Through the silent cobblestone streets Ald feet were dragged, and the streets felt tarnished by this. The neighbors received no greeting from him, and at home Kali slept, not blessed with a goodbye. Rumors crept around licke Geckos, coming out of every nook, all based around the same question: What had happened for Ald to become so downtrodden? A sister that had been born three rains before believed someone Ald cared for had died. A young brother thought that the lack of rains was getting to him like it had to other older fellows. An old woman nearing the end of her life wondered if he was up to no good and had been chastised by the Mother herself. Those who knew about his participation in the army wondered what had happened beyond the walls, but didn’t dare ask.
Gleur’s neighbors, on the other hand, didn’t pay major attention to another broken toy of the war machine. They had seen so many; they had witnessed enough ghosts walking down their streets.
Ald’s hand was raised as if it had a melon of lead strapped to it. Then, it was slammed twice against the door of Gleur’s office. If the door could have had an opinion, it would have been the definition of pity.
“If you are Ald, come in. Otherwise, by my authority as a Sage, I kindly order you to fuck off.” said Gleur, sitting behind his desk, scratching the head of
The door handle allowed Ald’s hand to turn it and intrude into the office. Sitting in their own chairs and in front of Gleur, Gesselt and Halge looked at him like scared puppies.
“Morning, Ald,” said Halge, trying to not raise his voice much.
“Close the door and take a seat,” ordered Gleur.
Galú was biting the wires of his cage to no avail. He wanted out. He didn’t knew that today was no day to fly around, to speak with the visitors.
Weakness overtook Ald’s body and enshrined his misery over the chair. Ald’s shoulder was then patted by Halge, but it didn’t matter.
Gleur crossed the fingers of his hands and started playing with his tumbs. “the rains will come back in two years. Three at most.” He began saying.
“That’s bullshit!” Went Gesselt, visibly angered at the words of his superior.
“Did you find new information? Did you managed to summon Father?”
A pained and slightly disappointed stare settled on Ald’s face. “So that is the solution of the sages of Felsia, lying to buy time?”
Gleur nodded with a stony face. “Indeed, and we cannot have you three going around, trying to change the truth to one more fitting with reality.”
Gesselt stood from his chair and lead his right hand to the dagger he kept on his belt. “So what, are you going to get us exiled? Executed?”
“Calm down Gesselt, or you will be the one of you three that will walk out of here empty handed today.”
A smile sprouted on Gesselts face. “Oh, bribery, yes, this is more fitting to my tastes.” He sat with a smug grin on his face and looked at Halge and Ald. “We are getting paid to lie, gentlemen, what a life!”
Gleur smirked for a second before returning to his serious expression.
“You are just three and committing any sorts of atrocities against you would raise questions. It’s easier to excuse some small gifts as decorations for your bravery in the field. Little prizes for being heroes and saving the day. So…Gesselt first, what would you like to be granted? A new house? Some exotic pet? Jewels?”
Gesselt began pacing around the room. “well, I am but a humble soldier, but if you insist I am being rewarded for my heroism, I want the city orchestra to compose an epic tale about me. On how I saved the platoon from a terrible misshapen beast, one on one, as you lay unconscious and the others too scared or wounded to do anything!”
“Despicable.” Gleur commented. “You have it. Before stepping out the door, know that if you try to blackmail me or any other sage of Felsia to get anything else, we have people that know how to break every bone of your body without letting you die, Gesselt. Enjoy your lie, let us enjoy ours.”
Gesselt bowed with a sly smile on his face. “Worry not, sir Gleur, I will be too busy playing hero to let the truth come out my lips.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Gleur and Gesselt stretched hands, and then the youngest of the Felsians there stood, bid his fellow soldiers adieu, and exited the place with a violent and theathrical shutting of the door.
Gleur sighed and shook his head. “Wildfire is less of a headache than that boy.” He then grunted and took Galú out of his cage, letting the bird perch on his shoulder and scream a little. “Sorry, it helps me calm down when I am angry, and you two don’t deserve the anger Gesselt’s display of moroness sowed.” He then stared at Halge. “What do you want, Halge?”
“Well, sir Gleur, I don’t feel good lying nor accepting the bribe, But I cannot let the chance to learn more about the sages of Felsia go. I’d like to learn under Mirn fo the natural world, under Milod of politics and philosophy, and so on… I want to learn under the masters like I learnt under you with this last excursion. If that is much to ask, I will think of something else.”
Gleur slammed the desk and let out a hearty laugh. “That will be hard to arrange, but how to say no to such an honest and virtuous petition. I cannot assure you that you will be taken under everyone’s wing, but Mirn is an eager machine of teaching. I can promise you Mirn’s tutelage, and that I will try to get the other’s. Is that satisfying enough for you.”
Halge nodded with a dumb innocent smile on his face. “Thank you, Gleur, thank you!”
“Now go, take a bath, sleep, eat well while you can. Knowing Mirn, As soon as he accepts being your mentor he ii, to exaggerate a little bit, going to conscript you and make you read piles of material until your eyes hurt.”
Halge extended his hand and Gleur gladly reciprocated. Then, he left the place rubbing his hands, excited like a little child with a new toy.
“You cannot give me what I want, Gleur.” Ald said after Halge’s steps died out.
“And I cannot let you sow panic among the population, farmer. There must be something you want and we can provide, Ald. We are willing to splurge.”
A pathetic whine made itself known, escaping from Ald’s mouth. “I want rain. I want Kali to be able to raise a brother or sister in the future.”
“And that we cannot give. Come on, Ald, you were an exemplary soldier out there. You cared for a companion in the face of adversity. If you were more of a seasoned veteran, I would propose you for the position of sage after my retirement. Of course, in our situation now… there’s no time for such nonsense. Mirn is searching for a way for us to avoid The Ratchet, yet the prospects are… all but promising. I left the others to debate to see if they have any other possible solution. But Mirn alone will need more misshapen ones to feed this study of his. Would you like to help with that?”
Ald perked up, remembering the words of Unkindness. “Would that take me across the Worldvein?”
Gleur reclined in his char, Caressed the small head of Galu and then answered. “No, we have more than enough misshapen in this side I believe. Don’t worry about that. “
“Oh…” Ald said, discouraged. He was being dragged through the mud of his own inadequacy once again.
“You want to sail across the Worldvein, then?”
“No… I don’t want to.” Ald told the truth. “I need to.”
“I want to extirpate myself from Felsia as much as you may want, Ald, but the only thing you will find beyond the Worldvein is death. For centuries the sons and daughters of felsians were exiled out there. You may meet a Masterwork or two on this side. Most felsians go about their lives without knowing of their existence. At the other side of the river, however, there are bound to be dozens, even hundreds of times more Masterworks running amok. I once feared that the day the Worldvein runs dry would come. But Felsians would be long gone by that day, now.” He pointed at the cabinet and changed his tone to a less fatalistic one. “Want a drink?”
“No.” Ald said, recovering his composure. “I need a boat. I need to cross the Worldvein. Unkindess said that…”
Gleur exploded in laughter. “Of course, she had to be meddling in this whole ordeal!” Gleur looked at Galu and his expression soon soured. “However, I doubt I can convince you to not cross the river. And her influence means that if I jail you for your own safety, she will break you out, and if I ban you from acquiring a boat, she will take you to the other shore with a floating trunk or some other dangerous trick.”
“So I win?” Ald said, a little smile crawling onto his face.
“With cheats.” Gleur granted. “Alloww me a week to make the arrangements, and then I will have a military boat take you to the other shore. And, Ald, another thing.
“Yes?”
“Appoint a new caretaker for Kali before going. A permanent one.”
Ald looked at the floorboards made of forgewood. “Am I not coming back?”
Gleur stared long and stern at Ald. “I can have my men help you stay alive until you arrive on the shore, but I am not sending them on a suicide mission. Once you reach lanm at the other side, you will have to rely only on yourself.”
“And on Unkindness.”
“Synonyms, Ald. To trust in Unkindness is to trust prayer can save you from the enemy’s claws when you aren’t wielding a sword. Her loyalty lays not with Felsia or its inhabitants, but elsewhere. A doll should never trust the child that plays with it, friend.”
Ald stood from his chair and crossed his arms, looking at Gleur from above. “This doll is loyal to another child. If I have to be torn apart to save her, so be it, Gleur.”
“heh.” Gleur returned the protesting Galú to his cage, and then came back to ald, facing him. Then, the old sage embraced the farmer. “I will miss you, you brave idiot. Fare thee well.”
Ald broke in an ugly Cry then,and, pushing Gleur apart, his feet he dragged out of the office. “I hope to see Felsia again one day Send someone for me when the boat parts, Gleur. And, as for Kali’s caretaker… raise her strong enough to survive the incoming disaster.
Gleur opened his eyes wide and tried to parse what Ald had said, but when he realized what his brother meant, he had long gone past the door and lost among the streets.
Gleur chuckled nervously “I may not be cut for caretaking… but the child doesn’t know that.”