Chapter 54

The Moppets lay hidden nearby, anxiously waiting for the friend they had sent to negotiate with the wicked Nameless Son. Their tension reached a fever peak as they watched him return accompanied by Jabbit.

“Simmer down,” Mishok soothed. “Dat’s Jabbit; he’s Sybil’s nu boss. De Jabbit Man ‘s aight; ye can come out.”

Eight children clambered out of their hiding spots. All of them were early teens, about the same age as Mishok. The general approach of the Moppets was slow and halting but one of them, a girl, dropped off a roof overhang, landed nimbly on her feet and dashed toward Jabbit.

She enthusiastically hugged the fearsome but surprised deity. “De purdy man!” She gushed, beaming at Jabbit.

“Dat’s Isabetta,” Mishok introduced her with a smudgy grin. “We call ‘er Purdy, ‘cause she lurves all dat’s purdy.”

“Hello, Isabetta,” Jabbit greeted as he returned her hug. “I remember you, too.”

“Jabbit-Man ‘n us’re aight,” Mishok addressed the rest of his posse. “Let’s take’m to Dolberd.”

The Moppets responded to the news with excited approval and followed Mishok as he led them on their way. Isabetta, beatifically smiling at Jabbit, took his hand and then they followed as well.

“Is Dolberd the name of the merchant we’re going to visit?” Jabbit asked as they passed through the town.

“Ayep - Dolberd Bars’Wolma,” Mishok answered. “He has’a huge house on de ‘Golden Pile’. De Golden Pile ‘s where all de stuffed peeps haf dem houses. Dat’s gotta be de tricky part. Dey haf lotsa guards ‘n servants we haf’ta sneak around. Dey dunna wanna our kind on de Golden Pile.”

‘The Golden Pile’ was situated on a widespread rise on the north-eastern outskirts of Katerra. The neighborhood had a stunning view overlooking the river Ewu. As the group closed in on their destination, the buildings along the roads gradually changed from shabby huts into solidly built houses. As they progressed further, the houses morphed into splendid estates lining the paved streets. When they ascended the road to The Golden Pile, the houses were no longer visible from the street. High property walls, well-maintained gardens, and even small forests prevented viewing the homes of the very rich.

The more lavish the neighborhood became, the more Jabbit and the Moppets stood out and the more the gazes of the residents turned suspicious. Fortunately, as they reached The Golden Pile, no one looked at them anymore. The road was vacant.

“Aight, we’d got lucky,” Mishok summarized, pointing at a tall gate set in-between ten-foot-high walls and with iron spikes on top. “We’re dere.”

Mishok rang the bell which was mounted next to the closed gate. They waited and a short time later a middle-aged man appeared. He wore clothes displaying the same regalia as the emblem on the archway – a cartwheel with wings. After examining the visitors at the gate, he wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips.

“Begone, vermin,” the man expressed his thoughts.

“De Purdy-Man is not a bug,” Isabetta angrily protested, clasping Jabbit’s hand a little tighter.

“Ye be careful callin’ us names, Moulster,” Mishok warned. “Tell yer boss we bring de Jabbit-Man ‘ere.”

Moulster Var’Kren’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the young man among the street urchins. “Who is the Jabbit-Man?”

“I am; Jabbit is my name,” the purdy man answered. “My friends and I came here to talk to Dolberd Bars’Wolma.”

Stars shone in Isabetta’s sea-green eyes as she lovingly gazed at her Purdy-Man, while Mishok smugly grinned at the servant upon hearing the Jabbit-Man’s answer.

“What could someone like you tell Master Dolberd Bars’Wolma he would want to hear?” Moulster asked with indignation in his voice.

“My friends told me your master’s son is very sick,” Jabbit replied. “I will offer to heal his son if your master in return will pay us with coins.”

“You certainly don’t look like someone versed in the healing arts,” Moulster assessed. “How could you heal the Master’s son?”

“Ye dunna get it, knucklehead,” Mishok mocked. “Dat’s de Jabbit-Man! Ye peeps call’m de Nameless Son, ‘n den ye shit yer pants.”

“Purdy-Man is a god!” Isabetta agreed, filled with conviction.

The servant’s eyes widened and he regarded the young man in question anew. “Impossible, you cannot be the Nameless­­--”

He lost his voice as another witness landed on the archway to support the Moppets’ claim. When the crow spread its black-feathered wings and screeched at the sky, Moulster Var’Kren spun around and ran.

Accompanied by the laughter of his friends, Mishok rang the bell once more while they still could see the servant running away. This time it took much longer but eventually Moulster did return. He wasn’t alone; he was escorted by four, armed household guards and the master of the estate himself. When they reached the gate, the master’s gaze brushed across the Moppets, halted a moment at the crow sitting on the archway, but then focused on Jabbit and ignored anyone else.

“Open the gate,” Dolberd Bars’Wolma ordered his servants as he bowed deeply. “Welcome to my abode ... your Godhood. Please forgive me; I don’t know how to properly address a god.”

“Simply call me by my name - Jabbit,” he answered. “My new friends brought me to your home; I hope you’ll welcome them as well - or I won’t feel very welcome.”

“Yes, of course!” Bars’Wolma hastened to assure Jabbit. “I welcome you, Jabbit; you and whomever you honor by naming them your friends.” He bowed even deeper while he hissed at his servants, “Open the bloody gate, dammit.”

The servants, torn back and forth between obeying their master and bowing before a god, needed some time but finally the gate was opened. Jabbit, Isabetta clinging to his side, and eight proudly strutting Moppets entered the rich man’s estate.

Her head hung, Inandrey Danjala left the dining hall - led by Anseyla and closely guarded by Evanis. They marched in silence. When they reached Anseyla’s chambers she opened the door and dragged her mother inside. Evanis followed and closed the door.

“Spill it, mom,” Anseyla started the interrogation. “What happened last night between you and Jabbit?”

“Nothing ... really. We - we just talked--”

“No one ever ‘just talked’ to Jabbit,” Evanis interrupted.

“You can’t even look in my eyes,” Anseyla observed. “Before last night, you were able to tell the most outrageous lies without so much as a twitch of an eyelid. Today, you’re flinching, stammering, and even blushing. You tried to seduce him, didn’t you?”

“No,” Inandrey denied. “I’d never do that. Jabbit is your ... whatever he is to you ... to both of you.”

“I see; you think he is a family property and took him for a ride,” Evanis accused.

“No! We ... I ... we just talked; I swear.”

“An oath - seriously?” Evanis scoffed. “I’m sure you’ll swear by the lives of your daughters.”

“I look at your face and can see something isn’t right,” Anseyla pondered. “But I can’t put my finger on it. Take off your clothes,” she commanded. “Maybe I’ll be able to identify what’s wrong when I can see all of you.”

“What?” Inandrey gasped. “I’m your mother; you can’t order me around like--”

“You can either undress yourself or I’ll strip you,” Evanis threatened. “But if I have to strip you, I’ll rip off your clothes and you’ll have to leave naked after we’re done questioning you, mother.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Inandrey opposed.

Evanis stepped in front of her mother, grabbed and tightly held the edges of Inandrey’s dress deep neckline. “Say that again.”

Inandrey glared at her daughter. “You-would-not-dare!”

Evanis’ sharp pull tore the dress from its neckline to its waist.

Speechless, Inandrey gaped at her daughter.

Anseyla snorted. “What did you expect when you challenged Eva? Have you totally lost your smarts?” She asked. “Now get rid of the rest. I want to take a look at you.”

It was faster done than said. Another pull and the tattered dress lay at Inandrey’s feet. Frowning, Anseyla slowly circled her mother. Once she stopped and lifted Inandrey’s hair to bare the view of her neck. When she had completed the circle, the furrows in Anseyla’s brow were even deeper than before.

“Your body is perfect,” she summarized.

“Thank you,” Inandrey replied, her cheeks flushed and her gaze on the floor.

“Even the bite scar at the back of your neck is gone,” Anseyla finished her report. “I don’t understand it. Why would you ask him to remove such tiny imperfections?”

“I didn’t,” Inandrey answered rather weakly.

“Jabbit has never done anything without asking for something in return,” Anseyla stated. “You will have to pay for whatever he did for you. I hope you know that, mom.”

“No, I don’t have to pay anything,” Inandrey replied. “I ... I kind of already did.”

“I only want to know if you two fucked,” Evanis said. “If so, I know what the price will be you have to pay.”

“No-no-no!” Inandrey insisted, blushing again. “We didn’t ... fuck.”

Anseyla shook her head and sighed. “Whatever, mom; come to me when you realize you’ve made a mistake. Notice I said when not if.”

“It was no mistake,” Inandrey said.

Jabbit and the Moppets, accompanied by Master Dolberd, his guards, and his servant Moulster, walked the long path leading from the gate toward his home. First, they crossed a charming, small forest. Then they passed a lemon tree orchard and a scenic, little pond. Water lilies drifted on the surface and an exuberant rainbow trout was jumping for joy. Finally, as they passed through a large flower garden, the family residence came into the sight. It was an expansive building, its outer walls made of natural stone and the central part was three stories high.

“I guess it’s true,” Jabbit commented. “You have to be rich to own such a big home.”

“That is true,” Dolberd replied. “Although compared to my father I’m a pauper. Singold Bars’Wolma, my father, is responsible for our family fortune. Me, his son, I’m struggling to hold onto its remains. We once owned mines, quarries, and farms all over Aloria. We had many caravans and a whole fleet of trading vessels. Singold Bars’Wolma was a regular guest at the receptions of the Empress Callandrea. He was proud to be called her friend. And then the Yorak came and destroyed everything. After the murder of the imperial family and the downfall of the Empire, Aloria’s neighboring countries annexed everything we owned outside Katerra - even the ships moored in their harbors.”