Through A Portal Storm

After living in one of the larger cities in Iowa, especially when college was in session, and then being in the Securenum capital, Tye thought he was used to seeing a bustling town. Arriving in Ashwunsa was another experience completely. Vendors lined the main street, their tents alight with lanterns and what appeared to be spell lights of various colors. Songs and the scent of roasting meats and spices filled the air. At least every other vendor was selling small, circular cakes frosted gray like a stone, no doubt representing the stones that Saint Aguwene kept from the city.

A string of dancers, ribbons tied to their arms and legs, twirled through the crowd accompanied by tambourine and drum. Beneath him Caeruleus started to prance, and for a moment Tye wondered if his unicorn was going to shy or bolt, but no, he quickly realized that all three unicorns were dancing to the music.

The crowd parted around them to allow the unicorns and the dancers to proceed down the thoroughfare. People joined them. A vendor came with a platter full of cakes; a lantern seller, his wares dangling from a pole with bells attached, joined her. Little children darted in and around the procession, and a few people threw flowers that they had been offering for sale into the path before them.

Some bowed.

Tye focused on his shields, not wanting anything to leak through, but completely awed by the festive atmosphere. The capital was still somber, reeling from the magic storm and Leianne’s ascension to the Council.

Enjoy the moment. We have hard travel ahead of us once we get to the low mountains. Caeruleus said in his mind. He was careful of his rider, even as he clearly was drinking in the adoration.

Tye glanced ahead at Khyr who seemed in his element. He waved back to those who waved at the procession, accepting small trinkets from those who ran to them to offer them. Someone had given him a pouch, which was quickly being filled with flowers and baubles. As the unicorn tender, he outranked Dios, and the deeper into Ashwunsa they rode, the closer Dios seemed to bring his unicorn to Tye.

They stopped near the center of town at a large building. The procession stayed in the main street, some going back to their vending tents or back to where they’d been as Khyr turned off the main street into an alley that led to the back of the building. Here the bustle seemed even thicker, with people running from a large building that served as the stables to the main inn.

Khyr dismounted and was met by a red-faced young boy. “We can move some horses into the overflow paddock, m’lord unicorn tender, if you can give us some time. We didn’t know you were coming.”

“The unicorns will be fine in the paddock. Please don’t go to any trouble on our account.”

“If you wish, m’lord unicorn tender.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Farth, m’lord.”

“Please, I’m no more noble than you.” Khyr dismounted. “As long as the unicorns have some fresh hay and water, they’ll be fine in the paddock and you can save your stalls for paying customers.”

An older man hurried from the stable. “Stop yapping, Farth, and help these lords with their unicorns.”

“You are busy with patrons. If Farth can show us to the paddock, we can care for our animals,” Khyr suggested.

“Now, the Council and our local nobles give us a fine stipend to help the likes of you. It’s no trouble to care for the unicorns.” He called a couple more names, and two young men hurried from the barn. “Help Farth and the unicorn riders and their pack animals.” Another stablehand hurried from the barn. “You,” the man said. “Go to the inn and let Breede know we have unicorns and their riders. Three of ‘em.”

The young man dashed toward the inn.

Dios dismounted; Tye followed. He swore Farth grew six inches as he squared his shoulders. “This way, m’lords.”

Khyr grinned over his shoulder at them, as if there was no way he could explain to Farth that only one of them had any titles, and they led their unicorns to a rather spacious paddock. By the time they had the unicorns untacked, their gear in a pile near the gate, Farth had assured Khyr that he’d brush the unicorns until they shone.

The stable master met them near the gate. “He’s an enthusiastic young man, but he’ll do right by your unicorns. I’m afraid there’s just one room left, the noble room. There are two beds, and I see you brought your own gear. If you need more than one room…”

Tye sensed something from Dios, an uncertainty mixed with tenuous hope. Before he could concentrate anymore on the emotions, surprising since their talk earlier about Tye’s shields, which earned approval from both Khyr and Dios, Khyr walked up to Dios. “We have our bedrolls. Let’s not put these people to more trouble or cause them to lose a customer by taking his room.”

“Of course,” Dios replied, and that strange emotion returned. “That will be fine. The capital isn’t quite as enthusiastic in its celebrations for Saint Aguwene, so we have mistimed the start of our journey. If it’s not too inconvenient, we’ll take the room.”

“I doubt any of our local nobles can be bothered to use it.” Something about the tone in the stable master’s voice made Tye wonder about those local nobles. He directed the two stable hands who had helped them to gather up packs, and with each of them taking their own gear and having the stablemaster himself take the tack with help from one other boy who came when the stablemaster whistled, then told them to go inside. Breede would meet them at the door.

Breede was waiting, a tall woman built with slim hips, her brown hair under a patched scarf. Her eyes were warm and the smile she gave them would have lit a hundred lanterns. “M’lords, we are so honored to have you and your unicorns here for the feast of Saint Aguwene. Our tap room is rafter to rafter, so I’ll show you to your room and have your meals sent up if you’re amenable.”

“That would be appreciated. We’ve a long trip ahead of us.”

“Then just as well you stopped to get Aguwene’s blessing. Her stone is in the center of town, and I can have a priest—“

Khyr held up his hand. “A place to sleep and a meal is blessing enough.” He still wore the pouch someone had given him on the ride, and it jangled with gifts.

“Of course. You must be tired, m’lords. Come this way.” She led them through the back door, and judging from the noise coming from the tap room, indeed it was packed full. A smaller set of stairs joined the main staircase, where Tye could look down into a sea of people. It seemed like too many, and he was thankful when Breede directed them upstairs to a room at the end of the hall where the noise was more of a din than a roar.

She opened the door, but not before pointing to a set of stairs that lead off to the side. “This goes down to our bathing room. There’s a section just for this room, so you can have privacy if you want it. There’s a separate sluice so the water will be clean and warm as well. We don’t often get visitors of your rank, so there’s a tap, rather than someone keeping the tub full and cleaned.”

“You don’t have to wait on us,” Dios said with an affirming nod from Khyr.

“Here’s the room. I’ll leave you to get settled.” She passed over the key she’d used to unlock the door to Dios, then turned and hurried back downstairs.

“Well, let’s see what we have,” Khyr announced, and led them into a room about the size of his, with one bed, slightly smaller than his, and an even smaller box bed in the far corner.  They stacked their gear in the corner and closed the door behind him. “Well, this will be cozy, but fine for the three of us.” He paused for a moment staring at the box bed. “I’m used to sleeping on the ground, so I suppose I could take the floor.”

“You should take one of the beds,” Tye said, realizing now what that emotion was he sensed from Dios. His friend was worried about sharing the bed with him, as if that might be too much. “I’m the shortest, so I can either take the box bed or the floor.”

A flash of hurt crossed Dios’ face, but not before Tye missed it.

“I can take the box bed,” Khyr said. “I might not want to leave if I sleep on anything softer.” He managed to laugh at himself, then turned to Dios. “You cleaned out your clothes room for him. Surely you can spare a bit of mattress.”

Dios turned bright red. “After what happened, I think the floor will be just fine.” And before anyone could respond a knock announced their dinner had arrived.

~* * *~

A tall man with a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper gray beard stood before Tye. He looked over a balcony to the steep edge of a cliff leading down to an angry, cold ocean tossing waves against the stone wall. The castle and the cliff looked as if it’d stood there for a thousand years and could withstand a thousand more. Caeruleus grazed at the edge of the cliff next to Dios’ stallion and the other pack unicorns.

“You are the son I could have wished for. I am so pleased to meet you.” The man handed over a small leather pouch. “Take this pendant of our house. You are my heir, and I want everyone to know you belong to my house.”

Tye watched, as if it were a movie, as he opened the pouch and pulled out a pendant of a seahorse emblazoned over crossed swords. It shone of gold and precious metals, a pearl inlaid in the handle of each sword. His throat closed and he swallowed hard to keep the emotional tears at bay. All he’d wanted his entire life was to meet his father and find some kind of acceptance and love, the kind he’d never found with his mother. And here, with this pendant, this man dressed much as Dios dressed only in a thicker coat and lined boots looking like an older version of himself, he’d found it.

“I…don’t know what to say,” Tye said. “I never imagined.”

The man rested his hand on Tye’s shoulder, and in his dream, knowing it was a dream, Tye could only clench his jaw against the upwelling of emotion. “I know. And for that I’m sorry, but I had to come back, and your mother would not follow.”

“She thinks you abandoned her. Abandoned me,” Tye told him, his voice rising. “And she cut me off because I was destined to abandon her just like you had. You couldn’t have said anything? Sent anything through the portal?”

“No, my son. Because when I met and fell in love with your mother, it was forbidden. And this, I wonder, perhaps is the piece of the puzzle you’re seeking.”

The dream faded as they often do, pulling Tye back to wakefulness. His eyes snapped open and he stared into the darkened room listening to the sounds of the inn waking up. Beside him Dios slept, his light snores almost musical. A heavy weight settled across Tye’s stomach, and he realized the bigger man had pulled him close, almost like a security blanket. Tye smiled at the warmth of Dios against him, the feeling of safety, of security, that he gave. And he wished that he could somehow make Dios believe that he’d forgiven him for drawing magic from him. Because deep in his heart, Tye knew his dream was a kind of foretelling and that without his magical bonds to Khyr and to Dios, he wouldn’t have been able to experience it.

He reached through his bond to his unicorn and found Caeruleus munching contently on some hay. He realized Khyr was with them, grooming them, and in the dim light just now coming around the closed shutters, he saw the smaller bed was empty. Gently easing his way from beneath Dios’ arm, he gathered a fresh change of clothes and his grooming kit, then hurried down the stairs toward the bathing room. It should be empty this time of morning, and he’d fallen asleep before he’d gotten a chance to use it. Perhaps by the time they reached their destination, he’d no longer sense the hurt and regret from Dios, and maybe, if his dream was a portent, he’d meet his father.