47CHAPTER THIRTEEN - ASSIMYA'S PRICE
The Five Schools of Wizardry are depicted as a Star within a Circle. The central point represents Enchantment, endowing an object or place with Power. Because only Enchantment is capable of outliving its caster, it is revered as the pinnacle of the Art. To the right of Enchantment is Illusion, which deceives or clarifies the senses, and to the left is Transmutation, which makes one thing into another. These are the three High Magics, or "Tower Wizardry". Beneath them are the two Low Magics, Divination and Invocation.
Low Magic is often called "Bandolier Wizardry" because its practitioners are compelled to travel. Diviners are unwelcome when they are wrong… and sadly, also when they are right. The same can be said of Invokers. If they are needed at all, they are needed desperately. They fight battles and respond to disastrous circumstances. In truth, there is no quicker path to reknown than that of the War Wizard. While Invocation is simplest and purest of Arts, it is also the most perilous. A wizard may summon far more power than is prudent if his desperation outweighs his sense. For this reason, the final point of the Star is depicted cutting the edge of the Circle. This should be read as a warning, for outside of the Circle is Darkness.
- Introduction to the Arcane Arts, Blaise of Tiriva
Assimya and I deliberated over whether or not we should continue on to the Lodge, and ultimately decided that if we still had any pursuers, they'd be scouring the forest for us rather than expecting us to double back in the direction of Corith. More importantly, I needed to tell the Mayor about the dead wizard and the Faceless I'd left petrified in the Well.
Someone worth his salt needed to have a look at my hastily-cast spell before it failed, and I didn't dare go see Master Castel myself. After making such a mess of his city, I didn't think I was in the Mayor's good graces either, but it still felt safer to visit him than the wizard who'd tried to burn me and drown me the last time our paths had crossed..
When Assimya and I got to the Wren, Hugh was two-thirds of the way through a bottle of whiskey, and Jan was standing on a chair holding a lantern so that a serving girl could give Winifred stitches. The old Tessar was nowhere to be seen.
Hugh leapt to his feet and promptly whacked his head on the low beam over his table. "You're alive!" he exclaimed, wincing and quickly sitting back down.
I slumped into a chair across from him. "I feel dead," I cracked my knuckles and rotated my wrists. Apparently, a side-effect of overdoing a powerful Earth spell was that I was stiff and sore from head to toe, as if I were wrapped in stone myself.
"Drink?" Hugh asked, offering what was left in his bottle.
"Please," I said. Ma's cure for any ill was a spoonful of honey and a spoonful of whiskey. Hugh's whiskey wasn't the smoky-sweet Wester stuff I'd grown up on. It tasted like lamp oil, but the burn warmed me up some, so I had a little more.
The Seekers were more somber than I'd ever seen any of them, even the night I'd been revealed as a Wells. All of us had nearly lost our lives, and that was a lot to take in.
"The Faceless is trapped in the Well. He's petrified at the moment, but I'm sure my Enchantment will wear off, and I don't know how soon. Sinnifer scattered or killed all of his men. Also, there's a dead wizard there too. I don't know who he is, or what happened to him... but it might be important," I paused. "And... we still have what we were Seeking," I added, brushing my cloak aside just slightly to show Hugh the Sword.
"I see that," Hugh nodded. "Well done, both of you."
"I figure we should go to the Mayor," I said. "Get him to send Master Castel over to the Well? Just in case?"
Hugh nodded. "I'll go talk to him. You know… I'd say this is beyond anything we can handle, but apparently we've already handled it. And I think it's safe to say that we've taken that new "Most Ridiculous Contract" as a team."
When he said that, everyone smiled a little.
We stayed at the tavern until Hugh came back. The bartender refused to let us pay for anything, and two guards saluted us from the docks as we returned to our boat.
The Seekers of Corith were getting to be more famous than any Seeker ever wanted to be. Of course, this time, the madness hadn't been my fault at all. In fact, if I hadn't found the old man when I did, the Faceless would've probably gotten away with both Assimya and the Sword.
Winifred stared at the Sword the entire way back. She obviously knew more about it than she was letting on, and she looked like she'd like to throw it into the river.
"How are you holding up?" Hugh asked, thinking maybe she was more woozy than distracted.
"Twelve stitches is how. Could've been worse. I'm too old for this," Winifred grumbled. The way the old woman said that made me wonder what she'd been like in her youth.
The trip in our little boat seemed longer than normal, but I suspected that was only because everyone was terribly quiet. We all had a lot to discuss, but in the end, sheer exhaustion won out. When we got back to the Lodge, Winifred didn't even bother making tea.
I slept like the dead that night, and purposefully stayed buried in my bed until I heard the kettle whistle the next morning. Hugh evidently heard the same thing, because he opened his door right when I opened mine.
"Somebody put tea on," I observed. My stomach grumbled. It didn't like having only whiskey in it.
We went downstairs. Surprisingly, it was Jan in front of the fire. Normally Winifred wouldn't let him cook at all, but she wasn't in any condition to protest. If I remembered correctly, he was "allowed" to make tea. I was not allowed to do even that, because I too often forgot the kettle and boiled it dry.
Hugh grimaced as he sat down.
"Are you hurt?" I asked.
His dark green shirt had a blackish wet spot on it.
"Mm. Maybe?" He admitted. Pulling off his shirt in front of the fire, Hugh awkwardly tried to look over his shoulder. He had a nasty wound in the middle of his back, and just looking at it made me feel lightheaded and squeamish. Being a former soldier, I was sure Hugh had a lot of experience with that sort of thing, but I was surprised he hadn't gotten himself stitches back at the Wren. Then again, taking care of Winifred's head injury had probably seemed more urgent to him.
"Oh, Hugh!" Assimya scolded. I hadn't seen her when we came into the common room, but she was in her usual corner by the fire, and she saw the condition Hugh was in. "You should've asked me patch you up last night!"
"Didn't think it was so bad," he grimaced.
"Hugh, we all know you're tough," Jan said, giving Hugh a cup of tea. "You don't have to prove it by letting yourself bleed to death. You should've said something."
I watched Assimya tend to him, first with hot water and soap, and then with her needle. Her fingers moved with impressive speed, and the stitches she gave were very small and perfectly even. I'd never had any patience for sewing, and no talent for it either. I'd never considered that the same skill that mended shirts could also save a person's life. Though Assimya was half my age, in a lot of ways she was better prepared for the world than I was.
"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.
"Cook something," Assimya suggested. Had she forgotten I wasn't allowed to cook, or was I being granted an exception? I decided to try my best.
"Okay. I hope everyone likes pie," I said.
"Pie?" Jan eyed me suspiciously.
"It's the only thing I know how to make," I admitted.
An hour later, after we'd polished off the last of my over-salted, slightly-blackened pie, the five of us stared at the newest addition to the Lodge's treasure horde, the Sword of the Warrior. It was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, upright as if it were another person in our company.
"I can't believe I touched that thing," Jan shuddered.
"Me neither," Hugh grimaced. "I suppose it doesn't bother Hazel because she's some sort of relation to the Old King. He made the other six swords by copying this one. Although... I don't recall him ever wielding it. I think only Tarran the Bold and the Warrior herself ever made it glow."
"Well, I don't have any idea how to properly wield a sword," I replied. "Maybe I can draw it and swing it, but I haven't seen it so much as flicker. It does have a strange effect on me though. And when the light hits it just right, I think I can see the blood."
"Blood?" Hugh echoed. "You see blood?"
Everyone stared at me as if I'd gone mad.
"Why, what do the rest of you see?" I wondered.
"Nothing. It's just darkness that goes on forever. Like the night sky without stars," Jan replied.
"It makes you feel like you're shrunk down to nothing." Assimya added. "Like you're falling upward. I thought I was going to throw up."
Hugh looked perplexed. Obviously, his experience had been nothing like Jan's, Assimya's, or mine, but he wasn't going to elaborate.
"Hm," I bit my lip. "Well, when I'm holding the Sword, I feel fantastic… and that's what tells me it's dangerous. And when I tried Seeking it in the theater, I saw it being forged. From a fallen star, in dragon's breath. Just like the legends. That burned a hole in my brain." I grimaced.
"I can't believe that's the Sword of the Warrior. It's so thin and small," Jan paused. "It doesn't have a proper crossguard either. How are the Tessar Captains so invincible if this is what they consider a sword?"
"Well, the Captains are all deadly fast. Most of them don't wear armor. Wester children never touch ground till they're nearly grown. They jump around in the trees like squirrels. When you grow up like that, and there's no beating your footwork… and good footwork makes a good swordsman. It's just so natural to them that they can't even explain it. When I first came to the War, I was assigned a teacher who was fourteen. That's how far behind I was, by Tessar standards. And you know, she gave up on me!" Hugh sighed "As for the design of the Sword… I honestly don't think anyone knows. All the others were modeled off this one, the True Sword. And according to my Captain, it was never meant to be a weapon."
"How could a Sword not be a weapon?" I frowned.
"Search me," Hugh shrugged. "But my Captain knew the Warrior personally, and that's what the Warrior told her. The Sword is not a weapon. Whatever that means."
"Hold on, your Captain?" Jan stared at Hugh. "Are you finally admitting to being a Tessar?"
"Well, I have tied on the Blue a time or two, though I won't say that makes me a proper Tessar," Hugh replied. "It's hard to explain the difference. You know, my Captain doesn't consider herself a Tessar. She's a Knight of the East."
"A woman knight?" Jan eyed Hugh suspiciously. "From the East?"
"Believe it or not, that's how old she is. The East wasn't always how it is now. When my Captain was young, anyone who wanted to be a knight just had to prove they could do it. I'd never cross blades with her, absolutely never," Hugh said. "To tell the truth, I've only met her a handful of times, when ribbons were being given out and that sort of thing. Mostly, I was stationed at an old fortress called Windward Pass. Our job up there was to do what the Border Guard thinks it does in Bel Kaba. Wait for something to happen. Not a lot of glory to be had, when you've got the job of a fence. But that's where most of those who "go to the War" end up. Farm boys with their heads in the clouds."
I immediately thought of my brothers. "Hugh, I know I've told you about this before, but my brothers went to the War," I paused. "And what you said about farm boys got me thinking. It'd be hard for you to remember if you'd met my Da, or the twins... but Allen and I, we look alike." It was something I'd always said when describing my older brother, but I'd realized after the "Queen Miranda" business that it could be a very important thing. "Allen's a good shot with a bow," I added. "Good enough that folks would notice him. Ma always said he must be part elf to shoot like he does. I think my brother might be a Wells too."
Hugh shrugged. "Well, I never heard about any Allen Wells or any other particularly notable archer, but I wouldn't blame him if he was using another name. And I did tell you why most people don't come back from the War. It's not always because they're dead. Sometimes it's just… too hard to go back to ordinary life. Didn't you send your brothers a Wren?"
"They haven't responded yet," I shrugged. "But it hasn't been very long, and if they're sending a normal letter back... it could be weeks more. Months, even, depending on where they are. The North's awfully big."
"It sure is," Hugh agreed. "From here to Rulak, that's twice the distance from here to Bel Kaba. And all the way to the Watchtower? I couldn't tell you how many miles. I've never been up there, but I know the Captains try to keep the War North of the halls of the old mountain kings."
"I never thought it was right to ask you about the War," Jan said. "But lately it's been on your mind, hasn't it?"
Hugh nodded. "It feels closer," he admitted.
"Do you think it'll come here?" Jan asked. "I never used to think it would. But a real Faceless, in Corith? Now I'm not so sure."
We sat in silence for a long while.
"Whatever happened to that old man?" Jan wondered.
"Last I saw, he was still whupping Faceless. He ordered me to get Winifred out of there," Hugh said. "I wouldn't worry about him though. You know, there aren't really knights in the West, but all the Captains have their Seconds and Thirds and Fifths... I think up to seven minions is the rule. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Captain himself. Once he had a sword in hand, those bastards weren't going to touch him. I can't believe he told you he was a boxer. Although… I wouldn't be surprised if he did actually punch a mountain troll," Hugh sighed heavily. "Westers. Did you ever get his name?"
I shook my head. "Everything happened so quickly. I didn't think to ask."
"For what it's worth, I think Assimya's right. If that old man doesn't show himself in the next few days, we ought to return the Sword to the Guardians," Hugh said.
Jan's eyes drifted towards me, but he said nothing and just went to put another log on the fire.
I stared at the Sword. I was still imagining walking up to the great Tarran the Bold, handing him the blade and saying "Excuse me, Captain… but did you perhaps lose something?"
Assimya caught me smiling. "You can't keep the Sword," she said.
"I don't want to keep it," I reminded her. "I want to give it back to Tarran the Bold. And I think that's because I made the old Tessar swear that either of us, if we got it, would return it to its rightful owner."
Winifred snorted. "You'll never find him," she told me. "Not if he doesn't want to be found." She seemed very sure of that, and her certainty made me wonder.
What did Winifred know about Tarran the Bold? (42)
The next morning, Winifred was running a fever. Assimya prepared some medicine for her, while Hugh and Jan made breakfast. No one said a word about going to Corith to look for work. The weather was warm and clear, so I decided to go out and chop some firewood. Sinnifer brushed up against me as I went to work on a scraggly little pine.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Cutting this tree down," I replied. Truthfully, swinging an ax made me feel better. Some physical exertion took my mind off of all the things that were troubling me.
"Why?" Sinnifer wondered innocently.
"So we can use the wood to cook and stay warm?" I eyed her suspiciously.
"But you can invoke Fire," she said.
"I almost burned down Corith the last time I did," I reminded her.
"Ugh. Of course. Because Fire is stupid," she snorted, sitting on her haunches like a dog.
"You really don't like Malcit, do you?" I laughed.
"That one is a menace!" Sinnifer growled. "You should not have summoned him. But you should be casting spells! Many of them, for every reason. To make a fire. To close a door. To walk on the snow. You need practice!"
"I know I do," I sighed. "But I'm still going to chop this tree down the hard way."
"Why?" Sinnifer wrinkled her nose.
"Because it gives me something to do that I don't have to think about," I replied. "And right now, I really don't want to think."
"The Sword makes you uncomfortable," she stated. It was not a question.
"It wants to go back to its rightful owner," I paused. "And I'm sure that it should. But Winifred doesn't think he can be found."
"Well, that one has not tried to find him," Sinnifer replied with distaste. "And all things seem impossible to one who never tries."
"I don't know. The Warrior vanished so many times and always came back. My gut tells me that Tarran the Bold is alive. If this Sword wasn't still owned by someone, why was I able to Seek it? I made a contract with the old man. We both swore we wanted the Sword in the hands of its rightful owner. If the rightful owner is dead, wouldn't it have just gotten a new owner?" I asked.
"Mysterious Wells intuition," Sinnifer observed, sounding smug. It was her way of telling me I was onto something.
"The trouble is, the Sword is now also the last piece of Assimya's Chain. I can't take it from her, and she's not going to trust me on this," I sighed. "She's going to give it back to the Guardians."
"Not if you stop her," Sinnifer paused. "Hazel, the Guardians did... not... They..."
"Did not what?" A cold, sick feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach. Sinnifer was trying to tell me something. I was used to her refusing to tell me things, so seeing her struggle to form words was very surprising.
"This one cannot say," Sinnifer shook her head heavily. "But the Sword is old. Old, old, old." She exhaled slowly, and the way her nose scrunched up made it obvious she was frustrated. Older than the Guardians? Was that what she was trying to say? But even if that was the case, why would returning the Sword to them be a problem?
"Sinnifer, I can't just steal the last piece of another Seeker's Chain! Seekers aren't thieves!" I protested.
"Perhaps not, but many Wells are thieves. Darilyn the best of all," Sinnifer replied.
I decided not to press the issue of the Sword. I'd come outside to escape it, after all, and I couldn't resist the bait Sinnifer was offering me concerning the Old King. She wanted to change the subject, and I wanted to let her.
"Did you know him?" I asked. Sinnifer gave me a look that said she absolutely did, but she didn't answer my question. "Do you know how I'm connected to him?"
If I was honest, I didn't know much of anything about Darilyn Wells. He was in some of Ma's stories, but he was the sort of character who usually showed up near the end, just in time to save the day or do something that nobody else could've done. Kisrel had some things to say about him in the dedication of Fundamentals. In his words, his "one true rival and greatest friend", Darilyn Wells was "a terrible king, with a true, pure, Tessar disdain for time, laws, social order, fences, shoes, and anything else that in his mind stunk of civilization."
From the little Sinnifer had told me about the Old King, I knew that he frustrated her, but she also seemed to admire him and miss him.
"Fine. Could you at least tell me a little bit about what he was like?" I asked, deciding I'd rather talk about anything but the Sword. "I know his reputation. But what was he like to you?"
"Hm. Like the Water of the desert, which contains much Earth. He seems stubborn and unbending, but when he realizes he is not winning, he flows with great speed. And he is as much Fire as Water, also. Loud. Arrogant. Reckless. Pigheaded! Most unbalanced! Also, kings of men are supposed to wear shoes. Is this not so?"
"Yes, kings of men are supposed to wear shoes," I laughed.
"This one told him so," Sinnifer nodded. "And he threw a shoe at me and jumped out of a window!" she snorted. "In front of many wizards!"
The embarrassment the xiaoshin felt at being treated so rudely was obvious, and that made it all funnier to imagine.
"It is not funny!" Sinnifer whipped her tail with such force that the tree I'd been cutting came crashing down. It missed my head by only a few feet. Still, I laughed so hard I slipped and fell. Fortunately the snow was deep and soft.
"No, it's very funny! Just imagine if that had happened to someone else! Someone you don't like. Malcit?" I suggested.
Sinnifer considered for a moment. "Perhaps one day you will throw a shoe at him," she grinned.
"Perhaps I will," I agreed. While I still didn't know much of anything about Malcit, he hadn't made the best first impression. "So what about me?" I asked. "What am I like to you?"
"You?" Sinnifer flopped on her back, lying next to me. "You are Water where the sun does not reach, and up and down look the same. There is Earth at the bottom of you, but you have not gone down to it, because you always want Air. You think that if you do not have Air, you will drown. But if you cannot go up, you can go down to your Earth, and Air you will not need. One day, I will take you to the deep ocean. You will feel at home there."
Some part of her description sounded an awful lot like Necromancy. "Of course, it is good for you to have Air. Air is about heights. A wish for rightness above all else. Your friend Hugh is very much Air. The things you admire about him are traits of Air, and Earth," Sinnifer finished.
"No Fire?" I asked.
"You should not seek to know Fire. Your deep Water, your dark Earth, and Fire's wanting would be… ah, most unbalanced," Sinnifer said.
Another honest answer from Sinnifer. I hadn't been brave enough to try invoking Fire properly, but it was always in the back of my mind. The xiaoshin sniffed the ground like a dog.
"What is it?" I asked.
"This one is not sure," she admitted, climbing to her feet and shaking off the snow. "I will look."
Even after Sinnifer vanished, I didn't feel alone. I picked up as much wood as I could carry, and hurried back to the Lodge. Two steps inside the door, I froze. Something had come into the Lodge right behind me and it wasn't Sinnifer.
Master Castel looked very surprised as his spell suddenly failed. The Seekers all stared at him, standing in the doorway.
"Sneaky," Sinnifer said flatly. "But not sneaky enough." She was not impressed.
Master Castel glanced over his shoulder, but of course he couldn't see through Sinnifer's invisibility. He'd clearly heard her though, and the way he kept his hands at his sides told me he knew that he was dealing with something that would absolutely whup him if he made any sudden moves.
"How did you find this place? Why are you here?" I demanded, glaring at the wizard.
"Is that how you greet someone who's come to do business?" He asked, trying to brush off his abrupt appearance.
"Do you usually come to do business under an invisibility spell?" I demanded. "You were spying on us!"
"Please, sit," Hugh gestured to the table, and the wizard took a seat. "Both of you," he added, making a point to look at me.
In the corner, Jan stood with his back against the wall. It looked as if he was trying to hide from the wizard, which was quite impossible in the small room.
Winifred glanced at Assimya, and the two of them sat calmly on either side of Hugh.
"Finding your Lodge wasn't easy," Master Castel said. "No doubt I wouldn't have found it at all, if I hadn't followed you back from the river. It's a very good Spatial Enchantment. Sneaky." He said, echoing Sinnifer. "In the words of your... unusual companion."
I buried my head in my hands and groaned. Many people regretted their deals with Seekers, mostly because they so rarely turned out as they were expected to. The Seeker's Lodge was safe only because no one knew where it was. If Master Castel showed anyone how to find us, we'd have no choice but to abandon our home. Even if he didn't give away that information, all of us would still be at his mercy… because he now knew where we lived.
"We're not giving you the Sword, wizard," Assimya snapped.
"Believe me, I wouldn't take it from you if you begged me to. Unfortunately, I can't help you return it either. You see, I've actually been charged with finding the great Tarran the Bold more than once before, and every time he runs away, he gets a little cleverer about it. This time he's even got something blocking my scrying. As of right now, my hands are tied," Master Castel admitted.
"We don't need to find Tarran the Bold. We're giving the Sword back to the Guardians," Assimya said.
"Oh? Well, good luck with that," Master Castel seemed to think that Assimya had suggested something very foolish, but he didn't elaborate.
"So… if you're not after the Sword, why are you here? Is this because of your house?" I asked.
"The damages were considerable, yes. But not beyond my means to repair. Two weeks of incessant Reconstitutions and everything is good as new. I'm not here about a grudge. The truth is, Hazel, I've been looking for you," Master Castel said.
"Me?" I echoed, confused. "Why?"
"Because you pushed a Spell of Stability through my floor, shattering two very good Wards! Also, a xiaoshin is helping you chop firewood! Surely you know that creatures of the Ways don't waste their time with ordinary wizards? And so I find that I am compelled to ask again. Who are you?"
I scowled. I knew what the wizard wanted to hear me say, but I didn't like that he'd been stalking me. "What, you want my life story? Are we supposed to be friends now? You tried to kill me!" I reminded him.
"You robbed me, destroyed half of my library, and dropped the rest of it into my bedroom! You also made a very admirable attempt to kill me! Broke two of my ribs as a matter of fact," he replied. "All of this occurred, of course, because I didn't know what you were trying to do. Had you come to my house directly and simply told me what you were after, I would've simply given it to you. No wizard worth his salt would murder a Seeker, even a thieving one. The Guardians would be furious."
"Seekers aren't thieves. We only came to take back something that wasn't rightfully yours," Jan said.
I was surprised to hear him speak up. I doubted that Master Castel would've just handed us the pysanka, especially since he'd had Jan clubbed over the head to get it in the first place. Hearing him lie like that made me want to punch him. Of course, I doubted I'd get anywhere near him with my fist, and I didn't want to Reconstitute the windows again, so I kept my hands to myself.
"Great Stars, you can keep that blasted egg!" Master Castel waved Jan off dismissively and turned his attention back to me. "You're not a halfwit, girl, which means you surely know that you have power. But do you realize what kind of power? I assume you petrified that Faceless the Mayor sent me to retrieve? A sloppy spell, but a strong one. I dare say it might be permanent. Also an accident, I assume? Like breaking all of the windows in your house by invoking Light?"
How did he know that? Just who had he been talking to? Everyone in Corith, it seemed. Maybe the merchant who'd sold Winifred the wax paper to fix my mess?
"We all know Hazel is a danger to herself and everyone around her," Assimya snorted.
"Indeed. I'm counting on that," Master Castel smiled slightly. "And I'm not at all surprised you were driven away from Seven Stars. These days, all that school produces are tinkerers and theorists. If you want to become a truly great wizard, you must go where others will not, and do what they dare not."
He was quoting Arkhazi at me.
"Your control is abysmal, but control can be learned. Also, that bag you carry is a disgraceful mess. You should start by replacing it with something more suitable for your obvious vocation." Master Castel removed the bandolier he was wearing and offered it to me. I noticed a symbol stamped on it, a black uneven star inside a circle with the marks for Air, Fire, Water, and Earth around it. The same symbol was on the cover of every volume of Arkhazi's Invocation. The fifth point of the star, the one that broke the circle, was painted red.
Hugh gave a low whistle. "So that's what this is about?"
I stared at the bandolier, not knowing what to make of it. Why was Master Castel giving me a gift?
"Hazel, I'm a war wizard," Master Castel explained. "A "bandolier wizard" if you want to get cheeky. Too many these days think you're a hack if you're not part of a Tower School. They like to look down on us, but the fact of the matter is, they haven't the stones to put on a bandolier. Now, I've pieced together everything you've been up to. I can't believe people think you're Queen Miranda. You do look like her, but she was… obnoxiously soft! Everyone tells that bloody story about her and the roses because that was the only time in her life that she ever swung first! But you? You're a lunatic!"
I grimaced.
Master Castel had called me lunatic, but I noticed that he was smiling, and I realized that in his mind, that was apparently a good thing. "You'll claw your way out of anything and run your mouth to buy time! Great Stars, you cast with both hands!"
I'd never realized that was a strange thing to be doing. I wrote with my right hand, but I casually used my left hand for a lot of things, and if I was in a state of panic, I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't also cast with it. I'd been practicing "pretending" to cast one spell while quickly working another for several months, and that hard-earned skill had just saved my life when I'd used it against the Faceless.
"I've only known only one other wizard in my life who does that," Master Castel said. "And if I told you who that was, you would not believe me."
I didn't press him for a name. All I could think of when he said that was how I'd jokingly asked Winifred on my way to the Well if I'd come back with "powers like the Old King". In any case, nothing could've prepared me for what Master Castel said next.
"I want you to be my apprentice," he finished.
I stared. The bandolier was being presented like a gift, but there was obviously responsibility that came with it. More importantly, I was afraid. Did he see the Old King in me, as I got the impression Sinnifer did? Stars, would he drag me to the War? I wasn't ready for that. I wanted to see my brothers again, but… I had to live long enough to find out where they were.
"I'm a Seeker. My Price has to come first," I pushed the bandolier back towards him and held out my Chain so he cold see it. "And as you can see, it's going to take me a while."
"Great Stars! What did you ask for?" Master Castel stared at me. For a moment, I considered telling him the truth. Apparently, I was quiet for too long, because Hugh saw how distressed I was, and leapt to my defense.
"That's not your business, wizard," he said. "Hazel's told you "no", which means you're done here. If you still want compensation for the damage to your house, go to the City Council and file a formal complaint. We'll set everything right."
I didn't know how, considering how much of a mess Jan and I had made, or what a Reconstitution's cost would be if someone cast the spell themselves, but I'd also never thought to ask how much money the Lodge had squirreled away. Of course, if we received anything close to equivalent exchange for recovering the Sword of the Warrior, we'd never run out of money again.
"Very well," Master Castel paused. "I've no wish to overstay my welcome. But when you change your mind, come to my house. During the day. Knock on the front door. You'll find the windows… a bit less accessible than before. Be prepared to explain to me where you came from, how you enchanted Alice Graygate, and why the Servant of Water follows you around like a dog. Bring a good cloak, good boots, and whatever spellbooks or reagents you have. Also, the Sword."
"You said you didn't want the Sword," I said, not liking how he'd worked his way back to it. I'd thought it was his reason from the beginning, and maybe it was? Surely he didn't really want me for an apprentice?
"I absolutely do not. But I also don't want it in the hands of the Coin Witch. You Seekers may have gotten lucky this time, but others will come looking! When you first broke into my house, I thought Christie had sent you. But you don't know her at all, do you?" Master Castel asked. I shook my head. Someone called "Christie" often appeared in Ma's stories, although I couldn't remember clearly if she was a Tessar or a villain.
"Doesn't the Sword belong to Tarran the Bold?" I asked.
"If it belongs to anyone. But as I've already explained, you will not find him if he doesn't want to be found," Master Castel replied, which was exactly what Winifred had already told us. "Rest assured, no petty thugs will ever take the Sword from Christie."
I thought the Faceless qualified as a lot worse than petty thugs, but I didn't say anything. The looks Hugh and Winifred gave the wizard told me that I didn't have to explain myself.
"Well then. If this is what you want, so be it. But when you're barricaded in here trying to fight off a dragon with a chair and a shovel, don't say I didn't warn you!" Without another word, Master Castel left.
Once I was sure he was gone, I took a deep breath. "I can't believe he wants me to be his apprentice," I said, mostly to absorb everything I'd just heard.
"Feh, of course he does! He's a war wizard, and you're a walking disaster! You're what those bastards dream about! But no matter what he offers you, don't trust him," Winifred paused. "He's not what he pretends to be."
I blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Think about what he just told us. One, Tarran avoids him. Not a credit to his character. Two, he intends to give the Sword to Christie," Winifred said. "Now, I wouldn't expect any of you to know this, but Christie has always wanted the Sword for herself. She's tried to take it three times, first from the Warrior, then from the Old King, and lastly, from Tarran. Failed, every time... and that can only be the will of the Sword itself. Three, the amulet around that man's neck. It's an Enchantment. You didn't notice?"
I hadn't, and that was embarrassing. "What do you think he's hiding?"
"Rubbish wizard you are! It doesn't matter what it is, if it was good he wouldn't be hiding it! You've drawn a great deal of attention to us, Hazel," Winifred sighed. "Something we are not accustomed to."
"To be fair, most people do think she's Queen Miranda," Hugh added. I slumped down in my chair.
"I'm sorry," I said. There was nothing else I could say. I'd always known that Seekers didn't stay put, but I'd grown attached to everyone. I'd just turned down the chance to study magic with a real Master because I hadn't wanted to abandon my friends. But apparently, I'd already become too much of a burden for them.
Winifred hobbled over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "I think I misspoke. What I meant was… Seeking is supposed to be quiet business. Lost spoons. A missing will or bill of sale? Maybe a mean dog or an angry mother-in-law? You've only had four proper contracts and every one of them has been disastrous. War wizards! Necromancers! The Sword of the Warrior! Even your contract with that centaur nearly got you run out of Bel Kaba! But the plain truth of it is, if you hadn't come to Corith when you did, Seeking that Sword would've cost all of us our lives. Considering the hand you've been dealt, you've actually done rather well. "
I was surprised, and a little touched to hear her say anything nice to me.
"Here, here! I honestly can't imagine being in your position," Jan admitted. "Don't you ever just want to crawl under a blanket and never come out again?"
"Some days," I admitted, smiling slightly. "Most days."
"Well, I suppose there's no use putting this off any longer," Hugh glanced at the Sword. "Master Castel said that he didn't want that Sword when he walked in here, but in his next breath he told you to bring it to him. Winifred doesn't think we should give it to Christie, which is clearly what he'd do… so we ought to go through with our original plan and return it to the Guardians. Tonight."
Assimya looked startled.
"Something wrong?" Jan asked, nudging her.
"No, it's fine," she replied, though she sounded flustered. She was never flustered... or she never had been, until the Sword had come into our possession. "I'm going to put some tea on," she decided.
A cup did sound good to me at that moment. Hugh went outside to fetch more firewood. When he came back in, he had a grin on his face and something stashed behind his back.
"You know, I think that wizard was serious," he said. He tossed the bandolier to me. "He left this hanging on your axe."
"Wonderful," I groaned. "Can we ask the Mayor to give it back to him?"
"Probably safer than you knocking on his door," Hugh said. "Unless you've already changed your mind about that apprenticeship?"
"No. Winifred's right. He's too suspicious," I said. "If he finds out… well, there's no telling."
I didn't say what I was worried about Master Castel learning, but the Seekers already knew about my connection to the House of Wells. Hugh nodded in agreement.
Secretly, I was excited to have a closer look at the bandolier he had left. I examined the soft leather and the little brass buckles. Each pouch was neatly divided into smaller sections, and lined with red silk. It would hold almost as much as my bag did, but in a way that I'd never need to fumble for anything. I could still put books and paper in the bag, and use the bandolier for all of my reagents. It would certainly mean less rummaging. I couldn't imagine the value of something so finely crafted. Probably, it cost more than my glasses.
Despite what Winifred had said about Master Castel, I decided that I would go see him myself when the business with the Sword was over. At very least, I could return his bandolier in manner that didn't make it seem like I was afraid of him. I wanted to keep it, but as a Seeker, I was sure there would be consequences if I accepted something I hadn't earned.
Of course, intending to return it didn't mean I couldn't play with it first. I sorted my reagents and a few other useful things, like a box of matches, a bottle of ink, and other odds and ends into the pouches. Then I slung the bandolier over my shoulder, to get a feel for what it would be like, wearing something like that.
Winifred rolled her eyes when she saw me.
As new as I was to actually being a wizard, I'd never considered what my principal School would be. Typically, that was something apprentices decided in their Fifth Year. Divination wasn't terribly difficult, but it was unreliable, and the more interesting spells were dangerous. Enchantment fascinated me, but it was never quick, and with the way my life had been uprooted, it wouldn't serve me well. As a Seeker, it was doubtful I'd have weeks or months to spend wrangling the same spell. Illusion required a fine control or it didn't work. So far, I was terrible at it. Similarly, Transmutation without fine control was terribly risky, and I didn't have any control. All I really had was will.
I distinctly remembered telling Louis that war wizards were lunatics, but throwing walls of fire at people was "a good way to become famous".
Invokers didn't milk soft court positions while they worked towards mastery. They went where they were needed until they weren't needed, or they were dead. It was a sobering thought, that I might be fighting for the rest of my unnatural life, and that I was very likely to meet a violent end. Seeking had already gotten me into plenty of trouble, but it gave me a certain rush, doing something wildly dangerous. That was probably a feeling I shouldn't have enjoyed, but… maybe it was just in my blood?
The Old King was arguably the greatest war wizard who had ever lived. I was sure that was who Master Castel had been talking about when he'd commented on my casting with both hands. I could see Ma sitting by the fire in my memory, throwing both her hands in the air in dramatic fashion, to give us a sense of what the great battles had been like.
I wondered if Master Castel would still want to train me if I came to him without the Sword. I wouldn't put my own desires over Assimya's Price, but it couldn't hurt to talk to him about what an apprenticeship would actually mean. No one else had ever offered to help me learn magic before, and I wouldn't live long enough to earn my Price if I didn't hone my skills somehow.
Sinnifer noticed that I was reflecting on something.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Thinking about becoming a war wizard," I admitted.
"You are an idiot," she informed me, and disappeared.
As the sun was setting, we made our way uphill to the Well. I hadn't forgotten my first journey to that place. Solemn and silent, Assimya carried the Sword, every so often reaching for the last bead on her Chain and rubbing it. I wanted to make conversation so that I didn't feel as nervous, but I didn't want Winifred or Assimya to snap at me. I was still dressed like a war wizard, bandolier and all. Winifred clearly thought I was being stupid, but I was searching for a feeling, I supposed, a sense that I was on the right path.
We entered the Well and proceeded all the way down to the bottom. The water was higher than before, probably on account of the melting snow that drizzled down from above our heads. The last few days had been unseasonably warm, and I could imagine when all the snow melted in the spring how deep the water would become. Probably, it wouldn't even be necessary to go to the bottom of the stairs.
Hugh stood against the North wall, and Winifred and Jan stood to the West. I noticed that above their heads there was a tree carved in the stone, encircled by its own roots and branches. Above Hugh, it was the symbol for Air, a cloud cut by a bolt of lightning. To the South, near the door, the wall itself was scorched and cracked. The burn mark was suspiciously human-shaped. Did anyone still seek for the Guardian of the South? I wondered what had happened. I hadn't noticed those little details about the Well on my first visit, and guessed it was probably because I'd been so absorbed with the idea of making my contract.
Winifred motioned for me to go over to the East side of the Well. There was a lot of dust and cobwebs under a massive swirling wave. No one had stood there in a very long time. But… at least my Seeker predecessor hadn't been incinerated.
Assimya approached the Well. "Guardians of the Watchtowers, the Wells, and the Ways," she recited. "I have completed my last Seeking, and humbly request to be released from your service."
The ground rumbled, and Waylighters began spilling out everywhere, thousands of lights rising from the Ways.
We had the Guardians' attention. A shape rose from the Well.
"This one," the xiaoshin said. "Is called Kefri, Servant of the Great Mother, Guardian of the Watchtower of the West."
"This one," Sinnifer added, phasing into visibility behind her. "Is also present."
Kefri acknowledged Sinnifer. The sight of a long-necked crocodile made of water and a cow-headed bush with badger paws nosing each was something that would stick in my head for a long while.
Assimya stared at the two xiaoshin. I remembered how she'd said, reverently, that she'd felt the presence of one when she'd first made her contract. She'd seen Sinnifer multiple times since, but having two of them present and fully visible as she completed her Chain must have felt like a great honor to her.
It was. Xiaoshin did not appear to ordinary wizards, or ordinary Seekers. Like my own, Assimya's contract with the Guardians had been special from the very beginning.
"A Chain has been completed, and a Price is to be paid. Would the Seeker who has fulfilled their contract to the Guardian of the West please come forward?" Kefri asked.
Assimya nodded. She stepped into the xiaoshin's shadow. The magnificent creature looked suddenly distressed. I remembered how Alice Graygate had commanded Kefri to appear in "the third aspect" as a thing more dead that alive. I sensed that she was the same being either way, but I preferred to see her as she was then. I noticed also, that she still had a single red rose blooming out of her back where I had touched her.
"This one had hoped it would not be you," Kefri said. "But your contract with the Great Mother is bound in blood cast into the Ways, and cannot be broken. Your last Seeking. What was it?"
"I believe that it is the Sword of the Warrior. It taken from a Faceless. We do not know where its rightful owner can be found," Assimya replied. "Because I am weak, I fear it will be stolen from me by those who would do evil with it. That is why I have brought it here."
"The Great Mother agrees that yours was a most noble Seeking, requiring great courage and conviction. Where is the Sword now?" Kefri asked.
Assimya laid the Sword on the ground. Sinnifer stared at it for a long time.
"Well?" Kefri asked. "Do you confirm?" How did Kefri not know it was the Sword of the Warrior? Or, was all of this just formality? I wasn't sure which.
"It is as she says," Sinnifer replied.
"The blood on the blade?" Kefri pressed.
"There's no blood on that blade," Jan said.
"There is always blood on that blade," Winifred replied. Everyone stared at her. I could feel something strange again, as I had when I'd first touched the Sword. I could hear hammers ringing out, smell a dragon's sulphury breath. There was so much blue blood I thought I would drown in it. Only Sinnifer's gaze brought me back to myself.
Kefri swooped around Winifred. "Ah, the lazy Seeker! You know this Sword, do you?" It wasn't really a question.
Lazy Seeker? What did the xiaoshin mean? I knew that Winifred spent most of her time around the Lodge, but I'd always figured that was because she was old. She'd gone to Corith on the business of the Sword, and had been surprisingly helpful in our fight with the Faceless.
It had also troubled me to hear her appraisal of Master Castel. I was supposed to be a wizard, and I never would have recognized he was wearing an Enchantment to hide his identity.
"I do," Winifred replied. "And I believe Assimya is right, it cannot be returned. If Tarran the Bold does not wish to be found, he will not be. And if he is not in possession of his Sword, he has chosen to cast it aside. No one could ever take it from him."
"All you have said is true, and this is known to my great mistress," the xiaoshin nodded regally. "Assimya Minevi Bekalah Sirsa, you have of your own free will, served the Guardian of the West well and fulfilled your Chain. The Great and Merciful Mother is prepared to give you the Price you Seek, but this one is compelled to ask… are you certain?"
Assimya didn't hesitate. "Yes," she said.
"Are you very certain?" Kefri pressed.
"I am certain!" Assimya replied. "Don't ask me again!"
"This one is sorry to hear that," Kefri bowed her head. The xiaoshin swept around Assimya, brushing her neck. Assimya closed her eyes, smiling as if she was remembering something, perhaps her first encounter with the creature when she'd made her contract. Claws of brambles reached out of Kefri's ever-growing form, wrapping around the back of Assimya's head. She didn't struggle. The girl just stood there and let the xiaoshin hold her in a position which made me think of a cat about to take its prey. I felt as if I was witnessing something I wasn't supposed to, despite Winifred's assurance that a Seeker receiving his or her Price was a time of celebration for the entire Lodge.
"Please, Kefri," Assimya said, with more conviction than I had in my entire body. "Do it."
The xiaoshin's leaves began to wither. Her face became skeletal, and a cold, overwhelming sense of dread welled up in my gut. The rose on her back turned black and crumbled into dust. Assimya didn't struggle, though I could tell the creature touching her was cold. Kefri's presence left marks of frost on her skin. She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed as the life drained out of her, and she collapsed to the floor.
Hugh was the first one to her side. He shook her roughly, and checked her heartbeat. When it was obvious that Assimya would not wake, he glared at the xiaoshin. "You killed her!"
Winifred only turned her head away, and I realized that she'd always known why Assimya had made her contract, and what she wanted more than anything else in the world.
"Such was her Price," Kefri replied stiffly. "To rest with her sisters."
"She spent all of that time working off her Chain to die? Why?" I almost forgot that I was arguing with a xiaoshin, until Sinnifer nudged me from behind. "If you knew how this was going to end, why didn't you kill her when she made her contract? Why did she have to earn this?"
"She did not have the strength to open the door, Hazel of the Wells," Kefri said.
That made no sense to me, but I remembered that the Faceless had said something about a closet door, and that accusation had brought Assimya to tears.
"This one must uphold the Great Pact. A Price earned, is a Price earned," Kefri shook her head heavily, and I realized that the xiaoshin was sorry for what had happened to Assimya, though powerless to change anything. Kefri had tried to convince Assimya to reject her Price, to bargain for her life back. Assimya rejected that opportunity three times, forcefully.
"It... doesn't make sense! Why would anyone want to die so badly?" I demanded. "Especially someone so smart and talented and pretty with their whole life still ahead of them?"
I had never told Assimya that she was all of those things. I'd felt too ashamed, being so jealous of someone half my age.
"You never asked? I thought you would," Hugh seemed surprised.
"I didn't think I could. It always seemed to be the wrong time," I shook my head. Assimya never seemed to like me, which was reason enough for me to leave her alone. Very early into my time with the Seekers, Hugh had mentioned that he thought Assimya had been hurt somehow. Now it was clear that he'd been right. I couldn't shake the feeling that if maybe I'd been nicer, she might have opened up more, and would've reconsidered her decision to die. Then again, maybe it was never possible for someone like me to help her. I meant well… but there was an awful lot I just wasn't any good at, and being the kind of person others could feel comfortable around was another one of those things.
Kefri picked up Assimya.
"What are you going to do with her now?" Hugh demanded. Again, he was much ruder than he should have been to the xiaoshin, even if it had just murdered our friend.
"Taking her to her sisters. There is a place of great beauty, which is most peaceful. " Kefri replied. "This one may rest there."
Winifred came forward. "That's very kind of you, noble Kefri," she said, taking Assimya's little hand. The last of her wooden beads fell to the stone floor as the xiaoshin departed. It bounced twice, and faded into sparkles of light.
The Sword remained exactly where it was. Both xiaoshin had neglected to take it. Frustrated and angered by what I'd just witnessed, I picked it up and threw it into the Well. It sank for a moment, and then it floated back to the surface in defiance of nature. The magic was simply too powerful.
Trying to return it didn't feel like equivalent exchange. It felt more like all of us had been shackled together and we were about to be kicked off a ship. For a long while, we all sat in silence, letting the enormity of what had just happened settle in.
Jan cried into the sleeve of his shirt, trying not to look at anyone. Winifred stared at Hugh, and Hugh stared at the Well, numbly running his fingers across each of the links in his impossibly long Chain.
Maybe it didn't have to be all of us?
"This is my contract now," I decided. I wasn't going to let anyone talk me out of it. From the reactions of the other Seekers, I realized they weren't even going to try.
"All right. We'll see you back at the Lodge," Hugh didn't even look at me.
"No, Hugh, this is not just another day where we go home and drink tea! If this is how the Guardians are... I have to do something," I said. "And maybe I'm the only one who can. I'm not going back to the Lodge. I'm leaving. This is going to be stupidly dangerous and I'm not going to ask any of you to go one step further. I can't."
"Will you go to Master Castel? Now, I don't like the idea of Christie having that Sword, but…" Winifred sighed heavily. "That wizard is not wrong about one thing. Christie would keep the Sword safe. She wouldn't use it to harm innocents. She isn't evil… just selfish and vindictive. Which I suppose is evil in its own way. But if we have no better option."
"No, I'm not going to Master Castel," I decided. "I'm doing what I should've done yesterday. I'm taking the Sword to its rightful owner," I replied. "I'm going to find Tarran the Bold."
"Tomorrow," Hugh said. "Or the next day. This is no time for rash decisions."
"Hugh, Sinnifer told me twice to take the Sword from Assimya! I should've listened to her! I would've, if I'd known this is what she planned to do with it," I couldn't stop myself from crying. "I could've stopped this, and I didn't! I was too stupid to realize what was right in front of me!"
"Hazel, you can't blame yourself!" Hugh sighed. "Assimya made a choice! The xiaoshin couldn't convince her otherwise, and they knew! If you'd stolen the Sword, what would she have done? I'll tell you. She would've found something else! You know she would've found something else!"
I stared at the Sword, and my eyes drifted towards the Well. I didn't know how to explain that I wasn't planning to take the boat to Corith, or to hike across the frozen plains. My gut told me that I couldn't actually prepare for what I was about to do.
"Well, if you're determined to find Tarran, I can tell you how," Winifred said. "Seek a scrap of Tessar blue which shares a history with that Sword. If he still lives, that rag is one thing he'll never part with."
"And when I do find him?" I asked hesitantly. "You said you think he cast the Sword aside."
"I say that because he's done it before. More than once. But it may be that he's come to regret it again," Winifred hesitated. "When you find him, tell him that I loved him very much. More than he knew, but not as much as he deserved."
"This has to do with your Price, doesn't it?" My gut told me that was the reason, and I realized I'd never actually seen Winifred's Chain. She lifted her skirt slightly, revealing a gold band around her ankle with a single old coin dangling off of it "You stopped when you only had one thing to Seek?"
I was surprised by that, but maybe not as surprised as I should have been. I remembered how Kefri had called her the "lazy Seeker". Winifred was far from lazy. Not completing her Chain… that was another kind of decision. A difficult one.
"A very long time ago," she nodded. "That's why I told you, whatever your Price… you have to want it. Dearly, and truly."
I picked up the Sword. It felt heavier than I remembered it being. "I… I honestly don't know how to use a sword," I admitted. "And even if I did know how, I don't think I could kill anyone."
"If you have to, you'll find it in you. Of course, I hope you don't have to. I hope you never have to," Hugh put both of his hands on my shoulders, as if he wanted to say something else. Not finding the words, he gave me a hug. I was too stiff and nervous to receive it, and he must've thought that I didn't want anyone to touch me. That wasn't the case at all, but I didn't know how else to react.
"Please. Let's all just go back to the Lodge tonight. You can take any supplies you need. Don't worry about what's left on your loan. I'll pick up a few extra jobs," Hugh offered. Despite myself, I started to cry. I wasn't sure how long it had been since I'd been hugged by anyone I cared about so much, but the last time was probably long before I'd come to Seven Stars. I'd gotten used to being surrounded by callous wizards who were constantly trying to cut each other down.
It made me sick to realize that I was about to leave the first people who'd mattered to me in a long time. "I'm going to miss you," I said. I meant everyone, but Hugh especially. I was never going to forget our trip to Bel Kaba. I couldn't remember being happier. Somehow, without my knowing it, Hugh had become the friend I'd always wanted but never thought I deserved.
I wasn't good at farewells, I discovered. There were a number of things I wanted to say to all of the Seekers, but most especially Assimya, who wouldn't hear them.
Though it would've smarter to do what Hugh suggested, and pack at the Lodge for a long journey, I sensed that I'd come to a turning point. The next words I had to say were going to change everything in a way I couldn't possibly prepare for. But I didn't have a choice. If I wanted my friends to be safe, I had to return the Sword of the Warrior to its rightful owner. To do that, I needed Sinnifer's help… and the Pact we were both bound to wouldn't let her help me if I didn't trust her completely.
"Sinnifer," I took a deep breath, turning to the xiaoshin. "I invoke the Great Pact."
Silence followed. Everyone stared at me as if they thought I'd lost my mind, save for Sinnifer. She looked solemn and very serious, and I was reminded that she was the right hand of one of the most powerful beings in the world. The Well quaked around us. Another column fell.
"Know this," Sinnifer said, sweeping around me. "What is now done cannot be undone. Do you, of your own free will, and by your blood which gives you this right, vow to serve the Great Pact? Do you vow to act however necessary to preserve the balance of this world and all the Ways, in life or in death?"
"Of my own free will, I so swear," I said. I already knew that the quest that I was on might cost my life, whether I gave it freely or not. Hugh had said when I first asked him about becoming a Seeker. Willing or unwilling, we all served the Guardians in one way or another. It was better to choose.
"Offer your blood, as before," Sinnifer instructed. I realized I had nothing to cut my hand with, except the Sword. I drew the blade across my palm. The pain was like nothing I'd ever felt, and I realized that was because I'd cut my whole arm somehow instead of just my palm.
My blood was flowing out of my body at an alarming rate, and the water of the Well had taken on a life of its own and was flowing into me. Without warning, Sinnifer picked me up by the back of my cloak, in her jaws like a cat, and dove into the Well.
The story will continue in Book 2 – Wanderer.
42. Tarran "the Bold": Widely regarded as the greatest Tessar ever to have lived, Second to the Warrior. A large, imposing man, Tarran was the first (and only) Tessar Captain personally chosen by the Old King and the only person ever to command the armies of all four kingdoms. With his pipe in his mouth, his sword in one hand, and a stout hickory cane in the other, Tarran fearlessly "whupped" anyone who challenged him and laid to rest more villains than anyone, save for the Warrior herself. His joyful nature and love of bravado, food, drink, and storytelling earned him countless loyal followers. He has been missing for many years (dead?), a great blow to the morale of the Tessars.