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.”

054 – Go To Market, Buy An Outfit

They walked into the square with the flow of customers and merchants going about their daily business. A line of wagons stood off to the side, demarcating the road; behind and within the wagons was a small stock yard.  Booths lined the road side of the wagon line.

Steven briefly glanced around, both looking for damage and checking for familiar territory, as he looked at the upper stories of the structures, and above to the super structure of the city. Most all of the damage had been elsewhere or already cleaned up.

Abey approached a wagon and asked for the local group leader, then asked him where the cloth and leather workers and traders were. The group leader reported that that part of the caravan was down a level, closer to this district's warehouses.

Thus informed, Abey led the four into an alley, and to a stairwell that descended to the city level below, circling one of the support columns. As they descended it was apparent that this column marked the corner of a light well, and that the group they were looking for were in the square below them. Abey looked over the square as they descended, and headed out directly once on the ground.

Caspian did not bother to be impressed, being wrapped up in his own thoughts, and mostly just coming along to ‘hold the bag.’ His previous experience in shopping with Steven in the various villages and towns they had passed through had assured Caspian of the Caplan’s capability and adaptability. As for Abey, he felt that he had vaguely similar immediate background, and so had little about her to be impressed by.

Rox was mildly impressed at Abey’s ability to navigate so confidently for being so new to the city.

Steven had dealt enough with Abey to not be overly impressed with her being a quick study. As well he figured that she had probably come this way earlier, when she had not been in company at the palace.

Abby stepped up to a specific booth, with the company flag over it. “Mildred.”

A middle-aged woman who was helping a customer glanced when her name was called, she nodded in recognition then went back to her customer. As soon as the customer left, the plump mother of some came over to the group.

“Abey, welcome back; are you here to stay?”

Abey shook her head. “Not yet. But I am working on it. You remember Steven,” Abey gestured. “This is his Wife, Roxanne. She needs to be outfitted for the road.”

Mildred looked Roxanne over top to bottom, front to back, in her palace drape and chains. She went back to Rox’s feet, and started.

“Boots: tall or short, my lady?”

Rox paused, “Um, what’s the difference, so that I may answer correctly?”

Mildred looked at Abey, then at the others here; then hitching her own skirts up she placed her left heel on the nearby table. “These are short; a little past the ankle.”

She put her leg down and pointed at Abey. “Those are long, or medium if you prefer, below the knee. Very long would come above the knee.”

Rox nodded. “Medium. Below the knee, relatively close fitting on the legs.”

Mildred nodded. “Trousers or skirts?”

“Trousers. But I would not be adverse to a skirt or two.”

“Waist coat? Apron? Something else?” Mildred gestured to her own apron with its assorted pockets and pouches, and toward Caspian’s vest, and Abey’s belt with its pouches.

“A belt with pouches, maybe a kind of shorter apron, or a longer one matched to a skirt.”

“Sleeves?”

“Varying with environment. I usually wear short sleeves, but detachable long ones might also work.”

Mildred had been mentally forming a list and picture in her mind as she went, and was pleased to find that Rox appeared to have a very flexible mindset, while still knowing what limitations she wanted to impose, fashion not being one of them.

“Weapons?” Mildred motioned briefly to her own knife in her apron, and Abey’s at her belt.

Roxanne had given this thought over the weeks, and checked her skills against the available things. She had visited the Palace Guard training grounds, and tried the spears and staves. She found the bows were almost uncomfortably small, simply due to the stature difference between herself and the average person.

“A bow and arrows, if I can find one that fits; a walking stick, or stave; a knife or two for defense and domestic use. Maybe a pair of smaller clubs, or sticks.”

Mildred took this all in, and let it work itself though, as she continued to appraise Rox’s physicality. “I can comprehend your problems. You can get boots and gloves, and even belts easily enough, being careful to instruct that they be long enough. Covering your limbs is the challenge. Come with me. Abey: you stay here, Holly will run the booth, and you will help her.”

Holly, a younger, slimmer version of Mildred had been aside keeping busy. She now stood to and took Mildred’s place at the table, as Mildred stepped out, taking Rox in hand.

Caspian took the moment to wander away as the Caplan’s were ushered to another stall. Here Mildred helped them select two overlarge tunics, one skirt and a pair of trousers. The man and woman running this booth then had Rox put these on in succession, and with chalk and pinned gathers sized the garments. The trousers and skirt were obviously too short in height, and too generous around. As these were fitted, notations were chalked on for how much more material in what direction to use. The tunics were both generous around and marked for Rox's size accordingly. One had sleeves deliberately overlong, the other deliberately short. The one with long sleeves was marked for Rox's wrists,  the other for how to attach to her shoulder and for a round neck.

Following Mildred’s advice, Steven and Rox went to a local canvas merchant and had a rucksack and water bag put together. This same merchant was able to quickly put a hooded cloak with a few pockets on the inside with matching lighter cape, and a bedroll together. The water bag and bedroll hung to Rox’s left side, if not secured elsewhere. The pieces would not be finished this day, so she would have to come back for them the next afternoon.

Coupled with Mildred’s advice the merchant sent them to a local leather worker; he was able to skillfully measure Roxanne’s feet, hands, and waist for boots, gloves, and a belt respectively. Upon learning of her weapon preference he was able to quickly design a set of Archers Bracers to protect her wrists and fingers, and work with the gloves. He added his recommendations for an Arrow Maker who made quality arrows, and recommended a man who could make a good bow quickly. Once they had the weapons, they were to return and he could put a quiver together and attach any other equipment they wanted.

The bow carver started by seeing if there was anything already made that might be cut down, to save time. He quickly found a recurved war-bow in his inventory that was initially consigned for The King’s Archers. This was tall enough, and recurved; it was large enough for Rox’s stature. With the bow and four strings paid for, they went back to the Arrow Maker, who had to dig around for blank stock long enough. Shortly he had enough for two dozen shafts. Taking an arrow that was completed, The Caplan’s went back to the leather merchant.

They gave him the completed arrow, and Rox reported on her preference for a hip quiver. Leaving him to his work, they went back to the various knife sellers and looked these over. Caspian, Cyrril on his shoulder, joined them at one of the sellers. They soon found a good belt knife that would do duty as a combat and utility knife, and a smaller domestic knife.

The leather merchant attached the larger knife to the belt, in front of her left hip. The smaller one was put in an underhand wrist sheath on her right bracer, so as not to interfere with her archery. The quiver was hung by a shoulder strap across her torso, and secured with a belt loop to her belt on her right side. The finished belt and quiver would be available the next morning. The gloves and bracers by the afternoon. The boots would take another day, mainly in getting the hard leather to shape, and the wool liners in.

This afternoon done, they picked up Abey. She was caring for her mule, Miri. As they talked about the day’s doings, Abey led the conversation to other camp equipment and how to carry it. By the time the conversation was done, Abey had all but convinced the Caplan’s to get a mule, a tent and some cast-iron cookware. What Abey did not realize until later was that Steven did not need convincing, that had already been done by her example over the prior weeks. Roxanne simply needed to be convinced to spend the money and that these could be used and worth the investment of time and treasure. That Steven had always been the animal person in the family was beside the point.

Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 49

It is inexpressible the joy of having Roxanne back at my side.

The plan now is to head to the coast, then south by boat. Right now, we are getting shopping done.

Looking back through this, I have so many full pages that I need to get a new notebook to write in.

The next day they went back to the Wolves. Holly took them in tow, and between her and Abey they got two mules. Holly mentioned a relationship to the Mountain Wolves, and the merchant gave them a mild reduction in price, essentially cutting his profits by two thirds. Then they went to one of the local outfitters who also displayed a Mountain Wolves pennant over his establishment. Here the girls got the Caplan’s equipped, for essentially wholesale prices.

The mules had their tack already; halters and leads, pack saddles, and feed bags. To this was added a tent, with space to attach the Caplan’s bedrolls; a smaller single occupant tent was attached for balance and in case Caspian decided he wanted to use it. Several cooking tools were added, all approved by Rox as they were purchased; a fry pan, a pot, a dutch oven, all of which nested together; a cooking/serving spoon, a comparable fork, two good sized cooking knives, some metal bowls for eating or meal prep, and a spit and frame that could also hang the pot or dutch oven. Some other things were suggested, but were down checked by Rox or Steven. Most of this was secured to the first mule.

Holly and Abey quickly got more shopping done in the nearby market. Again, this section of the city catered to travelers, instead of locals, so things were packaged differently. Rox and Steven bought food that they would eat, and in portions and forms that Abey and Holly recommended. They finished with a sack of flour, several days worth of vegetables, dried meat and other portable food stuffs. Water sacks, some cooking oil, some spices, and even some eggs.

On a final market stop, Rox purchased a handful of domestic things; some towels, soap, some cord, and the first of her clothes. Of the two tunics, one was ready, the other still being used as a pattern to adjust a third. The skirt and trousers were in pieces, and being used as patterns for new ones. The trousers were being made from a soft canvas; the skirt from a thick linen, the same as the third tunic. The leather merchant just had the boots to finish. The Arrow Maker had several of the arrows done and the bow ready.

That afternoon Steven made a loaf of dutch oven bread to demonstrate he knew how to do so. Abey approved it, after critiquing the loaf. They spent the rest of the time with Rox chatting with a committee of the women from the Wolves about food on the road. Steven returned to the Palace, retrieved his crossbow and went to the practice field with it. Rox soon showed up with her bow and the half dozen arrows for it, and joined the practice.

As she practiced with the new bow and compared it to the others being practiced with by the Guards, Rox quickly realized that her bow was essentially one of the war-bows of the army, for use in cross-battlefield archery. This led her to wonder that the arrow maker needed to make new ones, as opposed to just raiding the army’s extras. Asking about this later, she learned that the army’s stores were kept elsewhere, and that the Palace Guard was not privy to it. So at this moment it was just as well she get new ones, these would be less likely to be aged out of usefulness anyway, and marked with her own fletchings.

055 – Things Start Moving Again

Two more days was the Sabbath. Steven was a bit uptight over not being able to get the shopping finished, but the majority of the city went to worship. Rox had attended worship as part of her activities in the palace. This day, she took Steven with.

Steven was not overly impressed with the services, having rejected most religious organizations in his youth. But he did enjoy the message; giving credit to the speaker’s enthusiasm for the subject matter.

Rox had been quietly amused at the service's simplicity over the several weeks of attending. Some of the messages were interesting, but Rox enjoyed the socializing after the initial meeting of the services more than the sermonizing.

For his part, Caspian was relieved to attend a worship service. It was not his specific denomination, but he was not as concerned about that as just taking time to acknowledge and honor God. He and Steven had blazed their way across the country to get to here, not stopping for worship. That was a break from his normal pattern. So he drank in the worship as a thirsty man finding a bubbling spring.

The next morning Steven went out with Abey and picked up all the remaining equipment. Roxanne had been able to get the Sorceress to give a final magic lesson, with Caspian in quiet attendance observing what and how Rox understood. At the end of this, Roxanne removed and handed the Sorceress the gold chains she had been wearing up to that point.

For her part once done with the shipping, Abey moved out of the Palace Guest Quarters, and into a berth with the Mountain Wolves. Steven went to see her after dinner, upon noticing that she was not accounted for in what he had come to think of as the Palace Cafeteria.

Abey was tending to Miri, who had been previously moved out of the Palace Stables into a Wolves paddock, when Steven approached.

“There you are.” Steven spoke to announce himself as the people here were attentive to their own business.

Abey forked some fodder into the feeder of the pen and then turned to Steven, leaning on the handle of the fork. “Here I am.”

“The Palace Steward said you had come here.”

“You come here looking for payment?”

Steven looked around, noting that four of the six Wolves wagons here were from the front of the train as it had rolled the few days he had been with it. This meant that the Wagon Master was nearby.

“No, not really. More just a formal goodbye.”

“And if I gave you payment?” Abey felt bound to the custom, even if Steven did not.

“Well, your time and expertise have been very helpful, both on the road, and here, equipping my wife. The Wolves have been very generous; as a merchant on my own world, I understand what profits mean. Seeing you go safely with them, that they are willing to take you in and let you make a life with them, that is payment enough. But if you insist on payment, you recall that I am letting you set the price, since I do not really know what that would be by your custom.” Steven shifted on his feet, almost leaning on the rope that defined the paddock, before seeing it would not support his weight.

Abey nodded. “My price. All right. Now?”

Steven looked around. “How soon do you leave?”

“We have been here most of two weeks. They are loading the outbound freight now, and will acquire a bit more for the next leg over the next day. Probably the day after tomorrow, I think.” Abey turned to take the fork back.

Steven followed. “I recall that they will be going north east, along the lake shore, and up the river valley to the north of the Jemed Highlands, and Gulco Mountains.”

“Yes.” Abey already knew this. It was close to where she came from, but not very. “The Duchies in that direction are profitable in the fall. Then we head south to the Wintering Ground for the animals of this train. Also we will meet with the Black Wolf Company and trade up in training the militia and army of that kingdom.”

They walked past the freight wagon loaded with fodder for the animals in the pen. Abey left the pitchfork by the rear wheel, and walked on behind the wagons, into the camp area of the square. This area was off-limits to locals while a wagon train was parked here. Steven was let through by virtue of being in company of Abey. Steven noticed that all the members of the company, even the children, wore a wooden disk on a sleeve or around the neck. The disk had the company seal/insignia on it.

Abey led Steven along between several tents, into a common area between tents with tables and benches laid out. Looking around Steven realized that all the tents enclosed this area. On one side was the cook line and dish washing line. On the opposite side sat a handful of people working on ledgers, and counting money. Abey walked to these people. The Wagon Master’s Wife was working a master ledger, recording the totals reported from the individuals, and taking bags of money.

“Master Lisel, Do you have a moment?” Abey asked as she stood before the woman writing in her ledger.

The woman finished her sums mumbling to herself, put her pen aside, blotted the fresh ink with a blotter, and then closed the book on a marker. She looked up at Abey, then at Steven.

“Abey. What can we do for you?” Lisel, the Wagon Master’s Wife, and Master of the Books, clasped her hands on the book and waited.

Abey had been taking lessons of some kind somewhere, Steven noted. She stood up straight, almost to attention. “It is time I clear my obligations to Steven. Then I can join you with free conscience.”

“I see. And how much does he ask?” Lisel replied.

Steven almost answered, as Abey paused. Then she spoke.

“He is allowing me to set the price, beyond my labor in the time spent with him. That price shall be Two Thousand.” Abey said this as though a bit rehearsed.

Steven had seen how much Rox had saved from her time here. It was a bit more than two thousand, but not a lot more. This was effectively six weeks to two months wages, depending on the pay scale. He wondered how Abey might have been able to squirrel that much away. Because Caspian had held the bag, and only given Steven as much as was needed at the time, Steven had not kept track of how much he had earned, traded for, or spent. In equipping Rox, they had spent nearing two thirds of her savings.

The Wagon Master approached from Steven’s left, apparently having heard Abey. He spoke as he approached and stood to Abey’s left. “That much. You want us to forward this to you? I know you don’t have that directly in savings.”

Abey turned to look at him. Steven realized again how much bigger he was than the average, as he towered head and shoulders over Abey, and a head taller than the Wagon Master. He suddenly felt like he was looming; or maybe just shielding this conversation from the rest of the tent.

“I wish it, Wagon Master. I have decided to commit myself to the Mountain Wolf Company, this will secure the commitment. I realize that I have less than that as rightfully my own, but in selling to the company as much of my property as I can, I can make up part of that difference. The rest can be taken from my wages for the remainder of the season.”

Abey looked slightly imploring. The Wagon Master looked at his wife. She shrugged and inclined her head. He looked back past Abey and up to Steven.

“Is that good enough for you?”

Steven hesitated briefly, but only for the show of the transaction. “Yes. It is good. I have no quibble with it.”

Steven made sure there was a bench behind him, and sat down on it.

The Wagon Master turned back to his Wife. “Give her the money and a receipt, and log it. Abey, get a receipt from Steven, acknowledging your freedom. Then you can join us fully and formally.”

The money and receipts were passed around. Steven could not read the writing, but signed where he was bidden to. Then Steven was shown aside to a table where Abey and Lisel counted two thousand silver coins into a medium sized bag. Steven had learned in the last several days of shopping that as gold was comparatively scarce, silver was the preferred coin and less likely to draw attention.

Once the bag was in Steven’s hands the Wagon Master stood Abey up and swore her into the company. A few looked briefly scandalized at this being done before Steven, but let it go. Abey was then given a wood disk of her own to wear.

Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 53

Abey is on her way. God’s blessings go with her.

Now it is time for us to get on our way. Diana and Alex are waiting for us.

They were packing to leave. Roxanne was going to keep two of her more modest drapes that she had worn around the palace. All the clothes were picked up, as were the leather things, weapons, and other things. Roxanne dressed in her linen shirt and trousers, her belt with its pouches and things around her waist, her trousers tucked into her boot tops. Her gloves and bracers were tucked into her belt. They had everything else laid out on the bed and table, and Steven decided that it was finally time. He pulled the loop that he had Roxanne’s wedding rings on out of his coin purse, and dropped them on one of Roxanne’s piles.

Roxanne went right over them and then pounced back on them in mounting excitement.

“Are these?” Rox was almost hyperventilating, the rings clenched within her hand.

Steven smiled widely. “Yes, they are.”

“How?”

“Well, we crossed paths with the man that was evidently the one who bought and sold you. He had not yet been able to sell these. So we bought them.”

“Why did you wait to give them back?”

“I needed the right moment. Don’t put them on or you are sure to have them stolen.”

Roxanne took one of her necklaces that Steven had brought with. “How about this?”

“So long as I don’t have to kill anybody to get them back.”

They quickly had the rings woven into the necklace.

They finally finished packing, and Steven took the bags and things down to the stables where their mules were, to pack them. Roxanne looked around the room that had been her home for the last months. She wanted to get after her children, but was not quite content to leave. She had not been able to find a good pair of hardwood sticks. So she figured she would find some along the way. They were going to pass through a hardwood forest, so she figured she could find a good pair of limbs to make into sticks. Then the Sorceress surprised her.

“Roxanne.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

The Sorceress walked in to the bedroom, and handed Rox the gold chains, with their leather bands, and belt. “Keep the chains. Wear them.”

“Why? They are slave chains. I’m no longer a slave.”

“After I ran those magic probes on you, I decided to give you this specific set. They were once mine, so I had to have them lengthened. But as you noticed at one point, they are different than any other set in the palace and city. The gems in these new bands act as amplifiers for magic, the chains as conductors. Wear these, and your innate latent magic capacity will be increased. They will not put you at the same level as me, or The Mage. But it will make you more formidable. And I dare say the elves may do a bit more to these.”

“So they have a practical use. Why didn’t you address this before?” Roxanne stood straight, looking down to the Sorceress.

“You weren’t ready. My focus was to teach you the baby steps. You know those now. The Mage can teach you the next steps, and how to draw upon these tools.”

Roxanne, took the wad of gold chains, and set them aside.

“Also, take this.” She handed Roxanne the short staff. “I don’t use it enough. But I think you will.”

“You’ve given me so much already.”

“Don’t say no. It’s your preferred weapon. And it will be very useful in your magic.”

Roxanne took the proffered staff. “Thank you.”

Roxanne stepped forward, and the women embraced. The Sorceress was a bit uncomfortable, but relaxed quickly. They separated, and Roxanne turned to finish packing. The Sorceress turned and left, catching Linell at the door, and leading her away, talking to her about getting the chores done.

056 – Farewells And Fair Waters

Rox put the chains into the bag she had been putting her last things into, closed it, and took one last look around. Everything else that she had acquired or been given was already gone. Then picking up the stick and bag, she started out the door. In the hall Linell quickly run over to Rox, hugged her, said thank you, and ran back to her chores.

The feel of a child’s arms around her was a lingering reminder as Rox strode the halls of The Palace. Down several levels across the complex and down into the stables.

The King and Queen were waiting in the stables, to the mild surprise of Roxanne. However she was privately gratified to see the royal couple holding hands. Both were simply dressed, with the only part of their costuming that betrayed any royal status being the gold collars each wore. Two blue uniformed body guards were in proximity.

Roxanne curtseyed on their acknowledging her presence. “Your Majesties.”

The King spoke. “Rise, Roxanne Caplan. Be at ease.”

Rox stood back up. “Too what do we owe your presence?”

Rox continued over to the mules, where Steven had tethered them. They wore their full loads. Rox looked them over, seeing where her main bag had been put. Then moving between the tethered animals to deal with her last burden.

The Queen answered. “We are here to see our guest off. But you seem to be missing the young lady, Abey.”

Steven, leaning against a stall rail beyond the mules, answered. “She left with the Mountain Wolf Trading Company. She is with them now.”

The Royals nodded. The Queen spoke. “Ah. Good luck to her with them, then.”

“Yes.” Steven answered a bit distantly. He was a bit torn, as he had prior experience in young people leaving his employ, but none quite like Abey, or the experiences that surrounded her.

Caspian entered the stables, his coat and cloak slung through the strap of his shoulder bag, Cyrril on his shoulder. The bag looked more full than Steven remembered seeing it. Looking around as he noticed the guards, Caspian spotted the Royals standing aside. He bobbed his head to them as he walked past.

“Sorry I am late. The Sorceress said I should raid the kitchen before leaving; your bakery does such wonderful breads. Are we ready to go?” Caspian turned his full attention to the Caplan’s.

Both mules were tied to a post, the animals standing in the passage down the middle of the stables. Steven leaned against a rail, Rox between the mules facing in Caspian’s direction doing something with the load, a stick under her right arm. She pulled a bundle of leather thongs out from one of the bags, pulled a thong off, then put the bundle back and closed it, and moved out from between the animals.

Steven was in his traveling clothes, as Caspian was used to seeing. Rox was in her trousers, boots, shirt and vest; her soft side hair tied back, her course center hair standing up.

Steven stood up and walked to Rox’s side, running his hand along the mule as he passed, and taking her arm stepped her away from the hind legs of the animals. “I think we are now ready. Your Majesties, thank you for your graciousness and hospitality.”

The King nodded and the Queen bobbed slightly. “You are most welcome, Steven Caplan. Should your travels ever bring you back this way, you will be honored guests.”

Caspian watched as the Caplan’s each took a lead and started out. Cyrril was slightly agitated, sitting on Caspian’s shoulder, but wanting to be elsewhere.

“Your Majesties.” Caspian bowed to the monarchs, and then turned to follow his companions.

The Guards stood at the open gates and nodded as the group left. Roxanne, for her part, took the mules lead she held and hooked it to the back of the pack saddle on the mule Steven led. Then she took her staff and started wrapping the leather thong around it next to the grip point for separating into two sticks; as she worked on it, Rox put a loop into the thong for her hand, to retain the staff when holding it as a walking stick.

The road first headed east out of the palace complex. There was clear sky above them. They walked a block before the road intersected with a north-south running road, where they turned north. About half a block along, the road began descending and quickly went to the valley floor level of the city. This road continued north gradually descending to the port on the lake that demarcated the north edge of Veradale here.

In planning the quickest route to the coast, Caspian had suggested going around the coast of the lake and up its western shore to the town where the highway to the coast started down the river valley there. All the locals they talked to said it was faster to take the lake ferry. Finally Caspian relented and they booked passage.

As they walked through Veradale’s markets and warehouse districts Steven led the mules along, Rox walked beside him wrapping the leather thong around her new staff. Caspian walked behind the mules by a few steps, watching as the Caplan’s unconsciously fell into step with each other. He also watched as the crowd stepped aside from them or around them. Cyrril was as alert as Caspian, watching the crowd.

During his stay Caspian was impressed with the order of the city. There were few law-breakers, and only a comparative few constables in evidence in their red tunics. Now, being between breakfast and lunch, the city moved about its business. Where they moved through business was the trafficking of goods from the lake port to the warehouses and markets.

Shortly they came to the port proper and Steven turned to his left and walked along the line of piers. Longshoremen and -women, beasts, and carts moved around each other as goods were off loaded and moved inland, or brought to the shore in preparation for loading. Steven led the mules along this avenue, past piers and wharfs where smaller boats of assorted sizes were tied. They came to a larger pier and turned onto it. The mules noticed the change from cobbles to wood planks, but continued along. The larger slips sat at an angle, with the narrow end closer to shore and the wide end pointing the ship out into the channel between the piers. They passed two boats and came to their ferry.

The Ferry was like yet unlike any boat Steven or Rox had seen. The closest Steven could figure was a two mast sail boat, cut down the keel and moved apart, making a flat bottom center, with round bottom sides. A galley of oars lined the deck just above the waterline, and four masts mirrored across the center line, two large masts between mid-ship and the aft castle and two smaller ones just aft of the forecastle. Ramps were mounted on the fore and aft allowing what Steven understood as drive-on-drive-off use of the ferry. The rest of the boat looked as expected, save for wider to accommodate the hull design. The ferry was tied with the aft facing the shore, the landing ramp open, the starboard side mooring lines secured to the pier.

Steven angled left out of the main flow along the pier and into the line behind a group of cattle to board the ferry.

On boarding from the ramp, fore or aft, the deck split with ramps going up and down. Boxes and crates were pushed and pulled up to the above deck. Animals were herded and led below to the same deck as the oarsmen’s galleys. A crane from the dock lowered large pallets of cargo through a well through both decks to the bottom most hold. Passengers found places around the rest of the open areas.

On the ferry Steven and Rox took the mules below deck, following the cattle, and put them in an assigned paddock, securing their cargo saddles on nearby horizontal posts for that purpose. Close by they found the hammocks reserved for them. The deck had large chimneys at regular intervals along the port and starboard bulkheads for air circulation. Several dozens of other animals were brought aboard to the paddock deck, a load-master arranging them to balance the ship. A gentle fug settled within the compartment as the animals were secured in their paddocks, with a handful of chickens/turkeys/something wandering about.

Caspian stopped on the dock and watched Steven and Rox walk up the ramp and check in. Cyrril took wing and disappeared. Then with some resignation, Caspian went around the side of the ferry and boarded on a pedestrian ramp, presenting his passage voucher to the woman at the top. Caspian then moved to a point as low to the water as he could above the oar galley, as close to amidships as he could tell. He set his bags down and leaned against the rail, watching the traffic below and around him.

Once underway Caspian moved a bit aft to where it rocked least. Clutching the rail he refused to move. Roxanne did not have sea-legs under her but adapted quickly; she came out onto the deck and found Caspian.

Rox leaned on the rail, forward of Caspian, and looked out across the water as the ferry’s oars moved below them, propelling the ferry through the calm. His reaction to the mild movement of the ferry amused her. However here, with a modicum of privacy, she wanted to get to business, and start asking him questions.

Caspian spoke first. “Where’s Steven?”

“Up front, watching where we are going. Watching the pilot boats work.” Rox still looked out across the lake as the port expanded behind them.

She started into her questioning, looking for a lesson of some kind, and to get Caspian’s mind off of the movement upon the water. “What do wizards use their staff’s for?”

“Storing spells, channeling energy, drawing symbols on the ground, self defense, a Badge of Office, and even walking sticks.” Caspian all but yelped this, sounding a bit nauseous. He clutched at his staff with one hand, and the rail with the other.

“Storing what spells?” Rox sensed a bit of ambient magic flow, it swirled around the staff and up and expanded around Caspian. She could not tell quite what it was being organized to do, but there was something going on there.

“Offensive, defensive, other things. Name it.” Caspian’s color turned from a bit green to just pale. The boat was only a few hundred yards from the dock.

“What of that can you teach me,” Rox asked to Caspian. She absently measured the distance, and figured she could easily swim the distance if she needed to.

“What do you want to know?” Caspian’s voice sounded a bit more stable, but he still looked pale.

“We have the better part of a full day, with nothing else to do. I figured we could find a quiet place and you could start on whatever is next for me to learn.” Rox looked at the east shore of the lake, and wondered where the highway was that went north along it.

It took until after dinner for Caspian to move in toward the center of the boat, but he refused to go far under a roof, instead going up to the top deck, and finding a clear place near the center, between the center masts. Sitting on the deck, as the sails were set to catch the evening breeze, using a slate and piece of chalk Caspian began to instruct Rox in the meaning and use of symbols in organizing magic and casting spells.

057 – Caspian Uncorks

Caspian seemed relieved for two reasons once they got off the ferry boat the next afternoon. For one, he had been between pale and green the entire time that he had been on the ferry, and had not gone far from the open air from cast off to tie down. That Cyrril was not in evidence the whole boat trip said that Caspian was not in a good mood. When asked, he said that he preferred sea going ships to lake going ones. The second reason was that once off the docks and onto solid ground, he got over his queasiness, put a good foot under him and set as quick a pace as Steven and Rox could coax their laden mules to go. Somehow traveling, not on the water, put Caspian in a better mood than he had been in the days it took to square away everything in the city.

This next leg of the journey is to be comparatively short. Over the next week and a half, the plan is they head for the coast to get a sea ship. In process, Rox has to get accustomed to marching all day, eating from a fire, and sleeping in a tent that was not as big as the bed she had in the palace.

Once away from the port town and onto the highway, The Caplan’s asked Caspian for more detail about his motion-sickness, and he responded that an ocean ship moved differently from a lake ship. Once over his initial discomfort on the ocean one, he would be fine. He figured it would be several week-or-so jaunts down the coast from port to port. They should get to Skarg in about the same time or a little after the caravan that carried Diana and Alex.

This was the first time that Caspian had identified where they were going by name, in Rox’s hearing. Steven rounded on him.

“You have known the name of this place all along?”

“Yes.” Caspian continued walking.

“You did not share this before now, why?” Steven felt hints of the frustration he had felt the week before picking up Abey.

Again Caspian was being a clogged drain of information. “Actually I did let it slip once or twice in our first days. Since then I have kept this to myself in order to not have to explain it twice, and I was more concerned with getting you acclimated. Now that you are together, I can tell you both at the same time. And now you stand a better chance of remembering it.”

Rox was slightly out of breath. She was in good shape for other forms of exertion, but not yet for walking all day. It was her turn to pull the lead for one of the mules, with the other tied to the pack of this and following behind. She picked up on Steven’s agitation.

“So tell us. Steven has told me some, tell us the rest.”

Caspian started as he continued walking. “Your daughter and son have been kidnapped by order of the monarchs of The Kingdom of Krogg, in the southern hemisphere of this world.

“As a small bit of geography: this world has one large continent that covers a bit more than one third of the surface, with three smaller ones scattered over the ocean of the rest. Krogg is approximately south of us, at about this same latitude below as we are above the equator. By the way, my home is a bit south of the equator.

“So, these monarchs sent the people who kidnapped your kids, and are waiting for their arrival. Had we been able to get to you sooner, Roxanne, we might have had a chance to catch them before they got too far. But that is now hopeless, so the next move is to try to catch them in Skarg, the capitol city of Krogg.

“Once that is done the elves, who sent me on this intercept mission, want to see Roxanne and your children. They live in a city that is about a half way to the equator from here and several mountain ranges inland. That done, I might finally be able to go home. They owe me a good deal for this.”

Rox asked the question that Steven had asked weeks earlier. “So if you know where we are going, can’t you just teleport us there, or teleport the kids here?”

“Not easily.” Caspian kept walking. “I could conceivably spy the distance between here and there and find a landing spot, but that is more trouble than it’s worth, especially with a wizard among them to interfere. Only the most skilled even attempt it. As it is, are you ready to fight off a caravan of about thirty men, including a wizard who is possibly more skilled than I am? The last fight of yours I saw, you had several points where you might have killed, but you did not. Has your mindset changed now?

“In the time it will take us to travel, I can teach you more magic theory and the things you have asked about. But I doubt you will be ready for a skirmish when outnumbered. At this point, a re-kidnap and run is probably your best option. We can use the time between here and there to get you ready for that.” Caspian continued to walk, his staff counting the time.

“Thanks for finally explaining that. I have wondered why we seemed to be taking the long way.” Steven answered this time. “Once we had Abey, there did not seem to be any reason to go faster than we did. I readily admit that I have learned a bit traveling with her. But I was beginning to wonder why we did not pick up the pace and start bouncing faster. I recall you mentioned in the capitol that you said you have been through this area before, though it was years ago. I suppose it was too long for safe transit via magic?”

Caspian nodded, his staff counting a quick time march. “Yes. I might find some potential landing spots for travel spells, but we need the time for other things. Right now, I first want to see Rox’s endurance. In process of this, how much she actually knows as opposed to what it is believed she has been taught.”

The afternoon passed to evening as the road began a slight downward track. They were passing across the western flood plains beyond the lake shore and into the foothills of the next mountains. The highway they traveled was not far from a river that drained the lake ultimately into the sea. Every little while the road and river intersected and a bridge crossed over.

From her instruction with the Sorceress, Roxanne had learned that on this road this Kingdom had two Duchies broken into five Baronies each to cross before they left its boarders for the coastal Kingdom. This road itself crossed three of the Baronies, and around two mountain ranges, going downhill the whole way.

As they traveled, Steven and Rox were soon talking between themselves as they always did. But with their circumstances being different than usual the subject matter was likewise different. Steven told of his prior weeks traveling, the natural demarcation being before and after picking up Abey. Rox told of her anxiety about what was happening to her children and at home. Steven admitted his own worry about this but his training to focus on what was at hand kept it at bay.

The discussion turned to Caspian, as Steven told of the pit fight episode. Rox listened and then wondered out loud how powerful and skilled Caspian really was.

“I am powerful enough to do whatever I chose to do.” Caspian interrupted their private conversation. Hearing that they did not continue, he explained his rudeness. “You talk loud, for a private conversation.”

Rox picked up on his unspoken invitation. “How were you taught?”

“I was trained as a boy in personal tutoring by my parents, then by a school designed to handle the instruction of those such as myself, or The Sorceress. She was several years ahead of me in classes. On evaluation of my talents and interests I was taught in the theory of all eight disciplines of magic. I displayed an ability to instinctively make spells from any of them. However, being a generalist, the more complex the spell, the less likely I am to succeed by just ‘making it up as I go.’ For spells that are new or unpracticed, I do need notes to follow.”

They were crossing a bridge and Caspian stopped. He began gesturing as he spoke. Cyrril simply sat on Caspian’s shoulders, dozing.

“I could, if I wanted to, raise the water level here to flood this bridge. By one school, I would do so by altering what is perceived. By another I would reach out and gather all the water from either direction of the river to pile up. Or I could reach out to farther away and bring it here. By a third, I would transmute as much of the available materials in the area into a sufficient quantity of water. My preferred method on my farm at home is to put a gate at the head of my fields and another out to sea then put a series of filters between them and let the water flow from one to the other and irrigate my fields.”

Steven’s own sensibilities popped up. “Or you could just demolish the bridge by other means. I recall you did not want to do much damage in the city, and figure that would be less of a problem here. You did level a square full of people in one spell.”

Caspian gave a final gesture. “Just so.” He turned on his heal and started on the road again.

Rox had heard something here that she had not been able to go much into with the Sorceress. “What are the Eight Schools? The Sorceress mentioned this, but did not go much into detail about it.”

Steven noticed that Caspian had slipped into Instructor Mode. Like this he could go on for some time. But rather than interfere, Steven let it go. He took the mules from Rox and let her step ahead to go listen from closer range.

Caspian started counting on his fingers. “Well, lets see. Barriers, and protection; the various form of information gathering; various forms of making people do things; organizing and manipulating energy to do things; Illusions perceived and real; dealing with life and death; manipulating organized material; moving things and abilities around. That is the School of Order’s separation of them. I rarely think about the titles of these disciplines. On the other hand, and this one is what bugs me, there are the Titles of the various practitioners, the more common ones being: Wizards and Wizardesses, Sorcerers and Sorceresses, Clerics and Shamans, Warlocks and Witches, Necromancers, Druids and Druidesses, Illusionists, Conjurers, Enchanters, and last but not least, Mage.  The Titles have little to do with the actual schools, but rather with how the individual uses and applies them. So many people just use a blanket title for all practitioners. If they are going to do that, fine, but at least use the right one. Some people just go for the derogatory 'frog-maker'.”

Rox nudged the rant back to an instructional line. “And the title you claim is?”

“Mage, or maybe magician. All the rest are specialists.”

Steven was right. Caspian continued on alternating between ranting and instruction until they came to an established waypoint. The mules were unloaded and turned into a pasture. The Caplan’s set up their tent. Dinner was made and shared with a nearby group who traded some fresh game meat for a loaf of bread.