SORCERER (The Elemental Magic Series Book 1) (22 page)

Jessica came down dressed in a skirt that ended just below the knee and a matching blouse. Steven helped her into a carriage and Alec followed declining the offered hand. Jessica pointed out the homes of people she or Christi were friends with giving a little bit of information along with each family or person that she thought relevant.

Steven stopped at the edge of the business district to let them out. They walked past several places with Jessica’s arm threaded through his. She was just a hair taller than he was so they didn't look too out of place other than Alec's too small attire. Several people waved to Jessica and she told Alec their names as she waved back.

"You always need to act polite even if you don't actually like the person you’re dealing with because you never know when it might be necessary to do business with them." She told him the first of what he would term court manners. "And speaking of which..." A woman with a boy of about twelve carrying several packages hurried to them.

"My dear Jessica, how are you? And who is this sharp young man you're parading?" she asked.

"Marcy Hale let me introduce Alec Carter a very good friend of my daughter Christi's. Alec will be staying with us for a while as we get to know him, a very good match for her." She gave Alec's arm a possessive squeeze.

"Nice to meet you, Alec. We must be going. We've many things to get done today."

Marcy hurried off with the boy in tow. "That was fun. I hope you don't mind me putting you out there like that" she said.

"Out there how?" Alec was a bit confused as they started walking again.

"She has sent three different go-betweens over the past year for her son and Christi. Christi doesn't know about them but George and I are dead set against that family and would never allow it."

"She sent one for that young boy and Christi?" he asked incredibly.

"No not him she has an older boy Travis who has had two engagements that ended when the girls appeared to be having accidents that left marks on one of their faces.” She explained.

“I'm sorry. I basically said you were engaged to Christi and were here to get our blessing." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction.

If it was the same Travis from the school then he didn't mind being "put out there".  Hell, if the guy was that bad he wouldn't care who it was for. As for being engaged with Christi, he didn't mind at all. He smiled at the thought.

"I don't mind but you might want to tell Christi she agreed to the engagement though."

Jessica smiled at his joke. I'm really starting to like this boy, she thought. He seems to have a sense of humor too.

"We won't tell her for a while. This way I can keep you to myself for now," she teased him.

"Or until George comes home. Then I'll have to slip out the back,” he teased right back getting a good laugh from her as they came to the Tailors.

He held the door for her to enter the store.

A small round woman came from the back hearing the bell attached to the door ring. She greeted Jessica warmly with a hug.

"Steven gave your message to Albert last night, which means I just got it this morning. This is obviously the young man in need of attire. What are we thinking of? Some sturdy clothes," she asked them while scrutinizing Alec and shaking her head. "Did you borrow these from a younger brother?"

"Actually, I seem to be growing still. I'd like a couple sets of the sturdy clothes like you said ma’am, as well as a couple sets of leather pants and a vest along with two changes of comfortable small clothes if you could please."

"Nothing dressier?"

Alec looked at Jessica. "Did Christi tell you about my friend's wedding?" he asked.

"Yes, she did but it's a ways off. You should probably get something that you can wear to the fall festival and dance. She can make them a little big since, like you said, you seem to be growing still. Then order the clothes for the wedding when you're here for the festival."

"That sounds fine to me" he said turning to the tailor. "However I could use something a bit soon if possible."

"I'm sure I can find something decent in back. I'll have everything else sent over in the next two or three days," she told him.

Alec followed her to the back where she had him strip down to his small clothes behind a screen. She came back with a knotted rope making him jump. She told him to relax, she was a married woman. The rope flew around him with skill as she took his measurements. She left, taking his clothes, leaving his belt and coin pouches, and came back with a pair of soft pants she had him try on. They were really long but fit fine around the waist. She took a pair of scissors and cut around the ankles accidentally nicking the inside of one.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I'm so sorry." She held the scissors in one hand with a look of anguish on her face.

"It's OK, really, it was an accident." He concentrated and healed the small cut away. "Look, gone." He wiped the blood off the skin.

"Oh my. Oh my. I didn't even see you do anything."

"That's one of the differences between wizards and sorcerers," he told her.

She took the pants putting a simple seam on each leg then had him put on a half sleeve shirt that fit good. Alec put his own boots back on, they were the ones from the school, and put his belt on tying his pouches to it.

He went out where Mrs. Tailor was writing up his bill and looked it over not seeing the pants he was wearing on it. He told her so. She said they were on the house. Alec tried to get her to relent but she remained firm on the subject. Alec looked to Jessica for help.

"This is between you two. Business is business" she told him.

Knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere he paid the bill in full. It came to four gold pieces.

Alec and Jessica left the small store with half the morning gone.

He let her guide him along the streets. They stopped and spoke with several of Christi's friends and Alec came to realize that most of them didn't act any different from what he would expect if they were from the farm.

Alec seemed to get along especially well with a couple of twins Jim and Jaime. They told him how the three of them used to run around the local neighborhoods and get in trouble and of when Christi had tried to set up some water buckets to dump on them and instead got her father. She wasn't allowed to go out with them for two weeks. Alec had assumed this was when they were younger and asked how old they were when that had happened.

They all had a good laugh when Jim told him it had occurred just that spring. Alec and Jessica moved along as he asked her to tell him about her family. She told him they had warehouses near the docks for easy shipping which was where they were headed. George normally made the runs to the suppliers himself about once every other week unless there was a problem or special order. He was due back tomorrow night and would only stay for a couple of days before he had to head out again. He always brought back samples of the next shipment and how much to expect so she could set prices to it, figure the taxes and make arrangements with buyers. Their buyers came to her, for the most part, at the beginning of each month to place
their orders. 

He asked what it was like living in such a large city. She said it was the only place she'd ever lived. Alec clarified himself asking what did people do other than work and trade in the city. She didn't understand so he told her of the farm and how they'd have pot luck suppers on special occasions like a notable birth date and for celebrations. Also told about the big pond and how the groom would be thrown in as tradition demanded, though it was originally done to wake him up if he was under a spell.

Periodically they'd set a fire over at the park and roast ears of corn. Most of the single men would come out and tell them stories as they stayed out late.  Spring was a time of rebirth and each person on the farm was blessed by father Marcus. He went on to tell her how when he turned twelve he began helping in the
fields planting and the harvesting the corn, beans or taking down the wheat. He'd lived with his Aunt Karen until that time as well. Moving into the men's dorm and having the last room on the end so he didn't wake up the hands when he got up to help his Aunt with the morning meal.

Jessica kept encouraging him to go on as she guided him to a seat outside a bakery and ordered sweet bread and sweet tea for the both of them. He told her how he’d learned to swim in the big pond and laughed as he told her of Aunt Karen's spoon wielding skills.

She asked if he'd learned to cook being around the kitchen so much. It was his turn to laugh. When he was able to stop laughing he told her his little cooking fiasco.

"OK, so the winter before last, Karen got sick early on with a bad cold so I tried to put together a stew for the hands. It looked OK and they ate it, but I couldn't force myself to eat any more after the first bite. It was that bad and the hands didn't say a word of complaint to me. Karen must have heard though, cause she started showing me which herbs to add to what meats and what sorts of vegetables went good with the different meals. She showed me how to cook eggs, roast, ribs, casseroles, all types of breads.” Alec explained.

“Karen told me that when trying something new I should always taste it myself first, so I didn't kill anyone else by poisoning them. I still don't know if she was joking or not. Which reminds me, have you ever had a thick bean soup?"

"I've had a plain bean soup but it’s fairly bland and George and I like things a bit spicier."

"Then you'd probably like mine. It got extremely cold at the end of last winter and Karen went with Father Marcus to one of the neighboring farms that was bad off. We lost a cow and three sheep that week alone.

So I was cooking for the hands and make a thick bean soup with small chunks of beef, onions, celery, chopped peppers. Well, I mistook the hot ground pepper for cumin and added a fair amount of it. I tasted it and it brought a sweat to my head instantly, it was that hot. I warned the hands but they decided to try it anyway. We ate most of it that night for supper.

Karen got back a couple days later and the temperature dropped even more. A couple of the guys requested my bean soup saying it warmed them right up. So Karen had me make it again while she watched what I put in it. She almost stopped me when I put the hot pepper in but told me to add the cumin as well so it could flavor the meat. It went over great with the hands, even Mr. Phillips came and had some," Alec said proudly.

"Maybe we should have you write down the recipe for our cook. We could surprise George with it when he gets home."

"I'd love to cook it for you both. I actually enjoy doing it. It's kind of relaxing, really."

"We can't have a guest cooking for us.  What would people say," she exclaimed.

"They'd say you're lucky, and it would give your cook the night off. Really it's the least I can do for the parents of Christi."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt, we'll pick up the things you'll need on our way back." A devilish smile crossed her face as she warmed to the idea.

Chapter 24

They walked past more shops selling everything from spices to furniture then though the market where fresh produce, meats and fresh fish were sold.

Entering what Jessica called the lower district they made their way past a couple inns with their doors open and loud rowdy voices spilled out on to the streets. Walking between several larger warehouses they arrived at a warehouse where Jessica introduced him to Mr. Thorn who handled the shipments coming in.

Alec turned red when she told Mr. Thorn she was thinking of stealing him from Christi which got a good chuckle from the man. He said he’d be sure to pass it on to George.

Alec stared at the large wide river with so many ships coming and going it looked more like a lake. The docks ran out at least a couple hundred feet and workers hurried back and forth with crates, ropes or nets.

Jessica saw him staring and asked if he'd like to go down to their docks. He told her he'd love to and they made their way through the busy streets working their way to the docks. They turned onto one with even timbers making up the walkway. It wasn't the longest Alec saw but was far from the shortest too. At the end of the dock was wide long ship that sat high in the water. A scruffy man sitting at the very front of it saw them coming and gave them a wave before vanishing from sight only to reappear coming down a plank at a brisk walk.

"My little Jessica," he said wrapping her in a hug that lifted her off her feet before letting her go.

"This isn't one of my grandsons unless you managed to get rid the land rat I call a son," he said loudly.

"Alec Carter, sir." He introduced himself and held out a hand that was crushed in the grip of the other man.

"Allen let the poor young man go." She knew his hand was being turned to mush.

"Ha, just messing with yah. I'm Allen Captain o' the Dirty Pearl. Come on board and have a sit. Perhaps I can sign yah up for a few runs."

Allen led them up the gang plank and onto the open deck of his ship. Things were more organized than he would have thought. Coils of rope lay one after the other and a sailor off to one side was mending a cloth that looked like sail.

"Stop it you pirate, he's a classmate of Christi's."

"Taken with my granddaughter, eh?" Allen gave him a hard look, making Alec feel like a slab of beef the man was trying to decide if he should buy or not.