by J Battle
‘When the time of Magic… ends, then the First Men… shall… return.’ He turned to face his listeners with the biggest grin on his face.
‘There; I knew I could do it.’
He settled down beside Tom, and accepted a warm cup of tealeaf from Evens.
‘I don’t know what it means, though. Who were the ‘First Men’ and where are they now?’
Evens sipped his drink and smiled.
‘Well young lad, I can answer the first question, but I don’t know if there’s anyone alive who can answer the second, ‘less it be one of those Elvenfolk, and I won’t be about asking them; no, not at all.’
He smiled at the boys and set his cup down beside him. ‘I’ll take me a smoke while I talk,’ he said, as he lit up an old bone pipe.
‘Ah, that’s better. Now; the First Men. You look around you now boys, and you see men as we are now; the least of walking talking creatures; subjected to the whims and desires of our betters. But we were not always such; a long time ago; ay, even before I was a child, things were different. Men walked the land who were the equal of the Elvenfolk, even in their pomp. They were as wise as the Elvenfolk, and as tall as Giants, though not quite so broad, I think. And both races bowed to those First Men, for they were wise, and strong, and love of life flowed through them. Those were halcyon days, boys, and it must have been wonderful to be alive.’
He drew on his pipe and closed his eyes, as if he could now see the world he described.
‘What happened?’ asked Sam; his drink untouched.
‘Well, that is the question, young Sam. I wish I had the answer to give you. All I know is that now they’re gone, and the Elvenfolk are diminished, and the Giants care nothing for other folk. Perhaps the Magic failed them, and all we have left are the Wellstones, to remind us of what we once had. Who can say the truth in this? Certainly not I.’
‘So you put those words on that piece of wood?’
‘Nay, Sam. It was not me. That is an ancient treasure, passed down over the years from one Mage to the next.’
‘Why didn’t you give it to mage Anders, when he became Mage?’ asked Gorge.
‘Oh, I had no taste to do that. He returned all in a rush, all afire with his Magic, and he said ‘get thee gone, old man, for your time is done,’ and I left, and took the board and my books with me, thinking that he was so full of himself and his power that he didn’t need the books and he wouldn’t pay heed to the words on the board.’
There was silence then for a while, as the man smoked his pipe and the boys looked into the fire.
Then Gorge gave Tom a little nudge with his shoulder.
Tom looked at him and shook his head; frowning.
‘Mage Evens...’ said Gorge slowly, as if the words didn’t really want to come.
‘Just Evens, lad. There’s only one Mage in this valley.’
‘Mr Evens. Ye said you took the board and your books, when you left the palace, like.’
‘Ay, Lad, it was only a few minutes past since I spoke those words, so even I can still remember.’
‘But…ye brought something else, I think; we think. And you have in it that bag you always carry around with you. That’s what we think, anyways.’
Evens sighed, and then he picked up a small pouch and began to refill his pipe.
‘Go on, then, lad. Say the words; I won’t bite your head off for your cheek; least ways not before supper.’
Gorge glanced at his friends for support, but got little reward for his trouble.
‘We think ye have the old Wellstone in that bag, Mr Evens.’
Evens relit his pipe, and then he looked up, and Gorge was struck by how cloudy his pale eyes appeared.
‘And? You surely have something to ask, Lad.’
‘Can… can we take a look at it, Mr Evens, if you don’t mind too much?’
Chapter 53 Rekk
‘It takes time to round up a gang, it does,‘ said Rekk, his words slurring a little.
‘And it takes ale; don’t forget the ale,‘ replied Pitt, before lifting his tankard and taking a mighty slurp.
He was a big fellow, with long unwashed hair to go along with his long unwashed beard, and stains on his vest that would match one worn by the messiest of Giants.
‘Have we enough, do you reckon?’
‘Well,‘ began Pitt, looking around the tavern. ‘I don’t rightly know, and I can’t trust my counting, because I can see two Jems and one were more than enough.’
‘That’s just the ale, Pitt. If I had one Jem, I wouldn’t go and look for another, would I?’
‘Who have you got then?’
‘There’s me, and you, and Jem of course. And there’s Brom, and Duglas, and Brondin said he’d come along, for something to do. How many’s that?’
Pitt counted them off on his grimy fingers. ‘One, two…six, that is.’
‘And Huldrold makes seven.’
‘Huldrold? You asked Huldrold?’
‘Why not?’
‘He ain’t…he ain’t the sort I’d have, if it were my gang, for sure. He’ll take over, he will. And you said you wanted to wait, didn’t you, until you were good and ready. Well, Huldrold, he don’t like to wait. He always says, ‘if there be something to be done, do it now, because you might want to do it again tomorrow,’ or something like that.’
‘No, he’s always been right with me, he has.’
‘Have you ever said no to him, or tried to stop him from doing something he wanted to be doing?’
‘I…well, no, I don’t reckon I have…shush, he’s here now. What am I going to do?’
‘I reckon you’ll be doing just what Huldrold wants you to be doing,’ whispered Pitt, as he turned to greet the newcomer with a wide gap-toothed grin.
‘Ho, there Huldrold, how’s the day treating you?’
Huldrold walked over to them, slowly, with a swagger in his step, and his round bald head lowered so that he could stare into Pitt’s eyes.
‘Pitt,’ he said, simply, as if there was nothing else to be said.
‘You’ll take a drink, won’t you?’ offered Pitt, his voice filled with eagerness.
Huldrold nodded, and then turned to Rekk.
‘When do we start?’ he said, his voice as coarse as sandpaper.
‘Oh, not yet…there are things….that want doing, if you don’t mind.’
‘I’m a busy man, Rekk. I can’t be hanging around waiting on you. Not when there’s coin to be had for the taking.’
‘If we can take over the palace and have it keep going as it were, there’ll be more for us all in the end.’
‘Ask a starving man if he wants to wait ‘til the end, and see what he says.’
Rekk smiled up at the tall thin man. ‘You ain’t starving, Huldrold,’ he said, with a jokey laugh in his voice.
Huldrold stared back at him and said not a word.
Rekk held his eyes for as long as he could, which wasn’t in all truth very long. Then he coughed and looked away. ‘Where’s that drink you were getting?’ he asked of Pitt, to hide his discomfiture.
When he’d drained a good measure of his ale, Huldrold wiped his mouth and put one hand on the back of Rekk’s neck.
‘Now, Rekk, my old mate, I reckon I’ll give you a couple of days, and that’s being very patient I reckon, for me. A couple of days, and then we should make our move.’
Rekk slipped from his chair and stood up to his full height, which was a good foot less than Huldrold could offer.
‘I’m in charge here, Huldrold, and I’ll say when we ‘make our move.’’ He spoke very quickly, as if uncertain that he’d have the courage to get to the last word.
Huldrold grinned, exposing massive blocky grey teeth.
‘Oh now, Rekk. I likes a joke, I do. And you’re funny, you are. Listen carefully now, so I don’t have to repeat myself. I’ve had a word with your lads, and they all agree with me, don’t you Pitt?’
Pitt nodded his agreement without meeting Rekk’s eyes.
Rekk clenched his fists and raised himself on his heels a little. ‘I…I don’t…alright, if you make it three days, then…’
Huldrold placed a hand on each of Rekk’s shoulders and pulled him closer.
‘So, we’re agreed, are we? Two days it is then.’
Rekk found that he lacked the strength to do more than nod.
Chapter 54 Alice
Lady Alice rushed into the foyer of the palace; all breathless, and with her cheeks flushed.
‘Where is he?’ she asked, when she’d caught her breath.
‘I took him upstairs, and I laid him on his bed, all respectful, like. No matter what sort of man he was; he was still the Mage, and he deserves that, I think,’ said Brawn.
She rushed past him and up the stairs. She stopped at the top, unsure which way to go. Though she had been a visitor many times over the years to the Mage’s Palace, she’d never yet been invited upstairs.
'To the left, M’Lady,' said Brawn, as he walked with a little more in the way of calmness up the stairs behind her.
She rushed along the passageway, to the large, gold-embossed door at the end. When she reached the half-open door, she stopped, as if the will to continue had left her.
‘You’ve no need to do this, M’lady. I will act as witness; there is no need for you to distress yourself.’
‘No, Brawn,’ she said, and she cast him a smile, as if to say, yes, I’m still myself. ‘Stay here, and give me a moment, if you please.’
‘Yes, M’lady.’ He ducked his head a little, in a poor imitation of a bow; but a body as thick as his does not bend easily.
She slipped past the door and into the Mage’s bedroom, ignoring the lush red carpet, the lavish gold curtains and the crystal chandelier that was surely hanging far too low for safety.
Her eyes were fixed on the body on the bed, covered by a black and red satin sheet.
She stepped over to the bed. The figure was completely hidden by the sheet, although she could see from the shape that it was a man.
She reached to pull back the sheet.
‘No, M’lady. You’ve no need to do that, and you’re better not seeing what they’ve done to him.’ Brawn was beside her, with one massive hand hovering above her shoulder.
‘I need to see for myself, Brawn, and I am a grown woman.’
She pulled back the sheet, and then she gasped.
He was half dressed in the remains of a ridiculous golden suit of armour, but the top of his suit had been ripped away, along with most of one shoulder. There were so many wounds across his chest and stomach that they merged into each other. One side of his head was caved in, leaving his brains room to leak where they should never be seen.
The other side of his face was untouched by the assault and he could still have been the young man who had always annoyed her with his words and attitude, sleeping away the afternoon in his bed.
She turned away, surprised to find that there were tears in her eyes. She’d thought that she’d hated him, for what he did, and for what he was. But now he was gone.
‘He stole my shoes, once, when I was a girl,’ she said, so softly that Brawn didn’t even realise she was speaking.
She walked to the window and wrapped her arms around herself, as if suddenly chilled.
‘What will we do without him, Brawn? What will we do without the Magic?’
‘M’lady, I’m sure…’
‘Look, Brawn. Can you see it? Look, and tell me I’m dreaming.’
He moved beside her, suddenly concerned at the distress in her voice.
‘What am I looking for M’lady?’
‘Look; at the mist-wall. Can’t you see, man?’
He looked, and then he sighed. He could have guessed that this would happen, if he’d stopped to think.
‘Ay, M’lady, I see it clear enough, though I wish my eyes were poorer.’
‘What do you see, Brawn?’
‘I see the mountains beyond the mist-wall.’
‘You see the mountains through the mist-wall.’
Chapter 55 Cavour
He moved quietly through the last of the trees, as he had done since he left the Lady to her Giants in Hesselton the night before.
He’d hidden in the woods and witnessed the Giants chasing off a band of Elvenfolk, and that had been a sight to see. He couldn’t understand how the Lady had persuaded them to help the humans in their plight, and he was fairly sure he would never have the chance to ask her.
Now he had a little problem of his own. His cover was about to run out and he would have to cross exposed fields of crops, or walk along the road in full view of whoever should choose to pass by.
As was his wont when a decision had to be made, Cavour decided that a quick smoke would give assistance to his brain in its attempt to come to the right decision. So he lowered himself to the ground and, with his back propped against the trunk of a young grey tree, he rustled in his bag for his pipe and pouch.
‘Ay, now that is a good idea, stranger.’
Cavour jerked around, dropping his pouch. With one hand on the ground, he tried to get up, but a heavy, veined hand pushed his shoulder and he fell back.
‘Steady there, human. There’s no harm here; just settle yourself there, nice and quiet, if you will. We don’t want to catch the attention of those lumpy Giants, do we?’
Cavour looked up at the tall, gaunt creature above him, but he was careful not to dwell on those beautiful, enchanting blue eyes; so out of place in that face.
‘Wh…You are Elvenfolk,’ he said, because he felt something should be said. ‘It’s not safe for you here.’
‘Ay, but fear not human, those Giants may be big and strong and hard to hurt, but they are not very clever, are they? Have you heard them talk? They can hardly string a sentence together, and if they do, then it’s mostly about food, or ale.’
‘Still, if they catch you here, still in the valley, you’ll be in trouble.’
‘Your concern for my welfare is quite delightful, though you are lacking in sufficient flesh to suit my appetites.’
Cavour stared at him; his mind racing. He was well aware that his life was in the hands of this unpredictable creature.
‘What do you want from me?’
‘Well, I did expect an offer of a smoke, at the least. But do not worry for yourself. If I had any intention of killing you at all, you would already be dead.’
Cavour passed him his pipe and his pouch.
‘Thank you… What name do you use, human?’
‘My name is Cavour.’
‘Cavour? And I am Crawlord Elstar; no need to get up and bow. Have you any harroweed in this little bag? A few draws would suit me fine, for now.’
‘No, only pipeweed. I had some harroweed, but it’s all gone.’
Elstar took a long draw on the pipe; his eyes flicked around the thinning trees as he smoked.
‘So, Cavour. What can you tell me that will cause me to let you live your life a little longer?’
‘But, I thought you had no intention of killing me?’
‘Did I say that? Really? Well, there you are; I’m a terrible one for the lies.’
Cavour groaned a little as he climbed to his feet.
‘What do you want to know?’
‘Is this going to be that tedious? Do I have to ask all the questions, and then you’ll answer each one? Can we not just get to the end and you tell me all you know about the Wellstone, and then we can be off about our business?’
‘What makes you think I know about the Wellstone?’
‘Ah, now. I think that is the wrong question, Cavour. So tell me now, and if I don’t have to ask any more questions, then you shall live.’
‘How can I trust you?’
‘I’m a crawlord; you can always trust the words of a crawlord.’
‘You’ve just l
ied to me.’
‘Did I? No, that was just a joke. I’m a one for my jokes. But, if I say that I, Crawlord Elstar of the Seven Stars will let you go if you tell me all you know about the Wellstone, then I am bound by my words.’
'Is that the truth?'
'Here is proof of truth.' Elstar drew his sword and planted it in the ground before Cavour. 'You can defend yourself with my sword, if it ever becomes necessary.'
Cavour looked at the sword; still quivering from the impact.
‘What if I say I know nothing?’
‘Then I won’t believe you and I won’t be bound by my oath.’
‘Doesn’t sound like a binding oath.’
‘We Elvenfolk are very flexible; we don’t like to be bound.’
‘Alright, I’ll tell you what I know, but you have to say the words first.’
‘I see that you are too clever to be fooled by poor old me. I don’t see that a lot in humans. So, I, Crawlord Elstar of the Seven Stars will let you go if you tell me all you know about the Wellstone. How is that? Tell me now, and be certain not to disappoint me.’
Cavour took a deep breath, and then he peered through the trees, just on the off-chance that a passing Giant might come to his aid.
‘The Wellstone has left the valley,’ he said at last. ‘You’ll not find it here.’
Elstar glared down at him, his blue eyes seeming to glow in the dim light.
'Go on.'
'It was stolen by a person named BobbyJ, and he has taken it from this land. He'll be off along the coast road now, I should think; on his way to Stolybridge, to sell it for a pretty purse.'
'He means to sell it? For mere coin? How strange. Where is this place?'
'If you travel along the coast road for three days, you'll come to its white walls, overlooking the sea.'
'Three days of human walking?'
'I know of no other.'
'When did he leave?'
'Maybe 20 hours ago, give or take an ounce of sugar.'
'How do I get to the coast road from here?'
Cavour hesitated at that. It wasn't a betrayal; he was sure of that, but it still felt like one.