“I think we should leave that up to Judith. Don’t you?” His mother laughed. It made him smile that he would know her laughter anywhere. Mother laughed like a braying jackass, as Mercy had said about her. “Mom, I miss you so much. I know the birds do as well. Can you come to see them while they’re here?”
“I cannot, my heart. I cannot. It would be painful for me to see them and not be able to hug them as women. They saved my life and my kingdom more times than I think there are numbers. Oh, how I wish I could touch them once more. To take the memories of seeing them back with me.”
Mom turned away from him before she asked him to come with her. He followed his mom’s ghost to the bottom of the stairs. While standing in the living room, she moved to the fireplace. It was just on the tip of his tongue to tell her to be careful of the flames when she spoke to him again.
“See that stone there? I wish for you to push it hard when they arrive here. First thing, all right, my son? This is all for my birds, Duncan. I have come here today so that you could show them this chamber and allow them to take what I have collected for them.” He asked her if he should go, as well. “Yes, that would be lovely. I want you to know I did not suffer much when the stones began to fall on me. Hardly at all, as a matter of fact. Because I wanted to be a part of your life in some way, I have left a gift to my eagle and the others. Once you all are inside, you’ll understand why this fireplace was never harmed in the collapse of the castle.”
He noticed that she was beginning to fade, and he asked her once more to come back when the birds were there. Instead of answering him, he felt all her love pass though him when she left him, her ghost going through his body.
“Oh, Mother. I have loved you so much. I love you more with each passing day.”
He sat there in the hallway and cried for his loss. Yes, he thought to himself, he could understand why she’d not want to hurt her birds like this. It was almost too much for him to bear himself.
Chapter 2
Jude landed on the perch she’d claimed as her own all those centuries ago and looked around. Her eagle, larger than life, could see well beyond what even binoculars could see with a human hand. The waterways looked much like they had all those years ago. Minus, of course, the boats and ships that would be out daily.
The queen had boats too, she only just remembered. They would go out daily with their nets and bring back bounties of fish and other creatures. Turtles were her favorite once she got past the heavy shell. There were other things she remembered too. Things that until this moment had been all but forgotten.
“Hello.” She turned slowly and looked at the man before her. She hadn’t any idea who he was, and when he approached her perch, he stayed far enough away that she couldn’t kill him if he made a sudden move. “I’ve been awaiting your arrival. If you wish to talk to me, I can understand you as well as Mother did.”
“Your mother? I’m afraid I don’t know who your mother is, sir.” He moved just a little closer to her, and instead of being in front of her now, he was looking out over the turret much as she’d been doing when he spoke to her. “Perhaps if you explained who your mother is, it will jog a memory, and I’ll know who you are.” There was something about him that touched a memory, but she didn’t have it long enough to put a face to who he might be.
“The work on the castle is coming along nicely. It helped me that there was plenty enough magic for me to tap into when I started working.” He looked at her. “Do you suppose it would be possible for you to be a woman now? I’ve enjoyed speaking to you, Judith, but I would also like to see your other half. If you don’t mind.”
Hopping down to the flat surface of the roofless room, she shifted even before her feet touched the stone beneath her. Keeping her distance from him, just in the event he wanted to harm her, she reached out to any of the other birds to tell them where she was. Mercy told her he was safe. Sure, easy for her to say—she wasn’t up in the turret with him.
“Mercy said you are trustworthy. I’m not so sure yet, so I’d keep my distance. I don’t have time to fuck around with you today. Besides, I think there is something wrong with you that you’re not frightened of my bird. So? What’s the matter with you?”
Duncan laughed, and she knew immediately who he was and who his mother was. He laughed like her.
The braying of a jackass. It was much like his mother. She wondered if anyone had pointed that out to him as yet. Not sure what to say to him, she bowed down, so her head was touching the cold stone beneath the two of them.
“Don’t do that. Don’t bow to me, Judith. Please. We’re equals.”
She didn’t look up at him but wondered what the hell he was talking about. She felt a bit of humor when Mercy asked her if she’d figured it out yet.
I’m fucking pissed off at you. You should have
