The Pawn of Isis, page 26
part #2 of Klaereon Scroll Series
In the end, however, he remained. There was the scroll, which he could not leave to the opportunists in the families. Here he had the help he needed: George stood for Flavia's godfather, and was Carlo's right arm; and Olympe would see to the magical education of all three children. As to ensuring Marc and Greg's success at their Trials, Carlo had taken more radical steps.
Carlo pulled his watch out of his vest pocket. The giant plodded toward the house. He had transformed into someone more suitable for England, brown of skin instead of red fire, dressed in a black suit. What would Hathersage make of him? What would he make of Hathersage?
"I have come," Balthazar's deep voice rumbled. "As we agreed."
Carlo shook his hand. "Good. There is no reason you need to stay in the desert, with as easy as it is for you to travel back and forth. The scroll is here, and the children need your wisdom."
"This home is decadent. I do not think Erasmus would approve."
Carlo and Balthazar watched the construction.
"It is lower than the standards of the temple," Balthazar said.
"I don't suppose you've reconsidered what I asked?" Carlo said.
"My words are final." Balthazar's eyes flashed fire to emphasize his point. "You would not survive another trip to Duat, of that I am convinced. The subject is closed."
"You know I will find a way back."
"I have long since closed the way to Isis at Erasmus' Temple. Your other option to return to Duat is death, and there is much for you to live for. Desist in this discussion, lest I become angry."
There had to be another way into Duat. Carlo ached to know the truth: were they still alive? Was she still alive? If anyone had a chance to survive in Duat, it would be the three of them.
"Noted," said Carlo. "Thank you for coming. I want Greg and Marc to have the best guidance."
"I serve my lady by serving the future."
"Would you clarify what that means?"
"No," said Balthazar.
"No surprise there." Carlo faced him. "I'm going to need you for about twenty years or so."
"A time which is the blink of an eye," said Balthazar. "I will stand by you, my friend."
"Thank you. That means a lot. This time the Klaereons will do better."
"I must believe it is so," said Balthazar. "I swear on my lady it will be so."
In the years to come, Carlo planned to follow every lead and track down the most remote whispers looking for a way back to Lucy, Drusus, and Octavia. Every moment he had when he was not raising three children. Carlo would make certain they passed through that most difficult stage and had a very different future.
Carlo heard the cheer go up as the final stone of Mistraldol was laid back into place. "Come along," said Carlo. "Let me introduce you to everyone."
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Also, if you haven’t done it yet, you should read The Vessel of Ra, to see firsthand what led to this book. https://tinyurl.com/ycve5xhz
The Klaereon Scroll series will continue in The Wisdom of Thoth.
Acknowledgements
The first version of this book was a major misfire. As a writer who had been published for the first time, I discovered while writing the second book in the Klaereon Scroll series that The Vessel of Ra would continually return to haunt me with revisions, and proofs, and so The Pawn of Isis was written with continual interruptions. It became…problematic.
Luckily, I have many skilled writer friends who kept me from releasing a deeply flawed version of this book into the world. The following people were kind enough to send me feedback on that version of the book, as well as the second, much-improved version: Chia Evers, Yolanda Joosten, Christopher Cornell, Doug Engstrom, Lauren Teffeau, Miranda Suri, Chris Bauer, Mark McKibben, and Bryon Stump. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
A special shout out to Chris Bauer (Baron Bauer!) who truly helped me crystalize the final version of Drusus and his struggles in this book.
The very first scene of this story I wrote (the one where Carlo arrives again in Hathersage) was workshopped at the Paradise Icon workshop in 2016. Thanks, as always, to the usual suspects who attend that workshop: Ransom Noble, Shannon Ryan, Chris Bauer, Doug Engstrom, George Galuschak, Emily Vakos, Christopher Cornell, Brent Bowen and Miranda Suri.
Always, always have to thank my inspiring gaming group, who let me try some of these ideas out on them, especially the far-ranging ideas from which the magical families grew: Allen Ott, Mark McKibben, Michelle Weinard McKibben, Curtis Mitchell, Michelle Herder, Dan Crawford, Lisa Martincik, Aric Stewart, and Bryon Stump.
Thanks to the awesome Unreliable Narrators for continued support of my geek life: Christopher Cornell, George Galuschak, and Chia Evers.
To Bryon Stump, the great love of my life, thank you for all your enduring support and belief in my work. Thank you for scooping the winter walk while I finished this book’s final edit in January.
As an indie publisher, my work is definitively improved by the fine people who help me in ways publishers do trad pub writers. Thanks to Kate Heartfield for her edit, J.Kathleen Cheney for the covers of both the re-issued The Vessel of Ra and The Pawn of Isis, and to Michele Maakestad for interiors and graphics. Excellent work, team. Also part of my team, I’d like to thank Mark McKibben for his continued backend support of my website.
Thank you for reading. It is my priority to bring the Klaereon Scroll series to you in its entirety, and becoming an independently published writer is how I can do that. Please recommend the book to your friends if you think they will enjoy it. It’s going to be an exciting ride.
--Catherine Schaff-Stump, January 12, 2019
About the Author
Cath Schaff-Stump writes speculative fiction for children and adults, everything from humor to horror. She is the author of the Klaereon Scroll series, the most recent of which is The Pawn of Isis, coming in March, 2019. Cath lives and works in Iowa with her husband. During the day, she teaches English to non-native speakers at a local community college. Other recent fiction has been published by Paper Golem Press, Daydreams Dandelion Press, and in The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk. Cath is a co-host on the writing and geek-life fan podcast Unreliable Narrators. You can find her online at Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, @cathschaffstump, cathschaffstump.com, and unreliablenarrators.net
Catherine Schaff-Stump, The Pawn of Isis
