by Guy Antibes
“Norra’s leg is much better,” Lily said. “It must have been Cloud.”
He looked at Norra and then her leg. His shoulders slumped. “Where do all these mages come from?”
“Mage?” Norra said. Couldn’t Lily keep her mouth shut about Cloud? She shook her head. “Cloud visited me last night. He’ll tell us where Delia is in a week or so.”
“Ah. Cloud, that could be his work, I’ve felt it before in that little port where you waylaid me,” Namen said.
“Not many wizards or mages know how to heal. I wish he would have done something with Lily.”
Lily worked her shoulder. “He did.” There was amazement in her voice. “Well, thank you, Cloud.” She pulled out her sword, flipped it around and then grinned. “Thank you, indeed.”
Bloggo staggered on Lily’s side as he rose from his blankets. He yawned and said, “What’s all the laughter about? It’s too early to laugh.” He scratched his bottom and began gathering brush for their morning fire.
~
Gristan appeared to Norra as she walked into her room at a ramshackle inn on their route. “I’ll bet you enjoy the bed,” he said smiling.
“You’ll notice I have an armful of blankets, they are for sleeping on. I’ll not be bitten. Why doesn’t the heat of the desert kill the little things? What do you want?” She felt a bit grouchy and tired from their journey.
Gristan was taken aback. “My, my. Aren’t we touchy tonight. I thought we could interact for a bit and discuss what our next steps are.”
“I can bring in Lily and Namen.” Norra turned to leave the little room. As she did so, she noticed she could see through the slits in the wallboards.
“No. Just the two of us, if you please. No mages. No sidekicks. Although I suppose I might qualify as a hangers on.”
Norra threw herself on the bed right after the blankets. “I’m sorry.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Herran’s gone and I don’t know if he’ll ever return. Cloud has checked in a few times, always waking me up in the middle of the night. Namen has tried to teach me spells and I find that none will stay in my mind. I’m going into Magia, which has me terribly afraid. And now you.” She smiled this time, but weakly.
“And the thing of it is, my dear Norra, you don’t even know where you really are headed or what you’re going to do when you get there.”
“I don’t have to worry about Lily or you because you are both part of our little team. We know exactly where we are going, but we have no idea what we’re going to do when we get there. I only hope the ruby necklace unlocks some kind of key.” She shook her head. “So what do you think we should do?”
“Continue on. I’ve been talking to Namen as we’ve moved on and now know a bit more about Magia. He’s sort of a renegade there, you know, and I think he can be a trusted ally. At first I thought he might be trying to kidnap us, but I think I can strike that out now.”
“Why? He’s a mystery to me. Is it just curiosity that keeps him with us? I’ve told him just about everything. I would think he’d be getting bored and leave Lily and me.” She straightened out her blankets and lay down, propping her head up with her hand.
Gristan paced the room. “You perhaps, but not Lily. We have their romance to consider and I don’t necessarily see a happy ending to that. She has no power and both of them are the strongest of personalities.”
“And where does that put me? Are you suggesting that they might both combine their strengths against me?” Norra felt a shock of alarm that settled into worry.
“No. What would they gain, Norra? Lily must surely know that half of the money would be hers for the asking, even if she were to leave tomorrow. No, I think we will have to join forces with one of the Nine Mages.
“They’re all monsters. If Namen is an example of a renegade, I shudder to think what kind of men the others are. Slaveholders, tyrants. All of them evil.” She involuntarily shuddered.
“There is one. It’s the newest mage. He took over from a recently deceased mage. Namen thinks he is the strongest of the Nine, but Namen’s never formally met him. That mage has reputedly abolished slavery in his fief and established laws that protect his serfs. That might qualify him to be an ally.
“We can go through his lands and at the northern tip, they intersect with the Master Mage’s domains. Namen suggested it to me, but even he is uncertain what will happen to you.”
“What else can we do?”
“Blunder around Magia, avoid all mages and hope to make it to the Master Mage’s Tower before we are caught. I suggest we meet this mage and get an established ally in Magia. Just think about it. I’m not sure Namen is excited to actually meet him, but I think we must. We know so little, so just think about it. We will have to come up with an idea or two before we descend from Yulga’s Pass. You know, despite it all, I’m quite tickled about our adventure.” Gristan moved his head from side to side. “Of course my perspective is remarkably different from yours, but I can’t think of anything better that’s happened since my own encounter with the Master Mage.”
“Thanks, Gristan. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take these clothes off and go to bed.”
~
“Norra, wake up, please.”
She struggled to pull the sleep from her mind and sat up. “Who’s there? Gristan, I told you I wanted to sleep.”
“It’s Cloud.”
“Have you any news of Delia?”
“As a matter of fact I do. Her village is south a week or so from this little town and I think you’ll be surprised when you see her.”
“I will? Does that mean she’s all right?”
“Nothing to worry about. Have there been any other developments?”
“Gristan thinks we should ally ourselves with the newest of the Nine Mages.”
Cloud paused. Norra thought he might be considering his answer.
“What do you think?” Norra said.
“That might be a possibility. I can’t think of another mage, if you were to do it at all. Namen might not be willing. The new mage is a bit of an outlier among the Nine. He has more power and prestige than Namen because he is one of the Nine with a fief and a tower, but…” another pause.
“What?”
“He possesses… eccentricities and those isolate him from the others. You’d not be able to ally with him and expect support from any of the other Nine.”
Norra wondered how Cloud could talk about eccentricities. “Perhaps that makes him more normal than any of us, have you thought of that? Norra laughed.
“I have, actually. I can tell you want to meet him and that is likely Gristan’s doing.”
“What’s wrong with Gristan?”
“I’m beginning to think he has the least eccentric mind of the bunch of us, regardless of his unusual packaging.”
“You are one to talk, Cloud,” Norra said. She sensed a smile.
“Follow his advice and that’s my counsel on whom to make counselor. I must leave.”
~
“Is a blond woman here?” Norra asked a native on horseback patrolling the road a few hundred paces from the village Cloud described. She could look past him and see ornately constructed hide dwellings from the distance. Some could have been three stories. To the west grazed cattle and to the east sheep. The village sat between two oases with their own clusters of the palm trees.
“The only blond woman is our Queen Willa.”
“And what do you call your village?” Norra prepared herself for the answer and tried to keep the grin off of her face. Excitement energized her from head to toe.
“We are the people of Laput, so Queen Willa has declared. You know her?” The man looked at her in awe.
“I have known her throughout her travels in Polda. I have fought, in her behalf, enemies that would have done her harm.” Norra blathered on in the stilted language of the man.
“Let me ride ahead and proclaim your presence among the people. And by what name would you be described to our Queen?
”
“I am Norra of Bordon Forest along with Lily of the Dusty Road and others she has seen and heard of.” She wouldn’t describe Namen because she didn’t know how the villagers perceived wizards and mages.
“I go to announce your presence. Please make haste.”
The sun nearly touched the horizon and Norra felt tired, but seeing Delia would certainly lift her energy and her spirits, knowing that hopefully she was all right now as Queen of the Laput People. She shook her head and turned to Lily who sat next to her in the wagon seat.
“I don’t feel too much like making haste, but I’m very glad that Delia is not dead or sold into slavery,” Lily said.
The village surprised them all. The other native villages seemed dismal and nothing more than people living in skin tents. Laput on the other hand looked new. The streets were swept and the people looked happy and engaged.
Six riders rode up the main lane of the village and stopped in front of them. The leader raised his hand. “We greet you, Norra of Bordon Forest and ask you to follow us.”
They went to the end of the lane where a tall dwelling dominated all others. Norra, Namen and Lily followed the six men. Bloggo stayed with the wagon and their horses. Gristan whispered in Norra’s ear that he would love to see Delia again and remained invisible.
Light globes lit the interior. “Wizard’s work,” said Namen. Panels of leather formed a hallway and carpets covered the floor. One of the panels sported a partially complete mural. A curtain of rough spun cloth acted to divide a large room.
Delia reclined on a couch. It sat on a platform surrounded by native men. They looked at her with eyes full of admiration. Norra thought they all looked handsome. When Delia saw them come through the curtain, her eyes brightened and she ran down the platform, the fringe on her white suede dress swayed as she approached. Deila took a hand from Lily and Norra.
“How did you find me? Oh it’s so good to see you again and I was so, so worried.”
She looked great to Norra, still fit from the time on the ship and she now had even more of a tan, although in her case, it seemed like she was covered in freckles with little space in between.
“Queen Willa, eh?” Lily said.
“I certainly can’t disappoint my people.” She giggled and led them to a side room with a table filled with native food. “I command you to eat dinner with me. I also have rooms, but you’ll have to share. Everything is new and somewhat unfinished. “ She looked at the group. ‘’I thought Cloud might have caught up to you.”
Silence intruded on the reunion. Lily spoke up. “He’s come and gone. Right now, he’s gone.”
“Oh.” Delia looked at Norra with sad eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that. Are Herran and Gristan still around?”
“I am,” a disembodied voice spoke.
Delia jumped and looked alarmed and then giggled again. “Hello, Gristan. And I guess Herran is off doing other things as well.”
Norra nodded, the thought of Herran’s departure dampened her spirits a bit.
“Well let’s have something to eat.” She slapped her hands together and two men ran to positions in front of her and put their hands to their faces with their thumbs touching their noses. “I would like to be alone for an hour or two with my friends and then you can join us if you wish.” She waved them away.
When they had seated themselves on cushions around a low table, Norra started their conversation. “We have come to rescue you.” She kept her voice low.
“No need to speak so silently, Norra. And there is no need to rescue me. I love it here! They literally treat me like a queen and even changed the name of their village.”
“But they can’t believe you’re their queen,” Lily said, looking around at the room, the food and Delia.
“Oh, they do.” She giggled again. “They had a prophecy about the fan. The green and gold fan? That’s what made me queen. My golden hair sealed the deal.” She ran her hand through her curls. “You will notice that the natives have dark, straight hair.”
“But weren’t you abducted? Don’t you feel the least antipathy towards your abductors?” Namen said stroking his beard.
“No longer. They treated me with the utmost respect. My first husband, Filisee, brought a tent with him and I slept in comfort from the first. It’s…”
“First husband?” Norra couldn’t picture Delia married to a native not to mention more than one. “How many do you have?”
“Six. Those were the men who escorted you to my tent.”
Lily looked around, “Quite a tent.”
“I know, I know.” Delia scrunched up her shoulders and grinned.
“Namen can take care of them all. We’ll take you away from here so you can remember you were abducted from us. They’ve affected your mind,” Norra said.
Delia smiled indulgently at Norra. “I don’t want to go. Did you notice the village? How clean the streets are? I’ve just begun to teach the children reading and writing and I’ve introduced a new style of tent making. The Laput are entering into a golden age and I’m the one who did it.” The smile left. “And I can tell you, I’ve never felt more useful and more loved in my life. Ever.”
Norra remembered how Delia’s mother cast her off and nodded her head.
“So you won’t come with us to Magia?”
Delia shook her head. “No. Magic blood runs through the Laput and I have my own wizards, although they aren’t too talented, but the light globes are rather special, don’t you think?” she smiled again. “Now what have you brought to the Queen as tribute?”
“How about some rolls of silk? Muslin? Lace, and your box of fans?”
Delia glowed. “Silk! Fans!” She squealed and her husbands rushed in with knives drawn while they all laughed.
“Now we are traders. What can we expect in return?” All the women laughed and Namen sat perplexed by it all.
~
“Another night at a ‘Ramshackle Inn’,” Norra said as she lugged in blankets. She wore a short buckskin dress with matching pants. Her soft boots were made of goat hide with bone buttons studding the bottom of thicker soles. They were a week further south from Delia’s village.
“I will sleep outside with Bloggo, if you don’t mind. I don’t wish to pay in blood this time,” Namen said. He swished his new black leather coat and hood. Even Bloggo wore a native-made leather outfit.
Norra lay in the same room as before, anxious now that their reunion was over and happy that Delia had found a place where she could contribute as a person and be loved in return. Would the natives ever be the same, she wondered, lying back smiling.
“I see you’ve had a fine time with Delia.”
“Cloud! I thought you said she was in danger.”
“No, I said you’d have to find out. I’ll bet you never pictured her living like a queen.”
“Cloud, your humor is slipping.”
“Alas, Norra. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time around you… and those you lead.”
She threw her hand at him. “I don’t lead. I let circumstances pave our way.”
“No. You lead. If you doubt, ask Gristan. Even Namen looks on you as the leader.”
Norra thought a bit and realized that Cloud was right. “I don’t think I’m a very good leader.”
“Really? Tomorrow you reach the road to Magia and truly set out for Mage’s Tower Who in Polda could ever do such a thing? You even have a plan.”
Norra accepted his statement and wondered what brought him to her tonight.
“Just follow the map. There is a native town, larger than Laput, at the bottom of the pass. They don’t know that it goes all the way over to Magia. Sell your wagon and keep your horses, but from the looks of the place, I suggest you be on your guard. You won’t make it over the pass riding your horses, so you will have to walk. You’ll know when.”
“You sound like you won’t be coming with us?”
“I’m not.”
Norra couldn’t accept Cloud leaving them at
this critical point. “Why? How can I convince you otherwise?”
“My time is about over. I told you I am somewhat of a charm. I will return to myself.”
“Will we ever see you again?” Norra felt the emotions of another loss. Herran and now Cloud.
“Perhaps. Somehow I think if you meet me in the flesh, my personality will be more opaque.”
His humor, groaned Norra. She will miss that too. “Fare thee well, kind friend.” She put out her hand and felt the coolness of the mist that made up Cloud. “Thank you for what you have done.”
“The pleasure has been mine.”
And then he was gone, for good this time. Back down to three. Actually, there remained five in the company with Bloggo and Gristan. Bloggo shrunk into the background in the shadow of his much younger brother, but he helped willingly whenever called upon and Norra considered him the steadiest person in their group.
~~~~
Chapter Fifteen
Mounds Point the Way
~
Lily and Norra sat together on the driver’s seat. Their horses followed, strung behind. Gristan decided to appear, talking to them from behind.
“Cloud said goodbye last night,” Norra said, looking at Namen’s back as he and his servant rode ahead of them.
“Is he deserting us too?” Lily exercised her shoulder, which still became stiff as she slept.
“I think it’s Namen. He’s scared off the other two.”
Gristan cleared his throat. “I do believe the mage doesn’t intimidate as much as exist as a superior protector. He has less reticence to fight whatever threatens. Not that he’s belligerent, but he’s less…” Gristan searched for the right word. “…less flexible. And he has an interest in Lily here, doesn’t he Lily?”
She reddened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We talk and like to walk in the desert evening.” Lily gave her head a little shake.
Norra laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I think Gristan’s right. Perhaps the others have withdrawn to make the journey less contentious, intentional or not.”