The Mage in the Iron Mask - Brian Thomsen [58]
When all the plates were empty, and Hotspur now occupied with the cleaning of the kitchen and the plates, Honor Fullstaff stood up and patted his firm yet expansive abdomen vigorously.
"Well done, Hotspur," Honor bellowed the compliment. "Well served, Poins and Hal. Well eaten, my esteemed guests."
Honor approached Passepout, and coming up behind him, gave him a firm, bearlike swat on the back.
"You have already earned my respect, good sir," the host complimented. "It takes quite a voracious eater to keep up with the likes of McKern and myself."
"Thank you, good sir," Passepout countered, "and thank you for your hospitality, but… when did you say that dessert would be served?"
Honor barked out another jovial laugh.
"Soon," the host replied, "soon. As I recall, your name is Passepout."
"Correct sir," the thespian replied, "Passepout, son of Idle and Catinflas, at your service. Perhaps you have seen me on the stage."
Volo inwardly groaned at his friend's faux pas.
"Afraid not," the jovial host replied. "I'm afraid that seeing anyone on the stage is one activity that is greatly hampered in its enjoyment by those with the misfortune of being blind, such as myself."
"You're blind?" the thespian said in astonishment.
"Afraid so, not that it seems to get in the way much," the host replied, not conveying any sense of embarrassment over his handicap.
McKern appeared on the other side of the still-amazed thespian.
"Tut, tut, my fine fellow," the Cloak said to the thespian. "No reason to be amazed. My friend Fullstaff here is an accomplished fellow, no getting around it, but he is not that much an anomaly. My own brother is also blind as a bat, and is quite the master of magic metallurgy back in Mulmaster."
Rassendyll quickly drew in his breath in surprise. Could this be the brother of the one responsible for this infernal mask? he thought, bracing himself for further pertinent revelations in the evening ahead.
McKern scratched his head for a moment as if engaged in thought. "Passepout," he said out loud, repeating the thespian's name, "for some reason that name seems to ring a bell."
"Perhaps you have seen me on stage," the thespian asserted.
"No," the mage said, "seems to me I just recently heard your name around Mulmaster. Oh well, it couldn't have been important."
Passepout, slightly disheartened at the quick dismissal of his possible fame as a thespian, quickly reasserted his main concern. "You were saying about dessert, good host?"
"Oh, yes," Fullstaff replied. "It will be served in my study, a place of peace and quiet and contemplation where old soldiers and old mages such as myself and McKern can regale you younger folk with tales of past heroics and derring-do. The boys are fetching our puddings now. Shall we go?"
"I'm still waiting for my wine," a slightly cranky McKern reminded, adding, "It's time."
"Indeed it is," Fullstaff agreed. "To the study we go."
Passepout followed McKern as he hastened to the study to get a seat in one of the more comfortable chairs. Fullstaff followed, then turned back when he realized that the others were still rooted in their places at the table.
"Chesslyn, you know the way," the host called back. "Please show your friend, and Mr. Passepout's friend, the way."
"Sure, Honor," the Harper agent replied.
"Thank you for the splendid meal," Volo called after the host.
"Nothing of it, nothing of it," Honor called, already on his way.
"My thanks too, your lordship," Rassendyll chorused.
Fullstaff stopped in his tracks for a moment as if he had just thought of something, but then shook his head, and called back, "As I said before," and continued along the hallway.
"Shall we?" Chesslyn said, standing up.
"We shall," Volo agreed, taking her arm. "Care to join us, stranger?" the master traveler asked good-naturedly.
"Don't mind if I do," Rassendyll answered. "And the name is Rupert, Rupert of Zenda."
"Well met then, Rupert. I knew you weren't from around here," Volo replied.
"The face cover is a giveaway," Chesslyn offered.