01 - The Price of Talent

by Peter Whittlesey

  But as I said, Bevan also got right to work as a smith. He started mending broken metal, fixing scarred and chipped weapons, making arrow heads and iron nails for Jarvis’s repairs. He also only took a day or two to rest after getting back before getting to work.

  “Too many highwaymen overlook practical materials when they rob people.” Said Bevan. “They go after the gold, the jewelry and the other frippery. Gold and jewelry won’t mend a roof and won’t put food on the table. Not unless you are willing to go to a town or city to spend it. You think a stranger from the road carrying gold and jewelry will go unnoticed in a small town? First you will be the toast of the town for bringing in such riches. But then come the questions. Questions from shopkeepers and then questions from the guards and church patrols. Those are questions a highwayman doesn’t need.”

  Tiernan spent a little more time relaxing and hanging out with Devlin. But even he did eventually get to work. He was a stone mason in his previous life. There isn’t a storehouse, cold cellar or foundation that doesn’t need some work done by a skilled mason, especially when winter comes. The freeze and thaw cycle of late fall and early spring has a way of opening holes between stones, cracking mortar and generally making retaining walls as leaky as sieves. This can eventually cause a building to collapse if ignored for a long time. But in our case, we were more concerned with preserving the supplies that we kept in the basement near the foundation. We didn’t want our food supplies to be ruined by dampness or moisture seeping in. Because of this, Tiernan spent most of the winter patching leaks, repairing foundations and making more mortar than I would have thought necessary to build a house. All that just to repair the damaged stonework.

  The benefit of having all the extra hands around the longhouse was that most of these chores had fallen to me while everyone was out manning the roads. This gave me more time for practice. It also meant that when I went to practice, I was frequently not the only person in the practice yard. With Devlin mostly healed now, he was teaching not only me, but the rest of the crew the finer points of sword fighting. Moira also frequently gave lessons on how to shoot. I was surprised to see that I was not that much worse than some of the others in both sword fighting and archery. But, as I was young, I only measured myself in comparison to the best of them, namely Moira and Devlin. Regardless, the rest of the crew took notice, and when the spring came, there were many discussions about me joining the crew on the roads.

  “Now, I will grant you the kid is learning fast,” said Devlin. “But I think he needs a little more training before he can take a turn at ambushing merchants and taxmen.”

  “Oh, come now Dev,” said Bevan. “He’s almost as good a shot as I am, and probably a better shot than Tiernan. And since when do we ever really use our swords for anything but intimidation? He can continue to learn swordsmanship with us at the barricades during the long days between quality marks.”

  “As good a shot as I am is he?” Said Tiernan. “Bevan, I’ll beat you in an archery contest any day you want to try me! If he is as good as me, then he’s a damn sight better than you!”

  “You two, shut up!” Said Moira. “He’s not a bad shot, probably good enough if he was to take a turn as a highwayman. But he is more useful tending the farm. He was a farmer after all, and aside from me, he’s the only other person here who knows how to plant a proper crop.”

  This went on a bit. I was a little surprised honestly. I had assumed I was more of a burden to them. A charity case because they all felt sorry for the orphaned kid. But then, I guess, enough of them had seen me practicing to know that I at least took the training seriously. I did too, I didn’t want to be a burden. I so wanted them to accept me that I was consumed with my training and chores. Also, it helped fill the time in the long winter months.

  “All right, all right.” Said Devlin. “The kid is only 15 though. But you’re right, and we do have a few rules here. The primary one being that everyone of sound body takes a turn or two on the road.”

  “If it makes any difference,” I said. “I will be turning 16 soon.”

  “Will you now?” Asked Devlin.

  “Yeah, my birthday is on the spring solstice,” I replied.

  “That’s only a few weeks away,” said Devlin.

  “And I think a wonderful birthday present for him will be a turn on the barricade with the rest of us,” said Bevan.

  “He can do a turn or two, but only after he helps me clear the fields and plant the crops.”

  “I have a solution then,” interjected Ross, who had been silent up to now in these discussions. “He and Devlin can join you three in late spring. By then Devlin will be healthy enough to relieve Jarvis and Tiernan. He can bring Tyr with him. Then Jarvis and Tiernan will be back and can take care of some of the repairs around the longhouse that always crop up before summer.”

  “What?” Said Bevan. “I don’t get a break?”

  “Not as early as late spring.” Said Ross. “Besides, your skills with metal will be more useful on the road anyway. Got to keep those swords and arrows sharp after all.”

  “Besides, come early summer, Moira and I will want a chance to laze around the road and relax a bit; won’t we Moira?” Said Sapphire

  “Aye, I think that would be a nice change from providing all your food and drink,” said Moira. “Laying out in the sun, waiting for fat merchants with lazy guards will feel like a vacation.”

  “Is that what you think we were doing all fall?” Asked Bevan. “Lazing around, napping till we see an especially lazy merchant?”

  “Now, now,” said Devlin. “We all take our time on the road. We all know it’s tedious, and we all know that robbery is not as simple as waiving weapons at merchants and being showered in riches.”

  And so it was decided that once we had the spring planting in, that I was to take my turn on the barricades. I was a little surprised, I thought I was doomed to be a farm hand. But now that I was presented with the opportunity to be a highwaymen with the rest of them, I must admit I was more than a little intimidated. Fortunately, it was still some weeks before my birthday, and a couple of months till we would have the crops laid in. But this new revelation caused me to redouble my efforts learning how to use the sword, the bow and get a hold on my powers.

  Winter held on longer in the mountains than it did in the plains where most of the farms were. I was ready for the snows to end about a month before they actually did. When my birthday arrived, I was expecting it to be sunny and the snow pack to be melting. Instead it was chilly and sleeting out. In years past we had celebrated my birthday outside in the fading spring sunshine at my parents’ farm, so the sound of sleet hitting the side of the longhouse was an unwelcome noise to my ears.

  Still, it was my birthday and I wasn’t about to let a little inclement weather get my spirits down. This was doubly so because yesterday I had finally made progress with my control of magic. I had been tarrying outside after sword and archery practice so that I could be alone with a snow bank. Once I was alone, I focused on melting a snow pile. As usual, nothing was getting accomplished. This made me frustrated, and my frustration caused me to obliterate the snow bank. But, instead of blowing it up and making a big mess, I melted it with some pretty intense heat. I was so surprised I had to try it again, and this time I created a controlled melt.

  It started like all my other attempts. I stared at the snow and tried to focus my anger and frustrations at the snow. Like always, it didn’t work. My failure made me actually get angry and frustrated, which gave me something more concrete to focus into the snow. But unlike my previous attempts, where the emotions burst forth destructively, this time I was able to control myself and feed in a moderate amount of energy to melt the snow. My first attempt being a little less controlled than the second. I would like to say that this was due to some miraculous breakthrough, like my discovery that emotion acted as a trigger for me. But instead, it was familiarity. Because I had obliterated so many snowbanks and ice puddles this winter, I was f
amiliar with the frustration of failure. Because I was familiar with it, it lacked the impact that it used to have. So instead of losing my temper, I merely was annoyed at my continuing failure. This helped me control my energies and melt, but not destroy, the snow bank on my second attempt.

  I know, it sounds unimpressive, but it really was significant progress.

  So, as I got out of bed and changed into my clothes, I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. Even having the same old breakfast I had had for weeks of oatmeal, cold cuts and cheese, couldn’t sour my mood.

  “You seem jubilant,” said Ross, who was also finishing up breakfast.

  “I am honestly,” I replied. “Not only is it my birthday, but I have finally made some progress on the exercises you wanted me to do.”

  “Excellent, I had been wondering how things were going,” he said, “especially considering the number of mysterious holes in the snow pack I had noticed around the property.”

  “Yeah, I have been focusing on snow banks and frozen puddles,” I said.

  “That also explains why the puddles seem to be growing in size and depth,” said Ross with a smile.

  “Well, you win some, you lose some. And sometimes you blow a larger hole in the ground than was there in the first place.” I said jokingly.

  “Given your experience with the candle and the training dummy, that doesn’t surprise me,” said Ross with a smile.

  “But yesterday I managed to melt the snow without blowing a hole in the bank.”

  “That’s excellent. Sounds like you are making some progress.” Said Ross. “When you can melt ice and snow consistently without destroying it, consider retrying the candle exercises again. Still, better to keep it outside until you’re sure you have it under control.”

  “Ok, though Moira and Sapphire might not approve of that use of their candles.” I said.

  “That’s why you shouldn’t tell them about it.” Said Ross. “Actually, I had been meaning to mention that to you. I’ve noticed you’ve been keeping your little practice sessions private. This is a good thing and I recommend you continue to keep this part of yourself private if you possibly can. Not everyone will be as understanding of your newfound abilities as I am.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that you aren’t forward with your abilities either.” I said.

  “Life is easier if people think that you’re just a very good doctor, rather than magically gifted.” Said Ross, with a faraway look in his eyes. “So, better to keep some things to yourself, at least for now.”

  Having finished our breakfasts we then began cleaning up our mess and washing our dishes. As we were finishing up, Devlin walked in wiping sleep from his eyes.

  “Happy birthday Tyr! Morning Ross,” said Devlin.

  “You remembered!” I said with a smile.

  “Of course I did. You are the only person young enough here to actually look forward to your birthday,” said Devlin. “Some of us have to count the passing years by the grey in our hair and beards.”

  “Oh please, you aren’t that much older than my father was,” I said. “Besides, considering no one can best you in sword play, it’s not like you are a tottering old man yet.”

  “This is true, but the art of swordsmanship is as much experience and skill as it is athletic ability,” said Devlin. “I have no doubt that soon I will be one of those old soldiers who groan every time they stand up and can predict the weather with the pain in their joints.”

  “Still, aging is better than the alternative,” said Ross. “You are looking surprisingly spry for a man injured in battle this past fall.”

  “That’s as much to do with your skillful doctoring as it has to do with any youthful exuberance on my part,” said Devlin.

  And with that, Devlin sat down to eat a small breakfast and Ross and I headed off to our usual chores. Even though it was my birthday. It was also time to muck out the animal stalls in the barn. Since the winter had been a snowy one, the animals had been spending more time in the barn then they were used to and thus the barn needed more frequent mucking out. After that unpleasant task was taken care of and I had cleaned off my boots, I headed in for a quick lunch, followed by archery practice and sword practice with Devlin.

  Archery went smoothly. It helped that I was the only one willing to brave the elements to go out and practice. Moira was also not around, but that was because she was out hunting again. With the long winter, our stores of meat were dwindling. We were in no danger of running out, but Moira figured it was as good a reason as any to go hunting. Besides, with everyone home in the longhouse, she left it to others to set snares near to home, and she went much farther afield to find game. It was not uncommon for her to be gone for a few days on long hunting trips. When she first started to go on the long trips I had gotten worried, but Devlin had laughed it off.

  “Kid, Moira is not one for sitting down and waiting out the winter. She is also not one to watch the winter stores dwindle without action. And, most importantly, she gets stir crazy faster than anyone I have known. She’ll be back when she feels like it, or she makes a big kill. So don’t worry about it.”

  He was right too. She always came back, sometimes with a brace of rabbits, sometimes with a deer or some other game.

  Still, between the persistent sleet and Moira being out and about, it did mean I had the range to myself. This gave me the freedom to run through my ranges. Starting at 25 yards, and then moving out to 50, 75 and 100 yards. At 25 I was able to hit the center ring most of the time. But my accuracy and grouping got worse as I moved to the longer distances. At 100 yards, I only hit the target half the time. I still had trouble adjusting for wind and weather. Still, I could tell I was making progress, and that was something.

  Apparently though, I tarried longer at the archery range than I had intended because I was startled when I heard Devlin approaching me.

  “You going to show up for Sword practice kid?”

  “Oh, sorry, in the sleet it’s hard to tell what time it is,” I said.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” said Devlin. “When there is no visible sun, you can’t read how high it is above the trees.”

  Truth be told, now that I did some reckoning, it was more likely that Devlin had gotten bored in the longhouse and come out early. Hard to blame him really. With the spring coming, the freeze thaw cycle had resumed and that meant Jarvis, Bevan and Tiernan had a lot to occupy their time. Sapphire spent her days making candles, cheeses, checking the stores and generally managing our consumables so that we wouldn’t run out or lose too much to spoilage. And, as I mentioned, Moira was away hunting. That just left Ross and Devlin in the longhouse, and Ross usually spent his free time making pills from dried herbs or reading his supply of books. Over the years, apparently, Ross had collected quite a few treatises on medicine, history and other subjects that had been pilfered from merchants on the highway. Seemed an odd thing to take until you realized how much time you spent indoors in the winter. It was then that Ross’s storytelling and book readings broke up the monotony of long winter nights.

  “You know, since it’s your birthday, you probably didn’t need to spend all day working,” said Devlin.

  “Yeah, but there are things to do. Also, not having to muck out the stalls tomorrow, is a great present to give myself today,” I said.

  “So, you feel up for some sparring today?” Said Devlin.

  “Yeah, let me just collect the arrows and store the archery gear and then we can start,” I said.

  Collecting the arrows was easier in the snow and sleet. Dark arrows show up much better on snow, even dirty snow, than they do on grass and dirt. I was pleased to see that I hit the 100 yard target 6 out of 10 times. One better than my last effort. And with the arrows collected, I hoofed them and the bow over to the shed and collected the sparring swords and their padded coverings.

  When I came out, Devlin was waiting for me on the pitch, grimacing at the sleet. He always looked at bad weather like it was a personal affront. Mostly, I
think, it just gave him something inconsequential to complain about.

  “This weather is shit,” he said bluntly. “But I think it will work to teach you a valuable lesson.”

  “Oh?” I said. “What’s that?”

  “The value of sure footing, and how to take advantage of unsure footing,” he said with a smile.

  “I would imagine slipping and falling in a sword fight could be a fatal mistake,” I said.

  “Yes, it can be,” said Devlin. “You have to adjust how you fight in uncertain footing. You need a broader, more stable stance. And the only way to work that out is to practice in muddy, icy, or in our case sleety, weather conditions.”

  He started his lesson by showing me some basic stance and footing adjustments to make. But most of the late afternoon was spent with actual sparring. To prove his point on footing, Devlin spent most of the sparring relatively stationary. Letting me approach and attack. Most of the time I would slip and slide around, which would leave openings for Devlin to give me a smack with the padded sword. It was only towards the end of the practice session that I started getting the hang of a more cautious approach with steadier footing. I still got smacked a few times, but they were fewer and further between.