by B. T. Narro
We walked into a somewhat confined space within the lodging house. The hallways were too narrow for more than three people to fit side by side, and hallways were all I saw besides the stairs that led forward and then back to reach the second floor above. Closed doors most likely marked the rooms of the inhabitants, but it was quiet here as well. I doubted it was empty, but nothing I saw or heard made me believe otherwise.
“Where is everyone?” I asked as Barrett led me up the stairs.
“The castle staff who live here on the first floor are out. The others who are here for the same reason as you must be performing a task. You will receive one soon, I presume.”
“From who?” It clearly wasn’t going to be from Barrett, and I hoped I wouldn’t be meeting the king just yet. Such a meeting was an honor they would prepare a man for in advance, right? It had been more than a full day since I’d bathed if I didn’t count the quick rinse of my face in the river, and it was too warm for me to hide my shabby clothing with my one good cloak.
“When he is ready, a sorcerer named Leon Purage will meet you,” the councilman replied. “We are likely to see each other again, but you won’t be handling anything for me directly.”
From the top of the stairs, we went down one hallway. The closed doors to various rooms had plenty of space between them, giving me the impression that the quarters were quite large.
“You said I would learn everything I wanted to know if I came here,” I reminded Barrett.
“And you will, from Leon, so long as you prove yourself. This is your room.” He took out a ring of keys and inserted one into the keyhole. He fiddled with it for a little while before giving up and trying another key. This one worked, the lock sliding to a resting point. He opened the door for me. I was astonished at what I saw.
At the center was a beautiful bed large enough for two to sleep comfortably. It was decorated at the corners with spiraled posts of brown wood that matched the tall headboard, which was shaped like a wide and pointy hat for the end of the bed. There was an assortment of pillows on the mattress, most of them too small to be of use, but there was plenty of space in the room to put them.
There was a white hearth in front of the bed with an open mantle above it. The roof was high and angled, with strong beams of thick wood decorating the open space above me. There was a dresser beside the bed that had been crafted magnificently, with a curvature to it that gave it an elegant design. It was glossy on top, reflecting the sunlight that came in through a large window with open blue curtains.
A brown and green rug with a repeating pattern of squares covered the wooden floor. On the other side of it from the door was a large chest of fine wood. There was even a desk and a chair to match, and a tall mirror on the same far wall.
“The bathhouse for men is on the first floor,” Barrett said, “on the western side. There are towels there. If you would like your clothes cleaned, put them in a laundry bag, which can be found in the chest, there.” He pointed across the room. “Just leave the bag outside your room at night and it will be collected in the morning and returned sometime later.”
“Why?” I was a little embarrassed at the question that came out, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself.
“Excuse me?” Barrett asked.
“Why do all of this for me?” I felt like a beggar who’d just been given a handful of gold creds.
“This is not permanent, Jon. You will have to prove yourself. Think of it as incentive. I recommend you bathe and prepare yourself to meet your instructor. I believe he will send someone to fetch you from your room soon enough.”
Barrett started to leave as I asked, “Will I see you again?”
“Yes, but the purpose of our meetings can change depending on how you handle your first task.”
“What happens if I fail?”
“Then I will send you back to Tryn, if that’s where you wish to go. You will not be able to remain here.”
I nodded. He turned on his heels and walked off. I could hear the sounds of his footsteps down the hall and then down each step.
My room was beautiful, but I hated how quiet it was around here. In my house in Bhode, there was always something to listen to. The wind, the animals, the neighbors all made idle noise. Tryn was even louder. There was never a quiet moment except in the dead of night.
I had one clean shirt and pair of pants left, but I didn’t want to wear them. There were some things I never got rid of unless a reason provides itself. My shirt was one of these things. It had a few small holes in it, and one big hole at the cuff around my wrist. I hadn’t put it on in so long that it was starting to smell like dust.
My backup pants, on the other hand, were only worn while I cleaned my good pair. They were cheaply made, uncomfortably stiff and made me look like one of the many poor laborers one might find walking down most streets in Tryn. I wasn’t normally embarrassed by such clothing, but exiting this apartment building with those clothes on would probably elicit laughter or scorn from the sorcerer, who was likely to be very high in rank.
It was a shame I had grown out of most of my other clothing. I had reached my maximum height a year or two ago, but my muscles had continued to develop. I stared at myself in the mirror in an attempt to see what my instructor would see when he or she first laid eyes upon me.
I hadn’t had a real look at myself in a good mirror in a very long time, perhaps even since my father had died. I’d figured earlier I was going to shave in the bathhouse when I bathed, but now I thought twice about it. My light brown stubble had grown to cover the planes of my defined jaw leading to my sharp chin. I liked how the faint beard gave age to my face, and it seemed to complement the lush brown hair atop my head that I’d let grow out.
My eyes were mostly familiar, but there was something different about them as well. I looked deep into the brown irises before me in the mirror. This man looked stronger than I felt. There was something in those eyes that made me feel that this man could handle any challenge. I had almost forgotten he’d existed. This was the man who’d made his father so proud.
There was a strange mixture of dark and light in my eyes, akin to what I felt in my heart. I tried to practice a smile, but I did not appear friendly. I had always been terrible at forcing an emotion onto my face. Through my shirt, I could see hints of the defined muscles of my shoulders and chest. I wanted to act as strong and capable as I looked.
I left the room feeling like a new man. I knew who I used to be, but I wasn’t that person anymore. I looked forward to finding out what kind of person I could become.
The bathing quarters and the baths themselves were quite nice, but I didn’t take more than a moment to appreciate the setting. I figured I would the next time, if I was still here. Now I bathed quickly, eager to meet this sorcerer who would give me some kind of task.
I did not consider myself to be naive. I knew the king planned to use me, as well as the seven others like me who Barrett had mentioned. Nonetheless, it would be a relief to finally find out just how I was to be used.
It was like wondering what kind of illness afflicted a loved one. Even if it was to kill my father no matter what we did, I would’ve given almost anything to at least have known what it was so we could’ve found out what to expect from it.
CHAPTER FOUR
I waited in my room for the better part of an hour, worried that Leon Purage was waiting for me elsewhere due to some miscommunication. I eventually saw a number of people moving about the courtyard. Most of them were women of various ages, all wearing the same uniform of a gray tunic with white down the front. They moved quickly, busily.
I was beginning to feel hungry as I waited. I thought the councilman should’ve offered me lunch before making me wait to begin my task, but he was either too busy or too eager to leave me as another man’s problem.
I watched two men emerge from the great hall. Both walked briskly toward the door to the apartments, where I was watching from my window above them. It was finally time. I hur
ried downstairs and opened the door to the building.
“Jon Oklar?” asked the older man, stopping a few yards away. It was difficult to place his age. The downward tilt of his bushy eyebrows gave his expression the appearance of a scowl, but there was not a single line across his face. Perhaps this was his resting countenance.
His blond hair was straight and short at the sides but longer and slightly messy on top. His long mouth, a straight line, rested above a prominent chin. He had bright, green eyes that regarded me as if I had already failed him.
“Yes,” I answered. “Leon Purage?”
“That’s correct. Where the hell did Barrett find you?”
I didn’t understand the point of the question, but I answered without delay. “In Tryn.”
Leon tossed his hands outward petulantly and looked at me as if expecting a longer answer.
“I, uh.” What did he want?
“What were you doing there?” he asked in a tone as if I was dimwitted.
“I don’t see why that’s relevant, but I was—”
“It doesn’t matter if you see the relevance to my requests or not. You will do them, or you will leave.”
Holding back my frustration, I nodded. “I was there looking for a sorcerer.”
“What kind of sorcerer?”
“Anyone who could explain the magical arts to me.”
Leon rolled his eyes. “Airinold’s taint, another useless daisy. At least tell me your family’s rich like this one.” He gestured at the young man behind him who was looking at me with disappointment.
“No,” I answered the instructor.
“You know nothing of sorcery?” asked the young man. He had the lilt of nobility.
“Quiet,” Leon said as he put his fingers over his eyes. “I need to think.”
I didn’t want to stare at the other young man, for this was awkward enough already, but he was glaring at me as if my presence was an insult to him.
“I’m sure neither of you are ready for a difficult task,” Leon said. “So the two of you are going to fetch something important, instead. Do either of you daisies know what a vibmtaer looks like?”
“I do,” said the other man.
“Are you sure, Reuben?” Leon didn’t sound as if he believed him. “I don’t want you bringing back a manamtaer or something equally useless to us.”
“I’ve used a vibmtaer many times. I know what it looks like.”
“Fine. Don’t get it at Dennison’s. His ‘Magic Shop’ is full of overpriced instruments, most of which don’t even work.”
“But there are no other magic shops in Newhaven.” Reuben spoke with confidence.
“This is going to be impossible,” Leon muttered to himself, then sighed and looked up at Reuben again. “There’s a shop called Enchanted Devices on Exeter Street. It’s on the far western side, on the corner of Speedwell. Hopefully you will meet a woman named Pamella, if she’s still there. She actually knows what she is selling, unlike Dennison, and she won’t rip you off.”
“Very well,” Reuben said, then stared at Leon expectantly.
“What?” Leon asked.
Reuben cleared his throat and hesitantly extended his open hand.
“Your father owns a quarter of this city and you expect me to hand you coins for a vibmtaer?”
Reuben retracted his hand. “I figured the coin would come from the king.”
“The king is none of your concern. I am. And I’m telling you to do something. Most of the others will be back soon, so hurry on up.”
Reuben made a sour face. “How much is a vibmtaer?” he asked.
“However much Pamella says it is. Bring four gold just in case.”
“Four!?”
“Yes. Now go.”
I was alarmed as well. I’d never even seen enough coin to equal four gold creds. My six silver buckles and five pennies suddenly felt very light in my coin purse. I expected Reuben to make a quick run to his room to retrieve the coin, but he just started toward the portcullis.
“Come on, Jon!” Reuben roared, no doubt deflecting his anger onto me.
We jogged to the portcullis and then waited for the guard to open it. Reuben looked me up and down.
“What are you, a blacksmith’s apprentice who got lucky?”
“I—”
“Who’s your father?”
I was hoping he might interrupt again, but I wasn’t so lucky.
“He passed away.”
Reuben pretended not to hear as he walked through the now open passageway, but soon we were waiting for the drawbridge to be lowered.
“You’re too embarrassed to tell the truth,” he muttered mostly to himself.
The clanking and grinding of the drawbridge was loud, but I’d heard every word. I waited until we were exiting the castle before I gave my reply.
“I’m not too embarrassed to tell you anything. My father really did pass away. You can believe me or not. I don’t even know why I’m here, to be honest. I just arrived today.”
“What do you mean you don’t know why you’re here?” He made a shooing motion. “And you will walk behind me.”
“I mean I haven’t been told the reason yet. And I will walk beside you.”
Reuben stopped and faced me. “You are clearly far beneath my rank. Don’t embarrass me. Stay behind.” He started up again, quicker this time. I was too shocked to move at first. My father had told me about men and women who valued their status in society over all else, but I had yet to meet one personally. Until now.
I hurried to catch up to Reuben’s side, matching his stride. He walked faster, but so did I. He began to jog, and I matched his speed again. Then he broke into a run. He was quick, but so was I.
We raced down the busy street, zipping around people. A few looked our way in anger, but none said a word. It was probably Reuben’s attire that shut their mouths, for he was dressed like a young lord, with his bright clothing, rings on his fingers, and a whipping cloak.
Soon I pulled slightly ahead. I would’ve liked to think it was because I was faster, but it was most likely because his quality outfit was as thick and heavy as it was expensive. He really was fast, for a snobby boy.
We separated around a crowd. I didn’t slow, my competitive nature getting the better of me, but then I reached an intersection and realized I didn’t know which way to go. The crowd was dense, many crossing by me every which way as I stopped to look around. I didn’t see the rich dolt.
“Reuben!” I yelled. “Where are you?”
My fear was that he was still racing and didn’t realize that I had lost him.
“Reuben!” I tried again. Everyone ignored me, even those crossing right in front of me. It was a curious thing. In Bhode, people came out of their homes at the sound of anyone shouting.
I had a loud, deep voice that could pierce the sound of almost anything to reach someone’s ears. I was certain Reuben had heard me, wherever he was. I hurried forward in hopes of catching up to him.
I ran all the way to another intersection. I looked both ways, up and down, but I couldn’t locate him.
I didn’t quite understand his plan in losing me. Did he expect to make me look bad by purchasing the vibmtaer and returning without me? It would cast a shadow onto both of us. We had been given this task together.
I supposed he planned to make up some sort of lie as to why we got separated. He expected no one to believe the poor over the rich if I was to go against his word, and he might be right. I didn’t know these people.
But I thought back to what Leon had told Ruben. The shop was called Enchanted Devices. It was on the far western side of Exeter Street, on the same corner as Speedwell, which was probably another street. The only issue was that I had never walked around this city in my life.
I saw I was at the cross between Longwall Street, the main road that ran parallel along the castle’s western wall, and a smaller curved road called Edward Street. There was a woman crossing by holding hands with her young child.
I met her gaze wearing an expression that made it clear I was lost. When she smiled, I approached.
“Excuse me, madam, can you point me to Exeter Street?”
She looked down at her child, who was kicking some hard dirt up from the road. “Can you help him find Exeter?”
Apparently I had not demonstrated well enough that I was in a hurry.
The shy child shrugged without glancing up.
“Remember?” his mother asked him. “We walked down Exeter just yesterday to visit your grandpa.”
The child pointed forward, clearly unsure of himself.
“That’s right!” said his mother. She had a proud look as she met my gaze again. “Keep following Longwall across Market. It turns into Exeter North.”
Damn, there was more than one Exeter Street? I didn’t want to ask this woman anything else in case she might have her child answer again.
“Thank you,” I said as I rushed off in the direction the boy had pointed.
Market Street was wide, with hawkers selling their wares, and carriages pulled by horses bustling along each way. I zipped, hopped, and skidded around people and their carriages, and soon I was running down Exeter Street North without having seen an Exeter Street South.
The street became less crowded the farther west I ran. It wasn’t long before I spotted the corner ahead. I didn’t bother trying to make out the fancy calligraphy of any of the shop names. I looked for Reuben standing within them instead.
I found him inside the last shop on the southern corner. I looked up at the display sign just to make sure: Enchanted Devices. I could see Reuben panting for breath through the large window with its shutters open. He turned and caught my gaze. Then he made a face as he groaned.
I sported a smile as I entered the shop. “Hello again.”
He ignored me.
There was a counter with space for someone to stand behind, yet I could hear them in the backroom, a closed door blocking my view. I glanced around at the rest of the shop.
A variety of small and interesting things cluttered the shelves and tables. None of them looked even a little familiar. Sure there were rings and necklaces, but I had never seen the colorful gems attached on them. There was one red stone in the middle of a bracelet that glowed. I put my hand over it and even felt a bit of heat. There were many other bracelets beside it that looked nearly identical except for the color of the stone. One was almost clear except a little cloudy, like a gust of wind picking up some dust, stuck in time. Another was blue and cold like ice. There was another blue one, but lighter in color. Water, I presumed, going off the theme of elements, if the others were fire, wind, and ice.