Chapter 2
Loflan leaned against the doorway musing, watching her sleep. Her bruised and battered face was all that was visible above his faded and frayed quilt. She looked so tiny in his massive bed. So helpless. This was not exactly how he had pictured the first time a woman would lie in his bed. It was a rule of his to avoid women in general unless he found ‘the’ woman. Loflan knew as well as anyone else that there was no such woman for him. There couldn’t be. Not with his bloody history and almost certain bloody future. A family would spell disaster for him. Not that he didn’t want such a thing only he didn’t allow himself to think on it.
Her breathing was now strong and steady. Every hour or so she would tremor violently and he would come and stand here and watch her until they subsided. Sometimes she would moan but her eyes never opened. It was nearing dusk and Loflan was exhausted. More mentally and magically than physically. He had spent the time between her chills putting the study back to rights and transferring his things from his own room into the alchemical closet.
It wasn’t really a closet but a spacious room off the study. He just called it that because it was jammed full of alchemical books and other supplies pertaining to the alchemical arts that you couldn’t move in there. He spent many sleepless nights trying to learn the arcane art but had given it up as intolerable, insufferable and utterly infuriating. He just couldn’t bring himself to throw the implements of his torture in the trash so it took him the better part of the evening to rearrange the space to accommodate his cot and clothing. He wasn’t sure how long he would be staying in there but he thought with his guest’s two broken ankles and a concussion it would be awhile yet.
He walked up to her sleeping form and placed his hand above her forehead. His hand warmed. She still had a slight fever. He took a rag from the washbasin by the bed and wrung it out. He cooled his breath and blew into the rag making it cold. He wiped the sweat from her brow. He was amazed his healing had worked so well on her and was able to ease her pain but he had no idea how to break a fever. She would just have to work that one out on her own. He did know of a brew that would keep the fever from spiking too high during the night but he needed to gather some fresh herbs from his garden. He leaned down and muttered above her face and wisps of deep sleep settled on her again. He didn’t think it likely she would wake but he didn’t want to take the chance.
It was mid October and the evenings were turning chilly. Loflan donned his coat and now well broken in boots and headed out the door. Loflan’s house was a bit of an oddity. He had built it himself over seven years. The house was built into the base of Sorsen mountain. He chose the place because Sorsen mountain was special, magical. Not only was it smack dab in between North Escapia and South Escapia in the neutral province of Sorsenia but the legendary Sorsen with whom the area and mountain was named supposedly created, lived, died and was buried in the region. That was all centuries before Loflan’s time. Loflan had built his house directly against the rough stone of the mountain. The whole rear wall of his home was the mountain itself. He build the house with nearby oak. Oak has little magical properties but so close to the mountain it fairly hummed it’s resonance. He was unsure why he was allowed to harvest the trees as most could not damage even a leaf from the trees surrounding the mountain. For Loflan his ax sliced the trees like a hot knife through butter.
A fair amount of sweat and a drop of blood went into every board, anchoring it to his magic mixed with the existing sorsenian magic of the mountain. It would take an act of God to bring his little house down. He also bound himself to the land surrounding his home and almost every object inside it. The whole area was sensitive to his emotions and will and responded to it, sometimes with his direction and sometimes automatically acting as Loflan himself would in whatever situation it found itself. This was a peculiar magic and one of his talents. Having his land and home be an extension of himself and his will had many advantages. One major advantage was that he knew instantly when someone walked upon his land unless they were extremely magical themselves. The person he felt coming up behind him was of the extremely magical sort only she allowed him sense her coming. He did not even look up from harvesting his fever reducing sweat beetle berries when he addressed his trespasser.
“Maude.” He said flatly.
“Loflan.” She replied in a cheery, accented elderly voice.
He stood and turned to face her. She looked the same as she had when he had met her ten years before. Short, round and as stout as an ox. Her hair was grey and curly. Cut short and always frizzy no matter the weather. Her wrinkled face was kind with deep laugh lines around her grey eyes. Her nose was small above her wide thin lipped mouth that was well accustomed to smiling. She smiled lovingly at Loflan, making her grey eyes glint in the rapidly approaching twilight.
“Can I help you with this dear boy?” She asked but didn’t wait for his reply as she bent down to peer into his basket. “Salisory root and sweat beetle berries? Picked two months before harvest time? Does your Lady have a fever then?”
Loflan stared at her, astonished. “How do you know I have a lady here? You could not sense her?”
“Oh no never fear. There is too much magic here to sense anything clearly. How you were able to stake a claim here I will never know. No, indeed I can not sense her but I did see her.”
Loflan knew she was not talking in the literal sense but in the metaphysical sense. Like Loflan’s ability to imbue inanimate objects with his essence, Maude could see time. She could see past things as well as present and future. It had disconcerted him when he had first met her but she had assured him it was even more disconcerting for her. Maude was one of the only people alive who knew who he really was. So far she had not held it against him or used it to her advantage. Instead she had willingly became his tutor, mentor and friend. Though she could be downright aggravating sometimes he was thankful for her. Especially now with a half dead woman in his house he didn’t know what to do with.
“Could I meet her?” Maude asked. “After all that is why I came such a long way.”
“Of course.” Loflan said gesturing her toward his house.
“I hope she is not so very ill.” Maude said as they neared the door. “I have brought a gift for her.”
Loflan looked at her curiously. A gift? What did she bring her a gift for? He wondered.
“I am afraid that she is.” He replied and lead her into the bedroom.
Maude gasped when she saw her, dropping the basket and hurrying to her side. “What happened, who did this?” Maude exclaimed as she drew back the quilts to see her bandaged ankles and brutalized flesh.
“I have no idea. I had a summoning this morning and it led me to her.”
Maude’s head snapped up. “Summoning!” she exclaimed. “Since when have you had summonings?”
“Since over two years ago Maude. Calm down.” The old woman was visibly agitated. Her grey eyes turning silver.
Maude closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. When she opened them again they were back to their usual dull grey. “I am just shocked dear boy. Shocked.” she said “This was not what I was expecting when I came here. Let us put on the fever brew with the herbs you gathered and have some tea while it is simmering.”
All traces of discomposure gone, Maude got up and proceeded to take over Loflan’s house just as she always did. Usually it irritated him to no end how she would breeze in and move things around, relabel jars and tisk, tisk at his organizing skills. This time however, he was grateful for her presence and help.
****
Maude could not believe her eyes when she had seen the woman laying in Loflan’s bed but the biggest shock to her was Loflan admitting he was receiving summonings. Who could possibly be summoning him? It was certainly not her, she could not send him on summonings from so great a distance. One has to be pretty close to send an apprentice on a summoning. She knew of no one alive near here that would have the amount of power needed to do it or could see the purpose of them doing so. He was her apprentice after all.
She put the kettle on the hook in the fire while Loflan put his herbs into a pot of broth to simmer on his small wood stove. Once the kettle was hot they repaired to the dining alcove. They sat staring into their teacups. Loflan spoke first.
“Why did you bring this woman a gift?” He asked.
Maude looked up at him and smiled ruefully. “You remember me always telling you to find yourself a woman? Well I didn’t mean for you to take it so literally, dear boy. I saw the thread of a woman intersect with yours and I saw that this thread remained with you for an indeterminate about of time. The time seemed long enough that my mind jumped to conclusions.” Loflan Guffawed at this but Maude continued as though she hadn’t heard him. “The curious thing about all this was I could not get any definite reference of time. I can usually pinpoint the time almost exactly but in the case of this woman’s thread I can not read her. The only reason I saw what I did was because I was looking at your thread. Anyway, I assumed she was or was soon to be your bride so I brought her a gift as is the custom. Chalk it up to wishful thinking.”
Loflan looked at her for a long moment with his face a stoic mask until all of a sudden it cracked like an egg and he howled with laughter. He even slapped his thigh. She couldn’t help it and laughed too. Loflan had such a forceful personality. He could radiate menace when he was in warrior mode but could just as easily radiate warmth and humor if he so chose. Maude regretted he didn’t chose to more often.
“So you thought you would find me in marital or premarital bliss but instead you found a brutalized southlander in my bed.” He said returning to seriousness. “Your seeing was correct in that she will be here awhile with her injuries. I dare not try to move her and must know more about what her dangers are before I let her loose in the midlands. Being a southlander she may not even know the midland of Sorsenia as we do. I have always been under the impression southlanders live as if northlanders and midlander don‘t exist.”
“Your quite right. You are sure she is from South Escapia then?” Maude asked.
“Not one hundred percent sure but the tatters of her clothing was not northlander or midlander in cut or cloth so I assume she is a southlander.”
Maude chewed on the awhile before she spoke again. “If she is from South Escapia she may bring trouble with her. I have never known a south Escapian not to be. They hate the lot of us.”
“I believe she was abused and then dumped here in Sorsenia to cover their tracks. It happens all the time in the borderlands. It is only unusual for her to have been dumped this far north.”
“If you are right then she will be terrified to awake in a magic user’s home.” Maude observed.
“We will have to take care until we can see the truth of what tale she tells. There will be no need to alarm her by casting in front of her. You, Maude need no words to cast so you will have no trouble keeping our true natures secret until it is necessary to enlighten her, if it ever becomes so.”
Maude nodded her approval. “That brings me to the topic of the duration of my stay with you. I had intended to stay at the Inn in town but I believe it would be wise for me to stay here. When she awakes the last thing she is going to want is a man nursing her or anywhere near her for that matter. I had also planned only to stay a week or two so that I would return home before the snows came but now I believe it also wise that I stay through the rest of fall and winter until spring comes. She will hopefully be used to you by that time and needing little attention. What say you, dear boy? Can you handle a house full of women for the winter?”
Loflan grinned. “I guess I will find out.”
“I will send my ass back home to gather my store of food and my other necessities to bring back. I will require him to stay in your stable with Glydenhall and so will also need to purchase hay for him for the winter. Is this doable?”
“Of course. Glydenhall will enjoy the company. I will go to town tomorrow to purchase our extra supplies.” Loflan replied.
“Now for the most serious question, Loflan. Who is summoning you?” She asked.
Loflan looked at her puzzled. “You mean it is not you?”
“No! Could you not tell from my face when you told me you were having summonings that is was not me? I could not possibly summon you. We live too far apart. An Apprentice is never to be given summonings unless the summoner is going to die in the near future or if the summoner is disabled in some way, then a summoning is the only way he could teach you lessons that he would normally accompany you. I do not know of a magic user powerful enough or close enough to summon you. Not only that but you are MY apprentice and no other user should be able to encroach on someone else’s apprenticeship. I am shocked and I must admit a little fearful.” Maude poured herself more tea. “How many summonings have you had?”
“Five, counting this morning. I was shocked by this morning’s summons because none of my other summonings have included other people. They are always events I learn from and my magic is always stronger when I complete them.”
“Will you tell me about your summonings? When did they start and what were the lessons?” Maude asked.
Loflan stretched and leaned back in his chair. “The first time was just over two years ago. I had just come home from a banishing in Tortion Harbor. It was a nasty sea creature that kept scaring the fish away from the harbor. It had caused famine to rapidly spread through the lowest class, fish being their main source of income and their main source of food. Be that as it may it wasn’t until the upper classes became affected did anyone think to do something about it. It was not a man-eater nor particularly vicious. It just liked the algae on the harbor floor and so decided to stay. It would have been fairly cut and dry only when I got there the creature was impervious to magic. My sword could have killed it but I could not bring myself to kill something so relatively harmless. It only scared the fish, it didn’t kill them. It never bothered fishermen or swimming children. To make a long story short I had to physically move the creature to a new home. I caught it in a net, secured it to a commandeered boat and sailed it to a likely spot. As I was cutting away the net to free the thing one of it’s many purple spines grazed my right shoulder making a nice scrape that bled a little. I bound it and started my journey home. When I arrived home It was late afternoon and I was exhausted. I went to sleep almost instantly. I had only been asleep a short time when I awoke with the oddest feeling. My heart quickened and my breathing became labored. Like I was running but I was not moving. I was afraid the scrape from the creature had poisoned me. I kept feeling as though I just needed to get out of the house. So I did. I figured I just needed some fresh air. I checked my scrape as I walked hoping that the sea creature did not infect me with some poison that would make my heart explode. It did not seem to be festering. I walked aimlessly for a short time when suddenly I went in a direction that felt ‘right’ somehow. As I continued in this direction my pulse slowed and my breathing evened out. At last I came to Bridger’s stream behind old man Bridger’s farm. It was quite low so I walked along it, past the farm and on through to where it runs into Hollindale lake. Where the stream meets the lake is quite dark with trees that drape themselves over the banks and vines dripping down from the branches. Sunlight only penetrates in narrow gashes between the leaves. It is a singularly beautiful spot. As I marveled in it’s beauty glimmers of gold in the water caught my attention. Everywhere a sun ray hit the water was shimmering golden light. Not of the sun but reflected by the sun. As I neared one golden place I saw that the top of the water where the sun hit the surface had turned into pure liquid gold. I was astonished. I inspected more and more shafts of light and all ended the same. I placed my finger into a pool of the liquid and it came away coated with gold. I rummaged in my cloak pockets and came up with a small vial of sandalwood I carry for rubbing my sword wrist when it is sore. I emptied the contents and filled it with the golden liquid. It was magnificent. I stayed, marveling at how when new rays broke through the canopy it turned the water to gold instantly. I was in such a state of wonder and awe that when the sun disappeared I was crushed to find that the golden pools disappeared with it. I held up my vial and it was murky creek water once more. I walked home in the dark with such and odd mixture of feelings of regret and joy. I thought all night about what had happened and that day resolved to find out all I could about the phenomenon. I exhausted my regular spell and lore books fairly quickly and decided to skim through my alchemical books. I found it fairly quickly. I read many tales of fairy gold, fools gold and fair maidens jewel to learn that it is a rare event and caused by sediment, alge gasses and the heat from the sun. If a person drinks of the golden liquid it gives you a boost of luck. It does not guarantee success in spell working but it will increase your odds for success. I never did drink of it.” Loflan gestured to a shelf with three bottles on it in the window above the washtub. One bottle was green, one was clear and one was blue. “See the clear bottle of murky liquid? That’s it. A few times since that summons it has turned golden again. I would have liked for it to have been golden today.” He sighed and sat up. “I do not think I would have been able to resist using it to help her healing along.”
“As it were you did a fine job. I am very proud of you, dear boy. Healing may not be one of your gifts but you did better than most.” Maude said refilling their cups.
“The next summoning came six months later. It terrified me. I thought what had happened before was a result of the sea creature. But low and behold the familiar panic started to rise up in me. I did not fight the panic at all but walked straight outside until I found the direction and followed it quickly. I went in the opposite direction from the last time. This time I passed through town and north towards Lakeland hills and the caves. I weaved over and around hills for hours. I was just about to turn around and give up this insane search when I was led to a small, obscure cave opening hidden behind thickets and low brambles.” Loflan rose and went into his study. When he returned he was carrying a box made of mud, hardened in the sun. He handed it to Maude. “This is what I found growing inside the cave.”
Maude opened it and a small gasp escaped her. Inside were dried flowers of a curious triangle shape with blue leaves. “Are these lapis lazuli flowers. I thought they were extinct!” She picked one up and studied it carefully. Her wonder at his summoner increased.
“As did I and everyone else for that matter. One day I will take you to the cave. I have been a few times since. They only bloom in late fall and early spring. I have used them for many things and are still learning what they can do. The list just keeps growing longer.
The third summons was to show me an eclipse. I had seen them before so was unsure why I should need to see it again. When the eclipse was over I tried to go back inside but with each step I took towards home the panic in my chest rose. So I turned and went back to my lookout spot. About half an hour later I noticed something out of place as I looked to the stars. Something was blocking them out. Some dark shape was rotating across the sky but I could not see it.”
“The shadow moon.” Maude smiled. “I too know when it comes and saw it come this last time. Some moon shown magic users are the most powerful when the shadow moon crosses the sky. Perhaps this was a lesson I should have taught you.”
Loflan smiled amiably at her. “I won’t hold it against you. This time.”
“My last was only about a month ago. I was very tired and cranky this time having just returned from a very long journey. I tried to fight it and go to sleep. I failed and almost missed the comet. It was so close I felt as if I could climb Sorsen and touch it. It was spectacular.
I was very surprised by today’s summons for one because it was so soon after the last one and for second it has never involved people before. Also as I also said before after a summoning I get a magic boost that can last up to a week afterwards but this time I feel nothing.”
“I don’t think this was a planned summoning. More like an emergency call.” Maude sat in thought a few minutes trying to digest all this new information. She stood up. “Thank you for telling me this Loflan. I am weary from my long journey and the anxiety of this evening. I need to give our little ward her brew and get my ass squared away for the night.”
Loflan rose. “Don’t worry about your ass. I will see to him and bring a cot into the bedroom for you to sleep on.”
Maude inclined her head in thanks and went to the stockpot on the woodstove. She strained the herbs and decanted most of the brew for the next evening’s use. She blew the steam off the brew she had placed into a small bowl and no more steam rose. Maude placed the tip of her pinky finger into the liquid and nodded. The temperature was perfect. She carefully poured the brew down the young woman’s throat, gently massaging her neck to ensure she swallowed. By the time she had finished and washed up Loflan had returned and brought in a cot and showed her where to find blankets and spare pillows. He laid a feather mattress on top of the cot and bid her a goodnight.
Maude really wanted to lay awake and mull over all that Loflan had told her and what it might mean but almost instantly she fell into a sleep that was as deep as any bespelled one.
