Chapter 18
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
They had entered this world outside the dragon’s cave on the outskirts of the queen’s realm. Now their heading was almost due east toward Triana, this world’s one and only city. It was a day’s ride to reach the forest that skirted the western side of the town. Then it would take another few hours to trek through the trees to get to the city walls. Triana was a demigoddess, and her realm was small, matching her divine status.
Jet was trotting across the flat wilderness. Parched grassland stretched away from them as far as Devon could see. Wispy clouds scurried overhead while the unhindered wind waltzed across the plain, whisking up Jet’s mane and tail as it went.
With Devon’s help, Izzy and the now awake Gwen had found their spell lexicons. A mental list of spell patterns, taught to them by their mana-wyrms. That was one of the main reasons that the wyrm would choose a host. The creature would gravitate towards a host with identical affinities to themselves.
This realm was the worst place to discover you have spells, though. The level of energy here was barely enough to keep the structure of a faie together. Where most creatures in the Earth realm were organic lifeforms, the faie were magical lifeforms. Without magical energy, a faie would eventually just dissipate and cease to be.
They rode on for several hours, happy when the barren grassland became more attractive. Small hills rose in front of them, and scrub replaced the grass. It was evident that plenty of rain fell here. The vegetation became verdant and grew in abundance as they left the tundra behind. Devon noticed that as they got closer to Triana, the temperature decreased, but it was no surprise. The fairy queen was a winter fairy, and around her, it would always be colder. She always had been a powerful creature. Devon had been arrogant when he attempted to go up against her alone. Something he regretted more than anything now. When they next met, he would have friends around him, and together they wouldn’t fail.
He gave Gwen a squeeze. She looked pale. “You alright?”
Gwen looked back at him and gave a slight smile. She was still recovering from her ordeal, so she stayed silent. While she was conscious, she felt utterly weary. The weak magical energy in this realm didn’t suit her either. Her curiosity still worked well, though, and she watched the environment pass by with fascination. She noticed a squat, sturdily built building surrounded by a wide, fortified bailey and pointed it out to Devon.
Devon looked to where Gwen was pointing and noticed a hill at least twice as high as anything around it. Atop it squatted a wide, circular keep made from grey stone and surrounded by a thick wall. Devon looked at it with interest. The hill featured in his memory, but not the building. It was only a short ride from the path they were travelling, and he debated spending a little time investigating who lived there. He had taken a chance asking Jet to take them far from their destination to where Sulkiss lived. It had cost them a full day’s ride, but he hoped that it would be worth it in the longer term. Having a kindred spirit like the dragon as an ally meant a lot to him. Devon couldn’t justify this latest detour so easily.
“Izzy, what are your thoughts about investigating that keep? If the occupants are loyal to the queen, they’ll need eradicating. Otherwise, they might make a valuable ally. I think we should investigate, but you should decide.”
Izzy was keen to get to the city as soon as she could. She had to discuss so much with Sintra and the Wayfarer’s high priestess, Mersia. The quicker the waygate was reopened, the faster they could begin liberating everyone. She couldn’t fight the curiosity she shared with Devon, though, and it was evident that Gwen wanted to investigate. The ride hadn’t been enjoyable, and a break couldn’t hurt, could it?
“I think a short break might do us good. I need to stretch my legs.” Izzy answered.
Devon nodded knowingly. That was a great excuse. “Yes, a brief stop would be just the thing. Good idea, priestess,” he said with mock solemnity. He sent warm thoughts to Jet, who was already heading directly towards the keep.
****-***
‘Ring the bell for service’ were the words scorched into the wooden plaque above the verdigris covered bell pull. Heavy bolts fastened the sign to the thick stone wall next to the rusty iron gates. Fat chains wrapped around the two gates, making it clear that this place was securely fastened shut.
Izzy tugged the bell pull, and everyone strained to hear the subsequent ring of a distant bell. Elves have supremely sensitive ears, and if any one of them heard something, it would be Izzy. She looked back at Devon and Gwen, who were still sitting on Jet, and shook her head.
Devon looked up at the top of the wall. Stood on Jet’s back, he could easily vault up to the walkway that ran along the fortification. They hadn’t even got to the keep yet; this was just the bailey.
Eventually, even Gwen could hear someone approaching, and finally, a wizened dwarf shuffled up to the ageing double gates. He was so short that he peered out at Izzy from under the padlock that secured the thick chains. He was dressed in a dark-tartan dressing gown, matching slippers and a cute nightcap with a fussy little tassel at its tip. The dwarf was elderly and had an unkempt white beard that obscured the rest of his face, not already covered by the hat.
Devon realised that it must be just before dawn. Except for Izzy, they were all creatures of the shadows. Given that elves had racial night vision, none of them often considered those that slept at night. They must have dragged this poor individual from his bed.
“What do you lot want?” The dwarf barked, his voice angry and sleep ridden. He looked at the three travellers and made an assumption. “I barely have enough to feed myself. I can’t spare any for vagrants that wake me from my slumber.”
Devon knew that Izzy would be sifting through the man’s mind. While she did that, he wondered what this creature was doing here in the middle of nowhere.
Wow! This dwarf has mental skills. The plot thickens.
“Please, we are not vagrants, I assure you. We have plenty of food that we’d be happy to share with you if you would allow us to be your guests,” Izzy said, doing her best to keep her voice calm and soothing. “This is the Wayfarer, and we are his priestesses.“
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The dwarf guffawed. “Now I know you are vagrants. Everyone knows that loser got beaten by the winged vermin that calls herself our queen. Now, begone and fast! Otherwise, I’ll set my dogs on you.”
Devon doubted this man had dogs. He could barely feed himself, let alone guard dogs. The more this person tried to get rid of them, the more curious Devon became. He slid down from Jet, and Gwen automatically followed him down and appeared beside him.
“Sir, I am the Wayfarer. As you can see, I am very much alive. We are on our way to Triana, and when there, I intend to reopen the waygate,” Devon said politely. He cast a ‘divine truth’ spell again and watched as the golden cloud descended and the white sparks began to settle on everything around. The man’s aura was mainly golden but slightly tinged with red. “Only the Wayfarer could ever cast that spell. I grow curious about what you are doing here and what you are hiding.”
The old man looked at the sparkles that clung to him with wonder. “That was real magic. As I live and breathe, you cast an actual spell. How? I have spent a lifetime reading about it and never truly believed it possible. Oh! Yes! Sorry, please come in. I have so many questions.” With that, he started fumbling through his pockets. Eventually, he fished out a set of keys and unlocked the padlock. Several minutes later, he had untangled the chains, unbolted the rusty bolts on the gate and pulled one of the gates open a little. “Please, please, come in. I am afraid these are dark times, and I rarely get a visitor that doesn’t mean me harm.”
“Those times will change very soon, sir,” Izzy said. “The queen’s days are numbered.”
The man chuckled at her words. “If he truly is the Wayfarer, then his average is pretty poor so far. He didn’t do so well the first time, did he? Why should he do any better this time?”
“In less than a week, you will see the results for yourself,” Devon replied tersely. He looked around him on their way to the front door, made of thick, rivetted oak. Devon suspected that there would be a heavy iron plate on the other side into which the rivets were set. This was a place built to withstand a minor invasion.
As they walked, Devon noticed a large building further around the keep that hugged the bailey. The wide chimney suggested to him that it was a forge or foundry. “Do you do much smithing these days?”
The man looked at him with curiosity. “Are you a fellow artisan?”
Devon grinned. “Oh, I dabble. I could show you a crafting tool that would amaze you.”
The old man snorted into his beard. “Well, you certainly talk a good game. We’ll see.”
Once they got to the keep door, the man pushed it hard, and they were ushered into a vast room that occupied the entire lower interior of the keep. Stone steps wound upward around the wall, and heavy wooden bookcases lined the outside of the room. Books and scrolls crammed the shelves, here and there spilling out onto the floor to form piles. Long wooden dining tables stood in three lines across the entire length of the circular room. Two and a half of them were stacked with yet more books or strewn with scrolls. The only seats in the hall were a shabby armchair and two benches that lined the only table not covered with some sort of paper.
“I suppose the library is upstairs,” Devon joked. He already loved this room, it was full of books, and the scrolls excited him even more. He guessed the dwarf lived on a higher floor.
“Yes, I’m afraid it has overflowed down here. It filled the top two floors first, and then my grandad just decided to build more shelves down here.” The man confessed. “The queen ordered all faie texts to be destroyed. Being scholars, my ancestors did their best to collect as many manuscripts as they could before they were found and burnt. I’m the last of our line and always wanted to be an engineer, not a sodding book nanny. I ended up here on my own with just Patricia for company.”
Devon’s jaw dropped. The whole place is full of manuscripts! Just then, an idea occurred to him, and he grinned.
“Oh, you’re married then?” Izzy asked, trying to remain calm. She had often wondered where so much of the faie’s literature had gone. Now Izzy had discovered, what was most likely, all that remained of it, stacked haphazardly in a building. She had a powerful longing for the chance to delve into all the lost knowledge that filled this dismal place.
“No. It’s difficult to meet anyone when you’re stuck here all the time,” The dwarf sighed. “Patricia! Here girl!”
“Yip! Yip! Yip!”
A tiny brown dog scampered out from under a stack of books and ran excitedly over to the man. Her tail wagged hard, making her whole body ripple. He scooped it up and cradled the small creature under his left arm, leaving his right free to continue gesturing as he spoke. “This is Patricia. Now, did someone mention sharing food? Times have been rough lately. I used to trade metalwork for food with the Chaibok, a silthrine tribe that lived nearby, but orcs came and took most of them a few months ago. Now they’re just living wild in the forest. Probably just as hungry as I am.”
Devon was upset to hear about the plight of the local silthrine tribe. He held the species of lizard-people in high regard. Hopefully, they would all be free soon. He thought of the food, reached deep into his pouch, and pulled out the enormous pack that June had given him yesterday evening. As expected, she had crammed enough food to feed all three of them for at least a week. There was probably enough meat in there to keep Jet happy for a while too. “You haven’t told us your name yet. What can we call you?”
“Jeffery. I suppose Jeff would be okay, as long as the food is good.” He smiled. “Will your horse be alright, outside. There are bandits everywhere these days.”
“Good! We won’t need to feed her later then. She’ll be fine. I’d worry more for the bandits,” Devon replied. “I’m afraid we can’t stay for long.” He started pulling various packages of food from the pack. There were numerous packs of sandwiches, vegetable pasties, cooked meats, cheeses, biscuits and raw vegetables. Wine and water were the last to be dragged out and placed on the crowded table. “Don’t stand on ceremony, tuck in. We can talk business while we eat.”
Everyone began eating their fill, but Jeffery fell upon the food like a wolf on its prey.
“Ye gods! This food is delicious. I would gladly marry whoever cooked this,” Jeffery lauded without pausing his consumption.
Devon laughed loudly. “Sorry, I saw her first, but I will certainly pass your praise on to her. Or, maybe you could tell her yourself?”
Jeffery looked up, still chewing a considerable chunk of the chicken leg he was holding. “Oh?”
“I could offer you a very cosy new home, unlimited food, unlimited magical energy and a symbiot so that you could cast your own spells.” Devon was back on the hard sell. This man had skills and knowledge, and that had given him an idea. “We could relocate your library and combine it with mine, and you could learn to become an engineer or teach magical lore in our school. Maybe a combination of both?”
Jeffery looked at Devon, his jaw dropped open, and the chicken leg fell from his limp fingers. Patricia was delighted by this turn of events and grabbed the chicken and fled with her prize. “You mean that? Could I learn to be an engineer and teach? Would you give me all that? Unlimited food and the ability to have true magic? In exchange for all this junk?”
Izzy choked on the vegetable soup that she was spooning from a wide-necked flask. “Junk? These records must be the combined knowledge of hundreds of species over untold centuries.” Jeffery’s words caused Izzy to dislike him instantly. These books represented generations of precious histories. Junk? How very dare he! She thought angrily.
“Most of it is, yes. There are some good things in there too,” Jeffery replied, his voice bored. “When can I move in?” he asked Devon. More anxious to make the deal than discuss the library with the elf. He was sick of the hunger, the cold and the loneliness. He wanted to build things that went bang and play with true magic, not just read about it in these accursed tomes. Over the years, the books and scrolls had become his gaoler. He would not even bother to wave them goodbye.
Devon gave the little man a broad smile. The dwarf was hooked. Excellent! “I will personally teach you to be a designer and build anything you can imagine. When we have dealt with the queen, I will send a squad over to secure your library and escort you back to the new settlement. We’ll leave what’s left of the food, which should tide you and Patricia over for the few days you’ll have to wait.”
He held out his hand to Jeffery, who grabbed it eagerly and shook it hard.
“Excellent. I’ve secured my second teacher,” Devon enthused.
“Second?” Jeffery enquired.
“Yes, I offered Izzy here a job not long ago, and she graciously accepted. She is an expert in faie lore, some ancient languages and a lot more.” Devon was very pleased with himself. His idea of a school for absolutely everyone was taking shape nicely.
Izzy looked at Devon in surprise. She had forgotten the conversation they’d had in the nexus about becoming a teacher. Now she considered the idea, researching all these texts and also becoming a teacher thrilled her. Once the queen died, her life might finally become her own for the first time.
Devon smirked at Izzy when he saw her surprise. “Be careful what you promise a god, Izzy. My memory is working fine now.” He grinned at her and was happy to get a smile back from Izzy in return.
“You won’t regret this, Jeffery,” he said to the dwarf.
“You’re damn right I won’t. Best deal I ever made. Just hold up your side of the bargain, and I’ll be a happy dwarf.”
“Yes, well, you’d best keep this lot safe for the next few days then,” Devon said. “We should be going now. If you would be so kind as to see us to the gate and lock it securely behind us.”