Urgency drove all four Novices to be up and ready before dawn. They were all eager to confirm their ideas, but unfortunately, they were too eager. The market was not due to open for at least four hours, so they couldn’t confirm the price of firewood, which they all agreed was crucial before investigating further. It would be a waste of time and very embarrassing if they started checking with the bakery and blacksmith only to find out the firewood wasn’t as overpriced as they thought.
So they decided to go for a walk, following the road back out of town and taking in the crisp morning air, walking in near darkness under the faint light of the false dawn. No one could make out more than a silhouette of their friends.
“I still don’t get how something so stupid is making everything cost so much. It’s just firewood.”
“Do you have any idea how much firewood the bakery would need each day?” Lauren asked patiently.
“Nope. Don’t bake. Don’t care. Do you know how much firewood they need?” Li Na asked in a sing-song voice.
Lauren was caught off guard, but only for a moment. “No, that’s why we need to go and find out. But you saw the size of their ovens. I think it’s safe to say, ‘a lot’.”
“Blacksmiths use a fair amount as well,” Sven added. “It’s not tons, but remember that they convert it to charcoal first, so they buy several weeks’ worth at a time. And the charcoal that’s left can be less than half the wood put in, so it’s misleading.”
“Well as soon as we can confirm our brilliant idea is right, we can go back home, and someone can fix this. And we get the reward. This has to get us something good, right?”
“We can’t go home if we are right,” Yaric interrupted.
“You think there’s more to it?” Sven asked.
“Yes. No… What I mean is, firewood doesn’t just get so expensive that people can’t afford to bake bread. Where is the firewood coming from? Why does it cost so much? You all heard the story about transporting more making it cost more. Someone is making up ridiculous stories to price gouge and take advantage of this town.”
“Any merchant or trader will take advantage of a need if they can though,” Sven replied. He didn’t seem to be too happy with the situation, but he also didn’t think that there was more to it than someone making a profit.
“And maybe the trader is unfairly distributing the costs,” Lauren suggested.
Yaric had been about to reply to Sven when Lauren spoke, and he now turned to face her instead with a puzzled look on his face. “What do you mean?”
“Sometimes additional costs are lumped onto people who the merchant thinks can better afford them. Like when my parents buy lace. We don’t pay any transportation costs; we only pay for the material. The merchant we buy from puts all of his transportation fees onto the cost of his two large customers who buy seventy percent of his lace. I know, my cousin works for him. Those costs are nothing to his big clients, but make a big difference to the smaller businesses.”
“I don’t think many people work like that,” Sven said hesitantly. “If those big clients found out they would find a new supplier. They’re basically paying for the small competition to get their material.”
“It’s not so uncommon,” Li Na argued. “Dad does the same with leather. He stores leather and his customers come and fetch it, but the space he uses always changes. Same with how long it stays there. So he gives his own numbers for the storage costs and I know he doesn’t charge anything for smaller customers.”
“For my family it’s the other way around,” Sven objected. “Big customers get discounts because they buy so much.”
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Lauren continued. “I guess none of us are merchants. We are all guessing.”
“And it doesn’t matter in this case,” Yaric added, continuing with his train of thought. “The excuse about bulk costs is still a lie. And if there’s so much money to be made here, why is there no competition? How did someone move in so quickly after protection was passed on the forest? I get that firewood can take up a lot of space, but can the transport costs really be so high that no one can afford food?” Yaric asked incredulously.
“Maybe it’s not the firewood after all?” Lauren suggested, turning with the others to start making their way back. The horizon was finally starting to light up with the glow of true dawn, chasing the stars away and bringing enough illumination for them to more comfortably see each other. The smell of the river and thick grass along the bank was familiar to Yaric, and he found it deeply relaxing, even if the birdsong that was beginning to fill the air was completely different from what he had known growing up.
Despite the early hour, they didn’t have to wait long for breakfast. The bakery was indeed open from a very early hour, and their wait was only due to the three customers already ahead of them.
“So much for food being too expensive,” Li Na shrugged, settling into her chair to wait.
“Just because it’s too expensive doesn’t mean that people won’t eat,” Lauren admonished. "They must be sacrificing other things to afford it.”
Lauren’s words proved true when their breakfast arrived. It really did cost over five times more than expected. Even Li Na was appalled, though she quickly reminded herself that it was Sandy’s money after all. And they could claim expenses. It was almost surreal when comparing the more realistic prices of things like coffee with the food on their plates.
All four students ordered more drinks while they waited for the small market to open, but they still ended up arriving early. Lauren’s first prediction proved false.
It was the firewood.
“But how much if I want to buy more than two bundles?” Sven was asking the elderly-looking merchant.
“How much more, good sir?”
“Let’s say I was looking to take over the smithy further down.”
“Ahhh… that’s a business, sir. Costs go up when my boss has to bring more up here. Way up.”
The merchant gave some examples of the costs, all depending on exactly how much Sven would want to order. They almost choked.
Every option was expensive, as they had expected, but the cheapest was over eight times more expensive per bundle than a non-business transaction would be.
“Are you aware that there are laws against price gouging?” Sven asked, almost nonchalantly.
The trader’s eyes narrowed. “I just do as I’m told. The boss tells me the prices, and I sell at his prices. He would never do anything illegal though, so if you don’t like the prices, find your own wood.”
“Can I though?” Sven asked, sounding curious.
“Can you what?”
“Can I find my own wood? Are there any places around here that I can collect my own firewood, or other merchants that I can compare prices with?”
The old man's glare turned into a victorious smirk. “Not that I know of. I believe that everything around here is protected now, so you’d be the one breaking laws if you collected firewood. And my boss is the only dealer in town. If you want to run a smithy you’d best come to an agreement here and now boy,” he added, his tone sounding nothing like the amiable merchant they had met a minute earlier.
“We’ll think about it,” Sven replied, not willing to commit to an agreement for a fake smithy.
Walking away, Sven started leading them to the blacksmith they had spoken to the day before, the same one he had insinuated he might replace. “The bakery will be busy for a while, let’s check here first.”
The blacksmith took a few minutes to open his door. With his business already closed he had little reason to be up, leaving him looking at the four students with bleary eyes. Yaric thought he may have been hungover as well.
“What?”
“Sorry to disturb you, we just wanted to confirm a suspicion regarding your decision to leave this town.”
“Yeah?”
“Yesterday you said that you were leaving because everything was too expensive. Is that due to the cost of firewood?”
“Not only. Almost everythin’ is expensive here. The whole town is populated by crooks. I want nothin’ to do with it.”
“But you’ve lived here for years?”
“Yeah, lived here and worked my trade. But I dealt with trappers and hunters, and they’re gone now. Turns out they were the only decent folk around.”
“Would you say the cost of firewood is your biggest expense now?”
“Looks that way, but it ain’t the truth. I might have been able to stay open if the boys were still here trappin’, but they ain’t. An’ other things cost too much as well.”
Despite his unfriendly demeanor, the more he complained and vented his frustrations, the more the blacksmith seemed to relax and open up, so Yaric stepped forward with his own question. “The trappers were making a lot of money?”
“They did alright.”
“Even when prey started getting scarce?”
“Scarce?” the blacksmith scoffed. “Who said anythin’ about scarce game? Those boys would leave in the morning, set their traps, and come back in the evenin’. Nothin’ to it. Caused endless trouble while they drank and kept themselves entertained after. When three days passed, they went back into the forest and came out with armfuls of fur just waitin’ to be skinned. They had it good. I’d say half the money in town came from them.”
“Then why was the forest protected?”
“Keep the game safe? Don’ know. Not my business. But even with the new prices for wood, they would’ve been able to pay. Now they’re gone, no one else can pay, and everyone is strugglin’ to keep a roof over their heads. I’m gettin’ out before it’s too late.”
Sven took over again and made some small talk before apologizing for disturbing him and thanking him for his time. They set out for the bakery right away.
“You think the law itself is suspicious, don’t you?” Lauren immediately asked Yaric, as soon as they were far enough away from the blacksmith that they wouldn’t be overheard.
“It sounds like the forest here is very healthy. Why pass protection on it in the first place? There wouldn’t be any problems if the forest was still open to everyone.”
“Sometimes nobles do stupid things for stupid reasons,” Li Na informed him, nodding her head sagely.
“Lina, I’m a noble,” Sven reminded her.
“Yeah,” Li Na replied, as if that single word explained everything.
…
“Anyway… it doesn’t make any sense for people to be banned from the forest.”
“The local Baron usually passes laws like that,” Sven explained, “but even he won’t really know what’s going on here. He will have advisers that would keep an eye on things and make suggestions for him to consider.”
“Would we even have the authority to speak with a Baron?” Yaric asked.
“Perhaps. There’s no restriction on that level, the bigger concern would be if it’s necessary and if it would cause problems without corresponding benefits.”
“So most likely no.”
“No,” Sven agreed.
They finally made it into the bakery, which was far quieter at this time of morning. Seeing the owner, Yaric and his friends made a beeline to him.
“The Guild isn’t here; you need to look somewhere else.”
“We’re not looking to speak with the Guild, sir,” Sven replied patiently.
“Then you haven’t been listening. Ask the Guild. I’m not answering questions.”
“We will,” Sven lied. “But some of our questions for them might depend on you.”
The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Depend on me?”
“Yes. You see, we recently found out about how things work here, and I don’t believe the Bakers Guild is fully aware.”
“I hide nothing from them. Not once. Not ever. I think you’re going to find that you’re mistaken.”
“Be that as it may,” Sven continued, his expression and voice still friendly, “we’ve just discovered that firewood for your business is many times more expensive than it used to be.”
“So? Same for everyone. And the Guild does know, they kept pushing about that. Thought someone was targeting one of their members.”
“Well, one, it is targeting you, even if it’s also targeting the whole town. The prices are far above what they should be. I’m assuming that is why your prices have gone up so much?”
“Maybe,” the shopkeeper acknowledged, drawing out the word.
“And two, your prices have climbed so high that people quite literally can’t afford to live here.”
“Don’t you dare try…”
“I’m not,” Sven hastily added. Yaric noticed that many people were turning to stare. “That’s the point. You aren’t to blame, and you aren’t responsible for the unaffordable increase in prices. But everyone is coming to question you and your guild. Everyone. You are repeatedly being held investigated by everyone.”
“I know that better than you, boy, What’s your point?”
“Well, you know who is responsible. Have you seen anyone question them?”
The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes even further, his eyebrows now forming one solid line and his expression turning from annoyed to angry and bitter. “No. No I haven’t!”
“And yet, it’s you and your guild who are constantly pointed at. The Guild has to defend you all the time, and their own name is dragged through the mud. We would like to point our investigation at the right people. Can you tell us how much the cost of firewood affects you? And who it is that sells firewood in Stathmore?”
The owner looked positively gleeful. “I can tell you that we spend more keeping our ovens burning than we do on flour. The baking alone costs three times more than all the ingredients combined. Guild officers thought I had gone mad. They outright asked if I knew how to source supplies properly as if I haven’t been running a bakery for more than a decade,” the owner spat.
“And the supplier?”
“No idea. I tried to get some merchants I know to deliver firewood for me, but they either stopped talking to me soon after or replied that it wasn’t possible.”
Yaric and the others shared a look.
“Do you know where they are based?”
“You four came from Lekton? Down the river?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you would have got off at Newsham, where the rivers join. You need to go another five or eight kilometers downriver, I don’t remember how far. A large town called Sarton sits on the river bend, right on the edge of this same forest, only on the other side. It’s the largest town in the region and controls most the trade. And it’s also where our firewood comes from.”
“Thank you, sir. You’ve been a big help. If we speak with the Bakers Guild again we will be sure to let them know.”
Sven led everyone back out into the morning sunshine. The town was starting to bustle, but Yaric felt that it was quieter than he would have expected, and everyone seemed subdued. Even if it was all in his head, and his perception was being influenced by the problems they were trying to solve, some people were undoubtedly wandering around aimlessly.
“So, what now?” Sven asked the others.
“We could confront the merchant,” Lauren suggested.
“Yeah!”
“I think we do need to speak to him,” Yaric agreed, “but we need to find out who he works for. We’re going to have to travel to this Sarton place and find out what is going on there.”
“You don’t think we should leave immediately then?” Sven asked, no doubt thinking about the travel time and wanting to arrive before dark.
“As soon as we can, but it will save a lot of time if we know who to look for when we get there.”
Sven once again stepped forward when they approached the merchant, who wore a sly smile at their approach. “Come to make a deal, boy?”
“Actually, I wanted to ask you another question. Earlier, you mentioned that you sell the firewood at the price your boss sets,” Sven asked, and seeing his tentative nod, added, “Who is your boss?”
The merchant’s smile disappeared instantly. “You won’t be getting better deals by bothering him, that I can assure you. Customers deal directly with me.”
“It’s not that,” Yaric said quickly. Yaric put his arm over Li Na’s shoulders before he continued. “My sister and I want to help Sven get set up, we were planning to use our parent’s lumber yard to help him build. But if there’s a problem with firewood supply…” Yaric trailed off, leaving the implication to hand in the air.
“You best think again. If you four think you can muscle in on this town, you’re going to learn real fast. My boss doesn’t take kindly to aggressive business tactics. Start bringing your own supply here and you’ll have problems. Real problems.”
“I wouldn’t call starting our own firewood business ‘aggressive business tactics’. It’s just competition, that’s all.”
“Unwelcome competition. You four best get out of here before my boss hears about this.”
“But that’s why we came to see you again,” Sven said, taking over once again. “We wanted to talk to him. See what he thinks of this venture. Maybe he can partner up. I think we’d all much rather have a conversation before we start anything.”
“Hmmm…” the old man hummed. “Perhaps. Either travel down to Sarton, and find Terrell Traders to speak with Mr. Terrell yourselves, or get this fool idea out of your heads. You don’t want the trouble you’ll get.”
“Thank you, sir, we’ll do that.”
Leaving quickly, everyone ran to pack their bags as quickly as they could. Most things were still in their bags, but they wanted to get going as soon as possible. It was already almost mid-morning. Li Na insisted on stopping by the bakery one last time, and after waiting outside for almost 10 minutes, Yaric popped his head through the door to see what she was up to.
Unbelievably, she was laughing with the owner while he wrapped food in a large cloth. All sorts of rolls and pastries were arranged in a small pile and in the process of being wrapped while he joked with Li Na. Yaric and the others just stared when she skipped out, swinging her bundle as she went.
It made for a good lunch on the journey downstream.
There was a lot to talk about, ranging from how something like firewood for cooking could cause such chaos, to how the four of them had been dispatched all the way to Stathmore to investigate what appeared to be a simple issue, and how they were now making their way to yet another town instead of sitting in class. No one felt that what they had done required any special skills. Yet there they were, halfway to the next step in their investigation.
There wasn’t a single person all the way down to the ferry, but that changed as soon as they crossed the bridge to follow the larger river downstream. The road from Stathmore and been wide enough for a single wagon, but the road along the river shifted to one wide enough for two wagons to pass each other while pedestrians stayed on the road. Traffic was correspondingly higher, reminding Yaric of how the baker described Sarton as the regional trade hub.
A constant procession of wagons, carriages, and herds kept them entertained, but by midafternoon they decided that they needed to run. No one wanted to be caught out on the road after dark.
The shocked look on the faces of the people they passed made up for it though, as most had never seen someone run while augmenting themselves. Even when limiting themselves for safety, they still ran twice as fast as any normal man in a full sprint. And they were jogging.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Sarton was exactly as the baker had described. The river bend was gentle and wide, giving a clear and unobstructed view of most of Sarton as it sat on the outside of the bend. Easily three kilometers in length, the town didn’t extend particularly far from the river, reminding Yaric of Clery. But while Clery gave way to farmland, Sarton was nestled on the outskirts of a large forest. Apparently, the same forest that was ‘protected’ from the people of Stathmore, adding even more to the confusion.
It also had a large selection of inns, making finding a room easy. Dinner was even easier, and Li Na insisted on staying in an inn with a large tavern. Half an hour was put aside for everyone to clean up, and then they met in the tavern for a hot meal and an attempt at trying every different house ale on offer.
Only then did Yaric realize just how depressing and short-tempered everyone in Stathmore had been. Sitting in a bustling tavern with celebrations and parties going on all around him was a stark contrast. What really annoyed him, however, was the idea that Stathmore may have been exactly the same, especially if the blacksmith’s tales about the trappers were to be believed. They were tasked with finding out what was happening in the smaller town, but that wasn’t good enough.
A solution had to be found.
----------------------------------------
Yaric was up first, and he’d barely sat down when a young woman was cheerfully asking if she could take his order. He asked for coffee, and at her raised eyebrow explained that he was waiting for friends. That mollified her, and she rushed off to get his drink. Several other people were already eating breakfast as well, helping themselves to large bowls under burning torches that provided the only light in the tavern.
Lauren arrived at the same time as his coffee did, and she had only just ordered when Sven joined them as well. They managed to finish two cups before Li Na joined them, as she was the only one who had succeeded in trying every ale on offer. She even brought her staff down with her, making a big show of leaning on it for support.
“Agh…” she groaned when they walked out into the early morning light.
“People who are small, weak, and frail, should never have too many mugs of ale,” Yaric recited, earning him a death glare that would put a basilisk to shame.
Terrell Traders was very easy to find. It had a warehouse that took up an entire block, fronted by numerous stores. Each store had something different, though none seemed to do any trade in firewood. They didn’t do much trade in finished products, but professionally cut and prepared planks of various wood were on display in the first store, followed by furs in the next.
Yaric frowned as he took in the various wares for sale.
Walking into the store with piles of furs spread all around, Yaric walked straight up to the counter at the back, where a tired-looking man was leaning down and going through a ledger.
“Excuse me sir,” Yaric began, taking the lead for once.
“What can I do you for?” the man asked politely.
“I had some questions to ask, but I was told that I needed to speak directly with Mr Terrell.”
The man’s smile dropped from his face. He stayed silent for a moment, looking Yaric up and down before looking past him to examine his friends as well. “What questions, and who’s asking?”
“Sorry, my name is Yaric, and this is Lauren, Lina, and Sven,” Yaric replied, pointing to each of his friends in turn. “We were sent to Stathmore to investigate a problem with pricing, and our investigation has led us here. It shouldn’t take long, but we need to ask your boss some questions.”
“Who would send some kids to look into pricing? Do any of you even know how a business works? Get lost kid.”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t do that. I’d be happy to explain the situation to your boss though. Otherwise we would have to report what we’ve found so far, along with how your boss refused to meet us.”
The shopkeeper observed for several moments in an uncomfortable silence, his lips pursed. Finally coming to a decision, he nodded once. “Mr. Terrell doesn’t come in this early. Head up to the Waters Edge, it’s an eating establishment with its own chefs that extends over the river, you can’t miss it. The Boss eats breakfast there every morning. If for some reason he finishes early and you miss him, come back here but go around the side, between the buildings. The entrance to his office is behind the warehouse, just go through the door, up the stairs, and his office is the one at the end.”
Yaric thanked him for his helpfulness and followed his friends outside, eager to get the issue resolved as soon as possible. Finding the Waters Edge wasn’t as easy as they had anticipated. With so many storefronts and businesses to check, they couldn’t move too quickly, and it turned out that the Waters Edge was on the far side of town.
Mr. Terrell wasn’t there.
“He left around an hour ago honey,” the woman manning the front desk informed them. “I’m afraid you will have to try again tomorrow.”
Lauren thanked the woman and left with the others, intent on getting back as quickly as possible. The 45-minute walk to the Waters Edge had taken so long because they had to be careful not to go past the place, but the walk back took just as long. By now, residents and travelers thronged the road. Wagons and carts slowly pushed their way through the crowds, led by cart horses and mules. Yaric and his friends were forced to thread their way through the mob the whole way back. It was almost a relief when they arrived at the narrow alley and managed to slip away from the horde of people.
There were no other entrances in the alley, so it was easy to find their way to the back of the warehouse and to the wider space behind, even if they had to walk in single file. A lone door was set in the wall, just as the shopkeeper had described. Even better, the door opened straight onto a set of stairs, making it far simpler to follow his directions than they had anticipated.
The stairs ended in a short corridor, with two doors on either side and a small lobby at the end. Another door sat on the far side of the lobby, already open. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones waiting to meet Mr. Terrel, as there were several others already waiting.
Yaric led his friends down the corridor, intending to ask one of the men waiting outside the office if they were simply taking it in turns, but when he was just halfway down the man he was looking at made eye contact and looked over his shoulder.
“Boss?” the man called. Yaric was relieved to realize that they wouldn’t have to wait. Everyone moved aside for them when they entered the lobby, just as a well-dressed elf exited the office along with three other men.
“So you’re the kids asking questions?” he immediately began. Terrell was very well-spoken, with a sophisticated accent that spoke of expensive education.
“Yes sir,” Yaric replied. “We just have a few questions regarding problems with pricing in Stathmore.”
“No, you don’t,” Terrell stated matter-of-factly.
“I think there might be a misunderstanding. We are here to ask some questions, it won’t take up much of your time. We were sent to look into why food has become unaffordable in Stathmore, and we found that you have a monopoly on firewood, and your prices…”
“I’m afraid there has been a misunderstanding,” Terrell said, interrupting Yaric with a wave of his hand. “You do not have any questions for me. I have questions for you. Who sent you?”
“Uhhh… Yaric stammered, taken aback by his attitude. “We were sent by Lekton Academy.”
“Huh,” the elf snorted, showing some amusement. It was the first time he had shown any expression since they’d met. “The wizard academy sent a bunch of kids? You must think I’m a fool. I know that school better than most non-wizards, and they’d never send four teenagers. You’re not even twenty.”
“We’re not kids,” Yaric replied, getting irritated with Terrell’s attitude. “We were sent to answer an appeal, and we’re not leaving until…”
“Yaric!” Lauren hissed, interrupting Yaric before he could finish. It was the second time in a row that Yaric had been cut off, and he was already annoyed, so he turned around a little more sharply than intended.
Two men blocked off the corridor behind them. More than a dozen men were standing all around the lobby as well, with everyone focused intently on the four students trapped in the middle.
“Like I was saying, we’re going to sit down for a question and answer. I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to answer. I want to know exactly who sent you, and why they’re meddling in my business.”
They had been invited inside by the shopkeeper, so they were perfectly within the law to be there. However, no one had actually done anything against them either, so they couldn’t respond with force. Worse, there was no clear danger to their lives, ruling out the use of magic.
‘I can’t believe I’m upset that our lives aren’t in danger!’
As so often happened, things changed in an instant.
“This is tedious; we’re getting nowhere. Show them that this isn’t some game.”
The closest man to Yaric was also the largest in the room and built like a boulder, and he immediately reached for Yaric with both hands. Others were faster though, and Yaric clearly saw a punch thrown at Sven.
Seeing that they were being assaulted, Yaric jumped forward half a step while raising his arms like a flat pyramid. He pushed the grasping hands outward and raised both his feet as if he were doing a wide squat, dropping quickly as he moved forward. Yaric stamped his feet downward as he landed right up against the oversized giant, stopping in a deep squat and driving his right palm up into the bottom of the man’s jaw. Then he leaped straight up, bringing his left elbow up for a second strike to the jaw with his whole body behind it.
Yaric’s chin was in line with the top of the man’s head when he hung in the air, both hands above and behind his head. Grunting, Yaric bent at the waist and dropped both arms simultaneously as he began to drop back down, slamming his forearms into the collarbone to the sickening feeling of breaking bone.
He landed in a much higher squat, with both fists palm up at his waist. Keeping his feet firmly planted, Yaric lunged his body forward while driving his palms into the man’s chest and fully augmenting his entire body. He drove both shoulders forward just before impact, sending the bear of a man soaring through the air to land in a sitting position against the wall three meters behind him, pale as a ghost except for the scarlet drool running from his mouth and over his broken jaw.
The men who’d been around him froze.
Yaric turned to the exit, but another man had stepped between him and his friends. With no time to lose, Yaric chose to use a very similar technique. He bridged the gap by lunging forward and bringing both of his hands up and out, one hand over the other, to split the guard his opponent had raised. Continuing his momentum, Yaric raised both hands above his ears and snapped forward at the waist while simultaneously dropping his weight, driving both palms down and into the rib cage.
The man was sent backward and into the ground.
The others had broken through the two men guarding the corridor, and Li Na had her staff held out like a spear: her right hand against her waist and her left hand controlling the tip. Sven and Lauren were at either side of the corridor, keeping it clear for Yaric who quickly ran past them.
Li Na held the rear as they retreated. She kept her staff pointed toward their attackers at all times, constantly thrusting into throats or sternums whenever someone got too close. The others helped her retreat backward, as she couldn’t take her eyes off the fight.
They made it to the end of the corridor and halfway down the stairs without any issues. Then the door at the bottom of the stairs opened, and two more men walked in behind them.
Yaric and Lauren didn’t hesitate. Leaving Sven to make sure no one got around Li Na and her staff, they bounded down the stairs side by side, making for the two men already charging up to meet them.
Both intercepted the fist heading their way by blocking up, making sure that the other still had room in the narrow stairway. Lauren countered with a lightning-fast strike to the throat, while Yaric drove his fist into the man’s sternum.
They both followed up in perfect sync. Lauren’s palm drove into her opposite’s forehead while Yaric’s palm struck his opponent’s jaw.
Despite the shock and adrenaline that accompanied the sickening feeling in his stomach, Yaric and Lauren both glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes at the same time, making eye contact as they did. Neither could help the smile that tugged slightly at the corner of their lips.
Lauren and Yaric stepped down together, following their opponents as they staggered back. Seeing Lauren shifting her weight, Yaric stepped onto his front leg as well and lifted his other leg in tandem with Lauren, thrusting forward with their kicks like mirror images.
The two men went flying back out the door, shoulder to shoulder, and they struck the ground together as one. Lauren threw Yaric a dimpled smile and rushed outside with him, preparing to meet any other attackers.
There was no one else behind the warehouse.
Li Na finished making her way down with Sven at her shoulder, hovering around her to make sure no one got inside her guard. She hesitated at the doorway though, realizing that once they exited into the much wider area behind the warehouse it would be much harder to keep from being overwhelmed.
“Hold them for a second!” Yaric shouted.
He moved to look straight into the door and closed his eyes, cupping his hands and bowing his head slightly in concentration. It took him almost five seconds, a lifetime of just standing motionless behind the fight, but he was finally ready.
“MOVE!”
Li Na and Sven both jumped to the side, leaving the doorway clear and his sightline open.
Yaric thrust both hands forward, palms out, unleashing a torrent of wind. The blast of air slammed into the staircase like a hurricane, knocking everyone back and making it impossible to keep their eyes open. Muffled bangs were heard upstairs as a wave of pressure blew through the building, resulting in windows above them blowing out and raining glass on the ground below. Two of the windows started ejecting streams of paper.
“Like I told you, we were sent by Lekton Academy!” Yaric shouted.
The men on the staircase staggered around while trying to get up, clearly disorientated. Yaric also noticed that a few were bleeding from their ears, likely from the drastic pressure changes, so they probably couldn’t hear him anyway.
That was still no excuse for the knives several whipped out.
The alleyway out was so narrow that they would have to move in single file, slowing them drastically. If anyone came down from the other side they would be trapped in an almost impossible situation. There was no other choice but to make a stand behind the warehouse.
“Attack with a deadly weapon is sufficient cause for self-defense through offensive magic!” Yaric shouted, reciting his teacher word for word.
No one paused. Those who had found their feet started moving through the door, many brandishing weapons, mostly knives.
Yaric had always found fire easier than air, and he only narrowed his eyes in concentration for his next spell. Focusing, Yaric raised his hand and in less than two seconds sent a stream of flames in front of the attackers. In the heat of the moment, Yaric hadn’t thought of where the flames would go once they struck the ground, and he grimaced as they spread out and kept going, washing over the feet of those already outside.
Li Na and Sven had already moved around to stand behind him on the flanks, with Lauren right next to him.
Yaric cut off the flow of arcana, ending the spell. He silently prepared another, certain that Lauren was doing the same, while he tried one last time to reason with the men in front of him. “You can’t win. We could burn this whole place down with all of you in it. We really are arcanists from Lekton.”
No one could hear him, but they had all seen the spells already cast. Yaric couldn’t ignore Li Na though. Her breath had shuddered while he spoke and she’d snapped her head around to stare at him, her eyes wide with fear. The most disturbing thing about the way she looked at Yaric was how she looked terrified of him.
“We don’t want to hurt anyone,” he hurried to clarify, feeling almost numb. ‘Does she really think I’m planning to burn them all?’
The armed men looked between themselves and the four standing in front of them and came to an immediate, unspoken agreement. They spread out quickly, moving to surround Yaric and his friends.
Yaric thrust his hand out instantly just as Lauren did the same, each sending a fireball into the earth in front of the running men, bringing their attempts to circle around to a sliding halt.
“What is the meaning of this?!” someone shouted from behind them, where Yaric knew no one had been just a few seconds ago.
He spun around, quickly finishing the airblade he had already started and launching it toward the exit.
The richly dressed man didn’t move a muscle, but the airblade split around him and disintegrated without even tousling his clothes.
“You would attack a wizard?” the man asked softly, clearly shocked.
“Umm… we were attacked…” Yaric started stammering but was cut off when the wizard waved his hand and turned to the door.
“Jamus Terrell, what in the abyss is going on here?”
“Caught these four trying to steal from me,” Terrell smirked, walking out of the door while he brushed the dust off his clothes. He had clearly not been near the fight but came downstairs after the wind started tearing the inside of his office apart.
“Really?” the man asked, still sounding surprised.
“No,” Sven answered curtly. “Lekton Academy sent us to respond to an appeal. We tried to ask this man some questions, but he ambushed us instead. Look for yourself, they haven’t even put their weapons away.”
Even deaf, no one missed Sven pointing at their weapons, and a few of the more foolish among them immediately moved to hide them, only making their guilt even more certain.
“Is this true Jamus? You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” Even now the wizard still looked surprised, which Yaric felt was weird for someone possibly centuries old.
Terrell just looked around, at a loss for words.
“You know this man?” Yaric asked, gesturing to the elf.
“Of course,” the wizard replied. “I know everyone in this town.”
“But you were on your way to meet him.” Yaric pointed out with a frown.
“I certainly was not; I do not deal with merchants and the like. But I was passing by on the street when I noticed some strange winds damaging this building. An impressive spell for someone your age,” the wizard added with a nod and a smile. “It was you who cast the spell, was it not?”
Yaric was feeling awkward at the question, so he responded with a simple, “Yes.”
“Your airblade was simple yet quick, very impressive. It seems clear to me that you are very skilled with air-related spells.”
Not quite certain how to reply, Yaric just stared back.
“Now, I believe you had an appeal that sent you here. Concerning Jamus Terrell?” the wizard continued.
Sven stepped forward to help Yaric. “Yes sir. Though the appeal is regarding food prices in Stathmore. We traced the issue to extremely extravagant pricing for firewood, of all things. Firewood that Mr. Terrell sells exclusively. Our questions led him to order these men to assault us and had just advanced to attempted murder when you arrived.”
“Hmmm… attempted murder sounds unreasonable. From what I can see, you came to ask Jamus some questions, and he misinterpreted the situation and believed you to be robbing him.”
“That’s stupid!” Li Na cut in, earning a prod from Lauren.
“What she means to say,” Sven said loudly, “is this man directly threatened us and explicitly told us that we were interfering in his business and would be dealt with. There is no room for misinterpretation.”
“Hmmm… This is quite the conundrum. But worry not! As the senior arcanist here I would be happy to take over for you. I even happen to have some additional authority bestowed upon me by the Baroness.”
“I’m sorry, what authority might that be?” Sven asked politely.
“I am her personal advisor. I left the Academy many centuries ago, and I’ve been advising various rulers and governors ever since.”
“So you know about the protections passed on the forest outside Stathmore?” Yaric immediately asked.
“Know about them? My boy, they were my idea. Marvelous results too. The forest was in a dreadful condition, but it is already showing signs of recovery.” The wizard paused to give Terrell a pointed look. “I’m sure that no one would want them to suffer over something so inconsequential as firewood. Truly only a fool would cause a ruckus and make people go hungry over pieces of wood?”
Terrell looked away from the wizard with a guilty look.
“But come now. My name is Wizard Ira, Personal Advisor to Baroness Lovell. I would be more than happy to take over your appeal for you if you could explain the situation over tea. Terrell isn’t going anywhere, and things are a little tense back here. Outside the public eye,” he added pointedly.
“If you’re not at the Academy anymore, can you even take over an appeal?” Li Na asked skeptically.
Ira narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“Of course he can,” Yaric quickly pointed out. “He’s still an arcanist, but don’t forget that he’s also employed by the Baroness, so he can take over any appeal even without our consent.
The old wizard smiled and nodded in acknowledgment of the fact.
Li Na scrunched her face though. “Oh… I didn’t know that.”
‘Because it’s a load of shit,’ Yaric thought to himself.
“We are Novices Sven McDavids, Lina Jakobson, Lauren Silver, and Yaric Miller,” Sven said, introducing the four of them.
“Novices?” Ira asked, that same look of surprise once again on his face. “Novices were sent to answer an appeal?”
“Yes, we earned some extra responsibility recently. We’ve been fulfilling appeals all year,” Sven explained.
“Yeah, and I was sponsored by Council Head Ivers,” Li Na happily announced, drawing a mocking smile that quickly morphed into genuine surprise and then a more calculating look.
“Indeed? Then I should be quick so we can get you on your way as quickly as possible. Come, follow me.”
Ira turned around and started making his way back, pausing only to check that the students were following him. As soon as he turned into the alley, Yaric threw Lauren a look. She held his gaze with a knowing expression.
“Next time we should just hand everything over to the local nobles,” Li Na grumbled. “And I wanna know what happens to that lot. I’m not walking away without knowing like I had to with Andrew.”
They followed Ira out onto the street and into a nearby store. Yaric almost snorted out loud when he realized it was a bakery.
“Come, sit. My treat.”
Ira began asking them many insightful questions, interspersed with compliments and nods of appreciation. Once they got to the fight outside the warehouse, Ira took over again.
“Well, this seems fairly simple. I won’t even need to take over your appeal for you,” he stated, making Yaric start in surprise. That was the exact opposite of what he had been expecting.
‘He’s going to let us close the appeal?’
“It seems to me that you have already resolved the appeal. You’ve found the source of the problem, and I can personally guarantee you that firewood will be sold to everyone at a reasonable price. I would even suggest that you add a recommendation for a follow-up, to confirm the prices have been corrected. That should give you peace of mind.”
“And Terrell?” Sven asked.
“You can be sure he will be dealt with, though that falls outside the scope of your appeal, I’m afraid.”
“Yeah, but we can’t just leave it. This is stupid. They tried to kill us half an hour ago, and now we’re sitting across the road and drinking tea while they go back to being people who try to kill anyone who asks questions.”
“Ms. Jakobson, are you invested with the authority to make arrests and prosecute criminals?” Ira asked, his voice laced with annoyance.
“No?”
“No, you are not. But I am, and I will see to it that they are fully prosecuted for their crimes.”
“Yeah, but we want to see the trial. We want to see the sentencing.”
“If you really insist, I’m sure we can arrange somewhere for you four to stay while we do the investigation, arrange court dates, complete the trial, you know, all the things involved in sentencing a criminal. You’d only need to stay here for two or three months.”
“What? But we can’t! We have classes!”
“Then I’m afraid you will be missing the sentencing.”
Li Na started muttering to herself with a resigned look.
“Thank you for all of your help,” Yaric interjected.
“Certainly, I only wish I could have done more.”
“You’ve done more than enough, though if I could ask, what happened with the laws passed to protect the forest around Stathmore?” Seeing Ira cock his head with a confused smile, Yaric quickly added. “I’m training to hunt monsters that threaten communities, and part of that job involves looking after wilderness areas. I’m just interested to know what prompted the decision.”
“Ahhh…” Ira began, leaning back with a wide smile. “The forest was being overhunted. It will take several years for the wildlife there to recover, so I had laws passed to protect it. If we take too much out, everything collapses. At some point it may even collapse beyond recovery.”
“That makes sense. I was only asking because it seems like that forest extends all the way down here, and that this is the same forest. And from what I heard, there was so much prey around that trappers hardly worked.”
The smile instantly faded from Ira’s face, and when he replied, his voice was cold as ice. “You heard wrong, boy. No trapper would want to admit that things have got so bad he shouldn’t be allowed to catch game. Are you really intending to listen to those who did the overhunting?”
“No, of course not. That’s why I wanted to ask you,” Yaric quickly replied, leaving Ira mollified.
“Not a problem my boy, I’m glad I could clear that up for you.”
“Thank you, and thank you for everything. If you don’t mind, we need to get going. If we hurry, we can still leave today and file our report tomorrow.”
“Not at all, I wish you good speed. And don’t forget to add the suggestion to have a follow-up check on the prices in Strathmore, I’m certain you’ll be pleased.”
“We won’t!” Yaric replied, waving and smiling as they left. His smile dropped as soon as they entered the inn.
“We need to hurry if we want to make it in time for a ferry,” Lauren informed, already rushing toward her room.
“We’re actually walking away from people who just tried to murder us,” Li Na muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.
Once their bags were packed, they left immediately, walking until Sarton was out of sight, and then starting to run. Li Na complained the whole way, but they still made it in time to get a ferry. They even paid extra for the express ferry. While it was smaller, carried less people, and had far fewer amenities, it was also much faster with its full team of rowers. The difference wasn’t all that big when going downstream, but it was three times faster when going upstream. Even better, it traveled through the night, which was even more important now as the sun was beginning to set before they had even boarded.
Sven was throwing concerned looks at Yaric and Lauren, but he never said a word, choosing to trust them and silently go along with whatever they did. Li Na was still in shock at how little concern was being shown over the ambush.
The sun was up the next morning when Lekton came into view, and both Yaric and Lauren let out a sigh of relief.
“Why have you never told me that we can hand over appeals to local authorities?” Li Na asked, kicking Yaric in the shin.
“Lina, hold up for a second.” Yaric couldn’t wait any longer. The guilt had been eating at him ever since the fight.
Hearing the seriousness in Yaric’s voice, Li Na stopped kicking him and looked up in concern.
“First… ugh… I know this isn’t the most important thing right now, but I have to ask. Did you think I was going to burn that building down?”
Li Na’s face fell, and she almost looked scared. “No. Why?”
“You were looking at me like I was the criminal.”
“No I wasn’t… things were just getting out of hand.”
“So you weren’t afraid… ow!”
Li Na kicked him much harder than she had before. “Stop being stupid!”
“Okay, damn. I was just asking…”
“What was the important thing?” she asked impatiently, now joined by Sven.
Lauren and Yaric shared a look, and Yaric turned to make sure they really were docking at Lekton.
“You can’t hand over an appeal, I made that up.”
“I was wondering about that,” Sven murmured.
“But why? I believed you!” Li Na said, pulling her foot back.
“I’m sorry! No really, that’s why I didn’t wait until we were back on campus. I feel like crap. But I had to! We were in danger.”
“Not when you lied. The wizard was already there.”
“That wizard, Ira. I think he’s one of them.”
“One of who?”
Sven’s eyes widened in realization, so Lauren leaned forward to look Li Na directly in the eyes. “Lina, Ira is working with those people who attacked us.”
“What? You’re sure?”
“We’re not certain, but it all fits. And if we’re right, we were in a lot of danger. More than we could handle. That’s why we pushed to come back so fast, to get help.”
Li Na ignored the others. She jumped up from her seat and grabbed her bag, immediately moving to be ready to get off the second she could.
“Lina, wait! I’m sorry! I wanted to tell you right away, but Ira might have been able to hear.”
“I know,” Li Na grumbled without looking back. She jumped off the side as soon as they started tying the ferry off, not waiting for the ramp and receiving plenty of disapproving glares in return. Li Na didn’t even notice.
“Lina! Wait! Where are you going!”
The others jumped off as well, rushing after Li Na.
“If the wizard is working with those people, then he isn’t going to do anything about the ambush or them trying to kill us.”
“You’re right,” Yaric acknowledged. Yaric grabbed Li Na’s shoulder when she carried on pushing her way through the crowds without saying anything more.
“We weren’t trying to keep you in the dark, Lina. I promise. Please stop running away from us!”
Li Na did look a little hurt, but she looked even more determined. “I know you didn’t. And I’m not running away, I'm going to fetch my mace,” she added, pulling her shoulder away and continuing her march. Lauren and Sven ran alongside Yaric while they rushed to keep up.
“Why? What for?”
“If those guys aren’t going to be arrested for what they did, I’m just going to have to break their kneecaps myself!”