Inexperienced Mage (Reawakening Saga) (6 page)

Mark gave Joan and Mercy the other two rings, getting a hug and a squel of delight from Mercy and a small smile and thanks from Joan. Mark stayed with everyone for awhile listening to stories but soon made his way to bed explaining that the enchanting had worn him out.

The next week went by quickly with him working on the farm during the day and in his room at night where Clair would sit and talk to him. It was enjoyable but the time for him to leave was looming ever nearer. The night after the seeding was finished Clair
came to his room with large tears streaming down her face.

Though it was hard to understand what she was saying through her wracking sobs Mark
understood that she didn’t want him to leave. Joan and the rest had made it more than clear he was welcome to stay as long as he wanted. He tried to comfort her but he knew nothing he said short of promising to stay would work. Doren came and carried Clair to her room after she had soaked his shirt and cried herself to sleep.

That night Mark decided it was time to leave. The longer he put it off, the harder it would be. He settled down into a fitful night of dreams of Clair crying. The next morning came quickly and he felt no more rested then had had when he lay down. As he sat down at the breakfast table he noticed Clair eyes were swollen and red. It made his chest hurt and he took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “I believe it’s time for me to leave.”

Everyone tried to talk him into staying for a few more days except Joan, who just sat silently. As soon as the meal was finished everyone headed out to perform their daily chores each giving him a hug or handshake as they left. Clair didn’t say anything just giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

“Before you leave I have a few gifts for you. They’re not just from me, everyone pitched in. We all hoped you would stay but I knew you wouldn’t. We have been preparing for this day.” Joan disappeared into the back room and returned holding
a large leather traveling sack and a bed roll.

“The sack is from Robert. There i
s a small sack of coins inside. It’s not much mind you but it also continues the coins George promised you for the kids’ swords. I’ll get together some food for your trip while you pack your things.” The love and kindness in her voice nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Mark took the travel sack and headed to his room. Once inside he opened it and found the bag of coins. It held fifteen silver coins and a few coppers, nowhere near a fortune, but it was a start. He placed the last three long crystals into one of the pouches on the side of the sack, and then added the many smaller crystal spheres into another pouch. He put nine rings into the sack.

He put the three rings he had made in anticipation of this day on his hand. One was a light ring. Another ring, when fully charged, allowed him use of the paralyzing spell three times before it was drained. The last ring held a shielding spell that would work for a minute and a half when fully charged. He also had carved himself a new sword and laid one of the long crystals into the hilt holding the spell to make the sword razor sharp for almost half an hour.

With everything packed, Mark headed back down into the main room and waited for Joan to finish her preparations for him. He didn’t have to wait long. She brought out a large bag and handed it to him. It was filled with smoked and salted meats that would last a long time on the road, along some fresh fruit and sandwiches that he would have to eat sooner.

Joan gave him a hug. “Just so you know, you’re welcome here anytime Mark. You never asked but the capital is only about eight days walk southeast of here. If you follow the small river down past the south grove you will come to a road. Follow it and you’ll be in the capital in no time.” When she pulled back from their hug there were tears in her eyes.

Mark gave her the best smile that he could muster with tears teasing at his own eyes. “You have treated me like family and I promise you I’ll be back this way. If you ever need anything I can offer, find me and I will do everything in my power to help.”

Chapter III

Mark made his way following the river as Joan had suggested. Things at the capital might get tricky but he doubted he would ever see the queen or princess. Even if he did, he doubted that they would remember him. Just to be safe, he figured it would be best to leave his old name behind.

The second night, as he was looking along the road for a place to camp, he spotted the faint flicker of a campfire in the distance. Wearily, he approached the small camp trying his best to keep out of view. From the cover of the bushes he could s
ee two wagons, a large looking coach, a handful of men, and a young lady in her early twenties with dark auburn hair. All of the men had a brand on their forehead and many wore swords. The group didn’t look overly inviting, so he decided it best to find his own camp farther away.

As he was about to turn around and make his way back to the road, one of the men, a large fellow with a thick black beard, raised a crossbow aiming it where he crouched. “Don’t know who you are, but best come out into the open where we can all see you.”

Mark raised his hands above his hand and stepped into the dim light of the flickering campfire. “I don’t mean any harm. I saw your light down the road and was just being cautious.”

The young lady walked up behind the gruff warrior and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Carmon I doubt the young man poses much of a threat, no need to kill him just yet.” She said sweetly then turned toward him. “Now boy, what has you traveling on this road?”

“Well, you see, I ran across a small treasure trove of magical items in a run-down ghost town in the middle of the woods a few days back. I decided to head to the capital to see what I could sell them for.” He knew it was risky mentioning anything about magic but he was sure with the aid of his magic he could escape if the situation turned dangerous.

At his words, the young lady’s light blue eyes went wide, “Magic you say? You wouldn’t mind showing me would you?”

The way her eyes danced with greed made Mark take a step back toward the safety of the woods. Apparently sensing his agitation, she gave him a sweet smile. “Don’t worry child. I won’t steal anything from you. I’m a respectable merchant from Rane. It’s just that magic of even the most mundane sort is worth a fair amount of gold. In fact, we may be able to help out each other. I know that as a male here in Farlen you’re going to have a hard time getting anything near a good price for what you have.”

Mark couldn’t deny her reasoning. In fact, there was a fair chance the people in the capital would just take his treasures and throw him into jail until he disclosed how he came by the magic rings. Willing to take a chance, he brought out one of the light rings and activated it. There were varying responses from the group ranging from surprise to awe as the bright golden light appeared in thin air.

“Come with me. Business should be done in private and comfort,” the lady whispered as she led him to the large coach. The coach turned out to be a rolling room of sorts with soft fur covering its floor and walls, a small bed in the corner and a short table in the center. The lady motioned for him to take a seat on the floor across from her at the table.

From one of the chests in the small room, the young lady pulled a small jar along with two crystal glasses. “Before we begin our negotiations, there are a few things you must know. First, this room is soundproof. Anything said or done in here is forbidden to be spoken of outside. Just for future information, merchants from Rane take this very seriously. 

“Second, it is customary to first have a drink and converse. Where I’m from we believe that whenever you do business with someone, in a way, they are become part of your family. Anyone caught stealing or misrepresenting their goods is executed. Now, I won’t cheat you but if in the rare occurrence you are ever cheated by a merchant from Rane, get proof to another Rane merchant and it will be taken care of. Do you have any questions my young friend?”

“I never head of Merchants doing anything like that before,” Mark said, trying unsuccessfully to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

The young lady let out a short laugh, “I would be surprised if you had! Merchants in your land have no honor in their trade….. it’s deplorable. There’s good money in moving goods from Rane to Farlen. Now, first introductions. I’m Monique of the Rose Trading Company.”

“I’m….,” he knew he couldn’t use his real name. He needed a new one but he hadn’t figured out what to call himself. “Well, honestly I don’t have a name. I know I need one. If you would like to give me one, I would be more th
an happy to take it as my own.”

Monique gave him a questioning glance then softly rubbed her chin. “I shall give you a name but if I ever hear you going by another, I shall consider it misrepresentation and I’ve already explained the penalties for such an action. Is that agreeable?”

He thought about her statement and decided he would have to tell her the truth or risk making an enemy. "Yes, if you were to tell me you robbed and killed another Rane merchant for your goods. I would kill you but no one would ever know the reason. As I said before anything said in here is private.... though I can't say it doesn't have consequence."

Mark took a deep breath and hoped for the best. “My birth name is Mark. I was a member of the slave academy. In transport to my master’s home we were attacked and I escaped. While lost in the woods, I came across a magic tome and taught myself the art of magic. The goods you will be buying were not found, but were made by me. I need a new name for fear that my original masters might try and find me. I’m not all that pleased at the idea of become a slave after finally gaining a scent of freedom.” Mark rushed his words, tangling them with each other. After he finished, he stared at the ground, waiting for Monique’s response.

Monique was quiet for a long time. When Mark looked up he noticed that she was rubbing her chin again, looking at him closely as if she were probing the very depths of his soul. “Well, that is quite the story. I have no reason to doubt you. If it’s the truth, I will very much want to keep your secret as you could provide a profitable source of income for me. First off, your name. I think Thaddeus Torin will suit you well.”

Monique brought out a small box and withdrew a silver ring with a gold face that was designed to look like a small wagon wheel with a rose where the hub should be. “Now let me explain. Torin is my family name. It is a rare gift to allow someone the use of one’s family name but if you’re telling the truth, I think you may become a valuable asset to me and my family. Now, if you accept, it is traditional for us to exchange gifts. Mine to you, as is custom, is our family ring. What you give me isn’t as important but the value of the gift expresses the value you put on joining my family.”

He took a long, slow drink from his glass as he mulled over what Monique had said. Thaddeus wasn’t a bad name and having a surname couldn’t hurt. The fact the name was of Rane origin might dissuade people from trying to sell him as quickly into slavery.

Mark quickly dug out the only other ring he owned that wasn’t a light. “This is a shield ring. When you are in danger, just use the trigger command ‘servo’ to activate the protective shield. To deactivate it, repeat ‘servo
.‘ The shield will only last one minute and will then have to be recharged,” Thaddeus said, exchanging rings with her.

Monique quickly put on the ring not caring that it was made of steel and crystal. “I must admit, I normally pride myself in my patience, but this is too tempting. Would it be ok for us to go outside so I might try it out?”

As soon as they were outside Monique called over an older gentleman named Collin. At first, Collin refused to hit her with anything but finally consented to hit her with small branch he had broken off a tree. Thaddeus was nervous. He hadn’t had much opportunity to test the shields and only hoped they performed as he expected. As the branch descended it suddenly rebounded with a light pop. Collin swung again this time with much more force and the branch snapped in half causing the older man to stagger forward, off balance from the momentum of the blow. Monique clapped happily, laughing as she tried to catch the poor man before he fell face first into the dirt. Instead she caused him to land hard onto her shield.

Still laughing, she pulled Thaddeus back into the coach. “Marvelous! Simply marvelous! I could easily sell this for a tidy sum. But as it is a gift, I think I shall wear it to the envy of all my peers.
Now, on to business. What all do you currently have for sale, Thad?”

He pulled out the eight light rings he had made and placed them on the table. “All I have is light rings like I showed in your camp earlier. They are simple steel and crystal, but will last for about five hours before needing to be recharged. It takes about three days to fully recharge if the magic is completely depleted. The keyword is the same for all of them, ‘
lumanare,’ and they work in the same fashion as does your shield ring.”

Turning each one on and off, Monique looked them over closely.
“Not worth as much as the shield but they will sell quickly, I can most likely get around a gold for one. I could get more if they were more fashionable.” Monique continued to talk to herself out loud for a few minutes. “’I’ll give you three gold for all eight.”

T
had let out a soft gasp. Three gold was a lot of money for a few steel rings. He had let himself dream of getting two silver apiece. “Deal!”