The Bones of the Earth (The Dark Age) Read online

  Javor hadn’t told Rutius and Barbara any of that. I would have to explain the Kobolds, the monster, the dragon, everything.

  Barbara had swept the coins into her apron and screamed for Timon to carry Javor’s bags, then shown him the biggest surprise since his return to the great city: a huge, bright and breezy apartment that took up the whole third storey of a building that backed onto the Inn of the Four Winds. It was this building that had the little courtyard with the skinny tree, and commanded a pleasant view of the avenues that led down to the harbour.

  He pushed open the door. Barbara or Timon or whoever was cleaning the apartment that day had opened the shutters to the balconies, letting in the warm breeze and sunshine. Tiana sat in a rocking chair—an amazing invention to Javor—just out of the direct sunlight. She turned and smiled at him. He emptied a small jug of wine into a cup and held it carefully until Tiana had a good grip on it, then wiped her chin she sipped. She smiled again, embarrassed.

  Tiana had been unable to speak since Kriemhild had hit her head with the Eye, and she could walk only slowly. Her hands trembled and she had trouble swallowing. But her mind was still whole. Goldemar had given her a flat piece of black slate and white chalk so she could communicate. “I do not wish to return to the Abbey,” she had written.

  Javor did not want to go back to the Abbey, either, but he knew he had to return Tiana to Constantinople, at least. And he could not leave Ana-Kui orphaned on the mountainside. So he had brought them with him to Constantinople. Barbara had said something about “marrying into money.”

  “She’s not my wife,” Javor had protested. Barbara smirked, so he added quickly, “She’s my—my auntie.”

  “And this little one is your cousin, then?” Even Javor could tell she did not believe him.

  “Umm, yes. Darko. Say hello to Mistress Barbara, Darko,” Javor had urged, but Ana-Kui would not say anything.

  Barbara’s scowl had immediately changed when she saw how Tiana’s hands shook and how she struggled to climb the stairs. “Timon!” she had roared. “Help the lady, now!” Timon and Barbara each had taken one of Tiana’s arms and helped her to the third floor. Tiana had smiled and nodded to say thanks.

  Now, on this sunny autumn day, Javor gazed toward the harbor and wondered how the ships sailed across the wind.

  He heard scratching. Tiana was writing on her slate. His throat tightened when he saw how slowly and unsteadily her hand moved. “What’s not my fault?” he asked.

  She turned the slate around again and resumed her painstaking writing. “Oh, my parents. You mean their deaths? I know.” A tear slid down his cheek.

  His throat was dry. He took the empty jug down to the tavern, where Rutius was directing workers who were putting in a new door that actually fit the doorway. Timon was painting the shutters.

  “Ah, Javor, good to see you this morning!” Rutius boomed. “As you can see, my wonderful wife is spending the money you paid us as fast as she can! What can I do for you? More wine?”

  Javor gave Rutius the empty jug. His bar had been removed, and he was waiting for a new, marble one to be installed. “You must tell me someday where you went for a year.”

  Javor made up his mind and sat down; the tavern was empty except for him and Rutius, Timon painting the shutters and two workers installing the door. “For a big jug of your good wine, Rutius, I’ll tell you.”

  He’ll never believe it, anyway.

  FIN

  ###

  About the author:

  Scott Bury is a journalist, editor and writer living in Ottawa. His articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in Canada, the US, UK and Australia, including Macworld, the Ottawa Citizen, the Financial Post, Marketing, Canadian Printer, Applied Arts, PEM, Workplace, Advanced Manufacturing and others.

  His first published fiction is “Sam, the Strawb Part,” a children’s adventure story. All royalties from sales of this story go to Children at Risk, an Ottawa-based charity that supports families of children with autism spectrum disorders. For more information about them, visit http://www.childrenatrisk.ca/

  He has also published a short story for free download as an e-pub, Dark Clouds, which is also available in e-book format.

  The Bones of the Earth is his first novel to be published.

  He has two sons, an orange cat and a loving wife who puts up with a lot. You can read more of Scott’s writing at scottswrittenwords.blogspot.com

  and scottstravelblog.wordpress.com, and on his website, http://www.writtenwords.ca.

  Follow him on Twitter @ScottTheWriter.