by Bruce Sentar
Frustrated, Dar wasn’t sure what to do to help beyond try to speed up their exit. He could go smash a few teeth, but it seemed like the sentiment was spreading across the entire town.
He desperately wanted to skip the appointment with Golum, knowing he’d have to temper the same anger there, but that would only bring more trouble. The guards would no doubt come looking for him, and then they’d be near Sasha.
Dar squeezed Sasha into him. “Okay, we’ll do what we can to get out of here as soon as possible. Last thing I want is pitchforks pointed at you. I’d rather not have to destroy this town.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Dar. We’ll be fine. Just one more day, and then we’ll head out.”
Chapter 26
Tension filled the city as Dar walked to the courthouse to meet up with Golum.
People seemed to be looking over their shoulders more, wary of everything around them. More than a few times, he saw people jump when someone bumped into them.
“We should purge the city of those who are not born of Granterra! Those born of mana should be destroyed to sate the monsters’ hunger.”
Bristling, Dar turned to see a man on an elevated platform, shouting out rhetoric against those like Sasha and Cherry. He’d drawn a small crowd, who were jeering and encouraging him to continue.
Eating up the attention, the man continued to shout out messages against spirits and demons.
Dar wanted to go over and make it clear just how he felt but beating a town crier within an inch of his life wasn’t going to make his meeting with Golum any easier.
The man must have felt Dar’s anger, because he turned and pointed directly at him, his eyes lighting up at the clear opportunity. “Those that sympathize with the monsters shall be cast down and driven from the city. Maybe they’ll have better luck living among them.”
Some of the crowd turned to Dar, initially seeming wary of taking him on, but he knew that with enough of them and a mob mentality that could change. Dar ignored the man, moving on through the city.
Balling his fists so hard that his knuckles popped, Dar hurried down the street. He kept reminding himself that he didn’t have time to get caught up with a fight in the street. The wizards were probably looking for a reason to gain more control over him after the display they saw in the battle.
He needed to be smarter; people were relying on him.
Rounding the corner, he saw Golum leaning against a stone wall. It was obvious people were avoiding him. In the otherwise crowded street, there was an open gap around him that seemed unnatural.
The wizard in question was oblivious, staring at something in his hands.
Dar recognized that focus; the man was trying to look at a dao character. The girls had warned him that forcing it was dangerous, and as he approached, he saw that it was true. Blood had begun to trickle from Golum’s nose.
“Hello,” Dar said, trying to break him from his concentration, but Golum’s focus stayed rooted on what he could now see was an ornamental carving of a horse.
Knowing that what the man was doing was futile, Dar wasn’t going to stop there. Clearing his throat, Dar stepped closer and spoke louder. “Golum. Time for our training.”
The wizard pulled back, blinking and looking around as he worked to gain his bearings. “Wha?” His tongue flicked out, and he must have tasted the blood because he pulled out a stained handkerchief and dabbed at this face to clean himself off.
“Sorry about that. This is a new piece I’ve acquired. Felt like maybe I could figure this one out.” Golum showed him the horse. Dar didn’t look too closely at the dao character, since it wasn’t one he knew. Golum was watching him closely like a specimen.
“I’m reporting as you asked.”
“Yes, yes. Good you left your spirit behind. We’ll have to surprise her, though she seemed pretty young.” Golum rubbed his hands together as the carving disappeared into his sleeve.
Golum motioned down the street, and Dar pivoted to follow, but they were halted as hard boots stomped up behind them. Turning back, they found six men in matching uniforms wearing the livery that he’d seen all through the town.
“The duke is gathering all the wizards. You are to report at once.” One stepped forward.
Golum let out a long sigh. “It would appear that we will have to start later.”
Dar swallowed around a lump in his throat as he thought about Henry dead in the forest. Had they already found him?
“Don’t delay. The duke isn’t known for his patience.” one of the guards reminded him.
Golum shrugged, likely sensing his hesitancy. “He likely wants to discuss the battle from yesterday.”
That made Dar feel better, but he was still anxious. He rubbed the back of his head. “I was just surprised to get a chance to meet him already.”
The guards grunted and Golum chuckled. “Don’t be too awed. He’s no Drasil. Just an old man with a very powerful staff.”
One of the guards whipped around. “Do not speak of the duke in that manner.”
The cantankerous wizard growled back. “I’ll say what I damn well want.”
Deciding it was best to just keep moving, Dar walked with the rest of the guards. It was clear there was no love between the wizard and the duke, and getting in the middle of whatever that dynamic was didn’t seem like a good idea.
They wandered further, crossing behind the magistrate’s courts. What must be noble estates peaked out behind the courts, with a crowning glory that Dar assumed was the duke’s compound. The peak of the main building rose far above the city walls, with a spire that felt like it could look out upon the whole city.
Dar whistled as they approached.
“It’s a beauty. Built nearly two hundred years ago. Back then, it was a true marvel,” Golum said having rejoined the group.
“How long has the city been here?” Dar couldn’t help but wonder.
Golum tossed his head back and forth thinking. “Maybe five hundred years or so. Couldn’t have been much more because the kingdom isn’t much older than that.”
Dar thought cities would have to come before kingdoms, but maybe he was missing something.
As they approached, guards in the duke’s livery saluted their group, and a few split off to lead them through expensive corridors and gallant rooms until they reached a large archway into another room. Through it, there was a large room that seemed like it resembled a church.
A platform was centered at the front of the room, with a throne upon it. And in front of that were dozens of rows of flat, uncomfortable looking benches facing it. The benches were already full of familiar faces, some of which Dar wished hadn’t been present.
Count Tint and another man that looked remarkably similar sat near the front. The count had turned upon Dar’s entry and fixed him with a smile.
Dar returned a stiff smile of his own, hoping to be through with this shortly.
Almost as soon as he sat down, an old man up front called the room to order with two swift and loud bangs of his rod against the stone floor. “Here we commence the court session.”
“Thank you, Ragavald,” the man on the throne said, his voice sounding light and pleasant. “Thank you all for coming. Please, can we have a list of who isn’t in attendance.”
Another servant ran forward with a scroll half undone.
The man, whom Dar assumed was the duke, put a monocle to his eye and bent over to see the sheet. “Fredrick lost his son yesterday; he’s excused. Tilderan has a wedding… but Henry…” He spoke up over the court. “When was the last time someone saw Henry the wizard?”
There were murmurs in court before someone spoke up. “Not since after the battle, sir.”
“Hmm. Guards, do a sweep and find him.” The duke waved it away, not seeming too concerned. But Dar could feel his palms grow sticky with sweat. After all, he had killed Henry. He only hoped that would be something that came after this meeting, maybe in a few days when he’d be gone.
“I’d like to commend all of the men and women who fought yesterday, and those who supplied troops.” He held his hand out and another servant produced a scroll for him.
He then began reading out numbers of troops provided by each house, and the payment they would receive for their work. When he got to Lady Margret, he paused before finishing. “And one wizard.”
The statement seemed to cause a stir in the court, and Golum turned fractionally to him, asking the question.
Dar shrugged, not knowing if he’d performed some cultural deviation by allowing Margret to count him as part of her troops.
“Enough. It is different, but acceptable.” He looked closer at the scroll. “A Darius Yigg?”
A few expectant heads turned, and he decided it was best to stand and address the duke. “Yes?”
The duke’s brows went up. “I thought you might be a knight, certainly not a wizard. Your clothes just aren’t quite right.” He started chuckling, clearly enjoying his own joke. “You agreed to fight for Lady Margret?”
There were a few hushed whispers around the room, and Dar caught a few unfavorable descriptions of how a woman would gain his service.
“Yes, it is correct. I am new to the city, and she has provided me a place to stay while I set up my house,” he told the truth and bowed.
“Ah. So be it.” The duke handed the scroll off to another servant. They seemed to come and go from the woodwork, quickly taking or giving him what he needed.
Despite his wrap up, the room continued to simmer with hushed conversations. Based on the bits Dar could make out, it was all about Margret having a wizard in her employ. He was going to ask some questions when he got back and find out just what she’d gotten him tied up in.
Golum grunted as Dar sat back down, leaning over. “It would be wise to leave her employ before the others get… ideas.”
“I apologize; I didn’t realize it would go over poorly. It seemed reasonable to trade protection for accommodation.” Dar did his best to remain companionable, though he was getting irritated at the whispering.
He caught Lady Margret’s eyes as she beamed at him with a smile that only made the whispers about her seducing him with her husband two feet away even bolder.
Trying not to look at her, Dar turned, but that only made him lock eyes with Count Tint, who was glaring furiously at him.
Ah right, I had promised to join him after my contract ended with Sasha. I guess this looks bad from his perspective.
Two thumps reverberated from the man up front again, and the duke cleared his throat. “While this is an interesting and possibly enthralling discussion, we must move forward. We have had yet another attack on our fair city, the third this moon. James, how does the outer wall fare?”
The man beside Count Tint cleared his throat and stood. “The wall is still far from being done, my liege. We are ahead of the original schedule still, but it will take at least another moon before completion. The stone has also become a bottleneck. It is getting harder with each attack to get people from the city to work in the quarry; they are concerned for their safety.”
That didn’t sound good. They had essentially cut themselves off from resources if they refused to leave the city. The wall was meant to help protect their food supply. While they might be okay now, winter would be another story.
However, Dar couldn’t blame them for being fearful of the danger and not wanting to go do backbreaking labor. It definitely didn’t seem like a dream job.
“Triple the guards on the road to the quarry. We need to protect those that are doing necessary tasks for the city.” The duke’s eyes wandered over Golum. “Would we be able to get a wizard to protect that road as well?”
There was a familiar gleam of greed in Golum’s eyes. “I’m sure we can work something out.”
Dar felt slimy from association with the wizards. Clearly, they were only operating out of self-interest. He doubted they cared at all about the lives of the people breaking their backs in the quarry to keep their families safe.
“Gregory, how are the farms after the attack?” The duke continued down his list of items to check on the city. Everyone seemed calm as they spoke, but there was still a tension filling the room that Dar couldn’t figure out.
It would make sense for them to be tense given the awful situation the city was in, but this felt like something else.
“I will note that it has not escaped my notice that the city seems to have grown to dislike our magical guests recently.” The duke’s eyes roamed to Count Tint and the man with him. “I would remind you all that our city stands or falls at the will of the White; antagonizing them under her domain is not wise. Not to mention that without them our city would not be standing. Three hundred years ago, it was but a demon that defended our city from an invading army.”
‘Monsters’ someone coughed into their hand ahead of Dar.
Dar’s jaw clenched with anger over the coughed insult. To so blatantly insult them right after the duke’s speech seemed stupid, making Dar wonder how much power the duke really had over these people. And the man’s statement kicked off more grumbling in agreement.
Count Tint stood up to address the duke. “My liege, it is a very plausible conclusion that monsters attract monsters. There weren’t demon attacks for years, but now that they’ve formed a small neighborhood in our city, the city is assaulted without stop.”
The duke glared. “There have always been spirits within these walls. Furthermore, we don’t see devils racing to the Frozen Fang to fight the White, do we? If they were attracted to the magic of our guests, then they would certainly do so.”
“Of course, it just does seem odd. And it would seem your people believe it too.” Tint bowed as he spoke.
The duke stared at him, seeming to debate his next course of action. Dar hoped he was debating to kill Count Tint. Based on the duke’s comments, it seemed that the Tints had a role to play in riling up the populace against the magical races.
Dar was furious at how ungrateful Count Tint was for the work that Sasha had done to protect their town on the way to the city, and he started squirming in his seat. The man might not even be alive if not for her.
Golum stood, waiting to be acknowledged, and Dar worked to calm himself before all the eyes shifted their way.
The duke nodded for Golum to speak while he turned back to Tint, deliberating on what to do. “The spirits and demons are vital to keeping wizards equipped to fight against devils. It would greatly hurt the city to have the wizards cut off from resources they need to protect us all.”
“Bah! All you wizards do is horde your precious enchantments, making the bare minimum to equip your own,” a plump, young man snapped at Golum.
The room grew deathly quiet for a moment, and the young man winced, looking around for support. But even the older version of him to his side turned away like he didn’t know him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn,” he blubbered, but two guards came and grabbed each of his arms, forcefully dragging him away.
The man Dar assumed to be his father spoke. “I apologize for his rudeness. Should his sentence leave him still capable, I promise to ingrain our family’s honor on him. His mother spoils him a bit too much.”
The duke chuckled. “Mothers do love to spoil their sons. He will be punished, but your family has done Bellhaven well.”
Dar wasn’t entirely sure what had just transpired, but it had made it blatantly clear that one misstep in this group would be punished.
“While he was out of turn, he did have a point. How can we continue to stay so reliant on the wizards to help our city?” the duke asked the crowd, focusing on Golum.
“If any of you like to take this enchantment and use it, please go right ahead.” Golum held up the horse figurine from earlier. “Certainly, enchantments are nothing but toys.”
None of the people there even bothered to move, many eyeing the item skeptically.
“Come on, just grab it a
nd become a wizard. That’s what you all think being a wizard is,” Golum egged them on.
The enchantment seemed fairly simple, and Dar wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but clearly, they were fearful of what it might do to them.
Golem scoffed. “Cowards. How can you expect more wizards when your own won’t come use an enchanted item when offered? We spend countless hours testing, verifying the effects of enchantments, so that when we use them for the city we have proof beyond a shadow of a doubt of their veracity.”
The crowd began to avoid eye contact with Golum. Either it was ingrained in their culture to fear enchantments, or there was a history there that he didn’t know.
He remembered Bart talking about peasants being barred from using enchantments, and now he wondered if there really was some event that had happened in the past.
“That’s enough,” the duke commanded, giving Golum a clear look of warning. “It would seem becoming a wizard takes no small amount of courage.”
“Or stupidity,” someone breathed behind Dar.
He couldn’t turn back to see who it was, but the urge was like an itch between his shoulder blades.
The duke’s eyes wandered the crowd. “We must do our best to put ourselves forward, ahead of the needs of our people. Bellhaven has gone through troubled waters in the past, but it has gotten through them. We will do so again.”
With that, the duke stood, seeming to wrap up the session. There were murmurs in the crowd as everybody stood and bowed to the duke.
Dar was only a moment behind everyone else as he dipped his head.
“Sir, the guards have a message for you.” A soldier came into the hall with a salute.
“Is it important?” the duke asked, a hint of anger in his voice at the session being disturbed.
“Sir, it is about the request for Wizard Henry.”
The duke patted his hand in the air for everyone to settle down, and the soldier ran to the front, whispering to the duke, who asked several questions in return before their huddle broke. “It would seem we have one more item to discuss today. Everybody sit back down. Guards, please bring in the witness.”
