by Ben Wolf
Pa’s eyes had found Aeron again, and a fury the likes of which Aeron had never seen simmered within them. But lines of sadness deepened the wrinkles on his worn face as well. Aeron didn’t know what to make of it.
Pa cleared his throat. “Are you done?”
Aeron stilled his breathing and wished he’d had one of the purple-striped shrooms. His anxiety level was threatening to go volcanic.
“Yes,” he said.
“Because I wasn’t finished.”
Aeron sighed. Of course you weren’t.
Pa looked down again. “I know I’ve not done well by you as your father.”
Understatement of the ages.
“And I know I’m harder on you than I probably ought to be.”
Aeron squinted at him. Obviously.
“And if I’m honest with myself, I know you haven’t deserved that treatment.”
Aeron blinked and leaned back. What?
“I—I should’ve done a lot of things differently. But I didn’t. And I regret it.”
What’s happening? Am I dreaming? Am I high right now?
“And while I can’t change the past—nor would I, if I could…”
Oh, never mind. That’s the Pa I know. He’s back.
“…I can still try to change the future.” Pa paused, folded his weathered hands, and leaned with his forearms against the table. He met Aeron’s eyes. “So I’m going to try to help you get your wyvern back.”
Chapter Five
Aeron’s mouth hung open for a full minute of silence. Maybe longer.
Pa glanced around the kitchen. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something?”
Aeron blinked back tears and shifted in his seat. “I, uh…”
Pa waited.
“I… I don’t know what to s-say, really.” Aeron sniveled, and a tear escaped and rolled down his cheek.
“A damned ‘thank you’ would be nice,” Pa said, his voice flat.
Aeron chortled, then his lip started quivering. He didn’t know if he could even get the words out. “Th-th-thank… thank you.”
Pa nodded once, then he sat upright. “Don’t get too excited. I do well at the shop, but I’ve got limits. I can’t go past, say, 2,000 gold without having to sell off property or equipment.”
Aeron’s heart stuttered. “Gods, Pa. 2,000 is plenty. I think. I hope.”
Pa chuffed. “Yeah, I hope so too. I hope it’ll be a lot less than that. A lot less. I don’t know if I conveyed this thoroughly or not, but I think this is a stupid idea, and I’d rather not spend any more on it than I have to.”
Aeron chuckled and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Yes, you made that very clear.”
“And maybe this way, your mum can keep her savings, and your sister can keep some shadow of hope that she may one day find a husband.”
“Yeah.” Aeron nodded. “Maybe.”
They sat in numb silence for a moment, then Pa stood and said, “I’ve got to run by the shop to pick some things up before the auction. I’ll meet you and the girls there.”
Pa headed for the door.
“Alright.” Aeron stood, too. “Pa?”
Pa stopped and turned back.
“Thank you again. Seriously.”
And again, Pa just nodded once and didn’t say anything, then he walked out the door.
The auction took place in Capital Square, a sprawling opening in the center of the city used for commerce, large events like festivals and fairs, for citywide meetings, and as a rallying point for the army and civilians should the city ever be overrun.
Aeron had attended a handful of auctions before, always while on duty, but he’d never seen it this crowded—not for an auction, anyway. Throngs of people pressed each other within the square, talking, laughing, eating, and carousing.
The sight sent tingles ratcheting through Aeron’s nerves, and his anxiety spiked. The thought of someone jostling him by accident and hurting his back made him physically queasy. He craved his shrooms—they could’ve helped him deal with it all.
“Hey.” Kallie took him by his wrist. “It’ll be good, yeah? We’re here with you.”
Aeron nodded, and he took Mum’s extended hand also. She smiled up at him, one of the first genuine smiles she’d donned since his return.
“I can see the platform from here,” Mum said, her voice barely audible over the commotion. “Let’s make our way down there.”
Kallie led the way.
When they got there, Kallie found them a spot near the front.
“Hopefully your Pa will find us quickly,” Mum said. “I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m worried I’ll mess something up.”
“I’ve been to a few, Mum. We’ll be alright,” Aeron said. “What’s our maximum spend amount?”
“Pa said 2,000 gold from him,” Mum replied. “But I’ve got another 680 if we need it.”
“And I’ve got just shy of 800,” Kallie said.
Aeron and Mum gawked at her in unison.
“What?” she asked.
“Where did you come up with that much coin?” Mum asked.
“I have my ways.” Kallie covered her mouth, her eyes wide. “No, Mum. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not… uh…”
“Selling yourself?” Mum finished.
“No! I would never.”
“You’re damned right you would never,” Aeron said. “I’d strangle you.”
“She’s a good girl,” Mum said. “Mostly, anyway. I believe her.”
“Thank you.” Kallie shook her head and folded her arms. “I can’t believe you’d even suggest such a thing.”
“Well, I still want to know where all that coin came from,” Mum said.
“I’ll never tell. A girl needs her secrets.” Kallie winked at her and Aeron. “You didn’t tell us where you got your coin from, Mum.”
“A few thousand embroidered clothes, shirts, cloaks, pillows, towels, handkerchiefs, and more over the years,” Mum said. “Sold them to friends, took special orders. It adds up when you never have to spend any coin.” She looked at Kallie. “Your turn.”
Kallie’s lips pursed shut, then she said, “Sorry. I’m keeping my secret.”
“Oh, whatever.” Mum waved her hand. “How much do you have Aeron?”
“Not much. About a hundred. Little more, I guess.”
“So about 3,600, if we round up?” Mum said. “A fine sum. Well, if this falls through, I’m going to press your father to remodel the house.”
“For that amount, we should build an entirely new one, Mum,” Kallie said.
A loud clack-clack-clack sounded from the platform—the auctioneer smacking a wooden block against a lectern of some sort. The crowd hushed, and the auctioneer briefly explained the bidding process and then called for the first item to be brought out.
It was a black sail from a captured pirate ship near the port. It bore the traditional snake-eyes insignia of the Septerran, high seas pirates that terrorized the southern coastline. It stretched so wide that it took six soldiers and two ladders to properly spread it out for the crowd to see.
Aeron had seen sails like it a few times before while serving in the army and fighting enemies abroad and in Govalia’s ports, including the Septerrans themselves. It was an appealing item, and were he wealthy, he would’ve wanted to bid on it, but it didn’t measure up to getting Wafer back. Not even close. So he let it pass.
The auctioneer chased the bids, and Aeron noticed that those bidding held up small paddles. The sail sold to a bidder, and then the next item came out—a serpentine masthead from the same pirate ship as the sail. Bidding commenced yet again.
From behind, Aeron couldn’t see what was on the front of the bidders’ paddles, but when someone a few people back placed a bid on the masthead, he got a glance at it. The paddles displayed family crests and sigils.
Aeron’s family had neither a crest nor a sigil, nor did they have a paddle to put it on nonetheless.
“What are we going to do?” Aer
on asked. “We don’t have a paddle to signal with.”
“I guess we raise our hands? I’ve seen others doing that,” Kallie said.
“I see Pa.” Mum pointed at a bald head jerking through the crowd at about the same height as everyone else’s heads. “Kallie, would you go fetch him, please?”
She headed off, weaving toward him. They returned a few minutes later, and Pa grumbled something about having missed breakfast, and why were there so many people here because it’s just a stupid auction, and how long was he expected to stay?
“I wish I knew.” Aeron rubbed his back. All this standing was beginning to take its toll on him. “They’re bringing the auction items along that path behind the platform. I imagine they’ll somehow bring him down there, but I don’t know how long it will take until they get to him.”
“Then I guess we’ll wait.” Pa grunted, then he handed Aeron a bronze paddle. “You’ll need this. I’ve only used it once before, at one other auction. Use it well today.”
“This is fantastic.” Aeron held it up to get a better look at it.
“400 to the blacksmith,” the auctioneer called. “Do I hear 450?”
“What?” Aeron’s eyes widened. He glanced between Pa, Mum, Kallie, and the auctioneer. “I didn’t mean—”
Pa snatched the paddle from him and whacked his shoulder with it. A tinge of pain stung Aeron’s shoulder and spread to his back, then it subsided.
“Are you an imbecile?” Pa growled. “You’re going to bankrupt me on useless garbage.”
Another bid surpassed Aeron’s errant one, and then another overtook that one, and only then did Aeron begin to breathe easily.
An hour passed, then two. The hard ground continued to bother Aeron’s back, and he took to contorting his body and stretching however he could. He earned himself several peculiar glances from others in the square, but he didn’t care. If they hurt like he did, they’d be doing the same thing.
Kallie left for a few minutes and then returned with seared meat on sticks for everyone, and the smell of it set Aeron’s stomach rumbling.
It subdued his appetite but didn’t sate it, and he wished she’d brought him a second one. Fortunately, Mum let him finish the rest of hers.
After another hour and a half, Pa was ready to leave, and Aeron’s back was rebelling almost as badly as if he’d been working. But all his discontent faded when the auctioneer announced the last item of the auction.
Twenty lance-wielding soldiers guided four large horses pulling a massive, burlap-covered cart toward the platform.
The soldiers pulled the burlap covering from the cart, revealing a gigantic cage with thick bars and an unmistakable blue-green wyvern locked inside.
Wafer immediately locked his golden eyes on Aeron.
Chapter Six
A familiar rush of trust, comfort, and security filled Aeron’s chest. A fleeting warmth spread throughout his body in waves, not as hot as if he were riding Wafer, but more of a presence than he’d felt in weeks.
Relief. That was the best word for how he felt. His anxiety melted away the longer he stared at Wafer. Even his back felt better, though he knew it was more of an influx of optimism than actual, physical healing.
One of the soldiers prodded Wafer with a lance, and Wafer screeched and thrashed against the bars to no avail.
Their bond faltered, and Aeron’s anxiety returned. He couldn’t relax yet, not when there was an auction yet to be won.
The auctioneer announced Wafer in the most generic of terms, stating that he was a common wyvern who’d been trained for battle and bonded to a rider whose tenure with the army had come to an end. As such, now he was of no additional use to the army since he refused to cooperate with anyone else.
“So buyer beware,” the auctioneer concluded.
All in all, Aeron couldn’t have hoped for a better explanation of Wafer’s relative uselessness to anyone but him. He hoped it would be enough to dissuade anyone else from purchasing him.
The sight of much of the crowd recoiling at Wafer’s unveiling, including some of them even leaving, filled Aeron with additional hope. Fewer people around the auction platform meant less buying competition. Probably.
The auctioneer started the bidding at 300 gold pieces, which was even lower than Aeron had expected. He moved to raise the brass paddle, but Pa blocked his arm.
Aeron half-glowered, half-gawked at him.
“Wait. Let’s see how it shakes out,” Pa said. “It may be a better strategic move to come in late and buy him with an over-the-top price.”
Aeron squinted at Pa.
“Trust me. Like I said, I’ve done this once before.”
“Once.” Aeron scoffed.
“And how many times have you done it?” Pa fired back.
“I’ve been to at least five of these.”
Pa’s eyes narrowed at him. “Then we’re both rookies, at best. I’ve got coin, and you’ve got experience. We can work together.”
Aeron clenched his teeth but nodded. “Fine.”
Someone matched the initial bid of 300, and the auctioneer called for 350. Another bidder called it, and the bid rose to 400. They played back and forth for a few hundred more, and the interplay seemed to level out around 750.
The auctioneer called for 800, but the other bidder didn’t respond.
Pa nudged Aeron and nodded.
Aeron raised the bronze paddle, and Pa called, “One thousand.”
The auctioneer started, then he smiled. “Very well. 1,000 to the blacksmith. Do I have 1,100?”
Aeron searched the crowd for the other bidders, but enough people had lingered that he couldn’t spot anyone in particular.
“1,100, yes. Thank you,” the auctioneer called. “The bid is called at 1,100. Do I hear 1,200?”
Pa nudged Aeron again, and he raised the paddle as Pa called, “1,500.”
The auctioneer recognized it and called for more.
“1,700,” came the response.
“Do I hear 1,800?” the auctioneer inquired.
“Maybe those big jumps weren’t such a good idea after all,” Pa muttered.
“Yeah. Maybe they weren’t,” Aeron muttered back. He raised the paddle to signal 1,800 gold pieces.
“1,900,” came the immediate response.
Pa cursed, but he nudged Aeron a third time. “Go ahead and take it to the full 2,000.”
Aeron did.
“2,100,” called the other bidder.
Aeron’s hands started shaking. What was going on?
“It’s alright,” Mum said. “We’ve got more. We’ll put it to use if we have to.”
Aeron nodded and raised the paddle for 2,200.
“3,000,” came the counter.
Who the hell is bidding against me? Aeron scanned the crowd again, but he still couldn’t get a look at the bidder.
“Kallie, Mum, try to keep watch on the crowd. See if you can spot the bidder.”
They nodded.
Aeron called it for 3,100, and a call for 3,500 came back immediately.
“I see him!” Kallie pointed. “Well, I see where he is. I can’t tell who it is.”
Aeron craned his neck for a look, but he couldn’t discern anyone from anyone else around where Kallie was pointing. He turned to Pa. “If I call 3,600, we’re at our limit.”
Pa groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Then you’d better do it.”
Aeron swallowed and signaled it, and the auctioneer logged it.
“Do I hear 3,700? Sir?” the auctioneer extended his hand, palm up, in the same direction Kallie had been pointing.
He only got silence back.
“Sir, the bid is to you. Do I have 3,700?”
Please don’t bid more, Aeron pleaded. Please, please, please.
He locked eyes with Wafer again and smiled.
We’re close, buddy. So very close.
“4,000,” came the bid.
Aeron’s heart plummeted into his churning stomach. That was it
. He’d been outbid. They didn’t have enough. It was over. He stared at the ground in shock.
“4,500,” Pa’s voice tore through Aeron’s malaise.
Aeron jerked upright and looked at Pa as the auctioneer logged the bid. “You said 2,000 was your limit. Even with my gold plus Kallie’s and Mum’s, we’re still short.”
“I’ll find a way,” Pa said. “I always have, and I always will.”
“Pa, I can’t let you—”
“Shut up before I realize what a moronic thing I just did.”
“Sir, the bid is yours.” Again, the auctioneer pointed toward the mystery bidder. “Do I hear 4,600? Or perhaps 5,000?”
Pa moaned. “Don’t go there. Definitely don’t go there.”
“Very well. Going once,” the auctioneer crooned. “Going twice…”
Aeron held his breath.
Chapter Seven
“Ten-thousand gold pieces,” the mystery bidder called.
What?! Aeron’s legs shook, and he almost toppled over. Who would want Wafer so badly that he’d pay 10,000 gold pieces for him?
No wyvern was worth 10,000 gold pieces. Even the best wyverns sold for no more than 4,000-5,000, and Wafer was already bonded. It just didn’t make sense.
Aeron looked at Pa and hoped, but Pa shook his head.
“Sorry, but I’m not even worth that much,” Pa said. “The house, the shop, the forge tools and our combined cash wouldn’t even come close to covering that sum.”
Aeron’s last shred of hope fizzled to nothing.
The auctioneer called for other bids once, then twice, and then he pronounced the sale in favor of the other bidder without using his name.
Aeron didn’t bother looking back this time. Instead, he found Wafer’s sorrowful, golden eyes and begged for forgiveness.
“I never did see who bought him,” Kallie said as they walked home. “Couldn’t pick him out. Just saw a hand go up every other bid, but no face.”
Aeron processed her words and understood them, but right now, nothing could make him care. It was done. Over. He’d lost Wafer again, this time for good.
