by Unknown
Fronc drained his tea. “What is a Tzefire?”
“The easiest explanation is I have an innate link to the element of air. Understand that all living things are born with the potential to conjure, but in only a few will the potential express itself. Such an individual will have to train hard to develop their skills, much in the way fighters train their muscles to use their weapons without thinking. Then there are the very rare who are born tied to an element. When that happens, the person and the element in question are joined as one.”
Zeal interrupted. “Wait, did you say every living thing, Master Qwen?”
“It is just Qwen, please. No need for ‘Master.’ Yes, all beings, plants and animals included. The essence used to conjure can even be placed into inanimate objects as well, stored there for future use or to give the object the semblance of life. This is not real life, of course, but sometimes it can be hard to distinguish.”
“Why can’t everyone conjure then?” Nester asked.
"No one has been able to solve that question. The answer is out there, waiting to be discovered. Perhaps one of you will be the one to provide it to us all. Each afternoon I will examine one of you to determine who has the spark needed. I leave you to choose in what order you wish to be tested.”
Liddea stood. “Please, I want to be the first.”
As Qwen turned and gazed at her intently, Zeal felt the air around his head stir gently. His hair moved, combed by an unseen force. Sitting quietly, he slowly looked up and around while his companions agreed to Liddea’s request. The air stilled around him and Qwen looked back in his direction.
“Finish eating,” he said. “You are free for the rest of the day. Liddea will remain. I expect to see one of you back tomorrow and again each day until you have all been examined.”
Zeal for once was not hungry. He knew Qwen would eventually evaluate him but wished it were he instead of Liddea staying behind. He thanked Qwen for the food and drink as everyone left with the partner they had arrived with, except him. He had none.
***
Liddea sat across from Qwen. The man was like his cottage, especially his kitchen: neat, orderly, comfortable, and welcoming. Yet she was nervous and so wanted him to discover she could conjure.
Qwen turned his head to one side. “Would you fetch me the sphere and small book of runes?”
Liddea thought Qwen might be a little simple: he was talking to someone not present. But then her conception of him changed when a crystal sphere twice the size of her fist flew through the air along with a small black book the size of a child’s primer. Arriving from different directions, they placed themselves on the table in front of Qwen.
Liddea gasped then closed her mouth, which had opened on its own. She was happy Qwen hadn’t laughed at her. He just smiled and then opened the book, turning it so she could clearly see the pages.
“Liddea, what do you see?”
She considered the handwritten markings. Two reflected the light more than the rest. She thought they must have been drawn with a different type of ink. Qwen let her take as long as she needed, until she finally said, “I see symbols and letters. A few of the letters I recognize.” She pointed. “I see a B, and this is an F.”
“The volume documents many of the forms used in rune casting. When joined together in a precise fashion, a Practitioner can create unique conjures. When the runes are disrupted, the casting is broken.” He turned the page. “What about now?”
Liddea viewed what had to be a phrase written across the center of both pages. One letter shined more than the others. “Sorry, nothing different than before.”
Qwen set the open book aside and placed the sphere between them. “Look inside and tell me what you see.”
She peered into the ball of crystal. Although transparent, it had a golden tint. She waited for something, anything, to appear inside, but nothing did. “It is empty.”
Qwen sighed and looked away.
Liddea felt tears roll down her face. She knew she had failed. “Tell me what I did wrong. Please let me try again.” She reached for the book and tried to make sense of the markings.
Qwen gently took the tome from her. “Liddea, I am sorry.”
She gasped, the tears flowed more freely. “What am I supposed to notice besides what I told you? The book just has silly markings. The scribe who wrote it couldn’t even use the same ink on all the letters.”
Qwen’s face acquired a surprised expression. “Would you repeat what you said regarding the ink, Liddea?”
She wiped her nose with her sleeve. “Whoever it was used a reflective ink at times.
Qwen took a sky-blue linen square from a pocket and handed it to her. He set the book down in front of her and opened it. “Wipe and blow, then show me an example.”
She did as she was told and then pointed to a letter in the phrase that differed from the others. Qwen turned to the prior page, and she indicated the two glowing letters she saw there.
Qwen sat back, closed the book, and took her hands in his. “You did not completely fail, as I first thought. I think you have an affinity for rune lore. I need to consult with a colleague and get back to you. There is a possibility that you will develop the ability to conjure, as I did, when you are older. It is too early for you to give up hope.”
Liddea grasped Qwen’s hands tightly and held on to the promise that he might be right about her future.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ZEAL WAS INTRIGUED by his new awareness of the existence of conjure. He wished Liddea good fortune with her examination. It would be exciting if Qwen discovered one or all of the apprentices had the potential to be Practitioners. He definitely wanted to be one of them. Distracted by his thoughts, he discovered that he had traveled back to the market. The square was full of people, noise, and scents mostly pleasant to the nose. Booths, stands, and carts were located close together. Children played under or near the family stands, closely watched by their working parents.
He recognized a familiar member of the Trade standing at a cart, selling cloth, and took the opportunity to begin a quiet approach. He let the people, animals, and businesses shield him from view and took a wandering path toward his target. He rarely looked toward his mark, only sneaking a glance when it was hard for him to be detected.
His intent was the money pouch tied on the right side of the mark’s belt. Two young children played near his goal. He reached into a pocket and palmed its contents then waited for the crowd to thicken slightly in front of the stall. The mark was engrossed in discussion with a merchant, haggling over the price of a bolt of cloth.
Once in position, Zeal flicked the polished coin toward the children. The shiny copper landed between them. He grinned when the children lunged, each trying to grab the coin first, and began to squeal loudly as they fought for possession. He moved up as people nearby turned to view the duo and used his Fang to cut through the strings of the pouch, which dropped into his palm, and disappeared under his shirt.
He quickly sheathed his Fang as he melted into the crowd, again using the people and surroundings to mask him as he headed away from the market. Inwardly, he wanted to shout out to the world, announcing his accomplishment, but he knew better than to show any outward emotion. He changed direction and doubled back on his course several times to make sure he was not being followed.
His final destination was the rear of a shop called the Silver Bell. He took one final look around to make sure he was unobserved before giving the disguised door in the wall a patterned knock. A whistle came from across the alley, followed by the door opening. He quickly entered and looked around the close room.
Bell walked back to the desk and resumed inventorying the contents of several small sacks. A worn leather backpack hung off her chair. “Well, young one, how goes your day?”
“Good, for the most part. We met with a Master Qwen. He is currently testing Liddea to see if she can be a Practitioner.” He placed the pouch on the table in front of Bell. “That belongs to Mas
ter Yewel. He was in the marketplace, having a heated discussion with Mistress Pibble, the cloth merchant. I lost my shiny copper when I used it as a distraction. Mind if I get a replacement from supply?”
She opened the pouch and retrieved a copper, which she tossed to Zeal. “Here, I will do it now. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he found this missing. This is the first time any apprentice has succeeded with him. Well done.”
He blushed and looked away from Bell. “Please give Master Yewel my regards when you return his property to him.”
She smiled brightly as she closed the bag. He watched her write in a coded script on a strip of paper and attach the tag to the pouch, unable to read what she wrote.
“Wasn’t Liddea your partner today?”
“Yes.” Zeal stared downward, a sheepish expression on his face. He knew he should not have ventured off alone. It would have been best if he had attached himself to one of the other pairs. But he had wanted to be by himself.
“Well, why don’t you stay here, and I will walk with you back to the Temple when I am done for the day. You can practice your writing, and I will teach you this code. You know that I don’t want you on the streets by yourself, with children still disappearing.”
Zeal looked back up. “You’re right. But I am not like other children and have been taught how to protect myself. You know that.”
“Zeal, you and the other apprentices are capable. Yet you have more to learn before you are ready for all that Arlanda and the lands outside the city have to throw at you.”
He thought of Liddea possibly returning to the Temple unaccompanied. “I’ll stay here with you.” He knew he would rather be anywhere else.
She gave him a knowing look. “Let’s start off with you learning how to appraise the value of the goods I have received today.”
He spent the rest of the day helping Bell. Finally she called an end to their work, and Zeal helped her fit everything into her worn leather backpack. Bell locked and bolted the door from the inside.
Puzzled, Zeal asked, “How are we going to leave?”
Bell laughed. “That’s right, you’ve never been here when the reception area is closed.” She squatted next to the desk and pointed. “Press and twist this clockwise till you feel a click.”
He bent down and manipulated the indicated leg. The floor under the desk dropped, revealing a hidden trap door. A ladder led down into darkness. “Now I have another Trade secret to keep.”
“If you couldn’t be trusted, I wouldn’t have shown this to you. You will learn more all in good time.”
She preceded him down the ladder into an unlit corridor. He brushed one hand lightly against the wall and used it as a guide as he walked. He tried to picture the direction they traveled, to figure out where, under Arlanda, they journeyed. Together, they advanced without talking until a slight rise in the floor led up to the corridor’s end.
Bell slid aside the cover of a peephole in the wall. Light passed through the hole and illuminated part of her face. A few moments later, she replaced the cover and opened a hidden door in the wall. She showed him the mechanism she used to unlock the portal before allowing him to enter. She followed him into the room and secured the door from inside.
The storeroom they entered was full of boxes. He wondered what was kept here. He wished he could open the containers and view the contents. There was a lit lantern on the floor in the middle of the room. They moved across the chamber to a closed door in the wall.
“Zeal, grab the light.”
He picked up the lantern. At the exit, Bell stopped and listened. Silence greeted them. She nodded for him to open the door, which led to a short hall. Zeal looked to the right. The passage ended at a wall without further egress. He looked to the left. A flight of stairs led up to a small landing with another door.
He stepped into the hall. Bell closed the door and led them up the stairs. She listened once more before opening the doorway. He was surprised to find himself in the warehouse the apprentices still occasionally used for their training. He heard a click behind him. When he turned around, he found no evidence of the portal he and Bell had just exited. He used the lantern to closely inspect the wall and was still unable to detect the doorway.
“I never suspected this passage existed in all the seasons I have worked and played in this building.”
Bell smiled. “Tis hidden with cunning work, I agree. If, in the future, you mind the rule better regarding not traveling alone, I might show you how to discern and open the door from this side.”
“Yes, Bell.” He would abide the rule but gave her no promise that might later have to be broken for good reason.
“You know where you are now, so after you.”
Zeal led the way to the alley door. Bell removed a key she wore on a cord from inside her shirt and nodded toward the light.
Zeal blew out the lantern and set it to the side. He was excited by all he had learned and accomplished. They waited in the darkness for their night sight to return. He heard the lock click, Bell opened the door, and they stepped out into the alley.
Night had fallen. She softly whistled the call of a crested wren. Moments later, he heard a different animal call come from above them across the alley, one he didn’t recognize. Searching, he didn’t see anyone else around. He turned to ask Bell what animal made such a call and saw her put away a long knife he hadn’t heard her draw.
Zeal chided himself for not being more aware. Questions could wait.
Bell put her key away after locking the alley door. With a heightened level of alertness, he followed her into the night.
***
Darkness had fallen by the time Liddea left Qwen’s cottage. She had convinced Qwen that she could make her way back to the Temple by herself just fine. Being tested had been stressful, and he hadn’t warned her that it would also be tiring. She stumbled on the edge of a cobblestone then recaptured her balance and stopped to collect herself.
Still upset by the news she had received, she felt her eyes well. Liddea retrieved the linen square Qwen had given her and wiped her eyes. Nose blown one last time, she returned the square to an inner pocket, holding on to the notion that she had not completely failed.
Pensive, she did not inspect the alley she passed. As she walked by, hands reached for her. Her mouth was covered with a damp rag that stifled her yell. She was lifted off her feet and held against her assailant, her arms pinned to her sides. A pair of hands grabbed her legs, wrapped a bit of rope around them, and prevented her from kicking. Then she was carried into the alley.
How could she let this happen? Forgotten was her training from Master Turk. Frustrated, she took a deep breath to scream and raise an alarm. A sweet scent and taste assaulted her senses. Too late Liddea realized the purpose behind the cloth’s dampness and succumbed to the drug that soaked it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ZEAL ENTERED THE Temple great room. The chamber was full of children and adults loudly visiting together while breaking their fast. He sat at the table where the rest of his Trade family ate. Everyone was present except for Liddea.
He grabbed a plate and began to fill it with smoked meat, cheese, fruit, and Cook’s morning bread. “Where is Liddea?”
Mehrle passed him the platter of sweet rolls. “She didn’t return to the Temple last night. None of us had night work, so she should have come home. I talked to Lady Izlan, and she said she was going to contact Master Slag.”
Zeal had a roll halfway to his mouth before noticing the concerned look on everyone’s faces. His appetite suddenly left as he remembered the discussion he had had with Bell the previous afternoon. He pressed for more information. “Maybe she spent the night at Qwen’s.”
“Zeal could be right. It’s possible her testing took most of the evening and Qwen made her stay.” Nester put his cup down and reached for more preserves. “We should go back for her.”
“Well, I say we go see Qwen.” Tulip stabbed at a piece of breakfast meat. “I
f we don’t like what Qwen has to tell us, then let’s get Master Turk to talk to him.”
Fronc poured himself more tea. “Now, Tulip, just because we don’t know Qwen well doesn’t mean he is untrustworthy. Nester is probably right. Qwen still might not be finished assessing Liddea.”
Tulip turned to Fronc. “But what if she isn’t with Qwen? What do we do?”
Mehrle sighed. “Let’s not put the cart before the horse. We need to find out if there is a problem first.”
Zeal felt his appetite begin to return. “We need to determine who gets examined next. Qwen will want to know our choice when we go back to see him.”
Nester reached into a pocket and pulled out a polished copper. “Let’s flip for it.”
“We could roll my lucky knuckle bone.” Fronc removed the bone from his pouch.
“It is only lucky for you!” Mehrle showed everyone her bright copper.
“Heads win till the last head bonks.” Tulip held her coin in hand.
Zeal pulled out the copper Bell had given him. He looked at it and realized he had not taken the time to polish it last night. “Well, I have to use this one. I lost my shiny one yesterday, when I acquired Master Yewel’s pouch.”
“Did you get away and all? You will have to give us the details.” Tulip slapped Zeal on the back.
Fronc whistled in appreciation, Nester hooted loudly, and Zeal saw Mehrle smile for the first time that morn.
“Yes, I got away and all with the purse, but let’s decide first and save the story for later.”
Five coins were tossed into the air. Four were bright, one was dull and tarnished. Three coins landed heads up, all three were shiny. Zeal and Tulip put their coins away. Three coins were flipped into the air, and one settled heads up. Nester and Mehrle put their coins away.
