by Bruce Sentar
Dar’s stomach did somersaults at those words. The guards came in, half carrying another guard who looked exhausted.
“Were you on watch last night?” the duke asked.
The man nodded and seemed to struggle to stay standing when he dipped his head. “The Wizard Henry left the city after sundown and never returned.”
There were a few gasps, and Golum stood for the duke’s attention before he spoke. “Henry would not have left Bellhaven.”
“It would seem otherwise.”
The soldier cleared his throat to get the duke’s attention again. “Sir, there was another wizard that left. They left before Henry and returned after.”
“Oh? Point him out.”
Dar’s stomach felt like it fell out his ass as it dropped so hard.
The soldier squinted and looked through the people present until his eyes fell on Dar. “That one. Can’t miss him, he’s so big.”
“Well, do you have anything to say?” The duke’s attention was firmly planted on Dar now, as was the entire room.
People around Dar seemed to lean away, wanting as little association with him as possible. Dar looked up, meeting the duke’s eyes, making sure to keep his face neutral as he worked through what he’d say.
Chapter 27
Dar’s heart hammered in his chest, but he was trying to calm it so he wouldn’t give himself away. Trying to breath normally, he stood to speak. “I did meet Henry outside the gates last night. We had a minor conflict and parted ways.”
“Minor conflict?” the duke asked.
“He was a bit too keen on wanting to see my enchantments. He attacked first, and I returned the volleys, but at the end we both walked away,” Dar lied through his teeth, trying to maintain eye contact and not fidget.
He hated lying, but this wasn’t his first time. When it came to starting the life he wanted, he’d fudge the truth a bit to get there.
“Since you were the last to see him, do you have any additional information?” the duke asked.
Dar tried to think of something close enough to the truth and remembered what Mika had said at the end of all of it.
“His spirit was with him, and she indicated that they were going somewhere away from the city. However, I have no idea if they plan to return. We didn’t exactly part on friendly terms last night, as you can imagine.”
Technically, that was all true, Dar reminded himself; he felt better. He’d gotten through the worst of it. He had his story, and now he just needed to hold to it and hope they didn’t find any other evidence.
The crowd was gossiping again around him, and this time, Dar detected a hint of panic. They were worried that there was going to be an exodus of those powerful enough to keep the devils at bay.
Count Tint stood and was acknowledged. “Politely, that is troll scat. We all know Henry is a stubborn ass. There’s no way he’d just walk away.”
There were nods to that, and the duke seemed to agree.
Lady Margret stood. “If he really fought Henry to the death, do you think he’d stand here uninjured? While Henry was stubborn, he was powerful and always had his own agenda. Whatever this task was he wanted to do, it’s not crazy to think that he went off to do it.”
Dar smiled at her, thankful for her assistance. The crowds’ murmurs softened a bit as a few in the crowd agreed with her. The idea that Henry was stronger and wouldn’t have lost seemed to make the crowd more comfortable, helping them buy the lie.
The duke fixed Dar with a firm stare. “Until we know more, I think it is best that you stay available for the guard, wizard…”
“Darius,” he supplied, bowing at the waist.
“Wizard Darius, there will be a formal investigation. Please allow for this process to proceed without issue.” The duke’s tone carried a warning.
The statement that there would be an investigation seemed to settle a few of the ruffled feathers, and the nobility continued on with several matters in closing before they adjourned for the day.
“Hey, handsome.” Lady Margret came to his side as he was leaving. Her hand rested on his arm in a way that would be sure to turn into rumors.
“Hello, Lady Margret,” he responded stiffly.
“Thank you for representing my house in the battle. I think tonight we should have dinner just the two of us, so I can thank you… more thoroughly.” She bit her lip, leaving zero room for misinterpretation of what she meant.
Dinner he thought he could do, but he wasn’t going to be toyed with by this woman. She may be willing to completely betray her husband, but he was not.
He didn’t entertain women who already had commitments. “You’ve given me plenty of thanks; not to mention, that was part of our deal for you to help subsidize a house of my own.”
Lady Margret pouted in a way that made her seem far younger than she was, but it didn’t have the desired effect. Dar had been around plenty of manipulative women, and it was cold water to his libido.
“Darius, we have been delayed, but we still need to start your training,” Golum said from the side.
For once, Dar was thankful for the crazed wizard.
“Sorry. Court mandated training calls.” He slipped away from Lady Margret, maybe a tad too quickly.
Her pout flashed into a dangerous frown for a second before she smiled and waved.
Yep, she might corner me for dinner tonight. No, she will definitely corner me for dinner. Hopefully, she doesn’t make me outright reject her.
“Sir, if you’d come with me.” One of the duke’s servants appeared at Dar’s side.
He was more than happy to follow and escape his other obligations. However, Golum saw the interaction and motioned towards a bench by the exit.
Damnit, he wasn’t going to get out of his wizard training quite so easily.
The servant led Dar to a secluded room behind the hall where they had all met the duke prior. The duke himself was already behind a large wooden desk with scrolls rolled out in front of him and penning away his next task.
“Have a seat.” The duke motioned to a chair positioned in front of the desk, not looking up from his current work.
Sitting down while the duke finished his current work, Dar took the measure of the man before him. The duke was already hard at work, not wasting a moment’s time between meeting with the other nobility, penning his work and lining up Dar for another conversation.
His face was wrinkled and hair grayed beyond his age. The office was dominated with large, polished wooden fixtures, but simple in a manner that reflected the man before Dar.
The man was a hard worker despite his noble rank. That at least earned Dar’s respect for the moment.
“I see, so what do you think of all of this.” The duke waved around in the air.
Dar got the idea he meant more than just the room, but the city as a whole and decided to be honest. “I think you have a big problem. Winter isn’t far away, and you just lost your last harvest; meanwhile, you are taking on more refugees that will consume even more of your food.”
“But what solution do you have?” The duke put down the pen and leaned back in his chair giving Dar his full measure.
Dar was already planning to leave, but he didn’t want to see a city die to starvation. No one should go that way. “The seasons and weather will soon leave you unable to try for another harvest. Your only hope is to either expand hunting significantly or to use dao to somehow grow crops out of season.”
The duke spun around the scroll he was working on for Dar to read.
It was orders to the soldiers to give a bonus for those that could bring kills back to the city for drying and smoking, and a second piece he slid forward was to increase the cost of fish in hopes of driving more people to work the river and ocean for its bounty.
He was already well on top of it.
“I see, and I’m guessing you’ve asked the wizards what they can do?” Dar hedged.
“Yes, till a wizard with a dryad showed up. So I ask you again,
do you have a solution for me?”
Dar was going to leave the city. Even if he had a solution, he wasn’t going to stick around to implement it. “Not at present, sir. I hadn’t given it any thought yet.”
“Shame, but that was only one reason I wished to speak to you. Your affiliation with House Shaw is just a convenience?”
“Yes, an agreement for help starting a house here,” Dar answered wondering where this was going.
The duke steepled his fingers and stared at Dar. “The city’s turmoil is manufactured—that's the kind of thing you do to destabilize a city and take over. I’d appreciate it if you’d be an ear for me should you hear anything worth noting. I can’t trust any of the existing nobility or wizards; they all have an agenda, but you strike me as honest and currently unaffiliated. I’d make it worth your while of course.”
It was everything Dar could do not to frown. The city was in deeper shit than he had imagined. “Of course, though I’m not sure they are going to share their deep, dark secrets with me.”
“You are new blood in the city; I’m sure any growing faction in the city will try and poach you. I just need to know who the head is, so I can swiftly… disable them.”
The duke said the last bit with a wistful tone that spoke of history in dealing with these sorts of issues.
“Not a problem… was that all?”
“Of course, I’m sure you have other things to attend to. I’ve heard you are going to be taken in under Golum’s wing. Do try and not blow anything up inside the city walls.” The duke made a shooing motion and went back to the work on his desk.
It was as sudden as it had started. Dar left and made his way back to where Golum was studying his new enchanted horse figurine again. This time he looked up at Dar as he came out of the duke’s office and put the figurine away, getting up and leading Dar out of the building.
“So, you killed Henry,” Golum commented after they were back on the street.
He was caught off guard and stunned for a moment while he recovered. “I don’t know what you mean. I spoke the truth before the duke.”
“Uh huh.” Golum didn’t sound convinced. “They all know you killed Henry. But it’s clear you left the city first, so he followed you.”
Dar realized then that they had all pieced together much more than he had thought they would be able to, but all it took was the guard’s testimony and their knowledge of their fellow wizard. If they knew Henry well, then they also knew that he’d have likely attacked Dar.
“Well, I didn’t kill him. But yes, he did start the fight.”
Golum chuckled darkly and turned the corner to a less opulent part of the city, but no less grand. “They just need a few excuses to not punish you, and they won’t. The nobility needs us wizards far more than we need them.”
“I sensed that tension. Is me staying in Lady Margret’s house going to cause issues?” Dar wasn’t looking for more trouble, and if he was going to cause any, he’d at least like to know why. “I agreed to fight under her house while she helps arrange a place of my own. She didn’t let on that it was any type of odd arrangement.”
“Ah,” Golum made a sound of understanding. “Be careful. She won’t actually help you get a house if one of the nobility can keep a wizard. Also, be careful of her snatch, she has practically ensorcelled a number of the noblemen.”
“Really?” Dar asked. That poor husband of hers.
Golum turned and headed directly for a large home made of many different types of stone. It was almost artistic in how the stones were used haphazardly. “He beat out a number of them for her hand in marriage, and nobles love nothing more than petty revenge.” He correctly guessed Dar’s thoughts.
Dar hoped it was just rumors, but by the way she’d come onto him, he thought it might be more than that. It left his vision of her tainted regardless.
Leading him inside, Golum strode through the first floor. As he moved, servants scattered to the sides, working to stay out of his way and his sight.
“Golum, why do the nobles not have enchantments?” Dar asked, following behind the man.
The wizard looked at Dar as if he was stupid, but he continued anyways. “They are afraid to test enchantments. They may risk their life in the pursuit of identifying them. As you know, it takes no small effort to identify an enchantment, no small risk either.”
Dar nodded, pretending he understood what Golum was talking about. He reminded himself that he had to be careful in what questions he asked, or it may give away that he was different.
Golum lit a candle and shuffled down a flight of stairs to a deep underground basement. “No one except the most powerful of the spirits can reliably identify enchantments, and that’s just because they have understood a great number of dao. For all the items we find, we typically end up identifying what they do through a series of trial and error. And often a number of dead assistants.”
Bright light suddenly bloomed in the cellar, and Dar squinted to make out the room.
Before his eyes adjusted, the sound of hooting gremlins began echoing in the space. He moved into a battle stance, still not seeing the threat, but wanting to be ready for the fight.
“Settle down, they are in cages. They make both great test subjects and interesting studies.” Golum moved forward into what looked like a mad scientist's lab.
Wooden tables with legs massive enough to support an elephant surrounded the room, littered with all sorts of materials and vials. In the corner, a kennel of gremlins was crammed, the inhabitants woken by the light and angry for it.
Also among the gremlins was a spirit. It was the blue-haired spirit Dar had seen with Golum before. His cage was only marginally better than the gremlins and had an empty food tray.
“You keep your spirit in a cage?” Dar couldn’t help but judge the man.
He shrugged. “They are beasts. The demons come from beasts, and the spirits are no different.”
“They can talk. Think for themselves.”
“So can devils and trolls, yet they are still monsters. It’s nothing more than mimicry like a parrot, only a bit smarter,” Golum argued.
Dar didn’t push it further. He could tell that he wasn’t going to be able to change the man’s mind, at least not in the time before he left.
“So, what do you have to train me on?” Dar tried to control his glare. He just needed to ride out one day of fake training.
“Give me a minute. I need to check on some of my experiments.” Golum moved to a table that had what looked like jarred blood and hunks of gray flesh.
He rooted around in the pile of flesh until he pulled out a bone and inspected it. “You never know what an enchantment might do.”
Dar wrinkled his nose at the coppery smell of blood that permeated the room. “What are you testing anyways?”
“All sorts of things.” Golum used a dropper and tasted what Dar thought was gremlin blood.
Dar did his best not to lose his breakfast. “Are you drinking gremlin blood?”
“Yes, I believe these creatures and what is inside them could be the key to unlocking the dao in humans. Can you imagine it?” He turned, a red smear still on his lips before he licked it away. “I’d do anything to understand the dao, to control it like these beasts.”
Dar remembered Henry’s face when he realized that Dar had no enchantments. He had turned into a nearly crazed madman hungry for the power.
Looking around Golum’s lab again, he felt a shiver down his spine at what his fate would be if the wizards knew he had stepped upon the dao path. He also started to understand why Cherry hid herself by pretending to be a naïve, little spirit.
“I think it is more likely to make you sick,” Dar said before there was too long of a pause.
“Trying to read dao characters makes you sick too, but maybe through that sickness, if one just pushes hard enough, they’d come out the other side like a butterfly through their cocoon,” Golum said excitedly.
Dar snuck a glance at his spirit,
who sat in the cage ignoring everything around him.
“What dao does your spirit control?” Dar asked for a change of pace.
“Oh, he controls small cyclones. It’s not enough to do much more than move leaves around, but he can make enchantments for a burst of wind. I traded one to Henry actually. I’m sure you felt it when you killed him.” Golum chuckled to himself.
Dar didn’t even deny it, but at the mention of killing Henry, the spirit looked up at Dar with a flicker of recognition. But that was followed by a dismissal, clearly not believing he could be any type of ally.
“Again, I didn’t kill Henry, but I did experience that enchantment.”
Golum made a sound of disbelief. “I’ll have him make you another if you can give me whatever it is that let you take a hit from a troll without injury.”
Dar remained quiet, looking around. There was no way he’d give something like that up, even if he did have it. He figured it was best to not even participate in a conversation about it.
“Fine. I wouldn’t give it up either. Though, that spirit of yours, what can it do?”
“New growth, green limbs, vines and such,” Dar said, poking at another table covered in various metals. “What is this for?”
“More experiments. Metal scraps from blacksmiths to test enchantments against. You never know if it only reacts to a certain metal. All the spirits we capture are typically greater spirits. A grand spirit wouldn’t likely let our magistrates condemn them to a lifetime of servitude.”
“Of course,” Dar said quickly.
He could imagine what would happen if someone tried to put Cherry in a cage. A whole shit storm of trouble would come from that.
The spirit’s eyes were following Dar as he moved around. Dar was happy to keep Golum talking about other things beyond how he believed spirits should be trained. Dar didn’t quite want to know what he did to the poor spirit to keep it under control while it was in a cage.
