The Wizard's War (23 page)

“No. I never sell myself. Are there any women still
living in his manor?”

“He has some servants who weren’t scared off, but
nobody knows how many people live there except for them.”

I could have asked what kind of security detail the
manor had, but it didn’t really matter. In my true form, I could be anywhere,
but even with a mortal body, it was easily to appear and disappear wherever and
whenever I wanted.
Of course, it is more difficult, because this body is
limited.

I scanned the immediate area to both read the man in
front of me and look for a woman who would make him happy. There was a very
compatible woman just across the street, preparing for bed alone. Sending her a
sense of urgency I knew she wouldn’t understand, I gave her the mental picture
of the man in front of me and the location. She would realize when she saw him
that he was perfect for her, and she was just pushy enough to convince him she
was the one he had been waiting for all his life. It was my way of thanking him
for his help.

By now he had figured out I wasn’t cuddly and sweet,
which was what he ultimately wanted. I stuck around for another five minutes
until the woman I sent for walked in, looking around for the man of her dreams.
She was small, but perfect for the burly man who wanted a woman to protect and
love. I pointed her out to the man. “She looks a bit flustered. You should ask
her if she needs help,” I said. He was out of the booth before I could finish talking.

I finished off my lukewarm tea before heading back
out into the cold. Mortal bodies were delicate, but I was used to it.

At the end of the street was a mansion protected by a
tall iron gate. The sign on the gate read that this was Brarir Manor. There
were no guards or servants wandering around, so I pushed gently on the gate. My
magic ran through the metal to unlock the gate and with a loud creak, it
opened.

A camera was activated by the movement, but with a
simple burst of my energy, the electronics fried. Obviously, this was not a
town of magic. There was a lot of power here, not in magic, but in fear.

I refused to hide in the shadows like a petty thief,
so instead I bent light away. I could be seen, but I wouldn’t be. After spying
into many occupied rooms, I found an empty one. The window was locked, but it
was child’s play to reach my magic through the glass and unlatch it.

This was a small, simple room with wood floors, tan
walls, a low ceiling. There was a bed centered against the north wall that was
large enough for two with dark blue bedding. The window was on the north wall
near the bed. Across from the foot of the bed was a sliding door, which I
assumed led to the rest of the house. Against the east wall was a light brown,
wooden wardrobe. There were night stands on either side of the bed with modest
electrical lamps on them.

Before I had time to close the window, there were
footsteps outside the door, so I dived under the bed.

The door opened and two women entered. One of them
sat on the bed while other turned on the lantern. The woman then then went to
the wardrobe and put something in it. “Are you nervous?” she asked. Her voice
was older, patient, and kind.

“No. This is exciting for me,” the woman on the bed
said. She spoke softly, hesitantly as if she had been abused for speaking. “I
grew up an orphan of Banjii when my parents were killed trying to cross the
Togi. The man who found me had to decide where to send me. In choosing between
a halfway decent life in Mijii and a horrible imprisonment on Banjii, he must
have decided I was not worthy of mercy.”

“Many people love Banjii.”

“People who can leave do. Orphans girls on Banjii are
the lowest of any class. Even when we turn of age, we cannot leave. Being sold
as servants is the highest honor we can receive.”

The older woman sat beside the orphan on the bed. “Taron-sep
is a man to whom nothing came easily. Because of that, he now demands the best,
whether it is something he wants or not. He has worked for his riches.”

“I heard he is cruel.”

“What is your name?”

“Verda.”

Orphans had the family name of their orphanage unless
they were adopted, which was rare. Usually, they preferred to be referred to by
their given name, like a child, rather than to use their orphan name.

“He will find you pretty and that can be a good
thing,” the older woman said. “His favorite girl is treated like a queen.
Welcome his advances and never deny him. If you deny him, he will make your
life miserable, and he will still take what he wants.”

“It must be better than being an orphan.”

The older woman stood and walked to the door without
responding, then stopped and turned. “Stay in your room and lock your door at
night unless Taron-sep has specifically demanded otherwise.” With that warning,
she left.

Instead of locking her door as she was warned, Verda
repositioned herself on the bed and turned off the lamp. I sighed, silently,
and rolled my eyes. I reached out with my power to feel her mind as she tried
desperately to sleep. Subtly, I was able to calm her thoughts and induce a
deeper sleep than she was used to.

Once I knew she wouldn’t wake for hours, I got out
from under the bed and left the room. As soon as I closed the door, I focused
my magic to lock it from the inside.

I wandered the halls, trying to find a reason to kill
the master of this house. It would have been a simple matter to kill him and
leave, but I wanted to make sure he was guilty. This was the reason I took a
physical form; so that I could live like mortals did. What was the point if I
only ever took shortcuts?

There was a malevolent presence in this house, but it
was illusive in a way that I doubted it was actually a person. When demons came
to mind, I pushed the idea aside, because I was really tired of those pests and
their impending war. I had no doubt that my husband could crush their little
movement to take over.

Finding nothing, I returned to Verda’s room, crawled
back under her bed, and went to sleep.

*          *          *

I woke as the orphan was getting out of bed. What
woke her was obvious. On the third floor, I shouldn’t have been able to hear
shouting, but it was as clear as day. I focused my magic to bend light around
me until I was entirely invisible to a mortal. Once I got out from under the
bed, I took my first good look at the girl.

She was thin, nearly as tall as me, and had light
brown hair with dark purple eyes. There were no scars on her face, but I knew
without seeing them that there were many on her back. I could sense the abuse
she took over the years. I shut that out.

Mortals are so delicate.

Verda opened her window and looked out over the edge
to see what the commotion was about. I stayed by the wall so she didn’t sense
me or bump into me, but I could clearly hear the situation. A man was yelling
at his servants for being incompetent.

The mountain views were gorgeous, but Verda paid them
no attention. She got changed out of her ragged white dress into a light blue
dress that was just as thin and then left the room. As soon as she closed the
door behind her, I locked it and sat on the bed. After sleeping so close to her
all night, it was easy to find her mind among the other servants. She had very
little magical ability, so her mind was completely unprotected.

When I felt her thoughts clearly, her anxiety and
hope that this would be better than her life on Banjii, I opened my eyes. I saw
through her eyes, heard her thoughts, and felt her breathe deeply.

With no instructions, hunger drove her towards the
weak scent of food until she found the kitchen. Timidly, she knocked, but
received no response. I couldn’t see behind her and felt her startle when she
was pushed out of the way. Another girl passed her impatiently and entered the
kitchen. She followed with hesitation.

The kitchen was large and every surface was covered
in cooking utensils, not in an orderly fashion but as if nobody worried about
sanitation. There was a large counter in the center of the room with pans
handing from a low, metal rack. Using a tiny, cleared space on the counter was
an old, plump woman whose wrinkles, scars, and permanent scowl betrayed a life
of hating her work.

I hope that is not me in fifty years
, Verda
thought, even as shame for such a judgment made her want to apologize.

The woman turned as if she heard Verda and her scowl
deepened. “Are you the new girl?” she asked. Her voice was as harsh as she
looked. The girl who had shoved Verda snagged a piece of bread from the woman’s
board, gave the woman a quick kiss on the cheek, and dumped a stack of dishes
on top of the top of the other dishes already overflowing the sink. The woman
ignored the girl the entire time. “Well?” she prompted, getting even more
irritated.

“Yes,” Verda said, almost squeaking.

The woman picked up the tray of food she was working
on and shoved it into Verda’s hands. “Take this to Taron-sep. If you want food
tomorrow, you have to get in here a lot earlier.”

The pushy girl went to the fridge and pulled out a
plate of food, then stopped in front of Verda and offered a friendly smile. She
wore a yellow dress that was made with quality material and she was cleaner
than most people I had seen in the mansion. Her eyes were aquamarine and would
have been pretty if not for the greedy glint in them. Her long, gold-blond hair
was braided and hung over her shoulder.

“I am Omeda-do Josin, Taron-sep’s personal servant. I
decide what girls get what jobs, so you will do well to do exactly as I say.
Once you give Taron-sep his meal, you will get started on cleaning the main
floor bedrooms.” She left without another word.

That was rude
. Verda looked back at the cook.
“Is Omeda-do really in charge?” she asked.

“She is today. For the last month, she has been the
favorite of Taron-sep, so until a girl who is prettier comes or Omeda-do
oversteps her boundaries, she makes the calls when it comes to the servants.
Now, you are making Taron-sep wait for his food. Go!” she barked and pushed
Verda out.

“Wait, where is---” the door slammed closed.

Verda was frustrated; people always wanted to push
her around. She searched the entire main floor of the mansion with the food as
her stomach growled violently. Every person she passed ignored her, even when
she tried to ask them for direction. The slices of meat and eggs were cold by
the time she finally found Taron-sep.

Taron-sep was sitting in a large, fancy chair with
dark blue velvet cushions. The man looked like child in it as far as I was
concerned. The room was empty of any décor, as the person in the chair was
clearly supposed to be the center of attention. There wasn’t even a side table.

Taron-sep was middle-aged with short, dark brown hair
and cold eyes. His clothes were black and formal, including a tight, thick,
collared jacket, despite the fact that it was summer. He was thin and tall, and
for some very odd reason, I imagined him with a long walking cane.

A bodyguard stood to his right while three men stood
before him. Taron-sep wasn’t a king, but he was sure playing at it. Duran had a
very strong governmental system which put the needs of the people first. Kings,
except for on Mokii, were more like figureheads than actual rulers. This man
just wanted power.

 It was difficult to prepare for danger when I was
seeing through someone else’s eyes because I couldn’t make Verda move without
alerting her of my presence. Verda was skittish enough as she entered the room
slowly. Taron-sep ignored her approach except to reach out and grab a piece of
bread.

The three men in front of the king were sputtering
over each other, talking about not having enough supplies, not making enough
money for food, or how people were afraid to work at night because something
was killing girls.

“And because you are young girl, you are afraid?”
Taron-sep taunted them.

They hesitated. “I have two daughters who have no
mother to watch over them at night,” one man said. “If something is killing the
girls, I will not work when I should be protecting my daughters.”

“Then take your daughters and leave my town. I will
be sure to replace you with someone who does not complain so much. Abro-do?”

“Yes, Taron-sep?”

“Replace this man with someone who does not complain
so much.”

“Yes, Taron-sep.”

“I never complain!” one man shouted, apparently
volunteering for the impromptu job opening. Verda turned so that I could see a
line of five young men, but she focused on her job when Taron-sep reached for a
piece of meat, still without acknowledging Verda, and stuck it in his mouth. He
grimaced, causing Verda to step back in fear.

“Why is my food cold?!”

The guard, Abro-do, took Verda’s arm roughly enough
that the platter clattered loudly to the floor. “I will lock her in the dungeon
and have a fresh tray brought to you,” Abro-do promised.

Taron-sep, finally looking at the girl, had an
expression that sent a shiver down Verda’s spine. “Wait,” he said. “What is
your name?”

“Verda.”

“Are you not of age?”

“I am twenty-two, but I am an orphan.”

“I hate orphans; I have never met an orphan who was
taught proper manners. Abro-do, find her someone to teach her and get her a
family name.” Abro-do took her arm, gentler this time, and started to lead her
out of the room. “Also, give her a bath and send her to my room tonight after
dinner.”

*          *          *

Verda was introduced to an older maid who was
instructed to train the orphan in every aspect of her duties. I distanced
myself from the girl’s mind when she began her afternoon of cleaning and
explored the mansion, invisible to the average eye once more. Unfortunately,
anyone who was skilled in magic and watching for the signs of this particular
illusion would be able to spot me. Furthermore, discovering my spell would also
alert them that I had a reason to hide.