The Unsuspecting Mage

by Pratt, Brian S.

  “All right, I’m coming in,” he says and begins to squeeze back through. At one point he starts panicking when the crack narrows and he becomes stuck. But then he manages to wriggle past the narrow section and at last comes through to the room Miko has found.

  The illumination from his orb shows that the room is small and looks like it had once been used as a storage room long ago. There are several barrels as well as a couple boxes stacked around the room, all of which have a thick layer of dust coating them. Examining the floor, he sees the only footprints disturbing the dust are the ones he and Miko have made. The single exit is a small, narrow hallway leading away into darkness.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone has been in here for a long time,” observes James.

  “Yeah, I wonder who used to use it,” adds Miko. He pokes into several of the boxes and barrels that are still intact but fails to come up with anything worthwhile, just old clothes long past the time when they were serviceable. Looking at James he says, “Nothing of any use here.”

  Finding an old lantern in a box, James takes it and places his glowing orb inside. Now the light from the orb illuminates even better. He crosses the room to the hallway opening and shines the light down it, discovering a simple hallway which extends further than the light can reach.

  “Wonder how far it goes?” Miko asks from behind him.

  “Don’t know,” he replies as he moves into the hallway. The hallway continues for well over a hundred feet before ending at a flight of stone steps leading up. He directs the light toward the top and sees where it ends at a trapdoor in the ceiling.

  He makes his way up the stairs to the trapdoor. Putting his shoulder against it, he pushes and manages to raise it a crack. Amazed at how much strength it took to raise it even that far, he sets the lantern down on a step and braces himself for a second try.

  This time lifting with all his strength, he manages to raise the trapdoor far enough to allow light from his lantern to illuminate what lies beyond. Beyond is another small room, this one as untouched as the one below had been. No one has been in this area for a very long time.

  Then letting out with a grunt of exertion, he raises the trapdoor several more inches, just enough for Miko to scramble through. Holding it open, he says, “Go through and help lift it from the other side.”

  Miko scrambles up the steps and while James holds the trapdoor open, wriggles on through.

  James’ strength is about to fail when he feels the weight ease up as Miko takes hold from the other side. When it’s open far enough that Miko can hold it by himself, James picks up the lantern and hurries through to the room beyond. Now he can see why the trapdoor was so heavy, a barrel was firmly attached to it. Perhaps in order to hide its existence and keep this way secret. He sets the lantern down on the floor and helps Miko to carefully close the trapdoor. They don’t want it slamming down hard and alerting whoever may be around. Just because this area has remained unused for a long time, doesn’t mean a nearby area is likewise deserted.

  After the trapdoor is once more closed, he picks up the lantern and pans the light around the room. The room has stone walls on three of its sides, with a wooden one on the fourth. A door stands closed in the wooden wall. Around the room are more dust covered barrels and boxes. A quick search shows that there is nothing of interest in any of them, only some old cloth that has long since deteriorated.

  Intrigued by the hidden rooms, James wonders where the end of it will lead. He goes over to the door and puts his ear to it. Not hearing anything, he cautiously opens the door and finds that it opens onto a dark, narrow passageway extending both to the right and the left. Shining the light on the floor reveals footprints in the dust, an indication that there has been someone through here recently. Upon closer examination, he finds the foot prints head in both directions.

  Entering the hallway, he shines his light first down to the right, then the left. It looks as if they are standing in what could be a secret passage that might connect to several rooms. Miko enters the hallway behind him and shuts the door. That’s when James notices that he can’t tell where the opening of the door they just came through is. It looks like a solid wooden wall with no apparent openings.

  Whispering, he says to Miko, “Now I can understand why those rooms have been unused for so long. This secret door must have been forgotten. Let’s see if we can figure out how to open it before we go any further. I’d hate to not have a way out of here if things go bad.”

  Nodding his agreement, Miko takes the lantern and keeps watch for anyone approaching while James feels around to see if he can find the opening mechanism. He searches the wooden wall, feeling for any grooves or indentations that might indicate a trigger, also checking the floor for any loose boards. Returning his attention to the wall, this time taking more care in his search, he discovers a small knothole in the wall that is a little loose, but doesn’t move when pressed. He also finds two others that are loose as well and tries pressing them all at the same time. As he applies pressure, all three simultaneously sink into the wall about a quarter of an inch and a barely perceptible click is heard as the door swings open on a silent hinge.

  “How’d you figure that out?” asks an incredulous Miko.

  Smiling with great satisfaction, James replies, “I’ve read stories about stuff like this. It isn’t too hard if you know what to look for.” Also, years of role playing games and designing dungeons doesn’t hurt either, he adds to himself in satisfaction.

  Shutting the door again, he turns and heads down the right hand passage, one direction being as good as another. Keeping the light as dim as he can while still being able to see, he tries to locate cracks of light coming through the walls which may indicate other secret doors. Ten feet further down, the passage turns sharply to the left and after another six feet they reach a juncture where they are faced with the choice of continuing straight or taking a very narrow stairway up.

  James inspects the footprints in the dust and sees that the majority of the tracks follow the corridor straight ahead, while only a small portion continues up the stairs. Deciding that following the main body of tracks will most likely lead to a main exit, he continues down the passage past the stairs.

  After another ten feet or so, he detects a faint outline of light in the shape of a door on the left wall. Pointing it out to Miko, he whispers “Looks like another secret door.”

  Nodding in agreement, Miko says, “Look,” as he points to the tracks they’ve been following. “Most of the tracks end here. This looks like a well used entrance to the secret passage.”

  “I think you are correct,” agrees James. Using the lamp to inspect the wall, he finds a simple latch keeping the door closed. He pauses momentarily as he places his ear to the door. Not hearing anything from the other side, he slowly lifts the latch and opens the door just far enough for him to be able to see through to the other side.

  He cautiously looks out and takes a quick look around. Finding the room empty, James opens the door wider and steps into the room, signaling for Miko to follow. As Miko passes through he closes the door behind him.

  The room looks to be a richly furnished den. The door they came through turns out to be a life sized portrait of a man that has been hinged to the wall, concealing the secret entrance. A large mahogany desk and chair dominate the room, with a large picture window in the wall behind it. Across the room from the desk sits a brick fireplace, now cold and unused. Several shelves line the walls containing many books and other knickknacks. From the looks of this room, the owner is a very rich individual indeed.

  The only exit from the room, other than the one they came through, is a door to the left of the portrait. Nodding to the door, he whispers to Miko, “See if you can see or hear anything.” While he checks the door, James walks across the room to the window behind the desk to see if it can be opened. He finds it held closed with a simple lock and can easily be opened. Glancing out the window, he sees an expansive lawn area extending from the house t
o a high stone wall which looks to surround the grounds of the estate. At the moment there doesn’t appear to be anyone in the vicinity. He whispers over to Miko who is still peering out the door, “Anything?”

  Shaking his head no, Miko says, “Nothing. All seems to be quiet.”

  “Good,” he replies with relief. “Maybe we can get out of here before we’re discovered.”

  “I’m for that,” agrees Miko. “They would take us for thieves for sure.”

  Waving Miko over to him he says, “There’s no one out in the yard so perhaps we could make it over the wall before anyone realizes we’ve been here.”

  “Maybe,” agrees Miko as he gauges the distance between the window and the wall. It’s at least a hundred feet of open lawn. “But that’s a long run to the wall.”

  “Look over there,” James points toward the right, over by the wall.

  Miko looks and sees where a tree is growing close to the wall. “Maybe we could climb that tree and get over the wall?” he asks.

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” nods James.

  Taking one more look to make sure that the area between the window and the wall remains clear, he opens the window and helps Miko through to the ground below. Thank goodness they are on the ground floor. He then follows Miko out the window and closes it quickly once he’s down beside him. They crouch in the bushes beneath the window momentarily as they scan the area for people. Once they ascertain the area is clear, they head out quickly and quietly for the tree.

  They take no more than three steps when from above them on the second floor, a voice cries out, “Guards! Intruders!”

  Looking up, James sees a well dressed man staring at him from an upper story window. Their eyes lock for just a second before he returns to the business at hand and bolts for the tree.

  “Guards!” the man hollers again, “they’re heading for the wall!”

  No longer worrying about stealth, James and Miko make a mad dash across the grounds. Two guards bearing drawn swords emerge at a run around the corner of the house and upon seeing them racing for the wall, move to intercept. “Stop!” yells one.

  Miko makes the tree first and jumps for a lower limb. Grabbing it, he swings himself up into the tree. James throws his backpack over the wall and not being as nimble, has difficulty getting into the tree.

  Reaching his hand down for James to grab, Miko yells, “Take my hand!”

  Seeing the proffered hand, James reaches up and takes hold of it. With Miko’s help, he’s able to get up into the tree. They make their way through the lower limbs to the top of the wall just at the guards reach the base of the tree.

  Swords strike at them as they pass from the tree to the wall, but they’re too far up and the blows are ineffective. Swinging over the wall, they drop down to the street below and James begins looking around for his backpack.

  A small boy stands not two feet away with his back to them. He has the backpack and is rummaging through it.

  James comes up behind him and grabs the boy by the shoulder.

  Startled, the boy drops the backpack as he jumps a foot in the air. Turning, he sees James and Miko standing there. Before James can say a word, the boy bolts and disappears into the crowd.

  James picks his backpack off the ground and turns to Miko, “Get us out of here!”

  “This way,” Miko says then races off into the crowd with James close behind. The people around them continue going about their business, as if two men climbing over a wall were an everyday occurrence. James expected at least one of the bystanders would have tried to hinder their escape or at the very least to have shouted a warning to a constable that something odd was occurring. But no cry arises from anyone and they make it out of the area.

  Finding a quiet alley, they duck inside and stop for a moment to catch their breath. “Do you think they’ll send the watch after us?” James asks. Standing at the mouth of the alley, he peers around the corner for any sign of pursuit.

  “I don’t think we have to worry about the town watch getting involved,” replies Miko. “That was Lord Colerain’s estate we were in. In fact, it was Lord Colerain who was shouting out the window for the guards.”

  “Why wouldn’t he call for the town watch?” he asks.

  “He has his own guards and nobles like to take care of things themselves,” he replies. “It would be a loss of face if he were to come to the town watch for help. Since we didn’t take anything and there was no damage, it’s unlikely that he’ll do anything. Of course, if he comes across us, then he may seek revenge.”

  “Alright,” says James. “Let’s just get back to the Flying Swan.”

  Leading the way, Miko soon has them back at the inn. It’s a tribute to the lack of sanitation of this world that they can come into an inn from the sewers and no one says anything. James tells one of the workers that he’d like two tubs sent to his room, then he and Miko go on up.

  “Two tubs?” Miko asks apprehensively as they begin climbing the stairs.

  “Yes, two tubs,” answers James. “You smell like the sewer.”

  “Actually, I wasn’t the one to fall in, remember?” he reminds him, smiling.

  James replies, “Try it, you may never get another chance.”

  “Alright, but I’m not going to like it.”

  James empties out his backpack and lays the contents on the floor by the bed. A knock at the door heralds the arrival of two tubs carried in by four young boys. It doesn’t take the staff long to have them filled with steaming hot water. One servant brings in two small bowls of a powdery substance, setting one by each of the tubs. When James looks questioningly at it, he’s told that its soap and it’ll help to remove the grime. He tells one of the workers to come back in a few minutes to pick up his clothes and the backpack. That he wants to have them cleaned along with his other clothes they picked up earlier.

  After the workers leave, he strips off his clothes and climbs into one of the tubs. The water is hot but not uncomfortable. Leaning back, he relaxes and lets the tensions of the day melt away. Settling in, he looks over to Miko and says, “Come on, it feels really good.” Reaching down, he scoops out some of the soap and proceeds to scrub the sewer gunk off.

  Not looking convinced, Miko gets undressed and comes over to the tub hesitantly. He gingerly sticks one foot into the water and then pulls it out again fast, “It’s hot!” he says.

  “Of course it’s hot,” he replies, slightly amused. “Being hot just makes it relax you more. Once you get in you’ll get use to it.”

  Putting a toe in the water once again, he cautiously works the rest of his foot and then his leg in. Realizing the water is not going to scald him, he puts the other foot in and slowly immerses himself the rest of the way in. He sits there for a minute, at first not happy with it. Then as he becomes accustomed to the water’s temperature, he relaxes and begins to enjoy the experience.

  Shortly, one of the workers returns to take James’ clothes and backpack, also dropping off two large towels so they may dry themselves when they are finished. James asks him if the clothes could be done by nightfall as he plans to leave in the morning. The worker tells him that they will rush it through.

  Grabbing more soap, he continues scrubbing himself clean. This is the first bath I’ve had in a week, he thinks to himself. He had always liked baths. Back home he would at times soak in one until the water was cold and his skin the texture of prunes.

  He looks over to Miko and finds that he’s beginning to relax and even seems to be enjoying it. Seeing the way James uses the soap, Miko scoops some out and copies him, rubbing it over his skin.

  Knock! Knock!

  “Come in,” James shouts through the door.

  One of the workers at the Inn brings in a package. “This was just dropped off for you from Brockman’s,” the man says. Placing the package on the table, he turns and goes back out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  “What do you need that stuff for anyway?” asks Miko, referring to t
he writing materials.

  “I plan on keeping a journal,” he replies. “And who knows how else it may come in handy.” Like a spell book, he adds silently. He has long since come to the conclusion that he needs to create spells so in an emergency he will have ready access to them and won’t have to take the time to think one up.

  He stays in the tub until the water begins to cool, then gets out and dries himself with one of the towels. Miko gets out as well and soon they are both dressed once more. James is in the last of his clean clothes and Miko dons his dirty old ones again.

  “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” James asks him.

  “It was pretty good, actually,” Miko replies with a grin. “I could get to like it.”

  Miko walks over to the bed and leans over the pile of items on the floor, curious about the stuff from James’ backpack. He picks up the homemade compass that James had fashioned earlier in Trendle during his search for Hern. Holding it up, he looks over to James and asks, “What is this thing?”

  Glancing over and seeing what Miko is holding, he replies, “Just something I made a while back. I used it to find something.”

  “How does it work?” he inquires.

  “I use a spell and it shows the direction of whatever I ask it to find,” James explains. Taking it from Miko, he points out the charcoal line and says, “This line will point in the direction of what I am trying to find.”

  “Wow,” says Miko. “Can you have it find something right now?”

  “No,” he answers as he lays the compass back on the floor. “Magic is not something you should do just for amusement.”

  Disappointed, Miko gives him a regretful look.

  Grabbing his coin pouch, James pulls out two silvers and hands them to Miko. “Here, take these,” he says. “You really helped me today and I appreciate it. Let’s go downstairs and I’ll buy you dinner before you leave.”