Jasmine: Return to the Manor

The wind held my wings taut against the sky. I could feel the strength of it stretching muscles that hadn’t been used in…

It felt good to fly, to really fly, not just from one building to the next, but for miles over the untouched country of dreams. It had been too long since I had even begun to feel my muscles ache from work. My body hadn’t been pushed in years and I was feeling it now. A burning fire beat across my shoulders and down my back knotting and twisting me into a ball of pain, but it felt wonderful.

When I finally thought that my wings could take me no further it appeared. I rounded that last mushroom topped peak and the manor was revealed. It was no different from what I remembered. Four floors showed above the earth with untold depths below it. Its halls seemed to span miles but in fact it was no wider than a football field. Great spires rose above each corner and a hollow dome filled the center of the house. An aviary of sorts. The manor sat in the middle of a field of grass and from where I was I could see all the little trails leading to the forest to the stables to the little nooks and crannies of the grounds I used to know well.

I was descending fast when a high pitched chirping flew out to meet me. A flock of gargoyles probably wondering why I hadn’t triggered the alarms surrounded me. The young ones seemed excited to see me, they tried to rub up against me as best they could but all they succeeded in doing was dragging my tired wings to the ground. I collapsed in a heap a couple hundred yards from the manor.

In a moment they were on me, the young gargoyles blocked out the sun with their rumbling granite bodies rubbing and bruising me. I absorbed my wings into my body so they wouldn’t get trampled and concentrated on fussing with every gargoyle from the manor. The flock had grown. Traditionally gargoyles only bred once or twice in a hundred years and I saw five young pups frolicking in the grass, and only three breeding pairs to account for them. I glanced at one of the adults who had wisely stayed away from the bumbling young ones.

“You’ve been busy.” I grinned at him.

“You know me, I do what the lady wishes me to.” He glanced lovingly back at the granite beast overhanging the north east corner. And she nodded to him.

By now the pups had all but forgotten me and had dissolved into a game that amuses all young things, a kind of tag, run, flying, wrestle match where everyone was it and no one was safe. I got to my feet and laid kiss on the muzzle of their proud father and started walking to the manor. With a chirrup he had the whole flock following me, fanning out in a protective pattern.

Was it just a practice exercise for the young ones, or was I truly in danger here? I had no way of telling the difference so I went on as if nothing had changed.

They walked me all the way to the front door then flew back to the roof and their watch posts. The door swung open as I reached for the doorknob revealing a young member of the fire court on the other side.

“Shay?”

She smiled. “Yes, it’s me, I’m surprised you remember me though.”

“There are only five hundred of us, it’s not that difficult to remember you. I take it Enfer is already here if she’s got her people answering the door.”

“Yes, they’re waiting for you in the council chambers.”

Nice of them to get all comfy and seated before I came. I thanked her and headed down a familiar path to an all too familiar room. I could feel Pan on the edge of my mind asking if I wanted her here, I told her yes and suddenly a great black cat was gliding along next to me rubbing her furred side against my leg as a gesture of comfort. I reached down and twined my hand in her fur as we reached the door.

“Here we go” I whispered.

I could feel Pan smiling. She missed council life just as much as I had.

I pushed open the door and we strode into the room looking at the faces around me. Kate, Ratigan, Julia, Sarah, and Marguerite. I sighed a little in relief. He wasn’t here, I don’t think I would have handled it well if he’d been in the room and I sent a silent thanks to whomever had thought not to include him. Kate looked up at me and nodded, I thought it had been her. That handled I turned my attention to Marguerite who was now seated at my spot on the table. I stared at her long enough that Kate spoke up.

“You weren’t here. We had to appoint someone to take your place at the table.”

I turned to her gesturing to Ratigan. “You left the chair of fire open.”

“There was no one left here from her house. From yours however we had options.”

“And from those options you chose Marguerite.”

“She was your Temoin, your second in command. The seat was her right.”

I knew all of this but to see her pert little ass denting my cushion made me want to light the world on fire.

“Get out of my chair girl.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as if to say “make me.” it was an old game between us, one I had not forgotten but had missed playing. I waved my hand and the chair disappeared from beneath her reappearing under me. The look on her face as her butt hit the ground brought a smile to my face. Glaring at me she sent a servant for another less powerful chair and we got down to business.