Master's Delight

The Pious Drake | home

Master's Delight | master's delight | Master's Delight p.3 | Anecdotes, misquotes, and all-around unfortunate quips

Master's Delight

by The OAF

"I will meet you in that place, where you swore you would not go again, and I will take away your pain. When I am done I will show you how to find what you want to know. Come. I will tell you everything...and we will be together again."

Daemonika woke with certainty. Father had visited her again tonight and she was going back to

Tanara to meet him. He'd told her everything she needed to know to get herself and her friends to the meeting place. All she needed to do was tell Latunda, and they could all go to meet him.

She rose. Her bare feet somehow found the floor through the voluminous red robes she always wore. She'd taken them from Master after Syzygy had killed him. They were magic robes and they helped her when she used magic. But most importantly, they were hers now. A trophy, a symbol of her triumph over the cruelest man she had ever known. It was the last one she had left- Nymalless had removed the scars from the beatings. They once covered her back. Now they just covered her soul.

She crossed the wood floor to the door. Latunda was nice to let her live here. Everyone always made her feel welcome. The gargoyles always liked to play hide and seek. She was good at hide and seek. She had to hide from Master so many times when he was angry because his magic didn't give him what he wanted.

Her hand reached toward the door handle. A voice from the door complained. "Why you gotta get up so early? It makes your hair stick straight out in places so you look like a Besn in heat!" It was a rude door. Latunda had found it and taken it. Daemonika thought it was funny. She smiled. Perfect teeth. Another of Nymalless' gifts. "Yeah? At least I have hair...you foul mouthed bare wood relic of someone's bad humor!" The door retorted. "Uh huh...hair today, gone tomorrow." Oooh. Good one. Dae winced. Must remember not to tell stories within earshot of the door. Then again, it was supposed to be a rude door.

She crossed the threshhold, her impossibly red hair trailed out behind her. Latunda's room was a familiar place. Dae found her at her desk poring over the maps Mio had given them. Mio. Quite possibly the largest woman Dae had ever met, the most honorable and admirable warrior who wielded Eissa's Sacred Gatekeeper against the Unlife. Mio. Who had gone searching for the Narselkin in Tanara and had failed. Now Daemonika, Latunda, Nymalless, and the rest of the Pious Drake were taking up the Quest. Latunda looked up from the mass of vellum and parchment. Violet eyes regarded Daemonika. Dae stared back. Never eat extraplanar food, Dae reminded herself.

"You're up early."

"You're up late."

Latunda shrugged.

"I know how to get there. Father told me."

Latunda's indifference faded into skepticism.

"Really."

"He told me. He showed me the place we're supposed to meet him. He can help us. He says he doesn't know where the Narselkin are but he knows some people who can probably help us."

"Really."

Daemonika's mouth tightened. Why was it always this way? Father never steered her wrong. Father always came when she needed him and he always told her what she needed to do to survive. He was always right. All Mother ever did was complain that Dae was doing something that might hurt someone else. She was only sometimes right and her friends needed always right for this task.

"I'll show you." Dae gestured and a translucent pastoral scene inteposed itself between Latunda and Daemonika. Latunda got up to study the illusion. Kieron's gifts have been good, Latunda thought.

"I don't know, Dae." Latunda's finger traced lines into Daemonika's illusion. Her eyes narrowed, then widened. "Yes, I do."

A tone of awe. Good. Let her chew on that. Father was always right.

Latunda fussed through the mess on the desk, then held up a map and regarded it against the background Daemonika had conjured.

"That's gotta be right here." Latunda jabbed at the page. She was excited now. "What else did he say?"

"He says if we meet him he can take us to people who can help us. People who have lived there a long time and know the area really well." Dae scowled. "People who aren't Duranaki."

"Dae, it's been a long time and Master's dead. I know you're still struggling with the whole not-every-Duranaki-is-bad thing, but we're probably going to run into them. They live in Tanara, you know." Latunda still stared at the map. Her eyes flicked to Daemonika and saw the petulant child again. She mentally sighed, then mentally summoned.

Twenty minutes later the rest of the Drake was in Latunda's room. Nymalless went to Daemonika first and hugged her. The petulant child vanished. Ja'rad was next, his frame obscuring Dannan as he stooped through the door. Firesong followed and apprised the illusion approvingly. The pastoral scene hung as a Master's painting on glass, dominating the center of the room. Ja'rad dominated the far corner as he regarded the illusion. The miniature dragon on his shoulder was perplexed. It piped, "What's everybody so interested in?"

"It's an illusion Oberon." Ja'rad drawled. "Sometimes drakelihood has its problems."

"Maybe." Snort. "You should know. But you don't."

Ja'rad's face contorted. Latunda interrupted the retort.

"Dae's been dreaming again. She knows where to go."

Silence.

"When do we leave?"

The pastoral Master's painting on glass vanished.

The Master's painting on glass had taken a three dimensional quality. Should have. The jump had left them dizzy as usual but the grasshoppers singing in the grass focused their senses.

"So, where is he?"

"In there."

The tower was old. That was certain. Daemonika had been raised there, and in a way had died there. It had a miasma. The walls remembered better than Dae did what had transpired there. And the blood was still there. An enormous black horse stood watch over the front door. It was ajar.

Feynman pawed and snorted nervously. Nymalless soothed her mount, but the uneasiness was contagious and soon the other horses were skittish. Firesong nickered to his own mount, who responded in kind. A chorus of horse followed.

"They don't like the other horse." Firesong announced.

Latunda shrugged. "We'll leave them down here, then. This shouldn't take long."

They advanced on the door. The black horse eyed them, but made no move. It was fully saddled complete with bit and bag. A horseman's horse. Something tugged at the back of Latunda's mind, something not fully remembered. Latunda eyed the horse back. It nickered laughingly. Feynman neighed something in return. Nymalless nudged Latunda. Blink. Dae breezed into the tower unafraid. Latunda shrugged, and followed. Dannan turned to face the Tanaran countryside. Everything was exactly as Dae had described. The vision before her was exactly the same as had been floating in Latunda's bedroom days before. Exactly. Dannan's mind flicked to that place in Nymalless' mind that the two of them shared, a gift from Eissa. Nymalless was nervous. This was too exactly. But this was the place where Dae had lived, suffered, come of age, and had hated- until recently. Dannan phrased mentally to Nymalless. 'Dae's not afraid.' 'She should be.' ]She's not.' 'We should follow.'

The black horse stood alone. The door was completely open now and the sunlight streaming in silhouetted six shadows climbing ancient stairs, led by an eager child-shadow who was about to meet her Father for the first time.

master's delight page 2

This story copyright 2001 by Heidi L. Corrado. This may not be used in whole or in part without the express permission of the author. The terms "Tanara," "Narselkin," Eissa," and "Duranaki" are part of Terry Amthor's Shadow World. This story will be updated from time to time.


	The Pious Drake \| home Master's Delight \| master's delight \| Master's Delight p.3 \| Anecdotes, misquotes, and all-around unfortunate quips Master's Delight by The OAF "I will meet you in that place, where you swore you would not go again, and I will take away your pain. When I am done I will show you how to find what you want to know. Come. I will tell you everything...and we will be together again." Daemonika woke with certainty. Father had visited her again tonight and she was going back to Tanara to meet him. He'd told her everything she needed to know to get herself and her friends to the meeting place. All she needed to do was tell Latunda, and they could all go to meet him. She rose. Her bare feet somehow found the floor through the voluminous red robes she always wore. She'd taken them from Master after Syzygy had killed him. They were magic robes and they helped her when she used magic. But most importantly, they were hers now. A trophy, a symbol of her triumph over the cruelest man she had ever known. It was the last one she had left- Nymalless had removed the scars from the beatings. They once covered her back. Now they just covered her soul. She crossed the wood floor to the door. Latunda was nice to let her live here. Everyone always made her feel welcome. The gargoyles always liked to play hide and seek. She was good at hide and seek. She had to hide from Master so many times when he was angry because his magic didn't give him what he wanted. Her hand reached toward the door handle. A voice from the door complained. "Why you gotta get up so early? It makes your hair stick straight out in places so you look like a Besn in heat!" It was a rude door. Latunda had found it and taken it. Daemonika thought it was funny. She smiled. Perfect teeth. Another of Nymalless' gifts. "Yeah? At least I have hair...you foul mouthed bare wood relic of someone's bad humor!" The door retorted. "Uh huh...hair today, gone tomorrow." Oooh. Good one. Dae winced. Must remember not to tell stories within earshot of the door. Then again, it was supposed to be a rude door. She crossed the threshhold, her impossibly red hair trailed out behind her. Latunda's room was a familiar place. Dae found her at her desk poring over the maps Mio had given them. Mio. Quite possibly the largest woman Dae had ever met, the most honorable and admirable warrior who wielded Eissa's Sacred Gatekeeper against the Unlife. Mio. Who had gone searching for the Narselkin in Tanara and had failed. Now Daemonika, Latunda, Nymalless, and the rest of the Pious Drake were taking up the Quest. Latunda looked up from the mass of vellum and parchment. Violet eyes regarded Daemonika. Dae stared back. Never eat extraplanar food, Dae reminded herself. "You're up early." "You're up late." Latunda shrugged. "I know how to get there. Father told me." Latunda's indifference faded into skepticism. "Really." "He told me. He showed me the place we're supposed to meet him. He can help us. He says he doesn't know where the Narselkin are but he knows some people who can probably help us." "Really." Daemonika's mouth tightened. Why was it always this way? Father never steered her wrong. Father always came when she needed him and he always told her what she needed to do to survive. He was always right. All Mother ever did was complain that Dae was doing something that might hurt someone else. She was only sometimes right and her friends needed always right for this task. "I'll show you." Dae gestured and a translucent pastoral scene inteposed itself between Latunda and Daemonika. Latunda got up to study the illusion. Kieron's gifts have been good, Latunda thought. "I don't know, Dae." Latunda's finger traced lines into Daemonika's illusion. Her eyes narrowed, then widened. "Yes, I do." A tone of awe. Good. Let her chew on that. Father was always right. Latunda fussed through the mess on the desk, then held up a map and regarded it against the background Daemonika had conjured. "That's gotta be right here." Latunda jabbed at the page. She was excited now. "What else did he say?" "He says if we meet him he can take us to people who can help us. People who have lived there a long time and know the area really well." Dae scowled. "People who aren't Duranaki." "Dae, it's been a long time and Master's dead. I know you're still struggling with the whole not-every-Duranaki-is-bad thing, but we're probably going to run into them. They live in Tanara, you know." Latunda still stared at the map. Her eyes flicked to Daemonika and saw the petulant child again. She mentally sighed, then mentally summoned. Twenty minutes later the rest of the Drake was in Latunda's room. Nymalless went to Daemonika first and hugged her. The petulant child vanished. Ja'rad was next, his frame obscuring Dannan as he stooped through the door. Firesong followed and apprised the illusion approvingly. The pastoral scene hung as a Master's painting on glass, dominating the center of the room. Ja'rad dominated the far corner as he regarded the illusion. The miniature dragon on his shoulder was perplexed. It piped, "What's everybody so interested in?" "It's an illusion Oberon." Ja'rad drawled. "Sometimes drakelihood has its problems." "Maybe." Snort. "You should know. But you don't." Ja'rad's face contorted. Latunda interrupted the retort. "Dae's been dreaming again. She knows where to go." Silence. "When do we leave?" The pastoral Master's painting on glass vanished. The Master's painting on glass had taken a three dimensional quality. Should have. The jump had left them dizzy as usual but the grasshoppers singing in the grass focused their senses. "So, where is he?" "In there." The tower was old. That was certain. Daemonika had been raised there, and in a way had died there. It had a miasma. The walls remembered better than Dae did what had transpired there. And the blood was still there. An enormous black horse stood watch over the front door. It was ajar. Feynman pawed and snorted nervously. Nymalless soothed her mount, but the uneasiness was contagious and soon the other horses were skittish. Firesong nickered to his own mount, who responded in kind. A chorus of horse followed. "They don't like the other horse." Firesong announced. Latunda shrugged. "We'll leave them down here, then. This shouldn't take long." They advanced on the door. The black horse eyed them, but made no move. It was fully saddled complete with bit and bag. A horseman's horse. Something tugged at the back of Latunda's mind, something not fully remembered. Latunda eyed the horse back. It nickered laughingly. Feynman neighed something in return. Nymalless nudged Latunda. Blink. Dae breezed into the tower unafraid. Latunda shrugged, and followed. Dannan turned to face the Tanaran countryside. Everything was exactly as Dae had described. The vision before her was exactly the same as had been floating in Latunda's bedroom days before. Exactly. Dannan's mind flicked to that place in Nymalless' mind that the two of them shared, a gift from Eissa. Nymalless was nervous. This was too exactly. But this was the place where Dae had lived, suffered, come of age, and had hated- until recently. Dannan phrased mentally to Nymalless. 'Dae's not afraid.' 'She should be.' ]She's not.' 'We should follow.' The black horse stood alone. The door was completely open now and the sunlight streaming in silhouetted six shadows climbing ancient stairs, led by an eager child-shadow who was about to meet her Father for the first time. master's delight page 2 This story copyright 2001 by Heidi L. Corrado. This may not be used in whole or in part without the express permission of the author. The terms "Tanara," "Narselkin," Eissa," and "Duranaki" are part of Terry Amthor's Shadow World. This story will be updated from time to time.