Michael Manning - Mageborn - The Blacksmith’s Son

Easing myself up from the floor I began to think. Carefully I drew the splinter from Penny’s leg, which caused it to start bleeding again. I watched her face to see if she might waken, but I had put a lot of power into the spell and she hardly stirred. Reaching down I cut a long strip from the bed sheet and used it to bind her wound. Then I straightened up and surveyed the room.

It was a mess to say the least. Jewelry lay scattered on the floor, interspersed with oaken shards. The sheets were stained where Penny had bled upon them, and two people lay sleeping in varying degrees of disarray. It was too much to deal with all at once, so I did the most important thing first. Bending down, I slipped my arms underneath Penelope, easing one arm behind her shoulders and the other beneath her knees. It was not the best angle to stand up from and I staggered for a moment, nearly stepping on Devon’s head. Aww, that would have been a shame, to ruin those pretty features. I thought sarcastically. I couldn’t risk waking him though. Penny was not a slight girl, she was nearly as tall as me and hard work had given her plenty of muscle, yet she felt light as a feather in my arms. Adrenaline I suppose, but I didn’t bother to think about it.

I walked out into the hallway and made my way to my room as quickly as I could. Hers might have been better but I had no idea where she kept her quarters. Gently I laid her upon my bed, taking a moment to cover her with the blankets. I returned to the hall and recovered the book where I had left it leaning against the wall and went back to stow it safely with the others in my room. Each trip took several minutes and I worried constantly that I might meet someone in the halls. It was past midnight and my luck held; the corridors were deserted. I still had several problems.

I needed help and there was only one person I could trust at this hour. Fifteen minutes later I was standing outside the door of the Thornbear household. Lord Thornbear was the seneschal for Castle Lancaster and accordingly his family lived in the large bailey overlooking the main gate. The night air was damp and a light rain had begun so I was a little wet when I got to their door, which suited my mood just fine. A sleepy servant opened the door, a man I knew from my previous stays with the Thornbear family. I’m not sure if he had a surname as I had only ever heard him addressed as ‘Remy’.

“Mort, what in the name of the gods are you doing out here at this hour?” He kept his voice lowered to keep from waking the family.

“Remy, I know this seems odd, but I want you to wake Dorian for me, quietly if you can, I need to speak with him.” I tried to put as much sincerity in my voice as possible.

“Fine fine, let me see…” he turned and promptly ran into the door frame. “Damn!” he cursed quietly, “Nobody cares if Remy gets any sleep now do they? No of course they don’t, Remy don’t need no sleep do he?” He was muttering to himself as he stumbled back into the Thornbear family rooms.

I waited anxiously for several minutes before Dorian appeared at the door. “Mort, I don’t mean to be rude, but it is really late…” he started. Then he saw my face. Something there must have tipped him to my desperation. “Hang on, let me get my cloak.”

A moment later we were hurrying back across the courtyard to the castle proper. I should mention that Dorian is one of those rare individuals that sleeps wearing a long stocking cap. He had forgotten to remove it in his haste and I didn’t have the heart to remind him. Some things are better left unsaid, and I needed all the humor I could find that dark night.

As we went I tried to explain to him what had happened, but I don’t think it sank in properly till he saw Penny sleeping in my bed. With the covers drawn she looked like an angel lying there.

“Do you know where her chamber is? I need to get her back to her own room before she wakes.” I told him.

“Sure but I doubt we can get her in there without waking the other maids,” he replied.

“Leave that to me.” I moved over to stand at the side of the bed, preparing myself to pick her up again.

“Do you need me to carry her?” he asked. I considered his offer for a moment, but something inside of me snarled at the thought of anyone else touching her. Something had broken inside when I found her in that room and I didn’t yet even know to mourn for my lost innocence.

“No, no, I have her. If you could just help with the doors and lead the way.” I drew back the covers and lifted her up from the bed. This time I could feel the strain in my back, exhaustion and lack of sleep were beginning to take their toll.

The air hissed between Dorian’s teeth as he drew a sharp breath, seeing her state. The torn dress, the blood, I couldn’t blame him. I felt much the same. I cradled her in my arms and looked into his gaze. Fury dwelled within him, and I wondered what we might do once we had put her safely to her bed. “Who did this Mordecai?” His voice held dark intent.

“Not yet Dorian, we have to take care of Penny first.” I prayed he could keep his calm.

“I said, who did this Mordecai!” he wasn’t in a mood to wait.

“Listen Dorian,” I started to say, but he interrupted me.

“No you listen! I want to know who did this and I want to know now!” he was shouting.

“Goddammit!” I yelled back, “Shut the fuck up and think for a second!” I believe that was the first time I had ever raised my voice to him. He closed his mouth, startled, so I went on, “What do you think will happen to Penny if someone sees her like this? She’ll be ruined! Her father is destitute, she has no dowry; she’d never be able to get married. No one would take her! Whether she’s been ‘spoiled’ or not won’t matter once the rumors start flying.” I took a deep breath and calmed down. Looking at Dorian I could see he was still listening.

“Now are you going to help me get her to her room or do I have to do it by myself?” I started toward the door. Dorian was there before me and got it open.

He led me down several flights of stairs to the lowest floor of the keep; staying ahead of me the entire way, checking each doorway to see if anyone was up and about. We got to the maid’s quarters without incident, yet when he opened the door someone stirred. It was fairly dark, but a woman’s nervous voice called out, “Who’s there?” Dorian ducked back from the entryway quickly and I didn’t waste any time.

“Shibal” I put as much strength into it as I could still muster, not bothering to focus it in any particular direction. Again I noticed that Dorian was completely unfazed. I would really have to look into that one of these days, but now was not the time. I stepped inside and looked around.

It was too dark to see, so Dorian lit a lamp after I assured him none of the occupants would be waking up anytime soon. The room contained five small beds, all but one held sleeping women. Dorian drew the sheets back while I placed her carefully down. Then I began the difficult process of getting her clothes off.

“What are you doing?” Dorian hissed at me.

“Turn around if it bothers you, I’ve got to get rid of the evidence. In fact, turn around anyway, it bothers me.” When had I developed this jealous streak?

I wasn’t having any luck with her dress, so I drew my knife and began cutting it away. It was already spoiled, so it didn’t matter. Once I had it off I couldn't help but look at her for a moment. Say what you will, but I’d like to see you pretend not to notice the most beautiful woman in the world lying naked in front of you. If you said you hadn’t stared, even for a moment, I’d call you a damn liar.

Regardless, I was very focused on making sure Penny was safe. I drew the covers over her and stood back up. Glancing around I noticed a plain nightdress neatly folded under her bedside table. I quickly dismissed the thought of dressing her in it. I didn’t see how I could manage it properly so she would just have to figure that part out in the morning. I also took a moment to make sure she had a second uniform. It turns out she had three, well two now. That was one thing less to worry about at least.