Chapter 2

“Tharin and Coven can enter, but that’s it for now,” Swarta instructed the tower guards.

“Add Sparrow and his father, Tassim. We don’t want to leave out the town crier nor the royal huntsman,” I corrected.

“As you command,” the tower guard answered in a formal tone, before moving next to the other guard blocking the open door.

I deposited my staff, backpack and gravity board in the corner of the room. The chattering of the servant women were a combination of high-pitch squeals and the fast rush of words that a waterfall couldn’t keep pace with; the tower women seemingly splashed questions in all directions. The babies they carried cried at first, but immediately settled down. It was the strangest, warmest and happiest set of feelings that washed over me when I realized all the babies were looking at me.

“They know their father is home,” Palus offered, a tear of happiness on her cheek.

I rushed the baby-cuddling women and gave each of them a quick peck on the lips, and then turned to fussing over each of my children, one after the other. Swarta talked with more of the concubines that ran down the stairs, intercepting them before they could throw themselves at me. Laudus joined in to help settle the commotion, giving the newcomers directions to go prepare a feast, once they had their “welcome back” kiss. It was a riotous greeting and we all carried broad smiles. It was true magic and time quickly passed. Before we knew it, the children needed feeding and changing, so the wet nurses disappeared upstairs with their charges, giving the main floor more space for the rest of us. Hazel seized the moment and entangled her hands in my hair, pulling our lips together again. Celine was hot on her heels, all grins.

“Tharin!” Celine cried out, causing all of us to turn to the front door.

He slid quite naturally through the gap in the crowd and the guards, shouting “Von!”

Celine broke her mother’s grip and separated us, allowing my friend a chance to get close. He gripped both of my forearms in a greeting as warriors do, just looking at me and shaking his head.

“You had me worried,” Tharin said, in hushed tones. “We looked everywhere for you.”

Coven’s throaty laugh announced his presence behind Tharin, hinting his lack of surprise in seeing me. “I told the town you were one tough wizard, and not to count you out like the rest of us mere mortals.”

Tharin grabbed Coven and pulled him into our midst. We hugged and laughed about being together again. They were my right and left arm when it came to running the town.

“We’ve been through tough times, but that was the scariest.” I confessed. “I thought my time was up when that witch continued to cut me up with her poisonous blade.”

At that inconvenient moment, Tassim, the old hunter that had trained our women in archery, ran into the room. He dodged a guard’s hand that had attempted to slow him down; the royal huntsman slid across the floor in a one-knee move, respectfully bowing his head.

“My Lord Wolf,” he puffed, out of breath while kneeling before us.

“Don’t be like that Tassim,” Swarta scolded. “You’re family in our tower.”

“As you say, my lady,” the old man answered, staying down on his knee. “I failed to find my Lord for you. I would hear his punishment first.”

I pulled him up, none too kindly. “Don’t be ridiculous, you don’t have wings to fly. You couldn’t follow where they took me. You and your son will never need to bend your knees to me. That is, unless Swarta says so.”

His grim face turned into a smile at the joke. Coven snorted a few times humorously; as a married man he understood the dry humor. Tharin just shook his head at the silly notion, while Celine and Swarta smiled at each other in approval. Some of the women, like Grimm, gasped at the implications of my words about flying. I could see one of the guards heard me, turning his head to see me better from the doorway. It didn’t matter that he could overhear us; if we had wanted it truly private we’d have closed the door.

Tassim stuck out his meaty hand for me to shake, but I wrapped him in a bear hug. “It’s good to see you old friend. How is Sparrow doing?”

“He is a bit withdrawn, Lord Solon. My son blames himself from not saving you from those women.”

“That’s nonsense,” Tharin interjected, “he’s but a lad. No one casts a bad eye his way.”

“Sparrow looks up to his master, and to see him taken in the manner it occurred...” Tassim’s voice trailed off. “The three playmates led the snake witch to our master.”

“I’ll set the record straight on that account,” I announced. “She was a powerful witch who influenced their minds. None of the children are at fault.”

“We have talked to them about it, but Sparrow is still remorseful,” Swarta added.

Turning the tables on the old archer, Coven asked him how well things had been run during the crisis. It surprised him, turning his mind from his troubled thoughts and his despondent son. Tassim rubbed the side of his head considering how to respond in the face of the leadership of the town. He looked at me, calculating what I’d want to hear. There was no fear or real awkwardness radiating from Tassim, just thoughtfulness and a long sigh. It was an unfair question, but Coven knew how to maneuver someone from a funk. Tassim was honest and wouldn’t turn from potential trouble. He was an honorable man.

Laudus stepped to Tassim’s side. “We have talked about this over the passing of the ten days you were gone. Haven’t we Tassim?”

Tassim just nodded silently, letting Laudus talk for him. “We both agreed Swarta’s enlightened resolve never wavered. In both the upper town and lower town, she made countless rounds reconciling the ring leaders of gossip and their contending factions.”

Tassim added, “Lady Swarta cajoled, strong-armed and dickered with people who wanted to know how our settlement would be led.”

Laudus put an arm on Tassim’s shoulder and looked at him. “Both of us were amazed how she stamped out concerns with her conviction you weren’t dead. Our Lady mobilized the concubines to be her mouth pieces when needed, giving her a greater ability to disable any potential for building discontent, particularly from guest workers in the shipyard.”

“She was masterful,” Tassim interrupted.

Laudus grabbed Palus’s arm and pulled her forward. “And this one shared your instructive stories that reassured them that our community had the strength to get through the crisis. We wanted equality, liberty and personal freedoms continued.”

Palus and Swarta blushed at the high praise. Tassim straightened up and puffed out his chest with pride. Tharin jumped in and added that Swarta and Coven thwarted the new Galit’s pernicious reach. The high chief of the marsh tribes in the region had tried to draw our trained craftsmen into the bosom of his village in the Great Swamp. Tharin concluded on that grim note.

I felt a little disheartened to hear a friendly neighbor would take a stab at the heart of our workforce so soon after my disappearance. However, I understood his motivation. Our people made our community valuable real estate and prosperous. It was a gaffe I’d remind him of when I needed a favor.

My heart poured love and happiness into Swarta’s eyes. She saw the look, gazing at me meaningfully; her enigmatic smile quickly formed. Swarta gracefully slipped into my open arms.

“Lord Solon, the town crier is here, but he seems reluctant to enter,” the guard called out.

Sensing my mood, Swarta took my left hand in hers while breaking free from the hug to stand at my side.

“Sparrow, come in here!” I shouted with good humor.

Sparrow’s flushed face popped into view, but his body remained hidden behind the wooden wall. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the excited scene. He looked anxious and unbelieving when his gaze swept upon me.

His father waved him in, and then called out, “Don’t keep your master waiting.”

The pre-teen plodded into the tower with his staff, dragging each foot forward with difficulty, as if he were facing the wrath of an executioner.

“Sparrow, don’t be like that. You’re a hero who slew a wicked enemy and saved his Lord from destruction,” I embellished, which quickly killed his fear.

He rushed to me with open arms and a flood of tears. “Oh Lord Solon, I thought you were dead and it was my fault.”

He wept. We let him. Swarta and I surrounded him in our comforting hugs.

Celine joined in our hug, hushing him, “Now, now, we’re all safe and back together. Our family is whole, not lost. Your master is proud of you. Do not fear that he is disappointed, for he has told us you were brave and steadfast.”

Celine’s maturity surprised me; she wasn’t that much older than Sparrow.

“Truly, you’re proud of me?” Sparrow asked between gulps of air, gripping me tighter.

“True, and in my backpack is your reward. They come from an incredible distance, and no one will doubt the value of your treasure or my love for you,” I said with an intense appreciation and heartfelt emotion. “Your arrows were true and stayed the witch’s next blow, the killing blow. Your actions gave my rescuers enough time to heal me.”

“The strange women weren’t with the assassin?” Sparrow’s father asked.

For the briefest moment, Sparrow’s mouth gaped, frozen in an “O.” He held my eyes; I knew he was remembering his last stand and his attack upon them.

“Sparrow, let’s not worry about what was done, but focus on why it was done. We will talk about everything tomorrow,” I warned, while thinking “You’ll see Kate tomorrow when she joins us.”

Sparrow dropped that train of thought, but the worry didn’t leave his face. I pointed at my backpack against the corner wall. “Why don’t you bring that over here and we’ll get right to your present.”

He grinned and rushed to the pack, quickly dragging it back to us. In the commotion we saw Palus forcefully parting the tower guard’s spears, which had been crossed in an “X” to block access to the front door. The guards had their back to us, so Palus startled them and they objected in surprise. My wife snapped a command and bid Mistress Aberdeen into the tower with young children.

“We will not hold Aberdeen out here when her protector is within the tower,” Palus barked at the guard. “Do you not think your commander’s woman is welcome when he is present?”

“My orders...”

“Have changed,” Palus concluded, turning her back to the guard. When inside she closed the door in frustration. “Some people can’t think for themselves,” she mumbled. “We can’t think of everything when giving instructions.”

Sparrow ignored the fuss and handed me the backpack. I followed his lead and ignored what happened too. Mistress Aberdeen just smirked at me and slid next to Tharin who kissed her. The two young girls slipped to Sparrow’s side, checking out what he was doing. They were always following Sparrow like his shadow. I wondered if that would hold true when they reached puberty. The girls bunched together and whispered to each other, carefully checking me out. The last time they’d seen me was in the woods with the assassin.

The room held their breaths as the zipper opened. It was such a common day device but they collectively gasped at the binding edges opening the flexible material of the bag. The room’s buzz about the magical bag ended when I pulled three silver wrist bands out, and then raised them high.

“Sparrow and his two special friends will forever remember the influence of the witch, and perhaps struggle with that day’s awful memory. It’s only natural they would need to share their private thoughts with one another, nothing and no one should bar their way,” I declared to my perplexed audience, while snapping the communications bands around each of their wrists. “Where I come from it is common for a family unit to use these wrist bands or something like them. The family will never be separated by time or distance.”