The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 1

by Latoria, William D.

  ...

  The merchant’s district was chaos. Vendors were screaming their wares and services, getting louder and louder in order to be heard over their competitors. The shops and stalls that were in the city were as varied as they were numerous, and Tartum had trouble trying to keep track of it all. Vaund had no such problem, and with Buddy growling and snapping at people that got in the way, they were able to funnel through the crowds with relative ease as Vaund led them forward. They stopped off at a tailor’s shop first, the owner gave a little fuss about letting Buddy through the doors until Elizabeth shot him a threatening look that could have melted lead. The little man was very accomodating after that, and Vaund bought numerous soft white cloaks at a very reduced price.

  Elizabeth found a hat that she liked, and Tartum thought made her look gourgeous. It was an all black workers hat that had a small red flower on top of it. The flower was knitted from cotton and gave the hat a very feminine look. With Elizabeth’s hair and clothing style, the hat made her look irresistable. In fact, after he bought her the hat, he was having alot of trouble keeping his hands off her. Elizabeth pretended to be annoyed by his advances, but her laughter let him know that she was just playing along.

  After the tailors shop. Vaund took them to a leathersmith where Tartum bought leather pouches to replace the cloth ones he was already using. The leather pouches were bigger, and the way they held his components was much more comfortable than the cloth pouches. They also held in the scents, some of his more potent components gave off. His sulfur, in particular, had him smelling like bad eggs, and he was getting tired of the wrinkled noses and angry loooks from people downwind of him. Another reason that he bought them was because they were the same shade of green as his cloak, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to like his nickname of Jade Mage and decided to stop fighting it.

  Hour after hour they spent shopping, until Elizabeth brought up the fact that she was starving. Using Buddy as a wedge, they made their way through the crowd, and eventually they came upon the taverns of the city. Tartum saw numerous eating establishments with enticing names like, The Delicious, The Roasting Boar, Sinful Sustenance, and Ambrosia. When Tartum pointed them out, Elizabeth simply shook her head and kept walking. After the fourth time being rejected, Tartum and Vaund decided to just keep following Elizabeth in silence. When she had that determined look on her face, there was no reaching her. Only Buddy was oblivious to the situation and walked next to her excitedly. He kept jumping up and trying to lick her face. Her determination couldn’t stand up to Buddy’s affection, and she cracked like an egg. Kneeling down, she let Buddy jump into her lap as she scratched his belly and he licked at her face. It was an absurd display, but neither Tartum or Vaund wanted to interrupt whatever was happening. After her moment with Buddy lightened her mood, Elizabeth stood up and addressed them.

  “I’m sorry about that. I’m taking us to an old friend of mine’s tavern. I didn’t mean to get all moody, I don’t know why I’m acting like this. I just didn’t want to go to any of the other taverns. If Sasha found out, she’d never forgive me.” She said. She seemed to suddenly have alot on her mind.

  Tartum didn’t understand any of this, but standing in the middle of the road, having this conversation, seemed very foolish. “Listen, babe, let’s just go to your friend’s tavern and be done with it. There’s no need for all this unnecessary drama. Please stop acting like this and get us there, ok?” he said.

  His words had the desired effect, and she seemed to be acting like her old self again. Tartum found it very odd, her sudden change of demeanor and looked over to Vaund to see if he had any insight. Vaund just shrugged and shook his head; he had no idea why she was acting like this either. She was moving again, and they had no choice but to follow. After they had walked a few blocks, they came upon a large building with bright white walls and a dark green roof. It had three floors and while the first two didn’t seem out of the ordinary the top floor had black curtains drawn tight in the windows. Something bothered Tartum about that, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. There was a sign hanging from the building that depicted a hand gripping a pidgeon. The sign was well made and the artwork very detailed. The wood was raised up where the hand and pidgeon were and gave the painting a three dimensional appearance. Under the picture, the name of the tavern was elegantly stenciled in a long flowing hand.

  “The Pidgeon’s Hand. Hmm, so this is your friend’s tavern, babe?” Tartum asked.

  Elizabeth didn’t answer, she was smiling ear to ear and looking at a woman that had come out from the entrance as they approached. Elizabeth ran up the steps and embraced the woman that awaited her. Tartum thought she was a very attractive woman; she was around Elizabeth’s height with long brown hair that reached all the way down to her legs that she kept in a loose ponytail. She wore a forest green dress that contoured to her body in a very suggestive way. A simple bright yellow rope was used as a belt to hold it on her body. It was her face that caught Tartum’s attention the most. Her chin was extrememly narrow almost drawing to a point at the tip, her cheekbones were raised and heavily defined, her eyebrows were thin, but it was her eyes, her almond shaped brown eyes, that caught his attention. They were easily twice the size they should have been and heavily slanted in towards her narrow nose. The effect made her look as gorgeous as it made her look alien. Tartum looked and saw Vaund seemed to be under the same opinion, although the way he was smiling, Tartum could tell his teenage hormones were definitely kicking in.

  Elizabeth and this woman were talking now, and Tartum assumed she must have been the Sasha woman Elizabeth mention after her mood had shifted back to normal. They seemed to be old friends and carried on like sisters that hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Tartum meant to wait patiently as the women caught up, but Buddy had other plans. He had been watching the exchange too and upon seeing the women embrace, Tartum noticed it looked like Buddy was going to attack the newcomer. It amazed Tartum how intelligent Buddy was, and as he watched him, he could see Buddy analyzing the situation and making the determination that this woman was a friend. As they stood in front of him talking, Buddy’s tail began wagging faster and faster until he had worked his whole body into a wagging mess of canine excitement. With a whining bark, he leapt up the stairs towards the women and almost bowled the stranger over with his overzealous affection.

  Buddy’s sudden appearance and exuberance startled the woman, and she recoiled away as she drew a dagger seemingly out of thin air. Tartum instinctively went for his spell components when Elizabeth caught Buddy with one hand and her friend with the other and explained who the dog was. The woman was visibly relieved and made amends with Buddy; leaning over she said something strange to him, and if Tartum hadn’t known any better, it seemed as if Buddy understood her and responded. Their exchange went on for a minute or two while Elizabeth stood there smiling. She saw Tartum watching and shot him a wink and motioned for him to wait. Tartum looked over to Vaund, but he was still smiling a sleezy boyish smile and staring at the woman he was smitten with. Tartum had to remind himself that he was only fourteen.

  When he looked up, he saw the woman was approching him with Buddy in tow. His tail was still wagging, but he seemed much calmer than he was a moment ago. Tartum noticed the way she walked towards him was extremely fluid, and he noticed that Vaund’s breathing had increased. This Sasha woman definitely knew how to use her beauty to her advantage, and if it wasn’t for Elizabeth’s steady gaze watching him, he didn’t know if his breathing would be any different than Vaund’s. As it was his blood was beginning to race the closer she got, the scent she gave off reminded him of pine needles, which did nothing to slow his racing heart. This woman was exotic to say the least.

  “So...you’re the man that’s captured Liz’s heart are you? Hmmm...you are cute...” she said. The way she talked reminded Tartum a cat purring. Hilary used to talk to him like that after he gave her a handful of coins. It was the memory of Hilary, and what she
really liked about him, that gave Tartum what he needed to get control of himself. He didn’t like to be seduced like this, and the knowledge of what she was trying to do gave him the anger he needed to better deal with her.

  “My name is T...” he began. She held her finger up to his lips and stopped him mid sentence. Tartum was speechless, his anger was gone, and in its place was numbness.

  “I know your name is Tartum Fuin and that you’re an up and coming caster with alot of potential. Your friend Buddy here has told me alot about you. He loves you very much, you know. You should continue to treat him well, pretty man.” She said.

  Tartum was still stunned and hearing Buddy had told her all about him did nothing to help him get his grip on reality again. He looked down at Buddy, who was already looking at him, when they made eye contact, Buddy began to wag his tail faster as he walked excitedly in place and barked. He seemed to be very excited by this turn of events. The woman turned her attention to Vaund. She gave no sign she noticed the way he was panting at her; if anything she seemed to be intentionally ignoring it.

  “Well hello, young man. You must be Vaund! You are a cutie, aren’t you? Liz tells me you’re the healer. Thats a noble thing you do, and I respect your sacrifice.” Leaning over, she kissed Vaund on the cheek, and Tartum thought he was going to pass out. He became very embarrassed when he saw everyone looking at him and mumbled his thanks into his robes as he escaped into the tavern.

  The woman watched him go with a knowing smile on her face and began to follow him inside. Tartum got ahold of his senses at this point and regained the use of his tongue.

  “Hey there, just who the hells are you, woman?” Tartum asked, his anger was returning, and he didn’t like feeling walked on.

  She turned to look at him, her smile was gone, and Tartum knew she wasn’t used to people talking to her like that. Tartum changed his original assessment of this woman, she wasn’t just a seductress, she was dangerous. She said nothing at first and seemed to be assessing him. Tartum refused to be intimidated and returned her look with one of his own. She seemed to be impressed with him, or at least that was the impression he got, because her smile returned and it was warmer than before.

  “Ok, cutie, I can see why Liz likes you so much. Please calm yourself down, if those beautiful eyes of yours get any harder, they’ll pop out of your head. My name is Sasha, and I’m an old friend of your lover’s. If that’s enough to satisfy you for now, why don’t you come inside so we can have our conversation in comfort.” She said. Her invitation wasn’t a request, judging by the fire in her eyes. She looked at him for a moment longer before giggling and walking into the tavern. She ran her hand across Elizabeth’s face affectionately as she walked past.

  “Oh, Liz, you always knew how to pick them. This one is too cute! Make sure he gets his butt inside after his ego cools off. I like him!” Sasha said. Elizabeth just laughed and walked over to where Tartum was standing.

  “Come on, Sweetheart. I know she’s alot to handle but if she says she likes you, then you’re already ahead of the game. I know you probably noticed this already, but she’s a bit of a man eater.” She giggled. “Don’t worry, Sweetie, I won’t let her hurt you. You belong to me! Remember that!”

  She looked him passionately in the eyes and kissed him. “I love you, Sweetheart, please trust me. Join us inside when you’re ready.” She almost seemed sad as she said that to him, and with one more quick kiss, she walked inside.

  Tartum had never been so confused in his entire life. One minute, Elizabeth is acting like some angry person on a life or death quest, the next she’s hugging some strange seductress that’s giving him flirtatious and then sinister looks. He didn’t know if he was supposed to hug her or hit her and wanted to do both. He realised that women always seemed to confuse him. Sighing, Tartum touched his forehead and shook his head.

  “If I live to be infinity, I’ll never understand women...” he said to himself. Gathering up what little dignity he had left, Tartum drug himself into the tavern preparing himself for round two.

  ...

  The tavern was enchanted like Isidor’s old wagon had been. The outside structure was misleading, it looked to be a simple large building, but on the inside it was enormous. An army could comfortably eat, drink, and practice drills inside the walls of the building, with enough room left over for a dozen patrons to throw a party with every member of their family invited. It defied the rules of physics, but Tartum had seen this type of magic before and was able to get his mind around it fast. Buddy and Vaund seemed to be dealing with the change well enough; Buddy was standing a few feet inside sniffing the air intently, and Vaund kept looking back outside. Elizabeth was handling it the best and seemed to have no probelm with accepting the huge room as opposed to what she had seen outside.

  The inside of the tavern was painted to match the colors outside. Bright white walls were edged in dark green and were decorated by all types of art depicting numerous species of birds. In many of the drawings and paintings, the birds were flying out of human hands. The artwork was as detailed and expertly done as the sign outside was. The tavern itself was split up into many areas, but no walls or discernible boarders marked where one area began and the previous ended. In one section you could have a table set for eating, and a few feet away there were two dozen people celebrating a birthday, while a group of people a few dozen feet from them looked to be engrossed in a meeting. How this was all possible lead Tartum to only one possible explaination. Strong magic was involved, which made Sasha even more mysterious than she was a few moments ago.

  The people inside the bar were as varied as the city. Merchants and farmers mingled with politicians and royality. No one seemed to mind anyone else’s company and everyone was having a wonderful time. The music varied as he looked from one section to another as one bard was playing a lute while another worked a harp. In one section, there was a large party going on with no less than four bards playing their instruments, yet the group of people ten feet away were having a quiet conversation and didn’t seem disturbed in the slightest. None of this made much sense to Tartum, but how Sasha managed her tavern was the least of his concerns. This tavern seemed to have a little bit of everything and catered to all walks of life. Tartum did not try to hide how impressed he was.

  Elizabeth walked over to him with the same huge smile he had seen her wear when Sasha first greeted her. He didn’t want to be distracted as he tried to get his bearings on the situation, but her beauty overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t help himself. He returned her smile and waited for her to join him.

  “This place is amazing, babe!” Tartum said

  Elizabeth laughed, “I knew you would be impressed. Sorry for earlier, but as I’m sure you’ve already figured out, Sasha is a bit more than just a tavern owner. Come on, Sweetie, let’s gather up the others and head upstairs.”

  Tartum nodded his agreement and called to Buddy and Vaund. Buddy was at his side in a moment, and Vaund followed shortly after. The moment they walked into the first populated section of the tavern everything made sense. The sections of the tavern were individually enchanted and seemed to change to suit the needs of the people using them. As they walked into one section, walls materialized out of nowhere that shut out all excess noise and the view of the other patrons. The walls were insubstantial and could be walked through at will. It seemed they were an illusion, which made getting to a destination very easy considering the size and depth of the interior of the building. It all made sense to him now, the rooms were invisible when a patron first walked in so they could find an empty section or the group they were at the tavern to meet. Then as they made their way the walls appeared and each group had their own section to meet, eat, drink, celebrate, or mourn without disturbing or interacting with the other patrons. Tartum had to admit, it was genius.

  They made it to the stairs and ascended to the top floor, where Sasha was waiting for them. The third floor didn’t have the same enchantment on it that the first fl
oor did. It was much smaller than the first floor but the size of it felt right from what he remembered seeing of the building from outside. There was a large, oval shaped, heavy wooden table that took up the middle of the room, it was currently bare, but Tartum noticed it looked heavily used due to the amount of discoloration, cuts, scratches and nicks that marred its surface. There were two dozen chairs evenly spaced around the table, and they were identical. They seemed to be made of the same wood the table was and looked incredibly uncomfortable. When Sasha motioned for them to sit down, Tartum almost refused. One look from Elizabeth changed his mind immediately.

  He sat down in a chair and found that his initial evaluation of it was accurrate. The chair was designed to keep the individual sitting in it striaght and upright. His natural urge to slouch and relax was impossible to placate thanks to the design of the infernal chair. Sasha seemed to not notice his discomfort, or if she did, she did not offer any apology for it. She simply smiled and waited for him to situate himself. Once everyone was situated, she looked directly at Tartum and spoke.

  “Well, cutie, from what Liz and Buddy have told me, congratulations are in order. You did sooo well today and passed your overexam! Very nice! It’s good to know that a man like you, with such pretty eyes, also has some other uses...” Sasha purred at him. She was looking at him from under her eyelashes, and Tartum was having trouble thinking. Hilary used to talk to him like that when she wanted something, and Tartum remembered why it had been so hard to refuse her. Thinking became hard, and he was well aware that Elizabeth was in the room, judging his every action, so he decided to play it safe and nodded his thanks.