Chapter 3: Ruining a Merchant, Joining the Dwarven Merchants, Legate’s Gift

The next two weeks went by with little to talk about, although I had several jobs only one required me to use my skills. One of the heads of a large consortium had needed to meet with a young rival that he did not trust, as it turned out he was right not to trust him. Samil had been there as well. I stood at Lord Henrys left, Samil on the right.

In the middle of the meeting and without warning the younger merchant Lord Jeffers had lurched forward with a long slender dagger. I had felt him move and stepped up to the table even as he moved. Grabbing his wrist in my left hand I pulled and twisted to his left. Drawing my own sword it arced around only to stop suddenly at young lord Jeffers throat.

Samil had drawn his sword and pulled Lord Henrys back in one motion. Lord Jeffers’s two guards had started to pull their swords but stopped when they saw him with my sword at his throat. While the young merchant cursed and threatened me. I waited for Lord Henrys to decide what he wanted done, he finally told me to let him go.

He looked at Lord Jeffers, “what happened here will be spread around to all the merchants and when it is you will be through.”

As the young merchant started to leave he looked at me, “you are dead.”

I looked at him and came to a quick decision myself. I smiled him, “that was a challenge.”

I looked at Samil who nodded and I looked back at the merchant, “fine, I accept. The weapons will be swords at dawn, middle ring of the practice field.”

Lord Jeffers looked at me and then snorted, “like I would face you in a duel.”

Lord Henrys replied, “you challenged him, if you do not show your life and property will be forfeit.”

I stood at the ring for three hours, the crowd had been incredible. When Jeffers had not shown the crowd had called for the guard. He had been found at home, trying to hide behind his own guards. He had been moaning about someone stealing all his money in the night. He was put in chains and given to one of the bond houses to be sold as a hard laborer. His property had been seized and sold, the money to go to several charities.

This morning started as a very good morning, Sam and Cat both had beaten their practice opponents. I had spoken with Samil as they had fought and we both had agreed that they were shaping up. My match was just starting when I felt the presence. It was like the assassin from before. In the middle of my fight I leaped away, reaching out my practice sword falling to the ground with Samil’s.

I grabbed the bolt in mid flight as it sped through the air towards Cat standing at the edge of the ring. Landing I had rolled to my feet with my sword drawn facing this new assassin. Even as I stood, I watched the assassin flee with Samil following. It was a short time later when Samil reappeared.

He shook his head, “I lost him in the alleys.”

I accepted this and decided to call it a day. Without stopping to do any shopping we went home. Once in the gate I stopped the girls, “Cat? You are not to go out without me.”

As I crossed to the kitchens I saw four dwarfs by the stables, one was Garret. When they saw me they had headed towards me, catching up with me in the kitchen as I was talking to Ann. There were three other women in the kitchen and they were baking bread, one of the women was Margaret.

I smiled at Ann, “how many are we feeding now?”

At first, she was a little evasive but when I insisted she sighed, “the numbers have grown to around one hundred and fifty.”

While the dwarfs stood nervously behind me I shrugged, “do you need to do any shopping?”

She nodded and I handed her my purse, “if you find any sheep skins buy them for me.”

I looked past her, “take Margaret and Tom if he is around. You can take the horse and wagon too.”

When I finished and turned to leave the dwarfs tried to get me to stop. Garret looked up at me, “we wish to talk to you about business.”

I looked at him, “my business or yours?”

Garret looked at me, “ours.”

I looked at the other dwarfs, “my mornings are set aside for me to practice medicine. If you want to talk with me then you will have to come with me and talk as I work.”

As I entered the bathing room I realized how much it had changed. It now had a roof and all the walls had been rebuilt. When I came in the door there was a little man writing something on a makeshift desk. His name was Jeremy and he had a ledger. He smiled and told me who was here to be seen with the worst cases first.

Marie was with him, he had been a find for me. He had been trying to hide behind the kitchen when I found him. I talked him into teaching the neighborhood children how to read and write as well as managing records for my patients. He had the older kids record the information when the patients were seen.

As I started I saw that both Sam and Cat were already checking the easier ones. Jeremy nodded to the two guards, “Gentle and Paul brought in two children to be seen.”

The two children had been orphaned in a fire. They had moderate burns on their hands and arms. The boy looked about five and had a bad cut across his back and the girl was probably three with burns on her feet as well. As I was checking them Paul told me, “the guard will start sweeps through the city for destitute people. They will be turning them over to the bond houses.”

When I looked up at him he shrugged, “you might start getting more people coming here for help.”

The city guard had started bringing me those that needed help and not always just those needing medical help. I nodded and called for Marie, when she got there I smiled at her, “would you tell your mother to double her shopping list?”

I looked at Paul, “there was a drow assassin at the practice field this morning.”

Gentle shifted, “can you take the two children?”

I thought about it, all the ones they had brought to me before had been able to take care of themselves. I knew John and Ann were thinking of more children. Turning I called over one of the neighbor boys named Mathew, “find John, look in the house. He is rebuilding walls in one of the rooms.”

As Mathew hurried off Garret impatiently cleared his throat. I did not even look around, “go ahead and talk, I am listening.”

I did notice that one of the other dwarfs had gone over to Cat and kept trying to look at the chain mail she wore. Garret cleared his throat, “would you give us the list of ingredients and the process for the metal you made?”

As I moved to another patient I thought about it. As I worked at setting a broken wrist I shook my head, “I do not think so.”

I glanced at him, “perhaps we could work something else out.”

Garret countered, “you already made it in front of me. I could just make it without your consent.”

I had been listening and heard the change in his voice. More, I remembered that Garret had not been paying attention when I mixed the metals to make the composite. I smiled to myself, “fine you do that.”

There was a long pause as I moved to yet another patient. The pause was broken by Cat slapping the dwarf as he felt somewhere he should not have. John appeared with Mathew in tow, I looked at him and explained about the children, “can you and Ann take care of them until I can find someplace for them?”

He looked at the children then nodded and called to Marie, “Marie? Keep the children with you until I am finished.”

Sam appeared to tell me about the patient she had been helping and I agreed with her treatment. The patient I was working on had just come in, three of the fingers on his right hand had severe damage. The only thing I could do was to remove them, which would not have helped him.

I turned to the young girl that was taking notes, “would you run an errand to the temple?”

As I reached for my purse I explained to her, “I need one of the healers. You are to tell them that I will pay their price.”

When Sam handed me her purse I smiled at her and then took out a gold piece. I held it up for the girl to see and then handed it to her, “that is an earnest.”

I took a silver piece out and handed the purse back to Sam. I showed the girl the silver, “it is yours when you returned.”

I had Sam stay with me and I moved to the next patient. The next couple of patients went quickly. I was stitching a long gash in the leg of an elderly woman when Cat brought the dwarf back by his ear. After she had released him she looked at me, “I have another family suffering from malnutrition.”

Garret again approached, “I will buy the process.”

I glanced at him, “how much?”

He sighed with a tone of much suffering, “one hundred gold pieces.”

I laughed, “you still owed me that much. I will not sell it that cheap.”

Finally he looked at the other dwarfs and then back at me, “what do you want?”

I thought about it, “I want a percentage of every item made from the process.”

Garret and the other dwarfs exploded, “impossible, out of the question!”

I waited patiently as I gathered the equipment and moved to the next patient. As they calmed down they countered my offer, “one thousand gold pieces.”

I shook my head, “thirty percent of every item made.”

They cried out, “you are trying to impoverish us or drive us out of business!”

I moved from patient to patient as they bargained back and forth. Finally we settled on twenty percent with a couple of exceptions. I wanted two more suits of chain mail and the opportunity to make some swords myself. I sent them to Jeremy to draw up a contract. It took three drafts before they stopped trying to add things into the contract.

Once they finished and it was signed I reminded them to pay Jeremy. They left with my promise to write the process and have it delivered by the next morning. The Priest had shown up and was working on the patient with the injured hand, as he finished I joined them. I was always amazed by the healings and the workings of magic.

After checking the hand I again borrowed Sam’s purse, the priest smiled at this, “gave your purse away again?”

I looked up with a grin, “shopping this time.”

I gave the priest four more gold pieces and he bowed, “it is always a pleasure.”

I had another visit in the middle of the afternoon. I was in the middle of dealing with an emergency. A building had collapsed injuring over two dozen people. The injured were mostly those with broken bones. As I was setting a broken leg I felt them approach. I knew one of the men approaching was Gentle but the other was a stranger.

When he cleared his throat I glanced at him. He was well dressed and from the way he stood and wore his sword I knew he was probably someone of importance. I went back to setting the leg, “what can I do for you?”

The man again cleared his throat again and when I did not even look up he spoke, “my name is Legate Abrams.”

When I did not respond to his name he continued, “I am the Legate for the city guards.”

I nodded and then directed the woman who was helping me to move the bowl of plaster. “Well Legate Abrams it is my pleasure to meet you. I would introduce myself better but as you can see I am a little busy. How can I help you?”

With a sigh he knelt down taking the injured man’s leg that I was trying to wrap plaster on one handed, “I thought it time that we met since my guards have started using you as a resource to help people.”

I smiled, “I do not mind, it gives me a chance to help and usually it is only a meal or a bed for a few nights.”

The Legate looked around, “and this?”

I finished the wrapping and placed the leg down. Looking around I saw most of my neighbors helping. The large courtyard looked like chaos, “those you help have a tendency to help others.”

Saying this I moved to the next patient in line. It was a woman with a broken arm. Cat had given her the pain medicine already and it seemed to be working. I felt the arm, it was only a fracture. I showed Cat how it was to be set then moved again. The Legate kept up with me, “this does not match up with your reputation as a mercenary.”

I looked up at him as I knelt next to a woman that looked like her pelvis had been crushed. There was a small boy maybe six years old holding Sam’s hand as they sat with her. I started examining her to see the extent of her injuries. She exhaled and stopped breathing, Gentle who had followed calmly said, “she is gone.”

I was not listening, “Sam get the healer.”

I had called for a healer as soon as the injured had started arriving. I started CPR and it was only a few seconds before Sam was back. The voice behind me sighed sadly, “she is beyond my help.”

I showed Sam how to do the breathing and then continued with the chest compressions. “Samuel you should be ashamed to give up without a fight.”

No sooner had I said this than the woman started breathing again. Turning I moved out of the way, “if you would Samuel I believe you may be able to help her more than I now.”

He was looking at me with his mouth open. I reminded him a second time and he moved forward and laid his hand on her. I could feel the magic from the healing in my bones. Before our eyes the injury slowly disappeared. Smiling at the boy I winked and then looked at Sam, “how many beds remain in the stables?”

I had converted it almost two week earlier into a bunkhouse with four-tier bunk beds. Sam glanced around, “I will need to check with Ann and get back to you.”

I sighed, “find her a lower bunk.”

I looked at the boy, “the father?”

Sam only shook her head and I nodded, “make sure the bed is wide enough for two.”

As I started to stand and the Legate reached out and helped me up, “that was the most amazing thing I have seen in a long time.”

Samuel agreed, “the healing was free.”

He looked at me, “could you show me how to do it?”

I nodded to him, “it will have to wait until we are done here.”

Turning I moved to the next patient, “in answer to your question Legate. I do that so that I can do this, help people that really need it and I decide who I work for and why.”

As I knelt down the young woman that was attending the young man looked up, “I think the knee cap is broken as well as the arm.”

I nodded and reached out to feel through his body. Sure enough the left knee was broken along with a fracture in the right arm above the elbow. Turning I called Samuel over, “how selective is your healing?”

I did not want to burn him out, he might be needed later. In the end he healed the kneecap and left the arm to be put in a cast. As the woman went to get the plaster and bandages they watched her limping away. The Legate watched her, “she might need attention herself.”

I looked up at the Legate, “her name is Sarah and her injury is old. She has been helping me off and on for the past two weeks. She was homeless, the master she was apprenticed to was an herbalist. While they were gathering herbs a horse kicked her, breaking the pelvic bone. The master refused to pay for a healing and it had healed incorrectly so her master turned her out.”

I looked after Sarah, “it is a shame because she is a natural and could be a great healer.”

The Legate looked at me, “will you teach her?”

I glanced at him, “there are problems. First she has to learn to trust someone again. Second, one of your guards has taken it into his head that she is his property.”

He frowned, “who.”

I shrugged, “she would not say.”

When Sarah returned I told her how I wanted the cast put on. When I was finished and stood up. The Legate spoke up, “young woman I have been told you have the potential to be a great healer.”

She only looked at him with a haunted look and he spoke again, “do you know who I am? I am the Legate for the guard. I have been told that you have no home. This man (he pointed at me) can teach you what you need to know to be a healer. I could put you in bond but I will not, instead I ask you to apprentice yourself. If he will accept you I will pay the apprentice fee.”

Sarah looked at him and then at me, as if asking. I nodded and she looked back to the Legate and then she looked down, “but I am a cripple.”

I smiled at her, “Sarah the damage is not irreversible yet. I could treat you, it would mean several weeks of healing but you would be walking again and without the pain.”

Samuel spoke up, “If you do this I will offer the healing for free.”

With tears in her eyes she looked back to the Legate and nodded. He nodded, “then done.”

I reminded Sarah how I wanted the arm cast and then moved off. When we were out of earshot the Legate remarked, “you are contagious. How much do you want for the apprentice fee?”

I laughed, “it is free.”

The legate insisted, “I should give you something.”

I stopped and looked at him, “I will not take money for helping someone.”

I remembered all the scholarships and gifts that had paid for my own schooling. The Legate looked at me and then smiled, it was not a smile I expected to see. “You seem to be having a problem with your housing, perhaps I can help.”

He nodded toward the cliff on the other side of the corral, “the old Keep up on top, it used to belong to a necromancer. It belongs to the city now and is an eyesore, it is yours.”

I looked up the cliff, “great, just what I need, another project.”

This only made the him laugh. With a look around I realized that the injured had all been cared for. When he realized this as well he smiled, “now that I have your attention. There are a couple of things I wanted to speak to you about. First, was your report this morning of a drow in the city?”

I explained what had happened and who could vouch for the report. The Legate nodded, “keep your ... apprentice close. Next thing I wanted to discuss was a report from the dwarf community that you are part of their consortium now. The dwarf community is one of the larger consortiums and as a part of it you will have to attend some of the court dates as a judge.”

I was a little startled but nodded, “do you know which ones?”

He smiled, “I will go over the schedule but right now I see a conflict of interest on your part concerning the poor.”

A lieutenant showed up to stand next to them waiting. The Legate excused himself and after speaking with the lieutenant, “I will send the dates and times for the court.”

He turned to leave and then stopped and turned back, “I will have the deed for the Keep recorded and sent over.”

The rest of the afternoon went quickly, mostly finding room for everyone. The runner from the Legate arrived late in the afternoon and gave me a packet of documents. He told me that the Legate had already filed the papers with the city and the normal transfer fee had been waived. After the runner left I started thinking about the cliff, it had never felt right to me.

As I was standing in the corral examining the cliff Cat came up behind me, “is it true that Sarah is apprenticed to you now?”

I was preoccupied with my exam but answered, “yes it is true.”

I moved along the wall toward the river and she followed me, “where is she going to sleep?”

I felt something in the wall and replied distractedly, “in the stable.”

Again I moved further along the wall, this time looking at the cracks in the wall. In exasperation Cat followed me again, “all the bunks are taken. What are you looking for?”

I replied, “something is bothering me about this wall.”

She looked at the wall for a minute and then, “it reminds me of the wall by the river.”

I looked at her and then back and fourth along the wall. When I saw the split rock I moved to it and pressed the bottom. With an audible click a seven foot square section of the wall opened. I looked at Cat, “call Sam.”

Sam had been talking with John and Ann. When she was called all three came over. I looked at them, “I had found a passage in the cliff.”

Sam looked up with a frown, “the mage that lived there was publicly executed. He was reported to be a necromancer and trafficked with the drow to destroy the city. The Keep was burned when they tried to enter after he was caught. They were attacked by the undead that guarded the Keep as well as drow warriors.”

I thought about it and looked at Cat and Sam, “stay by the door. I will call if I need you.”

I opened the door wider to reveal a dark hallway. There were white globes spaced down the hall and a crumpled form just a few feet inside the door. Cat stopped me, stepping up to the opening, “Elora!”

The white globes lit up showing the entire hall. I looked at her and raised my eyebrow and she smiled, “it means turn on.”

I nodded, “how do I turn them off?”

She shrugged, “Anon.”

Drawing my sword I spread my senses out and stepped inside. As I approached the corpse it started to come to life. It felt like it was surrounded with electricity. It was almost like a web and I could almost hear a buzzing sound coming from a clay pendent around its neck. Reaching out quickly while it was trying to get to its feet I cut the leather cord holding the pendent with my sword.

As the pendent fell away it crumbled to dust. The corpse sighed and then it too crumbled. Reaching down I picked up the sword it had been carrying. When I pulled it out of the sheath I saw it was made of admantium. Returning to the door I gave the sword to Sam. She nodded, “John went to get some men to help if we needed it.”

I started down the hall, clearing the rooms as I went. As I started to enter the second room I heard the sound of movement and a sword being drawn. As I stepped forward there was a sudden movement. I stepped back as a sword came down from the side of the doorway. Lunging forward I stabbed the dead guard through the neck and cut up, separating the leather holding the pendent.

The guard froze and then dropped to the floor turning to dust. I picked the sword up and put it back in the sheath before I slung it over my shoulder. The next attack came at the end of the hall. A dead guard rushed me from the last room. I blocked his sword and then slashed across its upper chest cutting the leather cord. I retrieved the sword and slung it with the other.

There were six rooms that faced the river. They each had slits that faced out over the river and a large fireplace that burned without anything in them. Each room also had a bath, probable eight feet square. They had wardrobes that lined the wall next to the door and large comfortable beds.

Everything I saw looked new and nothing looked as if it was twenty years old. On the inside wall of the hallway were six smaller rooms but there were supplies in them. There were also two bathrooms (one at each end of the hall) and another set of stairs leading up and down in the middle of the hall.

I returned to the door, giving one of the swords to Cat and the other to John. I noticed that the four men with them looked very nervous. Leaving two of them to guard the door I took the rest to the stairs. I had John and the other man stay there with Sam and Cat. Slowly I made my way up the stairs. At the landing before the next floor I was attacked again.

I blocked and as I cut back at him, the guard stepped back and then thrust his sword. I blocked as I drew my knife and stabbed him at the junction of the neck, cutting the cord. It dropped and turned to dust along with the dead guard. I could feel magic on the landing. It was like an electric web across the wall with a buzzing that seemed just at the edge of my hearing.

I made sure the stairs were clear past the landing and up to the next floor. I collected the sword and called Sam and Cat up to the landing. Next, I went back down to what I considered the main floor and started down the stairs. I had not even reached the landing between floors when I was attacked.

I blocked a swing and stepped in to stab the guard in the chest, breaking the clay pendent. The guard was turning to dust as it fell. Checking the landing I could feel another web of magic across the face of the wall. I returned to where the dead guard had been and picked up the sword. I handed both swords to John on my way past.

Taking a breath I turned to the wall of the landing by Sam and Cat. I could see nothing so I closed my eyes and listened. At first it sounded like the buzzing of bees and then as I listened close I realized it was voices. After awhile I knew my hearing would not help so I reached out. My master had explained once that my sense of touch away from my body came from my chi or my life force.

Feeling the wall it was almost as if I could see the web of what I now knew to be magic, it felt both slick and sticky. It was a moment before I felt the knot and another before I found what I could only call the loose end. It was almost like a bowknot, a simple pull and the knot would come undone. When I pulled there was a shimmer.

I opened my eyes and was looking at a door. I could hear a rustling sound coming from the room beyond. I pulled my sword and then pushed on the door. Even before it had fully opened a sword was thrust through at me. I blocked with the sword and drew my knife. There were three undead guards trying to get through the door at the same time.

Again I parried, this time with the knife and then I brought the sword down on the center guard’s neck. Its attempt to block the sword was upset by the guard next to him trying to block it as well. The result was neither was able to block and I struck the guard in the neck cutting the cord.

As it fell, turning to dust another was taking its place. The guard on the left lunged and again I blocked with my knife. The guard that had stepped into the center position tried to step forward and bring his sword into the fight. I punched him in the face knocking him back into the ones behind, causing them all to fall.

I blocked the guard on the right with my sword and quickly lunged in to cut the cord with the knife. As it fell I was blocking the guard on the left and then with another lunge stabbed my sword through the next guard that was trying to get through the door. The sword went through the pendent and six inches into its chest.

Again the guard on the left struck. I blocked the blow and countered with an overhand blow that it raised its sword to block. I reached in with the knife to stab him in the chest and breaking the pendent. Countering the two guards that rushed in with swords raised I swept their blades to the side with my sword.

As the one on the left continued forward as if to run into me I cut the cord around its neck in a quick slash. The other guard tried to take advantage by stabbing through the guard but the body pulled the sword down allowing me to cut downward into its neck and shoulder cutting the cord on his pendent.

The other guards had sorted themselves out and were coming at me with a vengeance. Two struck together, the one on the right lunged straight at me and I blocked outwards with my sword. While the guard on the left cut down towards my head and I blocked it to my left with my knife. A cut across the guard’s chest on the left resulted in him stepping back.

The guard that was behind him put his sword through its back and it came out the chest. As the sword was pulled free it cut the cord. With a surprised look the guard turned into dust while it was still standing. The guard on the right struck again, this time overhand. I caught the sword with my knife, deflecting it into the new guard that had rushed forward.

The blow cut through the arm holding its sword. I countered the guard on the right by a thrust through the upper chest and the pendent. The other guard tried to grab me with its only hand and I stabbed the hand and twisted it. As the arm straightened I cut across the chest separating the cord.

The last three came together, one stayed behind the other two. He was not like the others and he wore a chain mail shirt made of what looked like mythril. He was taller and I thought he looked like an elf. The other two came more cautiously, the first lunged and when I blocked the other struck. I blocked again and stepped back.

When I did they tried to come through the door and I attacked. A feint at the guard on the right brought the other guard striking at me. I blocked and then put my sword through its throat and twisted, causing it to stumble into the other guard. I pulled the sword free and cut the cord at its neck. Stepping back I blocked and struck only to have the blow blocked by the dead elf.

As the guard on my left struck I stepped to the side and blocked the blade causing it to swing toward the elf. As the elf was starting to lunge it twisted aside and blocked the sword. I did not wait. I struck in a lunge that pierced, not just the guard on the left but went through its neck and coming out its shoulder and then striking the elf in the chest.