Wizard's Alley

by James Haddock

  “The most important thing to remember is that knowledge is power. The more information you have to work with, the more powerful you become. The more you know about your enemy, the stronger that makes you,” a deep voice said.

  That made sense to me. Knowledge was power. I lost interest in them as they regaled each other with stories of fights won and lost. I needed to consider what I knew and what I needed to know. Now was not the time or the place for deep contemplation. There was too much going on around me, and I didn't want to get caught unaware. It could wait until I was back in my hide and safe.

  Chapter 3

  It was fully dark when I arrived back at my hide. I decided I'd dance like the priests. I wanted to better defend myself, and this was part of the information I needed to improve my life. I thought back on all I'd seen them do. I stretched as they did, then I started imitating the moves I'd watched them make.

  I moved slowly and deliberately, taking my time, stretching, and flexing. I don't know how long I danced, but I was tired when I stopped. I went inside my hide and slept. Crazy dreams visited me.

  The next morning, I didn't want an apple. I knew where there was a bakery a block away, so I reached out with my mind. At once, I could see a sweet cake.

  “Come.” The cake was in my hand. It was the best thing I had ever tasted.

  I watched the priests as I ate. Some were working on their balance. They were standing on one foot on top of a large wooden ball. I noticed an extra wooden ball over by the wall not being used.

  “Come.” It was at my feet instantly.

  I tried standing on one foot, balancing on the ball like I had seen the priest doing, but it wasn't as easy as it looked. This would take some practice too.

  This became my routine: I woke up, ate, and practiced like the priests did. I practiced floating the wooden balls by day and my dancing by night. I borrowed some of their clothes to save wear and tear on mine. It was almost as if I was part of their group.

  I could now keep three balls in the air, moving them around me while practicing my dance; albeit, I was still moving slowly. I practiced tirelessly every night. Then I slept soundly. The dreams continued to come, but not as strong.

  I was eating better than I had ever eaten before, and I was growing and filling out. Eating and exercising regularly caused me to gain weight. My strength and endurance was also improving. I knew I had been practicing for some weeks, but time really had no meaning to me. I was content. For the first time in my life, I was content.

  ***

  I was resting in my hide when I felt big ones were coming to my alley. A small one came running; he was being chased by the bigger ones. The bigger ones came to a skidding halt as they rounded the corner into my alley, but the small one never slowed down.

  "You better come out here, boy, don't make us come in there." The little boy stayed hidden around the corner. "If we have to come in there, your beating will be worse." The boy didn't move.

  Once they got their nerve up, they started forward.

  “Growl.” A deep growl sounded throughout the alley. The bigger ones turned and ran, but the little boy looked around and waited.

  “No fear.” The boy relaxed and sat down. I stepped out so he could see me.

  "Is this your alley?" he asked. I nodded. "May I stay here?" I nodded again. "Thank you, sir."

  “Apple.” I tossed an apple to the boy. He caught it and ate it, seed, core, and all.

  I continued to study the priests. I practiced my dancing at night until I was too tired to stand. Then, I would go into my hide and sleep.

  Normally, I would leave my alley by midday to go eat somewhere. I would then walk around the city, venturing further from my alley. By late afternoon, I was eating dinner.

  As I was walking along shops, looking at their wares, I felt a presence approaching me. I started toward a wall, but did not step in. I looked around to find the source of what I was feeling. Then I saw him, a Wizard was walking along the other side of the street. He wore a black cloak and was carrying a staff with a sunstone in its top. Everyone was giving him a wide berth. He glanced at me but continued on his way.

  I observed how the people had avoided him. They knew he was a Wizard before he got close to them, so they avoided him. It must have been the staff. It was like a warning sign. Perhaps I needed to carry a staff; it may save me some trouble in the future.

  I continued on my way, watching those around me. They did not give me as wide a berth as they had the other Wizard, but it was enough of a buffer zone for me. I started past a wood carver’s shop, when I noticed a rack of staffs. I stepped inside to look at them.

  An apprentice met me. "How may we serve, Sir Wizard?"

  "I'd like to look at your staffs."

  "If I may ask, will you use the staff for walking, fighting, casting spells, or to mount a sunstone?"

  I thought for a moment. "Walking and perhaps fighting. One can never be too careful."

  "Indeed, Sir Wizard, allow me to show you these. We make them of ironwood. They are light but strong, and a sword will not easily break them."

  I closed my eyes and reached my mind out toward the rack of staffs. One of them “spoke” to me. Not in words, of course, but I knew it would suit me better than the others.

  “Come.” The staff jumped into my hands. It felt perfect and was a lighter color than the others. I liked its look.

  "Excellent choice, sir. They call that particular kind blonde-ironwood. It's from a young tree and is more flexible than its older brothers."

  "How much?"

  "One silver, Sir Wizard."

  I didn't even try to haggle. I paid the price; I felt it was worth the money. Once I had paid for the staff, I held it in my hands and concentrated. (The Wizards in me were doing something, or telling me to.) I held the staff out horizontally and released it. It stayed in place, floating in the air. I formed a circle with my hands and ran the staff through it. As the staff passed through the circle, purple runes were left burnt into the wood. The smoke from them smelled of incense.

  The staff was now enchanted. There was a band at the center of it. I placed my hands on either side of the band, and the staff became two fighting sticks. I placed the two back together, and the staff was whole again. I noticed the apprentice was staring at me and my new staff.

  "That was amazing," he said. I smiled, put my hood up and left.

  Now, people gave me a wider path to walk. The staff felt good in my hand; it was somehow comforting. I had not started out with the intentions of going to a bathhouse; but as I was passing one, I went in.

  "Welcome, Sir Wizard," they greeted me.

  "A bath and a haircut," I said, as if I did this every day.

  "This way, sir."

  I followed him, and we passed through a room that had cubbyholes in the wall. He stopped. "There is a three-copper charge for a haircut and bath, sir. Then you can put your valuables in one of these cubbies. No one is able to retrieve them but you." I placed my purse inside. "Your staff will also fit." I slid my staff in the cubby; it did in fact fit.

  "Interesting," I said to myself.

  We continued to the barber. I stripped to the waist, and he washed my hair and cut it. When that was done, I stripped the rest of my clothes off, and an attendant took them to have them cleaned. I was led into the main bathhouse. I eased myself into the bathing pool where I was washed with soap, and then it was on to the soaking pool. The water was hotter here; it felt wonderful.

  I reclined and relaxed, enjoying the hot water. My eyes were closed, but I kept track of where everyone was. I listened to quiet conversations. Most people would not have heard what was being said; but if I concentrated, I could hear every word. It seems businessmen came here to talk about their businesses and to make deals. This was the beginning of the information I needed.

  At the far end of the pool, there was an older man. Two younger men were sitting with him and listening. "You must put your money to work,” he said. “Idle money is
wasted money. Make your money work while you sleep. But remember, too, that starting a new business is risky and expensive. In most cases, new businesses don't show a profit the first year. It’s a better use of your money to invest in successful businesses. For instance, a merchant house, caravan, or shipping. But don't sponsor the whole shipment. If they lose it, you lose your entire investment. Spread your money around; that way one loss will not ruin you."

  Sounded like good advice to me. The first thing I needed was money to invest. I figured it was time to start collecting from the thieves, but I must do so carefully. I'll take a little, leave a little. The question is how to go about it.

  ***

  I left the bathhouse refreshed. Who knew a bath could make you feel so good? I continued my walk, looking at the shops as I passed. I was in a better part of the city, so the shops were nicer. As I looked in the door of a leather worker's shop, there was something of interest inside. I could feel the magic coming from there. It was not overly strong, but it was enough to get my attention.

  I went inside. "Good afternoon, Sir Wizard. How may we serve?"

  “I'd just like to look around if you please," I replied.

  "Take your time, sir. Ask if you see or need anything." I nodded.

  The shop had a goodly number of items—bracers, greaves, vests, gloves, coats, cloaks, belts, pouches, and purses. I kept following the “tingle” I was feeling, and it led me to a bin of used items. In the bottom was a shoulder bad. It wasn't much to look at, as it was faded and worn from years of use. I picked it up and continued to look around. I found a pair of black gloves that struck my fancy.

  I walked to the counter and lay the items down. "How much?"

  "Six coppers."

  "Pfff," I said, pushing the shoulder bag to the side. "How much for the gloves?" I wanted his attention on the gloves, not the bag.

  "Five coppers."

  "I don't mind you making a profit, just not your month's rent on this one sale. Two coppers," I demanded.

  "Three, and I'll throw in the shoulder bag."

  "Two and a half, and you’ll repair and dye the bag," I countered again.

  "Two and a half, and you take the bag as is," he conceded.

  I nodded: "Done." I paid him, looped the worn bag over my head and shoulder, dropped my purse inside, and left.

  The gloves felt nice on my hands in the cold weather, and I had not gone far when I felt something change with shoulder bag. I looked down and the worn bag now looked freshly dyed black, and there was no sign of the wear of age.

  I reached inside and discovered small side pockets. There was something in them, something square. I pulled one square out to see what it was. It was a stack of parchment sheets. They were thicker than normal parchment sheets. There were twenty or so little sheets, and they were blank on both sides.

  I returned them to their pocket and took out the other square. It was also a stack of parchment sheets. The word cards came to mind. These cards had pictures on them. I decided to put them back in the bag and look at them later. It was a good-looking bag, and it lay right against my side, moving with me as I walked.

  "Nice." Now I need to start adding coins to it. I smiled.

  I had been eating at a different inn every time I went out. I not only wanted to try the different foods, but I also didn't want to get into a predictable pattern of where I’d be and when. At an intersection, I recognized what was a drop point—a place where pickpockets, cutpurses, and other thieves would drop their takes to be taken to a fence. There were several bullyboys around, standing guard and watching.

  I continued on my way. Then, crossing the street, I circled around. Just before I arrived back at the intersection, I went into the alley. Once out of sight, I went into the wall. I moved along the wall until I was right behind the underboss. He was the one controlling or holding the drop.

  I viewed into the bag of loot. These guys were doing good. I started to take, “my cut” but decided to wait a bit.

  "You three," the underboss said, "take this load to the fence. Tell him I'll be by later to settle up." They nodded, took the bag of jewelry and what they called junk, and left. “Junk” was street slang for anything other than coin or jewelry.

  I stayed in the wall, remaining with them. I wanted to see who and where the fence was. They crossed the street a few blocks away, and I started to step out of the wall but stopped. I looked down into the earth. I could see down into the ground. “What's the difference between moving through walls and moving through earth?” I asked myself.

  I shrugged and tried it. I stepped down into the earth, as if I was walking downstairs. It worked! I crossed the street and caught up with the bullyboys. The view from under them was certainly different. Looking up at them took some getting used to. I got tired of looking up and went back into a wall.

  They finally went in a tinker's shop. Inside the place was packed with all kinds of used and repaired items. The tinker looked up and saw who it was and took them straight into the back rooms.

  He opened the bag and poured the contents out onto the table. "He said he'd be by later to settle up,” one of the bullyboys said. The tinker nodded.

  They left, while the tinker looked through the junk. As he was busy with that, I looked through the shop's junk. Most everything he had out was junk, and not the valuable kind. I started looking for his hidden room. He had to have one. That would be where the good stuff was. Being inside the wall made it easy.

  Most of what he had was silverware, silver candle holders, gold trinkets, do-dads, and such. His strong box was under the floor. He had a small strongbox on the shelf, but that was bait for anyone in a hurry. I took a quarter of the coins in the box under the floor.

  I saw a nice belt knife, one that a well-to-do gentleman would use to eat with. I didn't need said gentleman seeing me with his knife, so I left it alone. Then a stack of books caught my eye. One in particular was a book of magic. It was thick and barely fit through the mouth of my bag. Once inside, my bag it disappeared. I looked inside. It was definitely gone, but I had not dropped it. Just then, memory told me to look at the cards.

  I took the cards out; they were still blank. I took the other ones out and looked through them. I found one that had a drawing of a book on it. It looked just like the magic book I had stowed in my bag. I put the cards back in their pocket, cleared my mind, and reached my hand into bag. “Magic book,” I thought. The magic book appeared in my hand instantly, and I pulled it from the bag.

  That made me wonder what was on all the other cards. I put the magic book back in the bag. It disappeared, and I assumed it became a card again. It was then I realized I had put coins in the bag too. I pulled the cards out and found a drawing of a purse and a stack of coins. I put them back into the bag.

  I placed my hand in the bag once again. “Three coppers and a silver.” Three coppers and a silver appeared in my hand. I shook my head; this magic stuff was going to take some getting used to. I dropped the coins back into the bag and looked around.

  That was enough for this trip. I might come back again someday, perhaps once he had refilled the strong box. I didn't want to shear my sheep too close. I went down into the earth and moved straight back to the main street.

  I came up out of sight on a side street and checked to make sure I didn't have any dirt left on me. There was none. In fact, my clothes seemed cleaner. All the dirt and grime stayed in the earth when I left it.

  "This would be cheaper than having my clothes cleaned," I smiled. I continued looking for an inn for dinner.

  ***

  Back in my hide, I sat looking at the picture cards from my bag. There were pictures of food, crates of some kind of supplies, and barrels of water. I couldn’t tell what some of the other cards were. I’d have to figure out what they were later so I could use them.

  I started studying the book of magic for a few hours every day. I found the more I studied the magic book, the more the Red and Blue Wizard's memories made sense. I also
understood more and more about magic and how to use it. I practiced my magic and continued with the weapons dancing every night. My magic was becoming stronger day by day.

  Soon, more little ones started showing up in my alley. Each one would come to the entrance of my hide, where I would meet them.

  "Sir, may I stay in your alley?" I nodded to each and give them an apple.

  One little girl came to me and asked, "Do your eyes hurt?" I tilted my head, looking at her quizzically. "I only ask because they are completely purple and you can see." I smiled and nodded. "You must be a real wizard." I handed her an apple.

  I found I liked the company. And so my days were for a time, but it was too good to last forever. One midmorning, I felt men were coming near. They seemed intent upon my alley. Three big, mean men with dark hearts, and a dark aura about them, entered my alley.

  "Where is he? Where is the blind priest that lives in the wall?"

  I pulled my robes on and my hood up to hide my features. I stepped out to face the three dark-hearted men.

  Chapter 4

  "You," he shouted, pointing at me. "These are my streets; this is my alley, and you owe me a tithe. Every day you don't pay me, I'll kill one of your wards. Starting today!" He pulled a knife out and threw it at one of the little ones.

  Without conscious thought, my mind caught the knife and pulled it toward me. I had it circle me. My anger was boiling.

  "Tithe? Tithe you say? Only God deserves the tithe, and you aren't Him.”

  The knife flew forward, taking his hand off at the wrist. He screamed and dropped to his knees, holding his bloody stump. The knife flew back to me and continued to circle. His men just stared.

  "This is my alley, and everyone here is under my protection. If you come back here again, I'll take your head in payment.” I took his hand and held it against the wall.

  “Stay,” I said to myself, and I fixed it to the wall. I sent his knife back to his sheath and ported the coins from their purses for disturbing the peace of my alley.