The Lifesaving Power: Goldenfields and Stronghold

by Jeffrey Quyle

  Alec sat in silence as the gossip began to flow around him. He had assumed that Brandeis’s warm personality and quick wit would have made him a favorite of this crowd of party-goers. Instead they just seemed to gossip about him behind his back; he’d seen the likes of it before with other people in the orphanage and in the carnival, and he knew it was an inevitable part of human nature. As he sat pondering this unseemly behavior, a comment caught his attention, and riveted him back to the words flying around him.

  “I’ll bet she still glows blue,” another girl said.

  “I don’t think that’s true. That’s impossible to imagine,” Circh answered as she shuddered so violently Alec felt it.

  “Why did she have a closed casket then? No one ever saw her,” the girl answered.

  “She died in Oyster Bay; her body took weeks to get here. Of course they had a closed casket,” the man replied. “Of course that would surely put an end to him going to the catacombs if he opened the tomb and saw her remains now.”

  “Can we stop this?” Circh asked. “I just want to have fun, not talk about corpses.”

  “There’s Brandeis now, coming in the door anyway,” another man nearby said. “Let’s go down to Schama’s.”

  “But I just got here and have had nothing to drink,” Brandeis commented as he walked up to the table. “You wouldn’t want to deny me the right to have a famous Coldlake brew here at the Oak Table after spending weeks in the wilderness without any sustenance, would you? If Circh and Alec hadn’t persuaded me to join them in cannibalism we all would have died,” he said straight-faced as he held up a finger for the serving girl. He slid a leg over the bench across from Alec and squeezed into place. Alec sensed again the feeling of melancholy and joy he had first sensed earlier in the day while at the woodlands camp. It was Brandeis who carried the feelings, and at the moment the melancholy was much stronger than it had been. Alec saw no tears, although it felt as if the man was crying on the inside.

  “What’re you having?” he asked Alec. “Please tell me you didn’t start with the ale? It’s brewed from fermented floor sweepings,” he said in a loud, conspiratorial whisper.

  “He hasn’t ordered anything yet; he’s too intoxicated with my beauty as it is,” Circh replied for Alec, leaning against him and draping her arm across his shoulders.

  “If it’s your beauty, then yes, he’s intoxicated, at any rate,” Brandeis said with an understatement that brought a laugh from the crowd and a face from Circh. Alec drank a glass of redberry juice while the others finished their drinks, then followed them out the door towards the next stop.

  Alec reflected on the behavior of these people who had so much given to them so easily. If he had been born into nobility or wealth, would he have grown up like this, he wondered. What type of person would he have become?>

  At the next bar, slightly dingier than the first, more drinks were served and the group grew more intoxicated. Alec maneuvered away from sitting next to Circh, and wound up at the end of a table, half-listening to the conversation that was going on at his end. He felt very hungry, and wondered if there was a plan to eat food anytime soon.

  In a few minutes they rose and walked through the dark streets to another tavern. Alec was the last in the line that threaded between the buildings and the obstacles in the road, and he observed that many of the others were now staggering, or walking irregularly at best.

  He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. In the darkness of the unlit streets in this poor part of town he could see little, and only guessed at the presence of someone else on the street. He reached for his sword to reassure himself, and discovered to his horror that it wasn’t on his hip. It was then that he remembered having taken it off when he laid down on his bed back in the Locksfort compound, and he said a silent prayer hoping that no trouble would befall the group tonight.

  They soon arrived at an open space, and Alec realized they had reached the very edge of the city, where a street ran along top of a dike at the riverbank. A few steps down and they entered a shabbier bar than Alec had ever been in before, one that wasn’t very crowded that evening.

  Alec felt uncomfortable. This wasn’t the kind of place he’d ever visit on his own. He was sure that others from the Locksfort picnic crew, the responsible ones like Durer and Johanna, would not have come to a place like this either. As the group settled down and had their first drinks, the door opened, and half a dozen men walked in, looking at the young drinkers as they took a table close to the front of the public room.

  After several minutes, the group at the other table rose one by one and walked across the room. Alec watched them spread out and casually circle around the young Locksforts, although no one else paid any attention. Alec wished desperately for his sword, and began to consider what alternatives he would have for a weapon.

  “You young lads and lasses shouldn’t be in a place like this,” one of the men said loudly, and he slapped the side of his sword down on their table to draw their startled attention. “We’ll protect you from any evil-doers hereabouts, but we’d like some money in return. If you’ll all just place your purses and cash out on the table in front of you, we’ll collect that and make sure you don’t suffer any problems.”

  Several bleary pairs of eyes looked around, uncertain what to do, and no one took any immediate action.

  The leader of the ruffians grabbed the pale hair of Circh and pulled it hard, raising her head and placed his long knife against her throat. “I want your money now, people,” he said roughly. Circh screamed in fear, and the man yanked hard on her hair, jerking her head. “Shut up!” he yelled.

  Alec stood up. “I have money,” he said. He’d withdrawn a great deal of money in Redwater, and had spent virtually none of it since. He stepped up on his chair and then on the table, knocking over someone’s tbler of drink in the process. “My belt is a money belt,” he explained, and unbuckled the metal tongue. All eyes were on him. “Please take your knife off the girl,” he asked as he pulled the belt halfway off and untied the hidden pouch inside. He retrieved a gold coin, and tossed it to the knife-wielder, who withdrew his knife from Circh and let go of her hair.

  “I want the whole belt, not a single gold, stupid youngster,” the man spat at Alec. “And I want money from the rest of you, too,” he added with an expletive.

  That word was the last out of his mouth before the situation turned. With the threatening knife away from Circh, Alec dove off the table at the man, knocking the knife loose. He knocked the robber to the ground, and wrestled his sword off the man’s hip. “Brandeis, sit on this man and don’t let him get up!” Alec shouted. He had a sword in hand, and felt ready to swing into action. He picked up a chair and hurled it across the room at another of the robbers, and briefly parried with the man closest to him, easily knocking his sword away and slicing the man’s ribcage. The men had obviously not bargained for any kind of resistance from their victims.

  Within just a minute three of the six robbers were down and disabled. “You get out now or you’re next,” Alec said, looking at the remaining three. They looked at one another, unable to grasp what had happened to their companions so quickly. “Go now or you’ll be sorry,” Alec reiterated the threat, and stepped around the table towards them. They headed to the door and out, while the leader of the group was still struggling under Brandeis.

  The room had been quiet, but now babble arose from the group of disturbed revelers, as well as the few others who were in the tavern. Alec looked at his companions, judging their condition. Brandeis, and another boy he knew was named Delle, seemed least inebriated. “Brandeis, let him up so he can leave. Delle, let’s get everyone together and head back home now, shall we?” he said loudly.

  They nodded in agreement and stood, leading others to stand as well. Within a half minute Alec was leading the group out onto the street, checking the safety of the way. “Delle, I don’t know the way from here,” he said. “You lead. Brandeis, you stay in the middle, and I’ll follow to
catch anyone who falls behind.”

  “Alec, what did you do back there?” Brandeis asked him urgently.

  “We can talk about it after we’re all someplace safe and I have a chance to eat some supper!” Alec said light-heartedly, trying to bring humor to the situation. Delle led them, and within ten minutes they were back to a quarter of town with lit streets, and soon thereafter Alec saw the walls of the Locksfort compound not far ahead. He realized they were passing a street vendor, and pulled coins out of his pocket to purchase some sausage rolls that finally began to relieve his hunger.

  Delle led the group through the gates of the compound, and many gave audible sighs of relief upon finally attaining the safety of home. “Alec, you truly saved my life,” Circh cried loudly, with genuine emotion, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, thank you.” Two other girls put their arms around Circh and led her upstairs, receiving a grateful look from Alec as they did.

  A few others wandered away as well, feeling shocked by the violent encounter, while one or two incorrigible members went back out to resume carousing. Brandeis looked at Alec, who decided to cut off any questions just yet. “Is there a kitchen we could visit to get a snack?” he asked.

  Brandeis snorted. “There’s always a kitchen, and usually a cook, too. Follow me.” He entered a nearby hall, and passed through three rooms, then went downstairs and through a passageway, walking rapidly, before a turn and a walk brought them to a doorway that entered a large kitchen lit solely by a fire in an open oven.

  “Hello Helma,” Brandeis called out cheerily, hugging a heavyset woman. “You still won’t settle down and marry me, will you?”

  She giggled in delight at what was clearly a regular exchange of affection. “You know you’re the best man to ever propose, but one man isn’t enough for me,” she said in a surprisingly high voice, reminding Alec of a little girl. “Here’s a side of mutton still left, and some parsnips on the stove top, plus some soup.”

  “Alec, this is Helma, and Helma, this is Alec, a great singer, not to mention a hero of the Locksfort clan,” Brandeis introduced the two. “Helma, we’d like two of everything for supper. And that’s just for Alec (he’s a growing boy, as you can see).”

  Helma tittered, clearly smitten with the affection that Brandeis showed her, and moved about preparing two large platters of food for her visitors. “Now, with your undying love for me, how is it that you happened to enter the kitchen from the women’s quarters’ hall?” she asked as she held Brandeis’s platter just out of his reach.

  Alec recalled how quickly Brandeis had scurried through the halls, and suspected they had been hurrying to avoid detection. “Well, it was a shortcut, but no one saw us, and we saw no one,” Brandeis said in a soothing voice.

  Alec began tucking into his meal with vigor, relishing the flavorful variety of foods Helma had provided. She looked on with approval.

  “So Alec, now that you’re being fed, tell me what happened in the bar back there on the wharf?” Brandeis insisted. “A simple carnival healer wouldn’t be expected to be an expert bar fighter, would he?”

  “There were a couple of incompetent robbers, a number of drunk Locksforts, and I took advantage of the situation,” Alec explained the answer he had rehearsed. “I learned juggling in the carnival, so I had the quick reactions to take advantage of the situation.” He stuffed more food in his mouth to prevent speaking further.

  “You’re simplifying the circumstances,” Brandeis said accusingly. “Granted, there were a number of drunk Locksforts,” he said with a smile, “but those weren’t just a couple of stupid robbers. And you handled them all by yourself!” He sensed that Alec wasn’t going to admit to anything more. “You’ll be looked at tomorrow, let me tell you,” he added. “Maybe your modest story will pass muster with the aunts and uncles, but I know something more happened.”

  Alec felt satisfaction at winning the war of wits for the moment, but he couldn’t muster up the courage to ask about the topic still on the top of his mind: the location of Noranda’s tomb. “What time will you awake tomorrow? Do you have anything to do?” Alec asked.

  “I have to sleep in after getting up so early for the trip to the forest,” Brandeis replied. “And I should go to the counting house and pretend to still be learning to be productive, but I stopped caring about that, oh, many months ago. What did you have in mind?”

  “I’d like a tour of the city, to see a little of it,” Alec replied.

  “You shall have a tour of the city tomorrow morning,” Brandeis promised as they rose from their empty platters. “I’ll show you where to meet for breakfast,” he said as he led his guest out of the kitchen, with a wave to Helma.

  Alec was soon in his bedroom, and just as quickly he fell asleep in his bed, worn out by a day that had brought twists and revelations that left Alec’s vague plans unsettled and unsure.

  Chapter 10 – Finding the Balance

  A timid knocking on his bedroom door caused Alec to raise his head from his pillow. “Natalie?” he called, groggy from the dream that had been interrupted.

  “Alec? It’s me Johanna,” a feminine voice called from his sitting room. “Brandeis left a note telling me you wanted me to give you a tour of the city this morning…”

  “Uhm, just a moment,” Alec called out. He pulled on clothes and went out to meet the dark-haired girl who looked so much like Noranda. She had walked over to the window and was staring out at the morning shadows that stretched in long bars across the city, while the room filled with her fragrance. Alec studied her profile for several long seconds, noting the same sharp chin and high cheek bones that her cousin had.

  “I’m sorry to awaken you. Shall I come back later, or would you like to go with Brandeis instead?” she asked as she turned to face him.

  Alec came out of his mesmerized stare at her face. “No, this is fine. This is really perfect; I don’t usually sleep in. I like to accomplish things in the morning,” he answered.

  “Shall we go immediately, or do you want some breakfast?” Johanna asked, edging towards the main door, which stood wide open.

  “Is there a place you’d like to visit that serves a nice breakfast?” Alec asked, trying to overcome the awkwardness they both seemed to feel.

  “Wait,” he said abruptly a second later, not wanting any falsehood to exist between them. “I’ll just tell you. You don’t have to do this. I didn’t request that you be the one to give me the tour; I just asked Brandeis to give me a tour this morning. He said he usually sleeps in late, but I thought he was going to get up early for this. I’m sorry to cause you trouble,” he added after a second’s pause.

  “No, it’s no trouble,” she replied. “If you’d like to wait for Brandeis, I understand. He’ll keep you entertained; he’s never at a loss for words.”

  They stood in silence for a moment. “I’d like to go with you, Johanna. I just don’t want to impose on you or make you uncomfortable.”

  “Well, since we’re already together, let’s plan on going on,” the girl said, giving a weak smile. “I know a place that bakes fluffy pastries like you wouldn’t believe! Let’s go there to start.”

  Alec thought back on the many goods he had eaten from Henree’s bakery in Goldenfields, and he wondered how these pastries would compare. “Just a moment,” he said, and dashed back into the bedroom to buckle on his sword. “I forgot to put this on,” he explained, painfully aware of how close his group had come to real trouble the night before.

  “The baker isn’t that tough,” Johanna said with a sly grin.

  “I didn’t…” Alec began, then realized the joke at his expense, and shared the grin. He pulled the door closed behind him and followed Johanna through the maze of stairs, halls and courtyards. He had no more clue about how to find his way about than he had on his last trip.

  They began to pass through the gate. “Here Alec, take one of these,” Johanna said, pulling a yellow and blue striped armband from the window of the guardhouse. “Until they recognize y
ou, this armband will help you past the guards when you’re not with one of us.”

  They walked through a street still cool in shadow as the morning broke. There was little traffic about, and Alec remembered streets in Goldenfields, Oyster Bay, and even in Frame. They all seemed so similar, and these people he was with seemed so regular, he wondered how there could be cause to go to war with one another. He grew distracted as he ruminated on the ingenairii he had known who had unleashed war in Oyster Bar in concert with the leaders here in Stronghold, and suddenly bumped into Johanna.

  She had stopped by a table, and Alec hadn’t noticed. “The bakery is in here,” she said, attempting to politely pretend not to notice that Alec had run into her.

  “I know the smell,” Alec said, recollecting the days in Goldenfields. What was making him feel so contemplative, so caught up in the memories of the past, he wondered. Was it being here, so close to Noranda, or perhaps even so close to Johanna, who so closely resembled the girl he sought to resurrect?

  “Yes, bakeries pecial,” she said. They entered the door and looked at the racks of cooling goods in front of them.

  “The best breads are almost gone. The early-risers got them,” a man in an apron said. “But perhaps you are not here for bread? Young lovers out seeking something sweeter?”

  Alec felt Johanna’s emotions wash across him, as his untrained Spiritual powers abruptly engaged. The word ‘lovers’ had triggered a strong reaction in her psyche, and his untrained, untapped, spiritual ingenaire powers had somehow collected her feelings! She was in love with Durer. She thought he had loved her in return, but Noranda’s death had wounded him, and they had drifted apart. And Brandeis has been Noranda’s lover until her aunt had settled on someone else and Reuchlin had taunted her, driving her away. The word ‘lover’ spawned those reactions and more from Johanna, and Alec was struck by the pain it left.