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**01.04**
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This was Lark first hurrah before being sent to the wall. His gate has only opened last year , and all he was able to do then was send sparks at anyone who touched him .
Nothing like it is now. He still went to the wall . For family For Honour, his family hasn't sent anyone in two generations ,his Grandfathers brother was the last to go and he did not come back.
There blood was becoming weaker and weaker, as his grandma saw it. more urgently there gold is running out.
At first they sent a hundred Men as by law to equal an absent mage and they would be paid Ten gold each, a Crown a year , and that is next to the hundred men a barony normally sent. When less men returned They sent a Crown gold for every Solider not sent and how embarrassing that was.
The last decade they could only send Gold. Half a century of payments ran there coffers empty , there Barony empty of able men. most families have lost a man to the wall already if not more.
But this year they only sent fifty Crown gold , fifty men and him . beside the thirty crown gold worth of food and that's a lot of food, equal payment to one silver per head in the barons land, it was taken from crop taxes and so the coffers could take a breath this year.
He would go each year , get stronger , rank higher and higher , until they were paid for him going. if he could stand on the fifth wall during a wave they would have to pay him a Crown a day and a gold on none instead of paying in men or gold he would be enough and more.
He would get more training , He would be able to handle himself before he saw any combat. he only saw one dever so far and they took it out before he did anything , it wasn't even on the wall , he was being hauled back already dead supposedly.
The wall is just the best place to train now. Most mages gathered there and so you would find someone of the same or similar evocation and he had. Master Simon was heling, he wasn't quite an apprentice , but close enough for now. he just had to impress him.
He had promised that he would come back again, he would do his best to survive and then come visit again next winter , stronger and better. already the voices calling in to doubt his father quieted this gathering after he came back , he was not a fluke . he would have to take over the family at least in public now .
He was already being treated as the head at 17. His father was all for it. His mother proud and his siblings looked at him with aspiring eyes , Jonathon especially looking determined .
Life was looking up , and he was truly proud.
But there was just this minor complain, this little thing he could not get out of his head.
He couldn't get laid. doesn't even know what to do. He came from a backwater barony , hasn't been to that many balls.his parents where right there in most balls.
There's only a month left before everyone would have to go back and he would have nine months of army life , up at dawn training on free days and being scared shitless on the first wall on wave days, and long boring shifts at the second wall on normal days even though no dever has reached there in at least five years.
They were now drinking in a balcony, just the boys playing dice. This group bounded together by misery.
He let out a sigh. He lost another five copper.
Dan laughed at him
"it's only coppers mate chill "
he thought a minute, and decided to get help at this point it was about to just fall of ,being stiff all the damn time ,he couldn't be the only one !
" not that, its just really hard to get some .. and I don't know anyone here ,.. now back home I had .. this girl , she worked in the kitchen and she was so hot , Aqua knows how much I miss her boobs, we had this arrangement you could call it , she had the best boobs .. just perfect fit for my hand, you know "
just remembering made him suffer , he used that image a lot.
She was his first … and only, but they didn't need to know that , she came into his room one night and the rest was history. she was older and taught him a lot. The next day he was moved to his own wing at the time he just went with it.
now though he realized that the walls were a little to thin in the keep. and his parents knew. he wasn't going to marry her , his mom made it clear when they spoke. and Jasmine was fine with it , she knew and didn't mind.
They had an arrangement he would pay for all the herbs , gift her things she wanted. nothing to expensive they weren't that rich, so she wouldn't bare anything or worry for the rest of her life if he can help it . they enjoyed each over. she took care of everything in his quarters, from food to clothes. he wasn't stupid he knew she had moved up in the ranking , was being paid more. but she made him happy ,she hasn't slept anywhere but his bed since.
he missed her. Couldn't she have come with his parents .
He looked up , to the blank faces compared to his reminiscing, shit did he share to much ?
the balcony was silent the two not making a sound , mark barley says anything anyway. but dan let the silence hang for a little too long and burst out laughing.
"you got nothing ... like all year , never went to last town .. no pretty barmaid there .. nothing ?"
I gave him the blank look he gave me before and shook my head
Dan took a drink, put his hand on my shoulder looking straight in my eyes, i knew it was coming , the fucker like to do these bits , he thought it made him funny, so in his grave mocking voice said
" I will now share with you some the wisdom I have gathered from brothers before us , so listen will my troubled pupil . There are many ways one stiff as thee my break his Fast, I shall give you the easiest as you are not yet ready for the advanced ways of are order , follow my guidance and one day you may as well reach my station , Nobel maiden hearts shall be taken with thee as they are with me "
" but for now you merely have to follow this bit of small wisdom for you are not yet ready for the rest"
I knew he was fucking around like always , but I still listened as he went on
"hear me well , I shall not repeat myself … just fucking pay for it mate "
I dropped his hand from shoulder
" fuck you dan "
"no .. no seriously mate hear me out , pay for it . its not even that much ill show you the best brothels in haven street when we get back ,but if your strung now pay for it because all the girls you see here yeah, in the balls and the ones you dance with , wont damn give you the time of day. they know we have nine years left and cant leave the army, four if we make it on the fourth wall. They will not be taking chances on us we are to young and bring nothing to the table. on top of that , no offence , the Beltens are not exactly famous."
He took another drink and carried on.
"I'm in the same ship as you , mark too .. the billy nobles "
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Mark gave a rare nod at that and cheered
" so when I get stiff I just pay for it. you don't even have to go far , there is a brothel next town over that wont rob you blind "
I sighed , maybe I should , but brothels... that's a whole day , three hours to , if I can get horse and then again back .
he looked up at the sky was already brightening a little
dan interrupted my thoughts as if he could read them
" tell you what , you don't have to go that far . remember the maids that served us drinks , yeah ? "
at my look , he continued on. they were hot not easily ignored in my state .
" they cost more, like a gold , but you could. there's this whole way to go about it too and they know too , its sort like for the boys if you can afford it "
He poured us another drink , even mark was paying attention
" here is how you do it. you say some suggestive shit touch hear or there , and make sure to leave the coin on the bedside table when she comes to your room, and that's it. "
but a fucking gold ? j… yeah better than having everyone asking where I was the whole day or wating a month till I can sneak away.
I just got ten from dad , I could do it.
The topic done we sat in silence . until mark spoke.
" you repeated your self "
" what ?"
" he said he wont repeat himself , then repeated himself , at least four times . I counted."
Dan looked at Mark , then me and then we laughed. Mark just smiled. he rarely spoke but it was always weird observations. every time I eat meat at the wall I have to wonder if it was cooked dever.
they don't look appetizing all gangly and muscle but that was mark, he put off everyone at the cafeteria that day. I could swear the elder mages looked knowingly.
we drank the rest of wine and played on till the sky was too bright. every one else was asleep or waking up ,we almost past out then and there , but we made it to our rooms , mark helping dan and me just barley hanging on.
I threw my clothes off of me when I reached the room and put of them in a corner , military order still ingrained in me , untied the curtains and then remembered what dan said took a gold from my storage tried to put at the desk, there was no bedside table, and then I just passed out in the bed barley making sure the curtains are closed.
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There was a murder on the counts mansion. He was pissed. A mage time on break from the wall was sacred, no one is to bother them. The are outside the games and politics of the realm until there service is done at least.
He sighed , how do you deal with this. no one has said anything outright but everyone is looking at the Grass´s as if they have to have done it , the father was looking for war he had hinted enough at it , and if I give no other answer today , he would have it.
I couldn't deny him that without a reason. although rarely done , war between nobles in a domain do happen. albeit in an organized manner, after all this is Elcadia we have other things to worry about.
Viscount Grass looked offended. I could tell that he did not do it , he is a straight shot of a man. I still confirmed where he was ,
I was looking at his eldest and he too looked baffled, my spy heard there discussions they were all as oblivious as us. maybe one of them paid a rouge mage. but I cant shake the feeling that they haven't done it either.
He wasn't stupid, he wanted the barony that is clear yet he had never done anything this outside the law. he bent most times but has never done something like this, or even a little close to it. before today he looked resigned that the Beltends were out of hot waters and so wouldn't be absorbed . there late son already showing so much promise.
So not him either. someone who wants war ? is this an attack at me ? a baron and viscount going to war won't trouble me that much. it would be a waste , sure but by the end I would likely have a new larger viscounty , and the viscount will dominate in the south. the barony wont win this, the viscount reputation would take a hit.
in this case a war might be a positive. but spring is coming. one less mage is not an issue the viscount would pull his three mages too for this war as anyone might attack if war was declared in the south. so that's four. and about a thousand soldiers. more gold would be paid ,but we are not lacking gold.
so war is not a positive. Gold we have, people we need. and it would be a waste.
who did it ?
its been two days, and we found nothing. the manor was searched. none here are kinetic mages and most who are use iron not pebbles , if they did it would break and disintegrate yet this one didn't. no elementalist that strong either. the pebble was odd too. smooth nothing you pick around hear.
he rubbed the pebble between his fingers.
right , its not his job to figure things out , it was weird magic and he was curios about it so why not call a professional, he has enough work to do.
right that's what we do , no war , someone to find out who and how. Eric would be perfect , he has an interest in weird magic same as me.
right that's what we do.
"My lords we are at an impasse. The manor has been searched , no mages could pass the wall without triggering it , nothing was found and we know not what has been done "
he showed a grave face
"Lord Beltend I will not do you the disservice of forgetting the matter because no culprit was found. We will find what happened , I will do my best I swear, Aura be my witness."
Oh everyone is looking a little better, the rest of the nobles are muttering. but no one is scared, lord Grass is wary. but I can see why. he hopes none of his are implicated.
"This murder was on my grounds, and you were my guests. so I apologize for my fallings , as repropose , what little it may help your grief , know that I will pay your contributions for ten years at least, twenty if no mage comes again from your house in Ten , but I hear Jonathon is showing promise "
He is looking a little relieved now , good.
" but it is my hope that you show patience and not ask for war , spring is near so the wall needs every man "
He looks surprised , is that surprise ? what did I miss
"Milord , I am grateful for your help. I truly am. and not so foolish to ask for a war I know would crumble my house. I'm not a arrogant man. my father almost brought our family to the ground seeking glory and wealth , yet lost booth, so I learned from his mistakes. I think you mistook me for him. he would not have let the matter go and seeked war or more gold "
that's probably it , and what I thought would happen. he would ask for more gold hinting at war , be paid more by me under the table and then the matter would be settled , yet he brought it all upfront. damn I don't know this Beltend , I dealt with his father mostly but he rarely came here. I missed up.
what did I miss , what about all those hints! he showed anger , he still looks angry …. so not war , angry but not stupid enough to ask for war.
everyone was looking at him , no Nobel should besmirch his own.
" I would ask only for the culprit. my son was murdered. I am a father before a noble. if that makes me unsuitable to be a baron. I would pass it on, I care not. my son is dead. nothing would bring him back. I ask for the murder dead should he be found ,not the man who throw the pebble but the one who asked it be done. that is all. Little it will help , but that is all "
I read him wrong, that rarely happens any more , grieving ... huh
"I know and that is why I called for Aura judgments, he should be here within a week, Judge Elmond , yes him , he will know what happened. preservation spells have been cast on the room, and he will tell us what he see's "
"then I shall wait his arrival , I will wait to burry my son. I thank you Lord Raymond for preserving his body , may Aura judgment be Swift."
Lord belted nodded, bowed , and returned to his standing position. The tense atmosphere lessened a little and everyone was talking again some excited, lord Beltend was still grieving he left soon after , none of the family except him were here. I kept my eye on the Grass family and none of them looked worried, about themselves at least . even the retainers. none of them had admitted to anything in private either.
soon the gathering was over , I returned to my office. finding bertnand already there.
"Ask Lura to cast the reservation spell berty would you .. and bring me a scroll and pen I need to write to Eric , he still owes me a favour I think ... i won the last bet"
"lady Emoulura has cast the spell on a crystal and it has been placed in the room. I would hold on to the pebble you have as well so it may be examined. I took the initiative and wrote a letter in paper, lord Elmond hates scrolls. and I paid extra attention to mention all the particularities in it, A rider should be on the road by now and will reach the mage tower to send it by tomorrow if he cant find him in the city. if we are lucky he would be here in a week as you said."
I smiled at that.
" that's why I cant let you quit berty, I cant let you spend your time on poetry I would die with out you "
I sat on my desk , checking on the paper. berty went to wall and pulled a thick book. the book of obligation's I called it. it had everything pertaining to our section of the wall , I needed to find a mage and a hundred men. Men were not an issue, they had less use on the wall. but a mage needs to be sent , to keep the numbers at least and make a show of it. someone's vacation would be cut short but they will be paid an extra Rank.
I added the barons yearly contributions to the wall in the exempt side noting the year it ends. wrote the declarations on three scrolls signed and gave one to Berty. he would give it to the baron without anyone seeing. one to be put in the underground library and one to stay in the book of obligations.
we need more mages. more men. The dever waves are getting more concentrated by the year. we have more mages than ever, but none like the old. most with weak magic. more Elemntalist than I can count. but fewer and fewer space mages, Traditional mages that are taught like Lura are a rarity when they were and should be the main.
The academy is becoming emptier , fewer people passing the tests and compatibility . even though it was lowered. everyone has there own personal magic , or family magic and we cant seem to make as many mages as we used to. a wild mage is becoming the norm , and a taught mage the rarity. something went wrong somewhere. Even the wild mages of today are a lot weaker , a far cry from the Builder , who grew buildings from mountains like they were trees.
I finished everything I had to do today . this is my vacation too , or it should be. although it feels like I work more than my normal days. Lura is even busier , we barley see each other alone except for bed at night. and she is up at dawn even before me.
I headed to my room. but Lura was already asleep , damn did I spent too long in my desk.
I took of my clothes and snuck next to her stealing her warmth and snuggling happily .
the long day already forgotten.