by Wayne Meyers
I must also admit that Babette came to mind. How far would I go to protect my secret with her? It would be hypocritical of me to reveal Journeyman Orison’s love tryst while I was intent upon breaking the guild’s fundamental rules for my own selfish purposes.
Whatever the reason, I resolved to hold my tongue until Journeyman Krellus returned.
The next morning, a tired-looking High-Master Chendor informed me that the battered woman had refused to press charges, and her husband had been released without further incident. He gave me a tired shrug, thanked me for intervening, and waved me out of his office. I was so surprised that I forgot to tell him I had mastered the pouch of beans. Disappointed and confused, I resolved to speak with Journeyman Krellus about the entire matter.
But by the time Journeyman Krellus finally returned, I had completely forgotten the entire episode, and the damage from my silence was irreversible.
Chapter Twenty-Three—Love Lesson
When the New Year holiday arrived a few months later, Apprentice Captain Sodalus obtained permission for a group of chosen apprentices to spend the day in the city to enjoy the city festivities as a reward for exceptionally hard work. The bureaucracy guild worked with other guilds to decorate the streets with streamers and banners bearing their guild symbols. Roving bands from the artisan guild performed elaborate dances, songs, and shows across the city. Bakers and hospitality guildsmen sent out hordes of carts laden with all kinds of foods and delicacies, filling the streets with the mouth-watering odors of roasted meat kabobs and steaming fresh-baked breads.
Among the selected group were Spaldeer, Babette, Marcos, Brentor, and me. We were cautioned by the masters to behave ourselves and not disgrace the guild by our actions. We had to be back before dark. We were to cooperate with any journeyman peacekeeper on patrol. And so, the lectures continued, particularly by Master Banton, who reminded us our behavior today would dictate the accessibility of Solace to ourselves and other apprentices for the coming year.
Finally, we were free to go.
It was a jubilant feeling. As soon as we stepped beyond the gates and the journeymen shut them behind us, most of the apprentices, including Marcos and Brentor, scattered in all directions with whoops of joy. Captain Sodalus came over to us with several other high-apprentices who were waiting for him.
“Would you care to join us?” he asked kindly. “It might be a little much for you three to wander about on your own.”
Babette smiled. “We’ll be fine. My father took me around the city a lot when I was younger, so I know my way.”
“I grew up in the city as well,” Spaldeer said.
A twinge of disappointment hit me. If Spaldeer had gone with the others I would be totally alone with Babette for hours. Then, I felt guilty for thinking that. Spaldeer was a dear friend.
Captain Sodalus nodded his approval. “Very well, then. Hofen, you are the eldest, and so are in charge. Make sure you are all back at the guild before dark.”
We bowed, then found ourselves alone on the street before our guild with an occasional passerby walking briskly around us. I looked around at the various short-storied buildings and storefronts. This was not a crowded section of the city, but there was a pulse everywhere within Solace as though it were a living thing, and even here a current thrummed. In the distance pipes whistled and drums pounded. We felt empowered and excited, smiling at each other in excited anticipation with but one decision now to be made.
“What do you want to do first?” Spaldeer asked. “I wish I could visit my family, but that would violate the rules and someone might see me.”
Babette sighed. “I want to eat at a restaurant. I have had enough of that swill they pass as food in the cafeteria.”
I had never eaten at a restaurant in my life and the concept intrigued me. “If that is what you want to do, then lead us into the city proper and guide us to a good one.”
“That sounds like a grand idea,” Spaldeer said, “but we just finished breakfast. Let’s go to the BIE station and have a look at the air-tubes. I’ve always wanted to see the high-speed trains. My father had promised to take me, but we never found time for the visit before I came here.”
We started off in a random direction. “And the Ladder,” I said eagerly. “The one that goes all the way up to the top of the Wall. I want to see the other side!”
“You boys.” Babette chuckled. “Air-tubes, the Ladder. The first simply brings people to and from different cities, and the other offers a glimpse of the Outerworld. We're free to ourselves in Solace, with coin in our pockets! What we must do is some shopping, naturally. I can’t wear much jewelry as an apprentice, but I would love to have a nice collection for when I become a journeywoman.”
Spaldeer and I exchanged frustrated glances, but Babette had now taken the lead and so we dutifully followed. She kept glancing up at the street signs, set atop narrow metal poles that also held lighting orbs at their pinnacle, biting her lip. After a while she broke out in a huge grin and accelerated her pace, fighting through the increasingly thick crowds of people. She then led us down a narrow, winding street lined by mid-sized trees and two-story houses. Some of the houses were actual homes with brightly-colored wooden shutters and matching trim, while others were upscale shops topped with large signs written in garish script.
These shops sold very fine clothing crafted by master tailors, gleaming shoes by master cobblers, and heavily bedecked jewelry by master jewelers, all at astronomical prices. Ignoring our piteous lamentations, Babette had us stop in almost all of them to gawk at bright bolts of cloth, expensive leather shoes, belts and satchels, beautiful pottery and ceramic figurines, and splendid paintings and sculptures. There were merry people and food carts everywhere, and everyone seemed to be shouting and yelling at each other wherever we went, drowning our ears in an ocean of noise.
We came across a small weapons shop filled with all sorts of collectible knives, throwing daggers, darts and needles, short swords, hand axes, quarter-staves, and more. Despite what Alabio Acculla had told me about the quality of the other shops, I found myself leading the way inside with Spaldeer at my heels.
“Ah, young peacekeepers,” the shopkeeper beamed, though he gave Babette an odd look. He was short and round with a merry face and a wide moustache.
“Treat yourselves to something special. I sell only the finest wares in all of Solace.”
“May I please see those pocket knives?” Spaldeer asked. He pointed to a selection of oiled silver-handled folding knives.
The shopkeeper scooped up a half dozen from beneath the glass and placed them on a velvet cloth before us. “Of course, of course. Please, examine them for as long as you like. Note the fine steel, the quality craftmanship.”
Taking one in my hand gave me a thrill of excitement. I hefted it about, gripped it, then opened and closed the blade with a satisfying click. It might not be as well-made as the perfect work of Alabio Acculla, but it still seemed a solid knife.
“Take your time, my friends.” The shopkeeper placed several larger, non-foldable knives in front of us, including one with a bone handle.
“Wow,” I said, picking it up to enjoy the weight. It felt nice within my fingers, with a decent balance. The edge was keen, but probably not sharp enough to cut off my fingers while twirling it.
“A wonderful knife, is it not? The handle is made of elk antler from the northern highlands. Very rare.”
“How much?” I asked.
“Today, a bargain. Only five gold coin.”
Spaldeer snorted and put down the folding knife he had been toying with. “We’ll have weapons aplenty to practice with when we make journeymen.”
“But this would be mine,” I replied.
Spaldeer only shrugged and walked over to the hand-axes hanging from a wall. He had a good family who lived in Solace and probably never wanted for much. For me, who had never owned anything, it would be a great achievement to actually buy something for myself. Master Voralius had paid me fou
r gold coin for retrieving his dagger from Alabio Acculla, and over time I had collected another gold coin’s worth of coppers and silver from doing various odd jobs for masters and journeymen. The money sat in my robe pocket as though ready to burst into flames if I did not turn them over to this shopkeeper. One hand slipped in to jingle a few together while I admired the knife in my other.
Babette yanked at the sleeve of my robe. “Can’t we please leave already? I’ve a pit in the middle of my stomach you could drop a cow in. Mooing and kicking.”
Exhaling, I took a last, lingering look at the antler-handled knife. “We didn’t bother you when you looked at dresses.”
“Didn’t bother me?” Her mouth dropped open. “Why, with you two constantly huffing and puffing, muttering comments about the day wasting away, then pretending to leave me all by myself? You were exasperating.” She flashed me that incredible teasing smile which always melted my heart like butter in a red-hot pan.
“But—”
She placed a finger over my lips and made a pouty face. “Fine. Go look at those hand axes over there with Spaldeer, and then we're off. I’m positively starving.”
Rolling my eyes, I allowed the knife to drop to the velvet on the counter and walked over to Spaldeer and the axes. He pointed out one that had an interesting design of a snake embossed on the blade, but after taking turns holding it and feeling how top-heavy it was, we shook our heads.
“That’s not a fighting weapon,” Spaldeer said.
“It belongs on a wall where one may admire the work,” I agreed.
Then, Babette was beside us again. “Okay, time's up.” She yanked at our collars until we thanked the smiling shopkeeper and exited the store.
Spaldeer gave a good-natured laugh and turned toward her. “Now then, jungschwest, you’ve got us outside. Where would you like to go?”
“Hm.” She tugged at a stray lock of hair. “I recall a restaurant not too far from here my father sometimes took me to. They had the best grilled steak sandwiches I have ever eaten. Oh, I hope they’re still open.” She hurried off into the mobs of people without warning, forcing Spaldeer and I to struggle to keep up with her through the sea of colored robes.
At one point, she turned her head over her shoulder and laughed. “Such laggards. Walk faster!” We tried to keep Babette in sight, but soon lost her in the crowd.
We hurried on as best we could in the last direction we'd seen her go, but she was nowhere to be found. I pulled Spaldeer over to the street corner where a pole offered some shelter from the surging people.
Spaldeer threw his arms up. “Where did she disappear to?”
My eyes tried to pierce the crowd around us but couldn’t make out anything beyond the haze of moving shapes, and I began to get worried. Perhaps if I climbed the pole? The smooth metal surface was slippery, and I was unsure if I could ascend.
I pounded the pole with a fist instead. “That pig-headed girl. I should punish her for running off like that.”
“Punish me?”
Spaldeer and I both jumped as Babette appeared behind us. She laughed. “Oh, you should see what you two look like right now. Very scared. Such formidable peacekeepers.”
“Now, Babette—”
Her happy face puckered, forcing me to laugh.
“Stop it,” I said. “I can’t be angry with you when you look like that.”
She deepened the pout and looked up at me with the most beautiful, innocent expression she could muster, hands clasped behind her back as she gently swung her body back and forth at the hips, the epitome of contrition.
I shook my head at her, unable to stop smiling. “Just don’t run off like that again, okay?”
She nodded emphatically. “Okay.” Then, the mischievous smile returned to her pixie face.
For another moment everything was the same in my world. My love for the guild and the training they taught me remained steadfast. My desire to expand the relationship with Babette to something more still simmered beneath the surface of my composure, well tucked away within Spaldeer’s observant view. My appetite gnawed at my consciousness. A resigned disappointment at not buying something of my very own thrummed in my mind’s background.
But just then a shaft of sunlight caught and seemed to ignite Babette’s golden hair, worn down for our outing, into a blazing tempest that highlighted her beautiful face with the barest hint of shadow. When my eyes met hers, I could discern no difference between their color and the clear blue sky above. As my lingering gaze lowered, I saw her lips were slightly pouted and moist, and noticed for the first time the gentle swelling beneath the front of her robes. Something resolute sprouted inside me, an insatiable craving that although terrifying in its intensity, seemed as normal as the feet at the end of my legs.
The simmer inside me exploded into a roiling boil with such alarming strength I turned away to prevent her from noticing the blatant desire. I coughed into my hand to give my head time to clear, as dazed as if a horse and wagon had run into me. Every other thought fled my brain like a swatted swarm of gnats.
And from that moment on, everything became different, as though a filter that had shielded the world from my eyes lifted. I saw things in a completely new and sparkling manner, like a painting scrubbed clean from layers of fine dust. Before, being with Babette had been more of a concept to me, a lofty goal to be desired and hopefully achieved. Now, it was as mandatory as breathing. If she would have me, we would be together, though I remained uncertain how. My teeth ground in frustration. Whatever changed had made my longing even worse, something I had not believed possible until this moment.
“So, how much further to this restaurant?” Spaldeer asked. “I’m famished, and my feet hurt.”
“Why, right here,” Babette said. She pointed to the closest storefront, sandwiched between a jeweler’s and a butcher’s shop. A burly butcher journeyman stood in front of the latter wearing a sleeveless, red-stained, white body apron and holding a bloody cleaver in one meaty hand. He fanned his sweaty face with the other hand, squinting up at the sun, most likely checking the time during a break from his duties. A sign over the restaurant next to him in large, red letters boldly proclaimed, “Steak and Bread.”
We entered the restaurant letting the heavy door shut out the heat, noise, and odors of the street behind us. It was cool and pleasant within with a smell of roasting meat that smacked my nose like a palm strike and made my mouth water in eager anticipation. The tables and benches were all built of solid hardwood, and the floors were covered with wooden planks. Torches hung at regular intervals emitting enough light to see by but maintaining shadows as well. There were only a few other customers as most preferred to celebrate outside, so we were able to get a comfortable booth in the back. A chalked board revealed the menu of the day.
The pleasant hospitality apprentice took our orders over to the high-journeyman cooking in the back and left us in relative privacy. Babette and I sat close together within a shadow with Spaldeer across from us in the flickering light of a torch hung on the wall by means of a twisted black-metal bracket.
At Babette’s insistence we all ordered the marinated sliced strip steak served over slabs of fresh baked bread and a large pitcher of diluted ale with which to wash it down. There would also be gravy-roasted potatoes and fresh sautéed vegetables. I swallowed hard at the thought of eating whatever food had created those succulent smells and fidgeted with anticipation. If smell alone were the judge, Babette was correct when she had said that the guild food left much to be desired. But then, I had never known anything better before today other than my mother’s home-country cooking. A pang of longing struck me as I reflected on her simple stews that stretched a small cut of beef beyond any possible logic into many meals and wished I could see her again soon. If she lived within the city gates I surely would have visited her instead of sitting here with my friends, despite the guild rules against it.
As we waited, we talked about what we had done and seen that day, and what we would
have time to do after we had eaten. Somewhere during the conversation, I stretched my legs and accidentally brushed against Babette’s outer thigh. I quickly returned my leg to where it had been but Babette shifted her own leg along with me to keep them pressed together. She continued talking as though nothing had happened, but my body trembled at the sensation of her warm, muscular leg held firmly against my own.
When the food arrived, I admit I was distracted by the extraordinary fare. It was the best meal I had ever had, and one of the best I’ve eaten since. The meat was tender and fell apart with a simple flick of the fork. It was full of flavor that was part smoky, part tangy, and part spicy all at once, making me unable to decide which held precedence. The potatoes had been roasted to a golden-brown crust with a hot tender middle and went down well along with a mouthful of meat. The diluted ale was both cold and refreshing, making us all a bit tipsy.
There was silence while we ate, each of us as consumed by the meal as it was consumed by us. Eventually, we were done, the last crumb of bread dipped in the last puddle of gravy, and not a single clue remained of the repast that had appeared before us on our sizzling metal platters. We looked up at each other in a daze as though only just remembering how we had come here together and smiled. With sorrowful reluctance, we paid our bill and stepped back outside, staggering beneath the weight of satiated contentment.
Spaldeer burped quietly behind his hand. “Where to now, then?”
I didn't reply at first. My thigh was still warm from Babette’s leg, and when I looked at her with a curious expression, she refused to meet my gaze. Then, I remembered Spaldeer's question. “Well, you wanted a look at the air-tube station. I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself.”
“Wait,” Babette said. “Let me go into this one last shop. My father took me here a few times. Please?”
Spaldeer and I groaned, but she had already disappeared inside the jewelry store that was next to the restaurant. I decided to follow her in, but Spaldeer preferred to wait outside and browse through some of the shop-carts lining the dusty street.