053 – Magic Mirrors, Plans, And Shopping

Caspian puttered around in a strange work shop; not that The Sorceress was messy or under supplied, but that this was her place, and not his. He had been brought here after finishing breakfast. He and The Sorceress and Rox had set to work once Caspian understood what was going on. On one table Caspian had a small fire heating a sheet of metal with four circles of gold powder slowly liquefying. Next to this he mixed various ingredients to make a resin. When satisfied, he had Steven and Roxanne each put a hair onto one of the gold circles, then put one each he had acquired at their home for each child, and poured the resin over top. The Sorceress spoke an incantation over each as Caspian poured. When all four were done, Caspian put out the magic fire under the sheet and let things cool as he put the supplies back where he got them from.

As the four disks cooled, The Sorceress turned the Caplan’s attention to her mirror.

“Roxanne, you have repeatedly inquired as to using this to see your children. I have repeatedly put you off, for whatever reason I could at that moment. The main one that I did not want to say was that I wanted to wait and show the both of you. If you had left before your husband had shown up, then I would have shown you both him and your children. Now…”

The Sorceress pulled a thin silk curtain over the front of the mirror, covering it.

“Roxanne, move it to the middle of the circle, carefully. Then the bucket of water is to be placed behind the mirror. Then step out of the circle.”

Roxanne briefly considered magic, then simply picked the mirror up by its frame, Steven joining opposite her, and shuffled to the center of the room with it, and put it down. Next they moved the bushel basket sized bucked of salt water to behind the mirror, and stepped out of the circle carved in the floor.

The Sorceress stood in front of the mirror, and began casting, and gesturing.

Caspian, leaning on the side table, followed the spells as she constructed them, guessing that neither Rox nor Steven understood what was being said. First she neutralized all magic within her circle, then she energized the mirror to show an image reflected from the water. Next she tuned the water to catch reflections from a distant light source. Then she assembled and started the tracking spell, and used Rox and Steven as sources to look for their children. She stretched out her senses south, letting the spell home in on the two beings on this planet whose physical makeup was a combination of the two in the room. As this searched, she coupled the reflection spell to the searching spell, and lifted the silk curtain from the mirror. Caspian felt a return from the searching spell, and the Sorceress stabilized the focus of the reflection spell. The mirror showed an aerial view of a column of three mule drawn wagons and about twenty marching figures.

Caspian had mentioned to The Sorceress that the company had a wizard among them, so she was carefully bringing the image in as a reflection, instead of a scry, using a spell-type similar to Caspian’s marble with light gathered and channeled through an object, rather than using something that linked to and fed a person's senses.

She adjusted the spell, and slowly drew the image in to a side view of the caravan, and panned along from a medium distance, looking for smaller figures, and there they were. A boy and taller girl walked along among the company, dressed in approximately the same clothes as the rest of the people. They did not appear to be restrained physically, but that might not be necessary at this point. The image was not close enough to see fine detail.

Roxanne and Steven watched all of this. Roxanne was stoic watching this, Steven choked up. Then Steven spoke.

“How far away are they, and where are they going?”

The Sorceress backed the image out, and looked for a pennant, or emblem. She moved the image around and looked at the front, and started to focus on the shoulder emblem on a larger man carrying a pole arm. Suddenly the image went blank, and the mirror just reflected the room back at them.

Caspian was not surprised. He looked at the new trackers he had made. In another few moments he could cast the final spell and then they would be useful.

Rox reacted to the mirror. “What happened?”

The Sorceress simply put up her hands. “Blocked at the source. I might be able to try again in a few hours. Depending on whether the mage keeps the spell up.”

“But we don’t know how far away they are. Or where to go to catch up with them.”  Steven sounded irritated.

Caspian loudly cleared his throat and cast his activation spell on the four disks. They quickly started to glow. After a moment he picked up the two for the children, and held them out.

“Your children are approximately one third to one half of the continent away in a mostly south direction. We can get that far easily by ship within a few weeks. That will include time to outfit Roxanne for the road, get to the coast, and get passage south.” Caspian deadpanned this, seeing it would be the best available way to get Steven back to an even emotional keel.

The Sorceress guessed that Caspian probably knew where the caravan was returning to, but was keeping that information to himself for some reason. So she turned to her bucket of water and had it reproject the last images on the mirror. A still of the man with the pole arm hovered on her mirror. She then took a piece of paper and a pencil and sketched the livery-symbol as best as she could make it out, then she let the image fade.

“I am going to take this to Her Majesty. Perhaps she can identify it, and where it is from.” The Sorceress nodded, and gathered all up visually and motioned to the door to her workshop.

Caspian took the four disks and preceded out, the Caplan’s following closely behind.

The Sorceress watched them enter Rox’s rooms, and start talking as she went to go find The Queen.

Caspian entered the room for the first time. To his right was the bed on the inner most wall facing a fire place, to his left a table set as a desk, ahead of him the changing room. He stopped at the table, turned and leaned against it. Roxanne and Steven sat on the bed facing him, Roxanne’s chains chimed as she sat.

Caspian spoke in English as he fingered the disks in his hands. “So, you see that your children are still in good general condition, and as I have said, are heading south. Steven and I could head out this afternoon, but you, Roxanne, are not ready.”

Rox nodded. “I have been learning the markets here, but have not really been much out of the palace, since arriving. I doubt they would be much help, but they can be some. What I have to wear now is entirely unacceptable for camping.”

Steven had been through Rox’s closet, small as it was, when hanging his own things in it, and knew this to be true. He raised his other concerns. “I know that such local money as I have currently available might not be enough to pull together a rig for Rox. How do we deal with that?”

Rox smiled. “We have enough and to spare. I have been paid for my time here. Slave though I have been, I have actually been drawing a wage. Since I have not had to pay for much, most of that is in savings. It may not be a great amount, but it will contribute. The Palace also still owes you for the Lord you traded for me. All of that together will be more than enough.”

Caspian stood up and stepped across, handing the disks to the Caplan’s.  “There is also whatever payment Abey is able to put together to give you; presuming you are willing to let her pay, which I recommend.”

Steven took the disks, palming them like the over-sized coins they felt like in his hands. “Right. So I guess we do have access to enough.”

Caspian turned back to the table. “Well, then; when do we go shopping?”

Roxanne moved through palace halls, with Steven a half pace behind. They were heading to the guest quarters. After finishing their plans and Caspian leaving, Rox and Steven had started into the chores that Rox normally did, but found that a crew of Pages led by Linell were at work, accomplishing these tasks. Since The Sorceress had not given Rox any instructions, Rox had presumed that she still had to accomplish her chores before lunch. Linell told her that The Sorceress had asked for some Pages to return to that duty, and that Rox was relieved of them in preparation for her leaving.

Now the Caplan’s were going to get Caspian, and maybe Abey, and go shopping. Roxanne also considered taking Linell, but did not want to get her in any trouble, so dismissed that idea.

They found that Caspian had gone from his room to an informal balcony, and that Abey was on the Guard training grounds overlooked by that balcony. Shortly Caspian was gathered up.

“We are starting shopping now,” Roxanne had announced.

Caspian had given her a once over, as if to say, ‘you are going out dressed like that?’ and then simply got up and followed. On the training ground, a platoon of guards-women was drilling on polearms. They had accepted Abey into their drill on the end. As the three had shown up, the leader had deferred to Rox, presuming her to have some official business. Rox dismissed this, simply calling Abey out and leaving with her is tow.

“Abey. Steven mentioned that you have some apparent skill in outfitting for the road.” Rox spoke as she led then out the front gates and into the yard there.

Abey responded, almost trotting to keep up because of her length of stride compared to Roxanne’s, and how fast Rox now strode along. “Yes, ma’am. I have some practice at it.”

Rox did not break stride going out the front gate and on to the roadway in front of the palace complex. “Then you will help us to get me properly outfitted. I am no stranger to camping, having done plenty with my Husband, but I have not had time to begin putting together a kit of my own in the time I have been here.”

Steven had a question that he had been asking himself. “Why not have the palace's tailor make one? Then it can be fitted to you properly.”

Rox shook her head as she had slowed her pace to move through the city throngs. “No. A travel kit needs durability and weather resistance. In the palace those come from riding in a coach. I expect we will be walking, or astride some of the time. The linens and silks that the palace uses would be tatters in a few weeks. Anything the Guards might contribute would also be impractical; too heavy or prone to rust.”

Abey spoke up. “I concur. Looking at the Wolves, or Caspian here, that is the sort of costume we should look for. Leather for durability where needed, layered fabrics for the rest. But your size will be a challenge; most things will be too short in height.”

In the markets north of the palace and up to the docks, they first went to the costermongers. ‘Used clothes of good quality will do better than brand new,’ Abey had reasoned. But nothing fit. What was long enough fit like a tent, what was close enough around was too short of sleeve or leg. Not knowing the local craftsman, Abey decided to ask after where the Mountain Wolves were parked. This took them some time to get to, being in the elevated areas of the south east districts.

As they went, Rox noticed the comfort with which Abey related to Steven. Abey was half way between formal and familiar with Caspian, apparently uncomfortable with his being a mage. But Steven, Abey almost flirted with. Rox had briefly forgotten just how young Abey really was, thanks to her skill in dealing with the markets, but seeing her interacting with Steven brought Rox’s hackles up. Steven was innocent in this relationship; Rox knew how Steven interacted with his employees, some of which were in Abey’s demographic, and having already proven his loyalties. At one point as they walked between markets Rox stepped to Abey’s side.

“He’s mine, you know.” Rox said conversationally.

Abey bubbled back. “Of course I do. He would not have it any other way. Besides, he’s too old for me, at my age.” Abey smirked.

Rox returned the smirk. “Watch it, or I’ll take you over my knee and paddle you.”