by TJ Reynolds
“Nice digs, viejo. I’m impressed,” Madi said as she watched me finish the task. Normally, the compliment would have stoked my ego, but the sorry state of my house had dampened my mood entirely.
“Thank you, Madi. Now I will show you my home, but please know it is normally well kept.” I turned and led them down the hall. I passed my room, which could more easily be amended. The kitchen was the heart of any home, and when I lit the two lamps that hung in mine, I heard my two companions gasp.
“You see my hesitation,” I said. “Someone must have found a way to pry open a window.” I stood and surveyed the damage more closely than before. My grain and dried goods were scattered about, and the various implements of life littered every surface. Thankfully, I always made sure to only keep a small amount of food. Even so, weevils writhed in the grain. Someone had dumped out the jars I kept, each with its own stasis charm. Having been set free of the charm’s protection, nature had run its course eagerly.
A hand squeezed my shoulder, and I looked over to see Hana’s worried face. “Oh, Alysand. I’m so sorry. This is awful, but we can clean it up in no time. Do you have a broom?”
I nodded and wiped away the tears that had come unbidden. We fell into the gentle process of cleaning up the kitchen and main room. I spent most of my time tucking away and sorting the various items I could easily find. Madi and Hana cleaned up the spoiled food. In just a few minutes, we had restored the small home to a tolerable state of dishevelment.
Watching my companions bend their battered backs in my service moved me greatly. Had I the inclination, they no doubt would have spent the night helping me restore my home to its full glory. I held up my hands, though, and cleared my throat. “Please, let’s stop now. This is enough to allow us to make use of the place without undue trouble. And I believe we are all still weary, injured, and travel-stained. Why don’t you both make use of my washroom, and we can share a meal?”
As the girls left me, talking amongst themselves in low voices, a knock came at the front door. Just in time.
When I answered, the panting face of Shadrick greeted me. “Here you go, Alysand, sir. Mr. Pithers sends his regards by the way, and here is the change. Got everything he said you love and a few more items. You gave me a lot of coin, sir, so I wanted to make sure you and your friends had plenty to eat. They’re quite pretty I happened to notice, too, if I’m not too rude to say so. Where are they from? Some of the kids said they were from the capital, but I told them they are probably from another world by the look of them.” The boy rattled off every thought he’d held in his head and I smiled at him.
I took the canvas bag he handed me and ignored the handful of copper he tried to give me. “Keep it, Shadrick. And sorry to be short, but we need to rest. Could you come by in the morning, one hour after first light?”
The boy nodded so hard his eyes seemed to rattle in his skull. “Yes sir, Alysand. Course I can. I’ll meet you right here and…”
I cut him short with a lifted finger. “Thank you for your service, my friend. Give the coin to your ma, but keep a copper for yourself, okay? Oh, and you were right. My friends are travelers from another land.”
Awe filled his face as he stepped back into the waning light of dusk. And before he could ask another six questions or tell me a juicy bit of local gossip, I closed the door.
After we had all had time to run water over our faces and hands, and our muscles began to cool and complain of the day’s work, I prepared a tea that old Corbrae had taught me.
Thank the saints of Old Gil, whatever vermin had tossed my home had neglected the pouches of herbs that I kept above my stove. I removed the ingredients needed and drew enough water to fill the kettle. In short time, the complex bouquet of the tincture was filling the air.
We all sat down on the floor of the barn, not wanting to leave our four-legged friends alone. I poured us each a cup of the strong tea, and the rest into bowls for Pachi and Tejón.
“Tastes awful,” Madi complained, coughing into her hand.
“Aye,” I said merrily. “It is downright disgusting. A bit like steeping the fur of an expired opossum and mixing it with tar.” Then I tipped my head back and downed my portion.
Hana just laughed as she drank her own. She pinched her nose, and I admired her courage as she finished hers nearly as fast. “I don’t know why, but opossum actually seems right on,” she said afterward.
“Foul on the tongue but good on the body, my master used to say. We will be sore in the morning, but even my cracked ribs will be healed.”
Tejón lapped at his own and shook his head in protest. Madi patted him on the haunches and encouraged him to finish, though. The shudders that rippled down his body gave us all a laugh we sorely needed.
“I don’t get it, Alysand,” Hana said. “Someone tried to rob you, and had full access to your home, yet I found coins on the ground, a gold pen. Why didn’t they take your valuables?”
I nodded for a time and considered what I should tell these two. Looking into their eyes and seeing the implicit trust that sat there, my decision was made.
“There are many items of power in this world, as you both know—that is one that is especially potent,” I said, gesturing to the sword on Hana’s hip. “The Rat King has made use of many of its components already. Should he come to own its completed form, he would be able to use the power for great evil.”
The girls watched me patiently as I began to unfasten the knot that bound the canvas bag. “I have been gifted with several of these items as well. My guns, for instance, have the wisdom and magic of every bard who held them before me. They even have names, though I will not tell you. Such is my burden alone to bear. But I don’t think they were after my guns. No, I believe they were after these.” I unfastened the plain silver cuff links from my sleeves, then passed one to Hana and one to Madi.
They looked at the items, and by the look on their faces, inspected them. As I’d done so many times before, I did the same.
Culbert’s Cuff Links
Quality: Legendary
Durability 1/20
+20 Dexterity
Special Ability: Time-walk
Time-walk: When invoked, the caster has the ability to step into the past itself, allowing them to alter events as they see fit. Each use reduces item’s durability by 1. Warning: Certain events are fixed to the greater thread of life and will remain unalterable.
After a few solemn moments, my companions returned the links to me. I buttoned them back in place and held my hands out, palm up. “As you can see, a power-hungry cretin like the Rat King would love to have his paws on such an item. No doubt, the minions he sent were told to take any curiosity they found, but I leave nothing that cannot be replaced behind.”
Madi shook her head and stared at me with a blank face. “I swear, Alice, I’m just glad we’re homies. You’re more of a wizard than Judas, though to be fair, if you could pack your home up like he does, nobody would have been able to break in at all.”
Then a sound erupted in our midst, a groaning, terrible noise. It came from the warrior’s belly.
When the laughter died down, I revealed my ultimate surprise. “Now friends, you have not known the hospitality of Gilsby until you’ve had Mr. Pithers’ pastries.”
The smell of lemon curd, jam, and buttery dough filled the inside of the barn, and with it, our spirits were restored at last.
3: “You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire.”
— The Bottle King
HANA
Sleeping under Alysand’s roof was the best way to get to know the man. After we’d cleaned the mess the robbers had made, a weight seemed to lift from the man’s face. He was, in an uncomplicated and intimate way, home.
After we had pigged out and eaten way too many pastries, we all got ready for bed. A guard was posted even though we were sleeping in the gunsinger’s house. The town had an eerie feel to me as well, and Alysand simply seemed too ill at ease to let it g
o.
I took the first shift and passed the time by listening to the merry chorus of breathing. Tejón’s lungs were like bellows. He had grown again, another hand taller at the shoulders and a few dozen more pounds, after the ambush. Madi snored, unladylike and true to her nature. She surpassed the bear in volume, and I was sad that I did not have a phone or any other tech device capable of recording her. She would have killed me, though, so it was for the best.
The house itself, though, made the most interesting noises of all. Ticks and groans, almost as if it were the hull of a ship moored in the tide.
My father had been a noisy sleeper as well, but always unexpectedly. He slept silent, almost looking dead, then his breath would hitch, and he’d gasp for air. These fits were often followed by a few muttered words I could never make out. I smiled at the memory until I remembered that his troubled sleep had largely started after mom had passed. It was stress ruining his rest.
Night passed uneventfully, and when we awoke, Alysand had a chipper air. After a fresh shave he came out of the washroom and declared that it was time to visit the cafe, his second favorite besides the one in Benham.
When we walked through town, the people seemed a bit less shocked, though it was probably due to the lack of blood and dust on our clothes. Also, we left Pachi and Tejón in the barn, opening the doors so they could enjoy the sun. After their long trek, they did not mind sleeping in late. They would need to hunt, though, unless meat could be purchased in town. The last of their rations had been destroyed at breakfast.
The gunsinger told the server, “We’d like a table on the veranda, please. And send for Lilith if you will. Tell her Alysand is here.”
The young man’s body twitched awkwardly as he regarded Madi and I. “I’m sorry. Lilith isn’t here anymore. Left months back to go live with her folks.”
We took a table on the veranda and were soon eating omelettes. The food tasted great to me, and Madi ordered a second. Yet Alysand was noticeably upset.
The man nursed his cup of tea and complained, “I can handle a few changes, but Lilith? What has Gilsby come to? We must ask about and see what information we can find. We’ll head to the light tower after this. Tejón and Pachi will no doubt want to come. I can see about a horse first, so we can ride out. It’s only about five miles from town, but this weather calls for a ride, does it not?”
I agreed and stepped on Madi’s toes when she replied sarcastically, mimicking his accent.
The man at the stables charged Alysand 5 gold to use the horse for a week, and the gunsinger’s face paled at the price. “Times are hard, and besides, I hear you’re tough on horses,” the man said in defense.
We headed out to the light tower at noon, a crowd of children chasing us as we left.
The tower was visible as soon as we cleared the few buildings that blocked our view. Yet the distance was deceptive. It took two hours in a gentle trot till we came close enough to make out a small red door at the tower’s base.
It was a structure of cut stone, ancient-looking and powerfully built. Lichen clung to the side that faced land, and the other was crusted with saltspray.
As we hitched our horses, Alysand stirred the soil at his feet for a time and stalled.
“What is it, Alice?” Madi asked. “Seems like this whole town is full of secrets, no? You can tell us.” Though she teased him as always, there was a softness in her voice that was unusual.
He cleared his throat to explain. “The proprietor of this lighthouse is… a friend of mine. I’ve known her for years. She is special to me.”
“She’s your novia, you mean? Your girl?” Madi said, cutting through Alysand’s vague answer.
He nodded then shrugged. “In a way. A bullet bard can never offer much romantically. But she is the closest I have had. Anyway, I am sure you two will love her.”
The door was opened, and we followed the nervous man as he made his way up the winding steps. Our footfalls echoed off the stone and the crash of waves filled the tower with a symphony of noise. It sounded like we were walking through a giant’s windpipe. Salt and sun-dried kelp filled my nose. I had decided that I liked the smell of the ocean, but it was a close thing. What other thing balanced the freshness of life with the stagnant rot of death?
At the top, the stairs leveled out to a circular walkway. We circled around to a small red door like the one at the base. This one was closed, though, and we waited after Alysand knocked on it.
An opening formed as someone inside moved a metal shutter, revealing a stark blue eye. “What is it?”
“I am hoping to make a call on Delilah. Is she not in? It is Alysand Deschaney. I am her good friend.”
The shutter snapped closed, and for a moment, I thought we would be refused. Then the systematic clicks of more than a few locks was heard. When the door finally opened, a girl of ten or eleven years stepped out. “Hello, Mr. Alysand. It is nice to see you again.”
“My goodness. How are you, Nora? I haven’t seen you in years.”
The girl explained, “I’m okay. My aunt is gone, though. It is only me in the light tower. Five days a week at least. That’s why I lock up now.” Her words were monotone, muted somehow, especially for one so young.
Alysand shook his head and tried again. “I’m sorry, but what do you mean she is gone? Has she left on a trip somewhere?”
A flutter of emotions passed across Nora’s face then. “She’s… she died, sir. My uncle found her here a few months past, and she was… like I said, sir, she’s dead.”
It looked as if the gunsinger had been struck with a war hammer. He took a step back and braced himself on the railing. His face had gone white. I tried to think of something to do or say, but nothing came to mind. I stood beside him as he trembled with the news.
Nora was braver than I was. She wiped away a tear that had fallen down her face and reached out to grasp one of Alysand’s hands. “I know you two were close. I have some lunch here. It’s only salt cod, but I have a loaf of bread and some butter as well. Have lunch with me, and I’ll tell you what I can.”
The gunsinger appeared shrunken and feeble, and I wondered how old he truly was. He looked less like a hard and peerless gunsinger and more like an old grandfather who had seen too many loved ones die. I supposed he was both.
He clutched at the cup of tea little Nora had given him like a light in the depths of a mountain.
“She’d been training me these last two years,” the girl explained. “Meant me to pick up her vigil, as it were.” Again, I marveled at how mature she was, though my original guess was off by a couple of years. Nora had proclaimed that as a “young woman of thirteen years, it was due time for her to learn a trade.” It wasn’t hard to imagine that she had been told this so many times that the words had become her own.
Alysand asked, his voice harder than diamond, “How was she found?”
Nora sighed and hung her head. She did not want to recall the memory. The gunsinger reached out and squeezed her hand. “Please, child. I need to know.”
“It was a Saturday, so my uncle Ven found her. Someone had come in the night. He said it looked like she’d been… questioned, at length.” Nora broke off and was unable to continue.
“I see. And the woman would have been as steadfast as ever. I’m sure they learned nothing of value from her. Do you know who might have done it, girl? Any clue?”
Nora met his eyes and a thread of steel glinted there. Her fair face pulled into a grimace and she said in a hoarse whisper, “Nothing can be certain, sir, but the new sheriff is not a good man. He’s filled with shadows, that man. And everything has begun to sour since he and a few of his deputies showed up. Don’t know where he is from, but those he brought with him are all Southies. Southerners, that is. From Port Vaya and beyond if the gossip is true.”
“Southerners. Aye, makes sense. Well, that is a starting point at least. Thank you for your kindness, Nora. And please, keep this for yourself, and give this to your uncle for me.” Alysand h
anded her two pouches, one small and the other bulging with gold coins.
Nora’s eyes went wide and she shook her head impotently. “But I can’t…”
“Silence. I came into a great deal of wealth recently. My friends and I killed something fair that had been turned foul. It is my intention to spread that wealth as far as it can go. Tell your uncle they won’t be the only one in town to receive such a gift, and that if he despises wealth, to give it away.” Alysand stood up. His legs shook a bit as he did so, but as his back straightened, a rod of steel formed there again. And as I looked into his eyes, a shiver of cold ran through me. His heart had been gouged and deflated. What took its place was resolve and violent intent.
I exchanged a look with Madi as we thundered back toward town. Alysand rode first, his face a mask of perfectly checked rage.
What has changed, Hana? Pachi asked as we ran behind. The man’s smell has changed. He no longer has fear, and… he smells cold.
I tried my best to explain. His mate was killed. I think we will kill those responsible now. They will not stand long against him.
Pachi sent me a note of the sorrow she felt for Alysand, but nothing else. We rode in silence, devouring the road swiftly.
We retired back to Alysand’s home early, and Madi and I busied ourselves with small matters, cleaning our new saddles and sharpening blades, while the gunsinger fussed about in the kitchen. The same boy dropped off food again, and I was thankful to not have to worry about cooking for a time. This time, though, I flagged the boy down and paid him myself. No need for the old man to go broke.
