Wielder's Awakening

by T. B. Christensen

  Hank and John turned into one of the smaller warehouses. A short, balding man was waiting for them just inside the large doors.

  “I was wondering if you fellows were going to make it or not. I have some weavers that will be glad to know your shipment has arrived. You’ve brought the first shipment of wool that’s come into the city since the bandits started raiding the highways. It’s unfortunate, but it means more money for us,” he said with a wide grin. “By the way, who’s the boy? He isn’t one of yours is he?”

  “Oh, sorry,” John replied. “This is Traven. He was traveling with us. He’s headed to a merchant school in Calyn. Traven this is Mr. Sottle. He has been doing business with our family for years.”

  Traven shook the old man’s hand and followed as he led them up some stairs to where he lived. Hank and John continued to talk with Mr. Sottle as Traven followed them into a small room and sat with them. He didn’t really pay attention to what they were talking about. He was tired, and they were discussing boring things like wool prices and quality. The room was not as small as Traven had at first thought. It only seemed small in comparison to the rest of the building. On the far side of the room there was a small table covered with papers where it appeared Mr. Sottle did his clerical work. There was also a small dinner table and a wood carving of a hawk in flight. The eyes of the hawk glittered back at him, and he realized that they were actually jewels. As he took a closer look around the room he realized that Mr. Sottle was definitely not a poor man. The legs of the table were spidered with veins of gold, and the fragile looking vases around the room suddenly took on another meaning. He could now see all of the treasures displayed around the room. Maybe he really would be wealthy once he completed merchant school. He was pulled from his thoughts abruptly by something Mr. Sottle was saying. They were no longer discussing boring subjects but were talking about the bandits.

  “I can’t say how many there are out there, but there are definitely enough to slow down trade. Baron Gregor has been sending out troops to clean them up, but only a few lone thieves have been found. If you ask me, I don’t think that the problem is just a bunch of groups of ragtag bandits. I think it is an organized group of them. The group can’t be too large though or they would be easier for the baron’s troops to find. Then again, there has to be quite a few together, because they’ve overpowered a merchant train that had over twenty guards, and they also overpowered a small detachment of soldiers that went out scouting at night. I haven’t seen it this bad in a long time. It probably has something to do with the army that’s supposedly being raised in Balthus. Bandits are beginning to think that just because the Empress of Balthus is allowing an army to be raised, that the High King, may he live long and prosper, will let them do that here. The royal army of Kalia is bulking up just in case there are any problems. Baron Gregor has sent to Calyn for some troops to help his own soldiers stop anything here before it gets out of hand. Hopefully things will be back to normal in a couple of weeks.”

  “I hope so too. What’s the world coming to when you can’t travel safely without a stinking army to protect you,” Hank spat. “Bandits or not, I’m still going to head home tomorrow. I’m not going to sit around in the city for weeks waiting for Baron Gregor to get the troops he needs to clear out the bandits.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If you guys made it here without any problems I think that you can make it back safely. If I were you, I would leave tomorrow as soon as the gates open up and get as far away from the city as you can before stopping for the night. Most of the attacks have occurred north and west of the city. With luck you won’t run into any bandits, and even if they see you, you won’t have anything of value to entice an attack.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope so. As for the price of sheepskin, I wouldn’t mind if they stay the same. If they do, I’ll be able to . . .”

  Traven quit listening again. Bandits everywhere! That sounded more like adventure than sleeping in the rain. Too bad they weren’t attacked by some on the way to Kavar. He would have taken his hunting knife and, and . . . well he would have done something. He paused in thought. Maybe it was better that they hadn’t run into any bandits. He was not sure how good his hunting knife would have been against a group of thieves. What he needed was a sword. Yeah, he definitely needed to get a sword. With a sword he would be able to fight against the bandits. If they came upon him, he would unsheathe his sword and put an end to those foolish bandits who tried to attack him. He would slice and dice and . . .

  “Helloooo in there.” Traven jerked out of his thoughts and noticed that all three of the men were staring at him. It was John who had addressed him. “Are you just going to sit there all night staring off into space with that stupid grin on your face? I don’t know about you, but I’m tired and want to get to an inn so I can get some real sleep before I leave in the morning.”

  “Sorry,” Traven said as he jumped out of his seat and followed them back down the stairs. The wagon was already unloaded even though he had never seen the workers in the warehouse who had unloaded it. The workers must have done it while they were upstairs talking. Hank took the gold coins that Mr. Sottle handed him for the sheepskins and put them in a large leather pouch at his belt.

  “I don’t care how safe it’s supposed to be in the city. I never let my gold out of sight. You remember that Traven and you’ll never get it stolen.”

  “That’s true enough but make sure you don’t go walking down dark alleys or you’ll get more stolen than just the money you’re displaying for everyone to see,” John chuckled.

  With all of the business taken care of, Hank and John shook hands with Mr. Sottle and led Traven back out of the warehouse and onto the street. Night had crept up on the city and engulfed it in darkness while they had been in the warehouse. All of the buildings around were dark and there was no one to be seen out and about on the streets. Traven muffled a yawn with his right hand as he started Dapple down the street after Hank. The shepherd led them down the streets, turning every few minutes. He told Traven that all of the good inns were toward the center of the city and with all the money he had just gotten he was going to get a very comfortable bed and some very good food. Traven followed in silence as they made their way through the city. The moon only gave off a little light, and most of the buildings that they passed were bathed in shadows. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he was almost certain that some of the buildings that towered over the street were at least four or five stories tall.

  At last Hank turned the final corner, and Traven found himself in a large square. He could make out in the darkness a statue in the center of the square. On the far side rose an immense building to rival the warehouses in size. John told him that it was the baron’s palace and it was a sight to see in the daylight. Across from the palace there were several large inns with their doors wide open, spilling light into the square. Hank headed for one of the smaller ones.

  “I may have quite a bit of money right now Traven, but believe me, if I went into one of those bigger inns, I would have to spend almost all of it. By the way, do you have enough money for the inn John and I are staying at? There are several inns that are a lot more affordable down that side street over there.”

  “I’m pretty sure I have enough,” Traven replied, thinking of all of the gold coins his grandparents had sent with him.

  He figured he had enough to stay at one of the biggest inns. It couldn’t really cost as much as Hank had implied. With Traven’s reassurance that he had plenty, they took their horses into the stables to the right of the inn that Hank had chosen. Several stable boys scrambled quickly down from the loft to take the horses.

  “Make sure that they get really good care. And give them each some good oats.” Hank tossed the stable boys a silver and then left the stables and headed for the front of the inn.

  Traven could not make out the name of the inn in the dark but could see a picture of what appeared to be a blazing fire on the sign above the door. As they
entered the common room of the inn, they were bathed in the music of laughter and the sweet aroma of hot food. There were people everywhere milling about the common room. Hank led them to one of the only empty booths along the side of the room. With the smell of warm food, Traven realized how hungry he was. His stomach growled as soon as they sat down. A plump serving woman with a welcoming smile was soon at their table asking what she could do for them. Hank and John ordered a mug of ale and a roasted pheasant each. Traven thought it sounded pretty good and decided to order a roasted pheasant as well with his hot apple cider. He glanced around the room and looked at all of the different people. They all appeared to be wealthy merchants by the look of them. A few even appeared to be Balthuns. They all seemed to be better dressed than he and his companions.

  Traven was promptly interrupted from his study of the room with the appearance of the food he had ordered. Hank slipped the waitress a tip, and she grinned and bobbed a curtsy before wandering off to another table. The food looked so inviting. Traven dug in immediately. Around the pheasant there were potatoes and other vegetables that he devoured first. After taking a long drink from his mug, he swiftly made the pheasant disappear. Soon all that was left on his plate were bones and a little juice from the tender pheasant. With the weight of the food in his stomach and the warm cider in his belly, his eyelids began to droop. He shook his head. He could not fall asleep yet. He had just barely gotten to the city. Yet, despite all of his determination to stay awake, he slowly began to fade away.

  “Looks like I’m not the only tired one,” John said with a yawn. “Come on Traven. Let’s go find us some rooms.”

  Traven slowly got to his feet and followed Hank and John over to the innkeeper. He was a very skinny man with only a little grey hair left on his head, but he had on a polite smile as they approached him. Hank told the innkeeper that they needed two rooms, and they were soon following him up the stairs and down a hall brightly lit by oil lamps along the walls. The innkeeper stopped at the end of the hall. He opened the last two doors and turned to them.

  “I’m sorry that these aren’t the best rooms in my inn, but they should be comfortable enough. All of the inns in the city are unusually full for this time of the year. There have been a lot of people coming into the city from the countryside because of the bandits, and many of the merchants are content to just stay here until the trouble has all been cleared up. Anyway, I hope that you fellows have a comfortable night’s sleep.”

  With that, the innkeeper turned and walked back down the hall. Hank and John wished Traven pleasant dreams. They also told him goodbye and that it was nice getting to know him. They would be leaving early in the morning.

  “I hope you make it to Calyn safely. Don’t leave the city by yourself or you’re almost sure to be attacked by these bandits. You should be able to find a merchant caravan that will be leaving soon for Calyn. It would be best to travel with one of them for protection.” After a few more suggestions, Hank and John disappeared into the room on the left with a final goodbye for Traven and a wish that his journey went well.

  Traven turned to the door on the right and went in. It was too dark to really make out much of the room, but he did not bother to light any of the candles in the room as he shut the door behind him. He slipped his belongings onto the floor in the back corner of the room and almost didn’t even take the time to slip out of his traveling clothes before dropping onto the luxuriously soft bed. It was bigger than the one he was used to sleeping on at home, and he stretched out contentedly on it. After a few seconds he slipped under the covers, and before he could even plan all of the wonderful things he was going to do in the morning, he was fast asleep.

  6

  Traven’s eyes shot open. Someone else was in his room. He stayed completely still and listened. To the right of his bed he could hear quiet breaths of air. Just in time he saw a flash of metal bearing down on him. He rolled over with lightning speed as the blade embedded itself in his pillow sending feathers flying into the air. Traven shot out of his bed and ran out the door. He continued as fast as he could down the hall, stairs, and out of the silent inn. Behind him he could hear the footfalls of his pursuer getting closer. He had to run faster!

  He turned down a street and then down another, pumping his legs as fast as he could. Glancing back, he saw the thin tower rising in the distance. It rose out of the billowing fog, standing majestically as a black void in the night sky. Traven turned away from the dark tower and continued on. Buildings stood silently on both sides of the avenue until they were stopped abruptly by a grand plaza. He turned down a side street between two large buildings before reaching the plaza. Someone was following him, but something else was pulling him along. He had to find it. It was important. Emerging from the shadows in between the large buildings, Traven found himself in a small clearing. In front of him rose a steep hill. In its side lay the opening of a cave. The cave pulsed, calling to him. He walked towards it expectantly. Just as he reached the entrance, a sound behind him reminded him why he had been running. His pursuer had caught up with him. Traven turned just in time to see the sword being thrust into his stomach!

  Traven shot up in bed with sunlight streaming through his window. He sighed with relief as he tried to calm his breathing. It had only been a nightmare. He let his body drop back down and stretched out in the comfortable bed that he was lying on. He had not slept in something so comfortable in all of his life. Despite the nightmare, he was feeling quite refreshed. With the light streaming through the window, he was able to get his first real look at the room. There was a large, dark wardrobe carved with designs all over the front against one of the walls. On the other side of the room there was a washstand with a large mirror and a bowl full of water to clean up with. Underneath the window there was a sturdy chair padded on the seat with a fluffy cushion. He wondered what the other rooms in the inn looked like if this was one of the worst. This inn must have really been as good as Hank had said the night before. Traven slowly made himself get out of the luxurious bed. He washed up quickly and pulled on his clothes. He hung his cloak in the wardrobe. He took the rest of his possessions and set them in the bottom of the wardrobe after he had taken his small pouch that contained only a few gold tallies and coppers and his hunting knife. He wanted to have at least some protection as he walked around the city. Traven found a small key on the washstand that locked the wardrobe and slipped it into his pocket with the assurance that his belongings would be safe while he was gone.

  As soon as he had taken care of everything in the room, he slipped out the door and tried not to run down the hall. He would finally get the chance to see the city in daylight. A whole new day awaited him. It was going to be wonderful. As he emerged into the common room, he was surprised to find that it was vacant. Confused as to the absence of all of the patrons of the inn, he approached the lady that had served him the night before and inquired about breakfast. He was starving and felt as though he had not had anything to eat at all the previous night.

  “So boy, you finally decided to get up did ya. I thought maybe you’d sleep the whole day away. I don’t know if there is anything left from breakfast, but I’ll go and see what I can dig you up.”

  She set the broom she had been using to sweep with against the wall and disappeared through the doors that led to the kitchen. Confused, Traven walked over to the common room door and peered outside. The sun was already well up in the sky. His heart sunk as he realized that it must already be midmorning. Upset with himself for sleeping in and losing several hours of exploration, he made his way to one of the tables by the kitchen and waited for the serving woman to return. No wonder he was so hungry.

  The serving woman returned after a couple minutes with a steaming platter that she quickly set before him. Traven thanked her and apologized for being so late. She just chuckled and went back to sweeping the floor of the common room. He was more than pleased with what she had been able to dig up. There were several sausages, a large poached egg with st
rangely enough a bluish yoke, some strawberries, and a roll that was still moist and warm. To top it all off there was even fresh, cool goats milk to drink. All the food disappeared quickly, not only because he was starving but also because he wanted to make up for the time he had lost by sleeping in so late. As soon as it was gone, Traven jumped up from the table and hurried outside.

  He was planning to walk across the square to look at Baron Gregor’s palace before venturing out into the city but instead was stopped by a solid wall of human flesh. There were people everywhere milling about the large square. He had expected some people but not nearly this many! Above the heads of the people, the lone statue he had seen the night before could be seen. It was of a man sitting astride a rearing horse and thrusting a mace into the air. He wondered who it was or who it had been. From his perch on the front steps of the inn, he could see over the heads of the people that were making their way from one side of the square to the other and saw that most were flowing in and out of two streets on the east side of the square. Several coaches were also moving slowly through the crowd. At first he had planned on riding Dapple around the city, but he now realized that he could probably navigate through the crowds easier on foot. Besides, he had many days of traveling left yet in the saddle, and even the good night’s sleep had not gotten rid of all his soreness.

  After watching the crowd for a while, Traven decided that it would be easier to follow the flow of traffic into one of the side streets rather than trying to cut straight across the square to the palace. He could make his way to the palace later. He took a deep breath and plunged into the crowd and headed to the east side of the square. He was jostled a little but navigating through the crowd wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. How that many people could move across the square without bumping and shoving amazed him. He learned that as long as he moved with the same speed as everyone else, he didn’t have any problems bumping into the others in the crowd.