Taniel (The Taverner's Daughter I)

76: Dax

Dax, still reeling from the embarrassment of handing over his baby makers to the birthing room, accompanied his invisible brother to the castle roof.

Gone was Jarryd's earlier blithe attitude to dead baby makers being used on his woman. Dax wondered why neither of them had thought to let Jarryd fill the collection bottle: too late, now.

Once on the roof, they hugged the shadows. Dax marvelled how the invisibility spell proved impervious to indirect light.

"Did you find out about Rufus?" Jarryd asked, breaking his sullen silence.

"No, Paget put Ritter into some sort of sleep, and Mother didn't know what I was talking about."

"Sam! I forgot about him. I saw your father, in the valley, with a gharl."

"Father? In the Morrdakes?" Dax said, astonished. "He has not left the citadel for as long as I've known him. He barely leaves to visit his townhouse. That's why Mother kept us when she was passed on. I don't understand why Father would be there."

Jarryd did not offer him a rebuttal and he imagined his brother wondered how Dax could be so sure of his father. Mother had reared them, though she was not obliged to rear any wizards' offspring.

His justification was interrupted by mindspeech brushing his senses.

"Driscoll says Rufus is on his way home," Dax told Jarryd. "Father released him."

His brother's relief was audible.

"Driscoll will be here soon, so you better get ready." Dax extended his hand and was pleased when Jarryd grasped it firmly. "I am sorry about this... baby thing." He said. His apology felt hollow without eye contact.

"I appreciate that," Jarryd answered. "We should have stopped it."

"And how were we going to do that?" Dax scoffed. "We would end up locked in our rooms with dampeners fixed to our ankles! My magic is not strong enough here. We needed all four of us to repel Ritter's shield when he tried to have his way with Taniel.

Mother and Fenberry will not take our side against him."

"Mother might, if we told her about Katerine."

"He would weasel his way out of that, I reckon." Dax squeezed Jarryd hand and let go with a sigh. "It will be bloody good to lay eyes on you again, little brother. This invisible stuff is hard work on the brain."

"Tell me about it." His brother's laugh lightened his guilt. "I will see you, soon," Jarryd said. "If Driscoll turns up without me, I'll be down there in the drink, drowned."

"Ha, Driscoll wouldn't want to get his feet wet to save you. You'll be all right. Good fortune," Dax said. "Air-mounts scare the shit out of me, I don't might admitting."

Dax left. He did not need to swallow his heart while watching Jarryd mount a moving dragon. The waiting was just as bad.

His time would be better spent with Paget.

***

2 April 2017 - replaced with revised scene (removed image)

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