Grange cocked an eyebrow and looked at him.
“It’s not my idea; Jadie came up with it after seeing you win the last round,” he nodded to the girl Grange had beaten in the first set.
“I don’t think I’d stand up very long,” Grange replied slowly as he gave the proposal consideration.
“I think you would,” Luri reassured him.
Minutes later, Grange found himself on a mat, facing Jadie and another woman who Jadie had selected as her partner in the unusual match.
“This will be fun,” Jadie grinned, just before the referee to the match gave the starting signal.
Grange fell back defensively to begin the match, and held his own against the two opponents as he chose his spot to defend. When he advanced against the two he grew vulnerable, and had to retreat into a corner again.
When he came out on the offensive the second time, he deliberately aimed low, trying to force the two women to defend their legs before he suddenly raised his offensive moves and attacked Jadie higher. He forced her from the battle, but left himself exposed to her friend’s counterattack and lost the match.
“You almost beat two of our best at once,” Luri congratulated him at the end of the match.
“I’ll do better next time,” Grange grinned, as he shook hands with the two women.
“You say you’ll be here tomorrow morning?” Jadie asked.
“I will be,” he agreed.
“I’ll come by too, if you’ll give me a couple of good matches,” she squeezed his hand firmly, then released their grip.
Grange saw his followers from the embassy near the door. “Are you leaving?” he asked.
“We’re going to a party,” Grace said as she placed her hand on Astel’s arm.
“I’ll walk back to the embassy with the two of you then, if you don’t mind,” Grange replied to the two embassy staffers.
“Come along, young warrior,” Gats said with a kind smile. Grange quickly put away his protective padding and then returned to the front door, receiving nods and smiles from many as he passed by.
“Did the ambassador bring you along to be a wizard, as I thought I heard, or as a bodyguard?” Gats asked when they were in the fresh air of the city street and walking back to the embassy.
“If it’s as a bodyguard, the ambassador will want to protect himself against the low slices,” Rigan observed.
“I thought I addressed that in the last match,” Grange protested, “ and against two at once,” he added.
“You did do better in that match,” Rigan agreed.
“I’ll have to see you use a spear. You’ve had training with a spear, I imagine?” she asked.
“I was trained with a staff, really,” Grange informed her. “Are you a weapons expert and a seamstress?” he asked.
“I observed the spears leaning against the walls,” the woman answered. “I’m just trying to observe what you do and how to make your clothing best suit your needs.”
They walked on in silence. When they passed the market place, Grange mentioned the fish that he had seen for sale in the morning. “The staff said they would have liked to have some,” he mentioned to Gats.
“Since you’re clearly going to be an unconventional resident of the embassy, I suppose we ought to humor you and take advantage of your availability,” Gats said. “If you happen to see some other such prospects in the morning market place, by all means use your discretion to purchase things you see.”
They reached the embassy and entered. “I’m going to go shower again,” Grange told the others, before he headed up to the third floor, and walked to the shower at the east end.
The room had been occupied in his absence. Grange stood in the doorway of the outer room and looked at the personal belongings that were evidence Grace had moved into the room, even though it was on the third floor, among the servants. He hesitated, then concluded that she would not return from her party with Astel in any short time, so he hurried into the shower and turned the water on, before stepping under the lukewarm flow of the nozzle and scrubbing himself clean.
He stepped out of the shower, pulled on his pants, then darted out of the room and up to his fourth floor room, where he felt the steady breeze blowing through the long hall that stretched to the west end of the building. He moved the table beneath the ceiling hatch, and pushed the hatch open, ready to climb back up onto the roof. He didn’t know if he would sleep up there again, now that a new bed had been moved into his room, but he wanted to feel the air and see the stars.
He heard a cough and looked quickly over at the doorway.
Rigan stood there, illuminated by the candle she carried in one hand. In her other hand was a wad of white cloth. “I prepared some sleeping pants for you,” she held the cloth up. “Especially if you plan to sleep on the roof, it seems some modesty is warranted.”
Grange climbed down from the table and walked over to where Rigan waited.
“Thank you,” he told her as he took the pants. He let them fall open, then held them up at his waist, noting that she had provided a drawstring to cinch them shut.
“You fought well. You’ve paid attention to your lessons, I see. Keep up the good work,” Rigan told him then turned and left him standing in the darkness once again, as she carried her candle with her downstairs.
Grange shook his head at the odd personality of the woman, who somehow managed to intimidate him with her quiet strength. He changed into the white pants, pleased with the cool smoothness of the material that slid along his legs. He pulled a sheet from his bed, then climbed back up atop the table and pulled himself up onto the roof.
The panorama of stars overhead was as breathtaking as it had been the night before. Grange circled around the water tank as he checked the views of the surrounding neighborhood, then he settled down on a spot on the roof and lay on his back, watching as a small flurry of shooting stars blazed across the sky, just before he fell asleep.
Chapter 10
Grange awoke the next morning, covered in dew once again, as the sun just started to breach the eastern horizon, while a chorus of birds loudly proclaimed their greetings to the new day.
He returned to his room and regretfully slipped from the pajama pants into his clothes from the day before. He strapped on his sword and knife.
“Hello Ariana, Brielle. How are you today?” he asked the jewels on his weapons he held them up before him and imagined he was addressing real people. As important as the jewels had been in his life, they had faded into non-relevance in recent days. He had not thought of them in weeks, and the memory of attacks by demons, a fearful specter in his life not so long ago, had receded as well.
We are well. Do not be complacent in the easy days you enjoy. Be aware that the evil is still stalking the land, still looking for you, still seeking dominion over all life, he heard the jewels say.
“I’m sure it is,” he answered. “I’m practicing my fighting skills. I even learned how to fight better with my hands,” he assured them.
That is good, you could hardly fight any worse, Brielle’s voice sounded like it snorted.
Physical fighting is good, but there is more you need to learn about the energy, Ariana said.
“I’ll resume my lessons when I return to Brieed’s rooms in the palace,” he said sincerely.
Do not wait. Resume your lessons now, Ariana responded sharply.
“I can’t – there’s no wizard here,” Grange stuttered in confused protest. “There’s just,” he started to refer to Grace, then reflected and paused. “That’s not what you mean, is it?”
Yes, the girl. Make her teach you as much as she can, the jewel’s voice insisted.
You may not be back in Palmland for a long time, perhaps not until it’s too late. Seek the knowledge now, Brielle said.
“I’ll work on it,” Grange prevaricated.
Don’t work on it, do it, Ariana spoke sharply. We demand this because we want you to live. We want you to succeed, she told him in a softer voi
ce.
“Okay,” he groused. “I’m going to go to the market and the armory now,” he ended the conversation as he pulled his boots on and headed down the flights of stairs to the ground floor. He circled back through the kitchen to meet the workers, and asked if they wanted anything from the market. There were no specific orders, so he wandered out into the cool morning air and strolled down the street to the market.
The first person he ran into was the same fishmonger he had spoken to the previous morning.
“You’re easy to pick out in a crowd,” the man told him as he approached the table.
“Do you have any more of the ale fish?” Grange asked.
“Just fresh caught a new batch two hours ago,” the fisherman said, as he gestured towards the front of his table.
“Can I take a dozen?” Grange asked.
They didn’t dicker over the price very much, since Grange had no idea of the going market price, as he opened a tab for the embassy. He wound up with a dozen fish wrapped in large green tree leaves, which he carried back to the kitchen and presented to the shocked man who was stoking a fire in the outdoors oven.
“Thank you kindly, my lord. We’ll have a nice fish stew with the dinner tonight,” the man offered gratefully, before Grange left again to wind his way through the city streets to the armory. The sun was fully above the horizon by the time he arrived, and only Luri was in the building.
“You had them buzzing last night,” the manager told Grange. “You’ll get your fill of challengers for a while.”
“What are the odds of using any other weapons?” Grange asked. “And do you throw bolas?” he added.
“Never heard of bolas; what are they?” Lura asked. “But you can work on your spear and your knife and the bow and arrow any day; we’ve got them supplied, and regular users for each weapon. Of course, the bow and arrow you can practice first thing in the morning before the others come in, like now, if you want.”
“The bolas are two weights with a rope between them. I’ll bring a set to show you sometime,” Grange answered. “I’ll go back and start at the archery range, if you don’t mind,” he informed Luri.
“Would you open some of those blinds for more light while you’re back there?” the manager asked, as Grange passed by.
Grange opened the blinds in the back of the building, then selected a bow and a quiver of arrows, and took his time practicing his archery marksmanship, until Jadie arrived an hour later, one of only a handful of participants to enter the armory.
The girl looked tired, with bloodshot eyes.
“This is unhealthy,” she complained. “And you look like you’ve been here a while,” she told him as she rubbed her forehead.
“Don’t stay out so late going to parties,” Grange teased her with a smile.
“But that’s where I got to learn more about you,” she laughed. “A pair of your fellow foreigners were there, and I joined the group they were talking to. There was a new girl from the palace there – her mom’s a duchess – and she knew all about you too!”
“Shaylee was there?” he asked in surprise.
“You do know her then? I wasn’t sure. In any case, they all had some stories to tell. Remind me to never make you mad!” Jadie said. “Shall we dance?” she motioned to the training mats.
They practiced for an hour, until her companion from the night before joined them on the mats. Casey and Jadie played a tag team match against Grange, until he was out of breath and lost the match after a long, competitive bout.
“I’ve got to go,” Jadie said at that point. “Do you want to go to a party tonight with us?” she motioned to herself and Casey.
“I need to find out if I have any obligations,” Grange answered. “Will you be back here this evening?”
“Good heavens? Do I look like I’m some Amazon warrior? I’ve already worked with you more than I do most days,” Jadie replied. “We’ll come by here at sunset, and if you’re here, we’ll go out together. If not, we’ll see you tomorrow I imagine.”
The pair of young women left. Grange stood watching them for only a moment before he was approached by other members of the armory, and so he remained and practiced with an unending number of challengers until midday, when he finally ended his visit to the armory and returned to the embassy.
“We’ve been wondering if you’d join us,” Astel spotted him as soon as he entered the building.
“Do we have an appointment?” Grange asked.
“Yes. You’re supposed to sing to a hospital this afternoon,” Astel said authoritatively. “You’ll need to get cleaned up,” he stated the obvious.
“I’ll go take a shower and put on clean clothes,” Grange answered mildly, too tired from his work out to say anything else. He ran up the three flights of stairs to his room, where he found an unexpected pile of folded clothes sitting atop his table. There were two sets of clothes, one in yellow and one in black. He selected the black outfit, then went down to Grace’s room, and hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Just a moment,” Grace’s voice called. “Come in,” she invited a moment later.
“Oh, Grange,” she said in surprise. “I thought you were a maid or something.” She was wearing a towel wrapped around her torso, and nothing else. She had just come out of the shower.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, edging back away from him as she realized how exposed she was.
“I came to see if I could use your shower,” Grange answered.
“Oh, go ahead, by all means, I’m done,” Grace said. “But I’ll be out here getting dressed, so please knock before you come out.”
“Certainly,” Grange agreed. He went into the bath and pulled his clothes off, then hopped in the shower to remove the stale dirt that clung to him after hours at the armory. He was relaxing under the water when Grace’s voice called from just the other side of the curtain.
“Do you know we’re supposed to perform today?” she asked.
“That’s what Astel told me,” he replied. “Where are we going?”
“The palace is sending a guide to take us to a leper’s colony. It’s supposed to be a place where people have a terrible disease that takes a long time to kill them; it’s incurable, and horrible. We’ll perform before sunset, and then be back in time for dinner,” Grace explained.
Grange turned the water off. “Is it far away?” he asked.
“It’s on a small island. The palace will provide a ferry.”
“And what will we do after that?” he asked.
“After we get back? Astel and I are going to some parties. I imagine you’ll go to the armory; I had forgotten how much time you spent in the armory at the palace at Palmland, until I saw you fencing at that club last night.
“It reminded me of that time you fought Cale to protect me, when we first met,” she said.
“Do you need your clothes? Are you ready to get dressed?” her arm suddenly thrust into the shower stall holding his clothing.
He put the clothes on while he stood hidden in the stall.
“Do you think you could give me some of the instructions I didn’t get at Brieed’s, while we’re away from Palmland?” Grange asked as he came out of the shower, reluctantly following the jewels’ command. “Things like the amulets, or even the wand – I haven’t even tried to make or use a wand.”
“I suppose I could go over the basics of the amulets, and maybe some ideas about potions,” she said after consideration. “yes,” she said after a pause, “there are some things I could do with you.” The more she thought about it, the more flattered she seemed to feel about the request.
“We can talk about it during the ride,” she told him. “Let’s meet down in the ambassador’s office in an hour, and we’ll go on our way when the messenger arrives.”
Grange slipped out of Grace’s room and returned to his own room upstairs. He carefully pocketed his flute as he considered his schedule. If they returned from the island of lepers in the time that Grace predic
ted, he would be able to meet Jadie and Casey at the armory. Together, the three of them could go to a party or two, and he might happen to see Shaylee. He didn’t plan to stay out very late though; so if there was no sign of Shaylee within the first couple of parties, he’d abandon the quest for the night and plan to try again the following day.
He passed through the kitchen, was given some salted pork and cabbage for lunch, eating the food the staff ate because the meal for the Palmland guests was already finished, and then he met Grace and Bartar and their assigned guide all gathered ahead of him in the front office.
“Grange, are you ready for this first assigned performance?” Bartar asked. “It’s meant to be a peaceful activity you know, not another demonstration of martial prowess,” the nobleman joked. “The people you’re going to see today have no hope of a cure,” he added in a serious voice. “If you and Grace can improve their health, you’ll be recognized as miracle workers, and we’ll have much more access to the palace as your reputation spreads.
“Good luck and smooth sailing,” he told them, then watched the two apprentices follow a grizzled older man out into the street. Their guide took them down to the harbor front, and they entered a small boat with six rowers, who carried them out of the harbor and along the coastline for a thirty minute trip to a small island roughly a half mile off the coast of Kilau.
They pulled up to a dock where a guard inquired about their reason for arrival.
“These foreigners,” their guide explained the reason for their visit for the next five minutes, as the man at the dock listened skeptically. “It’s by the command of the palace,” eventually won the day, and the two wizards climbed up onto the dock.
“We’ll wait here,” their guide indicated himself and the rowers. “We don’t want to go among ‘em.”
The guard on the dock walked them along a trail up a hillside.
“Are they all assembled for us?” Grange asked curiously.
“They don’t know you’re coming, or what you’re doing, or who you are,” the guard said. “They don’t gather together in groups very often. The way they are, they mostly all stick to themselves.”
Perilous Travels (The Southern Continent Series Book 2) Page 12