Drawing another deep breath I replied, “I found someone in the castle, watching me. Dorian suggested I find you first.” I was still panting and even I will admit it wasn’t the most complete answer I have ever given.
“So you need me to protect you from your secret admirer?” she asked.
Laughing made it harder to catch my breath but I was almost fully recovered by then anyway. “Maybe,” I said with a grin. “The intruder was using magic of some sort, and he was able to hide himself from me. I think Dorian thought you might be a target so he suggested I find you first.”
Penny patted her softly rounded stomach, “I’m definitely a good target and getting easier to hit by the day.”
I should have known she’d bring that up. Women never seemed to miss an opportunity to bring attention to their growing waistlines, even though they complained about it. “You aren’t that big yet,” I said, another half-truth on my part, but all part of a husband’s duty. “You do bring up a good point though, should you really be picking up steel and fighting unknown foes in your condition?”
“Would you rather I lay down and wait to die if someone attacked me?”
Alright, I had to admit… looking at it from that perspective she made a lot of sense. “Point taken,” I said.
“No… no point taken… that’s the point,” she replied.
I groaned, “How long are you planning to keep this up? It really isn’t that funny.”
“Fine, but if you keep acting like a wet blanket this princess isn’t going on any more adventures with you,” she answered with mock seriousness.
Obviously Penny was in an interesting mood, something that had become rather common since her pregnancy started. I stared at her, wondering at her sanity. “You aren’t a princess, and even if I went on adventures I wouldn’t take you, you’re pregnant!”
She stared at me intently for a moment before I noticed how still she had become. Her eyes had gotten wider and were beginning to well with tears. A chill went up my spine as I realized her mood had just flipped. “Have I gotten that fat already?” she asked. There was a tremor in her lip.
Oh bloody hell! I thought. “No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Thankfully one of the guards arrived and knocked on the door. I opened it quickly, hoping for a distraction.
“My lord,” he said quickly, “Where would you like me to take up my post?”
My mind was blank for a moment till I realized Dorian must have sent him to guard our rooms. I concentrated for a second until I recalled his name. “Barnabas, right?” I said, snapping my fingers.
“Yes your lordship,” he answered hesitantly.
“Come inside. You may take your post there by the door,” I told him. Ordinarily I’d have set him outside the door, but if the intruder was using magic it would just make the guard an easy target. Plus if he were inside it might help stabilize Penny’s mood.
After that we moved into the antechamber adjoining our bedroom and sat down. We held hands while we sat and I cast my senses outward, trying to follow the movements of our guards through the castle. Dorian seemed to be conducting a room to room search of the entire place.
“Do you think it was another wizard?” Penny asked, breaking the silence.
“There aren’t supposed to be any others,” I said, except that there had been. The late Devon Tremont came immediately to mind. “But we’ve already seen that that may not be true I guess. It’s more likely to be a channeler though.”
“And if it is a channeler?”
“Then he isn’t friendly. The dark gods are definitely our enemies and the shining gods seem to want me dead now too,” I said. Another knock at the door interrupted our conversation. “You can let them in,” I told the guard. “It’s just my mother and more guardsmen.”
Barnabas opened the door and five more guardsmen entered, escorting my mother. She seemed none too pleased about having been suddenly uprooted from her house and forced to quick march into the castle. “What’s going on Mordecai?” she asked me.
“I found an intruder in the castle, but he escaped. Dorian sent the guards to make sure you were safe, and he must have felt you’d be safest if you were with us as well.” I agreed with him on that point. I also appreciated the fact that he had sent no less than five guards to make sure Miriam was safely escorted. “Are you still wearing the necklace I gave you?” I added.
My mother huffed, “I’ve never taken it off.” It might be worth mentioning that as an only son, and an adopted one at that, my mother had always been quite attached to me.
I ignored her irritability and began explaining the situation. Dorian and Rose joined us as I finished. It was worth noting that he had escorted her personally. “We didn’t find anyone,” he announced.
I hadn’t really expected him to, but it bothered me. Whoever it was, is far better at sneaking around than I am, I thought. That wasn’t very comforting. I was used to thinking of channelers as inept, except when it came to healing. In general their gods didn’t spend a lot of time letting them practice ‘borrowing’ their power to learn practical skills. “I didn’t think you would, but I’m glad you searched,” I replied. “Did you really think Penny or my mother might be in danger?”
“I couldn’t afford to think anything else,” he replied.
That didn’t really add up in my mind and I wasn’t used to Dorian reaching conclusions before I did. I made my doubt plain, “I still don’t understand your reasoning.”
Dorian gave me a look that indicated I might have been born naturally slow. Then he explained, “You have to remember Mort, the Thornbears have been protecting the Lancaster family for several generations now, not just Lancaster Castle. I learned quite a bit from my father. What do you think the easiest way to hurt you would be?”
I could see the direction his thoughts had taken but I still wasn’t sure I agreed. “That might be true, but anyone that hurt my family would only earn themselves painful retribution.”
Dorian snorted, “I doubt the dark gods are that frightened of you, but that is beside the point. Anyone that wants to control you has to be giving serious thought to kidnapping your family.”
His words struck me like a thunderbolt as I realized how clueless I had been. Rose patted me on the shoulder and added, “That’s what I love about Dorian, he’s often a lot smarter than his simple exterior would lead one to believe.”
I almost felt bad for him. Dorian’s moment in the spotlight went from calm and in control to red and embarrassed almost instantly. His mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as he stared at Rose. Eventually he looked back at me, shaking his head before he spoke again, “Anyway, I think your mother should move into one of the rooms adjacent to yours and we need to post extra guards on both doors and the stairs leading to this floor.”
“Will it matter if our intruder can move about without fear of detection?” I asked. I didn’t really think guards would be very useful if magic was involved.
“He may be able to sneak about in safety but I doubt he can take someone out of here by force without a struggle. With you nearby that would be the most foolish thing anyone could attempt,” Dorian replied, his face was gradually returning to its normal color.
I was flattered by Dorian’s confidence in me and I had to admit he had a good point, “Alright, I agree with you. What else do you think we should do?”
My mother had other ideas however. “Now wait a minute!” she interrupted. “Are you telling me that I have to move into the castle?” I knew already she wouldn’t be happy about leaving the small house she had shared with my father. Dorian and I exchanged helpless glances, neither of us wanted to be the one to force this on her.
Luckily Rose intervened, “Miriam, I’m sorry but Dorian may be right. Would you want someone to use you as a tool to coerce your son?” I started to say something to support her but Penny gave me a look cautioning me to silence.
“Well of course not,” replied my mother after a brief pause. “I just don’t think it is right to have me barging in on them. They’ve only been married a few months and now Penelope has to put up with her mother-in-law living right on top of her?”