Benjamin Ashwood (36 page)

“Wow. 
So who logged all of this?  People came down from Vis to do it?”

“This
was Vis.  Or near it.  Over the years the town has moved with the tree line. 
Three hundred years ago the forest ran almost down to the river.  Back then,
lumber came to The City from Venmoor.  It was further but easier to ship on the
water.  Then someone invented Venmoor Steel.  They all started making swords
and using the lumber to fire the forges and Vis got started in the logging
business.  They come back through down here from time to time when the trees
grow big enough.”

The
lumpy fields of tall grass spreading out around the road looked different all
of a sudden.  It had looked peaceful and open before.  Now Ben couldn’t help
imagining what it had been when the forest extended for days in all directions.

“You
know a lot of history.  How did you learn all of that?”

Rhys
smirked.  “The world changes.  I just know enough to say we’ve got to change
with it.”

That
night, they camped near one of the stands of young trees and collected a pile
of fallen branches to make a small cook fire.

Renfro
was worn out from the physical activity and his blustering finally faded.  As soon
as their dinner of ham and beans was done, he curled up on his bedroll and was
snoring before they finished cleaning up and putting away the frying pan.

“How
is Amelie taking the news about the offensive on Issen?” Rhys asked in a quiet
voice.

Ben
flipped out his bedroll and answered, “she’s not taking it well I don’t think. 
I got a note from Meghan saying the Sanctuary is keeping Amelie busy with
studies to distract her but I know she wants to be home.  Her family and all of
her old friends will be at risk when the Coalition moves.  Her father moved her
to the Sanctuary because that’s the one place she’d be out of harm’s way but
you know her.  She’s not worried about her own safety.”

“Stay
close to her Ben.  Be the friend she asked you to be.  That’s what she’s going
to need.  I have a weird feeling about all of this.  It just doesn’t feel right.”

“Do
you think the Coalition will prevail against Issen?  I thought with Argren and
the Alliance behind them they’d be safe.  At least, that’s what Amelie seemed
to think in Whitehall.”

Rhys
rummaged around in his pack and produced a short curved tobacco pipe which he
took his time stuffing and lighting before replying, “no man knows what will
happen in battle.  That’s why they have to fight the things.  Just because a
few overdressed frumpy old men signed some papers in Whitehall doesn’t mean
anything.  Keep close to her and be there when she needs you.”

In
the morning before breakfast, Rhys was up early and prodded Ben and Renfro to
show him how they’d progressed with the Ohms.  Renfro collapsed in a tangled
heap after the Fourth one but Ben got to Thirteen before he reached the end of
his knowledge.

“Very
nice,” acknowledged Rhys.  “I see I need to come by and teach you some more.  A
little shaky towards the end.  You’ve got the idea though.  The movements get
progressively more difficult but once your mind and body fully understand what
is needed, you will learn them quickly.”

Renfro
sat down to breakfast of hard crusted bread and a hunk of cheese and griped, “I
don’t get it.  If you want to fight, you learn to use a sword, a spear or an
axe.  What’s the point of these Ohms?  Shouldn’t you be practicing your sword? 
While you sit there stretching the other guy is going to come up and chop you
in two.”

Rhys
grinned, “I haven’t been chopped in two yet.”

Around
a mouthful of cheese Renfro snorted, “yet he says.”

Ben
added, “it’s for balance Renfro.  It also builds speed, strength, stamina and
flexibility.”

“Aye,”
agreed Rhys.  “Holding and swinging a sword is one thing.  Swinging it faster,
harder are more accurately than the other guy is how you win a fight.  As for
practicing with the sword, I’ve done that.  I’ve learned over the years that
the better I know how to move my body, the better I’m able to move my sword.”

“Speaking
of moving, let’s get going and eat on the road.”  Ben gestured towards a dark
cloud moving down the river valley.  “I’ve gotten used to city life and don’t
relish the thought of what that rain will do to this dirt road.”

Weeks
later and back in The City, Ben surveyed their new building.  After the Vis
trip, they’d finalized the deal with Lord Reinhold and moved the operation from
the musty cellar to a spacious warehouse off the island.  It was near the foot
of one of the bridges so Ben didn’t think it’d be an issue getting back and
forth.  The area of town was a little rough, but as Reinhold said, the price
was right.

With
the new space and an influx of Reinhold’s gold, Ben had been able to get proper
fermenting tanks and other equipment for a full scale brewery.  They’d also
hired new staff including assistant brewers and several more porters.  It felt
like they had a small army at their disposal and Ben spent more time managing
the people than he did actually brewing.  He was responsible for the brewery
operation and the money.  Renfro was handling sales and deliveries.  Renfro
kept mentioning that he was willing to do the accounting but without saying it
outright, Ben declined because he didn’t fully trust his friend.

Still,
the partnership with Reinhold and the rapid expansion seemed to have lifted
Renfro out of his dark mood.  He was spending more time visiting reputable ale
houses and less time in the sinks.  He hadn’t brought up anything about Gulli
in a week and Ben silently hoped that episode was behind them.

The
assistant brewers did most of the activity now, following Ben’s recipes, but he
still liked to walk the floor and monitor the quality.  He felt like none of
them cared about it as much as he did.  Then again, it was just a job for them.

While
he was circling the room, one of his assistants caught his attention near the
entrance and waved him over.  A young, strange man was standing with him.  He
had shaggy unkempt hair and ill-fitting nearly worn through clothing. 
Prospective employee thought Ben.  It wasn’t uncommon now that they’d
expanded.  Young men saw the growth and wanted to be part of it.

“Hi,
what can I do for you?” Ben asked.  Now that he was close, he noticed the boy
kept fidgeting and glancing around the wide open room like he thought someone
was watching him.

“Can
we speak in private?” the straw haired boy croaked.

“Sure,
come on to the storage room,” Ben said then shot a quizzical look to his
assistant.  The man just shrugged.

“What
can I help you with?  What’s the secrecy about?”

“I… 
I saw you visit the Sanctuary, right?”

The
boy was sweating and hadn’t lost his anxiousness as they stepped into the
storage room half packed full of bulging sacks of barley and hops.

“Yes,”
replied Ben tentatively.

“Who
are you visiting there?”

The
question and the attitude raised Ben’s hackles, but the boy didn’t appear to be
a threat.  “I visit my sister and a friend.  They are Initiates there.”

A
wave of relief swept through the boy’s scrawny frame and he rubbed a hand over
his face.  “Your sister, good, I thought so.”

“Why? 
What is going on?  Is Meghan in danger or something?”

“Oh,
I don’t know.  I don’t know her,” replied the boy.  “Maybe.”

Ben’s
concern grew, “what do you mean, ‘maybe’?”

“My
sister Issabelle.  She is an Initiate too.  But I haven’t seen her in weeks and
she’s stopped writing.  When I ask about her the guards tell me maybe she
doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.  Or they tell me maybe she’s left.  They
tell me to forget about it and leave.  She’s my sister, she would never do that
to me!  What could they have done to her?”

The
emotion painting the boy’s face told Ben all he needed to know about his story.

“Maybe
she’s just been busy,” answered Ben lamely.  “The studies there are taxing. 
Sometimes my sister tells me all she wants to do is sleep on her free days.” 
They both knew that didn’t explain why Issabelle would stop writing.  There had
to be an explanation though.

“Tomorrow
is the next free day,” Ben continued, “I’ll ask my sister about her.  If
they’re both Initiates, they must know each other.”

“Yes,
thank you!” the boy cried out and moved to embrace Ben.

After
the boy left, Segor was his name, Ben couldn’t shake the image of his tear
streaked face.  Segor was assuming the worst, and based on what he said the
guards told him, Ben thought something unusual most be going on.

The
next morning, Ben left early for the Sanctuary.  He usually arrived mid-morning
and found the girls waiting for him but he couldn’t wait today.  He had barely
slept the night before, mulling over what Segor said and thinking about his
encounters with Meghan and Amelie over the last few months.  There was no
question they were healthy and didn’t seem to be in immediate danger.  Now that
he thought about it though, he also realized they’d shared nearly nothing about
what they were doing there.  Lots of studying, that was all they’d told him.

He
approached the massive copper gates that marked the only opening in the outer
wall of the Sanctuary and the two faces, one old woman and one young, seemed to
sneer instead of smile down at him.

One
of the four guards posted at the entrance stepped out and rested a hand on his
sword hilt.  He wasn’t blocking the path through the wide gate and the other
guards didn’t move, but his wide legged stance was clearly meant to intimidate.

Ben
strode close and the man grunted, “worried about something?”

“What
do you mean?” asked Ben.

The
man’s eyes flicked down to Ben’s belt and Ben suddenly noticed the weight of
his sword.  It wasn’t exactly illegal to carry weapons in The City but it was
frowned on in most establishments.

“Oh,
I, uh, didn’t even notice I was wearing it.  Is there a rule against being
armed here?”

“No,”
the guard answered cooly, “there’s no rule against it.  There are more
dangerous things than steel inside these walls boy.  You try to start anything
and you’re going to find out what.”

Ben
flushed and skirted around the guard who stood rooted on his spot in the middle
of the gate.  The man left a hand on his sword and slowly pivoted on one boot
as Ben passed.  Ben broke eye contact and cringed as he imagined the thought of
that steel slicing his back.

Once
in the gates though, he felt some of the tension dissipate and had an unimpeded
walk to the Initiates Garden.  He only spotted a few guards scattered loitering
in the distance and they made no move towards him.  There were certainly more
of them than usual, but none spoke and none seemed overly concerned about his
sword.  He cursed himself for thoughtlessly strapping it on.  If he wanted to
lay low and avoid suspicion, coming into this place armed was the exact
opposite of what he should have done.  Besides, the guard was right, any of the
Mages here could fry him to a crisp before he got close.  What did he think he
was protecting himself from?

In
the garden, Meghan and Amelie had not yet arrived so Ben strolled around
watching the other initiates and visitors out of the corner of his eye.  The
guard presence here was increased also.  There were two of them now as opposed
to one.  They both seemed bored and uninterested and were playing some sort of
head to head card game.

Despite
his watchfulness he was almost surprised by Amelie when she came up behind him.

“Ben,
when did you get here?  I’m sorry I wasn’t out earlier.  Usually you come half
a bell later.”

“Oh,
I haven’t been here long,” he started.  It was hard to drop the polite
conversational conventions.  He took a deep breath and started again, “I came
early because I was worried.  Speaking of which,” he peered around behind
Amelie, “where is Meghan?”

“She
studying” griped Amelie.  “She doesn’t do much else these days.  We have a test
later this week and that’s all she’s concerned about right now.  Lady Towaal is
briefly in town and has taken time to personally tutor her.  It’s rare we get
time with a Mage other than our assigned instructors.  I’m sorry Ben.  I’m sure
if it wasn’t such a big test she’d be happy to come see you.”

“No,
that’s alright.  I’m just glad she is Ok.”

“What
do you mean?” questioned Amelie.  “Why wouldn’t she be Ok?”

“I
heard there is another girl that might not be.”  He looped his arm in Amelie’s
and led her away from the guards and other people in the garden.  “Issabelle?”

He
caught Amelie as she nearly stumbled.  She hissed, “how did you hear that
name?  I don’t think it’s a good idea to speak about her here.  Or outside of
here either.”

“Her
brother,” he quietly responded.  “He came to find me.”

“Oh,”
said Amelie and she covered her mouth with her free hand.  “I didn’t know she
had a brother.  “Why, how did he find you?”