The Stewards of Reed, Volume 1: The Rise of Fallon (13 page)

A flash of anger appeared on the man’s face and the look of disapproval from Lady Dinah and Abigail was undeniable.

Gentry regretted his words immediately. “I am sorry, I did not mean to imply…” he started to say, but the damage had already been done.

“I can lift your bag and ten others just like it,” the man grumbled, as he threw the bag with surprising force at Gentry. The dwarf turned towards Lady Dinah, nodded his head at her and abruptly left the room.

Gentry opened the bag and pulled out his coat, which was still cold and damp. He fished around the inside pockets until he found the bronze tube. “For you, my lady,” he said as he held it out for the wizard.

Lady Dinah took hold of the tube and nodded her head at Gentry. She started to leave but stopped at the door and looked back at him. “You shall be better served if you show my helpers more respect and watch that careless tongue of yours.” She was gone before Gentry could even respond.

Gentry turned towards the old woman. “I am terribly sorry,” he said, “I did not mean any offense…I just…well, I have never seen anyone like you before.”

Abigail could tell Gentry was genuinely sorry for his comment and that he did not mean anything by it. “Are you hungry?” she asked, changing the subject.

At that point Gentry realized he was famished. It had been four days since he had anything to eat. “Aye, I am.”

The old woman smiled. “I shall bring you some bread then. It is best to eat slowly after going so long without, though.”

The small plate of warm bread Abigail brought back on a stark white plate was the best thing that Gentry had ever tasted in his life.

*************

Over the next few days Abigail nursed Gentry until he fully regained his strength. She was quite shocked at the amount of food that Gentry could consume in a single sitting, but she was happy at her patient’s vast improvement. His easygoing and jovial manner soon won her over and his prior transgression of thoughtless words had long been forgotten.

Gentry could not see much from the windows in his room, just wisps of white with the occasional glimpse of rugged purple mountain.
The castle must be above the clouds
, he thought.
No wonder I could not find it
.

He had not seen Lady Dinah for several days and was starting to grow impatient with his confinement. Gentry had only recently managed to persuade Abigail to let him leave his room. “How shall I ever make my way back down the mountain if all my muscles shrivel away from lack of use?” he had pleaded.

Abigail had frowned at the request. “If I permit you to take leave of your room, you must stick to the east wing only,” she warned.

It had been clear from her face that she was uneasy about the arrangement, so Gentry took care not to venture into any unapproved areas. He did not want to risk angering Lady Dinah – who already seemed to have an unfavorable opinion of him – but more importantly he did not want to cause any trouble for Abigail.

The castle (at least what he was able to see of it) was spectacular, yet odd. In the east wing alone there were at least nine other bedrooms similar to his, two or three sitting rooms, a large dining hall, an entertainment hall and a kitchen. Though beautifully decorated, all of these rooms were as stark white as his own. It was as if Lady Dinah was afraid of color. He saw several of Lady Dinah’s “helpers” during his walks around the east wing; all of them were dwarves. The shock of seeing such little people had finally worn off, but he still found it curious.

As he wandered the halls of white, he could not help but think how close he came to dying upon the purple mountain. It unnerved him, and that was not easily done.
I need to get home. They are all counting on me
–
the Steward, the Elders my father, the boy.
He stopped to stare out a large pane-glass window overlooking a beautiful mountain garden with orchids and other wildflowers he did not recognize. The sky was aglow with the colors of a setting sun.
I have been given another chance at life,
he thought.
I shall not fail them. And I made a promise to Luca. I need to get home.

“Abigail?” he ventured one afternoon as they sipped on some tea and nibbled on biscuits.

“Aye, Gentry?”

“Have you heard anything from Lady Dinah? As much as I adore your company, I am eager to return home.”

The old woman smiled, though there was a touch of sadness in her expression. She knew Gentry could not stay there forever, but she had quite enjoyed these past few days. “She has asked not to be disturbed, so I have not seen her for some time. But I am certain the Lady shall come to see you when she is ready.” Seeing that her answer did not quite satisfy Gentry, she added, “It should not be too much longer. Lady Dinah is not one to keep houseguests for long. She values her privacy.”

“Thank you, Abigail,” Gentry said with a smile. There was a brief pause in the conversation before he spoke again. “May I ask how you and all the other helpers came to work for Lady Dinah?”

The old woman’s face grew sad and he immediately regretted the question.

“You do not need to tell me. I was only curious,” he said quickly.

“No, it is all right,” she said, patting his hand. “My parents abandoned me when it was clear I would never be a normal little girl. Lady Dinah is my family now. She took me in, she took all of us in, when no one else wanted us. I suppose she sees value in us that others do not. We are all eternally grateful to her for that. So we help her, and she helps us. Without her, I would not be alive today, talking to you.” Abigail smiled at Gentry and then proceeded to clear the remnants of their tea time from the small table.

*************

Gentry had just finished eating his breakfast and was contemplating another walk along the corridor of the east wing when he saw Lady Dinah standing at his doorway.

“May I come in?” she asked.

Gentry immediately rose from his seat and gave a low bow. “As you please, my lady.”

“I see that your strength has returned, as has your color,” she observed.

“Aye, my lady. Abigail has been taking very good care of me.”

The old woman, who had been clearing away the breakfast dishes when Lady Dinah arrived, blushed at the unexpected compliment.

“Abigail, would you mind fetching Gordon, please?”

“Aye, my lady.”

Lady Dinah watched as Abigail left the room and turned her attention back to Gentry. “I have a message for Steward Isaiah,” she said while pulling out a bronze tube that had been concealed in her sleeve.

Gentry observed that the tube now bore a new seal. It appeared to be an image of Mt. Xavier with an ornate letter “D” overlaying it.

Lady Dinah noticed Gentry’s interest in the seal and seemed to mistake it for interest in the message. “I should tell you that I have put a spell on this vessel. Only Steward Isaiah’s hands have the strength to open it, and only Steward Isaiah’s eyes have the clarity to read what is inside.”

“Aye, my Lady,” said Gentry as he quickly put the tube into his coat pocket.

The awkward conversation was thankfully brought to an end by the arrival of Abigail and Gordon. To Gentry’s dismay, he saw that Gordon was the same person he had offended a few days prior with his careless words. Gordon did not look too pleased to be there either.

“Ah, Gordon. Our guest shall be taking leave of us now. Please help him with his belongings and make certain he does not become lost on his way back to Yukon.”

“Aye, my lady,” replied the grumpy man.

As much as Gentry was not looking forward to spending time with Gordon, he was excited by the thought of finally heading home. A part of him was also relieved to have a guide down the mountain. He had no interest in becoming lost on those confusing trails again.

Looking somewhat sad, Abigail excused herself, saying, “I shall be back shortly with some food for your trip.”

“I must also be going,” said Lady Dinah. “Good luck on your journey home. I suspect you shall need it.”

“Thank you, my lady,” said Gentry bowing low, and with that the wizard left the room.

Gordon stood in the corner with his arms folded across his chest. It was clear he was in no mood for conversation so Gentry quietly packed up his belongings.

Abigail soon returned with a basket full of food. Gentry could see the steam rising from what he assumed was freshly baked bread. “Thank you, Abigail – for everything,” he said.

The old woman blushed again. “I must admit I am sorry to see you go. I hope you shall come by to visit again someday, though I know this is far from your home.”

“I would love to come see you again, Abigail. Take care now.” Gentry bent down upon his knee and gave the old woman a big hug and his best smile.

Gordon had picked up Gentry’s bag and was already heading out the door, so Gentry waved a last good-bye to Abigail and hurried after the dwarf.

Having been detained in Lady Dinah’s stark but warm castle for several days, Gentry was not prepared for the bitter cold wind that greeted them as they stepped outside. He stopped in his tracks, but not for long. For a little person – or a normal-sized person for that matter – Gordon could walk quite fast. Gentry hurried after him again and did his best to stay close by as they hiked down a winding trail. For the next two hours, not a word was spoken between Gentry and Gordon. At last they arrived at a clearing, the place with the three-way split that had caused Gentry so much grief.

“Take that path down,” said Gordon, pointing to the only path leading downslope. “Try not the venture off the path. I do not think the Lady would be too keen on rescuing you again.”

“Thank you, Gordon. And for what it is worth, I am truly sorry,” replied Gentry.

Gordon stared at him for a while but said nothing. Then he nodded his head and started up the trail to the right.

I am certain I took that trail at some point
, thought Gentry, a bit annoyed as he watched Gordon climb the path.
I suppose my mind was playing tricks on me
.

It only took three days for Gentry to complete his hike down the mountain. The basket of food that Abigail prepared was more than enough nourishment and the weather had been decent albeit cold. Gentry almost shouted with glee when he saw Pike’s Road – the road back to Yukon – just a few hundred yards below.

*************

Several weeks passed before the cobbler ran into Dennison at the Settler’s Inn. It was late in the evening and Ned had consumed more than his fair share of ale. With each drink Ned’s voice became louder and louder and more impossible to ignore.

“Shut your fat face up!” Dennison bellowed, glaring at Ned. It had been a long day and he was in no mood for drunken bantering.

“Who, me?” asked Ned, looking around with feigned surprise that the harsh words had been directed at him.

“Fool. You are the only fat lard in this place. Of course I mean you.” Dennison swallowed another mouthful of ale. If Ned had not been the only shoe cobbler in the village – and if his loose lips had not proved useful so often – Dennison might have dealt with him long ago.

“I may be fat but I am no fool,” Ned replied, his words slightly slurred. “You were deceived by a simple stable boy, my friend. I would say that makes
you
the fool.”

*************

Casper let out a series of long neighs when he saw his old friend enter the stable. The feeling was mutual – Gentry had never been more happy to see his horse. Gentry stayed the night at Otto’s Place and arose early the next morning to stock up on supplies for their journey home. After paying Otto a handsome fee for the care of Casper, the two set off towards Norman.

This go-around, Gentry managed to stay out of the streams. It helped that the broken bridge had been repaired and that the water levels of the streams had receded somewhat now that there was less snowmelt. They spent a night at the Timberland Inn and Tavern in Norman, stocked up on more supplies, and headed back along the North Road to Dawson. This time Gentry was entirely focused on returning home as soon as possible, so if there were any “fairy lights” or any other odd sights to be seen in the Taiga Forest, he took no notice.

It was not long before they were back at the Taiga Nest Inn, with Casper comfortable in the stable and Gentry happily drinking a pint (or two) of ale in the pub. Gentry was grateful that the journey home had been uneventful thus far, but as he looked out the window towards the Colton Gap, he knew he must be particularly careful these next few days. He needed good weather for a safe crossing of the mountain pass, and he needed to avoid Dennison and his gang once he reached Colton.

Once again, Gentry’s thoughts went back to Luca, the boy who had helped him escape from Colton all those weeks ago. He wondered how Luca was doing, and he wondered if the boy had mentioned anything to his mother about the possibility of leaving with him.
The boy deserves a second chance at life, too,
he thought.
I promised him.

Now that the hard part of getting a message to Lady Dinah was over, Gentry thought it might be nice to have some company on the journey home. He wondered what his own parents would think of him bringing a strange boy home. But he knew that they would be supportive once they saw what a fine young man Luca was and learned what a tough life he had been living in Colton.

When the sun came up the following day and not a cloud could be seen in the sky, Gentry decided it was time to make his way through the Colton Gap. His plan was to head directly to Luca’s house and hide out there until the boy came home. Aside from some fierce winds that would pelt their bodies with dust and debris from time to time, the trip through the Colton Gap was uneventful. It was shortly before sundown when Gentry approached the little shack of a brown house on the outskirts of Colton.

*************

After tending to Casper in the small shed, Gentry made his way into Luca’s house. He did not hear the boy, but he thought he heard the mother snoring in the next room. He had started a fire and was in the middle of making some pottage when the woman awoke and stumbled into the kitchen. She looked awful and it was clear to Gentry that she had been on quite a bender as of late.
It shall be a good thing for Luca to come with me,
he thought, frowning at the sorry state of the mother.