[Mkguild] Divine Travails of Rats - Pars III. Descensum (k)

[C. Matthias]

Metamor Keep: Divine Travails of Rats
by Charles Matthias and Ryx

Pars III: Descensum

(k)


Tuesday, May 8, 708 CR


Neither Rickkter nor Murikeer reappeared so after 
an hour of discussing more mundane affairs, James 
summoned Jurmas that they might clean the room. 
Charles gave his friends a brief tour of the Glen 
before retiring to his home. Kayla and Jessica 
were eager to give Kimberly company leaving 
Charles and Garigan to their own devices for a 
time. He took the opportunity to perform some 
Sondecki exercises with the ferret though he only 
performed the simplest he could think of that 
would still challenge his student as it was hard 
for him to keep his focus. Garigan managed all of 
them as if he had known them the whole of his life.

An hour later James, accompanied by Baerle the 
opossum arrived to join them. At that point his 
children finally woke from their afternoon nap 
and decided that their guests were perfect for 
practicing climbing. But the real mischief didn't 
begin until a half hour later when the merchant Gibson arrived with son.

The frog opened his large mouth in a wide grin 
and croaked, “Good afternoon, Sir Charles. It is 
good to be here in this home again. So many 
memories. And this here,” he gestured at another 
much younger frog who stood on awkwardly long 
legs with his arms wrapped about his father's knee, “is my son Bertram.”

While the pair stood in the doorway with Charles 
holding the door in welcome, James and Garigan 
stood near the hearth with their arms locked 
together to make themselves a faux mountain that 
the children were trying to climb, Kimberly sat 
with her needlework showing Jessica and Kayla the 
tapestry she was making for her family now that 
her husband was a landed knight, and Baerle was 
in the kitchen preparing something for them to 
eat as the afternoon hours faded into evening. 
All of it came to an immediate stop with the frogs' introductions.

Charles' children squeaked in unison, their 
little paws clutching at James and Garigan's 
tunic and breeches – and in the case of Erick one 
of the donkey's ears – launching the next moment 
into the air and then across the floor as if they 
were a single mind in four bodies. Little 
Bertram, standing no higher than a rat's knee, 
stared at the deluge of scampering rats with 
panic in his large yellow eyes. Behind them James 
and Garigan gasped in relief as little claws no 
longer dug or tugged at their flesh, while 
Kimberly, Kayla, and Jessica all looked up from where they reclined.

The four little rats rose on their hind paws – in 
their haste they still scampered on all fours and 
showed no inclination to stop – and squeaked in 
delight and welcome toward, not elder frog, but 
the little boy making his first visit to another 
family. “Welcome!” They squeaked in near unison. “Come play!”

Gibson bent low and patted his son's back. 
“They're friendly, Bertram. Go play with your new 
friends. Dada will be right here.”

The little boy slowly let his green arms unclench 
his father's leg, and a moment later took a 
tentative wobbly step toward the four rats. And 
then he dropped to all fours for a split second 
before bounding into the air with a single push 
from his sizable legs. He leaped completely over 
all four of Charles' children with a high-pitched 
croak. For a breathless moment the four little 
rats could only stare in awe at how something 
even smaller than them could jump to so 
impossible a height and then they were climbing 
over each other to take up chase of their new 
friend who continued to madly hop about the room, 
on top of furnishings and other people as he kept one leap ahead of the rats.

Gibson slapped one thigh with a hearty, croaking 
laugh. Kayla helped Kimberly secure her 
needlework while Jessica spread her wings to keep 
the little frog from jumping into the middle of 
it. Baerle, who emerged from the kitchen with a 
tray of meats, cheese, potato, and some sweet 
smelling dip, immediately rushed back in when the 
leaping frog nearly leaped into the bottom of the 
tray. Garigan and James tried to catch the little 
frog and the rats to help calm them down, but 
even with Garigan's astounding mastery of the 
Sondecki powers, the best he could manage was 
grasping at the air and hoping he could snatch an errant tail or two.

Their home was a whirlwind of croaks, squeaks, 
and five little bodies tearing around the room 
like a pack of wild dogs. Charles sucked in his 
breath to bellow a command to his children to 
behave when he noticed the child Bertram do 
something unexpected. The frog hopped on top of 
the arm of one chair and twisted his body to peer 
behind him. The rats rounded the back of the 
chair, dark eyes eager with merriment at the 
chase. The frog croaked at them in a taunt and 
then leaped across the chair to where Kimberly 
sat, and then leaped again directly through Jessica's startled legs.

His children were not tormenting a scared frog. They were all playing together.

Five at play again. But this fifth is not yours.

“Well,” Gibson said as his throat sac vibrated 
with continued laughter, “it looks like our 
children are friends already. I'm so glad to see 
it. Bertram needs friends and room to jump after 
spending his first winter cooped up in our home by the lake.”

“He seems to have made some with my children,” 
Charles noted, keeping the edge out of his voice. 
In a very quiet tone he added, “They once had a fifth to play with.”

The fifth child should be Ladero. Not some interloper.

The older frog glanced at the others in the room 
and croaked, “Well, as we are apparently quite 
welcome in your home, I do believe introductions 
are in order; I do not believe I am known to all of your guests.”

Charles, in the moments when the squeaking of his 
children permitted his voice to be heard, 
introduced the frog to both Kayla and Jessica. 
The rest lived in the Glen and were familiar with 
the merchant. Kimberly asked after his wife 
Natalie and he reported that she was well and 
doubtless worrying over her son's first outing 
among other Glen children. Bertram was two months 
younger than the little rats and while he could 
hop with ease, he had not yet spoken a word through his croaks and cries.

“Is he aging more like a human child then?” Kayla 
asked as she and Kimberly put the heavy tapestry 
away in a cupboard whose latch was too high for 
the children to reach on their own.

“Perhaps,” Gibson shrugged his shoulders. “It is 
so hard to tell when they are born like we are. 
Natalie would probably know better. Now, I saw 
yon opossum archer bearing a tray of delightful 
morsels as we entered and before our children set 
to play. Will you be offering your guest a chance 
to sample such morsels and a libation to make their passage more pleasing?”

Baerle had in the meantime removed the many items 
from the tray and at that moment emerged from the 
kitchen with only the tray in hand. This she set 
on the large table on the wall next to the 
kitchen doorway. “Forgive me, Master Gibson, Sir 
Charles, but I'm bringing them out one at a time so I don't spill it all.”

The frog croaked another laugh. “A sensible 
solution! Carry on!” He then turned to Charles. 
“So, good knight, you wished to discuss your new 
land and plans for it? Have you drawn any maps? 
And have you anything I might write with?”

The circling chaos continued as both fathers 
found a mostly quiet corner where they could 
discuss the Narrows and Charles' plans for it. 
Gibson listened and took notes about roads, 
fortifications, and the materials and labor 
needed for each though he freely admitted all of 
his estimates were wild guesses and that he'd 
need to see everything for himself to make a 
proper estimate for the time and money required 
to bring the rat's vision to life.

Eventually, Kimberly, Kayla, and Jessica managed 
to calm the five children down by putting on a 
little magic show for them. Kimberly spun some 
witchlights in the air, making them dance around 
and gently bop each of her children and Bertram 
in the nose. The children pawed at the brilliant 
lights which always slipped through their 
fingers, even the partially webbed fingers of the 
little frog. Kayla added a little dazzle by 
bouncing balls of fiery warmth back and forth, 
but these she kept well out of reach of the 
children as she did not know how to make them 
harmless yet. Jessica provided the most colorful 
of shows by fashioning illusions of various 
animals in every color they could imagine. The 
five children huddled together as if they were 
all brothers and sisters and watched amazed.

Charles tried not to watch; each time he saw one 
of his children even laughing with the little frog he felt his heart seethe.

How could they let that frog take Ladero's place even for one day?

He had no answer to that. Politeness alone dictated that he say nothing of it.

Why does no one else see what you see?

As Gibson rattled off more figures to help 
Charles realize the scope of his desired 
transformation of the Narrows, Charles glanced 
surreptitiously at his wife and his friends. All 
of them were busy watching and entertaining the 
five children; their faces were filled with 
delight and laughter. They either didn't realize 
how grievous an offense it was for little Bertram 
to mock them with the absence of their fifth 
child, or they approved of his supplanting the 
empty place left by Ladero's death in his family.

They must not understand. If they approved, they 
could not truly be your friends, and yet they are your friends, aren't they?

He buried his fury deep in his heart. A fire 
burned within. Somehow, in the days ahead, he 
would have to make sure that little frog never came into his family again.

This is Ladero's place.

And Charles would make sure everyone knew it.

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May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,

Charles Matthias
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