The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 1 (29 page)

Handing it to Tartum, Savall explained. “Consider this the closest to a uniform you’ll ever need, son.” Savall was all smiles again.

Tartum looked at the bundle and unwrapped it. Inside was a thick satin cloak with a deep hood. It reminded Tartum of what he heard monks wore. It was a dark forest green color and had a black trim around all the openings. It was incredibly soft to the touch and felt good in his hands. Upon inspecting the interior of the garment, Tartum saw many compartments and pockets for a variety of objects. It was the nicest cloak Tartum had ever possessed. He also found a pair of pants and breeches, that closely resembled his old ones, and a dark green leather jerkin. A pair of simple walking shoes completed his ensemble. Tartum didn’t know what to say, he was very grateful.

“This is incredible! Thank you, Boss! Thank you, but why?” Tartum asked.

“Well, we couldn’t very well let you walk around in those flashy clothes you had on when we first met, could we? They were ratty as hells and far to bright. A thief is only successful, if no one notices him. With your staff and skills, people will think you’re a druid, before they think you’re a member of the thieves guild.” Savall said, as though he was stating the obvious. Pointing at the cloak, he continued, “The cloak is enchanted! It will keep you warm, even in the coldest climates. Excellent for keeping your fingers nimble enough to cast your spells or removing a purse. Have to keep your hands warm and in good condition to be a thief. That’s lesson two.”

It was then, Tartum realized he was naked. The only thing covering him was the blanket. He pulled up the covers and looked at Savall. “Thank you, again.” was all he could think to say.

“Bah, I already knew you would earn them, son! Why do you think Vaund was taking your measurements when we first met. He had to tailor them to fit you.” Savall said.

Suddenly that whole scene made sense. How far in advance was Savall planning everything, he wondered. He realized he could learn a lot from this man. He made a mental note to spend as much time with him as possible. He wanted to learn as much as he could from him.

Seeing that Tartum wasn’t going to reply, Savall stood up. “Well son, get some rest and get your strength back. When you’re ready, we’ll start the next phase of your training. Try not to dawdle though. I’d like my room back as soon as possible.” giving Tartum a fatherly slap on the back, Savall left him to his meal and recovery.

...

Three days had passed, and Tartum was beginning to feel like himself again. He was walking around Savall’s bedroom, in order to move his recovery along. He looked out the window to admire the sun. He never thought the sun would be something he missed, but the sight of the huge, orange and yellow fireball hovering in the sky brought a smile to his face. He was discovering that a lot of the small things he used to take for granted were suddenly extremely important to him.

He was dressed in his new clothes and had never felt so good. The clothes fit him perfectly and offered support where it was needed and was loose where required. The clothes fit just tight enough to make him feel supported and confident. It was as if wearing the clothes was bolstering his self worth.

The cloak was, by far, his favorite piece. The softness of the material, felt like it was caressing his entire body in a protective embrace. It almost seemed sentient and reacted to his movements, before he made them. No matter how cold it got inside the room, he always felt extremely comfortable. His clothing alone was worth joining the guild. He was extremely happy with his current situation. He was in the middle of admiring his ensemble, when he heard a knock at the door. He found it strange that someone would knock, considering this was Savall’s room, and no one had knocked since he had been inside.

“Come in!” Tartum called to the door.

The door opened, only slightly. Tartum knew who it was before he said a word. Tartum had wondered when he would see him again.

“I bring a peace offering, Tartum! Don’t magic me!” Jeth said, mischief was rife in his voice.

Jeth shot his arm through the door and dangled a dead rat by the tail. “It’s fresh and doesn’t have that Null Box smell!” Jeth laughed.

Tartum saw the rat bouncing around in Jeth’s hand, and couldn’t help himself. He erupted in laughter. The shock of the comment, and the cruelness of the joke, was too much for him not to laugh at. He wanted to be mad at Jeth. Savall had warned him about seeking revenge against him, and now that it had been a few days, Tartum didn’t feel any real anger towards him. Although, he still didn’t like Jeth much. He doubted he ever would.

“Come in, you fool, or I will turn you into a rat and eat you!” Tartum called out.

Jeth entered the room, leaving the door open. He hovered by the opening, appraising Tartum. He tossed the rat into the chamberpot as he spoke.

“I know you probably hate me right now. I can’t blame you. I also know Savall has already told you not to harm me for what I’ve done to you. I make you the same offer I make everyone after the ordeal. One free shot. Your choice on where. Just not in the groin, I use that part for making decisions.” With a wink, Jeth put both hands behind his back and waited.

Tartum was confused. Was this a test? Was Jeth really going to let him hit him? Did he want to strike him? Tartum decided there was no point, and he really wasn’t mad at him for what he did. For some reason, he understood the purpose of the Null Box and that this training was more valuable to him than anything else he’d ever owned. Also, Tartum didn’t trust Jeth’s offer. He couldn’t imagine Jeth giving him a free anything, let alone a punch. He decided Jeth was setting him up for failure.

“No thanks, Jeth. I understand why you did what you did and bear you no ill will. Also, I gave my word to Savall I wouldn’t seek revenge, and I mean to keep it.” Tartum said, matter of factly. He kept his eyes on Jeth. He wasn’t angry with the man, but he certainly didn’t trust him.

Jeth opened his eyes, slowly. He seemed to still expect to be struck. Looking around, and finding Tartum still by the window, he relaxed.

“Well, ok then, if that’s your decision. After the amount of time you spent in the box, I’m kinda surprised you didn’t attack me the moment I walked into the room. You’re an odd recruit, Tartum. Did you know the only person to spend more time than you in the box, and survive of course, is me? That was only by about a day! Very impressive, recruit.” Jeth said.

Tartum shrugged. “Trust me, Jeth. If I had been smarter, I would have been out of that box moments after the first rat was thrown inside. I was a fool. I should be thanking you for removing the wool over my eyes. Forgive me if I can’t quite bring myself to thank you yet.” Tartum said, a bit harsher than he meant.

Jeth laughed. “You’re a
very
odd recruit, Tartum. Thank me? Well you’d be the first! No, I don’t think I’ll hold my breath waiting for you to thank me. Here, I brought you something.”

Reaching outside the door, Tartum heard a familiar sound of stone on stone, scraping against the wall. Jeth pulled the object around the door. It was his staff. It was still in perfect condition. Tartum hadn’t even thought about seeing it again. Running across the room, Tartum took the staff from Jeth and held it affectionatly. Feeling the weight in his hands again, and the cold power the staff had come to represent, was like being reunited with part of his soul. He might have been grinning like an idiot, but he didn’t care. He was thrilled to be reunited with his staff.

Tartum backed up a into the center of the room and went through a warm up exercise. The feel of the staff whipping through the air was invigorating. He wasn’t as fast as he had been before his ordeal, but he still felt powerful while going through his exercise. He finished his warm up and held the staff in one hand. Bowing his head, Tartum opened himself to the magic. He only opened himself slightly, because he wasn’t sure if his body was ready for the chaotic surge of energy. It was the first time he had opened himself to the source since the Null Box. Vaund had warned him to be careful; burn out was much easier to achieve when your body was weak.

The magic flowed into him, and it was exquisite. Even the small amount he was pulling into his being, was enough to make him feel like a God. He felt terrific! He opened himself to the magic further and took more of magic’s glory inside him. His body reacted well, but he could feel the strain. He wanted to cast a spell but didn’t have his components. The thought irritated him and soured the joy he felt from the magic. Finding the gold strand on his staff that pulled on his magic, Tartum prepared himself and spoke the word of command.

“Light!”

The pull on Tartum’s magic increased, as he expected, and the gold burst into the familiar glow Tartum had come to love. Holding the staff over his head, Tartum saw Jeth watching him. He was smiling and applauding Tartum’s performance. Tartum suddenly felt exposed and foolish. He was acting like a child in front of the man that was supposed to appraise him. Regretfully, Tartum extinguished the light from his staff by releasing his connection to the source. The magic leaving his body felt like when he discovered Isidor had left him. The room began to spin, and Tartum leaned heavily on his staff. Summoning his will, Tartum stubbornly refused to pass out. He didn’t want his reunion with his staff, and his magic, to be marked with the failure of unconsciousness. Especially in front of Jeth. Tartum closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. The room stopped spinning, and the weakness passed. Tartum laughed a little.

“Ok, that might have been a little too much.” he said.

Jeth walked over to Tartum and slapped him hard on the back. “Not bad, recruit! Not bad at all! Quit being a pansy now. Today you get to see your new room!” Jeth said.

The slap on the back
hurt
! The pain envoked anger in Tartum, and the surge of adrenaline gave him the strength he needed to vanquish his remaining weakness. He stood there and wondered if that had been Jeth’s intention, or if he was just being cruel. Jeth made him feel very off center, and he was pretty sure he would never like the man.

What Jeth had just told him sunk in. Tartum was intrigued. “I’m moving? Today? Where?” he asked.

Jeth smiled. “Sure are! Come on. I don’t think there’s anything in here that’s yours. Let’s go see your new room.” Jeth put his arm around Tartum and began to lead him out of the room. Tartum shrugged off the gesture and held up his staff defensively. Jeth gave him a puzzled look.

“What is it?” Jeth asked.

“No offense, but the last time you lead me into a room, I ended up in the bottom level of hell. I’ll follow you, but if I even smell a Null Box, I’ll destroy this building and everyone inside.” Tartum’s fear was tempered by his anger.

Jeth burst into laughter. “By the gods, Tartum! You’re an amazing recruit, you know that?!” his laughter increased. “No worries, recruit. I’m not going to trick you like that again. Although, I am glad to see you’ve taken some wisdom from your experience. Tell you what. I’ll lead, you follow, and I’ll enter the room before you? Sound good?” Jeth was taken by another bout of laughter.

Tartum thought it over and opened himself to the magic. The energy inside him made him feel more confident. Even if it did also amplify his anger and fear. Focusing, Tartum made a decision.

“Lead on, Jeth, let’s see how this plays out.” Tartum said. There was no friendliness in his voice.

Laughing too hard to speak, Jeth motioned for Tartum to follow.

CHAPTER 13

Tartum followed Jeth down the hall and to a set of stairs that lead them down. The stairwell went down four stories before finally coming to the bottom. It was well lit, with many glass covered candles at regular intervals along the wall. The stairwell was made completely of stone. As far as Tartum could tell, the entire building was built like a fortress. He had seen no guards or sentries, but he supposed with everyone in the guild being a skilled thief, there was really no need. The thieves probably didn’t rob each other.

At the bottom of the stairs, Jeth turned to Tartum. “This is the basement. It’s reserved for those of you that have skill in magic. As of right now, the only person that lives on this floor is Rashlarr. The guild’s other casters have taken residence around the city. This is our base of operations, but we have many cells all over Saroth. Live long enough, and we’ll give you some of those locations. You can use them as safe houses or hideouts if you need to duck the guards or an over zealous shopkeeper.” a wicked smile spread across Jeth’s lips at the mention of the hideouts. “Your room will be right next to Rashlarr’s. You should feel honored!” Jeth’s voice was even, neither sarcastic, nor sincere.

“So, as you can see. There is no Null Box down here. It would be counter-productive to have a magic void in the area we like to keep our casters.” Jeth said, matter of factly.

Tartum wasn’t convinced. “If what you say is true, then I suppose you’re right. I’ll believe it when I see it, however.” Tartum opened himself a little more to the source. With his heightened senses, he listened for anything that would reveal Jeth as a liar. He heard nothing. The was no dripping water, there were no moans from anyone imprisoned. He heard some scratching noises in the walls but assumed that was from rats. The building must be infested with them, the way Jeth was able to produce them.

Jeth saw Tartum looking around and concentrating. He’d seen the same look on Rashlarr when he was “probing,” as he called it. Jeth laughed. He liked this recruit! “Tartum, I’ve never lied to you. Tricked you, sure, but never lied. I tell you truthfully now. No harm will come to you down here. Well, not from me anyway.” Laughing, Jeth headed down the hallway. Not knowing what else he could do, Tartum followed.