You better learn kid, James thinks as he puts the last forkful of eggs in his mouth.
Never taking his eyes from his mother, Arkie moves his hand closer to the food and she raises her hand slightly while at the same time cocking her head to the side. “No,” she says.
Pulling his hand back, he gives James a hopeful look.
“Don’t look at me,” he says. “I may be master of the house but she’s your mother.” To Ezra he gives her a quick smile and then gets up from the table. Patting Arkie on the head he returns to his room and collects a set of clean clothes as well as a cupful of soap.
After he passes back through the kitchen and goes outside, Miko sees him and hollers that he’ll join him. Racing back to get his things, he soon catches up with him at the bathing pool.
The morning air is crisp, he’s not sure how many more mornings he’ll be able to endure the cold water. Each day seems to be getting colder and colder. The days where he would linger in the water are past. Scooping out some of the soap, he quickly cleans himself as well as his hair.
“Arkie get you this morning?” Miko asks amused.
“Twice,” he replies.
“He nailed me earlier,” he tells him with a grin. “Ezra sure has her hands full with him.”
“It’s just a stage, I hope,” he says.
“Coming with me to town today?” James asks.
Shaking his head, he says, “No. Roland says I’ve missed too much time at the class and am starting to fall behind the others. He wants us all to be doing the same, says it’s easier that way.”
“I can see where he would want that,” he replies.
“Seen Dave yet today?” he asks Miko.
Shaking his head, he replies, “No. He was gone when I got up.”
“Gone?” he asks, worried.
“He does that some times,” Miko explains. “I think he likes to get away by himself or something.”
“Maybe,” replies James, worry for his friend increasing. Dave has never been one to wander off by himself. He would always try to be the life of the party and garner attention. He continues to think on Dave while he finishes his bath.
“This water is simply getting too cold,” he says when he’s finally done washing. Getting out, he dries himself off quickly. The slight breeze has caused goose bumps to arise over a good portion of his skin. Once he’s dressed, he leaves Miko in the water and returns to his room where he takes out his shaving knife and scrapes off the stubble which has grown scraggly ever since he left. Got to remember to take this with me.
Once he’s done, he rubs his face and feels much better now that it’s once again smooth. He leaves his room and goes outside where he finds Jiron has already readied two horses. Fifer is talking with him and breaks off when James approaches.
“How do you feel this morning?” he asks.
“Fine,” replies James. “Always feel fine after a good night’s rest.”
“I think Illan’s going to have us out and bring in some meat to smoke after the morning drills so may not be around when you return,” Fifer explains. Qyrll comes around the corner, swords swinging at his hips and stands beside Fifer. A definite friendship has developed between the two.
“Running low are we?” James asks as he mounts.
Looking up at him, Fifer nods. “That’s what Ezra is telling us,” he says.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks,” replies Fifer.
Jiron mounts and then they head down the road. As they make their way up the lane to the main road, James glances over to the construction site of his new house and stables. The stables are complete, except for a few of the interior walls separating the stalls. It should be done by the end of the week. The house still has another two or three weeks to go.
Sean the master builder in charge of the construction sees him looking his way and gives him a wave. James returns it.
They find Uther at the guard shack looking bored and tired. As they approach, he asks, “How much longer do we need to have someone out here?”
“Until we no longer get unwelcome visitors,” James replies. “Have there been any today?”
Nodding his head, Uther says, “One. He said he would pay you to remove a wart from his face.”
“Bad?” Jiron asks.
Chuckling, he nods and says, “Very.”
“Where are all these people coming from?” groans James.
“Who knows?” replies Jiron. “They sure are an irritant though.”
“Tell me about it,” he says. Then to Uther he adds, “Be back in awhile.”
Uther gives them a nod as they leave the lane and turn onto the road heading to town.
On the outskirts of Trendle, they find a group of men standing and talking to one another against the outer wall of the last building. As he draws closer he sees it’s the mayor and a few members of the town council along with several other men from town. Corbin is among them.
“James!” Corbin says as he approaches.
“What are you all doing here?” he asks as he pulls to a stop. Then he asks jokingly, “Are you hiding?”
The mayor’s face flushes a little bit red and Corbin says, “In a way.”
Then it hits him. The mayor is meeting with his old drinking buddies his wife doesn’t want him to associate with. Feels he’s above that now. “I understand,” he says not pursuing the matter. “Do you know if Ceryn’s around anywhere?”
“I think he left for a couple days,” the mayor replies. “Seems there have been some problems on the road to the east.”
“Nothing serious I hope,” James says, concerned.
“We may have another band of robbers out that way,” Corbin explains. “One man said a band of six men waylaid him and took all his coins. Ceryn’s gone to investigate and isn’t expected to return for a couple days. Did you need him for something?”
“Just wanted to ask him if he knew of a place called Ironhold,” he says. “Have any of you heard of it?”
The blank expressions they give him tell him they haven’t. “You might try Kraegan,” suggests the mayor. “If it has something to do with iron, being the blacksmith he may know.”
“Thanks,” he says. “I hadn’t thought of that.” To all of them he adds, “Good day to you.”
“Take care James,” Corbin says.
He and Jiron then turn their horses and head into town to see Kraegan. “What will you do if he hasn’t heard of it?” Jiron asks as they make their way through town.
“Wait for Ceryn’s return I guess,” he says.
The sound of hammer on metal reaches them long before the sight of Kraegan’s shop appears down the street ahead of them. James has them stop in front and goes to the back while Jiron waits with the horses. He finds the blacksmith instructing an apprentice on the proper way to repair a plowshare.
Not wishing to intrude, he stands to the side and waits. Kraegan takes notice of him and gives him a nod but continues working with the apprentice. After two minutes and several rounds of hammering, he gives his apprentice a few more instructions before leaving him to finish.
Walking across the forge area to where James waits, he says, “Need another box made?” Grinning, he comes to a stop.
“Not this time,” replies James. “Rather I am looking for information.”
“What place?” asks Kraegan.
“Ironhold,” he says. “Ever heard of it?”
“Ironhold huh?” he asks, eyeing James oddly. “Why would you be interested in that place?”
“You’ve heard of it then?” he asks excitedly.
“Sure,” he says. “Never been to it, but my master when I was an apprentice talked of it once in awhile. It’s to the north, I think on the other side of the Silver Mountains though I’m not exactly sure.”
“What is it?” he asks.
“Ironhold is an old town that once had several iron mines,” he explains. “It used to be a large supplier of iron but that was centuries ago. I think the mines f
inally played out and the place was abandoned.”
“Abandoned?” questions Jiron.
“That’s right,” replies Kraegan. “My master said that over the years people tried to get the mines restarted but nothing ever came of it.”
“Thanks,” James tells him.
“Any time,” he assures him. “Is there anything else?”
Shaking his head, James says, “No. I appreciate the help.”
Giving him a nod, Kraegan returns to his apprentice and the plowshare.
James returns to Jiron and the horses and fills him in on what he learned.
“What do you think?” Jiron asks as they mount their horses.
“Seems reasonable,” he says. “If the mines were played out as he says, then it might be likely that the priests of Morcyth went there.”
“Do you mean to go there?” Jiron asks.
Nodding his head, he says, “Absolutely.” He turns to look at his friend and says, “It’s all I have to go on.”
“Going to leave tomorrow?” he asks.
“May as well. No reason in putting it off,” he says. “If winter’s on the way, we want to get this done and return before it hits.”
“You have a point,” states Jiron.
As they leave the blacksmith’s shop, James notices a woman walking with a grim expression down the opposite side of the street. She stops at the various windows and doors, peers inside for a moment and then continues down to the next.
“That’s the mayor’s wife,” Jiron says amused.
“Glad I’m not married to something like that,” James says.
“She’s nice enough though,” Jiron states.
Nodding, James watches her as she steps in through a door and then returns to the street a moment later. They continue through town, eventually leaving her behind. When they get to the edge of town where they last saw the mayor and his buddies, James glances over and finds them still there.
“Ahem,” clearing his throat loudly, he gets their attention. He then jerks his thumb back behind them as he continues riding.
One of the men looks around the building and sees the mayor’s wife coming down the street. “It’s your wife John!” he exclaims.
“Thanks James!” the mayor hollers as he and the others move quickly around the other side of the building to avoid being found.
“I suppose it keeps his life from getting dull,” Jiron says with a grin.
Laughing, James replies, “I guess so.” Glancing back, he sees her get to the edge of town and stop after passing by the last building. With hands on her hips, she looks both ways and then turns around as she begins combing the other side on her way back.
Ahead of them playing among some trees near the side of the road are five young children, three boys and two girls. When they see him coming, they group together and stare at him approaching. Several of them whisper among themselves and finally one of the younger boys is pushed forward. Glancing back to his friends nervously, James sees the others prompting him to come forward.
Turning back to the road and James, the boy steps forward nervously. As James comes to him, he asks, “Are you the mage what lives outside of town?”
Nodding, James slows down and comes to a halt. “Yes I am,” he tells the boy. He can see he’s nervous so gives him a reassuring grin.
Glancing back to the others, the boy sees them nodding at him encouragingly and then turns back to James. Shuffling his feet back and forth, he asks, “Could you do some magic for us?”
James glances to Jiron and then looks around to see who else may be watching. Not seeing anyone, he turns back to the boy and nods. He holds out his hand palm up. The other kids edge closer when it looks like he may be doing something. Suddenly, his orb appears and the little boy says, “Oooohhhhhh!”
He throws it up into the air and it splits into three. The three orbs hang there suspended for a moment as the other kids approach. Slowly at first, the three orbs begin circling above the heads of the children. Gradually picking up speed, the swirling orbs begin looking like a circle of light above them.
Then the orbs suddenly explode in a burst of sparkles and disappear. “Wow!” one boy says. “Do it again!” a girl exclaims.
Grinning he says, “Sorry. I must be on my way. Maybe next time.”
“Bye!” the kids say as he begins riding away.
Jiron glances at him and sees the grin on his face. “Why did you do that?” he asks.
“Just having some fun is all,” he replies. “Why?”
“Now they’re going to spread even more stories about you,” he warns.
Sighing, James says, “I know. But sometimes you just have to do what you want and damn the consequences.” Turning to him, he says, “It’s for the kids.”
“You have a soft spot for kids don’t you?” he asks.
“I do like to make them happy,” he admits. “I love to see their faces light up.”
“You’re a good man,” states Jiron.
“I try to be.” Glancing back, he sees the kids still standing there watching him. One waves when he notices James looking back. Giving them a wave in return, he then turns back and hurries down the road.
Back at The Ranch, he finds Uther still at the shack. “Tired of guard duty yet?” he asks.
“That’s a dumb question,” retorts Uther. “Of course I’m tired of it. All you do is stand and do nothing. Cant’ go anywhere…”
Holding up his hand, James stops his tirade. “Alright, sorry I asked,” he says. Moving down the lane, they leave Uther behind and come to the house. The morning practice is already over but he doesn’t see any of the new recruits around. Seeing Illan over to the side where he’s sparring with Jorry, he walks over and asks him where they are.
Stopping the sparring, he turns to James and wipes the sweat from his brow. Nodding to the old barn, he says, “They’re in there with Roland working on their letters.”
“Oh, right,” replies James understanding.
“Did you find out what you wanted to know?” Illan asks.
“Yes I did,” he replies. “It’s in northern Madoc, used to be a mining town before the iron ore played out.”
“Planning on going?” he asks.
“Tomorrow,” says James. “I would like to find it before winter hits.”
“Should be a month or more before you have to worry about any real bad weather around here,” Jorry says.
“It’s not around here I’m concerned with but where I’m going,” he explains. “Not sure how far north it is or how long it will take.”
“Who are you planning on taking with you?” he asks.
“Dave for sure,” he replies. “Don’t think I could leave either Miko or Jiron behind.”
“You got that right,” says Jiron from where he stands behind him.
“Also I was thinking of taking Jorry and Uther as well,” he says.
Jorry brightens up when he hears that, “About time we get to get in on some of the fun!”
“Are the recruits improving?”
“Little by little,” replies Illan. “Some will never amount to much more than sword fodder in a real conflict. But I think they’ll suffice for here.”
“Good. Keep up the good work,” he says as he leaves them to return to their sparring. Moving toward the barn, he says to Jiron, “I’m going to check in on Roland.”
“Alright,” he says and then moves toward the house.
The barn is surprisingly quiet as he nears the door. Stepping through he finds Roland’s ‘students’ sitting on benches bent over a shingle on their lap. The thin slice of wood seems to be what they’re practicing writing on. Each of them has a thin, blackened stick with which to write and are currently shaping letters.
Roland looks up from where he was examining Errin’s work when he enters and hands her back her shingle. Heading over to James, he rolls his eyes.
“Everything alright?” he asks. Every head immediately turns at the sound of his voice.
Sighing, he indicates for James to follow him outside. Once outside, he keeps his voice low so as not to be overheard by those within the barn. “Some are doing fine. Others not so.”
“That’s to be expected,” replies James, nodding.
“It’s slow going,” he says. “They’re fairly tired out from the hours of practice they’ve put in with Illan before they get to me.”
“Just do what you can,” offers James.
“I do, and they are improving,” he states. “Some have their letters down and are moving onto whole words. Errin is the brightest, I think Miko may be the next brightest in this but he’s not here enough to keep up with the others.”
“I know and we’ll be leaving again tomorrow too.”
“Off again?” he says. “You don’t like to stay in one place very long.”
“It’s not that I don’t want too,” asserts James. “Just that circumstances warrant it.”
“I know,” he says.
“Everything going well with The Ranch and the finances?” James asks.
“Actually,” he says, “while you were gone, Delia returned and dropped off the coins she received from the sale of the gems. It was quite a sum. That alone should last us almost a year. With Tersa’s bears we should be fine through next summer.”
“I’ll have Jiron or Fifer go back for more gems,” he says. “But not until after winter.”
“I understand.” Making to return to the barn, Roland says, “I better get back in there. I only have them another half hour before they have to start their duties.”
“Very well,” says James.
He leaves as Roland enters the barn and goes into the house to check when lunch will be ready. Ezra tells him still another hour or so. Telling her he’ll be in his workshop, he leaves through the backdoor. Crossing the yard he’s soon inside with the door shut.
First thing he checks is the receiving crystal. That’s the crystal which should emit a light if the hiding place of the Fire is disturbed in any way. At some point he’ll have to get this crystal set up in a secure spot where it’ll be visible yet at the same time safe from accidental loss or destruction. When he gets back from his trip to Ironhold, he may try to create a relay which will inform him no matter where he is should the receiver crystal receive the signal. But he doesn’t have time before tomorrow.
The Star of Morcyth: The Morcyth Saga Book Five Page 23