The Lone Apprentice

by I K Spencer

  "Are you hungry Anthen? I am famished!"

  "I am not surprised," he teased. "It is nearly noon and you haven't had any breakfast."

  Urvena spread a cloth across his chest and placed small baskets containing bread, dried fruit, cheese and meat. She poured them each a glass of wine, then lay down on her side facing him and nibbled, feeding him as well as herself. He loved the feel of her warm, soft skin touching his and he rubbed her back as they nibbled and chatted.

  "Anthen look!" she suddenly exclaimed after they had finished eating.

  The young guardsman whipped his head around in alarm but saw nothing.

  "The sun! The sun is out!" she cried out excitedly.

  Sunlight was indeed streaming in through the room's only window and he winced; the sun seemed too bright after such a long absence.

  "I must go paint," she said eagerly and sat up. "This light is perfect!" She hurriedly put the food back in the basket. "Anthen, could you be a dear and run and secure me a coach? Besides, I must dress and a lady does not dress in front of a man." She winked at him and playfully pushed him to get moving.

  Anthen hopped from the bed and quickly pulled on his breeches and boots. He smiled at her and left the room while pulling on a tunic. In the hall he paused, cursing himself for not grabbing a weapon, breaking a rule that had become instinctive since he was a young cadet. He considered going back in but decided not to, adding to the mistake.

  He went outside and winced again as he stepped into direct sunlight. The sun seemed so bright that he had to shut his eyes for a moment, then slowly open them. Even then, the throbbing in his temples did not go away altogether. He cursed the spring rains for making the sun's rays seems such a shock to him. He hailed a coach and told the driver to wait, then raced back inside the building. He felt a bit lightheaded after dashing up the stairs and he leaned against the wall for a moment. He started for the doorknob instinctively, then knocked softly instead.

  "Anthen?" queried the muffled voice from within.

  "Yes. Are you finished?"

  "Just a minute ... Yes, you may come in now."

  Anthen entered the room and found her fully dressed and ready to leave, the basket hooked under one arm. He felt shabby in her presence and hastily tucked in his shirt and combed his hair with his fingers. She took his arm and they walked back down to the entrance, discussing their plans to meet that evening. The maiden paused before going outside and suggested they part there since affection in public was not proper, especially for an unmarried woman. They kissed for a long time before she pushed him away with a smile and hurried out to the coach. He watched the coach drive away, then returned to his room.

  He thought about how to spend the day as he paced back and forth. He felt keyed up and ready for some action, though his head still pounded for some reason. He thought briefly that he should report to Garrick but quickly decided against it. He was sick of the elder guardsman's endless questions about his uneventful meetings with Cidrl as well as the constant warnings about Urvena. As he bathed, he decided to take a ride north from Gates and familiarize himself with that area.

  The throbbing in his temples magnified as he stepped into the bright, sunlit street again. He paused for a moment, waiting for the pain to pass and his sight to adjust. Once his vision cleared, he looked around and caught sight of a familiar form to his left.

  The man in black lurked less than a block down the street, which was busy with noon traffic. Anthen suddenly felt seething anger at the man, frustrated by the stagnant situation with Cidrl and furious that the probable enemy had seen Urvena. Somehow this man must know something and it was time to find out what.

  Without really thinking it through, the normally cautious guardsman turned and strode purposefully toward the man in black, who glanced up briefly before averting his pale eyes. As Anthen neared, he looked up a second time and a third, as if he couldn't believe that the apprentice was coming right at him. Anthen’s angry glare allowed no other interpretation and, finally realizing he had been discovered, he turned quickly and started to retreat. When Anthen called out for him to halt, he started to run and so did the angry guardsman. Within a couple of blocks the nimbler, younger man caught up to him in a deserted alley.

  Anthen roughly grasped the fleeing man's shoulder and whirled him around. "Who are you?! I've seen you following me! Why are you following me?!"

  "Release me sir. I do not know what you are talking about," the man in black said, shaking his head in apparent confusion.

  Anthen roughly shoved the fair-headed man against the stone wall of a building. "Why are you following me?!"

  "I am not following you! I—" The man's words were cut off as Anthen clutched his throat. The guardsman was quivering with rage.

  The stranger, struggling for breath, slid his sword free and brandished it in front of Anthen's angry face, though seemed intent on avoiding violence. Anthen stepped back and drew his own sword. Bellowing with fury, the guardsman charged. The two men were both tall and lean but Anthen clearly held an edge in both strength and skill with a blade. The man in black offered little challenge for the elite soldier and Anthen quickly disarmed him.

  "Tell me," Anthen commanded, then smashed the man in black across the face with his sword hilt when he started to shake his head. The blow knocked him to his knees. "Tell me!"

  Bleeding from the mouth, the man tried to rise and Anthen kicked him viciously in the back, pitching the battered stranger to the filthy ground. Two more times the apprentice repeated the order and kicked the man when no reply came. At the second kick, the other ceased moving. His fists shaking with pent-up fury, Anthen fought against a tremendous urge to kick the prone figure again. He closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down. It took a few minutes before the apprentice felt calm enough to open his eyes again and as the rage left him, he suddenly felt very tired.

  The young guardsman felt sick to his stomach as he stared in shock at the unconscious figure at his feet. He couldn't figure out where the rage came from; it seemed as though someone else committed this violent act. How could he be such a fool? Not only had he inexplicably lost control, their only lead now knew that he had been detected by the apprentice.

  As he calmed down though, he also realized that this was not the time to analyze the situation. He looked hastily around for witnesses and seeing none, breathed a sigh of relief. The man in black did not appear to be seriously hurt but Anthen kneeled and felt for a pulse anyway, which, thankfully, was strong and steady. The guardsman carefully dragged the unconscious figure to the busier end of the alley, where he would be seen and attended to, then left quickly through the opposite entrance.

  He went immediately to the stables and rode north on Rorc. As soon as the city limits were behind him, the troubled young man pushed the strong animal to a full gallop. It felt good to ride hard, though the wet ground and mud from the extended rains kept the big bay far from its top speed. He rode hard for nearly a half-hour, letting the speed divert his attention away from his inner turmoil, then rested the tiring animal. After the rest they continued on at a more reasonable pace.

  The muddy road generally led north but was far from straight, evidence that the farms and ranches predated the road. The land north of Gates mirrored the now familiar terrain to the east between Gates and Cidrl's land—endless grasslands, now vivid green with fresh growth, with very gradual and limited changes in elevation. He spied more crop farms versus livestock ranches than to the east of Gates so perhaps the area offered better soil. All the crops were bursting with new life from the steady rain. The estates became larger and more sparse the farther away from Gates Anthen traveled. He saw few people on the road and those he did see shied away from his approach. He noted fear in their eyes when he passed them and he sensed it was more than just the normal apprehension of meeting a grim-faced horseman.

  During the excursion, Anthen's mind kept replaying the ugly scene in the alley, searching for an explanation. Why had he lost control? Certai
nly he was frustrated by the situation with the two elder guardsmen and did not like the thought of the man in black near Urvena but now, it seemed ridiculous for him to have become enraged by such circumstances. He could not deny the similarity of this episode with what happened with Urvena and, though it pained him, he had to admit the two events formed an alarming pattern.

  After searching for an answer for the better part of the afternoon, he saw no explicit reason for his strange behavior, though he did have a possible explanation. In truth, he was adapting to a very different world than he had ever imagined at the academy. He’d also been ensnared in a very stressful and frustrating situation; perhaps he should expect strong feelings to result. What he could never tolerate, however, were the resulting impulsive and violent reactions. Discipline was drilled into every cadet at the academy and until recently at least, one of his strengths. As he rode he silently pledged to control his anger from that moment on, regardless of the situation.

  He spent the entire afternoon on the journey and it was near dusk when he returned to his lodging. He hurriedly bathed and dressed before escorting Urvena, dazzling in a bright green gown, to the theater for the evening. The attention the beautiful woman drew somewhat concerned the guardsman, though he doubted that many of the stares would spend much time actually cast in his direction.

  After bidding the maiden goodnight, Anthen knew he could no longer put off reporting to Garrick. Delaying the chore a bit longer though, he released the coach and walked to the elder guardsman's lodging. The streets were dark and empty and he used the time to compose his thoughts. Upon arrival he saw no light coming from the dwelling but the door opened almost immediately at Anthen's gentle knock. The pair nodded without speaking and the apprentice felt his anger rising as he smelled the familiar scent of whiskey. He took his usual seat across a small table from the older guardsman.

  "There is nothing to report," Anthen stated flatly.

  As usual, Garrick poured them both some whiskey and lit his pipe before speaking.

  "Tell me what has happened since we last met," Garrick queried as if Anthen had not spoken.

  "Nothing. I spent the last couple days at the estate and returned this morning. I trained with and talked with Cidrl each day. He did not do or say anything suspicious. He was there the entire time and he had no visitors. As far as I can tell, when not with me, his time was occupied with the cattle."

  "What did he say to you?"

  "He asked me questions about where I spent my time during the last trip here. He asked about who I saw and what I heard, all the same questions he asks every time I report after a trip to town." Anthen felt the older man's stare, the steel-gray eyes scrutinizing him through the haze of pipe smoke.

  "Anything unusual happen?"

  "No."

  Anthen felt a stab of guilt at the lie but rationalized that the morning's incident was not overly important. The mistake with the man in black embarrassed him too much and he did not believe his actions with Urvena were Garrick's business.

  "Anything new with the woman?" Garrick asked.

  "Her name is Urvena," Anthen replied quickly with more edge in his voice than he intended. He paused to calm himself before continuing. "I have seen her a few times. We attended a play tonight and she introduced me to a few people; no one noteworthy."

  "How are you feeling?"

  "What do you mean?" Anthen replied, his tone defensive.

  "Anthen, remember what we are dealing with here," the older guardsman continued patiently. "We cannot assume that you will recognize Cidrl's methods. You must constantly be looking inward for changes and I must always attempt to detect changes in your behavior."

  "I feel fine. Other than common ailments here and there, perfectly fit."

  "You seem disturbed son," Garrick said softly.

  "No," the younger man answered quickly but knew that was not the truth. He paused momentarily, deciding how much the master guardsman needed to know. "Well ... I am just frustrated. Nothing is happening. Cidrl displays no hint that he is even capable of what you suspect. I guess my nerves are raw from being on guard all the time."

  "Yes it is wearing," Garrick agreed. "But you have no reason whatsoever to believe that anything might be happening to you?"

  "No," Anthen answered sincerely after giving the question some serious thought.

  Garrick seemed to accept the answer. The pair discussed Anthen's plans for this trip and his return to the estate. They finished by setting up a number of possible meeting times, then the young guardsman left. As he walked the dark, silent streets back to his room after the meeting had concluded, the apprentice chastised himself for displaying anger before the older guardsman.

  ********

  Garrick returned to the table after Anthen left and slumped forward, cradling his head in his powerful hands. He started to pour himself another glass of the potent liquid he so wanted but stopped himself; it was not what he needed now. He needed to think.

  He did not buy Anthen's explanation that frustration alone caused the apprentice’s foul mood. Clearly, something else was going on but he didn’t understand how or whether it related to Cidrl. He certainly believed that the young man was frustrated, because he felt the same way. They had made absolutely no progress and the difficult assignment wore him down as well. His gut feeling, though, was that additional demons troubled the cool apprentice.

  The old warrior frowned and scratched his gray beard, second-guessing his assessment of the situation. This kind of task played to his weakness. He was a man of action, superior in battle not intelligence. He knew that he could not match Cidrl in this cat-and-mouse game they seemed to be involved in. He looked longingly at the whiskey bottle, then shook his head to chase away the doubts.

  "So you are a man of action," he said aloud, refilling his pipe. "What will your action be?"

  The gray eyes stared into the darkness and he puffed away at the pipe as he took stock of the situation again. The bottom line was that he knew he no longer could be certain of Anthen’s state of mind. In that case it seemed prudent for him to somehow keep a closer eye on the lad. That seemed his only clear move for now and, remembering how easily the cadet had discovered him in previous encounters, he knew he must be very careful to make sure he was not detected.

  If the situation deteriorated further he guessed he might have to get Anthen away, by force if necessary. He shivered with the thought that Anthen might turn into the same mindless creature that had tried to kill him back in Kaslow. He could not let that happen. He would take Anthen away before that, finishing Cidrl at the same time if the opportunity presented itself.

  Feeling better now that he had a plan, Garrick rose from the table and went to his small bed to get a few hours of sleep. Mindful of the apprentice's practice of rising early, he needed to be in position well before dawn.

  Chapter 19

  Garrick stood motionless. The sky was clear and the moon nearly full so he had to be extra careful in his movements. From his vantage point behind a stone wall across the road he could just see the front door of the woman's bungalow.

  Over the last few weeks, while the weather warmed and the world turned greener still, he had carefully followed the young guardsman during his visits to Gates. His job was made a bit easier by the fact that Anthen seemed less vigilant than before. Even with Anthen less wary, though, he had not risked following the apprentice across the open grasslands to Cidrl's estate. When not with Urvena or meeting with Garrick, Anthen had spent much of his time in Gates lounging at different taverns, picking up tidbits of information for Cidrl. He had cautiously followed Anthen but hadn't dared enter the establishments, so he had no idea what the apprentice learned from these efforts.

  As the weeks passed, his concern had grown, though not as much a result of tracking his comrade as the younger man's worsening state of mind. Anthen seemed more and more angry and preoccupied during their meetings and could offer no reason when the elder guardsman had pressed for an explanation.
The only noteworthy event of late, an ominous one for Garrick, was that Anthen had reported a few days earlier that he would soon accompany Cidrl on the suspected traitor's next journey into Dolonar. He knew he could not let that happen.

  The most difficult times for the old warrior had been the periods Anthen spent with Cidrl. He did not dare approach Cidrl’s compound and had agonized that the young man might not return or worse still, no longer recognize him. Those intervals seemed to last forever, with nothing to do but worry. He had finally decided a couple of days ago, in part just to have something to do, that he would watch the woman while Anthen was away from Gates at Cidrl's estate.

  He heard the approach of a carriage and ducked down behind the wall as the coach passed by him. He peeked over the wall after it passed and smiled briefly as the vehicle came to a halt in front of the woman's residence. As he had hoped, the young couple had plans for the evening.

  He had spent much of the last two days in this spot, watching the beautiful maiden. She had not done anything that he could call suspicious, yet something about her bothered him. Though he could not put his finger on it, Garrick's substantial gut told him there was something dubious about the fair Miss Urvena. Thus, as he had trailed Anthen to the woman's cottage this evening, he had decided to search the place if the opportunity presented itself. Since the maiden's lone servant had already departed for the night, his opening appeared imminent.

  The door to the bungalow opened and he trained his glass on the couple's faces as they stepped through the doorway. He focused on Anthen's countenance, searching for signs as to the young man's state of mind. Anthen was smiling but his eyes looked troubled. To Garrick that seemed a good sign; he worried about the day he would see only a vacant look on the young guardsman's face.