Dragonlinked

by Adolfo Garza Jr.

  Willem made a noncommittal grunt. “I’m sure someone would have seen him moving if that was the case. Cheddar said he had been there since right after dinner. He would have seen Aeron come in after he left the Leather Craft Hall. And besides, craft halls only allow people who are at least apprentices to have rooms.”

  Sharrah sighed. “You’re right. That usually only happens once you are an apprentice.”

  She took a bite of her biscuit as she thought. It was buttery, flaky, and quite delicious. “Still, I think that the Magic Craft Hall is where he is at, as unlikely as it seems. That has to be it. I just can’t see him having been turfed out.”

  “I hope you’re right. I don’t know what—” Willem abruptly stopped, sighed, and stared down at the table.

  “Listen. Whatever happened, I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

  “Find out what?” Aeron asked. He walked up to them from behind and sat to Willem’s right. He wanted to keep his right eye and cheek facing away from both of them, so he was going to avoid turning his face too far to the left.

  “Aeron!” they both shouted when they realized it was him.

  Willem punched him on the shoulder and said, “Where in Ulthis’ great maze have you been?”

  “Ow! Why’d you do that?” Aeron asked, rubbing his shoulder.

  “You disappeared last night! Your bed hadn’t been messed up since yesterday morning, it was still as neat as you made it, and you never showed up at the dorms. No one had seen you all night. I even searched your footlocker and there was nothing there!” Willem was almost glaring at Aeron.

  Aeron had a faint, bemused smile on his face as he looked sideways at Willem. Why was his friend so upset?

  Willem apparently saw the look because he blushed and quickly said, “Anyway. We were worried what had happened to you.” He grabbed his plate, slid it in front of him and began eating his eggs.

  Sharrah smiled, shaking her head. She leaned forward to see past Willem and said, “Yes, we were. What happened? Jessip was apparently moved out of the dorms. Were you also moved?”

  Aeron leaned forward as well to see Sharrah past Willem. “Well, I was at least,” he said.

  Sharrah gasped, “Aeron! What happened to your eye?”

  Aeron grimaced. He’d forgotten not to turn too far.

  Willem looked quickly at Aeron, his brows furrowed. He turned Aeron’s head so he could see the blackened eye. A dark look came over Willem’s face, and he asked, “Who did that to you? It was Jessip, wasn’t it?” He stood up, and for all Aeron knew, was heading straight to Jessip to do something rash.

  “Wait!” Aeron spun on the bench and grabbed Willem’s arm. He didn’t want Willem to get in trouble due to his own actions. “Please. Sit down and I’ll tell you both what happened.”

  Willem looked at Aeron’s hand on his arm a moment and then sat back down. There was still a little anger in his eyes when he asked, “So what happened between when we parted last night and when I made it back to the dorm? How did both you and Jessip end up out of the dorm,” he looked again at Aeron’s eye, “and how did you end up with a black eye?”

  “Alright. I’m starving though, so I’m going to eat while I tell you guys.” He took a quick bite of his breakfast pie and then a swallow of juice. “So, after I left you at the Leather Craft Hall, I headed south to cut around the glass hall and head back to the dorms. Well, Jessip was just around the corner with his friends waiting for me.”

  Aeron recounted the events for them. Sharrah gasped and growled when he got to the part where Jessip punched him; Willem clenched his jaw. They were surprised when he told them he broke Jessip’s nose, and both laughed when he told them Jessip had fainted after seeing his own blood. And when he told them about moving into the Magic Craft Hall, they both congratulated him. He skipped over the part where he and Master Doronal talked about his black eye.

  “As far as Jessip, I have no idea what happened. I haven’t even been back to the dorm,” Aeron glanced apologetically at Willem before continuing, “so I didn’t even know he’d been moved out. Though, good riddance, I say. He’s nothing but a bully.”

  Willem grabbed his last strip of bacon, waved it at Aeron and said, “Well, I’m going to find out what happened to him.” He stared at the strip momentarily and then ate it, a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was turfed out of the Caer,” Sharrah said.

  “Truth be told, I’d be a little sad if that happened from just a black eye,” Aeron replied.

  Willem and Sharrah turned to him with surprised expressions, and he quickly said, “Don’t get me wrong, I think he should definitely be punished. It’s just, well, I broke his nose. I don’t think he should be turfed out on top of that.”

  “You have a kind heart,” Sharrah said, smiling. Then her smile changed, became wicked. “Personally? I’d at least have him caned for all the bullying he’s done.”

  “Remind me never to bully you,” Willem said, an eyebrow raised. “You can be an evil wench, if you choose!”

  Sharrah glared at him playfully and grabbed a strap on her satchel, lifting it up as if to throw it at him.

  “I almost forgot,” Aeron said, laughing, “Master Doronal wanted me to get a satchel.” Aeron looked at Willem. “I don’t suppose you could make a leather carry-all for me? I can pay you now and everything.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Willem said, “If you can wait a few days so that I can finish a commission I have from Lord Baronel, I can make you a nice one. And I’ll do it for material cost as a gift for you moving into a new place and apparently being accepted as an apprentice even though you haven’t asked to be one yet.” He smiled at Aeron. “I figure it will run around three marks. How’s that sound?”

  “That would be fantastic. I’d have some marks left for other things too, then. I’m not sure what kind of supplies I’ll be needing now that my magic training has actually begun. Plus, the fall trade caravan is due in a few weeks. Who knows what I might find there.”

  “That’s right!” Sharrah piped in. “Oh, I love the trade caravans. They always have such a wide range of items for sale. Though I can’t usually afford much, it’s still fun to browse their wares and see the interesting or exotic things their merchants have for sale.”

  “Aeron!”

  All three friends turned and saw Cheddar walking up behind them, tray in hand, piled with his empty breakfast dishes.

  “Wow! How are you Aeron? Willem and I,” and Cheddar nodded his head toward Willem, “we were wondering what happened to Jessip and to you last night. And look at your eye!”

  Aeron sighed. “It’s a long story.”

  “Well,” said Cheddar, “I have some news.” He placed his tray on the table and leaned toward them conspiratorially. He then glanced around to see whether anyone nearby was listening before whispering, “I found out where Jessip is.”

  All three leaned in close and asked, “Where?”

  “He’s at the Housing Hall in one of the General Staff rooms,” said Cheddar. “Renny asked Assistant Shelton about Jessip this morning just outside the office. I happened to be walking by on the way to the baths and overheard them.”

  “I’m relieved,” Aeron said. “That’s good news on several counts.”

  “Yes,” Sharrah agreed. “He’s not in the dorms anymore and can still make a living with the Caer.”

  “It’s funny. Now that Jessip’s not in the dorm, neither am I.” Aeron smiled ruefully.

  “Where are you now, anyway?” Cheddar asked.

  “I’m in the magic hall. I’ve got a room there.”

  Cheddar’s eyes lit up. “Golden! A room all to yourself? That’s amazing, I bet,” he said, smiling. “Well, that’s all the news I have right now. If I find out what duties they’ve given him, I’ll let you guys know. But I’m off before I’m late. Good morning to you all!”

  They echoed his good morning as he headed for the bus bins on his way out of the Dining
Hall.

  “I have to say,” Willem began, “all told, I’m quite proud that you did stand up for yourself, Aeron.”

  Aeron blushed. “Yes, well, it was spur-of-the-moment. I didn’t really plan on it.”

  “Is the eye painful? Or the cheek?” Sharrah asked, looking from one bruise to the other. Aeron’s eye and cheek both had ugly, purple-black bruises with shades of yellow at the edges.

  “They were last night. Smarted something fierce. Now I hardly feel anything at all,” Aeron replied. “Although, the eyelid is a little puffy so it interferes with my vision a bit, but not much.”

  “It does look ghastly, though,” Willem said. He reached up and touched the bruise on Aeron’s cheek. Aeron winced, slightly.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, did that hurt?” Willem asked, abashed.

  “No, not hurt. It just twinges a little to the touch still is all.”

  “You should have seen him, Aeron,” Sharrah said, a mischievous light in her eyes. “He was quite worried that something had happened to you.”

  “Well of course I was worried,” Willem said, a little defensively. “We both were. I mean, I know you’ve had problems with Jessip. And hearing that his stuff had been cleared out, and then seeing that yours had been too? No one knew what had happened.”

  “Well, like I told you,” and she poked Willem on the shoulder, “he was fine. Everything has worked out fine.” She smiled at them both.

  “I have to say, I agree,” Aeron said. “Despite the nasty bruises I will have for a few more days.”

  “I know how much you wanted to get on with magic, so congratulations again,” Sharrah said. “However, I really have to be going. Master Canneth is leading a field study team to check on a herd of bison we’ve been tracking to the west. This is the second study, the first was done almost two years ago. They are leaving this morning, and I want to be there to see the team off.”

  “See you later then,” Aeron said, smiling.

  “Have fun,” Willem said as she gathered her dishes.

  Sharrah headed to the bus bins. She was happy that Aeron was okay. And she had noticed that Willem was very relieved to find out that everything was fine. She smiled. Willem was such a noodlehead sometimes.

  Willem watched Sharrah head off, then looked back at Aeron, at his eye. “Did Master Doronal say anything about your eye?”

  Aeron sighed. “Yes. He noticed it right off when Assistant Shelton and I walked into his office for the move-in. He asked me how it happened.”

  “Did you tell him?”

  “Of course. Though it did pain me to do so. I hate disappointing him. And fighting and breaking Jessip’s nose?” He shook his head and sighed at his own stupidity. “But I am not going to lie, especially not to a master. In the end he said he was going to let Proctor Jarvis deal with it because it happened before I moved out of the dorms.” Aeron didn’t mention that Master Doronal thought it was self-defense. He felt that was not meant for anyone other than him.

  “Hmm, that makes sense. That’s all he said about it?”

  “Yes, he pretty much ignored it after that.”

  “Have you gone to the infirmary or anything?” Willem asked, a slight grimace on his face as he looked at Aeron’s cheek.

  “Yeah, I went before breakfast and got some pain cream.”

  Aeron showed the jar to Willem.

  “Does it work?” Willem asked, eyeing the oversized jar.

  Aeron nodded. “Yes, it actually works quite well. I feel no pain at all after I use it.”

  “Excellent,” Willem said. “Well, I have to get going too. Before I start on chores I want to check with the smiths to see if my order for the shoe commission is ready yet, though I doubt it will be.” He stood up. “The sooner I finish those shoes, the sooner I can make you a satchel!”

  Aeron smiled. “Good morning, then. See you at lunch!”

  Willem stared at Aeron and raised his eyebrow.

  Aeron laughed. “I swear I will see you guys at lunch. And if something comes up, I will let one of you know!”

  Willem grunted, quirked his lips in a smile and headed to the bus bins.

  Sharrah ran down the front steps of the Dinning Hall. It was definitely windier than when she had gotten up. An autumn breeze now whipped through her hair. And the days were getting cooler too. She ran her hands up and down her arms. Winter weather was just around the corner.

  She hurried across the road toward the Animal Craft Hall, which she could see ahead to the west, just past the vegetable and herb gardens. It’s really just an oversized fancy barn, she thought to herself and smiled. But she did love it. To be fair, only a third of the building was in fact a barn. And the barn section of the building was separated from the Animal Craft Hall proper by two doors, with a large work area in between. All this helped keep most of the smells of the barn away from the craft hall.

  She would be glad when she was a journeyman. Her mucking duties would be greatly reduced then. As an apprentice, mucking duty had only been curtailed by one day a week. She twitched her nose. That was one part of animal care she was not overly fond of.

  But! When the barn and stable stalls were clean and there was sweet fresh hay—she sniffed the air as she walked through the barn—the scent could be lovely. It reminded her of horses and riding. And to her, there wasn’t a whole lot in the world better than those. She still had a large smile on her face when she entered the craft hall.

  “Hi Sharrah,” Jorge said in greeting. The tall, slim young man, at six foot four he towered over her five foot eight frame, stood behind his desk, his arms full of a rather large stack of files.

  “Hello!” she replied. “What are all those for?”

  Carefully placing the large stack on his desk, he sat down and sighed. He quickly ran a hand through a lock of his shoulder-length brown hair that had fallen in front of his face, pulling it behind his ear, and replied, “Master Canneth wants a summary report from the first field study of the bison we did a year and some ago. He wants it ready when this year’s study team returns so we can do a comparative analysis on the herd. Growth or reduction in herd numbers, size, sex and health of the herd members, grazing areas . . . you know, that type of thing. With that information we could determine how the herds have fared and whether we could potentially use the herds to supplement our food supply.”

  “Hmm. That actually sounds interesting.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” Jorge said, smiling. “Master Canneth wants you to do the summary report.”

  Sharrah raised her brows. “What? But you’re an adept. That is, there are many journeymen and adept in the hall that have more experience with analyzing reports and—” She stopped abruptly, a look of confusion and disbelief on her face. “He specified me?”

  Jorge laughed. “He did. Apprentices aren’t normally tapped for this type of work. But you have a knack with animals. You can see things about them with less data than most people. So he wants you to work with the files.” He tapped the stack of folders.

  Sharrah was stunned. “I don’t know what to say. I’m honored.”

  “I imagine it will take you some time to complete the report, so I have cut your chores in half. I’d remove you entirely, but six people leaving on the field study leaves us a little short-handed. You can use that desk over in the corner for your work.” He indicated a small desk in the back left corner of the room.

  Sharrah grabbed the pile of folders. “Perfect. I’ll just move these over there now.”

  She placed the folders on her desk and asked, “Has the team left yet? I’d like to see them off, if possible.”

  “Actually, they are running a little late so they should still be out at the north entrance of the barn. Everyone else is there now.” He smiled and indicated she should hurry. “Scoot! They’ll be leaving soon, so you don’t have much time.”

  “Thanks!” she said with a big smile and then hustled out the door.

  As she made her way out the north entrance of the
hall, she saw the large supply wagons and horses, those hitched to the wagons and those that would be ridden, outside the barn. Team members and helpers were milling about, loading the last supplies onto the wagons and checking on people and items.

  “Good morning Sharrah,” Master Canneth said. A tall, rugged man, his fully gray hair, cropped short, did nothing to lessen his air of command. He stood near the wagon attending all that was happening around him.

  “Good morning, Master Canneth. Could you use some help finishing up?” Sharrah asked.

  “Actually, I could. Would you mind helping Martin check the lashes in that wagon? It wouldn’t do to have any of the large barrels or containers work loose on the trip out.”

  “Not at all.” Sharrah effortlessly made her way up onto the back of the wagon and then up along the right side. She’d start at the front and work her way back, checking lashes as she went. Martin was halfway down the left side.

  “Did you have a chance to speak with Jorge yet?” Martin asked as he checked a lash holding a water barrel in place.

  Sharrah always enjoyed being around the stocky young journeyman because he had such a great sense of humor.

  “I did,” she replied.

  “How long do you think it will take you to compile the report?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I’ve never really read the field report files in detail, so I’m not sure what is in them. And I haven’t had a chance to look at them yet this morning.”

  He looked over at her, a twinkle in his large brown eyes. “Tsk, tsk. Just got the task and already falling behind? What ever will Master Canneth think?” He smiled at her as he moved on to check the next lash.

  “Oh hush. I’m sure it won’t take me very long once I get into it. A week, week and a half at most.” She paused before moving to the next lash, smiled at him and said, “I’m quite sure I’ll be done before the study team returns.”

  “Well I should hope so, we won’t be back for four weeks. And speaking of which, would you do me a favor?”