by Chris Africa
Chassy tucked the book into his backpack with the Waet silks.
Andrev staggered into the room shouldering his and Nita's packs, both stuffed to overflowing with supplies. He heaved them onto Chassy's bed and turned to go.
"You'll have to divide them among the three packs. And I used all the coin. You should get more from your gold-making pouch. I think we should all be carrying money in case something separates us."
"Hey, wait. Where are you going?" Chassy dumped two more gold coins out of his pouch and handed them to Andrev.
"I told you, I have reading to finish before we leave. Let me know when the time comes. I haven't been collecting junk like you and Nita, so I have nothing to pack." He pointed to the staff leaning against the edge of the bed. "Where did you get that?"
"Xander carved it for me as a gift." Chassy handed it over. "He made one for you too."
"Are you sure? He didn't give me one."
"When was the last time you talked to him?" Chassy asked. Andrev scowled. "That's what I thought. If you'd talked to him sometime this winter, he'd have given it to you."
Andrev tossed it on the bed. "I don't need a staff anyway. I already made one for myself."
"Sure, Andrev. Go back and read your books. We'll let you know when it's time to go."
***
"Chassy." Nita's soft voice at the door woke him out of a light sleep. The sun was peeking through his window. "Time to go."
Chassy nodded, yawned, and sat up. Nita wore a darker cloak than usual, the color of a moonless night. Chassy looked down at his pale leggings and tunic, wishing he'd thought to choose clothing that would blend in better in wooded areas.
"Andrev?" he asked.
"He's waiting downstairs with his book and an ugly bo he made himself. I swear he'll fall asleep before we leave the city. He hasn't slept in two days." Annoyance filled her voice though he couldn't see her face.
"Maybe you can nudge him along." He indicated her right arm. He meant it as a joke, but her lack of response told him she didn't think it was funny.
They took the servants' stairs down to the first floor, where Andrev leaned against the banister with a book in one hand.
"Put the book away. We're leaving now." Chassy eyed Andrev's bo, which looked like a child had hacked it off a tree with a dull blade. "Whatever possessed you to make your own bo?"
"The Yaoul people learn to make their own weapons from the time they can hold a hammer and a blade, and they are some of the fiercest fighters the world has ever known. Creating their own weapons allows them to better understand their strengths and weaknesses." Andrev snorted and closed the book. "I have to put this back."
"Just leave it here," Nita insisted.
"For someone to trip over or step on? I will not. We can go out past the library. I'll put it away."
"Fine." Nita turned and stalked off toward the library.
Andrev returned the book to Xander's collection, and they continued out a side entrance of the big old house, coming out onto a little path that ran all the way around.
The fence was higher than Andrev's head and fashioned out of wrought iron spikes, which they crossed with no mishaps. Behind the house, the land dropped away, covered in white spruce trees.
"We'll have to go around the fence, I guess," Chassy said. "If we try to go down this way, someone will break their neck."
They skirted the railing until they reached the street in front of Xander's house. In this area, all the homes were large, and some had oil lamps burning on iron posts in front of the houses. They stole from shadow to shadow in the early dawn light. When the occasional guard passed, they shrunk back into the shadows and remained still.
They were almost home free. One more street and they'd be out of Death's End and on the road! The sound of approaching horses' hooves made them stay in the shadows. Chassy leaned out as far as he dared to peer into the street and yanked his head back in. Two score riders on pitch-black horses were making their way down the main street.
Nita motioned urgently for him to stand close in a circle, eyes closed. Chassy felt her sleeve brush his head as her arm made motions over them. They remained that way until the sounds of the entourage faded into the darkness, and then Chassy breathed a sigh of relief.
"What were you doing?" he asked.
"She was trying to do a circle of concealment." A woman in a black robe stepped forward. She lifted the hood off her head, revealing long, silver hair pinned on her head in a complex pattern of loops and braids. Her skin was as white as a full moon on a clear night, but her eyes were the black of a bottomless well. "With a little training, she may yet become powerful enough to evade a high wizard... With a little training."
4: Nita
Nita stretched out her hand to freeze the woman but found herself caught in an invisible net, unable to move more than a few inches in any direction. She struggled vainly against it.
"None of your magic here, darling," the sorceress whispered. "Extraneous magical energies and chaos disturb my sensitive horses. Besides, don't you want to know why I'm here? Not even a little curious?"
Nita gritted her teeth. "I don't even know who you are. How would I know why you're here?"
Her hood came off by itself, and Nita felt her head tilted to into the moonlight. The sorceress ran her finger down the side of Nita's face. "What magic, indeed! I've never seen godsilver such as this. It's almost as if... it's a part of your body. Interesting. I shall have to study this in-depth."
Nita felt herself released from the invisible net and pulled her hood back up to conceal her face. She saw Chassy and Andrev reaching for their weapons. Stupid boys! How could they be so foolish as to think they would be a threat to this sorceress? Chassy's hand grabbed for his dagger hilts... and went through them. He reached for them twice, but they had become as insubstantial as ghosts. Andrev's staff slipped through his fingers and crashed to the ground.
"I think you'll be able to pick up your weapons, so long as you harbor no ill intentions toward me," the sorceress said. Andrev tried three more times before he could pick up the staff.
"Who are you?" Nita had a hundred questions, but it was a good place to start.
"I am Quon of the high wizards' council." She nodded as if that explained everything. "But Xander is awaiting my arrival. Come, we must not disappoint him. There will be plenty of time to talk later."
Nita plodded behind her back to Xander's house, which now looked like it had never slept. Stilgard and the twin hound dogs bounced around like they were at a festival. Candles and lamps flickered everywhere, and Jam raced around the house stirring pots and delivering platters of food to every flat surface.
Nita rubbed her eyes and stared in amazement. Could all this have happened in the time they took to sneak out the door? "What's going on?" she asked Chassy.
"I told you," Quon answered without looking back at them, "Xander has been expecting me."
Xander walked up and embraced her, then looked surprised from Nita to Chassy and Andrev. "You're out early," he said. "I hadn't expected to see you until at least sunrise."
"They were kind enough to meet me at the gate," Quon said, with amusement in her eyes.
Jam had somehow prepared an entire feast though Nita did not understand how they had missed the sounds and smells of food cooking on their way out. Magic users! Nita rolled her eyes before remembering she was a magic user herself. They slipped off to their rooms to leave their packs. Then they enjoyed what Jam called a "light snack" of deviled quails' eggs, muffins, and fresh bread.
Eventually, Quon held up a hand to shush conversation. "Thank you, Xander, for your generosity. Now I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with these young people if they would join me by the fire."
Nita looked at Chassy, who was fingering his pouch. What was all the ceremony about? If she wanted the amulet, she could take it from them. Chassy shrugged. Xander shot Quon a suspicious look, which made Nita even more uncomfortable.
"All right. But I
hope it's fast because I'm getting sleepy." Xander yawned for emphasis, but Nita could tell it was only partly a fake yawn.
"Hmm..." Quon's left eyebrow raised. "It may or may not be brief, but it is most certainly important. Come." She clapped her hands and strode to the great room.
Nita followed Chassy and Andrev taking seats on cushions scattered around the hearth. Quon unpinned and unbraided her hair, letting lock after silver lock fall into her lap. The strands were as silver as her own tree, Nita observed.
"What do you want?" Andrev demanded as they pulled up chairs.
Quon smiled serenely at him as though the acidity in his voice had hit a barrier and evaporated. "What do you know of Xillith?"
"It is a colony of wizards on an island in the Nareeth. The wizards who live there rarely venture out into the rest of Ayzwind. That's about all anyone knows." Andrev acted casual, but he leaned forward a little.
"That is all true. I, myself, have traveled outside only three times in the last century. But it's so much more than you would expect." Quon focused her attention on Andrev. "Imagine a city where all the buildings are tall and white, and the streets are eternally clean. There are no people vomiting in the alleyways or fighting outside the pubs. Music fills the air, and all the residents are happy and free. Imagine loads of the most delicious food, paintings, and sculptures everywhere. A library with more books than you've ever seen."
At the mention of books, she had clearly hooked him. Andrev's eyebrows raised. "Can everyone use the library?"
"Of course, silly boy. It's a public good." Quon pulled the brush through her hair with long, languid strokes as she talked. Nita found herself focusing on the hair and wondered whether there was magic at work here or she was tired.
"Is everyone on Xillith a wizard?" Nita regretted asking when she saw the scowl on Andrev's face.
"No, Nita. Not everyone is a wizard. Even the wizards aren't all the same. Some are powerful sorcerers, who were born with magic. Others have no magical heritage but are nonetheless learning how to sense and control the magical fabric of this world. Only consider what you could do with your lives if you joined us. Xander has already told me much about your heritage. Nita, you would learn how to expand and control your gift. Chassy, you would seek and find the inborn ability that you so desire to use. Andrev would learn to harness powers currently well beyond his reach. All of you would have a valuable place in Xillith."
Xander snorted, and Quon shot him a hard look.
Nita considered the possibility. It sounded almost idyllic, and if it weren't for Xander's reaction, she may have jumped at the opportunity. "Would I be able to leave whenever I want? I mean, how does that work?"
Quon shook her head. "During the first period, while you are an apprentice, our laws forbid you from leaving. Young people must be able to separate themselves from their worldly possessions and the people of their past to realize their potential. Later, you may of course leave. You need only file a petition with the council, so they know where you are going."
Nita shook her head. "Well, it sounds like a nice place and all, but I'm thinking of joining the resistance before I settle down again."
"For how long are you not allowed to leave Xillith?" Chassy asked. When Nita nudged him, he shrugged.
"We apprentice most youths for a minimum of twenty years," Quon said, "but it is variable by the apprentice and their master. But you needn't worry about the time. Studying magic prolongs your life. You will have extra decades to explore and see the world if you like."
"Well, I'm out," Chassy said. "I have things I need to do in the next twenty years of my life. Magic will have to come to me naturally if it ever does at all."
Andrev's face told Nita he was considering it. If he wanted to lock himself up for his entire youth, she couldn't stop him.
"Is that why you're here?" Nita asked. "To take us to Xillith?"
Quon's eyes narrowed, and her lips quirked into a crooked smile. "Perhaps not all of you," she said. "Also, I'm here to retrieve a known criminal Xander is holding for me. And I heard you helped to bring the scoundrel to justice. Lyear has stolen and sold countless magical artifacts over the years, and it's time we put a stop to it. Especially as his last theft resulted in the death of a wizard of Xillith."
Nita hated defending Lyear, but she wanted to make sure the record was straight. "To be fair, it wasn't Lyear's fault the wizard died. Vornole told us someone had cursed him, and he was expecting to die."
"Lyear cursed Master Vornole when he stole an enchanted vase on display at the home of a Xillith patron. Lyear was wearing protective items, but Vornole and the patron were vulnerable. So, yes, Nita, it was Lyear's fault Vornole died."
Nita wilted under Quon's icy glare, wishing she had said nothing.
"We can talk about this more tomorrow," the sorceress said. "My stomach is full, and I could do with a few hours of rest before the sun is up."
5: Chassy
Discombobulated.
Chassy lay in his bed several minutes after he awoke, trying to pick out that word. Discombobulated described his mood this morning after sleeping only part of the night and filling his stomach with Jam's goodies in the middle. And being invited to Xillith, of all places. His eyes felt tight, and the tension gathered in his shoulders predicted a backache.
Was this invitation to Xillith a trick to get the amulet? If the wizards trapped him in Xillith, they could take it from him any time.
In a moment of panic, he hopped out of bed and tore through his backpack to find it—ah, there it was, safe in its protective pouch. He tied it onto his belt for safekeeping and covered it with his tunic. On reflection, he was glad they had stayed. They had just stepped out the door, and already he could tell his pack was so heavy he would have had to drop or sell things along the way (or even worse—ask Nita to carry them). Nita had been practical when selecting the contents of her own pack and appeared to carry it with ease. But Chassy packed everything since he didn't know when they'd be back or what they would need.
Leaving the rest of his things in his room, he knocked on Nita's door to check if she was awake. She looked fresher than he felt but tired. "Discombobulated," he said.
"What?" She looked confused.
"Describes me right now."
"You look it too."
He looped his arm through hers and ignored the prod. He couldn't tell if it was playful or cranky and didn't want to deal with the latter. "Should we—"
"Wake Andrev? Yes." She knocked on her brother's door.
Andrev answered the door with a book in his hands. Chassy shook his head, but it made sense that the guy who ate and slept little was none the worse after the night's activities.
"Let's go to the garden and talk." Nita led them to the side door.
This was serious, Chassy could tell. He had seen Andrev's reaction to the invitation to Xillith and was sure that's what Nita wanted to discuss.
This time of the morning shade and dew covered the grounds, but they found a dry spot in the rock garden. Flat cobblestones covered the surface with different colors picked out to indicate the walking path and seating areas. The boulder seats were large enough for an adult man to sit cross-legged but no more comfortable than any other hard surface. An arrangement of boulders curved around for privacy, draped with ice plants and poppies.
"What's your opinion of this Quon and her invitation to Xillith?" Chassy asked. "I have no interest in being locked up on an island for twenty years."
"Did you notice that she didn't tell us that part until you asked?" Nita said.
"Yeah, but why do you care about that?"
"I sensed there was more important information we should know. Quon is slippery. You can tell by her behavior she's hiding something. The other question I didn't ask yet is whether they allow visitors."
"I might do it," Andrev said. "She said she can teach me how to use magic."
"I don't trust that sorceress if Xander doesn't," Nita said. "Something is off. She didn't
even mention the amulet. I think she's trying to collect us and not for a good purpose."
"Maybe it's so we can live up to our potential. Have you considered that, Nita? Is it possible her actions are not nefarious, and she wants us to have proper training, so we don't do stupid things like teleport ourselves to Havershank Hole?"
Nita shook her head. "Andrev, strangers don't offer you free magic training for no reason. They want something in return. Or someone at Xillith is making a power play. Don't let her smooth talk suck you in. Use your common sense. Why don't we know more about Xillith? Why do they rarely visit the rest of Ayzwind? I would want more information before I even visit the place."
Andrev looked over Nita's head and nodded.
Chassy's heart jumped in his chest. Quon stood there, her hair bound up in an elaborate arrangement on top of her head. She wore a long dress that fit so tightly all the way down Chassy couldn't even see how she moved her feet. The skirt flared at the bottom, so perhaps she shuffled her feet. He shook his head. Women's clothes!
"Good morning. This seems an uncomfortable place to congregate," she said. "Jam sent me to tell you she has prepared a brunch of freshly churned butter and bread that took ages to make. It seems to be a favorite of Xander's, so you'd better hurry inside." She directed this statement to Andrev. Chassy thought that was funny since he was the only person who had never expressed an interest in eating, even to restore his energy.
"We'll be right in," Andrev said.
What? Chassy saw Nita was also making a strange face at her brother.
"Please join me in the dining hall when you are ready."
Quon turned and walked back to the house. She appeared to glide over the rocks, but in Chassy's mind, there was a lot of fancy footwork happening underneath her skirt.
"She did something to us last night while she was brushing her hair," Nita said.