Spellhand's Remorse #2

By the time Nell was nearing its end and the snow started to fall I was nearly seventy tem richer.  It felt good walking around with those small bits of coin jingling merrily in my pockets, even if it was a small amount.  Seventy tem didn’t buy much, but I found myself sitting with my brothers in The First and Last after our last day of work in the harbor.  After all that filthy work I had barely enough for three ales.

The First and Last was always crowded, filled with the laughter and foul language of fishermen.  The clatter of dice and the exchanging of coin could be heard from the back room, the clinking of coins cut clearly through the din.  The tap room was uncomfortably small and on most days it was packed full.  I could see the stone chimney rise up to meet the high ceiling but the crowd was too thick and blocked the large fireplace from view.

Els wouldn’t take his eyes off the blonde haired barmaid in her low cut dress.  I didn’t know her name, I’m not sure my brothers did either, but I had seen her in town quite often.  Els seemed mesmerized by the pale, flawless skin of her perfectly round young breasts.  We had all noticed her when we came in; it’s hard not to notice a beautiful young girl in her dark red barmaid’s dress standing among so many dirty men.  I was considerably less interested in her then Els had been and one long glance seemed to be enough for Garek.

We worked our way toward the back of the tap room for one of the few open tables; Els quickly took the seat facing the bar.  A long moment passed before another barmaid came out of the backroom clutching three empty mugs in each hand, the handles must have started to hurt her all jammed around her fingers that way because she was moving quickly for the bar.  Els sighed when it was the second barmaid who came to our table to take our drink orders.  I imagine he must have been disappointed that her breasts didn’t fill her dress as fully as the blondes.

We each ordered a tall mug of ale and sat quietly.  It was nice, sitting there in The First and Last with my brothers after a long season of hard work.  It wouldn’t have mattered to me if the entire time was passed in silence.  Els however wasn’t known for long silences.

“I still say that goat fucker was ripping us of all season,” Els finally said.

Garek sighed, exasperated by our brothers language, “At least your filthy mouth fits in here.  You should be glad to be done with the work and have some coin in your pocket for once.”

The barmaid finally returned with our mugs, full to the brim with cold dark ale.

         “Will we go back when the snow quits?” I asked.

         “I hope I won’t be in this stinking hole when the snow quits,” Garek said quietly, staring into his mug.  Els had already sloshed down half his ale into his belly.

         “Don’t enjoy it too much,” Garek said.  Els gave him a wink and tipped the mug back again.

         “You’re leaving?” I asked Garek, already saddened by the thought.

         “Maybe.  The School at Omik is still open, not far up the coast either,” Garek said.

         Els laughed at him, “You’re going to go read books while the rest of your family dies of boredom in Iel?”

         “You won’t stay much longer either if you have any sense,” Garek said to him before turning to me, “Nor will you once you get a few years older.”

         “The difference being that I’ll be fighting for Overland and sending money home to mother.  Last I knew the Schools didn’t pay,” Els said harshly.

         “They pay in their own way.  You go play soldier in Arethe and take the king’s money, but you won’t be so cocky about it when you get opened up on the battlefield will you?” Garek said and then after a moment added, “See where your mouthing off gets you with your commanders.”

         “Can anyone go to the Schools?” I asked.

         Garek nodded.  “They can if they’re able to read and write.  At least in Omik.  The School at Salwin is a bit more choosey about whom they let in, but it closed its door not long after the rot came anyway.”

         Els huffed loudly to show his irritation before standing up and stomping off toward the back room.  Garek watched him go, shaking his head.

         “Trust me little brother, if you know what’s good for you you’ll find a different path for yourself then the one our brother seems so interested in taking,” Garek said after a long moment of silence amid the taprooms chaos, “You know the Schools have libraries the size of this crumby little town?”

         “Not likely,” I laughed, “and as grand as that may sound to you, it’s lost on someone who can’t read.  Do mother and father know you plan on leaving so soon?”

         “I’ve mentioned it to mother a few times.  Master Ulys might have said something to father, he told me when I was ready he’d have a boat take me north to Omik as long as I worked on board.”

         “Why haven’t you taught me to read?” I asked.

         Garek frowned and took a drink from his mug, looking thoughtful.  “You never asked.  Besides it’s not unusual that you can’t, most people can’t and don’t need to anyway.  It’s mostly a privilege of the noble class and scholars.  Supposedly higher ups in the military are taught as well though.”

         “I don’t want to go fight the Arethens,” I said bitterly.  I hadn’t often thought of my options, I was still barely fourteen after all.  It never crossed my mind that there were so few of them.  There was no desire in me to go south to fight in what Garek called a senseless war.  Nor did I want to stay in Iel for the rest of my life; I thought Els was probably right about dying of boredom.  If the boredom didn’t get me and Cile’s Rot never came to Iel, then I was sure the smell wafting into our window from the butchers would eventually do me in.

         “What do the students do in Omik?” I asked.

         “Study.  The simple sciences, alchemy, mathematics, some astronomy too I think.  History.  Personally I would like to study the Ancient Mysteries,” Garek said, fidgeting with excitement. 

         “They teach about the mysteries?”  I only had a vague idea of what the simple sciences and mathematics actually were, but I was as interested in the Ancient Mysteries as anyone.

         “They devote a lot of time to them, who doesn’t want to study the glyph stones or the Relia Armor?  Any of the relics for that matter?”

         “When are you leaving?” I could feel myself growing angry with him - perhaps somewhat out of jealousy - part of me wanted to storm off to the back room to complain with Els.  I wanted to yell at him, curse him.  I took a slow drink from my mug while I tried to calm the little anger embers burning in my belly.

         He must’ve realized I was close to pitching a fit.  “I’ll try to teach you before I leave, a parting gift.  Ulys says boats don’t often make their way so far north, especially when it’s cold.  I probably have a few more weeks yet.  How’s that?”



***



The chill wind off the sea blew harsh on our faces as we made our way home a couple hours later.  I couldn’t remember a time when winter had come so fast and so cold, seemingly without any noticeable transition from the previous season.  Light flurries of snow blew around us.  We hadn’t been prepared and left our winter cloaks hanging in our bedroom.  Needless to say we walked quickly.  It might’ve been the first time I was pleased to live in such a small town, the tavern lay conveniently near the harbor and our home was only a few streets away.

         The thought of my older brothers leaving me loomed large in my mind.  I don’t know why I hadn’t ever considered it before.  It would explain why our mother had been especially sad over the last few weeks.  I wondered if father would even be home to see Garek off.

         Els walked behind us, evidently still irritated with his younger brother.  He didn’t say much at all for the rest of the night either and when we got home he said goodnight to our mother and promptly put himself to bed.  He did however make a point of huffing and sighing loudly from his dark corner of the bedroom while Garek began teaching me how to read.  It wasn’t unusual for Els to get grouchy at night and yell at Garek to put his candles out, but he was apparently to angry at Garek to even bother yelling at us.



THREE



Garek’s final weeks in Iel seemed to pass at a pace that felt painfully quick.  My mother cried more as the days dwindled away before her and Garek spent as much time with her as he could when he wasn’t teaching me or away with Els.  I had managed to get the basic fundamentals of reading down despite the fact that the only two books he had to teach me from were far beyond my level.  I suppose I caught on quickly enough though, I even learned some writing in that short time.

         When we were through with dinner Garek and Els would usually bundle up in preparation to greet the icy outdoor temperatures, leaving Lesa to spend the evenings with our mother.  A lot of their time was spent sitting in front of the fire in silence; other times were filled with talk and laughter.  I didn’t normally sit with them, preferring instead to retreat to my bedroom and practice my reading or writing.  I could always hear them though, either the silence of the grave or the steady flow of conversation and laughter finding its way under my door.

         Garek and Els never let me come with them.  I watched them out my window the first night, walking briskly in the direction of The First and Last, they couldn’t have had any coin on them and at the time I didn’t understand it, but I expect that Garek was attempting to work his charm on the barmaids.  Trying to secure parting gifts for both Els and himself I imagine.

         As I had expected the snow piled itself high in the streets and even higher up the sides of buildings that year.  On most nights my bedroom wall groaned against the wind.  I rarely saw more than a handful of people outside when I looked out my window.  The harbor itself held more ice then it did boats.

There wasn’t much fishing done during the winters but by a few boats and my father and Gilded Lady were lucky enough to belong to that exclusive group.  It was lucky that he did return before Garek left although it was only for a short time.  He came home quietly in the middle of the night.  I think he had ideas of not waking anyone and just slipping into bed, but my mother and sister surprised him.  They were still at the fire when he came through the door.  I think mother made a habit of late nights, sitting alone or with Lesa and hoping he would come home.  I listened to them talk quietly for a bit, unable to discern what was being said before slipping slowly back to sleep.

         Els, upon seeing my father the next morning, left quickly.  Els had made it clear since we had arrived in Iel that our father’s long absences were unforgivable, but the rest of us understood that he was only doing what had to be done.  Garek had scolded him time and time again for being a little bastard about it.  Nevertheless, the next several days were as good as they could have been.  Father was a quiet and gentle man who spoke rarely, but when he did everyone listened intently.  I impressed him with a demonstration of my new found abilities while all of us huddled around the fire and he told us stories from the sea, leaving out the dangerous parts for my mother’s benefit.  On the final night of my father’s return Lesa played us a song she had been practicing on her mandolin.  She had had the instrument since before I was born and its age showed itself through small cracks and chips in the wood, but the sound was still that of a brand new instrument.

         A week after my father boarded Gilded Lady and returned to the Ondrish, Garek was preparing for his own voyage along the coast as Master Ulys had promised.

         “I want you to have these,” he said as handed me the only two books he had in the world.  He saw I was about to protest, “I’ll be going to a place with thousands more in its possession, take them and keep reading.”

         I nodded and placed the books on my bed.  Els sat behind us on his bed watching Garek bundle up and stuff what few things and pairs of clothing he owned into the ragged travel sack father had given him before he left.

         “I’ll send letters by boat if I can and return home when possible,” he said to me.  To my annoyance he stuck a hand out and ruffled my dark hair.  As he passed Els he clapped him on the shoulder and smiled.  “I’ll see you soon Els.  If I don’t see you before you make your fool’s errand to Vekla’s Hall, don’t get yourself killed in the south.”

         He squeezed Els shoulder tight and with that was out the door.  I watched him out the window, heading toward harbor and the large boat waiting for him there, my mother and sister hurrying behind him.  Closer to the docks they exchanged hugs and kisses before Garek strode proudly across the ramp and onto the ship.  He waved to them, a wide smile on his face.  Els came over to stand over my shoulder and look out the window as Garek waved again.  I’m sure from that distance and through the frosted window that he couldn’t have seen us watching, but I’m pretty sure the second wave was to us.

         The boat slowly made its way out of harbor and away from Iel.  I don’t remember ever taking my eyes off of it, Els stood there for a moment, but left and headed toward the tavern long before the boat managed to get out of harbor.  The pretty blonde barmaid and her pleasant tits would comfort him better than I could perhaps.



***



Els didn’t return until late that night, he woke me when he threw the bedroom door open wildly, banging it against the wall.  He was grumbling to himself about having his fun spoiled as he collapsed into bed and passed out.  I sat up when I heard his snoring and saw he was clutching a bottle, still half full.  I got up and took it away from him slowly, not wanting to wake him, although I was sure he couldn’t have been woken from his stupor even if Sheya the Blind returned with a wall of searing flame trailing behind her.

         I looked down at him and frowned at the dark purple bruise blossoming around his left eye and the reddish blue stain on his neck which I supposed was from blondie.

         Agitated into a state of wide wakefulness I lit a few candles and opened one of the books Garek had left with me.  The book was the larger of the two and judging by the smell of the paper, was very old.  The clothe cover might have been a brilliant red at one time, but now it was stained and dirty. 

The sky was clear that night and both moons shone through my window, I wondered idly how far Garek’s ship was likely to sail in a day.  When Els’ snoring finally stopped I sat there for a moment, relaxing myself in the sudden and complete silence before opening my book.

         The book of course was exactly the sort I would have expected Garek to be interested in.  It devoted itself to both history and the Ancient Mysteries.  I still couldn’t understand large sections of it, but I was getting better.  I had spent enough time with Garek for him to point out some of the stranger words and explain them to me.

         My favorite parts of the book were about the glyph stones.  Dozens of them had been found in Overland and Arethe over the last age.  A chest of scrolls – barely legible in their advanced state of decay - had been found that mentioned the existence of the glyph stones but no one believed them until the first three were found by accident in a deep cave on the Styrm Isles.  Oddly enough a farmer found the fourth one while digging a well.  Once the Schools realized that the stones may be lying all over the place they went looking, finding them in the ruins of former cities and castle keeps.  Two were found in the forests of The Far Reach.  They seemed to be scattered everywhere, a handful were found still hanging from their owner’s skeletal necks or clutched in their hands.

As far as anyone knew the Schools took them to study the sorceries they believed they contained.  I had overheard a handful of stories while working in the harbor about men walking the land wielding powerful magic, but Els had always been quick to tell me it was a bunch of raving nonsense.  Fishermen were known to be a superstitious lot after all.

         The stones varied in size, shape, and color – dark red, grey, black.  Most of the glyphs carved into their faces were different, but all of them were unfamiliar.  If the School at Omik or Salwin had ever figured out what they meant, then they kept it a well hidden secret.

         The section of the book on glyph stones was the longest, but there was also a good amount of detail on the mass grave and the weapons found among its bodies near Vekla’s Hall.  And a section on numerous shrines and altars found almost exclusively in Overland.  As I said it was a long book, I had barely scratched the surface.  I was only beginning my life as a reader after all.

         I don’t know how long I ended up reading that night, but I do know that when I woke in the morning I still had the book resting in my lap.  Even Els had woken before I did.