by Riley Tune
Her lips parted with a wide smile as she saw the round silver yolar. Her teeth, the ones she had, anyway, were darker than her hair. She reached for it, and was suddenly pushed out of the way and down to the ground by another. This man was as dirty as she was—maybe even more. He was bare chested and had on only trousers, and I could see his ribs with ease. The snow falling on his bare upper body was a vivid contrast to his dirty skin. Luckily, it wasn’t cold out, and the snow never stuck to the ground, because this man was also barefoot. He snatched the coin from my hand, and this time I did grab my dagger. I only intended to scare him, but before I could, the woman was up and on her feet.
“It’s mine, Emo, you dirty pile of lopeseal!” the older woman screamed as she jumped and clawed at his bare chest. The man, Emo, was clearly as surprised as I was, and was on his back in seconds as she continued to attack him. Several other people emerged, all as dirty and smelly as the first two, and joined in the fight. I hadn’t intended to start all of this. I made a mental note to keep my yolar bag close and hidden while in this part of Thera.
I turned to walk away from the scene and almost walked directly into a small child.
“Sorry. I didn’t see you,” I said as I looked down at him. Or her. It was hard to tell. The child had long dark hair like a girl, but under the dirt and smudges on its face were boyish features. The child, too, was barefoot, and wore a pair of brown trousers and a shirt that was two or three sizes too big. The child said nothing as it looked up at me and stretched out its hand. I thought about simply stepping aside and going on my way; then I heard a grunt and scream again from the fighting happening behind me. This wasn’t a place for a child.
I dropped to one knee and pulled out another silver yolar. I didn’t have many left on me but I did have some stashed away at Ember’s place. I held the yolar up to the sun a little and twirled it. The child winced as the sunlight bounced and hit him, or her, in the eye. It simply looked at me.
“Do you know what this is?” I asked. He, or she, shook its head and a smiled stretched on its face. Despite the dirty appearance, the child's teeth were oddly white. I narrowed my eyes at the child. That was curious.
“Take this, keep it close, and run along.”
The child opened its eyes wide and slowly removed the currency from my hand, placing it inside a pocket of its trousers.
“Get some food, and some clean clothes. That should be plenty.” I glanced over my shoulder at the others still fighting. One man was stretched out unconscious now. “Run along now,” I said as I turned to face the child. My brow rose some as I found an empty space before me. The child had gone. At least it was smart enough to listen to me.
6
Ember was sitting on a wooden bench waiting for me when I finally made my way to The Clarkton. There was another wooden bench to the left of him that had a rather large man sleeping on it. He easily weighed more than a couple hundred pounds and was wearing some sort of red outfit.
“Slow, as usual,” Ember said. I didn’t answer him immediately, because I couldn’t stop looking at this large man in red. I imagined that getting through doors would be hard for a man his size.
“I had to walk the last part of the trip, and I’m starving now,” I replied as I moved to sit down beside him. The bench wasn’t as sturdy as the one that held the sleeping man; it wobbled and gave a little as I put my weight down.
“I remember the days when I couldn’t warp across Thera,” Ember said. “It gets easier in time. Come on, you can eat inside.”
He stood from the bench.
“I just sat down,” I said. I had made this entire trip, and now I wanted a moment, just a few seconds to breath. I actually felt nauseous. Nauseous and hungry, and those were two horrible feelings to have together.
Ember removed his hood. “Keeper as my witness, if you don’t get—” I cut him off mid-threat and stood up from the bench. He pushed the door open, and I followed him in.
The Clarkton, from the outside, appeared to be composed of mud and stone, like most buildings in this part of Thera. Inside, however, it was something else. I stood inside the door, simply looking at the marvel before me. The inner structure walls were steel. Strong, sturdy, and likely expensive to build. A quality building hidden in the open, disguised.
While the building of The Clarkton was disguised as less-than-savory, its clients were actually less-than-savory. From what I knew of the place, The Clarkton was one of a kind. No other place like it existed in any of the kingdoms. The Clarkton was a not only a place where you could eat, sleep, drink and smoke, it was also neutral ground. No matter what your background outside the walls, once inside, everybody was equal. There wasn’t any violence allowed. Those were the rules.
A palace guard could share a drink with a wanted murderer inside, and neither would fear or attack the other. Even though it was early, The Clarkton had many people inside.
At the bar was a group of men, all larger. They were all dressed in black and having drinks. Judging from the club-like weapons that rested beside them, they were likely guards from Kameace. The guards there were known to enjoy bashing skulls in with clubs. It didn’t have the elegance of a sword, or the precision of a spear, but it got the job done.
The various tables spread out everywhere seated everyone from the homeless to fallen nobility. The fallen nobility didn’t even enjoy The Clarkton, but, for one crime or another, they couldn’t get service anywhere else.
“Try not to look so shocked, boy,” Ember whispered into my ear. I hadn’t realized I had frozen so much. Ember walked past me. “It’s just a bar,” he said over his shoulder as he pulled a chair from a table.
“Ember! Keeper strike me down. Is that you?”
A man from behind the bar had called out. He was a short, wide, and round man. He made me think of Sprits just by sight. He had long brown hair, and his forehead appeared larger than normal due to his receding hairline. As he shouted Ember’s name, many of the people in the bar looked in our direction.
Some raised their brows as they looked on, while others froze instantly at mention of the name. Talk about awkward. It was unnerving having so many eyes on us at once. Even for that brief moment.
Well, it was unnerving for me. Ember didn’t even seem to notice. He just stood beside his chair.
“Friend of yours?” I asked. He said nothing. I looked back to the round man and felt a hitch in my breath at what happened next.
He warped.
From behind the bar to in front of us, in a second. When he appeared in front of us, his large belly jiggled and he was breathing hard. Warping could make a person tired, but simply warping a few feet shouldn’t. I found this amusing and saddening at the same time. He was breathing harder than me, and I had just crossed the largest kingdom in the Prime Sovereignty.
Ember cleared his throat and eyed me. I had seen that look on his face before. He did not like this man, and people Ember didn’t like usually didn’t live long. But like him or not, this man was clearly fond of Ember.
“I thought I was seeing a ghost. How long has it been? Five, six years?” The man hugged Ember and then placed a hand on his shoulder. I could see Ember’s lip twitch slightly. Clearly the no-violence rules of The Clarkton were keeping him in line, but his level of discomfort was evident, and I did all I could to hold in my laughter.
“Seven, actually,” Ember said as he forcefully threw the man's hand from his shoulder.
“Seven? Time goes by too fast when you’re traveling the Kingdoms.” The man stopped talking and looked at me. “Who's your friend?”
“He’s not my friend,” Ember said gruffly. I looked at him with my face crumpled and brow raised. He caught my eye. “He’s my pupil. Lox Norcros, meet Turk Clarkton the Fifth.” He exhaled as he made the introduction, as if doing it against his will. “Owner of this fine establishment. A man known to do anything, if enough yolars are involved, and a retired Warper who manages to retain his powers through deeds unknown.”
“His pupil? Pupil!” Turk said loudly as he looked at me and shook my hand. “Three Warpers in one place? That’s like a night when it’s not raining. It’s unheard of. Keeper, what a day.” He began walking to the bar and waved us over. “Come on, you two, here with me at the bar.”
He leaned in and spoke to the guards from Kameace, who looked at me and Ember as we approached, and then got up from their seats and found a table to use instead.
“So, what brings you in? Food? Drink? Smoke?” Turk asked as he leaned on the bar and grinned at us. “I can even offer you a companion for the night.” He looked at me with a wink as I removed my hood.
“Turk, why would we come here for drink or smoke? We don’t have yolars to waste, and we aren’t looking for women,” Ember said as he looked around the bar.
He was half truthful, and not just about the women. To purchase drink, or smoke, would be pointless for Warpers. For some reason or another, internal poisons have no effect on us. Unlike normal men, Ember, Turk, and I could drink our weight in wine, and smoke for a day, but it wouldn’t affect us at all.
This was another of the many things that even older Warpers couldn’t explain. It was odd, because we couldn’t get drunk, and even if a poison arrow hit us, it would have no effect. Our bodies were simply immune. Despite that, we could still get sick naturally, and could even succumb to that sickness if it was strong enough. What was even more odd was that Ember was a fan of drinking, and there weren’t many things he liked more than wine. He said he simply liked the taste. He must have really hated this Turk, to turn down wine.
“Give the boy some food,” Ember said as he pulled out his yolar bag slowly.
“Keep it,” Turk said as he walked to the end of the bar, removing a plate of bread and meat from another patron and setting it down in front of me.
“Eat up, Liam.”
“It’s Lox,” I said as I picked up the bread.
“Of course it is,” Turk said, without even looking at me.
“Turk, I’m here looking for somebody,” Ember said as he continued to peer around the bar. Turk rubbed his hands together. “Calm down, Turk, I just said we aren’t here for women.”
As they continued to speak, I continued to eat. This bread was good. I tried the meat. It was even better than the bread.
“This is really good,” I said; my cheeks felt like they were about to explode. Turk beamed at me.
“You like that, huh? All of our stuff is imported from across the Pradeep border. Eat up, kid, you’ll need your strength.”
This made me slow down chewing. Why would I need my strength? He stammered some after he said that. Like he didn’t mean for it to slip when it did.
“For the trip back, I mean,” he said as he quickly turned back to Ember.
“So you’re here for a job? You know the rules.”
Ember waved his hand. “No, I’m meeting a contact here.”
Turk nodded.
“I’ll leave you two to it then.”
Just like that, he walked away and into a back room. This seemed strange to me, but Ember seemed happy to see Turk leave. He stuck his hand on my plate and took my last chunk of meat, and tossed it in his mouth. “Keeper, this is good,” he said as he licked his fingers and looked down on my plate.
I knew it was good. I also knew I had intended to eat that last piece myself. I pushed the plate away.
“What is a lopeseal?” I asked him.
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” he said grimly.
“Why?”
I was interrupted before I could even finish.
“Mr. Ember,” a voice came from behind us.
We turned around and saw a thin, well-dressed man standing in front of us. We were sitting down, and he was standing up, yet we all seemed the same height. He must have been rather short. He was clearly older than me, but not by much. His eyes were thin; his hair was jet black and lank and fell just behind his ears. His upper lip and chin were covered by the same grade of hair, and he wore a small pendant around his neck.
“Who’s asking?” Ember said sharply as his hand disappeared under his cloak.
“Are you Mr. Ember?” the man asked again. This time his voice was different. It was pure. It was alluring. I felt like I could listen to him talk forever.
“Yes. I am Ember,” Ember responded. For a moment I was surprised, but then, who couldn’t respond to a voice like that?
The man turned and looked at me. “And just who are you?”
“Lox,” I said immediately. The word flew out of my mouth before I even wanted it too.
“Lox,” the man said as he stepped closer to me. “Are you a Warper as well? Did Ember tell the barman the truth when he said that?”
I wanted to ask him why he was asking all these questions. I didn’t even want to answer, but that voice was sunlight piercing through darkness, and the more he spoke the more the sunlight washed over me. “Yes, I am.”
“Good,” the man said as he clapped his hands. Everything suddenly returned to normal. No more sunshine. No more alluring tone that I could listen to forever. What was going on, and who was this guy? He was beginning to give me an uneasy feeling.
“I’m Jolin, your contact.” He shook my hand first and then went to shake Ember's. When he tried to pull his hand away from Ember's, however, Ember didn’t let go. If anything, he continued to grip it tighter.
“Mr. Ember?” the man said as he looked at his hand with his eyes wide. Ember pulled him in close.
“I know what you are. It’s been a long time since I felt the power of a Tongue wash over me, but it’s a feeling I’d never forget. Do it again, and—”
“Let’s not be hasty, Mr. Ember. Remember that we are all on the same side.” He jerked his hand back.
Had Ember called this Jolin a Tongue? What was a Tongue?
“I wasn’t aware that you were bringing another, Mr. Ember,” Jolin said as he rubbed his hand.
“He’s my pupil. He comes, or I don’t.”
I looked from Ember to Jolin, who was acting as if Ember’s menacing tone wasn’t bothering him at all.
“No need to be that way, Mr. Ember. Surely two Warpers are better than one. Keeper knows the odds aren’t in our favor on this job. So our employer should be fine with that.”
Our employer? So this Jolin person wasn’t in charge, yet he knew about the job. He wasn’t a Warper, but he knew about the contract. This was becoming more and more confusing. Before I could voice my thoughts to Ember, he glanced around the room.
Whatever was going on, he noticed it before me. I could see some people leaving, while people who once had weapons at their side were suddenly holding them now, and looking at us. Most of them looked like they had been in a few good fights before, mainly those four guards from Kameace.
“Turk, I’m going to kill you,” Ember said through snarling teeth.
Jolin slowly backed away as the people in the room holding weapons began to stand up and face us.
“Yes. Mr. Turk allowed our employer to break the rules of The Clarkton just this once.”
“He was paid well, I assume,” Ember said as he removed his dagger. I followed his actions and drew my dagger as well.
“Oh, I’m sure. I’m a part of the team, just like you, Mr. Ember. I don’t get all the details. I was just sent here to escort you back, assuming you pass this little test our employer wanted.”
“Test?” I said, finally finding words. Jolin looked at me and nodded.
“Yes. Our employer wanted to make sure Mr. Ember is as good as his legend suggests he is. The entire Prime Sovereignty will feel the effects of this job, so we have to make sure we have the best. Apparently, that includes you now, too, Mr. Lox. As you’ve gathered, these people have been paid to try and kill you. Paid nicely, I would believe. If you survive, then meet me outside by the carriage. If you don’t, then—” He paused for a moment, exhaled, and then turned and walked away.
Two women, who looked like twins and held small
knives, parted and allowed Jolin to exit before locking the door behind him. Ember looked at me.
“Now we know why Turk said you’d need your energy. Take your cloak off, and get ready.”
We both removed our cloaks at the same time. With this many people attacking, the cloaks could get in the way. Our greaves and bracers were all we had as protection.
“Now would be a good time to get over that not-killing idea,” Ember said to me.
“You may be right,” I responded, but in my head I was already thinking of ways to put them down without killing them. I took a deep breath, tightened my grip on my dagger, grabbed one of my throwing knives, and warped into the crowd of waiting killers.
7
As soon as I reappeared, I felt a hard blow to my back. It was as if my spine was going to explode through the front of my body. I stumbled into a table, and in the time it took me to focus, I realized I was surrounded. The two female twins holding daggers had targeted me first.
They were identical in every way. Both had sharp noses, thin lips, high cheeks, and black hair that was in locks. The daggers they brandished were identical, also. Steel that was almost a foot long, with a black handle that had a red stone embedded into the base. Even though they wanted to kill me, I had to admit that they had some finely crafted weapons.
These twin attackers were joined by a very pale-skinned man. He stood almost seven feet tall, had arms like tree trunks and a chest that a statue would envy. He had a long ponytail, but was otherwise bald. Oddly, he didn’t have a weapon, but with arms like that, I was sure he could get the job done. He seemed more mountain than man. As I looked at him, I was ashamed at the fear I felt. I had never seen a person this large, and outside of Ember, I had never seen a man so scary.
They came in closer around me and advanced. I glanced down and warped. In a few seconds I appeared again in the exact same spot. My ruse had worked. The three of them had assumed I would appear in another area of The Clarkton, and were looking away from me. I didn’t hesitate. I went for the twins first—they seemed to be the weaker of the trio.
