Jake's War, Book Two of Wizards (5 page)

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

Jenny uttered a harsh bark of a laugh. “I've dropped out of college. With you, Bronwyn and the baby to worry about I've hardly had any time to do anything for myself. I could have used you there when I told my parents. They were not best pleased.”

“They know about Esmeralda and you. Retnor took them to Salice, just to prove it. I've always wanted a white wedding in Chapel, but wearing white with a noticeable bulge isn't what people like me do. Mom and Dad are old fashioned about things like that and people would talk.”

“I never knew you were religious.”

“I'm not.” Jenny looked sternly at me. “Jake Morrissey, you are going to make it up to me and give me the wedding I deserve.”

“Anything you want, anywhere you want. I'll do anything you want.”

Jenny smiled. It was a smile of victory and I quickly counted fingers and toes. Somehow she had got me, though I couldn't tell how. Marrying her wasn't an issue. I've known she was the love of my life almost since the first day we met. I just didn't think she would ever want to marry me.

“We're having our wedding in ten days' time, in the cathedral, in Salice. Everyone's been invited, so you'll have to bring all my guests over as well as your own. Esmeralda has set aside the left side of the cathedral for our families and friends so you're going to be very busy. I want the place full to the very top.”

A number of questions were bubbling up inside me trying to get out. The one that made it to the surface wasn't the most rational one.

“Who's going to be on the right hand side of the church?”

Jenny gave me a look of pure astonishment.

“Why, all her guests, of course. You'll be marrying her too.”

Chapter Seven: Wedding Plans

The wedding date had been set immediately on Urda's return to Salice with news of her success. Ten days was the fastest the wedding could be scheduled, allowing time for the royal families of the neighboring kingdoms to be informed and to make their way to Salice. It would be seen as a snub if the other kings had not been invited and anything faster would have appeared far too hasty.

I gathered that though wizards were allowed to marry multiple wives, it would be considered scandalous if any of the wizard's brides gave birth before the marriage. Pregnant brides at weddings weren't all that unusual in Salice, though normally they weren't so far gone as my brides would be.

Jenny gave me more details than I wanted or could cope with. It seemed all her family and most of mine knew something of what was happening, if not the actual details, such as the fact that I would be marrying two brides on another world. Jenny had made a mystery of it, telling friends and relatives that the wedding would take place at a secret location and that they were to bring along enough clothes for a week away. They would start arriving in town five days from now, so it was important I was fully recovered by then.

“Didn't people find it a bit strange that you were busy arranging a wedding while the groom was in hospital dying?”

“We didn't tell them. Your mother and father told everybody you were away on one of your trips and didn't know I was pregnant. They said you'd marry me as soon as you got back. Strangely, your relatives accepted it without question.”

I grinned. My mysterious vanishing acts were notorious among the family. I suspected it was all they ever talked about at the gatherings of the clan.

“You don't seem to have any friends to invite,” Jenny said as if it was a fault.

“There's Dan Griffith.”

“He's your employer and we've already invited him and his wife. I meant people your own age.”

“Never found the need for them.”

I will admit to sounding defensive. But when you can hop to other worlds the kids at home seemed kind of boring. Besides which, I didn't know how to take any of them with me back then. And I had Fluffy. When your best friend is a fire breathing dragon, human friends just don't cut it. Jenny was my first and only girlfriend and if I hadn't saved her life from a serial killer we wouldn't have met, or if we had met she wouldn't have been interested in me. After all, I don't have
WIZARD
tattooed on my forehead.

Jenny stayed a long time filling me in on a million details. She pulled a large loose leaf binder from a carrier bag. (I had been hoping for grapes) and showed me diagrams of the cathedral with seating layouts. This brought about my one and only objection.

“You'll need to move the seats so there's more room down the aisle.”

Jenny gave me a puzzled look.

“I haven't put on that much weight. Neither has Esmeralda.”

“For the Best Man.”

“What?”

“If I'm going to marry two women at a time, my Best Man is going to be Fluffy.”

Jenny's mouth dropped open and she spluttered. I don't think I've actually made her splutter before, definitely an event to remember.

“You can't have a dragon as your Best Man. Besides, Retnor wouldn't want to do it.”

That was a feeble come-back and we both knew it.

“We'll leave it up to him then?” I said, and smiled broadly.

Jenny sighed. She knew my dragon better than I did. He would kill to do it. She rubbed out a name she'd penciled in and wrote 'RETNOR' in big letters next to the words Best Man.

“I don't know what my parents are going to think.”

“He's been Glimming them to Salice and back.”

“Yes, but they think of him as a strange looking horse.”

“Time they learned better then. I bet Esmeralda will be all for it.”

Jenny frowned and hit her pencil hard against the pad. It made a surprisingly loud noise.

“And don't think either of us are going to let you touch us before the wedding. We might not have been pure before, but we've made a vow of chastity to each other.”

“What happens on the wedding night?” Okay, I will admit to grinning broadly after I spoke.

“If you're very lucky, we might let you live.”

Judging by the look in Jenny's eyes it was going to be a close thing.

The doctors told Jenny that the earliest I could be discharged was in two days' time. Within an hour of her leaving I decided I couldn't wait that long. Bronwyn was a major threat to my wives-to-be and she'd had four months to study those damned books.
'Wives-to-be'
, it was funny how easily I'd accepted that idea. The thought of the wedding and appearing before all those guests with two brides scared the life out of me, but the idea of being married to them felt strangely comfortable, as though it was the right and natural thing to do.

Then there were the pregnancies. I've never wanted children. At eighteen I can assure you it was the last thing on my mind. But I knew we'd cope, and if parenthood got too much I could always hop to a sunny beach while the wives got the situation under control. After all, a man's acknowledged as being pretty useless in the nappy changing department. It would all work out, I was sure.

I pressed the alarm button by my bed and a nurse came hurrying over.

“I want to discharge myself.”

“You can't do that.”

“I want to discharge myself right now.” The second time it was a command.

“I'll go and get the forms.”

Twenty minutes later I stepped out of the ward, one hand pressing against the wall to keep me upright.

“I thought you'd be leaving tonight.”

It was a familiar voice behind me. I didn't turn.

“You weren't thinking of arresting me again, were you Sergeant Jones?”

His hand dropped onto my shoulder and squeezed. The pain was intense and my knees wobbled.

“On what charge would that be, Jake?”

“Not having a valid charge has never stopped you before.”

The Sergeant walked around me using my shoulder as a pivot. I felt a white hot surge of rage run through me, and it was all I could do not to vaporize him where he stood. I didn't need this right now. The Sergeant was oblivious as to how close he'd come to death.

“Look boyo, it's like this. Nearly all child murders are committed by the family or a close friend. In this case that's Bronwyn's parents or you. She didn't have any friends at school. She was always bunking off somewhere. We'd be derelict in our duty if we didn't investigate you. You and Bronwyn are like peas in a pod. You could swap your school reports and not spot the difference.”

“There are big differences between me and her,” I said through gritted teeth.

The Sergeant let go of my shoulder and shrugged.

“Perhaps. Then there's the fact that you and her parents were assaulted and nearly died before making miraculous recoveries. Not one of you saw the person who did it. It's all very peculiar and Inspector Thomas doesn't like peculiar. And there's still a missing eleven year old to worry about.”

“Twelve,” I corrected without thinking.

“You see, Jake. How do you know that?”

“Her parents mentioned it yesterday.”

I saw he didn't believe me. I'd made a slip and we both knew it.

“Something's going on, Jake. The Matthews, your parents, Jenny and her parents, they've all been dropping off the radar for days at a time. Don't think we haven't been keeping an eye on all of you. We'll find out what you did to Bronwyn sooner or later, you'd best believe it.”

I felt my anger building again.
How dare he suggest my parents were murderers?

“Bronwyn is fine. No one has done anything to her. And I'll tell you this, Sergeant Brandon Jones, if she were to appear on this corridor right now, it's you who should be afraid, very afraid.”

He backed away from me looking shocked. He must think I'm some kind of madman. I hobbled away from him as quickly as I could.

After about twenty steps I stopped and turned to see if he was watching. He had his back to me so I hopped.

Chapter Eight: Visitations

Fluffy stared into the large mirror on the wall, preening himself. Strictly speaking preening requires feathers and Fluffy hadn't had any since he was newly hatched, though that does explain the name I gave him. But in the same way humans preen, that was what my dragon was up to.

“Jenny's told you?”

Fluffy turned his head to look at me and grinned dragon-style. Likely any knight in amour would have run at the sight requiring emergency underwear. His teeth are big and unnervingly sharp.

[Anything important she wants me to know, I know. It's a Dragon-Rider thing.]

“She seemed less than pleased when I told her.”

Fluffy waved a massive clawed hand dismissively.

“Meeeeep.” [She's delighted. Jenny's been trying to figure a way to get me into the wedding for months. She just never thought of making me Best Man.]

“Then why did she try to stop me when I suggested it?”

[This way she can tell her parents she tried to talk you out of it, but you wouldn't listen. You have a well-established reputation for stubbornness in the Owens household. Jenny has been using that excuse since the day you met.]

Said explanation goes to show exactly how much I don't understand the women in my life.

“If I'm going to marry both of them I felt I needed a dragon with me for moral support.”

Fluffy ignored me and went back to admiring his orange and gold reptilian head in the mirror.

“Meep, meep, meep.” [Do you think I should wear a bow tie? Could you get me a dragon-sized one?]

I took a step towards him, planning to give him a playful slap on the rump. Instead I staggered and had to grab him to stop myself falling over.

“Meeep.” [You're not recovered yet. Why did you leave your bed?]

“Bronwyn is now twelve years old and has been making plans to take over Salice for more than four months. My wedding is in ten days, or is it nine? I've got important things to do.”

Fluffy looked down at me, his eyes narrowing. [You must preserve your health or defeat is certain. On top of which, you're nineteen now, as is Jenny. That Bronwyn is a year older means nothing.]

I slid down Fluffy's side to the floor. Four months is a long time, and mine and Jenny's birthdays had slipped by while I was out of it.

“She'll kill me. I didn't get her a present.”

Fluffy laughed. This can be a pretty frightening experience even when you're used to it. The Bat Cave shook as spurts of flame shot from his mouth and nostrils. I pulled my legs in as dragonfire licked across the cavern floor.

[I think you gave her a present she'll never forget.]

“I don't think a baby was anywhere on her list.”

Fluffy's laughter got worse and I cowered against his flank until he calmed down.

[Humans have it easy in love. A female dragon selects her mate and takes him in battle. She pins him against the ground and puts a claw on his jugular. He must submit to her will in all things or deny her and risk her killing him.]

I thought about it.

“Our system isn't all that different. At least, not in my case.”

[I will make a dragon of you yet, Jake. Jenny was one long before we met.]

“Is that part of the prophesy?”

Some time ago I took Fluffy back to the world I stole his egg from and we met his parents. They told me I could never have taken his egg if they hadn't wanted me to. Dragons are into prophesy in a big way and they believed it was vital that Fluffy and I grew up together, for the good of the multiverse no less. That was when we found out his given name was Retnor. Jenny's never called him anything else since.

Fluffy looked at me bleakly. [There are many prophesies. Not all of them are favorable.]

“I have to go to Salice,” I said to break the silence that had followed.

“Meep.” [You said that last time we met and look what happened.]

“I'm not planning any encounters with Bronwyn until I know at least as much as she knows.”

Fluffy put a massive wing over me in a comforting way.

[But does she plan any encounters with you?]