Chapter 6

I was startled when I received a message less than a month later that I was to appear before the King. There was the usual blah-blah of formalities, but what was really meant was that the King or somebody on his Council did not think that I was the proper master for Blakeslee Keep. Hell, if things took the worst possible turn, I could lose my head over this! Father agreed with me that something peculiar was going on.

This was serious enough that I needed to consult with Granny Eltman. I blew my whistle and there she was. I explained what had happened and asked her opinion. I did not need her advice: I had no choice but to appear before the King on the appointed day.

"Sir Geoffrey, I had no idea that events would move this swiftly. When I asked my friends to find out what the King might be up to, I did not press them to hurry with the information. I expected that it would take at least a year for the situation to get this far. I have not heard anything, and I had better build a fire under their fundaments to rush them to action. Do not worry; you will hear from me within a few days or I may need to find some new friends. This situation is approaching the ridiculous." She bowed and was gone, but I could tell that she was upset!

There was nothing else that I could do but prepare to make the trip. I called in Steward Simp, the Steward for Blakeslee Keep, and told him the situation. He was to begin preparations immediately for my trip. I told him to expect Lady Armbrewster (Gwen) to go with me, but that might change at the last moment. I wanted to talk to Father before I talked to Gwen. I did not yet fully trust her political senses, and wanted advice from an experienced hand before I talked to my wife. The decision was mine to make, but I wanted as much reasoned input as I could get before I made up my mind.

Father was of the opinion that whether or not Gwen went to King's Home with me would make little difference either to me or to her as far as the King was concerned. Father said that I would be correct as far as protocol was concerned in taking Gwen with me, especially since neither one of us had ever been to King's Home. He pointed out that my belt made an excellent safety device to rescue us from ultimate harm: all I had to do was to stay close to my wife in emergency situations, and I was going to do that, no matter what he or anyone else said on the subject. I agreed with him, so I asked Gwen if she would like to visit King's Home with me.

Gwen said that there was no way that I would get that far away from her in these dangerous times, even if she had to go to Granny Eltman for magical help! Well, I knew what to do now, so I told Steward Simp to count on Gwen accompanying me to King's Home. He nodded as if he already knew that would be my decision. Does getting older really make a person that much smarter or wiser?

Four days later, Granny Eltman returned to tell me what she had found out. She asked that my father and Gwen be included in the discussion. I agreed, so Granny Eltman went to fetch Father while I looked up Gwen. We met around the conference table in my office, and Granny Eltman began the discussion.

"Sir Geoffrey, you asked my help in determining whether or not the King had anything to do with the strange happenings in Blakeslee. I am sad to report that he did so, but I have not yet had time to dig out all of the details. However, Sir Geoffrey, be assured that your life is definitely in jeopardy. I do not yet know why, but the signs are compelling that you are.

"It seems that the King fell into some significant financial difficulties about 11 years ago, and he was bailed out by a person or persons currently unknown. Since then, he has made some unexpected policy decisions that, though they did not go counter to the interests of the realm, were decidedly biased toward providing a lot of money for these same obscure persons. We do not know yet whether these monetary gains were simply paying off of incurred debts or were part of a more sinister plot. It may be months before we have definitive proof. Either way, the road looks very rocky for you, Sir Geoffrey."

Father picked up the discussion. "Son, you have no choice in whether or not you go to King's Home in response to the summons. Not to go would be tantamount to treason, and you dare not go there! On the other hand, remaining at Blakeslee Keep would make you physically safe from the King and his people for up to a few years. However, the King could not afford to ignore you forever, and he would be forced to send a sizable military force to capture you and take you to King's Home to stand trial for treason. You know as well as I do what would be the outcome of such a trial.

"Frankly, it would be easier to formulate a workable plan if we knew why the King is so anxious to destroy you, yet he appears to have little interest in me. I must say that it is almost insulting that my son is more important than I am, and I do not know why." Father grinned at the end of this last sentence to show that it was a joke, and not to be taken too seriously.

Gwen said, "I am deathly afraid of what might happen to my dear husband when he gets to King's Home. Therefore, I am going with him no matter what anyone says. I know that there is little that I can do to protect him, but I can at least share his fate!" The determination on Gwen's face let all of us know that she meant what she said, and there was nothing that could deter her from going with me.

I said, "Thank you for your advice and consul. I know that I have no other choice but to go to King's Home, and I especially appreciate my dear wife's sentiments. Therefore, I will go, but I hope to have some extra protection to help me live through the ordeal.

"Granny Eltman, is there some sort of magical protection that you can give to my wife that would make her permanently immune to physical or magical harm? What I have in mind is something like that protection you gave to my friends and me that made us safe from crossbow bolts. However, I would like for it to last long enough for whatever time we may be forced to remain in King's Home. Of course, I would wish for the protection to be effective against all other weapons, such as knives and swords. And, while I am dreaming, could the protection be extended to include protection against poison."

"Yes, there is that sort of protection available, but it comes with a price. Oh, no, I do not mean that I would want gold for the charm. What I mean is that Lady Armbrewster's body would be forced to go through several changes. They are reversible changes, but they would be there as long as the spell was in force. I think that the only effect that Lady Armbrewster might object to is that she could not bear a child while the spell was in effect. All of her bodily functions would appear to be normal, but she would be sterile while the spell was in effect. The spell is so powerful that she would probably become pregnant the next time she engaged in sex after the spell was removed.

"Please forgive me, Lady Armbrewster, for being so blunt about your intimate personal life, but it is imperative that you understand the implications of the spell. If you agree to those conditions, I can enchant you immediately."

"Yes, I would want the protection you offer, but I would need my husband's approval before I do anything that might cost him an heir. Dear husband, how do you feel about this condition to the spell?"

"Dear wife, I agree wholeheartedly that you should have the protection offered by this spell. This would remove all objections I have to you accompanying me on my journey to King's Home.

"Granny Eltman, do you have a spell that could do the same for me? If you do, would you give it to me and to my two friends, Rolf Harker and Elbert Humphrey?"

"Yes, I do. All I need from your friends is their permission to cast it upon them."

"I think, then, that we have eliminated all objection to my wife and me traveling to King's Home. Thank you all for attending this meeting. I feel much better now after hearing your words.

"Granny Eltman, please cast your spell over my wife and me before you leave Blakeslee Keep."

"Do not worry, Sir Geoffrey, I have already cast the spell. Call in your two friends and I will cast the same spell on them if they want it."