by M. L. Brooks
“How would you know that?” asked Broadleaf.
“I… I went inside it okay! I saw someone on the other side and I thought if I went in I could save the village!” said Catt.
“Well, you made it out in one piece. What did you see?” asked Broadleaf.
“There was another tear of some sort on the other end with a man chanting. I think he’s the one causing this. I tried to fire an arrow at him but some sort of barrier protected him,” explained Catt.
“If the barrier is magical in nature I could take a look, but if the man on the other side is a wizard capable of doing this I don’t think we’ll have a chance against him,” said Shea.
“I’ll help you fight him!” exclaimed Catt.
“It’s three against one then, and I don’t back down from a challenge,” said Adair.
“You can’t go Catt, it’s too dangerous,” said Broadleaf.
“Grandma, I have to go! I’ve already been to the other side, and they need my help,” pleaded Catt.
“No, I’ll go with them. I can’t risk losing you,” said Broadleaf.
“I’m going, whether you want me to or not,” cried Catt. She turned around and dove into the tear. It splashed as if she was jumping through water, and then they could see the hazy outline of her body land on the other side.
“No! Go after her!” wailed Broadleaf.
“On it! Shea, let’s go!” ordered Adair as she jumped into the breach.
On the other side of the breach, they were standing on a rocky path that lead up a small hill. On either side of the path was a black smog that Adair couldn’t see through. Stars twinkled in the sky, giving off enough light to clearly see the way ahead of them. The place gave Adair a distinct feeling of emptiness. A few yards ahead of them on the path was Catt.
“This is interplanar magic,” said Shea as she looked around.
“I’ve never heard of that,” said Adair.
“You feel that emptiness too, right? Wizards have studied this stuff for years but we don’t have much to show for it. Something about this place makes magic more volatile,” said Shea.
Seeing them approach, Catt turned and signaled them to be quiet. She led them up the path. At the top was a round clearing with another breach in the center much like the one they entered through. This one was blue. On the other side was the outline of a tall, thin person with angular shoulders. The shape seemed masculine and had some kind of weird cloak floating around the shoulders.
Crouching behind some boulders, Catt waved Adair and Shea up to her.
“That’s the guy doing this,” whispered Catt.
“I don’t think he is. He isn’t coming through and nothing bad seems to be happening. It looks like he’s doing something on his side like Heron is doing on our side,” said Shea as she stepped out from behind the boulder and started walking toward the figure.
Her intuition was telling her that they were not in danger.
“Are you trying to close the convergence too?” asked the figure.
His voice sounded muffled, almost as if he were speaking underwater.
“Yes, but we don’t know how,” replied Shea.
The figure seemed peaceful enough, so Adair walked up beside Shea. Catt huffed but rolled out from behind the rock and followed with them.
“Do you know alchemy?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m in the Mage’s Guild,” replied Shea.
“Ah, I’m Alfein. I’m one of the Forest Fae in my world. I just want to close this convergence before it spreads,” said the figure. “Copy these runes with me,” he said and the outline of various sigils began appearing above him at the gesture of his hand.
“What’s that going to do?” asked Shea.
“It will close the convergence,” said Alfein.
“Won’t that trap us here?” asked Adair.
“It will take a few minutes for the convergence to fully seal. I came in to survey around, and someone on your end is already working to close it. I will close it on my end, and we need someone from within the void to fully erase the tunnel. After you cast the runes, you can run back through the convergence on your side. Or, well, you’re welcome to join me too if it suits you.” The figure laughed.
“We can’t trust him,” growled Catt.
“I already told you, my only interest is in sealing this convergence. If they spread, we would all be in a lot of trouble,” he said.
“He’s telling the truth about these runes,” offered Shea. She recognized their general shape and meaning although they had flourishes to the them that she had not seen before.
“Let’s help him and get out of here. Cast the runes!” ordered Adair.
Shea nodded and placed her palms around her amulet. The amulet floated off the girl’s chest and levitated in the air in front of her. It lit up, reflecting blues and various shades of the light around it. Shea gestured with her hands, doing her best to copy out the runes using magic sign language. The ground below them started shaking and the blue electricity from the tear surged to the same cadence as Shea’s gestures.
“It’s done,” stated Shea.
“Then I suggest you move,” offered Alfein.
“You heard him, let’s go,” ordered Adair as she started jogging back down the path.
The rocky path was still shaking and was surprisingly difficult for them to run down. When they reached the tear at the bottom of the path, Catt was the first one to jump through. Adair stood by the tear waiting for Shea. Shea ran up right as the path rocked again. She tripped and with a scream, started falling into the black smog below. Adair dove to the edge of the path as fast as she could, reaching out to grab Shea’s hand.
Their fingers barely grasped each other’s and their bodies turned to blue light. In a flash, they had teleported through the tear and were standing on the wooden center of the swamp town. Shea jumped into Adair’s arms, hugging her tightly. Adair could feel the girl’s heart pounding as she hugged her back.
“How did you do that?” asked Adair.
“I don’t know,” replied Shea, shaking her head incredulously.
“It’s called blinking. You’re clearly a witch of some skill,” said Heron as he grabbed Adair and Shea by their shoulders.
“Who do I have the honor of thanking here?” he asked.
“Shea Hille, sir, and I’m a mage,” she said, her big eyes looking up at Heron.
“Nothing wrong with being a witch in these parts. They’re as capable as any druid,” replied Heron.
“I’m Captain Adair Titanborn,” introduced Adair.
“Ah, the Titanborns always had a way of showing up when we needed them.” Heron chortled.
The villagers slowly returned from the nearby wetlands and from locked houses. Everyone cheered for Adair and Shea. After a couple hours of discussing what happened, Broadleaf packed bags with food and other supplies for Shea and Adair to head back out on the road in the morning. They slept on the floor in Heron’s hut by the warmth of a fire. It would take them another four days to reach Bosh Ragan, the last city on their way to Fort Blackrun. [MM1]
CHAPTER 8
The walk to Bosh Ragan was an uneventful one. They kept to the road, and the most unpleasant part of their trip was eating the swamp food that Broadleaf had packed for them. Adair’s stomach didn’t fully adjust to eating frog legs, rice cakes, pickled eel, and a questionable cut of cheese. The weather stayed cool in the mornings and comfortably warm in the afternoons. The trees had just started to turn red and orange for the autumn.
When Adair and Shea arrived at the city, Adair was worried by what she saw. The entire first few miles outside of the city walls encompassed a shanty town. People had built shelters out of old wood, stones, cloth, and every scrap that could be found. Beggars approached them as they walked. Shea stuck close to Adair, and they politely declined the requests for money.
Bosh Ragan started out as the hideout for the warlord of the same name. His army eventually grew to such a size that they needed
their own refuge. After Bosh Ragan the warlord passed away, the city opened up for refugees, criminals, and any lawless person. They were known for their gambling and human trafficking and drug trafficking. The king forbade public discussion or written record of the place but informally allowed the black market to exist. It kept the trouble out of Guardia and gave him sizeable support when he started moving troops to Fort Blackrun.
“Please, you’re from Guardia, I don’t want your money I just want your help!” pleaded one of the older villagers as he walked alongside Adair.
“What do you need?” asked Adair.
“Come to my farm and I’ll tell you everything,” he said, then he leaned in and whispered, “There’s too many ears here.”
“Adair, I really think we should get inside,” said Shea, looking around nervously.
“I knew you rich people were all the same,” he uttered, shaking his head in disappointment.
“Shea, If I can help them then I have to do it,” Adair said before agreeing to follow the man back to his farm.
They followed him through the throng of strung together houses and people barely scraping by. Eventually they reached a fenced off shack surrounded by fields of withered crops. The man led them to a gate in the fence and they walked through. Seeing them, a woman wearing simple peasant clothes and her head wrapped in dirty bandana walked over from the fields.
“Who are you lot?” she asked.
“I’m Captain Adair Titanborn. This is my attendant from the Mage’s Guild. What’s going on here?” asked Adair.
“My name’s Willis, and this is m’ wife. Things have been steadily getting worse in the city. More people are homeless, more people are starving. I wanted to split my crops between the poor and the upper class living in the city. I knew Ivor wouldn’t know, but I thought he would bargain with me first. Instead he just sent his mercenaries in the middle of the night. They salted half of our fields and when they ran out of salt, they set fire to the rest,” said the farmer, his anger building as he told his story.
“That’s horrible!” said Shea.
“Who is Ivor? Do you have any proof that he ordered the mercenaries to destroy your farm?” asked Adair.
“Ivor RAGAN. You know, the family running Bosh RAGAN. No one else out here would do such a thing!” replied Willis.
“Right. So far, we have a crime and we have a suspect. What I don’t have is proof connecting the two. If I go to Prince Abel and accuse Ivor Ragan of destroying your farm without solid evidence then it’s only going to get uglier for all of us,” explained Adair.
“The mercenaries keep a ledger of all of their jobs at their base in town. If you can get a hold of the ledger then it must be on there,” suggested the farmer’s wife.
“Why would they keep a ledger of the crimes they commit?” asked Adair.
“Don’t be daft. This isn’t crime to them, its business. Do you think the guards came running to look into what happened when we told them? The whole town is in Ivor Ragan’s pocket. That’s why we need your help,” said the farmer.
Adair continued questioning them about the specifics of the case. She asked any questions she could think up along the way to create a full picture of what was going on. While Adair questioned the couple, Shea went over and checked the salinity of the soil. Shea went through her own process of examining the crops and the damage that had been wreaked upon the farm. When Adair was done questioning them, Shea walked back.
“If you all help, I think I can fix the salt problem in the soil,” offered Shea.
“How are you going to do that?” asked the farmer.
“Alchemy. If we draw these runes,” Shea started explaining to them as she drew runes into the ground with her foot, “along each row of your crops then we can convert the excess salt into minerals that will actually be beneficial for your crops.”
“Well I’ll be a dropped egg,” muttered the farmer’s wife.
“We’ll help,” agreed the farmer as he hustled over to started copying the rune into the dirt.
The four of them all went down each row of the crops, marking the soil with the runes. Shea followed behind them and made corrections to the drawings as necessary. Once the runes were done, Shea clutched her amulet. She started chanting a spell, causing her amulet to light up. The soil around the runes shifted and then moved into the indentations of the soil as if they had never been written at all. The farmer and his wife watched.
“Was that it?” asked Willis.
“Yes. You should find that the plants start growing heartier than they did before,” said Shea. She put her hands on her hips and was beaming with satisfaction. The farmers were not impressed. This wasn’t the flashy display of magic they imagined.
“Then we’re going to go and check the ledger. Just lay low and we’ll get back to you after we investigate,” said Adair.
The couple thanked them and they headed back to Bosh Ragan.
The inner city was a stockade, complete with block houses positioned along its perimeter. As Shea and Adair walked toward the gate, the guards were judging them. They could see Adair’s armor and Shea’s mage uniform. Recognizing them to be of some status, the guards opened up the wooden gates and allowed them to pass through. The interior was noticeably different. There were actual houses and shops, and even though the buildings had not aged well, everything was much cleaner.
Green banners with black swords emblazoned across them were hung around the city. Adair did not recognize their heraldry. As they walked around, Adair looked for some sign of the mercenary headquarters. She noticed a few men wearing matching green and black tabards. They had swords and looked like the type of men she wouldn’t want to get into a fight with.
“Adair, my legs really hurt. I’m not used to walking like this, can we please find the prince and relax for a minute?” whined Shea.
“Okay let’s do that. It will give me a chance to check in with everyone,” agreed Adair.
Finding where the prince was camped was a much easier task. In the center of Bosh Ragan was a large casino resort. It had the prince’s guards posted out front and the Guardian banner hanging from the windows. It looked as if a giant welcoming party had just started in the prince’s honor. When Adair and Shea walked in they were immediately greeted by hostesses who pulled them off to a side parlor.
Both princes were lounging and drinking in a sea of pillows as a dainty young girl played the lyre for them. Forest green fabric was swathed around her body creating a basic dress or robe. Her soft brown hair was spun up in curls and adorned with flowers. Her string work on the lyre was better than any musical talent Adair possessed but the girl was not of noteworthy beauty or skill. No one in the room seemed to care much, however, as conversation and booze was flowing freely. This young girl was an apprentice escort.
Petra was draped across Prince Abel. He had one arm over her shoulder, the other clutching a goblet of wine. Petra was dressed in the same green robes as the hostesses and her hair was adorned in flowers. She looked up at Adair and waved her hands in greeting. Shea threw herself down on a pillow and rested her legs. Adair’s first instinct was to scold Petra for throwing herself at the Prince, but she also realized that if the Prince was safe and happy then whatever happened was none of her business.
“Petra. I need to talk to you. Now,” ordered Adair. She nodded her head to the hallway.
“Don’t be long,” said Prince Abel to Petra who was getting up and walking into the hallway with Adair.
“I’m investigating the mercenaries here in town. I was given a tip that they have a ledger in their base but I have no idea where that is. I need your help finding them and getting ahold of that ledger,” said Adair.
“Oh honey, the Sword Theater. This town is crawling with them,” said Petra, shaking her head.
“What?” asked Adair, her face scrunching in confusion.
“It’s the name of their mercenary group. They have a tent downtown. Not big but the boys stop by there and pick up t
heir assignments and head out. Anything you’re looking for is probably in there. They aren’t the toughest lot,” said Petra.
“Then we need a distraction to get into the tent,” said Adair.
“I know exactly how to handle this,” laughed Petra.
Petra took Adair’s hand and led her out of the parlor and down a hallway. They entered a room at the end of the hallway. Inside of the room were about a dozen women all in various stages of changing costumes, doing makeup in poorly lit vanities. A few lounged on a sofa that had been built to fit the length of the far wall from the door. The women stopped their activities and looked over at Petra and Adair.
“We’re here on important business and my friend here is going to need your help with a transformation,” said Petra as she sauntered in.
“I don’t get what we’re doing here,” said Adair while trying not to stare at the women.
One of the women walked up to them. She had striking eyes that were so blue they almost looked violet, and black hair with colorful feathers streaming in it where many of the other girls wore flowers. Her porcelain breasts were exposed and the lower half of her body was only covered by a thin red wrap of fabric that tied off in a bow on the side of her hip.
“Put a few coins on the table and we’ll make sure that you get what you need,” said the lady.
“You’re the one bankrolling this,” said Petra, raising her eyebrows at Adair.
“Fine,” agreed Adair as she freed a pouch from her waist and pulled out a few coins and set them on the vanity closest to her.
“Good enough. You can call me Dahlia. What did you have in mind?” she asked to Petra.
Petra pulled Adair over and sat her down in front of one of the vanities. Petra proceeded to rub clay and essential oils into Adair’s hair. She took a small pot of a black clay and a fine paint brush. Petra told Adair to close her eyes and then she painted the black clay around Adair’s eyes. Petra smudged it her with finger as she went. She stripped Adair down and dressed her in one of the escorts robes.