Stranded Mage (3 page)

Thad had the sudden urge to slam his staff into the ground a few times. “What does that say about you?” Thad replied tartly. “Are you not just another part of me?”

Yes the part that thinks.
The staff responded sarcastically.

Thad didn’t know what was worse, being made a fool of by his staff or being outwitted by it. Not wanting to give his staff any more openings for comments, Thad decided to end the conversation and save what dignity he had left.

Thad’s legs carried him away from the docks and toward the market district. The day was still young and Thad always enjoyed the market. It was invariably filled with people and it was a good way to judge the temperament of the surrounding community. If there was turmoil brewing the marketplace was the first place to learn about it.

The streets were lined with an assortment of shops, much more than Thad had even seen in the capital of Farlan. Thad simply drifted along until the sign of a large quill and parchment drew his eye. Ambling over to the window of the shop Thad peered in and saw stacks of books as well as many things used by scribes. Seeing such things in a common market amazed Thad. In Farlan only nobles were normally taught to read and write, so there was little need for shops to carry the goods.

As soon as the heavy door closed behind him Thad’s nose was assaulted by the acidic aroma of inks along with the slightly musty smell of old parchment. The combination of scents did not mix well and within moments Thad’s eye began to water due to the onslaught.

“May I help you sir,” A rusty voice said from Thad’s right. Turning slightly Thad caught sight of an older gentleman who wore the white robes often associated with scholars. The man’s long beard was slate gray with noticeable splotches of color from different inks.

“I was just looking, my quills have become a tad frayed and I thought it might be time to purchase some replacements.” Thad said as he ran his fingers over a sheet of fine parchment that had been bordered in gold leaf.

“Do you need the quills for scribe work or for simply writing, my young friend?” The scholar asked as he eyed Thad appraisingly.

Thad laughed lightly. “Just for my own writings, I don’t have the skill not the delicate touch for scribe work.”

The smile on the shopkeepers face widened before he disappeared into the back, returning moments later carrying a small wooden box in his hand. “This comes from southern Gant,” the scholar said, opening the box to show a thin metal stick with an oddly pointed tip. “It works the same as a quill, but it doesn’t wear and fray. They are calling it an iron quill,” the scholar said excitedly.

The old man pulled an ink well from under the counter a long with a cheap piece of parchment. “Try it,” he said eagerly, handing the iron instrument to Thad. “It cannot do the fine detail a normal quill can but for writing it is a superb tool.”

Upon the man’s urging Thad dipped the metal tip into the ink well and tapped it against the side to knock off the excess. The iron quill felt odd in his hand since it was quite a bit heavier than he was used to, but as soon as the tip touched the parchment he understood its value. Normal quills were cheap and could as easily be made as bought, as long as one could find the materials, but the iron version would never wear or break. “How much?” Thad asked his voice nearly as excited as the scholars had been.

“Fifteen gold coins,” the man said, his face slightly apprehensive.

Fifteen gold was quite a sum, he could easily buy nearly two hundred quills for the same price, but the offer still intrigued him. Thinking about it, the price only sounded bad. The fine metalwork of the quill had to have been costly and very time consuming. “Ok I will take it but only if you give me a good price on some inks and parchment as well,” Thad said after thinking it over for some time.

“Superb,” was all the shopkeeper said before showing Thad a wide array of his wares.

When Thad finally left the scribe shop he had a small stack of parchment two bottles of black ink and a bottle of red ink as well as the iron pen. His purse was a bit lighter but he was still happy with his purchases.

Thad had thought finding his friends would be easy, but there were far more inns than he could ever had expected. It wasn’t until the fourth inn he visited that he heard the familiar sound of Crusher’s half-drunk howling.

Inside the common room of the inn Thad found all of his companions sitting around the table, merrily enjoying their stay on solid ground. Crusher and Brianna each had a large mug of ale. Arianna seemed to be drinking something as well though from a much smaller cup while Avalanche lay silently by her chair watching.

“There ya are lad,” Crusher laughed, his face hosting a large smile. “Thought ya might have got lost. Yer gal here was all worried bout ya, thought a sassy lil minx might have run off with ya.”

Brianna shot Crusher a scathing glare then turned toward him her eyes softening, but Thad could still see a fair amount of hardness in them. “Where did ya wander off ta love?”

“I just took a stroll around town,” Thad replied, taking the open seat next to Brianna.

It was a little after mid-day and Thad was a little famished. Luckily, the Barmaid was attentive and only moments after he had been seated he was able to order the house special. He wasn’t sure what the special was and didn’t bother to ask. The special had to better than the food aboard the ship. With the exception of the captain’s table, he had been forced to eat hard biscuits and fish stew for nearly every meal.

What if the house special is fish stew?
The thought reverberated in his head smugly.

Why did his staff feel the need to point out the downside to everything he did? “If it is fish stew, I will simply pour it out and ask for something different,” Thad replied sharply. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, his staff was right. The idea that the special might be fish stew never crossed his mind.

When Thad caught sight of the barmaid making her way back toward their table carrying a large steaming bowl Thad cringed slightly. “Please don’t let it be fish stew. Please don’t let it be fish stew,” Thad repeated over and over as she came ever closer.

When the bowl was finally set down in front of him Thad let out a sigh of relief. Thad wasn’t sure what it was called but it obviously didn’t have any fish in it.

Red rice paired with an assortment of other colorful ingredients Thad did not recognize. It made it a very vibrant meal. Carefully, Thad picked up his spoon and scooped up a small portion. It was delicious, that was the only word he could use to describe it. It was as if the rice simply melted in his mouth. Thad’s hand seemed to move on its own as the food quickly disappeared. He didn’t even notice the slight burning sensation in his mouth until half the bowl of rice was gone.

Setting down his spoon Thad leaned back in his chair and groaned lightly. His stomach was beginning to grumble and his mouth felt as if he had been eating with a hot poker.

“Ya alright?” Crusher said, his speech slurring slightly. “Ya look like ya shoveled a bunch of hot coals inta yer gullet,” Crusher added, laughing as he banged the table with his mug.

Thad grabbed his mug and quickly downed it but the fires would not be quenched, instead the ale seemed to intensify the effect. He looked around for water or anything else that might cool the burning. When nothing presented itself Thad dashed for the counter hoping one of the barmaids would have something to sooth his torment.

The laughter of those in the common room reached Thad’s ears as he banged on the counter, red faced and sweating. He had the urge to bathe them all in the fires of his magic but he knew that in his current condition, he would have little success in channeling his power.

An older woman with light brown hair touched with gray looked at him and shook her head. “Melissa, be a dear and get a cup of milk from the ice room,” she told a much younger girl who could barely see above the counter.

Thad watched the young girl bounce off into the back room and hoped she would not get distracted on her journey, like children were often to do. Each moment that passed the burning sensation seemed to grow, and soon Thad’s eyes began to water. Laying his head down on the cool counter and fiercely tapped his hand against the solid wood.

He wasn’t sure how long he had waited but when the mug of white liquid was placed in front of him he was almost willing to cry with joy. As the cool liquid raced down his throat the burning sensation didn’t vanish but the fires had at least been eased.

Before the last of the milk was gone the older barmaid reached up and pulled the mug away from his mouth. “Soak the last bit of the milk in this lad and hold it in your mouth,” she said gently, holding a piece of hard bread in her hand. Thad did as he was instructed without hesitation. The soggy bread felt odd in his mouth but he had to admit that he no longer felt the lingering burn that had been there just moments before.

With his pain dissipating, Thad suddenly remembered his friends and his hasty departure from their table.
I can’t wait to see what they have to say. I think I will particularly enjoy Crusher’s outlook on your behavior.

Thad groaned inwardly as he slowly made his way back to his friends. He knew what was coming and was not looking forward to it at all. His staff didn’t say anything else but Thad could feel a sort of anticipation coming from it that only heightened his feeling of humiliation.

“Did ya cool off yer paints boyo, or da ya need me ta get a bucket of water fer ya ta sit in?” Crusher’s serious look made it even more embarrassing as the people around them chuckled lightly.

Arianna rushed over to Thad as he sat down, her small childlike face beaming brightly. Thad had not spent much time with the little nadirie, but he knew that while she was innocent and caring she was more than a little mischievous. Normally her pranks were directed at Crusher but every so often she would point them at the others to show she hadn’t forgotten them.

“Are you ok? You sure ran off fast. Did you sit on something sharp? It wasn’t me, but that would have been a good idea. I think I will do that next time. Did it hurt? Your eyes are red, did you cry?” The little nadirie rambled on in her high pitched voice so fast that it was hard for Thad to keep up. Luckily it didn’t seem like she really wanted answers to her questions, she just wanted to voice them.

After Arianna had run out of thoughts she jumped up and gave Thad a kiss on his cheek. “There all better,” she said, before rushing back to where Avalanche lay to speak with the rock hound about what had happened, or at least that’s what it looked like to Thad.

Thad relaxed a bit when everyone seemed to forget about his antics and returned to their own worlds, though Brianna’s eyes still lingered on him. He wasn’t sure if she was still thinking about his antics or if something else entirely was on her mind. Suddenly he felt self-conscious. To help cover the sight of his slightly shaking hands, Thad picked up his spoon, and started turning over the deceptively tasty food that had caused the ordeal.

Pushing his bowl aside Thad watched the others silently as his stomach still turned in protest. Crusher and Arianna seemed to be getting along much better than they had in the past. Thad was used to the nadirie pulling pranks on Crusher and the dwarf spending the rest of the day cursing the little fairy. Now though it looked as if they were the best of friends. Thad was sure that it was only carryover from the time on the ship when the little nadirie had been frantically taking care of the dwarf. As soon as they were back on solid ground for more than a night, Thad was sure it would revert back to the way it had been.

The day passed quickly and soon the sun had fallen out of sight. Crusher and Brianna were far into their cups and when they had finally finished Thad was forced to carry Brianna to their room.

Once Brianna was laid on the bed, Thad return to the common room. He had intended to help the other dwarf up the stairs to his room but found Arianna and Avalanche already dragging the burly dwarf across the ground.

Thad knew that he should stop and help his friend but the bubbling laughter that threatened to tear his sides apart prevented him from moving. Avalanche and Arianna each had a hold on one of the dwarf’s leggings and were pulling him along with Avalanche doing most of the work. Crusher was not idle during this time as he feebly tried to struggle, grabbing onto anything within his reach, as he spouted slurred curses.

Dragging their load the two continued up the stairs. Each tug was accentuated with the sound of the dwarf’s head slapping against the hard wood of the stairs.

Thad followed the trio making sure that Crusher reached his destination without too much injury. Once the door was closed and his laughter subsided, Thad returned to his own room and lay down next to Brianna, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Wake up
! The sound of his staff’s voice echoed in his mind loudly.
Someone is in the room.

The sound of urgency forced Thad to stir. His mind still half-asleep, Thad didn’t fully understand the staff’s warnings. One of Thad’s eyes crept open to see a dark shadow standing over him. Something in the shadow’s hand caught the moonlight just right, and Thad realized that his and Brianna’s lives were in danger.

His mind in no condition to perform magic, Thad did the only thing his muddled mind could think of. He grabbed for the knife. A sharp pain flashed through Thad’s hand as the dagger tore into his flesh. Thad grimaced but didn’t let the pain win and forced his hand to grab hold of the assassin’s hand.