John sat on the bed in his room at the Wolf’s Head Inn. Shirak, the holy light, was sitting on the small nightstand in torch mode. He preferred it to the oil lamp that sat next to it. The bright white light it provided brought him comfort.
He picked up the Bible his father had left for him, a Bible he’d seen thousands of times over the years, a Bible his father had been holding in his hospital bed when he died. He opened it and, on the flyleaf, he read:
Dear Son,
I miss you all so much. I remember the pain in my chest in the garden. Your mother was inside making lemonade for us. I do not need to describe the grey place or my meeting with Lucas, the Virtue who prepared me for my journey. If you are reading this you had a similar experience. I am a Builder. One of my skills is called Prophetic Vision. I use it to see what problems are coming to a place or a people so I know what to build to help them.
This place, soon to be Knollburah, is the end of my journey. I feel my final Hope stat increase coming and with it I’ll move on to Heaven. When I came here I used my skill and I saw goblins attacking the town and killing everyone. I designed strong walls and gates and I saw that they would keep the town safe. We built them and when I looked again I saw you come to the gates one night with that dog of yours. I saw you fight that night and I saw you save three men the next day. I wish I could tell you what’s coming for you but I don’t know. My vision is relatively narrow.
I do have some important things I can tell you that will help. First, we exist outside of time. I’ve journeyed for over two decades but you, as I saw you in my vision, haven’t aged noticeably. You must have died within a couple of years of my own death. Knollburah in my vision looked to have aged fifty or sixty years. We died a few years apart at most, I’ve journeyed for over two decades, and you are holding a book I left for you half a century ago. Time means nothing. Second, God exists in all of Creation and so do His enemies. Be careful of who you share your secrets with. Angels exist and so do demons. Those demons work against you at best and will break you at worst. It is possible for a Purgated to be damned and they will strive to make that happen. Heaven is lost to them and they will take it from anyone they can out of spite. Third, you are obviously a Warrior. I’ve met others like you. Remember that the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has great power. It will drive back the darkness and bring the light. Your gun isn’t the only solution.
I love you son. Remember to pray for your mother, she grieves both of us now. Pray for Lynn and her grief as well. Pray for Mark, Luke, Elizabeth, and Sarah, your brothers and sisters love and miss you. We taught you all to pray for the souls in Purgatory but never thought to teach you to pray for the living after death. Travel with an open heart and seek God. I’ll meet you at the Gates when you reach them.
Love,
Dad
His father had died almost a year and a half ago. He’d had a heart attack at home and lingered in the hospital for three days before passing. When it struck he’d lost consciousness and never woke up. His mother had brought the Bible he was holding to the hospital and put it under his father’s hand as he laid in the bed. It was still there when he released his last breath and it went home with his mother. John closed it and held it to his chest.
“How is this here?”
Nath-esh materialized, standing at the foot of the bed, “He left it for you.”
“I mean, when he died it was still there with him, in his bed. My mother has it at home. I’ve seen it since…” his voice faltered. He cleared it and asked, “How is it here?”
“Mercy or grace, take your pick or call it both. He who is not limited by anything does more for His children than anyone would guess.”
“Is it a copy, a duplicate?”
“No,” said Nath-esh, “it’s the original.”
John said nothing as he laid down and wept a little more. He’d cried over the loss of his father but Lynn’s cancer diagnosis had come so closely behind his death that John had never properly grieved. He held the holy book close. Somehow it still smelled like his father’s cologne. He fell asleep to the mingled scents of leather, paper, and sandalwood.
Nath-esh was still standing at the foot of John’s bed petting Dingo Boy when liquid light poured over the form of Nathanael crouching in the middle of the room. When it reached the floor the Virtue appeared.
“Twice in two nights?”
“You have changed your clothing,” the Virtue said to the Angelic Shard. “It’s good to see that you are learning and growing.”
“Yeah, I materialized in front of John and Owen the Innkeeper by accident. I’d be nice if my powers came with an instruction manual.”
“I believe the learning process as a natural progression is beneficial. Especially when a shard is as… freespirited… as you are.” said Nathanael.
“Well, my learning process forced John to explain everything about where we came from to the team he’s leading into the goblin dungeon.” Nath-esh said in exasperation.
“How did they react?”
“I think they all believe him, the Mayor helped with that part. The Mayor and the Bible John’s dad left for him here. Some of them have trust issues now though. I think they understand why he didn’t come into town and introduce himself as a world jumping hero from an afterlife plane that doesn’t exist in their theology. Will there be fallout? I’m not sure. He went from a helpful stranger who cooks great food to an inhuman figure who symbolizes a greater reality than the one they know. That’s a big jump.”
“Cooks great food?” asked Nathanael.
“Yep, he cooked pizza at lunch and introduced them to noodles for dinner.”
“There is wisdom in that. He shows them that he has more depth than force and killing.”
“I think he’s just being himself,” the Angelic Shard said thoughtfully.
The Virtue noticed that the Heeler was side-eyeing him. “How are you doing Dingo Boy?” The dog turned away from him and snorted.
“He’s mad,” said Nath-esh, “The last time you were here he wanted to play fetch but you vanished while he was getting his ball.”
“There is not enough space in this room to play fetch.” Nathanael protested. The dog just stretched and gave a put upon sigh.
“Will this make it better?” the angel reached out and, as he did, a small dimensional gate swirled into existence. He pulled something out of it that was shiny and colorful. It was a very dusty silver bag that said ‘Beef Treats’ on it in red outlined with black. The crinkle of the plasticized foil made Dingo Boy turn and stand in a single motion. The sight of the familiar packaging set his tail to wagging. Nathanael opened the bag and tossed three treats, one after the other, to the Cattle Dog. He caught each one and gobbled it down quickly. The last one was swallowed without any chewing. He jumped down and licked the Virtue’s shin.
“Where’d you get those?” Nath-esh asked.
“They are from one of the Earth’s, similar to theirs but a different reality.”
“Should you be stealing things from other worlds?”
“It came from a world that is overrun by the undead. It will not be missed. Besides, John will visit there next. When he leaves here for there I will create the dimensional gate so that it opens in the store I got this from. He can pay for it then.”
“You know where we’re going next?”
“I know the next hundred worlds you’ll be going to.” Nathanael said off handedly. He blew the dust from the package of snakies and put them in one of Dingo Boys pouches. “Pizza and noodles, did anything else important happen today?”
“Let’s see, John jumped off of the city walls and saved three men from hobgoblins. One of them nearly died but John prayed and The Almighty healed him. The man, not John.”
“He stepped into the role of a Healer? Most Warriors find it challenging to be that compassionate.”
“Yep, he’s a pretty special guy,” said Nath-esh, matter-of-fact. “Later he tried to heal the other two men he saved, their injuries weren’t as bad, but it didn’t work.”
“It is good to see him reaching out to The Almighty. Prayer is a key that will unlock much for him. Encourage him to do it at every opportunity.”
“Will do! Should I expect you every night?”
“Perhaps not that often.”
“Why not come when he’s awake?”
Nathanael just smiled and pointed at Shirak, sitting on the nightstand. The cover grew up from the handle, over the glowing ball, until it closed completely and the light went out. Dingo Boy licked his shin a few more times then jumped onto the bed. The silvery light poured over the Virtue’s form from top to bottom and he vanished.
John woke to find the Bible laying on the floor next to his bed. He picked it up and dusted it off then got dressed and knelt in the middle of the floor with it. “Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of this Holy Book. Please help me to use it to guide my path, fortify my soul, and grow closer to you. Please comfort the grieving especially my mother and my family. Please protect them in my absence.” As he finished his prayer he felt comforted. Belatedly he made the sign of the cross.
“That was wonderful!” John turned to see Nath-esh standing next to his bed in the same clothes he’d been wearing the night before.
“You’re enthusiastic this morning,” John said.
Nath-esh picked at his sleeve and straightened his jerkin. “It’s just good to see you praying.”
“Thanks?”
They looked at each other for a moment and a thought occurred to Nath-esh. “I can’t wait for breakfast!”
“Can you lay low for now? Stay invisible? Things might be a little awkward after all that came out last night.”
The Angelic Shard looked crestfallen. “Okay,” he said in a small voice.
“How about I bring some breakfast back to the room so you can try it?” John asked.
“Okay!” Nath-esh said, his upbeat nature returning.
“Okay.” said John. He wiggled his toes as he prepared to put on his boots. “My socks feel clean. Come to think of it, my clothes feel clean too.” He looked himself over and realized that they were, indeed, clean.
“Yep, you know how your clothes can change shape?”
“Yes… but what does that have to do with them being clean?”
“The same mystical power that allows them to change shape also cleans them. The fibers and materials flex and vibrate to shake off dirt and muck.”
“That’s handy!” John said smiling, “I wonder why Nathanael didn’t mention that…”
“I’m guessing here but I think he didn’t want to overload you with stuff you’d figure out along the way.”
“Maybe…”
“I think he was distracted by Dingo Boy too,” Nath-esh said thoughtfully.
“Yeah, he really liked the little guy.” A quiet growl came from the dog laying on the bed. “Okay, okay, big guy. You’re a big dangerous carnivore.” Dingo Boy wagged his tail happily.
“It’s more than that. He’s the only dog, animal really, to ever become a Purgated. At least to the best of my knowledge.” said the Angelic Shard.
“The only one?” John asked, mystified.
“The only one.”
When John walked into the common room on his way to the privy he saw Gladith, Anna, Gudrun, Jennifer, Ruth, and Margaret all sitting together. They gave him a short wave and he waved back. He opened the backdoor and Dingo Boy charged past him into the yard. He trotted off to his pooping corner and John headed into one of the many outhouse doors. When he had finished his business and cleaned up after the Heeler they both headed for the common room. As they approached the retaining wall surrounding the garden behind the kitchen Owen came outside.
“Good morning John! Have a tasty surprise f’ breakfast theah. Tryin’ my hand at making that egg dipped bread ya told me ‘bout.” he said.
“French Toast?”
“Ayuh, thet’s the one. Baked some bread, sliced it, an’ mixed some eggs up in a wide bowl good f’ dippin’. Now I dip both sides of the bread in the egg mix then fry it. Thet right?”
“If you have some cream and cinnamon mix them both in the eggs,”
“Got both of them, how much do I add?” asked Owen.
“Add enough cream to make the egg mix a pale yellow color and enough cinnamon that the mixture smells strongly of it. Once you add the cream and cinnamon to the eggs you have a custard. Make a piece of French Toast, taste it, then adjust the balance of the custard if you need to. Everyone has their own recipe so just play with it and find what you like best.”
“Awright. Do I serve it with jam jest like regulah toast theah?”
“Do you have maple syrup?” John asked, finding it in the Knollburah vocabulary.
“Maple sap boiled down thick? Ayuh. Same fella who keeps the bees makes the syrup.”
John was a little surprised to find that Knollburah had maple syrup. “Perfect. Put the syrup on the table with the French toast along with some butter if you have it. Serve a fried egg on the side and some smoked meat and you have a winner on your hands.” John smiled at the thought of the breakfast to come.
“Awright, John. I’ll give it a go! Might put the butteh an’ the syrup on myself though. Thems some expensive items to send out to the tables.”
At that moment Tianna stepped into the garden with Owen. She noticed John and said, “Mornin’ to ya John.”
“Good morning Tianna,” he said.
“Comin’ by headquartehs t’day to prepahe f’ tomorroh?”
“Yeah, we’ll be heading that way after breakfast,” he said. Dingo Boy barked, providing his confirmation as well.
“Wheah’s yar friend theah? The otheh one?”
“He’s with us, I thought it would be best if he stayed out of sight.”
“Might be. The wings an’ all.” said Owen. Tianna gave him a look and he added, “I betteh get back to makin’ breakfast.”
“Wanted to talk to ya John,” she said.
“Alright, is it about last night?”
“Ayuh. It’s jest,” she paused, searching for the words. “It’s jest so much.”
“I know and I’m sorry. Sorry for not telling anyone. I just met you all and I shared what I could. I was trying to figure out a way to explain things.” John was having trouble finding the right words.
“Is it betteh to hide what ya are or to tell it?”
“My grandmother used to say that ‘honesty is a good habit to have’ and I agree. But my father left a letter for me in the Bible, the book the Mayor gave me last night. He warned me not to share my story with the people I meet on my journey. He said that God, Gorry, has enemies in the worlds I’ll help. Evil Celestians. They’ll try to stop me or worse. I wasn’t planning on sharing my story with the people I meet. I don’t want them to think I’m crazy. I don’t want to lie to anyone either even if the lie is a truth I can’t share. Now I realize that there is actual danger in people knowing my secret. What would you do?”
She walked through the vegetable garden and fretted with a few plants. John gave her time. He knelt down and scratched the Cattle Dog behind the ears and on his cheeks. “Don’t know, John.” She smiled and added, “Glad f’ our Cycle heah. Yar way sounds a might hardeh. Ya’re welcome in our inn an’ in our lives. All three of ya. Owen trusts ya an’ Tannyah does too. Ya saved her Sebastian afteh all. Yar actions speak well of ya anyhow.”
“Thanks,” he said. “When I come by your headquarters I’ll explain the gear I have and we’ll make plans.”
“Theah’s more than thet weapon of yars?”
“There’s more,” he said and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the copper wok the little cook had given him. It grew as he pulled it from his pocket. He held it up then returned it to his pocket. It shrank to fit. Tianna whistled in awe and Dingo Boy barked. As he turned to go into the common room he was relieved to see she was smiling and shaking her head.
John reentered the common room to find the table of six women beckoning him to sit with them. Jennifer and Ruth had doubled up at the end of the table to make space for him. As before their children were at the tables nearby. Dingo Boy made the rounds getting pats and pets from them while they waited for their breakfasts.
“Do ya know when ya’ll be headin’ to thet place to cleah it out?” asked Margaret.
“Not that anyone is tryin’ to rush ya off to such a dangerous chohe,” said Ruth.
“Tommorow morning,” John said, “we’ll be heading out at first light tomorrow morning.”
“We?” Jennifer made the single word a question.
“Tianna, Griffon, and Raif from the town guard and Bastian and his hunting party will be going with Dingo Boy and I”
“Gregory will be going with ya?” asked Jennifer with concern clear in her voice, “He’s not any kind of fighteh.”
“Don’t worry theah Jen,” said Anna, “John’ll keep our folk safe. Won’t ya John?”
He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to make any promises to these women that he couldn’t keep. “I’m sure he’ll do his best Anna,” said Gladith.
“Will you be returning to your farms when Kiningdom Burruh is cleared out?” John asked.
The women at the table all exchanged looks. “Well John,” said Gudrun, “thet’s a hahd question. Theah’s rebuildin’ that needs doin’. Some of us won’t know until all is set back in its place.” A few of the women at the table nodded and a couple teared up.
Tannyah arrived with a tray of plates. The smell was deliciously familiar. John knew Owen’s first attempt at making French Toast was a success. The plate set in front of him had two slices of the breakfast confection, a fried egg, and a few pieces of an unknown smoked white meat. There was both butter and maple syrup on the French Toast but not as much of either as John would have preferred. He used his fork to look between the slices and saw sweet fatty goodness between them as well.
“What’s this heah Tanny?” asked Ruth.
“Thet’s French Toast Ruthy an’ I know ya’re gonna love it!” Tannyah had gotten to try the new breakfast dish already. For the third time in three meals she was thanking Gorry for the gift of John Lawson. “This fella right heah showed dad how to make it.”
“Oh my!” said Ruth, uncharacteristically talking with her mouth full. The other five women at the table each took a bite of their French Toast and a chorus of ‘mmmmmms’ rose from them.
John used his fork to cut a corner off of his French Toast slices and a satisfying amount of buttery maple syrup oozed out. He speared the bite and put it in his mouth. He chewed and found himself eating one of the three best versions of the dish he had ever had. He’d worried that his vague measurements might have led the Innkeeper astray but Owen’s custard was great. The bread he’d baked for the dish was nearly perfect. Together they were excellent.
“This smoked quail goes along with this… what did Tannyah call it?” Jennifer asked.
“French Toast,” John supplied.
“French Toast,” she said, tasting the words, “The smoked quail goes with this French Toast like boots an’ laces.” she finished. Several heads nodded in agreement. The mystery of the smoked white meat was solved for John.
“Did ya really show Owen how to make this scrumptious wondeh, John?” asked Ruth.
“Been a few new things to eat ‘round heah. Thet was all yar doin’, John?” asked Gudrun.
“I’ve shown Owen a few things but the cooking has all been his,” John replied. A nearby table of children erupted in ‘mmmmm’s and ‘ah’s and lip smacking sounds. Owen had another hit on his hands.
Back in their room John placed his plate on the dresser. It had a few bites of French Toast, egg, and smoked quail on it. Nath-esh materialized and startled John. “Give a warning before you do that!” he said.
“Do you make people warn you when they’re coming into the room?” the Angelic Shard asked with an eyeroll.
“That’s different, you can hear people coming when they walk into the room.”
“Not if they’re a ninja!”
“Great point, ninjas are a constant source of jumpscares,” John said flatly.
“This is super tasty! This is super tasty right? I feel like everything I’ve eaten or drank has tasted good and I’m getting worried that my tastebuds are broken.”
John reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a leaf. He used his Alchemical Naturopath skill to examine it then put it back and tried another and then another. He handed the third leaf to Nath-esh and said, “Try this one.”
He popped it into his mouth and started chewing, “Bleh! Yuck! This is terrible! What is it!”
“It’s an oak leaf. Turns out you can taste just fine. Might not want to swallow that.”
“Too late.”
“Too late? Why would you swallow something if it tastes bad?”
“It was mine. Ugh, now the last bites on the plate taste nasty too. Well, they taste good but the good taste has to fight through the nasty. This was not enough food by the way.”
“You’re only eating for pleasure. It’s not like you need it to fuel your body.” John said.
“That sounds like something someone who doesn’t want to share his delicious breakfast would say.”
“Exactly.” John sat on the bed and said, “Status,” and the translucent blue screen appeared. “Whoa! My class has changed! I’m not a Warrior anymore, I’m a Marksman now?”
“Oh yeah,” said Nath-esh, “that makes sense. You used your Marksman skill and, since it’s inherent to the Warrior class, you specialized as a Marksman.”
“Does that mean my Marksman skill is better now?”
“Nope, but it does mean your Marksmen skill can grow into better skills in the Marksmen category.”
“Really? Like what?” asked John.
“I have no idea.”
“Awesome.”
“I know I am but what are you?”
“What?”
“Did you get any stat increases?” Nath-esh asked, changing the subject.
“You could say that…” John trailed off.
“Let me see,” the Angelic Shard started to sit on the bed next to John but his wings were in the way. They shrunk down to half their normal size and he sat unimpeded by them.
“You can shrink your wings?” John asked, leaning back to look at the diminished wings on the Angelic Shard’s back.
“I guess so. Oh! You made it to level 15 and opened your ‘Derived Stats’, that’s great!”
On the status screen was a new group of stats labeled ‘Derived Stats’. They were: Endurance at 5/10, Agility at 6.5/10, Ingenuity at 6.5/10, Practicality at 6/10, Decisiveness at 6.5/10, Insight at 6/10, and Persuasion at 4.5/10.
“These opened at level 15? So I didn’t have endurance before that?” John asked.
“Of course you had endurance, you just couldn’t see a number representing how much endurance you had before you reached level 15.” said Nath-esh.
“Why level 15?”
“It’s not level 15 for everyone. The ‘Derived Stats’ are added to the status screen when a Purgated reaches the next level that is a multiple of 5 from the level they were at when they died. Lot’s of things unlock over time so a new Purgated isn’t overwhelmed with new information or power.”
“What if one of us needs the information or the power?” John asked.
“You won’t. Your tasks are always easy to begin with. Unless you really mess up. The more you grow the harder things get.”
“That’s handy.”
“Carrots and sticks, remember?” asked Nath-esh
“So… the Agility stat is at 6.5/10. Does that mean these new stats increase by half a stat point at a time? Doesn’t that limit my overall growth potential?” His dream of maxing out his stats seemed to be slipping away.
“Nope. You can’t spend stat points on the ‘Derived Stats’ to increase them. Did you notice that the ‘Derived Stats’ have a little notation in front of each one of them?”
John saw what Nath-esh meant. Endurance had a little ‘St+Sp’ in front of it. He got it quickly. “So Endurance is related to Strength and Speed?” he guessed.
“Yep. Your Endurance stat is set to the average of your Strength and Speed Stats.”
“So, to increase the ‘Derived Stats’ I need to increase my ‘Incarnate Stats’ because the ‘Derived Stats’ value is an average of the values of the ‘Incarnate Stats’ they’re derived from?”
“Exactly!”
“If I can’t increase them with stat points, are these new stats just informative?” John asked, a little disappointed.
“Nope, you can use blessed items to increase them just like your ‘Incarnate Stats’,” the Angelic Shard said.
“There are blessed items?”
In a voice that reminded John of an automated phone tree Nath-esh said, “Ding! You unlocked ‘blessed items’. If you find blessed items they will add extra points to one or more of your ‘Incarnate Stats’ or ‘Derived Stats’.”
“Hilarious. It looks like I have five stats that increased, Justice, Fortitude, Faith, Hope, and Charity. Look at that Fortitude and Faith both went up two points and Hope and Charity went up three! So Justice, up one point is now 31/100, Fortitude is 29/100, Faith, Hope, and Charity are all 15/100 now.
Dingo Boy was laying on the bed with his head on the pillow watching John and Nath-esh look at John’s status screen. They talked about the information on it for way too long. The Heeler was getting cranky. He was stuffed with the scraps Tyanna had fed him from the night before, smoked quail, and a couple of fried eggs. He didn’t get any French Toast, the children deeming it too precious to feed him under the table. He wanted a nap but the man and the mystical being were talking too loudly for a good one. He snorted to show his frustration but they didn’t notice. He sat up and growled at them but, still, they didn’t notice.
He jumped off of the bed in disgust just as John said, “Dismiss.” The translucent blue screen vanished.
Maybe John would play some fetch and help him work off his breakfast. He bent around to get into his right pouch for his ball but discovered he couldn’t quite reach. He was too full to bend that far. He decided to try something else and thought about the ball while shaking like he did to dry off when he was wet. The red ball flew from the pouch on the right side of his harness and bounced toward the room’s closed door.
“That was cool, Dingo Boy. I didn’t know you could do that.” John said.
“Neither did I,” he thought back to John who stiffened slightly.
“That’s going to take some getting used to,” John said, “Can you get your bowl out that way too?”
Dingo Boy tried it. He shook and thought of the bowl and it tumbled out of his left pouch. It landed right side up and, after a moment, started to fill with water. He went to it and began to drink. When he had his fill he turned toward his ball but before he could trot over to get it John asked, “Can you get more than one thing out at a time? Can you get all the sticks you have at once?” The Heeler sighed and thought of sticks and shook. Sticks and twigs rained down on either side of him making small piles to his left and right. He looked at them in satisfaction. He didn’t know he had collected that many. “That’s really cool!” said John.
“Sticks are fun. They’re tasty and good for my teeth too. No swallowing.”
“Lynn taught you to spit out the wood when you chewed on them.” Pain crossed his face. After a moment he said, “I wonder how much you can get out at once.”
The Heeler thought ‘everything’ and shook. A cascade of leaves, berries, pinecones, several snails, a silvery plasticized foil bag, and a light brown rabbit flew from his pouches. “That’s where that rabbit went!” thought the dingo mix. The rabbit looked around at John, Nath-esh, and the dog. It crouched down and stood as still as possible. Dingo Boy started to turn to sniff at the rabbit and it was off like a flash under the bed.
“Is that a bag of snackies?” asked John, then, “Whoa! Is that a live rabbit!?!”
“I thought he lost me in the forest. I wanted to catch him and put him in my pouch. I thought he got away but he must have ended up in there.”
“Neat!” Nath-esh said.
“Yeah… I guess it is…” John said thoughtfully, “When I took the dead rabbit out of my pocket before cooking it I noticed the blood on its nose was still wet. I guessed time might not exist in my pockets, or if it does it moves really slowly. It seems like the same is true for your pouches. It’s nice to know that living things can go in them and come out still alive. Should we let the little fella go?”
“We should let him go in my pouch!” said the Cattle Dog and he launched himself under the bed. There was a commotion then the rabbit shot out from under it. They made a few rounds of the room with leaves flying everywhere. They went over the bed, then under the bed, then over the bed, then under the bed again. Nath-esh jumped up and stood on the bed laughing hysterically. The rabbit tried to hide under the small table with the water pitcher and bowl on it. Dingo Boy raced toward it and John winced, anticipating the crash to come. The table rocked and so did its contents but nothing fell or broke. The rabbit ran to the corner with the chamber pot and jumped into it. Triumphantly the dog trotted over to it and leaned up against it. The chamber pot vanished.
He began to shake and John said, “No! Wait! Let me get it out.”
“Just the bucket thing, not the rabbit.” the Heeler said.
“Yes, just the chamber pot.” John got off the bed and went to his buddy. He reached into the pouch and thought of the chamber pot. He pulled it out and looked into it to make sure the rabbit didn’t come with it. It did not. He set it back in the corner and washed his hands. The Jacobs kept a clean inn but it was a chamber pot after all. “Look at this mess!” he said, gesturing to the room in general.
Nath-esh sat down on the bed with his legs crossed, wiping his eyes.
Without a word Dingo Boy walked to the middle of the mess and started rolling around in it. Everywhere he rolled the floor was left clean. Soon everything was back in his pouches except for a spreading puddle of water.
“Only thought about putting the bowl away but not the water, right?” John asked the dog.
“Yep,” he said and gave the puddle a couple of experimental licks.
“Don’t get ya Raif,” Griffon said, “put yarself in his place theah. In a new world. Half a day inta being theah ya gotta kill one of them big ol’ rats. Then ya fall inta thet place. Fight yar way out. Then ya find a safe place like this one heah. Are ya gonna tell the folk ya jest met a story like John’s theah?”
“It’s not thet he didn’t tell any of us his story,” Raif said sullenly.
“Can’t be that he’s armed, we all knew…” Griffon stopped mid sentence. “It’s because ya don’t believe in Gorry,” he said definitively.
“Shhhh!” Raif looked around the room even though he knew they were alone in the town guard headquarters. “Thet’s a secret I don’t want spreadin’ around. I shouldn’t have told ya. I only did because I had too much ale thet night. Ya don’t know the trouble our beliefs caused f’ me an’ mine.”
“Thet’s the opposite of a belief ain’t it Raif?”
“No, it’s a belief. We believe that folk don’t come back afeh they die an’ they don’t tuhn inta monstehs. We believe that folk who die go out like a snuffed candle. It’s what we believe.”
“What about the memories from our lives before?”
“My folks told me them are jest memories of dreams. Dreams we don’t remembeh dreamin’ in the first place.”
“Think John’s lyin’ then?”
“I want t’ Griff. I really want t’. I even decided the Celestian was a monsteh of some sort. Then he looked at me with them golden eyes of his. He’s not a monsteh an’ John’s not a liah. Wheah does that leave me Griff? How do I eveh look my fatheh or motheh in the eyes again?”
“Thet mean ya believe in Gorry now Raif?”
“Don’t know what I believe,” Raif said defiantly.
“What about John then? Gonna trust him now?”
“Neveh didn’t trust him, not really. Don’t trust what him bein’ heah means. This is only f’ ya t’ know Griff. I’m scared by what him bein’ heah means.”
“Does it mean Gorry’s really out theah?” asked Griffon.
“It means theahs more out theah than nothing an’ thet scares me.” said Raif.
As John walked across the common room of the Wolf’s Head Inn Tianna caught up with him. “Heading oveh t’ our headquartehs theah John?”
“Yep. I thought you’d already headed that way.”
“Was supposed t’ but Owen was talkin’ my ears off ‘bout pizza. He’s gonna make it f’ lunch since everyone loved it so much yesterday. Between you an’ me I think he wants t’ make it again because he loved it so much. Mind if I walk with ya?”
“I don’t mind at all.” said John.
“Me either,” said Nath-esh. He was waiting on the front porch of the inn when they walked out of the door. Dingo Boy wagged his tail when he saw the Angelic Shard waiting for them.
Both Tianna and John jumped. John looked around to see if anyone noticed him appear from nowhere. There were several people on the cobblestone street but no one looked alarmed. Dingo Boy trotted down the stairs and looked back at them.
“Wheah’s yar wings Celestian?” Tianna asked and John realized that Nath-esh had no wings on his back and his golden eyes were now a bright brown.
“Oh, they’re there, I just made them really, really small. They’re hidden under my clothes. Do you like them? My clothes I mean.” He was wearing a deep purple shirt with puffy sleeves, a hunter green ascot and matching linen pants. He had short black boots on his feet. He followed the dog into the street and the humans did the same.
“Thems some fine clothes ya got theah Celestian…”
“Please, call me Nath-esh. You know what? Call me Nash.”
“Awright Nash.”
They walked for a little while then he asked “Can I call you Tia?” John hid a grin behind his hand.
“Guess so,” she said, “what’s that thing around yar neck? Looks like a scahf but it’s too small an’ the weathehs too warm f’ such as thet.”
“It’s an ascot. Doesn’t it look nice?”
“Ayuh, it looks nice at thet.”
Nath-esh preened and John asked, “How do you know about ascots?”
“I am a cultured gentleman,” he proclaimed.
“Didn’t you eat an oak leaf earlier?”
“What?” asked Tianna.
“What?” asked Nath-esh. “Are we going to be back in time for pizza?” he asked and the Heeler barked.
“Told Owen I’d be theah f’ lunch. He made me promise. I jest hope he don’t staht serving pizza f’ every lunch. Got any other recipes ya can share with him, John?
“I’ve got a few. I like cooking with him.”
“Well he’s sure taken a shine t’ ya. What’s more, he wants t’ cook as a family. Him an’ me an’ Tannyah in the kitchen togetheh.”
“That’s great. Some of my fondest memories of my family are all of us cooking. Trying new recipes. Even stuff that turned out horrible. Those were some of the best moments. I’ll never forget the time my dad set the BBQ on fire.”
Bittersweet must have been written on his face because she asked, “How long ago was it thet ya lost him?”
“He died about a year and a half before I did,” John said with a sigh.
“An’ yar wife? When did she die?”
“How did ya know? I didn’t mention…”
“Ya told me an’ Owen that ya’re tryin’ t’ catch up with her. Ya’re not a liah. Theah’s plenty ya didn’t tell us but ya didn’t lie t’ us. She must be like ya are now an’ she must be heah as well.” Tianna said.
“She is like me but I don’t expect to see her until my journey is done and we meet in Heaven.”
“Thet ya Paradise everlastin’?”
“Yeah, that’s what we call it.”
“Why did ya say ya were going t’ Fenburah t’ try t’ catch her up?”
“To be with her again I need to complete my journey and Nath-esh said Fenbruah is our next stop.”
“Ayuh, Fenburah’s the next stop,” Nath-esh said with a thick Knollburah accent.
Dingo Boy barked and looked to the northeast as if he could see something in the distance.
Sebastian, Timmon, and Gregory were bored. Mayor Srives had suspended all hunting trips until the Kiningdom Burruh problem was handled.
“Figue John’s story is true theah, Bastian,” asked Timmon.
“Ayuh,” he responded.
“We’re still goin’ t’ thet place with him?” asked Gregory.
“Ayuh,” he responded again.
“Betteh we get ready t’ go then,” said Timmon.
“Gonna need some geah,” said Gregory
The hobgoblins and goblins who’d ambushed them had taken their gear. Sebastian needed a bow, Timmon a pack, and Gregory a knife. They were headed over to the town guard headquarters to see about borrowing them when they walked around a corner and saw John, Tianna, Nath-esh, and Dingo Boy on the cobblestone street ahead of them.
“Didn’t thet fella have wings last night?” asked Timmon.
“He did Tim, ain’t no denying thet,” said Gregory.
“Jest no denying thet Greg,” Timmon corrected.
“I’m not Tim,” assured Gregory.
They followed the small group for a few blocks when Sebastian asked, “Figuhe we’re all headin’ t’ the same place?”
“Hey John,” shouted Timmon, “ya folk headin’ t’ the town guard headquartehs?”
John looked over his shoulder and saw Sebastian and his hunting party. He stopped and so did Tianna and Nath-esh. Dingo Boy trotted toward the three young men wagging his tail and grinning. The door to a tailor’s shop opened and Joy stepped out. The dog saw her and his grin turned into a smile. He changed direction and walked to her. The arc or his tail wag became a wide circle. She crouched down and fed him a treat. He bathed her with besitos. Laughing she stood and walked out to the street with him in tow.
“Wheah are all of ya goin’?” she asked.
“We’re headin’ over t’ see ‘bout borrohin’ some geah f’ tomorroh,” said Timmon.
“Ya fella’s really gonna go inta thet place with John an’ the guahds?”
“Ayuh,” said Gregory.
“Tannyah ain’t gonna like thet theah,” Joy said.
“She don’t like it awready,” said Sebastian.
“Can’t say I like it much myself,” she said, looking Timmon in the eyes.
“We’re gonna be fine,” he said to her.
“Ya betteh be, ya still owe me thet pint,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“Ain’t no wageh between us, Joy,” complained Timmon.
She took him by the hands and pulled him away from the other two young men. “Course theah is Tim,” she said quietly. “Ya’re jest not admittin’ it. Theah’s plenty between us thet ya ain’t admittin’,”
He looked into her eyes, searched them for a moment, and said, “Ayuh, maybe.” She squeezed his hands and stood on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek.
She turned to Tianna and said, “Don’t let these fellas borroh anythin’.”
“Don’t worry, Joy. I wasn’t gonna,” said Tianna.