The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 2

by William D. Latoria

  THE JADE MAGE

  THE BECOMING:

  VOLUME 2

  WILLIAM D. LATORIA

  America Star Books

  Copyright

  © 2012 by William D. Latoria.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

  First printing

  All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  America Star Books has allowed this work to remain exactly as the author intended, verbatim, without editorial input.

  Softcover 9781627090544

  eBook 9781681227375

  PUBLISHED BY AMERICA STAR BOOKS, LLLP

  www.americastarbooks.com

  CHAPTER 23

  Two days passed, and Tartum didn’t see or hear from Elizabeth. For two days, he stayed in his room and studied his spells, practiced with his staff, talked with Vaund, and played with Buddy. When Tartum told Vaund about what happened, he was shocked. They sat in silence for a while as Vaund thought over what had happened. In the end, Vaund told him he was glad Tartum told her that. He thought it was good for someone to stand up to her and that maybe it was just what she needed to be a better person. His words made him feel better, and as if by crossing that bridge made a difference, Elizabeth and Savall appeared at his door.

  Tartum stood up to greet them. Savall was all smiles, and Elizabeth was all business. Tartum wasn’t sure if this was a good sign or if he was going to end up bleeding soon.

  “Hope you’ve enjoyed your time off, son! I’ve got your first mission, and I’m sending Lizzy with you to make sure it all goes smoothly. Understand, son, she’s going with you to help you get through this, but you’re ultimately responsible for the success or failure of your mission. If you fail, it’s not Lizzy that will answer to me, it’s you!” he kept a smile on his face the entire time, but his tone left no doubt in Tartum’s mind he was serious and that failure would cost him everything. The butterflies began dancing in his stomach again.

  “I understand, Boss, what’s the mission?” He replied. He tried his best to sound confident but wasn’t sure if he had succeeded. He really wished the butterflies would go away.

  “It’s a simple snatch and grab, son. The client is mad at her estranged husband and wants a jewelery box taken from his mistress. Elizabeth will take you to the home, you snatch the jewelery box, and get back here as quickly and quietly as you can. You should be in and out before the sun is up. Any questions?” Savall asked.

  “What does the box look like?” he asked. The butterflies were gone, and in their place was raw excitement. It took all of his will to force down the emotion, and even then he was beginning to shake. He found it very difficult to stand still and listen to the information Savall was giving him.

  “Good question, son! It’s a red metal box with gold arches along the corners and sides. Inside, the jewelery is mainly pearl necklaces, or at least that’s what the client seems to want the most. Just make sure you grab the box and anything with pearls you see. It shouldn’t be a difficult mission, son. You’ll be back in a few hours.” His tone indicated that he didn’t think much of this mission, and Tartum believed he probably only accepted it so Tartum could cut his teeth. The thought bolstered his confidence, and he was raring to go.

  “Got it, Boss! I’m ready to go now!” Tartum said. Looking at Elizabeth, he saw she was proud of him, but he could tell she had something to say. He didn’t want to deal with their argument now but knew that if he didn’t she would be moody and quiet all night. He hated it when women pouted, but he really did love her and not having her around for two days had left him feeling lonely.

  Savall nodded. “I’ll see you when you get back then, son.” with that he was gone.

  Tartum and Elizabeth locked eyes but said nothing, Vaund saw all of this and quickly excused himself, taking Buddy with him. Tartum began to speak, but Elizabeth interrupted him by speaking first.

  “I’m sorry for before, Sweetheart. I didn’t mean to upset you. Try to understand, I’m a woman tring to make it in a world that would sooner rape and kill me than give me a fair chance. When I feel that a man is challenging me or shows me disrespect, I get angry and have to disrespect them in order to stay alive. Please try to understand, I love you, Sweetheart, I won’t attack you anymore. I promise!” Her eyes were pleading, and Tartum’s heart broke at the amount of pain she was in.

  Walking over to Elizabeth, Tartum hugged her, she tried to be strong but melted into him and began to sob softly. “It’s ok, Elizabeth, it’s ok. I forgive you, and I’m sorry if I hurt you. I just couldn’t tolerate you treating me like that anymore. I understand you’ve had a rough go of things, and I understand why you’ve had to treat others like that to survive. You must remember though, I’m not those men, I’m not trying to rape and murder you. I’m the man that loves you, and as such I’d like to not get stabbed because I tease you a little. Ok, babe?”

  His words didn’t stop her sobbing, but if anything, increased its intensity. Not knowing what else to say, Tartum stood there holding her and letting her cry it out. He really did love her and hated to see her like this, but really he just wanted her to stop crying so they could get on their way to his mission. After a while, she stopped and looked up from his chest. “I love you too, Sweetheart! I love you so, so much! I won’t do anything to hurt you again, I promise! I love you!” She almost sounded frantic, but Tartum was touched by her words and quieted her with a soft and tender kiss.

  Pulling away, he smoothed her hair back and wiped away her tears. “It’s ok, Beautiful. It’s over now. Come on, let’s go rob some grubby bitch’s ill-gained jewelery box and make Savall proud.” he said with a grin.

  Elizabeth laughed, and just like that, she was her old self again, although, Tartum thought she was a little more clingy after her cry. “Ok, Sweetie, follow me!” she said and lead him out of his room by the cuff of his robes.

  …

  It was dark, and they had walked into the center of the residential district of Saroth. There was almost no light here but what the half-moon provided. When Tartum offered to use his staff, Elizabeth quietly told him no. She showed him to stay in the shadows and taught him how to step so he made almost no noise as they moved down the alleyways. Before they left, Tartum had cast his dome spell on himself and offered to do it for Elizabeth as well, but she had declined. She had said something about green not being her color, but Tartum couldn’t believe she was serious.

  They made it to the target’s house, and Elizabeth motioned for him to halt. As they crouched in the shadows, Tartum took the moment to inspect the side of the house he could see. It was a humble structure to be certain, made of stacked rocks and mortar. The thatched roof was in decent repair, and the front door looked sound. The one window he could see was stained glass and didn’t look like it opened. He saw no lights coming through the window and assumed it was because the resident was either asleep or not at home. Elizabeth motioned for them to move again, and they swiftly made their way to the opposite side of the house. Elizabeth put a finger to her lips, and Tartum nodded his understanding. Elizabeth peeked up through the window that they hid under and looked inside. After a moment, she leaned down and whispered very quietly in his ear.

  “The woman is home and sleeping. She’s not alone, Tartum. It looks like there’s a man in the bed with her. The home isn’t large, seems to be an entryway through the front door, a kitchen
area with a table, a wood stove, and the bedroom. You won’t have alot of hiding places if they wake up, and you are not to kill them or hurt them in any way. That’s not in the contract! You go in, and I’ll keep watch out here.” she said. Her tone was serious, and it got Tartum’s adrenalin pumping.

  Not seeing anyway in through the windows, he made his way to the front door. Peeking around the corner, he saw that there were a few people in the distance, but they seemed to be very drunk and paying little attention to anything other than themselves. He didn’t think they were likely to see him, but to be safe, he decided to cast his darkness spell. Opening himself up to the magic, he grabbed a handful of ash and began to infuse it.

  “Krekat-sijuwith!” he whispered. Throwing the ash between the drunkards and the door, Tartum was rewarded with a wall of blackness. Moving as quickly as he dared, he got to the door and swiftly picked the lock. He opened the door very slowly and stepped inside. He wasn’t sure if he should close the door behind him or not but decided not to risk anymore noise and left it open. He figured it would be easier with the door already open, to make a fast getaway should the need arise.

  The house was darker inside than it was outside, and he knew his darkness spell wouldn’t last long. As silently as he could, he kept low and snuck into the bedroom area of the home. He saw the man and woman sleeping in the bed. The woman’s face was very attractive, but her body and personal hygiene left much to be desired. The man was large as well and looked to be at least twenty years older than the troll he was sleeping with. His hygiene wasn’t much better than his partner’s, and Tartum found himself wondering what the client looked like, that was cheated on with something like that. Disgusted with both of them, Tartum looked around and found the red jewelry box on the dresser at the foot of the bed. Carefully, he inspected it and determined it was neither trapped nor locked. He decided to open the box to make sure the pearls were there, and as the lid opened, the box began to play music in a loud, happy tune. Tartum’s heart stopped, as he slammed the box shut and pulled the box off the dresser. He backed away terrified that the sound would wake the two sleeping fat people, and his mind raced on how to dispatch them. Moments passed like years, and Tartum couldn’t breathe, he was completely focused on the two fat people lying in the bed together. They didn’t wake up; instead the fat woman rolled over to her side and began to snore, loudly. Tartum almost burst into laughter as he strolled out of the house.

  “Of course they aren’t going to wake up, the fat sows can barely bother to wash themselves, let alone be awakened by anything other than a dinner bell.” he thought to himself.

  Tartum noticed that as he closed and relocked the door behind him that the drunkards were still across the street and still oblivious to everything going on around them. Giving them a wave that they also failed to notice, Tartum calmly walked over to where he had left Elizabeth and showed her the box. Elizabeth looked concerned by his less than stealthy approach, but Tartum quickly disuaded her fears with a wave of his hand and offered her his arm. Reluctantly, she took it, and he lead her away from the house with the box securely under his robes. When the house was well out of sight, Tartum leaned in, kissed Elizabeth on the cheek, and showed her the box. She looked confused, and so he opened it, the music began playing immediately, and a tiny dancing girl began to spin around inside. There were five pearl necklaces inside the box, as well as a few pearl earrings and rings.

  Elizabeth still looked confused, so Tartum closed the box and put it back under his robes. “I opened it inside the house. The happy couple simply rolled over and began snoring. They won’t notice it’s missing until they look for something to eat in the morning. I don’t see any reason for us to hide anymore. Savall was right. This was so easy.” He laughed at Elizabeth’s bewildered look. Holding onto his arm with both hands now, they walked in the moonlight towards the alley and the wall that would bring them home.

  …

  “And then she just rolled over and started snoring!?! You lucky son of a bitch! Well done, son, and congratulations on completing your first mission!” Savall said. He was gushing after Elizabeth and Tartum came back hours before they were expected.

  Tartum leaned back in his chair and smiled. “That’s right Boss, you should have seen the look on Elizabeth’s face when I came out of the house. I thought she was going to box my ears when I offered her my arm. By the way, thanks a lot for telling me the jewelry box was also a music box! If the marks had been more alert, I would have had one hell of a fight on my hands!” Tartum said. He was enjoying this, and from the looks of it, so was Savall.

  Holding his hands up in defense, Savall responded, “Hey now, son! That’s just part of the game. The clients don’t always tell me all the details, and it’s your job as a thief to adapt and overcome these types of situations when they pop up. Hell, I remember this one time, I was out on a solo mission to kidnap a kid. The client wanted to use the kid for ransom to stop some tax from being levied. Anyway, I find the kid, and he’s maybe twelve years old, the client had failed to mention that the boy was a world class fencer and before I know it I’m fighting for my life against a pint sized sword master! Needless to say I was able to subdue the boy and complete the mission, but God’s, man! Imagine having to explain to the guild healer how a twelve year old boy had cut me in ten different places. I think he was recruited into the guild a few years later, now that I think about it.” Savall trailed off, and Elizabeth and Tartum exchanged an amused look. Coming back to the present, Savall continued.

  “Anyway, son, you did great, and here’s your payment.” Savall opened the jewelry box and pulled two pearl rings out of it, seemingly at random. He looked them both over closely and then tossed them to Tartum.

  “Those two are real, son, keep ‘em for your magical crap, or sell them in town. I don’t care; they’re yours now. You’ve earned them! Now get out of here, you two. I have to get Tartum’s next mission together. I’ll probably come see you in the morning sometime, so be available.” he said.

  With that, they were dismissed.

  As Tartum made his way back to his room with Elizabeth, he inspected the rings. The pearls were about the size of marbles and an off-white color. They were on simple gold and silver settings and very feminine. The bands had been sized for very chubby fingers and so didn’t fit on any of his fingers. He held them both towards Elizabeth to offer her one.

  “You did half the work, it only seems fair to me you get to pick one, babe.” he said.

  Elizabeth looked down at the rings and wrinkled her nose. “No, sweetie, I don’t want those. Pearls aren’t my kind of jewelry. It’s a gaudy stone for the disgustingly rich or disgustingly fat. I prefer rubies or diamonds…in case you were wondering.” She smiled wickedly at him, as she said that. “No, you keep those and use them for whatever; I have a much more fun method of payment I mean to exact from you right now.” She said and began moving faster towards his room.

  Upon arriving in his room, Tartum was stunned to find Jeth sitting at his table, eating an apple. Looking up, he broke into a huge grin and stood up. Tartum’s hand instinctively went towards his pouches. Jeth saw the movement and looked alarmed.

  “Whoa, whoa Jade Mage! Relax! I come in peace! I just came by to see how your first mission went is all!” Jeth held up both his hands in a parody of innocence. Tartum lowered his hand from his pouches and moved it to his side but kept his guard up. Elizabeth walked into the room, and Tartum noticed she was positioning herself to flank Jeth.

  “Well, I appreciate your concern, Jeth. As you can see, it went very well, and I’m home safe. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re tired from the mission and would like to get some rest. Have a good night.” Tartum walked inside his room and gestured for Jeth to leave.

  Jeth began to chuckle as if Tartum had said something funny. “Going to sleep, you two, that’s funny! Ok, ok, ok! I’m leaving. Glad to see you’re back safe. Goodnight, you two, have fun…sleeping.” He said and walked out. Tartum made sure
to keep Jeth well out of reach of his pouches.

  After Jeth was gone, Tartum took a quick inventory of his room and determined nothing was missing or tampered with. Jeth’s visit had confused him, and he wished that Vaund hadn’t taken Buddy out of his room. When Rashlarr returned, Tartum was determined to have him teach him the spell that kept people out of the area unless they have a specific ring on. Jeth’s appearance after being gone so long unnerved him to his core. Elizabeth noticed his discomfort and offered him her support.

  “Sweetheart, he’s only doing it to mess with you. Don’t let him get to you. He’s a jerk, and no one likes him. Come on, forget about him. C’mere let’s go to sleep shall we?” Elizabeth began to purr, and Tartum’s anger and confusion were put aside for some warmer and friendlier emotions.

  …

  Tartum was up early the next morning and quietly washed up while Elizabeth slept. Scrounging up a simple breakfast, he ate fast and gathered up his staff and components, satisfied he had everything he needed, he made his way to Rashlarr’s room, only to find he still wasn’t back. He waited around, hoping that he would show and spent the time looking around at the treasures on his shelves. Tartum was very careful to not touch or disturb anything, out of fear that to do so would result in instant death or worse. There were many dead and dried small animals along most of his shelves. What he used them for, and why he had so many, eluded Tartum’s imagination. Rashlarr had a bookshelf that was as tall as he was and twice as wide. All the books were thick leather-bound tomes, and Tartum could understand the words of only a few. None of the titles jumped out at him, it was the books with writing on them he couldn’t understand that sparked his interest the most. One book in particular seemed to be bleeding yet left no puddle of blood under it, nor did it stain the books that were against it. The language scrawled across the spine was jagged and twisted. Tartum longed to open it and see what secrets it held, but his fear of Rashlarr’s traps kept his hands at bay.