Page 14 of Keeper of the Flame: Orrick

“That’s a good boy.” It was easier each time Orrick did it. As he practiced his skill of shapeshifting, he was able to do it faster this time. He felt his body conforming and his skin tightening as he made the shift. His muscles bulged out and his chest got wider. His bones even seemed to stretch, making him taller when he stood up straight.

“It’s done,” said Orrick in a soft voice, glancing over his shoulder into the mirror just to make sure. Sure enough, his young, virile, handsome self was back with his dark hair and toned body. Gone were his long, white beard and wrinkles. The only things he couldn’t shed were his worries.

“Orrick, you’re back?” Hope rushed into the room with another woman right behind her. But when Orrick stood up and turned around, her smile quickly faded away. “Oh, it’s you,” she said.

“We heard a young boy screaming,” said the other woman. “Is everyone all right?”

“That was just Noah,” said Orrick, clearing his throat and using his deeper voice now. “The boy frightens easily but he is fine now.”

“What frightened him?” asked Hope.

Orrick looked down to Noah, shaking his head ever so slightly, warning the boy to keep the secret to himself.

“I’m Noah. Who are you two?” The boy rushed over to meet the women, and Orrick let out the breath he had been holding.

“I’m Hope and this is my sister, Grace,” said Hope. “You and I met briefly yesterday, Noah.”

“Aye, I am Grace, my lord,” said the woman, curtseying in front of Orrick, looking up shyly as her cheeks took on a rosy glow.

“Get up, Sister,” said Hope, hooking her hand under her sister’s elbow, pulling her to her feet. “I was so enamored by the sorcerer’s tower room yesterday, that when I told my sister about it, she said she had to see it,” Hope told them.

“Aye, can you show us around?” asked Grace.

“Nay. That’s not possible. I’m needed . . . down in the courtyard. For weapon training,” said Orrick, trying to get rid of the girls.

“Orrick, I can show them around your chamber,” the boy offered excitedly.

“You called him Orrick,” said Hope, looking at them suspiciously.

“Aye,” said Orrick. “I was named after Orrick, the sorcerer. I believe I explained that yesterday. But most people just call me Rick to avoid confusion.”

“I see.”

Knowing Hope wasn’t going to take no for an answer, Orrick decided to show them around quickly and then shove them out the door. As an added precaution, he decided to send Noah away now before he slipped up again and the girls caught on.

“Noah, please go tell Lord Corbett that I’ll be joining him in the practice yard shortly.”

“All right,” said the boy, humming, and heading out the door.

“What did you want to see first?” asked Orrick, keeping a close eye on the girls. He didn’t trust Hope who seemed to keep her distance. Grace, on the other hand, kept moving closer and looked as if she wanted to eat him. He didn’t trust her either.

Hope motioned with her head to her sister for them to split up so Sir Rick couldn’t watch them both. But Grace wasn’t looking at Hope, so she didn’t see the signal. Instead, she was staring at Sir Rick and that made Hope very nervous.

“Can you show me some of your grandfather’s spell books?” asked Hope, heading over to the wooden shelves on the walls. They were loaded down with leather-bound books, and some of them had etchings on the covers of dragons, ravens, or other mystical creatures. All of them were covered in cobwebs as well as a thick layer of dust.

“My grandfather?” asked Sir Rick.

“Aye. Orrick, the old sorcerer. Or is he your great grandfather?” she asked.

“He’s . . . neither.”

“Then how are you two related?” she asked, never having gotten a direct answer to this question.

“I don’t think Orrick would want anyone looking at his spell books. They are personal,” he said, ignoring her question altogether.

“Then how about these trunks? What is in here?” asked Grace from the other side of the room, opening a trunk and starting to rummage through the contents.

“Close that at once!” Sir Rick hurried across the room to stop her. Hope smiled, knowing her sister was proving to be a worthy accomplice. As soon as Sir Rick turned his back, Hope ran her hands along the bindings of the books, looking for anything that might tell her about the Eternal Flame. She didn’t see anything and was about to turn around when she spotted a small book bound in red leather hiding behind the rest. Standing on her tiptoes and reaching up, she ran her hand over the cover. The etching in the leather looked to her like a torch of some sort with a flame on it.