Techromancy Scrolls: Adept (3 page)

He made a spinning motion, swinging his jawbone weapon behind him and sort of did a spinning attack maneuver through her circle of death. She deflected the force of his blow and he reversed his spin and the blade swooshed over my head, sending more hairs drifting to the ground, and she somehow twisted her arm down and her blade stopped the strike that was aimed at the back of her leg. He spun away laughing.

She bent forward and slashed her sword behind her to catch the blade in her other hand and deflected the sword of another man who used Jawbone's distraction to attack. She spun and leapt and kicked the man squarely in the jaw. I heard a crack and he went stumbling back, his face twisted in pain. He started circling with the other men again.

I was breathing hard, I could feel my pulse racing and my head was aching. I could taste the metal in all the weapons around me, I could sense everything in my bag in my cart. There was something of hardened iron or steel just below the surface of the ground to my side.

I heard an anguished cry and a gurgling to the side and watched the second mounted man fall from his horse, blood across his neck. Then Sir Bowyn turned his charger toward us, I heard a whupping sound, then he flew off his horse with an arrow embedded in his chest. He landed on the ground unmoving.

Lady Celeste growled and screamed a cry of anger and rolled over Stumpy's body and came up on a knee with the dagger in her hand. She sent it flying faster than she could have thrown it, backed by a burst of raw energy from her arm and a moment later an archer fell out of the tree with the blade buried in an eye socket.

This caused the last three to charge her. They started pushing her back as she spun and slashed and blocked. She grunted when Jawbone's weapon struck her left shoulder. It cut through her armor, but I could see some of the metal teeth broke off in the leather joints of the armor. Blood was flowing down her arm. They all seemed to have forgotten me as they attacked the Techno Knight with extreme prejudice. She was holding her own and I saw her starting to gather power again.

My eyesight was fuzzing, I was seeing everything in weird colors. I could taste the iron in everyone's blood. My body seemed to be heating up, I saw energy start to arc across my skin. What was happening? I clenched my fists and the object under the soil seemed to move, like it was connected to me somehow.

One man gave her a glancing blow when Jawbone and a big brute pulled her attention to one side with feints. She was hurt! I let out a sound that was part anger, part challenge, part growl and I thrust my arm forward on instinct and the object under the soil burst out and flew at the man who had harmed the Lady. It impaled him and kept going, dragging his body along until it embedded into a tree. It was some sort of metal post with metal placards on one end.

The distraction allowed Lady Celeste to roll to the side and engage Jawbone directly. I looked at the archer and made a grasping motion, I could feel the dagger in his skull like I were holding the hilt. I made a slashing, throwing motion and it flew at the other brute. He saw it coming and deflected it with his blade. The knight used that distraction to change the swing of her blade into a parry, continuing the motion and spinning to embed her blade into the other brute's gut as she kicked the weapon out of Jawbone's grasp.

I just blinked at her skill. She was thinking and reacting to a changing situation at lightning speeds, using any opening. She released her sword, then she was trading blows with Jawbone in such rapid succession I almost couldn't follow them. He out massed her and his blows were more devastating, but he could only land one for every four or five she did. She finally landed a strike to his sternum that had him staggering back a few steps. She snarled and growled out, “Enough!” And thrust her hand forward and raw magic lanced from her, I could actually see her magic reservoir almost empty with my weird augmented vision.

I had expected him to be blasted back into the treeline, but he was still standing. I raised my arms and every scrap of metal around me rose too. I prepared to strike when I realized he wasn't moving. He was just standing there with a look of shock on his face.

That's when I noticed there was a gaping hole burned all the way through his chest as he collapsed onto the ground. I blinked. It was over? All the weapons and tools fell to the ground around me and I fell to my knees, realizing that I was so tired. More so than I had ever felt.

Lady Celeste was suddenly by my side, cradling me as I sat back on my feet. “Are you alright Laney? Are you injured?” I dumbly shook my head and she squeezed my shoulder.

Then she was on her feet and running to Sir Bowyn. She sat him up and I heard a groan. He was still alive! She said, “This is going to hurt. Ready?” He nodded weakly then she snapped the end off the arrow, drove the shaft the rest of the way through him, and yanked the arrow out. Blood spewed in an arc and his eyes rolled back into his head. She pulled upon her almost empty magic reservoir, I could barely make it out as my eyesight and breathing started returning to normal.

Then with the sizzling of power on skin and the stench of burning flesh, she cauterized his wound. She sat on the ground and panted after she lowered him back to a laying position. She watched his breathing normalize while she wrapped her own wounds. Then she shot me a tired but amused smile as she crawled back over by my side and just sat next to me and murmured, “Exciting afternoon.”

I blinked at her then chuckled, she joined in. I don't know why we were laughing, after so much violence and death, but it felt good. My laugh slowly turned into sobbing, she just held an arm out and I folded into her. She just shushed me until I could stop the crying jag. I had no clue why my emotions were everywhere like that.

She asked with a hint of a smile in her voice, “Did you really tell them that you hoped they got sick when they ate you?” I laughed and nodded, pushing gently away from her and wiping my eyes on my tunic.

She looked around me at all the weapons and tools then at the man impaled on the tree. “You're not just a sensitive are you?”

I looked at her and fought back a new round of tears, I shook my head and my voice sounded pathetic to me when I pleaded, “Please don't send me to the stockade.”

She pulled me back to her and stroked my hair and said, “Nobody's going to put you in the stockade. But we have to keep it just between you and me until I figure out what to do... okay?” I glanced at her and nodded. Feeling hopeful.

She stood and walked to the impaled man, and I followed behind. Trying not to vomit at the sight. She pulled her sword and with great effort, powered it then slashed down, letting the metal post fall to the ground, leaving the man stuck to the tree on a short piece of metal.

She flipped the post over so the placards faced us. I dusted the three sheets off, they were aluminum, the post was steel. One had the vestiges of of red and white, it was octagonal and had letters, S-T-O and I couldn't quite make the other out but it was most likely a P, it made sense. I prompted, “Stop?”

She arched an eyebrow at me and asked, “You can read?” I nodded and blushed. This caused her to smile. “Not many serfs learn to read. The House of Lords is thinking on mandating that every man, woman, and child learn. You are full of surprises Laney. You're quite a woman.” Her smile caused a warmth to spread from my core. Her compliment caused my blush to return with a vengeance.

We returned our attention to the plaques. The second one was embossed but had no color left, just the white oxidation of aluminum. I read it, “Dead End.”

We both looked at the man, the sign, then each other, she chuckled out, “Pretty much.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Death by irony.”

I almost slapped her shoulder in disbelief, even if I was thinking the same thing, but was just able to stop my hand from contacting her. Striking a Lady is a death sentence. She caught my sudden fear and she clasped my hand by her shoulder and looked directly into my eyes. “It's alright Laney. Honestly, I'm not one of those snobbish nobles that are sticklers for proper decorum.” She looked to the other knight. He was still out. So she said softly, “I'm from common stock. I saved a Lady's child from a runaway horse. Her husband was none other than Prime Techromancer Donovan. He saw my magic potential and they bought me from my uncle.”

She smiled and said, “They raised me as their own daughter and the rest is history.” Then she relaxed a bit and said in a cheerful tone, “There, now we know each others secret. You can stop being so afraid around me.” This coaxed a smile out of me. She tucked a strand of her red mane behind her ear. Did she even realize how beautiful she was? I felt self conscious about how dirty I was.

We turned our attention to the the final plaque. Three quarters of it was just oxidation but there was a faint green tint on the remainder and we could make out 'Lane'. I spoke out loud, “Lane.” Then I looked at her in excitement, “This is a road sign.” I had just learned another thing. The ancients marked their roads like we did too. She saw my excitement then she looked over at my cart and hefted the signpost and walked over and placed it in it for me.

I blinked at her and she shrugged, “It was your find. I didn't know it was under the earth there.” I smiled at that. Then helped her gather all the weapons. And my tools. She got a rope out and lashed Sir Bowyn to his horse, then she gathered all the other horses and used lengths of rope to chain the reigns together.

She slid a gauntlet down and looked at her wrist. I blinked at it. There was a miniature clock on her wrist! She saw my shock and she showed it to me as she said, “The first artifact from the Before that Techromancer Donovan restored. He gifted it to me the day I became a Techno Knight.” I smiled and looked between it and her. She added, “It is six o'clock. We need to hurry to get to the gates before seven.”

I blinked when she started walking, holding her horse's lead as I grabbed my cart and started pushing as fast as I could go. She could make it to the gates in minutes if she rode. She was going to walk with me the whole way? Why did she look so bashful suddenly? She's the Lady, I'm just a chicken farmer.

Forty five minutes later we were approaching the gate. I paused, and started digging in my sack. She paused beside me and squinted. I pulled out the mirror and thrust it out to her. “I was going to sell this to a Lord or Lady. But I want you to have it. For saving me...” I blushed as I added her name, “Celeste.”

She studied it with an inquisitive look, then realized what it was. She smiled at me then looked into it. She whispered, “What amazing silver smiths they had in the Before.” I nodded my agreement. She locked eyes with me. “I couldn't accept this, this is priceless.” She held it out to me. I shrugged and backed away a half step, not accepting it back.

She smiled at me and cocked her head, then she pulled off a gauntlet, tucked it into her belt, and placed a warm hand on my cheek. “Thank you Laney.” I felt a raging fire inside at her touch, I was feeling flush. I realized I was grinning like a lovesick puppy and straightened.

She chuckled then removed her hand and whispered. “You need to calm your emotions. Your amber eyes are glowing brilliantly. Any mundane wouldn't see it but it is like a beacon to us magic touched. You need to control your emotions or others will know before I can figure out what to do.”

I furrowed my brow and she held the mirror up to me and I gasped. My eyes were glowing with an amber light. They had never done that before. Had whatever awakened in me during the battle caused this? I took a couple deep breaths, calmed myself, and the glow faded. I could feel it.

She slid the mirror into her saddlebag then bumped my hip playfully and said, “Again, thank you. But I'm not so sure you needed rescuing. I watched as you didn't back down from eight armed men, you were fearless. Are you aware you killed just as many marauders as Bowyn, a Knight of the Realm?”

I blushed and timidly bumped her hip back and we continued to the gates. The men on the wall saw us, the horses, and a knight lashed to his horse. They started clanging the alarm bell, calling out, “To the gates! Knight down!”

Moments later the courtyard by the gates was swarming with knights and medics. In all the commotion, I slipped away back toward home with my cart, while the attention was on the two knights, where it should be. I caught a final smile from her as she was inundated by questions.

As I approached home I repeated her words into the air with a smile, “Exciting afternoon.”

When I got home, I excitedly shared my day with Jace and mother when we woke her for dinner, omitting the portions I had used magic. I was in an especially good mood so I splurged and made a hearty stew with almost half of our larder. Including salted beef! I figured I could spend five or ten penny to restock in the morning if I got as much coin as I thought I would from my salvage.

Jace contributed a nice scone to the meal. The baker's wife had snuck it to him when he went to trade eggs to them and to sell to the nobles in the castle. She really liked Jace, she had a daughter a year younger than him, who they were hoping he might take an interest in when they reached the age of majority. It was a smart match, pairing a herder and a baker. And little Elise was adorable with her golden tresses.

After giving mother a nice sponge bath and changing her nightshirt, I sent her back to bed. I gave Jace a tiny bulb from my find that day, which miraculously still had its filament intact. I went out to do the nightly chores. I buttoned up the chicken coops and chased the three hogs into their covered enclosure to sleep. I thought about the day as I pumped a fresh bucket of water from the well. I was so exhausted, but I was smiling... I had spoken with a Techno Knight!

I almost skipped back to the straw mat, near the little electric resistance heater at mother's bed, that I shared with Jace. The heater was a luxury that Corrick had spent a month's pay to get for us. It allowed us to stay warm without stoking the fire in the fireplace all night and allowed us to conserve firewood for cooking.

I checked the ceramic vessel that held the magic spark that powered the electric device to make sure the seal was not deteriorating. We'd never be able to afford a new power vessel if this one ever allowed the magic potential to seep out.

As I curled under my blanket I remembered that I still had to fix the ratty hole in my tunic. Maybe on the morrow. I looked at my little brother. I felt almost guilty that I couldn't both scavenge and take care of the livestock. He was being forced to grow up too fast. Then I smiled when I saw the bulb I gifted him on a little string necklace hanging from his neck.

I kissed his forehead and made sure he was tucked in, then laid back and drifted off to sleep with a certain smile and wink on my mind, while the last church bells of the night pealed out ten o'clock.

***

The next morning I sponged off a lot of the grime from the previous day, I'd have to go down to the lake to take a swim, or visit the baths to get properly clean for church the next day. I had salvage to sell and hopefully medicines to buy and our larder to restock. I decided that this would be a day in the village to get all the errands taken care of.

I looked at Jace, “After you do the morning chores and see to mother, then spend the rest of the day playing in the market with the other boys after selling the eggs. You deserve a day off for fun. You can use a half penny to get sweets if you want.” His eyes shot wide at that.

He nodded enthusiastically, “Yes sister.”

I greased the door hinges with lard, then opened the door carefully, there was no protest. Then Jace and I stepped outside into the morning twilight and froze. There were two horses tied to the pig pen. We both looked around cautiously but saw nobody about except old man Warren down the lane tending his garden. He had almost a bushel of fresh carrots and green beans in his cart, my mouth watered.

We stepped up to the horses. There was a stack of folded bearskins on the rickety bench beside the rain barrel at the base of the firewood overhang. Two saddles in ill repair rested on the stack and an envelope with the wax seal of Castle Wexbury on it.

Written on it in grand script with regal looking flourishes was my name. I looked around again and snatched up the envelope. Jace crowded me and ran his fingers along the letters. “What does it say?”

I smiled at him. “Remember mother's lessons? You tell me. I'll have to restart lessons with you when we get a slowdown this winter.”

He looked at the writing, it was so loopy I wasn't sure he would get it. Then he asked, “L?” as he pointed to it I nodded in encouragement. And his small voice continued, “A... N... E... Y...” Then his eyes went wide, “Laney! That's you!” I nodded and he looked at the second word, after the H he just blurted, “Herder” He looked almost as proud of himself as I was of him as he said, “Laney Herder. Are you going to see what it is? It looks important, that is the seal of the realm!”

Was I in trouble for getting the knights hurt? I was nervous, but not as nervous as breaking an official seal of the castle. But it was addressed to me right? I pulled from my pigskin boot, the little piece of metal I had scavenged, that was hammered thinner than the blade of a knife, which I had fashioned into a blade. It was from my prior find, I had cut the piece out of a large sheet that was so even that I had to wonder about the metal smiths that could hammer the sheets out so smoothly.

I carefully slid it under the red wax as not to break it, It was beautiful and I didn't want to ruin it. With a little pop, the wax came away from the parchment envelope and I slid out a single sheet of parchment and unfolded it carefully. I read it twice and blinked over at the horses.

I felt my breathing becoming more rapid and I could hear my pulse in my ears and I started heating up. I could feel magic escaping from my eyes as the world changed colors, and I closed them and willed myself to calm down. After three deep breaths and counting to ten, I could feel my skin cool and the tastes of all the metals around us recede away.

Jace excitedly asked, “Well Laney, what does it say? Are we to groom the horses for the nobles or board them? We could get two or three pennies a week for that!”

I shook my head and said incredulously, not believing it myself, “No, they are mine.”

He blinked, not understanding and I smiled down at him and looked at the letter and read it aloud, “Be it known, that the treasury of Castle Wexbury has awarded to one Laney Herder, maiden of the keep, the bounty of two silver pieces for the heads of two marauders in the battle east of the gates on the fifteenth day after Three Sisters Conjunction, twenty seven and forty two years post Impact. As witnessed by Lady Celeste of the Techno Knight Order and Sir Bowyn, Knight of the Realm.”

I tilted the envelope into my hand and two silver coins slid out. We were now just two silvers away from affording the medicines now, and I still had my salvage to sell! I was in shock. I continued, “In pursuant to the rules of combat and the division of spoils, Laney Herder is awarded the prizes of the combatants she has slain.”

I read the list, it was an inventory. “Two bearskin saddle blankets. Two saddles in the Mountain Gypsy style. Two tack and bridles. One Percheron stallion, black with white blazing on muzzle, no brands. One Mustang mare, chestnut, no brands.” It went on to describe the contents of the saddle bags.”

Jace was going through the saddle bags that were more like deerskin sacks tied to the saddles. I grinned at the last part just below the signature of the village treasurer, “Witnessed by Lady Celeste of the Techno Knight Order, Blade of Temperance of Wexbury, daughter of Prime Techromancer Donovan, Lady of the Court.” Then it had her signature that looked far too loopy and feminine for a knight to have. I smiled at it.

At the bottom, it had a wax seal of the ring of the treasury. I folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope and pulled my coin bag from under my waistband and dropped the coins in.

I looked at my brother who was standing below the behemoth stallion, reaching up to stroke the lower part of his neck. I said to him. “We own horses Jace!”

Then he looked at me and said with pride, “Better still, horses my sister won in battle. You're like a knight Laney!” I almost cried on the spot, it was all I could do not to tear up at the pride for me that shone in his eyes.

I looked at him. “Lets get the chores done quickly, I'll help. Then we can brush them out and we can sell the mare. She'll fetch almost two gold coins, that will feed us through winter. We'll keep the big guy.” I smiled at him and named him. “Goliath. We'll keep Goliath.”

He nodded enthusiastically and looked up at the huge mount, “You hear that Goliath? We're going to be family!” I was imagining how much easier going to market and going outside the gates scavenging would be with a horse, especially a huge draft horse like this.

I looked over to the old hay wagon that had seen better days in the firewood overhang of the roof and smiled.

We finished our chores in record time and checked on mother and gave her the last of the scone we had saved and some of the stew. She washed it down with a glass of water. I noted she was shaking as she moved, her illness was slowly eating away at her. We filled her in, then went out to work on the horses.

After giving them a good brush down and cleaning their unshod hooves, we put the saddles and gear in the hay wagon we dragged out. We tethered the mare to the back of the wagon with a long lead and then hitched Goliath up to the wagon. It had been three or four years since we had a horse to pull it. Mother had taught me how.

After loading the wagon with my salvage and the day's eggs, we sat up in the wagon and I had Jace sit on my lap. He may as well learn sometime. I put the reins in his hand and clasped his hands in mine, released the brake and whipped the reigns lightly, and we lurched forward as Goliath started trudging forward like he had no load at all. Jace was laughing. It was so good to see him laugh.

The village was awake and active now, we got stares from all our neighbors and the people heading to market as we trotted past. We must look a sight, our clothing in tatters and having not one, but two such fine horses as we passed by. I was so very embarrassed. I couldn't help noticing there was no comparison between Goliath and the old swayback mare, Tulip, we had years ago before we sold her to the butcher so we could survive a winter. I loved Tulip, but she was nowhere near as grand as Goliath.

Once we hit market, I sent Jace off with the eggs and a half penny as I promised. I called after him, “I'll see you at home at sunset!” He just waved me off and disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the crowd and all the market carts and tents.

I made my way to the livery stable beside the blacksmith, I set the wagon brake and hopped down and brought the letter and the mare to the big liveryman who was washing down two chargers that had the Wexbury Keep brand on their flanks.

He looked up at me and I said, “Excuse me sir. I was wanting to sell my mare if you are buying.” He dropped the thick bristle brush and wiped his hands on the huge work apron he wore and stepped up to me. He looked displeased.

I didn't see it coming, I was seeing stars and my ear was ringing after his big ham fist backhanded me. I kept my footing and refused to cry out like mother taught me. If you cry out and show weakness, then people above your station show more cruelty. He said with a accent of the Northern realms, “Whacha doing ya fool girl! Horse thievery will get ya the gallows!”

I looked at him, fighting off tears from the stinging pain. “But I own her sir, I have the papers that say so. With the official seals.” He raised his hand to backhand me again and I just stood tall. He gave a growl and lowered his arm.

I dug the letter from my tunic and handed it to the man. He unfolded it holding it roughly in his hands and wrinkling it. I fought back a exclamation at that, I wanted to keep it in good shape and put it in my hope chest. He looked the letter up and down with a studious look on his face, but I noted his eyes did not track side to side, the man could not read. His eyes dwelled on the easily recognizable wax seal of the treasury.

He nodded and thrust it back at me. I took it and folded it carefully to slide it back into the envelope as he said gruffly, “Aye. Why didn't ya just say so in the first place?” He just ignored me as he stepped up to the mare to run his hands along her examining her and looking at her hooves, and asked, “How did a young thing like ya come to own a horse?” Proving to me that he indeed could not read.

I said meekly, “Spoils of battle.” He stopped his examination of the horse and looked back at me in disbelief and I quickly said. “Truly, just like the letter stated.”

He looked at the corner of the envelope sticking out of my tunic near my modest cleavage then nodded and said gruffly, “Of course. I just didn't believe it.” I gave him his dignity and nodded like I understood.

Then he stood after looking at the last hoof. “Unshod, swaybacked. I'll give you a gold coin for the nag.”

My eyes went wide, “Swaybacked? Nag? She's no more than three or four. Strong back and true footing. I could get three times that at the livery in Flatlash.”

He squinted at me then he smiled slightly in appreciation then said, “Maybe so, but Flatlash is a two days ride. Then how would you return? Two gold and not a penny more.”

I smiled at how quickly he had countered, the mare must be in better shape than I had anticipated. I let my voice go a little sing song as I shrugged and said, “Two gold five penny and a trade for proper saddle and tack.”

He looked at me and just squinted for a very long time then asked, “Trade fer what? I stepped to the back of wagon and showed him the bearskins, saddles, and tack. “I'd need something suitable for Goliath there.” I pointed at the Stallion.