Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  Letting the drapes drop back into place, Bree left the room as well. She couldn’t let Milly do all the work. With two hours to work with, there was no way she couldn’t do or find something useful. And as her mentor had said, if you want to get information, you only need to look in three main places. Find the town gossips, find wherever the women gathered to do chores such as laundry, or find an alehouse. Finding a gossip might take too long, it was too late for sensible people to do laundry, so that left a pub. Based on what she had seen though, a woman would be a rarity at an alehouse unless they were prostitutes or hanging on some mans arm.

  So step one was to get new clothes. She still wore the wrapped cloth from Egypt. While it had held up well enough traveling, it still gave her a definite air of femininity. With that decided, she left the room, going downstairs to speak with the lady of the inn. She found the woman taking an order from an old man by the fireplace. The moment she disengaged the gentleman, Bree accosted her.

  “Would you happen to know where I might obtain some men’s clothes at this time of night?”

  “An what might you be needing them for?”

  “For traveling. These clothes are not well suited for walking long distances.”

  “Youngsters these days. You shouldn’t be complaining about small stuff like that. It’s improper for a woman to dress like a man it is. A woman needs to be strong and bear such discomforts. That’s what a man looks for. A woman who knows how to be silent, and has good child bearing hips. You got the hips I daresay, just need to work on the silent part I don’t doubt. And get such nonsense thought out of your head will help too. I reckon you do that and you could nab yourself a fine man right quick.”

  “I didn’t ask for your thoughts now did I? I already have a husband thank you very much. All I asked is where to get some men’s clothes. I don’t need a lecture. Do you know where I can get some or don’t you? A simple yes or no will do.”

  The woman looked at Bree like a bug-eyed guppy fish. Her mouth even opened and closed without any sound escaping. Obviously having someone talk back to her in such a manner was a new experience. Perhaps it had more to do with Bree being a woman and speaking to her like that. Finally she shook away the shock enough to answer.

  “No.”

  “Thank you.”

  Bree left the inn without looking back. She didn’t need Milly’s ability to read minds to know the woman was lying. Perhaps she had come off too strong, but the way the woman spoke aggravated her to no end. Bree knew that was just the mindset of this timeframe, but it still irked her. It sounded condescending, and made her feel she was doing something sinful.

  Oil filled lanterns hung from poles were being lit by an Emishi man to battle the gloom of oncoming night. The streets were emptying as people returned to their homes. Bree could spot the pubs easily, as they were the ones with the most light and noise coming from them. Walking the streets alone at night got her sideways stares. Mostly from men who had the look of trouble about them. There were a few women, but they had the look of working girls, not respectable citizens.

  “Oy! Lass! What’s your askin’?”

  Bree turned to see a medium sized man leaning against a doorframe smiling in her direction. Bree shook her head lightly. “I’m not--”

  Inspiration struck as she sized up the man again. Maybe a bit bigger than she would like, but that was fine. Giving the man a smile she tried walking seductively towards him. Being unused to such seduction, she felt like a wild horse in a small cottage. She had no idea what the going rate of a prostitute was, so she would just improvise.

  “For you hun, one franc.”

  “Bah, your foreign money isn’t any good here wench. What’s your askin’ price in taiheigenbo’s?”

  That was right. While the small town to the west was predominantly French, this was a town fashioned after ancient Japan. The people were shorter and slimmer, and the buildings had the curving style of the culture. Covering her uncertainty with a smile, Bree stepped in close, trailing her finger along his face.

  “I’m not too conversant with your monetary exchange yet, seeing as I just got here. So how about you teach me all about it and we call it even?”

  The man grinned back, wrapping his arm around her waist and sliding open the door behind him.

  “I could get behind that deal lass.”

  The moment the door closed, Bree wrapped his head in a bubble of air, pulling the oxygen away. He clawed at the invisible hands strangling him as he tried to scream. Yet no sound escaped. His eyes rolled up in his head and he dropped to the floor unconscious. Quickly Bree released the bubble, checking his pulse to make sure he was still alive. She didn’t want to kill anyone if she didn’t have to. Her mind put at ease, Bree stripped the man’s clothes off, disrobing and donning them almost as fast.

  Bree was about to open the door once more when a thought struck her. Looking at herself in the nearby mirror she realized she would never pass as a man. Her hair was just too long. All the men she had seen so far had short cropped locks or ones tied in a topknot. Closing her eyes and tightening her right hand into a fist, she let out her breath slowly. Grabbing her brown hair slightly above the neck, she hesitated only a moment before using a blade of wind to slice it off. The sudden loss was like ripping off a limb, the air on the nape of her neck odd.

  Another few quick cuts with her power turned the Egyptian fabric into long bands of cloth. Bands she was able to wrap around her chest and flatten down her breasts. Her efforts finished, Bree checked herself out in the mirror once more. She might still look a bit effeminate, but the baggy clothes helped hide the shape of her body and the slight bulge of her chest the strips were unable to conceal. With a nod, Bree left both her pile of hair and the body on the floor, sliding the door open and exiting to the street once more.

  Bree tried imitating the swagger of the few other men she saw. Heading for the nearest alehouse where two men were already staggering out singing loudly. Inside was even noisier. She glanced around only a moment before heading towards a table near the fire. Sitting down close enough to a handful of men who looked like soldiers in their leather armor and swords. When the barmaid came up, Bree tried to deepen her voice so as not to get caught.

  “Ale.”

  With a nod the girl left, skillfully swishing her hips out of reach of a grasping hand. Bree leaned back, seemingly to wait. In actuality she sent out tendrils of wind to the other corners of the room while widening her ears to the group just behind her. She wasn’t yet skillful enough in her abilities to read the wind to try doing this from the confines of the inn. Small enclosed spaces such as this were still within her comfort zone though.

  “I tell you, those hairy putna’s got themselves a new leader! I seen him with my own eyes I did. A big bear of a man, at least two heads taller than the rest. He’s a right bit smarter then the rest of those savages too. Directing them from the backlines like he was civilized or something.”

  “Even if that’s true, the General will defeat him. He hasn’t lost a battle yet. Besides, those stupid savages are fighting a losing battle. Between the General and the Emishi working for peace here in the city, it is only a matter of time. We outnumber them, and with the Ebisu on our side, we know their tactics as well. So don’t you worry greenie, You’ll live to get your cherry popped yet.”

  A third voice wafted into her ear as laughter rose skyward. At first she thought it came from the group behind her, but quickly realized it was carried from the other side of the room by her spell.

  “I’m telling you Yami, those two foreigners staying at General Tamuramaro’s are something else. They’re nothing like the women around here, or the women in the next town over for that matter. One is a snapping turtle, the way her mouth is always barking in that tiny frame of hers. The other one got curves in all the right spots but the air of a raging fire about her. Never seen those funny things on her face she calls glasses before, but they make her look very exotic. Imagine the kind of night they cou
ld give you.”

  “As if either one would give you a second glance mate. Your nothing but a common servant. Those fancy high class women ain’t for the likes of you.”

  “Ah but a man can dream can’t he? A man can dream.”

  “Aye. Here’s to dreaming.”

  The voices dropped away as the clank of two mugs tapping together followed. The barmaid’s shadow fell on the table, followed seconds later by a mug and a pitcher.

  “That’ll be three Mannentsuho”

  Still ignorant of the monetary system, Bree reached into the small coin purse she had purloined along with the clothes. Taking out a silver piece she handed it to the girl, watching her face to see if it was too little. The girl slipped the coin into a pouch on the front of her apron, her other fingers expertly pulling out a handful of copper coins. Seven of these landed on the table next to the mug before the girl turned away. Bree now knew two things about the currency, the name of these copper coins, and that ten of them made a silver one.

  Bree took a small sip, scrunching her face at the taste. It was nothing like the ale the Dooly brothers made back home. This stuff had the taste of old boot leather mixed with fertilizer and spoiled eggs. How could these people guzzle it down so easily?

  “I heard General Tamuramaro had to move the negotiations with that Emishi fellow because of the attack earlier. Seems those hairy brutes found out where the meeting was being held somehow and crashed the party.”

  “I bet it was one of those dirty apes dealing with the General. I don’t trust them I tell you. They have to be up to something. Never trust a spook, that’s what my granddaddy always said. They’d as soon slit your throat as look at you. Don’t know what the General is thinking, he should just put a sword through the whole lot of them, not sit at table like they were civilized.”

  “Don’t let too many people hear you say that. You might get more than a few people chasing you with a blunt object. And not all of them would be Emishi.”

  “Bah! Let them come. I’ll take ’em all on!”

  To the left, a middle aged man stood up, his empty mug swinging back and forth as he shouted at the room. “You hear me? I’ll take you all on! Come get some if you dare! He swung his mug again, the motion throwing him off balance. He tipped over, falling flat on the floor. There were roars of laughter as his table companion helped the semi-conscious man to his feet, hauling him towards the exit. Bree picked up the man’s final words before the two left the tavern.

  “Come on Shin, time to get you home to your wife. I think you’ve had one too many tonight.”

  Bree took her time finishing the mug, but nothing else interesting caught her attention within the next thirty minutes. She contemplated suffering through another cup of the vile brew but thought better of it. If she hadn’t learned anything more by this time, she doubted she would by staying longer.

  She stood, leaving a copper coin on the table for the barmaid before exiting to the street. That hadn’t been as informative as she would have hoped. Little more than unimportant gossip. Well, perhaps not so unimportant, but she wasn’t smart enough to make use of it. Perhaps Milly could.

  It wasn’t until Bree had turned the corner that the full impact of what one of the men had said really hit. A foreigner wearing glasses. He couldn’t have been talking about Kimi--- could he? It fit. He had spoken about a tiny foreigner too. Could that have been Amy? If that were true, how had they managed to cross the echo barrier? And what about everyone else, were they here as well?

  The whispering of the wind from behind made her turn, avoiding the blow of the sword by inches. A man slightly taller than she, with a thick black beard and oily black hair grinned as he raised his sword again.

  “You picked the wrong part of town to wander into you did. The boss said to let no one into this sector alive. Can’t be failing in my duties now can I lad? So just be a good little victim and let me kill you nice and quick like.”

  As he brought his arm out and around to slice her head off, Bree’s instincts kicked in. She might not be as good at close combat as Emry was, but her mentor had pounded at least the basics into her. She stepped forward into the strike, threw out her hand and grabbed the wrist as it came around. With a deft twist, the blade dropped as she shoved her shoulder inwards and upwards, using her hip to throw the larger man. Bree snatched the sword from the ground, using the barest breeze. Grabbing it from the air, she slammed it down into the throat before he had a chance to recover. He gurgled once, then lay still.

  Fortune seemed to have smiled upon her. This man had been guarding something, all she had to do was find out what. She had a feeling it would be important information. Searching around, Bree found a pile of boxes that would conceal her nicely. Wedging herself behind the pile, even moving a few to hide her presence even more, she closed her eyes and summoned the air currents.

  Unlike the enclosed space of the tavern, this required more concentration. She sent the wisps out in every direction, searching for any oddity. Seeking the secrets this man had protected. Her mind diffused as she sent more and more currents outwards to snake under doorways, down chimneys, through cracked windows. She felt tired as energy was pulled from her body to fuel the spell. Felt sweat cooling her brow and that sense of unraveling that told her she was coming to the limits of her ability. Just a little more, that was all she needed. Just a little more power. She focused on Kimi, focused on the bond they shared. She felt energy flowing down that bond. Strengthening her flagging magic. As if an invisible hand were resting on her shoulder.

  Then she found it. At the very edge of her ability three blocks away. Shutting down the other currents she strengthened that single one, clutching at her chest when it tightened. The voices on the wind wavered as she fought to hold the spell while struggling with the pain in her body. Bree took quick short breaths until the pain receded. It still lingered, but wasn’t as all consuming anymore.

  “My sources say the next meeting will happen an hour from now at the Yensa-Nam shrine on the north side of town. Sak-- the traitor, is currently in hiding. My spies say he is near the east end, in a small nameless inn. Yuri, Yenta, I’ll leave his assassination to you. Once his death has been confirmed, I will take his place at the negotiation table. When the time is right, I will slit that dog of a General's throat. Let’s see the peace talks continue after that, am I right boys?”

  There was the sound of cheers and banging after those words. All of it having a slight lag as the wind carried it to her.

  “All right, meetings over. I’m heading out to talk to my spies, I leave Vletch in charge. You all have your orders, dismissed.”

  Chapter 23: Isabelle

  Isabelle fought the urge to fall asleep and never wake up again. Somehow she had managed to fight off the worst of the sickness inside her body. Yet the simple act of opening her eyes was still too much. Breathing was painful, and every bone in her body ached. She heard Vletch sitting next to her mumbling to himself. Her world consisted of varying shades of darkness and that single voice. She had only felt like this once before, four years ago in Gavastrahn while studying under Kerra in the use of her powers. While that had been caused from falling out of a tree, the struggle to stay in the state between waking and sleeping to maximize healing was the same.

  She knew if she fell asleep in this state she would die. It was more of an instinctive knowledge, nothing concrete. But Kerra had told her to trust those instincts while healing wounds. Once more she tried opening her eyes, this time managing to crack them open half way, though it felt as if someone were trying to drag them closed again.

  Vletch was sitting cross-legged next to her, his knees shaking up and down like a rabbit thumping its leg. His crossed arms weren’t much better. She wondered for only a moment why he was naked from the waist up, until that line of thought seemed too much for her. He didn’t seem to realize she was watching him as he continued to talk under his breath. Focusing on the words, she was able to barely catch them.

  �
�Think Vletch, is there anything else you can do? Kimberly already left, so you can’t ask her. But she said she didn’t know anything else. I could make aspirin for her. But that is a blood thinner, what if thinning her blood is bad? No, that’s stupid. You need to eat too. Get back what you lost. Doesn’t Amy always say I push myself too hard? Thinking too much about other people and not about myself? I hope she’s doing okay. I hope Kimberly can put up with her. Don’t do anything stupid like dying on me my little flower.”

  Vletch glanced down at her at that moment. When he saw her eyes open he uncurled from his position, his face breaking into a smile.

  “You’re awake!”

  Isabelle licked her lips, working her throat up and down to speak. Her mouth felt like a desert, as if she hadn’t used it for years.

  “Yeah. I knew you were helping me. Thanks for that.”

  “Kimberly helped.”

  “I know, I heard you mumbling. I wouldn’t have struggled through without you being here.”

  “Can you stand?”

  Isabelle tried moving her limbs, but the most she accomplished was to raise her hand a few inches off the ground. She gave the large man a small shake negatively.

  “Maybe if I rest a little more, but not right now.”

  “Well, unfortunately we don’t have time to let you rest.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I knocked a few guys out earlier, but they just woke up and ran away a few minutes ago. I have a feeling they are gong to be back with reinforcements. I really don’t feel like dealing with another mob if I don’t have to. Plus, I’m getting a bad feeling in my gut. Like something big is going to happen.”

  Vletch reached over and slid a needle out of her arm. Isabelle felt the small pull as it left her body and had to wonder where it had come from. She knew the big man could make syringes, could he make needles as well? And where had the red hose it was attached to come from? Trying to verbally form the questions was too difficult, so she let the matter drop. The moment Vletch dropped the hose to the ground, it melted into liquid, soaking into the dirt within seconds.