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Inverness [FF, fantasy] - Part VIII - Torchbearer

Crimson Dragon

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(c) Copyright February 2001 - All Rights Reserved

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"It's time," Mercury whispered.

Alison sighed, rising to her bare feet.  She was surprised to see that
Mercury was wearing clothing: a bright pink shirt and blue cut-off
jeans.  Her feet were bare.  Sondra wore a gown of shimmering white
that reminded Alison of a Roman toga.

Mercury laughed as Alison rose.

"What?  I look ridiculous," Alison murmured.  Her fingers toyed with
the neckline of the evening gown that Crimson had bestowed upon her.

Mercury shook her head.  "You look stunning.  Honestly."

"I'll be out of place."

Sondra touched Alison's bare shoulder for a moment.  "Alison, there
will be people dancing naked tonight, including her," Sondra nodded
towards Mercury, who stuck her tongue out in response.  "You will
hardly be out of place."  She paused for a moment.  "Sweetheart,
you're the Torchbearer."

"Huh?"

Mercury laughed again, addressing Sondra.

"She didn't tell her.  That infernal creature."

"He said that I didn't have to wear it," Alison said.

Sondra shook her head.  "I'm sure that you don't.  Doesn't change the
fact that you will bear the torch.  She chose you, that's why you get
the dress."

"Dress?  Torch?"

"Someone's got to light the fire..."

                         <---===***===--->

The voices were closer and louder as they moved through the courtyard.
The grass had been a welcome change to the rough stone of the castle
floors.  Mercury waved to the people they passed; all wore smiles,
most wore some bright clothing.  An excitement encompassed everyone as
the girls moved towards the drawbridge.  Alison could feel eyes
tracing her black dress, tracing her movements.

Once again, rough wood appeared under Alison's feet as the sounds of
their steps echoed over the water of the moat.  She glanced upwards,
expecting the harsh sounds of a challenge, but none were forth-coming.

Alison broke from the others, leaning forward onto the rail.  She
stared down towards the blue tinged waters of the moat.  Further down
the way, a laughing couple splashed happily on the far bank.

As she watched the turquoise water below, a small dark creature with a
sleek coat swam lazily out from below the drawbridge. Alison gasped
quietly, but the animal seemed docile enough, and it was far enough
away that it posed no real danger.

Seemingly without direction, the swimmer found its way to the near
bank directly under the castle ramparts. There, in the shadows, a
blonde girl in shimmering white stood, her back touching the stone of
the wall. She smiled as the tiny animal slowly climbed from the
turquoise with an almost imperceptible splash. The girl bent, running
her hand over the fur that somehow was no longer wet. With a silent
touch of her lips, the creature morphed into a man, like the
proverbial frog turning into Prince Charming. With a bow, the man
swept the girl, giggling, into his arms.

Alison blinked, but the man remained, kissing the girl cradled in his
arms. She didn't think the man had seen her watching, but with a grin
and a wave, he called to the trio on the drawbridge.

"You're wearing clothes?" he asked.

Mercury, from a short distance behind Alison replied.

"Shouldn't you be still wearing fur until moonrise, Mink?"

The man blushed for only a moment. "And miss this? She kissed me. You
know the rules."

"Yes, I suppose that I do," Mercury murmured. The mink turned back to
the girl in his arms with another kiss.

As Alison watched, the couple faded into the shadows, or perhaps they
had melted into the air. She was quiet for a few moments, and she
could sense Mercury and Sondra waiting patiently behind her. Then she
sensed the slow movement behind her of bare feet on wood.

"Wish I had a quarter," she mumbled as Mercury and Sondra joined her,
one on each side.

"No money, here.  Don't need it," Mercury sighed.  "Well, unless you
count the play stuff for the girls that like playing night walker
games."

Alison turned and stared.  Mercury laughed a little.  "Relax. 
Everyone has fantasies.  Even you."

Alison blushed, and turned back to the water.  It flowed forever under
the bridge.  She was about to rise when a light, warm roundness filled
her right palm.  She gasped, prying open her clenched fingers to stare
at the quarter within.  Instead of a familiar moose, the coin featured
a dragon silhouetted by a rising moon.

"How?"

"One of the authors is watching," Mercury murmured, "or heard you."

Alison looked about, even glancing up at the abandoned ramparts above
the drawbridge.  Then she glanced down at her gown, which was still
intact.

Mercury, as if reading her mind, spoke.  "Relax.  Malinov is in the
library by now, and none of them will use their X-ray vision on you. 
I promise."

Alison looked sideways at Mercury, then down at her breasts, making
Mercury laugh.  "They can't...they don't..."

"They can, but they won't."

Alison shook her head.

"Make a wish," Sondra whispered.

And she did.

The quarter sank slowly beneath the surface of the moat, catching the
underwater luminance as it tumbled through the water.

Mercury and Sondra linked arms with Alison, and the girls' footsteps
echoed off the far edge of the bridge.

                         <---===***===--->

The carpet of pine needles was warm and soft beneath her bare feet. 
Crickets chirped as they passed, and even a cicada marked their
passing with a cry.

They had passed nobody as they moved swiftly through the darkened
forest.  Alison wondered how Mercury and Sondra could find their way
through the darkness, but after they had deftly guided her around
various small trees, she relaxed and allowed them to ferry her towards
the clearing.

Alison gasped as she stepped out from the cover of the trees.  A large
clearing stretched from the entrance path.  Sondra and Mercury
released her arms, allowing her to take two steps forward.

A large raised stage covered the far side of the clearing.  Banquet
tables ringed the clearing, piled high with food and jugs of liquid. 
Lights, bright, but not electric, hovered near the treeline, casting a
bright glow across.  People of all shapes, colours, and sizes stood
quietly around the edge of the clearing, seemingly with their eyes
glued to Alison.

Her eyes finally stopped against an enormous pile of wood and brush,
which lay stacked within a ring of stones dominating the view.

"Wow," she breathed.

She turned slowly, acutely feeling the pine needles beneath her feet. 
Couples and single people filed in slowly behind her, waiting quietly.

As she turned, a large, but familiar, shape materialised in front of
her, an old torch flickering in his paw.  She looked up, a smile
gracing her lips.

"CL!"

The big man grinned, holding out the torch for her fingers.

"How?"

He bent and gently kissed her cheek.  "Later," he whispered to her. 
He held out the torch to her again.  "Crimson said you might need
this."

Suddenly, Mercury was at her ear, whispering urgently.

"Like I told you.  Okay?"  Her lips kissed Alison's ear.

Alison struggled to calm the butterflies flitting about in her
stomach.  She curtsied, smiling at the familiar bartender.  As she
rose, her fingers grasped the wooden handle of the simple torch.  She
glanced around.  Everyone was watching her.

She turned to Mercury.

"I can't.  I abdicate.  You..."

Mercury smiled.  "You ain't the Queen, thank your lucky stars.  You
can't abdicate.  Go light the blessed thing before I starve to death."
She gently pressed a finger below Alison's throat.

Alison inhaled deeply, and turned.  She lowered her eyes, not looking
at the audience.

The distance seemed to stretch on forever, but at last her bare feet
stopped at the circle of stones.  She raised her eyes.  The magical
lights dimmed, perhaps at the touch of an unseen finger.

She sighed, wishing that she had known that she would be standing
here.

"Happy Solstice," she whispered.  She closed her eyes and tossed the
torch upwards.  When she opened her eyes, she watched the torch spiral
flawlessly onto the top of the pile far above.

As the flames began to lick at the fuel, a deafening roar from a
thousand voices swept her senses.  As the cheering swept past its
crescendo, Buddy Holly issued from unseen speakers, singing about the
Day-ay-ay That I'll Die.

People slowly surrounded the bonfire, dancing and laughing and
cheering.

In the middle, the heat warming her skin, Alison slowly bent her head.

                         <---===***===--->

She felt like a barbarian eating with her fingers, but she swore that
the food tasted better than any that she'd tasted before.  Unknown
sauces coated her fingers as she ate as daintily as she could. 
Mercury, beside her, laughed easily as someone, probably CL, related
yet another off-colour joke.  As Alison dropped the latest bone to her
plate, she absently sucked at her fingertips to clean the worst of the
sauce from them.  Mercury smiled at her, gently guiding Alison's
fingers to her mouth.  Alison closed her eyes as Mercury's tongue
slipped over her skin.  When she re-opened her eyes, CL was watching
her with a bemused expression on his face.

"I...you know that I..." Alison stammered, distracted by Mercury's
laugh.  Alison flushed and made to rise to her feet.  CL reached
across the table, gently motioning her back to the bench.

"Alison, dear, I won't tell anyone.  I promise."  The big man managed
to keep a solemn look on his lips.

Alison lowered herself back to the bench, self-consciously licking the
back of her hand.

CL grinned and reached to the end of the table.  He lifted a huge jug
as though it weighed nothing.  The goblets weren't made of glass, or
metal, but a dark hardwood that reminded Alison of cherrywood.  CL
filled four to overflowing, and then passed one each to the three
girls, and then placed one in front of himself.

Sondra leaned over and whispered a warning.

"Don't drink it as fast as he does, or we'll be picking you up off the
floor."

Alison nodded, lifting the goblet to her lips, carefully tasting.

"Mead!" she cried.  CL nodded in response, tilting his own cup upwards
and draining it in one swallow.  Mercury shook her head at the feat
and daintily sipped her own.

The liquid was significantly stronger than that of the bar, but it was
recognisable.  She turned to CL.

"How?" she asked.

"We bring some when we cross."  He looked puzzled.

"No, not the mead," she shook her head almost in frustration.  "How
are you here?"

CL shrugged.  "Shouldn't bartenders be here?"

Mercury scowled at the big man.  "Quit teasing her."

CL sighed.  "I know how to brew mead, and I like showing up here once
in a while.  Needs law and order, don't you know?  And besides, I
write a little."

Mercury scowled at him again, and then turned to watch the revellers
dancing around the fire with wistful eyes.

"Like Malinov?" Alison muttered, then made the association with a
shiver.  "See-El..."

The big man grinned, only to lose the grin in response to the frown
appearing on Alison's face.  He turned to Mercury for help, finding
little.

"Malinov made me flash him, apparently on your orders."

See-El laughed.  "Made you?  Can you be made to do anything, Mercury?"

Mercury lost her battle to control her grin.  She nodded.

"Sometimes."

"I told Malinov to watch for spammers."

"He thought we were spammers."

"Never, m'lady.  Never."

"Will you be going back with me?" Alison asked quietly.

"Perhaps."  See-El looked at Alison for a moment, and as if reading
her mind continued.  "We all have to go back, eventually."

Alison shook her head slowly and raised her cup back to her lips.  The
mead was sweet and intoxicating.

                         <---===***===--->
