Quest for the Magic Plow, page 16
part #1 of The Guardian's Daughter Series
Martin dipped his head and said, “It was an honest mistake. I understand.”
Then she and the rest of the flock ran down the hall to look at the eggs, with the exception of Sunrise.
“Gabriella,” Sunrise said, “It appears that you have defeated the egg stealer after all. I wish I had been able to aid you in some way but it appears you didn’t need my help.”
Gabriella grinned, and said, “Actually, Sunrise, I would like to ask a favor of you, if you are willing. My Aunt Tithonia needs some cockatrice venom to break down the magical wall in back of this house. Would you be willing to help her?”
“Of course,” Sunrise responded. “Bring me a glass jar, and I will give you the venom.”
Aunt Tithonia stepped through an arch to go to her pantry, and appeared a moment later with a glass jar in her hand, which Sunrise used to deposit his venom.
Aunt Tithonia said after looking at the poison in the jar, “I may need more venom than you alone can provide. The enclosure is quite large.”
Gabriella grinned, and said, “I think his venom is quite potent, Aunt Tithonia. You probably won’t need anyone else’s.”
Jerreth snorted and Martin chuckled, but Sunrise said with dignity, “It is true, Gabriella. My venom is unusually potent, and I believe that my venom alone will be quite sufficient for your needs if a magical barrier is all you need to poison. However, I believe that any of my flock would be willing to help if necessary.”
Then, seeing Dominique, Sunrise asked quietly, “Did you follow my advice?”
Gabriella smiled with her heart so full she almost wanted to cry. “Yes, thank you Sunrise. Dominique said she will make me a pair of vampire earrings so that I can sense things around me by sound.”
“Very good,” Sunrise said.
Then he flicked his tongue out, and asked, “Would you like me to heal this bite as well?”
“This bite?” asked Aunt Tithonia sharply.
Gabriella held up her hand to her Aunt to show her the red, swollen bite mark.
Gabriella grinned in good humor, and said, “Would you? That would be so wonderful!”
Sunrise commented with some disapproval, “This is a dragon bite. You should really learn not to offend creatures with teeth sharper than your own.”
Elek laughed, a deep guttural sound from across the room and said, “I have other ways of dealing with creatures that offend me. I was merely trying to use her protective charm to get turned into a frog in order to escape my prison. It worked perfectly, at least until Dexter realized what had happened.”
Sunrise looked at Elek in surprise and then commented, “Interesting.”
Aunt Tithonia looked at him with a frown and her eyes narrowed a bit.
Elek lowered his head slightly in embarrassment and said, “I did wait until I felt she had given me permission, although I was tempted to bite her anyway. I was a bit desperate.”
“I did give him permission, Aunt Tithonia. Dexter had frozen me with magic and I was unable to move at the moment, and I was just as desperate for Elek’s help as he was desperate to get out,” confirmed Gabriella.
Tithonia nodded, and accepted the explanation. She murmured, “I really must hear all that happened once everything has settled down.”
“You do have courage, Gabriella,” Sunrise said. “Extend your fingers out so I can see the bite,” he then commanded.
She winced from the pain, but stretched out her fingers obediently, and when Sunrise flicked his healing tongue out, her hand immediately felt much better.
“Thank you so much, Sunrise, yet again,” she breathed in relief.
Then Aunt Tithonia walked quickly outside, followed by Elek, who became his normal enormous size the moment he walked out the door. He’d rolled his egg out the door with him, and once he was the correct size, he placed his egg carefully in his great belly pouch to keep it safe and warm.
The delighted hissing and trilling of the entire flock of cockatrices coming from down the hall told Gabriella that the queen cockatrice had found her eggs, and she smiled gently.
“If you will excuse me, I should join my flock,” said Sunrise and ran down the hallway.
Chapter 12
The End of an Oath?
Gabriella asked Jerreth, “Do you want me to help with the summoning gong?”
Jerreth responded, far too formally, “Quest Guide, you do not need to be bothered. I can do it.”
She wondered why he didn’t use her name.
She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of anything. So she just nodded, and handed him the gong, a little crestfallen.
“Jerreth, do you by chance still have that walking stick? It would help me to get around,” she said.
“Of course! I left it at the edge of the clearing, so if you can wait a bit, I’ll get it for you,” he said.
Martin and Jerreth very formally gave Tirlen the plow, and with a POP of magic, they turned back into men.
Jerreth then jogged out to the edge of the clearing and grabbed his stick, and jogged back to give it to Gabriella. It sounded strange hearing human footsteps when he ran. She was much more familiar with his centaur gate, and even his extremely heavy footfalls as a minotaur.
“Here is the stick you requested, Quest Guide,” he said.
She blinked at his formality but responded, “Thank you so much!”
Then Jerreth began using the summoning gong, asking each emancipated creature to state the name of one or two family members that should be called.
Jade guided her by telling her where to go to find a small clear patch of grass that was out of the way.
Gabriella tentatively asked, “Greatpaw, can you hear me?” after Jade told her which direction he was in.
Greatpaw walked over to her, and said, “Yes, Quest Guide, I am here.”
Gabriella snorted through her nose. “What is up with everyone today calling me Quest Guide? Please just use my name, Greatpaw. I just wondered if you could bring my pack to me that I left in the house. It has the food bag, and I’m guessing everyone here is probably hungry.”
Greatpaw said, “Of course!” and walked quickly to retrieve the food bag for her.
She asked for lunch for everyone who’d been stuck in cages. For the dragon it produced a plate of steak. And then another. And another. She was running out of room in the space immediately in front of her, and had to move back. By the end it produced ten separate platters heaped full of steak and pork which Elek finished off in a few moments. She noticed that she couldn’t hear him chew his food. She supposed that a dragon’s digestive juices could handle large chunks of meat without a problem.
Jade hid in the back of her shirt nervously until Elek moved away.
After that, she asked for sandwiches for the people who’d been imprisoned in the field and then more for the men from Captain Frog’s band that should be on their way. Martin, Ronarin, Dominique and Greatpaw took the food to serve the women and children that were now sitting in a great circle in the meadow and left a pile of food for the men.
After that request she swayed slightly on her feet because she was so tired, and had to sit down.
Martin noticed and asked, “Are you all right Gabriella?”
She grinned tiredly at him, and nodded. “I’m just tired. Using the food bag for so many people tired me right out. Not to mention everything else that happened this morning.” She thought about asking him why Jerreth was being so formal, but found that she didn’t have the courage at the moment. She was too afraid of the answer.
Jade kept up a chattering commentary, determined to continue as Gabriella’s eyes although she could no longer see.
“Your Aunt Tithonia has returned! There’s one of her arches now, with a bunch of those soldiers from Captain Frog’s band. They have 10 men tied up, and Elek has brought another cage out just for them. It looks like your friends Gregory and Jonathan have found their family!”
Jonathan and Gregory brought their little sister, Elise, to meet Gabriella, and Elise said shyly, “Thank you, Miss, for saving us.” Then she hesitated and asked, “You’re blind, aren’t you? How did you do it?”
Gabriella smiled, and replied, “I just used magic that the wizard wasn’t prepared for, that’s all.”
Martin, Greatpaw, Dominique and Ronarin were again pressed into service distributing food fairly to the group of men who had just appeared.
Once Elek had brought out the cage, he curled up next to those who were setting up chairs and supervised those laying down blankets from Dexter’s stores.
Aunt Tithonia then came to check on Gabriella. After finding how tired she was, she tsked, and ordered a human portion from the food bag for Gabriella and a cup of seed for Jade.
She said, “That bag uses your own magic as well as its own, Dear. You should have taken turns with someone else. Now sit here and eat while I have a chat with Elek.”
Soon another dragon showed up, and Elek roared a greeting to his mate, Etilka, a great red dragon who insisted on examining every portion of her egg before settling down while Elek told Jerreth the names of council members to summon.
At least one person had come from the family of each creature that had been freed, and the reunions ranged from quietly joyful to loud and boisterous.
Martin came for the last load of sandwiches, and Gabriella decided she had to ask him.
She hesitated, and then asked, “Martin, have I offended Jerreth? He’s acting all formal now, and I don’t know why.”
Martin looked at her for a moment, and then said, “I can’t imagine you’ve done anything, but you may as well ask.”
Martin then called, “Jerreth! We need a word with you!”
Gabriella looked in Martin’s direction severely, but Martin just clapped her gently on the shoulder, and said, “According to my mother’s wisdom, it’s better to talk to him about it. Don’t let things fester unless it’s late at night and you need a good night’s sleep first, or you’re hungry and need to eat first.”
When Jerreth arrived, Martin smiled slightly and said, “Gabriella, I’ll let you and Jerreth discuss those important matters we were talking about. Jerreth, give me the gong so I can finish summoning everyone. Ronarin, would you mind taking this last load of sandwiches to those who haven’t eaten yet?”
Jerreth eyed him in surprise, but he did hand over the gong, and Martin walked over to Elek and Etilka to continue summoning creatures.
Gabriella cleared her throat uncomfortably, and then asked, “Jerreth, have I done something to offend you? You’re being so formal!”
Jerreth was silent a moment, and said, “Gabriella, I’m so sorry I was angry at you, and I’m really sorry I left you blind on the path yesterday. I apologize.”
“Thank you for apologizing,” she said simply. Then she asked, “Is that why you were acting funny?”
He looked at her for a long moment in silence. Then he said, “You can turn into a phantom, Gabriella. You just single handedly defeated a man that overpowered a dragon. Could you ever want to be with someone as ordinary as I am?”
Her breath caught in surprise.
She asked, slowly, “Jerreth, does that mean you might actually want to be with me even though I’m blind, now?”
Jerreth answered, “I made an oath to marry you, Gabriella. I think I might have chosen to fall in love with you even without my oath, but I have come to really appreciate and like you. I just can’t imagine that you would want to marry me now. With your power, many men would consider themselves lucky to be your husband.”
The mention of the oath made her cringe slightly.
Gabriella took a very deep breath and reached out her hand. He took her hand in his. She remembered Aunt Tithonia’s comment about contracts being defined by words and she knew what she needed to do.
“Gabriella, your hand is shaking!” Jerreth said with concern.
Gabriella smiled a bit wanly. “I guess all of that magic this morning tired me out. However, that’s not important at this moment.”
“Jerreth, my ability to become a phantom doesn’t change my feelings for you just as your ability to grow plants shouldn’t change how you feel about me.”
She took a breath and continued, “However, I don’t want you to be forced to marry me because of your oath. What were the exact terms of your oath?” she asked.
Jerreth shrugged and said, “I promised my father that I would offer my hand in marriage to the first eligible young lady who was not afraid of my magic. If she accepts, my oath is to marry said lady.”
“That’s it?” asked Gabriella. “Was there a provision for a young lady who declines to marry you after your offer? Are you required to keep trying until you find someone willing to marry you?”
Jerreth was silent for a long moment, and then finally answered, “No.”
Gabriella then said, “Good. I release you from your oath, Jerreth. You offered to marry me. I now reject your offer. Your oath is fulfilled, and you are free. I hope you will please consider courting me now that you are free so that you and I can both make a proper decision about whether we should get married without that oath getting in the way of your decision.”
Then she gazed blindly up at him and waited.
Jerreth suddenly put his arms around her and hugged her tightly, tucking her head under his chin. She could feel his heart beating, and she sighed and relaxed into him.
“Thank you for my freedom,” he said. “I still want to be bound to you, however. Why don’t you let me go on pretending that the oath is still in place for the moment?”
“You are very stubborn, you know, Jerreth,” she said with a gentle snort. “You’re parents won’t like it that you’re courting a blind girl if they think you are oath-bound to me. I think they would be happier if you had a way out of our relationship if the ‘earsight’ doesn’t work out.”
Jerreth chuckled at her new term for the vampire’s special way of navigating the world with their ears.
She then murmured, “I sort of thought you were avoiding me because I’m blind again. Or maybe because you’re scared of me because of what I did to Dexter. I’m kind of afraid of myself to be honest.”
“Your blindness doesn’t matter,” he said, surprised. “Since Dominique already offered you ‘earsight’ as you say, I could come with you, if you’ll have me along. And as for Dexter, I know you were only doing what the Oracle told you to do. It’s not much different from having a bow and arrow or a sword. I could go on a rampage and kill everyone in sight, but I hope you’ll believe me when I say I won’t do that.”
He stepped back and took her hand in his, covering her hand with his other hand.
Jerreth waited a moment, and asked, “Would you ask your father not to eat me if things don’t work out between us?”
Her mouth dropped open slightly in utter surprise, and then chuckled. She asked, “Are you joking or are you being serious? I can’t tell by your voice.”
She could hear a smile in his voice as he said, “Perhaps a little bit of both.”
She snorted in her customary fashion.
“Mother would never forgive him if he ate you,” she grinned. “Mother has him on a very strict diet. No human meat at all.” She laughed at her own silly statement, which made Jerreth chuckle as well and then Gabriella added more seriously, “I will ask him to be nice, however, if things don’t work out between us.”
Jerreth looked into Gabriella’s eyes for a long time, which she would have returned if she could see, and he said, “I have no land, Gabriella. Even if things work out between us, it could take a long time before I could even think about buying land or building a home.”
Gabriella smiled, and said, “So it might take time. That will be time well spent as we get to know each other better. However, I might get some land, too, you know, so you might not have to buy all of it yourself.”
He smiled tentatively, and squeezed her hand. “Gabriella, I consider myself lucky indeed to be able to court you.”
She reached up with her hand to find his face, and then stepped in to kiss his cheek.
He waited in surprise for a long moment to make sure he wasn’t going to change into anything with her kiss. Then he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. It was much nicer now that she knew he actually liked her without the silly oath between them.
Jade, who had been uncharacteristically quiet poked his head out of the back of her shirt and chirped between his chortles, “Finally!”
Gabriella blushed and cleared her throat and glanced back towards Jade.
Jerreth snorted and glared at Jade. “Whatever you just said, don’t forget that we’re going to be finding a mate for you soon. I’ll be laughing and making snide remarks about you the whole time!”
Jade responded, “I seriously doubt that you’ll have time to worry about my love life! You’ll be busy enough with your own.”
Gabriella chuckled at Jade’s comment, then looked blindly up at Jerreth and said, “Are you ready to meet my parents? They should be coming soon. I just heard Martin say their names.”
She touched the Oracle’s amulet at her throat.
Jerreth nodded and said, “I think so.” He sounded a little nervous, and then they both turned to wait for them hand in hand.
Aunt Tithonia watched the two of them with a smile, but said nothing.
At that moment, Gabriella’s mother and father stepped through the portal, with her father holding her mother’s arm to steady her, and Jade announced them to Gabriella.
Gabriella said, “Mother, Father, I’d like you to meet Jerreth, son of Hugh Godfrey, former centaur and minotaur and one of my companions on this quest. His brother, Martin, is over there, and he was the griffin Aunt Tithonia mentioned.”
Jerreth extended his hand to Gabriella’s father and mother. Gabriella could feel his tension, but his voice was cordial as he said, “Mr. and Mrs. Sedgewick, well, er, Guardian Sedgewick…” he tapered off nervously, not knowing how to address a man who turned into a dragon guardian. “I am so pleased to meet you both. Gabriella speaks very highly of you.”
