Benjamin Ashwood (5 page)

Ben
shared a look with Serrot and could tell he was thinking the same thing.  “Come
on, let’s go in there and find out what’s really going on before something
happens that we all regret.”

The
crowd settled down a little bit as Ben and Serrot crossed the wide planks of
the porch and opened the stout pine door of the lodging house.

The
situation was clear as soon as they entered the room.  Meghan was there with a
heavy travel pack just like Blevin had said.  She was Ben’s adopted sister and
he could read her every expression.  She had a determined look on her face and
maybe some worry, but certainly no outright fear.  Whatever was happening, it
was clear to Ben that she had decided to be a part of it.  The five strangers
were also there and outfitted for a journey.  Alistair was sitting on a chair
in the middle of the room with his head in his hands.  He looked up as Ben and
Serrot entered, angry red framed his eyes.

“They’re
taking her Ben,” he sobbed.  “I thought I had lost one child.  I found a way to
save him only to end up losing the other.”

Meghan
stepped forward and pleaded, “Father, you are not losing me.  I have to go for
a time but I will be back.  I will be fine.”

“Back,
back when?  Everything you know will be gone.  I will be dead!” Alistair
wailed.

Meghan
shot Ben and Serrot an apologetic look and placed her hand on her father’s
shoulder.  “I will be back.”

The
woman lifted her pack and growled, “I’ve lost patience with this.  We’re losing
daylight and have a schedule to keep.”  She looked meaningfully at Meghan. 
“We’re leaving now.”

Alistair
shuddered in another wave of sobbing.  Ben had never seen him like this, even
when he thought Brandon was on death’s doorstep.  Where was Meghan going that
he thought he would never see her again?  Alistair was a man who was used to
controlling every aspect of his own life and many of the lives around him.  What
had shaken him so that he lost control like this?

Meghan,
the woman and the rest of the party started strapping on their packs, adjusting
ties and settling their gear to leave.  Alistair shot up from the chair and
shouted, “wait, wait!” 

He
turned to Ben and demanded, “Ben, you must go with them.  Escort her to the
city, stay with her and come back when you know she’s safe.  However long it
takes.  Brandon doesn’t have the strength for it yet and you’re the only one I
can trust.”

Ben
looked around the room.  His head was spinning but it was slowly starting to
come together.  The travel plans Saala and Amelie had been discussing and
Alistair’s frantic despair at Meghan leaving.  He had not had the time or the
clear head to consider everything last night.  The woman being a Mage was the
last puzzle piece.  They were going to THE City.  In the stories, The City was
rumored to be the seat of power of all Alcott’s Mages.

Not
even Old Gamson claimed to know where The City was.  It was like wyverns.  Something
told to entertain children.  Serious people doubted The City existed at all.

But
despite that, Ben could tell from the looks on Meghan and Alistair’s faces,
they were convinced that it did indeed exist.  And Meghan was planning to go
there.

Ben
was still considering the implications of the mythical City being real when
Rhys winked at him and said to the group, “he did fend off a demon and save
that kid.  I don’t think he’ll slow us down much.”

Meghan
added breathlessly, “Ben you should come.  Think about the adventure!”

The
woman shook her head and glared around the room before shrugging her
shoulders.  “Fine, but he’s not my responsibility.”  She looked at Ben and
said, “we’ll stay at the Waystation tomorrow night and leave in the morning. 
If you are there, you can come with us.  If not, we’ll leave you behind.”

With
that, she cinched tight one final strap on her pack and barked, “we’ve wasted
enough time in this town.  We’re leaving.  Now.”  Then she headed out the
door.  Meghan spared one last look at Ben and her father then she too was gone
with the rest of the party behind her.

The
three remaining men in the room sat in stunned silence.  The strangers were a
whirlwind that had turned their world upside down.  A Mage, a Blademaster and
The City.  Suddenly, Farview seemed like a very small place.

Serrot
was the first to speak.  “Ben, are you really going with them?”  From his
expression, Ben could tell that Serrot would have left in an instant.  The
thrill of adventure was almost overpowering.  But, as badly as he wanted to go,
Ben realized it was impossible.

“I
can’t.  Who would tend to the brewery?  I don’t even know how long I’d be gone
or where they’re going!  And how could I afford to eat and stay at inns?  It’s
expensive to travel and I don’t have that kind of money.”

Alistair
shook himself and pleaded, “you have to go.  Those people don’t care about
Meghan.  She’s been a sister to you, you have to take care of her!”

Ben
hesitated and Alistair saw his chance.  “The brewery is your’s.  You go with
them and bring back word that she’s safe and it’s all your’s.  I’ll even take
care of your travel.”  Alistair stripped off his belt pouch and spilled the
contents on the oak table.  A pile of gold, silver and copper coins with a
smattering of tin bits lay there.  It was more money than Ben had ever handled,
and by a quick count it was at least four times more than he had saved behind a
loose plank in the back of his room. 

The
thought of owning the brewery free and clear had always been a dream but one he
was not sure he’d ever achieve, at least not soon.  Coupled with the prospect
of travelling outside of Farview and seeing the world, he didn’t even consider
the dangers and unanswered questions before placing a hand on the pile of
coins.

“You
better move fast Ben.  If they’re leaving the Waystation in two day’s you need
to get packed.  You get what you need and I’ll meet you west of town at the
Callach Road.”  Serrot slapped him on the back as they both ran out the door. 
“I’m going to miss having you around here but damn if you don’t have all the
luck.  You, the open road, and two beautiful highborn ladies to keep you
company.”

Serrot
guffawed and shook his head as he turned across the green towards his family’s
cottage.  Ben started trotting back to his room, already planning what he would
need for a long journey and how much of it he could actually fit into his
rucksack.

Ben
quickened his pace as night fell.  He had descended from the mountains by the
Callach Road which followed the river of the same name.  Closer to Murdoch’s
the terrain was heavily wooded and the deep shadows were ominous for someone
who weeks before met a demon in a similar forest.  Before the demon, Ben was
comfortable in the woods, but it would be a little while before he had any
desire to be alone in them after dark now.

Back
in Farview he had given little thought to his decision to follow Meghan and the
strangers on this journey.  Alone on the road with nothing but his own thoughts
for company, he was questioning his decision.  He thought back to the series of
events that led him to be marching at night on this deserted road to accompany
people he did not know to a place he recently wasn’t sure he believed in.

The
strangers were in Farview for less than a day and their visit was a blur. 
There were still unanswered questions of why Meghan had agreed to leave and why
these five seemingly disparate strangers were travelling together.  He nearly
stumbled as he came to the disconcerting realization that he didn’t even know
the Mage’s name.

When
he left Farview, none of these questions seemed important.  His entire focus
was on preparing to leave and wondering what else was out there.  If Mages and
The City were real, what other truths lay hidden in some far-fetched story?

He
barely had time to say good bye to Serrot before he left.  They met just
outside of town on the Callach River Bridge.  Serrot gave Ben a cheesecloth
wrapped package of food his mother had thrown together when she heard Ben was
leaving.  He also gave Ben his favorite hunting knife.  It was nearly the
length of Ben’s forearm and forged of high quality steel.  Serrot spent several
silver pieces on it and it was the most valuable thing he owned.  Ben almost
refused, but he could see that would have upset Serrot.  He regretted he did
not have an equal gift to give in return.  Instead, he asked Serrot to look
after the brewery for him and promised he would make it up to him when he got
back.

That
meeting already seemed ages ago and in a different life.  He knew he’d miss
Serrot and his other friends, but he decided that until the end of this
journey, and until he returned home, his life was the road and his focus would
be ahead.

It
was three bells after dark when he finally saw the lights at the Waystation. 
He’d been pressing hard since before daylight and his legs felt like he was
moving heavy logs instead of numb feet.  A day of hard work was not unusual for
Ben, but marching that long was a difficult day for anyone. With only half a
day on the road yesterday, he didn’t have time for anything else.  He was
spurred by fear that he would arrive at the Waystation and somehow miss his
companions.

He
started down the final hill before the Waystation and saw it’s scale laid out
in front of him.  Even though the only permanent residents were Murdoch, his
family and his employees, the huge inn and surrounding buildings were larger
than anything in Farview.  The Waystation was built to accommodate several
merchant trains at once and had the space to do so.  There were horse corrals,
a wagon yard, a barn, a timber mill, a warehouse for merchants to temporarily
store their goods and a general store that supplied travelers and small towns
for fifty leagues in every direction.

The
inn itself was a massive log structure that included a tavern, quarters for all
of the Waystation staff and could sleep 200 guests.  It was likely only a
quarter full at this time of year.  During the fall harvest it was said you had
to pay up to five coppers for a bed.  No one from Farview ever visited then, of
course.

In
the wagon yard, Ben saw there was at least one merchant train here and as he
got closer he could tell from the raucous noise pouring out of the tavern that
they were cutting loose tonight.  He could hear a fiddle, drums and some type
of pipes.  From outside he couldn’t tell if they were playing together or just
playing.  Whatever they were doing though, it was popular with the crowd.  Enthusiastic,
off-key singing broke out when they started a new verse.

Ben
was greeted with a wave of sound as he strode up the creaky pine plank steps
and into the open door.  It was early spring and this far down the mountains it
was pleasantly cool outside.  Inside, it was unpleasantly warm with roaring
fires at both ends of the hall.  One was in an actual fire place and had an elk
turning on a spit.  The other was in an open pit on the floor and involved a
game where drunken men leapt over the flames. 

A
serving girl appeared at his side and explained, “aye, a strange one that. 
Last spring the fools lit up a bonfire outside and started jumping over it. 
Murdoch had em bring it inside, drew up some rules and sales of ale are up 20 percent. 
I don’t understand it,” she said with a shrug.  “Take a seat lad and I’ll be by
in a minute for your order.”

A
spray of bright orange sparks soared upwards as a leaping man caught a flaming
log with his foot.  Laughter and jeers rang out as the man tumbled to the
ground, rolling quickly away from the heat.  Another man tossed a fresh log
onto the blaze and the fallen man was doused with half drank ales when he
stumbled to his feet cursing.  Ben smirked when he heard the crowd calling for
the man to buy a fresh round for the remaining competitors who’d just soaked
him.  Murdoch drawing up the rules and the spike in sales of ale wasn’t that
great of a mystery.

After
a quick scan of the rest of the room he found Rhys, Saala and the girls at a
table watching the progress of the game.  Rhys kicked out a chair as Ben
approached and drawled, “glad you made it.  Take a breather and get some beer
and stew if that wench ever comes back.  It’s all fish and wine down on the
coast.”

Saala
rolled his eyes at Rhys and shook his head.  “I’m sure she’d be back more often
if you didn’t inquire about ‘extra services’ every time she came by.”

Rhys
grinned and took a swig of his ale.

“Coast,
what coast?  I thought we were taking the Kingdom Highway,” stuttered Ben.  On
the lonely walk down the mountain he thought he’d figured out which way they
were headed, but apparently not.

Saala
replied, “We’ll head towards Fabrizo and from there we’ll take a ship across
the bay to Whitehall.  From Whitehall we’ll cross the Snowmar Pass, go down the
Sineook Valley and follow the Venmoor River to The City.  It would take an
extra month to go by the Kingdom Highway.”

The
three girls smiled at Ben as he sat down and the woman scowled, which Ben took
to be her permanent expression.

“Now
that you’ve decided to join us, let’s get a few things straight” the woman
said.  No pause for pleasantries with her.  “First, my name is Karina Towaal. 
You should refer to me as Lady Towaal.  Second, I am in charge of this group
and as long as you accompany us you will follow my instructions.  Fail to do as
you are told and we will leave you behind.”  Out of the corner of his eye Ben
saw Meghan grinning.  He surmised she had also gotten this talk recently. 
“Third, our task is to deliver these girls to The City unharmed.  Your part in
that enterprise is to remain out of my way.  Do you understand and agree to
these conditions?”

“Yes
Lady Towaal.”

Lady
Towaal leaned back, apparently saying all she wanted to and had no further
interest in conversation.  The girls on the other hand were excited to have a
new companion and gushed about how happy they were he was joining them.  Ben
couldn’t help a smile from forming on his face while watching Amelie and
Meredith talk.  A long journey in this company suited him just fine.

It
was already late and they planned an early start in the morning so Ben shoveled
down a bowl of hot stew.  Saala and Rhys said he could share their room.  The
girls were in an adjacent room.  As they were in the hall going to the rooms
Meghan caught his arm and whispered in his ear, “meet me back in the common
room in five minutes.”

Ben
threw his travel pack on the bed and made an excuse to Saala and Rhys to duck
back out of the room and went to wait for Meghan.  As he waited, he watched the
rest of the common area.  The music had died down from the raucous beat that
had been playing earlier and now only the fiddler was still playing.  The man
was talented and slowly slid his bow to produce a mournful bittersweet tune.  Ben
noticed several more groups heading towards the hallways that led to the
rooms.  The serving staff scurried around wiping off the tables and
straightening up chairs and benches.

The
men who had been jumping the fire had returned to their tables but were still
drinking heavily and laughing loudly.  He guessed they were the guards for the
merchant train.  He imagined they spent long boring days on the road and this
must be their most comfortable stop in weeks.  There was a scattering of other
folk in the room too but this late in the evening most of the serious travelers
had gone to bed.

He
was still watching the guards when Meghan quietly sat down beside him.

“Ben,
I want to talk to you before we leave and this goes any further.  I appreciate
what you’re doing but I am fine.  You don’t need to do this and it’s not too
late if you want to turn back.  Just tell my father we already left when you
got here.  You don’t owe him anything.”

“I,
I’m not doing this for Alistair,” he mumbled abashedly.

“Oh
no, Ben!  You have to know that I love you but like a brother.  You can’t do
this for me!”

Ben’s
face suddenly felt flush.  That was not what he meant at all but he didn’t know
how to explain it.  “No Meghan, it’s not like that.  It’s just that, well, I
always thought I would spend my life in Farview.  I always thought the most
excitement I’d have was competing with the staff in the Springtime Festival or
out hunting with Serrot.  This is a chance for me to go out and see the world. 
This is my chance to really do something.”

She
smiled at him and he wasn’t sure if she believed him or not, but it was the
truth.  He cared about her and he wanted to make sure she was safe, but he knew
that Saala or Lady Towaal could take care of her on the road far better than he
could.

“Well,
in that case.  I’m happy to have you with us.  Karina, I mean Lady Towaal, says
that it’s a two month journey to The City and it will be good to have a
familiar face with us.”

“Meghan,”
Ben asked tentatively, “what happened back in Farview?  Why are you going to The
City?”

“It’s
for Brandon,” she sighed.  “Lady Towaal healed Brandon but she only did it
after I agreed to go with her.  She said she sensed great potential in me and
that she would heal him in exchange for 20 years of my service.”

“20
years!  Wait, service doing what?”

“I
am to become an Initiate of the Sanctuary.”

Ben
sat back stunned.  The Sanctuary was part of the myth of The City.  It was said
that the Sanctuary was a fortress in the middle of the City that housed the
Mages.  It was also said that the Sanctuary was a sort of school.

Meghan
kept going, “Lady Towaal says that I will be an Initiate for several years. 
After that I will serve the needs of the Sanctuary until the remainder of my 20
years are up.  At that time, I’m free to stay or go as I please.  Ben, I will
be a Mage!” Meghan breathlessly finished.

Ben
realized that just like him, she was excited about the possibilities of a life
outside of Farview.  She may have agreed to this deal to save Brandon’s life,
but Lady Towaal did need to force her.  She wanted to go and she wanted to do
this thing.  He sat in silence contemplating how this girl who was like his
sister was going to change into something that he had thought only existed in
stories.

“Ben,
I feel like we have so much more to talk about but we’ve been here too long. 
We have to get back to the rooms.”

Right
then, two hairy knuckled fists smacked down on the table.  “Why lass, if this
boy got you back to his room he wouldn’t know what to do with you.  Why don’t
you come on back to my room instead?”

The
man looked to be one of the merchant’s guards.  He wore a stained leather
jerkin and had a bushy black beard that was in serious need of a comb.  His
eyes were glazed over from too much ale and he reeked of stale sweat.  He was a
monster of a man – nearly as wide as Ben was tall and his arms were like tree
trunks sprouting out of the wood table.

Meghan
stared in shock but managed to reply, “no thank you sir.  We are fine.”

“Ah
lass, ‘fraid that wasn’t meant to be a question.  It’s been a long trip all
over half of Alcott and this place don’t even have a proper whore.  But don’t
you worry, the boys and I will pay you good copper and you might even enjoy
it.  We ain’t here to take your virtue, just want to rent it for a bit.” The
man leered down at Meghan and smiled, showing he was missing his front two teeth.

Meghan
tried to stammer a response but the big man clamped one hand around her arm and
said, “Now now lass.  You ain’t my wife, so there’s no need to go arguing.”

Ben
shot out of his chair and shoved the man away with all of his strength.  The
man drunkenly stumbled backwards against a table and slurred, “hey, why the
roughness?  You can have your turn too.  Right after me and the boys get done. 
Course, if it’s a fight you want…”  He lurched forward and before Ben knew what
was happening, the man backhanded him across the face.  Ben felt like he’d been
hit in the head with an iron bar and went crashing down to the beer soaked,
sawdust covered floor.