Psychicians (a Hyllis family story #5)

by Laurence Dahners

  Daum spoke somewhat excitedly, “I checked. Each room of the tavern’s on its own set of skids. We could move them out there one at a time. I’ve been thinking about different ways we could arrange them…”

  “Also,” Kazy said, “we could buy a couple more rooms from the guys that do this stuff. Bigger kitchen; bigger dining room; more bedrooms we could rent out to travelers. A bigger stable!”

  Eva said, “But outside the wall? What about robbers, raiders, and wars?”

  Tarc shook his head, “Pretty hard for robbers to slip past our talents. I’m thinking we could put a little guardhouse on top of the roof, both to watch for robbers and for Daum and me to shoot from if raiders show up. You know the kind of damage we could do if raiders attacked. And if worst came to worst, we could escape down into the facility.”

  They all looked at one another. Kazy said, “Now can I get Nylin and Grace?”

  ***

  Nylin and Grace listened to Daum’s proposal. Determined not to just rubber stamp it, Nylin asked, “Do we have an estimate on how much it would cost us to move the tavern?”

  Daum looked a little uncomfortable, and named figures for moving a big two-story room like the dining room with its lodging above, as well as much lower prices for moving smaller rooms like the kitchen and brewery.

  Nylin turned to Kazy, “So, we’re talking at least the equivalent of a month’s earnings for the tavern, correct?”

  Kazy nodded, “Actually, seven percent more than we brought in last month. And it was a good month.”

  Nylin looked at Daum, “And I’m guessing we’d be shut down for almost a month while we made the move?”

  He slowly nodded.

  “And how much would being outside the wall save on rents?”

  “They’re only about ten percent of rents inside the wall. I think we should rent a bigger land area, so I’m figuring it’ll be about twenty percent of what we’re paying now, or ten percent of the doubled rents the baron’s going to be charging if we stay.”

  Nylin chewed her lip for a moment, “But it’s significantly more dangerous out there. I’m assuming we’d have to hire guards and perhaps negotiate a fee with the guardia so they’d be on standby to help if raiders attacked us?”

  The Hyllises looked at one another, making Nylin feel good that she’d brought up points that required serious consideration. But also worried that Daum had painted an unreasonably rosy picture.

  Then Eva turned to her and said, “We haven’t told you everything that’s influencing our desire to move out there.” After swearing Nylin and Grace to secrecy, Eva went on to remind them of the facility they knew Tarc had been salvaging outside the walls. “Though the entrance Tarc enters through is most of a kilometer away, it’s connected through a quarter kilometer tunnel to another set of underground rooms that’re just outside the walls.”

  Nylin was just trying to get her mind around how huge this underground complex was when Eva continued, “So, what we’re hoping to do is put the tavern right on top of the near end of the underground facility. Then we’ll dig down into the facility. That’ll give us a huge area for storage. The stairwell to the surface also goes deep into the ground beneath the facility and already has a well. It’s cool down deep, so it’ll be even better than most storage cellars for preserving things. Also, it’ll be a safe place for us to escape to, in the event of some kind of massive raid or war.”

  “That sounds… really interesting,” Nylin said slowly. She looked up, “perhaps Tarc could take Grace and me on a tour?”

  Once they’d agreed to the tour, Nylin said, “I think we should take the next day or two to get real numbers for rental of the property outside the wall; going rates for guards; whether an agreement can be made with the guardia, etcetera. Then Kazy could wield her power…” Nylin paused when eyes widened all around the room.

  Kazy laughed, “I believe she means my ‘power’ to do math.”

  “Yes,” Nylin said, curious, “what’d you think I meant?”

  Kazy snickered, “I think they thought you wanted me to use my charms to get us a better deal.”

  Nylin laughed as well. “I don’t think you should do that. We wouldn’t want word to get out about the power your ‘charms’ have to sway deliberations in our favor…” She got a dry chuckle from the others, not exactly what she’d hoped for. She continued, “No, actually I was just thinking that—once we had the numbers—Kazy could use her math wizardry to run the outcome of several different business plans. That way we’d know what we might be giving up for whatever benefits there are to the different locations.”

  Kazy said, “Remember that, with the new capital you’re providing, and all the space we’ll have outside the walls, we can add on another two-story room to expand the dining area. We can add on more lodging. Also, we could buy a bigger room and better stoves for the kitchen—”

  “And I could use the old kitchen as an extension of the brewery,” Daum said.

  “So,” Kazy grinned, “we could serve more food, and more beer, and take in lodgers. We could even add on to the stable so we could keep our lodgers’ horses. A bigger income stream, lower taxes, what’s not to like?”

  Nylin gave Kazy a steady look, “Greater danger, including the risk that frustrated raiders might burn the whole thing down. In addition, hiring a bunch of new people that we may or may not be able to trust.”

  “A mixture of good and bad,” Daum said, rising. “We’ll gather info and have Nylin’s second meeting tomorrow night if we can get the figures we need. Okay?”

  Everyone agreed and filed out to go to bed.

  ***

  Keller Sarno looked up as someone stepped into the little clearing he and his family lived in. He hadn’t worked in the last ten days and his attempts to hunt had gone poorly. He had an unhappy reaction to having someone show up where he lived. It was bound to be just one more bad thing in a long string of bad luck. A robber, someone who fancied his wife, someone who wanted help robbing someone else—something bad.

  The last thing he expected was to see his erstwhile employer, the young Tarc Hyllis, standing there with a short, dark-haired girl. He and Hyllis had gotten the last of the salvage out of that underground room many weeks ago and he hadn’t heard from the young man since. He couldn’t imagine why Hyllis was there, but he began to hope for some good news.

  He pushed to his feet and said, “Hello Mr. Hyllis. How’d you find us out here?”

  Hyllis grinned, tapping his nose. “I just followed the smell of someone who wanted a job.”

  “I do indeed,” Sarno said ruefully. “The little ones are going hungry again. Have you found another site to salvage?”

  “No, I’m wanting to cover up the opening into the one we already salvaged.” He tilted his head curiously, “And, we need some permanent employees. Would you be interested?”

  “Permanent?” Sarno asked, daring to hope.

  “Yes, we’re moving our tavern outside the walls of the city. In the long term, we’ll need a night guard. For now, we need people to help with the move. Maybe your wife and kids could help?”

  “Tavern? Wait, are you related to the people who own the Hyllis Tavern?”

  “They’re my parents.” He grinned as if just realizing something, “That must be where I got the name.”

  “Oh!” Sarno said in a tone of awe. “I’ve only been able to eat there once, but it was the best food I’ve ever had!”

  “Well, as an employee, you could be eating there on the cheap.”

  “Sign me up!”

  Suddenly, Sarno’s three kids burst out of the tent and came running over. Grabbing to Sarno’s leg, his talkative youngest girl started with the questions. “Daddy, who’s this? Does he need you for a job?”

  Sarno looked down at them, ashamed of how thin they were. “Yes, he does. This is Mr. Hyllis and he says he might have some work for you too. Would you like to earn some coppers of your own?”

  With shrieks of excitement, the childr
en proclaimed themselves ready. “Now!” A few moments later Sarno’s wife uncertainly came out of the tent too.

  Hyllis led them all to his pair of mules. The animals were packed with axes, saws, shovels, and rope. From there they all walked over to the salvage site. Looking around, Hyllis said the first task would be to lay timber over the entrance, then cover it all with a substantial amount of dirt. Then transplant a couple of berry bushes on top of it. “Essentially, I want it to look like the rest of the land here. As if there was never a hole.”

  “You want to hide it,” Sarno said.

  Hyllis nodded. “Can you do it, and keep it a secret?”

  Sarno looked at his kids, wishing Hyllis hadn’t talked about it in front of them. Kids weren’t good with secrets. He squatted down and gathered the children to him. “If Mr. Hyllis gives us work.” He nodded at Tarc and decided to make it crystal clear to them, “Work, so we can eat. Work covering up this hole so people won’t know it’s here. If he gives us the job, can you keep it a secret?”

  Apparently sensing the gravity of the situation, his kids all nodded solemnly. As did his wife. Sarno looked up. Hyllis was looking questioningly at the young girl he’d brought with him.

  Her green eyes were focused on Sarno and his family. She turned to Hyllis and nodded.

  As if he’d been waiting for the girl’s approval, Hyllis turned to Sarno with a broad smile. “We’ve got a deal! Twenty-five coppers a day for you and your wife and ten coppers a day for your children.” Squatting down to study the kids, he asked, “How many coppers will that be?”

  The younger two just shrugged, but Nancy frowned for a moment and ventured, “Eighty coppers?”

  “Very good,” Hyllis proclaimed. “I’ll come by each day to check on your progress and if I think you’ve worked hard, I’ll round it up to a hundred coppers.”

  “A silver!” Nancy whispered in an awed tone.

  “That’s right,” Hyllis said. He reached in his pocket and flipped Sarno a silver. “Have a good meal tonight so you can work hard tomorrow.”

  Sarno frowned, “I can cut trees over there,” he waved, “but we won’t be able to move them here without several more men.”

  “That’s what the mules and rope are for,” Hyllis said, patting one of the beasts. “They can drag the timber for you. I’ll take them back to town with me today, but once you have some timber ready to move, you come to the tavern and get the mules.”

  The girl with Hyllis finally spoke, “If we’re using the mules to move the tavern when you come, we’ll just have you stay and help us move, okay?”

  Sarno nodded, surprised to have an even younger teenager bossing him too. He glanced at Tarc who nodded. He seemed to be granting her the right to do so.

  She said, “So if you go to town to get the mules, bring your family. If we’re in the midst of moving, we’ll need all the hands we can get.”

  After unloading the tools, Hyllis and the girl took the mules and started back toward the town. It was awfully nice of him to agree to pay the kids. I hope he understands they can’t contribute much. Maybe saw off a few limbs and fill some buckets with dirt, but if he’s expecting very much out of them we’ll never get that bonus he talked about.

  ***

  A knock came at Sandra’s door. “Who’s there?” she called.

  “Sandy, it’s me, Brendan Geller,” came the answer. “Can I come in and visit?”

  “Certainly!” Sandra answered, unable to keep the excitement from seeping into her voice. She pushed herself to her feet and started toward the door, “I’ll be there in just a minute.”

  As Sandra felt her way to the door, she stumbled over a toy of some kind, doubtlessly left by one of her numerous great-grandchildren. They didn’t mean to cause her trouble, they just couldn’t seem to remember to pick up all their stuff before they left for school in the morning. A minute later, she found the door and lifted the latch, pulling it open. “Brendan, how are you doing? Who’s with you?”

  With a strange timbre in his voice, Brendan said, “Believe it or not, I made it here by myself.”

  “Oh my, you’re brave,” Sandra said, reaching out and finding his wrist after only one false attempt. “Let me lead you to a chair.”

  With her right hand on the wall and Brendan’s wrist in her left, she led him back to where she’d been sitting. Settling him in a chair, she said, “Sit tight. I’ll make us some tea. The kitchen’s only about ten feet away, so we’ll be able to talk while I’m working on it.”

  “Just a moment Sandy,” he said, taking her hand.

  She stood waiting and wondering what he was thinking of doing. She’d known him before they’d both started going blind, but they’d become friends when they realized they were both losing their sight. Not more than friends though, so she didn’t understand what could’ve happened that he was taking her hand. Did one of our other blind friends die? she wondered. He was tugging at her hand, not as if he were trying to pull her across the room, but as if he were trying to rotate her in place. She didn’t like it, because rotation could make her lose her place in the room, but after a momentary resistance, she acceded and turned.

  She felt him move closer to her. Is he going to try to kiss me?!

  Instead, he said, “Ahh…” The interjection sounded particularly satisfied, as if he were pleased with something, though she couldn’t imagine what.

  He said, “Sandy, I have the most wonderful news.”

  She felt herself blinking in confusion. “What…? What do you mean?”

  “I can see.”

  Moments passed in which she simply felt dumbfounded, thinking, He’s delusional!

  Then he said, “And, now that I’ve looked at your eyes, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to do so as well.”

  She couldn’t break some lifelong habits, but she noticed she was shaking her head though he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Is this another of your dumb jokes?”

  “No,” he said gravely. “You’ll remember Vyrda Soh, she’s been my family’s healer for a long time. She took me to see some new healers. They diagnosed me with cataracts, a condition for which they have a cure. Apparently, the ancients cured cataracts all the time.”

  He’s lost his mind, she thought, wondering how to respond.

  “I can see the doubt in your expression.”

  Well, it wouldn’t be hard to deduce how I’d feel about such a claim, she thought.

  He said, “Hold up some fingers. I’ll tell you how many you’ve got up.” He said “two” before she even got them fully extended. He said, “three,” as soon as she started to put out another one.

  How’s he doing this? she wondered.

  Gently, he said, “Sandy, I’d like to take you to see these healers, but I can see you think I’m crazy.”

  Because you are! she thought, then she considered what he’d just said. “You’re going to take me? You think you can lead me somewhere?”

  “Yes,” he said, taking her hand and tucking it into his elbow, as people did when they were about to lead her somewhere.

  She felt such consternation, that he’d already led her across the room and stopped at the door to unlatch it before she accepted the possibility that he actually could see. “You… you, really can see, can’t you?”

  “Yes,” he said gravely, “and I think I’ll have you home in time to cook for your family.”

  Sandra stumbled over nothing. “I… I can’t… where are you taking me?” she asked plaintively.

  “To the Hyllis Tavern. They make wonderful food, excellent beer and they cure your type of blindness. I don’t think you should eat and drink today, it’d spoil your appetite for the dinner you’re going to—”

  “I’ve heard people talking about them,” she interrupted. “Outlandish claims of them treating all kinds of things that can’t be treated. You know they’re going to be proven charlatans soon—”

  Brendan interrupted her, “Sandy! I can see! I’m leading you down the street. This isn’
t a ‘claim,’ it’s a verifiable fact!

  ~~~

  To Sandra’s utter disbelief, he took her to a place filled with wonderful smells. They had to wait a while and, while they did, Brendan fed her a few bites of an amazing food he called “pizza.”

  When he led her up the stairs a pleasantly voiced lady spoke to her briefly, asking questions and telling her that, other than her blindness, her health was good. The woman asked her if she wanted them to try curing her blindness, claiming she wouldn’t be charged if it didn’t work.

  Then Sandra blinked awake, not even aware she’d fallen asleep.

  And she could see from her right eye!

  They wanted to test her eyesight.

  It was at least ten minutes before Sandra could stop crying long enough to take the test.

  They gave her a lens she could use to read with and let her use another that made her vision perfect at a distance as well. Then they told her that if she decided to have her left eye done—and why wouldn’t I? she wondered—they’d make her right eye good for distance and her left eye good for reading.

  That evening, for the first time in years, Sandra saw the faces of her family. Faces made all the more beautiful by the joy and wonder they registered upon seeing her cooking and serving their dinner…