by Guy Antibes
Sam,
I am sure you were surprised that I drugged you, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to leave the ship unless I did something drastic. Something happened while we were at sea. I have never been one for relationships. Even as a teenager in Tolloy and Bliksa, I always ended up alone.
When I learned you were on the ship, my first thought was to kill you until I saw Emmy knocking you down in the corridor when we first met. But Emmy knows people better than I do, all my Sanchians did.
As we met more and more, I felt attached somehow to a boy without magic, yet one who had overcome such a terrible handicap. I put it to luck that you were able to thwart me in Mountain View and in Baskin. I suppose my first shock was to find out you weren’t a monster when we met in the infirmary at Bolt’s prison.
I never had a husband. I have had encounters before when I needed them. Lennard Lager and Issak Bolt were only two. None of them struck an emotional chord within me until I learned what kind of person you are and what you might become. I never had children, but that is how I ended up feeling towards you.
The chances of us seeing each other again are negligible. My path leads to certain danger and nearly-certain death. Know that if I had a son, I would wish him to be like you, for I have thought of you that way as we solved problems together and when I was privileged to teach you.
I can’t express my feelings any better, being the kind of person that I am. I wish you luck, Hazetta’s luck (if I were in Toraltia!) and the luck you have made for yourself.
Warmest regards,
Banna Plunk
Sam put the letter down and rubbed his suddenly tired eyes. She had written the cursed letter in Vaarekian cursive. If awkwardness was a pain, Sam was in agony.
“Heartfelt?” Darter asked.
Sam struggled to talk. “I suppose so.” He folded the letter carefully and put it back in the envelope. “I can’t tell her that I feel the same way because I don’t. I think of her as some kind of friend, but not,” he paused, “not that way. I am overwhelmed. She never expressed her feelings.” Sam thought for a moment. “Wait, she did, because she left me alive.” He managed a smile. “I can see why she didn’t want to say those things to my face. She would fear rejection, wouldn’t she?” Sam’s face was still very hot with embarrassment. He had no idea how to react to Banna Plunk’s letter.
“Yes. Banna Plunk probably has always been a complex woman. Who knows what happened in her life to make her the way she is? But I don’t see her as evil, even though I know her story well enough. Hard-hearted, driven, focused on an awful goal,” Darter said.
“So she took Desmon and Nakara with her?”
Darter raised her eyebrows. “Nakara, yes, but Desmon is still on the ship.”
Sam had probably said too much. He didn’t want to implicate Desmon, but then he remembered that Desmon had said he wanted to join him in Tolloy. He hadn’t given that much thought, thinking that Desmon was playing with him, but maybe he wasn’t. Perhaps Desmon had agreed to be Banna’s agent in Tolloy.
“I can see why you would lump the two Wollians together.” Darter said.
Sam sighed. How could he reject Desmon’s offer of companionship or servantship or whatever he really proposed after the letter he got from Banna? He now wondered if it were all a grand ruse, perhaps a cynical attempt to enlist Sam in Banna’s plotting. It might still work. He had to admit, Banna had changed during the voyage, and he couldn’t believe it was all fake.
“Well, I guess I did,” Sam said.
Captain Darter pushed a small package towards him. “A parting gift,” she said.
Sam looked at the captain. He didn’t deserve anything from Banna Plunk. He stared at the package, dreading to see what was inside.
“Open it. Do you expect it is warded?”
Sam shook his head. He certainly didn’t need any gold. Knowing what his letters of credit contained, he intended to pull the maximum amount out of a Tolloyan bank.
He untied the string and unwrapped it, revealing a well-made wooden box. Inside was a pocket watch. She must have bought it during one of her stops in Bliksa. Sam opened the gold cover. Gold was certainly appropriate. He could use gold in ways no one else in the world could.
There was only one word inscribed inside, ‘Banna.’ Sam looked through the packing inside the wooden box and found no note. He handed it over to Captain Darter.
“I’ve seen few pocket watches in my time,” the captain said. “They are rare and very expensive. I hope you appreciate her thoughtfulness.”
Sam nodded. He shook his head. “Something to remember her by, I guess.”
“Will it do that?”
“I’ll look at this watch and think of this voyage. Emmy will always remind me most of Banna Plunk, but this is a precious gift.” Sam was still uncertain how he really felt about Banna’s letter and by her parting present. However, drugging him to avoid saying goodbye was what he would have expected from the woman.
Darter giggled just like Glory would. “When you use the watch, then think of me, as well.”
~
Tolloy was the largest port they visited. It was much larger than Baskin. The city ran for miles along the bluffs overlooking the sea, until they stopped to reveal a gigantic harbor. Ships of all kinds littered the surface of the bay.
The Twisted Wind threaded through the anchored vessels and wound up with a pilot giving directions to the helmsman as they slid into a mooring. Cranes on huge wheels worked up and down the long dock.
The ship shook as it finally stopped at its final destination since leaving Baskin months ago. Sam had reached the end of his voyage and hoped Tolloy was large enough that he could find a place to live in peace.
Glory walked up on one side of him and Tera on the other.
“You aren’t going to abandon us and sail away are you?” Tera said.
Sam shook his head. “I’ve decided to stay for a while. I doubt I will be taking The Twisted Wind back to Holding, if that is what you mean.”
“You’ve reconsidered becoming a student of Professor Smallbug?”
Sam smiled. “No, emphatically no. I’ll find my own way without Smallbug and Smaller.”
Glory laughed, and Tera smiled. “We will be at the University of Tolloy. I don’t know how big that is, but I’m sure a snoop like you will be able to find us.”
“I am sure to be lonely enough at some point that I will try,” Sam said, surprised that he just might be serious about that.
The girls giggled but had to heed Smaller’s call for all the students to gather. Smallbug strutted down the gangway with his charges in tow, first off the ship. Sam watched them file out of sight the opposite of what they had done when they boarded the ship at Port Hassin. The girls gave him a last wave before they disappeared in the crowds.
He sighed. The voyage had worn him down, but he could tell that he didn’t feel as afraid as he had when he first stepped on the ship in Baskin. He knew he could make his way, no matter where he landed.
Antina’s crates were lifted up on one of the port’s cranes and placed in a wagon. He hadn’t asked Captain Darter to do that. He turned to see much of the crew lined up behind him.
They shook his hand, one-by-one, until Captain Darter came last. She gave him a motherly smile, something Banna had never done. “I’m proud of the way you became a member of the crew, Smith.” The intimate use of his first name disappeared in front of the men. “I wish you luck wherever you end up.”
Sam shook her hand and left the ship. He stopped at the bottom of the gangway and waved to those who stuck around. In a moment they left the railing to do other things. How many passengers came and went in the life of a ship?
Sam carried his bags and led Emmy towards the wagon. He had no idea where he was going with Antina’s cargo. He put his bags on the wagon and turned around, nearly bumping into a sixtyish gentleman.
“Sam Smith? I am sure that is you since these are your boxes.” He grinned and put out his hand.
“My name is Plantian Plunk.”
If you liked A Voyager Without Magic, please leave a review wherever you bought it.
Excerpt of A Scholar Without Magic
Chapter One
~
A fter taking a deep breath, Sam Smith followed Desmon Sandal and Professor Plantian Plunk into a restaurant. The signboard out front was made in the shape of a steer, so he hoped he would be chomping down on some fresh beef. Their destination was just on the eastern side of Tolloy, but the capital city of Vaarek was huge.
“Eat well. We will have to get you unloaded, and then in the morning, you should apply in the admissions office at the university. It is not a pleasant process. Lots and lots of questions, you see, especially for a foreigner,” the professor said.
Sam looked out the window at the wagon tied up across the street. Emmy lay on the cargo, keeping guard and basking in the warmth of the sun. He could barely believe he had finally arrived at his destination. Spending some time in Tolloy felt like the right thing to do, despite all the obvious warnings about Viktar Kreb’s visions of world domination.
“How did my Banna look?” Plantian asked.
“Well enough,” Sam said, “The voyage was a bit too interesting. She wasn’t at her best in Pundia, but then neither of us were, right Desmon?” Sam mentioned his companion’s name to get him in the conversation.
“No one is at their peak after a week of rationing.”
Professor Plunk leaned forward. “Rationing, you say?”
Sam nodded. “Pirates. We fought them off, thanks to Banna, but a flaming missile from the pirate ship hit our food stores, destroying most of what we needed to make it to Tolloy. Unfortunately, Pundia was the closest port, but we made it through. We can tell you about it when we reach your house.”
The professor smiled. “There will be time enough to hear of your exploits. I’m just glad she is alive,” he sighed, “My daughter, Ionie, however didn’t make it out of Toraltia.”
Sam nodded. “I met her once or twice.”
“Oh. You will have to tell me of her. Banna is rebellious in her own way, but Ionie! She was not a nice lady, even if she was my youngest daughter.”
Not nice wasn’t close to how Sam felt about her. He wondered how much influence Ionie had had on her sister Banna. Neither of them seemed anywhere as nice a person as Plantian Plunk seemed, but Sam had just met him. Banna’s father might have any number of darker sides.
A man presented menus printed on thick pollen cardboard cards. Sam didn’t want to touch them. It wasn’t the time to tell the professor about himself. “I’ll have anything that isn’t too spicy,” Sam said, remembering Banna liked spicy food.
“A nice beefsteak will do just fine for a growing boy. It’s my treat,” the professor said.
“Then I will have one, too,” Desmon said, grinning.
The professor looked up at the server. “Beefsteaks all around. Make mine half-size.” He winked at the man and patted his stomach. “I can’t put beef away like I used to.”
Sam pulled out a notebook. “I have to deliver the crates to this address,” he said, showing the professor the address.
Plantian raised his eyebrows. “Who sent these?” he asked.
“A woman named Antina Mulch. She is originally from Vaarek. Do you recognize the address?” Sam said.
“I certainly do. That is where you will be staying tonight.” Plantian hit the document with the delivery address with the tip of his forefinger. I’ve known Antina since before she married Otto Mulch, a ship’s captain. He was Vaarekian, but had settled in Baskin before he whisked Antina out of Tolloy.”
“Then you didn’t send your little book to Banna, the one with your letter inside?”
Plantian sat back to think for a bit. “Oh that. I asked her to use her best efforts in getting it to her. She never really knew Banna, and I haven’t communicated with Antina in months. I didn’t really expect the little essay to reach my daughter. Why, did you get a chance to read it?”
Sam nodded. “I read it in Baskin, but I was the one to give it to Banna on board the ship.”
“She read you the letter?” Plantian asked.
“No. I found it before I met Banna in Baskin.”
Plantian pursed his lips. “You couldn’t have read the letter. It was hidden.”
Sam looked at Desmon who returned his gaze with a smirk.
The professor looked at them both. “I am missing something here, aren’t I?”
“Go ahead, Sam,” the Wollian said.
“I have a disability, Professor Plunk,” Sam said, “I can’t see pollen. I need to use these,” he pointed to the gold-washed lenses of his spectacles, “to see pollen, and I can’t make pollen at all. In fact, I have an aversion to pollen. My very touch will destroy it. Your words weren’t hidden to me.”
Plantian laughed. “No wonder my daughter put you in my care,” he gave Sam an intense look, “if you are willing, of course.” His gaze went to the wagon outside. “And perhaps Antina Mulch did the same. That makes you highly recommended, Sam Smith,” he said genially. “I’ll have you know, I have no prejudices against a person who can’t wield pollen, but I never thought such a person existed.”
“He exists, all right,” Desmon said. “Sam has used his lack of powers to become a very accomplished snoop.”
“He has? I thought that would be a disability,” Plantian said.
“Not so far,” Sam said. ‘When everyone relies on pollen, it becomes an advantage for a snoop who can see right through it.”
During dinner, Professor Plunk didn’t mention what Antina Mulch had sent in the crates, and Sam didn’t bring up his reservations about staying in the house of a stranger. The professor was amiable and seemed more than happy to have both Desmon and Sam stay with him in his house. He couldn’t detect any lying on the part of Plantian Plunk, so Sam decided to stay at his house, at least until he got a good feeling for what was going on in Tolloy and at the university.
“I failed to mention something about staying in my home,” the professor said, “If you are accepted to the University of Tolloy, first-year students are required to live on campus. It comes at a cost, so I hope you have funds.”
Desmon laughed. “Our friend Sam is anything but destitute, Professor, and neither am I. We can pay our way.”
Plantian blinked his eyes, “Oh, I didn’t mean… If you wish to contribute to general household expenses, I certainly wouldn’t mind, but no rent, certainly no rent is required or even requested.”
The man looked thoroughly embarrassed, but Sam put his hand on the professor’s shoulder. “I understand, and I will accept your hospitality on any terms.”
~
“Next!” the registrar said.
Sam looked at the growing line behind him. He had waited for two hours for his chance to apply to the University of Tolloy. Armed with letters of recommendations from the law enforcement personnel along his way and an academic recommendation from Professor Plunk, he stepped up to the counter and began answering the registrar’s questions.
After twenty minutes of grilling, and realizing that he could have filled out the form the registrar had done in much less time, the woman left the counter while Sam tapped his toe on the stone flooring, listening to the continual complaints of those waiting for him to get through.
“Sam Smith from Cherryton, Toraltia?” one of three armed guards said, holding a file of his paperwork.
“I’m Sam Smith.”
The guard grunted. “Come with us.”
“What am I being taken away for?”
“It is part of the admissions process for foreigners,” the guard said.
Sam shrugged. The men looked like they were bored doing their job. He could sympathize, having lived among constables for months in Baskin, the capital city of Toraltia.
He didn’t expect them to take him off university grounds, but they escorted him into a carriage. Sam didn’t know his way around Tolloy, and soon he had no idea w
here the carriage was headed. None of them said a thing to him while they traveled, but groused about their jobs as if Sam wasn’t traveling with them.
It disgorged him at some kind of dreary government building. One of the guards accompanied him while the other two left to return to the university.
“Why are you the lucky one who stays?” Sam asked.
The guard snorted. “Seniority never hurts, does it?” He opened the door for Sam. “Inside.”
Sam just about didn’t move when he read the lettering painted onto the glass door leading into the structure: Vaarekian National Intelligence Agency.
“Am I being abducted?” Sam asked his escort.
The man shook his head. “Not for the moment, young man. It all depends on how you answer our questions.”
He led Sam to a counter. “University foreigner for questioning.”
The guard slapped Sam’s papers on the counter and left, walking to his left through a set of double doors. Probably to the commissary, Sam thought.
The man at the counter snapped his fingers, and a young man in a simpler version of the uniform hustled to the desk. “Captain Gortak.” The man’s eyes never left Sam’s. “You can sit over there,”
Sam did as he was told. He didn’t understand why they didn’t just talk to him at the university rather than dragging him all the way to this building. He wished he would have brought Banna’s pocket watch with him, since there wasn’t a clock on the wall in the lobby of the Intelligence headquarters. Finally, an officer of some kind walked through the double doors to the right with two guards. These men had a more feral look about them than the guards at the university.
“Smith, I am Captain Gortak. Please stand.”
Sam did as he was told, and the two guards placed iron manacles that one of them had held behind his back on his wrists. “I haven’t done anything!” Sam said.
