A Snoop Without Magic, page 6
“Dickey Nail still talks of you,” Faddon said. “However, if Isaak Bolt was part of the Court of Nobles, and I think he might be if he still lived, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you.”
“He didn’t hesitate then, as I recall,” Sam said.
Bentwick frowned. “I suppose you are right… but he would have been more brazen.”
“Has it become that bad?” Harrison asked.
“Not yet, but it is heading that way. Maybe that is what I mean. Baskin is only getting worse, and I don’t see it getting any better.”
Sam looked at his superior and could see how rattled he was. “Do you think people would recognize me if I changed my name?”
“Maybe Dickey or Antina Mulch. Your brother should, but he has fallen out with Antina Mulch,” Winnie said. “It is a sad story, and I can tell you about it later.”
Sam nodded. The notion of a split between his brother and Antina seemed ludicrous. “What did that do to Antina’s business?”
Winnie frowned. “Later, if you please.”
Sam pursed his lips. The hour was getting late, and it appeared the matter was closed for the night.
“I’ll check on Emmy and then get to bed,” Sam said. He had a lot to think about, and if he had thought there would be magic between Winnie and him, it hadn’t happened. She acted and spoke with her guard up. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
Chapter Seven
~
F addon and Winnie left a few days later without Sam having an opportunity to talk about Antina and his brother. Harrison and Sam walked through a poorer section of town where Harrison had practiced healing with some local healers.
“Faddon wants to act during the spring. Winter is about upon us, and he thinks it will impede any actions we may have to take. There is a string of villages to the north below a seldom-used mountain pass that I used to evade my pursuers. I thought I would work there for a season and then chance a return to Toraltia. Why don’t Desmon, Glory, and you join me? Emmy might like living in the same place for a while. Three months on a ship isn’t good for a dog, but three months in the mountains might do her some good.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll see what Desmon and Glory have to say. Will you teach us to help?”
“Have you forgotten all that I taught you?”
Sam smiled. “My herb lore is a little hazy, and I never learned how to use pollen, as you well know. If you can teach me more, maybe the villagers might not care if my pollen stitches are invisible.”
Harrison laughed gently. “There is that.”
They set out a few days later after filling the wagon with additional purchases to last the winter. Harrison had said some good-sized cottages were empty the time he had passed through, large enough to provide them with housing and a clinic.
The villages were nestled not far from the border with Gruellia, and it wasn’t really known if they were part of Toraltia or Duar. They were remote enough that no one cared, and no lord claimed the modest villages as part of a domain.
Bentwick had said he would retrieve them in the early spring and had brought birds with him when he traveled from Baskin, so they had made sure they had feed for their feathered messengers.
They started down the main east road toward Toraltia, and when the hills began to increase in size, Harrison took them north on a rougher road that ran through a series of linked valleys carved into the landscape by a small river.
The first village sat at a lake made by the river, but Harrison’s destination was a larger village farther on that served as a crossroads and had a modest market. They drove through town and spotted a large cottage with a front garden full of weeds. They peered through the windows. The inside looked like it would hold them all, along with a clinic.
They turned back, and Harrison ducked into one of two general stores in the village, and then led them to a lane of well-kept cottages.
“The owner of the property lives along here, according to the shop owner,” Harrison said. “Sam, why don’t you come with me?”
“I can pay for a season,” Sam said. “I have the money.”
Harrison smiled. “I figured you would. Did you use any of your letters of credit?”
“How did you know about those?”
“The letters of credit were actually a gift from Keeta and me.”
Sam couldn’t believe his ears. “I wouldn't have used them. The king didn’t contribute any of it?”
“Well, he matched what we put up in a fund for you. I hope you didn’t pull out more than ten thousand Lions.”
Sam’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Over six thousand,” Sam said, “ But I didn’t spend more than five hundred, and most of that went to the shore pirates of Pundia. I have four thousand in the Bank of Zogaz, and there should be one thousand in the Bank of Toraltia in Baskin.”
“For your return? Bentwick told me about that.”
Sam shrugged uncomfortably. “I didn’t know you had that much money. You lived in a little cottage.”
“Not so little, but I purposely lived modestly. If I set myself up in a mansion, do you think the king would be so tolerant?”
“No,” Sam said. “How much money do you have?”
“More than I’ll ever be able to spend. Money doesn’t motivate me, but if I need to spend, I do,” Harrison said. “I will let you pay.”
Sam nodded. “I would be more than glad to. Now I feel guilty.”
“Don’t. It was freely given. Keeta and I didn’t want you to be destitute when you landed in Tolloy.”
“Antina helped, as well,” Sam said. “I even made money off her curios that were sold in Tolloy. I didn’t have to worry about anything.”
“Anything?”
“Nothing related to money,” Sam said.
They stopped at one of the lesser cottages along the lane and knocked. Someone finally opened the door.
Harrison stepped up. “I am a healer and wanted a place to teach my students. I saw a large vacant cottage in the village and wondered if I can rent it until the first of spring.”
“The one on the high street on the north side of the village?”
Harrison nodded.
“It will cost you, and since you won’t be staying permanently in the village, I want the rent paid in advance. Any improvements you make will be mine when you leave. If that is acceptable?”
“It is. How much?”
The man looked at them, thinking of a very good price. “A Lion, if you are from Toraltia, and you both look like you come from there.”
Sam pulled out his purse and gave the man the gold coin. “Is there a stable?” he asked.
“A small one, but a few doors down is a proper stableyard. I’m sure you can work out a deal for boarding your horses there.”
“We would like a receipt,” Sam said. “Villagers may be wondering if we are squatting or renting it properly.”
“I, uh, can’t do that. I’m all out of ink in the house,” the man said. He looked uncomfortable when the matter of the receipt was brought up.
“I have an ink stone in the wagon. I won’t be a minute,” Harrison said.
The man held out the coin with an odd look on his face. “Perhaps you might want to deal directly with the owner.”
“And who is that?” Sam asked.
“The village headman can tell you.”
“And where might I find him?” Harrison said.
“Her. Three doors that way,” the man said pointing to his left. He quickly shut the door in their faces.
“And what was he going to do when the owner dropped by?” Harrison asked. “You are the snoop, aren’t you?”
“He would deny having talked to us and the general store owner that directed you to him would have had a good portion of the gold coin and would deny the reference,” Sam said. “It would be an established villager against a foreigner.”
“And if we had a receipt?”
“The villagers might not like it. He wouldn’t have to live with us, but he does with his neighbors,” Sam said. “You know human nature better than I. Am I on the right track?”
Harrison chuckled. “Close enough. Let’s see what happens at our next stop.”
They walked up to a larger, much better-kept cottage. Sam knocked on the door, and it was opened promptly.
“Are you the village headman?” Harrison asked.
“I am. You aren’t a villager, though.”
“I want to be until early spring,” Harrison said. “There is a large cottage on the northern part of High Street. I would like to rent from now until just after winter ends.”
“Can you pay in advance?”
“We can,” Harrison said.
Sam wondered if the conversation would go the same way as their previous one.
“Then rent is 5 silver Foxes a month, and that includes the stable in the back, but no feed. You will have to clean it out yourself, and if you haven’t been inside, there is a water pump in the house. The wells in Yellow Springs are always good, including the one in that house.”
Sam handed over the money. “We’d like a receipt,” he asked.
“I would have written one anyway. There is a stable a few doors down where you can buy food or board more animals.” She looked them over. “It is a big place for a father and son. A dressmaker used to live there and had a display room along with a large workroom on the main floor.”
“I am a traveling healer, and we decided to winter in Yellow Springs. I have three students with me. I’ll be setting up a clinic in the place, and the dressmaker’s space will work for that.”
“A clinic? There is one other healer in the village, but she can’t meet the demand on market days. Wait a bit, and I’ll get you the key and her address. It would be more than polite to call on her before you start.”
“Certainly. Who owns the cottage now?”
“The village, if the truth be known. The dressmaker couldn’t make it in the village, so we bought the cottage so it wouldn’t fall into ruin. It has been harder than I thought to keep it up. I am happy that you are moving in.”
Sam could tell the village must have done the bare minimum with all the weeds in the front. Sam was confident they could make it work, of that he was certain.
The woman returned with the key and the receipt. “I suggest you visit the local constable’s office. We provide basic law to the seven mountain villages and the farmers and sheepherders in the area. For that service, you will be required to give us 5% of what you get in fees, so keep good records. I am a good bookkeeper, so I can find out if you’ve tried to hide something.”
“Here are four months in advance,” Sam said. He gave the woman a silver coin worth 20 foxes.
“And I’ll scribble that down on your receipt.” She took a pencil from her apron and did just that. She smiled. “I can see you are honest people. Don’t make a fool out of me,” she said good-naturedly.
~
“The market is small,” Glory said as she and Desmon had chosen to buy supplies while Sam and Harrison worked on making something of the clinic. “I hope it doesn’t dry up during the winter.”
Harrison laughed. “This village is too big and too prosperous for that to happen.”
Sam was relieved they had Harrison to give them some guidance before they returned to Toraltia. He was an expert with people, something none of them really were. Desmon could charm, but his approach didn’t breed trust like Harrison’s did.
The cottage was just the right size. Harrison had his own room, and Sam and Desmon shared. Glory had the only ground floor bedroom. The cottage was furnished, but everything had to be cleaned and repaired. Sam made sure there were no pollen repairs, and that is where he spent most of his time. He had found there was plenty of neglect, probably by the dressmaker if she was losing money.
Sam looked forward to learning how to heal with pollen, something that he couldn’t do when he had traveled with Harrison more than four years ago. Sam and Harrison did most of the work building the furniture for the clinic. A village two days away had a wood mill, so Sam and Harrison took off on a trip to get lumber for benches and an examination bed, while Desmon and Glory would head out into the woods to fetch herbs that Harrison had specified.
Sam and Harrison arranged to take their swords. The healer wanted to see how much progress Sam had made. They had a chance to do so their first night when they elected to spend the night at a camp.
“You should be better since you are now as tall as I am, if not a bit more. You said you learned various styles?”
Sam nodded. “You taught me how to fight like a warrior, and I was trained on my voyage and in Tolloy to fight like a duelist.”
“Then show me your different styles. I’m not so old that I can’t observe someone when I fight,” Harrison said.
“The first is the Carolank style taught to me by Captain Darter. Her ship was out of Carolank.”
“I am familiar with the style. It suits a woman since it is structured on a lithe wrist. The proper Norlankian dueling sword doesn’t carry much weight.”
Sam drew his Lashak weapon. “This is a fair compromise between that blade and the kind of dueling sword used in Tolloy.” He handed it over to Harrison.
“I seem to remember there is something evil about these. It’s from Wollia, right?”
Sam nodded. “The grip is made of metal wires that contain a poison that gradually kills the wielder.”
“But you know that since yours is covered with leather.”
“It is.”
They went through the Carolankian style, the pirate style, which made Harrison laugh, the Tolloyan style, and at the end, the Lashakan style, which had Harrison saying that he would like Sam to show him more.
“Impressive. Now let us have a bit of a session in the warrior style.”
“Baskin Berserker,” Sam said, grinning. “I was kicked out of the apprentice sword training at the constabulary because that was the only style I knew and the other apprentices had wanted to practice using the Toraltian dueling style, which I never learned.”
They went at it for less time than Sam wanted, but Harrison had tired out first.
“I haven’t had someone like you around to keep my swordsmanship sharp,” Harrison said. “We will have to find a way to practice during the winter. Is Desmon good with a blade? He looks like he would be.”
“We have practiced plenty of times, first on board ship and then in Tolloy.”
“I’m sure you lived a fuller life than you thought you would when you were cast out of Cherryton.”
“I guess I have, thanks to you,” Sam said.
“I just recognized the uniqueness in you. You took it from there, but I’m sure neither of our stories is over yet.”
“I’ll agree with that. I’m not looking forward to a return to Baskin, but I have to go there eventually to come out of exile.”
“We,” Harrison said. “I’m not sure I can sit by and watch a group of nobles seize my cousin’s throne. I left Baskin because I didn’t trust them. That was before I grew to love my role as a healer.”
Sam looked at Harrison sheathing his sword. “After winter, you might have to shed that role for a while.”
Harrison smiled for a bit. “Perhaps I will be healing something entirely different.”
And to Sam that meant healing Toraltia. Events seemed to be forcing Harrison to accept his role as a pretender once again.
Chapter Eight
~
D esmon and Glory were sitting on a couch that had a new covering. Sam took his spectacles off to see if it was made out of pollen, but it wasn’t.
“Something new?” Sam said as he walked in the door while Harrison untied the lumber from the wagon outside.
Glory stood up, red in the face. “We, uh…”
Desmon pulled on her arm. “What she means to say is that this fine piece of cloth showed up in the market, and I grabbed it to cover our somewhat shabby couch.”
Sam wondered what Glory really meant. They were deep into a serious conversation when Sam had walked in.
“Everyone can help bring the lumber in,” Harrison said as he stood at the door. “Am I missing something?”
“No,” Sam said. “I surprised Glory and Desmon, that is all.”
Harrison looked at the pair. He evidently knew more than Sam did. “Very well, then. Let’s get to work.”
Sam hadn’t built anything out of wood since he lived in Baskin, but he knew how to follow Harrison’s instructions, and they soon had built benches and a waist-high examination bed. Desmon had scrounged some whitewash, and soon they had the clinic ready to go, except for the mattress on the examination bed and cushions for the benches.
Glory wasn’t without building skills either as she took some of the lumber to make a few movable screens for the examination room and to guide patients into the clinic part of the house from the front door.
Before Harrison could set out his white shingle denoting the presence of a healer inside the house, people began to line up outside. One of them was another white-robed healer. Harrison had decided to talk to her first. Sam volunteered to usher the woman inside.
“I am Harrison Dimple.”
“You are a good healer?”
“Battlefield-tested, I am afraid to say. This is one of my assistants, trainees, really, Sam Smith. Three of us are from Toraltia and another from Wollia. I had a free winter, and so did they, so we decided to spend it here. How can I help you?”
“Mareen Kilore. I am the other healer in the village. What is your specialty?”
“I can remove limbs, set fractures, and I have a decent knowledge of herbal lore. I am not much for delivering babies, but I have done enough in my time. How about you?”
“I have a very soft shoulder, so if you have any women or men that are troubled, please send them my way. As far as pregnant women, I know all the ladies who will deliver while you are here.”
“I will be leaving in the early spring. I intend to visit the other villages during the winter, if that is all right.”
“Oh, I dislike travel, and I am called out a few times a month. You may have all those patients. Perhaps we can share a few dinners and talk about healing.”
