Wielder's Awakening

by T. B. Christensen

  Before he expected, he was out of the square and down one of the side streets. After being swept down the street for a ways, Traven realized that he needed to work his way to the edge of the street or he would continue to be herded in the same direction that he was going. He slowly started to make his way to the right side of the street. As he got nearer the edge, he noticed that people were breaking off from the crowd and heading down narrow side streets that linked with the main avenue that he was on. He decided to see what these narrow side streets held and immediately turned down the next one that he passed.

  Here he was able to breathe a little easier. There were still people on this street but not so many that you were pressed in on all sides. Both sides of the narrow street were lined with stalls as far down the street as he could see. It appeared to be a market of sorts. That must be what all of the side streets going off of the main avenue were, little markets. The bustle and hurry of the avenue was absent here as people slowly made their way from stall to stall purchasing what they had come for. Some people from behind the booths called out their wares and that they had the best quality and prices. Others seemed satisfied to let the customers come of their own accord. Traven decided that as long as he was here, he might as well see what the stalls had to offer. Maybe he would even find something that was interesting or useful. He did have a few coins in his pouch and if he found anything that he needed, he would probably have enough money to buy it.

  Traven quickly passed by the first stall on his right. The old lady behind the counter was only selling ribbons and other frilly things. The next stall was more interesting. It held a wide assortment of belts and belt buckles. The belts were made of good leather and the buckles ranged from simple to ornately worked designs. He found one buckle that really caught his eye. It was a golden, coiled snake with gleaming eyes and fangs. He almost asked how much it was but then remembered that he was not a merchant yet and did not have enough money to spend it on gaudy things that he did not need. He backed away from the stall and headed on down the street. Staying in such a fine inn must have muddled his head. A couple of days ago he would not have even considered buying something that expensive without any practical uses. He better be careful or he would end up wasting all of his money before he ever reached school.

  Traven continued walking down the street, looking at the stalls as he passed. Everything that could be sold was being sold on this street. There were stalls selling useful things such as cups, bowls, and needles. There were stalls selling frivolous things such as jewelry, glass dolls, and feathers. There were chickens and goats being sold. There was even a stall that was selling nothing but frogs! The market changed suddenly into a food market where an even narrower street cut across. Every type of fruit and vegetable imaginable was on display. There were many fruits and vegetables that he recognized and many more that he did not. He turned down the smaller street that cut across and soon found it opening on a slightly larger street lined with stalls. It was almost identical to the last one he had been on except for here the stalls were slightly larger and the patrons of the stalls were people who appeared to have more money than those on the last street.

  Traven had barely started down past the larger stalls when he saw something that he needed, a saddlebag. When he had left from Oak Tree, he thought that his pack would do well enough for the journey. However, when he met Hank he saw that Hank’s saddlebag could hold a lot more than his little pack and that it was easier to manage. He had decided that he would get a proper saddlebag when he had the chance, but he had forgotten all about it. He was lucky he had made his way over to this street. Who knew when he would have had another chance to purchase a saddlebag?

  Saddlebags of all sizes and colors hung along the walls of the stall. Traven peered over the selection and tried to decide which one he should get. There were so many different kinds that he didn’t even know where to start. He decided to concentrate on the larger ones that looked sturdy enough to last for a long time. While he was narrowing his choice, another man came into the stall. The old man behind the counter who had been studying Traven turned his attention to the newcomer. The man knew exactly what he wanted and pointed it out immediately. The stall owner pulled it off of the wall and handed it to the man to inspect.

  “It looks like it’ll do. How much is it?”

  “That one is one of my best, sir. I could not let it go for less than three gold tallies.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” the man said incredulously. “I could buy several saddlebags of this quality for that price. I’m not a cookle bird. I know how much this is worth. I’ll give you one gold tally and three silvers.”

  “Are you trying to ruin me,” the stall owner hurled back. “I might as well start giving away saddlebags for free. I do have a family to support you know. I can go down to two gold tallies and three silvers but no less.”

  Traven figured that would be the end of it, but the buyer just started laughing.

  “Oh, don’t pull that on me. Two gold tallies and a silver for it or I walk away right now.”

  The stall owner looked at the man with a defiant face, but as the man set the saddlebag down with a shrug and turned to go, he changed his mind.

  “All right. You’ve twisted my arm. Two golds and a silver it is.”

  The man turned the money over to the stall owner and left with the saddlebag and a smile on his face. Traven figured he had a reason to be smiling after the great price he had gotten, but when he saw the grin on the stall owner’s face as he watched the man leave, he decided that the man must not have gotten as good a price as he thought he had. Traven finally decided on a saddlebag that looked about the same as the one that the other man had purchased but was pitch black. He was glad the other man had come in before he bought anything. Now he had an idea of how much the saddlebag was worth, and he knew what to do. He got the grinning old man’s attention and pointed out the large, black saddlebag. The old man handed it to him, and he began to inspect the seam and pockets like he knew what he was doing. The saddlebag did seem durable enough.

  “Not the best I’ve seen, but I think I’ll get it,” Traven bluffed. “How much do you want?”

  “Not the best you’ve seen? You wouldn’t know good craftsmanship if it bit you on the nose. This is one of the best ones I’ve ever made. This one is worth over four gold tallies, but I’ll give it to you for only four.”

  “I’m not a cookle bird,” Traven replied. He was pretty sure that is what the other man had said. He decided to start off his bargaining really low: that way he could make it look like he was giving in more than he really was. “I’d only say it was worth one gold tally, but I’ll give you a gold and some coppers.”

  “You what!” the old man spluttered with his eyes almost popping out of his head. The man looked so upset that Traven almost wondered if he really was insulted. “Kid, if you’ve got nothing better to do than insult an old man, you can get out of my stall. If you really want the bag it’ll cost you three golds and a silver.”

  “I’m sorry if I upset you but I can’t give you more than two golds for it. That’s as much as I can possibly spend on a saddlebag.”

  “Oh, all right. You can have it for two gold tallies if you take it and leave me alone.”

  Traven dug out two of the three golds from his pouch and handed them to the old man in exchange for the saddlebag. He swung it over his shoulder and was barely able to hold in his smile until he had turned away from the old man. It had worked! The man had actually given in. He began to think of how great a bargainer he was as he left the stall, but his smile quickly vanished as he headed down the street. He was almost sure he could hear the old man laughing behind him. Traven just shook his head. The old man must have been doing this for years. Oh well. The saddlebag looked like it would last and it was only two gold tallies anyway.

  With the sun directly overhead and the grumbling in his stomach, he knew it was time to eat. With that realization, Traven noticed what he had miss
ed before. There were venders selling all kinds of foods on the corners of the crisscrossing streets. He began to head for one but stopped suddenly, distracted by a glimmer of light. The sun directly overhead shone off of daggers and swords everywhere in the stall right next to him. He decided he could put off eating a little longer and hurried into the stall.

  There were swords and daggers lining all the walls and laid out all across the tables in the stall. They were of every shape and size Traven had ever imagined. There were long daggers, short daggers, and daggers with crooked blades. They had jeweled hilts and plain hilts. The dagger blades ranged from shining silver to black obsidian. They were not what held his interest however. The things that captivated him were the swords. There were giant two-handed swords and smaller ones with curving blades. There were fencing rapiers and broadswords. Some of the swords’ blades were narrow and some were wide. Several of the swords had hilts wrapped with plain bull hide but most of them had hilts of silver and gold. Many were even encrusted with emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. The workmanship of both the blades and the hilts appeared exceedingly fine.

  “What you looking to buy boy, a dagger or a sword?”

  The owner of the stall was a sturdy looking man in his middle years. He had a thin scar on his right cheek and another scar above his left eye. He looked to be someone that knew how to use the things that he sold.

  “I was looking for a sword,” Traven replied quickly.

  “In that case, I’ll try and help you find the one that’s right for you. You’re a big, strong lad so you should be able to handle one of the larger ones easily. Not one of the two handed I think but just a little smaller. I always liked to have a hand free to do what needed to be done when I fought.” The man pulled down a plain sword that Traven hadn’t noticed and handed it to him. “Here, give this one a try.”

  The sword looked like it would be heavy, but surprisingly it was not. Traven made a swipe with it into the air with ease. He hadn’t noticed it among the other swords because of its plain, black boar hide hilt and dull color. He remembered that appearances can be deceiving. This sword may not have looked as fancy as many of the others, but it seemed to be balanced perfectly. He grinned as he made the blade do another half arc in front of him.

  “I can see you like it. It’s not as showy as the others, but it is one of my best. The showy ones are for rich nobles and such, but some of my best I leave plain and unadorned. I figure the real swordsman will look for the balance and feel of the sword, not just how good it looks on them.”

  “Yeah, I guess that makes a lot of sense. I’ll take it.”

  “I thought you were a levelheaded person when I saw you. I usually don’t sell my really good ones this cheap, but I’ll give it to you for ten gold tallies, and I’ll even throw in a sheath.”

  It was then that Traven realized all he had with him was a gold and a bunch of coppers. He had been so caught up in the excitement of getting a sword that he had forgotten that he did not have the rest of his gold coins with him. He could not believe how stupid he was. He should have brought more money with him.

  “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t happen to have more than a single gold on me,” Traven said with downcast eyes. “I wasn’t expecting on finding a sword to buy today and didn’t bring more money. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about it boy. I can hold the sword for a day or two if you want to come back for it. Just bring the money and the sword is yours.”

  “Thank you so much. I’ll come back for it if I have a chance to before I leave.”

  The man assured him that if he came back tomorrow it would still be waiting for him. Traven thanked him and left the stall. He was extremely hungry by now and headed for the vendor nearest him. The man was selling small pieces of bread stuffed with meat, vegetables, and cheese. They looked and smelled delicious. Traven bought one stuffed with beef and one stuffed with venison. When he finished the last bite, he decided that he better head back to the inn and find out if any of the merchants there were leaving for Calyn soon.

  Traven turned to leave but stopped dead in his tracks. He had no clue where he was and in what direction the inn lay. He was surely and completely lost!

  7

  Traven looked up and down the street he was currently on. He had no idea which way he needed to go to get back to the inn. He didn’t even know the name of the inn. He should have paid more attention to what he was doing. He had been so busy staring at the sights of the city that he hadn’t taken the time to think about where he was going. He slowly began to panic. How was he going to get back to the inn? All of his possessions were there. All of his gold! Why was he such a dreamer? Why could he not just pay attention to what was important?

  He took a deep breath and thought. The only things he could remember were numerous small streets lined with stalls. If only he had not set out from the inn this morning into the crowded square. That was it! The square! He could easily find the Grand Square of the palace. Everyone in the city would know how to get to that. All he had to do was ask a few directions. His heartbeat started to slow down.

  Traven looked up and down the streets and tried to decide who to ask for directions. There were people everywhere, but he figured the vendor he had just purchased his midday meal from was as good a candidate as anyone else. He walked back to the vender’s cart and inquired which way to go to get to the Baron Gregor’s palace.

  “That’s a place that’s easy enough to find,” the vendor croaked. “You wanna get a look at the palace do ya? It’s nothing compared to the palace in Calyn, but it is a pretty sight. Just follow this street down to its end and take a left. Follow that street until it’s crossed by a bigger avenue and follow that to the main square. The palace is on the north side, but I’m sure you’ll be able to see that when you get there.”

  Traven thanked the man for the directions and headed off down the street. He walked quickly towards the end of the street between all of the stalls. He wanted to get back fast enough so that he could get a good look at the palace and still have plenty of time to find a merchant caravan that was heading out of Kavar soon for Calyn. When he got to the end of the street, he turned left. He followed the street until it was crossed by the large avenue that he now remembered leaving the square on. He turned onto it and stayed on the right side. When he got to the large square, he followed the edge of it around toward the palace, staying on the outside of the large crowd.

  He found it easier to make it around the square than he had thought it would be. There were several spans of open space ringing the whole square. Traven ran into a few people but not very many. He soon found himself right below the palace steps. The structure was magnificent. A set of wide, bluish marble steps led to the massive, bronze front doors of the palace. The base of the palace was blocky with the walls only being interrupted by the front doors and high, soaring windows that were covered in stained glass. The windows depicted scenes of battle, commerce, and festivity. The first floor was easily as tall as any two-story building that Traven had ever seen. The second story was not as large as the first but was surrounded with a forest of marble pillars. The third story was the same size as the second but lacked the marble pillars. What thrust up from the center of the third floor was what really had him mesmerized. A square tower stretched forth out of the top floor reaching another three stories into the air. Out of the tower was yet another square tower which added ten more feet to the height of the palace. This one was smaller, yet it soared toward the heavens. Traven stared at the tower in awe.

  He had never seen anything so majestic. He had never even imagined that a building could be so large. His mind had been stunted by the confines of his own small village but now it began to open up and imagine new possibilities. If Baron Gregor had a palace such as this, what must the Royal Palace look like in Calyn! He stood gawking at the palace until he snapped back into reality and remembered that he had to find a merchant caravan headed for Calyn. He followed the edge
of the square and made his way back to the inn. The sign he had not been able to read the night before proclaimed the inn as The Raging Flame. Traven quickly climbed the steps and entered the common room.

  The room looked a lot different than it had earlier. Some of the patrons were at tables along the edges of the room talking and enjoying refreshments but most must have either been in their rooms or still out and about the city. The center of the room was bare; all of the tables and chairs left in the room were now lined against the walls. Bright ribbons were being hung along the walls all over the room by the serving women. The women were giggling as they transformed the sober common room with the dazzling colors. An overall air of excitement and joy hung in the air. He asked one of the serving women what all the decorations were for.

  “It’s for tonight sonny,” she answered with a twinkle in her eye. “It’s the innkeeper’s wife’s birthday. Tonight there will be music and dancing to celebrate it. You’re lucky you chose to stay at this inn. Now I need to help finish getting everything ready. You might want to get some more rest before tonight.”

  She giggled as she returned to hanging ribbons. Music and dancing? That might be fun. Traven smiled as he looked around the room for the merchant that looked the easiest to approach. At last he decided on an old man who reminded him of his grandfather. The man appeared to be quite successful at his trade. He was wearing a finely cut silk coat and had a giant ruby on his left hand. The man he had been talking to had just left, so Traven figured that now was as good a time as any and timidly approached the man. He stood by the side of the table waiting for the man to look up from his drink, but he never did. Traven tried to think of what he should say.