The Life

by Paul Kite

  Chapter 14

  Well, that settlement wasn’t much different in size from Garlon’s. Life was in full swing. There were more than a couple of hundred inhabitants.

  “So, let’s rest today, and tomorrow morning we’ll go to the city,” I turned to Lsaeros after we paid the tavern keeper and went to our room. The wizard put the girl down on the bed gently. “By the way, we need to figure out what to do with her.”

  “You should have thought about that before you dragged her out of prison in this state,” the archmage said with displeasure. “She’s too exhausted. Think about the time we spent in the forest! It’s amazing that she’s still alive. I strongly advise you to find a sacrifice as soon as possible.”

  “Yeah, you think it’s so simple,” I grunted.

  “Why? There are hundreds of people here! Why is it so difficult for you?” Lsaeros lost his temper.

  “Do I look like a bloodthirsty killer? I can’t just capture and send an unknown person to death.”

  “You didn’t feel sorry for the investigator,” the wizard said. “You were even holding him for me while I was cutting him.”

  “Well, he was a torturer,” I said viciously, “So…”

  “So what?” Lsaeros interrupted me. “It was his job to cut lips and break fingers. You didn’t know him either. Maybe he was a family man. Sweet and kind. What if he treated his wife with tenderness and loved his children?”

  I just stood there and listened to the wizard, knowing full well that he was right. But at that moment in the prison, I was blinded with the atrocities that I saw in the cells.

  “So, if you don’t want the girl to die, then find me a gangster, a thief, a murderer,” Lsaeros continued angrily. “Find me anyone you think deserves it, if killing an ‘innocent’ person bothers you so much. All people are innocent in appearance! You can never know who they really are by appearance alone.”

  The wizard turned to the bed and, taking a dagger out, made an incision on his index finger. Then he painted a rune with blood on the child’s forehead. Lsaeros closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath.

  “Find a sacrifice by morning,” Lsaeros said without turning to me. “She feels really bad to me. Buy us some normal clothes, so that we don’t look like beggars. One more thing, ask the innkeeper to bring food. A lot of food! I want to eat at last. I would feed the girl, but it won’t work. I’m going to share my life force with her, otherwise, she won’t live to see the morning.”

  I ordered the food, paid a few coins, and left the inn. I was going to buy clothes somewhere in the market, preferably expensive and beautiful. We needed to look rich on our arrival at Fadlas. Moreover, I could afford expensive clothes with the money I had left.

  It was already well after noon. It was six o’clock in game time, of course.

  At the market, which I found quickly, two of the three clothing stores were closed. The third did not have the necessary garments. Unfortunately, no one wanted to tell me about another shop. People weren’t friendly. Perhaps they didn’t like my appearance and couldn’t trust me. I wasn’t in a hurry to shoot the Arum amulet to show them who I really was, either. It could help to get people talking, but it was better to save that for the trip to the city. We should have thought about getting to the city earlier! Although we hadn’t discussed that yet, it was probably better to hire a stagecoach or carriage. It would be more in line with our new look, the clothes which I still, alas, hadn’t found.

  Then it hit me — I could ask the guards. With that thought, I headed for the gate.

  “Excuse me!” I came up to one of the guards. Judging by his armor without unnecessary decorations and ornaments, he was a simple warrior. “Can you tell me where I can find a person who owns horse transport, please?”

  “What?” The man stared at me, puzzled. “Horse transport? What abstruse words for a simpleton!”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, sir!” I made a repentant face. “This is how my friend put it. I don’t know who he is, but he knows a lot of smart things.”

  “Yes, I realized that you’re too dumb for this,” the guard smirked. “Over there, three houses down to the left, is Karpan. He has two carts. He’s engaged in shipping. And if you go right along the wall to the Three Bears tavern, you’ll find Zekut nearby. He has carts and carriages. But his prices are high. Anyway, see for yourself.”

  “Yes, thank you so much! Good day!” I said goodbye to the warrior, and in order not to attract too much attention, went towards Karpan’s house.

  When I walked away from the gate and disappeared from the guards’ view, I immediately turned off to the nearest street between the houses and went to the main street. I headed for the ’Three Bears’ tavern.

  When I got there, I looked around and saw a nearby building and a stable-like extension. When I came closer, I heard a horse neighing, which confirmed my suspicions.

  I knocked on the gate. The fence was high, so that no one could look in.

  “Who’s there?” someone asked loudly in an indifferent voice.

  “A customer.”

  “What do you want?”

  “To rent a carriage.”

  It was some kind of weird business going through the fence. What bad manners!

  “Do you have enough money?” the voice kept up with the questions.

  “I do, I do,” I said slowly. “Come on! Open the gate! Otherwise, I’ll turn around and go to Karpan. He’ll probably agree faster.”

  “Wait,” the man behind the gate said hurriedly. “I’m coming.”

  Dressed in a clean green shirt and gray pants without a spot of dirt, the man let me in. He looked at me with annoyance, as if wasn’t sure I wasn’t a thief.

  However, when I handed him ten irens and said, “Sorry for the trouble at such a late time,” it dispelled all his doubts quickly.

  “You should change your clothes,” the man couldn’t resist the advice. He put the money in his pocket and with a gesture dismissed two good young men armed with short swords, who were standing not far from us. “You look like…”

  “Like someone who doesn’t have a single coin in his pocket, right?” I smiled. The man nodded in agreement. “I just couldn’t find a seller in your town from whom I could buy the necessary clothes.”

  “Well, I’ll lead you to the master,” the man suggested politely. “Perhaps, if you rent a carriage, you’ll also be able to solve your problems with clothes. Tell me what sort of clothes you like and what type of outfit you need. You know, travelling clothes are different from the clothes you need for a high meeting or a dinner party of noble gentlemen.”

  It wasn’t an easy task for me, but, I tried to describe the required clothes while we were walking toward the house. I mentioned the girl as well, describing her height and build, and her father, who was a little taller than me, and thin.

  “I will remember, don’t worry.”

  The door that led to a large and apparently expensively furnished office opened before me.

  A man standing at the window turned around and, with a wave of his hand, invited me to sit in a wide comfortable chair next to a carved ebony table.

  “I’ll say right away. I don’t bargain,” Zekut said in a firm and confident tone. “The price for a four-passenger carriage is four hundred irens, and an escort is another six hundred. A two-passenger carriage is two hundred.”

  I had no idea whether these were fair prices or not. But, since there was no other way, with a shrug of my shoulders, I gave him the money for a four-seat crew without protection. Of course, I thought about bargaining, because there wasn’t much money left. I had to agree, as the situation was hopeless. I wondered how much he would ask for the clothes.

  “It’s very good that you understood me from the start,” the bag of money disappeared, as if by magic, in the man’s hands.

  “I also talked about clothes with your man, that …”

  “How many people?” Zekut interrupted me.

  “Three. Two adults and a child.”


  “Four hundred and fifty.”

  Again the money changed hands.

  “When do you need the clothes and carriage?”

  “By tomorrow morning, better at dawn,” I replied.

  “Then please come to my house a bit in earlier, okay?” the man smiled good-naturedly. “After you finish changing clothes, you’re welcome to breakfast. Unless, of course, you’re in a hurry.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I got up, realizing that the deal was made, and there was no point staying there further.

  “Rick, my manager, will lead you to the exit. He’s already waiting outside the door. In any case, he can escort you to the place where you are staying.”

  “This is too much,” I refused the offer.

  “As you wish,” Zekut agreed. “I won’t insist. See you tomorrow,” he said goodbye to me.

  While I was running around the village in search of clothes and a carriage, late evening came. There were lanterns in the village, but no one was in a hurry to light them. They were probably on a tight budget.

  Turning into one of the lanes, I headed to the far end of the village to the tavern.

  “Hey!” a drunken slurring voice rang out from somewhere on the side, apparently calling me.

  I hurried to get away from the local drunk, but suddenly remembered about the girl and the wizard’s instruction. I turned around and went back. If someone attacked me, then I would get the sacrificial lamb to treat the child. On the other hand, if someone didn’t have enough money for a drink and just wanted to borrow some from me… Well, I’d have to visit the most haunted places in the village.

  “Hey, you! Help me, please,” the same person addressed me again. “I’m drunk and definitely can’t get home by myself.”

  I didn’t expect that, but it wasn’t difficult, so I decided I’d help him.

  “Where do we go?” I asked, lifting the man in dirty clothes and supporting him.

  “It’s not far from here. Let’s go there,” he indicated with his shaking hand.

  After a dozen steps, we turned into an alley, then into another and came to a dead end.

  “Thank you …” he didn’t finish, and instantly a crooked smile of a sober man blossomed on his face. I punched him hard in the stomach and then kicked him in the face, leaving him lying on the ground.

  “Oh, you…” two bandits jumped out of a dark corner to my left. One of them had a long curved serrated knife; the other had a club with rusty nails.

  I heard someone running up to me and turning around I saw two more angry bearded faces.

  “Do you want to die?” I said in a completely confident tone. “I just need one of you. I advise that you get away from here.”

  “What?” the thug with a crooked knife showed his menacing face. “Are you mad?”

  “No, I’m offering you a way out, seriously,” I materialized both daggers of chaos in my hands. “Leave!”

  However, this didn’t frighten the bandits at all.

  “Kill him!” a loud cry came from behind.

  I made a quick move forward, and the man with the club grabbed his throat. I took a step to the right and stuck the other thug in the eye with my knife, leaving it there.

  Feeling that an attack from the back is coming, I let go of the handle of the weapon and jumped to the side. I didn’t forget to give a kick to the ‘actor’ who brought me here. He was getting up and was trying to pull out a small cleaver from under his shirt. I was planning to keep him alive.

  “Do you want to live?” I asked the other two bandits who had taken a few steps back.

  Of course, they didn’t expect such a good defensive reaction and a quick reprisal. In addition, after an unsuccessful attack from the back, they cautiously retreated into the shadows, their weapons pointed toward me.

  “Y-y-yes,” one of them answered in a slightly shaky voice.

  “Do you have money?”

  “What?!” The response came in unison. “Oh, money! Yes! Yes! There’s some!”

  “Give it to me! And get out of here,” I said.

  A pair of small sacks fell to the floor, jingling with coins, and the bandits dashed off like professional sprinters.

  “What’s the hurry?!” I stepped on the hand of the man who was trying to crawl away. “You’re coming with me.”

  A short cry of pain and the thug fainted. I knocked out the future donor with a strong kick to his temple. He didn’t deserve remorse. His fate was sealed. He would die some other time and in a different situation, like those whom I allowed to leave. If not by my hand, he would have surely been killed by one of his colleagues or enemies from another gang, someday. It was strange that the guards allowed the bandits to wreak havoc so freely. It was a village, not a city. Few people lived there and they were easy to control. Maybe they were visitors from Fadlas. That seemed to be more plausible. Not wanting to waste any more time, I picked up the unconscious body and headed for the tavern hurriedly.

  I left him in the backyard of the tavern before entering, tied him up and gagged him. I ran up the stairs and burst into the room.

  “Lsaeros, how is she?”

  “Fine.” A thin trembling red thread was stretched from the wizard’s chest, close to his heart, to the girl.

  Apparently, I came in at the wrong moment. At least I saw how it looks to share life force with the help of Blood magic.

  “Have you found one?” It was clear what he was talking about.

  “Yes.”

  “Where is he?”

  I explained where the bandit was.

  “Fine!” The wizard closed his eyes, whispered something, and the thread went back into his body without a trace. “Take the girl and let’s go.”

  The innkeeper spared left us alone, and thank the gods, we didn’t meet anyone on our way to the yard.

  “The tavern’s closed, the owner is sleeping, as are the three other visitors,” Lsaeros answered my slightly surprised look. “No one should bother us, but still, keep an eye on the situation.”

  “Got it,” I nodded, putting the girl carefully next to the moaning bastard.

  “What about our clothes?” The wizard began to prepare for the ritual.

  “I’ve already arranged everything for the clothes and transport.”

  “Hmm, well done. You’re a competent guy. You managed to do everything on time.” The wizard swung his dagger and thrust it with force into the gangster’s shoulder to stop him from moving his hand and disrupting the ritual based on the runic magic of the sinrims.

  Understanding what came next — a blow to the second shoulder, then … Well, I turned around and moved away hurriedly. I’d rather, as Lsaeros said before, keep an eye on the situation.

  About ten minutes passed when Lsaeros called me back. There was no trace of the gangster’s body, only a pile of clothes was left. The girl had transformed completely. You would have never guessed that she’d spent a long time in the dungeons of the Ardal prison.

  “Why is she unconscious?” I asked.

  “I changed the effect of Blood magic slightly to prevent unnecessary shouts, screams, and possible tantrums. She’s just sleeping and will sleep until tomorrow morning. If you want, I can wake her up.”

  “No, I don’t,” I said hastily. “Let her sleep. By the way, tomorrow morning we’ll have to go to that man with whom I agreed on the carriage and clothing.”

  “Then we’ll get up early and wake her up,” the wizard shrugged. “Now bring her back into the room and go to bed. I’ll stay here, I need to finish something.”

  Chapter 15

  Lsaeros woke me up early. It was still dark in the room.

  “Is it morning?” I asked quietly, yawning.

  “Nearly. Dawn’s coming soon. If you haven’t forgotten, we should wake up your ward. Your young princess,” the wizard smiled.

  “Why would you call her my... princess?” I did not understand what the wizard meant. “What princess?!”

  “I recognized her. Let me introdu
ce you…” Lsaeros made an elegant hand gesture to the bed where the girl was sleeping, “to Princess Ariana. She’s the youngest daughter of King Bartohor, the ruler of the Kingdom of Havrtol.”

  “O-oh,” I said slowly in surprise.

  “O-oh,” the wizard mocked me. “Why the hell did you save her?”

  “But who knew that the princess was in the dungeon?”

  “This is politics, Kraven. Are you aware that one of the light-elven wizards, the head of a clan, is sitting in one of the cells on the fifth level? He isn’t there for nothing, but under a contract with their own ruler.”

  “Of course not!”

  “It turns out that you not only rescued me, but also saved the Princess of Havrtol,” Lsaeros noticed cheerfully.

  I couldn’t understand why he was so glad.

  “You can be sure that the monks will soon find out that we disappeared and begin to search the entire forest in the area.” He continued, “I also assume that they’ll cordon off the whole island quickly when they realize that we aren’t in the forest. The Ardals will make all possible efforts to keep us on Harith-Hodor. In a word, they’ll try to kill us. After all, if the girl returns home, a huge political scandal will break out! The relations between the kingdoms of Havrtol and Nazkhar are strained due to the dark elves’ intrigues. And then it turns out that the missing princess was stolen and tortured by monks.”

  “They won’t catch us!” I said harshly. “As for the girl. As soon as we get to the mainland, then we’ll help her cross over to her homeland! Right?”

  “Why not…?” Lsaeros squinted suspiciously, looking at the child. “I’m not personally acquainted with King Bartohor.”

  “Then how do you know her?” I didn’t really understand his phrase about personal acquaintance with the king.

  “I saw her three years ago in the capital of Nazhar. I attended a ball in honor of Prince Icahn’s birthday. Though the two kingdoms are constantly at odds, there are periods of peace. The prince turned sixteen that day, and the princess was twelve. They were supposed to be engaged to seal a permanent peace treaty between the countries. And they were. However, the princess went missing six months ago.”