Chapter Four

1 year ago

Caldren wasn’t one for taking risks or making foolhardy choices but he knew if followed procedure gave that book to his superiors he would lose his chance to track down the explorers writings and find that map he had made. He quickly hide the slim book on the inside of his robes and made some excuse that he was unwell and forced himself to walk slowly back to his quarters to hide the book behind a loose stone in the walls of his living quarters.

He read that entry and every other one written in the journal daily, imagining finding this lost school of mages that the imperial pogrom failed to uncover. He spent his time not in the library searching for copies of books by the explorer and putting out a quiet word to some less than official contacts that the he would pay good coin for a copy of the explorers writings.

Months had gone by and he was starting to despair that there wasn’t a surviving copy of the book when he got a message slipped under his door to meet a man at fishmongers the next morning at first light to discuss certain books that he was looking to procure. He immediately grew nervous as the fishmongers were a set of ramshackle stands down by the docks that were far away from the city center and the watch that patrolled it. As he was considering his options he started with a sudden fear that his superiors had somehow found him out and he was being setup to be quietly eliminated in a place where no one would see. He barely got any sleep alternating between excitement at possibly getting his hands on the map and the anxiety of being robbed, imprisoned, or outright killed for violating imperial law.

The next morning found him walking carefully down the fog shrouded streets wrinkling his nose in distaste as they changed from the well maintained city streets to dirt roads caked in mud and debris. In his excitement he hadn’t thought to change into more appropriate clothing and his scholars robes and sandals were quickly caking with mud. As he was getting closer to the waters edge the pungent smell of rotting fish and the low tide added to his tally of miseries for the day. He started his trip jumping at every sound and motion in the corner of his vision but now he marched doggedly up fishmonger square looking at the etchings on each stall to find the correct one wanting to get this over with so he can go back to the library with its polished floors and incense scented air.

As he was walking around the market searching for his contact he was starting to draw looks from some of the men sitting on the seawall waiting for the day’s catch to be brought up to the market so they can start gutting the fish. Caldren tried not to draw any attention as he kept searching for the right stall but he could feel them looking at him and he suddenly remembered the large sum of coin he had hidden beneath his robes. Did his contact set him up to be robbed? Perhaps these men just saw him as a target? While there would be repercussions if an imperial scholar was killed, rolling his body off the side of the boat was skirt any entanglements with the watch.

“Hey Book Boy, maybe I can help you find what you seek” one of the gutters yelled as he levered himself off of the seawall and slowly walked over to Caldren, swinging his gutting knife slowly on the catch rope in an almost hypnotic pattern. Caldren hurriedly kept looking for the correct stall cursing the size of the market. While he understood that the bay was a critical commercial element of the city right now he found its size more frustrating than helpful.

“No, I’m OK I think what I’m looking for is right over here” he said angling towards a section of the market that already had some stalls up and running, mostly selling food and supplies for the fishermen. It was better lit and had witnesses who he belatedly noticed were finding anywhere else to look but at the scene unfolding in front of their stalls.

Caldren reached for his belt knife which was substantially shorter than the blade the gutter was still twirling around as he approached. It was then that he really wished he had paid more attention to his father when he was trying to teach him how to hold and use a blade. Caldren had little patience for martial training as it took time away from his books and as such gave only a token effort before his frustrated father would rap him with the wooden training sword hard enough to bruise,then walk away without word.

The gutter got close enough that Caldren could make out the scars that crisscrossed his arms, evidence of a lifetime of using that sharp blade that he now realized was pointing right at him. When did they get that close?

“Hey now lad – how about I guide you to your location and you can pay me.. let’s say the standard navigators fee. I’m sure you’ve got enough coin to cover that as well as some extra coins for good service an’ all”

“I’m afraid I don’t have much coin on me, I’m here to uhh.. get some fish for the school and I’m looking for the correct place to pick it up”

Caldren hoped the lie was convincing enough as he edged his way towards the stall he was pretty sure was the one mentioned in the message. The gutter kept pace with him seeming to give Caldren’s excuse some thought

“Well, I’m sure for a school they need plenty of food to feed you, so I’m thinkin’ you’ve got some coin there that could be diverted towards more deservin’ folks, wouldn’t you agree?”

As his back slammed into a pole Caldren realized he’d run out of room to backtrack and started calculating ways he could get out of this without having any parts of himself filleted. It didn’t take long as the only options he could see were to throw the bag of coins on the ground then run like mad hoping the thug would more concerned with grabbing the money than stabbing him, losing out on the only lead he had in years or try to escape through the mud in long scholar robes and sandals, probably get stabbed and robbed and thrown into the bay to be a fish’s breakfast.

“I don’t suppose there’s an arrangement we can come to that doesn’t involve you robbing me of everything or stabbing me?” Caldren ventured

“Not as such – now slowly take off your robe and leave it on the block there, that should be nice on the cold nights on the waterfront. Then put anything you have that is valuable on top of the robe and take three steps back. I don’t want to stab one of you imperials but mistakes can happen”

Caldren swore under his breath, his cowardice winning out over his desire for knowledge. He raised his hands slowly and started pulling the robe over his head. As he finished pulling it off and went to put it down he started as they were no longer alone.

The gutter had dropped his knife and had his hands up as there was a sword point pressing lightly into his neck. Caldren frowned and his eyes followed the sword from the point to the man holding it. He was of medium height with long sandy brown hair tied back with a black ribbon. He was wearing dark blue shirt with silver lining and a black cloak with blood red trim . His eyes were pale blue and hard with anger as he regarded the gutter at end of his sword. Caldren’s eyes widened slightly with recognition and he scrambled back unsure of who to be more afraid of.

“You were trying to rob me” the newcomer growled moving his sword point ever so slightly causing a trickle of blood to run down the gutter’s neck.

“Wait! I’ve never seen you before sir I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding” the gutter was looking around the best he could without moving his neck to see if he had any support but everyone was still studiously looking in other directions including his comrades on the seawall who Caldren noticed had all vanished when the stranger had appeared.

“This man is here by my invitation to make an exchange. In attempting to rob him you were in fact stealing coin meant for me”

“I wasn’t stealing – I was trying to simply collect a fee for guiding him to the right location!”

The newcomer raised and eyebrow and turned to Caldren with an inquisitive look

“Oh, no. He was most certainly trying to rob me”

“Then what do you suggest we do in this situation?

Caldren really wanted to suggest he stab the gutter through the neck and throw his body into the bay but he was not a violent man by nature and couldn’t bring himself bear the burden of someone’s death so he tore his gaze away from the bright blood at the gutter’s neck and looked him in the eyes

“Go – run. I want no blood on my hands today – especially yours as you stink. I don’t understand. You’re literally right next to the water, maybe once a week or so jump into the water and swim around a little. There’s no reason for you to smell like that”

The man lowered his sword and the wide eyed gutter took off running back into the market quickly losing himself in weak early morning light. Caldren slowly turned towards the man in the cloak and weakly said “Are you here about.. the book?”

The man was still staring into the gloom as if he could still see the gutter running then slowly turned back towards caldren.

“Well done scholar – its a measure of a man how he acts when he has another in his power and I’d have been disappointed to have had cut that man down as he is beneath me and such acts bring no honor”

Caldren swallowed hard. He knew this man to be dangerous and he didn’t want to offend him in any way. “I’m sorry sir you had to deal with that” he stated and started to bow.

The man raised his hand to cut him off “Please scholar – do not address me by title or name. Today I am simply a bookseller looking to sell an old book to a scholar of such tomes”

He reached into his satchel and took out a thin book, worn with age and held it almost reverently. He looked at Caldren and asked “why do you seek this book scholar?”

Caldren ran through all the lies and excuses he’s used over the years while tracking down the book trying to decide which one would work best in this situation but something in the man’s eyes told him that only the truth would get him what he sought. The only problem is the truth might also get him cut down as a heretic as this man was an imperial officer.

Caldren right then wished he’s been stabbed and robbed instead as that seemed preferable to the situation he was in now. He fought an internal battle between his cowardice and the desire for the knowledge he spent years chasing. The man seemed to sense his fear and smiled slightly sheathing his sword. “Do not worry scholar – I am not here to arrest you, I simply wish to ensure that this book is given to someone who understands what is contained in it and what they plan to do with that knowledge.”

“What is that supposed do mean?” Caldren ventured, unsure of what was happening. Why was an imperial officer here in the the fish markets before sunup and why did he seem to know more than he let on about the book? Overwhelmed by indecision he took an involuntary step backward and froze when he heard the sharp rasp of a blade being drawn.

“Make no mistake” the office said – you will answer, and answer truthfully. I have seen the recognition in your eyes and I cannot let you leave here with that knowledge until I am assured of your answer”

Caldren got a sinking feeling that if the officer didn’t hear the answer he wanted he was simply going to cut him down where he stood. He wasn’t going to let him walk out of here with the knowledge of who he was and what he held in his hands. So he gathered himself and took a deep breath and raise his eyes to me the officers

“I seek a map contained in that book – one of the eastern mountains. I believe the map will lead me to a place of learning. My interest in one of a scholar seeking knowledge.” Caldren hoped this half truth would be close enough to the real truth to fool the officer and get him out of this mess.

The officer’s eyes held onto Caldren’s for what seemed like forever before they softened and he spoke, his voice which was until now filled with the command of his station became a whisper. “I’m sorry scholar – that is not the answer I sought” and he drew his blade.

The workers who were up until now pretending they didn’t see anything bolted into the shadows. One look at the way the man held his blade as he advanced convinced them that there wouldn’t be any witnesses left alive.

Caldren couldn’t run. The fear overwhelmed him and he stood there staring at the blade as he saw all his dreams coming to a swift and abrupt end. Time seemed to slow as thoughts rushed through his mind. Why did he take such a foolish risk as to seek the book in the first place? Why did he come down here to an isolated location before dawn? It’s pretty much the perfect place to kill someone why was he only thinking of this now. As he saw his death approaching he thought of his mother and the promise he made to her.

“I just wanted to find the magic” he closed his eyes and whispered

The killing blow never landed – the officer altered his swing at the last moment shallowly slicing across Caldren’s arm, leaving a gash which started to bleed freely. Caldren fell to his knees, grabbed his arm and kept his eyes shut thinking that maybe he just missed the first swing and the killing blow would be coming very soon.

The officer was quiet a moment and Caldren cracked one eye open to see him standing there looking at him, absentmindedly wiping blood on a cloth like it was an ingrained habit perfected by repetition- The officer, having finished cleaned his blade looked over at Caldren with a thoughtful gaze and repeated his first question “What do you want this book for scholar?”

Caldren shocked by the fact he wasn’t dead and reeling from the pain of the sword cut spoke the words he never dared to speak out loud, the secret he held in his heart since he was a child “I seek a way to learn magic, not the sanctioned magic of the (find a neat work for imperials mages here)the old magic thought removed from the world by the empire”.

He knew those words were heresy and punishable by imprisonment or summary execution and here he was telling them to an imperial officer. He just shook his head wondering what he was getting himself into. He had a nice safe job in the library, he was a scholar and from what he heard, on track to be promoted to the central library. He was set for a life of relative ease and comfort why was he here on his knees on the hard cobbles among the detritus of fish guts and human refuse, bleeding freely, a red bloom staining his already filthy robes. I don’t die in the next few minutes, this is probably going to be infected” he mumbled to himself as he tried in vain to get the bleeding to stop.

The officer crouched down close to him and said in a low voice “Look at me scholar”. Caldren looked up but couldn’t meet his eyes, afraid of what he would see. The officer continued “Your lies could have cost so much more than just your life, Scholar”

“What does that mean? Why are you here – if not to arrest me? What secret were you ready to cut me down to protect? I’m just a scholar looking to fulfill a promise I made a long time ago I’m not even sure what to do even if I found what I’m looking for” frustrated tears filled Caldren’s eyes as the emotions started to overwhelm him. “What do you want?” He cried out softly

The officer paused again tilting his head as if he was trying to hear something then nodded to himself and sheathed his sword. He carefully placed the book on the ground right in front of Caldren and stepped away. “What I want scholar is the same thing as you. Why I want it, is my business alone. I’ve sent many of my agents to try to find this place but they all came back empty handed. So either the entire thing is fabricated or it is hidden in some way that my people cannot figure out. You, however, have dedicated your life to this secret and my hope is that your study will be able to discover what has been lost and return it to the world. I cannot spare anyone to accompany you as this must remain a secret and there is no one I trust with this knowledge”

Looking around the market to assure himself they were still alone he lowered his voice so that Caldren could barely hear him and anyone hiding in the shadows would certainly hear nothing. “Scholar, I hope you find what you seek. Be wary however, if you seek to use this power and unleash it upon the world again you will hunted and no where will be safe for you. You will spend your life on the run and as long as the emperor sits on his throne his hounds will sniff you out and they will not be gentle. Knowing the risks you must decide if taking up this power is worth the cost. “

“So it’s either travel halfway around the world, by myself, and seek to find answers that may set an entire empire against me or be cut down right here and now by you to protect this secret”

“I don’t think that will be necessary” The officer chuckled which seemed so out of character that Caldren started to laugh as well, just at the ridiculousness of the situation he found himself in.

The office rested his hand on the pommel of his sword and tapped it slowly then nodded to himself again and looked to the east where the sun was starting to rise above the horizon spilling a soft light that infused the fog with a soft pink color. “There is a wagon that leaves here in a week as part of a caravan to the city of Riverside which borders the gap that leads to the eastern mountains. I’ve secured you passage under the guise that you are a scrivener bringing documents to the imperial offices there. Once you are there deliver the packet and then find a reason to leave the city. The path to the location mentioned in the map is blazed with a small imperial sigil look for it among the roots of the trees. These will guide you to where the expedition was camped. After that, you are on your own.”

While it was infuriating Caldren knew the officer was right – he was going to take the book. He’d spent ten years of his life searching for this knowledge and while he was terrified of pretty much everything after that part he had a promise to keep. He reached down quickly and slipped the book into his pocket. His hand brushed up again the money he had brought and he hesitatingly asked “So… do you want the money that we agreed on?”

The officer had pulled his hood up to hide his face but Caldren saw a slight smile on his face “Oh no, Scholar you are going to need that money much more than I am” then he turned and walked away quickly fading into the growing crowd.

With the sun now rising higher in the sky, Caldren felt a bit safer but he started picking up his pace wanting to put as much space between him and the fish markets as he could. As he reached the docks he saw that the gutters were all back on the seawall and were staring right at him, so he broke into a full run which didn’t last very long as he leaned towards a sedentary lifestyle but it was enough to get him to the watch post between the fish market and merchant’s square where he collapsed against the wall breathing hard from the exertion.

The watchman on duty leaned out to look at him, saw him sprawled on the street his dirty robes caked with blood and raised an eyebrow as if to say “I see you, but I don’t want to fill out any paperwork today”. Caldren tiredly waved him off, got up and trudged back to the library.