by M. Gregg Roe
“Take care, Saxloc,” she said, looking genuinely concerned. Audrey nodded.
“I will. We all look after each other. Say goodbye to Father for me.” He left after picking up his backpack and sword belt.
“Saxloc was certainly in a good mood,” Audrey commented as she began helping Almera fix breakfast.
“He really loves to go on adventures,” she explained. “All of them do. Draymund was an adventurer when he was younger. There were four of them as well.”
“Oh. That’s interesting. I’m glad that Saxloc enjoys it.”
“There is something else he enjoys about it that you are forgetting,” said Almera slyly.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s getting away from you, Audrey.”
“Well, that’s depressing.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Audrey made it through ten pages of her book that morning. Almera told her that she didn’t need her help that afternoon and it was pouring rain, so she went back to her room and managed to slog through another eighteen pages by dinner. It was exhausting, but she really was enjoying reading about the history of the city where she now lived.
About twenty years after Triver created the wall, a strange group of refugees sought asylum in what was then known as Lucian’s City. None of them spoke the local language, but they proved to be quick learners and ready workers. A few months later, the refugees overwhelmed the city guards and opened the wall to allow several hundred more of their kind into the city. When Triver tried to interfere, he was slain in a magical battle by an elderly refugee woman known as Haga. As the invaders swarmed over the city it became apparent that the males were all skilled warriors and that the women all possessed arcane powers. Haga became ruler of the city, naming herself the High Witch and taking up residence in what her kind called the Witch’s Castle.
In the following years, Haga and her successors ruled what came to be known as the Witch’s City with an iron hand. The witches absolutely hated spell-casters. Only those who kept a low profile survived. Clerics were disliked but tolerated because of their usefulness.
The rain stopped that evening and Audrey went for a long walk, following the city wall all the way around until she arrived back where she had started. It took well over two hours and gave her plenty of time to think, specifically to think about Saxloc.
She would always be grateful to him for saving her life, but a romantic relationship with him now appeared out of the question. Despite that, she both wanted and needed for him to be her friend. She greatly valued her friendship with his parents, and that meant that he had to at least accept her as a friend. She wanted for Gabriel and his mother to also be her friends. All of that was at risk if he continued to shun her.
Saxloc’s continued inability to recognize that his picture of her was wrong irritated her to no end. How could he be so incredibly unobservant? How had he not noticed how much she had changed since beginning her Shorinken training? Why had it not occurred to him that the customs of her village had no authority in the Witch’s City? Saxloc wasn’t stupid, but his blind spot for her was beyond belief.
Adventures were the key. He always seemed to be in a good mood when adventuring. He had willingly spoken with her that morning with no trace of his usual antagonism. They had conversed with each other normally, and it had been pleasant.
Saxloc really was like a different person when he went adventuring. At home, he lived in luxury and dressed elegantly. Away, he walked around wearing armor and carrying a sword. He would probably be sleeping on the ground at least part of the time. The food would probably be bad at times, and there certainly wouldn’t be any toilets around. And she had never heard him complain once about any of that.
If she really wanted to become his friend, then she would need to go on at least one adventure with him. That way he wouldn’t be able to avoid or ignore her. Maybe she could finally explain things to him, although she would still need to be careful not to anger Almera. She wouldn’t be able to tell him the whole truth.
Her Shorinken training was a good start to prepare her, but she needed more. She wanted to be able to fend for herself without relying on the others to protect her. That meant advancing her training and maybe learning how to use some weapons. That would certainly impress Saxloc when he found out and greatly increase her chances of winning him over. Audrey decided to speak with Grasapa about it. It couldn’t hurt to ask.
♦ ♦ ♦
“That is not a good idea,” said Grasapa with a deep frown. “You are too inexperienced. You are talented, but you have been training here for less than three months. Saxloc has been training with his father since he was old enough to hold a toy sword.”
Audrey pursed her lips. That was not what she wanted to hear. “It probably won’t be soon,” she said. “I can train harder. I can start coming every day. I can practice at home.”
She had asked to see Grasapa privately after her class. They were speaking in her small office. It was utterly without decoration, but clean and well-organized. A large window at the back provided ample light.
Grasapa shook her head. “Audrey, why not just tell Saxloc that you love him?”
“When did I ever say that I loved Saxloc?” she asked in confusion. “I don’t love him. I just want him to be my friend.” But she wondered if that was really true.
Grasapa continued staring at her intently, and Audrey realized that she was waiting for her to continue. She chewed on her lower lip while trying to decide what to say. The woman clearly wasn’t going to be easily swayed.
“The only people that Saxloc really seems to respect are adventurers,” she began. “So I have to become an adventurer. I can’t become friends with him if he won’t even talk to me. I’ve been waiting months for him to come to his senses, but it’s just not happening.
“I wish I could just break the engagement, but Almera won’t allow it. She’s ruining my life. She’s ruining both our lives. I have to do something.”
“Audrey, I cannot magically transform you into an adventurer. You do have real talent, and I hoped that you might one day ask for this type of training. But not this soon.”
Grasapa lowered her head, clearly deep in thought. Audrey waited quietly, feeling nervous. After almost two minutes, Grasapa raised her head and looked directly at her with a serious expression.
“Very well. I know how stubborn you are, so I am not going to waste any more time arguing. Instead, I will accede to your request and allow the training to persuade you. It will be far more difficult than what you have been undertaking.
“We will start by toughening your body. I will teach you some new exercises to increase strength and endurance. Your flexibility needs improvement, so we will work on that as well. There will be a great deal of sparring, and it will primarily be with instructors and advanced students. This is going to be brutal.”
Audrey was starting to worry, but she nodded and replied, “I understand. I’ll work hard.”
Grasapa leaned forward and stared intently. “I warn you, adventuring is not just some fun activity, it is incredibly hard work. And very dangerous. There are terrible things out there, and fighting them is nothing like sparring with your fellow students. Now go on home and I will start working up a schedule for you.”
Audrey smiled all the way home. She had won.
♦ ♦ ♦
After they finished eating that evening, Audrey told them about her plans, and they were both surprised. Draymund insisted on speaking with her about it while Almera cleaned up the kitchen. The two of them sat down opposite each other in the parlor.
“Grasapa agreed to give you Shorinken combat training?” he asked, looking very skeptical.
“Uh … yes.” She wasn’t sure if it had a special name or not.
Draymund shook his head. “That’s insane. You have barely begun training.” He narrowed his eyes and stared at her. “Do you even understand what you will be learning?”
Audrey was definitely feeling intim
idated. She could well believe that the Draymund talking to her now was a warrior. “Uh … she said strength training. And lots of sparring.”
“Audrey, you don’t understand. That’s only part of it. Grasapa will be teaching you to break bones. To paralyze or maim or kill with a single blow. That’s the only way a specialist in unarmed combat can hope to survive while adventuring. This is far beyond learning to fend off some street thug or simply training to stay fit. Is that really what you want?”
She was suddenly unsure of herself. “I don’t know, but I want to try. I need to try.”
He stared into her eyes for a long while, and she tried to maintain a look of determination. “Very well. I am going to speak with Grasapa about this tomorrow. Your uncertainty is a good sign. Ultimately, the decision rests with you and Grasapa, not with Almera or myself. But I would advise you to think this through carefully. All right?”
He was smiling now, and she felt relieved as she managed to smile in return. “Okay. I’ll think about it. Thank you for your advice, Draymund.”
Audrey did give it more thought. She even prayed to Lasrina for guidance. But in the end, she didn’t change her mind.
16
‡ Determination ‡
Audrey began to attend Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy every afternoon. She insisted on that schedule, although Grasapa strongly advised against it. She saw it as her only chance to quickly gain the skills that she was likely to need on an adventure. Almost all of her instruction was now on an individual basis with either Grasapa, Bennet, or Zalina. Audrey did occasionally attend a regular class, but most of the other students seemed to think what she was doing was odd, or even dangerous.
As Grasapa had warned her, her new lessons were brutal. New strength-training regimens involving heavy weights. Stances that had to be maintained for long periods of time. Countless time spent delivering a variety of kicks and punches to padded targets. And endless stretching exercises. It was incredibly painful, especially at first, but she could feel herself growing stronger and that kept her going.
Every evening was now spent soaking in a hot bath followed by stretching to try to relieve the pain in her muscles. Sleep was often difficult, and she frequently overslept in the morning. She could have asked Draymund to heal her, or perhaps obtained pain medication from an alchemist, but she decided that would be self-defeating. Developing a tolerance for pain would also make her stronger.
Erwin was concerned when she first told him what she was planning after one of their classes. “You are doing this for Saxloc, aren’t you?” he accused her, and she could hear the disappointment in his voice. Knowing he was still interested in her actually hurt.
“In part,” she admitted. “I need to settle things between us, and this is my solution to getting his attention. But I would have eventually taken this training anyway. I plan to become an instructor here.”
“I see,” he said, looking crestfallen. “Please, Audrey. Just be careful. What you are learning now is very dangerous.”
“I know.” She tried to think of what else to say.
“Goodbye, Audrey.”
“Goodbye, Erwin.”
Audrey watched as he walked away and didn’t know how to feel. It was all very confusing.
♦ ♦ ♦
Most of Audrey’s mornings were spent reading the history of the Witch’s City, but she sometimes helped out Almera instead. The book really was fascinating, and she now wanted to meet Ermizad—the current High Witch—in person and speak with her about it.
A century and a half after the witches conquered Lucien’s City, Andoran dispatched one of his newly-created Eyes to collect a tithe. The witches destroyed the Eye after a bitter battle. A few days later, Andoran showed up in person and called down a rain of destruction that killed most of the witches and half of the rest of the population. (And that, Audrey realized, was why the Witch’s Castle looked the way it did, with portions in actual ruin.) The tithe was paid yearly thereafter.
The Eyes were women that had been imbued with enormous magical powers by Andoran. Unlike other spell-casters, they could freely teleport within Andoran’s Realm and enter the Gray Forest without harm. That made them nearly invincible.
When Almera spoke to her about what she had been reading, Audrey had some questions for her. “What is the Gray Forest?” she asked.
“It is what defines Andoran’s Realm,” replied Almera. “It measures about ten miles through, and everything within it is gray. There is no color whatsoever.”
“Really?” She couldn’t help but be skeptical.
“Yes, I’ve seen it for myself. Any living creature that enters the Gray Forest will immediately be attacked by everything there. And I mean everything. Insects, animals, birds—even fish. It’s completely impassable, which was exactly what Andoran intended.”
“That’s … kind of scary actually. I know that Andoran is dead, but are any of his Eyes still alive?”
“Yes, but only one. Her name is Josara and she lives in the northernmost portion of Andoran’s Realm.”
Audrey really wanted to speak with Josara. She must know all kinds of things about Andoran. “Did you ever meet her?” she asked.
“Yes. She’s … intense. Josara is utterly dedicated to the preservation of Andoran’s Realm. If she perceives someone as an enemy, then she will kill them without hesitation or remorse. Zardis once sent an army of over five hundred to attack the Witch’s City. Josara completely destroyed all of them.”
“That’s … terrifying.” Audrey decided that she no longer had any interest in meeting Josara.
Almera nodded. “Yes, it truly is. I pray that Josara never decides that the Witch’s City is a threat.”
♦ ♦ ♦
On the penultimate day of the first month of Autumn, Audrey returned home and was told by Almera that she had received a letter. “A letter?” she asked.
“Yes,” replied Almera, holding it out for her to take. “It’s from Farmerton. Novox has begun running regular trade caravans to the Fog Lake region, and they also carry letters and packages.”
Audrey took the letter to her room and opened it. It was in her mother’s handwriting, but she winced when she saw it. She had always admired her mother’s ability to write, but with all her new learning it now looked childish to her. And the spelling was awful.
She quickly read through it. Her parents wanted to know how she was doing and asked when she was going to marry Saxloc—that part had to be her father’s input. The mayor’s wife Abigail was pregnant. Her cousins had gotten in trouble for letting out some of her father’s pigs. A young couple had moved to Farmerton from Fisherton. The crops had all been good, and there was plenty of food laid in for Winter. Audrey didn’t miss her life in Farmerton, but she did miss her family and friends there. She found it comforting to hear that things were going well.
Audrey told Draymund and Almera about her letter during dinner. That evening, she wrote out a reply. She wrote about her tutor and that she could now read and write fairly well. She said that she and Saxloc hadn’t set a wedding date yet, which was certainly true if a bit misleading. She also wrote about the things she had been doing for Almera. She asked her mother to also show it to Violet and Berna. When she finally finished, she asked Almera how she could send it.
“Go to the Novox building and tell them you want to send it to Farmerton. I don’t know how much they charge.”
Audrey went there the next day on the way to school. She told the clerk that she wanted to send a letter to Farmerton. He consulted a list and told her that the charge was four copper pieces. She was fishing coins out of her belt pouch when Hankin suddenly walked up, startling her.
“You look good, Audrey,” he said with a sly grin. “Have you been working out?”
She could felt herself blushing. “I have been getting a lot of exercise. Almera keeps me really busy, and I take a lot of long walks around the city.”
She went back to pulling out coins, but then Hankin address
ed the clerk and said, “This young lady is a friend. There’s no charge.” The clerk nodded, made a notation, and then motioned for the next customer to come forward.
Audrey stepped aside and said, “Thank you, Hankin. That’s very kind of you. How long have you worked for Celebern?”
“A long time. He took me in after my parents died. But he works me hard and I’ve got to get back to my duties. It was nice seeing you, Audrey. Take care.”
As she walked to Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy, she was worried. Hankin was very observant; that seemed to be part of his job. He probably didn’t believe her explanation for losing so much weight. She just hoped he wouldn’t mention it to Saxloc. But keeping secrets seemed to be part of Hankin’s job too, so she decided to just trust him to keep quiet.
♦ ♦ ♦
On the third day of the second month of Autumn, Audrey once again accompanied Almera to the market. She brought her satchel with her since she was planning to go directly to school afterward. It was overcast and surprisingly cold. She had worn her light rain cloak, but she realized that she would soon need a warmer one.
Training every day was taking a toll on her body, and she was tired and sore. The sparring she was doing now was far more intense, and she often ended up bruised. But she could feel herself getting stronger. That was what was important.
Business was brisk, and one of the customers was Medea. She stayed and chatted with Almera for a while. Medea was concerned that Gabriel hadn’t returned yet, and Almera tried to reassure her. But Audrey could tell that Almera was also worried about Saxloc.
For the first time, it occurred to Audrey that the whole “take their body to a cleric to be raised from the dead” scheme only applied if there was actually someone still around to do it. If something really bad happened, then they might all die, or they might be forced to leave behind people who were dead or badly injured. She now suspected that groups of novice adventurers often disappeared without a trace. But Saxloc, Gabriel, and the others were experienced, and they had all been trained by other experienced adventurers. Nevertheless, Audrey was now worried too. Really worried.