Ancient Magic

by Blink, Bob

  “Weak. Hungry,” she said.

  “Rest,” Rigo encouraged. “Kaler will be bringing back something for you in a little while. What is your name?”

  Rigo noted the guarded look that returned to her eyes.

  “Daria,” she whispered finally, her eyes steady as she met his own while providing the name. “You can call me Daria.”

  “Daria,” Rigo repeated. He didn’t for a moment believe that was the woman’s name. But it would have to do. He wouldn’t have given his own name under similar circumstances, but he was pleased to see her wits had returned enough that she could convincingly provide an alternate.

  She had managed only a few spoonfuls of the stew broth, but at least it was the full broth and not the watered down liquids she’d been getting. Then her eyes grew heavy and she had gone back to sleep.

  “Daria,” Kaler said. “Nice name. Do you think it’s really hers?” Obviously Kaler had the same doubts as himself.

  “I doubt it,” Rigo replied recalling the careful consideration she had put into her decision to tell him. He glanced at the collection of sharp throwing knives they had set off to one side. The woman obviously had quite a story to tell if she ever decided to trust them. “But it’s all we have for now.”

  Two days later Daria was much improved. She was able to sit up and could converse almost normally, although she as yet had been unwilling to reveal much about herself. Walking was still something she found difficult, and both Kaler and Rigo had needed to help her down the hall early that morning when she needed to use the pisser. They had finally gotten enough fluid into her that her system was starting to work normally. It had been a matter of embarrassment for all of them. She had obviously been in considerable pain as they helped her, but though her eyes reflected the anguish, she held back from making any sound of complaint.

  One of the first things she had wanted upon reaching her improved state was her knives. She had discovered they had been removed and made it clear she expected them back. She seemed to relax once they handed over her special rig that had held them strapped to her body.

  Rigo found it interesting that she was not as concerned with the massive scar that she would be left with once she healed. The first day she had been fully awake she had insisted on examining the wound herself, and with Rigo and Kaler helping she had been able to view the damaged area. She had been totally unconcerned that she was half-naked in front of them.

  “That’s really something,” was her initial comment. Both Rigo and Kaler had expected cries of dismay.

  “I’m sorry,” Rigo offered. “I did what I could.”

  “How’d you get rid of the infection and poison?” she asked.

  “Poison?” Kaler was unable to refrain from asking.

  She nodded. “That’s what caused the infection. A simple arrow cut wouldn’t have been a problem.” She looked at Rigo. “If you didn’t know about the poison, how did you cure it?”

  “My family has some ability with herbs,” he lied. “I carry a supply with me when I travel. They must have worked on whatever kind of poison was present.”

  Daria snorted. “It seems you have secrets of your own. I would have thought no one could cure the infection I had. I watched as it grew for several days. It would be useful to know how it was done. Once I’m well I can offer you substantial coin for the knowledge.”

  “That’s something we can discuss when you are fully recovered,” Rigo said avoiding the topic. “Are you ready to tell us who shot at you?” He and Kaler had already recounted their tales, although Rigo had mentioned nothing of his ability with magic.

  “Like you, my problem is with Duke Cordale.”

  “Why would he be after you?” Kaler asked, pleased she was starting to trust them and share a little more.

  “That’s personal,” Daria said. “It’s a matter I’ll be taking up with him before too much longer.”

  Chapter 24

  It was early afternoon the following day and their boat was scheduled to dock in the next river port sometime that afternoon. The village was located where another tributary merged with the larger river. The boat would remain at the docks until the following morning when it would resume its journey down river. When Rigo informed Daria of this he was certain she was very concerned although one wouldn’t have known so from the complete lack of expression she displayed. This woman didn’t reveal much no matter how desperate her situation.

  “I mention this because I’m not certain what you might wish to do,” Rigo informed her.

  “You and Kaler aren’t disembarking here then?” Daria asked, her eyes moving back and forth between the two men.

  “Not here,” Rigo agreed. “You haven’t said where you wished to go. Perhaps this is the village you were seeking.”

  Daria flashed them a wry smile. “I’m in good shape to venture off on my own, aren’t I?”

  Here she was stating the obvious. While she was clearly better than the day before, she still was in considerable pain, which she masked very well. She still couldn’t stand fully upright and walk normally, moving more like a very old man bent at the waist and using her hands for support whenever something was available. Even a few minutes walking about the small cabin had her face bathed in sweat. Even so, she made a point of moving about frequently to build up her stamina.

  “The simple truth is I didn’t have a destination in mind when I hid aboard. I just needed a way to escape and I wasn’t in any shape to walk or ride any farther. I wasn’t thinking much beyond the moment. I was hoping you were traveling farther and I could continue on with you.” She flashed them a smile, something they had not seen in the entire time they had known her. The smile transformed her face, making her look young and less fierce, and frankly quite attractive despite the thin and somewhat wasted condition she was in.

  “That’s settled then,” Kaler said. “We didn’t see how you could hope to move about on your own, but you might have had kin here to help.”

  “No kin,” she said simply. The flat manner in which she said it made Rigo suspect there was a story there somewhere, but it didn’t seem polite to probe.

  “Now that is settled, our plan is for Kaler to go into the village and pick up a few items while we are docked. It would be useful to have a supply of food of our own now that you have started eating again. It is difficult to bring enough for you from the meals they serve topside without attracting attention. Perhaps a few skins of wine as well.”

  Rigo’s words earned them another smile.

  “Perhaps you could pick up something for me?” she asked softly.

  “Of course,” Kaler agreed. “What do you need?”

  She glanced at Rigo with a barely concealed smirk as she said. “Since you are out of the medicines you brought from your family, I could use a few items to help heal this wound. There are herbs that will assist my recovery in other ways as well.”

  Rigo frowned. “I wouldn’t know what to get,” he said truthfully.

  “Get me something to write on,” she directed. “I know what I want.”

  A short time later Rigo and Kaler scanned the list she had created.

  “I’ve never heard of any of these,” Rigo said after reading the full list.

  “Just take the paper to any herbalist. They will know what they are,” Daria explained. Then she lay back exhausted on the bed.

  Two hours later, Rigo and Kaler were topside as the young fighter prepared to leave.

  “I still am uncomfortable for you to go alone,” Rigo said.

  “They will be looking for two of us, and dressed in these clothes I won’t stand out,” Kaler replied. He was still wearing the items they had bought on the Lopal side of the river a few days earlier. “It’d be best if you stay in the cabin and out of sight. They might be watching the boats.”

  “I’ll stay with Daria. Maybe she will tell me more about herself.”

  “Don’t expect too much. She doesn’t seem to be the sort to reveal her history.”

&nb
sp; “You know weapons better than I,” Rigo said. “Do you think she knows how to use those knives she carries?”

  Kaler nodded. “Without a doubt. The knives are of good quality, far better than any blade we are carrying, and of a special design. Actually she has a couple of designs in her collection. She might carry one or two if she was unskilled, but given the number, the assortment, and that special rig she has, I’d say she knows a great deal about them. Don’t forget the circumstances under which we found her, and some of the scars she carries. I’ll bet she can be dangerous when fully healthy.”

  Kaler’s assessment matched his own. Rigo would really like to know her story, but didn’t hold out much hope.

  “She’s certainly smarter than I would have expected,” Rigo noted. “She can write, that’s not a common skill, and she appears to know medicines.”

  “I doubt we’ll ever learn the truth of it,” Kaler said. He looked at the gangplank and discovered that the rush for shore had abated and he could leave without being jostled by others eager to visit the shops in the village. “Just stay out of sight. We are far enough down river I’d hope we are free of followers, but whoever the Duke sent after her might be even more persistent than those who were following us. I’ll be back before dark.”

  True to his word, Kaler climbed back aboard as dusk was fading to dark carrying two bags filled with items he’d acquired ashore. He knocked softly on the door of the cabin with the prearranged signal. The door opened almost immediately as a worried Rigo peered out to verify it was Kaler.

  “Took a bit longer than I expected,” Kaler apologized. “But I found a number of other items that will be useful. Spent most of the coin we had though.”

  He set the bags on the floor of the room and proceeded to go through the items he had purchased. He handed Daria a bag filled with dried buffalo strips and fruit. Immediately the young woman pulled out a hardened strip of the dark meat and bit off a section, letting it soften in her mouth. She almost sighed in contentment. She accepted a skin filled with wine as well.

  “Hungry,” she admitted as Kaler smiled.

  “Here are your herbs,” Kaler said as he pulled out a smaller pouch from within one of the bags and handed it over to her. He’d already set aside several other bags with an assortment of food that would carry them for a number of days. “You were correct. The herbalist had no trouble with your list.”

  Eagerly she accepted the pouch and scanned the contents. “They’re even fresh,” she claimed after checking each bag.

  “The herbalist warned that some of those aren’t for internal consumption,” Kaler informed her.

  “Of course not,” Daria replied, sending him a look that seemed to ask if he thought her stupid.

  “I got you some other clothes. The ones you are wearing are stained beyond recovery and have blood spots in places. Sorry but I could only find pants and shirts, no dresses. But given what you are wearing, I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “Pants are better,” Daria agreed, giving him a grateful look as she examined the items he passed over.

  “Finally, I grabbed this just in case.”

  Kaler handed her a walking stick. She looked at it strangely, then slowly nodded.

  “I guess I need it for now,” she agreed. “Thank you.”

  While Daria ate, Kaler told them of what he had seen in the village. He’d watched carefully, but had seen no sign that anyone might be looking for any of them.

  “I think we have escaped,” he said finally. “Another week down river and there will be little doubt. We are well beyond the Duke’s lands now.”

  “I think it would be safe enough to get you to a healer if you wish,” Kaler explained. “Especially if we were to go now that it is dark. I asked and the herbalist directed me to one who will be available for a few more hours.”

  Daria shook her head rejecting the idea. “I don’t think it would be wise. It would leave a trail, however thin. I have what I need. I’ll mix up a poultice for the wound and a tea of the remaining items that will help my stamina.”

  Neither Rigo nor Kaler was surprised by her decision. Since they had missed the meal served for passengers, they all made a dinner on the items Kaler had brought from shore.

  “You’re getting off the boat tomorrow?” Daria asked to be certain she’d heard right.

  “At the next village,” Rigo agreed.

  It was a week since the boat had stopped at the small village where Kaler had shopped. Daria was much better, but still walked with a bit of a stoop, and still tired easily. She would have benefited from another week or two of travel on the river but it wasn’t to be.

  “Why didn’t you tell me before,” she complained.

  “I didn’t want you worrying about it any sooner than necessary. I didn’t see how it would help if you knew. I’m sorry. I guess I should have told you.”

  “I thought you intended to go to the southern border?” she asked recalling Rigo’s stated destination.

  “That’s our plan, but the rest of the journey will have to be on land.”

  “Why? The boats travel all the way to the south.”

  “A couple of reasons actually. First of all a simple matter of coin. We used most of what we had to book passage this far. Our purses were forfeited when the Duke incarcerated us. The coin we acquired since escaping wouldn’t take us any farther. Being on land and passing through the villages will provide an opportunity to rebuild our purses.”

  Rigo didn’t explain how he would accomplish that.

  “Finally, the boats aren’t going any farther,” he continued. “Actually, they do go another three days, but that’s all. There have been attacks and raids where boats have disappeared. The blame is being put on Lopal, but whoever is responsible has effectively shut down the southern third of the river for now.”

  Daria sat back, analyzing the news. It was one of the characteristics that Rigo had come to admire about her. She seldom complained, and rather than moan and wring her hands about the situation, she carefully considered how to proceed.

  How will you travel?” she asked finally.

  “By foot. We have no other options.”

  “I cannot travel far by foot,” she said simply.

  “I know. Kaler and I have discussed the fact. We are uncertain how to proceed. If only we had a horse. We are hoping you have some suggestion. Is there someone anywhere that can help you? You have indicated you have no family, but you must have some idea where you wish to go.”

  “I need to find a Wanderer camp,” she told him. “They will know how to help me. Unfortunately, this is not an area they frequent. I was hoping to travel farther south with you until we crossed one of their more common routes.”

  “You do not look like one of the Wanderers,” Kaler noted. He had been listening to the two of them talk. “Your hair is too light.”

  “I was adopted by the Wanderers when my family was killed several years ago,” Daria explained.

  “Perhaps I can win enough coin in the village tomorrow to allow us to purchase a horse,” Rigo mused aloud.

  “Coin is the issue?” Daria asked. “You do not mind my traveling with you?”

  “You feel like you belong with us for some reason,” Rigo said. “We will find a way. I cannot see leaving you to fend for yourself after all we have gone through to get you healthy.”

  Without a second thought Daria hobbled over and recovered her knife harness. She’d stopped feeling the need to have it immediately at hand as she’d grown comfortable with the two men. She sat down on the bed, extracted one of the knives and started to cut on the threads at one of the sewn corners of the rig. After a few minutes she set the knife down and dug something out of the opening she had created. She held out her hand and Rigo accepted what she was passing over to him.

  “What are these?” he asked looking at the sharply sparkling stones in his hand. There were two of them. He’d never seen the like.

  “Diamonds,” Daria informed him. “My emer
gency fund. Even out here you will find a merchant willing to pay for them. She actually had given them only half of what she carried. Another pair of the gems was hidden in another part of the harness.

  “You won’t be able to get what they are really worth, but they will bring enough to make our journey more comfortable.”

  “What could these be worth?” Rigo said eyeing the small stones. He’d see emeralds and rubies, but they had been far larger. Rigo looked at the stones with more respect when Daria quoted him the value in gold.

  “These little things?” he asked, uncertain she could be right.

  “Diamonds are far rarer and more valuable than other gems,” she explained. “That is their advantage. I can conceal something that small, whereas a ruby of equivalent value would be too large to hide effectively. Don’t expect to get that much out here. The merchant will try and cheat you, and would never pay the full amount. If we can get half the value, we will be okay.”

  “With that much coin we could get several horses,” Kaler suggested.

  “How about horses and a wagon,” Daria suggested. “I’m not sure I’m ready to sit upon a horse all day just yet.”

  They hadn’t known what to expect of the village where they were to disembark and so were pleasantly surprised to discover the village was large, nearly as large as Yerma had been. Numerous boats, some just like the one they had traveled down river upon, and any number of larger cargo vessels, were tied up to the docks. Dock hands scurried about loading and unloading cargo. Set back from the docks themselves were a number of shops selling the goods that had come off the boats as well as several places to eat. Tantalizing smells drifted on the breeze from the direction of these establishments, but they didn’t have time for them.

  They had several hours before they would be expected to leave the boat, so while Rigo and Daria waited, Kaler left in search of an inn where they could stay. He and Rigo had enough gold between them to cover the expenses for a couple of days during which time they would be able to exchange the diamonds for more readily spent coin.