Chapter 15

Aweek had passed and time only made Persimmon angrier at herself for carelessly losing the gemstone that would open up the portal again to hopefully let Stone return. She sat at a table in the courtyard of Evandorm Castle, feeling sad and sorry for herself. She was with Lira. They watched Elric and the Blackseed brothers once again playing cards.

"Your bid, Rhys," said Zann. "And don't even think of using my chickens again."

"I brought my own things to bid this time." Rhys pulled a long black feather out of his bag and reverently laid it on the center of the table.

"What is that?" asked Persimmon, thinking it an odd thing to use as a bid in a game of cards.

"It's the feather of a Stricat," explained Rhys. "It is magical and very rare to have since stricats hardly ever lose their feathers. I was lucky to find it. It's worth a lot."

"Hah! Hardly," said Elric. "I've got at least a dozen of them at home." Elric swished his hand through the air.

"What is a Stricat?" she asked, not being familiar with this type of animal.

"You probably haven't seen one yet since they keep hidden most of the time," Lira explained. "It is a large wildcat with sharp claws and a shaggy mane and black stripes. It has wings and can also fly."

"That does sound unique," Persimmon answered. "But is it really magical?"

"It can't open a portal if that's what you're asking," said Elric with a grunt. "By the way, the gods are coming down on me hard. I'm going to have to give them back the gemstones, Persimmon. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold them off."

"I'm not giving them to you until I succeed in bringing Stone back to Mura." Her hand went to the pouch that she always carried at her side.

"You've tried each of those stones so many times that I'm surprised you haven't worn them out," said Lira. "Face it, none of them opens a portal."

"I keep thinking there must be a way to open that portal again, even without the gem that was lost." Persimmon yawned, not having had much sleep since she lost Stone. Fang laid at her feet under the table, missing Stone almost as much as she. Persimmon she reached down to pet the dog. They'd been a good comfort to each other, but just seeing the hound made her miss Stone even more.

"We all miss him," said Lira. "But, sister, what happened wasn't your fault."

"At least we got rid of King Sethor and some of his men," said Zann, placing a basket of Arcine eggs on the table as his bet.

"Not those stinky eggs again," complained Darium. "Don't you have anything else to bid?"

"I don't because my wife keeps me busy watching for a portal to open that's not going to happen. However, she and her sister won't stop trying." Zann yawned too.

"It's a shame you couldn't claim Sethor's kingdom as your own, Darium." Rhys reached out and stroked the feather. "It would be nice if you were a king of Mura too, like me and Zann."

"Yes," agreed Lira. "It would be nice to have all three Blackseed brothers as kings."

"I don't need or want to be a king, so let it go," said Darium. "Besides, you know as well as the rest of us that Sethor's nephew, Sebastian Ravenwolf stepped in to rule Macada Castle once Sethor disappeared through the portal. Sethor's men are loyal to him now and nothing is ever going to change."

"Elric? Your bid?" Zann tapped the table with the edges of his cards to get the elf's attention.

"Hrmph," he snorted and threw down his cards. "I'm out." Even Elric had seemed different lately. He'd been much kinder to Persimmon, and hadn't been his normal cantankerous self continuously. Stone's absence seemed to have affected everyone, even Fang.

The dog laid under the table with his nose between his paws, not even excited to chase a skunet or beg for food. One man's absence seemed to branch out and affect so many.

"I wish I could at least use the gazing orb to scry," said Persimmon. "If so, then I'd know if Stone is all right. For all I know he might be dead."

"Don't worry, sister, I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end." Lira rubbed Persimmon's back with one hand, trying to comfort her.

"I don't see how that will ever happen. I'm not even seeing ghosts anymore. So if Stone's been killed I won't even be able to tell him goodbye that way."

"You worry too much. Just like your mother," said Elric.

"Darium, place your bid," said Zann, holding his cards close to his chest.

"All right." Darium dug into his pouch and slowly slid a ring onto the table. It was the same ring he tried to use in the game the day Persimmon came to Mura.

"Not that old ring again," complained Zann.

"Hey, it's better than Arcine eggs that you happen to be using again as well," said Darium in his defense.

"I still wonder whose ring this was." Rhys picked it up to inspect it.

"Let me see that." Elric snatched it away from Rhys before he could stop him. "Ah ha! I thought it looked familiar."

"What are you saying?" asked Darium. "Don't start telling us again that I stole that from a dead person, because I didn't."

"See this design on the ring?" Elric held it up for the others to see. Persimmon was lost in her thought and paid little attention to the conversation.

"Aye. So what?" asked Zann.

"Now look at that necklace around Persimmon's neck."

Persimmon heard her name and her head snapped up. Her hand went to her necklace and her fingers caressed it. "What are you saying about my necklace?"

"It's the same," said Rhys, peering across the table.

"That proves it. The ring is mine." Elric was at it again, claiming everything as his own.

"Now wait a minute," griped Darium. "You say that about everything."

Fang whimpered from beneath the table.

"It does look like the same design," said Zann. "Persimmon, where did you get that necklace?"

"It was my mother's," she explained. "The nuns brought me her things after she died. I liked it, so I wore it. I also thought it would help me to keep close to my mother."

"I gave Luna that necklace at the same time I gave her this ring when I asked her to marry me," explained Elric.

"What?" Persimmon was shocked to hear this. "But you and Mother never married."

"Nay," said the elf. "She told me she wouldn't marry me because although she loved me, she'd seen in her gazing ball that she was going to die young. She said I should go marry someone else so I wouldn't end up being a widower."

"Mother told you that she loved you?" This surprised Persimmon.

"Yes. And that she would die young, which she kind of did. I guess those gazing balls really don't lie after all," said Elric.

"And you told her that you loved her but she still wouldn't marry you?" continued Persimmon, starting to put things together.

"I could see she was visibly upset. "That is the night I found out she had her lover there."

"King Helix Kapion," mumbled Persimmon.

"Yes, that's right."

"What happened?" asked Lira.

"That thief stole my gemstones as well as the ring that night, and disappeared through a portal. I told Luna what happened but she didn't believe me. She called me a liar and said I was jealous and that she never wanted to see me again."

"Oh, no, I am so sorry," said Persimmon.

"So Rancor must have stolen and ring and dropped it coming through the portal," said Darium. "That's why Murk found it and brought it to me."

"After that, things became bad between me and Luna. Even after you were born, I didn't see you a lot because I honestly wasn't sure you were my child and the last thing I wanted to do was to visit the daughter of that greedy king thief."

"Fine, it's yours. Take the ring," said Darium with a wave of his hand.

Elric looked over at Persimmon for a moment before taking the ring and shoving into his pouch.

"I didn't know you and Mother loved each other. That makes things different," said Persimmon.

"Why?" asked the elf.

"Because, if I am your child then I was conceived out of love, not greed, deceit or hate."

"Like if you were sired by King Kapion," said Zann with a nod.

"Husband, don't say such things," gasped Lira.

"It's all right." Persimmon's hand covered the bag holding her gazing orb. "He's right. I wish now that I had told Stone I loved him before he stepped through the portal."

"I heard him tell you that he loved you," said Lira.

"Yes." Persimmon smiled and rubbed her fingers over the bag. "Even if I never see him again, I will always love him."

Right after she professed her love for Stone aloud while rubbing the gazing orb, she felt heat under her fingers and a slight vibration coming from the bag. "Something is happening." Quickly, she scooped the gazing orb out of the bag and held it up with two hands in front of her.

"Persimmon? What is it?" asked Lira.

"I—I can see something in the orb. Yes, I'm sure of it. I am actually and finally scrying."

"Really?" asked her father. "I wonder what activated your power."

"I know exactly what it was," she told them, smiling even more when Stone's face emerged in the gazing ball. "It was love. My love for Stone and his for me. I guess saying it aloud was the secret."

"Do you really think so?" asked Lira. "How wonderful."

"Yes. I know that's what it was. And that was why Mother was able to scry as well. Father, she loved you and you loved her. I never realized that until now."

"You don't have to call me Father, Persimmon." Elric lowered his head and dragged a lazy finger over the top of the table. "Especially since we don't even know that it is true."

"I want to find out. I am going to find out." She saw another vision in the gazing orb and all hope was restored of seeing Stone again. "I see in the orb that the stone I thought fell through the portal didn't go through after all. It is still there in the cave, lodged under a rock."

She jumped to her feet.

"Where are you going?" asked Lira.

"I have to get back to the cave to find and use that stone. I am going to open the portal and join Stone in his land of Taelgonoth."