“Thanks,” he said, letting the captain step up to the poles on the stretcher. The horses were still tethered together with Rundo in the front so he took her reins and led her around the inn. When he got down the alley to the side of the inn he spotted the stable. An older man came over to him.
“Those are some nice animals you have there. Can I help you with them?”
Rundo realized then that he didn’t even know the captain’s name. “The captain at the main gate brought me here. My friends are next door. One of them was injured. The captain said we should bring the horses here.”
The old man nodded, taking Rundo’s reins. “I’ll take good care of them, don’t you doubt. They look worn out. I'll get them some oats and water. Rest is what they really need, though. Don’t you worry about the horses. You go see to your friend. Oh, and Captain Lamar is a good man. If there is anyone in this city you want on your side, it would be him.” The man didn’t even wait for a response. He just turned and led the horses into the stables.
When Rundo got back to the house next door he realized it was a sick house. There were wounded soldiers on a dozen beds. Grundel was easy to spot. When he got to Anwar’s bed he realized that the captain was gone. There was a middle-aged woman with dirty blond hair looking over Anwar’s wound. The woman was fairly attractive, though she had a bit of a crooked nose. He watched her grab a leech out of a jar with her fingers and hold it up to Anwar’s shoulder. When the leech latched on she grabbed another. She continued this process until there were six leeches on his arm, all around the wound.
“He’s a strong man. I don’t think the poison would have killed him, but it would have had him feverish for days. The leeches should get most of the bad blood out. He should be up and about in the morning. I’ll put an ointment on the wound when I remove the leeches.” She pointed to the wound. The edges of the cut were nearly black. “The coward’s kiss, they call it. Nasty stuff. Your friend is lucky the bolt didn’t bury in his body. Even with leeches it would have been hard to save him without a priest.”
The woman walked toward Mariah’s litter. “Speaking of priests, what is wrong with this one?”
Navaeh knelt down and took Mariah’s hand. “She had a wraith pass through her body. We were taking her to the forest so the fairies could bring her soul back from the waiting when we saw the goblins.”
The woman was shocked. “A wraith? And you’re going into the forest? You know no one ever comes out, right?”
Navaeh nodded. “We know, but it is the only way.”
The woman was shocked. “I am sorry about your friend. I guess you already knew there was nothing I could do for her, but I am still sorry. I really must get back to the others. Thank you all for all your help. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do,” then she turned and walked back to the other tables.
Chapter Eleven
A Day Lost
Anwar woke up to hear Navaeh telling some soldier that there was no way they could stay, that they really appreciate the offer, but they have to move quickly.
“How long was I out?” he interrupted.
“Anwar, you’re awake,” Navaeh said as she turned to him. “You only slept through the night. The captain wanted us to stay a couple of days. They want to have a celebration in your honor. I was just explaining to him that we were in a hurry.”
Anwar looked down at his arm. The gash there was packed with some kind of white substance. It was sore, but he was fine.
“I am sorry, captain, but we cannot stay. We lost a day already. It was a day we didn’t have.”
“Yes, your friends told us of your predicament. That was something I wanted to talk to you about. If you go into that forest looking for fairies, you might find them, or you might find something else. There are rumors that there are other things in the forest that lure people in. No one knows what, though, because no one ever comes back out. Please, I am begging you to reconsider. You have saved my city, and I can’t in good conscience just let you walk in there.”
“We appreciate the warning. We must leave, though. Navaeh, where are the others?”
“Grundel and Rundo went to get the horses ready when the healer said you were okay. We figured you would want to get started right away.”
“Good. Well, let’s get going then.” Anwar stood up and put the linen shirt he had been wearing back on. Someone had cleaned it for him. It was stained with blood, but it was clean.
Anwar walked over to the woman who was checking the bandages of the other patients. “Are you the woman who saved me?”
“I am the one who leeched you. I don’t think I saved you,” she replied.
“If there is ever anything I can do, just let me know,” Anwar told her.
“You can stay out of the forest. Save your own life.”
“I am sorry, but that is something I cannot do.”
With that Anwar walked out of the house. “Which way?” he asked Navaeh as she walked out behind him.
“Just around this inn,” she said leading the way down the alley.
Anwar followed her and the captain followed him. He continued to beg them not to go. “Please, sir, you have to listen. The forest is cursed. You will not come back.”
When they got to the end of the alley, they were at the stables behind the inn. There was a woman handing Rundo a bag that he stuffed into the saddlebag of the packhorse.
When the captain saw the woman, he changed his tactic from preventing to delaying. “You have to at least eat before you go. You were sick. You can’t leave without eating. Come inside and eat something.”
Anwar stopped and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Captain, I am grateful for your help. I truly am. You seem like an honorable man, so let me ask you a question.”
“Ask me anything.” The captain mistook Anwar’s intentions. He thought he was getting through.
“Are you married?” Anwar asked. He knew the man was because he had a ring on his finger. The answer he got surprised him.
The captain looked at the ring on his finger before answering. “I was. I lost her to a fever a few years back.”
It was sad news and Anwar felt guilty about it, but he needed the captain to stop delaying them. “If taking your wife to the fairies would have been your only chance to save her, could anything have stopped you from getting her to them?”
The captain actually thought about it for a minute. Then he looked up at Anwar with a renewed understanding. He shook his head.
When they were all mounted the captain led them through the city and back to the main gate. He gave the order and the guards opened the gate. He looked back up at Anwar. “You saved this city. We can never repay you. I hope you find what you are looking for in the forest. If you ever make it out and you need anything, come back here and I will do everything I can to help you. Be safe, all of you.”
Then they were riding between the two walls. Anwar had put a shield up the minute he woke up. He was sure the threat was gone for now, but he needed to be safe. He had also let them strap Mariah’s litter onto the horse again.
As they rode between the walls people began cheering. The walls were lined with people, and other townsfolk were coming out of their homes. For some, home was simply some wood and canvas leaned against a wall. Everyone cheered as they rode by. Anwar didn’t feel proud. He knew that the only reason these people had ever been in danger was because of him. This was Delvidge’s work. He had also lost a whole day saving them. He had no idea how that would affect Mariah. He could only hope that they could save her. He fought down the feeling of hopelessness. He would not lose her. He had to focus on saving her. What-ifs would not help him now.
They rode through the next two gates, cheers following them and children chasing them. Finally they were out of the gate. Anwar looked around. Everything was burnt. There were wagons everywhere being loaded with bodies. Others were being pulled by horses toward the fire in the distance, where they were burning what was left of the bodies. That fire was at least a mile awa
y, but the smell of burning flesh still filled the air. It would be a long time before Freeman was free of that smell. Anwar turned his horse toward the distant forest and kicked his horse into a trot.
Chapter Twelve
Trouble in Ambar
Cannen Callimorsi was just getting his shop set up after Anwar had transported him to Anwar’s house in Ambar. He was staying there for now. Anwar hadn’t had time to help him get situated; he had brought him here and went straight back to Evermount. Cannen wanted to help Anwar, but he knew he would only slow them down. All he could do was hope that Anwar got Mariah to the fairies in time to save her.
The day after arriving, he had walked around the city to check out the local smiths. He had seen a dozen that put out production-quality stuff. They had no craftsmen and the apprentices were being trained the same way. They focused on making lots of low-cost pieces. He had seen three places that did really nice work, but the owners were still young and motivated, so none of them was interested in selling their smiths. Finally he had found the place. The shop was older, but it had everything he needed. It was big enough that it must have been very popular at one point. The man who ran it was getting old, though, and he had one apprentice smith. The apprentice was putting out better work than half the so-called trained smiths in the city. Cannen had talked to the old man, who agreed to sell the shop on a couple of conditions. First he wanted to see Cannen make something. If he was satisfied that Cannen was a capable smith, he would sell him the shop on the condition that he could stick around, and his grandson could finish his apprenticeship. Cannen thought the conditions were good ones—he’d get a skilled apprentice and master smith with his shop. The old man wouldn’t work fast, but he would make quality stuff. He had watched the young one. He was about sixteen, but he worked carefully. He didn’t rush, but he didn’t waste time either. He would be a good apprentice.
Cannen looked at the boy. “Do you have your own hammer?”
“No, sir. I just use my granddad’s. I never wanted to use the heavy steel to make my own hammer when I could use granddad’s.”
Anwar smiled. He was going to like this kid. He took a length of tool steel and put a section of it into the fire. He waited until it turned red and then set it on top of the anvil. “Go ahead and cut that, boy.”
The boy grabbed a hot chisel and a hammer. He placed the chisel carefully. He hit the chisel once then reset the chisel in the groove. His second hammer swing cut through the steel.
Cannen took a block of steel with some tongs and put it into the fire. The block was close to three pounds now, but it would be closer to two once all the hammering and tempering was done. When the block was red Cannen pulled it out and set it on the anvil. He grabbed a steal spike with a pair of tongs and nodded to the apprentice. The boy swung true. With a ten-pound hammer he came down on the spike perfectly. His third swing pushed the spike through the block of metal. Cannen put the block back in the fire. It heated back to a red quickly. He pulled it out, flipping it over so the other side of the block faced up. He put the tip of the spike at the small hole where it had barely punched though from the other side. “Tap it once.”
One good tap and the hole was open. It narrowed toward the center of the block. That would ensure that the handle wouldn’t slip out. With that done, Cannen spent the rest of the day heating and hammering away at this block of steel. He was shaping one end into a flat hammering shape. After hours of hammering he had the flat face finished. With that done, he moved on to hammering the wedge end of the hammer. This took another couple of hours to get it to a point where it was perfectly balanced and even. Now that the entire hammer was finished, he needed to temper it. He looked around the shop. All of the metal shavings were swept into a corner.
“Go scoop up all those metal shavings and put them in a crate.” The boy and the old man both looked at him with curious expressions, but he did what he was told. He had learned this technique from the dwarves. Now he heated the metal to red again then dropped it in the quench tank. It would take a little while for it to cool, so he started cleaning up. When he thought the metal would be cool, he reached into the tank with his tongs. He brushed the scale off the hammer and heated it again to a golden straw color. He put the metal in the quench tank again, but this time, after the metal had cooled a little, he took it out of the tank and set it in the crate full of metal shavings. He scooped some over the top of the metal. This was what he had learned from the dwarves. The metal would cool more effectively and evenly this way than it would if you just set it on top of the anvil.
He looked at the boy. “Give it a couple of hours and then put your handle in it.”
The old man stood there smiling. “Where did you learn to cool the metal in metal shavings? I have never seen that before. I can’t believe that isn’t a more commonly used technique. I have never even thought of that.”
“Actually, I just recently learned that from a dwarf smith.”
The old man held out his hand. “You are one of the most capable smiths I have ever met. I can’t believe you are so skilled so young. We have a deal. When you bring the money the shop is yours. My grandson will be better off under your tutelage than he was under mine. I think I am going to enjoy working with you.”
Cannen shook the man’s hand. “I will be back in the morning, and it will be an honor to work with you. I’m sure we will learn a lot from each other.” He patted the boy on the arm as he walked out of the smith.
His arm was stiff from swinging that hammer for hours. He had enjoyed it, though. As long as he took care of it, the boy could have that hammer for the rest of his life. He got back to his brother’s house and soaked his muscles. It felt good to use those muscles again, but it felt even better to soak them.
He got up at first light and headed to the Seven Cities Bank. He had only been to two of the seven cities, but the bank would transfer your credit to any of the bank’s branches. He had had all of his money put into the bank and transferred to Ambar from Kampar. It was the safest way to move your money. They charged a fee to transfer your credit, but they also guaranteed your money. Cannen took out five hundred gold plugs. The bank offered him an escort, but he declined: it was better not to attract attention. Five hundred plugs was a lot, though. He had brought a heavy leather bag to put it all in, since he didn’t want to walk around the city with a bank bag— he knew he wouldn’t make it far. He put that bag of gold inside his leather bag and tied the cord. He had his hammer strapped to the outside. The bag was rugged and worn and it would just look like a bag full of blacksmith’s tools, which was, in fact, what he used it for. He couldn’t think of a better disguise for a bag full of metal then a bag full of metal.
He made it to the shop unmolested. When he got there the boy and the old man were waiting. He handed the old man the bag. When he looked inside his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “This is more then we agreed. How much is that?”
“It is five hundred gold plugs. It’s very heavy. We agreed on three for the shop. You have also provided a smith and a skilled apprentice.”
“I can’t take this,” the old man said.
“You can and you will. I suggest taking it a little at a time though. Like I said it is very heavy. Halfway here I was wishing I had just brought the three hundred I promised you.”
“Thank you. I can’t believe you walked all the way through the city with this.”
“No one is going to try to steal a blacksmith’s tools. They wouldn’t make it two blocks before they were stopped by a mob. People still hold us in some regard, even if they don’t want to pay us.”
The old man had to smile. “I suggest you put that somewhere safe until you can move it.”
The old man smiled more widely at that. “Well, now that the shop is yours I guess I should show you some of its secrets.” He went over to the floor next to the furnace. He slid his finger under one side of it and pulled. A metal door slid away from it, opening a hole in the ground next to the furnace. He dropped
the bag in and pushed the hidden door closed. It was a good hideaway.
No sooner had the old man closed the door than a man walked in. Cannen saw fear in the old man’s eyes. He lowered his hand to the enchanted knife his brother had given him. It wasn’t a fighting knife; it was a tool, but it was magically enchanted. It was stronger and sharper then any normal metal.
When Cannen turned around he was staring into the eyes of a man wearing black pants and a long black shirt with a white dragon on the chest. “Is there something we can do for the Black Dragons?”
“You can come with me,” the man said.
Cannen didn’t see a weapon, but he wasn’t foolish enough to think there wasn’t one. The boy was standing off to the side. Cannen saw him start to raise his hammer. “I’ll go with you. Just leave these people alone.”
The boy looked at him, but he just shook his head. He wouldn’t just give in, but he didn’t want these people to have the Black Dragons come down on them. He had been foolish. The Black Dragons were after Anwar, of course; he shouldn’t have been staying in his house. It wasn’t common knowledge that Cannen Callimorsi was Anwar Alamira’s brother, but it wouldn’t have taken much work to figure it out once they had seen him going in and out of his house.
Cannen walked out of the shop with the man. He knew he wasn’t a mage, since mages wore black robes. I could get away, Cannen thought, but I might have to kill him. The Black Dragon was probably some kind of assassin or fighter and would not expect resistance. Cannen’s only chance was to surprise him. He just had to wait for the right moment.
Chapter Thirteen
The Fairy Forest
Anwar led the way as they neared the trees. Once they were inside the tree line he dismounted. He didn’t want the horses to get spooked by something and run them into a branch; it was hard to navigate a horse through a thick wooded area anyway.
Rising of a Mage: Book 03 - A Mage Risen Page 6