Eye of the Wizard: A Fantasy Adventure (34 page)

Romy had woken up, caught his last words, and passed out a third time.

The lord raised his eyebrows. "You are very noble, sir," he said to Scruff.

Scruff smiled. "I'm not a sir. I'm just a Bully."

The lord whistled and shook his head. "Is there nothing we can offer you?"

Scruff looked at Cobweb. She smiled at him, blue eyes sparkling in the light of lanterns, her skin glowing. As usual, she seemed to know what he was thinking. She nodded and smiled, dimples in her cheeks.

Scruff turned back to the lord. "There's just one thing I'd like. Do you have a priest around?"

As it happened, they did. Scruff was only eighteen, Cobweb only sixteen; they were young, but they didn't care. They knew they'd love each other forever.

That Sunday, the peasants all gathered in the town square as Scruff and Cobweb got married. Flowers were set across the square, the cobbled streets were swept, and ribbons adorned the lantern poles. The peasants wore their Sunday best, white tunics and garlands of flowers in their hair. Musicians played wooden flutes, girls walked around with trays of honey cakes, and a puppet show was set up in a corner to entertain bored children (and, for an hour, Scruff).

Cobweb wore her gossamer dress and a garland of wheat. She had braided strands of her hair, weaving sweet-scented jasmines into the braid. She was so beautiful, that everyone who approached her stuttered so badly, they talked just as clumsily as she.

Scruff himself wore a white tunic the lord of Greenford gave him. He had polished his breastplate and helmet and wore them too; they glittered in the sunlight like Cobweb's eyes. It was the best day of his life.
We did it, Father, Mother,
he thought.
We got the guy who killed you. Maybe I didn't become a knight, but I think I became somebody. And I know you'd have loved Cobweb. Together we'll carry on the Thistle name.

Scruff and Cobweb held hands as the priest, an old white-haired man, blessed them. Jamie stood to one side. She refused to wear a dress, and instead wore her armor, Moonclaw slung over her back. She smiled—a rare event—teeth glittering. Neev and Romy stood to the other side, holding hands, exchanging secret glances. Scruff smiled when he saw them, for he knew their secret.
They might not be getting married today, but I think they're going to be together forever, too.

"You may now exchange rings," the priest said, smiling a toothless smile.

Scruff handed Cobweb her ring, which he had bought secretly yesterday. It was made of white gold and shaped like a garland of cyclamens. It suited a spiderling of the forest, he thought. He placed it onto her finger. Wiping away tears, Cobweb handed him a ring of polished wood engraved with a pattern of ivy.

"I c-cawved it fow you mysewf," she said.

"It's beautiful," he said, admiring it, and kissed her cheek.

The priest raised his eyebrow. "What's this?" he demanded. "This will not do!"

Scruff looked at him, suddenly worried. Did the priest not allow wooden rings? "What's wrong?" he asked.

The priest shook his head. "A kiss on the cheek? What kind of kiss is that? Go on, kiss her properly!"

Scruff smiled. "Yes, sir."

And he did.

Romy let out a huge sob and blew her nose loudly, her handkerchief fluttering.

* * * * *

The night after the wedding, Neev lay in bed at the local inn, staring at the ceiling. Crickets chirped outside the window, and moonlight fell onto Neev's eyes, glinting. Hyacinth flowers hung on the wall, filling the room with sweet scent.

The innkeeper had given the Bullies three rooms for free—one for Jamie, the other for the newlyweds, and a third room for Neev and Romy.

The demon girl sat by the window now, staring outside, the moonlight glowing upon her. Neev lay in bed, silently admiring her. She looked beautiful, her hair of flame flowing, a blanket draped over her nude body. Neev thought that he had never seen a woman so beautiful.

He rose from bed and walked up to her, then stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He leaned down to kiss her neck. "Are you coming to bed?" he asked.

She turned to look at him, and Neev was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Neev," she said, "do you love me?"

"Very much," he said.

"I know I'm childish."

Neev kissed her. "That's okay."

Romy shook her head, hair of fire crackling. "No. It's not." She rose to her feet and stood before him. "You think I'm cute now. Maybe you love me because Scruff found Cobweb, and you feel lonely. But in a few years, you'll grow tired of my childish ways, you'll get bored with me, and you'll break my heart."

He touched her hair, marveling at how the fire felt soft and did not burn him. "I won't do that, Romy."

She took his hands, a tear streaming down her cheek. "I love you so much, Neev. With all my heart. I never had a boyfriend before, not in two hundred years, because you're the only boy I fell in love with." She brought his fingers to her lips and kissed them. "I know I'm like a little girl. Everyone says so. But I'm not like a child in every way. I can be a woman, too. Let me show you."

She kissed him deeply, her hands in his hair, her body pressed against him.
When I summoned you, I thought you ruined my life,
he thought, kissing her.
I was banished from the Coven that day. But Romy... summoning you was the best thing I ever did.

As the moon moved across the sky, they made love with fire, the first time either one of them had made love. Then they were so exhausted, that they slept until morning, holding each other.

* * * * *

As the Bullies left Greenford, the townsfolk cheering behind them, Jamie took a deep breath. She looked over the landscape, the rolling farmlands already regrowing, the blue mountains that rose from mist ahead, the green forests in the distance. The air smelled fresh and the only birds in the sky were sparrows, no rocs.

And no Dry Bones. It was over.

Jamie patted Moonclaw's pommel. Five years of pain ended when Dry Bones died, five years since the warlock burned Burrfield and killed their parents.
I swore to become a knight, I swore to avenge Mom and Dad,
Jamie thought.
I didn't become a knight, but I hope Mom and Dad are still proud of me.

She looked at Scruff and Cobweb, who walked hand in hand along the dirt road. Then she looked at Neev and Romy, who also held hands, laughing softly at some private joke.
Hey, wait a minute,
Jamie thought.
All the other Bullies found love. What about me? What about poor little Jamie?

For a moment Jamie felt jealous, but then she shrugged.
So what?
The others were older. She was only fifteen. There was time before she'd need a boyfriend. She had something just as good: her siblings with her, and two new girlfriends, Romy and Cobweb. Jamie had never had female friends before, and wasn't sure how to deal with it.
But I'll give it a try. Maybe I'll even kick people less often.

Walking through the farmlands, the sun on her head, Jamie opened her pockets and glanced inside. Diamonds and emeralds filled her pockets, treasures grabbed from Vanderbeak's lair. The other Bullies, she knew, also carried treasure in their pockets. Scruff even carried a sack over his back, full of more Vanderbeak jewels. The rest of the treasure remained buried in the mountain, where Dry Bones lay dead inside of Vanderbeak, but not for long.
We'll be back with a wagon soon enough.
Jamie smiled.
We didn't take the reward from Greenford, but I don't think we'll be worried about money for a while.

Romy walked up to her, smiling, dimples in her cheeks. "Hey, Jamie, want to play with glass lions?" Romy opened her palms, beaming, revealing two new glass lions. "Old Julian gave them to me! I named one Jamie and the other Romy. We can make them fight." Romy moved them around, making them roar.

Normally Jamie would kick Romy for being such a baby, but today she only smiled. "I don't want them to fight. Maybe they can be friends."

Romy bit her lip, tapped her cheek, then nodded with a smile. "Okay!"

The Bullies kept walking through the farmlands, and for several days, they traveled across farms, forests, and grassy hills. After ten days of walking and sleeping under the stars, they finally saw Burrfield ahead, chimney smoke rising behind its walls. The town lay nestled by Teasel Forest, and Jamie felt a lump in her throat.
Home.

Since leaving Greenford, the Bullies had been talking about returning to Burrfield and building a house there, a house large enough for the Bullies to live in together, a house where they could retire early. They would have horses, a garden, a vineyard, and a few extra rooms for future generations of Bullies. At first Jamie thought the plan wonderful, but now she worried.

Would Lord Bramblebridge let us back in? He banished Scruff and me, after all, told us never to return.
She had tried voicing her concern to her brothers, but they seemed less worried. "I'll talk to the old man," Neev had assured her. "He'll let you and Scruff back in."

Jamie wasn't as optimistic. She remembered how mad the portly, bald lord had been. He had insisted Scruff and Jamie stay away forever, and she wasn't sure what to expect. When she entered Burrfield again, she glanced around nervously.

It had been a few months since she'd seen Burrfield, and the sight of her home brought tears to her eyes. There was the old well where she would spend time reading scrolls of epic adventures. There was the Porcupine's Quills, the tavern where she, Scruff, and other squires would drink and sometimes fight. And there... behind some trees... was the home where she was born, where she grew up. Jamie felt a lump in her throat.

A few kids saw the Bullies enter, whispered to each other, and ran away.

"Oh no," Jamie said. "They're going to call Bramblebridge to kick us out."

Even Neev looked worried, pursing his lips. Scruff and Cobweb held each other, looking around nervously. Only Romy didn't seem to notice; she was busy making her toy lions dance.

Soon enough, Lord Bramblebridge indeed came marching toward them, arms pumping, gut sucked in and chest thrust out. His mustache bristled and sweat glistened on his bald head. Jamie winced, and even Scruff—who stood a foot or two taller than Bramblebridge—took a step back.

"Well, well, if it isn't Bullies for Bucks," said Lord Bramblebridge, voice disgusted.

"You... you know of Bullies for Bucks?" Jamie asked, raising her eyebrows.

Bramblebridge marched up toward her, frowning, cheeks red. "Who doesn't? The whole kingdom is talking about you rascals. Now tell me—how dare you come back into Burrfield?" His eyes blazed.

Jamie bit her lip. "I'm sorry, my lord. I know you banished us. We'll be on our way now, and—"

Suddenly Lord Bramblebridge bellowed a laugh, clutching his gut. "Jamie!" he said, grabbed her, and hugged her. Then he pulled Scruff, who looked very confused indeed, into the embrace. "Scruff! Listen, you two, I'm sorry I lost my temper that day. I realized my mistake the next morning, and sent out men to find you, but you were already gone. But hey. It seems the adventure did you well." He released the two and took a step back, nodding in approval.

Jamie opened and closed her mouth a few times before finding her voice. "You shouldn't have kicked us out."

Lord Bramblebridge nodded, wiping sweat off his brow. "Aye. I'm a grumpy old man, Jamie, and I'm set in my ways. But tell you what. Come back to the fort. I'm going to knight both you and Scruff on the spot. You two have earned it."

Jamie's eyes widened and she gasped. "Knighted," she breathed. She turned to Scruff. "Did you hear that, Scruff? We're going to be knighted!"

But Scruff only looked at her solemnly, no joy in his eyes. Cobweb stood by him, one hand on Scruff's shoulder, giving Jamie the same solemn look.

Jamie understood. She nodded slowly.

With a sigh, she turned back to Bramblebridge. "I'm sorry, my lord. But I don't think we want to be knights anymore." She looked back at her brother, and the two exchanged a smile. "We're Bullies."

Bramblebridge stared at her, blinking, then turned to walk away, muttering to himself. "Damn Thistle kids... always have been crazy. I'll be darned if I ever understood them." Soon he vanished around a corner, muttering under his breath.

The Bullies looked at each other, waiting until Lord Bramblebridge was out of earshot, then burst out laughing.

Romy was the only one who seemed to miss the joke. She looked at the others in confusion, then shrugged. She looked up to Friar Hill, that hill where Dry Bones had commanded his grobblers years ago, the hill where Father died.

"Can we build our house there?" the demon asked, pointing at the hilltop.

Our house on Friar Hill?
Jamie thought, sucking in her breath. She looked at her brothers. They looked back, raising their eyebrows, and Jamie knew what they were thinking.
The place Dad died?

Jamie shrugged. "It would be a great tribute," she whispered. "I think Dad would like to look down upon this place, see you raise your kids there. What do you think?"

Scruff blew out his breath slowly, then nodded. He put his arm around Cobweb's waist, pulling her close. "Let's do it."

Neev smiled and patted Romy's hand. "Romy," he said, "that is a perfect place."

The Bullies walked down the street, then climbed the hill together, hand in hand. Only Jamie remained below, standing at the foothill, staring at some dry leaves that fluttered around her boots. She took a deep breath.
For a long time, anger lived inside me,
she thought.
Anger about my parents dying. Anger that I'm a girl, that I couldn't become a knight.
She remembered meeting Lenore, her heroine, a woman who spent decades hiding in her armor, still fighting alone at fairs for fleeting glory or gold. Lenore had once been a great dragonslayer and knight of legend; she died obscure, lonely, nobody but Jamie at her side.