He fell asleep soon thereafter, and only awoke in the morning when he felt Eiren’s sword pressed against his throat.
“What are you?” she hissed.
He blinked in shock. “Eiren, it’s me, Theus,” he slowly moved his hands away from his body to demonstrate his peacefulness.
“Whoever, or whatever you are,” she stopped speaking as she failed to find words to express her fear or anger or distrust of the person whose hand had inhumanely glowed the night before.
“You told me once, in the caravan, that we had a responsibility to do the right thing,” he told her, paraphrasing a lesson she had taught him, one that had drilled deeply into his psyche and influenced his subsequent actions. “Hurting me would not be right. You know it.”
His words didn’t sound convincing, he knew.
“I never said that,” Eiren hissed. “That proves you’re not the real Theus; you’re making things up.”
She was about to press his sword through his neck, he sensed. Theus took a desperate step. He called upon his white magic, and moved himself just a few feet to the side, away from Eiren, and into a spot where he could stand up safely.
The girl screamed at the instantaneous disappearance of her captive, then whirled around in wide-eyed disbelief and spotted him rising to his hands and knees on the other side of the room. She charged towards him, her sword held in front of her.
Theus desperately moved himself again, into her bedroom, and as soon as he landed on her bed, he made himself invisible, then stepped to the door and looked at Eiren in her front room. She was whirling and circling and spinning, holding her sword competently as she searched for him.
Theus refocused a part of his energy, and cast his voice into the kitchen doorway.
“Eiren, you don’t have to fight me. I’m not here to hurt you or anyone. I’m not a threat to you,” he tried to sound reasonable.
The girl charged towards the kitchen.
“I’m not over there,” Theus broadcast his voice from his own location, and allowed himself to become visible once again.
“I’m here. And I’m not going to fight you here,” he tried to defuse the situation, to calm down the frantic girl.
“What are you doing?” Eiren screeched the question. She didn’t try to move forward on the attack, but she didn’t show any sign of reducing her hostility.
“Eiren, I learned a lot about the memory stones, and one of the ancient stones I found taught me a little bit about white magic,” Theus tried to explain. “I don’t know a lot – I can only do three or four things. And you’ve seen almost everything I know. But I’m not trying to hurt you. Just knowing how to do things doesn’t make me bad,” he was pleading with the girl to trust him.
“I never heard of white magic,” the girl didn’t trust him any more at all. His words were not having any impact.
“Neither did I until this happened to me. Won’t you trust me?” he asked.
“If I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it last night, after you fainted. But I didn’t; I just put you to bed. Why do you think that you need to attack me?” he asked.
“Your hand,” she sputtered. “It was glowing like it was on fire.”
“We needed a light to see, and I just accidentally made my hand glow. It wasn’t a bad thing,” he insisted.
“It wasn’t natural!” Eiren pointed out.
“Would you put that sword down,” Theus demanded angrily. “I’m not going to hurt you. Stop threatening me.”
“Put it down or what?” Eiren retorted.
“Fine,” Theus said after a pause. “If this is how it is, just step aside and let me leave.”
“Based on what I’ve seen, you don’t need to go past me to leave,” she answered.
“Why are you so mad at me?” he asked, baffled, and increasingly annoyed and tired of the situation.
He cautiously stepped forward into the room, towards where his belongings sat on the floor, then stopped when Eiren raised her sword.
“I don’t know why I’m mad,” she answered his question moments later.
She lowered her sword, finally. “Maybe you’re right. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Theus began to edge forward cautiously, watching her sword as he approached his own weapons, and his pack that was full of his riches brought for the purpose of shipping goods to Limber.
He reached his things without Eiren attacking, though she continued to watch him like a cat watching a mouse.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked. He was confident he knew the answer, and he mentally prepared to depart.
“What is white magic? Do you have to suck blood from victims to make it” the girl asked.
“No, it comes completely from me. I have to use my own energy to make it. It wears me out. Sometimes I can’t stand up after I’ve used it too much,” he told her. “Black magic is when you take power from other people,” he explained.
“I never have done that,” he insisted. “I’ve seen and felt black magicians do it; I’ve seen the results,” he paused as he thought of Amelia, then thought of the girl he had seen on his first turn as a prisoner in Donal’s tower. She’d said she was the same age as Theus, but she looked ancient. She was undoubtedly dead a long time ago, and he felt his throat tighten with the sadness he felt for the unlucky girl.
“Eiren, the things I’m doing, they are all part of a bigger plan to fight against Donal and the black magicians and their evil god. I have to carry out my mission for everyone – for you and Vanline and the people of all the cities and farms and places. We all face a terrible future,” he pleaded.
“Theus, you were just a simple country boy in the caravan when I met you. Now you’re all these things,” Eiren’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “But as I listen to you, I can’t believe you’d lie to me about this. She let the point of her sword drop to the ground.
“You’re in something I can’t even imagine,” she walked over and sat on a chair. “I think it’s hard enough avoiding merchants pinching my bottom or trying to do more; that’s why I want Vanline to teach me to use the sword. But all of this,” she waved her hand in the air.
“What did your girlfriend think of you being the world’s hero?” she asked, looking at him.
“She never found out. I, we, broke up before it all became so serious,” he thought of Coriae, and wondered what she would have thought had she found out about him stumbling from disaster to disaster.
“Would you like some breakfast?” Eiren seemed to sense his brewing emotional funk. “There’s a bakery just down the street. We can get some rolls, then go to the armory,” she suggested. “Unless you magical beings don’t need food – no, you ate dinner last night, so I suppose we’re good,” she corrected herself. “Let me clean up and change clothes, then we can go.”
Minutes later they were down the stairs and back on the street, walking amidst the traffic bound for the market places in the city. They passed a pair of stationary guards that watched them walk past.
“There are a lot of guards and patrols in the city,” Theus commented.
“More than we see anywhere else,” Eiren agreed. “And there seem to be more every time we come back here.” They reached the bakery and went inside, then sat and languidly nibbled on their breakfast goods, before heading on to the armory.
It could have been any armory in any city, as far as Theus could tell. There were wooden practice swords, practice mats on the floors, and a familiar odor of long, physical work outs.
He and Eiren began to practice, and Theus discovered that the girl was very accomplished with the sword. Her long hours of work with Vanline produced the same excellent attention to detail and mechanics that Theus had suffered to have drilled into himself. They were nearly evenly matched. The balance began to tilt in favor of Eiren as Theus made mistakes and miscues in their early rounds, but then grew better able to respond and anticipate as their work stretched out longer.
“Phew! I don’t know why
I bothered to clean up this morning,” Eiren said when they took a break late in the morning. Each of them was gleaming with perspiration, and they sat on a bench to catch their breath.
“What’s this? Sitting down, trembling in fear already?” Vanline’s voice boomed as he approached them.
“I trust you’ve been practicing and working out to get ready? Practicing against Eiren is a wise choice – she’s good, and she’s nearly a duplicate of my own style, although I’ve got a few tricks I haven’t shown her,” the caravan leader boasted with a smile.
He stepped away to collect pads and a practice sword, as Theus stood and mentally readied himself for the match.
He hoped he could match Vanline without using his white magic. During the previous evening, after drinking wine throughout dinner, he had decided that he could win by using any number of small exercises of his unique powers. But his difficulty in explaining things to Eiren had reminded him that morning that the things he was coming to accept and consider ordinary were actually still far outside the norm. Vanline wouldn’t be likely to think that Theus won fair and square if Theus resorted to flashing bright lights, or throwing his voice behind his opponent, or magically moving himself a few feet through space.
The sparring began, as they both assumed standard positions, then began probing one another’s weaknesses, jabbing and thrusting as they attempted to find opportunities to score points against one another.
“Your style has changed considerably,” Vanline commented after the first few minutes. “You’re not entirely predictable.”
“Your style’s still the same, but you’re still too fast on defense for me to get through,” Theus complained.
Eiren stood at the side of the mat and watched the contest intently. A few others who were finishing or starting their own practices in the armory stopped by to watch portions of the contest as well.
Theus attempted repeatedly to attack Vanline down low, where he felt the caravan leader was slowest to protect, but in each effort Vanline riposted so effectively that Theus had to backpedal to avoid suffering attack. Their wooden swords clacked and cracked repeatedly, while Theus slowly found himself having to back up more than advance. He was starting to lose the match, he realized. Not with any dramatic single attack, but simply by being outmaneuvered and backed towards the end of the mat.
It was approaching the dire end. If he was going to win, and if he was going to rely on Vanline to lead the caravan of supplies to the east to help establish Limber, Theus was going to have to resort to something out of the ordinary. And he knew he would try it, because he needed Vanline’s assistance.
He backed up one last step, where he felt his heel inch off the rear of the mat, and he knew it was time to make his move, or accept defeat.
He launched a desperate offensive attack, trying to drive Vanline away, so that he could gain space and time.
Vanline found a flaw in his attack, and speared him with the practice sword, putting an end to the match.
“You put up a world of trouble for me!” Vanline said spiritedly, pleased with the outcome of the match.
“Why did you do that Theus?” Eiren came over and asked, as the two of them shook hands.
“Why did he do what?” Vanline asked. “Why did he lose to me? Because he couldn’t win.”
“He learned magic, my lord,” Eiren spoke respectfully. “Last night and this morning he showed me things I’ve never suspected.”
“I warned you to watch out for him last night!” Vanline grinned. “What does this have to do with this match?”
“Show him Theus,” Eiren instructed. “He won’t believe it if he doesn’t see it himself.”
“It doesn’t matter, Theus replied in a low voice. “We battled fairly. He won fairly. I’ll try to find a different caravan leader.”
“You bet I won fairly – I don’t need to cheat! I haven’t had to cheat with a blade since I was five years old,” Vanline declared. “What are you two going on about?”
“His magic. He could have used magic to beat you, but he didn’t. He fought just the way you and I do,” Eiren bumped Theus with her shoulder. “Do something,” she insisted.
Theus looked around. The other observers of the contest had moved on, and the midday crowd was sparse. No one was watching.
Theus engaged his powers, then made his hand glow brightly for just a second, before he shifted the spell he used, and he became invisible.
“Great trees in the forest!” Vanline exclaimed.
Theus returned to visibility, then threw his voice to a spot just behind Vanline’s head.
“My white magic is useful for many things,” he explained, then he took a tiny step using the white magic and appeared behind Vanline as the caravan leader turned to look at the source of the voice behind him.
“Billowing Bellance!” Vanline invoked the air god. “What demon are you?”
“Not a demon, just someone who has learned a lot,” Theus answered.
“So, you could have beaten me by using some of your tricks? But you didn’t?” Vanline stared at Theus thoughtfully.
“It wouldn’t have been fair to you,” Theus replied. He looked down at the floor. “Can you recommend someone I can talk to about leading a caravan for me, as soon as possible?”
“Go bathe and clean up, then meet me back at the Blue Coach tavern for a bite to eat in a couple of hours. I’ll have someone for you by then,” the caravan leader told Theus. “And since you have so much money, you’ll be paying, by the way!” he grinned in a cheery fashion.
“Let’s be on our way Eiren. Our work never ends,” he said as he stripped off his protective pads.
Minutes later, Theus was alone, soaking in the lukewarm water of the armory bath. He hoped Vanline would provide a reliable and affordable leader who could be counted on. Theus was anxious to start the journey back to the Jewel Hills.
He was anxious to see his family. He imagined the astonishment they all would express when he arrived. They’d disbelieve him when he began to make his claims about moving to Limber, and bringing the city back to life. But he would hold back on that for a day or two. He’d just enjoy their company, enjoy the warmth of being with them, and catch up on all the news in the family and neighborhood.
Theus walked through the city to spend his idle time until he met Vanline again. His stroll took him near the temple of Currense, but the large numbers of guards on patrol in the area made him unaccountably nervous, so he turned and ambled back to the Blue Coach, where he sat quietly and watched people until Vanline arrived.
“Will Eiren join us?” Theus asked.
“Ah, young man, that girl is busy running errands for me, earning her keep right now. We’ve got quite a bit to do to get ready for our next run. You know how complex a caravan is,” Vanline replied. He motioned for the waitress to bring two drinks.
“We’ve got a deal for you,” Vanline said. “I’m going to be your caravan leader.”
“Really? Truly? Splendid!” Theus bubbled with unexpected happiness at the news. “What made you decide to do it?”
“Eiren persuaded me; you’ve clearly enchanted that girl. She agreed to be indentured to me for an extra trip if I would run this caravan for you,” Vanline said casually, then took a large drink from his ale.
“She can’t do that!” Theus was horrified by the notion of the girl surrendering her freedom on his behalf. “You can’t let her do that! Set her free.” Theus also drank his ale; he didn’t like the taste, but he didn’t notice in his agitated state.
“It’s too late Theus; we’ve sealed the deal. She’s out making arrangements for waggoneers and teamsters to fill up a caravan for us. I’ve already started transferring my contracts for the Great Forks trip to other leaders. Tomorrow we’ll make arrangements to acquire supplies,” Vanline explained. “Which brings me to the point; I’ll need that money of yours.
“Let’s go back to my shop and count out your coins, so I can get some contracts fulfilled,” he sto
od up.
“You’re really going to do this for me?” Theus asked.
“Yes, yes, yes; you’re so earnest, and Eiren is so persuasive,” Vanline answered airily, with a wave of his hand. “And besides, we just came from Waterspot, and I know the conditions of the road, so this will be easy.
“Are you coming?” Vanline asked as he started to leave the tavern.
Theus hurriedly rose, and followed after Vanline. They wove a path to the office, where Eiren had just arrived from working on parts of the deal. Shimma, the pretty girl who had fled the day before when Theus had been pronounced a ghost, looked at him with an air of apprehension, until he began to pull fistfuls of coins out of his pack.
“I estimate I’ll need thirty five golds to run the expedition, and another thirty golds to pay for the goods – we’ll have to pay cash upfront of course,” Vanline said, as Theus and Eiren began to sort and stack coins. Theus didn’t know any of the coins, and Eiren discovered that she only recognized a very few as well.
“We’ll have to weigh them to make sure they have the proper value,” Vanline said, as he produced a set of scales. “Where did you get these? I’ve never seen most of these coins,” he commented as he held an ancient coin up high to examine.
“By golly they’re good coins; they haven’t been debased at all – they’re practically pure,” he muttered as he carefully added and removed weight on the counter side of the scales. “Still, people will be suspicious because they’re unfamiliar. Better give me a couple of extra golds,” he muttered as he thought through the process of working in the marketplace.
Theus found that he still had a considerable amount of extra money left over after Vanline removed the bulk of the coins from his pack. He’d be able to bring some temporary prosperity to his family in the Jewel Hills, and to others as well, he smiled at the thought.
“Do you need anything else from me?” he asked Vanline.
“No, I’m ready to carry out the most unusual caravan trip I’ve ever been hired to take,” the man replied.
Unpredictable Fortunes (The Memory Stone Series Book 3) Page 19
