<html> <body> Short part today. Metamor Keep: Divine Travails of Rats by Charles Matthias and Ryx Pars III: Descensum (o) Friday, May 11, 708 CR “There is something I have to do before I ride out to the Narrows this morning,” Charles announced as pulled his tunic over his head. Strange hands seem to be grasping the fabric, and the feel of the cloth over his short fur seemed to take as long as a shout across the lake, as if his thoughts were a heartbeat behind his actions. The strange sense of disconnect was always the most pronounced in those first few minutes after rising from slumber. At least he could recognize his wife, despite her secrets. Kimberly had risen moments before him for the first time that week and so he could not slip away unnoticed as he preferred. The amethyst medallion she had acquired two days before rested between her breasts as she knelt before the trunk clad in naught else but her fur. For a moment, his eyes savoring the delicate curve of her hips, the soft tan of her fur, and the lovely turn of her scaly tail, he considered doffing his tunic and drawing her back to the bed for as much as they could before the children woke. What is the medallion? He grimaced as his wife turned, and his eyes scoured the web-like crimson lines decorating the gem. Why would she not tell him what it was? Each time he asked she demurred. Was even her nakedness a ploy to draw his mind away from her duplicity? And yet you love her and ever seek to bring her joy. Remember her tears. Charles sighed and reached for his red vest. “You will love the Narrows; I think I have found the perfect spot to build a fort there.” “Must you?” Kimberly ask as she selected a sleeveless sky-blue kirtle from trunk and laid it out across the bed. “Our home is here.” “The Narrows is my fief. It is my duty. It will take many years to build the fort, my love. The Glen and this tree will be our home for many years yet.” She smiled briefly though did not look at him. The witchlight she'd summoned on his stirring cast a pale, moonlit glow that dazzled in the facets of the her medallion. He winced as those shafts of light flickered in his eyes. Charles turned back to his attire, depositing trousers and his rat-head belt on his feather pillow. Both were very comfortable for riding, but also more presentable when meeting nobility. “What errand are you going to run?” “An errand of hope. I can say no more of it now. Either it works or it does not.” “And then you are going to spend all day in the Narrows?” “I must.” She set out linen undergarments next to the kirtle and closed the trunk with a sigh. “Your children miss you. You've barely been home since...” “I am a knight of the Glen and I have duties,” he reminded her with a note of irritation churring in his throat. “I spent Sunday and much of Tuesday afternoon with them and I will do so again.” Even with the disconnect, waning as it was, he could see the tightness gripping his wife's features before the words had finished escaping his tongue. His sudden bit of churlishness shamed him. “Forgive me for that. I will return early tonight. Our children need their father.” All five of them. “And that is part of what my errand is about,” he added with a smile even as he worked his legs into his trousers, taking care not to catch the fabric with his claws. “No, don't worry over it. It is nothing that's going to take me away from here.” Kimberly lowered her ears as she slipped a linen shirt over her head. After wriggling into it she asked, “What are you going to do?” He cinched the trousers over his tail and shook his head. “I asked you not to worry over it. If it is successful I will tell you about it. If not, then it won't matter anyway.” He buckled his belt and then stepped around the bed to where his wife focused on donning her clothes. The medallion was, for the moment, hidden beneath her white shirt, but he could still see its outline against her chest. He put his paws on her shoulders, though he only felt the warmth of flesh and the smoothness of the cloth a moment later. “I love you, my lady. I will see you in the late afternoon.” She lifted her snout and placed a kiss on its side. “I love you, my knight. Come home soon.” ---------- May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love, Charles Matthias </body> </html>