by Guy Antibes
“No,” she said. Panix could tell that was at least part of the problem. “I feel like I’m left out of your relationship with Moshin.”
“I don’t love him. I love you,” Panix said, wondering how to balance his increasing interest in history, politics and strategy and continue to pay the attention his wife deserved. He admitted to himself he was starting to ignore Merra more than he should. Moshin had opened a bottomless well in him. When he wasn’t thinking of magic, Panix thought of learning the context of situations.
“I’ve been able to fend off two more attacks from these mysterious magicians, especially since I’ve taken to carrying a cane around with me,” he said. But he realized this wasn’t about his ability to defend himself. It was about his ability to show Merra that he loved her.
He snapped the book shut and rose from his chair. “What would you like to do? Take an evening walk? It’s still warm outside.” He put his arms around her, feeling her soften under his touch.
“Yes, I’d like that. Then we could come back here.” She kissed him. Panix thought that the history book could definitely wait. But at the back of his mind he was disturbed a bit that Merra’s inability to understand him. Could it be that he didn’t understand her?
~
“You’ve ruined me, Moshin.” Panix said, as they finished up a session.
“How have I ruined you? You actually bested me today. I had to eat my words about you touching my face.” Moshin rubbed his cheek. “I think you’ve learned the basics and them some.”
“No. My wife is jealous of my reading. I was sitting in our rooms reading a recent history on the Murgontian assassins. Did you know they use magic to make one of their weapons?”
“The garrote. That must be a very recent book. We found one at the scene of a botched assassination in Sulliana a couple of years ago. Caught the assassin, too. He then went ahead and killed himself. It’s a silk cord with fine glass particles encrusted around the business end. Magic keeps the glass attached. It’s a vicious weapon. When used right, it bites into the victim’s neck like the sharpest of knives. The victim is dead before they even know it.”
“Back to my problem. What can I do? She’s jealous of my reading.” Panix was desperate for a solution.
“The answer is remarkably simple, read less.” Moshin raised his eyebrows. “You’ve gotten obsessed with this sudden interest I’ve unfortunately ignited. Control yourself and limit your reading and use that centering trick your sister taught you to stop, if you have to. Your marriage is more important than the rate you absorb those books.”
“It sounds so simple.” Panix wrung his hands. Perhaps twenty was too young for marriage, but he knew that Moshin spoke the truth. Merra needed more attention than he gave her.
“It is.”
~
“They kept you late tonight. Have you had anything to eat?” Merra said, disappointed. Yet again, her husband neglected to be here when she came home from work.
Panix had a sheepish grin on his face. “No. I’ve just finished my sixth master certificate.”
“That’s wonderful.” Merra put her arms around her husband and planted a big kiss on his cheek. “I’ve brought some extra food from the refectory, just in case you’d be hungry. Sit down, have a bite and tell me all about it.” She disengaged and took a sack from the sideboard and plopped it in front of Panix, now sitting down at their study table. Perhaps they would soon achieve release from the prison that the Academy had become.
“Remember the day I just about killed you?” Panix said as he began to bite into a meat pie.
“How could I forget?” Merra was wondering where this was going.
“Well, I was a little hesitant about going through certification for metallurgy because I made such a huge mistake that day. So I saved it until last.”
“That’s understandable, Panix.” It always amazed Merra that Panix felt so badly about his mistake. She had forgiven him long ago and evidence of his fallability somehow pleased her. “How did you do?”
“Perfect. I think that’s really my specialty. I’ve found that I really enjoy looking into materials to see what’s inside. I did better than anyone remembers, since I practiced hard for that certification.” Merra could see the happiness radiating from Panix’s face. Her heart lifted when she saw him excited... except for when he read his books. It reminded her of their first days getting to know each other.
“I know you did,” Merra said, rubbing Panix’s shoulders as he ate and talked.
“No one can see into the ore like I can. I throttled back on my performance until tonight. Then I wowed them. They had five samples; I was able to separate the ore in all of them. What they didn’t know is I ended up with 7 piles of material. I found an extra mineral that they didn’t know about.” Panix beamed.
“I’m proud of you,” Merra said. She hoped that someone would come to the Academy and take them away to another place where she could stop exercising her own little magic of repressing her fertility. Perhaps children might renew Panix’s interest in her rather than dry old histories and papers on diplomatic strategy.
~
Corlee came up to Panix in the practice yard as he sparred with another student. “Come quickly, something has happened to Merra.”
Panix gave the wooden sword to his opponent and ran to the gymnasium to grab the rest of his clothes.
“What happened to her?”
“I didn’t want to say it in front of another student, but she’s been assaulted by a group of men claiming to be Fellows. They’ve found a softer target.” Corlee looked at Panix. “I know who they are.”
“How is she?” Panix’s first thoughts were of his wife.
“She’ll be fine. There was a cut to her face that bled pretty badly, but I used a good dose of magic. It’s healed without blemish. She’s pretty frightened, though.”
“It’s my fault,” Panix scowled. How could he bring this on Merra?
“Jin thinks he knows the men. Two are Fellows in the metallurgical section. They were the ones who certified you.”
“They didn’t use magic, did they?”
“No. We would be able to know who they are if they did. But they made the mistake of talking about getting you while Jin was at the refectory. As I mentioned before, poor Jin sort of fades into the woodwork when he’s by himself. They might not even know he’s married to your sister.”
“What can she do?”
“File a complaint. That’s what I would do.”
“An employee against a Fellow? That would expose Jin and you as well. I have a couple of interviews next week. Maybe one of them will work out and we can just leave.”
“You can’t leave.” Corlee clutched Panix’s arm. “You’re too powerful. You can be the greatest Dean the Academy has ever had.”
“No. I’ve told you, that isn’t what I want to do. I want to use magic, not analyze it.” Panix sat on a bench, holding his hands. “I’ll leave as soon as I can, it’s best for both of us and what I really want to do. Working at the Academy with much more powerful magicians is killing Merra. I don’t want to expose her to more danger and even you may be next.
That comment made Corlee speechless. They walked through gardens and corridors in silence. Panis didn’t want to walk around by himself and think, but Corlee dragged him towards his rooms. “You’ve still got to see your wife. Don’t make any hasty decisions.”
~
Foald Baltac shook Panix’s hand. A teenaged girl with short brown hair, green eyes and a sober expression stood at the man’s side.
“This is my daughter, Lorna. We decided to make the trip to the Academy as part of a vacation.” Panix nodded to the girl and they all sat down in the small interview room.
“I’ve been looking at your record and find it rather astonishing that you aren’t staying on here.”
“I have my reasons. Let’s say I don’t like Academy life.”
Foald paused. “Politics, eh? I hate to break this to you, but
all it takes for politics to insinuate itself anywhere is three people. That’s it. But the Academy’s loss may be my gain. I run the best and biggest metals company in Pent. As you know, we don’t have many magicians and I’m convinced that I need them to make my factory work better. I wore my last one out and would like to train a replacement in my ways. That’s why I’m here to pick up an exceptional student. I have a little talent, which is barely enough for my work. I really do need someone special like you.”
Panix heard a little sound and wondered if it came from the girl. He looked at Lorna. She gave him a smile that was more petulance than mirth and looked away. It didn’t look as if she was enjoying the vacation.
“What is the job?” Panix said. He didn’t know what Baltac wanted him for.
“I need a talent to work in my development shop. I’m looking for ways to improve our materials. You’d replace a good man who retired. I must admit, he doesn’t hold a candle if this paperwork is accurate.”
“I might be your man. Do you want a demonstration?”
“Show me what you’ve got.” Baltac pulled a rock out of the brown satchel on the floor and placed it on the table. He sat back with his arms folded.
“There are two metals in this rock. Iron and Dorethite. Watch.” He closed his eyes and put his hand over the rock. He saw the metals and used his separation technique. A moment later he opened his eyes and saw Baltac looking at the reddish iron, the gray Dorethite and the dross that formerly bound them together.
“You’re hired,” said the man from Pent.
Panix smiled and glanced at Lorna who sat with her lips clamped shut. Escape. Merra would be ecstatic.
~~~~
Chapter 5
“These people seem so depressed,” Merra said as she looked out the window of the float coach. She had been impressed that Lord Baltac had hired one for their trip. Baltac wanted his new man to start as soon as possible and float coaches were twice as fast as normal coaches. Magicians, stationed along the way, recharged the levitation that only lasted three or four days on a trip that took four weeks.
“Helvanna wants to be like Murgontia,” Panix said. He looked out at the poorly kept farms. “They now refuse to use agricultural magicians, so their food output has plummeted. The Murgontians buy most of their products anyway.” The coach approached the town of White Water. “My father bought sheep in the town that’s coming up. Their food might not be first rate, but there was a shepherd here that produced some of the best wool on Dornna.” Panix fidgeted, anxious at seeing his father’s grave.
“We’ll spend the night here,” the coachman said, as he opened the door for the couple in front of the whitewashed inn.
“I’ve seen this place before,” Merra said.
Panix stepped out and helped Merra down. “It’s the one in my father’s picture. This was the inn my father always stayed in, the only one in town.” They walked in and to the end of the bar that served as a registration desk for the inn.
“Two rooms for the night. One for us and another for the coachman.”
“You come on that float coach?” The barman looked concerned.
Panix nodded and looked at Merra.
“The townsfolk beat the magician that worked here to keep them floats up. It was said he was spreading his seed a little too freely. He’s gone and it’s a good three or four days to the next magician.”
Panix dared not call attention to his abilities. “We’ll think of something. By the way, a man died here some months back, Rennis Gavid. Remember him?”
The barman paused. “Oh, sure. He came just about every year. It’s said he died of the lowland plague. Nasty business, that.” He looked at the bar and pulled out a rag to polish a non-existent spot.
“He’s a relative. Could someone direct me to his grave?”
“I’ll have the boy help you. I need to fill out State paperwork. You know how it is. Here’s your key. I’ll go out and give a key to the coachman.” He rushed outside.
A teenager, dressed in rags, with bare feet and ragged hair, sauntered up to the couple. “Want to see the grave? I can show you the one he wants you to see, or I’ll show you where they really buried the Korvannan man.” The boy held out a grimy hand, a cocky smile on his lips.
Panix said, “Both, if you please.” They left after he placed some coins in the boy’s palm.
The boy led them to the first grave, set aside from the others in the graveyard. Flat wooden stakes marked the graves. The marker was painted red for danger with the writing carved into the wood. The stick said, “Rennis Gavid, Mella, Korvanna, died 306 AA. Do Not Open Grave - Baldan’s Fever”
“This is not where they buried the man’s body.”
“Let’s go to the next grave.”
Halfway around the town, the trio came to another graveyard. It hadn’t seen a scythe in some time. The same wooden slats, used for grave markers, peeked over the weed-infested grass.
“Ooo,” Merra said, as she bent over, picking out little burrs from her stockings.
“I’d wait until we’re done, then you can do them all at once,” Panix said, smiling as he strolled through the markers. “In face, I’d be happy to pluck them off.”
“Over here, off by itself,” the boy said. The marker said Rennis Tasler, Talloak, Helvanna, 306 AA. Panix wished he could confirm it was his father.
“Do you know what he died of?”
The boy shook his head. “He was in a coffin right after he died. I remember them waking me up to fetch the undertaker in the next village. I don’t get to go into the inn ‘til I’m told to. I do know that he sat outside the inn, enjoying some tea the evening before he died.”
“So no fever.” Panix bent down and ran his hand along the stake. He concentrated while he did it and gave the wood strength and a hard finish. There was no telling when he’d be back and he wanted to make sure he could find the right grave later on.
The boy gasped as he touched the wood. “Magician.”
“Here are a few more coins to keep what you’ve seen here between you and I. This man was a relative and I can’t do anything else for him. A sturdy marker is the least I can do.” He felt himself choke up and turned around to walk through the burial ground. He took a deep breath and centered himself with the trick Corlee taught him. It worked every time.
“Merra, what do you think?”
“This makes sense only if someone is keeping the truth at bay with all of this funny business.”
Panix shook his head as he walked back and laid his hand on the top of the marker and stood for a minute remembering his father. His hand went to his eyes, intent on forestalling tears. He pulled it away, hsi fingers, wet with grief. “Let’s get back,” he said, as he moved towards the inn.
Merra moved close to him and took his hand in his and kissed it. They let the boy move on ahead. “Let me work with the plants and make it a bit more presentable. I’m sorry.”
“I have my stepmother to thank for this. She’s involved somehow,” Panix said. He waited for Merra to finish, and now the area around his father’s grave now looked more like a garden, than a weed patch. “I’ll remember today.”
~
In the dim light of early morning, Panix and the coachmen stood discussing the day’s travels.
“There be five more Helvannan villages before we reach Gerellia and the next magician. It’s harder to make good time if we stop floating and have to lock the wheel hinges.”
“Don’t worry. When will we lose lift?” Panix asked, bending down to look at the wheels.
“We might be able to stretch it out to our next stop tonight, but this inn would be a better place to stay, if we’ve to wait for another coach. Driving a coach with locked wheels is nothing you want to do.”
“Nonsense. I can levitate the coach,” Panix said quietly. “I’ll recharge it this morning while we travel. I don’t necessarily want these people to know I’m a magician.”
“Yes sir. Good idea, here in the middle of Helv
anna.” the coachman looked relieved. “We did get fresh horses here.”
“I’ll get Merra and we can be off.”
~
Stone and brick buildings lined the streets as they entered Pent City. Instead of cobblestones the newer streets were paved with bricks, giving a smoother ride for the new steam cars.
“It looks so sterile,” Merra said as they moved through the streets of their new home. Fall came early to Pent. The leaves had fallen from the trees, giving the town a bleak look. She pulled her coat closer to her neck and Panix felt the chill as well.
“Not to worry. I’m sure there is greenery enough here for a horticultural magician.” Panix always made sure he didn’t use the term agriculture when describing her powers. Even so, he noticed the little frown.
The driver pulled up in front of a small townhouse. “This be your house, Master Gavid.” He jumped off the driver’s seat and opened the door.
The house spanned about twenty feet wide and since the building touched its neighbors on both sides, Panix had no way of knowing how deep. It stood three stories high, with a gabled roof. The facing was a deep red brick with light-colored stone coins and stone trim around the windows and door. Five steps led up the front door, indicating a basement likely lurked beneath the ground floor.
The coachman handed Panix the key as he started to unload their bags. The pair had no furniture worth taking with them from Morven. Panix took Merra’s hand and led her up the steps to the small covered porch.
“Here we stand in front of our first real house.”
He kissed her, unlocked the door and carried his wife inside. Baltac had outdone himself. He promised a furnished place to live, but the furniture was well proportioned to the size of the space, new, and well made. It was, perhaps, a bit more masculine than Merra would like, but Panix thought it wouldn’t take too much time for her to change that.
Panix followed Merra through the house. Each room brought a new round of surprises. The pots, pans and cutlery were of the first rate metalwork that made Pent famous throughout Dornna. The kitchen would be a challenge as Panix knew how to cook and Merra didn’t.
