But, if around my place of sleep,
The friends I love should come to weep,
They might not haste to go.
Soft airs, and song, and light, and bloom,
Should keep them, lingering by my tomb.
-William Bryant
A shimmering vertical line appeared in the crisp morning air upon the lawn where Jewell?s villa once stood. It split into two halves and spread outward, forming a perfect oval, the depths of which shone into some extraordinary technicolor dreamscape with streaking silver lines on a dark blue backdrop. Two well-dressed young men stepped out of the opening, fresh-faced and bright-eyed, accompanied by two exotic beasts.
The first young man was lean and carried himself with a regal poise. Armed with a glowing sword at his hip, he had long pretty shiny black hair that hung to his shoulders. So electric blue were his eyes they looked as if stars had exploded inside of them. He wore the fantastical futuristic armor of a warrior-prince, with spiked shoulder plates pulsing with purple light and chainmail chest armor that winked in the morning sun like a sheet of diamonds. A majestic blue and gold cape hung down his back. At his heels followed a massive armored wolf, a beast as big as a horse with sharp fangs that glistened with saliva.
The second person who emerged wore the long intricate robes of a battlemage, adorned with various magical enhancements like bejeweled wizard bracers that amplified and channeled fire spells. On his back he carried a long staff with glowing red orbs on both ends. A vicious, snapping raptor appeared behind him, armored and saddled like the wolf.
Behind them, the gateway, a hole in reality?s fabric, winked out of existence.
?How did I do, Gasher?? the first young man asked.
?Not bad, Sky. You?re learning magic at a decent rate for someone who picked it up so late in life.?
?Just keep teaching me. I need to know more.? Skyler turned around and scanned his surroundings, frowning at the pile of burnt rubble that formed a black scar in the middle of a grassy landscape. ?Something?s wrong, Gasher. I must have opened the gateway in the wrong spot. This isn?t her ?? He trailed off when he realized the stable and the fountain out front were the very same from his memory.
?No, this is the place,? Gasher said. ?I recognize it.?
?Strange,? Skyler said. ?This place had magical wards and other security measures. Wonder how it managed to burn down. C?mon, let?s find Jewell. She?s probably renting a room at the Inn now. I bet she?s pissed about losing her house. She?s not fond of fire.?
?No, she isn?t,? Gasher said, knowingly.
Skyler put two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. ?Ghost, to me!? The gigantic wolf had gone to paw and sniff the charred rubble, but now it sprang in Skyler?s direction. He climbed into the saddle and clutched the reins. Gasher mounted his raptor and the two of them galloped to the main road.
A horse-drawn carriage was winding its way toward them. Skyler stopped Ghost in the carriage?s path and put out his hand, signaling for the driver to halt. The driver pulled to a frantic stop and held his hands in the air, fearful of being robbed. His horse whinnied and reared at the sight of Ghost and the raptor. Ghost growled at it.
?What happened to the Ravenlock estate?? Skyler demanded.
?B,b,burned down, a few months back!?
?No shit, idiot!? Skyler snorted in annoyance. ?How did it happen? Where is the family ? Jewell Ravenlock and her children??
The driver gaped at Skyler, his mouth working.
A terrible pounding alarm began to sound deep in the young man?s heart. The driver had bad news and was afraid to tell it. ?Out with it or I?ll let your guts out right here in the dirt!?
?Well, no one?s certain how it happened. The authorities suspect foul play. But ? they died in that fire, my lord. All eight of them.?
Skyler smirked and huffed in disbelief. ?What a stupid liar you are, man. Jewell Ravenlock couldn?t die in some silly house fire. C?mon, Gasher, let?s go.? Gasher kicked the raptor into a gallop and Skyler did the same. Side by side they streaked across the countryside en route to the city proper.
Skyler called out over the rushing wind and patter of paws and claws in the dirt. ?Do you believe this crap? If Jewell?s not around anymore I guarantee you it?s because she wants it that way, not because her house burned down and she was too stupid to make it to the window or a front door!? His long black hair and blue gold cape streamed out behind him as he rode.
?It?s very interesting,? Gasher admitted.
Upon arriving at the edge of town they slowed their mounts to a walk. Skyler said softly, ?Tell me again, Gasher. Tell another story of me and her together before Tommy killed me.?
?I thought you read the diary and you were able to remember?? Gasher said.
?Not everything, not every story. Just tell me another one.?
The fire mage considered for a moment, searching his memory for a suitable tale. He spoke softly and affectionately, like an older brother telling his sibling a bedtime story. ?Well, it was back when the gang was all together at Cosmo Beach. You two were always together back then, spending almost every night at either her place or ours. You guys went for a walk on the beach one night, then wandered back to the house clinging all over each other and whispering secretively, dripping wet from swimming in the ocean. You were so gaga over each other you didn?t even notice me as you passed me on your way inside. I heard you splashing around in the jacuzzi for a little while, then you went into your room and got very quiet. Unable to help myself, I crept up the deck stairs and peered into your bedroom through the open windows. In the dim light within, I saw you two laying there. Neither of you wore a stitch of clothing; you were utterly entwined and tangled up with each other. Your faces were inches apart, and you seemed to be whispering back and forth.?
?Then what happened?? Skyler prompted.
?I dunno. I walked away and went to bed down in the basement.?
Skyler kept his eyes on the far horizon, wearing a distant and dreamy expression as Ghost led them through town. ?Did I really love her? Do you think I really did? I?ve never loved anyone in my conscious memory. I don?t feel capable of it.?
?You did. It was evident in your words and your actions, in the way you looked at her. And she loved you back. You should have seen her when you died. She was so... so emotional.?
?All the good ones are, so I?m told,? Skyler said.
Gasher gave him a considering glance. ?When we get back you should expel all your concubines and select one of your Lords? daughters for courtship. A spoiled, mouthy, stubborn girl who?s used to getting her way will be much more challenging, engaging, and fun to court. Perhaps you can develop love for a woman again. You?ll never feel it for a sex servant.?
Skyler smirked. ?Since when did you become the love expert?? He thought about it a moment, then said, ?Perhaps when the war is over. Falling in love now could dull my fighting spirit, and I need it a while longer.? Sobering thoughts of the war came crowding into his mind and he quickly put the notion aside.
They came to a square where four streets intersected. Passersby gasped and lunged aside at the sight of the massive wolf and raptor plodding down the way. The mounts for the most part were well-behaved. They were deadly, trained battle mounts, but they knew the difference between a field of war and a docile town. However, if Ghost were to become too hungry?
On a pedestal at one end of the square stood a fat town crier, bellowing the daily news to a gathering of townsfolk. The gathering dispersed as the young man with a glowing sword approached on the back of a wolf. Skyler dismounted and stomped straight toward the crier, climbing the pedestal to look him in the eye. He pressed a gold coin into the fat man?s hand. ?Tell me the whereabouts of Jewell Ravenlock and her children. I understand their home burned down two months back.?
The crier gave Skyler a consoling look. ?My lord, has no one told you? Ms. Ravenlock and all of her children died in that fire. It was the evening of December seventeenth. Such a tragic thing. I?m terribly sorry to be the one to tell you. They now rest peacefully at Rhydin Memorial Cemetery. A large monument of a Celtic cross has been erected in their honor.?
Skyler deflated, his shoulders hunching, chin dropping, a look of helpless sadness spreading over his face. ?This can?t be,? he muttered. ?It?s impossible.? He stepped down from the pedestal and put a limp hand on the pommel of Ghost?s saddle.
?There is more here than what we?re being told,? Gasher said. ?She had a powerful command of water magic. I saw it first hand. She could have quenched those flames with a thought, or escaped them at the very least.?
?This is bull shit. This is a bunch of bull shit!? Anger shoving aside his sadness, Skyler kicked out at the closest thing he could find, a rusty tin can. It flew onto the front porch of a nearby shop with a clamor. ?Let?s go see this false memorial!? He swung onto Ghost?s saddle and kicked the beast into a full run. In single file he and Gasher tore through city streets, winding their way to the cemetery.
A cold winter breeze battered Skyler?s face as he spurred Ghost through busy streets and crowded markets. Soon the city fell behind them and the two young men burst through the cemetery?s open gates. Skyler recognized the area as the place he buried Sonia during a misty night many months ago. Ghost galloped along the paths until the monument the crier had described appeared, whereupon Skyler jerked the reins and hastily dismounted. He approached the Celtic cross, his blue gold cape and long black hair stirring in the breeze.
Seeing the monument truly made the possibility of her death seem plausible, at least for a moment. Rage boiled inside him. ?How could you allow this to happen?" He shouted at the memorial as if it were Jewell herself. "All your deep power, and you let your life and the lives of your precious children be claimed by a mundane house fire! How dare you?? Skyler clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. ?I had more to say, Jewell. I had more to tell you. Important things!? He stepped closer to the cross. ?You weren?t supposed to die!? He stood emotionally naked in the morning light, hissing through gritted teeth, chest heaving. ?Jewell, our last words in this world were not kind. I wronged you. I had always intended to make amends and seek forgiveness.? He closed his eyes. Teardrops squeezed out and streaked down his cheeks.
?Skyler,? Gasher said from what seemed like a world away, ?someone?s coming.?
?I know. I feel them,? he murmured.
The friends I love should come to weep,
They might not haste to go.
Soft airs, and song, and light, and bloom,
Should keep them, lingering by my tomb.
-William Bryant
A shimmering vertical line appeared in the crisp morning air upon the lawn where Jewell?s villa once stood. It split into two halves and spread outward, forming a perfect oval, the depths of which shone into some extraordinary technicolor dreamscape with streaking silver lines on a dark blue backdrop. Two well-dressed young men stepped out of the opening, fresh-faced and bright-eyed, accompanied by two exotic beasts.
The first young man was lean and carried himself with a regal poise. Armed with a glowing sword at his hip, he had long pretty shiny black hair that hung to his shoulders. So electric blue were his eyes they looked as if stars had exploded inside of them. He wore the fantastical futuristic armor of a warrior-prince, with spiked shoulder plates pulsing with purple light and chainmail chest armor that winked in the morning sun like a sheet of diamonds. A majestic blue and gold cape hung down his back. At his heels followed a massive armored wolf, a beast as big as a horse with sharp fangs that glistened with saliva.
The second person who emerged wore the long intricate robes of a battlemage, adorned with various magical enhancements like bejeweled wizard bracers that amplified and channeled fire spells. On his back he carried a long staff with glowing red orbs on both ends. A vicious, snapping raptor appeared behind him, armored and saddled like the wolf.
Behind them, the gateway, a hole in reality?s fabric, winked out of existence.
?How did I do, Gasher?? the first young man asked.
?Not bad, Sky. You?re learning magic at a decent rate for someone who picked it up so late in life.?
?Just keep teaching me. I need to know more.? Skyler turned around and scanned his surroundings, frowning at the pile of burnt rubble that formed a black scar in the middle of a grassy landscape. ?Something?s wrong, Gasher. I must have opened the gateway in the wrong spot. This isn?t her ?? He trailed off when he realized the stable and the fountain out front were the very same from his memory.
?No, this is the place,? Gasher said. ?I recognize it.?
?Strange,? Skyler said. ?This place had magical wards and other security measures. Wonder how it managed to burn down. C?mon, let?s find Jewell. She?s probably renting a room at the Inn now. I bet she?s pissed about losing her house. She?s not fond of fire.?
?No, she isn?t,? Gasher said, knowingly.
Skyler put two fingers in his mouth and whistled shrilly. ?Ghost, to me!? The gigantic wolf had gone to paw and sniff the charred rubble, but now it sprang in Skyler?s direction. He climbed into the saddle and clutched the reins. Gasher mounted his raptor and the two of them galloped to the main road.
A horse-drawn carriage was winding its way toward them. Skyler stopped Ghost in the carriage?s path and put out his hand, signaling for the driver to halt. The driver pulled to a frantic stop and held his hands in the air, fearful of being robbed. His horse whinnied and reared at the sight of Ghost and the raptor. Ghost growled at it.
?What happened to the Ravenlock estate?? Skyler demanded.
?B,b,burned down, a few months back!?
?No shit, idiot!? Skyler snorted in annoyance. ?How did it happen? Where is the family ? Jewell Ravenlock and her children??
The driver gaped at Skyler, his mouth working.
A terrible pounding alarm began to sound deep in the young man?s heart. The driver had bad news and was afraid to tell it. ?Out with it or I?ll let your guts out right here in the dirt!?
?Well, no one?s certain how it happened. The authorities suspect foul play. But ? they died in that fire, my lord. All eight of them.?
Skyler smirked and huffed in disbelief. ?What a stupid liar you are, man. Jewell Ravenlock couldn?t die in some silly house fire. C?mon, Gasher, let?s go.? Gasher kicked the raptor into a gallop and Skyler did the same. Side by side they streaked across the countryside en route to the city proper.
Skyler called out over the rushing wind and patter of paws and claws in the dirt. ?Do you believe this crap? If Jewell?s not around anymore I guarantee you it?s because she wants it that way, not because her house burned down and she was too stupid to make it to the window or a front door!? His long black hair and blue gold cape streamed out behind him as he rode.
?It?s very interesting,? Gasher admitted.
Upon arriving at the edge of town they slowed their mounts to a walk. Skyler said softly, ?Tell me again, Gasher. Tell another story of me and her together before Tommy killed me.?
?I thought you read the diary and you were able to remember?? Gasher said.
?Not everything, not every story. Just tell me another one.?
The fire mage considered for a moment, searching his memory for a suitable tale. He spoke softly and affectionately, like an older brother telling his sibling a bedtime story. ?Well, it was back when the gang was all together at Cosmo Beach. You two were always together back then, spending almost every night at either her place or ours. You guys went for a walk on the beach one night, then wandered back to the house clinging all over each other and whispering secretively, dripping wet from swimming in the ocean. You were so gaga over each other you didn?t even notice me as you passed me on your way inside. I heard you splashing around in the jacuzzi for a little while, then you went into your room and got very quiet. Unable to help myself, I crept up the deck stairs and peered into your bedroom through the open windows. In the dim light within, I saw you two laying there. Neither of you wore a stitch of clothing; you were utterly entwined and tangled up with each other. Your faces were inches apart, and you seemed to be whispering back and forth.?
?Then what happened?? Skyler prompted.
?I dunno. I walked away and went to bed down in the basement.?
Skyler kept his eyes on the far horizon, wearing a distant and dreamy expression as Ghost led them through town. ?Did I really love her? Do you think I really did? I?ve never loved anyone in my conscious memory. I don?t feel capable of it.?
?You did. It was evident in your words and your actions, in the way you looked at her. And she loved you back. You should have seen her when you died. She was so... so emotional.?
?All the good ones are, so I?m told,? Skyler said.
Gasher gave him a considering glance. ?When we get back you should expel all your concubines and select one of your Lords? daughters for courtship. A spoiled, mouthy, stubborn girl who?s used to getting her way will be much more challenging, engaging, and fun to court. Perhaps you can develop love for a woman again. You?ll never feel it for a sex servant.?
Skyler smirked. ?Since when did you become the love expert?? He thought about it a moment, then said, ?Perhaps when the war is over. Falling in love now could dull my fighting spirit, and I need it a while longer.? Sobering thoughts of the war came crowding into his mind and he quickly put the notion aside.
They came to a square where four streets intersected. Passersby gasped and lunged aside at the sight of the massive wolf and raptor plodding down the way. The mounts for the most part were well-behaved. They were deadly, trained battle mounts, but they knew the difference between a field of war and a docile town. However, if Ghost were to become too hungry?
On a pedestal at one end of the square stood a fat town crier, bellowing the daily news to a gathering of townsfolk. The gathering dispersed as the young man with a glowing sword approached on the back of a wolf. Skyler dismounted and stomped straight toward the crier, climbing the pedestal to look him in the eye. He pressed a gold coin into the fat man?s hand. ?Tell me the whereabouts of Jewell Ravenlock and her children. I understand their home burned down two months back.?
The crier gave Skyler a consoling look. ?My lord, has no one told you? Ms. Ravenlock and all of her children died in that fire. It was the evening of December seventeenth. Such a tragic thing. I?m terribly sorry to be the one to tell you. They now rest peacefully at Rhydin Memorial Cemetery. A large monument of a Celtic cross has been erected in their honor.?
Skyler deflated, his shoulders hunching, chin dropping, a look of helpless sadness spreading over his face. ?This can?t be,? he muttered. ?It?s impossible.? He stepped down from the pedestal and put a limp hand on the pommel of Ghost?s saddle.
?There is more here than what we?re being told,? Gasher said. ?She had a powerful command of water magic. I saw it first hand. She could have quenched those flames with a thought, or escaped them at the very least.?
?This is bull shit. This is a bunch of bull shit!? Anger shoving aside his sadness, Skyler kicked out at the closest thing he could find, a rusty tin can. It flew onto the front porch of a nearby shop with a clamor. ?Let?s go see this false memorial!? He swung onto Ghost?s saddle and kicked the beast into a full run. In single file he and Gasher tore through city streets, winding their way to the cemetery.
A cold winter breeze battered Skyler?s face as he spurred Ghost through busy streets and crowded markets. Soon the city fell behind them and the two young men burst through the cemetery?s open gates. Skyler recognized the area as the place he buried Sonia during a misty night many months ago. Ghost galloped along the paths until the monument the crier had described appeared, whereupon Skyler jerked the reins and hastily dismounted. He approached the Celtic cross, his blue gold cape and long black hair stirring in the breeze.
Seeing the monument truly made the possibility of her death seem plausible, at least for a moment. Rage boiled inside him. ?How could you allow this to happen?" He shouted at the memorial as if it were Jewell herself. "All your deep power, and you let your life and the lives of your precious children be claimed by a mundane house fire! How dare you?? Skyler clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. ?I had more to say, Jewell. I had more to tell you. Important things!? He stepped closer to the cross. ?You weren?t supposed to die!? He stood emotionally naked in the morning light, hissing through gritted teeth, chest heaving. ?Jewell, our last words in this world were not kind. I wronged you. I had always intended to make amends and seek forgiveness.? He closed his eyes. Teardrops squeezed out and streaked down his cheeks.
?Skyler,? Gasher said from what seemed like a world away, ?someone?s coming.?
?I know. I feel them,? he murmured.