Short Story - Bequeathed
Saturday, January 28, 2006
From a quick glance Tanner knew the count and location of each sheep in the flock. The other shepherds doubted him, but he trusted his talent. In an attempt to occupy his thoughts he tried to picture each of his sheep now, but the effort didn't grant him the escape he hoped for. He was in town, no where near his fields, and ignoring that fact was not an option. He lost his concentration as he was thrown against a building and pinned across the throat by a meaty arm.
"Now maggot, what was it you called me?" The kids called him Roach, but his mother called him Robert, sometimes Bobby. Tanner wanted to tell the truth, that he called him Robert, but he knew that would lead to pain. He stood silent. "What, you don't remember? Maybe this will help!" Tanner saw the punch coming and tried to harden his stomach, but that didn't lessen the pain. He lost the ability to breath and thought he might be sick. Roach looked to his buddies and back to Tanner with a smile. His need to display dominance escalated when his friends were in the vicinity, and he was obviously proud of himself today.
"Someone's coming!" Tanner heard, and fell to a sun warmed ground as Roach let him go. "I'm not finished with you!" Roach growled and turned to run with the other kids up the alley towards the town's main square. They were out of eyesight in time for Tanner to throw up in private. He noticed tears in his eyes, which would have angered him if the tears came from Roach, but they belonged to his stomach in it's effort to retch. This was bad timing. On any other day he would retreat to his familiar flock and fields, but today was different. He couldn't miss the gathering.
He had been excited about the event since he heard the news. Wizard Malachi had called for the entire village of Ridgewood to meet in the town square, which Tanner was told never happened in the 71 years the wizard lived in Ridgewood. No one knew the reason, though some weeks ago gossip about the event usurped the weather in general conversation. Tanner heard everything from disintegrating the Mayor -- a rather pompous man and not well liked, so this was more wishful thinking than probable -- to prophesizing the end of the Great Age. Whatever the reason, magic or prophecy were sure to be involved.
Tanner grunted to his feet, leaning against the building to steady himself. He looked up the alley to the street, waiting for the strength and will to move his body.
"Why didn't you hit him back?" Tanner, startled, turned to see Shana, his little sister. She was nine, four years younger than he, and allowed him no peace. Any time he thought he was alone, she uncloaked in some mysterious little sister way to deliver another speech about his inadequacy. Mother said to be patient because Shana loved him. Tanner expected that was true, but her arguing with him about his every move wasn't any kind of love he needed.
"Maybe you didn't notice the fact that Roach is twice my body weight and was surrounded by his friends?" Tanner tried to sound authoritative, to add weight to his point.
She rolled her eyes. Shana never followed the rules of logic before, there was no reason for her to start now. "Well, I would have hit him back."
"And now you'd be in a coffin." He held his scowl as he turned, not disarming it until he faced the street. He didn't want her eyes on his when the scowl gave way to the pain in his abdomen. He nursed it as he moved, meandering involuntarily, also nursing his hatred of Roach.
Awe struck Tanner as he reached the main square. There were more people in town than any time he could remember, and he recognized surprisingly few. Many dressed in ways he hadn't seen before and he wondered how far people had traveled to hear the wizard speak. Most gathered around the platform near the north wall that his father said was used for hanging criminals before the time of the Empress. Now it was used for public announcements, or rare occasions when traveling entertainers caravanned through town.
His lungs still laboring for air, Tanner stepped into Mr. Pugworth's general store to sit on the bench near the window, his usual spot, and an exceptional indoor view on this day. Shana shot past him to steal the end with the best view. If he wasn't in pain he might have cared.
"Malachi, you are being unreasonable," said an intimidating voice at the back of the store. "If the Avanarr come ..."
"He's a Wizard too!' Shana whispered in amazement. Tanner forced her pointed arm down in an effort to remain discrete. She was right. The grey haired man talking to Malachi had the same living magic. It shimmered like heat waves in midday sun, but instead of coming from everywhere at once it jumped from place to place like tiny ribbons. Tanner noted this wizard's magic didn't sparkle orange like Malachi's, but pure yellow.
"I do not fear the Avanarr Obius, I fear losing the trust of the people. How will we live if the people come to see us a threat? Even the Empress makes mistakes. The people must know the truth."
Obius sighed a submission. "Then please hurry. We must leave for Dal'Mar within the hour. It is the only place we are safe." Malachi held his gaze for a moment then they both walked out the front. Through the window Tanner could see Malachi making his way through the crowd toward the north wall, exchanging greetings and shaking hands with the townsfolk. Shana trailed Tanner as he walked outside to get a better view, but Malachi was quickly swallowed in a sea of people. Tanner walked towards several stacks of crates at the mouth of an alley and nimbly perched himself atop. He managed to lead Shana safely up as well, and stood her next to the store wall to reduce her chances of falling. Tanner hid his smirk when she didn't object to his unspoken instruction.
"Most of you know me; many of you know me well. Today I ask you not to hear me as a wizard, but as a citizen. I ask you to hear me as a friend." Despite the numbers, the desire to hear the announcement brought absolute silence in the square. "We all honor the Empress, and she has shown her love for us. She has bestowed a lasting peace and unity upon our land. Her visions and wisdom to understand those visions has opened hearts, and joined peoples." Malachi paused, lowering his head and clasping his hands together. It reminded Tanner of beggars asking for money. "Some of you may have heard rumors about the most recent visions of the Empress. I can tell you those rumors are true. She has seen a vision of fire raining from the sky, and of great suffering for the people of Talitha." Respectful whispers grew to murmurs, which grew to countless discussions among everyone gathered. A few voices could be heard loudly asking what the visions could mean, and who or what would cause such a thing. Malachi's voice was still clear as he raised his hands for quiet. "Please good people, please!" Tanner marveled at how quickly any person could regain the attention of an audience this outsized. "The meaning of the vision is not yet known. But what is known is that the Empress does not see symbolism in the vision. She believes the vision is literal, and that such a firestorm can only be caused by wizards. She has demanded that all wizards report to the capital to be placed under house arrest."
Voices rose again, this time a mixture between discussion of the decree of the Empress, and an interest in the five mounted warriors riding into town through the west gate. Tanner had never seen such soldiers before, but heard the word Avanarr spoken several times. Many leather patches lined with rows of tiny metal squares decorated the soldiers. The same armored patches covered every horse. As the soldiers rode closer Tanner noticed their size. Each soldier was considerably shorter, yet twice the bulk of the men in Ridgewood. Various weapons were visible, and all were weighted to match the girth of their owners. Tanner had seen smaller versions of those weapons used for hunting, but these would destroy any flesh they touched.
"Tanner!" Shana screamed, but it was too late. Roach pulled at his shirt and Tanner fell to the ground, landing hard on this back and knocking the wind from his lungs. Tanner immediately sat up and forward into a hunch and struggled for a breath, but his lungs refused him. He turned in time to noticed Roach and two of his friends close in on him. Tanner was also in time to see Shana run in behind Roach and plant her foot firmly between his legs. He grunted aloud and sank to his knees as Shana ran into the now rousing crowd in the direction of the platform, chased by both of Roach's friends.
"Your stupid sister made it worse, maggot," Roach snarled through gritted teeth. With that he spun into a punch to take Tanner square in the face. A few seconds later he realized he was on his back again with blood pouring into his mouth. As his nose burned now and his eyes filled with water Tanner wondered if his nose was broken. He had never been punched in the face before. It took him a moment to get past the shock and resolve the need to get out of this situation. Too late. Roach kicked him full force, this time into his left rib cage. Tanner didn't have to guess, he heard a cracking pop. Something definitely broke. He may have gotten off with a bloody lip before Shana got involved, but now Roach frothed in rage. Roach wouldn't stop unless Tanner stopped him.
Unsure why, Tanner maintained his bearings after the kick. He faltered to his feet and stood there, bent forward, until Roach came close. As Shana had done, Tanner planted a solid kick to Roach's crotch. Roach threw his head back in a yelp and crumbled to his side on the ground. The pain in Tanner's chest drove him to the ground as well. Within a few seconds he stumbled to his feet and hobbled his way to the back of the crowd before succumbing again to the pain in his chest. He stopped for wind and turned to see Roach being helped to his feet by a buddy, and then they both started towards Tanner.
Tanner rose and began working his way deep into the crowd. Roach wouldn't be foolish enough to attack him in plain sight, and someone would recognize Tanner and react to the blood on his face and sleeve.
After pushing his way through countless people Tanner heard screams rise ahead of him, then all through the crowd. People started pushing frantically and Tanner almost fell several times. The pain in his chest was making him weak, and he was having trouble seeing. After passing several people running in the opposite direction, he broke into a clearing immediately to the right side of the north platform.
Tanner cleared his eyes of tears in time to see four soldiers surrounding Malachi fly off through the air as though something exploded. Malachi rose from the center with blood down the front of his robe. He straightened with a look of anger on his face. The soldiers gathered themselves with amazing speed and raced back towards the wizard. Several shards of something metallic glinted in the air, spinning around Malachi's head, then shot off towards the soldiers embedding deep into their foreheads. Tanner gasped as he watched the four men slump to the ground, dead, before his eyes. At the same time, an arrow from the last Avanarr caught the wizard in the eye.
As the crowd fell into further chaos, Tanner watched the great wizard limp to his knees. All around him the air began to shimmer with Malachi's living magic. It twisted in streaks of red and yellow, sometimes collapsing to a mass of orange. It stayed above the wizard's body for only a few seconds, then shot to surround the head of the last soldier. The soldier arched his back in a muffled scream, then fell to the ground. The magic rose up again, split into several streams, and shot off in many directions hitting several remaining members of the crowd. One of them hit Tanner faster than he had time to react.
First there was sharp pain at the base of Tanner's skull, and then blackness. For an unknown period of time Tanner remained unconscious, but when he awoke, everything was different. The crowd still screamed and ran in various directions, and there was still blood down Tanner's face, but he didn't care. He was calm. More calm than he ever remembered being. He recalled his damaged face and broken ribs and instinctively, using some understanding that seemed foreign yet natural, he willed his wounds to be mended. His nose stopped bleeding, his ribcage popped again, and all his pain subsided.
Tanner turned to face the crowd and watched several people slump to the ground as ribbons of magic left them and raced for him. He didn't move. Three more strips hit him as the first did, but this time he watched it. This time he felt it. The magic coursed through him with purpose, learning him, teaching him. Information started flowing into Tanner's thoughts about magic and its use, about the creation of things he didn't recognize but now knew how to conjure and control. An entire world entered his head in an instant, and it felt perfectly natural. If felt like counting sheep.
"Tanner!" Shana raced to the front of Tanner, looking back past him. Tanner turned to see Roach and his two buddies step close. Roach looked to his friends, then to the array of people to make sure no one could see them. He obviously didn't see the bodies on the platform.
This time Tanner saw the punch coming, but decided he didn't need to move. The punch moved his head a little to the right, but not enough for him to break eye contact with Roach. Tanner calmly watched Roach strike with two more fast punches, a left and then another hard right. The punches pinched a little at first, then tingled for a few seconds, then nothing.
Red faced and breathing heavy Roach drew his leg back for a kick, but his foot seemed to move unnaturally slow. Tanner raised his own foot to Roach's shin and easily held off the kick. Roach braved another punch, but Tanner caught his fist. Roach tried to pull free, but failed. Tanner was somewhat intrigued by how weak Roach seemed, and with that thought he began to squeeze Roach's hand. Roach's face curled into a silent scream as he dropped to his knees. Roach seemed too weak. Or maybe, Tanner thought, he himself had become strong. Tanner released Roach's hand, grabbed his shirt, and lifted him clean off the ground into the air.
"How are you doing that?" Shana exclaimed. Tanner tossed Roach carelessly to the ground at the other boy's feet.
"I think I'm a wizard." At that Roach's friends scurried past them. Roach jumped up as well, tears in his eyes, and ran in the same direction. Tanner could distinctly hear them running away behind him. He could also distinctly hear people.
Tanner turned around to see that dozen's of people had noticed them and were now staring. Most had worried looks on their faces, and some women covered their mouths. He spotted his parents working quickly towards them. Obius, one of the closest people, stepped towards him.
"How old are you my boy? Fifteen?"
"Thirteen" answered Tanner without emotion.
"Hrm. Quite young. I'm quite surprised you survived."
"What has happened to him?" Tanner heard his father ask. He stood worried behind his mother with his hands on her shoulders, and Shana ran to stand in the same way before his mother.
"He has survived the Gouitsu, the joining with living magic, and now it is a part of him. As such, he is no longer safe here, as you have seen." Obius gestured towards the platform without looking. "He must come with me to the wizard city of Dal'Mar. He will be safe there."
Tanner's mother ran to him, dropped to her knees, and threw her arms around him with a wail, tears welling into her eyes.
"I understand how difficult this is for you, but we do not have time for good byes. You may visit him in Dal'Mar if you wish. Please, quickly, there may be more Avanarr." Obius took Tanner by the shoulder and started towards the east gate. He paused to look back at Malachi's corpse. "Please bury him" Obius asked of Tanner's father, who offered a silent nod. Obius nodded in return.
Once they reached the east gate Obius stopped at a horse and prepared it for travel. "Why did they kill Malachi?" Tanner asked, not understanding why Malachi, and now he, were in danger of the Empress.
"What is your name."
"Tanner."
Obius leapt easily onto the horse, reached for Tanner, and swung him up to the rear. "Tanner, I believe a war is about to begin and you have just become a soldier. Hold tight." Obius kicked the horse into a run through the gate and onto the main road east.
A soldier. A wizard soldier. Tanner thought of his sheep grazing in the fields, and wondered of their fate without him. He thought as well of himself riding out of town without his family, to the wizard city of Dal'Mar and wondered of his own fate.
posted by tpcmurray at 2:28 PM
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