Jake's Justice, Book Three of Wizards (12 page)

My ability to see on the magical plane had become much sharper. With everything else that was happening to my abilities that came as little surprise. There really was something about this girl. It wasn’t an attraction magic. It was more like she was a bubbling spring of something I couldn’t explain. Something related to magic, but not magic as I knew it.

“You will need this, Jake.” She held out a silver dagger. It was about six inches long in a silver sheath. As soon as I saw it I remembered seeing it among the treasure yesterday. But it hadn’t been in the photographs and we hadn’t inventoried it.

I took it from her and as soon as it was in my hands I wanted to keep it. It felt right in my hand as though it had been made especially for me.

“Why did you hide it from Gorsham?”

“Take it out of the sheath.” I did as I was told. The blade was engraved with strange slash like symbols.

“Those marks are in runic. Can you read it?”

I shook my head.

“I can. It says ‘Jake Morrissey’s knife of truth.’ Somebody made that for you maybe a thousand years ago and then hid it among that treasure so you would find it.”

“Bollocks.” Even I couldn’t believe a thing that unlikely.

Betty sat beside me and put a hand on me. It felt so right for her to do that and equally so wrong. My resolution was beginning to waver. I desired to hold this woman so strongly it hurt to resist.

“Jake, I was born with the sight. I’ve been waiting for you for most of my life, though I wasn’t sure it was you until we made love. I know this was meant for you and so does Dad. Just as I know I am the third woman in your life and you will need me.”

“It’s wrong.”
Boy, was that an understatement
. “Having two pregnant wives is hard enough.”

“I am not to be your wife, Jake. And I will not bear you children. That’s not the path we have been set on. I will become your lover and your mistress.”

It would be so easy to go along with her as it matched my desires perfectly, but I knew it was wrong. I stood up and banged my head on the low ceiling.

Betty laughed. “It will happen whether you want it or not. But you have to take care. Black clouds of death are swirling around you.”

“Thanks for the dagger. I have to go.” Quickly, before the desire to hold her overcame me.

“And you haven’t even come once yet.” Betty laughed again. “But if you survive you will come here often, Jake. I guarantee it.”

That was a perfect cue to exist and I hopped to the
Bat
Cave
.

12.
      
Talks

“Jake Morrissey, where have you been? I’ve been worried sick,” Jenny said before I saw her. “And what have you done to the couch? That was a gift from my parents.”

I tried for dignified and aloof. “I do not breathe fire. Perhaps you could have words with the one who does?”

Instead of answering, Jenny ran to me and hugged.

[It was Jake’s fault. He made me laugh.]

“See, it was your fault,” Jenny said as she squeezed me. “After you were nearly killed this morning, I was worried about you.”

I gave my dragon a significant look.

[She’s my rider, Jake. We are connected and she felt what happened with the Knights. I had to get her from the hospital to calm her down.]

“Hospital?” I looked down at Jenny feeling my legs turn to jelly. “Are you all right? Is the baby okay?”

“Routine checkup.” Jenny smiled up at me. “They were a bit worried when my blood pressure and heartbeat shot up while you two were trying to get yourselves killed. After the dragons rescued you they dropped down to almost normal.”

I gave her a hug. “There was never any danger. The dragons set us up.”

“But Retnor didn’t know that. And you might have got yourself killed.”

“I never have yet, have I?” Given my track record for trouble, that wasn’t a particularly strong argument. Jenny sighed.

“Where have you been anyway? We’ve been waiting ages.”

I pointed at Malcolm’s broken metal detector lying next to the ruined couch.

“Thought I’d try my luck with a metal detector yesterday and guess what? I got very lucky. I had to go back today and register the find as treasure trove.”

Jenny’s eyes narrowed. She’s becoming almost as suspicious as Esmeralda. I put it down to them living together. The sooner I get Jenny settled back in
Wales
the better.

“Is this something legal, Jake? You’re not going to end up in jail again?”

“Totally legal. An untouched hoard of gold, silver and gems that’s been buried in the ground for a thousand years. I’m sharing the reward with the farmer whose land it’s on. He’s called Mr. Hardy.”

“Won’t it take a long time before you get the money?”

Damn all intelligent women. How come Jenny instantly saw the flaw in the plan when I didn’t? I stared at the cave floor.

“There is that. But the treasure trove could be over a million pounds.”

Jenny looked shocked and then I saw wheels in her head begin to spin. “We can probably get a loan based on that and buy a house.” She hugged me again. “We need to make our marriage legal in Wales and you need to make a will here to protect your child.”

I nodded. We’d talked about a quick civil ceremony in the local registry office. I just hadn’t had the time to arrange it. At least we were off the subject of me getting myself killed.

“I’ll make some tea,” Jenny said, suddenly going all domestic. “Can you get rid of the couch as it’s smelling the place up?”

I touched the charred remains and hopped it to the local dump.

There were still two chairs so the lack of a couch wasn’t desperate, but I added getting another to the many things I had to do. I could create one with magic, but it would disappear when I stopped thinking about it. More worryingly, I might be the one sitting on it when it happened.

Jenny offered me a cup of tea and put a large bowl of it out for Fluffy. Fortunately he didn’t like milk or sugar or we would soon be out of those too. When I sat down the knife in my pocket jabbed me, reminding me it was there.

“What do you make of this?” I asked, holding the knife where Fluffy could see it.

[It’s a small knife.]

Jenny took it from me for a closer look.

“Is this from your treasure hoard? I thought you had to hand it all in?”

“Mr. Hardy and his daughter hid it from the archaeologist.”

Jenny looked at me with big innocent eyes. “He has a daughter? Is she pretty?”

“I didn’t notice. She’s all muscles from working on the farm.”

“What’s her name?”

I felt we were getting into dangerous territory, but if I tried to change the subject Jenny would be even more suspicious. “Betty Hardy.”

“Short for
Elizabeth
? Elizabeth Hardy, that’s a nice name. How old is she?”

“Late twenties, early thirties, I think.” Adding a few years seemed a sensible precaution.

[Why did they hide the knife and give it to you, Jake?]

God bless my dragon
.

“Because it has my name on the blade, in runes or something. ‘Jake Morrissey’s knife of truth’ or something like that. Mister Hardy thought it was meant for me.” Best not to mention Betty’s part in giving it to me in her bedroom. Why complicate an already complicated matter?

“They know you’re a wizard?” Jenny snapped. “That was careless of you, Jake.”

“When a Knight of Justice appears from nowhere and names you one before trying to kill you, it’s difficult to be discrete about it.”
‘Women.’

[Show me the blade, Jenny.]

Jenny put a hand on Fluffy’s neck as she held the exposed blade a little above his nose. I slipped into my newly enhanced magical sight and examined them closely. There was a glow connecting them and I felt a little jealous. This intimacy between them was something I would never be able to share. In some ways my wife and my dragon were closer to each other than I would ever get to either of them.

Fluffy took on that look of concentration I was becoming all too familiar with.

[The translation is misleading. It says
Jake Morrissey. Knife of…
the last word means something between
reality
and
being
. Truth is much too simple, perhaps
gestalt
is a better word.]

“I’m not sure I know what gestalt means.”

Jenny laughed. “We should get an English Professor to share his knowledge with you. At least then you’d be a little less ignorant.”

“Okay, if you’re so clever, what does
gestalt
mean?”

Jenny pouted and considered. “It’s the sum of everything being greater than the parts, mostly referring to a person’s or society’s experience. Sort of all of what we are.” She stuck her tongue out at me. That’s what a college education gives a girl, knowledge and no manners. I couldn’t help smiling.

“I’m going to keep calling it the
Knife of Truth
; the
Knife of Some Stuff
seems kind of lame. Does it look magic to you, Fluffy?”

Fluffy touched the blade with his tongue. [I cannot tell. Perhaps of a form I am not familiar with.]

“Maybe somebody in the past knew you’d need a letter opener about now. Or maybe it’s for getting stones out of a dragon’s claws.” Oh, Jenny was definitely on form now she had calmed down.

“Very funny,” I said (my responses to teasing are legendary) and Fluffy echoed the words in my head.

Jenny put the knife in its sheath and threw it to me. Despite the distance being over eight feet I caught it easily and slipped it into my pocket in one smooth motion. It truly felt a part of me.

“Forgive the intrusion.”

I spun round to face the intruder and placed a shield of energy between him and us. He was very tall with thin features and a body that looked sort of stretched. Dressed in clothes that looked like something from a Robin Hood film, he bowed towards us gracefully. His face was much paler than a human’s ever gets and he was young, or more accurately, he looked ageless.

“I mean you no harm. I am the Representative of the… I suppose you would call us Elves. I prefer the term ‘Brethren of the Trees’ with humans as our ‘Brethren of the Plains’, your species were called that by us, many centuries ago.”

His voice was as graceful as his movements. But I wasn’t fooled. His people had taken Wenna and my mother into the hidden worlds and damned near killed me when I tried to get to them. My role as Valhallan representative was going to reveal their worlds’ locations to them. They must be after me.

“I’m sorry the Vahallans will find out where you live. If I can, I’ll stop them using that information.”

He smiled.
“Do not fear me, Wizard Morrissey. I am not here to kill you. I would have struck at you by now if I was.”

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t take that on trust.”

[His people never lie, though they are renowned for misleading with the truth.]

The elf looked Fluffy in the eyes.
“Dragon Retnor, your species and mine have roamed the multiverse together since the dawn of time. We will be at your side in the battle to come. Please try to be polite.”

He turned back to me.
“I have been remiss. My name is Farolan. I have come to reassure you that we will not be one of those that attack you. You caused Wenna to come to us and for that alone we would honor you.”

“Is Wenna safe and happy?” Jenny asked.

“She grows into that she wished to be. Birds sing her name from the treetops.”

“If you kill me before the Conference your worlds will be safe.” I wanted to know why he wouldn’t be attacking me. If that sounds ungrateful, then just put me down as a little bit paranoid.

Farolan smiled disarmingly.
“You know how difficult it is to reach one of our worlds even when you know where it is. The Conference rules state that we must declare where our worlds are at the start of Conference. They will have moved before the Valhallans have the time to look.”