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Part 4
Recapitulation: A young boy, Hage, has run away from his foster home, the vineyard of Glaucus. Glaucus is traveling to the north to find a cure for the ruined crop of grapes that's plaguing the farm. They get the company of Troskel, the thief-master, in order to find Platte the merchant. Platte agrees to take them to Glockard the magician.
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Hage could really stretch out on the wagon-floor. It was almost empty since they had unloaded the two barrels for the merchant in the morning. Some of the space was taken by food for the travel. "We'll travel through the woods, where there are no taverns," Platte the merchant had said. He'd been more than happy to sell them rations, at a "special price." Glaucus had bought some food from him to keep him happy. But most of their intended rations came from farmers outside the town, who had lower prices.
The two days had passed fairly quickly. Hage had spent some time at the stream, fishing and practicing with the sling. He now had a nice, swollen bump in the head since the time he knocked himself out with a rock, when he didn't release the cord correctly. Glaucus had excercised one of his rare smiles when Hage had come back to the inn. "I knew Troskel would get you into trouble," he said, but regretted it when he noticed how morose Hage became at the mention of the tall man.
They left the town one morning, traveling towards the rising sun for some hours, before taking a turn northwards. Platte sat on the bench beside Glaucus and was quiet most of the time. Hage had slept badly in the stables that night, he'd awoken from nightmares a few times. On the wagon-floor he slumbered from time to time. When he was awake, he thought about the nightmares. Fola had figured into them, but he couldn't remember how. It had been something about an ambush, but he couldn't make up his mind if she had been the attacker or the one attacked. But he could remember how he'd been all stiff, unable to move, that he couldn't do anything to take part in the event. He could still feel that helplessness at the back of his throat. He still felt regret that he'd left her without saying goodbye. That thought made him think about Troskel and that he'd left without saying goodbye, and then the lump in the throat grew.
In the afternoon they stopped at an inn to leave the horses and wagon. They would walk the rest of the way. Glaucus spent some time negotiating the fee with the inn-keeper. The inn-keeper asked for a ridiculously large amount to take care of the horses. "A week at most, then we'll be back. It can't be that expensive," Glaucus protested. Haggling over the price unearthed the reason for the high fee - the inn-keeper wanted to get back at Platte, who'd tricked him some years ago. Glaucus had some difficulties in explaining that he wasn't a friend of Platte, just a customer. "You must think I'm stupid. Any customer of Platte tries to minimize the time thay have to be with him. You, on the other hand, seem to seek his company." In the end Glaucus did manage to get a lower price, but not as low as he'd wanted.
They set out along the road. It was late in the afternoon when they left the road and walked across the fields. Their first night was spent under the wide open sky, in lee of an small grove. "In the morning we'll reach the forest. The day after, we'll get to the magician. I need your to promise never to divulge how to get to the magician," said Platte. They were the only words that he said while they ate dinner. Glaucus ate in silence for a while before answering: "Let me answer that when we've met the magician."
Sleep came quickly below the star-speckled sky.
Morning broke with a light rainfall. They hastened to pull together their blankets and stuff. Platte had a big sack over his shoulder with rations and goods for the magician. Glaucus also had a sack with wine-skins of both the new wine and last years. At the bottom of the sack he had some gold to pay the magician. He'd told Hage before they left the inn to keep an eye on Platte, so he wouldn't steal the gold. Hage's sack only contained food for himself.
They walked in silence while the steady, but light rain, enveloped them. Water soaked through their clothes and boots. Stepping into the forest made the dampness even worse.
Platte led the party deeper into the woods after a short stop to cut some wandering-staffs. The rain stopped, but the dampness clung to them for hours while they fought their way through the underbush. The ground rose and they had to start climbing over fallen trees and rocks. Sweat replaced the rain on their foreheads.
In the evening, they camped in the woods. A small glade where a giant tree had fallen many years ago was suitable. Platte made a fire quickly and sent Hage looking for more dry firewood below the large spruce trees. Glaucus went to fetch fresh water. The merchant made a strange brew when the water boiled. "This is leaves of snabel - the woodsman's friend. This stuff keeps the hungry going and brings heat to the cold ones." They drank the frothy green soup and ate dried meat and bread in front of the fire. Night fell around them, the darkness deepening while the sounds of night rose.
Nobody said much. Both Hage and Glaucus were tired after the days walking. Platte was as silent as always. They rolled up in blankets around the glowing fire and fell asleep.
Hage had troubles getting up the next day. His legs felt distant, as they weren't really part of himself. At the same time they hurt when he flexed them. Glaucus also rose stiffly. Breakfast was more bread and soup of snabel. Platte noticed their pains, with a sly smile. "Today we have to walk the rest of the way. We can't sleep another night in the woods. So I hope you can keep up with me," Platte said and then continued: "Oh, by the way - I happen to have an ointment that eases the pain in your legs. Interested?" Glaucus searched in his pack and pulled out an small flask. "Like this one? Thanks, but we're set." The ointment made the skin hot and red, but it did take away the stiffness.
Platte led the way, even more silently than before. The day was uneventful while the sun marched mostly unseen behind the forests green canopy. A short break to eat some dried meat at lunch-time was the only pause. Platte egged them on in the dense woods.
A master of magic
They finaly came out of the woods, overlooking an green valley, painted in vivid colors by the afternoon sun. Low bushes covered the ground that sloped down to a small stream. On the other side of the waters, the valley climbed upwards again towards the mountains in the distance. But as a black chicken in a flock captures the eyes, so too did the sight of a dome seize the travellers' attention. The top rose slightly above the trees on the other side of the valley. Blue and dark green sparkles covered the roof. The sparkles seemed to be constantly moving as the water in the stream.
"What is that?" Glaucus asked the merchant. "Nobody knows. It's not of this world I think. It's pure magic. The less we know about it the better, if you ask me." He shrugged and jerked the ropes of his burdens to a more comfortable position. The group left the trees and started down the slope. The small stream poured furiously over the stones at the crossing. "It's more water than usual," said the merchant when they waded into the cold mountain-water. They held on to each other's sacks, Hage in the middle and the merchant last in line. Coldness clawed at his feet when he tried to find footing in the tugging stream.
Getting closer to the other bank, Glaucus turned his head to say something, when his staff skidded from a stone. He took a quick step to get his balance back and suddenly kneeled in the cold water, his foot caught between some stones below the surface. "Damn!" Putting his staff on a new stone he cumbersomly rose and hobbled forward. "I think I sprained it!"
It only took a few minutes more to get across, but when they came up on the other side, Hage couldn't feel his feet or calves. Glaucus fell to the ground with the wounded foot high in the air. "Hage. Please wrap it tightly so it won't swell so much," he said with a clenched jaw. The merchant looked over Hage's shoulder and shook his head. "I think we had better hurry before night falls. I've heard tales about the creatures that wander in this valley under the shroud of darkness. Beasts of dark magic. Luckily, I've never met them myself and I don't intend to do so now." The merchant rubbed his feet and legs dry with his cloak. Wrapping a cloth around his feet, he thrust them into the leather boots. Glaucus took his time to make sure the wounded foot was tighly bound with Hage's scarf before rising and leaning heavily on his staff.
They started out again. Hage stumbled upwards in the wake of the merchant. It was harder to walk here than it had been walking down from the woods. Platte turned his head ever so often and made it clear that they must hurry. Overhead, the sky deepened with shades of dark blue. Along the horizon the craggy outline of the far away mountains slowly melted together with the sky. Only behind them the sky was still separated from the earth by the glowing sun.
"You've got to walk faster. We've still got a half hour walk left. We should have been there by now," Platte said angrily. "We'll never make it before the sun sets. The beasts will feast on our bones tonight." Glaucus, too, was worried. He panted from the effort of walking upwards. He stopped to talk. "OK. Let's do it like this. You two walk ahead to the magician as fast as you can. When your're there, ask him to follow you back to meet me again. If he's as mighty as everyone says, he'd have no fears of walking the woods of night. I'll be following the path as quickly as I can." He pulled Hage's pack from him and hung it around his own neck. "So you can move faster," he explained. "No. Leave your things instead and try to save your life," he merchant said, upset. "The things I carry are what's going to help me save my farm. I'm not throwing them away. Without my farm I have no life either," Glaucus responded. "Well, do as you please, but I fear that we're not going to see you alive again." Platte turned his back against Glaucus and set out in a hurried pace. Hage stood still. "Glaucus. Come, we can walk together. I'm not afraid of the dark." Glaucus replied, "Me neither Hage, me neither, but I need you to follow Platte to the magician and make sure that he'll come back for me. Platte is the only one of us who knows the path so you must go with him. If you and I travel in darkness we'll only end up taking the wrong turn, but if we let Platte go alone to the magician, we can't be sure that he'll enlist his help - you've noticed that he is afraid of the darkness. Perhaps even so afraid that he don't want to go out again tonight. So you must go with him. Now leave me, but come back quickly with the magician."
Hage still stood motionless. Glaucus pushed him forward. "Move or we'll both be lost in these woods." So Hage left Glaucus hobbling through the darkening shrub-land and ran after Platte. Without the weight of his pack, he was fast on his feet. Soon he caught up with the merchant who walked at a frantic pace, muttering to himself. Hage's sound coming through the bushes made him turn nervously. Hage could make out that the mutterings were prayers. "Son, if your life and the life of Glaucus is dear to you - you too should be praying," Platte said and walked on.
With the night came absolute darkness. The sun was resting, but the world of night awoke. Sounds from the woods grew stronger in the darkness. Hage could make out grasshoppers, owls, and other well known animals in the chorus, but there were also sounds that he'd never heard, announcing animals he'd rather not meet. Most frightening was the sudden silence when all of the forest's animals seemed to be holding their collective breath in fear of some lurking beast. Platte had set fire to a bunch of sticks and was bending down towards the ground to make out the path. "Soon. Soon we'll be there," he said trying to comfort himself as much as Hage.
Coming out of the high bushes they stepped into a large opening. Over them, the night sky was assembled with thousands of stars. In front was the large dome, resting on a high stone wall, its roof silently sparkling with a million of specks. Platte ran to the stone wall and knocked furiously on a inset wooden door. "Open, please open and let us in!" His voice rang out high and shrill. "Ah, yes. Nightwanderers. Not very often we have visitors calling on us this late." The relaxed voice came from the darkness behind them. "Glockard. Oh, what a relief to see you! The beasts were on our heels all the way. We almost didn't make it through the woods." Platte almost sobbed out the last words.
Hage had studied the man. He was a head and a half taller than Hage. A great dark beard erupted from within his grey cloak-hood and welled down on his chest. The starlight wasn't bright enough to see his face beneath the hood, but the hand resting on a short crooked cane was delicate and old. Like an old woman's hand, Hage thought. So this was the most respected magician of the north. He didn't look very powerful.
He assembled his courage and spoke up before Platte would start his wailing again. "Sir, I don't want to disturb you, but we have to go back out for my master, Glaucus, who's wounded, and would you please hurry because I heard some really nasty animals sneaking around in the woods." The hooded man nodded knowingly. "Ah, yes. He's already here. I found him and brought him with me." With that Glaucus hopped out of the woods, leaning on his staff with both hands. "Would you all care to join me for a cup of tea inside?" the hooded man asked as he walked to the door. As he passed, Hage noticed that he was carrying all of Glaucus' things, carelessly slung over his shoulder.
Platte followed Glockard through the door as close as a dog, yelping with relief to be sheltered from the night and the woods. Hage had offered his shoulder to Glaucus to lean on and they passed into the light and warmth of the building a few minutes later.
Platte's big sack was carelessly thrown on the floor inside the door. Glaucus' and Hage's sacks were neatly placed on a wooden bench by a large table farther into the room. Platte himself was perched on a stool by the fireplace, as if he was very cold. Glockard was somewhere in the room. He appeared again with a box in his arms. "Come and sit here, by the fire." When Glaucus was seated in rocking-chair, the magician kneeled before him and pulled of the boots. After poking about on Glaucus' wounded foot he ordered Hage to get a kettle with hot water from the stove. From the box, Glockard picked a few jars and some dried herbs. He pulverized the herbs in a low round trough, then he poured water over them. After washing Glaucus' feet, Glaucus making involuntary jerks all the time, he applied oinments from the jars and wrapped the wounded foot with a new steady bandage. "Nothing to worry about. But you won't be able to walk very far for some time. You're destinied to be my guests for the time being."
(To be continued.)
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[This message has been edited by Slayer (edited 04-24-2001).]
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