20PART SIX - Two's Company?
". . . No, Mattie, and that's final."
Dunstan glared at the redhead across the table from him, daring an equally infuriated Mattie to challenge his words. The day had passed the trio by as they exchanged tales in the Black Dog, and now, the two young men were the last customers in the dimly lit tavern, as Laena had claimed fatigue, and climbed up the stairs to her room nearly unnoticed by the two friends.
Giving in to the fiery temper that his hair suggested, Mattie did not disappoint. The redhead's voice was calm and quiet - the last thing either man needed was to be overly noticeable - but Dunstan could almost taste the steel masked behind his friend's soft tones. "Dunstan dubh, I canna let ye go. 'Tis nae as easy as ye pretend. . . I fear for ye, lad . . . she . . . Laena. . . 'tis all more than your wee works in the village. Canna ye nae sense this, ye who reads the moods o' aither men?"
"Mattie," Dunstan sighed, "is it fair that you question me so? True, Rae is dead, but let her go, my friend . . . do you see yourself as Laena's savior? From something you are not even sure exists? You cannot prove that your love's death was deliberate, Mattie, or even that she *is* in fact deceased, and yet you insist that Laena is headed for the same fate, the details of which you are not even certain of?"
Allowing some formality to slip into his tone - Dunstan could tell that some of his words were hitting a little too close to home; and as much as he wanted to shake sense into his more fanciful, redheaded friend, he did not want to hurt Mattie. Besides, the topic had hit close to his own defenses; for roses, like the ones that Mattie had said were found with Rae's mangled cloak, were Dunstan's trademark, and yet he *knew* he had nothing to do with Raelin's abduction. He had not even been anywhere near Kohinoor. . .
Of course, Dunstan thought, it was mildly disconcerting that he could not remember where he *had* been at the time, either. Continuing, although his words were formal, Dunstan took on a softer tone as he asked, "Please . . . calm yourself, and we can think about this come the morrow. Let us speak of lighter things now, for the Lady and I traveled far this day and I am weary."
Running a hand through his wavy auburn hair, Mattie looked at Dunstan. "Ye ne'er cease to amaze me, dark Dunstan . . . lighter things, 'tis? Ach. well, ye'd mayhap wish tae know tha' Danny's getting married."
Chuckling, Dunstan replied. "Ah . . . so the debonair Danny has been tied down? Who managed it, my friend?"
"A pretty redhead - Enyce, 'tis her name. Her pa runs the Orange Tree, 'cross the street, and Danny's near crazy for the lass, I fear." At this, a scheming grin crossed Mattie's features. "And ye owe me some money, I believe . . ."
Looking at his friend with disbelief, Dunstan grumbled playfully as he pulled three golden coins out of a pocket on the inside of his vest. "You remembered? Impressive . . . I will have to curse Danny; I was so sure he was a safe bet." He paused, and then continued. "When is the wedding, anyways? I must meet the girl who has managed to tie down the king of rogues . . ."
" 'Tis in four days, Dunstan," Mattie replied, "and if 'tis possible, couldst ye put off your 'quest' o' sorts 'till they're wed? Danny would love for ye tae be there, and Laena might like a tic or two tae spend with womenfolk . . . She told me o' your journey here, and of the elementals that attacked ye outside o' Cirth at Rolf's. I thought tha' it might be best for ye tae take a day or two off; catch your bearings, per se."
"Perhaps. I'll talk to Laena in the morning, and we'll see . . . I fear we have no gift for Danny, and our road-weary attire is hardly fit for such festivities. I did not leave the Lady much time to acquire much in the way of belongings, after all." Dunstan paused, a joking grin sliding across his face.
"Ach, and tae be sure you wouldn't," Mattie replied. "I'll see wha' the family can do for ye. Mam'll be chuffed to have a lass tae attend to for once."
Dunstan smiled, attempting to stifle a petulant yawn. "That sounds fair enough, my friend. I'll talk with Laena come the morrow to see what she thinks about the wedding. But I fear should I remain, I shall fall asleep, regardless of the fact that this is hardly the place to do so." At this, the darker-haired of the two men nodded at the other, and trudged with an air of definite fatigue towards the stairs that climbed up the far wall.
Mattie called after his friend, playfulness dancing in his eyes. "Fifth door on the right side, Dunstan . . ." Pausing for a second, the redhead pulled a small skeleton key off a key ring he kept at his belt. Grinning, Mattie tossed the key to Dunstan, who had turned at his friend's voice. "Catch!"
Effortlessly, Dunstan nabbed the key out of midair, and nodded in thanks to Mattie - who, Dunstan noted, looked strangely like the cat who had eaten the proverbial canary. 'Something's up,' Dunstan thought, 'but, I'm too tired to even think about it now. A warm bed and a little sleep . . . and then Mattie's jokes can start in."
Fitting the skeleton key into the keyhole, Dunstan pushed the door open, and looked around the small room perfunctorily. Almost instinctively, he then turned towards the door, bolted it, and placed an Illusory charm on it, so that to the casual observer, where the outside of the door should be would appear to be a continuation of the wall. Charms and the like weren't Dunstan's specialty, but in his line of work, he conceded that he could never be too careful. That completed, he scanned the room for any 'surprises' - Mattie's family was trustworthy, but the MacCreough brothers had a sense of humor that was . . . unique . . . at the best of times. As if on cue, Dunstan froze as he regarded the single bed in the room, eyes flashing with a combination of surprise and veiled amusement.
'Tis only one problem in wishin' for a bed and six hours of rest,' he thought, as he noted that he was not alone in the room. 'The first's taken.'
Looking at the girl who lay fast asleep under the homespun blue and white blankets - in what was supposed to be HIS bed - her brunette hair shielding a face Dunstan was beginning to fear he would know anywhere, he drifted into thought again. Securing the window with the same spell he had used on the door, Dunstan felt twinges of guilt as he cast the latter spell. It was something he had forgotten when he was with Rolf and Kaerin, and it had nearly cost them their lives. . . Settling himself into the blue armchair that faced the window, he fixed his gaze at the street below. Propping his booted feet up onto the window ledge, he chuckled, imagining Mattie's "surprised" reaction to this development in the morning. . .
'Truth, 'tis hardly a surprise after all these years; I should have surmised he'd try to do something, seeing how I had come to town with her. But I thought that HE was interested in her. Mattie, laddie . . .' Dunstan lilted, his thoughts phrasing themselves into his friend's distinctive brogue, 'ye are as bad as Loki himself.'
With no little bit of resignation, Dunstan settled himself further into the chair, making sure his feet had a definite perch on the broad windowsill. Certainly, the bed was taken, and he had no intention of sharing it with the current occupant . . . but this chair still was a good deal more comfortable than Dunstan guessed the floor would be, and Goddess knew, he needed the sleep . . . These thoughts in mind, he drifted off into a light slumber . . .
. . . only to be rudely awakened a few hours later, as a hand knocked his feet off of the window ledge, quickly followed by a tired - but definitely unimpressed - voice.
"Do you plan on making a habit of this, milord, or is there an extraordinary excuse for your reappearance in my room at this hour in the morning?" Laena's voice. Annoyed no little bit, if he was any judge of women. . . "And would you, perchance, mind moving that undersized sword from my neck?"
Of course, Dunstan thought, with a strange inkling of guilt, Laena's tone might also have something to do with the dagger that he had instinctively pulled out when she woke him, while he gripped her right wrist in her other hand. "'Tis not a sword, but a dagger, milady. . ." he grumbled, still rousing himself from sleep.
Laena's only response was a mildly infuriated expression. The silence in the room was nearly tangible for a few moments, until Laena sighed, and responded. "So it is. Regardless, if you wouldst be so kind as to remove it. . ." She paused, smiling in a curious combination of surprise and smugness. ". . .Perhaps, so I can return its pair?"
Inwardly, Dunstan groaned. Laena was certainly not supposed to know about the two daggers sheathed on the insides of his cloak. Much less was she supposed to be holding the pair to the one that *he* had drawn instinctively. Even less than that, Dunstan mused, was she supposed to be able to move that fast. Admittedly, Laena's hand trembled slightly as she pointed the dagger at some indiscriminate point between his navel and groin, but her eyes, suddenly gold-flecked near the pupils, were uncomfortably steady.
Lowering his dagger, Dunstan retained his hold on Laena's wrist, and looked first at the dagger, and then up into her eyes. Cautiously, he spoke. "How in the name of the Fates did you do that?"
Laena shook her head slightly, and when she raised her eyes to Dunstan's, he noted that they had lost their golden glints and air of complete assurance. The Lady Greythan was still most definitely peeved, this he knew without a doubt . . . but something about her stature and the casting of her eyes had changed. Her voice trembled as she replied. "I don't know . . . it felt like my hand . . . 'twas guided, Dunstan."
Dunstan watched carefully as Laena leaned back onto the windowsill, still loosely grasping the dagger, and seemed to gather herself together. It almost scared him, watching her, as if she was changing . . . transforming . . . from the Amazon who had held him at his own knife's point back into the relatively more normal maiden who had accompanied him to Kohinoor. His Empath talents could also feel confusion, annoyance, and fear rolling off of the girl in waves, but underneath it was a cold, deadly certainty that he usually sensed in the most experienced fighters, something that he was fairly certain Laena was not.
After the silence grew almost tangible in the room, Dunstan cleared his throat, and spoke. "Laena. . ."
She looked up, clarity returning to her green eyes, as well as, Dunstan noted with joy, notes of amusement. "Ah yes. . . Milord. You were going to explain why you were drawn to my room yet again. . ."
" 'Twas not my fault this time, milady Laena. Rather, you should look to the redheaded rogue you seemed rather enchanted with yesterday . . ."
"Mattie?" she replied incredulously. " 'Tis impossible; he was a perfect gentleman the other day. More than I can say for some, I'm afraid . . ."
Tapping his heart, Dunstan responded lightly. "Touché. . . I admit I was a wee bit abrupt with you, but Mattie's words worry me. The lad sounds crazy, Laena - I have my doubts about some of the things he has said - but his emotions read true; he is concerned for you. And it does tie in with a few o' the things I've heard on my travels. In any case, I can assure you that he is in fact responsible for our similar lodgings. The 'identical keys' trick - one of the oldest in the proverbial book, I'm afraid. . . he must have trusted that we would go off to sleep separately, and not discover each other until it was 'too late.'"
Running a hand through her mussed hair, Laena sighed. "Ah well. . . 'tis in the past. Next time, I would appreciate a 'by your leave' before you deign to share your humble abductee's quarters. Which reminds me, Dunstan, exactly who are you a messenger for? Do you even know for whom you have taken me from my people, my home? Goddess, Dunstan. . ."
Dunstan wasn't sure when he tensed at her words and the turmoil of feelings he could feel Laena emoting, but it seemed that he had suddenly pursued Laena half across the small room, his fists clenched at his sides, eyes flashing passionately. "Milady. . . you would do good to remain silent in that regard. You assume too much, and although I have no desire to mistreat you in any way, there are things you need not know."
'Of course,' Dunstan thought to himself, 'there are things I need to know. . . like who wants Laena in Ashegard. . . and why. . . And yet, I know neither. Dunstan, lad, you're slipping.'
Both youths tensed, both bracing for, and anticipating another conflict. A soft coughing at the door tore Dunstan's and Laena's eyes away from each other and towards the woman standing casually in the doorway, eyebrow raised in the universal expression of bemused curiosity.
Dunstan was the first to recover, although he favored his burnt leg as he walked across the small room and enveloped the slender middle-aged woman in a friendly embrace. "Mam MacCreough. . . 'tis a delight and a surprise. I had thought my wards to be sufficient - I hope they did not harm you?"
Backing gently out of Dunstan's hug, the older woman chuckled, a warm laugh that relaxed Laena immediately. "Dunstan, lad. . . ye forget tha' I had a few o' me own bairns. By the time Danny was full grown, I knew the disarming tae the Ill'sory charm by heart."
A pained look flashed across Dunstan's face, which he quickly tried to hide, as he shifted his stance. "Ah. . . that would make sense."
Still, the matriarch MacCreough did not miss his grimace. "You're hurt, Dunstan dubh. . ."
" 'Tis nothing, Mam. . .the Lady and I had a run-in with some summoned elementals a while back, but I can care for it myself. . ."
"You most certainly can not." Both women in the room responded simultaneously, eerily identical looks of exasperation on their faces. Dunstan, on the other hand, felt a distinctly unsettling feeling settle in the pit of his stomach as the two women introduced themselves, smiling already like old friends.
"I am Laena Greythan, from the South, milady. Thank you for your kind hospitality of the last evening. . . I apologize if we were unpleasant tenants; I fear I was awakened somewhat rudely this morning, and as such, was somewhat noisy."
Smiling warmly, the other woman replied. "No need tae 'milady' me, Laena lass. Tae the boys, I am Mam - aye, Danny and the other red-haired bairns are mine - but if ye wish, ye may call me Evie."
"Evie, then. . . I hope not to be too forward," Laena begun, sending a poisonous glance at Dunstan, who in turn pretended valiantly that he had not just snorted in disbelief at her words. "But I fear that I have little in the way of clothing - Dunstan is fond, I'm afraid, of leaving a place without giving one much warning. . ."
Looking carefully between the two youths in front of her, Evelyn MacCreough addressed them both. "Ye two are tae be handfasted, then? Dunstan, I am proud o' ye."
Laena, as she looked at Evie and Dunstan, wasn't completely sure of the meaning of 'handfasting' - perhaps, it was some Northern term for abduction, she thought quickly - but dismissed that just as fast. It seemed fairly unlikely for a woman like Evie to be 'proud' of Dunstan for abducting young girls . . . 'but then again,' Laena mused as she took in Dunstan's somewhat embarrassed visage, 'could he be . . .he *is* blushing. Goddess . . . then it must mean . . .' Feeling her own cheeks warm, she replied.
"Hardly. Unless, milord Dunstan, this is the conclusion to some strange Northern ritual, and you wish to ask me something. . .?" Smiling saccharinely at Dunstan, who looked like he either wished to crawl into a hole in the earth - or throw her into one - Laena turned her attention back to Evie, who suddenly looked much less cheerful.
"Is this true, Dunstan? Have you returned to Kohinoor as Quicksilver, then?"
Although assuredly uncomfortable, Dunstan stood his ground as best he could. The burns on his leg from the elementals at Rolf's had gotten worse, and were thoroughly painful even as he stood, not to mention a definite dragon's-hide green in color. 'But,' Dunstan pondered, 'let's take care of that after I've assuaged Evie. Elemental injuries are one thing; an angered MacCreough is yet another. . .'
"I have, Lady MacCreough. 'Tis not a job I am proud of, but as you can see, I am worse off than the Lady Greythan, which must count for something. . ."
"Indeed. Well, Laena lass, let's leave Dunstan tae think o' his words for a tic. Ye mentioned o' clothing, and ye'll need sommat for when Danny's tae be wed this week. Methinks I'll call in the favor tha' the tailor past the Orange Tree owes. . ."
Turning to Dunstan, she added, "The apothecary next door'll have what ye need, Dunstan. Ask for essence of winterroot and dried chamomile, and the lad there will blend a poultice for ye."
"Thank you, Mam. . ." Smiling winningly, Dunstan moved to pick up his boots, watching as Laena crossed the room to leave with Evie. He could hear her mumble to Evie as she passed, "git never told me aught about a wedding. . ."
"He is a man, my dear," Evie replied, her voice carrying clearly - and deliberately, Dunstan was sure - to his ears. "And men are excellent at the trade o' forgetting things. . ."
Watching the two women leave, chuckling already like old acquaintances, Dunstan shook his head slowly. Empath abilities or not, he certainly knew that it was going to be a long day. . .
~*~*~*~
TBC. . .
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A/N: Well. . .what can I say? I had ALL summer to post, got writer's block at a terribly awful time, and naturally, now that school's back up, I have a new chapter? ^_^* Thanks to everyone for reading this - and the great reviews; hope you liked this new addition!