The Scholars: The Hidden Heritage II

by Derek Palmer

  I took a deep breath. "So, gentlemen. You know my secret now. There's a certain University official I need to find and then present him my so-called recommendation letter. Of course this is something minor, but it's a quite big thing for me."

  The first mate, who had also been listening to me, smiled and shook his head. "I've heard such stories before, Stian - and I have to say that you have had more luck than most of those guys or girls. Much more luck."

  I nodded at him. "That's mostly because of my mother. She worked damn hard in order to get me some education and as good a life as possible. However, I never could imagine that I'd end up here..."

  I shook my head and waved my hand towards the city. The smelly city. The first mate patted my back.

  "If you continue working hard I'm sure that you'll do fine, Stian. You know, you were the first one of our passengers who volunteered to help during the trip - that tells much of a person. At least, I think so."

  After saying that, he waved his hand towards the building next to us. "My uncle and aunt own that restaurant and almost all the workers are either relatives, married to the family or at least close friends. They have a reputation of excellent food and very discreet service. Not all the men who come here come with their wives - and not all the wives who come here come with their husbands. The two most important things are that they don't find their company here and they do not sleep here."

  Then he grinned. "Of course, it's a totally different thing that there are at least two businesses nearby that rent rooms for just a night or two. Klaas, Henrik - you have been here before, you surely can tell Stian what he needs to know."

  The older crewman, Henrik, turned towards me. "Do you understand what he tried to say to you?"

  I nodded. "Keep your hands away from the people working here - and if you need some release, go sleep elsewhere - and keep your mouth shut about the business."

  Henrik laughed. "That more or less sums it. Look, why don't we go back there and wash ourselves a bit before going to eat. This Klaas, here, will certainly eat here even if he probably leaves our company after that. Of course, you can probably join him, if you want. I'm happily married and busy enough at home, so I have no need to run around the city."

  Klaas smiled at the older man.

  "I'm sure that there are some women who have been missing me already."

  "You mean that they have been missing your money?"

  "Like your wife doesn't miss the money you bring home?"

  It was clear that this wasn't the first time these men were having a friendly banter like this. Then Klaas turned to me.

  "What do you say, Stian? Do you want to come with me after we have something to eat? I'm sure that I could find some girl who'd show you how to have good time."

  "While doing that, she'd probably also release me from some of the money I'm going to need here, for sure. Thanks for the invite, but no, thanks. Besides, I think that if I have a good time it's something that I should share only with the person I have the fun with."

  Henrik burst out laughing but was stopped when there was a voice coming behind us.

  "That was something you, Klaas, should also learn! Not all the girls want it to become a common knowledge that they have had some fun with some bad-mouth sailor."

  "I've never told any names..."

  "Like people hadn't seen you with someone the day before. Hrmph."

  The woman who had come to see us was probably in her thirties. She wore an apron and her brown hair was tied in a bun. She had dimples, and the minor wrinkles around her eyes indicated that she probably smiled and laughed a lot. She noticed that I had checked her out and it didn't seem to bother her a bit.

  "So, you're the young man who was come here to study and whom Elias tricked to help so that he didn't need to get his hands dirty himself. Or, maybe it was the fact he just married and is in a hurry to get back to his wife. Welcome here, Stian - please don't let that young rascal teach you any bad habits."

  "No Ma'am, I won't. Besides, I'm not at all sure that he'd be able to."

  She looked at my innocent smile and snorted while shaking her head. "Don't you ‘ma'am’ me, young man, or I'll tan your hide, which is something your mother probably didn't do often enough. Now, go wash yourselves if you want to eat the meal while it's still warm."

  I had to admit that the meal was excellent, even if it was just a simple casserole. Or not just, the meat was good and tender, the vegetables were just right and the spices finished the feeling. In general, it was something that paired exactly with the second beer I had with the meal. Once I was finished (after seconds) I didn't spare my thanks. I could see that the woman with the apron was pleased.

  "Flattery will not get you any further here, young man."

  "Maybe not, but being polite was something my mother was able to teach me. By myself I learned that there's no way of knowing before trying. I hope there's no harm with that?"

  The woman snorted again before turning her back on us and walking back to the kitchen. Klaas rushed to the kitchen door to say his thanks and then he went his way, looking happy and determined. Henrik shook his head.

  "He's really not that bad and there are probably only two girls he usually meets. Yes, they are happy to take his money but he's equally happy to give his money to them. I wonder if he'll ever marry."

  "Maybe he hadn't met the right girl yet?"

  Henrik had no time to answer, since the woman with apron - I still didn't know her name - was back with a pot and some small mugs. Henrik straightened up.

  "Tell me, Alva, that this is what I think it is?"

  Alva just smiled and put those three small mugs in front of us before pouring some hot, black liquid into those mugs. The air was filled with a smell I had never smelled before. I looked at Henrik who took the mug and inhaled deeply the scent. Then he turned to look at me. "This drink is called coffee. I think you'd better stay away from it, since it's very addictive and once you have tasted it you'll just want more of it."

  "Shut up, Henrik, you just want his share, too."

  Henrik just smiled and took a sip. I watched closely what the older crewman did and then imitated him. First I smelled the dark liquid and, even if the aroma was strong, it wasn't at all repulsive. I took a careful sip.

  My first feelings were conflicting - the taste was sour without being bitter, but the real effect hit me only a bit later. It was like my senses had been heightened and, for a brief moment I was worried that something about my magical skills would push through, but no - it was just the effect of the liquid. In a way, it reminded me of the drink I had been given after the Troll attack. Except that I decided that I liked this taste.

  "It's made from roasted beans that only grow far away from here, in the mountains."

  Which probably meant that those beans were smuggled here, since the official trade was quite minimal because of the hostile state between our Kingdom and the other nations. However, I just nodded at him and took another sip, making myself more familiar with the taste.

  It soon became clear that Alva and Henrik were friends and Alva knew Henrik's wife and children. In fact, I soon got a feeling that Alva was originally from the same area as Henrik but had left and come here for some reason. Now she was one of two main cooks of this restaurant, and I could tell that Henrik valued her very highly. Well, if she had access to that kind of smuggled beans and she was able to offer some drink made of them to occasional guests, I was quite sure that there were some other persons who held her in high regard, too.

  When I had finished my coffee and I was still savoring those last tastes in my mouth she turned to me.

  "So, I heard that you are a stray whom Elias picked on their way here, and who's been sent here to the University. What happens then? Will you be heading back to your mother?"

  The rumors seemed to travel quickly inside this house. On the other hand, I was quite sure that Elias had had to justify my presence here. I shook my head. "I'm afraid not. I love my mother, but now th
at she is married to that merchant, I'd only be a reminder of my mother's past. She's still quite young and she deserves some happiness of her own after all the years she sacrificed for me. Maybe I'll be able to visit her sometime, but most likely I'll never be living there."

  Something flashed in Alva's eyes and, for a moment, she looked into eternity. Somehow, I was sure that there was a reason for her being in this restaurant, too.

  Then the discussion moved to topics about Aston, where to go, where not to go - and where to find some place to live. This place was on the wrong side of the river and quite far away from the University, so living near here wouldn't be very practical.

  "Tell me, Stian, are you willing to work a bit for your living? Besides studying, I mean."

  That question from Alva really pricked my interest, since accommodation had been the biggest issue I had had regarding my coming to the University. From Hantaliel I had heard that there was common boarding available cheaply to those students who had no rich sponsors. Living there had been my backup plan, but because of magic, I would not like to live there. There would be no way I could do or try magic there. Even if living alone, I'd need to be extremely careful.

  "Why... I mean, yes, of course I'm willing! I was quite certain that I'd need to work at some point if I wanted to eat and have some new clothes and books and everything..."

  I made sure to sound eager, but not quite desperate. In a way, that was very easy, since I was eager and almost desperate to find a good place to live. A good and secure place to live. Especially secure.

  "I have a close friend who lives on the other side of town and her maintenance person is getting a bit old. At some point, she talked about getting some student to live with her, but not many of them are that willing or able to help her, as she rents some rooms there. Most of the tenants are also getting older and therefore there might be some need for someone younger, someone willing to help, if needed."

  Just getting the opportunity meant that I needed to help Alva arrange some stuff at the storage room. Or more precisely, Alva told me what to lift and where to put it - and use the broom to clean the corners. Once I was done, I needed to wash again and by dinnertime, most of my muscles were hurting. I had considered myself to be in good shape, but all that lifting and carrying had been something totally different. Henrik had excused himself, saying that he had a shopping list from his wife.

  The dinner was again excellent, even if Henrik and I ate in a back room together with the restaurant staff. At some point Alva came to us wiping sweat from her forehead. "Since Klaas will not be coming back here tonight, and there are no extra visitors you can have your own rooms. At least that way, Stian doesn't need to listen to your snoring, Henrik."

  "I do not snore!"

  "Really, should we ask your wife about that?"

  I didn't really care. Sleeping alone would be something I hadn't really done much - the last time had been in the boarding house on my way here. On the ship, my corner had been somewhat separated from the area where the crew slept, but I couldn't really call that a cabin. I hadn't minded, since the price of the trip had been that cheap - and my choice had turned out to be much better than I had believed. My muscles ached so much that I barely noticed the confused look Henrik gave me when it was time to hit the sack.

  I thought that I understood that look when the door to my small room opened and a figure slipped inside carrying a candle. Except that Alva made no gesture towards me, just put the candle on the small table and sat on the edge of my bed. My initial thought had been that I had underestimated my charm, while it now seemed that I had overestimated it. On the other hand, there would most likely be no guilt tomorrow which I was slightly grateful for. A part of me wondered how long it would take before I would be over it. If ever. Even if I knew that my women out there wouldn't mind. I did.

  "Stian, you're a very good-looking young man and, with Klaas, you would have been lucky tonight for sure. Is there some special reason why you didn't go? Other than a waiting girlfriend?"

  Had I not been living some years with the Elves I would have missed the hidden message behind her questions. It appeared that living a few years with the Elven women, who sometimes spoke more between the words than with the words, had also increased my skills with Anglon - or more precisely, hearing what the person really meant or what she really wanted to know. She, since men didn't seem to have that skill. Besides that, I didn't think myself an idiot and I had already figured out that there was something in her that made her different. Not just the fact that she worked here as a chef, but also the fact that she wasn't already married. Even if she wasn't nearly as beautiful as the Elven women were, she surely was pretty enough to attract men. So, most likely she didn't want to get married. Words came out of my mouth before I noticed it.

  "Alva, that woman who lives on the other side of the town - I guess she's your lover?"

  --

  Chapter 13

  I ended up spending one more day and a night at the restaurant, since Alva would have her day off after that, and she wanted to make sure that we'd have some time while visiting the other side of the city. Henrik and tired-looking Klaas had left the following day, as did the first mate who had just briefly visited the restaurant before heading back to the ship. That day, I helped with all kinds of small jobs and at the end of the day I even volunteered to help with the dishes.

  Once over the initial shock, Alva had admitted that she and the other woman really were lovers. The people at the restaurant knew, but they had made the decision not to care about the private life of adult people as long as they stayed loyal. Somehow Alva had managed to make an assumption about my orientation because of the way I had behaved. However, most of the time I spent assuring her that her secret was safe with me, and that I would not think any differently about her just because she loved a woman - and no, I really didn't need a boyfriend.

  Another good reason to assure her that her secret was safe was that, somehow, I was sure that this tight-knit business would have its ways to protect its own from possible threats. I had no intention of looking like one.

  That evening, Alva again came to me carrying a candle - and this time I remained clothed, so I was able to sit next to her.

  "I noticed that you kept an eye on the girls in the restaurant."

  There seemed to be that small smile on her face. That simple statement made sure that I did feel a pinch in my heart. A feeling of guilt flashed through me even if I knew that my ladies out there would be okay with me doing much more than looking.

  "Since I knew that you weren't available, I thought that it was okay to look - just look."

  "Why just look? I got a feeling that maybe you aren't all that inexperienced after all."

  I wondered how much I could - or should - admit to her. On the other hand, if I was going to be renting a room from her lover I'd probably need to build some sort of relationship with her, too. I cleared my throat.

  "There were - or are - a few older women..."

  "A few? A few! More than one? Did they know about each other? No wonder that you weren't..."

  It seemed that even if I really had not wanted to reveal anything more, she had been able or willing to make some assumptions - which in this case had even been the correct ones. I shrugged.

  "Yes - and yes. They did and they didn't mind. But I don't really want to talk about what I have been doing with others, it just doesn't feel right to me."

  That must have been the exactly right answer, since after that she didn't quite open up, but she told me that she'd had an affair with an older married woman in her home town. Once their secret came out, she took the blame and disappeared to Aston. Like me, she was lucky to find a work in a place where the owners appreciated discretion much more than the orientation of the person. At some point Alva noticed that, besides being an excellent cook, she had become extremely good with reading people - or sensing, as she liked to say.

  "Somehow I knew that I could trust you, Stian. I just knew
."

  Alva was sitting next to me looking towards the door when she said that - which was a good thing since that shocked me quite a lot. Without consciously doing it I knew I had used the same tactic with Anglon as I had done with the Old Language since I had wanted these people to trust me - and Alva had been able to sense it. Had she been a real magic user, she might have noticed something more. I knew that I had to be much more careful in the future, here. Not all the people would be my friends.

  It was early afternoon the following day when Alva and I stopped in front of a three-story building made out of stone and bricks. It occurred to me that Alva's friend had to be quite a wealthy woman. The building was at the corner of two streets, and the local market was only a few blocks away. Because of the higher ground, the smell of the city wasn't quite as dominant here as it was closer to the river. Well, it still was quite enough for me.