Disclaimer: This is not the final version as it will be available from the usual e-book sellers and eventually, bookstores. Rather, it should be seen as an (almost) final draft. If you are interested in becoming a beta reader, or you have any comments, suggestions or thoughts that you feel I should consider before publishing please drop me a line using the contact form.
Preparing to March
The Duke had ordered that a company of warriors be organised to restore the offices of Thetwick. He also needed to select a new Captain and Constable for the region. Putting together what was really a temporary, self sufficient unit took a little while. In the meantime Matt was helping the guard root out as much of the Thieves’ Guild as he could. It showed just how powerful the organisation had become. It was deeply infiltrated in many levels of Duilhac society. The town was in an uproar as Matt pointed out several City Guardsmen that he knew to be on the Thieves Guild payroll. The dungeons were crowded and soldiers of the Duke’s Regiment were scouring the city and had take over the civil dungeon in Duilhac as well, both because they needed the space and the Duke felt her couldn’t be sure of the City Guard’s loyalty. The Duke himself had gone down to Duilhac several times to make certain things were being handled to his standards.
Myrthe and Alagariel were invited to stay at Peyrepertuse, both as a social courtesy and so they would be closer at hand to the preparations for the expedition while the city was being turned inside out. Ala brought Fulgor up from Guanshiyin’s stables the next day.
“Are you sure you want to come to Thetwick, Myr?”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure. I don’t feel like you have played your part yet Ala. Unless you have tired of my company?”
“No, no, I would love for you to come… I don’t think I could ever tire of our friendship. I just feel like I am leading you in circles… there must be something more important for you to do, mustn’t there? Other than travelling up and down the road to Thetwick?”
“I’ll be the judge of that. I’m on Sojourn. I am listening to the cries of the world. They ring loudly around you. Besides, I hear that Caerel is to be leader of the expedition,” she said with a naughty look. “Oh and I think it’s quite a nice road,” she added with an amused smile. “No one said following cries would be straightforward. Or that you can’t have a little fling on the way.”
Ala shook her head, “incorrigible. Be that as it may, though, I’ll be glad to have you along. I’m worried what we’ll find in Thetwick. The Constable has had free reign all this time. The Thets will not be having an easy time of it.”
“I understand. One other thing, too. We can’t leave Matt here. He’s still too dangerous to the guild. They will try for him again and again.”
“The condition for his freedom is that he helps against the guild.”
“I know! But that effect is already being achieved. The patrols are discovering more and more places where the thieves simply ceased doing whatever they were doing and have vanished. His knowledge was so complete, they are completely changing their way of doing things. He doesn’t need to be here. Just the demonstrated effectiveness of his knowledge is sufficient for the Guild to pack up shop for now. They’ll just lie low or relocate. The guard will be better off giving them some time and space and then revisiting their old haunts in a few months when they think the danger is gone.”
“How are we going to convince the Duke of this?”
“I have an idea. I’m going to go find Caerel.”
“How are your horizontal activities going to help us?”
Myrthe stuck out her tongue at her before she explained. “He’s going to present my idea to the Duke as his own. Trust me, it will work out fine.”
Myrthe was being her usual secretive self and refused to tell her what she had in mind. But, sure enough, Matt came by that evening saying that he had been ordered to accompany them to Thetwick. He still looked out of place in his Regimental uniform.
“I don’t really understand, I haven’t led the guard to more than half of the places and people I know have something to do with the guild.”
“How many of those places have yielded results?” Asked Ala.
“Less and less, I guess. The guild is catching on quickly that they’ve been burned. It’s to be expected really. It’s what I would do.”
“So, perhaps it’s better to let them think you know less than you do. Leave them alone for a while, and then hit the rest in a few months?”
“That’s a good idea actually, I should mention it to the Captain…” Myrthe gave him a look.
“Oh. Right…. You?”
Myrthe just looked at him for a moment. When Matt realised she wasn’t going to say anything, he continued.
“Ok, ok, I get it… off to Thetwick it is.”
“Do you actually know how to ride a horse, city boy?” Myrthe asked.
“Sure, seen people do it all the time.”
Ala and Myrthe looked at one another.
“We’d better go and practice a bit,” Ala said.
They also had a visitor in the days leading up to their departure. They were out in the practice yard, Myrthe was teaching Matt to ride, and Ala was practising weapons drills when Talathiel strode into the courtyard. Her turquoise blue hair was unmistakable and to accentuate it she was wearing an ornate robe with an intricate pattern of blues and greens. Her cloak was in the same colour scheme and it billowed out behind her as she walked. Following behind her at a distance, taking its time sniffing things, was a black bear. She singled out Ala and headed straight for her. Ala quickly excused herself from her practice partner. Talathiel and Georgina drew quite a few stares. Gladiuth, who was also out in the yard, approached to head her off. He appeared worried the woman might do something mad. He called from a distance.
“Hello auntie, out and about? We don’t often see you leave the shop. What’s the occasion?”
“I wish you wouldn’t use these human familiar family terms. I can’t imagine anyone actually wishes to be referred to as an ‘aunt’, Gladiuth. As if my existence is somehow dependent on my relationship to you. Unless it’s their sole claim to fame, I suppose. In any event, shoo, I came to speak to Lady Alagariel.”
Gladiuth had reached her, clasped her hands and kissed her cheek in the elven manner. Ala approached and fumbled a bit with the hand-clasping kissing ritual. Talathiel shook her head with a slightly amused look.
“Good effort child. Perhaps we can sit over on those steps and talk for a bit?”
“Aunt Tala, now that you’re here for once,” pleaded Gladiuth, “please don’t forget to pay your respects to the Duke. Someone needs to save him from that incompetent Court Wizard.”
Talathiel glanced at him with a dismissive expression, “peh, he’s fine. Doesn’t need me.”
“Should I find you a room where you can speak to Lady Alagariel? It’s not fitting to sit out here in the practice yard.”
“Go away, Gladiuth.”
“Also, I still think you should do Jurgen’s job.”
“Gladiuth, he knows where to find me if he needs me or if Jurgen isn’t able to do what he needs. I’m not hanging around this dark Castle all the time. The shop is closer to the river. I prefer it.”
“Jurgen can barely boil water!”
“Come now, you’re not buying into that silly story like all the peasants are you? But, I will see if he is available after I have spoken to Alagariel, young nephew, just to see if there is anything pressing. Does that set your mind at ease?”
Talathiel had more of a sense of humour than Ala had given her credit for.
“Thank you, Tala,” said Gladiuth.
“Now, go away.”
“I didn’t realise you were a wizard,” said Ala.
“Oh, I thought someone would have mentioned it? I understand it’s prime gossip in Duilhac. Come along.”
“She’s a very talented Water Magister, in fact,” explained Gladiuth.
“Go on about doing whatever it is you do here, Gladiuth,” said Talathiel, shooing him off again, “I want to talk to Lady Alagariel now.”
Ala and Talathiel sat down on the steps leading up to one of the smaller courtyard buildings. Georgina had found a guard’s pack that must have some food in it. The bear was dexterously undoing the buckle that kept it shut. Talathiel clearly held the opinion that the bear’s activities didn’t warrant any action on her part and simply continued the conversation with Ala.
“I looked into you a little, young Alagariel, because I had an inkling of a sense of something when we met. Perhaps it’s destiny, though I’m reticent about using such weighty terms. I’m not sure how or what, it’s just a feeling, but elves have learned to take heed of such sensations. I feel an urge to be around you, but perhaps that’s just a hundred thousand years of fire elven charm ingrained in my bones. Anyway, I’m not going to follow you around like those two cute young humans over there,” she gestured at Myrthe and Matt, looking at them with an inscrutable expression.
After a moment of silence that was just long enough to make Ala think she should say something and wonder exactly how she knew the details of the expedition to Thetwick, Talathiel continued, “instead, I am going to give you something that Yesme helped me make.”
It was a small vial with two liquids, green and blue, which didn’t mix.
“It’s something to call me, when it’s time. You shake it like so…”
The green and blue liquids flowed into each other, looking a lot like the pattern on the robe she was wearing, “and you pour it into a body of water. That water must be connected to the other waters of the world, so a puddle won’t work unless you’re very lucky, but almost all streams, rivers, wells and oceans will. Be careful with mountain lakes, they are sometimes isolated. I will feel the call and know it is you.”
Ala accepted the vial. She decided there was not much point in asking what might happen after she had followed the instructions, though she was curious.
“What did you find out about me? Also, how do I know when it’s time to use this?”
“You’re almost as impatient as a human. It’ll be the upbringing. Or perhaps it’s fire elves… your elven kind does have a reputation for impatience… possibly its just been too long since I was around fire elves… so exhausting.”
Talathiel looked thoughtful for a moment again. Ala was finding her a challenging conversation partner.
“I digress. I looked into my pool, but I did not find much at all. Which is strange in and of itself. The world is generally clear to me, usually even magnified or a little exaggerated through my pool if I will it so. The only way that my view can be veiled, is if someone has taken the trouble to veil it, like an octopus using its ink cloud.”
“What does that mean?”
“Someone has used magic to hide you, dear. It has a metallic tang to it.”
Ala looked at her, somewhat awed, “an elf would have to have done this?”
“Well, there are others who can use magic, but I would say it was an elf, even specifically a very strong metal elf, just by the character of the magic. Water elves are traditionally most versed in seeing far. They are therefore also the ones who can best hide things in the vastness of the deep. I would say it was done by a metal elf, though any very skilful wizard could theoretically have done so. I expect it would be within the abilities of a Custodian of any of the elven kind. Or it should be… who knows how standards have slipped these days?”
“What is a Custodian?”
“Oh yes of course, we hadn’t yet covered the Custodians yet. Each nation of elves has a Tower of Magic. Historically, the Custodians report directly to the High Throne. Legend is that the first Custodians were ancient Alagariel’s own Cabal of mages, those that she often cooperated in casting circles with. Obviously that hasn’t worked that way in a while. The caretaker of each tower is called the Custodian. They are generally very promising wizards, though perhaps not all as strong as they were originally intended to be.”
“Well, there was once an elf somewhere who knows I existed, at least. That is more than I was sure of before. Thank you for taking the time to look into it, Mistress Talathiel. Now, when should I use this?”
Ala held up the vial.
“I think you’ll know when, but considering your lack of elven attunement, I will tell you what I saw. It is like a dream. I saw you standing on a hill, observing a field of campfires, like a camped army, with me next to you. That’s all.”
“I hope I will understand it when the time comes.”
“I’m not worried.”
Talathiel stood up.
“I’m going to find the Duke now. I will be seeing you quite soon I think.”
Talathiel stood up and strode off, though she stopped by Georgina for a moment, who was happily sitting in the middle of all the things she’d taken out of the guardsman’s bag. Talathiel looked at the bear with a stern expression.
“If you take things out of a bag, young Georgina, you also have to put them back! Imagine what a mess Taldyr would be if everyone behaved the way you do!”
She then turned and continued her route towards the keep. Georgina sniffed a few more items and then followed after her, leaving the contents of the bag where they were. Ala was left behind, wondering what on Vatan that had all been about. She put the vial in her pouch. Gladiuth reappeared once Talathiel had disappeared from view.
“Interesting, isn’t she?”
“She has a certain intensity to her. Like a wave breaking over you? How do I feel that way? I don’t think I’ve ever seen the sea?”
“Have you not? That is indeed strange. I have no answers for you, I’m afraid. That feeling though, it goes with water elves. My mother says there are also ones who are calm like mountain pool. Guess auntie Tala isn’t that sort.”
“You didn’t tell me she was a wizard.”
“Oh, I thought everyone knew. She’s about a zillion times more competent and smarter than that idiot Jurgen. She can’t be bothered to hang around at the castle though, to the Duke’s chagrin. He makes do with Jurgen unless there’s something important that needs attention. I’m not sure I have ever actually seen her do magic though. Jurgen is always muttering incantations, with mixed effects. She doesn’t appear to do it that way.”
“Well. She’s fascinating. Not exactly easy going, but very fascinating.”
“Good description. Anyway, let’s get back on the field, sword-forms don’t do themselves.”
“Do all elves have magic?”
“No… well not like Tala anyway. My mother is an inscribed Magister too and highly regarded in elven magical circles. She’s not in Tala’s league though. Though Tala praises her skills as an apothecary regularly.”
“So what’s the difference?”
“Well aside from the fact that Yesme is inscribed in Earth Magic… Tala is in a league of her own, the may my mother describes it. A connection to water magic that even other water mages can only dream of.”
“So there tends to be a lot of variation among inscribed magisters?”
“To be honest, not generally as I understand it. Talathiel’s connection is primal. It’s more like you and the fire, really, come to think of it.”
Ala sighed, “every step forward I take seems to result in a million more questions.”
“Such is the nature of inquiry. One of my early sword teachers used to say that a lot.”
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