Tearing The Shroud (13 page)

‘Ah, as always, you anticipate me.’ Justus brought the glass to his lips and drank it down, relishing every drop. ‘I think the cool water and warm towel will be nice.’

Laurence took the glass and gathered the requested items. He held the bowl for Justus as his master washed the sleep from his eyes then offered the towel hanging over his arm. ‘Shall I pour, Sire?’

‘Yes.’

Laurence knew how he preferred his tea and it was perfect, as usual. Justus sighed contentedly. When the cup was half empty, he said, ‘I believe it’s time to greet the day.’

Laurence glided to the window, drawing back the heavy curtains. Golden sunlight streamed in through the diamond-shaped panes of glass. Justus held his tea out for Laurence to take — swinging his legs around, he stood. Retrieving the tea, he stepped to the windows. It was a beautiful day, the garden was in bloom, and the trees swayed in a gentle breeze.

‘Sire, do you have need of the chamber pot?’

‘No, Laurence, I am fine.’ He finished the last of his tea.

“What would you prefer to wear, Sire?”

‘My dark blue suit, I believe.’

The servant nodded and retreated. Within a minute, he returned with the requested suit, along with underclothes, stockings, and a light shirt. Justus pulled the nightshirt off and donned his attire, while Laurence handed him each item in turn. Afterward, he slipped on his house shoes.

‘Let’s see what kind of a figure I strike.’

Laurence moved the full-length mirror into the center of the room and positioned it so that it took full advantage of the sunlight, giving Justus the perfect opportunity to view himself. He checked his profiles then extended his hand. Laurence placed the handle of a small mirror in it so that he could inspect his back. Satisfied, he gave it to Laurence and stepped closer to the large one for a better look. As he did, he noticed Laurence behind him, standing patiently.

‘Laurence, you look older.’

‘Yes, Sire, I do indeed.’

‘And me. Have I aged much?’ he asked. ‘I need your honesty, not your flattery.’

Laurence stepped to him, looking carefully. He nodded as Justus watched in the mirror. ‘Sire, your rest has treated you well. If I may say so, while I look a bit older, you seem younger.’

‘Do you really think so?’ Justus asked him as he continued to look in the mirror.

‘Indeed.’

‘Wonderful.’ He smiled at his reflection. ‘I feel as if I am.’

‘Do you happen to know how long I rested?’ He raised an eyebrow as he faced the servant.

‘I made careful note, Sire.’ He retrieved a small leather journal from his vest pocket. ‘Three years, four cycles, six days and,’ he looked at the timepiece in the large cabinet, ‘eight hours.’

Justus smiled. ‘Marvelous.’

Success

‘Pae, join me,’ Justus said after a hearty breakfast.

The parrot whistled and bobbed its head.

Justus continued, ‘This experiment has yielded some fine results, very fine. I had hoped for better progress in some areas, but found unexpected benefits in others. Shall I explain?’

‘Aw,’ Pae said from his shoulder.

‘Grand. It’s good to see you are as excited as I am. First, let’s examine the... How shall I put it? Failures. I hesitate to use the word at all due to the wondrous gains we have made, but there it is. Perhaps setbacks?

‘The man who agreed to be my host was not as willing as he first indicated. True, he did let me in, but after an initial period of adjustment, I expected more consistent control over his actions and thoughts. That, unfortunately, was not the case. What resulted were fits of madness where neither of us was in charge. When this occurred, it seemed that something else entirely, took over. Granted, the results were astounding at times. Shall I elaborate?’

‘Mmm.’ Pae nodded.

‘In those chaotic moments, we were able to do unusually powerful things. Feats of strength, perception and the like that would be impossible for either of us alone. As you are well aware, I have no desire to share my existence with anyone, so pursuing that path is out of the question.’

Pae beat his wings briefly and made a chirping sound.

‘I’m glad you understand such things. My intent all along was to view the event as temporary, but I believed it would last longer. Enough of the negative; let’s look at all we learned.’ Justus entered the laboratory. Every shelf of items was exactly as he left it. Everything was spotless. The circle of summoning was intact, with the cushions he had lain upon during the ceremony still near it. The process had consumed the substance that had filled the channels in the floor. He paused at the entrance, enjoying the scene. ‘I really must give Laurence a raise. Do remind me of it, Pae.’

‘Peep.’

‘So, what did we learn? Most importantly, the fact that it is possible and therefore repeatable. It’s a strange world, with items and machines beyond imagination. However, it does indeed have many similarities to our own.’

Pae flew from his shoulder, landed on a perch, and screeched.

Justus strolled around the room, reacquainting himself while he spoke, ‘Yes, I mean exactly that. The buildings, machines, weapons, even their methods of communication, are different, but the land it is made of, the features of the world, are exactly the same as ours.’

‘Yaw.’ Pae shook his head rapidly.

‘No, I have not lost my mind. That world
is
our world, but filled with different things. I know,’ he shook his hands at the bird, ‘I would not have imagined it had I not been there. I even purchased a home, exactly where this one sits.’ He laughed heartily. ‘Which reminds me; I bought many properties and amassed a small fortune. In that land, as in ours, a Lord can hold title to many diverse places. He isn’t called a Lord, but be sure, the lands I hold deed to would put many of them here to shame.’

‘Mmm, haw.’

‘Yes, they are in good hands; I formed a business consortium of sorts that oversees it all and left the ownership to myself.’

‘Coo.’

‘That?’ He shook his head dismissively. ‘Gaining a new identity there is a simple matter. I left codes with men of the law to assure I could regain my holdings, whatever face I wore.’

‘Eep.’

‘Yes.’ He smiled. ‘Clever, aren’t I? Travel was a bit daunting at first. They have metal carriages called cars. With a bit of coercion and time, my host taught me to operate them. Now, let’s move to the exciting topic. The most significant finding.’ He waved Pae to his shoulder once more and they exited the laboratory. They climbed two flights of stairs, coming finally to a lesser-used portion of the mansion.

They entered a small closet, and Justus opened a hidden panel in the back. He depressed a pressure plate and the wall pivoted open. Justus ignited a lantern and its soft yellow glow illuminated the room beyond, revealing a large bed centered along one wall. ‘I don’t know why I agreed to the nonsense of this hidden chamber.’

Pae barely moved as they approached the bed. In the semi-darkness, they saw a form under the covers. He set the lamp on a table near it.

‘This is the old you, Pae.’ They peered at Patres, lying in the bed. ‘Note how you have not aged a moment since the transference, nor does your body need sustenance. You don’t even get sores like most that are abed for long periods of time.’

Pae hopped from his shoulder, landing on the bed, and leaned in looking at the figure of the old man. Then he turned toward Justus; tilting his head to the left, he raised one foot, squawked, whistled, and hummed.

Justus nodded. ‘We’ve not come here for some time. Yes, you were indeed that old when we met. However, unlike what happened during my adventure, you have not grown younger. I am unsure why.’ He tapped his chin. ‘The matter bears more investigation. I would say that I reduced my age here by precisely the amount of time I was in that foreign world. Imagine the possibilities. When the moment comes again in eight years, I could go there, live for forty years and return here as a man of thirty-eight. I could repeat the event endlessly. I could even relive certain ages of my life if I so chose!’

He paused, considering what lay before him, and smiled. Triumph and satisfaction vibrated in him. ‘Pae, I have circumvented death.’

Chapter 13

Convalescence

His stitches itched like the blazes. Coleman tried to ease it through the thick wrapping using his palm but that brought no relief. As he resorted to his fingernails, Sari’s voice came from the doorway.

‘Hey, none of that. Jolie will have your hide.’

He looked up, feeling like a boy with his hand in the sweets jar. Maybe charm would work. ‘Ah, but it’s just a bit of scratching.’ He gave her a lopsided smile.

Sari snickered and stepped to his bedside. ‘You can reserve that for someone else. My knees won’t weaken like a Novice, but valiant effort.’ She took his hand, forcibly removing it from the bandage.

Maybe he should plead?

She tilted her head. ‘How about if we try taking your mind off it?’

‘I’ll try anything. I’m about to ask that you bind my hands.’

‘Hopefully that won’t be necessary. So, last time I was here, you were telling me about your squad’s tactics. Let’s pick up there.’

Coleman took a breath and blew out.
Maybe it would help.

An hour later Jolie strolled into the room. His itching had abated, and her arrival lightened his spirits further. ‘How is our star patient today?’

‘My itching’s better now, thanks to Sari.’

Jolie smiled warmly at her. ‘She is indeed a scratcher of itches…of many kinds.’

Sari coughed. ‘I…do what I can. Well, I have inspections to conduct. It’s important to keep the Novices on their toes.’

‘I don’t envy them.’ Coleman smiled.

Sari nodded. ‘Nor do I.’ She smiled at Jolie. ‘I’ll see you in the dinning hall, yes?’

‘I smelled roasted lamb, it should be delicious. I’ll meet you at our usual table.’ Jolie said.

‘Great.’ Sari smiled and strode from his room.

Alone, at last. ‘I’d love to ask about your day and stare into your eyes like a smitten teen, but is there anything you can do about this itching?’

A smile played at her lips. ‘Smitten are you?’

Yes, that would be the case. ‘I just meant…there are things I’d rather be doing.’

Jolie pulled him into an upright position. ‘As would I.’ She said softly. Her breast brushed his arm, giving him an itch of another kind altogether.

Had she done that intentionally?

‘But lets try letting this wound on your chest breathe.’

Her hands moved delicately, reminding him of a butterfly’s touch. Unable to support himself, he lay his head under her chin as she spooled the bandage from around him. He could think of worse places to be; it made the itching worth it. ‘So, how was your day?’ he asked.

‘A bit frustrating. Only one Novice in the newest group showed a talent for Healing, and she faints at the sight of blood.’

‘That’s inconvenient.’

Jolie chuckled and it vibrated through his head, her breath stirred his hair. ‘I have her posted to assist the butcher.’ The chuckle deepened.

‘Oh, now that’s just wicked.’

She tossed the bandage aside and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, easing him back onto the bed. The embrace made his heart race. ‘Me? Wicked?
Never.
’ She sat on the bedside and took his hand. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. She brushed back a lock of his hair. ‘With blond hair like this, it must have been lighter when you were a boy.’

‘It was nearly white.’ He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. ‘It needs a trim. I try to keep it short.’

She appeared to struggle to pull her eyes away from his, looking at his chest. ‘Your stitches are ready to come out and the wound is healing well. So, I think we can manage that.’

‘Will you—?’

‘Oh, by the Divine, you wouldn’t want that.’ She waved her free hand. ‘I can wield a Healer’s blade with my eyes closed, but that talent didn’t transfer to cutting hair. You’d end up looking like a shorn sheep.’ She ran her fingers through his hair and their eyes locked again. Her touch sent goose bumps down his arms. ‘We can’t have that with a man as handsome as you.’

Handsome?
His voice came in a whisper, ‘No…I suppose we can’t.’

Reaching Out

The Matriarch collapsed bonelessly to the floor, her face pointed up at the Golden Orb of the Divine.

Oh, no.
Jolie rushed forward, reaching her a moment later. She shoved her panic aside and became the Healer, gently laying her out, straightening her legs and placing a small cushion under her head. The Acolytes slowly ceased their chant. The haunting song of finding hope in the Divine seemed to travel out into the Cloister rather than simply fall silent. They opened their eyes, coming out of a meditative state. As they did, they hurried to surround the Matriarch.

‘Back up,’ Jolie commanded sternly.

One of the Senior Acolytes protested, ‘Now see here — ’

‘I said back
up
!’ Jolie looked at her and the woman paled, lowered her head and did as directed. ‘Yes, Mistress Healer,’ she said.

‘Be assured ladies, if I need help, I’ll ask for it.’ Her hands flew over the supine woman, checking her pulse, temperature, pupils, and head. She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It appears the Matriarch has simply fainted.’ There was a clamor of concern. ‘She should be fine; let’s give her a few moments. Would someone please bring water, a cup, and a clean cloth?’

One of the women ran from the Chapel, and returned moments later with the required items, setting the cup and pitcher on the floor near Jolie. ‘Thank you,’ Jolie said with a nod. She took the towel, wet it and gently wiped the Matriarch’s brow and cheeks. At the touch of the cloth, the elderly woman’s eyes fluttered open and she tried to get up.

‘Wha...where?’

‘Shhh. Matriarch, all is well,’ Jolie said gently as she prevented her from sitting. ‘Rest for a moment and then let’s try to sit up. Yes?’

The woman’s eyes gained focus. ‘Of course, Mistress Healer. Did everything go well?’

Jolie’s brow furrowed and the Senior Acolyte placed a hand on her shoulder, speaking quietly, ‘A brief memory loss is common after a Seer has an ecstatic moment. It will return in full shortly.’