From alt.pub.dragons-inn Tue Jul 25 08:58:56 1995 Xref: netcom.com alt.pub.dragons-inn:8578 Path: netcom.com!ix.netcom.com!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!caen!reeve.research.aa.wl.com!WS008013F18C2D!simonj From: simonj@rh.wl.com (Jeff Simon) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [Party][Jake Shade} Interlude 3: Jake Shade enjoys a wine of shady origin in ShadeHaven Date: Mon, 24 Jul 1995 00:28:02 EDT Organization: Parke-Davis Rochester Lines: 248 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 198.205.215.16 X-Newsreader: Trumpet for Windows [Version 1.0 Rev B final beta #4] ********************************************************************** For those of you following the regular Jake Shade Chronicles (The Outlander), the time frame of this story might be a little bit confusing. The Party takes place on Jake's second night in Generica, between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of the regular story. ********************************************************************** Interlude 3: Shade's Tale Jake Shade reclined indolently in the leather and wood chair, enjoying the opportuntiy to truly relax for the first time in months. Some of the other guests smiled as they watched him, assuming from the travel-stained condition of his gear that he was a footloose vagabond enjoying the high-life for the first time, or perhaps some sort of pilgrim who had temporarily forgotten about his quest. The outlander did not seem concerned with the obvious disparity between his own common rainment and the lavish society finery worn by some of the other guests. The muscular warrior looked around the circle of people who had gathered by the fire. All different categories seemed to be represented, males and females, humans and non-humans, wizards and common laborers. He noticed an athletic looking swordswoman with honey-blond hair checking him out in return, and frowned. Discerning no hostility in her attentions, he nodded in her direction. The gray-clad woman returned his nod with a smile, indicating that she wished to be approached. Jake decided to stall. "So, Lutra, what is going on?" he asked the giant bipedal otter that he had so narrowly avoided offending when he arrived. "Well, it's a party, Jake," Lutra told the outland warrior. "While I've only known Lord Anside for a few hours, I'm pretty sure that his intention is that we eat and drink, laugh and tell stories, and perhaps dance and play music. I haven't seen any organized games or entertainments, although Davvy here was telling me that they had some earlier in the day. Right now, we're doing a story circle. I had just finished telling a truly fascinating story of my homeworld, as you walked in." 'Whee.' Jake thought to himself. "Sorry I missed it, Lutra." he said. The giant otter looked at the outlander with glowing purple eyes. His whiskers twitched slightly. Shade was suddenly struck by the mortifying suspicion that the otter could somehow detect his insincerity. "Perhaps you have a tale that you would like to share with us, Jake?" the otter asked. "No, not really," Shade replied. "I do have something else to share that I think will be quite suitable, though." The outlander leaned forward in his chair, rummaging through the backpack he had set by his feet when he first arrived. Lutra leaned forward also, his interest piqued by some of the items that were half-revealed by Shade's foraging. The amount of items that were in the gray leather pack was astounding, quite out of proportion with the bag's apparent physical dimensions. "Say," Lutra whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "Are those the legendary Singing Stones of Kesh, lost from sight of man for centuries, the greatest of the lost ancestral treasures of the royal Jharedian family?" Shade looked at the otter in utter astonishment. "Er... no," he said, trying to think quickly, "They're uh, some other kind of stones." Although he had many talents, Shade was not a good liar. "Strange. They look just like the pictures, but then, the Dread One wasn't that great a photographer." Lutra shrugged, but he also noticed that the outlander managed to discreetly slide the objects in question back into the bottom of his pack. The otter chose not to harass Jake with any further questions. At long last the outlander found what he had been searching for and withdrew an odd looking tube from the pack. It was a cylinder of about fourteen inches length, and perhaps five inches in diameter. It was sealed at both ends. Just as he held it up, Serene and her housemate Luthor Anside entered the living room. Jake stood up when he saw Serene, narrowing his eyes slightly as he took in the figure next to her. Luthor Anside was a fairly handsome man of normal stature, with at least some elven blood flowing through his veins. Jake took notice of the Lord of Shade- Haven's bearing, the way the man carried himself. Jake had spent a lot of time in the company of nobility. The outlander suspected that Anside had spent at least some time at a royal court. The signs of it could be seen in his mannerisms. What really captured the outlander's attention was the man's cloak. It seemed to be a thing of living shadow, moving slightly even when there was no breeze. The cloak was a total absence of light and without surface. For the briefest of seconds, he had the unnerving sensation that he was falling toward that void. Jake Shade had a sus- picion that anyone pulled into that blackness might never find their way out again. Jake had seen such things before, in his homeworld. The men who wore such things in Aurauna were not good men. Jake began to regret his decision to come to this place. If Luthor Anside detected the outlander's growing wariness, he ignored it. He walked directly over to the outlander and bowed gracefully. Jake extended his hand and Luthor took it. "I am Luthor Anside," the Lord of ShadeHaven introduced himself. "Serene tells me that I owe you a great debt." He shook the outlander's hand solemnly. "Although Serene is more than capable of taking care of herself, I am glad that you were there to lend a hand." Jake throttled a childish impulse to crush the Mage's hand within his own. He had no proof that Luthor was anything like the Shadowmages of his homeworld. He also knew that it was not a wise thing to assault a Mage in his place of power, unless you were looking for a serious case of grief. On top of all that was the fact that this man was his host, as well as Serene's friend. "I'm glad that it was possible for me to be of service," Jake replied, sketching a shallow bow. "Ahem. Jake was about to share something with us just before you arrived, Lord Anside." Lutra's insatiable sense of mischief compelled him to steer the conversation somewhat, back in the desired direction. Besides, he was curious about what Jake had been planning to present. Luthor and Serene took their seats and looked at the out- lander expectantly. Shade popped one end of the tube off. From within it he drew a large dusty bottle, the size known in some worlds as a magnum. He tossed the empty tube into the fireplace where it blackened and began to burn. Seeing that he intended to share the wine with those who were present, Serene went back into the kitchen for wine goblets. "I don't believe I've ever seen that vintage before," Luthor observed quietly. "Is it an Outland variety you brought with you from Aurauna?" Shade's scarred hands froze in the act of extracting the bottle's cork. His eyes raised slowly until they met those of the half-elven Shadowmaster. "How did you know that I am from Aurauna?" the outlander asked suspiciously. Luthor recoiled a bit from the animosity that was beginning to smoulder in Shade's green gaze. "Serene mentioned it to me when she was recounting your misadventure with that quartet of footpads." Luthor's calm expression seemed to reassure and embarrass the outlander at the same time. "Forgive my ungraciousness," Shade said as he finished prising the cork from the neck of the bottle. There was a soft pop and a sigh as the gasses within the bottle made their escape. Shade handed the bottle to Luthor, who looked slightly surprised to be handed the warm bottle. "Would you like me to chill this for you, Mr. Shade?" "Perhaps a pass through your cloak," Shade suggested. Luthor smiled, "No need for such effort. I'll show you a little trick I learned at my family's vineyard." Luthor took the bottle and whispered "THIS WINE COULD CHILL"; the words echoed quietly around the table. Luthor began un-wiping frost from the bottle and then presented it back to his guest. The outlander took the now cool bottle from the Shadowmage and began to pour it into the various goblets Serene had brought. He poured slightly over half a glass for the assembled guests, filling his own to the top along with that of Luthor and Serene. Lutra looked at his not completely filled glass and his whiskers seemed to droop slightly. Shade snickered and filled the otter's glass the rest of the way. Luthor held his crystal goblet up to the fire and let the light shine through it. The wine was a deep, full red; so dark as to be almost purple. The half-elven lord of ShadeHaven raised the glass to his face, inhaling the wine's bouquet. A smile of pleasure suffused his face and he gave a nod of approval to the outlander. He took a slow sip, letting the wine run gently across his taste buds before swallowing. His chest expanded with a warm sensation. Luthor sighed. "Now THAT is something," he told Shade. The burly warrior grinned in agreement. The other party- goers sampled their glasses with smiles and soft cries of appreciation. Even Lutra expressed admiration for the wine, his whiskers beaded with tiny jewel-like drops. "What really makes this wine special is the story that goes along with it," Shade told the group as he leaned back in his chair. He put his feet up on a convenient ottoman, and looked into the fire. "Many years ago, in a land called Aurauna, there was a man famed far and wide as the greatest thie- uh, Aqquierer of Rare and Wondrous items. His name was Jack Spa... er, Jack... Kincaid. But everyone knew him as Jack Flash. . ." *************************************************************************** COMING SOON: JACK FLASH AND THE FORTRESS OF THE EBONY ELVES *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** The character of Jake Shade is a copyright of Jeff A. Simon, 1995. All rights reserved. Some paragraphs in this story were contributed by Steve Hutchison and the Dreamer. Lutra is the intellectual property of Steve Hutchison, and appears by his permission. Luthor Anside is the creation of The Dreamer, and appears by his permission. The rights to those characters are reserved by their respective authors. The reissue of this story in any manner for the intention of profit is absolutely prohibited without the express permission of those afore- mentioned individuals. *************************************************************************** -- The opinions expressed in this message are mine alone. This message does not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of my company or organization.