The Elf and the Amulet

by Chris Africa

  So far, very little about the journey had been the adventure he had always hoped for. Andrev was not simply shy, as Chassy had always assumed as they were growing up. He was arrogant and humorless, his loyalty to his sister being one of his few redeeming qualities. And the feuding! Back home, Chassy had never spent much time with Andrev and Nita in the same room. He wished there was some way to keep them apart.

  Chassy fell to sleep before Andrev returned from the baths and awoke before the sun, feeling as though he'd forgotten something important.

  Andrev was already awake and dressed. "Hurry up, we've got to get moving," he said.

  Breakfast was bread, cheese, and a bit of sweet and tangy fruit. Nita was already half finished with hers by the time Chassy and Andrev arrived, her trousers clean and fresh looking—and dry, Chassy noted—her hair brushed and shining. He guessed that the lily smell was coming from her clothing or her hair. Chassy and Andrev were damp and rumpled, the fire having gone cold in the night, and Andrev’s spirits were even worse, if that was possible.

  "Good morning to you both," Nita said. "Did you sleep well?"

  Andrev growled something under his breath that Nita seemed not to notice; she must be used to his bad humors, Chassy decided. "I slept well," he volunteered. Even damp clothes were better than twigs and moldy leaves in his hair.

  "Nana Tuck fetched my bath herself," Nita said. "She offered to braid my hair, but you know how I hate that sort of thing, but I did let her wash it in lily water."

  "She fetched your bath?" Andrev said. Chassy kicked him hard under the table, interrupting an impending tirade.

  "Well, Geoff didn’t offer to braid our hair, but the baths were hot and the beds were dry. Beats sleeping in the woods! We should ask around and find out if anyone has seen Lyear. I wonder who is the best person to ask about that."

  "I would think the innkeepers would know," Nita said. "Lyear doesn’t seem like the sort to frequent taverns where there are people."

  "If we don’t find him, we’re going to have to stock up at the market," Chassy said.

  "We’ve no coin to spare," Andrev said. "We’re going to have to rely on foraging and hunting."

  "Oh, Andrev, don’t be such a dead log!" Nita said. "We have a few coins left. Anyway, what makes you think we’ll be able to either hunt or forage in the Blackwood?"

  Chassy spoke up, interrupting what was sure to have been a denial from Andrev. "I agree with Nita. We’re going to have to buy supplies."

  Andrev shook his head. "I think we should ration our food and save the gold. The two of you eat entirely too much. And we don't have any time for shopping."

  "I'm not talking about seeing the sights, Andrev. But we're going to need more food, even if Chassy and I turn ourselves into weak little twigs like you," Nita said.

  They probably had enough to last a couple weeks, but Chassy didn't know how soon they would reach another town. Shopping now or shopping later—what did it matter?

  Why did he always have to be the tiebreaker? "I have the gold, and I'm going to shop for more food," he said.

  8: The Scrying Mirror

  When they took their leave of the inn Nita bid what she felt was a gracious farewell to the innkeeper, to try to offset Andrev's glaring. It was almost unbearable living with him these days. He thought he knew everything, acted like he was in charge, and was just plain unpleasant to everyone.

  "Well, aren’t you two just the sun and the rain!" Chassy shook his head.

  "More like the sun and the thunderstorm." Nita nudged Andrev with her elbow and smiled. Was he going to be so sour the entire journey?

  "Let's just get to the market and conduct our business so we can get moving," Andrev said. He glared at her, but it seemed a little less severe this time.

  Stretching out beyond the Maiden’s Blush, the market took up most of the northwest quarter of the city.

  "It’s enormous!" Nita said. It surely made the little farmer's market back home look tiny.

  "Creepy," Chassy said, nodding his head.

  Two burly men in leather armor and long clothes flanked the door to the Maiden’s Blush. One rested his hands almost casually on the hilts of a pair of daggers, his cloak thrown back. At first glance, the other appeared to have no weapons; a closer look showed a sword hilt protruding from the right side of his cloak.

  "Someone important must be staying there," Nita said.

  "Someone important would have stayed at the Wineburst," Andrev said. "But judging from the scars on that big guy, whoever is staying here is someone to be afraid of. I suppose it's not a bad thing that we went to the Wineburst."

  Nita didn't care much about guards; she had spied a silversmith's cart. Silver buckles, pendants, and bracelets stretched across a black cloth, arranged to catch the eye.

  The silversmith eyed her up and down, then smiled broadly.

  "Excuse me, sir, can you tell me anything about this mirror?" Nita pulled it from her pack. "It was a gift from a friend."

  The smith started to take the mirror, but looked at it again. His face paled and he raised his hands in protest. "Put that away. I can't buy such things," he said.

  Nita shook her head. "I don't want to sell it. I just want to know its value."

  "Value? It's a scrying mirror. It's valuable to some, but not to one like me. Now take it away before someone sees me with it and asks questions." He disappeared into his tent.

  "What was his problem?" Chassy appeared at her side.

  "Apparently, this is a scrying mirror. Odd fellow, he practically ran away from it." It looked pretty ordinary to Nita.

  Andrev drew in a sharp breath. "A scrying mirror!"

  "What is that?" Chassy asked.

  "In Beezus' Tale of the Elements, one of the characters had such a mirror that allowed her to see things that are happening in the future," Andrev said. He frowned at it thoughtfully. "But some say Beezus couldn't tell a true tale if his life depended on it."

  "Well, I’ve never seen anything but my own face in this mirror," Nita said, squinting at it. "You look and see if you see anything."

  She handed the mirror to Chassy, who looked at it and grinned. "I need a shave and a haircut. Do I always look like this?"

  "Maybe the wizard knew something else you didn't know," Andrev said. "Maybe you can learn how to use it."

  "Maybe there's a book that can teach me," Nita sighed. Maybe she could see the grove and her parents, or find out where Lyear was right now. For now, it was just a heavy lump of metal. Who wanted to lug around something just to look at themselves?

  "Come with me this instant!" a harsh voice ordered. "You’ve drawn enough attention to yourselves for one day."

  9: Meeting a Priestess

  The owner of the voice was a woman no older than them, but dressed in shapeless grey robes. She snatched the mirror from Nita’s hand and slipped it inside her robes.

  "Hey, give that back!"

  "I am a priestess of the Temple of Rehn and Falise," the woman said. "You must come along."

  "You’re a priestess?" Chassy had always thought they would dress in shining robes and be surrounded by a glowing aura like the sun. This woman was draped in plain brown cloth. She was pretty, with shining orange hair, pale skin, and lavender eyes.

  "Be quiet and follow." She turned and walked away.

  Chassy took Nita's hand and followed her back the way they had come until the temple loomed in front of them. It was an oblong stone building as old and weathered as the Shelf back home. Over the arched door, words were carved in the language of the gods.

  The inside was a pristine version of the Shelf, with the gods arranged around the room, their arms upraised to support the roof. The tablet was missing, and the carven figures of the gods were in perfect condition, having been untouched by harsh winds and rain. He stared at the faces of the gods, which he had never seen in such detail. The floor was covered with an enormous rug that he recognized as coming from back home. Hundreds of flames wavered in a chandelier susp
ended high above them.

  Nita looked up and gasped. "How do you light those candles?"

  "Those flames have been burning for more than a thousand years. They were lit by the gods themselves at the founding of this temple," the priestess said. When she spoke, Chassy realized suddenly that she sounded very, very old; her voice was wise, cultured, and powerful. But she barely looked older than Nita!

  "How do they remain lit?" Andrev challenged, as though he didn’t believe her. He actually looked interested in something for once, not angry.

  Then the priestess had to go and spoil it all by smiling at him condescendingly. That put the scowl back on his face.

  "That is a mystery of the order, and the answer is nothing to you. But come," she turned and walked toward the figure of Rehn at the opposite end of the temple. "This is not the room for the conversation we must have."

  Slightly to the right of Rehn’s figure, a door was hidden in the shadows. She led them inside a small study lined with shelves of books. The only furniture in the room were a single chair and a large desk, piled high with parchments, dusty books and candles.

  "As there is no furniture for sitting, we will share the floor," the priestess said.

  Chassy settled uncertainly on the floor, and Andrev and Nita joined him. He wasn’t sure what a priestess would want with them, but she was a priestess, after all, and she had Nita's mirror. At least he was able to take off his pack for a while.

  "I am Lidora, priestess of this temple and of the people of Orchard Vale. You are?"

  "You don’t need our names. Just tell us what you want so we can be on our way. We have important business," Andrev said.

  "Very well, then. How did you come into possession of this mirror?" Lidora held it up.

  Chassy looked from Andrev to Nita. Should they tell her?

  "Where did you get it?" she demanded.

  "It was a gift from a friend," Andrev snapped. "Why do you want to know?"

  "The temple is interested in all such magical items, particularly when they are held by persons wearing Waet silks," Lidora said.

  Chassy looked down at his clothes, wondering why she cared about that.

  "Can you tell us how to use it?" Nita asked.

  Lidora shook her head. "I know nothing of how to use a scrying mirror. But that's not why I brought you here. You need to wear different clothing if you are going to remain in Orchard Vale or travel through the Blackwood. If you haven't brought anything with you in sheep's wool or cotton, the temple has some donated clothing of appropriate sizes," Lidora said.

  She got up and started rummaging through a nearby chest, then began tossing clothing at them: breeches, tunics and stockings of sheep’s wool.

  "I don't understand. What is wrong with our own clothes?" Chassy said.

  "You mean to travel about in your Waet silks?" Lidora seemed surprised.

  "We like them just fine," he said.

  "Your clothing marks you. You’re lucky to have come this far on your journey without being robbed or held for ransom," Lidora said.

  Robbed? Ransom? Chassy's mouth dropped open. He looked down at his clothes, suddenly realizing how different they were from what he’d seen at the inn.

  "Marks us as what?" Andrev said.

  "As either a magic user or a nobleman, of course!" Lidora said. "Who else can afford such finery? Even the Waet products used by the temple have been donated."

  Chassy had never heard his clothing referred to as finery. His face burned as he thought of their actions at the Maiden’s Blush and the Wineburst—how ignorant they must have seemed! And Lidora must think they were positively arrogant.

  Nita held up the leggings. "Don't you have anything that isn't… scratchy?"

  Lidora's lips pressed together. "This is common sheep's wool, and most people in the known world consider it to be perfectly usable. What you wear is your choice, but I advise you to learn to dress like regular folk, or it won’t be long before someone else takes an interest."

  "Thank you. I'll take your offer," Chassy said, trying not to grimace at the wool tunic Lidora offered him. It felt more like a burlap feed sack than an item of clothing, heavy and awkwardly proportioned, not like the fine Waet silk clothing he had worn his whole life. But if this would help them to blend in easier, it truly was a kindness.

  "What about the mirror? Why was that silversmith so upset when I showed him the mirror?" Nita asked, perplexed.

  "I see you are all truly ignorant of what you carry with you. Very well, then, I'll tell you what I know," Lidora said, settling back down beside them. "A scrying mirror is no good to anyone but a person who can scry. It is not true silver, but a blend of silver and godsilver, forged by the gods during the Age of the Gods. No living being has ever been able to reproduce it, and no fire has ever been able to melt it. A wizard who can scry may purchase it, but the wizards stay on their island and have messengers do their purchasing. So it is more likely a thief will try to steal it from you, or brigands will kill you for it, and then they will sell it to a wizard or scryer. No reputable merchant with a care for his life wants to handle it."

  "How can you tell it is a scrying mirror, or that it is godsilver?" Chassy asked. He'd seen a lot of silver, and this looked like the usual stuff.

  Lidora eyed him for a minute, then shook her head and grimaced. "Do not try to sell this, no matter how desperate you become. You will not be able to safely sell any imbued items to anyone but a magic user. Trying will only cause you trouble and draw undesired attention."

  "Are you finished now?" Andrev said. "Can we take our mirror and go?"

  "Please be careful with it." She reluctantly handed the mirror to Nita. "Before you go, I have a request to make of you."

  Uh-oh, Chassy thought. Here we go, making another promise.

  "On your way home after your journey, I would like to examine the gift that Chassy was given." Her eyes dropped briefly to his chest.

  "What gift?" Chassy asked. The pendant seemed to be burning a hole in his chest. He hoped Nita and Andrev would believe she was talking about the pouch from Vornole.

  "I can sense its presence," Lidora said. "It is the reason I came looking for you."

  "It's just a bunch of miniature toys," Chassy said. "I don't think they're any use at all."

  Lidora did not respond, but continued to stare into Chassy's eyes. "Many things which seem useless are magical to those who know how to use them. Do not squander your gifts."

  "Well, uh, thanks for the advice." Chassy tore his eyes away. There was an awkward silence. She was probably waiting for him to agree to it, but he figured he'd better fill one promise before asking another. "We’re grateful for your help, and if we have time and travel back through Orchard Vale, we promise to visit."

  Lidora’s smile said that she knew his secret and would keep it for him. "A well-considered answer from someone so young."

  "Can we make a request of you?" Chassy asked.

  "Perhaps."

  "We’re looking for an elf named Lyear. Can you tell us how to find him?"

  Lidora looked alarmed. "Why would you be looking for one such as him?"

  "You know of him then?" Andrev said.

  "Yes, he is dangerous. I could sense the chaos in him."

  Nita put her hand on Lidora’s. "If you know anything, please tell us. He has some property belonging to another, and we have promised to find him."

  Lidora sighed. "Yes, this Lyear was in the city, not two days past, and he tried to sell some minor magical objects here at the temple. I sensed something else among his possessions—something powerful, something he did not reveal. I declined to buy anything from him, so I would imagine he will be seeking a buyer in Sunoa or beyond."

  "Thank you, Lidora."

  Lidora rose and gave a slight bow with her palms up in front of her. "Go, then, with the blessings of Rehn and Falise. May Sesh calm the winds and part the rains in your path."

  As they walked away, Chassy looked back at Lidora standing in the
doorway and wondered if they would ever meet again.

  "Nita, you need to be more discreet! Now at least two more people know about it," Andrev scolded.

  "Stop being so difficult," Nita said. "She doesn’t know where we’re going or about Master Vornole. I don’t see why you make so much fuss about everything. We could use a little kindness along our way."

  "Let's just buy what we need and go. We don't have time for arguing." Chassy's irritation must have leaked through, because Andrev simply closed his mouth and plowed ahead down the busy street. They followed him as closely as possible. The crowd began to thin near the market, and Chassy saw the guards in front of the Maiden’s Blush.

  "I wish we had guards," he said. "This is our last chance to get supplies for a while. I wonder what we should get."

  "We have more than we can carry now. But we do need to get torches, I suppose," Andrev said.

  "Torches?" Chassy asked.

  "We have to take a path through the Blackwood. There should be other travelers like us, since it is the most direct road to Sunoa, but there will also probably be bandits. And it will be black day and night, because no sun reaches through the trees."

  Chassy thought of their nights spent just inside the wood, and he shuddered.

  It took them nearly a quarter hour to find the torcher's shop. Chassy thought it was strange, maybe even a little spooky, that a city could have a shop that sold only torches. The Blackwood must be a dark place, indeed.

  The shopkeeper pulled out six different types, including a portable lamp with an oil reservoir, but in the end Chassy chose the cheapest, which still cost them a dozen silvers. The main drawback to these was the smell and the smoke.

  "Yeh, these here torches’re so heavy that a sturdy donkey can only carry enough for one trip through," the shopkeeper added, as he loaded the torches they had just bought into a big sack.

  "Oh, we have horses. We’ll just divide them up among the three," Chassy said as he tried hoisting the sack of torches on his shoulder. The sack didn’t move, and he almost fell over.