| The Liberator of North Camp |
| Evil Wizard Keenan Series - Seven |
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| Keenan sighed deeply and glanced across the room at his beloved. He looked in the mirror one more time and fidgeted with the thick weathering cloak he had secured with the silver broach he always wore. �Why do we have to visit Leeder?� he asked softly. Elayne rolled her eyes and replied, �He�s the Lord of the Dark Plains and he�s invited us to visit him.� She wrapped her consort in a comforting embrace. She knew Keenan was dreading this visit, but she couldn�t figure out why. �It�s only for a few days,� she said, trying to ease his tension. Keenan stared at her reflection in the mirror and nodded. �Why do I have to go?� he asked plaintively. �You are my consort, Keenan,� Elayne explained. �You enjoy certain privileges from that position, but it also comes with responsibilities.� �Yes, dear,� the smaller wizard said, hooding his eyes submissively. Elayne sighed in frustration. She knew he was only agreeing because he didn�t want to argue with her. Over the past two years, she�d come to the realization that Keenan was a complicated man. Because of the hardships he�d faced and how he�d come to be with the evil mages, his personality was all over the spectrum. He was, by turns, insubordinate or submissive, mischievous or fearful, depressed or cheerful, innocent or worldly. Of all these personas the submissive one irritated her the most, because she knew it was the least like his true self. Knowing that growing irritable would only make matters worse, Elayne stepped away from him and went back to her packing. �Do you have all your things packed, sweeting?� she asked, folding the last gown and placing it in the pack with the others. Keenan nodded and turned to face her. Now his eyes were wide and he was looking at her with a perfectly innocent expression. �Are you angry with me, Elayne?� he asked nervously. �No, of course not,� she replied, smiling gently. �It�s just�Keenan, you�re so mercurial. It�s hard to keep up with you.� �Sorry,� Keenan said, grinning at her and re-adjusting his cloak. �It comes from never actually mastering my magic and a series of traumatic experiences.� Elayne smiled slightly, recognizing the switch back to the personality she was most comfortable with. She nodded and set her traveling chest down on the floor. �If you�re ready, let�s go. I�d like to be there before dark.� �Okay,� Keenan replied, nodding slightly. He took his own traveling chest and shrunk it down to the size of a pebble; then he slipped it into his pocket. �I�m ready when you are,� he said softly. Elayne shook her head at his casual display of power and then used the same spell to make her chest easier to bring along. Once that was completed and the shrunken chest was secured in the pocket of her traveling gown, she took Keenan�s arm and the pair headed down to where the carriage was waiting to bring them to the home of Leeder � Head of the Council of Evil Psychics and Lord of the Dark Plains. ** The greeting Keenan and Elayne received at Leeder�s castle was cordial, one would almost call it warm. They were shown to his solar and treated to refreshments before he got down to business with his counterpart on the Council of Evil Mages. �We�ve recently begun bringing some of the criminals of the Loyalian Rebellion to justice,� he said conversationally. �That�s good to hear,� Elayne said, her voice neutral. Keenan snorted in derision and shook his head. Leeder frowned. �You had something to add?� he asked, scowling darkly. �The Loyalian Rebellion?� Keenan asked. �Is that what you call it?� He rolled his eyes and shook his head again. �That makes it sound like you were the rightful rulers of Loyalia. Really, you were invaders. These so-called criminals were liberators, restoring the true rulers to power.� Leeder�s eyes narrowed and he turned to Elayne. �You allow him to speak rather freely, considering he�s supposed to be your consort,� he growled. Elayne almost smiled before schooling her features into a passive mask. �I�ve found,� she said, �that Keenan is rather like a force of nature. You can�t control him, you can only hope to contain the damage he wreaks.� Keenan giggled and shook his head. �Sorry,� he said softly. �It�s just that I grew up on Loyalia, so I know what it was like living there under the occupation.� Locking eyes with Leeder, he said, �You may have meant well, my lord, but many of those you placed in power were cruel and ruthless, almost tyrannical.� Leeder frowned and nodded slightly. �So I�d heard,� he admitted. �Where�d you grow up, Keenan?� asked Hollis, who Elayne had brought as a member of her honor guard. Meadows smiled fondly. �It was just a tiny village,� he said softly. �We called it North Camp. It lies on the border of the Shynian basin.� �I�ve heard of it,� Leeder said, glaring darkly. Keenan�s eyes widened in surprise and the other man went on. �It was discovered that� people conspiring against me were hiding in that village. All the people living in the area were detained until the traitors could be rooted out.� Keenan�s eyes narrowed. �I was there,� he growled. �Farms were razed to the ground, my family�s among them.� �But the town was freed,� Hollis said quietly. �Reports called him the Liberator of North Camp. They said he was almost six feet tall, with flowing dark hair and eyes like flashing jewels.� Keenan�s eyes widened and he blinked thoughtfully, like he was trying to remember something. In fact, he was. Most of the time, he projected an illusion to make himself seem taller, knowing that most people would try to take advantage of him if they knew his true height was just barely over five feet tall. The problem was, he rarely lowered the illusion, so he couldn�t recall just how much he�d increased his height the last time he�d cast it. He glanced at Elayne, knowing that he�d been trying to make himself appear at least an inch or two taller than her at the time. His lady was about five feet, ten inches tall, meaning that, at the moment, he looked about six feet tall. He risked a glance at Leeder and noticed that the other was staring at him intently. �What?� he asked nervously. �You�re eyes,� Leeder said. �They�re a very� unusual color.� His eyes narrowed. �If I had to describe them, I�d say they looked like amethysts� jewels,� he added. Hollis� eyes widened and he turned to Keenan in surprise. �Keenan!� he gasped. �You�re the� Are you the Liberator of North Camp?� Keenan sighed and shook his head. Sometimes it just didn�t pay to get out of bed in the morning. Turning to Elayne, he whispered, �I told you I didn�t want to come here.� Hollis, he answered the only way he could � honestly. �I�ve been called that in the past, yes.� Leeder�s eyes narrowed dangerously and he turned to Elayne. �Mistress Elayne,� he said in a quiet voice. �We�ve been seeking this so-called �liberator� for the past eight years!� He stood and pointed at Keenan. �I demand you hand him over to us for trial!� Elayne gazed calmly at the finger and then at her consort. �Did you hurt anyone during your escape from the camp, sweeting?� she asked calmly. Keenan shook his head. �No,� he said in a firm voice. �I waited until it was dark and the guard was somewhat low, then I used a potion to dissolve the back wall of the barracks we were held in.� His wife smiled warmly and touched his cheek. �So clever,� she crooned. Turning to Leeder, she asked, �If no one was hurt, why is he considered a dangerous criminal?� Leeder frowned and slumped back in the chair he�d just vacated. �People in that village were being held for a reason,� he said in subdued tones. Keenan frowned slightly and nodded. �There were people plotting to do you harm,� he agreed. �I didn�t actually free them, I gave them a sleeping potion so they didn�t escape with the rest of us.� �Why escape at all?� Hollis asked in a small voice. The small wizard sighed and looked down at his hands, which were folded in his lap. �I was young and� they�d taken my whole family there.� He looked up and shook his head. �Even my little sister,� he added. He glanced at Leeder�s wife and added, �She was only eight� I had to help her somehow�� The woman frowned and touched her husband�s arm. Elayne smiled gently. �He�s Loyalian,� she stated softly. �Not helping his younger sister, his mother and his father when he could have, would have put him into conflict.� Leeder rolled his eyes slightly and glanced at the woman beside him, who nodded silently. He turned back to Keenan. �Why didn�t you tell the authorities who the guilty parties were, rather than breaking out of the detention center?� he asked. Meadows sighed deeply and looked down once more. Blushing, he mumbled, �I� was afraid of them.� He knew the admission would only bring more questions, but he was also bound by his honor to tell the truth. �Afraid?� Calliope asked, speaking for the first time. �Why were you afraid, Master Keenan?� He smirked and shrugged. Closing his eyes, he calmly willed the visual illusion he held around himself like a shield to dissipate. �They� they were really tall,� he shared in a timid voice. Leeder�s eyes widened slightly and Calliope smiled. �Of course,� she said. �You�re Shynian, aren�t you?� It was a question, but Keenan was sure the lady already knew the answer. Loyalians were rarely mages, unless they were of Shynian blood and most Shynians were less then five and half feet tall. �Yeah,� he said, chuckling. He turned to face his wife, who�d never seen his true form before and blinked at the soft expression on her face. He felt his face warm as she caressed his cheek gently. �No wonder you get so timid at times,� she whispered. �You�re so tiny compared to the other members of the council.� �I�m not tiny,� Keenan protested, blushing even more. His protest was cut off by a searing kiss from his lady. �You�re adorable!� she squealed, pulling him into an embrace. �Elayne,� Keenan squeaked, blushing even more. �I � I� Thank you, but� um�� he trailed off when he realized that in his attempts to push her away, his hand was placed firmly over her bosom. �I can�t breathe, dear,� he mumbled into her chest. Keenan could see Leeder shaking his head as Elayne finally allowed him to sit upright again. The leader of the Evil Psychics sighed deeply and shook his head once more. �Well,� he started, �with that� out of the way, perhaps we can return to business?� �You aren�t going to try me?� he asked in a timid voice. Leeder shook his head. �No,� he stated morosely. �As much as I may want to, my wife would never allow it. She knows� far more about the ways of Loyalians than I do.� �Yeah, well,� Keenan agreed, grinning. �She is one!� Calliope smiled and nodded. �A Cygman once said that it takes a Loyalian to understand a Loyalian,� she related. Turning to Elayne, she added, �Apparently, it is only too true.� Elayne laughed heartily and nodded in agreement. �I sometimes doubt that anyone can understand Keenan fully,� she said fondly. �As long as I�ve known him, he�s still able to surprise me.� Keenan shrugged and settled back in his seat. �It�s a gift,� he teased, winking at his lady. Elayne chuckled softly and then the meeting resumed with Leeder returning to the topic he�d been speaking of before they�d been sidetracked. ** Several hours later, Elayne was settled in a chair by the fire in their rooms. Keenan chuckled softly and settled down beside her. �Thank you,� he said quietly, as he leaned against her. Elayne kissed him gently on the forehead. �Keenan,� she began softly. �You should know by now that I�ll do whatever I have to do to protect you.� He nodded silently. �Me too,� he related in a soft, firm voice. �I�ll never let anyone hurt you, Elayne. I�d defend you with everything I am.� His lady looked at him seriously for a moment and nodded. �I believe you would,� she said, gently caressing his cheek. She kissed him lightly on the forehead. �Hopefully, it will never come to that, my pet,� she added. Keenan nuzzled against her a moment longer and then stood. �I�m exhausted,� he said, stifling a yawn. �See you in the morning?� �Of course,� Elayne agreed. She watched as her consort disappeared into the bedroom. Without the illusion she�d grown accustomed to him wearing, he looked so small and vulnerable, however, he had an inner strength that made her wonder just how much he was capable of. Smiling, Elayne turned back to her book. As tempted as she was to become protective of her consort, she now realized that he didn�t need that from her. What he did need was her love and support. That, she vowed, she would always give him. End� |