Stonecutter's Shadow: A young mage's fight through a fantasy kingdom full of treachery

by James Haddock

  Under other circumstances I would have looked around the city a few days, but I wanted to get back to Split Rock. I wanted the new cannons on the fort's walls and the ship's cannons back aboard the ship. Once that was done, I planned to go my own way.

  Chapter 20

  Falcon landed me on the cliff above Split Rock and I released him to fly and hunt while I dropped off the cannons. I rode the Shadow down to the fort. Staying in Shadow I opened the storage sheets and unloaded the cannons, cannon balls, and powder. It was still early morning, so I decided to sleep for a while.

  I woke again at mid-morning and waited until no one was in this area of the wall, then brought everything out of shadow. “Sergeant of the guard!” I shouted down.

  A sergeant stepped out of the guard room, and stared at me, “Sir?”

  “Have Captain Rollings come up to meet me at his earliest convenience.”

  “Yes, Sir Mage.” He sent a runner to take my message. It wasn't long before I was joined by Rollings and several others.

  “Here's your cannons, captain. Place them in their positions on the wall, and return the other cannons to the ship,” I ordered.

  “Right away, Sir Mage,” he turned and started issuing orders.

  “Have any of our other ships returned?” I asked.

  He shook his head, “No yet, but they haven't been gone that long.

  “In that case, your orders remain the same. Reports will still be going to the king by courier or messenger bird.”

  “Yes, Sir Mage.”

  “Be safe, captain,” I said, and shook his hand.

  “Travel safe, Sir Mage,” he replied.

  I walked back toward the village and Falcon returned to me, landing on my shoulder. “Ready for another trip, my friend?” I stepped into his Shadow and we were off.

  * * *

  A short time later I was enjoying my drink sitting on a balcony overlooking Port Lagrange. It was seemingly a nice place, but I had only been here a day. I watched the ships in the harbor being loaded and unloaded. For a small port it seemed quite busy.

  I sat in the cool shade, I really had no interest in ships and cargos. I really had no interest in anything at the moment. What was I even doing here? I guess I just wanted to see what Master Bender was so interested in. I harrumphed, “more of other people's interest,” I thought.

  What did I want to do? I had plenty of money and could literally go anywhere I wanted. So, what was the problem? I shrugged my shoulders and took the last swallow of my drink.

  I left the inn, walking toward the market district. I bought, as I usually did, a sweet roll and ate while I walked. At the far end of the district, I came to a small church, a chapel really.

  There was an older priest working on the wall, replacing a stone that had come loose. He was having some trouble with it. I walked over, “you look like you could use some help,” I said. Touching the stone, I melded it back into the wall.

  He looked at me smiling, “Neat trick, thank you.”

  I shrugged, “it comes in handy.” I looked up at the chapel, “She's been here a while.”

  He nodded, “one of the oldest building in Port Lagrange. You’re new to the port?”

  “Yes, I've only been here a few days.”

  “Merchant off of one of the cargo ships I'd guess.”

  I nodded, “out on a walkabout.”

  “Yes, a ship can get cramped. Staying long?”

  “Not sure.”

  He chuckled, “be careful, I came here for a few days … 30 years ago!”

  “What happened?”

  “Met a girl. Then God ambushed me, and here I am.”

  “What were you before?”

  “Mercenary, wanderer. Never felt I really belonged anywhere.”

  “I know what you mean … I feel like I'm helping someone else's life at the expense of mine.”

  He nodded, “yeah, I remember that. Always going where someone else decided, doing what they wanted.”

  I nodded, “on the upside, I'm done with that. Now I just need to figure out what I want to do with my life.”

  He nodded, “May I offer a suggestion?”

  I shrugged, “sure.”

  “Why don't you sit here under these chapel trees and meditate on it. Ask God to give you direction. But I must warn you, that's what I did 30 years ago. Be blessed, brother,” he laughed walking away.

  “That's not funny!” I called after him, chuckling. I took his advice and found a comfortable place to sit. I sat with my back against the chapel. Out of habit I slipped into Shadow. It was a nice quiet place; the stone of the building was comforting.

  I felt through the stone, down to it foundations. I felt the walls around the property, as well as the parsonage in back where the priest lived with his wife. Not really planning to, I let myself connect deeper with the stone and with the land.

  I felt what it had been when it was new, and the love that went into building such a place. It drew me in and comforted me, made me think of home. Oddly enough, it was the good times that I thought of.

  I asked the bedrock to raise up under the buildings, I straightened and strengthened the walls, and roof of the chapel. I repaired the walls around the grounds, including the pools and fountains. I repaired the small house in the back.

  Strangely, for the first time, I was able to repair the wood in the structures as well the furniture, and the glass in the window frames. Even the old bell in the steeple would work again. I added a well at the small house and enlarged their garden area. Doing all this made me feel good.

  It was well after dark when I finished. Strangely I was not as tired as I had been in the past after doing such a job. I felt I had my answer, I was going home. I had things I needed to do. I stopped in the chapel and left a handful of gold coins in the offering box. “Thanks for the advice, brother. Be blessed,” I whispered, and left.

  * * *

  Some days later I sat outside the ruins of my family home looking into the campfire, sipping hot tea. I had a haunch of meat cooking. I felt the three men approaching me, but they were not trying to sneak in. As they came into the light, I recognized them as city watchmen.

  “Whatcha' doing here? This is a restricted area,” the man in front said.

  “This is my family home, or was,” I answered.

  “It is, is it? What's your name then?”

  “Stonecutter, Curtis Stonecutter,” using one of my brother's names.

  The older man nodded, I remember them, this is the Stonecutter's place all right.”

  “Any of the rest of your family survive?” The leader asked.

  “None that I know of,” I answered.

  “Sorry for your loss, Master Stonecutter. You can stay here of course. The king has decreed than any who return have full rights of ownership.”

  “Thank you, Master Watchman.”

  He nodded, “Well, good night then.”

  “If you have cups gentlemen, may I offer you some tea?” I asked.

  “Maybe next time, sir.”

  I nodded, “Well, any time you are about I usually have a pot on.”

  “Thank you, sir, good night,” he said as they walked back into the darkness.

  “Good night,” I said, after them.

  The Shadows told me there were others in the houses around, but they had no fire burning. Whether they were the original owners, or just someone looking for a place out of the weather I could not say … and really didn’t care.

  I sat watching the fire, tending the meat, the smell of which soon filled the air. I guess their hunger finally overcame their caution. Three people, a man and two women, came from the house next door. The two women stayed back, as the man approached.

  “May I share your fire?” he called out.

  “Yes, of course. If you have your companions bring bowls, there is enough for the four of us.”

  He hesitated a moment, considering. “We'll return in a moment,” and turned back to the others. They went back into
the house, for plates or bowls, I assumed. When they returned, all three come forward together. They brought three cups and four plates with them.

  I rose as the approached. “My name is Curtis Stonecutter; won't you please join me?”

  “Thank you, Master Stonecutter. My name is Sir Jonathan Branchmore. May I introduce my wife, Lady Elizabeth, and our daughter Lady Camille?”

  “A pleasure, sir, ladies. Please, take a seat,” I said, pointing to the logs around the fire. I cut pieces of meat and served them. I filled their cups with tea, and then did the same for myself. Once I was seated, we began to eat.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” reaching into my bag I pulled out a loaf of bread and pulled off chunks and passed them around. They didn't say much, they concentrated on their food. I wouldn't say they ate as fast as they could, but they didn't waste time, either. I noticed their clothes were clean, but not so fine as they once were.

  “Thank you for sharing your food, Master Stonecutter, there are few who would these days,” Sir Jonathan said.

  I nodded, “these have been harsh times, but hopefully they are at an end. Though it will be awhile before things return to normalcy, or what passes as normal.”

  “I do apologize, Master Stonecutter,” Lady Elizabeth said. “I knew the name Stonecutter, but I can't seem to recall your family.”

  “Not surprising, Lady, my family socialized very little,” I answered.

  “Why was that?” Camille asked. Her parents gave her a look, which she noticed, and looked contrite.

  I smiled, “to be honest, I always felt that we were one step above social outcasts. You see, we owned a stone quarry and were viewed as merchants, and laborers. I'm sure that had we not been mages, and wealthy, we would have lived in the merchant quarter. I suppose you could say, we were tolerated. I hold no animosity, that was just the way things were. But the coup changed all that. Now we are all just glad to be alive, have something to eat, and a roof over our head.”

  “True,” Sir Jonathan said, nodding his head. “I suppose now with the city watch patrolling the quarter it's safe to have fires and lights in our homes.”

  “I would think so.” I said.

  “Do you plan to rebuild?” Lady Elizabeth asked.

  I glanced up at the ruin that had been our family's home. The only thing that remained were crumbled walls and no roof. “I haven't quite decided yet.” A sprinkling of rain began.

  “Well, thank you for the meal,” Sir Jonathan said. I nodded, and they hurried back to their house.

  Sitting there in the rain, I chuckled. “It seems I'm still a social outcast.” I shrugged my shoulders, “No matter.” I put my camp into Shadow and sat warm and dry by my fire, thinking. I starred at the ruined house, then came to a decision, “I don't think I like being looked down upon.”

  I felt down through the ground, reaching for the ruins of the house. Concentrating, I asked the ground to swallow the ruins. I watched as what was left of my family’s home sank out of sight. When it was complete, nothing remained to say there was ever anything there.

  I would build a new house somewhere else and start fresh. I'd let the socialites look down their noses at each other. Satisfied, I lay back and went to sleep.

  * * *

  After breakfast I packed up my camp and headed for the stone quarry. I stayed in Shadow until I was well away from the mage quarter. I had forgotten how far away the quarry was from the house.

  When it came into sight, I was surprised to see men working there. I continued forward. There were work crews hewing stone manually using hammers and wedges. There was a man standing outside the office watching the workers. He had the look of a man that had eaten something that didn't agree with him. There were a couple of what I can only describe as brutes nearby.

  “Good morning,” I said. “Is this the Stonecutter's quarry?”

  “It is,” the man by the office answered. “I'm the quarry manager, Elam’s the name.”

  “Ah, Mr. Elam, is Sir Stonecutter around?”

  “He is not, what's this about?” his two brutes moved closer.

  “It's about my father didn't hire anyone to manage or work our quarry, which makes you a liar and a thief.” The two brutes charged me. I took their Shadow Forms and their shadows started beating them, and only stopped when they were unconscious on the ground.

  “Now Mr. Elam, you owe us for working our quarry, and we want our money.” The workmen had stopped and were watching us.

  “You've made a mistake, boy; the guild has claimed this quarry for their own.”

  “Then the mistake was theirs. You run along and tell them they owe us money for the use of our quarry, and we want it, now!”

  “Did you not hear me?” he said. “The guild owns this quarry now.”

  “I heard you … go deliver my message.”

  “And who shall I say sent the message?”

  “Curtis Stonecutter,” I answered.

  He shook his head, “your funeral.” He walked away leaving his brutes behind on the ground. The workers left when he did.

  “You lot,” I shouted to them, and they turned to see what I wanted. “Take these two with you.” Some of them came and got the two unconscious men and left. I watched as they all walked back toward the city. So, the thieves’ guild was expanding into the quarry business. I was under no illusion that they wouldn't be back. Elam was right about that, I had challenged them, they couldn't let that stand. They’d be back, and they’d be coming to kill me.

  I went into the office and found the account book, which showed they had been working the quarry for a year. So, they owed me a year's pay. I took the book, and went outside and into Shadow. I set up camp, since I figured I'd be here awhile. I made my mage fire and put the kettle on. I thumbed through the account entries and found where the crown had contracted with them for stone — and the “crown” meant Aric.

  * * *

  At dusk I put a fire in the fireplace of the manager's office, then went back to my shadow camp to continue waiting. The thieves’ guild bully boys finally showed up just before midnight. They stopped their wagon on the road at the tree line and approached on foot. There were eight of them, armed with clubs and knives. They had come to kill me, so...

  They surrounded the manager’s office then set fire to it, thinking to burn me out. Then they waited, expecting me to come running out into their ambush.

  I extinguished all the fires at once. plunging the whole area into darkness. I took their Shadow Forms, and the killing began. There wasn't much fighting, just killing. I walked to where the wagon was and brought it to the manager’s office. I loaded the dead into it, then drove it back toward the city. Just outside the city I gave the horses their head and went into Shadow. I let the horses take themselves home, which they did.

  The horses stopped outside a livery stable. Shortly a man came out with a lantern. “Oy, what's this, then?” He came closer holding up the lantern. Seeing the dead loaded in the back of the wagon, he stepped back. “Well, this won't be the last of it, I'll tell you that.” He opened the livery doors, took the wagon inside, and closed the doors behind. He left, I assumed to go tell someone the news.

  Before long four men showed up with the hostler. They looked in the wagon, “Yeah, that's them, you lads take care of them and I'll go tell the old man … he ain’t going to be happy!” I jumped into the leader's Shadow as he left. planning to see who the “old man” was.

  He took the back way leaving the livery and kept to alleys. He would cut through buildings, and taverns as he made his way across the city. The longer he walked, the nicer the city became. Whoever we were going to see must be well-to-do.

  He finally went in the back way to a nice house not far from the palace. He knocked on the back door and waited. The door opened, it was dark within, and my ride stepped inside. When the door was closed, we passed through a curtain into a kitchen. He continued further into the house to an office. I was surprised to see Goodberry, the palace's major-domo,
sitting behind the desk.

  “We've had some trouble at the stone quarry,” my ride said.

  “What kind of trouble?” Goodberry asked.

  “Someone showed up claiming to own the quarry, roughed up our boys and ran them off. We sent the enforcers in to take care of everything. Their dead bodies were delivered back to the livery in the wagon they left in.”

  “These owners give their name?”

  “He said his name was Curtis Stonecutter.”

  Goodberry thought a moment, “keep everyone away from the quarry for now, and find out what he's doing there.”

  My ride nodded and turned to leave. I jumped to another Shadow and stayed in the office. Goodberry stayed behind the desk thinking. He made some notes, then put everything away. As he left, I jumped into his Shadow and went with him.

  He went straight back to the palace, and straight in to see Aric.

  “Sire,” Goodberry said. Aric looked up from his desk. “We've had some trouble at the stone quarry. The original owners have shown back up, ran the workers off, and closed the quarry.”

  Aric frowned, “a Stonecutter?”

  Goodberry nodded, “So the report says.”

  “First names, description?” Aric asked.

  “Curtis Stonecutter, but no description.

  “I was told all but one Stonecutter was dead, and his name was not Curtis,” Aric said. “Find out what he's doing, we need that quarry back open. We need people working again, and paving roads with quarry stone is the quickest way.”

  “And if the Stonecutters have returned?” Goodberry asked.

  “The quarry now belongs to the crown, they abandoned it. They can work there for pay, or sit in the dungeon, I don't care which.”

  “Yes, Sire,” Goodberry said, bowing.

  Chapter 21

  I stood staring at Aric and felt my anger growing, the Shadows around me were clawing, and swirling around. Slowly I regained control of my anger. I could kill him now, but that would plunge the city and kingdom into chaos. I sat down and made a mage fire and put the kettle on. While I waited for the water to boil, I considered my options.