by Aaron Thomas
“We’re not going in there,” She said refusing his hand.
“I could leave you out here if you would like, but one of us has to go in,” Bowie said, still holding his hand out for her to take.
“Why?” She asked, still watching the two men now rolling around as if they were in a hugging match that ended up on the ground.
“Well, this is the closest inn to the docks, so we will surely find a boat captain inside. Instead of stumbling about all night trying to find someone that knows someone, we are going straight to the source.” Bowie hoped that his statement was correct because if it wasn’t, he was sure he would never lead her into an unruly bar again.
Reluctantly, she dismounted, ignoring his outstretched hand. From the other side of the horse, he saw her shadow checking her body for her weapons. When she was satisfied Auburn led the way into the inn. Bowie stepped inside and motioned her to two empty seats at the bar.
Every table was filled with a rowdy group playing stones or throwing dice. One man was showing off his skill with a knife as he stabbed the table in quick succession between the fingers of his opposite hand. Bowie even noticed a lute being played in the corner, not that he could hear it over the noise the group was bringing out.
Wenches weaved in and out of tables, refilling drinks from a pitcher, and deftly avoiding wandering hands. The barmaid looked between Auburn and Bowie, he was sure she was deciding whether or not flirting would earn her an extra coin or slap from his red-haired companion. Bowie winked anyways.
“Ale for me and wine for you?” Bowie asked Auburn.
She nodded and sat looking about the room as if she would be the next target of wandering hands. Bowie knew it wasn’t a matter of if, but when. He felt sorry for the guy that managed to get a grasp because it meant he would meet the better end of Auburn's imbued strength.
The barmaid set his flagon of ale on the counter and poured Auburn a cup of wine. Bowie pulled two coppers out of his left chest pocket and put them on the counter. He had separated his money into different pockets so that if a thief were about, they would target the pocket he had paid for the drinks with. Bowie was no good at slight of hand, so he made the gesture to give away the now empty pockets location.
The brown-haired girl swept up the money, and Bowie turned in his chair to get a full view of the activities. He had visited a lot of bars in Deuterium but none with the crowd that this one had drawn.
Over his shoulder, he spoke to the barmaid, “We are looking for a boat transport. Do you know of anyone that can provide it?”
She nodded, and Bowie did his best to hide his movements to a different pocket to fish out another copper. After laying it on the table, it disappeared again into the maids pocket.
“The man with the blue coat and patchy beard at the corner table has a boat,” She said giving Bowie a big smile.
Bowie winked at her again and turned to Auburn, “I need you to go and get us a seat at that table.”
“Me? Why me?” She said as if he had asked her to take on King Atmos by herself.
Bowie gave a small chuckle, “They won’t open a seat for me, but for a young and beautiful woman, the captain will open a spot in bed even if you didn't ask nicely.”
He watched her face turn bright red, and he could tell the signs of her about to erupt so he spoke before she could.
“I don’t mean it like that. Listen, all you have to do is go over and ask if you and your friend can join him at his table. When he asks about your friend point over here and then wait for an answer,” Bowie said confidently.
Auburn’s anger faded slightly, but the tone of her voice still held it, “And what if he says, no?”
“Trust me, he won’t say no,” Bowie said taking a swallow of ale.
Without further discussion, she squeezed through the crowd towards the table. A commotion ending in a man being pushed through his chair to the floor told Bowie that he had made the mistake of letting his hand wander.
Bowie polished his flagon so that he could see behind him in the reflection and watch his companion. Before Auburn reached the table he looked at the barmaid and slid a silver across the bar, “When she points at me can you do me a favor and wave back at her?”
She nodded and made the coin disappear. Bowie watched the reflection in the polished mug. The barmaid did as she was supposed to and the boat captain cleared the table for Auburn and her friend. Bowie emptied the contents of his mug and put it on the bar. “Refill that and bring it to the table, my lady.”
He saw her smile as he got up from the bar and made his way to the now open seats next to Auburn. Pulling out the chair, he sat down as the captain stood up.
“The seat is reserved for the young lass at the bar.”
Auburn smiled at the man, “Sir, this is the friend I was talking about. His name is-”
Bowie cut her off, “My name doesn’t matter, and neither does yours.”
Bowie pulled a coin purse out that was tied around his neck, so it dangled down the inside of his shirt. Producing a gold crown, he held it in his open palm towards the man. The man offered no words but shook Bowie’s hand, taking the coin. He sat back down and resumed swirling the contents of his mug.
“I hear that you have a ship and I have a job that needs one,” Bowie said getting right to the point.
“I have a ship. It’s one of the last intact here in Basham. What’s the job?” The man with the patchy beard asked as he spat into a spittoon near his feet.
“No questions. A ship ready within the hour to transport the girl here to Levithan and bring back some friends of ours,” Bowie said and waited for a reply. The man just leaned back in his chair tilting it up on two legs.
“Even if I could manage to gather my men at this late hour, they would be in no condition to sail upstream to Leviathan.” He said.
“Upstream?” Auburn asked.
“Aye, the water flows west now that Levithan has risen. If we had been prepared, we could have prevented the destruction of half the docks and ships it contained. Luckily, my ship and crew were still on the river when the water turned its course. Took all my skill to avoid the debris floating in the water.”
“So you cannot sail upstream?” Bowie asked.
“Aye, I can sail upstream with the right amount of wind. Tonight there is no wind to push my ship up the river unless one of you is a wind wielder as well,” The man said staring back at Bowie. He was sure the man was waiting for a denial after seeing Auburn punch a man through a chair.
Bowie tapped his fingers on the table, “I can accommodate the wind needed.”
The man put all four legs of his chair back on the floor. “Levithan and back with a boat of passengers. Wielders of any sort will double my usual fair. Also, I’ll be needing to meet this new king. The man sure has got some innards for raising a castle with the Earth Realm’s army sitting outside.”
Auburn spoke before Bowie did, “We can arrange that, but for you only. You lose your opportunity to meet him if you are unable to get a sober crew to the dock within the hour.”
Bowie gave her a glare, then nodded to say to the Captain he was in agreement.
“Five gold,” The Captain said.
“Two more gold when we leave, and three when we arrive back in Basham. You can keep the one I’ve already given you to keep your mouth shut about where we go,” Bowie said.
“Within the hour or I leave without you. My boat will be the one with the deck lit and the crew working to prepare for the trip,” The Captain said as he stood and grabbed a couple men by the neck and drug them out of the bar.
Bowie smiled and turned to Auburn, “Now let’s see if we can find a more reputable place for a bite to eat.”
She cleared her throat, “Do you plan all this or does it just seem to work out in your favor?”
Bowie winked at her, “The world may never know.”
Chapter 3 - Early Parting
Kilen finally laid still alone in the darkness without his elemental frie
nds watching him closely. Twilix was asleep and breathing heavily beside him between the layers of furs she had managed to scrape up. Ria had grown a bed just like she had the throne; thin branches were woven together and covered with moss. It was surprisingly comfortable against his bare skin.
His father’s rings were the only thing he wore. His daily activities of training those who wanted to learn how to fight had drained him of his strength. He kept the rings on so that he could keep up throughout the night and found himself restoring Twilix’s strength as she climbed into bed with him. She had made a joke about his ulterior motives, and he smiled even now thinking of it. Even with her energy restored she fell asleep fast when they were finished.
Searching his thoughts for more than an hour, he finally found the presence of the Crying Man still tucked deep in the back of his mind. He was still unsure if the man could see or hear what Kilen was, but for his first night with a woman, he was glad not to have the feeling as though someone were standing over his shoulder.
Fortunately, the rest of his elemental friends promised to keep their distance from the room. They also reduced their size and disappeared from view so that Kilen could keep his promise to concentrate only his wife for one night. He wanted to tell her that he had never split his thoughts, but feared the result. He feared that she would think he was crazy and that she married a madman that she would have to keep from the world. A task that would be hard since he was king.
A snore escaped Twilix’s small frame from the other side of the bed, and he knew he was safe to slip out. The bed was very quiet as it moved underneath him. She did not wake even as he pulled his linen shirt over his head. Putting on his small clothes and breeches, he took his crown, sword, and dagger, carefully putting them on. One last check of the room using all four elemental visions at once told him the room was free of danger. Kilen took one last look at his sleeping wife before parting the hanging moss in the doorway.
Moving about the hallway, he traversed the castle until he came upon the throne room. Once inside, all four of his elemental friends took the form of their desire.
“We have work to do gentlemen,” he said as they approached.
“Yes, we do,” Joahna said, approaching as a knee-high animal that Kilen did not recognize. He walked on two legs but did not stand upright. It's indistinct wiry frame made of flame left a trail of glowing liquid wherever he touched.
Tokeye took the form of a winged ice-man he was coming to perfect. Max looked the mirror image made of stone. Like a black ghost, Jace’s ever-moving form drifted amongst the shadows made by Joahna’s flickering.
Kilen nodded at Joahna and continued, “Stop me if you have better suggestions. I need Jace to come with me to help release Mica. I want him given only the option to flee towards the Earth Realm. We cannot leave Leviathan without someone here to contain him.”
Everyone nodded in agreeance.
“Max, I want you to energize all of the soldiers we have here, and Tokeye will make sure they are healed to their fullest. Also, Max, I need you to fill every plant with fruit so Ria will have a chance to rest for as long as she can.”
Joahna’s voice came from the fire, “I agree so far. What is it you will have me do?”
“I need you to go and search the castle. No one has been able to find the books for the Wizards Library or the armory of imbued weapons. I need to know where they are so we can keep them safe. If you can find them it would give me some comfort that we are not leaving the people here defenseless,” Kilen said.
He took a moment to reflect on the commands he had just issued. He didn’t like commanding his friends, but while wearing the crown, it was what he was supposed to do. He knew he had only a little time before the sun rose and he alone could not achieve all of it before he had to sail away. He exposed those most loyal to him by departing his own castle to save the realm. He didn’t like it and wanted to do as much as possible for them while he was away.
“I will go to Captain Wells and brief him on his duties while we are gathering the army. Jace, have the soldiers bring up Mica and I will meet you in the courtyard near the cities gate,” Kilen commanded.
The cloud whisked down the hallway, disappearing around a corner. The small creature of fire leaped off the walls, leaving trails of fire-like lanterns wherever it touched. Max and Tokeye followed Kilen walking through the hallways.
Tokeye struggled using the water elemental making his movements odd. His walk was slow, but now that Kilen was using a fourth element, it gave Kilen the perfect excuse for why his use of the elements was strange. He followed Kilen and Max as best he could through the castle and improved as he did so.
The men of Keepers stood guard and stiffened in surprise at Kilen’s sudden appearance in the middle of the night. Jace had confirmed that he was already starting to get a reputation for visiting posts randomly in the early morning hours. He didn’t startle the men on purpose and even told Captain Wells to keep the soldiers to a minimum until the cities gates were opened. Wells had come up with an excuse for getting the men use to standing guard. Still, Kilen thought it unnecessary.
Kilen approached one of the guards, “Will you find me the Captain?”
The man said nothing but saluted before he ran off to fetch his new superior.
Kilen didn’t want to wait in the hallway for Wells, so he kept walking. “Have him meet me in the courtyard,” He said to the second guard over his soldier. He heard a reply and continued through the dimly lit hallways.
Kilen still had hours yet until the sun would rise and he wanted to make good use of each one. When he exited the castle into the courtyard, two more guards snapped to attention from where they were leaning against the walls.
“Are you two planning on staying in the guard?” Kilen asked.
“Yes, sir.” They answered in unison.
The people of Keepers had fluctuated over time. Taking in those who were seeking a life of honor serving a new king. These two men must have joined Keepers just in time to be at his service.
“Let us work on your swordsmanship then,” He commanded as he pulled his blade free.
The two guards nervously pulled their blades. They each had a different blade, and it was probably all they could afford before venturing out of their hometowns. Kilen showed them stances and practiced movement just as Wells had taught him in the nearby woods less than a year ago. The two men smiled all the while; probably looking forward to one day boasting about their personal lessons from the king.
Captain Wells finally made his way to where Kilen was training the men and waved them back to their post.
“My lord?” He said still breathing hard.
Kilen started walking in the direction of the main gates. He made himself out to be in no hurry and casually started talking to the captain. “If Bowie is successful we will be leaving at first light. I wanted to talk to you about some things I need to be completed before I come back.”
“Yes, my lord,” The Captain said.
Kilen wanted to stop him from all this, ‘my lord’ talk but he knew Twilix wouldn’t have it. So he did his best to ignore it.
“I hope to find the books and the armaments before I leave. I have an elemental looking in the depths of the castle now. Twilix and Ria will most likely want access to those as soon as they’re found. The armament is what I really wanted to talk to you about.”
When Kilen looked at Wells, he seemed to be deep in thought, trying to memorize the exact words Kilen gave in his instructions. Bowie had told him how his second-in-command and the red haired girl had taken Bowie’s words to heart every time he spoke. There was no telling what Wells would do once he put on his first Earth imbuement. Even Kilen had almost run himself to death not knowing what he was doing. Kilen hoped that his chosen words didn’t end up hurting the Captain.
“When the armaments are found I want to consult with the Wizards. I need you to give out imbuements to the men that show the most promise in using magic. Do not give them to the
fastest, strongest, or best with the sword unless they are better than the others with magic. Hopefully, Alexander will return, and the three wizards can teach you all to use the magic and overcome their detriments.”
“The best with magic first, yes sir,” Wells said.
Kilen stopped in the middle of the empty street and turned to face Wells, “This is the most important: when you find the armaments, if there is a two-element blade, you will arm yourself with it. You will seek out private lessons for the elements that are on it. In this way, you can help protect this city.”
Wells put his fist to his chest, taking in Kilen’s serious tone, “It will be as you command.”
Kilen kept walking, “I will be recruiting as much as I can. You will need to see that they are trained properly as they come. I would suggest you find the best swordsmen and promote them as needed. I can only hope that there are some of the Water Realm’s soldiers still handy with a sword to aid you.”
Within sight of the front gate, Kilen stopped once again.
“Your Majesty, I will do what needs doing. You do not need to worry about these things. I thank you for your trust of a two-element blade and hope that I can serve this realm worthy enough to keep it. I will give my life to protect your wife and this city,” Wells added with conviction.
“Thanks, Captain. I know you will do what’s best. There is one other thing. Leroy’s friend, Izabel, has a few talents that I want her to employ here. She is more than she appears to be. In Deuterium she was able to run a guild of thieves. She knew the nobles darkest secrets and used them to free me of an accusation of murder. I will be asking her to do the same thing here. She can be a great asset to you amongst the men sorting out any traitors,” Kilen said.
“You want her to run a guild of thieves? And you want me to let her get away with it?” The Captain asked seemingly confused.
Kilen nodded, “When those city gates are opened there will be a person of every kind coming through it. There will be nobles, mayors, farmers, tradesmen, and hopefully a lot of soldiers. There will also be every kind of scum you can imagine to include thieves, prostitutes, and murderers. I need Izabel to control it by being in charge of these people.”