by AC Cobble
“I don’t know what I was worried about I guess. I just knew it couldn’t be good if you didn’t get your free days. Can you tell me about it?”
“Let’s walk,” said Meghan. “This is the Initiate’s Garden and that building over there,” she gestured to a long three story white building, “is the Initiate’s Hall. It’s where we all stay, take our meals and have the little free time that we do. We can’t take you in, of course.”
“Of course,” he responded. He looked over the building and eyed the garden. There were several clumps of young women in plain but well-made dresses escorting either young men or older couples around the garden. Initiates with their boyfriends, brothers or parents he guessed. Curiously, there were no male initiates he could pick out.
As the girls led him deeper into the garden, he asked, “is everyone studying here a, ah, a girl?”
Amelie smiled and Meghan responded, “thinking about joining Ben?”
“No, I just didn’t see any guys.”
“That’s because you’re right. There aren’t any male trainees,” explained Amelie.
Trying hard to hide a broad grin, Meghan added, “males have a more difficult time learning control. Which isn’t a surprise to any woman who’s had to deal with men. Some years ago, The Veil decided this place wouldn’t train men. You saw what Lady Towaal is capable of. It was determined to be too dangerous to have men wielding that kind of power on the island.”
“So, there aren’t any male Mages?” queried Ben. He’d never really thought about it and it was always ambiguous in the stories.
Meghan shrugged, “there aren’t any here. Men lack control but they do have the capacity to learn magic.”
“Where would they learn though?” questioned Amelie. “I can’t think there are many men who are able to learn it on their own. Our instructors shared that it is possible to learn on your own but unlikely one would achieve any notable ability. It can be rather dangerous. Without proper guidance that is,” she added quickly with a sidelong glance at Ben.
“Dangerous, how? What can happen?” He knew they were in good hands, but all of this discussion on danger made him nervous for the girls.
“It’s not really something the Sanctuary likes to share outside the walls so we can’t talk about it much. Don’t worry though, we are fine and they take it slow. We’re not rushed into anything we’re not ready for. We can’t talk about that now, but we can show you the gardens. They really are lovely and unlike anything else in the Sanctuary.”
Ben had to admit she was right, the gardens were lovely. They had an astounding variety of plants and flowers and all of them seemed to be in full bloom. Each one had been placed with precision to accent the flora around it. Bright blues with loud oranges, vibrant greens and buttery yellows. Each arrangement felt right. There were also a variety of fruit trees scattered around producing apples, pears and orange, green and yellow skinned fruit the girls called citrus. They said it made an excellent juice and plucked and peeled one of the orange ones for Ben to try. The fruit came apart in segments and was very tender. When he took a bite the sweet liquid filled his mouth and he thought about snatching a couple more to take back with him.
“What are these called?” he asked around a mouthful of the fruit.
“Oranges,” replied Meghan.
He looked at the bright orange skin. “Ok.” He looked at Meghan to see if she was teasing him but she looked back with no trace of the expected mirth. He frowned down at the fruit, swallowed then continued the conversation, “tell me about your training, or at least what you can. What are you spending all of that time doing?”
“It’s a lot on theory so far,” answered Meghan. “The theory of how different forces in the world act. Physical, social, political…”
“There is a lot of political theory. A lot,” affirmed Amelie with a nod.
Meghan grinned. “Amelie doesn’t always agree with what our teachers have to say. That’s been part of the struggle and why we haven’t had as much free time as planned. Every time she disagrees with Mistress Eldred, we get another reading assignment or essay to complete. At first, there were a lot of disagreements.”
“You’ve started coming around to her point of view?” Ben asked Amelie.
“Let’s just say I’ve seen the futility of debate. The Sanctuary has some very strong opinions on certain subjects and one way or the other, they expect you to fall in line. It’s better if I just go along with it, for now.”
“I for one am delighted,” chirped Meghan. “Every extra reading assignment that Amelie got, I got too. It’s part of the Sanctuary’s teaching method. Don’t get me wrong, Lord Velson’s musings on the benefits of the categorical denial of rights to the peasant class and the tradeoff with the effort to enforce breeding standards in that class is fascinating. But after a while, a girl is ready for a break.”
“Wait,” said a confused Ben, “the categorical denial of rights? What does that mean?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” answered Meghan. “They have us read opposing viewpoints then argue the merits. Not every position can be the most sensible one.”
“It’s really quite droll,” said Amelie. “The Sanctuary feels it’s important for Initiates to understand the political climate among other things before continuing their studies in the arts. There’s a certain responsibility that goes along with becoming a Mage. And on that subject at least, I agree whole heartedly.”
“Yes,” concurred Meghan, “it wouldn’t do having people running around slinging lightning bolts with no understanding of the consequences.”
Conflicting Interests
Ben’s feet kicked up little puffs of dust as he circled around the stone rimmed fountain. His sword was held steady in front of his face and his breathing was even. Shirtless in the hot, still summer air, he could feel beads of sweat work their way slowly down his back. The heat was stifling and seemed to have sucked the energy out of the city. The normal sounds of life that would have floated their way to this empty courtyard were absent. The only sound was the low scuff of bare feet on dusty stone.
Outwardly, he appeared solely focused on his movement and the other man across the dry fountain from him. But in his head, he was constantly calculating and recalculating odds. What were his chances if he darted to the right, how about if he went left? Minutes before, he’d tried stepping back towards the narrow alleyway that was the only entrance to the courtyard to give himself an advantage, but his opponent grinned and moved towards a tight corner and signaled he was willing to wait.
In a snap, his decision was made. He scanned with the bottom of his eye the rim of the fountain. He was looking for a flat spot in the rough mortar and would step there then launch himself straight over the fountain. He hoped to surprise his opponent and gain precious time before he could react. So far, they’d been dancing around the edges of the fountain with minimal engagement.
Just as Ben tensed to make his move over the fountain, Rhys shouted, “come on! I’m sweating to death out here just to see you two walk in circles. Forget the wager; the first round is on me if we leave right now.”
Saala dropped out of his fighting stance and smirked. “If you’re satisfied Master Ashwood, I am as well.”
“Sure,” replied Ben. “If Rhys is buying then we both win.”
To make things interesting and get motivated in the oppressive sticky heat of late summer, they’d started wagering that Saala would by a round for every time Ben landed a strike. If Ben couldn’t land one, he’d buy all of Saala’s ale that evening. About half of the time recently, Saala ended up buying a round or two. It’d been a week since Ben had been unable to score at least one strike on him. One strike during the course of one or two bells practice didn’t seem like much, but it was a big improvement from what he could do a few short months before.
“Finally,” grunted Rhys. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more bored by a sword fight. It’s too hot for this strategic nonsense. You stick them with the
pointy end. What else do you want to know?”
“Some fighting is speed and flash. Some is strategy,” voiced Saala. “Knowing when to attack is just as important as how to attack. Although, I’m sure Ben and I both would benefit from your extensive experience. Maybe tomorrow you want to participate instead of just watching and complaining?”
“Yeah,” said Ben. “Why don’t you join us? For a man who makes a living with his blades, shouldn’t you practice some?”
Rhys grunted again, “I only start it when I mean to stop it. You two hope to gain an edge by practice. I keep my edge because there is no holding back. Besides, I’ve done my share of practice over the years. I’ve been doing this for a very, very long time.”
“How long could you have been doing this?” challenged Ben. “You aren’t much more than 10 or 15 years older than me.”
“Longer than you would think possible,” retorted Rhys before sharing a long, direct look with Saala.
“Interesting,” said the Blademaster.
Ben felt like he’d missed part of the conversation. He was interrupted from further questions though when they got to the entrance of the Flying Swan Inn and were nearly trampled by two massive, grim faced and block shaped men who pushed their way out the door.
An angry looking Mathias was standing near the entry when they got in. “Who were those men?” inquired Ben. It was clear Mathias been upset by them.
“Trouble. More for you than me though.”
“Trouble for me? What do you mean?” asked Ben.
“Let’s sit down.” Mathias motioned to an empty table near the back of the room away from the afternoon crowd. “Claudia, a pitcher of Ben’s lager please.”
Saala and Rhys had both gone into alert mode when their friend Mathias mentioned trouble, but the threat had obviously passed for now.
“Those were Gulli’s men,” explained Mathias when they sat down.
“Gulli?” asked Ben. He looked to Saala and Rhys but Saala was as confused looking as he was. Rhys though looked concerned, unusual for him.
“I suppose it’s really Lord Gulli,” continued Mathias, “although he doesn’t act like any Lord I’ve heard of. He runs a lot of businesses in The City. Everything from gambling dens and brothels to a team of masons and a linen factory. Most importantly for you though, he has the largest brewery in The City and supplies ale to over half the taverns on this island. You must be getting a lot of interest in your brew for his boys to start making house calls.”
“Business has been good,” replied Ben cautiously. “We sell to you and a few other taverns now but it’s not like we’re any threat to an operation like that. I’m only doing about 40 kegs a week.”
“You’re selling to more places,” broke in Rhys. “I thought you were going to keep it small?”
Ben frowned, “Renfro really pushed to expand. He’s been so unhappy here that I thought it’d give him something to keep occupied.”
“Well, it must have been enough,” added Mathias. “Gulli’s goons were asking about you and whether I’d consider switching to another supplier – that being Gulli of course. Don’t worry about me, I’ve got enough friends that I’m not intimidated by his thugs. But some of the other tavern owners might be. More importantly, you better watch your back. I’ve heard stories about Gulli before and he plays dirty. Competitors have had their stores trashed and there are rumors people have turned up badly injured or missing. He’s tight somehow with senior members of the Sanctuary, so even though there are a lot of rumors, the City Watch hasn’t stepped in. He thinks he’s outside of the law and he’s very, very dangerous.”
“We can be dangerous too,” muttered Rhys darkly.
The next Newday, Ben sat slumped in a corner of the Flying Swan Inn going over his ledgers. In addition to being his biggest customer, Mathias had become one of Ben’s best friends in The City. The man was an excellent listener and appreciated complexities and qualities in ale that was beyond even Ben. He offered Ben a spot at a table whenever he wanted and the serving girls had learned to leave him alone when he was working.
The Flying Swan Inn was a well-run establishment that benefited from it’s proprietor’s sole focus on running the place. The common room was constantly in a state of being cleaned and Mathias spent extra for comfortable tables and chairs. He lined the walls with memorabilia from other people’s travels and added other little touches that created a welcoming ambiance. It was a far step above the Buckhorn Tavern in Farview in terms of quality, but it held the same feel of home for Ben so he was happy to do work there instead of in the dimly lit cellar he did his brewing.
Today, he was having trouble focusing on getting the ledgers done and it wasn’t long before Mathias stopped by his table to ask what was wrong.
“Visitation day is cancelled again, I heard it from a meat pie seller down the street,” grumbled Ben.
Mathias, who was familiar with Ben’s relationship with Amelie and Meghan asked, “what, the girls acting up in class again? Hold on, you said a meat pie man told you. So it’s cancelled for everyone?”
“Yes, that’s what I heard. I was still going to walk over this afternoon during my normal time but it’s probably a wasted effort. Supposedly some important visitors showed up in the night and they don’t want any strangers on campus.”
Mathias surveyed the room before pulling up a chair at Ben’s table. “This is just rumor, but there is word that representatives from the Coalition are here. I heard it from a man I used to work with. Someone I trust. This kind of thing usually is all over town though and I haven’t heard a peep from anyone else. I’m not sure what to believe, but it would explain why the Sanctuary doesn’t want any outsiders behind those walls.”
Ben frowned. “The Coalition? But the Sanctuary is aligned with the Alliance. I was there with Lady Towaal at Whitehall. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Mathias rapped one scar crossed hairy knuckle on the table and replied, “what the Sanctuary says they do and what they do aren’t the same thing. Take anything they show to the world with a grain of salt. Lady Towaal was at the Conclave but I heard she didn’t sign the agreement, right? I don’t claim to know the mind of The Veil, but this wouldn’t be the first time she played both sides. Like I said, I’d expect that news to be everywhere and it isn’t. So that means it’s not true at all or it’s very true and it’s serious.”
“What would the Coalition want with the Sanctuary anyway?” wondered Ben. “I heard the Mages never participate in war. That’s why Lady Towaal didn’t sign the agreement.”
“You’re right, they don’t participate in war. Too great a risk to their pompous selves I guess. But there’s still a lot a Mage can do without fighting. Healing, telling the weather, farseeing and so on. Could be gold too. Running a war costs a lot of money and the Sanctuary has more of it than anyone. Borrow some money now and pay it off afterwards with concessions the Sanctuary wants. One thing about The Veil, she plays the long game.”
Just then, Ben heard a familiar sound and looked up to see Amelie and Meghan speaking with one of the serving girls and looking his way.
“Ben!” shouted Amelie and she flew across the room to wrap him in a tight embrace. Meghan followed close behind.
“Meghan, Amelie, what are you doing here!”
Both girls began to excitedly talk at once before Meghan deferred and Amelie took the lead, “they let us out for a free day! We’re not due back until two bells after nightfall! Mistress Eldred came to the dormitory last night and told us we’d progressed so well that we could leave the grounds. We found Rhys’ apartment this morning and he said you’d probably be here so we came to find you.” She gave a long pause before finishing, “and here we are. Are you busy? Can you show us around? I don’t want to interrupt your business meeting.”
“Oh no,” Ben turned to Mathias, “this is my first customer and friend, Mathias. He runs this place. Of course I’ll show you around. Wow, I’m just surprised. Giving an extra free day doesn’t
sound like the Sanctuary I know.”
“There was some talk of important visitors on campus so many of the classes were cancelled. I think we just got lucky,” said Meghan.
“Lady Amelie,” said Mathias with a deep bow.
“Yes,” blushed Amelie, “but I prefer not to talk about that here. Right now I’m just an Initiate at the Sanctuary like all of the others.”
“Of course, you can trust me and that’s the last I’ll say of it. I was just surprised to hear you were studying at the Sanctuary. I figured Lord Gregor would want you home with all of this Alliance and Coalition business starting up. I can’t imagine he, or anyone else, would want you accidentally running into members of the Coalition.” Mathias looked to Ben and tilted his head slightly.
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any chance of that. Maybe I shouldn’t say this to a stranger, but if you’re a friend of Ben’s… I was at Whitehall in the Conclave when the Alliance pact was signed – I was one of the signatories. Lady Towaal was there as an observer from the Sanctuary. I can’t imagine anyone from the Coalition would come near here.”
Ben looked back at Mathias and quickly decided to keep silent about the rumors he’d shared. Amelie was a long way from home and none of them were close to the halls of power in this place. If this Mistress Eldred had sent Amelie away for the day, maybe it was for the best.
“Well, in that case, let’s go see The City!” Ben exclaimed with excitement that managed to sound only slightly forced.
During the last few months, Ben spent much of his time working on his business in the cellar brewing then ducking in and out of taverns to make sales calls. In his free time, he’d been with Saala and Rhys practicing the sword or the Ohms. Renfro spent a great deal more time exploring The City but Ben didn’t feel like tracking him down for this.
“What do you want to see first? The sculpture gardens and the bone museum are the most famous. They say the theatres are the best in Alcott but it’s a little early in the day for that. There’s also the pleasure pier or the tea houses on the east side. I haven’t been there much but I’m told it’s nice if you like tea. There are musicians in a few of the busier markets but if I’m honest, I have no ear for music and I can’t tell you if they are any good. If you’re feeling adventurous, we could go up in one of the public towers and cross some of the sky bridges.”