Benjamin Ashwood (31 page)

“I
told you they’re ok,” sighed Rhys with a shake of his head.  “I saw them two
weeks ago and they’re both fine.  Tired, but fine.”

Ben
sat back glumly.  The promised free days at the Sanctuary had not happened for
Meghan and Amelie and aside from a few brief notes, he had no communication
with them.  Rhys visited the Sanctuary irregularly and he’d been their only
source of news about how the girls were doing.  Lately, it had started sounding
repetitive.  Tired, but fine.

“I’ll
go by tomorrow and see what I can find out.  I’m pretty much straight in to see
my handlers then I’m back out.  Not a lot of time for sightseeing.  I’ve been
working for them for 3 years now, not a lot of time in the eyes of the
Sanctuary.  They think long term.  It’s not like they let me wander around the
Initiates’ Quarters on my own.”

“It
always sounds like you hate the place,” said Renfro.  “Why do you keep working
for them?”

Rhys
grinned and answered, “gold.”

Ben
leaned in, “you’ve got enough gold, don’t you?  I never see you spending it. 
Can’t you quit if it’s that bad?”

“Oh,
it’s not really about the gold,” smirked Rhys and his expression darkened.  “I
pretend it is but you know me well enough by now.  I’m not a good man.  There
have been times I’ve been a very bad man.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve thought
about it more and more.  What if I could do some good in this world?  The
Sanctuary was the way I was trying to do the right thing for once.  Doing good,
doing what’s right, it isn’t always as easy as it seems.”

“What
do you mean?” asked Ben.  “Don’t take what isn’t your’s, help others, don’t put
your needs above someone else’s…  That’s a start, right?”

“Remember
when I helped you two out of that jam in Fabrizo?  Bargained you right out from
under the knives of the Thieves Guild.  It cost poor Lord Frederick in
Whitehall his life though.  Two for one, does that make it a good act?  Or
maybe because I know you and we’d been getting to be friends.  Is that good to
protect your own at the expense of someone you don’t know?”

“Oh,”
replied Ben sitting back.  “I see.”

Rhys
tapped the worn handle of one of his long knives, “you live by the sword and
have the power to make life and death choices, sooner or later, you will.  I
was getting tired of it.  That’s why I joined with the Sanctuary.  Figured I’d
trust them to call the shots and maybe I’d end up doing some good for once. 
Problem is, I’m not so sure that good is what they’re doing.”

The
next Newday, Ben finally got a chance to go to the Sanctuary and see Meghan and
Amelie.  Rhys had returned with the news after his last visit.  Ben was
nervous, it’d been three months since their emotionally charged goodbyes and a
lot could change in that time.  What Rhys said was weighing heavily on him as
well.  Would they be the same two girls he travelled with from Farview or
younger versions of Lady Towaal?

Renfro
said he would stay behind to check on some business leads but Ben figured he
just wasn’t as close with the girls and wanted a day off.  They’d been working
hard recently and he didn’t think anything of Renfro needing a break.

The
Sanctuary was located in a high walled compound on the north end of the
island.  It was a half bell walk from the brewery and Ben’s apartment.  He had made
the trip twice already when he was waiting to hear from the girls and wanted to
see what he could see.  Which wasn’t anything from the street.  Some of the
taller towers around the north end certainly had views over those walls but on
casual checking he found most were private residences and none seemed open to a
young man trying to spy on girls in the Sanctuary.

It
was a pleasant walk to the Sanctuary.  All of the streets in The City were
broad and well maintained, but as you got closer to the seat of power,
fountains, statuary and open parks became more common.  The south end of The
City was where most of the commerce took place and also where most of the
bridges to shore landed.  The north end near the Sanctuary was where the
governmental buildings were, a college of the sword, the wealthier citizens
lived and something called a university – although Ben was a little vague on
what that was.

When
he grew near the Sanctuary, he found himself on a verdant green tree lined
boulevard that led directly to imposing copper gates.  The gates were the only
break in the high walls that opened to the city streets and were polished to a
brilliant shine.  On his first trips around the area he noticed the walls
appeared to be a seamless grey stone that crossed the entire width of the
island.  Their construction was a mystery to him.  He suspected it was a small
wonder though compared to what the Mages inside were capable of.

Despite
their height, it was clear these walls were more for privacy than protection. 
No army on the continent of Alcott would be willing to challenge the power
concentrated behind them.

Since
it was Newday though, the copper gates stood open for visitors.  Two huge
smiling faces representing an ancient woman and a young one were embossed on
the gates.  Below them, a small handful of guards stood and directed the few
visitors on where to go.  They were armed and armored.  While they were alert,
they did not appear to be concerned with who came and went.

“Reason
for your visit?” one blonde headed man called out when Ben drew close.

“I’m
here to see Ame…  I’m here to see two Initiates.  They’re expecting me.”  Rhys
had instructed him on what to say and Ben had memorized it like it was a secret
passcode.  He winced as he fumbled but the guards took it in stride.

“They’ll
be at the Initiates Garden then,” the blonde man replied.  “Straight ahead to
the breezeway then follow it to the right.  About five hundred paces and you’ll
see the hedgerows surrounding the garden.  Ask anyone you see there for the
Initiates by name and they can point you to them.  Direct to the garden of
course.”

“Of
course!  Thanks,” replied Ben.

The
guard nodded and turned his attention back to the streets beyond the gate.  A
second guard kept his gaze on Ben as he started towards the breezeway.  Not in
an unfriendly way, but watchful.  These men may not be expecting trouble but
they weren’t shirking their responsibilities either.

The
inside of the grounds surprised Ben, though he wasn’t sure what he had been
expecting.  Along the outer wall were ungroomed trees, tall grass and wild
flowers as far as he could see.  Compared to the planned and manicured nature
of the rest of The City, it seemed odd.  The amount of unused space was also
shocking to someone who’d spent the last three months in The City where they
built towers thirty stories into the air because they’d long ago run out of
land.

The
way to the breezeway was a straight pebble strewn path about ten paces wide. 
Compared to the wild flora around him, it was meticulously kept weed free and
clean.

Interesting
thought Ben as he made his way into the famous home and training grounds of
Alcott’s Mages.  Unlike the bold, striking entrance to Argren’s keep in
Whitehall, the Sanctuary was almost aggressively unassuming.  The Mages were
making a statement to their visitors he decided.  They wanted to show they had
no need and no desire to impress. 

It
was powerful.  Where King Argren put towering gates and walls, plush carpets,
glittering gold fixtures, tapestries, crystal bowls, trumpets and liveried
staff to greet and fawn over arrivals, the Mages had pebble walkways, untrimmed
grass and wild flowers.

The
breezeway was merely a junction in paths he found.  Beyond it, he could see the
path led into more open spaces and three or four story white stucco buildings
further on.  The breezeway had a large open arch where the path came through
then went off to the right and left to connect to more of the white buildings
maybe a thousand paces from where he was standing.  Anyone entering the
Sanctuary had a bit of walking to do before they found their destination.

Another
guard was meandering around the arch in the breezeway but he merely nodded a
greeting when he saw Ben turn to the right.  A few other men were walking ahead
of Ben but they and the guards were the only other people he’d seen since he
entered.

A
gentle wind stirred the long grasses around him and rustled the leaves of the
scattered trees while he walked.  He had to admit, it was a very peaceful place
and he found himself lulled into forgetting that this place existed to train
Mages.  Mages like Lady Towaal who called lightning out of thin air to burn a
score of attacking demons.

He
shook himself and regained focus when he saw the other men duck out of sight
behind a low green wall.  It was the hedgerow the guard had mentioned and so
far the only sign of human cultivation.

A
thin wire gate stood open in the hedge wall and the pebble paths narrowed and
continued into a large garden.  Here, there were blooming flowers, fruit trees
and small fountains.  The kind of thing he would have thought to see.  A large
bird with a rainbow hue of tail feathers walked by and he saw Meghan and Amelie
sitting on a bench near the entrance to the garden.

“Hi,”
he said.

“Ben!” 
Both girls sprang up from the bench and rushed over to give him hugs.  A
confusing barrage of questions started about how he was, was his apartment
clean, was that really his hand writing in the letters, did he need money, was
he ok?

“Hold
on,” he interrupted.  “I haven’t heard anything about you two!  I came to ask
how you were doing.  With all of your free days cancelled, I didn’t know if you
needed my help.”

The
two girls looked at each other but they didn’t laugh in his face like he was
suddenly worried they would.  “We’re tired, but fine,” said Meghan.

Ben
rolled his eyes.  “That’s what Rhys always says.”

“It’s
true,” added Amelie sheepishly.  “The studies are very taxing and it takes a
lot out of you, to focus on something for so long.  It’s not easy to learn what
we need to learn.  But we’re not hurt or anything like that, if that’s what you
were worried about.”

“I
don’t know what I was worried about I guess.  I just knew it couldn’t be good
if you didn’t get your free days.  Can you tell me about it?”

“Let’s
walk,” said Meghan.  “This is the Initiate’s Garden and that building over
there,” she gestured to a long three story white building, “is the Initiate’s
Hall.  It’s where we all stay, take our meals and have the little free time
that we do.  We can’t take you in, of course.”

“Of
course,” he responded.  He looked over the building and eyed the garden.  There
were several clumps of young women in plain but well-made dresses escorting
either young men or older couples around the garden.  Initiates with their
boyfriends, brothers or parents he guessed.  Curiously, there were no male
initiates he could pick out.

As
the girls led him deeper into the garden, he asked, “is everyone studying here
a, ah, a girl?”

Amelie
smiled and Meghan responded, “thinking about joining Ben?”

“No,
I just didn’t see any guys.”

“That’s
because you’re right.  There aren’t any male trainees,” explained Amelie.

Trying
hard to hide a broad grin, Meghan added, “males have a more difficult time
learning control.  Which isn’t a surprise to any woman who’s had to deal with
men.  Some years ago, The Veil decided this place wouldn’t train men.  You saw
what Lady Towaal is capable of.  It was determined to be too dangerous to have
men wielding that kind of power on the island.”

“So,
there aren’t any male Mages?” queried Ben.  He’d never really thought about it
and it was always ambiguous in the stories.

Meghan
shrugged, “there aren’t any here.  Men lack control but they do have the
capacity to learn magic.”

“Where
would they learn though?” questioned Amelie.  “I can’t think there are many men
who are able to learn it on their own.  Our instructors shared that it is
possible to learn on your own but unlikely one would achieve any notable
ability.  It can be rather dangerous.  Without proper guidance that is,” she
added quickly with a sidelong glance at Ben.

“Dangerous,
how?  What can happen?”  He knew they were in good hands, but all of this
discussion on danger made him nervous for the girls.

“It’s
not really something the Sanctuary likes to share outside the walls so we can’t
talk about it much.  Don’t worry though, we are fine and they take it slow. 
We’re not rushed into anything we’re not ready for.  We can’t talk about that
now, but we can show you the gardens.  They really are lovely and unlike anything
else in the Sanctuary.”

Ben
had to admit she was right, the gardens were lovely.  They had an astounding
variety of plants and flowers and all of them seemed to be in full bloom.  Each
one had been placed with precision to accent the flora around it.  Bright blues
with loud oranges, vibrant greens and buttery yellows.  Each arrangement felt
right.  There were also a variety of fruit trees scattered around producing
apples, pears and orange, green and yellow skinned fruit the girls called
citrus.  They said it made an excellent juice and plucked and peeled one of the
orange ones for Ben to try.  The fruit came apart in segments and was very
tender.  When he took a bite the sweet liquid filled his mouth and he thought
about snatching a couple more to take back with him.