Samuel’s first thought, of course, was to ask Sera. She spent all her time in the tavern room, and she met every traveler who found their way to their excluded little village on the coast.
“I’m not sure,” she said, frowning thoughtfully. “It’s not that common. You know just as well as I do that we don’t see many soldiers in this part of the continent.”
“That’s true,” James put in. “Apart from you lot, the last armed men that came by were the Crown’s army recruiters.”
“You could try Ryoko,” Sera suggested. When everyone looked up at her in confusion, she addressed Samuel. “Remember the foreigner I told you about?”
“Oh, right, the one from Nihon-Ja.”
“That’s the one. He said he was going out hunting this morning, but he left some of his things in the room, and he’s still paid up for two more nights. You could ask him when he gets back.”
Samuel turned back to Arthur with raised eyebrows, seeking his opinion. He gave a slight shrug. “Ultimately your choice, sir.”
“I say we should at least meet them,” Samuel decided. We can eat breakfast in the meantime.”
“I knew you’d be hungry!” Thomas crowed. At that exact moment, he’d reappeared, carrying two large trays laden with plates of food. “I broke out the good stuff just for this occasion.”
“I could have helped with that,” Sera said feebly. “Your back-”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Thomas said, beaming as he placed one of the trays down on the table and started to hand one to everyone. The smell of roasted meat and spices hit Samuel’s nose as a plate was put under it, and he felt his mouth water at once. “You can go get the drinks. We have milk, coffee, and tea, gentlemen.”
As everyone spoke up with their preference, Samuel dug a fork into his plate and shoveled a mass of steaming eggs into his mouth, letting out a small sigh of appreciation. “Delicious as always, Thomas.”
Seamus, who looked delighted to not be the one cooking a meal, took a large bite out of a piece of bacon. “Marvelous! It’s so light, I wonder how you cooked it?”
“Trade secret,” Thomas replied with a wink. “You won’t get it out of me.”
They settled into the meal, devouring the food and singing their praises. Sera set a large cup of coffee in front of Samuel, along with a small pot of honey, the way he liked it best. There was no talk of the upcoming trip to Milagre, as everyone seemed too engrossed in their food.
“This is the best I’ve eaten since the capital,” one of the hired guards said. “I’m almost tempted to make a trip down here again just for the food.”
The others nodded in agreement. Samuel asked Arthur about the return trip then. “How long do you think it will take us to reach Milagre?”
“Well, most of us will be on foot,” the grizzled steward said. “We only have the two horses to pull the wagon. We got here in about two weeks. I imagine it’ll take just as long to get back.”
“We’ll probably get there on Temple Day,” Seamus guessed. “That’ll be a good chance for you to experience the city, Samuel.”
Arthur looked a little displeased about the idea, but Samuel guessed that had less to do with the city, and more about his protection while he explored it. He already assumed, correctly, that Samuel would want to see as much of it as he could as soon as they arrived. Samuel’s mind was certainly operating along similar lines. “I’m excited to see the market. I want to learn about the city before I start at the College.”
“See?” James said, rolling his eyes. “I knew you’d go to the College. Now you have protection along the way.”
Samuel didn’t dignify that with a response. “I want to see if I’m any good at magic. Are there any mages at the estate, Arthur?”
“Only if you count Mari. I was trained to fight mages, but I don’t know much magic myself.”
“Clara knows a little magic,” Jameson spoke up. “She uses it in her cooking.”
“You make it sound more amazing than it is,” she retorted, speaking for the first time since meeting Samuel. She turned to him and added, “I just use a little fire to get the ovens going and brew the coffee.”
“Well, I expect you’ll be able to teach me a few tricks either way,” Samuel said, taking a sip of his coffee. “I’ve never been able to use any kind of magic, and I’ve tried.”
“You’ll learn at the College,” Arthur put in bluntly. “Everyone has magic in them, some are just better at it than others. With a little practice, you’ll pick it up.”
Samuel heard footsteps directly behind him, the sound of heavy boots hitting the hardwood floor. He turned as he heard a new voice speak. “The serving lady says you’re looking for me?”
Stolen novel; please report.
Behind him, still holding a strangely asymmetrical bow in one hand and a plump rabbit in the other stood an olive-skinned man. His hair was dark and long, tied back from his forehead in a simple ponytail, and his body, while on the thin side, was still well-muscled, and gave off a wiry, whipcord sort of strength. His eyes, dark brown in color, were glancing between Arthur, Samuel, and the other armed men.
He looked like a panther about to strike, Samuel thought. It was almost as if he were expecting a fight at any moment.
“Are you Ryoko?” Samuel asked. He stood quickly and bowed, remembering that was how people greeted each other in Nihon-Ja. This stranger was clearly from that exotic land, by his tanned skin and sharp, almond-shaped eyes. “I am Samuel Bragg.”
Ryoko nodded in agreement with the question, then returned the bow, looking a little surprised. Samuel wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that he was the first to observe the Nihon-Jan custom. “I am Ryoko, yes. What did you want from me?”
Yes, he was definitely on edge. Even his words were guarded through the thick accent. It might have been the struggle of speaking the common tongue, but he was clearly putting careful thought into each word, and his eyes glared suspiciously at each of them, reading their body language. Not just theirs, Samuel thought, but the entire room. Was he this paranoid around every stranger he met?
“We’re in need of one or two more guards for our return trip,” Arthur said, also rising from his seat. Ryoko’s eyes snapped to him as he moved, then down to the sword he wore at his waist. “Are you a fighter, Mister Ryoko?”
Belatedly, Samuel remembered that in Nihon-Ja, the honorific of san was added after a person’s name. Ryoko showed no sign of offense that the word wasn’t used. His eyes narrowed slightly. “I am. I do not fight anymore. What are you guarding?”
“Me,” Samuel said, giving a small wave, regretting the action at once. “We’re going to Milagre. We can pay you.”
The foreign warrior opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a small mewing sound. Everyone looked around for the source of it, but only Samuel and Ryoko glanced down. There was a small black cat at Ryoko’s feet, looking up at the Nihon-Jan. Its eyes were a vibrant purple in color. Samuel had never seen that color in a cat’s eyes before. Perhaps it was common in Nihon-Ja.
Ryoko almost seemed to understand something the cat was saying with its stare, though it made no other noise, not even a slight purr or growl. He glanced back up at Samuel then. “I am willing to accompany you to Milagre. I am making my way to the capital.”
Remembering what Sera had said the previous night, Samuel frowned. “If you meant to go to the capital, why not go directly west from Klimek? That’s where you landed, right?”
“Yes.” Ryoko paused for a moment and glanced down at the cat once more. “A villager warned us about traveling through that area of the forest. They said it would be safer to go south before crossing.”
Hardly safer, Samuel thought. “There are bandits along the road we’re going to take.”
Ryoko appeared to consider that statement for several seconds. Again, he glanced down at the cat before replying. “Bandits, I am not worried about. I have seen and fought a few already.”
“Perfect,” Samuel said, pleased at the prospect. “Then we can hire you.”
He glanced at Arthur for the older warrior’s expression, and the steward nodded. He wondered if there would ever be a time that he considered Arthur his steward. It wasn’t likely, he thought. “Well, we’re glad to have you on board, Ryoko-san.”
He bowed again. Ryoko looked surprised at his knowledge of the honorific. For the first time, his face softened slightly. Not a smile, but also not a scowl. He returned the bow, making the gesture much more graceful than Samuel could. “I must go and speak to the innkeeper about my room. I’ll need the money for tomorrow back.”
He didn’t need to ask if they intended to set out before the morning; it was too late for travel to be sensible. Sera also came by the table, giving him a key. “You’ve got a room for the night, Sam. Thomas’ treat.”
He nodded his thanks and rejoined the conversation at the table. The talk was mostly of Milagre, of all the things he didn’t know. Each of the men, even the hired guards who had been hired in the capital, shared their favorite things about the city, offering suggestions as to where they thought Samuel should visit.
----------------------------------------
They were up early the next morning, long before the first of the suns peeked over the horizon. Nobody else seemed to be awake, all having given their farewells to Samuel late the previous night before heading to bed. Thomas and Sera were up, however, and Samuel saw them standing near the door when he came down the stairs. He met Sera’s eyes, seeing the sadness there.
“Arthur, let us step outside,” Thomas said, noticing the glance that passed between the two young people. “I want to make sure you have enough to cover your entire trip.”
As soon as they were gone and the room was empty but for the two of them, Sera strode forward. Neither of them spoke for a moment, simply embracing tightly. He could feel Sera’s tears against his cheek, and her sobs reverberated from her body to his, almost shaking his chest.
“I’m sorry,” he said, feeling indescribably sad, as if he were abandoning her.
“Don’t apologize,” she said, her voice shaky. “This is all you’ve ever wanted. You have to go.”
“Not everything.” She pulled away slightly, still with her arms around his neck, not understanding. “There are some things that matter to me apart from stories and traveling.”
A weak, watery smile broke across her face at that. “I know you love me, Sam. I love you too. But you don’t belong in a small village. You’re meant for more than growing old and dying here.”
“Maybe,” his throat was almost too tight to form words. “But I won’t be gone forever. I’ll come back to visit, I promise. Maybe I’ll even try to bring you back to Milagre with me.”
She let out a sound that was half-sob, half-laugh. “I might actually say yes to that.”
He allowed himself the momentary illusion of what might happen if he brought Sera with him. They could live in the capital together, maybe even have children and grandchildren. But he couldn’t be certain that she’d say yes. And he’d be pulling her away from Harlest, to a life and city that was unfamiliar to her. It felt like the life he wanted, but he also knew it was a life that wasn’t this one.
“Write to me,” she said softly.
“I will,” he promised. “Every chance I get. Don’t forget me.”
She looked up at him for a long moment, her soft brown eyes brimming with tears. She kissed him for a long moment before replying. “Never.”