by Rick Brown
I found Barad and the two of us went down to the bathhouse. After weeks on the road, it felt good to relax in a tub. Human magic had a number of uses for battle, more so than the more nuanced elf magic, but one of the more peaceful uses for it was heating. With a thought, I kept our tubs warm as we relaxed.
“Do you think Lenux is still around? It would be nice to see him again,” Barad said.
I thought about Barad’s question. “Last I heard he was hired to clean up the thieves here in Coneer. Might still be around. We’ll look for him tonight.”
“Ahh. Some real wine tonight. Not that bitter travel stuff we lived on while on the road. Just think Lee. Women, music, and drink. Between the frontier and the road, we’ve had the dregs of all three. Now we are finally in the city again we can enjoy all the comforts we’ve missed.”
I couldn’t fault him there. Though there were women soldiers, there was little time for romance at the border. The battle was far and gone away from any cities. Too close to the Dommerians, I thought. Minstrels found scant audience up there.
“Sounds good to me,” I replied reaching for a towel. “Let’s go find those comforts.”
Chapter 2
(Lee)
Too many comforts, I mentally chastised myself. Our first night back in the city was a gluttony of all we missed on the border. My morning headache was a reminder of that. Worse yet, the cadets have already started drills. My head throbbed to the cadence of their marching. It was a large courtyard, but I suspect Max found some entertainment by setting up his students directly under my window. Work in the guild was going to go on regardless of my hangover.
It was no small task getting out of the bed. First, sliding my legs over the side. That was the easy part. Lifting myself up was a job for the gods themselves. The weight of my overstuffed head alone would have pinned down any mortal man without their aid. Every ounce of alcohol I consumed must still be stored in my skull. A groan escaped my lips as I finally made it to my feet. Using a hand I had braced against the wall, I propelled myself towards the chair that I had set my clothes on the night before.
Now dressed and moving I made my way toward the mess hall. Food just wasn’t going to happen this morning, but coffee... Yes, definitely some coffee. There were no recruits in the hall now. They ate before sun up. Instead, only a few of the instructors remained. Mistress Jacobs, who trained in stealth, Master Barrons, who taught reading and writing, and Master Felps who taught magic. The Fox guild prided itself on well-rounded members who could handle any task. I was just grateful that there was still coffee left. Bless the gods.
As I turned, Master Barrons was waving me over. He was a friendly man. His years of being sedentary at the guild had rewarded him with a huge belly. He was an excellent teacher though. Many of the guild members would not be able to read if not for him. "Lee, It's good to see you again. Nice to have such a promising recruit return to the guild." As I sat across from him, I saw he had a stack of papers he was reviewing from the recruits. The one on top did not appear to be such a promising recruit I laughed to myself. It was covered in red marks.
“Mistress and Masters,” I nodded to each. Mistress Jacobs was much the opposite of Master Barrons. She was tall and lithe. Her teaching in stealth required agility and the need to fit into tight spaces.
“How was the border?” Jacobs asked.
I leaned back in my chair willing the coffee to start working. "Unpleasant seems the least offensive description. I fear Dommeran has unlimited access to troops. It isn't even a full-scale invasion right now, just a constant hammering at our border to entertain themselves. If, or maybe I should say ‘when' they come in force we will be hard press to hold without allies." Dommeran had conquered the kingdom of Alsselya three centuries ago and had since been breeding like rabbits to fill their conquest. Their impoverished people once again outgrowing the current borders. The two other kingdoms, Spellion and Tiber, had natural deterrents in the form of mountain ranges to discourage invasion. Our own country of Vaelin did not.
Master Barrons nodded solemnly. “The crown hires many of our guild members to defend the border. Most do not return,” He said with a raised eyebrow. Underlining his respect for Barad and me for surviving the ordeal.
“Their magicians practice dark arts. You will not find me teaching that here!” Master Felps added. He was a funny little man. Short and bald. His only visible hair, a long mustache that he liked to twirl in his fingers.
Wishing to change the subject I turned to Mistress Jacobs. “Is Lenux around? We were hoping to run into him last night.” I knew Lenux Callow was one of her favorite recruits. He had the potential to be a master sneak.
“Oh yes," she replied with a smile. "Though I doubt you two were in the types of taverns he's been working right now." I found it hard to believe there was a tavern we didn't visit last night. "He's been working the riverfront for us. It's more than just thieves he's looking for." I raised an eyebrow at this. I was lead to believe that was exactly what he had been doing. "I'll send a message for him to come by this afternoon and meet with you and Barad. Maybe the two of you can assist him if it’s ok with his employers.”
I inwardly groaned at the idea of spending another night in taverns, but I wasn’t going to pass up on a chance to see my friend again, so I agreed that we would meet him here this afternoon.
Anyone seeing Barad enter the mess hall would have thought he had not survived the border after all. He came over to our table mumbling incoherently and laid his head on the table. His hand seemed to be working independently as it searched out the table until it found my coffee, stealing the cup back to its body. I shook my head as I left to get a new cup.
After Barad had sufficient coffee to hold his head up, we made our way to the courtyard for practice. I hoped some work would clear our minds. We started slowly. Our swords clanging together reverberated in our ears. As we regained our clarity, the rhythm of the blows sped until we were nearing our usual intensity. I knew if I applied more of my strength I could defeat Barad, but that wasn’t what our exercise was about. The routine of practice was comforting. The alcohol burned from our systems as muscles ranged through the familiar movements.
At some point Max had his students stop and observe as we danced through our exercises. The lessons the guild taught were the fundamentals, but battle had hardened the teachings with experience. You couldn’t appreciate the tactics of the sword until your life was the cost of failure. The message was simple, you were either better than your opponent, or you were dead.
Barad stepped back with a grin, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. “Mercy,” he laughed. “I believe winner buys loser lunch.”
My eyebrows shot up. “I don’t believe I am familiar with your rules.”
“Well, that sounds like short-sightedness on your part then. Let's see if Doonen has dropped off our pay. Who knows, you might have enough to treat me to something proportionate to my resounding defeat."
Master Doonen had been by, and it seems Barad's defeat was worth a street vendor's chicken leg and some potato crisps.
We re-familiarized ourselves to the streets of Coneer as we enjoyed our meal. It was good to see the same old shops we had visited as kids after being away for so long. We also had the receipt we received for the bandits. We stopped by the guard station to collect our reward. It seems the leader of the group was a known bandit. We were rewarded with twenty-three silver, not a bad start to civilian life. By now it was early afternoon, we went back to the guild to wait for Lenux.
Lenux was a year ahead of us in the guild. His small stature and thin build lent him more towards the sneaks than the swordsmen. The sneaks were hired for surveillance, and in a trade city like Coneer, it was an in-demand commodity.
When he arrived, he found us in the mess hall. His big smile didn’t match his appearance at all. He was smaller than Barad with narrow shoulders and a thin waist. He had his dark hair cut short. His shabby clothes fit in well with the riverfront district
he’s been working. You could easily confuse him for one of the thieves that he was supposedly hunting.
“Welcome back boys!” he stated as he sat.
“Lenux! It’s great to see you,” I responded.
“Yeah,” added Barad. “Are there any thieves left in Coneer or have you rounded them all up?”
Lenux waived his hand. "Thieves are small potatoes. We don't mess with them. I've got bigger fish to fry. As a matter of fact, I talked to my bosses today, and we could use a little muscle. Your heroics at the border have caught their attention. They are especially interested in hiring people who have no love for Dommeran. How would the two of you like your first non-guild work?" he said with a smirk on his face. He was a year out of the guild himself, and he knew how big it was to get that first job outside the guild.
I glanced at Barad who was twitching in his seat to accept. “We might be interested,” I carefully responded. “What do we do?”
His grin fell a bit. "I can't tell you, that's up to the people who hired me. I can tell you it’s a worthwhile job. Two gold a week and housing.”
Barad could no longer control himself. “Done! We’ll do it!”
“Do what?” I asked. “They haven’t told us what it is!”
“I don’t care. We'll do it!" He repeated emphatically. Two gold a week would allow us to live comfortably, even if we had to pay for our own rooms. With rooms supplied it would make for a nice living, especially for two swordsmen who were straight out of the guild. "Besides, Lenux said it's worthwhile."
Oh, I’m already in, I thought to myself. Still, I didn't want to sound too excited. "Well, We'll talk to your boss. See what's involved." My intuition gave me a warm fuzzy feeling saying it agreed. As if I needed it to tell me this was a good deal.
We chatted for a while, telling stories of our time servicing in the military. Afterward, we left the guild and followed Lenux through the city. He led us to the older section of town. Many of the cobblestones here were cracked, and the buildings looked like they were no longer maintained like those on the more bustling side of town. Some of the wealthy families had old houses that stood down here, but most had moved to the more centric part of the city. The feel of this area was more like someone’s attic where things were kept that were no longer used.
He led us to the temple of Alynon. He was the old God of Alsselya. The Plains of Alynon were where the last of his soldiers fell in their battle against Dommeran. Our own goddess Ayisha appeared to his people and offered them sanctuary here in Vaelin.
The temple here in Coneer was all that was left of those people. It looked as aged as the other buildings in the area with years of soot covering its stone walls. Stained glass windows on either side of the door depicted the god Alynon as a golden-haired warrior wielding a sword.
I gave Lenux a questioning look. He nodded reassuringly and opened the door for us. The interior was much better than the outside. Apparently, the priests took some pride in their temple. You could hear our boots echo as we walked along the marble floors. The marble continued up the walls, illuminated by gold sconces. The entrance was a long, vast hall. A priest appeared from a room at the other end. He was a balding man with just a tuft of hair remaining on top of his head. He was dressed in a blue robe with silver scroll on the cuffs and trim. While the robe identified him as an important priest, his face and build said he had spent some time as a warrior.
“Lenux,” he said with a gravelly voice. “I see you brought your friends.”
“Yes, Father Yagen. This is Lee and Barad."
He took a moment to take our measure. If he liked what he saw, he didn’t show it. “Very well, follow me.”
The priest led us to a courtyard with training tools that would have made guild master Max drool. Four other priests were practicing with staffs. "The two of you pick out some practice swords. Let's see what you are made of."
I started walking along the row of dulled practice swords as I looked them over. I could feel my intuition begin to buzz as I drew near one of them. I picked it up, and the weight and balance felt good to me, so I kept it. I looked over, and Barad was still hefting a couple of blades to see which felt right. I was surprised to find Yagen standing behind me. “That it, boy? Just going to pick one up without testing the others?”
I turned and met his eyes. “That’s it,” I said with a smirk. Father Yagen grunted and went to the rack.
“As a matter of fact, you took my favorite blade. I see you're a big fellow as well so I guess it makes sense you would have picked it out." He turned to the other priests and waved them over. "Excuse me, fathers. We need to test these men to see if they are worthy to serve Alynon. If you could please use your talents to examine their abilities?”
Looking over the priest, they seemed very comfortable with their staffs. A man with a staff should never be underestimated. Barad joined me after selecting his blade, and the priests stood across from us. The four priests bowed to us. As I bent over to bow in return a voice yelled ‘Up!’ I sprung up just in time to dodge a staff aimed at my head. I thought Barad had warned me, but apparently, he was taken by surprise and stumbled back after being struck.
It wasn’t the first time we faced dirty fighters. Still, they being priests seemed bad form. I blocked another blow from the priest in front of me and kicked him in the chest and away from the fight. I blocked a blow aimed at Barad giving him a chance to recover. He quickly came to my back so we could guard each other. The priest I kicked had the wind knock out of him, as he was slow to get up.
The other priest on my side made a lunge for my gut. I was able to deflect the blow and return a blade slap on his wrist. The dull sword wouldn’t cut his skin, but it could not be comfortable using that hand. Pressing my advantage, I followed through with the flat of my blade across his skull. The priest fell back and dropped his staff, signaling he was out of the fight. I noticed that Barad was facing his two fighters at once. He appeared to be favoring his left side, so they probably got some strikes on him. One of the priests had strayed too close to my side as he was focused on Barad. I came up behind him and slashed the back of his legs, knocking him to the ground. I kicked away his staff and tapped him with my sword signaling his defeat.
Barad gave me a grateful nod as he could now focus on the one priest. I turned back to find the winded priest now recovered and was right in front of me. He took a low swing at my knee that made solid contact. I kept my feet but pain radiated up my leg. I blocked a strike at my head and spun inside his defenses. He looked surprised as I punched him in the nose and pulled his staff from his hands. “Your out!” I yelled.
I turned to see Barad managing well against the last priest when I heard the voice again. Duck! I dropped and spun away as Yagen swung his sword over my head. I turned to see his stunned face as he swung past me.
I looked around but could still not spot who warned me. Yagen recovered from his missed blow and met my sword as I swung at him. A smile came across his face. “Not sure how you did that boy, but this will be more fun.”
We exchanged blows as we tested each other. Yagen started sweating as I worked him. I saw him frown as Barad defeated his priest and started moving to his other side. His frown turned to a quick grin as I blocked his blow. He raised his hand, and a blast of air hit Barad and me, knocking us to the ground. Yagen started an uproarious laugh. “You didn’t think I’d let you beat me did you?” He said as he continued laughing.
Barad looked furious as he got up. “Easy boy, you two passed,” Yagen announced. “The two of you have truly earned your reputations with a sword. Lenux, find them some cells near yours. Then meet me in my office.” With that, he returned his sword to the rack and left the courtyard with the other priests.
“Well guys, welcome to the church,” Lenux said with a grin.
Chapter 3
(Lee)
“Just what did he mean by ‘cells'?" Barad asked.
Lenux smiled at him. “Relax, it’s just what they call the rooms
here.” He led us down the hall past the temple entrance and to a hall on the other side. After climbing some stairs, we were in a hall filled with doors. "These used to be for pilgrims, but it's been years since Alynon has been a popular religion. The first two cells are taken, feel free to take the next two."
Barad took the third room, so I took the forth. The room was much like the one I left in the guild, but this one also had a chest. I can call this home, I thought to myself. The guild only allowed staying on premises if you were on guild business or looking for a job. Once hired for a job, you would move out until the work was done. Unpacking would be easy. All I owned were the clothes on my back, my sword, and the little money in my purse. I sighed and sat on my bed. For some reason, I felt very comfortable here. The odd warm feeling I usually only felt from my intuition in small flashes has been consistent since I walked into the temple.
Lenux walked into my room and shut the door. “There’s something else I haven’t told you, and it may be a problem. We aren’t the only ones on this job.” He said with a nervous look. “They’ve got another sneak as well…” Lenux told me the problem, and Barad wasn’t going to be happy.
Lenux and I walked into Barad’s room. I sat on his storage chest as Lenux stood gloomily before Barad as he sat on his bed.
“Guys," Barad said. He's eyes flitting between the two of us. "What's going on? I haven't seen two people act like this since my parents told me my dog died."
If only. I thought. Barad and I have fought together for years. His courage never wavered. When we were separated from our unit and found ourselves surrounded by Dommerians, he quipped that it was finally a fair fight. He had the constitution to face any foe… But her.
“Well,” Lenux started nervously. “The good news is our team is bigger than you originally thought. There are now four of us.”