Andoran's Legacy

by M. Gregg Roe

  “Cinda!”

  She stopped and waited for Kora to catch up. The woman’s beige rain cloak, a match for Cinda’s own, flapped as she ran. When Kora reached her, they began to walk side by side.

  “Are you going to visit Violet?” inquired Cinda.

  Kora frowned. “I’d forgotten that she lived there. Maybe I’ll say hello. I’m visiting an old friend I ran into recently. He’s a farmer now.”

  Dymar was a farming village, so that was no surprise. Cinda held out the staff. “You are better skilled to use this should there be a need.”

  “Okay.” She took it and held it so that it rested on her left shoulder.

  “And how are things proceeding with Gabriel?” asked Cinda.

  Kora’s face lit up. “Really well. I think he may be the one.”

  Cinda knew that the woman’s long-term plans included marriage and children, but she had never expected her to pursue Gabriel. “I wish to speak to you about something. Lilina has made me a proposal, and I would like to hear your opinion.”

  “A proposal about what?”

  “Desires. Now that she is finally in charge, Lilina is unhappy. She would rather be servicing clients than having to make decisions and handle business matters.”

  “What about that assistant of hers?” asked Kora.

  “Brigitt is capable but lacks proper guidance.” The girl looked bewildered much of the time.

  Kora scrunched up her face as she thought. “Lady Aurelia had planned to retire and then stick around for several months advising Lilina. But then she died. Desires needs someone skilled in business to run it, and it sounds like Lilina isn’t that person.”

  Cinda moved to the side to let a couple traveling the other direction pass. “Lilina wishes for me to take that role. She believes that the manner in which I dealt with Aurelia’s estate proves that I possess the proper skills.”

  “She may be right, but I can see from your expression that you don’t want to do it.”

  The woman was perceptive. “I do not,” admitted Cinda. “When my contract is completed, I intend to walk away not just from Desires, but from prostitution in general.”

  “I’m not surprised,” said Kora. “You’re not at all like me. You applied at Desires out of desperation.”

  “Yes, but I do not regret the decision.” But that was a half-truth at best. She would always wonder how she would have fared had she chosen a different path.

  There was no conversation as they continued their journey. They came to an area where the roadway widened, and they stood off to the side until the two laden carts they could see heading toward the city went by. In the afternoon, those carts and others would be returning with different loads.

  As they resumed walking, Cinda said, “I believe that I have a possible solution.”

  “No,” said Kora, shaking the staff for emphasis. “I know what you’re going to say. It’s not part of my plans.”

  “Do your plans never change?” inquired Cinda, frowning her annoyance.

  “Of course they do. That’s why I have contingencies.”

  Cinda knew of no one who plotted out their life as thoroughly as Kora. “Did one of your contingencies allow for the possibility of Lady Grasapa moving away and turning over the school to Bennet and Zalina?”

  Kora glared at her. “No, and it is causing me some issues. Shut up and let me think about this.”

  Cinda was happy to comply. She passed the time by trying to plan out her own future. The idea of becoming a traveling entertainer still appealed to her, but there was also her mother and Polly to consider. Elsebeth would also need to be checked on from time to time. And perhaps she would need to learn some additional self-defense skills. After all, travel could sometimes be dangerous.

  Dymar was looming large when Kora finally spoke up. “I’ve come up with a proposal for Lilina.”

  “And?” Cinda was quite curious what it involved.

  “I work there mornings every other day. Lilina participates in all major decisions, but I handle all of the mundane stuff without interference. I will supervise Brigitt. I’m also going to insist on a written contract.”

  “That is wise. I also believe that Lilina should resume her role as head courtesan.”

  “She is the perfect face for the business,” mused Kora. “In some respects, she’s sexier than Aliva.”

  Cinda couldn’t disagree. She had always envied Lilina’s exotic beauty.

  “There is one problem,” continued Kora. “I’m not sure how Gabriel’s father will react to the news that I’m basically running a brothel.”

  Mardan was hardheaded and conservative to a fault. “You will be running a legal business that pays substantial amounts of tax to the Witch’s City government,” countered Cinda. “And you will not be supervising the courtesans. That responsibility will still be Lilina’s.”

  Kora nodded. “Good point. I’ll put that in the contract.”

  They soon arrived at the village proper, and Cinda led the way to Violet’s house. Kora only stayed briefly, but Cinda stayed well into the afternoon before taking her leave. At first, she had visited out of concern for Violet, but now she did it out of friendship. Despite their wildly different backgrounds and goals, the two of them got on quite well.

  When Cinda returned to Desires late that afternoon, Lilina actually hugged her, because Kora had already been by. Starting tomorrow, Kora would be running the business.

  22

  ‡ Heat ‡

  Beads of sweat formed on Audrey’s brow as she returned home after spending the night at Conrad’s. Summer had arrived with a vengeance, making even the early morning unpleasant. By noon it would be completely unbearable outside.

  It was by far the worst heatwave since she had moved to the Witch’s City. Many businesses simply shut down in the afternoon, opening instead in the evenings. The city’s three lakes were all blooming with foul-smelling algae. No one seemed to be sleeping well and tempers were short. She wasn’t exactly in a good mood herself.

  Something that she had glimpsed in passing suddenly registered, so Audrey stepped to the side and came to a stop. Then she turned around and retraced her steps to the narrow alley that she had just passed. It was him. Some fifteen yards down the alley, an old man was sitting on the ground with his back to the right wall picking crumbs out of his beard. More crumbs of what looked like rye bread were on his clothing and the ground nearby. His clothes were practically rags, torn and stained.

  Audrey wrinkled her nose as she walked boldly down the alley. The stench in the alley was considerable, and she was certain that he was part of it. She planted herself in front of the man but he simply ignored her, continuing to absentmindedly pick at his beard.

  “Hello, Oljot,” she said. “Here for a visit?”

  He looked up at her and leered, showing stained teeth. “You’re a pretty thing,” he rasped. “How much to show me a good time?”

  Audrey shifted into a combat stance with her knees flexed and hands close to her sides. “I’ll bet I can break all of your teeth before you can get off a spell.”

  “Grasapa has taught you well, Audrey.” His voice was pleasant now. She stepped back and relaxed as he slowly rose to his feet and stood up straight. “Yes, I am here, as you say, for a visit.”

  “I know you’re not poor. Why do you act like you’re some crazy old homeless man here?” The first time she had met him, aboard a Novox ship, he had also been dressed poorly and behaving like a slob. And yet she knew that he was an incredibly powerful wizard.

  Oljot grinned. “I’ve done this most of my life from time to time. I enjoy exploring a city’s underbelly. I meet interesting people, find out all sorts of things.”

  And probably caught all kinds of diseases. “Well, I’m not ever doing that.”

  As the man chuckled, she considered what to say, because his being there was an opportunity. Oljot was a good friend of Xlee’s, and Audrey desperately wanted to meet the man that had once mentored Grasapa.
“I’d … like to go to Kaldir sometime,” she said lamely.

  “You want to meet Xlee,” he said evenly.

  Audrey pursed her lips. “Yes.”

  “Good, because he wants to meet you.”

  “He does?” Oljot looked serious, but she didn’t exactly know him well.

  He half-smiled. “Xlee and Grasapa communicate regularly through me.”

  Of course they did. She really should have expected that. “Then would you be willing to take me back with you to Kaldir?”

  “In exchange for what,” he asked, again leering at her.

  Playing along, Audrey crossed her arms in front of her. “Not beating you up? Or how about I provide directions to a cheap brothel?”

  He winked at her. “I know where all the good whorehouses are here. Would it be just you? Do you speak Kaldiran?”

  Audrey hesitated. “No and no. I’ll need to ask around. Saxloc will probably want to come along.” He would probably insist on going with her, not that she minded.

  “Then he can translate for you.” Oljot scratched at his beard as he thought, causing more crumbs to fall out. “I will come by the mansion in the afternoon three days from now, on the nineteenth. We will leave from there. And I will be presentable.”

  Audrey took another step back and wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Good, because you really stink.”

  He pointedly stared at her chest. “So, how much would you charge to show me a good time?”

  “You couldn’t afford me,” she snapped, before abruptly walking off. But she was smiling. She was going to Kaldir to meet Xlee!

  Saxloc couldn’t remember it ever being so hot for so long. He had all of his windows open, but there was no breeze. The mansion had a built-in heating system, but what it needed right now was some kind of cooling system. That gave him an idea. He summoned a small air elemental and put it to work circulating the air in his office. That did help some.

  It was hard to do anything. He had been trying to read one of his books about air magic, but he couldn’t focus. It was cooler underneath the mansion, and he was seriously considering going down there not to practice his combat skills, but to study. It was also incredibly humid. They kept experiencing brief thunderstorms—not enough to cool things off, but more than adequate to keep everything steamy.

  He heard the door to the hallway open, then looked over when Audrey appeared in the doorway. She looked miserable, with her hair hanging limply and her light blue shirt stained with sweat.

  “I see you’re dressed for the weather,” she said, crinkling her eyes in amusement. She swiveled her head from side to side. “Where’s that breeze coming from?”

  Saxloc was wearing only underpants. After he explained about the elemental, she laughed delightedly, saying, “Can I have one too?”

  “I can only summon one at a time. What brings you here?”

  “I ran into our favorite grouchy wizard. He agreed to take me back with him.”

  “For good?” he asked, trying to look hopeful.

  “Well, aren’t you in a silly mood.” She made a face at him. “It must be the heat. Sorry, but I’m planning to come back afterward.”

  “Obviously I’ll go along. Shall we invite Gabriel and Hankin?”

  “And Siljan,” she said, surprising him. “Aliva told me she’s visiting her parents. It’ll be just like an adventure.”

  “It will be exactly like one,” he countered. “We’ll probably go visit Albert, which means a trek through the wilderness. We should see if Aliva wants to go along.” She wasn’t likely to pass up a chance to visit her father.

  “She probably will. I’ll take care of asking her. Oljot says we’ll leave three days from now. He’ll come here.”

  Saxloc thought for a moment. “I’ll need to speak to my father.” Someone would need to cover for him at the shop.

  Audrey wiped her brow with her right hand. “How do you say, ‘It’s too damned hot.’ in Kaldiran?”

  After laughing, Saxloc told her. “I can try to teach you a few phrases, but you’ll be with people who can translate for you. The real issue is that we don’t know how long we will be gone. You know how Oljot is.”

  “Completely unreliable,” she huffed, then briefly chewed on her lower lip. “Actually, that’s a problem for me too. We need to decide in advance and then gang up on him.”

  That might work. “Why don’t we plan for ten days? By then you’ll be thoroughly bored with Hamsa.”

  Audrey shrugged. “It’ll all be new to me. I’ll be visiting Xlee while we’re there. How far is it to where he lives?”

  “Too far. It’s up in the mountains. Just ask Oljot to teleport you there.”

  Her face lit up. “I forgot that that spell works outside of Andoran’s Realm. This is going to be fun! I need to start planning.” She spun around and walked out.

  Saxloc had some planning of his own to do. He pulled out a piece of paper, picked up a stylus, and began to make a list.

  Gritting his teeth, Hankin stabbed a finger at his unwelcome guest. “If you say adventure awaits, I am going to have you thrown out of the building. From the roof. And I am not kidding.”

  After a dismissive gesture, Siljan leaned forward grinning. “Come on, Hankin. It’ll be fun. And it can’t be hotter there than it is here.”

  She had a point. It was so oppressive that he had departed from his usual black attire, something he hardly ever did. “I’m not interested. I have a job. I have responsibilities. I am unlikely to learn anything of interest to Novox on Kaldir. It’s not like I haven’t been there before.”

  “So what?” she scoffed. “We always find something fun to do there.”

  He stared at her for a moment as he reviewed all the not-so-fun things that had happened while visiting that continent. “Do you mean like when we were taken prisoner by Aliva’s insane half-sister and locked in her dungeon while waiting to be sacrificed to her evil deity? That was loads of fun.”

  “The fun part is that we eventually escaped.” Siljan’s smile slipped. “But it was bad that Larna ended up here and killed all those people.”

  That was an understatement if he had ever heard one. “Not to mention traumatizing Ariel.” The expression that remark produced on Siljan’s face was chilling. “What’s wrong?”

  “Ariel is pregnant.”

  Hankin was speechless. Among other horrible things, Larna had forced Ariel to kill innocent children. As a result, Ariel generally fled whenever children were around. They had all assumed that she would never bear children of her own.

  Siljan slouched in the chair, suddenly looking tired. “Ariel is thrilled, but Isadora and I think it’s a bad idea.” She sighed heavily. “Alessandra thinks it will help her to move on. Needless to say, we are all keeping a close eye on her.”

  He was out of his depth now, so he simply remained silent. The Siljan he was looking at now was the new one, the one that took her responsibilities as a priestess seriously. She was genuinely concerned about Ariel.

  Siljan looked distracted as she rose to her feet. “Do whatever you want. I don’t care.” She left his office, closing the door behind her.

  All the rest of that day he found himself mulling it over. He hadn’t taken time off for months. And how annoying would it be if his friends went on some great adventure without him? When it came down to it, there really wasn’t a choice. He wrote out a request for time off and submitted it before going home. Adventure might or might not be awaiting, but it would be nice to get away from both work and Jessia for a while.

  Medea was tired of all the pleading and begging. Marryn wanted to go to Kaldir with her brother, and she was determined. She had reportedly even gone to see her father to try to persuade him to add his voice. That hadn’t worked, but it was a measure of how far Marryn was willing to go to get her way. Another was her sudden interest in helping out around the house.

  It was warm in their living quarters, but not hot. That was one of the advantages of living within a castle with
thick stone walls. It tended to insulate them from temperature extremes.

  Staring into the dining room from the adjacent sitting area, Medea said, “What are you doing under there?”

  Marryn slid out from under the table and waved a cloth. “I’m cleaning underneath. No one’s done it for ages.”

  “That’s because there’s no need to. Dust doesn’t collect there and no one ever sees it.”

  “But it is dirty.” She pointed to a discolored area on the gray cloth. “See.”

  “Then go ahead and finish. And don’t forget to clean the undersides of the chairs too,” she added sternly.

  “All right.”

  Medea sighed as her daughter slid back underneath the table. “Marryn, the truth is that your father and I were planning for all of us to travel to Kaldir after you turned eighteen.”

  “He didn’t say anything about that to me. Someone carved something under here. I think it’s a rude word, but it’s hard to tell because it’s so old.”

  The table which had come with their living quarters was probably at least a century old. “I would go along with you myself if I didn’t have responsibilities here. If you promise to mind your brother and let him look after you, then you can go.”

  There was a sudden loud thump from under the table. “Ow! That really hurt. Can I really go? I promise I’ll be good.”

  “Yes, you can go. Now finish your cleaning while I go talk to your brother.”

  Medea was unsurprised to find her son in the process of inspecting his chainmail shirt. Gabriel was obsessive about both his armor and his weapons, but that was a good quality in a warrior. He promptly abandoned his task and stood when she entered.

  “I told your sister she could go. She promised to obey you, but this is Marryn we’re talking about.”

  “I will do my best to look after her,” he declared.

  Medea smiled at her dutiful son. “I know you will, and so will the others. I’m going to start dinner. You may resume your inspection.”