“Thank you for your guidance,” Lorit said sarcastically.
“Don’t mention it,” answered Zhimosom, oblivious to Lorit’s tone. He raised his hand in farewell and faded without another word.
Lorit reestablished the shields and fell into a sound slumber.
The next morning, Lorit woke up to a foot gently nudging his ribs. “Come on. Let’s get going before anyone figures out who we are. I need to stop and let Grandma’am know what is going on.”
Chihon stood over him preparing to deliver another jab with her food. “Why are the two of you ready and I’m still asleep?” he asked her.
“Because I knew you wouldn’t get as much sleep as we did. You were in contact with the wizard last night. He told you where we should go,” she answered him. She nudged him again, more forcefully this time, and continued. “Now it’s time to get going.”
Lorit rose and packed up his blanket. He slung his pack and grabbed his staff. He released the shields, instead forming a shallow magic reflective cover about the three of them. He figured if Zhimosom had trouble getting through them, they were worth holding, even if it tired him out a little too quickly.
They made their way back to the market square where Lorit first met Chihon. Her Grandma’am was there with a cart full of steaming fresh loaves. She was just arranging things for the morning crowd when they arrived.
“This is my Grandma’am,” Chihon said, gesturing to the old woman.
The woman nodded her head but kept working at her task without looking up.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” Lorit replied. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“Are you the one who’s going to take my little grand girl away?” She favored Lorit with a look of disapproval.
“Yes, Ma’am. I’ve agreed to accompany her to the people who can help her learn, where she’ll be safe,” he answered. He shifted from one foot to the other, anticipating a blast of disapproval from her.
She turned away from Lorit to continue arranging the fresh loaves and spoke to him over her shoulder. “Good! I knew this day would come, and you look like the type of young man who can get her out of here and off to somewhere safe.”
She turned back to Lorit with that penetrating look. “You are that type of young man, aren’t you?” she demanded.
“I like to think so,” Lorit replied.
Just then there came a piercing whistle from somewhere in the crowd. Toward the docks, Lorit spied a band of patrollers headed their way. “Stop,” they shouted as they pushed their way through the crowd.
“Meet back at the inn,” Chihon shouted. “Scatter, they can’t catch us all.”
Lorit ducked between the carts and headed north. Ardser and Chihon headed in different directions. He dodged between stalls and carts, careful not to upset anything or create any disturbance that would attract the patrollers. After a few minutes, he ducked into an alleyway and hid beneath some discarded crates and vegetable waste.
When the sounds of the chase and patroller whistle died down, Lorit made his way back to the Prancing Pony. When he arrived, he found Chihon hiding in the bushes behind the stable. He carefully made his way into the foliage and sat down next to her.
“What happened back there?” he asked.
“They got Ardser,” she said. “I saw them grab him. They said he looked like the kid they were sent to find and hauled him away.”
Lorit waited for his breathing to calm down, before continuing. “Do you know where they would have taken him?” he asked.
“Probably to the jail. That’s where the patrollers take anyone they arrest. They keep them there until they can be tried in the court house.” She parted the bushes with her hands and peeked out between the leaves. “I think it’s safe.”
“Let me rest a bit,” Lorit stopped her. “I’ve been running all the way from the market, and I’m still holding shields.”
“That’s why they didn’t come after you,” she reasoned.
“What’s next?”
“I think we should sneak back into the market and ask Grandma’am what happened. She’ll know, if anyone does. I think your shields will protect us from the priests.” She pulled the branches back in place and sat back. “It looked as if the patrollers were after Ardser.”
After resting a while, Lorit and Chihon headed back to the market. Lorit kept the shields around them both. He extended his senses to see if he could feel anything wrong in the vicinity. They reached the bread cart without incident and found Chihon’s Grandma’am there, just as before.
They hid behind the cart to stay out of view and discussed the morning’s events with the old woman.
“What happened here, Grandma’am?” Chihon asked. “Did you see the whole thing? Did anyone fill you in on the gossip?”
“Girl, you know gossip travels as fast as lightning in the market. Of course, I know what happened.”
She paused to sell a few loaves to a customer and then continued. “The patrollers found two bodies dumped in the river this morning. They both had their throats slit. Wearing some kind of magic amulet, they were. The patrollers found a witness saying your friend’s pa done them in, ‘cause they were looking for his kid. The kid’s wanted by the temple for something, and those two were the bounty hunters looking for him.
“They took his pa off to jail and came after him. They caught him and dragged him off,” she continued. “I heard they have the both of them in jail now. His pa will go before the magistrate this afternoon. The boy will probably be handed over to the temple. He ain’t broke no laws that anyone knows of. His pa, though, that’s a different story. If he’s done those guys in, even if they are criminals, he’s going to hang by nightfall.”
“We have to do something to help them,” Lorit said. “We can’t just abandon them. Ryvor didn’t do anything wrong. If he killed those men, he had a right to. They attacked his family and held them hostage. I don’t think he did it.
“What do you think?” Lorit asked Chihon. “Think we can get into the jail and help them out?”
“I think we have to,” she answered. “He’s your charge, and we have to do something to help him.”
Lorit looked at her. They had only just met, but she was acting as if they were a team. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this. He had agreed to help her to Amedon. Somehow, he had imagined that she would be more like Ardser or Chedel. He wasn’t prepared for her taking such a familiar attitude and assuming she was a partner in his efforts, but she had a point.
“I think you’re right. Let’s go see this jail of yours,” he said, gathering his pack and staff.
They made their way to the jail house a few blocks from the market. It was a three-story block building with no windows at ground level. The entryway was wide and shut by large solid-looking doors made of sturdy wood. They were bound with brass bands that gave them the appearance of a fortress.
A couple of tough-looking patrollers flanked the entrance. They stood straight and tall, grasping their spears and standing alert for any trouble. Occasionally, a pair of patrollers would arrive with someone in tow. The guards opened the doors to let them in and quickly closed them again, before posting themselves in front of the doors, should anyone try to gain unauthorized access.
“I don’t see a way in,” Chihon said. “They look pretty tough.” She sat on the grass in the shade of a pine tree that still offered shelter. The square across from the jail contained a few benches and meager shade. It was almost empty, so they had no trouble securing a resting spot from which they could observe the jail undisturbed.
“Here comes my chance,” Lorit said. A pair of patrollers hauled a loudly protesting drunk down the street. The man was shouting and dragging his feet, barely able to stay standing between the patrollers as they marched him up the block.
Lorit raised his shields to mask his image and headed for the jail. He arrived in front of the doors just as the patrollers reached it. The guards opened the doors, and Lorit entered quickly behind the drunk. He lo
oked around, but no one seemed to notice him.
There was a large room just beyond the entrance hall. Prisoners were taken there for charging. They entered the room through several doors at the far end. Once they were processed, they were taken into the jail through a door at the back of the charging room. Lorit knew he would have to get through the charging room and beyond to have a chance of getting into the jail proper.
He waited for his opportunity to slip through the door behind a quieter prisoner. An elderly woman was being hauled by one arm into the room. He stepped through the door right behind her, almost tripping over her when she suddenly stopped.
Lorit made his way through the door behind the charging room and up the stairs that led to the cells. He reached out with his senses to find the boy. He recognized the scent of the boy’s magic. It was coming from a cell on the third floor. He waited until the hallway was clear and dropped his shields.
“Ardser,” he called out. “Over here!”
Ardser made his way over to Lorit. He had to squeeze between a few unsavory types to get to the bars, but he prevailed. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “How did you get in here?”
“Never mind how I got in here. How are we going to get you out of here?”
Ardser grasped the bars as if to spread them with his bare hands. “You can’t get me out of here. My pa needs your help. You have to go to the court and speak on his behalf.” He shook the bars again for emphasis. “You can get me from the temple later, just like you did with that other boy.”
“Aren’t you worried about what they will do to you at the temple?”
“I’m more worried about what they will do to my pa at the courthouse,” Ardser answered. “You have to help him out. I have plenty of time. They won’t even come for me until later today.” He pleaded with Lorit, “Please, help him. I can’t have him hung for keeping me out of their hands. Those filthy men attacked my family. My pa was just protecting us.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Hold on until I can get you from the temple. I don’t know what they’ll do to you,” he warned Ardser. “I know what they did to me, and I didn’t like it one bit.”
“I’m sure I’ll survive,” Ardser answered. “Please help my pa!”
“I will.” Lorit heard a patroller making rounds, so he raised his shields and squeezed himself against the wall until the patroller passed. He made his way back down the stairs and out of the front entrance much the same as he’d entered. He crossed the street and found Chihon waiting under the tree where he’d left her. He sat down next to her and lowered his shields.
“They’re both in there,” he said.
Chihon jumped up and let out a startled cry stifling it as quickly as it rose. “You scared me half to death,” she said. “One moment you were there, the next gone.” She motioned to the place where he sat. “I waited here forever and suddenly, out of nowhere, there you are.”
She sat back down in a huff, brushing her dress out and settling back into the same spot she had occupied just before.
“Can’t you sense me?” Lorit asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I knew where Ardser was even thought I couldn’t see him,” he explained. “I thought it was a wizard thing. I assumed you could sense me, like I do with Ardser.” He looked at her in surprise.
“No, I can’t,” she said. “Can you sense me?”
“No,” Lorit said. “Maybe it’s a wizard thing.”
She let him help her up, and the two of them headed down the street toward the courthouse. Lorit wondered why he couldn’t feel her when he had easily recognized Ardser. He thought it was his shields, but worried it might be more. He’d have to ask Zhimosom, if the wizard was available.
Chapter 8
Zhimosom sat back as the rest of the wizards appeared around him in their usual setting. Rotiaqua was not in her study but appeared to sit at a table in an inn. In the background, a young boy lay sleeping on a pallet in the dim light.
“Rotiaqua, I see you are still making your way back with your charge,” Zhimosom said.
“Yes, we’re just outside Swaldby Abbey,” she replied. “We’re going to make for the pass tomorrow. We should arrive in Amedon in a few more days.”
“Thank you for your efforts. It is a young person’s task, but you are handling it admirably.”
“My pleasure,” she replied. “How is our charge making out?”
“First, let me recount some of his adventures and advances,” Zhimosom replied. “After that, I have some unexpected news that will change everything.” He opened the tome in front of him and read off Lorit’s accomplishments since the last council meeting.
“He defeated an amulet of dur?” Awbelser asked. “How is that something noteworthy?”
“Because he discovered a counter on his own,” Zhimosom replied. “I did not have time to teach him how to defeat such simple spells.”
“I’m more impressed with that bit at the temple,” Neussul said. “How did he manage to keep the priest out of his head?”
“I think I am starting to understand a little of what makes this boy so special and why we didn’t discover him until just lately. He grew up on a homestead. The place is surrounded by sturdy fencing that keep the predators at bay and the animals securely within. His worldview and much of his life is within those fences. That was the image I used to teach him about shields,” Zhimosom explained. “I think he’s been shielding himself since the power awakened within him, without his even knowing it. He seems to have a mastery over shields that I have not seen in one so young.”
“Interesting.”
“I believe that his training is coming along better than could be expected,” Zhimosom continued. “He is developing well and providing a valuable service along the way. He has brought us the boy that Rotiaqua is shepherding home, and he has discovered another boy that we had not yet found.”
“How about the boy we sent him to find in Bebrook?” Koaleing asked. “Did he locate that one, too?”
Zhimosom sat forward in his chair. He placed his hand on a pile of books that were piled high next to him. “That is another matter altogether,” he said. “We will take that up in just a while. For now, are we all agreed that we stay this course of action with the boy?”
Rotiaqua polled the room with her eyes. None of the wizards raised a hand or as much as an eyebrow. “I take it we’re all of one mind then?” she asked.
There was a chorus of assents from the wizards.
“Then we stay the course,” she said.
She looked at Zhimosom. “Are you ready to deliver your unexpected news?”
“I am,” Zhimosom replied. “It concerns the boy we thought we had detected in Bebrook, the one we sent young Lorit to fetch.” He paused to let the statement sink in, looking from one wizard to another.
“What do you mean by ‘thought we had detected’?” Rotiaqua asked. “Was there no wizard in Bebrook, then?”
“There was no wizard in Bebrook,” Zhimosom replied. “There was a sorceress.” Again, he fell silent to let his words settle.
A commotion broke out as all the wizards started to speak at once. Zhimosom let them all talk over one another for a while, and when he felt that they’d gotten it out of their systems, he raised a hand to silence them.
“One at a time, please,” he said. “We have located a sorceress. Yes. That is what I said.” He held them in silence with a look until finally nodding to Rotiaqua. “Rotiaqua, you must have the most to say about this,” he said, granting her the floor.
“Zhimosom, are you certain about this?” she asked.
“Of this, I am quite certain. We detected the power rise in her a while back. It was diffuse and weak. We thought it was a very young boy who was awakening early.”
He placed his hand over the volume from which he’d read Lorit’s adventures. “When Lorit met her, he shielded her, and we lost the connection. I was worried that we had lost the boy but, occasionally, Lorit drops his sh
ields and I can sense her through him.”
“What else do you know?” Rotiaqua asked. She was sitting forward in her chair, as if she was struggling to remain seated.
“She is about eighteen summers in age, just as Lorit. She has awakened some months ago and is developing slowly, as is the way with girls. When Lorit first met her, they touched, and he detected the power in her. Since he keeps shields up around both of them at all times, it is very difficult to determine more than this.”
“What do you recommend?” Rotiaqua asked.
“I recommend that we get you in touch with her. She and Lorit are headed this way. I instructed the boy to head north to Trickby and take a boat to Wradon. I believe you could just about make it there by the time they do, unless they run into further troubles.”
Rotiaqua settled back in her chair. “That would be ideal. Can you get in touch with the boy and ask him to help me contact her?” She shot Zhimosom a plaintive look. “Do you think she is strong enough for this type of contact?”
“If the council agrees, we can undertake this action,” Zhimosom stated. “Do we need to discuss this any further?”
“I think Rotiaqua is the perfect person for this job,” Awbelser commented.
“I agree,” Maomran added.
“As do I,” Koaleing said.
“Agreed,” Neussul commented.
“Then we are of one mind,” Rotiaqua pronounced. “Thank you for your support in this matter.”
One by one, the wizards faded into mist and vanished until only Zhimosom and Rotiaqua remained. The wizard relaxed and leaned back in his chair. Only in the exclusive company of Rotiaqua was he truly able to let his guard down.
“Quite a day!” he said. “I was shocked and surprised when I discovered this.”
“You are certain about this?” Rotiaqua demanded. “You never say you’re certain about anything.”
“Of this, I am certain. There is a unique quality to her magic, as I perceive it through him.” He pushed the stack of books aside and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “It is unmistakable.”
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