Curselock

Chapter 231: Party

Chapter 231: Party

Leland, Jude, and Glenny didn’t know most of the people at the party. Some left fuzzy impressions in their mind, maybe they met when the boys were kids? Or maybe all of the stories their parents told them over the years solidified images of these people. The Inquisitor with a hook for a hand? Yeah, all three boys knew of him, his personality, and how he used to be a pirate. But none had actually met the man.

Regardless, they were shuffled into the tavern, handed mugs of mead, and sent straight over to their parents.

“Happy birthday boys,” Diana Brown announced, looking from Jude to the others. “Twenty is a big milestone!”

As one, a collective “ohhh” echoed in each of the boys’ minds. While Leland’s birthday was the closest, being in a few days, Jude and Glenny’s had already passed. And without any celebrations, given what was going on with the city, they realized the party was for all three of them.

“Thanks mom,” Jude said, stepping over. His mom pulled him into a hug, his dad ruffled his hair.

Carmon Red appeared behind Glenny, a sudden gust of wind the only evidence he moved rather than teleported.

“Happy birthday,” he said, wrapping his arm around his son. A small box was held between his fingers. “This was your mom’s. Take good care of it.”

The boisterous fun of the party instantly took a dive for Glenny. He carefully took the box from his father, gently tugging it open. Sitting on red velvet was a simple iron ring. Chipped and even rusted in some spots, the ring oozed with cunning insight. He recognized it instantly: a ring of subtlety.

A rare gift indeed, when worn, the ring obscured the wearer from all who looked. Many rumors surrounded the simple piece of jewelry, but all held the same general theme. Created in batches, the smith and enchanter overstepped the market, giving all thieves and cutthroats ease of duty. Eventually, someone powerful was stolen from, and that powerful person hunted down all remaining rings and destroyed them and the crafter.

Only a few remained, and now Glenny held one. Or rather, now Glenny held his mother’s.

He spun on his heel, wrapping his father in a mighty hug. The pair, while never to be a complete trio, still had each other. And despite it taking a long while to finally acknowledge that, they would never forget.

Leland’s parents were subdued in their birthday congratulations, only giving him a searching look and a brisk head nod. He stepped over to them anyway.

“Hey mom, dad,” he said, the party’s volume making the simple sentence come across as a whisper.

“Oh honey,” Lucia Silver muttered, closing the distance and hugging him. “What happened to you being a kid? I remember when you were still in diapers.”

“Mom!”

Spencer Silver patted his son on the shoulder. “It’s true. You were a messy pooper—”

“Dad!” Leland yelled. “Please, not here. Not ever.”

Chuckling, Spencer said, “You’ll be a parent one day. You’ll understand you’ve got to tease your child when you can. Because someday they will outgrow you.”

Whether by previous conversation about his parents or not, Leland felt a chord of sorrow in his father’s voice as he said that. His friends were right.

“I’m not outgrowing anyone.”

Said slowly and firmly, Leland eyed his parents as he spoke. Gauging their reaction, neither showed much. But he had known them his whole life. He saw the subtle twitches, the despondent blinks, the careful breathing. They didn’t believe him, and he wasn’t sure he believed himself anyway.

Gah, that right there. That thread of thought, an iota of ego. For the past two weeks, Leland had found himself thinking these horrible thoughts. He was who he was, yes, but that didn’t make him any better than anyone else. Leaving people behind was not what he wanted to do, nor was it what he was going to do.

His mind briefly touched on his conversation with the Lord of Magic. Ego, especially when it came to loved ones, were true killers. Harbinger Ashford had given up everything that made him, him. And only death and ruin came. Power begets power, and evil power begets evil power.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, this time louder and more apparent.

His mom’s façade broke first, her face twisting into something too real. “Oh sweety, we just worry.”

Now it was his dad’s turn. He flinched so hard he almost knocked over a nearby mug of beer. When he recovered, his face had aged ten years in that single moment. “I know we don’t need to worry, but it's just—”

“Stop,” Leland interrupted. “You two can worry all you want. I don’t mind it. In fact, I’d prefer it if you do. Even if it's annoying, just knowing that you two care and will always be there is better than the opposite.”

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“That one,” the blade dancer said, pointing to a pyramid made out of blue mana.

“Gah!” Spencer growled, canceling the magic with a puff of smoke. Where the pyramid sat, now a gold coin rested. “How’d you know?

Carmon jerked a thumb at Leland. “He kept looking at it.”

Spencer gave an impish-smiling Leland a scowl before cracking a smile himself. He flicked his wrist, the mana constructs reforming. This time a cube consumed the coin, before all the constructs suddenly shifted.

“Glenny’s turn,” Spencer announced.

“The cylinder,” Genny instantly responded, his voice jolting Leland.

“Wha! How long have you been sitting there?” Leland yelled, only now realizing that his best friend was literally sitting beside him.

Glenny smirked. “It’s the ring,” he said, holding up his hand. A plain iron ring rested calming on his pointer finger.

“How didn’t I notice... I usually notice things like that.”

“You're drunk,” Spencer said. “Messes with the senses.” The constructs fell away, showing that Glenny was incorrect.

“Am not,” the white haired boy muttered.

“Wait,” Leland spoke up. “Where’s my birthday present, dad?”

Spencer blinked a few times. “What do you mean? It’s not your birthday yet.”

“We are literally at a party.”

“So? You get your present on your birthday.”

Leland eyed his father. “You forgot, right?”

“Nope.”

He looked at Glenny. “He forgot.”

“Totally,” Glenny said.

Spencer laughed. “Okay, you both are drunk. Why can’t you two act more like Jude—”

All eyes turned to the Berserker Legacy. Sitting part way down the table, two Judes appeared beside each other. One held a harmonica, the other a flute. They played together, but both were drunk, so they played very poorly together.

“—Eh, maybe not,” Spencer finished with a shake of the head.

“Don’t tell me Jude got a flute as a birthday present,” Leland muttered.

“I think he did,” replied Glenny. “Do you think his parents would be upset if we snapped it in half? I think they’d understand if he kept annoying us with it.”

Shrugging, Leland said, “They’d understand, I think. But what happens if he’s like, really good at the flute? What happens if he gets another mirage and there’s three of him? That one can play the piccolo.”

“Why stop at three? What if there were somehow enough Jude to play a symphony? Violin, cello, triangle.”

The boys laughed.