Dao Divinity Book 1

by Bruce Sentar

  He had a lot to figure out, and he needed to do it quickly.

  Chapter 18

  “Am I really that intense looking?” Dar asked Cherry as they waited.

  There was no hesitation as Cherry bobbed her head. “Yes, and it’s only made it worse because we know what you can do. We should probably get your beard and hair trimmed soon too; the shag is only adding to it.”

  He scratched under his chin where his beard was getting long enough to curl back on itself, forming little balls. He didn’t even have a comb or oils here to maintain it if he wanted to grow it out. He also wasn’t about to shave; he’d had some sort of beard since adolescence.

  “If we get some scissors, do you think you can trim it up for me?”

  “I could make sure not to kill you while I try, but that’s all I’ll promise.” Cherry gave him a grin.

  “You mean in your long life, you never learned to cut hair?” he joked.

  Cherry’s expression fell. “Believe it or not, I’ve spent a long time just existing out of touch with society. Sasha might have come alive in the city, but I find it tiring after a time.”

  He nodded slowly, considering what she’d said. He’d have to find a good balance that would work and make sure both women were getting what they needed.

  “Would you be fine in a private home? I honestly just want to make it comfortable for you. Do you want me to make a garden around your tree?” Dar asked.

  Her eyes went wide with surprise.

  “What, is that really so shocking?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes, it is. Also, yes please make a garden for my tree, here or wherever we settle,” she said, breathing heavy.

  He nodded. It wasn’t that much work to build a small garden, and he knew how much the tree meant to her. It seemed natural, but she took it strongly enough to suggest otherwise.

  “Good. So, if you could design a spot for your tree, what would it look like?”

  Her eyes were losing focus as she thought. “First off, it needs adequate drainage and access to water. It should sit in a nice clear bed, but we can put a few flowers around it to keep it company.”

  Cherry continued listing off what she’d want for her tree. She wanted slightly elevated ground with a nearby water source. Grass should be cleared around the tree and she started mentioning some flower types that she thought would go well with the blossoms. She started losing Dar when she talked about the flower varieties, but he nodded along, enjoying her excitement.

  None if it sounded like a ton of work, just some preparation and planting. And he had no doubt that Cherry would help and tend to it long term. A smile filled his face as she continued; her passion had her more animated than he’d ever seen her before.

  “Hello, what would you like to order?” A spirit with icy blue hair and eyes that were almost white stepped up to their table.

  He tried not to stare, knowing it would be rude, but he failed. Her eyes were eerie, and it wasn’t lost on him that the bubbly Cherry he’d met in an inn had a lot more to her than had initially met the eye. He wondered what secrets this spirit might be hiding.

  Cherry cleared her throat. “Water and some soup for both of us.”

  “Sure.” She nodded kindly at Cherry, giving Dar a wary look before walking away.

  “You okay?” Cherry asked.

  Shaking his head, he came back to the conversation. “Yes, sorry. I got lost in thought.”

  “Lost in her eyes is more like it,” Cherry scoffed. “She’s not even a greater spirit.”

  “You can tell?” Dar asked.

  “The mana around a spirit changes as they have more control. It took me a long time to see the difference, but at your stage in the dao path, you probably won’t be sensitive enough to pick it up.”

  Dar grunted. Another thing he needed to grow stronger for. He turned back to the window to check on Cherry’s tree and shot up to his feet.

  “What— PUT THAT DOWN!” Cherry whipped around, looking at the two men starting to move the cart with her tree.

  The inn shook, and plants started to shoot out of the ground all around the two men and the cart. They screamed and threw their hands up in the air as vines started to wrap themselves around the two men. Hardy wooden branches started to pull them back and restrain them.

  “Cherry. Stop,” Dar commanded, seeing that they had no interest in the cart anymore, but she was still laser focused on the men outside, fury spread across her face.

  He stepped around the table and put his hand on her shoulder softly to get her attention. “Put them down—they learned their lesson.”

  She growled at him, but the vines receded.

  As soon as they were able to, the two men scrambled away on their hands and knees until they got a ways away. Then they stumbled onto their feet and sprinted away.

  “Cherry.” Dar tried to calm her down by lifting her chin so she could focus on something else.

  “I want to bring the tree in while we eat,” she said, a stubborn edge to her voice.

  “You got it.” He didn’t bother arguing; she had a point after what had just happened.

  The rest of the inn’s dining room was quiet as they watched him go retrieve the tree and set it behind their table.

  “Sir,” the waitress half-heartedly tried to tell him to stop, but she quieted down. He couldn’t tell if it was fear of him, fear of Cherry, or a combination that made her decide against making a fuss.

  After that show of force, the whole room kept throwing them glances.

  Dar chuckled. “Now who’s the scary one?”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the waitress walking up to their table.

  Cherry plucked a few of the fruits from her tree and offered them to the waitress as she set down the drinks she’d been carrying. “Want a cherry?”

  “S-s-sure,” the waitress stuttered, looking at Cherry with wide eyes full of confusion.

  Dar tried not to laugh. Cherry’s ‘sweet and innocent’ routine might be spoiled now. “Don’t mind her. As long as you don’t touch the tree, she’s as sweet as pie.”

  The waitress nodded, taking a step back with the cherries before turning and fleeing back to the kitchen.

  “Pie?” Cherry asked.

  “Oh, uh, it’s something you can make with cherries. A sweet dessert,” Dar explained, already thinking if he could get what was needed to make pie.

  “Then it must be amazing if you make it with cherries. You should teach me later.” Her eyes drifted back out the window, something catching her attention.

  Outside, there were several men in matching guard uniforms showing up, and the two men from earlier were there pointing towards the tavern.

  “Shit. Are they really so stupid to come back?” Dar asked, already knowing the answer.

  They were.

  One of the guards stepped into the inn and looked around. His eyes landed on Cherry and Dar. “Please come with me.”

  Cherry crossed her arms and glared at the man. “No. This is a joke. Those two men tried to steal from me.”

  Mana started to flood the air, and Dar’s arm prickled with the energy present. The rest of the inn’s inhabitants must have felt it too because some of them abandoned their meals in an instant to hurry out.

  He wasn’t sure if it was Cherry’s power or the guards’ presence that drove them out, but clearly there was tension brewing. The guards, however, couldn’t feel a thing. They looked around puzzled, trying to figure out what they’d missed that had the people in the tavern scurrying.

  “Listen here—” The guard was cut off as the inn rattled with Cherry’s power.

  “You listen here.” Cherry stood up on the bench. “Those two were trying to take my tree. I stopped them, and they’re not even maimed or disfigured. They should be grateful.”

  The guard wasn’t paying much attention to what she was saying, seeming to focus instead on the rumbling in the inn. “Are you doing that?”

  “Yes, she is,” Dar answered. He
had stayed seated on the bench, leaning against the table. Since apparently he came off intimidating, he was trying to be more relaxed to hopefully not escalate the situation further.

  But the guard still gauged Dar warily. “Who might you be?”

  “I’m her wizard.” He smiled as the guard’s frown deepened.

  “Wizard? Her wizard?” The man pulled at the chain mail that seemed a little too tight around the throat. “You don’t look like a wizard.”

  “I get that a lot. And yes, I’m bigger than most of them, but that just means I have a different way of fighting.” Dar stood up to his full height and stared down at the guard. “Do we have a problem here? My spirit defended her property under my allowance, and I prevented her from making it worse than it could have been.”

  The guard swallowed audibly. “The two men have a complaint.”

  “Why don’t I go talk to them personally then?” Dar let his expression turn dark.

  Based on how the guards had responded so far, they just wanted the issue to go away. Maybe his intensity would work to his advantage for this one.

  The guard bobbed his head. “I think that would be best.”

  “Cherry, with me. Summon vines to help bring your tree out.” Dar looked back to see a savage grin cross Cherry’s face. She wanted to see those men’s blood spill. Clearly, Cherry could hold a serious grudge against anybody who messed with her tree. This time she knelt and pretended to struggle to pull vines out of the wood and move the tree back outside the tavern.

  Stepping out of the tavern, Dar bee-lined for the two men, enjoying the way their eyes widened and they seemed to brace themselves.

  “You two tried to take my tree before, and I see you are back with guards now. What? Did you not learn your lesson the first time?” Dar stood before them, crossing his arms and giving his best glare.

  “It wasn’t your tree—it’s the tree of a damn monster. All we did was bump into it, and then the thing attacked us!” The man with a maroon jacket pointed his finger a few inches from Dar's nose.

  It was all he could do to not snap that bony finger, but he managed to keep it together. He couldn’t really afford to get run out of the city or put in whatever passed for a jail here.

  “I’d recommend you remove that finger from my face before I remove it for you. Only warning,” Dar growled.

  The man pulled his hand away like it had been burned.

  “The WIZARD here claims that you tried to take his property…” The guard who had come into the inn jumped in, turning to watch Cherry guide the tree back out to the wagon. “…which his spirit is bound to.”

  “That’s not true. We just bumped into it, and the spirit went crazy,” the first man said.

  “Lock her up,” the second added.

  A dangerous flash crossed Dar's features, but he knew that the facts were on their side. It wouldn’t help to cause additional injury.

  He turned to the guards. “I think it would be best if you asked around for the truth of events. Us arguing won’t get you anywhere.”

  The guard nodded slowly before looking at the two men with a warning. The look they shared indicated more than just a guard and townsperson relationship. There was something more in all of this that Dar was missing.

  It seemed odd that they'd be a part of a plot or agreement that involved stealing a tree.

  “Sir Wizard, why were you in such an establishment? Couldn’t you have gone to an inn in the upper parts of town?” The guard pivoted to question him as the two men skirted their way around the guards and slipped back into the crowd.

  After he lost sight of them, Dar turned back to the guard, showing his displeasure at them letting the two men go free of charge. “I just came to town. I’m afraid I am still getting my bearings.”

  “Oh, well we can help you with that. No problem.” The guard seemed more eager now, and he began offering a few choice inns in a nicer part of town.

  Dar held up his hand. “Thanks, but for now I’m going to wait here for a friend to get back from an errand. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get a home here in Bellhaven.”

  “Oh, of course.” The guard took that as a dismissal and stepped back with a bow. “The guard may come see you for questioning later, Mr…”

  “Darius Yigg.”

  “Then have a good day, Mr. Yigg.”

  Their whole demeanor had shifted once Dar had become a wizard in their eyes. There was still something missing in how that all worked. He knew that many wizards got their spirits due to terms of punishment for spirits found guilty, but then it didn’t make sense why others like Count Tint didn’t have one. Surely, he was powerful enough to have some sway and get one assigned to him?

  He’d have to ask more about that later.

  Once the guards were out of range, he pivoted to turn back to the inn, and he found Sasha standing at the edge of the crowd, hands on her hips glaring at him. A guilty smile split his face, and he scratched the back of his head as she came storming up to him. Amber and Marcie both cowered a bit in her wake.

  “I said don’t cause trouble. So can you please explain to me why I come back here to find you and Cherry surrounded by guards?” Her eyes flickered between him and Cherry.

  He could see her gaze softening as she looked them both over and found no injuries.

  “Someone tried to steal Cherry’s tree,” he explained, and Sasha’s face narrowed even further.

  “Shit, how many did she kill?” Sasha turned, lips pursed as she pivoted her focus to Cherry.

  “What?! Why are you blaming me? They were the ones that started it.” Cherry looked around for the two men to point at, but she came up empty-handed. “I swear they were just here.”

  Dar could see she’d gotten distracted by her tree again. Sometimes it was hard to see her as anything but a human with bright green hair, but her priorities were different.

  “They already slipped away before the guards were done talking to us,” Dar supplied.

  Cherry nodded. “Anyways, the big guy cleared it all up by towering over everyone with a scary face and calling himself a wizard.”

  Sasha turned back to him. “Then I guess I owe you an apology. You solved the problem rather than starting it. But you are responsible for Cherry as far as the city is concerned. Please be careful, both of you.”

  “Enough about that.” Dar waved away her concern. “What happened with your friend?”

  Sasha’s face lit up. “Oh, she’s excited to meet you, and she’s about as eccentric as I remember. I’ll take you there right now. When I said I was bound to a wizard, she was very excited to meet you.”

  Dar looked back at the inn, seeing the waitress peeking out from the window. “Sasha, do you have a few chits?”

  “Sure.” She fished out a few from the folds of her dress.

  Walking back into the inn, he set them down on his table and gave a nod of apology to the room before heading back out. “Let’s go see this friend of yours.”

  His stomach grumbled loudly as they started away from the inn.

  Sasha gave him a look. “Didn’t get food with all the trouble?”

  He shook his head and Sasha turned to Amber. “Keep an eye out and grab something quickly if you see it.” She handed a chit to the maid.

  Amber nodded with a determined look, her head suddenly on a swivel as they walked through the streets.

  “Tell me more about this friend. What can I expect?” he asked.

  “She runs the household. Her husband is ill, so she manages everything. They don’t have any children, but they do own a few farms and run a few mines outside the city,” Sasha explained.

  “It’s acceptable that way? No other relative is trying to push her out?”

  Sasha shrugged. “Not that I know of. Honestly, we are loosely friends. I don’t know that much about her family affairs.”

  “Got it. What’s her name?”

  “Margret Shaw. The Shaw Family is a noble house that fell on hard times when her husband bec
ame ill. They actually used to be quite favored in the city,” she quickly added.

  Minor nobility. Dar wasn’t sure where that fit, but it sounded like a good start to getting them established. Friends in high places always made things smoother, though Dar was usually on the losing end of those sorts of arrangements. It would be nice to benefit for once.

  “Here you go.” Sasha took a loaf of bread and a small block of cheese from Amber and handed them off to Dar.

  Taking a bite, the bread was still hot. Steamy heat wafted over his face as he chewed on the first bite. It had a bit of a metallic tang, almost like an organic whole wheat bread, but it wasn’t bad at all. The cheese was even better, a fatty cheese rich in flavor. This was so much better than what he remembered cheese tasting like.

  “Glad you like it,” Sasha said and gave Amber an approving node.

  Dar found the whole process of Sasha acting as a middleman in this interaction strange, but he just went with the flow. Sasha was clearly enjoying herself, as she positioned herself to be the head woman of their house.

  “This is the place right up there. Please finish your food; we shouldn’t bring it in with us.” Sasha dusted some crumbs off his doublet.

  He inhaled the rest of the food and dusted himself off again as he eyed the place.

  It sat on a hill in the city; now that he thought about it, the whole city was on a slight incline. The eastern slums being the lowest point, and they were currently about three quarters of the way up to the highest point.

  The place itself was a gated manor with several other smaller buildings in a complex all encompassed by the same wall. Men wearing different colors than the guards were armed and waiting at the entrance.

  “Do we just walk up?” he asked, not wanting to do this wrong.

  Sasha took the lead and strode up to the guards. “I’m returning with my wizard, as Lady Shaw asked.”

  Both of them nodded before turning back to face the streets with impassive faces.

  “Talkative,” Dar whispered as soon as they were past the guards. Cherry’s cart made enough noise to hide his voice from them.