“Just so you three are aware, Ivor is okay. He has concocted a very convincing sight in his room to fool the checker that he has perished. Just in case, however, if anyone knocks at the door, you are to hide beneath the bed. I know it’s scary right now, but this is the only way I know to help keep you safe. Okay?” As one, the three little heads nodded, and Blainaut was satisfied.
Blainaut looked at the three children, unsure of what to do next. He had two plates of food, as he was well known to be a mage, but that was in the past. He set them both on the desk, and sat, his thoughts racing at breakneck speed.
“Mr. Blainaut, are you okay? You look worried.” Ahte-tan piped up from the bed.
“No, no. I’m okay. I just, I don’t know what to do right now. That’s all. I mean, you three apparently mean the world to Ivor, and I don’t want to do something that may upset him over you three.” He gestured to the food, “I have dinner for us all. It isn’t much, but it’s something that I know I can get. There are four of us, so if we split all six pies in half, we will each get one and a half.”
Ahte-naah cocked his head to the side, questioning. “How does that work, Mr. Blainaut? I don’t understand.”
Realization dawned on him. Here was something he could do to prove himself to both the children and to Ivor. He could teach them. He smiled. “Well, it’s like this…”
The impromptu math lesson continued for almost an hour as the four ate the food in front of them.
“...and that’s how we can tell the distance around absolutely any circle! Any questions?” Blainaut looked excitedly at the trio, who were understandably lost.
“Mr. Blainaut, does this mean we can have our fruit pies, now?” Ahte-ukum asked.
“Oh. Uh, yes. Yes, absolutely. We can all have our fruit pies now. I’m sorry, kids. I seem to have gotten carried away. Let’s see, now. How many of these do I need to cut in half…” He tapped the butter knife against his chin, looking sideways to see if any of the boys were paying attention.
Thankfully, one was. “I think it’s two, Mr. Blainaut. If you cut two in half, you have four half parts, and four whole parts. That means we each get one and a half parts, right?” Ahte-naah stated, unsure of himself.
“Why, yes! That does seem to be correct, Ahte-naah! If I cut two in half, that means we each get one and a half!” He cut two pies in half, and gave one half to each scaly child, who eagerly and joyfully ate them, with dreamy smiles plastered across their faces.
Blainaut smiled, feeling glad for the first time in quite a while about being near the children. Sure, they may have an odd odor about them, but what little boy doesn’t? Gods knew that he was a dirty child in his youth. He finished his part of the stew, and sat, picking at his bread, wondering just what the future had in store for him. Certainly, he had never anticipated anything like the adventure he was currently on.
Adventures were funny things. You would set out with a particular goal in mind, and by the time you completed that goal and returned home, you sometimes had a hundred other little things that you could point to that were unsuspecting victories in and of themselves. And this? This was a life-changing victory. He now felt more at peace and whole than he had ever felt. Except for that week he spent with that farmgirl in Sosengey. What a week. What a woman.
A soft knock at the door, broke him of his reverie, and he quickly leapt up, ushering the children under the bed. “One moment, please. I’m not decent.”
Blainaut disheveled his hair and untucked a corner of his shirt, putting on a weary air. Shuffling to the door, he called through it. “Who’s there?”
“Artos. I’m with the City Watch, sir.” Came the muffled reply.
City Watch? What could possibly have been done to warrant a visit from the City Watch? Blainaut unlocked the door, and opened it a crack to reveal a man of medium build in the distinctive red and yellow of the Watch. “How can I help you, Mr. Artos?”
“Are you well, sir? We have reports of a murder happening here.” Artos said.
“I’m fine, Mr. Artos. I know nothing of any sort of a disturbance. It’s been rather quiet aside from the singing and dancing downstairs.” Blainaut held the door fast against his foot, sweat beading his brow.
“May I come in, sir? I’d like to see for myself. An outsider in our town is uncommon, and their death even less so. I’ll remind you that failure to comply will result in swift retaliation.”
Blainaut swallowed, nodding. He knew the City Watch for what they truly were: thugs for hire. He knew he couldn’t afford to be on the receiving end of another dagger. Not while Ivor was in the next room, pretending to be dead. He opened the door, allowing entry into his room.
The Watchman shoved Blainaut to the side, not unkindly. “Please do not interfere with my work, sir.” He then shut the door behind him. “It will end poorly for you if you do.” His eyes bored a hole into Blainaut’s head.
Blainaut lifted his hands, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. “No, sir. I’ll not impede you.”
The Watchman took in the room, scanning it from the rafters to the floor, taking in the details. Noting the twin trays of mostly-eaten food, he turned to the slender, pale man. “Hungry tonight, were we? I heard the stew was excellent. A pity I haven’t had any, yet.”
Blainaut cleared his throat. “I’m sure Colben would gladly serve you a bowl if you asked. Miriam herself baked the pies. They’re also delicious.”
The Watchman snorted and turned towards the door. “As if that fat bastard would serve me. He knows me too well.” He moved to open the door, but stopped. “One more thing, sir.”
Blainaut paled further and swallowed. “Y-yes, Artos?”
A heavy fist connected with the side of his head, and Blainaut fell like a stone onto the bed. “You’re a terrible liar.”
Artos looked down at the floor, seeing crumbs and some smears from the pie leading under the bed. “Hello, yippers. I’ll be taking you to our Master.” A heavy hand lifted the bed, Blainaut rolling into the corner, and another dragged out Ahte-ukum by the arm, who struggled mightily in the iron grasp. “Ah, ah, ah… Let’s not struggle too much. You might hurt yourself. If you two don’t want to see this one dead, come out. NOW.”
The other two boys reluctantly crawled out, and Artos set the bed back down. “Good. You have some brains in those scaly heads of yours. Come with me, and you live. Resist, and I will kill you all.” He pointed to the bed. “Starting with him. I’ve already taken care of the outsider. Let’s go. Quietly.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Dragging Ahte-ukum, he walked out of the room, the other two boys following, silently crying. They went downstairs, and exited through the back of the inn, disappearing into the night.
************
I fell asleep within minutes. The combination of being in a warm room, on a somewhat soft bed with an actual pillow, and a full belly? I was out like a light.
When a knock at my door went unanswered, the door was opened. A soft buzz went through me, and I opened my eyes. The candle had burned down about half-way, and I clearly saw the large man in red and yellow. His crooked nose told me that he had been in too many fights, and the heavy hands with flat knuckles told me that he was used to winning said fights. I fought my fear and held my breathing steady as he took in the tacky bloodstains on the floor and the streak leading to the bed. He approached and sniffed the air. He then took a thin rod and poked at the illusion in front of him. I felt it hit my belly, and held my breath as it pierced into me. It hurt, but no more than the prick of a needle. He withdrew it and observed the blood. Nodding, he tossed the rod onto the bed, and shutting the door behind him, left my room.
I let out the breath I had been holding and sat up. I knew I couldn’t move much, or he would hear me. I sat there, waiting for Blainaut to come knock on the door. I knew it hadn’t been too long, and that he and the kids were still awake. The walls were exceedingly thick in this inn, and I couldn’t hear anything beyond the laughter, music and general chatter from below. I stretched, and felt a catch in my chest. Oh yes. The dagger hilt.
I took my knife from my bag, and reached under my shirt, and sliced the hilt and surrounding flesh off. I gasped in pain, and quickly whispered the healing spell. The resulting pain wasn’t too severe this time. It was a small wound, after all. I sheathed my knife, and Unfused the dagger from my shirt. I tossed it into the bag, and waited.
After hearing the candle pop and hiss as it burned down nearly to the holder, I got worried. Surely Blainaut had dealt with the checker by now. I got up and crept to the door. Opening it as silently as I could, I saw nothing untoward in the hallway. I tiptoed to Blainaut’s room and saw that the door was ajar. I unholstered my pistol, and spun in, ready to fire.
Instead, I found Blainaut trying to sit up, holding a swelling cheek, dried blood caking his face. I quickly holstered the weapon and rushed to his aid.
“Blainaut! What happened? Was it the man in red and yellow?” I braced him with my arm around his shoulders. He moaned softly and worked his jaw.
“At least nothing is broken and I have my teeth this time. I think he hits harder than you do, Ivor. Ugh, my head.” He swayed softly, then stiffened. “The boys! Oh gods, the boys. They were under the bed, Ivor.” Tears started spilling from his face as he realized what had happened.
I knelt down, looking under the bed, fearing the worst. Just motes of dust with some streaks indicating something was dragged out. “He took them, Blainaut. They’re gone.” I looked at the bleeding and bruised man and tears fell down my face. We wept in silence for a moment, then I helped Blainaut to his feet. “Come on. You’re going to help me get ready.”
“What? Wait. You can’t be serious. Ivor.” He attempted to tug on my arm to no avail. It was like a leaf trying to resist a bulldozer for all that I noticed. He relented and followed me, holding his face.
Once in my room, I paced for a moment, trying to calm myself. “no. don’t get calm. stay mad. stay angry. see the red, feel the hate, feed it. feed me. only I can help them, now.” My hands clenched and unclenched rhythmically, knuckles rolling an invisible coin.
Blainaut sat on the bed, in the corner farthest from me. “Ivor. Ivor, you’re worrying me. Please stop. I can feel the heat rolling off you from here, man. You cannot help your boys in this state. Trust me. I’ve dealt with this Guild before, and rolling in, fuming mad like a bull in rut, will only serve to get you and the boys killed. Do you want that?”
I stopped my pacing, and faced him, chest heaving, hands clenched in fists of rage. “What else, then? I could level this entire city. Hells, man. I could level this entire continent, and you know it. I know words and concepts that would make your hair go white. Remember: your magic is my mother tongue, and I was raised in it.” I continued to bore a hole in him with my eyes, the whispering voice in the back of my mind begging to be let free.
“Ivor, please.” He reached out a hand imploringly. “Please sit down, and let’s discuss this. Let's figure out a way to save them. Together. Please?” Fresh tears streamed down his face, and my anger faded in the sea of tears that we shed then.
I dropped heavily into the chair, causing it to complain with a loud crack. “What, then, Blainaut? How will we get my boys? How?”
“I’m not certain yet. My mind is still fuzzy, and yours is bent on vengeance. And righteously so. Give me a moment to clear my head, yes?” I nodded and he closed his eyes, massaging his temples.
I took the time to reach into my bag, and withdrew my pack of supplies. I took the two extra magazines I had packed and placed them on the bed. Next, I withdrew my jacket, and slipped them into the pockets. I briefly wondered if I could make the magazines self-refilling, but decided against it. It would take far too much energy, and I needed all I could get. I pulled out a handful of meat, as I was certain to be using multiple spells. Some were bound to be energy intensive. I’d probably have to come up with several new ones.
Blainaut’s eyes snapped open and he spoke one word. “Tracker.”
My head whipped around to face him, and I smiled. Of course. The tracer spell. I could easily find them that way. “Yes. I can use that. It won’t expire for another week.” I wondered how I would infiltrate the thieves' hideout. “Are they underground, do you think? Would the guild make its headquarters underground?”
Blainaut rubbed his chin. “I’m not sure. It would make some sense to do so. However, given how entwined they are with the local politics, it would be just as likely that they would operate a legitimate business in town.”
I reached into the bag, and drew out a bit of the hickory wood. “Okay, then. I’m making some items I’ll probably need.” I concentrated on the wood, and whispered “Arrange material.” In my mind, I visualized the wood compacting into a disc, then elongating into a perfectly straight five-foot length of smooth wood. Opening my eyes, I inspected my handiwork, nodding to myself. I reached into my bag again, and pulled out a scrap of the pelt.
Laying it on the desk, I drew my knife and shaved off all the fur, leaving a smooth piece of leather. I then started cutting it into a thin spiral, trying to make as long a piece as I could. Once I had about three feet of thin leather, I began wrapping the center of my staff. I completed my handle-wrap, and Fused it to the wood. It had grip, but also would slip as I needed. I held the staff with both hands, and whispered “Strengthen. Harden.” and I felt the staff vibrate softly.
“There. That should do me well. At least in the open. And now for some protection.” I pulled out the pelt, and sliced off a much larger piece. I left the fur on, and fashioned a pair of bracers and some cordage out of it, stuffing the excess into my supply pack. I pulled a pair of the stones and Fused one to the center of the left bracer, nestled beneath the fur. The other I Fused to the right. Into the left stone, I fed magic and I inscribed “Shield of Earth.” and into the right I fed magic and I inscribed “Shield of Air.” I put them on, and focused on the left, seeing a three-foot wide stone shield spring into existence. I released my focus, and it vanished. I did this twice more, visualizing different shapes, and called it a success. “I think I’m about ready, Blainaut.”
Blainaut sat there, open-mouthed. “Ivor. You just crafted weapons and armor that would cost a wealthy merchant a month’s worth of gold. And you did it in the span of a half-hour. How are you feeling? Are you running low on energy?”
I took stock of myself, and shook my head. “No. I feel fine, actually.”
I strapped my knife on my hip, and hefted my staff. “I think it’s time to remove the Thieves' Guild from this town, Blainaut. I will make them regret coming for me and my boys.”
“I’m coming with you, Ivor. I have grown fond of them, indeed. Why, I actually taught them some math tonight!” Blainaut beamed with pride.
I leaned the staff against the door, and clasped the other man in a tight embrace. “Thank you for that, Blainaut. That means more than you know. However, you are in no fit state to fight. You have no magic, and I don’t think you ever learned how to fight simply because you did have magic. No, my friend. You stay here, and recover. Eat some of Miriam’s pies. I’ll be back by dawn, with my boys.” I turned to the doorway and recovered my staff.
“Don’t worry, my sons. Daddy’s coming to get you.”