Road to Nowhere (4/?)
Disclaimer: No disclaimer! Trying my hand at original fiction here. Fantasy genre.
Title: Road to Nowhere
Word count: 881 - kinda short, I know.
A/N: Part 4, in which we learn more about our intrepid hero and his plight.
Part 3 left off with him declaring he was an out-of-guild sorcerer.
Jeslyn’s words set off a babble of shock and panic, and it seemed to him like the room was full of tilting masks and waving hands and ripples of noise.
Above the din rose one complaint, louder than the others. “That is some screening process you’ve got there, Leon!” Jeslyn thought maybe it was Curry who said this but wasn’t sure.
Leon stood up. “Silence!” he roared. The order was obeyed. “Now I admit I made this decision in haste, but make it I did. And the lad would likely be dead if we hadn’t picked him up, and I don’t think any of us would have rejoiced too loudly over that.” He glared around the circle, but this was not refuted. He turned to Jeslyn. “You aren’t the only one here because he was unwanted by town or family, even if it’s been so long some of them may have forgotten. But out-of-guild sorcery! Could get us all very hanged. How skilled are you? And where is your master?”
“I’m a bit higher than an apprentice. They’d probably call me a journeyman if I were a farrier or a bricksetter. My master’s name and business are his own. Enough to say his other student was a woman named Maiah, and it’s because of her I had to get back in the city.”
“Oh, lovely,” murmured Daffodylla sarcastically. “All this over a swain’s desire.”
“You don’t understand! She’s not my object of desire, she’s my .. my…” he struggled to find a word for the relationship. Fellow scholar, magic partner, psuedo-sister, other half, OK… maybe an object of desire once in a while but he’d take that secret to his grave, a protector, a protectee, the person he slept next to, cleaned shop, studied, ate, and traveled alongside, played marble skips with when things were slow, and the future sorceress he was someday going to open a shop with smack dab in the middle of Muryling after they’d changed the world.
“She’s my friend.”
“Why isn’t she with you, then?”
“Because she happens to be head-turningly beautiful. A nobleman noticed her one day, she refused his attention…” none too diplomatically, as Jes recalled but didn’t add, “…so he hired someone to find out more about her. Nosy sot found out about us and our master, and that’s all the leverage he needed. Raided the place, got hold of me, told Maiah she could pick my fate - exile or execution. But only if she agreed to accept the hospitality of his House for a month.”
“But… in this day and age?” exclaimed the pink lady - Jesyln couldn’t remember her name but was starting to think of her as “Flora” in an attempt to keep everyone straight in his head - “Nobody forces people into marriages. The King wouldn’t allow it!”
“Just like other crimes don’t take place any more, just because the King doesn’t ‘allow it’?” Leon snorted.
“But who’d want a resentful wife with magical powers? It’s not exactly sensible.”
“It’s vanity, I expect,” Jeslyn offered. “She’s got a month to be sufficiently impressed by his money and his house and his charm, he probably doesn’t see how she could resist. Oh, and did I mention the offer is for Fourth Wife?”
“Look, I realize you want to help this damsel in distress of yours,” Leon began, “but…”
“Oh, you don’t know Maia,” Jes interrupted firmly. “She’s not in distress. In fact, I’m more worried she’s going to turn someone into a jackal and get herself hung.”
“Be that as it may. We’ve got a show to put on tomorrow and you’re going to pull your weight around here. I’m sorry about your girlfriend, but situations change for folks all the time. Everybody adapts. Excuse me if my heart does not bleed for a back-shop witch who’s been elevated to the spires.”
“Oh, Leon, you don’t mean that,” chided Flora.
“What does it matter? I can’t do anything about it!” He pointed a finger at Jeslyn. “And neither, Chameleon, can you!”
*
That scolding had seemed to signal the end of the party, and the group broke up amid rumbles of individual conversations. Jeslyn remained on his bale, feeling very loathe to move. He’d lost his teacher, friend, career, citizenship, name and face in a numbingly fast procession, and it seemed as if nothing was left for him, but for learning the ins and outs of a new trade he had no taste for.
He became aware of a double presence behind him, and turned around.
It was Cimi and Saphyre. Or rather, two people who had once had ordinary names and were now called Cimi and Saphyre. Did Cimi even remember what she’d been called originally?
“Come back to our wagon, Cam, you can sleep there,” Saphyre offered quietly.
“You aren’t afraid of me?” he asked bitterly, sorry to take out his anger on the only two people who hadn’t even spoken during the whole council, but unable to help himself.
“Afraid of you?” Cimi snorted. “Please. You’re just as lost as the rest of us, and besides - you’re scared of elephants!”
Title: Road to Nowhere
Word count: 881 - kinda short, I know.
A/N: Part 4, in which we learn more about our intrepid hero and his plight.
Part 3 left off with him declaring he was an out-of-guild sorcerer.
Jeslyn’s words set off a babble of shock and panic, and it seemed to him like the room was full of tilting masks and waving hands and ripples of noise.
Above the din rose one complaint, louder than the others. “That is some screening process you’ve got there, Leon!” Jeslyn thought maybe it was Curry who said this but wasn’t sure.
Leon stood up. “Silence!” he roared. The order was obeyed. “Now I admit I made this decision in haste, but make it I did. And the lad would likely be dead if we hadn’t picked him up, and I don’t think any of us would have rejoiced too loudly over that.” He glared around the circle, but this was not refuted. He turned to Jeslyn. “You aren’t the only one here because he was unwanted by town or family, even if it’s been so long some of them may have forgotten. But out-of-guild sorcery! Could get us all very hanged. How skilled are you? And where is your master?”
“I’m a bit higher than an apprentice. They’d probably call me a journeyman if I were a farrier or a bricksetter. My master’s name and business are his own. Enough to say his other student was a woman named Maiah, and it’s because of her I had to get back in the city.”
“Oh, lovely,” murmured Daffodylla sarcastically. “All this over a swain’s desire.”
“You don’t understand! She’s not my object of desire, she’s my .. my…” he struggled to find a word for the relationship. Fellow scholar, magic partner, psuedo-sister, other half, OK… maybe an object of desire once in a while but he’d take that secret to his grave, a protector, a protectee, the person he slept next to, cleaned shop, studied, ate, and traveled alongside, played marble skips with when things were slow, and the future sorceress he was someday going to open a shop with smack dab in the middle of Muryling after they’d changed the world.
“She’s my friend.”
“Why isn’t she with you, then?”
“Because she happens to be head-turningly beautiful. A nobleman noticed her one day, she refused his attention…” none too diplomatically, as Jes recalled but didn’t add, “…so he hired someone to find out more about her. Nosy sot found out about us and our master, and that’s all the leverage he needed. Raided the place, got hold of me, told Maiah she could pick my fate - exile or execution. But only if she agreed to accept the hospitality of his House for a month.”
“But… in this day and age?” exclaimed the pink lady - Jesyln couldn’t remember her name but was starting to think of her as “Flora” in an attempt to keep everyone straight in his head - “Nobody forces people into marriages. The King wouldn’t allow it!”
“Just like other crimes don’t take place any more, just because the King doesn’t ‘allow it’?” Leon snorted.
“But who’d want a resentful wife with magical powers? It’s not exactly sensible.”
“It’s vanity, I expect,” Jeslyn offered. “She’s got a month to be sufficiently impressed by his money and his house and his charm, he probably doesn’t see how she could resist. Oh, and did I mention the offer is for Fourth Wife?”
“Look, I realize you want to help this damsel in distress of yours,” Leon began, “but…”
“Oh, you don’t know Maia,” Jes interrupted firmly. “She’s not in distress. In fact, I’m more worried she’s going to turn someone into a jackal and get herself hung.”
“Be that as it may. We’ve got a show to put on tomorrow and you’re going to pull your weight around here. I’m sorry about your girlfriend, but situations change for folks all the time. Everybody adapts. Excuse me if my heart does not bleed for a back-shop witch who’s been elevated to the spires.”
“Oh, Leon, you don’t mean that,” chided Flora.
“What does it matter? I can’t do anything about it!” He pointed a finger at Jeslyn. “And neither, Chameleon, can you!”
*
That scolding had seemed to signal the end of the party, and the group broke up amid rumbles of individual conversations. Jeslyn remained on his bale, feeling very loathe to move. He’d lost his teacher, friend, career, citizenship, name and face in a numbingly fast procession, and it seemed as if nothing was left for him, but for learning the ins and outs of a new trade he had no taste for.
He became aware of a double presence behind him, and turned around.
It was Cimi and Saphyre. Or rather, two people who had once had ordinary names and were now called Cimi and Saphyre. Did Cimi even remember what she’d been called originally?
“Come back to our wagon, Cam, you can sleep there,” Saphyre offered quietly.
“You aren’t afraid of me?” he asked bitterly, sorry to take out his anger on the only two people who hadn’t even spoken during the whole council, but unable to help himself.
“Afraid of you?” Cimi snorted. “Please. You’re just as lost as the rest of us, and besides - you’re scared of elephants!”