The Fool 29

The next couple of days were spent in relaxation. Their tired and overtaxed bodies began the slow process of returning to top performance as they tackled with inner trauma of their latest brush with a bad ending. Cray being the crafty person that he was, put together a fishing kit good enough to indulge in his second love. Orison couldn't help but make a comment about how the archer's future women would always have two competitors for his affection.

Cray boldly stated, "It's three, maybe four but my woman's always gonna come first."

Orison smirked, "If you have the discipline to keep her coming first for a lifetime, I can't imagine how devoted of a wife she'll be."

The archer narrowed his eye in mock anger and said, "Did you just turn my deep and true declaration into a dirty joke?"

With innocence plastered on his face like warpaint, the young mage replied in Cray's country twang, "Why, I don't rightly know what you're talking about, sir. You know, guilt breeds suspicion."

After some back and forth bantering and horseplay, Orison exited the magic heating rock lined soaking pool. Finishing up his business in the 'big bathroom house', he returned to his magic echo studying while Cray went to try out his new pole and tackle. Sounding mildly flustered and excited, Ezra's voice cut through the young mage's concentration to ask him to fetch 'Dustin'. Sighing, he went after telling Cray. The archer wanted to go with but Orison explained that it would defeat the purpose since he was only acting as a reusable 'Summon Mount' anyway.

As the young mage passed through the standing stone transport device, he felt the slight tug trying to make him appear elsewhere but pretended like he didn't feel a thing or knew what it meant. He could sense Ezra's intent following and watching him like a hawk. She hadn't missed the subtle shift of energies but he highly doubted she was that clear about it. Even if she was, the other tug was too weak to accomplish anything on its own and Orison was learning how to be a good actor.

After leaving the mound and phasing back fully into the world, he felt as if a giant boulder had been lifted off of his ability to 'see' the echoes. He hadn't come anywhere near the limit the world had set. It was just much harder to sense them half phased out of sync.

The relief he expected to feel not being so close to the monster whose tree had grown roots into a mound of bodies among other atrocities, was nonexistent. Cray and little Heath were still there and very much in harm's way. On his phantom horseback journey, he combed through ways to let Rogers know what was going on and hoped he could bring the guy on board.

Half a day later and close to the border range of Ezra's sensing limit, he suddenly felt lightheaded. A ringing in his ears, preceded a blurry glimpse elsewhere. A man's voice that was so pleasant to listen to, he found it annoying assaulted him with demands upon his true name. With little experience in the arena, he couldn't pull together enough focus to resist.

The young mage's eyesight cleared. Before him were two familiar faces. One of those two faces made him feel very nervous about what had transpired or what was about to. The irritatingly handsome dhampir intoned some formal language the young mage didn't understand while Rogers look at him with bland apathy.

The dhampir said, "I have all the answers we need but are there any you'd like to ask before I un-summon him, Dustin? Have a care. Forgetting his true name only buys so much."

On the verge of exploding in rage, Orison said, "Any additional costs will be leveraged against destroying all recordings of my true name you know of or ever see BEFORE you can use them."

The dhampir said, "Noted... Understand, that as far as I am concerned, we are allies and there is no need for further conflict. I could tell you why in exchange for more questions of my own?"

Orison gave a saintly smile and said, "That volunteered piece of information might have just saved your life. Share your reasons later or keep them to yourself. We are on a short time table."

Looking bored, Dustin said, "You're not in any position to give threats... I don't care WHY you thought it was a good idea to serve my a** up on a platter to a man eating monster. What I want to know is what were you going to give me in exchange for selling me out as distraction bait, rescue plan in place or not."

Orison shrugged. "I'd have to know what was up for grabs before I could tell you that. But so we're not playing stupid forty question games until Ezra snatches up my friend for a winter long snuggle fest, I swear that it would be a fair share. For the very little but extremely fun risk you would have been subjected to, I assure you that even if it was a crap shoot, I would have made up the difference some other way."

The dhampir cut in, "Word play might be involved but there was no lie. He doesn't get debt with lies."

"Why me instead of your friend, if it was so fun and low risk?" Dustin asked.

The young mage held in his sigh under the tense situation. "Whether you were the happy-go-lucky kind hearted womanizer you seemed to be or a shrewd and cunning actor, you were better suited to play bait than Cray and I can't do it. I'm needed to extract whatever resources might still be hiding in the center of that place. "My hopes aren't that high, by the way. But there has to be a couple of good things still in its vault or the entity that sacrificed itself to make it possible to reach, wouldn't have been able to justify it. Supernatural debts are unforgiving, apparently."

Rogers said, "So, either I was girl crazy enough I wouldn't care or smart enough to play pretend until you could get me out. Is that what you're saying?"

Orison smiled and said, "Mostly. Agreement or not, I have something for you."

After taking a few things out and putting some in, Orison tossed out the spacial device pin. The dhampir looked like he was about to give a warning but stopped and looked at the young mage in horror when he realized all he could move was his eyes for the three seconds it took for Dustin to pick up the pin and look inside.

While Dustin's eyes teared up at the sight of his sister's belongings, Orison walked over and erased his true name from the circle. Walking out, he threw an arm around the dhampir's shoulder. Once Rogers had recovered enough to look up towards the dhampir and noticed the young mage's buddy pose with the annoyingly handsome guy, he realized they were no longer in control.

Letting out a sigh that was equal parts relief and grief, Orison said, "It was a bold move to finagle whatever process you used to convert my body into materials for yours. I assume you did it because your father had claimed it and all that? What he didn't know and what I've only recently figured out, is that a body pretty much built from karma, grace or whatever you want to call it, always belongs to the person who earned it.

He smiled at the man and added, "It can be stolen but claiming it back is just a thought. Now, what are you offering me to keep from claiming it back?"

"Service until the debt is resolved," the dhampir said.

Orison said, "I don't want yo-"

Dustin leveled a caster pistol at Orison's head and said, "I may not know how this crap works but I know I can tell you to f*** off and if you do, I'm pretty sure this stupidity will be put on pause long enough for us to work something else out."

"Sit down, shut up and let the adults finish talking, junior. I planned on giving those to you as a gesture of friendship. But since you want to play loose and dirty with my free will, consider this just desserts," Orison said, letting his anger shine through.

As soon as supernatural geas made Dustin do as he was told, the young mage turned back towards the dhampir. In a spitfire session, he understood why the dhampir not only bore him no grudges but actually owed him for all that he'd done. With some fairly tight knitted oaths on the very grace that the body possessed, Orison released control of it and passed over its ownership.

In a quick breakdown, the young mage explained the original plan. Out of picante, he told the dhampir about his plans to give his family a leg up in crossing the shining wall until everyone had turned out to be devious a**holes. He also warned Dustin about 'Silent Beauty's prediction on the invasion she had seen coming in the spring.

"Well, Stefen Rosu, you're free to go do whatever it is you want to do that doesn't involve screwing with me. Dustin, are you coming with or are you bouncing?" Orison said, ignoring a deep tension running underneath the surface.

Rogers said disgruntled, "I don't know if I can trust you and this plan relies on that a whole lot. You seem to have a much rosier outlook on everything that went down with me but let me tell you my side. While I was unable to defend myself, you threw me out to get mind r*ped by Stefen's sister/daughter-"

The dhampir interjected, "My father was inhabiting me at the time. I had no say in it, either 'it'."

Rogers shot him an irritated look and continued, "After that, you freed us but lead us into their trap and walked away before you and your buddy could suffer with everyone else. Then, you use the tracker I gave you to set me up on a date with a batsh*t crazy apple tree. The fact you're delusional enough to see things as all peachy on your end, scares the sh*t out of me."

Pushing rage back down, Orison said, "I tossed you outside because you were a reincarnation bomb... I didn't lead you to a damn thing, Mr 'I'll do what needs done'. And as for the last, I sure did. You know why and what you stand to gain but if you're not interested, then YOU f*** off."

While it looked like returning from where he came was Dustin's plan, Stefen said, "I'll do it. I'm in need of resources and believe you to be an honorable man. It might not go as smoothly but a slight improvisation should suffice."

Dustin looked at the dhampir in disbelief, "Hey! I didn't say I wasn't going to do it. I was just trying to test the waters a little"

Orison turned to the Rogers man and said, "I don't know if I can trust you and this plan relies on that a whole lot."

Dustin shot an annoyed look at Orison's smirking face, "Yeah, right... Bravo Foxtrot move there, Stefen."

Playing innocent, the dhampir smiled guilelessly and said, "You didn't seem interested. I was only ready to seize the opportunity you were turning down... What is a Bravo Foxtrot move?"

While the Rogers man, still awfully young looking but not as much as he had by a year or two, explained the colorful military term for a person who sabotages their friends, Orison prepared to leave with whichever of them was coming along. Dustin was in. Willing to throw a few potential gains away for a semblance of safety net, Orison involved Stefen in a plan 'B' scenario.

As the young mage and Dustin crossed back into the insane apple tree's range, Orison said, "Sorry about that, Ezra. I was happy to see him alive and well. Since you don't have much time til you'll be hibernating with my friend here, we shared a cup to celebrate ahead of time so our farewells can be shorter later."

Dustin added, "It's been ages since I had a drink of one of Avalon's signature limited issue beverages. I hope you won't be mad, sweetheart."

"If libations is an unsatisfied craving, then you must try my cider," Ezra sent, as if she weren't a powder keg of suspicion ready to explode.

"Oh, honey. I'm more interested in a taste of that sweet apple pie," the youthful Rogers man said shamelessly.

Ezra wasn't the only one speechless.

After taking a moment to scrub his brain, Orison said, "We've discussed it and I'd like to bring it up with Cray as well. Should Dustin winter well with you, we aren't jealous men by nature. Would you be interested in sharing your affections with the three of us?"

Scandalized, Ezra said, "I have yet to know the touch of one man! I do not know what sort of creature you take me for but we dryads remain devoted with our loves til death."

With an apologetic air, Orison added, "It wasn't a statement meant to question your honor or integrity. It was an offer of intent. With Dustin as the more virtuous and empathetic, I believed he would be more suited to the affections of a maiden whereas Cray and I bear a more... mature craving. Because we are men who pride our selflessness, we only offer to grant Dustin ease if you should desire a bolder and fuller flavor of life in the spring."

Silence lapsed for some time before she returned a sending to say, "Your dear friend Cray offers a more pragmatic view on your generosity. Being that there is a woman whose shadow weighs on both of your hearts, he opines that perhaps I am to be a test of your wills to share a woman without envy."

Orison said, "There is truth in it but don't be mistaken about intent. The woman in question is seeking elsewhere to be reborn and is to be a love story of another life entirely. We have no desire to pine away this one without love or comfort."

Slightly frustrated, Ezra said, "Then why all this trouble to bring a suitor from afar? Are YOU a maiden in need of wooing!?"

With a hint of devilishness, the young mage said, "Would it not be exciting to reverse the roles if it is only for sport and the prize guaranteed? I would be coy as you pursue and capture to ravish me among the spring blossoms. And if a game came to bore, Cray and I could mock battle for your amusement and pleasure, perhaps please you together if tenderness is what you craved."

On cue, Dustin cut in, "Don't leave me out! For this to work, she would need to love us all equally. No matter how hard WE try, if she played favorites, eventually we'd fight to the death to have her for ourselves."

Drumming up a touch of anger by evoking old memories, Orison said bitterly, "After you had her to yourself all winter, we'd need to include you in our springtime? How is that fair?"

Somewhat ignoring Ezra's sputtering, they continued their play.

In a tone of reconcile, Dustin said, "It is only the first winter. In her times of rest, we need to put her needs first, just as you put her needs first when you knew me to be the better choice for the beginning. After all, I am the better and more experienced lover."

Orison didn't have to feign his irritation to respond to the ad-lib statement. "Just as there are more than one season, there are more than one way to love someone. You may be better at one but to claim to be master of them all in general!?... If she will give us a chance come spring, then we can ask her! Is your reputation and boast nothing but exaggeration?"

By the time they had reached the 'Top', the riding pair and a few well timed earnest comments from Cray had Ezra so scandalized, embarrassed and intrigued that Orison started feeling guilty. That feeling was fleeting when he thought of the mound of ancient children's bones and dead trees with souls chained to them. The one and only other living dryad was so ensorceled and controlled, she was little better than a puppet almost incapable of independent thought.

Clearing away distracting thoughts, Orison brought himself back to focus. While Dustin piled the charm so high it almost made him nauseous, the young mage pretended to envy while Cray added legitimacy by actually being faintly jealous. Eventually, stretched as thin as exhaustion, temper and temptation would allow, Ezra 'swallowed' the bait into her tree.

At the same moment, Hazel woke up and stared at the proceedings with empty eyes. It could have just been Orison's imagination. But when Heath rushed up to the woman wreathed in hair and bejeweled with eyes of warm greenish browns, he thought he saw a flicker of distant affection and kindness within.

Speaking cold words that didn't belong to the warm voice who spoke them, the woman said, "While Ezra takes her winter's rest, it is best that only one of you leaves at a time. The chance of being mistaken for enemies is too great otherwise and the wailing men that border this place will make short work of eliminating such a threat."

Cray frowned but Orison smiled and gave his ready compliance. It was tough but he shunted the archer's voiced concerns and played the same relaxation game for another couple of days. It was tough watching Heath grow despondent over Hazel's lack of attention.

Towards the middle of the second day, Heath came running up to Orison who felt close to completing another useful magic. At first, he was going to try to bribe the boy but Heath wasn't in any mood for a 'teet'. There was legitimate distress.

Teary eyed and sporting a deeply scratched hand that was freely dripping blood, Heath said, "Elu... Elu E Shama, Teet E Shama!"