Gryphon (Rise of the Mages Book 2)

by Brian W. Foster

  What looked to be locals, mostly craftspeople but a couple of farmers, occupied most of a dozen tables, but three held singles or small groups of traveling merchants from the dress, a good sign. With visitors so common, Xan shouldn’t attract much attention.

  And that turned out to be true. After the initial chuckles at his distinct lack of gracefulness, no one paid him any mind, and his meal arrived in short order. Tasty. Much better than stale bread and cheese. Good food and a bit of rest was exactly what he needed.

  That wasn’t quite right, though. What he really needed was to get to Eye Lake as soon as he could. So much to do. Build a nation. Provide for his people. Defend them.

  Instead of relaxing, he needed to be recruiting mages.

  Even if he had the get-up-and-go to do it, though, the whole apothecary health check trick wasn’t likely to work in an established village. For one thing, they surely had their own medical resources. For another, they’d probably think he was a snake-oil salesman.

  With no one to watch his back, testing people for magic use was too risky. Best to forget it.

  A thought nagged him, though. He’d always tested subjects by touching them, but was that necessary? Nothing else magical required physical contact.

  The next table over was occupied by a lone man, one far into the cups. A perfect subject.

  Xan sent a burst of chemical magic. No resonance, and he continued through each of the other nine types of magic, getting the same result. Unfortunately, once again he had no way of knowing if the lack of success meant the man wasn’t a mage or if the new method simply didn’t work.

  No help for it but to continue, though.

  He worked through the room table by table, avoiding staring at the subject for too long. Eventually, his gaze lit upon a pretty barmaid near his age.

  Again, he started with alchemy. His burst resonated.

  He’d found a mage.

  To make sure she wasn’t a wizard, he shot a burst of thermal magic into her. Finding no resonance, he finished checking every other person in sight, but only the barmaid tested positive.

  Though he desperately wanted to go directly to sleep, he stayed at the table until almost midnight. Few people remained, and those showed no sign of leaving.

  Xan could put it off no longer.

  His heart thudded. How the blast could he convince a girl that attractive to leave town with him?

  He gestured for her to come to his table. “Hi. May I, uh, ask your name?”

  She grinned. “You may.”

  Great. Already she was teasing him.

  “What is your name?”

  “Robyn. What’s yours?”

  “Nice to meet you, Robyn. I’m … um …” It took him an instant to remember that he was no longer hiding and could use his own blasted name. “Xan.”

  “Hi, um, Xan.” She giggled.

  He groaned. Ignorant, fumbling hayseed was so not the impression he’d wanted to make.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to be shy.” She actually patted his hand and looked at him expectantly.

  Great. Just great.

  “I, uh, have a proposition for you,” he said.

  “Looking for company for the evening, hon?”

  Blast it! Of course that was what she’d think given how he’d started. “That’s not … uh …”

  “You don’t do this often, do you?” Robyn said. “First time?”

  “No.” Wait, what was he saying? “I mean, yes.” What? “I mean … What was the question, again?” A bead of sweat dropped from his face despite the distinct chill in the room.

  He cleared his throat. “How about a more … long term … arrangement?”

  She looked confused. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I, uh, require some services.”

  “I have skills, sir, and if it’s what you want, I’m available for the entire night.” She smirked. “Though if you don’t mind me saying, you’re too tired to get your money’s worth.”

  Argh! Why was he so, so bad with women? She’d have been eating out of Brant’s hand after a few minutes.

  “If I could come up with an … equitable … arrangement,” Xan said, “would you be willing to journey with me?”

  She frowned. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’re young, and your clothes befit a craftsman, not a lordling. And they’re dirty and worn, but you paid for your meal with gold. I’d never even seen a gold coin.”

  Xan sighed. “You’re saying I don’t make sense?”

  Robyn smiled. “Sense enough for here in the inn where there’s protection.” She gestured at a stout young man who pretended to not pay any attention to the two of them. “To leave with you, though …”

  He pulled a coin from his pouch. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll give you this.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s … that’s … tempting. But no.”

  “What? Why?”

  “That’s a lot of money, but … uh, well …”

  “Just spit it out,” Xan said. “I won’t get mad.

  “Well, my good sir, it’s just that I can’t spend it if I end up dead in a ditch somewhere.”

  He let out an exasperated breath. “Look at me. Really. Look at me. Do you think I’m evil or crazy or a murderer?”

  Robyn took a step back and eyed him up and down. “You have a hardness about you.” She glanced at his crotch and giggled. “Though not where I expected.”

  Xan glared at her.

  “Okay, being serious,” she said. “You have an air of danger. Confident like you can handle anything that comes at you. At the same time, you’re gentle. A little shy, even. Like I said, nothing about you makes sense.”

  He met her eyes. “I swear on my honor and everything I hold dear that I mean you no harm. If you’ll come with me, I will do right by you.”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know.”

  Xan took a moment to think. Her hesitation made sense. Weird rich guys didn’t come through town every day offering barmaids riches beyond compare.

  The life of a tavern barmaid wasn’t something anyone aspired to. In return for providing food and shelter, the innkeeper essentially owned her, even taking most of her tip money. The only real way to earn a wage was to offer extracurricular activities in the bedroom.

  Only someone desperate, someone who lacked any other resources or family, turned to such a vocation.

  “I won’t lie to you,” he said. “Coming with me will be dangerous. You very well might die within the year.”

  She stepped back. “That makes the decision easier.”

  “Does it? Every day, men and women make the choice to join armies, putting their life on the line for the greater good. Is it better to die trying to do something or to live a long life doing nothing of importance?” He didn’t like the harshness in his voice.

  “Why me?”

  “I can’t tell you unless you commit to me.”

  She threw up her hands. “How do I know your cause is just? Or that you even have a cause?”

  “You don’t. All you have is your instinct. Does your gut tell you I’m a monster, or does it tell you I’m offering you a chance to change your life?” Xan shrugged. “Come with me and make a difference. Or stay here and eke out a meager existence until you get too old and they throw you out. Your call.”

  Robyn took a look around the common room. “It’s not like anyone would miss me.” She sighed. “Why not?”

  43.

  Xan’s eyes followed Robyn’s swaying behind.

  The inn only had two floors, so only a single set of stairs. A few steps. A landing. A few more steps.

  Though he tried not to look, he’d memorized her curves by the time they reached his room. And even more than he tried not to look, he’d tried not to think about what would happen next. As far as she was concerned, she was his to do with as he pleased, and considering she carried a bag containing all her possessions, that apparently started with spending the n
ight in his room.

  Robyn unlocked a door and opened it. “Your room, uh … What should I call you? Sir? My lord?” She paused. “Master?”

  “Just Xan is fine for now.” He followed her in.

  “The best the inn has to offer.” She looked around. “I’ve never been in here.”

  It was a nice room. The bed was about four times the size of the one in his room at the Diwens, and the mirror, wash pot, chairs, desk, and other furniture were of the finest quality.

  Robyn stepped past the bed. “Do you prefer a particular side?”

  “What?”

  “The bed. Do you care which side I take?”

  He shook his head, and she sashayed to the far side. Once there, she undid the top button of her dress.

  “What are you doing?” he said.

  “Getting ready for … sleep.” Another button came undone. And another.

  Xan’s mind blanked. She was undressing. In front of him. He had no idea how far she’d go or what he was supposed to do about it.

  She shimmied out of the dress and stood before him in just her shift. It clung to her curves most delightfully.

  The sight broke him from his stupor. He spun to face the opposite wall, his back to her.

  Cloth hit the floor behind him. Her shift.

  Leaving her, presumably, naked.

  He kicked off his shoes.

  Wait. What was he doing? Where were things heading?

  The bed creaked.

  “Ohh,” she said. “The sheets are cool. If only I had someone to warm me up.”

  He’d refused the last offer of the like, but Frae was a mere girl. Inexperienced. Anything he’d have done with her would have been wrong.

  Robyn, on the other hand … such an act would be nothing to her. What was the problem?

  There were definite advantages to getting it over with. Maybe he’d be less nervous around girls in general.

  Regarding nerves, however …

  “Perhaps the pallet would be more appropriate,” he said.

  “That’s silly. You paid for this nice, big, soft, bouncy bed. You should use what you paid for.”

  There was definitely some logic to her advice.

  He removed his tunic, leaving him in his undershirt. “Are you decent?”

  “Of course! Everyone says so. ‘That Robyn is a decent girl.’ Yep. Hear that all the time.”

  “I meant, are you covered?”

  The sound of the blankets being shifted on the bed reached him. “I am now.”

  He turned and peeked through one eye. She laid under the covers with only her head, neck, and her shoulders exposed. Her very bare shoulders. His eyes went to her clothing. Everything lay there.

  He swallowed. Hard.

  “Climb in,” she said.

  He blew out the lamp, mundanely, and plunged the room into darkness before taking off his pants and getting into bed.

  “Can I do … anything else … for you, master? Anything at all,” she said.

  No, not said. Purred. She purred the words. Fingers traced his thigh.

  Xan wiped sweat from his forehead. He hadn’t chewed a seed in the hours since arriving at the inn. Hadn’t wanted the stimulant to impact his sleep.

  Too bad, really. The drug would have boosted his confidence.

  Where to begin? Reach out and touch her? He knew what to do in theory, but the thought of actually doing it … Maybe let her guide the process.

  Before he made a move, reservations flooded him. That Robyn didn’t mind such behavior—expected such behavior—didn’t make such behavior right. In fact, it made it worse.

  Who was he to use her? If he wanted the result of his nation building to be better than the nobles’, he had to be better than them at each step.

  Such recriminations did little to alter his course of action, though. He grabbed her hand, moving it upward.

  The thrill of anticipation shot through him. For once, he’d just relax and enjoy the benefits of his power instead of worrying about every little thing. Like how he’d face her in the morning. Like how taking advantage of someone who would soon be a powerful mage probably wasn’t a good idea.

  Like how Tasia would feel about his actions.

  Xan pushed her hand away. “Robyn, I’m so sorry, but could you … could you please stay on your side of the bed?”

  “But you were about to—”

  “I know. That was wrong of me. Forgive me?”

  “Pardon, master, but you are an odd one.”

  “So I’ve been told.” He sighed. “So I’ve been told.”

  They fell into silence for a while until she exhaled loudly.

  “What’s wrong?” he said.

  “Nothing.”

  Xan wasn’t an expert on women by any stretch, but he knew “nothing” rarely meant nothing. “Tell me. That’s an order.”

  She hesitated before finally speaking. “When a rich man buys a girl like me, I know what to expect. If I please you, my life is okay. I can hope for gifts and to be treated well. If I don’t please you …”

  “Robyn, believe me, you please me. It’s just that I need something different from you than … what we were about to do.”

  “Then …” She paused. “I have no right to ask.”

  “Of course you do. You have every right.”

  “Fine,” she said. “Tell me what you seek from me.”

  Xan had planned to wait until they were out of town to tell her the truth, but he couldn’t allow her to remain scared and confused. He rolled over to face her and ignited the lamp.

  “How—”

  “Magic.”

  The panic that showed on her face made him feel even worse, but he had to press forward. He lit a small flame on the middle of the bed and flared it high before making it disappear.

  Robyn jumped up, stark naked, and backed against the wall. He couldn’t pull his eyes from her body.

  She gawked at him. “You’re a … a …”

  Remembering his manners, he turned so as not to stare at her. “Mage. Well, wizard, actually.”

  Once she had, at his urging, climbed back under the covers, a conversation followed that was much like the one he’d had with Jo and Tina. Robyn accepted the situation more easily than the other two. Once she was sure she wasn’t about to be killed or beaten or anything else, she loosened up and asked questions about her power, which he patiently answered long into the night.

  “So what’s next?” she said.

  “Getting you to surge.” He winced.

  The problem with recruiting people who could become mages was figuring out how to make them into actual mages. Without killing them.

  Once he explained what had happened with Tina, Robyn’s expression grew worried.

  “You don’t have to go through with it,” he said.

  “It’s okay. I can do this.”

  “I wish there were an easier way.” He paused. “You know, there’s nothing to say there’s not one. Give me a moment to think.”

  Just as it did for all mages, a tunnel led from her to the ocean of magic, but since she hadn’t surged yet, it was blocked. Maybe he could somehow open it for her.

  He sent a burst of magic into her connection.

  Nothing.

  Again with a stronger burst. Still nothing.

  After several minutes of sending more and more powerful pulses, he gave up. Time to try something different. But what?

  There was a tunnel and an obstruction, and the only thing he had to work with was a flow of magic. Which normally cleared the blockage but which did nothing when he tried for her.

  Hmm.

  Maybe surging just wasn’t something you could do for someone else. Some things in life one just had to do on one’s own. Even doing exactly what they needed to do for them wouldn’t accomplish anything.

  Wait. That wasn’t right. Not exactly what she needed to do.

  A mage surged by calling magic from the ocean through the tunnel. His battering had been from the
outside in.

  Worth a shot.

  Xan mentally dove into the magic and searched the shoreline until he spotted the tunnel that led to Robyn.

  “Here goes nothing,” he said.

  He shot through, clearing the blockage.

  “Robyn?”

  “Yes?”

  “Congratulations,” he said. “You’re a mage. Now, let’s get some sleep.”

  44.

  Xan’s butt hurt.

  As far as he could tell, he’d bought the best horse available, but he was no good at judging such things. It turned out that the animal was too stupid to avoid potholes. Every other minute, Xan bounced out of his seat and landed on his behind.

  And okay, maybe he was exaggerating because the heavy-laden wagon didn’t exactly bounce high. And okay, fixing the soreness only required a burst of healing magic. Still, what a horrible, miserable, excruciatingly slow way to travel. The only benefit of the horse was that he no longer continuously broadcasted his location.

  His success at recruiting improved his state of mind. The day after finding Robyn, he’d discovered Alton Terr, who’d been horrible at his job as an apprentice furniture maker but who made a fine glamour, and Sherry Vargas, a cute redheaded musician who, ironically, became a harken. Then, over the next four days, he’d found two more—Cora Bean, an alchemist, and Chance Clay, a death mage—despite the small number of people he’d passed.

  And Robyn had been a tremendous asset in convincing each to join Xan.

  He’d gotten the gold, five new mages, and—bonus—licuna seeds. Not to mention he only had about a day’s travel left until he reached Heart Harbor. Life could have been worse.

  The road, barely wide enough for the wagon, ran due east, and in the early afternoon, it jogged to the south and merged with one three times the width. At the junction, a large group rested under the shade of a tree well off to the side, but Xan didn’t pay them much attention.

  Someone shouted, though he didn’t catch the words, and he looked at them. The group taking the repast consisted of Tina, Buck, Kennan, the six guards he’d culled from volunteers when they’d left Calkirk, and a few dozen newcomers.

  Xan dismounted, and excited greetings followed. He and Robyn pulled Tina aside to hear her report.