The Unsuspecting Mage (38 page)

The rest of the day goes by without incident and they arrive at the outskirts of Willimet shortly before sunset. The first building they come to boasts a sign depicting a man sleeping on a bed. Figuring this to be an inn, they stop out front where James leaves Miko with the horses as he walks to the front door. Just before he draws near, it unexpectedly opens.

From within emerges a man reeking of some unknown unpleasantness. His hair is matted and the original color of his clothes is lost beneath an accumulation of stains and grime. The odor emanating from the man is such that James is forced to hold his breath until the man passes to avoid breathing in the nauseating stench. Once the man has moved some distance away, he takes a hesitant breath. Though the man’s stench is still present, it is no longer so overpowering.

Stepping through the doorway, he again is forced to hold his breath as the inside of the inn reeked just as bad as the man who had just left. Nasty was the word that came to mind when he glanced around the inn and toward the common room. Some tables still had yet to be cleared of the remnants of the noon meal though it has been over for many hours. Smoke from the kitchen creates an unpleasant haze that only heightens James distaste for the place.

A skinny man of average height with greasy black hair spies him standing in the foyer. Wiping his hands on an apron that possibly had never been washed, he crosses over to greet him. “Need a room tonight?” he asks, and James can almost see the green, putrefied odor coming from the man as he talks.

James turns his head slightly to try to get away from the sickening smell. “No,” he quickly replies all the while trying not to breathe. “Just seeing if my friend was here,” he lies. “Thanks though.” He then turns and makes a hasty exit through the front door, taking a deep breath once outside. He informs Miko that they will not be staying there tonight.

“What was wrong with it?” Miko asks.

Getting back on his horse he replies, “It was filthy and nasty. The one person I saw stank and I fear may have been the cook.” The thought of eating anything produced in a place of such disregard for cleanliness made his gorge rise.

“I’m sure there are others here, it’s a fair sized town,” comments Miko.

“I certainly hope so,” says James. “I’ll sleep under the stars again before I stay in a place like that.”

They find another inn further into town, this one looks to have a fresh coat of paint and the grounds are well maintained and orderly. “I think this may do nicely,” he says with satisfaction. It was a stark contrast to the earlier place.

“I hope so,” adds Miko, “it’s starting to get dark.”

Coming to a stop before the steps leading to the front door, James dismounts and says to Miko, “Stay here and I’ll see if they have a room available.”

“Alright,” Miko replies.

After handing Miko his reins, he goes up the stairs and enters the inn. This one, though it has a smoky haze similar to the other inn, but at least it smells of wood smoke and cooking. Overall, the place looks to be better maintained. A man comes over and greets him, “Welcome to the Apple Tree Inn, how may we help you tonight?”

Friendly greeting, neat and clean common area,
Yes,
he thinks to himself,
I think this will do.

Nodding, the man says, “Yes, we do have room for you. It will be a silver a night for the room and another four coppers for the stalls.”

When he agrees, the man walks to the counter where James hands over the money and receives a room key in exchange. “It’s off the common room.” He points toward a side hallway, “All the way down and on the left. It’s the quietest room we have.”

“Thank you,” James says, “I appreciate that.” Returning outside, he informs Miko they will be staying there. They then take their horses and mule around back, getting them settled into the stable. Taking their bags with them, they return to the inn and find the room at the end of the hallway. Two beds again, which makes Miko happy. They put their bags next to their respective beds before heading back to the common room for dinner.

They enjoy a quiet dinner of roast fowl, bread and ale. After downing the last of his ale, James says, “I think I’ll go for a walk” Glancing toward Miko he asks, “Like to come with me?”

“Sure, okay,” Miko agrees. “Maybe we could find some more tarts?”

“You never know,” replies James, smiling at his friend.

They leave the inn and stroll through the streets. During their walk they get propositioned by several women, all of which look rather skanky to James.

“I like women, most definitely,” he replies, then comes to a stop when the last little bit Miko said finally registers. Turning a quizzical look to Miko he asks, “What do you mean ‘because I was mutilated’?”

Looking a little embarrassed, Miko says, “Well, when we took our baths the other night, I couldn’t help but notice that a part of you had been cut off.”

“What are you talking about?” James asks confused. Then it hit him, he was circumcised. He starts laughing and says, “What you are referring to was done when I was born. It’s a custom with my people that when a boy is born, such is done to him.”

Looking aghast, Miko asks “What for?”

“It’s the common belief that if it’s removed then there will be less chance for infection during his life,” answers James. “In fact there is one religion back home that mandates it.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t born there,” Miko states with conviction, unconsciously covering himself.

“There are times when I wish it hadn’t been done to me too, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about it now. But rest assured, it still works as well as anybody else’s and it doesn’t affect my desire for sex.”

“Then why don’t you go after the women?” he asks.

“I was raised to believe sex is not a casual thing,” he explains. “And it’s definitely something you should never pay anyone to do. Also, there are certain diseases that you can get from such activities that really mess you up bad, even kill you.”

“The boys I used to hang around with, whenever they got hair between their legs, started going after the girls,” says Miko.

“Yeah, I knew guys back home that were like that too,” admits James. “But you should always do what you think is right, no matter what others may think or do.”

James resumes walking and Miko is silent for a while, thinking about what he just said. They eventually arrive at the main marketplace which is still surprisingly busy even though night has already fallen. Several performers scattered around, one is a juggler who has several different objects coursing through the air simultaneously. Next to him sits a chair with a knife sitting half on and half off the seat. At one point the juggler adds the knife to the dance of items in the air with an upward kick of his foot. As it flies up from where it had sat upon the chair, the onlookers ooh and ahhh. When he catches it and incorporates it within the pattern of the other items, they erupt in applause, several tossing coins into a hat resting on the ground before him.

They remain to watch as the juggler continues keeping the items airborne while twice people tossed other objects which he also incorporated into his aerial display. Miko is completely fascinated by the man so they stay there for a little while watching him. By the time they move on, the juggler had seven items in the air and didn’t look like he was going to stop anytime soon. James gave Miko three coppers to drop in the hat.

As they make their way through the marketplace, they momentarily stop to observe other performers, though none are as talented as the juggler. While they pause to watch a fire breather, James notices a small tent almost hidden in a dark corner of the market. Inside is a woman sitting at a table. Before her atop the table rests what looks to be a crystal ball.
She looks just like a fortune teller right out of an old movie,
he thinks to himself. Curiosity gets the better of him.

“Miko, I’ll be over there,” James says as he points toward the small tent.

“Alright,” Miko acknowledges. “I’m going over to watch the monkey.” He points over to where a man has a monkey doing tricks and wearing a funny little outfit.

“Don’t get lost,” James says before he makes his way through the crowd over to the tent and enters.

“Close the curtain so we may have some privacy,” the woman says to James as she indicates the chair sitting across from her. “Come, sit down and I’ll look into your future.”

He unhooks the curtain and lets it fall, then walks over to the chair and sits.

“Place your hands upon the table, next to the ball with your palms up.” When James has done so, she rests her hands upon his and says, “Now look into the ball and make your mind blank, let it drift as it will.”

He stares into the ball as she says, “I see love and happiness for you.” When he looks up to her she meets his eyes and says, “And not too far away.”

“She looks to be a daughter of a rug maker,” she says and then glances up to see his reaction. Then says, “Or possibly a horse trader.”

“Where can I find her?” he asks.

“Back home,” she says. “Where you were born.”

Fake!
he thinks to himself.
There aren’t any such back where I come from
. “Thank you,” he says, then begins removing his hands from the table.

Suddenly, her hands spasm and clenches his tightly, preventing him from leaving the table. Then she says, “I can see that you have come a great distance and not by choice.”

Inside the ball, a deep red color blossoms from within its center. He sits back down, intrigued by the show if not by the accuracy.

“You have many questions,” she says, her voice becoming more distant, “and few answers. You are on a quest, a quest for answers.”

A chill runs down his back, she’s hitting closer to the mark now. The deep red color continues to grow and starts to slowly swirl throughout the ball.

“I see a long road but you are not alone, another walks with you,” she says, her voice changing, growing harsh and raspy. “He will be the key, a lock must be opened.”

Nervous, he hesitates. On the verge of leaving yet drawn to see what will happen.

The red swirling begins to churn faster and a subtle pulse can be seen coming from within. Gasping, her body jerks, hands tightening around his in a grip of surprising strength. He tries to free his hands but is unable to break away. Her grip grows uncomfortable.

Looking at her he sees that her features have changed subtly, yet unmistakable. With a voice growing less human she says:

With the star, seal your fate,

A giant knocks upon the gate.

Her voice rises in volume and pitch, the throbbing red vortex in the ball swirls like a maelstrom. The pulsing continues to grow and becomes much more pronounced with each word she utters.

Pillars of Flame dispel the night,

Out of darkness, blossoms a light.

Her grip on his hands becomes painful. Eyes wide with the pupils rolled back into her head, her visage completely unnerves James. Scared, he wants nothing more than to break free. Struggle though he may, her grip on his hands is simply too strong.

A friend’s wrath you shall feel,

Destroy the land so it may heal.

The crystal of the ball is now completely infused with red and the swirl is no longer apparent. Now a solid red, it pulses, keeping in time with the words being spoken by the woman.

Return the lost, stones to dust,

The table begins to vibrate, the pulsing becomes more pronounced, actually bathing the entire tent in an eerie pulsating red glow. In a voice that sounds as if it’s being stretched to its limit, she cries:

Remember… in all… your heart… to trust!

She screams as the crystal ball explodes, sending shards in all directions. Several score along his arms and face. At the shattering of the ball, she falls backward and releases the iron grip she had on his hands. Her chair tips over backward and the woman hits the floor where she lies unmoving.

James comes around the table to her and sees that she’s still alive, but unconscious. Amazed, he discovers a streak of white going through her black hair that hadn’t been there before. Droplets of blood begin to well out of the many spots on her arms and face where she was struck by the shattering of the ball. He lifts her from the floor and carries her over to a pile of pillows lying in the corner of the tent and tries to makes her comfortable. When he has her settled, he looks around the tent at the mess the shattering of the ball has caused. Shards of crystal are everywhere.