She nodded her head. “Do you care to share it with us? Or do I call you ‘girl’ from now on?”
She looked down, then looked up after a moment of thought. “My name is Hazel.”
“Ok Hazel. Do you have a family?”
“My family died in the influenza outbreak 4 years ago.”
“So, you have been living on the streets since then?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well let’s get you settled in for the evening. I’ll get you something to eat, then you can sleep in my bed. Shadow and I will sleep out here in the main room.”
Roland fixed a meal the best he could. He didn’t have much more than trail food. She ate it all and looked like she was still hungry. “Sorry I don’t have more, or better, food for you. I just returned from a long journey, so I’ll get some better food tomorrow. Go on into the bedroom. You can sleep in there as long as you want. Don’t think you have to get up early.” She hesitantly went to the room. She was definitely scared that Roland might do something.
Shadow was feeling protective of her. That wasn’t normally what he would be feeling. Normally he divided people, animals, or monsters into two categories. Either they were hunters, or they were prey.
Roland pulled the blanket out of his pack and slept on the floor. Shadow curled up in front of the door to the bedroom.
The next morning, Roland arose early and went to the market. He picked up a good amount of food and brought it back to the house. He also brought in several buckets of water and filled his wash basin. He then fixed breakfast, waking Hazel with the tantalizing aroma.
“Good morning Hazel. I hope you slept well.” With the sun up she looked a bit older than she did the previous night. She was a very slight young girl. “Use the wash basin to wash up, then pull up a chair so we can have breakfast.” The wash basin was filthy when she finished. She gobbled through breakfast like a bear through a huckleberry patch.
“Listen, Hazel. Shadow and I have to go for a bit this morning. We have an appointment which we can’t cancel. You can stay here if you want, I’m not going to kick you out. If you want any food in the house, you can have it.” Roland cast Persuasion on her again. “Please don’t steal from me. I’ll help you as much as possible, but I need the things in this house. When I get back, I’ll purchase anything you need, just don’t take my stuff.” Hazel nodded her head in agreement.
Roland and Shadow were off. They went to the Mages Guild. Eli was a member of the Mages Guild. His wife, Evelyn, was on the Mages council and she was also an advisor to the king. Eli required both Roland and Shadow to appear in his office. He required them to be themselves, not having any Illusions cast upon them when they visited.
“Come in, Roland and Shadow. It is good to see you whole and healthy. I heard good things about your trip to Port Orchard.” Roland sat down in a chair across the desk from Eli. Shadow laid down against the entry of the door. “Has your Animal Bond been changing and developing?”
“Well, I think it’s kind of hard to say,” replied Roland. “We almost never have to communicate through thought. When we are out working, I know just what he is going to do, and vice versa. Sometimes I think he is more human than wolf and sometimes he thinks I’m more wolf than human. Does that answer your question?”
Eli paused before answering. “I sort of expected that, really. What I was hoping is that you are communicating with other animals. I think you are missing out on what other animals can do for you. For you to be able to get the most out of your Animal Bond, you need to practice with other animals. Just like the time you received help from the crow when scouting an area. Try that with maybe a rat or a bat. Bats can be very useful at night. Their ability to use echolocation to bounce sound off an object is just amazing. I read about an Elf who bonded with a bat. The bat lived just two years, but the elf picked up the bat’s ability to send out sounds and know what was ahead, even in absolute darkness. You might even try working with a larger animal, like a horse. Try communicating with other animals to see if you can get them to do something for you.”
Eli switched topics. “So what else have you discovered in your advancement in Illusion? Has your mother’s book helped any?”
“Her book has been a huge gift. I was a little surprised that Illusion goes beyond what I originally thought. I’m not sure I should talk about my skills from my mother, but I am progressing much further than expected. The only time I don’t have any Illusion going is when I’m in your office, or when I’m having dinner at your place,” Roland replied.
“Surely you don’t go around with an Illusion while you’re out in the woods or away from people?” Eli inquired.
“Yes, I have an Illusion cast on me at all times,” Roland responded. He even had an Illusion over his ring during this conversation. It was such a small Illusion, he was sure Eli couldn’t detect it.
“Well if you’re using your skill all the time, it is bound to go up in experience quickly. What level are you in the skill of Illusion, if you don’t mind me asking?” Eli asked.
“I’m an Expert Level 4.” He didn’t want Eli to know exactly how high his level was so he shorted the level by 4.
“My gosh, Roland! You’re only 18. Most people never reach an expert level until they are much older,” Eli said.
Roland replied, “Well, being in the Adventures Guild helps advance all my skills. Put yourself in danger and the levels increase quickly.”
“That brings me to my second point,” Eli said. “We would like to send you out on a few jobs. They will help determine your experience and skill. Nothing too difficult. It should help with your leveling. It will also help out knowing what you are capable of doing. See Imala every few days. She should have the job list we want you to do. Also, Warner was impressed with your work. He also said you need to learn how to pick locks. He had to have the lock on his window replaced recently.”
Eli handed a piece of paper to Roland. “This is an address of a person who will help you with mundane locks. You are expected to be at this address two hours after dark. No one should see you enter, or exit, this building. The individual is very skittish about helping you, but we caught him with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.”
Roland replied, “If he got caught why send me to learn from him?”
“Oh, we didn’t catch him with any mundane method. It took us a year to lure him out and into a magical trap. Believe me when I tell you he is better than anyone I’ve ever met getting in and out of places they shouldn’t.”
Roland and Shadow headed back to the house. He was hoping Hazel was still there for the fact he wanted to help her. She was doomed if she continued living on the streets. He picked up more food on their way home.
They walked in, finding Hazel sitting at the kitchen table right where they had left her. “Good to see you’re still here Hazel. We have some more food for you and I was hoping to speak with you.”
Hazel’s face showed a look of determination. “I’m not going to have relations with you.”
“Well I didn’t ask you to and I wouldn’t force you to. I just want to help you. You’re young, and living on the streets, someone would sooner or later force you. You look more like a young man, but your body is changing and staying on the streets isn’t safe for you.”
“Why would you help me? I’m an urchin. No one helps urchins,” said Hazel.
“I don’t know why, really. Last night when I heard that man speak to you, I knew I had to help you. I didn’t realize until after we took care of the situation that you were needing more help than I originally thought. But I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you any way that is possible to get you self-sufficient. In exchange, you keep my house in order, cook the meals, and clean my clothes. If I just let you go, I would feel responsible if something bad happened to you. My mother and father would expect it of me. I’m not around too much and I don’t need my clothes cleaned too often.”
“I don’t want to be a maid. If I’m a maid the same thing will
happen. Some man will hire me and then he will take me by force. It happens to the urchins all the time,” Hazel replied.
“Well, helping out here at the house is just to give you some responsibility while you’re here. Let me ask you some questions. First, can you read or write?”
Hazel answered, “I know my letters. I don’t really know how to read.”
“Can you count?” Roland asked.
“I can count. Every urchin can count. It’s a survival thing for us.”
“Do you have any type of trade or skill?”
“I can pick pockets well.”
Roland chuckled. “That isn’t the type of skill I would encourage. However, you might teach me that skill. You never know when that skill might come in handy. Did your family have any skills you remember?”
“I can’t remember. We lived in the area where you found me, so probably not,” Hazel answered.
“How old are you anyway?”
“I think I’m 14. I’m not positive but somewhere in that area.”
Roland pushed on. “Is there a skill you would like to learn?”
“I want to be a merchant. They never do without. I don’t want to be hungry again. I’m also good at bartering. I always get the most when we fenced the items I acquired pick pocketing”
“Hunger is a good motivator. Are you willing to work hard? If you’re good at bartering, you can do all the purchasing around here. I’m horrible at bartering. My charisma still isn’t up to 10.” Roland was looking a bit uncomfortable mentioning his lack of skill.
“I haven’t seen my skills screen yet but I’ve never heard of anyone with charisma under 10.”
“Well, just don’t tell anyone. My mother doesn’t even know it’s that bad,” Roland said. “Let’s go and get you some clothes. If you’re going to school, then you will need something decent to wear.”
“You’re not going to make me wear leather like you, are you?”
“What’s wrong with leather? I never thought about wearing anything else really.” Roland looked down and thought the buckskins looked like a decent set of clothes.
“Have you seen anyone other than a few adventurers wear leather here in the city?” Hazel asked.
“I never thought about it actually.” Roland was wondering how he was the one being interrogated.
“Really? Can I ask you some questions?”
“Sure, but I can’t say I will answer them.” Roland was starting to worry where this was going.
“Who are you, really? You show up out of nowhere and save me. One minute your dog is a shadow then it becomes a dog. You have leather armor I’ve never seen before and the leather clothes you have on are black. Where do you get black leather? Where do you come from that everyone wears leather?” Hazel had more than her fair share of questions.
“Well, my name really is Roland. I’m from Alondale Forest. My father is a forester and a member in good standing with the Forest Guild. My mother is the most beautiful woman in the world. We all wore leather. As far as finding you in the alley, I heard your cry. Shadow and I were taking a walk around the city. As for Shadow, he isn’t what you think.” Roland looked at Shadow and dropped the Illusion.
“It’s a wolf!!” Hazel cowered behind the table.
“A mountain wolf to be precise. He is my best friend so don’t cause him any problems. He likes you for some reason. He thinks of people as either hunters or prey. You, he thought, we should be protecting. So, consider yourself lucky.”
Roland continued, “As far as I’m concerned, I’m a member in good standing with the Adventures Guild. I am also registered with the Mages Guild. I have some unique skills. People are willing to pay me well for my skills. Just leave any more questions about skills alone. I’m gone a lot, so you will need to be self-sufficient. I’ll leave enough coins with you to get by. I expect an accounting of where you spent the money when I return from my jobs. If you’re going to be a merchant, then you will need to learn how to keep a ledger. As far as the black leather goes, it comes from the wings of a Manticore.” Roland smiled at his last statement.
Hazel’s eyes bugged a bit. “Manticore, as in the mythical creature? Bat wings, head of a man, and body of a lion?”
“They aren’t mythical. This one was about a week’s journey north of here. I’ve never seen another, but they have been mentioned in bestiaries for as long as books have been written. As far as my equipment goes, you should keep your hands off it. A few of my arrows have poisons on them. The arrowhead themselves, some are so sharp they go through armor like a knife through butter. So be careful. Keep your hands off my knives. Again, they are a little deadlier than the normal knives. The ones I carry on my hips anyway. The throwing knives, just don’t mess with them.” Roland tried to be intimidating about how important it was for her to stay away from his gear.
“How many knives do you carry? I only see the two.”
“More than most people.” Roland was being evasive. Again, the interrogation.
“That isn’t a very good answer. It’s only knives.”
“Well let’s just say most people would think me eccentric if they found out how many knives I carry. I think you have had enough questions for now. Are you ready to go get some new clothes?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had new clothes before.” Hazel had a look of eagerness.
They spent the rest of the afternoon looking for clothes. They ended up buying new shoes, too. They picked up one set of clothes so Hazel could wear them immediately. The rest had to be tailored for her. Roland had never needed his clothes tailored, but his armor was made special for him. The merchants seemed insistent that the clothes for Hazel fit well. They ended up buying a comb and brush and other sundry items. This outing was more expensive than he originally thought.
After asking around, they were able to find a teacher who gave private lessons. She would take lessons five days a week. The teacher, MS Saint, gave Roland a list of items to purchase. More purchases. It was a good thing he was wealthy.
Before they headed home, they stopped by the Adventures Guild. Imala was at the desk as usual. “Roland, I’m glad you stopped by.” She was all smiles until she saw Hazel. “Who is this young lady?”
“Imala, I would like to introduce you to Hazel. Hazel has become my ward. Hazel, I would like to introduce you to Imala. She is a very good friend of mine and she works here at the guild as the hostess.”
Hazel didn’t look happy and Imala certainly didn’t look happy. Something was going on but he didn’t think he wanted to ask either one what it was. “Well Imala, I was just checking to see if you had a message for me?”
Imala turned back around to Roland and put on a smile as if she had never frowned. “Yes, I happen to have a message for you. Mateo was in this morning. He was looking at the board. Were you planning on going out on another job so quickly?” She gave the message to Roland and he dropped her a silver piece.
“We all decided to take a break from anything big for a few weeks. If he comes back in, tell him to stop by the house, or leave a message for me with a time and place we should meet.”
“I’ll let him know Roland. Have a good evening.”
“You too, Imala.”
They left the guild and it was quiet for most of the way back to the house. Hazel broke the silence. “Is she your girlfriend? Were you trying to make her jealous by taking me there?”
“No. She is the hostess at the guild and she has always been nice to me. She delivers messages for me sometimes. I could tell neither of you were happy, but I have no idea why.”
Hazel looked up at him in astonishment. “You really are clueless. Oh, yeah, your charisma isn’t even 10. You really need to get that up higher. I’ll talk to Imala later.”
“What is that supposed to mean? Why do you need to talk with Imala?” Roland had a look of confusion on his face.
“Roland, get a little charisma, will you? Then we will talk about females. It is a good thing I’m here. I can at leas
t guide you in the right direction.” She went straight up the stairs leaving Roland more confused than ever. Shadow just shrugged and followed Hazel up the stairs.
Hazel put her things away as best as possible. She folded them up and piled them neatly on the floor. She came out to find Roland. “I think I need something to store my clothes in. It doesn’t seem right to put them in piles on the floor. You also need to get a bed. I don’t want to sleep in your bed while you sleep on the floor.”
“Maybe tomorrow we can do that. What do you think you need? I keep everything in a pack. I always have. My mother had a chest of drawers. Would that work?”
“That would be nice, Roland.” She stood there for a moment with her head down. “Roland, I do appreciate all you’ve done for me. I still can’t believe this is happening. I mean, I was starving to death one day ago, then the next I have nice clothes and food. Then, you send me to school. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”
“If you become a successful merchant, then you can help me out. I’m not very good at finances. I really don’t need money. I can live off the land and I have very little use for cities. They are convenient, don’t get me wrong. I have to get away on occasion just to get away from the crowds. Do we have a deal?”
“It’s a deal. If there is anything I can do for you in the future I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
After eating dinner, Roland started putting on his armor. He looked at his message from the guild. It was a job. He was to break into a house of a member in the Merchant’s Guild and look for a ledger. The ledger he was looking for was black, with a red stripe across the cover on both sides. He was to take it, if he found it. Simple enough. He would go there after his training.
He had to be at the house indicated in the message for his training. Shadow would follow along but he would stay hidden unless something went wrong. Hazel took an interest in his preparations. “Are you going to save another urchin tonight?” she asked.
“Probably not. I have other things to do tonight. If I can disrupt a thief or a thug while I’m traveling, I will. But tonight, I have other things to do.”
Caged: Book 2 Of the King's Hand Series Page 2
