Part 4 of 4.
Metamor Keep: Bearing the Wolf-Touched
by Charles Matthias
May 16, 708 CR
The excitement from the dragon's visit did not
dwindle with Pharcellus's departure for Metamor.
Rather it shifted from the lake to the Glen
Commons so there would be more room for Lindsey
to move about as he entertained the children and
young at heart. After draping a blanket across
his back to cover the spines he allowed the
children to climb atop him two-by-two; he made a
slithering circuit about the upper commons,
jostling the children between his wings enough to
make them squeal in delight but no more. To the
amazement of all the parents, Lindsey seemed to
have as much energy as their own children and
kept the same frenetic pace well into the afternoon.
By early evening everyone was exhausted and while
children fell asleep in their parents laps, Glen
families clustered in a wide circle on the
Commons to listen to the dragon tell a tale from
distant Arabarb filled with heroic warriors freeing their home from a tyrant.
Garigan took a break from helping Charles ponder
all the preparations necessary for their journey
to Sondeshara to listen for a time to the young
dragon who was once a woman of Arabarb and a man
of Metamor. The gray-furred ferret had never
known Lindsey as anything other than one of the
timber crews and had never heard him tell a tale
before. Either he'd possessed a hidden talent or
dramatic embellishment was innate to dragons as
not only were the children mesmerized by the
cadence of words and the sinuous motion of head,
neck, tail, and forelegs, but Garigan too felt
spellbound, heart trembling in rage at the
depredations of Calephas and cheering at the
heroic efforts of Alfwig, Elizabaeg, Gerhard, and
Jarl, as well as Keeper birds Quoddy, Lubec, and
Machias, and of course Pharcellus his unknown
older brother. Even the Lutin Yajgaj, who at
first Garigan had thought to be an enemy, turned
into a friend by the tale's end.
The men of the Glen cheered when the tale was
over as well as the children who had not fallen
asleep. Lindsey sat upon his haunches and bowed
his front half, chin a mere claw's breath from
the ground, purple-flecked golden eyes bright in
the forest sun, and vermilion touched gray scales
shimmering in the dancing light of the early
evening's first lanterns. Garigan applauded him
before trudging back to the Matthias home to
avoid being swept up in another adventure.
There he found Charles, James, Gibson, and Baron
Avery all seated and sharing mugs of cider
long-grown cold. They spoke without hurry and
after the boisterous applause, it felt a whisper
tickling his ears without words. In one corner of
the room he saw Jerome crouched on all fours with
lupine haunches and human arms and face; his eyes
were shut and the lines of Calm were etched upon his scarred countenance.
Garigan felt a swell of fury in his breast. This
good man had been corrupted and there was nothing
Charles could do for him. Garigan could feel the
wounds and the change in his fellow Sondecki, and
there seemed to him some inkling of what needed
to be done, but no matter how he pondered it the
answer did not come to him. So much of how to use
the Sondeck, once he practiced Charles's
training, revealed itself to him without effort. But not this.
On their way up the hillside from the lake,
Charles had asked Lindsey a few questions about
how much of a beast Jerome had become. The
dragon's reply had been reserved so only those
closest could hear: He has good days and bad. He
will eat, drink, and sleep as a man should for a
few days, and then he will do the same as a wolf
the next. He returns ashamed of the wolf and
ashamed he tried to deny it. He is at his
happiest when he is both. We hoped you could help him...
Jerome had come into the Matthias home without
complaint and even eaten some food as a man
should. But of the cup of cider Charles offered,
Jerome could not seem to use it right and ended
up setting it on the wood floor and lapping it
up. Even the memory of it felt a stab wound.
Garigan would find no peace until he helped Jerome be a man again.
Ah, Garigan, welcome back, Baron Avery said,
smiling over the top of his cup. The squirrel's
dark eyes glimmered in the dance of witchlights.
Are the dragon's tales finished?
I think he is starting a new one. He's very
good, I didn't expect I would listen so long.
Charles turned and favored the ferret with a
broad smile. I'd wager he's taking lessons from
Pharcellus. Now there's a dragon who makes me
feel boring! James brayed in laughter while the
rest chuckled; all of them had enjoyed a
breathless and long tale or three from the rat. How are the children?
Kimberly and Baerle are keeping yours from
climbing on Lindsey. He let his gaze slip to the
frog, Bertram's sleeping in your wife's lap. He
then returned to his liege. And your boys were
having a contest to see who could stuff the most nuts into their cheeks.
Baron Avery beamed and then laughed. Look at us.
We delight in the beastly things our children do
and even pride ourselves on our tails and coats
of fur, excepting you, Gibson, and yet we fear it
in others and hatch grand schemes to rescue
them. He glanced at Jerome but the black-furred
ears did not move and his face did not flicker.
Garigan knew Jerome was deep in his Calm; he would not hear anything they said.
It is different, Charles pointed out, whiskers
twitching with effort, even as he lowered a hand
to stroke along his long, scaly tail. Tails and
fur for us are part of our flesh, but they do not
strip away our souls. Touch them, aye, and we may
carry them even beyond death if we so love them.
But we still reason, even those of us who choose
to live and work as the Curses wished to make us.
Avery glanced at the half-wolf man and his
expression soured. I see what you mean. Still,
Sir Matthias, you are a knight of the Glen. You
have responsibilities here. You have sworn
obligations which cannot be neglected. I could order you to remain here.
The rat nodded and sipped his cider. Weariness
filled his eyes and frame, but his voice remained
strong. Aye, and I would obey. My disobedience
brought this fate to my friend and I would not
compound it by further disobedience. But I beg
this boon of you, milord. Jerome needs to go to
Sondeshara, and I must return with him if I have
any hope of fulfilling my obligations to you, to the Narrows, and to the Glen.
As you have explained, Baron Avery nodded,
running a claw along the rim of his cup. But
before I grant this boon, and I do wish to grant
it, I need to know how you intend to see those
obligations filled in your absence.
I've been pondering it from the very moment I
laid eyes upon my friend. The rat stopped, sat
up a bit on the couch and turned back to Garigan
who still stood a few paces inside the doorway.
Forgive me, Garigan, please join us. Would you care for some cider to drink?
Gibson shifted a little closer to the Baron and
Garigan settled down next to him, tail flicking
to one side as he sat. Thank you, Master, but
no. Have you decided anything yet?
To answer both of your questions, some of what I
hope to do depends on the answer Pharcellus
brings. I am seeking the aid of Archduke Sutt. He
has the financial means to transport my family
and Jerome to Sondeshara and back again; I
believe he will be interested in the voyage as it
will provide him opportunities to strengthen his
position in Sutthaivasse and Metamor. And there
are other reasons I have asked him but they are for my wife and I alone.
And if he declines? Avery pressed.
Charles shrugged and took a long sip of his
cider. The cup empty he set it aside and slumped
back into the feather cushions. I do not know
but we will find some way. There are others who I
can beg favors from to help pay our way. And I
will ask Lindsey and Pharcellus to accompany us
so we will have the protection of two dragons;
they alone should intimidate all but the most stalwart of enemies.
James's ears lifted, surprise in his eyes. I
will go with you, Charles. You know you can rely
on me to be at your side and help.
Charles offered the donkey a fond smile. The
rat's eyelids lowered though he struggled to keep
them open. Thank you, my friend, but I am sorry.
I need you here to watch over the Narrows. James
flecked his lips, startled at the rejection, but
before he could say anything, Charles turned to
the squirrel noble and said, Milord Avery, James
is the one man in all of the Glen I trust to act
as Steward for my fief in my absence. He has been
there with me many times already and knows my
hopes and plans for the land. You will find no
better defender of my rights than he.
Turning back to the donkey, Charles forced
himself to stand and extended a hand toward his
friend. James, good and faithful friend, I offer
to you the office of Steward over my house from
this day and until you breathe your last. I
entrust to you power over all my affairs in my
absence and I grant you authority to act in my
name. I ask his grace, Baron Brian Avery, and my
friends Garigan and Gibson to witness.
The donkey stared at him for several seconds,
before glancing at Baron Avery, Gibson, and
Garigan in turn; he met only encouragement in
their beastly faces. The shock left his eyes and
his lips slackened, ears drooping for a moment
before lifting up to their full height. The
donkey stood, clopped two paces to stand before
his friend, and knelt, taking the offered hand in
his own. I accept the office of Steward to your
house, Sir Matthias. I will serve your family all
my life with honor. I will keep your lands until you return.
Rise my friend, Charles said with a broad rat's
smile and tugged on the donkey's hand until he
did so. You may have the office of Steward, but
you are first and foremost my friend. I wish I
could have you at my side on this journey, and
you will be dearly missed until the day I set paw
in this beautiful land again.
And we witness your office this day, James,
Steward of the Narrows. Lord Avery stood and
placed a hand on the donkey's shoulder. Congratulations on this honor.
Gibson and Garigan stood to offer him their own
congratulations. Garigan felt nothing but pride
in the donkey who had won his master's earnest
trust. James appeared a trifle embarrassed from
the attention and after each had given him their
support, they all found their seats again. James
fidgeted a bit in his seat, ears folded down
against his mane and eyes more focused on his
snout than anything else. Charles almost fell
into his seat, the sigh of exhaustion hidden
beneath the chinking of chain mail he still bore.
Still, the rat managed to gesture with one arm
between his friends and said, James knows all of
my plans for the Narrows, and Gibson has been of
inestimable help in forming those plans. My Long
Scout pay should be used to begin clearing some
of the forest and building a road. Gibson, I
recommend speaking with my fellow rat Julian of
Metamor to transport supplies we need from the
Keep. I fear it will be some years yet before we
can make the land profitable, but I trust my
friends will think of ways Garigan...
He did not let his master finish, I will be
coming with you to Sondeshara, Master.
Charles's eyes widened for a moment, but the
weariness was stronger and brought them low
again. A smile crept along the rat's snout, one
of pride. Aye, Garigan. You must come. You are
Sondecki and there you will find what you need.
Are you prepared to leave your home behind,
possibly for the rest of your days?
The question gave him pause and his eyes stole to
Baron Avery. Guilt touched his heart as he met
the squirrel's gaze. It took several seconds
before he found the words he needed. I hope to
return; this is my home and I am ready to die to
protect it. But if I must stay by your side in
Sondeshara, I will do so without regret. He only
hoped the words were as true as he meant them to be.
And he could not help reflecting on them as
Gibson and James told Baron Avery of the plans
that Charles had made for the Narrows. The ferret
let his eyes trail across the tree rings in the
ceiling above them, and all the little touches
that made this home the Matthias home in the
woodlands of the Glen. He remembered a time when
Glen Avery was like any other town of Metamor
Valley with wooden homes, thatch roofs, and stone
walls, with the trees used only for the scouts.
Now the trees were their homes, whether high up
in the branches, in the midst of their sinew as
fashioned by magic, or in burrows beneath the roots.
He loved what had become of his home. Though he
had regained some level of comfort in a city like
Metamor, his heart yearned for the forest and the
simpler life of the woodland village. He knew the
names of all but the most recent arrivals from
Bradanes or from southern fiefs and while there
were some whose company he could not abide, they
were all still Glenners and thus his kin.
Still, those who had lived dearest in his heart
were all gone. His father and mother and all his
siblings died in Nasoj's first attack when he was
just ten years. With the many other orphans he
spent the next few years growing, learning, and
training to be a scout for the Glen. The girl he
had a crush on, Shelley, became a boy even as he
became a ferret when they both turned thirteen.
In Nasoj's second attack, his best friend
Shelley, the only one who'd ever been able to
calm his temper, was slain before he could return to help.
Could he truly leave this home and never return?
He lifted his eyes and saw that his master had
finally fallen asleep. How anyone could fall
asleep while wearing chain mail he hoped never to
know. Garigan did wonder why Charles seemed so
exhausted as he'd never shown a proclivity for
sleeping during the day, but his thoughts were
interrupted by a loud whump outside so heavy it
made the couch tremble beneath him. He, Gibson,
and Baron Avery stood up to stare out the open
door he'd left it open as it was such a
pleasant day at a familiar gray-scaled dragon.
A trio of sea birds landed next to him even as
Pharcellus's shape blurred and shrank. They could
all take on a feral shape and so the sight of a
creature transforming was nothing new. But they
had never seen the red-haired human guise
Pharcellus had fashioned for himself. And as he
shrank, the three birds swelled to a more human posture as if his mirror.
Together, they entered the Matthias home, the
young man who was a dragon beaming with delight.
Pharcellus, Baron Avery said, his voice
cracking for a moment as he gathered his
composure. What news do you bring from Metamor?
Good news, noble squirrel! Pharcellus offered
with a sudden pirouette. Yon archduke of the
flamboyant gesture has agreed to charter a vessel
for the great voyage to Sondeshara and back! It
will be a vessel befitting his station and the
gravity of the mission, or so he claims with verve a dragon can admire.
And he offered us jobs as messengers and
lookouts during the voyage, the gull proclaimed
with delight before realizing they were strangers
in the Matthias home. Oh, do forgive me, but my
name is Quoddy and these are my brothers...
Charles jumped from the couch, eyes wide with
fright as one hand grasped at his throat and the
other reached for a sword no longer on his
buckler he'd removed it on returning home hours
past. From his throat erupted a scream more
rodent's squeak than human voice. Shattered
manacles! A pool of crystal! Coming! He's coming!
And then just as suddenly he collapsed back onto
the couch, clawing at his neck and whimpering.
James, sitting next to him, was there first, with
Garigan only a moment behind, each grasping the
rat from either side. Charles! James snapped,
throttling his shoulder with a firm shake. Charles! Wake up!
The rat's eyes blinked open again and he managed
to still his hands. He took several deep breaths
before finding his voice again. He did not smile,
but there was gratitude in his dark eyes. I am well. It was a dream.
A nightmare! James exclaimed. Manacles? A crystal pool?
More than a dream, the rat admitted after
another deep breath. Baron Avery and Gibson stood
ready to offer help, while Pharcellus kept his
place in the doorway. The three birds stayed
close to the dragon looking at each other unsure
what to do. It was a memory and a vision.
Charles pushed himself to his feet. Garigan and
James helped him stand; neither left his side.
The rat turned to face the corner of the room in
which Jerome sat on his haunches. His face had
distended into a lupine snout, though his arms
remained mostly human. Golden eyes peered at the
rat, ears lifted and tail straight behind him.
The jaws parted and a growling whine came forth;
Garigan wasn't sure how he knew, but Jerome, even
through the beast, was worried about his brother Sondecki.
I am sorry, my friend, but there is another who
I must go to help first. He's coming soon. I must
be in Metamor in five day's time if I am to help.
What are you talking about? Baron Avery asked.
Charles turned his scarred, right eye toward the
squirrel. Something I learned before I woke that
night... something I learned after being freed,
milord. There are two I must help. Jerome is one. The second is coming soon.
But what of Archduke Malger? He has agreed to
help us, Garigan asked even as he felt a tremble
stir his fur. There was no need for Charles to
elaborate which night he spoke of from what he'd been freed.
He has? 'Tis a relief to hear it. We've much
still to plan and prepare before we join him at
Metamor, but I must precede you for this other's
sake. You are all my friends. I couldn't help him
before. I'm the only one who might understand his
anguish. Charles waved his hands and settled
back down on the couch. No more questions,
please. If you wish to know, stay and I will tell
you of him, and how I nearly became as chained as he.
The black cormorant hopped forward on his legs
and in a timorous voice asked, Do you mean, a
slave to another's will, Sir Matthias?
Slave, plaything, and more. But I ask each of
you who wish to hear this to swear never to speak
of it again. If you do not wish to hear, then you
should depart because if I do not speak it now I
will not have the courage to help him.
Garigan bent forward as only a ferret could and
gripped the rat's shoulder. We will never
abandon you, Master. Never. And we will never break this vow to you.
Never, James repeated with a firm nod.
Avery and Gibson both nodded. To my death I
shall carry it, the squirrel tapped his fist to
his chest, a grim smile revealing his incisors.
All three birds chorused their assent with a similar gesture of wing to breast.
Pharcellus was the last, his smile one of
sympathy yet eager like a boy for a promised
treat. This would not be the first tale I have
sworn to never let pass my tongue. You have my word as well, O Knight Rat!
Charles breathed a happy sigh and lifted his
empty cup. Then let us all share something more
to drink and I will begin. Come my friends,
listen and I will tell you of the Hound of Revonos!
----------
This story directly precedes Hallan's recent
story Homecoming in case you hadn't figured it
out! I hope the dear lion does not mind. :-)
May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,
Charles Matthias
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