princes.”

“I see,” Now the comment about assassins makes sense. Killing a nobody in a duel is one thing, killing a prince is a different story.

Nightbringer catches my look. “You won’t have to worry about him or his kin. Aleric was quite put out over the whole matter and Kalen’s bad form. The Arbiter hopes you will forgive and forget this matter. He would be in your debt.”

“Consider it done. Now, I need to get home. I don’t think I can survive any more rest and relaxation,” I say.

“In time Count, Rook still needs to finish her work on you before you’re fit enough for travel. Just rest and get better.”

***

“I was wrong about the path you had chosen,” Rook says.

I shrug off her words. She had apologized to me far too many times. If it weren’t for her I would be dead. I murmur. “That was my fault. You didn’t know me. If I were in your place, I would have thought the same thing.”

She lets it go. As the days and nights pass in her and Nightbringer’s company, they tend my wounds and I want for nothing. I spend the days resting in a bed of flowers and the nights enjoying music under the stars. Finally, it’s time to go home. Nightbringer stays at the camp to tidy up. He doesn’t like saying goodbye. I don’t mind. It gives me the chance to speak to Rook again as she leads me back to the road.

“You are very lucky. Not everyone can live the life they want,” Rook says. “You’ve chosen a hard path and the role you have chosen to play has made it harder.”

“And what role is that?” I ask. I still don’t know.

“Nightbringer would call it the path of heroism but your role is less and more than that. I lack the words to describe it but I hope it leads you to happiness.”

“Even if it doesn’t, could I have made any other choice than the one I did?”

Rook laughs at that. “And still be who you are? No. Now, I understand part of what I saw.”

“And what part was that?” I ask.

“This,” She leans close, drawing me into an embrace that warms me body and soul. In an instant, I know her and Nightbringer in ways I had not dreamed of possible. Instinctively, I know it is their gift to me. It means I am forever in their hearts and thoughts. “You have our thanks and friendship, Count. Dream of us, we will dream of you,” She murmurs.

Reluctantly, she lets me go. I step out from the woods and onto the side of the road. Right on time, my bus pulls up in front of me. I don’t bother looking back or waving goodbye. Rook is already gone.

“
You could go back and join them,”
Kara says “
You would be welcome there.
”

“No, I can’t stay there. I need to go forward,” I say it out loud not caring who hears me. With that said, I climb onto the bus. This little vacation has pointed me in the direction I want to go. I like helping people. I might be able to do that here but there are people back home who could use my help more. They know even less than about the supernatural. I’m going to do just that from now one. It’s what I want to do.

Kara’s fills my mind with warmth. The idea appeals to her too. Her silent agreement makes it and the world feel right for the first time in weeks.

About the Author

Richard Jackson was born in New York and raised in the Bronx. He has been writing off and on since high school. Over the years, he has held a variety of jobs and worked in a wide range of fields. It’s given him a very diverse skill set which has come in handy on numerous occasions. His interests include the martial arts, costuming, travel, gaming and just having fun. He enjoys meeting and talking to people with similar interests.

If you wish to learn more about the author or contact him, visit his blog at
http://kyrin007.wordpress.com/
.

Other Books by Richard Jackson

The Gift of Fury

The Hunger

Grave Digging: A Collection of Short Stories

The Crown and the Ring