Flash Fiction # 641 -- Trust

 You may not believe this, but a person can spend their entire life in the castle and in close service to the royal family and still go unnoticed.

Granted, I was only seventeen, so the 'entire life' part was limited. Even so, you would think one of them would make note of the young man who ran messages through the castle and into town. It was a position of trust.

My trust was never tested until Princess Dela began writing notes to the pirate's son. The king had Captain Vic as a guest that week.  The pirate captain had been a powerful local lord until barbarians overran his lands. So, the possibility of an alliance with the pirate, gaining the man's help in protecting our coast, and probably gaining some gold and jewels, as well. It looked promising.

We wouldn't be the first country to make such a deal.

When Dela handed me the perfumed and sealed note and told me who exactly to give it to, I knew we were in trouble.  I should have gone straight to the King.

I went to the Queen instead.

Queen Woda lives mostly in seclusion in the North Tower.  It is not punishment.  She just doesn't much care for people.

She also had more than a touch of 'sight,' which made her very powerful and dangerous when she was mad.

Queen Woda was not in the best mood when I climbed in the window, my usual way of not being seen.

"I warned him!" she shouted, shaking a dead plant at me.  I sneezed.  "Let me have it."

I didn't have to explain anything to her.  That helped.  She took the note and glared at it momentarily before handing it back to me.

"At least her grammar has improved."

Then she shook the dead plant, and I sneezed again.  I waited patiently as she made several circuits of the tower's interior.  

She shook the plant every time she passed me, and I sneezed.  I was starting to take it personally.

Then she stopped and stared at me.  "Never become a parent."

I nodded vigorously in agreement. This was the point where you agreed to anything.

"If Dela finds out I know about her affection for this boy, she'll be embarrassed and mistrusting for years.  You are going to have to deliver this note and then find a way to stop her from meeting the boy."

"How do I --"

"Out, out, out." She shoved the plant at me and then the note.  "Go do your work."

"This is not --" I began. Her gray eyes narrowed.  The plant rose over my head. "Not the window I should go out."

I scrambled out one -- I didn't care which -- and scurried down the outer wall.  The king and his guards were waiting for me.

"Note from your daughter to the pirate's son," I explained.

"Excellent. That should give his father something more to consider.  Why were you visiting my wife?"

"Because no one let me in on the plan." I dusted my hands and held out the paper. "Do I deliver this or not?"

"What does she want?" He asked with a kick at the tower.

"As far as I can tell, a good marriage for her daughter and pirate loot."

"Amazing. For the first time in our entire marriage we actually agree. What do you think of the pirate's son?"

I had not expected that question but I had a quick answer. "He seems quiet and polite, but I get the feeling there's more of his father in him than he shows."

"Good."

"It might help if we knew his name," I suggested.

"Yes, get right on that one."

He went away.  I took the note to the young man, who handed it back without opening it.

"Don't make this any harder." I shoved the note back into his hand.  "Open it, read it, and agree because that is exactly what I am going to tell the King, Queen, and Princess you did.  Then, when you don't show up, they'll all think you are a coward."

"I should care?"

"Why do you think your father brought you along?"

He snarled, but I had made my point.

"What am I supposed to do now?" he demanded.

"Answer the note.  Have a nice walk in the garden tonight, but keep in mind that there is a guard behind every tree trunk, and the queen will be watching from her tower. What is your name?"

"Wintonweorth."

"What is your nickname?"

"Dan."

"Okay, Dan.  This is how it is going to work."


At least I had a plan to share.

I spent hours sitting by my window but not looking into the garden.  I heard movement and quiet words.  Some laughter. Movement, talk, laughter: repeated again and again until I thought I would go mad.  It was not what I expected to hear.

I fell asleep in my chair and didn't wake up until dawn. Nothing sounded out of place.  I grabbed something to eat and headed into the garden.

I found Dan and Dela on my favorite bench with the snake in a basket between them.  I watched as they took turns offering it delicate morsels of food.

So, they bonded over the snake, just not in the way I had imagined.

"What did you expect?" Dela demanded as she looked at me. "That I would faint into his arms?"

"Actually, I had hoped for the opposite. No matter. It worked, right?"

"Mother was already here discussing wedding plans.  I do wish she would stop jumping ahead in the timeline."

It turned out that Dan collected flora and fauna from everywhere he went.  His father was more than happy to settle him and his collection on land.

And now all I had to worry about was Princess Nina and finding her the right husband. I just had to wait for the right message.

Flash Fiction #640 -- Spirit Animal

 Becoming the spirit animal for a human was supposed to be a reward, not a new trial to overcome. Yes, I made some mistakes off the start, but it wasn't my fault.  

According to my assignment info, which included a picture, Aren was a Captain in the King's Guard, a war hero at barely twenty years old, and a scholar.  That sounded like an exciting pairing and I accepted.

For a Spirit Animal manifestation to work, there are a couple steps to follow.  First, the aura of someone worthy of our help, touches upon our realm.  Extensive study is made of past deeds and potential actions.  

The fae get more spirit animals than humans.  They're easier to read and predict actions.  Humans have too many mental options and gray areas.  It isn't unusual for there to be only one in a million with a spirit animal to help them along.

Aren looked almost as pure as a fae.  After an eon of desk work, I jumped at the chance to go back into the field.  I wondered what his subconscious would make of me.  Lion?  Bear?  Dared I hope for a dragon?

If someone had told me that there were twins involved, I would not have bonded with the wrong one.

Maybe I was too anxious.

He took note of me, a vague shape at the edge of a plot of flowers.  I could already sense his thoughts, although they seemed odd ...

What is that? Oh, it must be a bunny!

Goddess, no! Don't let me --

I was a bunny. An enraged bunny, in fact. I gave a battle cry of power (I'll leave you to imagine that one) and charged straight at Aren.

Someone scoped me up and I found myself staring into ... Aren's face. Only Aren still sat on the bench with his book in hand.

"Is this yours, Aten?" he said with a slight sneer and held me by the back of my neck.  I was not impressed.  I also had the feeling I was in danger.

Aren, Aten.  Two of them and I had bonded with the wrong one.  Or maybe I had gotten lucky.  Aren tossed me at his brother who leaped to his feet and caught me before I landed in the thorny rose bushes.  He cradled me in his arm and patted my head.

"You are useless," Aren declared, spun on his heel, and headed back the way he had arrived.  I had the distinct impression that he couldn't remember why he was heading this way.

"That was a close one," Aten mumbled.  He gathered up the book he'd been reading.  I noted it was very old and worked with magical signs.   Well.  That might change things.

We headed into the castle via the kitchen garden and door.  Several workers looked up, nodded, and went back to work.  I had the feeling Aren wouldn't have won such a good reaction.

"He's rude to everyone," Aten said aloud.  "The only time he's happy is when he's at war or making someone's life miserable."

You can hear me.

"Mother's fault," he mumbled and fell silent as they started up a staircase. Once he was certain no one was around, he continued.  "Mother knows enough magic to be dangerous.  She wanted a super powered prince.  She didn't realize there were two of us."

Seems to be a lot of that going around.

"Aren got decisive warrior prince.  I got sensitive magical prince.  I think she read too many fairy tales growing up."

He fell silent as we made our way down a busy hallway. Harried servants nodded and smiled at Aten as we passed.  Of course, we ended up in the castle's archive and library. Aten closed the door with a sigh of relief.

Life went about the same for the next twenty days.  I transitioned from spirit animal to familiar, meaning I had a far closer relationship to Aten and could tap is magic.  I could even run a few errands, like checking up on Aren.

It didn't take long to realize that he was planning to start a war.

"Of course, he is," I said and nibbled on a carrot top that Cook Mysen had saved for me. "His only purpose in life is to win battles and rule people."

"Mother is holding him back from the second.  How do we stop a war?" Aten asked.

"I think I have a plan."

The set up took seventeen days.  Aden had to get used to seeing me out in the cage set up in the garden.  More than once he made mention of dinner and rabbit stew.  If I had been a real rabbit, I wouldn't have understood a word he said. What pleasure did he get out of it?

Aren's Raiders -- the ones no one was supposed to know were his -- kicked up enough trouble at the border to be one step from a war.  So, as he was going down the stairs for breakfast, I used a quick spell to teleport myself behind him, braced my legs and leaped, hitting him mid-back with all the force I could manage.

He screamed before he fell and broke his arm and leg.  For months he claimed his brother's rabbit had tried to kill him.  Aren didn't care that his mother said she'd been in the garden with me at the time of the accident.

His obsession with murderous bunnies lost him the support of the army. I probably didn't help by waking him in the middle of the night for conversations, and disappearing before anyone could come at his yells.

It would take some time to rebuild that trust.  They would be less likely to follow him on some odd quest, too.

Even better, in his long convalescence, Aren learned that if you are nice to servants, they'll be nice to you.  He came out of it a much better person.

Aten and I spent our time in the archives planning on how to take over the world...

Flash Fiction #639 -- True Sight

 

If I hadn't happened to be sitting on the bench that late at night, trying to sort out my runes, I wouldn't have been able to change history.

It happened this way:

Princess Santia sent to the temple for me.  It was already past sunset, but that happened sometimes. Whenever she felt uneasy in the world, she sent for her favorite diviner.

It helped that I had a true gift.

I knew her betrothed would arrive tomorrow and they would marry on the anniversary of her father's army defeating his father's troops in battle.  

I had tried to hint that it was an inauspicious choice of date for the wedding celebration. For King Telthe, Santia's father, it was a day of jubilation.  For King Cosin -- well, he had no say, having lost the battle. He didn't have to be happy about it.

The joining of the two families and the promise of joint rule of both countries was the best future any of  us could hope to see.

A shame the reading for that night didn't promise anything good.

As a member of the Sisterhood of True Seers, I dared not even whisper how bad the event would go. No one wanted to listen to me.  However, in tonight's reading, I had seen nobles on both sides taking affront at references to the battle.

Weapons drawn. Blood spilled.

The war would restart.  I saw devastation everywhere, and Santia's prince never returning to her.

By the Rules of the Temple, any of us with true powers were forbidden from giving more than hints about what we read in the runes.  The more serious the reading, the less we could say. I understood.  We could change the world by urging people into actions to counter a bad reading. That often didn't mean a better future.

I left the palace in a hurry when Santia was called away by servants.  I shoved the rune stones into their silk bag and gathered my shawl.  I didn't stop until I sat on the bench outside the temple gate.

I needed to wrap each of the runes in their own small cloth and pack them away properly. Taking unprotected runes into the temple could be dangerous.  I paused, though. It was a warm night with a slight breeze, a haze of high clouds, and a full moon.  Such an atmosphere would help clear the runes of troubling energy that had built up tonight, both from the reading and from my hasty retreat. I laid them out on the bench beside me, troubled when a couple slid into different spots.

I kept up the battle with the runes for several heartbeats until I realized they were creating a reading, and I wondered if it was meant for me.

I drew my hands back, and the runes kept moving, and I had the impression that I must ask a favor.  I had no idea of what favor I needed or whom I needed to ask.

And then Lapril walked up to the bench.

I had neither seen nor heard him nearby. That's not unusual. His work as the King's Assassin required a level of stealth that touched on magic. I had no idea what he was doing outside the temple this late at night.

"You called me?" he asked, his voice soft.

"No, I didn't," I protested. Then I looked down at the runes that still jumped and slid across the bench.  "Or maybe I did."

"They seem more active than usual."

I suppressed a hysterical laugh. "It is not a good sign. I am sorry they called --"

Ask for a favor.

"They want me to do a favor?" he said, surprising me.

"You can read the runes?"

"I can hear them."

I found that fascinating.  I wanted to ask more, but he shifted slightly, and I realized that the two of us might draw unwanted attention.  That's when I realized the favor I needed.

"Because I belong to the Temple, I abide by their rules.  I cannot tell you why I want this done. I can only ask that you trust me.  I would not do this for a minor reason."

Lapril looked at me and then at the runes I was trying to catch and put away.

"I trust you."

"First, I do not want you to kill anyone."

Lapril gave a sigh of relief.  I told him the basics of what I needed and let him work out the details.  There wasn't much time.

By evening the next day, I knew Lapril had succeeded.

King Cosin and his party had stopped for the night at the last caravansary before the city.  They would have arrived midday, but instead, a messenger delivered the tale of a goat on the roof and the area over the king's table collapsing onto his group.

There were no serious injuries.  Even the goat survived, although there was still some question of how it got up there.

King Cosin broke his leg and couldn't travel for at least ten days and probably more.  King Telthe sent supplies and gifts, and made certain they wanted for nothing.  He even went to visit.  
 
By the time they arrived,  the kings were fast friends.  The wedding took place ten days later with as much pomp and festivities as could be managed. I even danced with Lapril, much to the delight of Santia and her mother.  Lapril seemed to enjoy it as well.

At the end of the dance, I quietly thanked him for his help.  Lapril had a nice smile.

At midnight, I gave Santia a reading and could promise her everything bright and beautiful I had hoped to see in the previous reading.  This time there was no doubt.

Well, there was the problem with their future children, but I had time enough to figure that one out.  I trusted it would not require an assassin this time.

Flash Fiction #638 Neko's Trip Home/18

 

Maybe we should have discussed it before Colin opened a portal and dragged us through it.  Not that I wanted to stay, but a lot of the trouble had been connected with us.  It was not exactly our fault, but it was present because we had shown up.

So maybe the trouble would disappear along with us.  I was aware that Colin had also brought Dorian, Luna, and Shosha into the portal. A good thing.  I would have insisted we return and get them, although I suspect Dorian could have managed to follow without our help.

Colin had found the nearest portal and used a fascinating and dangerous spell to yank us straight to it and into the vortex. I thought Avesa made a sound of surprise, and I am sure I heard Dorian make a sound of protest.  That did not improve my state of mind.  

This portal was filled with whispers and faces that came and went with powerful eddies of colorful magic. I saw scenes from our recent adventures.  Giant Shosha was the worst.  However, I also saw places, people, and things I'd never seen in my life.

I realized that meant the adventures were far from over.  I don't know why that made me happy.  I guess I am not as sane as I thought. And maybe I hadn't lost my cat attitude.

Then everything went dark and still.  Colin held tight to me, and I feared we were lost.

"Ah. There." Colin turned a little bit.

The darkness gave way to gold and blue. A warm breeze blew across my face, and I could smell the sea. I landed in the sand with Colin beside me.  Dorian, Luna, and Shosha dropped out of the portal just behind us.

For a few heartbeats, I worried about everyone we had left behind, especially those children.  Maude might still be around there.

However, they did have Avesa.

And I was at Malibu!

"Getting us here was a neat trick," Dorian admitted.  "I didn't even feel you building up power, let alone opening a portal."

"As soon as I found the portals on that world, I tied myself to one and keyed it for here," Colin explained.  He waved his hand and they were all better clothed for the beach rather than rain and snow.  "I just waited for the right time to duck out. I have complete faith that Avesa can handle any more trouble.  If not, I will know."

"I do like this better," Luna admitted.  "But should we have left them? They might need our help faster than you can get us there, Colin."

"It is more likely we'll need theirs," Dorian replied. He shook a blanket out over the sand and sat down. "Let's take advantage of the peace and the better weather while we can."

Dorian had not been holding the blanket a heartbeat before. It was great to have things back to normal.

"I suspect Maude will come after us," Colin added.

"Tomorrow, I will head back to the Faelands," Dorian said.  He looked exhausted. I thought he deserved more than a single night's rest.  All of us did.

We staked out our spot in the sun.  None of us were talkative, and I spent some time watching the surfers. It looked like fun until someone spotted a shark, and they all headed for the shore and waited for the all-clear. No, I wasn't interested in swimming with the sharks.

The beach remained busy but no one did more than nod in our direction and we returned the friendly greeting. We had pizza for lunch, and then we all napped in the warm sun.

I couldn't remember the last time we had such calm.

It continued to stay calm, too.  That part I did not trust.  We couldn't have simply walked away from the trouble with nothing following us. We had been magnets for trouble from our first meeting.

I'd had trouble before that, though.

I was almost ready to tell Colin to send me back to the bookstore and leave me there, away from all this madness. As much as I hated being trapped in the building, I really missed the calm.

Then I looked over at Shosha and realized she might never have been saved without me. I hadn't merely tagged along. I had helped.

While the others taught Shosha about the various types of pizza, I took a walk down the beach to annoy some gulls.

Instead, I ran into a penguin.

Really, ran into him.  A huge emperor penguin who had just suddenly appeared in front of me.

This could not be good.

"Oh, there you are," the penguin said, leaning over me. I took a half dozen steps back. He ambled forward. "I have been looking all over for you. I was told you were on the beach.  Do you have any  idea how much beach there is?"

"A lot," I offered.

He nodded vigorously.  No one else noticed him, which made it apparent that he must be a being of magic. My friends would take notice soon, right? This wasn't normal.

Well, not typical for most of the world.  

"Why are you looking for me?" I dared to ask and prepared to run. Going for the ocean wasn't a good plan. Penguins can swim well.  Better than me. Besides, there were still the sharks.

"Why am I here?" he asked and looked startled.  "I thought it was obvious."

"Not so I noticed."

He stood up straighter and then had to lean far over to look me in the face.

"I am your spirit animal!"

The End ... for now.

Flash Fiction #637 -- Neko's Trip Home/17

 

Avesa was not human. She wasn't fae, either. I only now realized she was a manifestation of nature.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Avesa was a nature Goddess. I couldn't imagine how Maude got hold of her, but it was plain Dorian was having trouble just trying to help her. Everything went bright and loud. The birds screamed and would soon attack.

She still had hold of me. There was only one thing I could do. I had warned her.

I twisted, turned, clawed my way free of her arms, and scrambled up high enough to bite her on the nose.

I had warned her.

The bite startled her and shorted out the surge of magic growing in her. It dissipated, and Dorian stumbled away into Luna's hold.

I wanted to be there, too, but Avesa had too tight of a hold on me. I had stopped her surge of rage, but the despair grew stronger. Children wept. Ogres howled. Both fae went to their knees.

Luna cursed and ran straight at us.

I was not the only one surprised. Colin tried to say something, but it was gibberish. Or maybe a hamster. Avesa squeaked.

I don't know what Luna thought she could do --

She grabbed me out of Avesa's hold.

"How dare you hurt Neko after all he's done to help you and the others! Now stop it. You are upsetting the children!"

I looked to see the children huddled together and still weeping. A glance around showed no sign of Maude in any form. Her slaver partner had slipped away and now the ogres took off running. The hawks had taken refuge in a nearby building and didn't look inclined to come back down.

A couple owls landed on a building opposite the hawks. They didn't make me feel any safer from the hawks.

It was the lack of Maude that bothered me most, though. I wanted to --

What? Stop her? If we did, what happened elsewhere?

"We can't stop her," I said aloud, my voice steadier than expected. "Not in any permanent way. We can't know what we might change. We can free the others she has trapped, but she's jumping around her own timeline. What if we disrupt it?"

We all gathered around -- but not too near -- Avesa. She contemplated the situation as she looked at the children. I wondered what would happen to them.

"The despair is gone," Avesa said, and I could sense that truth, even if I couldn't figure much else out. She looked around again and gave a decisive nod. "I have questions still. Where is Maude? How did she get control of me?"

"How did she get hold of so many of us?" I dared to ask. "Even without Avesa, it showed an amount of power she'd never had when I was her familiar. Maude was good at casting curses but not very good with powerful spells."

"I suspect everyone trapped was more cursed than under a spell," Colin replied. "Even you, Neko."

"I'm not going argue about that one," I told Colin. "And besides, we still have the remnants of despair and rage. Maude must have an ally, and I don't mean that blob of a man who came with her here. I don't like the idea of her teamed with something powerful. Something that must have its own reasons for what it helps Maude do."

The two fae nodded and then so did Avesa.

I wanted to say that it was time to go home. I'd had enough adventure for all nine lives and then some. But there were still too many loose ends, the most obvious ones sitting on the other side of the fountain looking scared.

"I am going to settle in this fascinating city," Avesa announced with a wave toward the buildings. "If all of you agree, I will take in the children and find them homes and futures."

I wanted to jump up and down shouting yes. I kept quiet. The humans and such had to work this out. There are times when even cats need to know when to stay silent.

They soon clarified the details and included the older children in the conversation. The fox who had led us into this mess -- oh yes, I had kept an eye on him -- still looked shocked and maybe dismayed at what had happened. He might still believe the entire world would soon fall apart because we had stepped in to save the children.

I would have been unsettled if I believed what he did, but the fox was a bit over the top. When a breeze stirred up a few leaves, he jumped like a kitten on his first trip outside. I glanced at the leaves and back -- and the fox was gone.

My reaction was probably much like his at the blowing leaves. My ears went back, my eyes narrowed, and I stared where he had been -- which happened to be straight into the wind.

Cold wind.

I was the first to see the snow, although the others noted the cold and tried to decide what to do with the children.

"I have had it!" I yowled with enough force that everyone looked at me in shock. "Snow! "Why can't we hold this meeting at a nice warm beach where I can chase seagulls? Why does there have to be snow?"

"Too much magic," Dorian explained. I started to say something rude. "I am serious. Most magic disrupts nature. Even if we all moved this discussion to Malibu, chances are that it would snow there, as well."

"I am doomed," I whispered. I batted at a large snowflake.

"But here is the good news," Colin added. "We are done talking."

"And now?" I dared to ask, ignoring the snowflake on my nose.

"Now we go back to our vacation," he replied. He picked me up. "And we wait for Maude."