The Might of Evil Dreams (A Novel of the Elemental Chronicles)

Twenty-Four - Wheel of Fate

Thomas

The people stormed the Bastille fortress in France that summer. We'd heard reports of the unrest for months now, but they'd evidently reached a breaking point. The poorer people, my tenants among them, were tentatively optimistic that we would follow in France's wake and upset the monarchy. The rich, like Ray, believed it was better that they were embroiled in civil war, and were focusing less of their energy on us.

"They just want equality, don't they?" Emmeline asked when I read the missive to her from London over breakfast. "One look at estates like Northampton's and I would gladly take up a musket."

"Muh-coot," said Phil, banging his spoon against his bowl. He'd been trying out new words for the past few months, but with all this talk of war and revolt, I was worried his first full sentence would include the King of France.

"That's not a toy, darling." Emmeline took the spoon from him. "You use it to eat, like this."

Phil watched her, his eyes wide and round. "Muh-coot?" he said again, this time as a question.

"No, darling, no muskets." Emmeline returned his spoon, and he grasped onto it for only a second before dropping it and scattering his mush down his front.

"Philly make a mess," Eddie sang, and then giggled.

Emmeline sighed as she rose to clean Phil up. She was once again swollen with child, and it occurred to me that if we'd thought two children were a handful, three would certainly cause an overflow.

"Would taking Eddie with you be too much of a burden?" she asked me as we finished, stacking the plates to make it easier to clean up. "I know you've got Order business today, but..."

"Of course I will," I said. Eddie became more active as he grew and not less, but at least now he understood what it meant to be quiet. "We'll have a little adventure, won't we Ed?"

Eddie grinned, his dark curls falling into his face as he nodded and swung his legs back and forth in excitement. "A'venture, Daddy, a'venture!"

I grinned back, and as I stood I scooped him from his chair and set him on my shoulders. "Then away we go, Master Edward."

Emmeline was smiling too, and when I passed she cupped my cheek and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Bring him back in one piece," she said when she pulled away.

"As you wish, milady," I said, kissing her one more time.

Even then none of us could have seen what was ahead. It was a calm before a storm that hit us completely unexpectedly.

||

We heard of the hunger after the first deep frost mid-September. Nature granted us a brief reprieve, the warm weather returning right after. The first mention of it was Johnny, holding Thor's lead while I inspected his foot. He'd stumbled and thrown me a few days ago, and was still limping.

"'Eard market's scarce this year, Cap'n," he said, rubbing Thor's nose when he snorted with pain. "That's the way it was when I was down there last, leastaways."

"Is it?" I lifted the hoof higher and saw my quarry — a long star-shaped thorn, buried deep in the frog. "What's low?"

"Fish, for one. 'Eard they ain't runnin' as plentiful as they ought'a be."

"That so?" I moved to hold Thor's hoof between my knees and gestured to Johnny without turning around. "Those tongs, Johnny, please."

He passed them to me, and continued on. "Barley too. All froze, 'twas."

I glanced up towards our own field, even though I was unable to see it from here. We had had a slimmer harvest this year, even though Emmeline hadn't appeared to notice. She was busy making things for the new baby, which, according to her, was going to be a girl.