“You only live twice: Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face.”
Ian Fleming
In my case, I had already literally lived twice. Once in my old world, once in my new world. I had even looked death in the face as well after my free fall. But with the world, or rather my options in it, outlined as starkly as grandfather had laid them out everyone sits, a little shocked, around the table. No one doubted his veracity or the truth of his words especially after the near-instant and diabolically disastrous response to me becoming a noble, even if it was only as a lowly baron. Entering the high nobility was clearly a dangerous proposition.
Breaking the silence, I started the conversation back up again.
"I don't want to die!" I exclaimed backing up from the table. You never quite knew with Grandfather how serious he was being or how lethal and literal his lesson might be.
"No one is killing Kai." Father joined in.
"That's not what Grandfather is saying, is he?" Mother pointedly remarked.
"No, not literally." he reassured, before smiling "Just figuratively," he added with far too much relish looking at Grandpa Smit.
They then reluctantly explained that "The baby Baron Kai of Wester Isles would be far safer dead than alive."
According to him in our situation, there were really only three options moving forward. After their detailed explanation of what the world was like, it was impossible not to take his opinions seriously and it looked like I might be starting my life again, for the third time in one form or another!
They went on to explain our options.
First, I continued to be alive. As a noble, I would probably face increasingly hostile actions to remove me from my barony, but if I managed to stay alive I would also be given support to defend myself. Yet again, each gift or favour would come with a string attached that can later be pulled on to move me, to force me to act, or play some part in a Lord or Lady’s plot. Which apparently, can be just as deadly for those involved as facing those nobility actively trying to take me out!
Not a tempting option although the gifts and presents would probably be pretty nice.
Second, I needed to run away. This would apparently be better with just myself running away but as a toddle that in itself would be practically impossible. Even if at most a single family member came to help me run away, as any more than that, in fact, the fact of a single-family member disappearing, would still draw attention because to get to the mainland we would have to pass through the Archipelago on our way to the Compass Continent. Ostensibly, it is practically impossible to do so without significantly better sailing skills or getting very lucky with the weather. The only one who would be able to make that journey would be my father who is one of the less worldly of family. It turns out that the trade wind blowing towards us is a very strong part of why it is going to take ‘The Swift’ so long to get back to the mainland and have my claim to nobility registered.
Third, I needed to die. With this option, the idea is to pretend that I never survived the fall. Something that would not be difficult for anybody to believe. The man who threw me off the side of the cliff let off a signal flare after doing so, so whoever was against my ascension to the nobility was or probably would soon be aware of my murder. Probably even before the receipt of me buying my title and patent of nobility is registered by Mercurio. This is the option grandfather is in favour of, as it would result in me being back on the island, hidden away. He doesn’t seem to have a timeline for when I would get to remerge into the world as someone else. So, I am hoping it won’t be forever although my mother is very happy with the idea as the whole idea of going there to start off with was to hide my magic, to keep me safe. Although I think I have a pretty good handle on the magic so the only argument for hiding out there again for any longer is to be hidden away from potential assassins sent by nobles. Again to keep me safe but perhaps the most boring of the options.
Grandfather proposed taking the boat out a little way away from the island, scuttling it, before sailing back. After all the assassin did let off a red magical signal so as far as everyone else is concerned I am dead and the assassin would have sailed off the island probably to make his own way home or to catch up with Mercurio’s ship somehow. He feels it is highly unlikely that they would believe that the Assassin would not have been able to kill me and then escape on his boat. This leaves the trail cold with my death and the assassin disappearing after the act. Hopefully, they will assume that he completed his mission and then died attempting to sail back to the Mecurio’s Ship or the Compass Continent. This is obviously the option he went into the most detail on and he seems to be managing to convince everybody that it is the best idea.
Personally, I am not looking forward to being locked up on an island alone for the rest of my life with only Grandfather for company and I’m going to fight this in any way I can. I went quietly the first time I’m not going quietly this time. I mean I did not want to die either but option three needed some serious amendments if they expected me to go along with it.
“Mamma, I don’t want to go back onto the island.” I cried
“I know pearl.” Mother replied, “but it is for the best and to keep you safe.” She explained as if I was not already aware of all the implications of their conversations.
“I’m not going without you.” I cried keen to get a few others over there with me. If my family was there Grandfather would have to be a little more restrained in his training methods. Although maybe they would calm down on their own if I told him that I already had Clarity. Then again, he seemed to think that I was not yet already able to see my status even if I couldn’t act on it.
“You won’t be alone. I’ll be there with you.” Mother reassured me.
Yes! I thought in my head. One down two to go.
“If you’re going I’m going.” Father joined in on the conversation. He had been missing me as much as I had him and I preferred his attempts at teaching me how to swim compared to my sisters.
“It looks like we will all be going to the island.” Mother declared making Aleera’s decision for her.
Aleera glared at me before she argued, “But there won’t be enough space for everyone.” Never fooled for a second about my innocence and unhappy with the idea of returning to the island she had only just managed to get off.
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“You haven’t gone exploring yet?” Mother asked.
“We spent most of our spare time looking for food.” she pointedly replied glaring at Grandfather now.
“Hmm, yes, well there is a little more space available than at first sight if you know where to look.” Grandfather explained rubbing his head a little ruefully. “You see behind the locked doors, my house actually goes a lot further back into the mountain.”
“Yes, there is plenty of space in the caves and with all of us out there we will have enough hands to make them a little more liveable and home-like.” Mother explained.
“Caves?” I excitedly asked. I suddenly had visions of building my own secret cave dancing through my head. Faking my own death and staying hidden away might not be so bad if I was obscenely rich and had my own hidden complex to play in. I might not be rich yet but I had an idea or two on that front. However a hidden complex of caves to explore and build in couldn't be bought, only found if you were lucky enough to do so.
“You were right when you said my house seemed more carved from the mountain than built. There are a few tunnels left from when the mountain grew however many years ago that was. Some of them even go all the way out to the shoreline of the island.” He explained.
Visions of an underwater underground exit were now being imagined along with ways to create hidden exits all over the island. Super senses where had you been? I had never noticed these hidden caves. I needed to focus on seeing what I could sense through stone somehow. Build some sort of ground sensing skill where I can see through stone to find the tunnels and anything else that might be hiding down there. This could actually be quite cool . . .
. . . especially if I manage to get some earth Magic sorted out and begin to reshape them!
I have fire, water and air. I only needed earth to complete the four elements and enter the full avatar state. Nothing like a little bit of base building, more den building, to perk up your spirits after a near-death experience even if it is only in your head and take the sting out of being forced to fake your own death.
As a kid in my previous life, I had once spent the summer digging holes in the back garden before gradually covering them up and joining them together. Building myself a little crawlspace of a cave system I could delve into. This is going to be so much better. As it was more a small rabbit warren I could only just crawl through than the Batcave I had been imagining I could build. I even had a dream to install a chimney and fire pit which went swimmingly well, until I broke my dad‘s £40 chimney that I had found sat in the garage and appropriated. Walking around with anything that was half your size is challenging especially when it’s heavy enough to tip you over. I never did complete my fire pit and chimney having to hide out in a dank, dark, barrow rather than a cool caveman‘s hidden lair. Because after explaining at the tender age of 7 or 8 what I had needed it for and how it had broken I had been told firmly and in no uncertain words that I was not to set any fires going in what amounted, at least in my parent's opinion, to a borderline death trap. Still, it had been fun while it lasted. This was going to be so much better!
Returning from my daydream of the past and the future I returned to the present. Grandfather doesn’t look particularly happy with the idea of having mother and father out there as well as me but I don’t think he’s going to be able to stop them this time. Especially if this is for an indeterminate length of time.
In fact, it was at this point that Grandpa joined in with their ongoing conversation about the logistics of the move. He had been unusually quiet compared to his usual boisterous and bold self possibly self reflecting on the wisdom of his actions. But it would not take him long to return to his ambitious designs and dreams. Nothing builds success like success and you only ever fail if you refuse to get back up again. Although most would find it impossible to get back up at all after a fall off a cliff.
“If you’re all going to the Island, then what’s to stop Kai from being born again?” he asked.
All the adults looked at him confused, myself and Aleera, included. They had already covered the fact that this wouldn't be forever.
“I mean just think about this for a second. Our family has just spent a significant amount of money in buying a barony for my grandson Kai that’s going to be registered with the Prince who will, in theory, respect the agreement made and make it official.” He paused before continuing.
“Our worry is that this will create a level of interest among the nobility to get rid of him and having witnessed that in action I can now understand how devastating that response might be. But the barony will still exist and it will still belong to my grandson who I am the Steward for.” He carried on elaborating his position as continue to wait for him to get to the point.
“You are saying that when our new barony becomes public knowledge some nobility will be positive and supportive for example possibly the majority of the Eastern Lords of Ponente. While others probably the Western Lords of Ponente will be confrontational about the creation of a new barony. Now whoever paid for the assassin is going to know or have received the fact that Kai is dead.” He resumed his hypothesis. I was now lost in where exactly he was taking us. But the rest of my family seemed willing to wait to hear him out before declaring their complete confusion as to where he was going and where he was taking us.
“So, three months to go to the Capital. Then three months back that’s six months before anybody will turn up to kill Kai. And if they do come then at that point we just say Kai is dead as we have already agreed. They are hardly going to stay all the way out here with so few amenities and nothing else to do so will turn around and go back. But the barony will still exist, I will still be the steward for it. Why not, after they have left again, re-introduce Kai to the world as a new grandson?” He finally reached the end of his roundabout explanation.
A new grandson? A new grandson? Will no one question Grandpa’s sanity? We would have exactly the same problem we have now except we are kicking it down the road half a year.
“Anyway, six months. We say that you’re dead. Then we say that your mother had another child. In that window of time, there is no reason you couldn’t become Kai-II (the second) we get to keep the barony, within the family, the initial threat is over and we keep quiet about what happened. By this point, we will have discovered the lay of the land so to speak and have supporters of our own to ensure your survival.”
It all seems very complicated to me. But we can worry about that later. Keep me secret keep me safe is what I am worried about now and that means I need to disappear but hopefully take my family with me this time.
“What about the town?” I asked interrupting the ideas that are bouncing back and forth as they consider increasingly complex plans. I liked the simplicity of the three options and getting started with option three. Especially now that I had heard about the hidden caves on the island.
“Well, I think it would be perfectly reasonable for Aliyah to not want to come back to the town for a while. Seeing as this is where you died. All we need to do is skip the birthing ceremony, due to fears of assassins, and I’m sure everybody would understand how she felt so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Grandpa Smit was enjoying plotting his idea of, “Kai the second emerges the new Baron Wester Isles, a precocious one-year-old much like his deceased older brother had been before he was brutally assassinated by being thrown off a cliff."
'Mann tracht und Got lacht' and all that. Plans were good and all but we needed to focus on the here and now. Something my mother agreed with. When I had asked ‘What about the town?’ I had not meant what would they think about the future. I was more wondering how they think about my death in the current moment.
“Either way we don’t need to worry about the future as long as Kai goes into hiding now we can work out the rest later.” Mother began to override her father-in-law.
“We have the barony, we have the land, we have the localised power we just need to build the connections and support moving forwards,” Grandpa muttered to himself ignored by everyone else as they focused on the most immediate problem. The logistics of planning my death, funeral, and the family's move back to the island.
It’s all a lot to take in but I don’t think I’m going to be given much choice in the matter it looks like we will be faking my death.
I hope they plan me a nice funeral. I wonder if I can get Pachelbel's Canon in D?
Probably not.