“He does tend to make a fuss when he is kept too far away from us,” Rusty told him. “A quiet fuss, but he is one of those people who seem to be able to argue you into compliance without saying a word.”
In the end, it was Teresa who volunteered to move to the fifth floor much to Azerick’s surprise.
“I enjoy the exercise. I shall move my classroom from the basement to the other fifth floor room as well. That will allow the children to stretch their legs and burn off some of their pent-up energy on the way to class,” she primly told Azerick.
It did not take long for the army of children to unload the sleighs and cart it all into the study. Rusty and Colleen had packed nearly their entire bedroom into the open sleigh. They had a bed, wardrobe, dresser, and other living necessities in addition to a bassinet, all disassembled for transport. They even brought the cotton-stuffed mattress for which Azerick was immediately envious.
“I will have to get me one these,” Azerick said as he and Rusty carried it into the room so the kids would not risk dropping it in the snow. “Maybe if Allister is nice enough to me I might get him one too for his old bones.”
Azerick and Rusty both had a good laugh but was cut short by the old magus’s gruff voice. “Don’t you worry about my old bones. These old bones have been through even more than you can imagine, boy,” Allister growled as he climbed the last step up coming from the laboratory. “Of course, I would not refuse such a gracious gift if you were so inclined to have such commissioned,” he added with a grin.
“Done. I’ll get all the bedrooms of the keep furnished with one as soon as everyone goes back to work,” Azerick promised.
Alex and Jansen decided to share the room on the second floor. They had struck up something of a friendship on the way north, and neither complained about having to sleep on a straw-stuffed pallet. All the beds that had been hastily built were set up and occupied by the children who slept in the two refurbished barracks, and Azerick doubted that the carpenters in town had any more wood to work with this late past the cutting season.
Azerick found out that Alex and Rusty had become good friends after he had left. Alex would often talk to Rusty and ask if he had heard anything about their missing friend. From there, they built a friendship that was strong enough for Rusty to trust Alex with their mutual friend’s whereabouts. Alex immediately volunteered, demanded, to be more accurate, to come along with them.
“So what are you going to do up here?” Azerick asked when Alex said he intended to stay in the north awhile.
“Well, I see a lot of kids around that could use some fighter training. If you plan on opening your own school, I could help train the martial side of it.”
“Sure, that would be great. Zeke has his hands full with the bulk of the students and would love any help he could get.”
“Now tell us what happened to you while you were gone,” Rusty demanded.
Azerick told his tales of woe and of triumph once again. The telling seemed to be getting a little easier with each repetition, but he still could not hide the pain of Delinda’s loss. His friends expressed their sympathy while Colleen openly wept and held him like a sister he never had.
Rusty saw the changes that had been wrought in his best friend. In many ways, he was the same old Azerick; strong, willful, independent, and cunning, but he also saw a coldness behind his eyes that was absent before, or at least not such a large part of his character. He saw not the boy who would do what he had to do to survive, but the man that would and could kill in an instant to protect what was his without hesitation or remorse.
He was not afraid of this man but afraid for what he may do to others if provoked. Rusty was also afraid of the toll that something like that would take on his friend.
CHAPTER 11
Duchess Mellina sat upon her seat of power in the spacious audience chamber listening to a report from her Captain of the Watch.
“You are certain of this, Captain?” the Duchess asked.
“Yes, Your Grace. Several of my men witnessed the magus ride into the city several weeks ago and leave shortly after a mass exodus of many of the city’s homeless. Most all of them street were children with a handful of adults mixed in,” the captain reported, standing rigidly at attention.
“And why am I just now hearing of this exodus, Captain?”
The watch captain swallowed before responding. “Your Grace, the reports were written up by the watch commander on duty and sent through the magistrate’s office. Due to the weather, the clerks were not at work, and several reports were backlogged. The watch commander on duty did not feel it was important enough to bring it personally to your attention at the time. It was not until the patrol reported further unusual activity at the magus’s tower that the first report was brought to my attention, at which time I investigated the magus’s activities within the city and came to you with a full report.”
“Damn bureaucracy,” the Duchess muttered, rubbing her temple with her first two fingers. “And do we know what his intentions are with so many of my less fortunate citizens?”
“My men questioned several vagrants as well as shopkeepers within the city. A few of the vagrants reported they had heard that the magus had offered food and shelter to see them safely through the winter. Some of the bakers, butchers, and the miller report having delivered a large quantity of food to the keep. The labor guild also reported that they had sent numerous carpenters to the keep just before the first significantly heavy snows fell. They built over a hundred beds and made repairs on two buildings that were once barracks or servant quarters of some sort, Your Grace.”
Lady Miranda smiled. “I think that is wonderful news, Mother. You were so worried about the poor folk, especially the children. Don’t you think it is wonderful?”
The Duchess ignored her daughter for a moment. “Do we have any knowledge as to the disposition of those who left the city for the magus’s keep?”
“No, Your Grace, but one of my road patrols spotted two sleighs traveling north just yesterday. They bypassed the city, so I must presume they were bound for the keep. No one would be foolish enough to travel beyond the northern border at this time of year even if the pass was not impossible to cross, which it is,” the captain answered.
“Thank you, Captain, please let me know if you come upon any further information,” Duchess Mellina ordered and dismissed him.
“Is that not wonderful news?” Miranda repeated.
Mellina sat tapping a manicured finger against her chin as she thought through all of the implications of Azerick’s doings.
“Wonderful? Yes, it is good news for my citizens, but it makes me look like a fool and completely inept as a leader.”
“Mother, you should not be so cynical. Your people love and respect you.”
“Miranda, you must learn to look at all angles of a situation if you are to be a good leader. On the surface, the magus’s actions appear completely humanitarian and benevolent, and they may very well be. However, they may also be a prelude to the usurpation of my authority in a long-term plan to take my throne.”
“Mother, he is not that kind of man,” Miranda insisted.
“Are you so sure, child of mine? Recall your first meeting with the magus. He stood by and watched several men die before he stepped in to render assistance. He turned one of my nobles into a donkey creature, and yes, it was only for a couple of days, and the man was extremely rude. He also threatened a contingent of my guards, and yes, the sergeant was rude as well. In your dealings with the man, what is your judgment of his character?”
“I am not certain, Mother. He is a complicated man and hides his emotions well.”
“So here is where we stumble upon the very problem. We have a powerful but reclusive wizard who, through his act of kindness, will have won over the hearts of many of my citizens, and not just those he sheltered. How many will look favorably upon him when they hear of his benevolence compared to my actions and abilities during this brutal winter? How many
pockets has the magus filled with his gold, where did he come upon such a vast hoard, and what is he doing with those children? Indoctrinating them into his own personal army?”
“Of course, Your Grace!” Captain Brague shouted. “He could subvert them then release them back into the city to spread dissent to undermine your authority and raise his own standing in the eyes of the populace!”
“Precisely. You see, Miranda, Captain Brague understands the intricacies of politics and being a cautious leader,” Mellina told her daughter.
Encouraged, Captain Brague took a step forward, his armor squealing in protest. “Or he may be a necromancer and is turning them into nearly indestructible undead creatures.”
“Yes, thank you, Captain.”
“Or transforming them into hideous monsters with the strength of ten men to lay siege to the city!” he zealously cried, his armor screeching loudly in affirmation.
“Thank you, Captain; that is quite enough.”
“Or maybe he is using them in some foul sort of blood rite to summon a horde of demons from the bowels of the abyss!” the captain continued undeterred, shouting with zeal while his armor screeched in protest.
“Yes, Captain, we get the point, now shut up! And see to getting your armor repaired. That noise pierces my brain like an ice pick shoving through my ear.”
“Yes, Your Grace, my apologies, Your Grace. I have been to the armorer several times, but he has yet to discern the problem.”
“Then go see him again.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Miranda was distraught and a little angry at everyone’s portrayal of Azerick as a monster. “Surely you do not believe this nonsense, Mother. You met him.”
“Oh relax, Miranda, of course I do not, but these are the things a responsible ruler must think of. The fact remains that the magus has done more to protect the citizens of North Haven than I, their proper leader, has. So what are we to do to improve our standings with our people?”
Captain Brague stepped forward once more with a squeal of metal on metal. “Let me take two score of guards and arrest him for treason, Your Grace,” he begged.
Both women turned an icy glare onto the captain and his obnoxious armor. “The magus has done nothing treasonous, Captain,” Mellina informed him.
“Sedition?” he asked hopefully.
“No, Captain.”
“Unlawful assembly?”
“You may go, Captain Brague,” the Duchess said. “Miranda, I want you to go see our Minister of Treasury and withdraw enough funds to purchase vast quantities of bread and anything needed for making enough soup to feed everyone at least once a day, preferably twice a day for those who do not have enough food for their families. If there is not enough gold in the treasury, have the treasurer borrow it. I will not have my people starve or think me compassionless for their plight.
“I also want hunters to scour the forests for game. I know meat is scarce, and we need all they can bring in. Have the magistrate draw up a proclamation ordering all taverns, inns, and stables to provide shelter in their common rooms for one adult or two children for every fifty square feet of floor space. The owners will be paid ten copper shills for every person they allow to sleep in their common rooms and five shills for the use of their stables per night to be paid from the city treasury. I do not want the guilds accusing me of filling their establishments with non-paying customers.
“The inns and any other establishments with large kitchens will also act as the distribution points for the bread and soup. The magistrate will create a census bureau to verify the accuracy of each establishment’s compensation claim and warn them of the severe penalties for padded or fraudulent claims,” Duchess Mellina ordered. “We are broke enough as it is.”
“That is a brilliant plan, Mother. This is why the people love you,” Miranda told her mother.
“You may not think so when I start pawning off your inheritance to pay for it all.”
Lady Miranda raced from the hall to enact her mother’s relief plan.
The screeching of metal announced the return of Captain Brague. “Your Grace, I found an article of law regarding anyone wearing the color royal blue and who is not in the immediate royal family. It is an old law, but it is still legally on the books, and the penalty is quite severe. I am almost certain I saw the magus wearing a royal blue shirt once,” the Captain said, holding open a thick tome and marking a passage with his finger.
Duchess Mellina buried her face in her hands, rubbed her throbbing temples with her thumb and two middle fingers, and brushed the captain away.
***
The next two weeks passed far more smoothly than all the previous ones even with the extra people in the keep. It was directly because of the extra help that things became more organized and controlled. With the magic students divided between three instructors and Colleen graciously volunteering to teach a general education class, everything ran better.
Zeke and Ewen were ecstatic to have Alex’s help in teaching fighting forms. Even the quiet bodyguard, Jansen, started working with the arms instructors after a couple of days. With the smaller class sizes, the learning pace of most of the children increased accordingly. The clack of wooden swords and bright orbs of light of various hues flying about the keep was now an almost constant occurrence.
Azerick and his friends were seated in the dining hall enjoying a small repast on one of their few days off from teaching. Wolf walked in from the kitchen munching on a piece of bread with Ghost faithfully at his side.
“Hi, Wolf, I am surprised you are not out playing with the others,” Colleen said.
“I was, but I saw a bunch of riders coming up the road, so I thought I would tell Azerick and, since I was here, grab something to eat.”
“Could you see who was coming?” Azerick asked.
“A bunch of soldiers, and I am pretty sure the princess is with them.”
“A princess!” Colleen exclaimed.
“She is not a princess, Wolf, she is the Duchess’s daughter,” Azerick corrected. “It is probably Lady Miranda,” he told Colleen.
“I have to change, I look dreadful! I cannot be seen by a noblewoman wearing this old sack dress!”
“I bought you that dress,” Rusty reminded his wife. “I thought you liked it.”
“Oh, it is fine for you, but the daughter of the Duchess is important! I have to go change.” Colleen waddled quickly out of the hall to her room.
Rusty turned a gloomy look toward Azerick. “I thought I was important.”
“You are important to me, Rusty,” Azerick replied cheerfully.
“Maybe you should have married Azerick,” Alex suggested with a laugh.
Azerick shook his head. “I doubt I am nearly as good a kisser and I hate to cuddle.”
“Well I guess we all have to settle,” Rusty shot back.
“You better not let Colleen hear you say you settled, or you will be sleeping out in the main hall with the kids, if you are lucky enough that she does not toss you out into the snow,” Alex warned.
“Well, let us go and see to the princess,” Azerick suggested and stood up.
“I thought she was a duchess?” Rusty asked as they all walked toward the main hall.
Azerick rolled his eyes. “Trust me, Rusty; they all think they are princesses.”
The first thing Miranda noticed were all of the children playing in the snow before they stopped to watch the procession of horses plowing through the hip-deep snow. Captain Brague insisted on sending a full score of palace guards, but Miranda and her mother had finally talked him down to ten. She felt ridiculous with even half so many.
Miranda and two of her guard detail climbed the few steps to the portico, insisting that the others wait outside. At a nod from Azerick, Jansen opened the door when one of the guards knocked a second time. Azerick did not want them to think he was waiting to greet them. Was it an infantile display of authority? Probably, but he did not care. Nobles needed to be knocked down a peg
whenever possible.
Miranda strode through the open door with her two guards following closely behind her. Miranda wore a white fur jacket with a hood as well as a white pair of fur-lined trousers. The supple leather was oiled to help waterproof the material. Azerick had to admit to himself that she looked good in that outfit, and the fit of the trousers complimented her figure surprisingly well.
“Greetings, Magus Azerick, I hope I am not imposing,” Miranda greeted with a warm smile.
“Good day to you, Lady Miranda.” He returned the greeting politely but not the smile. “I would like to introduce you to my friends Franklin, but we all call him Rusty, Alex, and Jansen. Magus Allister has also decided to grace us with his presence, but he is tinkering in the laboratory.”
Miranda greeted Azerick’s friends as he introduced them. “Magus Allister, did he teach at The Academy in Southport?”
“He did, but he is on sabbatical for the time being.”
“I believe I recall seeing him at the banquet that was held there a few years ago. He was involved in a bit of a ruckus if I remember correctly,” Miranda said thoughtfully.
“I am sure I wouldn’t know. I was not a student at that time,” Azerick replied, wondering if the heat he felt in his cheeks showed. “Was the good Captain Brague unable to grace us with his presence today?”
Miranda gave Azerick a conspiratorial smile. “The good captain seems to have a problem with his armor, refuses to leave the castle until he is able to repair it, and will not go out on official business without it.”
“What a pity. So what brings you to see me, Lady Miranda?”
Miranda’s answer was cut short as Colleen burst from her room wearing an elaborate gown, her hair done up, and a bit of rouge applied to her cheeks.
Rusty leaned over and whispered to Azerick. “It takes her three hours to get ready for me! They must do it on purpose to drive us mad.”
The Sorcerer's Path Box Set: Book 1-4 Page 87
