Chapter 7
Rommus stopped by a local fountain when he finally arrived back in Brinn. The day was hot and the cool water was much needed. The Medorans had mastered the art of directing water from distant rivers into their cities and towns through aqueducts, creating an elaborate water system for the cities. Most of them were similar to this one, carved of white marble and polished to a high luster. Adorning the fountains were statues of gods or heroes, and sometimes even past Emperors. The wealthy had fountains and baths in their homes, but most people came to the public fountains to drink and get water. Since they were such busy places, people stayed to socialize, and the cities even built structures around some of them so that the citizens could relax and mingle in the shade.
Rommus didn't spend much time there however. He would stop for a drink or to splash cold water on his face, but he knew that the people there did not welcome him. Somehow it seemed that everyone had secretly turned against him, avoiding him as if he were a Mage. Maybe he was just overreacting. Perhaps they found him intimidating because of his size. He wasn't a giant man like his father, but he was well above average in height and build, although to him it seemed that they weren't staring at his large arms and broad chest. To him it seemed that they looked away as soon as they caught his eye, as if meeting his glare might turn them to stone. Whatever the reason for it, he had learned to accept it and pretty much ignore everyone around him. He felt guilty sometimes when his presence seemed to kill laughter or abruptly end a conversation, but he always reminded himself that he had nothing to do with how people reacted to him. They were the cause, not him. He went out of his way to avoid offending people and he was polite when someone did decide to talk to him. Those occasions, however, were rare.
He finished at the fountain and made his way deeper into the city. Across the street, through some horse-drawn wagons, he saw the famous artist, Ehlom Nagelic. He was talking to himself, quite loudly, while carrying what looked like large scrolls. His frail body shook with rage at his invisible companion as he spoke to the air. Rommus wondered how anyone could be so angry at the world. He smiled as he thought of the man, as quirky as anyone could be, totally lost in his own world and talents. Ehlom attempted to shoulder someone out of his way, but instead he was thrown into a wall. He cursed loudly, picked up a dropped scroll, and turned the corner out of sight.
Rommus couldn't help but admire the man. He had talent, no doubt, but that wasn't it. The man had something. It was a fire, a goal. It was something that he could see in the distance, and he was always scurrying to reach it. At least he was driven. At least he had a purpose. Rommus wished for such a goal. He was always looking, and it never presented itself.
But like Ehlom, Rommus had talent. Maybe he wasn't a painter or sculptor (although he had never tried) but he was a master metalsmith. He once had made armor and swords for the army, but since then he had supported himself crafting custom weapons and armor for the wealthy, teaching himself how to do the delicate scrollwork and gold plating. Most of them were for decoration or ceremonial use, since no one wanted to pay such a large amount of money for a beautiful work of art just to have it shattered in battle. Those people would never know it, but any of his work would stand up to any abuse in any battle. Some of the Medoran army refused to fight with anything else.
There were two traditions he always kept while forging these great arms and armor. One was that he never made any of it while the sun was in the sky, and the other was that he included a few drops of his blood in the oil he used for tempering. The blood had no real purpose, but he had done it ever since the first time he ever tempered anything, cutting himself accidentally that time. Since his weapons were always of such outstanding quality, he decided not to break the tradition.
He made his way up the street and towards Mirra's house. She would not be expecting him, and might not even be home. It was no trouble however, since her house was on the way to the Emperor's Hall, and he wanted to stop there to check on his father anyway. A particularly smelly horse clopped its way down the hill he was climbing, and he waited for it to pass before crossing the street. Turning the corner, he counted the five doors like he always did, the fifth one being Mirra's.
He knocked before opening the door. He called her name, but no answer came. Quietly, he entered the room and stepped on something soft. Picking it up, he jogged up the stairs two at a time. Mirra's door was closed, and he rapped gently on the door. She moaned in irritation inside. Opening the door, he was surprised to find the room dark.
"Are you still sleeping?" he said with surprise. "Get up already, it's after noon!"
She turned from him in a mock pout as he made his way to the window, noisily drawing the curtains open. Sunlight flooded the room and she covered her head with her satin sheets.
"Rommus close the curtains," she pleaded.
"No, this is unhealthy, you need air and sunshine. I should have come earlier and taken you into the woods. What happened to you yesterday by the way?"
She threw her sheets from her head with both hands, submitting to the annoying idea of waking up. "I was with my mother. We were all the way over in the east side of the city and we ran into some people she knew. You know how she is. I figured that it would be getting dark by the time I got there so I didn't bother, I'm sorry."
He bent over and kissed her forehead. "It's all right. You're forgiven. Did you hear about my father?"
"Your father? No. Why? Is everything okay?"
"He's okay now," he said as he sat down on the edge of her bed, "but someone tried to kill him. It was a Vindyri woman too, if you can believe that. She stabbed him and then escaped. The funny thing is, I think I might have met her when I was waiting for you yesterday."
"And you didn't try to stop her?" she asked as she laid there in the bed.
"No, I met her before it happened. I didn't know what she was going to do. It might not even have been her. There are plenty of Vindyri wandering around Brinn."
"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the cloth in his hands.
"Beats me, it was on your floor downstairs by the door. I thought maybe you had dropped it or something."
He threw it to her, amazed that she would change the subject so quickly. She caught it and opened it up to inspect it, realizing it was a sack. She examined it, front and back. Looking inside, she found nothing, and tossed it in a corner. She sat up and hooked her hair behind her ears.
"I was attacked yesterday too."
She rushed over to him and threw her arms around his neck in alarm. "Oh Romm, are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine. Aren't I always?"
She hugged him tightly, refusing to let go. "Rommus I can't stand to see you hurt."
"All right, all right already. I said I'm fine," he said with a smile. "Now get off me."
"Well what happened? Why would someone attack you?"
She loosened her grip and nestled herself into her sheets, keeping a caring hand on his arm.
"I don't know. It was very odd. Two Mages confronted me on the road from the cliffs."
"Mages? They sure scare me. What are they for anyway?"
"Honestly I don't really know," he said as he absentmindedly knocked on the wooden frame of her bed.
"Well did they hurt you? I couldn't stand to see you injured, you know that."
"No I wasn't hurt. I really don't have any answers for any of it. But I'm fine, don't worry about me. Let's get something to eat. Are you hungry?"
She made a face and touched her stomach as if the thought of food sickened her. "No, I don't think I could eat right now, I don't feel very well today."
"Do you ever feel well, Mirra? You can't sleep all day and not eat."
She groaned in protest and threw herself onto her pillows, again covering her head with her silky sheets. He shook his head and rubbed her back while she lay there. She seemed to melt under his touch, and he knew if he kept it up she would fall asleep. It wasn't good that she was sleeping her days away, but he wanted
to bring some joy to her gloom, so he continued.
"Rommus, do you ever think about the future?"
He sighed. "All the time."
"What if things don't end up the way you plan them to?"
"I don't expect them to go a certain way. I deal with things as they come."
She breathed in a breath of air in such a way that made him believe she was going to say something more. When she said nothing, he went back to rubbing her back. In a matter of moments she was lost in the relaxation, and fell peacefully to sleep. He got up carefully, so as not to wake her, and went to the window. He looked out over the beautiful city, shining in the sun, and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and drank in the feeling of the Medoran summer. After a minute or two, he reached up and closed the curtains half way, meeting her in the middle. He quietly left and closed her door behind him, heading back to the street.
He made his way north toward the Emperor's Hall, seeing it above the rooftops of the buildings in front of him. Weaving through the streets, he did his best to avoid people and stay out of their way. Finally he came to the steps of the Hall, and approached one of the guards.
"Well hello Rommus, haven't seen you in a while."
"Gerik! I thought you were out guarding the southern wall. When did you get back?" he asked as he shook the man's hand.
"Just today. They sent troops from the Sun Legion to replace us since none of us have been home for more than a month. I am only here for the day, and then I have leave for an entire week."
"Did you see any great and mysterious beasts to the south?" Rommus said with a smirk.
Gerik laughed. "No, I didn't see any beasts. I think those are just stories to keep people from going down there.
"Yeah I think so too. Well it's great that you're back. You should come by so that we can catch up."
Rommus liked the man but he was rather boring. He never really talked about anything except the army, and while there were some great stories, there was a lot more to life than blood and victory. Rommus always thought the man was just keeping to himself, hiding his secrets so that no one could ever use anything against him. Gerik had served under Rommus while he was a Captain in the Moon Legion, and he was one of the few people left in Medora who actually showed him any respect.
"I heard about your father. I hope he's well. Is it true it was a woman who did it?"
"Apparently. Honestly I don't know much about it. I was hoping to see him. Is he here?"
He clicked his tongue. "No, he left for the Star Legion barracks just after the sun rose. He looked fine to me if you were just wondering if he was all right. I doubted that he even had an injury when I saw him this morning."
"Well that's good. That barracks isn't far, so I'll stop and see him. Did they catch the girl?"
"They caught several girls, but I don't know if any of them were the right one. You'll have to ask the Commander there or General Tirinius."
"I will do that, thank you Gerik. I hope to see you again soon."
Gerik turned back to his position and saluted, even though it wasn't necessary to do so. Rommus smiled and gave his armor a good whack before descending the steps.
Before he even got to the last step, something caught his eye. He couldn't be positive at such a great distance, so he quickened his pace, careful to stay out of sight. Ahead of him, at the next row of houses was a woman walking; a Vindyri woman. She was walking away from him, but he thought he recognized the gentle, graceful sway of the woman he had met the day before.
Both of them slipped between the people in the streets. She didn't seem like she was trying to hide, which seemed odd to him if in fact she was responsible for the attempt on his father's life. He lost her around a corner and he felt cold rush of panic at the thought of her escape. He hurried up the street and turned the corner himself, caring less about being seen and more about catching this woman. This was the city's busiest street on the west side, with shops and carts lining the road as it gently curved around the Emperor's Hall to connect with other streets than eventually made a giant circle in the center of the city. A wonderful wall of aromas from the foods in the marketplace hit him and reminded him of his hunger. The woman was nowhere in sight.
Suddenly he saw her, off to the side behind a cart of fruit near an alleyway. He didn't waste any more time. He ran to her area, trying to avoid trampling the innocent shoppers in the streets. When he finally reached her, he grabbed her arm and pushed her into the alley.
"Hey!" she cried as she tried unsuccessfully to pull away.
He pulled her farther into the shadows and spun her abruptly to face him. He must have looked as shocked as she did, since he wasn't expecting to see dried blood and bruises on her face. For a moment he forgot what he was going to say or do, but he kept her arm firmly in his grip.
"You," she said, startled.
He got right to the point. "Are you the Vindyri that stabbed my father?"
"Your father?"
She looked even more shocked, but then her expression cooled as she paused for a second.
"Is that what's going on? Those brutes chained me and beat me all day. They had other Vindyri there too, all of them as bruised as I am. They only just now let me go less than an hour ago. Is this the kind of treatment I can expect anywhere in Medora?" she said as she jerked her arm from his grasp and ran her hand through her hair.
"Well, no, it's just?"
"What right do you have to do this to innocent people? And women no less!" she said as she crossed her arms and stood tall.
"Well, see, someone tried to kill my father, and he described her as an attractive woman with blonde hair, so we assumed, since no one?"
"I can gather what your reasons are," she interrupted again.
He stood staring into this woman's eyes. Her beauty held him in some kind of spell, making it hard to think straight. He was sure that they would not have let her go if she was indeed the guilty Vindyri, so he decided to believe her. Forgetting what he was going to say next, he sputtered out the only thing that came to his mind.
"What was your name again?"
"Alana." She caught herself before she said her last name. "And you are? You never told me your name."
"I am Rommus Tirinius. I'm sorry that they hurt you. That sort of thing never happens here, but the General of the army doesn't meet an assassin every day either. On behalf of all Medorans, I apologize."
He felt silly phrasing it that way, clumsily stumbling over the words, but it was too late to take back. He stood there like a fool, desperately hoping she would say something so that he wouldn't have to.
Finally, a smile came to her face. "So you'd call me an attractive woman with blonde hair, huh?"
That wasn't exactly the line he hoped she would throw him. "Well, yes I'd say you were?"
"Do you think you could find me a tall, handsome man to protect me until I can get out of Brinn?" she asked as she stepped in closer to him.
He stammered a moment as he tried to tell her that he would guide her, but before he could answer, she looked over his shoulder and spoke softly.
"Why do your Mages here wear black and not silver?"
"I didn't know there were any other colors that they wore. Why are you whispering?"
"Do your strange Black Mages always carry swords?"
He turned around to see what she was talking about. Five men in black robes were walking calmly towards them in the alley, their wall of living darkness bristling with shining swords. The fact that they didn't run showed they had confidence and were determined to finish the job this time. Since he had only a knife, he decided to run. He grabbed Alana by the arm and rushed her along with him. She went along without a fight.
"What's going on? Do you know them?" she asked as she ran.
"I don't know who they are. All I know is that both times I have run into you, I have run into Mages that want to kill me. So I think it's you who has some explaining to do, not me."
"Get him. Kill the
girl," the Mage in the center bellowed. The other four Mages rushed in to attack.
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