Ch: 191 Love The One You're With
From the notes of Zygnos Matteus:
In worlds and dimensions where magic exists externally, which is to say, outside the protective bubble of a living Animus, the energy loss involved in the practice, use and study of magic and magery in general are sufficient to the needs of a healthy dimensional barrier between worlds. When one or more of the adjacent worlds are magically poor or barren, the creative process, which is common to all sentient beings, serves this role. By expending energies internally, in the invention of music, narratives or other artistic and creative outlets, the energies needed to maintain a healthy world continue to be produced.
This further confirms my theory, in my opinion anyway… I theorize that:
In the multiverse, every possible permutation and perambulation of life has transpired, is occurring or will happen soon. Narratives, all narrative art whether pictorial or literary, whether painted in berry juice and soot on a cave wall or directly projected into the readers’ minds by some fantastical space anemone, represent an actual happening, somewhere in the cosmos…
What does this mean? It means that the ‘creative juices’ of the sentient beings of the multiverse, whether expressed as magic or artistic endeavors… are the driving force of the universe.
‘A Farewell To Arms’… Power of the universe. That song you like? Power of the universe. XXX rated absolutely unauthorized fanfiction, the one that ruined your favorite childhood cartoon? Power of the universe, the poor, filthy universe…
Now we hit the big question, what does that mean to my everyday life as a regular everyday person? It means that engaging with art and creative endeavors truly does feed the soul, as does the act of creation. Everything is cultivation and cultivation is, by the same token, everything.
The more fully and honestly engaged one becomes, either as a creator or an experiencer of art, the richer the rewards one can reap…
“Utter nonsense, piffle and foolishness.” Professor Glinitz said firmly, while taking very precise notes. “Where did you come by this document, Amicus? The late, lamented Zygnos was notoriously loathe to leave his writings around.”
“He left a young friend of mine his complete library and personal notes as a bequest. The fellow was kind enough to share them with me… and thus, I share them with you.” The old wizard smiled tranquilly. “Since joining the cult of Knowledge I feel a whole new vista opening up before me… you should consider it, young Glinitz… you are only one hundred and twenty. The stress and cultivation would do you good.”
“Amicus, I became a court wizard to avoid three things. Monsters, cultivation and most importantly, cultivators. I’m not going to subject myself to that, in the interest of contracting with some ghost with an inflated ego.”
“I recently read the most remarkable collection of fables and parables. They were written unfathomably long ago, by a man named Aesop. Let me tell you about the fox and the sour grapes….”
#
Pangbourne was having a miserable ride… Some damnable musician girl kept banging on a drum the whole morning, while the mad wizard whistled gay country jigs to the local songbirds. It would have been charmingly whimsical, if his head were not pounding in time.
The boy’s high, clear whistle did ‘wonders’ for his hangover, while the saddle hammered away at the bruises remaining from Belen’s ‘Teaching Moment’.
Violet seemed entranced by the simple country tunes, but she was a simple country horse… he had bigger things on his mind. When they stopped for lunch, he looked back, Wheatford was lost in the distance… either the heat haze in the valley was really strong or they had made an impressive distance.
His arse felt as though it had been dragged behind his mount, rather than astride his own saddle. “Music won’t help the wreckage in my britches, you insufferable nag.” He scolded her fondly, in the privacy of the horseline. No one could hear him among the quiet, munching, snuffling herd.
“I talk to the horses too.” Belen’s awful witch whispered, from right beside him.
“Gods! Don’t sneak up on a knight you fool!” He yelped, which only drew a wry, knowing smile from that cursed Belen lad. “...skewer you before I think, it’s not my fault…” He continued griping, as he brushed his familiar down and made sure her oats had enough molasses to really satisfy her sweet tooth.
Lunch was a wonderful affair, simple and delightful. Thinly sliced dried sausages, some spicy, some oddly sweet and tangy, with some very fine salty cheese, came served on hearty bread trenchers, with a tough crusty shell and savory roasted vegetables baked inside.
A small keg of ice cold apple cider worked wonders on the company of travelers, who all seemed ready to ride after a tragically short break. All except Pangbourne, who winced at the thought of putting his nethers back on the saddle.
Three tiny kids made nuisances of themselves among the horses, dashing between the hooves, climbing up and down the surprisingly placid beasts without a care. One of their party was always nearby watching, but they seemed completely unworried that the horses might hurt the children, even by accident. Violet seemed to be enjoying the journey so far, a tiny girl in blue was clambering up onto her back somehow, shimmying up her leg and wrapping herself in the flowing, brown mane with a childish giggle… from girl and horse.
“This is going to be a very strange journey…” He sighed
It took some effort for the battered knight to convince his backside to follow orders. Somehow, Rolf managed to remain calm and relaxed, that was probably easier from his perspective. The small group of late night carousers who had witnessed the stocky young knight’s ‘Instructional Interlude’ had gossipped the tale far and wide, as was fitting.
The burly, half common ruffian had made a point of cracking him out of his armor, without actually doing him any serious harm. Humiliating as it was, to be roughoused like a child, by a literal child, the expense and time required to repair his own armor were worse. Thus, he rode in the kit of a common knight of War, purchased at the commissary and rather poorly fitted indeed. That unexpected expense had flattened his purse drastically, this assignment from the council offered no relief.
Now, instead of attending the wedding and returning home to manage the spring bottling, he was riding at the stirrup of the lad… The knight, who had both figuratively and literally kicked his ass not long before.
Now the man was humming and singing in the saddle, with a pleasant smile on his handsome, blocky features.
On a cloud of sound, I drift in the night
Anyplace I go feels right,
Goes far, flies near,
To the stars away from here!
You don’t know what we can find,
Wontcha’ come with me, little girl…
On A Magic Carpet Ride!
It made no sense at all, but it swept him along… Before Pangbourne was certain any time had passed at all, the sun was going down and the party rode up to the gates of a very fine looking inn. Their outriders seem to have already made arrangements, since the party was made welcome without issue.
He stretched and gave a few experimental bouncies, while no one but Violet was looking, no ass agony… “Nice!” He whispered in her ear, while she played ‘where’s the sugar cube?’ in his cloak pockets.
When he walked her into the immaculate stables, it hit him. It was that same inn. Violet confirmed his thought, by whacking him with her head, sending him tumbling into a pile of hay.
“I’ll set you to pulling trade barges in some low lying swamp… wretched walking glue pot!” He snarled, while she apologized, by letting him rub her ears for a while.
“So soft…”
Belen was standing by the stable door, smiling like a huge arsehole, when he turned around from fondling his familiar. “Violet is a constant bother and nuisance, I tried to sell her, but she keeps finding her way back.” He complained, while picking hay out of his ill fitting mail.
“I assume this is house Belen’s much rumored moving inn… I’d thought it an exaggeration of some already fantastical ability…”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Rolf shrugged in complete disinterest. “To be perfectly honest, I have no clue how it works or which of them are involved. Those are mysteries for the Oddsmen to solve, if they can. House Belen is results oriented. We measure our successes and failures as a family and by the team.”
“Very well, keep your secrets, if you can. Violet keeps telling me to be more ‘open to the experience’…” He fell silent and looked furtive for a moment. “My aunt, lady Violet… I don’t take advice from my damn horse.” He lied feebly, while Belen smiled an infuriating little knowing grin.
“I think spending some time with my friends will be good for you, Francis.” Rolf murmured happily. “Your horse seems to think so too.”
“Call me Frank, Francis is my maiden aunt’s name. Screw you, for making me take advice from my horse, Rolf.” He complained while slipping into fuzzy gray mouse slippers that squeaked merrily when one curled one’s big toe.
“My little sister would love this place.” Frank whispered, as two little ones chased a toddler, with his pants around his ankles through the common room.
They were pursued by a pair of laughing teenage girls, while a red haired giantess ruled the otherwise orderly house with an iron fist.
“Warriors, rack yer gear an armor there, ye wil nae need tae bear arms in this house. Yer lordships, this way please, lady Emma knows well her own way.”
She led them to a pair of adjoining suites, with small, but comfortable chambers for themselves and an attached room for their valets between.
My lords may bear arms if ye wish, as is custom. An ye wish a lifeguard, we kin arrange that…”
Her words said that bearing arms and or requesting provision for a bodyguard would be acceptable, but her face said that either would offend the honor of the hostess and her home.
“The hospitality of this house is always impeccable, Frank. Of that you may be assured.” Rolf said cheerily. “Now peel out of that armor and make sure to rack it properly. You will hate yourself in the morning if you don’t.” The stocky young knight closed his own door, across the hall, leaving Pangbourne and Hamish standing awkwardly together with their valets.
“They never said which room was whose…” Hamish began with a grin.
“Pick one man, I just want to find that bath.” Frank sighed hopelessly.
It turned out the two rooms were identical in every way, eerily so… and the bath was at the end of the hall.
#
Two days riding up the rocky hills, among oaks and olives went by surprisingly quickly. Each evening the inn was waiting as the sun began to fall, each morning they rode away without a care.
The unusual rainfall had extended springtime farther and longer than usual. These well drained hillsides rarely remained green long after the feast of Wind, now Fire’s celebration was coming and they were still green and lush. Rolf and his team of veteran Adventurers enjoyed a peaceful and luxurious escort duty, until they left the familiar hills of home for the plateau and the badlands.
It became a surreal journey into a fantastic realm when they crossed into the desert wastelands. The mesas towered over a landscape vastly changed from the dry, baked red clay the region was infamous for. A shallow lake, teeming with life, spread from the feet of the three largest massifs, symmetrical, rectangular islands of soil rose from what became wide shallow canals at the water’s edges, at the feet of the mesas and around the perimeter of the lake.
The wide band of deeper water had obvious points where causeways or bridges had once crossed, though an adult of average height could cross without getting their hair wet.
“Axio has been busy!” Gary cheered from the edge of the first canal. “We should camp here tonight, I’d like to explore what he’s been up to.”
“Early camp!” Liam called to the company. “Prepare to get comfy.” The red armored troop led by Rolf fell into line and dismounted. They began tending their mounts and preparing for the evening while two scouts broke off to patrol the area.
Wading birds, amphibians, even small fish were teeming in the waters, along with the expected leeches, skeeters, water boatmen, water striders, water spiders, dragonflies…
None of the flying or crawling vermin entered the camp the mad musicians summoned with strange arts and confusing lyrics. Someone seemed to have put the ‘Bop’ in the ‘Bop She Bop’. The singers were deeply interested in getting to the bottom of it, there was also some question of ‘Who Put The Ram In The Rama Lama Ding Dong?’. Both mysteries were destined to remain unsolved, as the troupe headed inside.
The pier stuck out into the lake, but it was too shallow for Seahorse anywhere but the central ring of the lake, so Gary and Shai poled the kids over to the mesa in the little canvas folding boat. They had a nice visit with Axio and rocky, who were still busily discussing some high level, eternal being stuff and had been for a few days. They had gone off together to debate something complex, since vanishing from the house days ago.
“How did you guys even get here? It’s a long walk on such short legs.” Gary asked after the group finished hugging both entities happily.
We are not really physically present, boy.” rocky complained. “Now that we have the trick of it, forming a simple, temporary manikin body is simple. We simply manifested here for our discussions. Now scoot on home mortals, we have important matters that need resolving.”
He tried to sound brusque, but he lingered on his goodbye hugs with the children.
“I’ll pop by in the morning.” Axio sang from the bank, his stubby white tail thrashing happily in the tall reeds and water plants.
“We’ll set these balloon vines afloat before we go. Liam says they should thrive here.” Gary called back as they poled toward the pier. “I love what you are doing with the place!”
#
“Dinner will be a little while. Liam spotted a giant monster crawdaddie while scouting, and a few of the lads went out to catch it. They claim they are delicious.”Lady Emma announced to the house and the remaining guests, as a force of warriors rode out into the late afternoon sunshine.
#
“Mind the claws!” Tallum shouted, as he tried to get closer to the beast. He wasn’t wasting time with spears on this one. He had his massive club out, waiting for his brothers to create an opening. He parried another lunge of its bony weapon. Bashing it aside as he backed away from the water’s edge, drawing it farther out.
Khan and Annie had room for a good run up, leading Hamish, Rolf and Frank, they could charge and drop a flight of lances in the thing if an opening presented. It was up to Dannyl, Orlando and Liam to create that opening for one of the heavy fighters to strike.
Orlando was a dab hand with his saber and as a lancer he was superb, but his mount wanted no part of a crawdaddie, Peony had shied and become restive within a quarter mile of the beast. His swordsmanship would have been far more effective against an opponent less heavily armored. He wound up distracting and defending, since his weapon was ill suited to the foe.
Dannyl’s whip had taken a number of its legs and left deep seeping gouges in many of its scutes and plates, but the mass difference left him wary of becoming entangled with the huge creature. This one was nearly half again as big as Gary’s and aggressively hungry.
Liam’s spear was thrumming with a sensation of impending violence in his hand, a hungry, eager sensation that thrilled and frightened him. He felt his weapon straining at the lead, so he let a little of it out. “Cover me, I’m going in, keep the claws busy on three, two, Go!”
Liam reached deep inside, to the festering crock of restrained anger and fury he’d been sitting on since he was old enough to remember having feelings… and cracked the lid on that jar just a little.
Dannyl and Orlando both made obvious and showy feints at the things big, goggling eye tendrils, drawing the predictable pinching response. With only one eye tracking each warrior and only so much brain in the big dummy, when they both dodged and slipped back around to its flanks, the claws followed. Both young men were confused when the claws just kept following them.
With a shattering crack of… something, Liam had shot forward on his own shouted ‘Go!’ and lowered his spear for a charge, right at the thing’s ghastly head. It was more likely his spear would glance off the thick, hardened carapace and he would follow, up and over the thing. That should be enough of an opening for Tallum to bring his club down between its eyes…
He was elbows deep in dark green, vile smelling tomale and crayfish ichor before he finished his thought. The claws of the creature were flung wide and still feebly pinching, but its head was split in half, all the way to the first joint. His spear felt hot and strangely… satisfied by the result.
He’d cleft the things head right to the beginning of the tail portion, it was a simple matter to part the thing out and load it on one of the pony carts, pulled by a much more confident Sandi. Peony was fretful the whole ride back despite Annie’s reassurances.
“One of those pinched my nose when I was a yearling… I was just drinking from a stream!” She fussed to the other horses and anyone else who would listen.
“That was impressive Liam. Was that your gift from War, or the spear, or something else?” Tallum asked, on the ride back.
“I think it was a few things… I don’t know. I need to meditate, practice and see what’s going on. What I do know… I can do that again. Not a lot, but I could again now. Sooner if the fight had continued… it feels like… I have some cultivation to do.” The young spearman murmured.
#
The three knights found themselves seated together at dinner, where their table was served by lady Emma, of all people. She strode up in dark green common skirts, with a crisp white apron at her hips. It nicely contrasted with the white froth of linen and plump bosoms nearly spilling from her bodice.
“Our Hostess asked me to attend you gentlemen tonight, since she is out on a social call. I’ll bring you a flight of small beers, bread, some fruit and cheese.” She sang happily, while the kids warmed up under Becky’s musical direction.
#
Gary and Shai were back when the hunters returned victorious with their kill.
“An why, pray tell did only boys go a’ hunting the beast?” Shai demanded.
“Because only boys are dumb enough to willingly go play in the mud and muck.” Becky answered calmly. “And my rapier wouldn’t do much. Ivy uses short maces, Luna is scouting…”
“Fie…” She grumbled. “Ye could hae waited fer me an the boy… he hae skill in butchery an such…”
“That is why we brought you the whole thing, sister Shai.” The young spearman said from the garden door. “Gaaary, we have an oozing and horrible corpse out here. Care to wade through its entrails for fun and profit?” Liam crooned with a grin. “I’m covered in bug juice so I’m off to the bath.”
“Wow, how come you never bring me bug cadavers, Shai? Why does Liam have to bring me nice things?” He demanded, in patently false outrage. He flung the back of one hand against his forehead and pretended to sob with great shuddering phony heaves. “That’s why we’ve been having an affair, all this time! Tell her Liam, tell her the awful truth!”
All his friends groaned and went back about their business. “I’ll bring you the big cleaver, Gary.” Tallum mumbled helpfully as he brushed past the emotionally stricken man.
“I’m not really having an affair with him, he’s moontouched.” Liam told the new acquaintances in the garden.
“Not that that’s the only reason I wouldn’t… Or even a reason no to, I mean, he’s good looking enough and rather charming… gods, Now I’m doing it!” The young warrior hugged Tawny close and sighed, while Shai scolded him sweetly from the kitchen.
“Homewrecker!” Shai shouted again, when Liam emerged from the baths. She was curled up on the sofa by the fire, with her kids, while Gary was in the kitchen making cioppino at the time, so that took most of the sting out of the charge.
#
“Thanks gang, I got a ton of stuff from that beastie, scads of meat, chitin armor plates and some really interesting connective tissues…” He said happily, when he had finished taking the huge thing apart and putting it back together in a delicious, spicy new format.
“Gross Gary, you’re welcome, please stop thanking us, while we’re eating it.” Tallum tried to head him off, but he kept going.
“It had all kinds of stuff in its gut, a bunch of freshwater pearls, mollusk shells, a couple gold nuggets and a small silver nuggie…” Now he had their attention.
“Silver an gold, lad?” Shai whispered happily.
“Freshwater pearls too…” He grumbled.
“Aye, but if gold an silver be pushed up frae the earth here, tis fine fer mining folk tae know this place. We hae kin in that craft.” Shai’s grin was avaricious. “Keep yer gob closed til we kin wander these hills a mite an see where we might find more shiny stuff.”
“Treasure!” Wilf mumbled in his sleep, by the fire.
“That’s an adventure for another trip, love.” He whispered gently. “Or you could cheat and ask rocky and Axio.”
A few minutes later, Shai and a significantly less enthusiastic Gary were poling the little canvas dinghy back over to the mesa on an urgent mission.
#