The impromptu council session lasted another two hours at which point it was decided that they first needed to raid Calephas's larders for food before they could settle on any further course of action. Alfwig was delighted to see that the young Jarl was able to bite his tongue and contain his tempestuous spirit. A little more seasoning and he would make a fine leader of men.
He gathered a dozen links of sausage and wrapping them in a clean satchel, carried them with him as he and Elizabaeg left through the eastern gate and walked up the road to the bridge over the Arabas. Their hands touched as they walked, but they did not clasp. Beyond the bridge reclined a pair of dragons, one older and one still a child, and crouching nearby as a faintly wolf-like man.
The younger dragon lifted his neck and his bright golden eyes gleamed in the late afternoon sun. "Father! Mother!" He leaned back on his haunches, tail pressed beneath him, and waved his arms for a moment before falling back to all fours. "Is everything all right?"
Alfwig smiled to Lindsey and to Pharcellus whose snout was open in his typical faintly mischievous grin. "Everything will be fine. We thought you would be hungry and brought something for you both."
While Elizabaeg knelt down next to Lindsey and gently ran her hands down his scaly neck, Alfwig pulled the sausage links out of the knapsack and tore one line free. "I'm not sure how hungry you are, but this should help. Do you still feel the poison?"
Lindsey shook his head back and forth. "There's still a faint hum, but that's all. It's just gone now. I think I can eat. More than one. More than six!"
Alfwig laughed warmly as he handed the first link to Lindsey who took it in one hand and bit the link in half, gulping the meat down after only chewing once. The other half followed the first a moment later. "Delicious! Oh, I needed that. Thank you, Father."
"Would you like some too, Pharcellus?"
The older dragon rumbled and nodded. "Aye, thank you."
Alfwig cast a glance over at Jerome whose eyes were closed and his breathing slow. "And your friend?"
Lindsey licked the end of his snout with his long tongue and said, "We'll save one for him. He's seeking his Calm right now. It's the best way for him to be himself."
Alfwig divided up the links and fed them in turns to the two dragons. Pharcellus played with his food by skewering the sausage on his fangs and wiggling them around until they broke in half. Lindsey laughed at his older brother's antics, something that made his whole body shake and nearly knocked Elizabaeg over as she tried to kneel at his side.
And so they ate, a strange sort of family but a family nevertheless. Their faces were bright with the long years apart now past. No words were said about Lindsey's change, nor about his true mother, the dragon that had enchanted Alfwig for so many months so long ago. A short distance away the Sondecki remained in meditation, his features relaxed, even where they were lupine. The burned remains of the Lutin village had been cleared away by the two dragons, and though all of the bodies had been dropped into the river, the stench of their flesh still lingered faintly in the air. They said nothing of that either.
As promised, they left one link of sausage for Jerome once they were finished. They offered a prayer of thanksgiving together to Eli and Yahshua in which Pharcellus joined for the many blessings they had received and for being brought back together again.
After making the sign of the yew with finger and claw, Alfwig lowered his eyes and took a small bit of folded parchment from the knapsack. His voice was reserved and faintly pained. "I know you will not be staying here forever, Lindsey. But what do you intend to do?"
"Learn to fly first," Lindsey admitted rather timidly. He lowered his head to the ground and dug with his claws. "My first attempt wasn't so good. It is much harder than it looks."
"And I will teach him," Pharcellus added with a rumbling warmth. "I won't be going anywhere for a month while my wing heals. And by then Lhindesaeg should be able to fly."
"We won't be going anywhere either," Elizabaeg said softly, running one hand along her son's gray-scaled flanks. "There is much to do here in Fjellvidden, and there's no hurry to return home. We've not been there in quite some time. It can wait a little longer." She lowered her gaze for a moment and then looked Lindsey in his draconic face, her visage reflected in his large golden eyes. "And it means we can be together a little bit longer."
"I'd like that," Lindsey admitted, his throat thrumming with an almost cat-like purr. "It can't be like before, but, at least we are together. I just wish... I just wish Andrig were here too."
Alfwig nodded, his head lowered so that he stared into his cross-legged lap where he gripped the folded parchment. "He may have been."
Lindsey blinked, his eyes almost glowing with wonder. "What do you mean?" Pharcellus crouched lower over them as all of their heads leaned in closer.
"I found this note on Calephas's body," Alfwig said, opening it and holding it up. It reads, 'Alfwig, It brings me great joy to see you alive and to know that you will not die beneath the monster's hand. I hope you and your wife are reunited. Do not fear for your son, Andrig. Even if you never see him again, he loves you, Elizabaeg, and his brother Lhindesaeg, and always will.' And it is signed by my gaoler, the Lutin Yajgaj."
The younger dragon blinked again, swinging his long tail back and forth. His wings anxiously tried to stretch. "How would a Lutin know us? Why would he care?"
Elizabaeg's face had gone white and a trembling had reached to her collar and clutched it tightly. "That Lutin knew me just by looking at me. Did you tell him anything?"
Alfwig shook his head. "Neither he, nor Calephas, nor," he glanced at the meditating Sondecki and added in a quieter voice, "the mage ever learned anything more than my name. I only told them anything when Calephas threatened to kill you, Lhindesaeg."
Lindsey clicked his tongue against his fangs as he tried to remember the few times he'd seen the gaoler Yajgaj. The memory of seeing his father in chains was very clear. "And that Lutin fled the laboratory as soon as he brought you there."
"But how could he?" Elizabaeg asked, looking between her husband and her son. "How could he be?"
Alfwig shook his head. "I don't know. But... " He spent several seconds just staring at Lindsey who lowered his head along his long neck, claws on hands and feet digging into the hard dirt. "But anything has to be possible."
Lindsey took a deep breath and then put one hand on Elizabaeg's knee and then on Alfwig's. "We can pray and worry about it later. For now I think we are about to have company."
They turned their head and stood as they saw three mismatched birds swoop down across the river and settle onto the bank a short distance from where they sat. Both humans stood while the dragons lifted their heads higher on their necks. The birds, a gull, a cormorant, and a puffin all swelled in size until they were vaguely man-shaped.
"My friends!" Pharcellus bellowed in delight as he strode around the others to nuzzle each of the birds on the top of their heads with his snout. He spread his good wing around their backs as they cawed and laughed and hugged at his middle with their wings.
"Pharcellus!" they cried as one. Lubec the one who had been Gmork's pet pressed himself close. He shuddered and lowered his beak, "I'm so sorry."
Pharcellus ran one heavy hand down Lubec's black-feathered back. "You didn't do anything wrong. I promise that one day, when my wing heals, I'll fly with you along the coast again. You have to have some amazing stories to tell me, and I promise I'll tell you some more of mine too."
Lubec laughed and leaned back with his brothers. "You are a good friend, Phar."
Alfwig and Elizabaeg smiled to each other faintly, their hands finding each other as they watched. Lindsey walked around his parents too and stretched his wings out on either side, bumping Quoddy in the head as he did so. "And I'll be there too. One I learn how to fly."
Quoddy turned and looked him up and down. "Lindsey?"
"The same! What do you think?"
The gull tilted back his head and laughed. "You've still got some red on you at least! It's astonishing! You must tell us how it happened."
"I will. But first, what of you three? Will you go back to Metamor? Somebody needs to so that they know what happened here."
"Tomorrow," Quoddy said with a quick nod, glancing at his brothers and nodding in turn to each of them. Lubec appeared relieved, while Machias seemed a bit disappointed. "After a good rest tonight and some food. The sooner we return the better. We just need to know all that happened so we can report it to the Duke."
"We'll tell you all we know," Alfwig assured them with a fond smile that hid the distance in his eyes. "But there is still much to do, Arabarb is not yet free despite Calephas's death. But at least there is that. For tonight we can rejoice in that."
"And the mage too," Lubec said with a long sigh of relief.
"Well," Lindsey said softly, glancing at Jerome. But his wolf ears didn't even twitch. "There's more to that too."
"Will you be coming back to Metamor?" Machias asked as he looked from Lindsey to Pharcellus. "We spoke with the dogs and they said they wanted to stay and help and this isn't even their home."
Lindsey did not take his glance from his twisted friend and sighed. "Once Pharcellus is healed and I can fly, we need to. I want to bring Jerome to Charles. He might be able to help him. I'd do it myself, but I don't know how to fly and I'm too small. I'm still just a little boy like this, even if I'm a dragon now. I want to pounce you three a little you know."
The birds cawed uncertainly, but managed to laugh with Lindsey at that. "Oh, we should tell Jessica that she can take that spell off of you too," Quoddy noted.
"Oh, yes," Lindsey agreed with a firm nod. "I had almost forgotten that; I'm just so happy to see you three, and to be here now."
Elizabaeg glanced from the birds to the two dragons and then at the bridge. "We can go find more food for you all if you like." Unspoken was the implication that she wanted time to her own thoughts; the contents of the Lutin's letter had struck her more powerfully than they had the dragons.
Lindsey lifted one paw and patted his scaled belly while shaking his head. "I have had plenty, thank you, Mother. But my friends would probably like some fish."
"Oh yes!" Lubec gasped, his yellow eyes wide with avian delight. "Fish would be heavenly!"
Alfwig put a strong hand on his wife's shoulder and pulled her close next to him. "Then we shall return with some cooked fish for the three of you. And then, after you've eaten, we can share all that we know. We have a great deal to discuss before the night drives us inside. I haven't slept on anything but hay and stone for two months. I will sleep in a real bed tonight."
"Aye," Elizabaeg said, sliding her arm along his back and gazing hopefully into his face, "you will."
Pharcellus stepped out of their way as they returned across the bridge. He watched them as they walked side by side toward the castle. Cheers continued to rise from the city beyond. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows that stretched over the river gorge, painting everything in a golden hue. Even the two gray-scaled dragons glowed in that somber light.
"Well," Lindsey said softly as he watched his parents leave them to themselves, "I've spent most of the last day as a prisoner, but this is what I know." All three birds settled down to listen attentively.
April 24, 708 CR
On the afternoon of the ninth day the sea birds finally saw the spires of Metamor Keep rising into the sky. After many fond farewells and promises that they would come back to Arabarb one day after the last of Calephas's army was crushed, Quoddy, Lubec, and Machias took to wing and left Fjellvidden with a cool, but bright morning to welcome them. They said nothing for most of the journey but flew together very closely, keeping a watch out for any birds of prey that might think them a snack, and any hunters who might think the same. They stopped at the many small mountain lakes on their way to grab fish to eat. They followed the flocks of other migratory birds when they headed southeast. And ever behind them they put the forests, rivers, and mighty hills of Arabarb.
Pharcellus had given them advice on a path they could take through the Dragon Mountains that would lead through lush, low-lying valleys blocked off by high cliffs from the touch of men. These also led them quickly southeast toward the Sea of Souls from which navigation to Metamor was particularly easy. Wildflowers were in bloom along the hills and walls of the valleys, providing a bountiful array of blues, violets, lavenders, gentle yellows, and other colors they couldn't quite name. Food suitable for bids was plentiful.
It rained a few times on their journey, cool rains that turned to snow higher up the mountain slopes, and from these they either flew up higher if they could or found shelter. In a strange way it warmed Quoddy and Machias to see Lubec complaining about water-logged feathers again. Most of the rest of the time he was morose and withdrawn. And at night he slept fitfully and only because of exhaustion.
But they made good time and all three felt immense relief when they passed over the last range of mountains and saw Metamor Valley spread before them. The day was cool with a mix of low clouds and a southerly breeze that promised more rain that evening. The mostly northern pine and fir they had seen in the last few months now allowed for oaks, alders, maples and others. Bright blossoms adorned their branches, a sharp contrast to the gray and green world of Arabarb.
They first emerged over the line of lower peaks just north of the mighty redwoods that dominated the northwestern extreme of the Valley whence lay Glen Avery. Hareford was visible to the east, but their path took them well clear of that ancient outpost. Machias squawked in an avian laugh that he thought he could hear Burris the woodpecker banging his head against a tree, but none of them wanted to stop and see. Their hearts were set on Metamor.
Their path took them over Lake Barnhardt, and their eyes stared hungrily at the crystal blue water below. But what few fish there were swam safely a fathom or more below, and so they contented themselves with noting the townsfolk about their business, the many homes with their rooftop gardens; their eyes were momentarily arrested by a particularly unique plant whose single stem bore several bright blue and violet flower bulbs arrayed in clusters along the spire. But they soon forgot it as they swept past the angled mountain ridge toward the keep with its mighty towers and long, thick walls.
Quoddy and Machias started to bank toward the castle as they neared, but Lubec continued south., pumping his wings to speed himself along. His bothers turned in surprise and raced to keep up with him, unsure of where he was going. They cawed to him but he just shook his head and swooped down toward the city.
But he did not land anywhere in Keeptowne. Rather he continued past, down the ridge to where the road traveled and the river flowed. There, at the base of the ridge lay Euper, the village that huddled at the Keep's feet like a faithful dog. Lubec's brothers understood then just where the cormorant was going. He was going to visit Emily, the head of the Fellowship of the Egg.
The komodo's house was one of those which always had smoke trailing from the chimney. It was a small house, single story, nestled along one of the main roads, with a small stone ramp leading up to the door. The latch had been lowered in the years since the Battle of Three Gates to accommodate both her and her snake husband's new postures. Only one of the windows was ever open and only fully on the warmer days; the rest of the time it was cracked merely to keep smoke from collecting inside.
Today that window was open enough that one of them could fit through at a time. Lubec banked his wings and flapped hard until he came to rest on the sill. Quoddy and Machias landed on top of the house and peered over the thick wooden awning at their brother. "Emily?" Lubec cawed, "are you home?"
The rasping croak of the komodo was unmistakable and delighted. "Lubec! You're home! Aye, come on inside! Are your brothers here too?"
"We're here!" Quoddy squawked as first Lubec and then Machias flew down inside. He followed after them and came to rest in the simple main room of the house.
They were greeted not by the warm chirps of Emily and Raymond but by a chorus of startled hisses and bared fangs from a dozen scaled children. They had been playing amongst Raymond's mottled coils, half of them little lizard's like their mother, and the other half snakes with arms like their father, though their arms looked more defined than poor Raymond whose arms were so weak that he could no longer make pottery as he once did. But as soon as the three birds had landed in the small, warm room, their posture went from play to defend as if they weren't children but guard dogs.
"Oh," Emily gasped, sweeping between the birds and her children to keep the more adventurous ones from actually braving an attack on the strangers. "Forgive them, they... they're only five weeks old and..."
Quoddy squawked a laugh as he looked at the twelve children, their reptilian faces sweet in the way of a child despite their hostility. "Not too happy to see us."
Raymond hissed at the children and began coiling them back toward a smaller door leading to the room back behind the fireplace. Quoddy knew that room was filled with sand warmed by the hearth and with a low ceiling, provided a comfortable resting place for their cold-blooded bodies in even the harshest of winters. The komodo and viper parents guided their children that way and they went, though yellow and black eyes cast frightened and angry glances at the sea birds who stood and waited against the far wall.
It took a couple minutes, but they did manage, and Raymond assured Emily he would keep an eye on them. The viper's voice was full of a joyful delight that none of them could ever remember hearing. Emily thanked her husband before pulling the door shut behind them and waddling back over to her guests. She propped herself on one of the raised stones near the hearth on which they could warm themselves.
"They are still very young, and they act more like real lizards and snakes," Emily offered with a fondness in her voice. "But they are much smarter. We're hoping that they'll better control those impulses as they grow up. It's nothing anyone else in the Fellowship blessed with hatchlings hasn't experienced already."
"I heard Lord Avery's children act like regular squirrels all the time," Machias said with a guarded laugh.
Emily lowered her jaws in an approximation of a smile. Her mottled dusty brown hide trembled as she hissed a laugh. "I've heard the same. Well! It is so good to see you three again! How did your venture up to Arabarb go? Copernicus told me that you were going to help gather information. We weren't expecting you back for quite some time. Is... Lubec?"
The whole while the cormorant had stumbled forward from the wall where his brothers stood, spreading his wings out to either side as he neared the komodo. And then to all their surprise, he thrust himself forward, laying his head and neck across her own, and wrapping his wings over her front. He convulsed and sobbed in his squawking voice as he pressed close to her. Emily, shocked, lifted one of her heavy paws and gently patted the bird on his lower back.
Stunned, she glanced at the gull and puffin and said, "What happened?"
Quoddy recounted as quickly as he could what they'd seen in Arabarb and how the mage Gmork made slaves of those he thought important, including their brother Lubec. It was utter agony to have to tell her how Lubec had begged Gmork to kill and eat them all so twisted had his mind become. With each new atrocity Emily's shocked expression turned into one of smoldering anger. She continued to hold the sobbing cormorant close to comfort him.
"But once Gmork was dead, Lubec and all the others who were his slaves were set free. Calephas is dead too. The land is free, and we were able to help free it. We accomplished more than we ever thought we could. It was horrifying, frightening, and, while the fighting was the sort of thing I once thought we'd all do when we grew up, it was so different. That we were able to do anything at all... but Lubec was that monster's slave for almost two months, Emily."
Emily nodded and gently rubbed her head against the cormorant's side. "You're safe now," she said softly to him in her raspy voice. Lubec's sobbing was mostly passed; he continued to tremble against her but he no longer squawked or warbled unintelligibly. Quoddy took a deep breath and moved forward, resting one of his wings on his brother's back. Machias, blinking in confusion, stumbled forward on his webbed feet to do the same.
She looked to the gull, still with the fire in her eyes, and said, "Did you know that this Gmork could do this?"
He shook his head. "Nobody did. We only knew he was there helping Calephas."
The komodo opened her snout to ask something more, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Machais rushed over and pulled it open with his wing claws, and in stepped a rather uncertain coyote dressed in livery of a court messenger. He bobbed his head when he saw them and and his tail wagged nervously. "Kee," Emily noted with dry bemusement. "Oh good, I wanted to send a message."
"I have a message from his grace for Quoddy, Lubec and Machias," Kee said after catching his breath. "He wishes to meet with you and hear your report. I was told that you weren't expected back in Metamor so soon and he very much wants to know why you've come back."
"When?" Quoddy asked.
"As soon as you can."
Quoddy turned his yellow beak toward his black-feathered brother and sighed. "Tell him we'll be there in an hour."
Emily leaned forward a bit, glaring at the coyote, "And you tell his grace that Emily wishes to speak with him promptly afterward. And if he doesn't know me, you tell Thalberg. Do you understand?"
Kee nodded his head and clasped his paws together. "I will pass your message along to his grace." He glanced at the cormorant who had managed to still himself, but who still held tightly against the komodo. "I hope he's feeling better soon." With that he yipped and dashed back down the street. Machias heaved a sigh a swung the door shut.
They waited another fifteen minutes for Lubec to regain his composure before even suggesting to him that they start heading to the keep to meet with Duke Thomas. Lubec, after stretching out his wings, legs, and neck, assured his brothers that he would be fine for now, and he thanked Emily for listening and for being a mother to them. The komodo nuzzled him one last time and assured him that she'd always be there for them. She then went and told Raymond through the door that she was heading into the Keep and would be back later that evening. He hissed back a simple reptilian proverb, "Stay warm!"
The sea bird brothers chose to keep the komodo company on the long walk from Euper up to the Keep. They stayed in their most human guise to make walking as easy as possible, though it would never be as easy as flying for them. Still, walking did force them to keep at a consistent pace and made talking easier. They asked Emily about her children and the others in the Fellowship. She asked them about the dragon Pharcellus and more about Lindsey who was now fully a dragon too. She studiously avoided asking about Arabarb itself or about what the brothers intended to do next. Lubec was not quiet, but he was more reticent than he used to be, and there was an ever so subtle divide between the brothers now, something that had not existed before.
By the time they reached the keep, the sun was nearing the edge of the dragon mountains and would soon disappear behind them. Quoddy asked Emily how she could possibly get all the way back to Euper without getting cold and falling asleep, but she assured them that she'd be fine and already had a plan in mind. They did not press.
Copernicus was waiting for them at the second gates and escorted them in with his usual enthusiasm. He led them directly through familiar halls to one of the Duke's meeting chambers. It was the same one that Copernicus had directed them to three months ago, and nearly the same cast of characters awaited them within. Only this time, in addition to the horse lord, his bat spymaster Andwyn, and the head of the Long Scouts Misha, they were also joined by Prime Minister Malisa.
"I'm glad to see you three home safe," Thomas said with a warm smile as he stood and beckoned them in. He turned to Emily and nodded to her. "Kee relayed your message. I can have a fire prepared for you in the other room if you'd like to wait there until we're finished."
The komodo accepted the offer and while the three birds were given a comfortable cushion to perch on, he escorted her through a door leading into a smaller room with a sitting table, hearth, and shelves with books. Emily situated herself near the fire while Thomas gently closed the door.
Copernicus brought bread and fruit for the birds, setting it before them on little plates, before he lumbered his massive three-hundred pound lizard's body over to a chair that had no back and sat down.
"So," Thomas said after retaking his place, "tell us what happened. What brings you back to Metamor so suddenly?"
Quoddy regaled Thomas with much the same detail that he'd told Emily. He spoke of making contact with the Resistance, but much of that they'd already known from the reports he'd sent back with Pharcellus. Thomas gently rushed them to the time when Lindsey arrived. Quoddy described meeting the boy with Pharcellus, taking them to see Gerhard, visiting his old home, and then meeting his mother in Vaar. Misha chuckled when he heard that Lindsey's mother disguised herself convincingly as a man, while Malisa appeared oddly wistful at the notion.
He then described those fateful two days in Fjellvidden. The gull didn't get very far before he had to recount Gmork's power over minds, even that of their brother Lubec.
"Over minds?" Andwyn asked, the bat's eyes opening wide and his wings pulling tighter around his chest. His voice, always high pitched, was now squeaking with actual horror. "He can control minds? How?"
Lubec spoke softly and slowly, explaining what had happened to him. Thomas ground his teeth together, his ears lowered, and he snorted as if he were pawing the ground. Misha's paws clenched tight. Copernicus's usually cheerful demeanor turned dour and he grabbed the table as if he'd fling it across the room. Andwyn lowered his head and trembled. Malisa put her hands before her and held them tight.
After Lubec finally trailed off while trying to describe the things Gmork had made him want, Andwyn let out along breath and lifted his snout. "I am so sorry. If I had known he could do this, you would never have been sent. I am so sorry you had to endure that."
"As am I," Thomas added with a nod. "As we all are. But what happened to Lindsey? You said he was being held prisoner."
Quoddy told them that Gmork tried to use them to interrogate Lindsey but Pharcellus rescued them. Misha pumped his fist when he heard that. Quoddy didn't mention having to lead Lubec on a chase, but he did state that they made contact with the various parts of the Resistance and lead them together, where they decided to launch an attack against the city to allow Lindsey's mother time to get into the castle. The rest of the story he told from Lindsey's perspective.
"So, Calephas was trying to turn himself into a dragon," Malisa mused. "That does shed some light on the trade we know has been taking place between Arabarb and the northern cities."
"Something we'll have to keep a closer eye on," Misha pointed out.
"But how did he fail? You wouldn't be here if he had succeeded?" Thomas asked.
Quoddy bobbed his head up and down and swallowed a little bit of bread. "Lindsey did it, even chained and poisoned, Lindsey did it." He then told them of how Lindsey had goaded Calephas's tiger slave into murdering him.
Misha guffawed and with a vicious snarl declared, "Justice is very sweet! Oh how I wish I could have seen that!" And then the fire in his eyes dimmed and he asked, "But what about Lindsey? And Gmork?"
Quoddy then explained the bit that was still so hard for him to believe despite seeing it with his own eyes. Misha's jaw dropped when told of Lindsey's true ancestry. Andwyn was flabbergasted. Thomas and Malisa just blinked in shock. Copernicus started laughing and slapping his thigh with one hand. "I always knew Lindsey belonged in scales. But never... praise Eli, that is something else!"
"And so he's a dragon now?" Thomas asked after regaining his wits.
"And still up north. Pharcellus, his older brother, is teaching him how to fly."
Misha shook his head, jowls curled into a bemused grin. "I hate to say it, but he's very lucky to have that dragon for an older brother. I can't imagine a better brother to have."
The joy on hearing Lindsey's fate was replaced anew with horror when they learned of Jerome and how close he had come to becoming one of Gmork's twisted and vile children. A more sober fox said with jowls twitching in anger, "I'll have to tell Charles. He's the only one I know who might be able to help."
"Jessica too," Malisa added. "But we dare not send them to Arabarb."
Misha nodded with along sigh. "Charles will kill anyone who separates him from his family again; not after that plague kept them apart."
"I hope you don't mean that literally, but I have no intention of sending him or anyone else to Arabarb just yet," Thomas added with an equine nicker. "Besides, you said that they plan on bringing Jerome back here once Pharcellus's wing is healed; is that not so?"
"Aye," Quoddy said with a bob of his beak. "He said it would take about a month."
"And when he gets here," Thomas continued, "He can tell us more of what is developing in Arabarb. So what happened to Gmork?"
Quoddy shook his head. "He died, but if Jerome is right, his spirit or whatever it is that he is, moved into the body of one of his other pups. None of them were ever found."
"That's not good. An enemy like that cannot be allowed to survive." He turned toward the bat and glared. "How could you not have known what Gmork was capable of? You were a spy in Nasoj's castle, and this Gmork worked for Nasoj for years!"
Andwyn pulled his wings tighter around his chest. "We tried to learn more about him and everyone who was close to Nasoj. But Nasoj deliberately kept Gmork at a distance and he and his children were only rarely allowed in the castle. It was difficult to learn anything certain about him except by what others said of him. Given the number of wards Nasoj himself erected, learning anything in his castle was nearly impossible. Every moment of our lives was spent in direst risk there. I cannot tell you how many friends I lost in that place because they turned left when they should have turned right." The bat's voice grew more and more venomous as he spoke, until finally he took a deep breath and huffed it all out in one final exclamation. "Damn be that house to Hell!"
Thomas put one hand on the bat's shoulder to still him, a look of understanding and mutual loathing there on his brow. Once the bat had his emotions under control again, Thomas turned kind eyes on the birds and offered them a genuine smile. "I and all here are so very grateful for what you've done. Because of you one of our foulest enemies is dead, and Arabarb may yet be free and an ally again. For sacrifices above and beyond what you were asked to do, and for success beyond our greatest hopes, I am going to reward you with honorary membership amongst the Long Scouts." Misha's one ear shot up in surprise. "You will enjoy all of the privileges members do, but you will not have to go anywhere you do not wish."
Machias blinked in surprise. "What privileges are those?"
"You'll receive a monthly stipend and you will be exempt from the Keep's taxes. And if you're not careful, Misha may decide to paint your feathers pink some day." The fox studiously tried to look somewhere else as Thomas and the others chuckled under their breaths. The birds stared at the fox uncertainly but with good humor.
"Thank you, your grace," Quoddy said. "But we don't really need that. We've not really needed any money since... well since this." He lifted his wings to indicate his body, and then lowered them against his back.
"It's not about the money," Thomas pointed out. "It's about the honor that you deserve for your heroism. And I think you know of others who could always use the money."
Quoddy looked at his brothers who shrugged with their wings. The gull sighed and tried to smile with his beak. "Thank you, your grace. I'm sure we'll think of something we can do."
"Good. Now that that's settled, tell us more of the political situation in Fjellvidden and the challenges they still face. As much as you know."
The meeting took almost two hours at which point Thomas thanked them again and stepped aside to let his daughter and others to disperse. Copernicus shepherded the birds over to the door and talked quietly with them for a moment. Andwyn excused himself , the intention of rearranging his spy network to reflect what they knew evident in his usually placid and unreadable face. Malisa left with a similarly hurried expression.
Misha approached the Duke and whispered between his teeth, "Your grace, you can't go making people Long Scouts without my approval!"
"Honorary," Thomas replied with a gentle laugh. "And can you tell me that they don't deserve it?"
The fox grunted and lowered his one ear and stilling his wagging tail. "Nay, I cannot. Still, next time, could you warn me first?"
"Aye, I should have this time. My apologies."
"And don't spoil the paint surprise!" Misha added with more of his usual mischievous nature returned. "Now I'll have to be extra careful to find a time and place they won't expect it!"
Thomas laughed. "I'm sure you'll manage, my friend!"
The fox seemed pleased with his new puzzle, and his manner towards the three sea birds was companionable and friendly. It would not take much more to tip the scales in the fox's heart to brotherly. A few more words passed between them before the fox excused himself, and Copernicus lead the birds out into the hall beyond. At last the room was his own.
The horse lord went immediately to the small sitting room and opened the door for the komodo. Emily looked up at him with an expression that would be inscrutable if not for the fact that his Steward was a reptile like her. She almost hissed when she spoke, "You deliberately put me in a room where I could hear everything, your grace. Why?"
Thomas gestured for her to come out and make herself comfortable by the hearth in his meeting quarters. "Because I know who you are and what all members of your Fellowship mean to you. And aye, before you ask, my Steward Thalberg has explained these thing to me in private. I do not understand all, but I understand enough to know how important your work is. And do not be angry with Thalberg. He is the most loyal of servants any man could have. Of all the people I know, he is one of the few I can truly call my friend. For a man in my position, that is a rare luxury."
Emily waddled over to the hearth where she reclined on the stones. Thomas brought a small stool so he could sit closer to her level. He rested his elbows on his knees as comfortably as he could manage, long-haired tail sweeping out behind him. The komodo took a deep breath, the vermillion radiance from the fire speckling on her dusty scales. "That is Thalberg. He himself told me that he can keep nothing from you that he believes is your concern. I understand very well and would never want it any other way."
"Good. What then may I do for you?"
Her small eyes met the horse lord with a small measure of defiance. "How could you send those three into such a dangerous place for a mission they were not trained for? They have been passive spies to the south for you, aye. But they were not ready for something like this. Lubec sobbed against my neck for nearly an hour when they returned. This was too dangerous for them."
"It was," Thomas agreed with a short nicker and long sigh. "And for that I am deeply sorry. I knew I was risking their lives. I do that for all who are sent from this Keep to brace our enemies. If I had known the danger was as great as it was, I would have selected those more experienced. I am only grateful that they survived despite all the dangers they faced."
Emily lifted one paw and pointed at him before setting it back down to steady herself. "But now that you know they can handle such danger, you can send them out again."
"I could," Thomas agreed. "And the defense of Metamor may demand it. That is the duty of all Metamorians. But you are right. Their temperament is not suited to this work and I will not employ them again unless there is no other choice."
"Did you have other choices?" Emily asked, flicking her tongue meaningfully.
"When Andwyn and Misha first proposed this, aye, there were other choices. But for what we wanted, somebody whose shape would not be noticed, and who could stay along the coastline and draw no notice, they were truly the best choice. Can you think of any who would be better suited to such a task?"
Emily's hard lips tried to frown. "Nay, I cannot. But what of Gmork? If he truly is still alive, he may try to seek revenge."
"Andwyn is doubtlessly instructing his spies to seek information on this Gmork, Malisa will speak with the mages we have here to see if there is any knowledge of a creature like Gmork, and I'm sure Misha will be in contact with the Marigund mage's guild to see if they know anything. Now that we have good information about him, we can finally prepare ourselves. And if we suspect Gmork may be involved anywhere, I promise you Quoddy, Lubec, and Machias will never be anywhere near there."
The komodo nodded and sighed. "Thank you, your grace. But why make them Long Scouts, even honorary ones?"
Thomas reached one hand up to his mane and scratched there a little self-consciously. "Well, it was really a way to help you."
"How do you mean?"
"Thalberg... he's told me about your need for more funds. He'd never ask for nor accept my personal help. Those three have no need of the money they'll now receive. Where else do you think it will go?"
Emily blinked and her tail tip slid back in forth in sudden pleasure.
"And this way, I can help without making my Steward feel guilty."
"You are wiser than I give you credit for, your grace. My apologies. I am... still a little upset about what's happened, but... I think I understand better why."
"I know," Thomas said with a slight nod. "It is night. Will you be able to return to you home?"
"Aye. I will visit Miriam and borrow some of the warming stones Thalberg bought for her."
Thomas rubbed his chin in thought, thick lips wriggling with each word. "She'll still be in the Kitchens. Hmm...." His brown eyes brightened as he rose to his hooves and walked over to the writing desk in the other room. Emily craned her neck to follow him but he returned so swiftly that she croaked in surprise when he held out a sealed note. "Give this to her. She'll supply you with a small collection of fresh meats."
Emily took the note in one hand and held it beneath her. "But why?"
"You are a new mother," Thomas explained. "This is not charity and this is not to appease your concerns over the birds. It is a gift to a new mother and father for their children. Nothing more."
Emily hissed, but this time in delight. "Thank you, your grace. May Eli bless you and your wife with many children too."
Thomas smiled awkwardly and then nickered. "Aye, Thalberg would very much like that too."
They both laughed with fondness for their alligator friend before the komodo bid the Duke a good night and left to find her way to warmth and home.
"And all I could think about was how much I wanted to see Gmork tear out my brother's throat and devour his flesh." Lubec trembled at the memory, just one of many that he'd confessed to the boy priest Father Hough. He nestled on the bench in the confines of the large confessional, beak near the iron grille separating him from the boy priest who sat quietly on the other side offering a few gentle questions but otherwise saying nothing.
After leaving Thomas's chambers, Copernicus had suggested they go to the Ecclesia Cathedral together, something all three birds quickly agreed to. For Quoddy and Machais, the hunger for the Host that they'd had to forgo for so many months now was firmly in their mind, but they were also keenly aware of Lubec's particular need, and after running into the chameleon seminarian Patric and explaining what they wanted, their friend sought out his master as quickly as possible.
And so with Patric and Copernicus for company, his brothers waited in the sanctuary, paws and wing claws clasped in prayer, while Lubec bared his soul of every little detail he could think of. They shamed him and horrified him, but he would not let a single one remain unspoken. And after an hour he was exhausted in every sense of the word. His flesh and bones were weary from trembling, his mind from scrounging at every corner of consciousness, and his heart from every terrible sin he had committed while Gmork's slave, and all those he was afraid he'd committed both before and after.
But finally, he had to slouch his head and wings forward, unable to say anything more on his own. "I... that's all I can remember, Father. That's all."
Hough stirred slightly on the other side of the grille, his youthful voice quiet but comforting. "How much of this was Gmork's will and how much was your own? You are not responsible for anything Gmork made you do while controlling your mind, my son."
Lubec closed his eyes and buried his beak into his chest feathers for a moment, before lifting his neck and replying, "Gmork made me love him so much, that there was nothing I wouldn't do for him. I did everything because I loved him. It was all my will! All mine!" He whimpered a clicking noise as he pressed his beak back into his chest feathers to stifle the even greater wail that wanted to escape.
"You are not responsible for loving him," the boy priest said. "That was his doing. You know this, my son."
He cawed, "I know."
"But everything else you did, all those other thoughts, all those other desires, they were about bringing harm to those you truly love for the sake of the one whose evil deed made you love him instead. That is the root and source, and it is one that has already been plucked out."
Lubec lifted his head again, breathing in deeply as he listened.
"Let us give thanks for the grace of this sacrament which redeems us to Eli's grace, and which now redeems you, Lubec, my son. For your penance, I bid you to pray the Pater noster ten times on leaving here. Then, you will for the next two months perform at least one gratuitous act of kindness and mercy to someone here at Metamor about whom you had such terrible thoughts in the last two months."
"What about those at Arabarb?"
He could almost imagine Hough smiling. "If you wish to make amends to them at a later time, you may do so, but let not your conscience demand it to atone for these sins. Your penance is to be done here at Metamor. For our sins are against Eli alone. The practice of the virtue of charity here is all that is necessary. Now, make your act of contrition."
Lubec felt the words well up from within him and pour from his beak as if they were the most wonderful words he could have ever said, "Deus meus, ex toto corde paenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum, eaque detestor, quia peccando..." How he wished then that he was a song bird instead that he might trill his r's and tweet his vowels with fulsome joy.
When he was finished, Father Hough pronounced the final words of the sacrament that washed away his sins, and made the sign of the Yew before the grill. Lubec performed it with one of his wing claws. "Go in Eli's peace, my son," Hough said afterward. "I look forward to seeing you at Liturgy this Sunday."
"I will be there," the cormorant squawked breathlessly as he hopped down from the bench and pushed the confessional door open with his wing. "Thank you, Father. Thank you. Eli bless you!"
He didn't quite hear what Hough said in reply as he was already rushing as fast as his legs could carry him across the sanctuary to where his brothers sat with necks bowed toward the altar and tabernacle. Behind them knelt Copernicus and Patric, their green-scaled knees resting on soft blue pillows as they bowed their heads.
Lubec genuflected toward the altar and made the sign of the yew, before wrapping his wings around Quoddy and Machias and hugging them close. They laughed with him and hugged back.
"Are you okay, Lubec?" Quoddy asked after they leaned back.
Lubec craned his neck toward the altar and nodded. "I will be. Let me pray for a bit, and then... let's go to the Fellowship hall. I have some things I want to do there."
All of them smiled at that idea. They each resumed their prayers while Lubec began his own in the company of his dear brothers and friends. Before them the evening light shone through the stained glass to cast an amber glow on the alter, golden tablernacle, and Yew with crucified serene-faced Yahshua born on its limbs.
April 30, CR 708
"That's it!" Pharcellus shouted as he reclined in the meadow south of Fjellvidden. Numerous children had gathered and were climbing on his back and tail, as well as over his paws and marveling at the size of his claws. In just two weeks since Calephas's death many families had come out of hiding to return to the city that stood at Arabarb's center and was now free. There were a few mothers who watched their children anxiously as they played with the large dragon, but Pharcellus was gentle and enjoyed delighting them, just as he had done once for Lhindesaeg and Andrig.
But most of his attention was on his brother Lindsey as he learned to use his wings and body to conquer the air. The small gray-scale swooped across the field with his wings spread wide, eyes bright as he kept aloft and managed to bank in slow circles. He was still a little clumsy with getting into the sky, and while his landings were definitely improving they still made Pharcellus wince. But over all Lindsey took to dragonhood very well.
"Now tilt your head first and the rest of your body will follow as you turn," Pharcellus boomed as he watched Lindsey struggle to tighten his circles. "And don't turn in the same direction for too long. You will get dizzy!"
Above him Lindsey laughed and twisted his neck in the opposite direction. Muscle by muscle the rest of his body swiveled about until he began making figure-eights in the sky. "How's that?" Lindsey shouted back with a brief gust of flame from his snout.
"Excellent!" Pharcellus called back with real joy. How he longed to be up there in the sky with him, but his wing still needed another two weeks to heal. The local healers along with the wood mage Harald, after tending to the many wounded and killed in the battle two weeks past had turned to the dragon and asked him rather politely what he would need to mend the tear in his wing. The broth of herbs he'd instructed them to prepare had taken a little while, especially since they had to make a couple gallons of it and not just a bowl as they were used to, but it had soothed the tenderness of his flesh and lifted the specter of pain that had clung to him ever since his horrible landing through the trees. The other cuts he'd suffered, even those given him by Gmork, had all healed and only a few scars remained to show where they'd once been. When his scales molted next, even those would be gone.
He ought probably tell Lindsey that molting came much more frequently to young dragons, just one more reason they rarely ventured from their mountain homes until they had gained their first maturity. A rumbling laugh echoed in his chest as he thought on his little brother facing that humbling ordeal for the first time.
From behind him he could smell a familiar pair approaching. They had just come out of the city gates and their heads were tilted up to the sky to watch the young dragon stretch his wings. "How is he doing?" Alfwig asked. His beard was in a proper braid again, and his scraggly hair tamed. He still wore the same suit of mail and surcoat that the Lutin had saved for him. Beside him Elizabaeg approached, dressed in more feminine garb, but even she had a sword still.
The walls of Fjellvidden had been repaired quickly, and the gaping hole in the castle wall was nearly sealed, though until they could gain control of a quarry the work would have to be done by stealing from stone elsewhere. They could all hear the sounds of soldiers training inside the city walls with bow, axe, sword, and spear. Gerhard, Jarl, and the other commanders were readying for their first sally to free the ports downstream that they might have complete control over the Arabas. And when they left, Alfwig and Elizabaeg would go with them.
Not a single human could rest in Arabarb until all of the land was free. The armor and the swords were proof of that.
Still, it was reassuring to have them visit frequently every day to check up on their dragon son. Pharcellus opened his snout in a smile and said, "He is doing much better than I did at his age, but don't tell him I said so."
"I heard that!" Lindsey shouted down to him as he swept over head.
"No you didn't!" Pharcellus shouted back.
Lindsey laughed and swept on across the field, beating with his wings in exuberant joy. Pharcellus laughed with him and then turned back to the two humans he'd always seen as a sort of extra father and mother. "How long before the first sally?"
"A few days maybe," Alfwig relied. "The dogs are out spying for us and should be back soon. We've enough men now to defend the city against a force twice what Calephas kept here. But it will be such a long time before we can truly go home."
Pharcellus cast a quick glance toward the middle of the meadow where in the midst of tall grasses that hid his beastly features sat Jerome. The Sondecki spent most of his days in meditation saying nothing at all to anyone except Lindsey from whom he accepted food and companionship. He never spoke of Gmork and thankfully they never heard word of that monster from anyone else either. But to Pharcellus's surprise, Jerome wasn't meditating just then. Instead, he tilted back his head, wolf ears laying flat against his skull, and watched with wide-eyed wonder at Lindsey as the young dragon banked and swirled through the air.
"When we can," Pharcellus said, "I know we will be back to help."
Alfwig lifted a hand and Elizabaeg joined him in shaking her head. "You don't need to promise, Pharcellus. I know you both will. Thank you for being a brother to our son. We aren't afraid for him anymore."
Pharcellus craned his neck and looked at Lindsey. How different he now was from when they started this journey together almost a month ago. Was there anything but joy in his draconic countenance? He rumbled and sighed happily, glancing once at a pair of children who were measuring one of his toe claws with their hands and failing to encompass it, before turning back to Alfwig and Elizabaeg. "I'm not afraid for him anymore either."
Lindsey swooped down toward them, and then frantically beat this wings to keep from crashing into the ground or into his parents. At the last second he managed to stumble to a stop, planting his chest and neck against the ground with a whump. He rose up onto all fours and stretched himself out with a gasp.
Pharcellus's eyes narrowed in whimsy as Elizabaeg rushed forward to see if her son had injured himself. "Well," he added to Alfwig who stood by shaking his head and laughing, "maybe his landings I'm still afraid of."
Dark greens suffused the forest, thick with cobwebs, mushrooms, and drenched in moss that clung to the base of each tree that struggled to reach for the light that set so quickly even in the summer months. Ivy tangled the limbs and each tree nestled close together, their faces knotted and twisted as they competed one with another for every mote of ground, trickle of water, and shaft of light.
Through this constricted wood loped four creatures. Three of them were wolves, while the fourth was clearly more a man, though his limbs were sufficiently lupine that he was able to maintain the same pace. This one's ears were pointed and covered in a soft tan fur, which stretched down in a thin line along his spine which erupted in a short tail. The rest of his chest was still human and mostly white from a life lived away from the sun. His face was distended in a slight snout, with dark nose and riveting blue eyes that had banished all white. A long red tongue poked from between cleft lips as he panted.
The alpha wolf, of gray fur peppered with black, came to a stop in a grove of stone coated in lichen and crawling with fungi. He tilted back his head and howled. The others joined him.
After his long bay, he stood on his hind legs, his chest and arms swelling to human proportions, even if his head remained beastly in guise. The others shifted in the same way, as into the darkened sepulchral grove walked a tall woman with long black hair, white skin, dressed in black jerkin, tunic, leggings and boots suited to a woodsman, though of a quality beyond their means. Her eyes were lost in the shadows of her face, but the peppered wolf now standing like a man knew they were as black as her hair.
"Mother," he said with a bow of his head. "It is good to see you again."
"Gmork," she said through thin lips with an amused sigh, "I see you have a new body again. Did things not work so well for you in Arabarb as you thought?"
"I made a mistake that cost me one of my pups, Mother; another has become a prodigal, but I hope he will return in time." The one who was mostly still human pressed close to him, blue eyes wide in fright as he stared at the woman. Gmork ran a comforting paw down his youngest pup's back. "Your traitorous servant Calephas is dead."
"That one only served himself, and now he will suffer the same fate that all who serve only themselves do." The woman looked over his pups quickly and then returned her gaze to Gmork and her hands folded before her atop a sword he hadn't seen a moment ago. "And you know I do not like it when you call me 'Mother', Gmork."
He smiled his jowls and bowed his head. "It is how I think of you. It is how I show my gratitude for all that you have given me."
This did not move her. "If you wish to be grateful, Gmork, use my name."
Gmork allowed his smile to reveal all of his fangs. "As you wish, my Lady Lilith!"