A History of Magic

by Scott J Robinson

  “Hello.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Can you tell us a story, Rawk?”

  The other children were poised, ready to rush forward like a charging army. Rawk shook his head. “Not today, I’m afraid.”

  The girl’s shoulders slumped.

  Rawk tried to think of a likely story. He gestured to Sylvia. “My friend needs my help doing some very important work.”

  “Are you fighting monsters?”

  “Sort of. We’re fighting sickness.”

  “But that’s silly. You can’t fight sickness; you can’t see it.”

  Rawk smiled. “Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean you can’t fight it.”

  The girl stood there looking, waiting for more.

  Rawk looked around for an example. He could see Clinker standing near a strange contraption of timber and gears and a big wire brush. He was fiddling with some bolts and appeared to be muttering to himself. Graffiti on the wall behind him proclaimed, The tide is ever rising— Words of Wisdom.

  “See the boy?”

  The girl wrinkled her nose. “The dwarf?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about him?”

  “You could go and talk to him.”

  “Why would I do that? I bet he smells.”

  “To fight the things you cannot see.”

  “Can he see them?”

  “Yes, he can, though he probably doesn’t realize.”

  There was a pause. Rawk thought the girl was thinking about what he had said. But, instead... “So, you aren’t going to tell us a story?”

  “No.”

  She shook her head and went back to her friends.

  “You will lose followers if you talk like that, Rawk. Those people who throw walnuts at you do not want philosophy.”

  “Well, too bad for them.”

  “Come, let us continue.”

  They had barely taken a step when they heard a scream.

  Rawk stopped and looked around, unsure where the sound had come from. Sylvia pointed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Rawk drew his sword and ran. Down a street with rough, uneven cobbles underfoot and walls looming on either side. At the next corner he stopped again. Sylvia caught up to him before he decided on the next direction to take. He didn’t let her catch her breath, running again, shouting at people to get out of the way. Ahead, there was as small square with a stone cistern in the middle. Women from the apartments probably used it for washing clothes, though it was really for drinking. Nobody was there now. There was a splash of watery blood, or bloody water, on the ground.

  Shifting his grip on Slade, Rawk examined the square. There was nothing there. No people, no exot. Just a quiet expectancy.

  “It’s in the cistern.” There was a woman looking out of a second story window. Her face was white, her hands shaking.

  “What is it?”

  The woman shrugged.

  Rawk sidled up towards the low stone wall to get a better look. A creature lunged at him, surging upwards, bringing with it a wave of water that almost knocked him from his feet. He stayed upright, staggering back. The thing landed half in the water, half on the cobbles. It was a long snake of a thing as thick as Rawk’s torso with a line of barbed fins right down its back.

  “Great Path.” Rawk looked at Sylvia. “Can you...” He thrust his fingers towards it.

  “What?”

  “Do some magic stuff?”

  “No.”

  “Of course not.” Rawk looked at the creature’s hide. It looked like it was covered in scales, though if it was they were so close together that getting a blade between might well be impossible. Especially if the blade was a chunky as Slade. “So, what do I do?”

  “Now you wish to think about things and make plans?”

  “Well...”

  “It has no arms or legs Rawk. How hard can it be?”

  It sounded good, but Rawk doubted it would be as simple as strolling in and stabbing it in the eye. These things generally weren’t. “Path.” He took a step in and watched as the exot reared up, showing its dagger long teeth and long forked tongue.

  “Wait,” Sylvia said.

  “What?”

  “I think I have heard of these. They are poisonous.”

  They generally were. “So don’t get bitten?” He had already been intending to avoid that if he could.

  “No. It secretes a poison. If it touches you...”

  “Great.” Rawk needed a longer sword. He always needed a longer sword these days, even when he had a longer sword. He looked around but couldn’t see anything that would help. Apart from the exit. The only other thing was a plant in a pot, like in Yardi’s office. With no other options, Rawk backed up, sword at the ready, and grabbed the stem of the plant. It was heavier than expected and once he had it, he still wasn’t sure what he was going to do with it. Sylvia was watching.

  There was really only one thing he could do with the plant but he wasn’t sure what the result would be. He moved back in. When the creature lunged forward again, Rawk threw the pot and the plant. His aim was off, but that didn’t matter because the exot snatched it out of the air with a viscous snap of it’s jaws. Except it wasn’t quite what it was expecting. And in the moment while it masticated and gave it some thought, Rawk raced forward as fast as his knee would allow. It wasn’t very fast. When he was three paces away, he threw Slade. It didn’t feel right to throw a sword, but it worked. The ugly, heavy blade buried itself in the creature’s eye and stayed there. Black blood gushed forth, spraying onto the cobbles, and Rawk danced away, staying clear just in case it was dangerous as well.

  “That was not very heroic, Rawk.”

  “What? Now you want me to sword fight a snake-lizard thing. Yesterday you were telling me I should retire.” He looked at the exot. It was still thrashing about on the ground. He wasn’t quiet sure how he was going to explain the creature to Weaver’s secretary. Surely it must be worth quite a bit though. He sat down. He wanted to rub his knee but Sylvia was watching him. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t get a decent sword yesterday. I think I need a proper one now though.”

  “What, now?”

  “Well, what if we get attacked again?”

  Sylvia sighed. “Is there anywhere near here that you can get one?”

  “Well, let’s head towards my usual smith and visit some brothels on the way.”

  “Very well.”

  Rawk trudged back the way he had come, trying to gather his thoughts and remember where he had been heading before the diversion.

  -O-

  Rawk had tried to be as efficient as possible as they made their way down the hill towards the river, but it still felt as if they’d walked for twenty miles and he’d already thought of another three brothels they’d passed within a couple of streets of. And the quality of the establishments left a lot to be desired. The women and men in the places they had visited most recently made the company of the snake-exot thing seem like a pleasant way to spend the morning.

  Denu’s Nest was a tall, narrow building on an even narrower street down near the river. The sign above the door was graced with elegant, curling red letters and there was a small, blue bird perched on the ‘T’. The front porch was tidy. There were curtains in the windows. Overall, it and looked quite a bit more inviting than the previous places. But Rawk didn’t think anything could make him want to enter another brothel at any time in his life.

  “Can we stop for lunch?” Rawk asked.

  “We have barely started.”

  “Maybe you don’t need lunch— look at how skinny you are— but I certainly do. It’s got to almost be noon.”

  “You have already visited two bakeries.”

  “So.”

  “We are here now. Let us just check this one then find something to eat.”

  The inside of Denu’s Nest lived up to the standards set by the exterior. The foyer had a large, expensive looking rug with a striking design a
nd tasseled corners. There were tasteful paintings on the wall above chaise couches. There were several women sitting around chatting, but they were all fully clothed and seemed to be in possession of all of their teeth. There was an ornately carved desk in the back corner with an old woman writing in a ledger. She looked up when they entered, and purposefully closed the book. She wiped the nib of her pen and set it down on top. Then she adjusted her perfectly coiffed hair, and rose gracefully to her feet.

  “Good afternoon, Rawk. I would never have thought to see you here, but I am honored.”

  “Are you, Denu? Well, sorry, but you shouldn’t be honored. This is the sixth place I’ve been to today.”

  “Seventh,” Sylvia said as she unwrapped her scarf for the first time that day and took a deep breath. Obviously this place met with her approval.

  Denu smiled. “Then you truly are a great Hero. A god amongst men.”

  Rawk couldn’t help but smile back. “You make sure you tell that to everyone who comes in.”

  Sylvia sighed. “Denu, we apologize for coming in like this, but we are looking for a certain person.”

  “I am not sure that I can help you.”

  Sylvia looked around the room then motioned over to the desk. She followed the other woman over and Rawk trailed behind. In the relative privacy offered by the distance, Sylvia whispered, “I can understand that your reputation would depend on a certain amount of discretion.”

  “Indeed.”

  “So I will rely on your discretion now... The ohoga portals that are admitting the exots to our world are being opened by sorcerers.”

  “Surely not. Does Prince Weaver know?”

  Rawk thought he should help. “He does know, but has been trying to keep it quiet. So, Sylvia and I are here, doing the work he would do himself, if only he could. Though he may be taking a more direct hand in events as of today.”

  “Prince Weaver has done everything for Katamood. I can remember when...” Denu looked around. “Well, we do not need to speak of that.”

  Sylvia nodded. “The sorcerers are letting the creatures through for reasons we do not know. All we do know at this stage is that innocents are dying. And we have one clue. Someone saw a one armed woman, an elf...”

  Denu’s hand went to her throat, clutching at a necklace she wore.

  “You know this woman?” Rawk asked. He wanted to grab her but thought it might be counter-productive.

  “I don’t know if...” She glanced at the ledger.

  Rawk did too. Then he put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “This is a fine establishment, Denu. We would not ask you to do anything to risk your reputation but this is important.”

  “Perhaps later today... But no... I cannot tell you anything.”

  Rawk cleared his throat. The woman wanted to tell them something, but also wanted to be able to deny everything. He gently pushed her towards the women on the nearest couch. “Perhaps you could introduce me to some of your ladies, in case I...”

  “Yes, of course.” She nodded and willingly moved away from the table. “Even if you do not visit us again, you could perhaps make comment to others on the quality of the establishment and the ladies working here.”

  “Of course. Who is this lovely lady?”

  He was introduced to three women, all of them beautiful and well spoken, before Sylvia rejoined them.

  Rawk kissed the hand of the final whore and thanked her, then turned to the madam. “Thank you for your time, Denu. I am sorry you were unable to help us, but I was very impressed with your business and will spread the word whenever I am able.”

  “Thank you, Rawk. Willing customers are easy to find. Ones that can afford my girls are a different matter.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, Denu.” Rawk kissed Denu’s hand as well. “If I ever get lonely, I know where I will come.” He looked the woman up and down. “Did you once, perhaps...”

  Denu blushed. “Not for many years, Rawk.”

  Rawk smiled and let Sylvia draw him towards the door. Before she exited, she paused to tie her scarf, tucking in her long hair and adjusting the folds carefully.

  “So?” Rawk said as they finally stepped outside.

  Sylvia looked around. “I cannot be sure, but it looks as if Falling Leaves has an appointment at dusk today.”

  “You can’t be sure? And I can’t believe you have to make an appointment at a brothel, even one as nice as Denu’s Nest.”

  “I cannot be sure, because I cannot be completely sure what name Falling Leaves is using. And you probably only have to make an appointment if you have tastes as unusual as hers.”

  “Oh.”

  “But there is an appointment for someone named Rilliona, which is an old elvish word meaning ‘hidden power’, which would be just like Falling Leaves.”

  “But Rilliona is an actual name. There could really be someone with that name.”

  “As I said, I cannot be sure. No other names caught my attention.”

  “So, we come back at dusk?”

  “I believe that would be the best plan off attack. In the interim, I must go and speak with someone.”

  “So we’ll meet back here?”

  “An hour before dusk, just to be safe?”

  “Right. I’ll see you then.”

  Rawk was going to get himself a new sword. Hopefully something better than Slade. Looking around to get his bearings, he spied Clinker lurking in the shadows at the mouth of an alley.

  “What are you doing there?” Rawk asked.

  The lad came out into the open. He shrugged. “I saw you and Sylvia and was just wondering...”

  “You were following us?”

  Clinker nodded.

  “You don’t want to know what happened to the last dwarf that followed me.”

  Clinker looked a bit confused. “He’s over there.”

  “What?” Rawk looked where the lad was pointing. There was a dwarf sitting on a step a few buildings down. He looked like he was just relaxing, but he had a pen in his hand and a thick wad of paper in his pocket. He had a wooden box, about the size of a hatbox, by his side. A moment later the dwarf was on his feet and walking quickly away. “Who was that?”

  Clinker shrugged. “I don’t know his name.”

  “How long has he been following me?”

  “Longer than I have.”

  “Well... Great.”

  “What are you and Sylvia up to?”

  “Nothing. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go talking to anyone about it.”

  Clinker gave that some thought. “I’m going to tell people that you aren’t up to anything? Who’d want to listen?”

  Rawk looked down the street to where the other dwarf had gone. “A lot of people, apparently.”

  “All you humans are a bit strange today.”

  “We are?”

  “Yeah. Some kids talked to me before. Asked all sorts of weird things.”

  Rawk smiled. “They did? Like what”

  “They asked if I could see sickness.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Of course I can’t.”

  “Do you know what a metaphor is?”

  “Yes. Sort of. Not really.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter.”

  “Strange.”

  “Has Thacker given you a proper job yet?”

  “No. But I get lots of work anyway.”

  “What was that thing you were working on earlier?”

  “What thing?” He seemed to be blushing.

  “The... thing.” Rawk gestured vaguely, as if that might help. “The wooden thing with the brush.”

  “It’s supposed to scrub the graffiti off the wall.”

  “Supposed to?”

  “It doesn’t work very well.”

  “Why not?”

  Clinker shrugged. “The brush scrapes the wall, but not hard enough. I have to try some stuff.”

  “Surely Thacker has people who do that kind of thing.”

  Clinker no
dded. “Thacker doesn’t know about my machine.”

  “Your machine?”

  “Yes.”

  “You made it?”

  “Kristun helped me with some building. It was a bit hard.”

  “Kristun?”

  “Not Kristun ga Lund; he’s a tanner. Kristun ga Meyer. He’s an engineer but does some inventing and stuff too.”

  Rawk shook his head. “Right. That’s why I was confused.” He had no idea about any of them. “So, do you know any blacksmiths? I need a new sword.”

  The boy gave it some thought. “I know lots, but I don’t know who’s the best. You should ask Thacker.”

  “I should, shouldn’t I?” He had enough time. Just.

  “Don’t tell him about my machine though.”

  “I promise.” He looked around for a goat cab but before he spotted one of them, he spotted a bakery.

  -O-

  Rawk sat with a grizzled, old dwarf on one side and a too-skinny elf on the other. They both seemed as nervous as he did, but for them, it probably didn’t have anything to do with the contraption they were riding in. He examined the city outside as he had the first time. It was as amazing now as it was then. Crowds bustled about, seemingly much happier than the human crowds on the far side of the river.

  As the tram rounded a bend, Rawk looked forward and saw Thacker’s offices, clinging to the wall of the valley. And, coming down the stairs, was Sylvia.

  “Path.” Rawk sidled over to the other side of the carriage, watching the elf as she went to stand beside on the little raised dock. As soon as the tram hissed and screeched to a halt, Rawk jumped down to the road on the other side. He almost fell, but didn’t have time to stop. He hurried towards the thickest clump of people before realizing they were all dwarves and he would stand out like a... well, like a Hero in a crowd of dwarves. He hunched his shoulders, as if that would help, and turned to see if Sylvia had seen him. The tram was already pulling away, clanking and rattling, sending out a stream of smoke, and the elf was reading from a scrap of paper. She didn’t notice anything much at all. Nodding to a dwife, Rawk hobbled across the road to the offices. The foyer was empty again. It felt strange to just march up the stairs, but he didn’t see that he had a lot of choice.

  Two dwarves were guarding the door to Thacker’s office again. They were smiling when Rawk stepped out into the open, but quickly put on their serious faces and stood up a little bit straighter. Rawk recognized one of them from his previous visit.