Rend Hope (18 page)

             
"Sorry, that's not what I meant.  I meant you'll be staying in the city." Rosalind corrected, Markus' eyes widened.

             
"I will?" The blonde man questioned, he then raised an eyebrow as realization dawned on him.  "And did you just apologize to me?"  A vein began to throb on Rosalind's forehead and her eyebrows furrowed in a slight glare.

             
"Don't let it go to your head idiot.  I'll admit that I wasn't clear the first time, I'll make sure it won't happen again when it comes to you." The blonde woman hissed, Markus smiled slightly and shook his head.

             
"Man I thought for sure you were going to have me banished, what changed?" He inquired, Rosalind looked away from him before speaking.

             
"It wasn't my decision, Mayor Watkins and Marie wanted to spare you.  They believe you can do this city some good." The hoodie-clad magi answered, Markus facial expression grew serious.

             
"And what do you believe?" He asked, Rosalind tensed.

             
"I believe...it will be the same as Havenway." She told him, turning to look at the aeromancer once more.  A tense silence ensued.

             
"You know Nobellus would have destroyed the entire city anyway." Markus stated seriously, Rosalind was unfazed.

             
"He was leaving, he was walking out of the city when you confronted him." She answered back, her glare deepening.

             
"Maybe not on that day, but he would have come back to finish the job eventually."  Markus replied.  Rosalind grit her teeth but kept her voice under control.

             
"That's YOUR opinion Markus." She said.

             
"It is fact." He responded simply.

             
"What makes you so sure?" She questioned, watching as Markus' face hardened.

             
"You were probably...tending to your family at the time, but while I was battling Nobellus he told me something." Markus said, Curiosity rose within Rosalind.

             
"What did he tell you?" She asked, his eyes became unfocused and Rosalind realized that Markus was no longer looking at her, but remembering what Nobellus said.

             
"He told me that Havenway had to fall." The aeromancer revealed.  It was Rosalind's turn to be surprised.

             
"Havenway had to fall?" She repeated, Markus nodded.  "But why?"  Her only answer was the imprisoned aeromancer shaking his head.

             
"I don't know.  Every day I rack my brain trying to figure out why he suddenly changed like he did, but I never noticed anything until it was already too late." Markus said, sounding far older than what he really was.  Rosalind was still processing the information she just received.  She did not know Markus to be a liar, not for things that were a big deal like this.  Why the hell did Nobellus need Havenway destroyed?  Was she really so foolish as to not notice Nobellus' transformation from benefactor to destroyer?

             
"You weren't the only one that suspected nothing of Nobellus." Rosalind admitted, something that wasn't easy for her.  "Come on let’s get you out of that cell." She began focusing her mind to undo the spell cast on the cell.

             
"Then what?" Markus asked, Rosalind frowned.

             
"Then we deputize you." She answered uneasily, there was a moment of silence.

             
"Well as long as I don't have to wear a stupid cowboy hat like your sheriff I can live with that." Came Markus' answer, Rosalind had to fight the urge to smirk.

Chapter 15

             
"Do I really have to wear this stupid badge?" Markus asked, frowning as he adjusted the silver colored badge right above his right pectoral.  Marie glared at him.

             
"Remember you're TEMPORARILY a deputy, this badge shows everyone that." The teenage magi-apprentice told him.  Shortly after freeing him, Rosalind had exited the sheriff's building, leaving Marie to go through the process of "Officially" deputizing Markus.

             
After learning what Markus did in Havenway, Marie found she couldn't look at him the same.  Here was a man who had a hand at destroying an entire city, not just any city either, but one of the most powerful ones known to the ravaged land.  Marie was still trying to wrap her mind around it.

             
"I doubt this lousy thing will make people respect my 'temporary' authority." Markus complained, Marie shook her head.

             
"To tell you the truth Markus, people already respect you in this city." Marie confided, Markus' eyes widened.

             
"Wow, really?" He asked incredulously, the dark-haired teenage girl shrugged.

             
"Well maybe it's more like fear instead of respect." She admitted.  "They've seen what you can do, how you held your own against my master and everyone looks to her for safety and protection."

             
"Does that mean that you're afraid of me then?" Markus asked, quirking an eyebrow.  She made eye contact with him.

             
"I think you're a good person Markus.  I don't believe you'd intentionally do me harm."  Marie stated whole-heartedly.

             
"Is that why you fought for me during your meeting?" The blonde aeromancer questioned, she nodded.  "You do know that most of the stuff your master said about me is probably true right?"  Marie stared down at her feet.

             
"It just sounds to me like you were trying to protect your city.  Rosalind mentioned something about you losing friends and wanting to avenge them as well.  I can understand that." She said, Markus caught the distant look in her eyes and sighed.  That look shouldn’t be on someone so young.

             
"That's right, you've probably seen friends die in front of you too." He replied in a grim tone, Marie hesitated a moment before nodding.

             
"My parents, my friends who I'd known since I was a child, even just acquaintances who helped me survive." She revealed, Markus shook his head.

             
"It always bugs me when someone as young as you sees so much death, I'm truly sorry.  Would you believe in the days before the Great Purge one could live their entire life and only see a few deaths from natural causes?" He informed her, she returned her gaze to his eyes in surprise.

             
"Where'd you hear that?" She inquired, Markus shrugged.

             
"One of those nerdy lorekeepers in some city I passed through during my travels, can't remember his name, but he told me about that and for some reason it stuck in my head." He informed her.  Marie placed a hand on her chin, thinking.

             
"It's hard to imagine a life like that.  I think it would be nice." Marie said, thinking out loud, Markus nodded.

             
"Perhaps one day we can return to those days, maybe make it even better." The flannel-clad magi suggested.  Marie frowned in response.

             
"I don't think we'd live long enough to see it in our lifetimes Markus." Marie stated, Markus shrugged.

             
"Maybe not, but we could pave the way for future generations." He replied, his bright smile was infectious and Marie found herself smiling back.  However, Markus quickly ruined it by striking a pose that Marie could only describe as "Majorly uncool."  He spread his legs out to shoulder-length, put his right hand on his hip and with his left hand he pointed in front of him with his index finger.

             
"Now, time for Deputy Markus to make the rounds!" He exclaimed, trying to make his voice sound heroic, it wasn't working.  Marie placed her left hand on her face and shook her head.

             
"Fine, but please don't do that again." Marie told him, Markus deflated.

             
"Sorry, I just always wanted to do that.  Was it really that bad?" He inquired, Marie placed her left hand on his right shoulder as she led him out of the room.

             
"Stick to what you were doing before, it worked for you." The teenage magi informed him.

**********

              Marie gave Markus a tour of Midas City, something he had wanted since he first arrived.  He made sure to make mental notes in his mind about certain places.  Like the city's scrap pile in the Northeast section which people would leave their scraps of metal.  Apparently, a tinkerer by the name of Jenner Ivarice dwelled there.  He was a thin man who liked to wear a patched long dirty white coat.  He was reserved and didn’t leave much of an impression on Markus, but Jenner’s teenage son, Inolan was the opposite, loud and full of words.  Inolan wore a pair of brown goggles that kept his messy black hair from getting in his eyes.  The entire time they were at the scrap pile he wouldn’t shut up about some land rover they were making that would use its reserve of firewater more efficiently.  The kid would babble on and on and after a while Markus would just nod to him and give him a noncommittal grunt in reply.  Marie informed the aeromancer that the vice-sheriff, Janine Garlow, would come here as well if she needed some metal and advice for her inventions.

             
The eastern section of the city was where the sheriff's department was located, just a stone's throw away from the eastern gate.  Marie told Markus that the eastern gate usually saw the most activity as most of the bandits and cannibals came from the Desert of Despair which was located in that direction.

             
To the south was where the library was.  Lorekeeper Osric had a pretty good collection of books, some even dating back to the pre-Great Purge era.  The educated man would always ask the deputies to bring back whatever intact books they found while out on their scavenge missions.  To his credit he was able to paint the picture of what life was like for the human race before the Great Purge.  Easy access to food, a universal way to trade without bartering, there was also no sorcery, but apparently their ancestors had other ways to cause great destruction.

             
In the western section of the city was Rosalind's clinic, but Markus knew that already.  What he didn't know was that people had another reason to visit besides having Rosalind cure their sickness and close their wounds.  The city folk had made an altar dedicated to "The Savior".  It was basically a glorified desk with a carved wooden humanoid statuette about the size of a toddler sitting atop it.

             
Although lorekeepers did their best to glean whatever information they could.  Records of the Savior from before The Great Purge were hard to come by.  According to what little information Lorekeeper Osric could gather, the Savior once had a name, but it is now long forgotten in the centuries that have passed.  People before The Great Purge once looked to the Savior for guidance and comfort.  Whole buildings used to even be dedicated to him.  Some even believed that it was the Savior himself who caused The Great Purge.

             
Markus shook his head and frowned, he found it hard to picture some omnipotent being directing everyone's actions.  He subscribed to the theory that the Savior was the first magi.  However, if that was true, did he initiate The Great Purge?  And if so, why?

             
"What are you thinking about?" Marie suddenly asked, breaking his concentration.  They were walking side by side, heading to Midas City's Central area.  "The Barter District" Marie called it if he remembered correctly, this was where the merchants came and did their business.  Also it was where the city's most popular bar was, "Joe's Bar" it was called, Markus thought that it was a rather boring name.

             
"I'm thinking...that I need a drink, this bar of yours has a healthy supply of vodka doesn't it?" He answered, Marie thought for a moment.

             
"Actually it's more tequila than anything." She told him, Markus had a disgusted look on his face.

             
"Yuck, I have only bad memories associated with tequila." The blonde man stated, Marie chuckled.

             
"Tell me about it, woke up in some stranger's house once after a night of tequila." The teenage girl revealed.  "I had punched a hole through his house and fell asleep on the living room floor in my drunken stupor, he was not pleased to say the least.  Rosalind came down hard on me that week." Marie visibly winced at the memory, Markus smiled.

             
"She was probably worried about you, even if you are a magi, it's dangerous for a pretty girl like you to be out drunk and alone in a city." The aeromancer informed her, Marie frowned.

             
"We screen for those kind of scum, in case you haven't noticed." She huffed indignantly, Markus shrugged in response.

             
"Some people are exceptional at hiding the darkness within them." He told her.  "You'd be surprised."  Marie let out a frustrated snort.

             
"Whatever." the teenage magi stated tersely.  "You 'adults' worry too much if you ask me."  Markus just grinned.  "Anyways let’s hear one of these 'bad memories' you have drinking tequila."  The blonde-haired man chuckled softly before starting his story.

             
"First time I drank tequila, Rose was with me, I think I was sixteen then or was it seventeen? Can't remember exactly." Markus rambled, Marie kept silent and continued to listen.  "We had snuck off at night to Havenway's park, I had stolen a bottle of it from the local bar, but I didn't want to drink it alone.  Keep in mind that before this the strongest thing I had drank was some shitty tasting beer that I swear came from a swamp." 

             
"Got it." Marie said with a nod, "Go on."

             
"Right so there we were, the moon was out, casting this totally awesome glow on the park.  It was all very surreal.  Rose and I were just chilling, hanging out and having a good time, so I figured that was the perfect time to show off the stolen bottle of tequila." Markus said, making animated gestures with his hands.  "I present her with the bottle, with probably some stupid goofy grin on my face.  I swear her eyes were as wide as saucers."

             
"Let me guess, you two drank it all?" Marie guessed, Markus started laughing, shaking his head as he continued to laugh.

             
"Oh no, she took the bottle out of my hand and smashed it across my face.  She got me good too, my face was a bloody mess." The blonde aeromancer said, Marie looked confused.

             
"I don't get it, why did she do that?  And why do you think it's funny?" The teenage girl questioned.

             
"Looking back at it now I realized how stupid and young I was.  The bar I stole the tequila from?  Her dad's bar, so she wasn't too happy about me stealing from him." Markus shook his head and sighed, but the smile was still on his face.  "I had...wanted to impress her back then.  I wanted to show her I was a 'Tough guy' by drinking the bottle with her.  All I did though was get her mad at me.  It became a routine for us as time went on.  I would constantly annoy her and she would constantly abuse me." The blonde man finished with a chuckle.  Marie placed a hand on her chin in thought.

             
"Hmm.  Maybe that explains why I've never seen Rosalind drink..." The dark-haired teenage girl mused.  Markus chuckled in response.

             
"Oh no, that's not the reason Rose doesn't drink alcohol." Markus stated, Marie looked at him, expecting him to elaborate, but he didn't.

             
"So what is the reason then?" Marie asked, Markus grinned like a man who had the winning hand in a poker game.

             
"Can't say.  If Rose is on the fence about killing me now she'd be certain to murder me if I told you." The flannel-clad magi responded, Marie pouted.

             
"Ah come on!  You can tell me!  I can keep a secret!" She replied, Markus smiled and shook his head.

             
"Maybe some other time Marie, I prefer to live for the time being." He told her.

**********

              The sun was a peculiar orange color as it drooped in the sky, Ebrim found it unusual.  In the distance the dark-whiskered necromancer and Sahiron, his partner-in-crime, could see Midas City.  At last, the time for their attack was fast approaching.  It was a shame that his apprentice seemed lost to him, the scouting bird he had sent to look for him never returned, foul play most likely.  Perhaps whatever got Benjamin got his bird as well.