The Wizard of Time (Book 1) (40 page)
“More happy than you know,” Rajan said, passing Teresa the rabbit’s foot.
“Happy indeed,” Marcus said, extending his hand toward Teresa, who frowned herself now, before handing him the rabbit’s foot. Marcus grinned.
“What was the bet this time?” Gabriel said, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Some bets you can’t know unless you join the wager,” Teresa said.
“Those are the rules,” Rajan said.
“And never bet against a highwayman,” Marcus said. “That’s the first rule. Now, this,” he said, holding up rabbit’s foot, “and Gabriel’s return, call for something special. And I’ve got a bottle of Spanish port I’ve been saving for a unique occasion.”
“How do you manage to turn every triumph into an excuse for drinking?” Sema said as they all began to walk back to toward the castle proper.
“Sobriety and success are mutually exclusive in my view,” Marcus said. “Besides, port is a fine way to end a victory dinner.”
“I don’t know if we can call this a full victory,” Ohin said, stroking his chin and sounding a little more serious than the others.
“No, no,” Akikane said. “But every battle counts toward winning the war.”
“Victory or not,” Rajan said, “it’s still time for dinner.”
“And how do you turn everything into an excuse to eat?” Teresa teased.
“Because I’m hungry,” Rajan said. “Besides, a victory dinner means dancing, and we know how you feel about that.”
“Right!” Teresa said, suddenly as excited about dinner as Marcus and Rajan combined. “I claim the first dance with our hero of the day.” Teresa grabbed Gabriel’s arm and held it high.
“What!” Gabriel exclaimed as the others laughed. “Dancing? I’m no hero. And I can’t dance.”
“Neither can she,” Rajan said.
“Coming from the one who trips over his own feet, that’s a compliment,” Teresa said.
“I’m sure you dance wonderfully,” Sema said.
“I’ll take the second dance,” Ling added.
“But,” Gabriel said, “I really can’t dance.”
“You don’t want to dance with me?” Teresa said with a fake pout.
“No,” Gabriel said, his face flushed. “Of course I’d dance with you if I knew how to dance, but I don’t, so…”
“Gabriel,” Ohin said with a wide smile. “Let me give you some advice as tutor to apprentice. Stop while you’re ahead.” The team laughed again and Gabriel laughed with them as they walked toward the state apartments.
“I’ll dance,” Gabriel said, “but we need two more people.”
“What kind of dance is this?” Marcus asked. “A cotillion?”
“Not for dancing,” Gabriel answered. “For baseball. You need nine for a team. We already have seven. We just need two more people. And another team to play against.”
“Only one more, only one more,” Akikane said. “Baseball is sublime. Particularly the peanuts.”
“And hotdogs,” Rajan added.
“And let’s not forget the ale,” Marcus quipped.
“Beer,” Rajan said. “Lager, not ale.”
“Close enough,” Marcus replied.
“You want to start a baseball team?” Teresa asked her voice rising in incredulity.
“Sure,” Gabriel said. “There’s plenty of room for a baseball diamond beyond the north wall of the castle. And it’ll be good for team morale.”
“Not a bad idea,” Ohin said.
“I call catcher,” Ling said.
“First base,” Rajan added.
“What sort of game is this?” Sema asked.
“It’s like cricket,” Marcus said.
“Hardly,” Rajan said.
“They both use a ball and a bat,” Marcus said. “How different can they be?”
“I think we may need to review the rules,” Gabriel said.
“You can explain them over dinner,” Teresa said. “But get this straight right now, we’re not starting a football team. I don’t look good in shoulder pads.” Gabriel laughed and followed the others toward the Waterloo Chamber and dinner.
The dinner that night was as appetizing as usual, the conversation and the company as warm and filling as the meal. The small sip of port made his head light, but helped him quit worrying about where he placed his feet while he danced, first with Teresa, then with Ling, then with Sema, and before he knew it, learning a waltz with Councilwoman Elizabeth to teach him. It was a night that went on and on, seeming to stretch time out and spread a few hours over days.
When he finally lay in bed that night, his head spinning from the dancing, looking up at the stars through the window, Gabriel wondered, as he often did when staring at the stars, what the future would bring. What his future would bring. There would be other missions surely. He wasn’t certain what they would be, but he could think of several. Stopping Apollyon and his copies from destroying The Great Barrier for one. Saving an entire alternate world from the crushing rule of the cruel and despotic Kumaradevi for another. And Vicaquirao was out there somewhere, plotting and scheming, creating plans within plans like booby-trapped Russian matryoska dolls, hoping to control Gabriel’s destiny from a distance. There was a lot of work left to do in saving the Continuum. And he’d need some sleep if he was going to be ready to train for it.
He fell asleep dreaming of dancing and stars and Windsor Castle and swords and magic and time travel and hoping that for once, he could finally sleep in.
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After a childhood spent whizzing through the galaxy in super sleek starships and defeating treacherously evil monsters in long forgotten kingdoms, G.L. Breedon grew up to write science fiction and fantasy novels. He lives with his wife in Brooklyn, NY.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: That Sinking Feeling
Chapter 5: The Waterloo Chamber
Chapter 10: St. Fillan’s Stones
Chapter 11: The Seventh True Mage
Chapter 13: The Wrong Thing to Do
Chapter 15: The Sword of Unmaking
Chapter 16: The Best Laid Plans
Chapter 17: Palace of Light Darkness
Chapter 18: Battles and Honors
Chapter 19: Lessons in Light Darkness
Chapter 20: Out of the Fire and Into…
Chapter 21: Grace and Atrocity
Chapter 24: Alexander the Terrible