The weather had changed overnight. They were back in the icy grip of winter. The going was more treacherous. A light snow had covered deep frozen tracks in the mud, making footing awkward.
Gawin turned in his saddle to face his riding companions.“We should be about half an hour out of South Point.”He said over the rising wind.“You can see how the road’s chewed up. More people are using it.”
The lanky engineer looked at Bendon, Tommy, and Kindra. All three were bundled up tightly in sweaters and heavy cloaks; much the same as he and Jewel. Though Bendon had his red cloak on as well. Only Robert seemed at ease in the biting cold. The old man wore a heavy cloak and a type of woolen riding cap that had been in fashion more than fifty years ago. Still, he wore no sweater that Gawin could see and he kept his hood back. As always, he had that odd black sword of his strapped on his horse’s right side. On his left he had a long wooden tube made out of something he called bamboo which he used to carry his engineering drawings and designs.
Gawin and Robert had spent much of their free time in the evenings working on those designs–a fact which had started to irritate the younger man’s new wife. Still, Gawin was looking forward to an evening by a warm fire in some South Point inn with Jewel on one side and Robert, the plans, a slide rule and a protractor on the other. Gawin didn’t really know what they were designing. Robert would only say that it could be used to take trips. Gawin didn’t really mind the mystery. Robert would hand him small pieces, the designs of which had stumped the older man. Gawin would work the problem over in his mind for a few days. Once he had figured out how to solve the problem he and the older man would do the calculations and set Gawin’s solution to paper. Gawin suspected the only thing preventing Robert from completing whatever this was on his own was a lack of training in the art of calculus.
Jewel’s horse stumbled on a hidden rut and he was jolted out of his day dream.“You OK?”He asked while reaching out a hand to steady her.
“I think I’ll never be warm again.”She answered through gritted teeth.“Other than that, I’m fine.”
Gawin grinned.“I bet I can warm you up.”He teased.
“Is that all you think about?”She asked in mock anger.
“Hey, you said it yourself; we’ve got prophesy to fulfill.”
“Is that the only reason?”She said in a suddenly sullen voice.
He raised her gloved hand which he was holding while they rode and kissed it.“No. It’s just a handy excuse to be close to you.”Gawin kissed her hand again.“I love you, Jewel.”Gawin continued, his voice losing its teasing lilt.“I always have. I always will. Until the end of time if need be.”
“Better answer - Pencil Boy!”She said with a smile. She had taken to calling him that as a way of teasing him for spending so much time with pencil-in-hand, working with Robert.
“Hey you two, knock it off. There are children present.”It was Tommy who spoke.
Jewel placed a hand on her stomach and answered“We don’t know that yet. I only said we should do a testing spell when we got to South Port.”
“Oh, but we doknow.”Said the thief.“Anybody who’s ever seen a woman wake up sick to her stomach every day for a week knows exactly what going on.”
“I could have caught a cold.”Jewel protested.
“You caught something.”Robert added with a grin from the front where he was riding point.
“…and it wasn’t from hold’n hands!”Tommy continued with a smirk while dodging a playful kick from Kindra who was riding at his side.“Besides,”he added somewhat smugly,“I’ve a gold piece riding on the outcome of the spell and, as a professional; I’d never take a bet on anything other than a sure thing.”
“What dog would place a bet like that with you?”Kindra asked indignantly.
“He’d rather not say.”Robert answered rather hastily from the front. Bendon grinned like a boy getting away with something.
“I see…”Jewel’s mother commented dryly. She raised an eyebrow at Bendon, proving that a mother’s gaze missed very little. His grin morphed into a sheepish smile.
The conversations ended as they rounded a bend and saw the trees give way to the sprawling town of South Point.
***
The town of South Point was located on the south western shore of the massive lake Egon. There were no rivers nearby and so the town did most of its commerce by lake barges northeast to and from Shenandoah. Rich farm lands and the best freshwater clam beds in all of Pershara provided for a steady source of income to the town.
The travelers chose an inn near the lakeshore. Tommy, who seemed to know everything about every little town, berg and hamlet they visited had recommended a place called“Kaber’s Inn and Eatery”. As promised, it was modest enough not to draw undo attention and yet was clean and comfortable.
“Besides,”as the young thief had said as they entered the establishment,“they have the best clam chowder in the city.”
True to his word, as they sat at a table in the barroom half an hour later, the warm creamy white chowder was everything the thief had promised.
Jewel wrapped her fingers around the bowl, allowing its heat to soak into her freezing hands. She sat with her back to a warm fireplace at a table the men had chosen both for its proximity to the fire and its view of the rest of the room.
Several of the Inn’s cats had made their way over to Jewel’s feet and onto her lap. One was even now reaching a paw to tap her chin as if to say“Hey I’m here now…go ahead and scratch behind my ear.”Jewel, of course, complied with a weary smile.
Gawin and Tommy sat on either side of her. Bendon sat on the other side of Tommy eating his chowder and keeping to himself. Meanwhile, Kindra and Robert chatted idly on the other side of the table. It seemed that the mother dragon and the old man had known each other for quite a while. The conversation had inevitably turned to Joan. Kindra had a kind word and shed a very real tear when she learned of her recent passing.
A well-endowed serving girl with a tight blouse that afforded the men a generous view came by to clear the table of empty chowder bowls. Tommy took the opportunity to ask about a local specialty.
“Are you running a fish boil tonight?”
“Oh, you know about our fish boils do ya?”The young woman asked with a proud smile.
“Absolutely.”Tommy answered before anyone else could say no.“We’ll have six if you’re running one tonight.”
“Well, you’re in luck then. The cooks just put one on out front. The best show will be in about twenty minutes.”
“Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”The girl answered with a wink, a bow and a jiggle that afforded the men one last peek at her wares.
“Her blouse was unusually tight.”Kindra commented dryly while giving the thief a scolding look.
“Hadn’t noticed.”The men lied in unison.
“I see.”Said the mother dragon in a tone that said she wasn’t buying what they were selling.
Gawin, massaging his side where Jewel’s elbow had just jabbed him, attempted to redirect the conversation.“So what’s the deal with this‘fish boil’?”
“It’s a great local tradition.”Tommy said.“They take white fish from the lake, chop them into two to three inch sections and boil them with chunks of onions, potatoes, corn, and clams–lots and lots of clams. The whole mess is layered in a caldron between layers of salted seaweed.”
“What’s so special about that?”Jewel asked.
“Ah”, he said rolling his eyes with a smile,“the combination of flavors is simply marvelous and as in everything,”the thief continued with a broad grin,“a lot of the meal is in the presentation itself. The pot is placed on a large public fire outside. Just before it is ready to serve a cook will throw a pan of melted lard on the fire. The flames will shoot up and the pot will boil over violently. All the fat and scum that normally collects on the top of the water is lost in the boil over. Makes for quite a show.”the thief finished.
“And great adverti
sing.”Robert observed practically.
“That too.”Tommy agreed.
Jewel noticed that Gawin had a slightly distracted look in his eyes.
“Are you alright?”She asked.
“Me, oh fine.”he answered.“I was just watching a man and a boy over at the bar.”
“Could be father and son,”she said turning her head to see.
“No! Don’t look.”Gawin said in a sharp but soft voice.“I could swear the man is the sergeant that arrested us in Riverdale last fall.”
“He’s not in uniform now.”Tommy said while sipping his beer.
“True enough, but I doubt those are his clothes.”
“Too tight. I agree”the thief added.
“And the boy seems to be picking the pockets of everybody who brushes by them.”
“Interesting technique.”Tommy observed.
“By letting the mark make the physical contact for him, he removes the risk of initiating the pick. I assume he’s hitting them for only a coin or two a piece…”Gawin said.
“Probably true. Few will miss a single coin.”
“Still, a high risk approach; based on the number of marks being hit. He must be awfully sure of himself.”
“The boy is very good,”Tommy nodded,“obviously a trained professional. I’m surprised you spotted him. Do you dabble in the art yourself?”
“I used to.”Gawin admitted with a wink. Bendon smiled out of the young engineer’s view. Kindra and Robert shared his quick amusement.
“Trained professional? Art? What are you two babbling about?”Jewel asked bewildered.
“How a thief makes an honest living.”Tommy said innocently.
“Honest living?”Kindra questioned.
“Well…”Tommy admitted hesitantly,“I suppose it’s a matter of perspective.”
It wasn’t long before a grizzled cook entered the room from the kitchens holding a sauce pan filled with grease. He made his way to the front door and exited. People started grabbing their drinks and followed him.
“Come on.”Tommy urged the others.“You’ll enjoy this.”
They joined the mass of people milling about the large cooking fire burning gently on the beach across the road from the Inn. A large caldron sat bubbling away on top of the coals. It was being tended by two large men. One was carrying a stout rod used to lift and move the caldron.
Gawin noticed they were standing close to the boy they had spotted earlier. He caught the Tommy’s eye and pointed with his chin.
Tommy smiled and mouthed the words.“Be ready.”
When the two burly cooks had backed the crowd away to a safe distance, the third began circling the fire; looking for the right place and moment to toss the grease.
It was about this time that Gawin noticed a panicked look on Jewel’s face. He was about to say something when the cook threw the grease on the coals. At the same time, Robert’s hand fell to his sword’s hilt. Bendon placed a stilling hand on his friend’s shoulder. The grease hit the coals. There was a roar of fire that rocketed skyward and enveloped the caldron. A blast of heat was sent into the crowd. Everyone took a step back and three things happened at once.
First, Tommy felt a hand expertly enter his pocket. He caught it just as expertly.
Second, the coals in the fire seemed to come alive and take form. It was as if flaming arms started reaching out of the embers.
Third, and most alarming to Gawin, Jewel screamed. The glowing embers seemed to be reaching directly for her.
Instinctively, Gawin tried to protect his wife; but his staff was back at their table. His eyes scanned the ground in vain looking for a stick, a club, a piece of drift wood–anything that could be used as a weapon. There was nothing. The crowd was scattering and it was difficult to see.
A child, mesmerized by the fire, stood between Jewel and the flaming arms. Gawin reached forward to grab the girl before the flames could touch her. He didn’t think he could get away in time. Suddenly, both he and the little girl were shoved out of the way by the burly man who had been with the young pickpocket in the tavern. All three rolled on the ground as the other man’s flying leap carried them away from the fire.
The menacing arms of flames brushed the burly man’s back as he flew by them. Immediately the back of his tunic burst into fire and the man screamed. He had the sense to roll on to his back and smother the flames. In the process, Gawin and the little girl, who was now crying quite loudly, were able to free themselves from the jumble of arms and legs.
Gawin could now see that Jewel stood alone before the hellish wraiths. He struggled to get to her but there was not enough time. Jewel raised her arms just before the first of the flames licked her. The young engineer felt a powerful pressure at the base of his neck. A shimmering violet and blue nimbus erupted from his wife’s hands and instantly surrounded her like the protective shell of an egg. The flaming arms probed the shimmering field but they could not pass. Jewel smiled with an air of confidence Gawin had never seen.
“Exti Mundi Ahor!”She commanded as she brought her raised hands together. The nimbus flew apart in every direction in a great expanding wave. It passed over people and objects with little effect; but where it touched flames, the fires were extinguished immediately. It was over as quickly as it had begun.
The boy Tommy had caught picking his pocket, broke free of the larger thief’s grasp and rushed to the moaning man on the ground.
“Sarge? Ya OK Sarge? Oh geez Sarge, ya got’a be OK”the boy sobbed while on his knees in the sand next to the man.
Kindra knelt beside the boy and took both of his hands in hers and forced him to look directly into her reassuring eyes.
“He’s hurt very badly and it will take him a while to get better.”
“But…”he began with tears in his eyes.
Before he could say more Kindra continued kindly,“He will get better–you can be sure of that.”
“But…”the boy repeated in a softer voice while turning his head to look at his friend,“we ain’t got nobody.”
Kindra released his hands and used hers to raise his chin.“You do now child. You do now.”
“That was a very brave and selfless thing your father did.”Gawin added from above.
“He ain’t my father. He’s my Sarge. We’re on a‘portant mission. We gota warn the new king he’s ride’n in ta a trap”
Chapter Four- Preparations
“Be careful! Don’t hurt him.”Jewel and Kindra admonished the men in unison.
“We won’t, but the oaf weighs a ton.”
“He is rather portly for a soldier.”Kindra admitted.
“More like fat!”Tommy gritted through his teeth while helping to carry the man up the back stairs at Kaber’s Inn.
“Taint fat!”Tep said forcefully.“Tis character…lesson that’s what he were always tell’n me!”
“Well, if our friend had any more‘Character’we would need a mule to drag him up these steps.”Gawin added while holding the man’s legs.
“Oh for heaven’s sake,”Kindra said as she started to raise a hand to cast magic.
Jewel gently caught her hand before she could begin.“Mother may I?”
“Of course dear.”Kindra said with a smile.
“May I what?”Gawin said with a look of suspicious concern on his face.
Jewel answered him with a smile. She raised her right hand, frowned slightly and snapped her fingers. At the sound, Gawin felt the familiar pressure at the base of his neck and immediately the portly sergeant became feather-light.
“Whoa, that’s more like it!”Tommy said with a start.“Why didn’t you do that to begin with?”
“What and deny our men a chance to feel useful?”Jewel and Kindra echoed in unison.
Tommy looked at Gawin,“You sure they’re mother and daughter? They act more like twins.”
“Well, I’m told twins run in the family…”the lanky engineer answered as they rounded the corner of the top landing and proceeded with their much li
ghter burden towards a door Robert held open for them.“But I’m fairly sure my Jewel is a one-of-a-kind”
“Smart answer, Pencil Boy.”Jewel said with a wink.
“You two really ought to get a room.”Tommy said with a groan.
“Don’t worry, dearest,”Kindra answered.“They have one and so have we.”
“Yes dear.”Bendon smiled at the thief’s response. The old man followed behind Jewel and Kindra. In his hands was Gawin’s staff that the younger man had forgotten in the dining room.
Robert shut the door as they deposited the large man, face down, on one of the two beds in the room.
“Let’s see if we can’t do something about those burns.”Kindra said while using a pair of lady’s scissors to cut away Sergeant Tolivier’s shirt.
The exposed flesh of the man’s back was violently blistered and charred. In several places the skin hung in free-flapping strips. Tep took one look at his older friend’s back and began to cry. Kindra looked sternly at Tommy, caught his attention and then shifted her eyes quickly to the boy. He apparently understood as he put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and began speaking with him softly.
Kindra returned her attention to the man on the bed. It was bad. There was no question the burn was life threatening and despite her promise to the boy earlier, she was not sure she could heal a wound this great... not as the mere human she was now. If she had even a trace of her dragon heritage the story would be very different. It would take years of patent work to train this body to hold and use enough magic to heal a wound like this. She thought for a moment and made a decision. The mother dragon turned to face Robert.“Old man, I know you foreswore the healing arts and while I sympathize with your reasons, this man needs your help.”
The Ways of Mages: Two Worlds Page 3