Bradox latched the five locks of the bedroom door. He was certain that Lord Nostrum wouldn’t disturb him during the time he spent alone with Lady Nostrum. The intervention of that meddling witch caused him no small trouble. He didn’t have enough power to keep both Nadia and Lady Nostrum sick. If he proved unable to maintain either of the poison curses, they would both turn back on him two-fold. The condition of Lady Nostrum improved; her skin no longer pallid green.
If she awoke, all his carefully laid plans would be ruined. Bradox gripped the window sill and clenched his teeth as he kept his eyes on the horizon. Word had to be sent to Lord Sarsin about the recent developments. This new girl with the pendant, whose soul he was unable to restrain, was something the great Lord Sarsin might take an interest in. Maybe it would finally hasten Lord Sarsin’s hand concerning the situation here. Unfortunately, this meant he had to meet with that despicable imp. The sun was almost completely behind the horizon, meaning it was about time for him to show.
The beak nosed imp jumped to the window sill as if from out of nowhere. The old man stumbled back but kept on his feet. A toothy grin formed as Groli sat like a toad.
“So, Old Wizard Bradox requests my services once again. How much do you intend to pay this time?”
“You’ll get your due from the great Lord Sarsin himself, if you make haste with my word.”
The half-imp’s voice became a mocking high pitch, “Does Old Wizard Bradox have good news for the great Lord Sarsin? Do you really need to report about the village’s defenses so often? Even I could tell him they are nonexistent, Old Wizard Bradox.”
“I report on many things besides that! Now, how fast can you reach him?”
“In two days, a day if I take little time for meals, but that doesn’t make Lobar happy and will cost you three times as much, Old Wizard Bradox.”
“I already told you; Lord Sarsin himself will give you your due.”
“Hee hee! You sound like your poet brother. Why must Old Wizard Bradox be so hasty. Lord Sarsin is a mere bonus. If I can’t collect from Old Wizard Bradox, I have nothing to defray my expenses. I think three hundred gold tethers should suffice quite nicely. You needn’t worry about paying later, Old Wizard Bradox, because you can pay me now. I’ll be sure to keep them in a safe place, as they were given to me by Old Wizard Bradox of the poison leaf.”
“Stop uttering my names so sickeningly! And don’t dare speak my true title. Three hundred gold tethers! That is an outrageous price for delivering a simple message, especially when all you are concerned about is stuffing the face of that obnoxious troll.”
“Do you really have any other choice, Old Wizard Bradox of the poison leaf?” The grin grew wider after the mock obsequiousness. “For speed, reliability, and, of course, complete secrecy, no one will do the job like us. And we both know how well compensated you are for your care of Nostrum’s wife, from both Nostrum and Lord Sarsin. No doubt.”
“Two hundred gold tethers is what you will receive. Far more than you’re worth!” The old man pulled a brown bag from a hidden hollow underneath the window sill. Two wrapped bands of golden tethers were pulled out and thrown at the little man, who caught them against his stomach. Then, from his robe’s inner pocket, Poison-leaf handed him a vial with a roll of paper inside.
“The message inside this vial is crucial, protect it with your life.”
“For two hundred gold tethers, I’ll protect it as I see fit,”
“Just see fit to protect it!”
At that, Groli jumped from the window. Poison-leaf scanned the area from his perch, but it was to no avail; the goblin, human, imp mix breed whatever he was had vanished.
-----
Rain assaulted the road until it was a stream of mud which sucked at the hooves of Darrell’s gray mare. He cursed Awlena, who had long over taken him because she had a well-trained horse. It simply wasn’t fair for Awlena to give him an old horse and dare him to keep up. But it was a stroke of luck that she wanted to follow her brother. She would know how to get back to her village if there was a problem. The weather didn’t bother her and she didn’t fatigue too easily.
Was she really a princess? Darrell managed to keep close behind her, but only by working both himself and the horse to the edge of their endurance. They traveled constantly, with little time to eat and less to rest, and with every day of deprivation Darrel envied these hardy people a little more. Mud slowed his horse, which plodded forward tiredly as he clung to its reigns in defiance of the stinging rain. His bag of provisions hung empty, mud coated his pants clear up to the saddle, his soaked shirt clung to his skin. Wet hair stuck against his forehead. Water raced in streams down his chilled cheeks.
He finally saw a blurred line of stone that resembled a square. It looked cold as there were no lights in the window, but as he approached, he could tell that it was a cottage nonetheless. There were other cottages too. Some had fires burning within. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, yet the sight remained. The horse received a gentle pat on the side of the head before he pulled the reigns to bid it to halt. Good thing he had learned to ride on the farm.
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He dismounted. Ankles disappeared in rich brown mud which sucked at his feet as he plodded to the first lit cottage he’d seen. It became dark inside and the shutters closed tight with bang. After a deep breath, he walked across the road to a home from which he could smell smoke sneaking from a chimney. A frowning plump woman in a brown dress with a small white frock opened the door.
“What do ye be needin’?”
“I need to get to the Port of Reeds. Could you give me directions?”
“Directions? Ya jest keep goin’ straight as the crow flows along the road. It turns south, and a small walk ill take ye to the willage ort.”
“It’s that close.”
“That’s what I said, wiscuit head. It’s south now, so don’t ya go gettin’ lost,”
The door slammed shut. Darrell trudged through the mud back to his waiting horse. They both stared at the road at the head together limply.
“Medieval idiot,” Darrell muttered.
-----
Nostrum knelt at his squat dining room table with his hands clasped around a cup of cold water. The intense storms brewing off the coast had convinced him, albeit reluctantly, to call off the daily fishing expedition. It was a tough decision for many reasons. These days the ocean brought him the few comforts he had left. He longed for the salt spray, for nets loaded to the brim with fish, and for the jocular solidarity of his crews. The storm had to end soon, he hoped, or he would lose his sanity in this cursed house.
The house was cold, for Nostrum, it was a place of darkness and shadow. A few scattered embers with dark red hues burned in the chimney, but their warmth proved negligible. The rain pounded relentlessly. A drop of water fell into the generous brick heart, and hissed hysterically on an ember of coal. Nostrum took a sip of water, clasped his hands together, and continued praying. Bradox the healer had recommended a day of fasting and prayer for his wife’s sake and he was determined to see it through. Amid this, the door opened and Nostrum looked up. One of the house guards, his garments soaked completely, hailed him.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, my Lord. Dew Nenkyo has arrived in our village and is waiting at the guard post. He requests an audience with you.”
“Lord Nenkyo, here?” Nostrum ran his hands along the smooth surface of the table. “How long has it been?”
“Six seasons at least, sir.”
“Don’t keep him waiting. Bring him here!”
Many minutes later Dew arrived no less soaked than the guard. He dried off with an old towel as he entered the dining hall. A servant came forth and took his outer garments. Coal added to the chimney agitated the fire until it roared. A cup tea soon steamed in front of Dew as he knelt by the low table. He gulped half the tea without flinching, even though it was almost boiling hot.
“What brings you back to the Port of Reeds, my friend? Do you long for the taste of the world’s finest sea creatures at their freshest?”
“I wouldn’t come here without keeping that in mind. But I’ll have no real appetite until I find who I’m searching for.”
“That’s well with me, I don’t think I’d be able to bear watching you eat here. I’m fasting for my wife’s sake, so these stormy days are going to be lean ones. If you do get hungry, feel free to dine at the inn. Tell them I sent you; they’ll make a place for you and you’ll eat courtesy of myself.”
Dew lowered his head and clasped his hands together, “Thank you for a most generous offer, but I may not have time or chance to take advantage of it. I sincerely wish things were different.”
“I too my friend.”
“I’m searching for a woman.”
“I could say you’ve come to the right place. This village has plenty of fine candidates for you.”
Dew blushed a little, waving his hand as if it would clarify what he meant. His voice became hazy and his eyes glazed over as he spoke.
“Not just any woman. I’m looking for a woman with hair like long strands of soft black silk that beg my fingers to comb through them, with lively eyes that would remind a poet of the autumn foliage scanned by birds of prey, with smooth skin the softness of woven silk cannot rival, with a potent life force that flows from her every word, and talents for martial arts beyond the capacity of warriors filling the great legends. You could search this continent for a thousand years, and you would not find a woman so healthy, so strong, so beautiful, and so brimming with life. How I long to glimpse her eyes once more.”
“So, what’s the name of this woman you’re so in love with?”
“Yes, I love her. How could you tell.”
“It’s quite obvious,’ Nostrum laughed, “Could you describe her more briefly? You told me she has long black hair for a start.”
“And hazel eyes,” Dew stood to flatten his hand and hold it slightly above his shoulders. “I would say she’s about this tall. I suspect she might be traveling with a man of smoggy sunshine hair. He would be only a little shorter in stature than myself.”
“Interesting, what would their purpose be in coming here?”
“Someone, I suspect an evil wizard, has managed to curse Nadia and her family into believing that she was once a boy. With that false belief inside her, she’s been seeking to reverse the flower of her womanhood to become… a man. Such a cruel, cruel curse; it’s as if the wizards had it in their mind to torture us both.”
“Familiar. Not three days ago a young girl like the one you described came silently into my house and attempted to heal my love. In the attempt, my Mardela was almost drained of what little life she has. Luckily for you, I sensed she had attempted a good deed and didn’t see fit to punish her. The girl has taken ill, and from the news I heard recently, she has taken quite a turn for the worse.”
“I must see her, where is she being kept?”
“At the inn- in the third room.”
Dew stood and bowed politely, “Sorry to leave suddenly, but I must go now.”
“Your garments aren’t dried yet.”
“I’ll come back for them,” he said as he rushed outside.
“You have my blessing,” Nostrum whispered between sipping his water, “You have my blessing.”
Not long after Dew left, the creaking sound of slow footsteps approached. Nostrum put his water down, sitting quietly as Bradox made his way to the door. Bradox’s features looked haggard and shaken, as if he would come apart with the slightest pressure.
“You don’t intend to brave the weather in your condition?”
“I intend to heal the young woman.”
"I thought there was nothing you could do for her. Didn’t you tell me she deserved death?”
“I’m a healer first beyond all other things, and not required to make judgments.”
“Ah, I can see right through you, my love-struck guest convinced you to change your mind.”
“You had a guest? You’re not supposed to entertain during a fast. How can you expect me to keep your wife alive if you don’t do your part? Don’t move from that spot! Maintain your prayers!”
Nostrum winced as Bradox closed the door forcefully. Prayers resumed silently.