01 - The Price of Talent (42 page)

              But just as I said this I felt her power start to gain focus on me through my sword. So I did the only thing that popped into my head. I summoned my sword to me. As it appeared in my hand, Judith missed a step and was left staring at her now empty hands. Then I grabbed and threw my baton at her with my off hand. Unfortunately, in my haste, I was not accurate enough and she managed to dodge it. When she caught her balance, she pulled out a wand and continued to draw in power.

              Knowing it was only a matter of seconds before she released her energy at me, I dived under my bed, sword in hand, and upended it into a makeshift barricade in front of me. This was just in time as a large burst of electricity crackled into it, lighting the mattress and pillows on fire. Clearly Judith’s talents went well beyond the library sciences.

              Seeing this, I drew quickly and heavily on the heat energy this created. It took maybe a second to get as much as I needed. I then levitated my sword into the air and made it start spinning like a buzz saw, like I had spent so much time throwing at targets. Using this as a distraction I rolled out from behind my bed to one side and threw a wall of telekinetic force at Judith.

              When the force hit her, she went flying into the wall by the door where she had been hiding. She then fell to the floor on hands and knees, clearly dazed. I then walked over to her, drawing in more power from my now smoldering bed, recalled my sword, and then stunned her with a blast of electricity from the end of my sword.

“Sorry about that Judith,” I said. “Hopefully you’ll forgive me when you recover. But because I can’t have you following me, or further alerting people, I’m going to have to tie you up.”

              I then used my sword, and what was left of the bed sheets, to cut up some bindings. I then hogtied her and left her on the floor. And before you think me too callous, I did check to make sure she was breathing first. Despite the fact she had been lying in wait to capture me, I did not bear her any ill will. Her motives were to escape this place too, if her comments were to be believed anyway.

              Once out of my room, I quickly headed down the hallway of the second floor of the dormitories, and down the stairs. With the amount of power that Judith and I had just released, and the amount of time it took me to hogtie her, I knew I didn’t have much time till someone came to investigate. This also meant I needed to stash my sword somewhere if I was going to try to pretend to be a porter again.

So, you’re just going to stick me in some random room then?

Well, you weren’t much help with Judith back there. She tried to use you to fry me with lightning!

All you had to do was call me back to your hand. At least you figured that out before she fried you. I’m a sword, dimwit, I’m an inanimate object that just happens to have thoughts of its own. It’s not like I could do anything about it.

Fair enough. Still, your presence would definitively ruin my disguise. Anyone seeing you will know I’m no porter.

Well, then it’s just as good you didn’t bring that truncheon either, because porters don’t carry those around either.

Good point, though the guard didn’t say anything about that. But that poses a problem, what am I going to do if I’m confronted with inquisitor initiates trying to capture me?

Duh, maybe use magic?

That will alert everyone near me to my presence!

If they are attacking you with melee weapons kid, they’re already well aware of your presence. Just summon me if things get dicey. Also, having me in your hand will likely scare them enough that you will be able to use magic to help you escape.

Ok, so it’s a plan. No weapons unless I absolutely need one, then summon you.

Yeah, that’s kind of why I exist kid. Magic swords are meant for just that sort of thing.

              So with that decided, I stuffed the sword behind the door of the last dorm room before the stairwell behind the door. Not the most imaginative hiding place, but then I didn’t want to waste any time looking for a better one. I then cautiously headed down the stairs.

              On the bottom landing, I heard a group of people stomping up the hallway towards the staircase. Being trapped in the staircase, I had two choices, head back and out a window, or try and play like being a porter and hope no one recognized me. I chose the latter.

“Oh god, someone was fighting in the dorms!” I yelled, trying to sound panicky. “Please, you have to get help quickly!”

              I shouted this from still in the stairwell. On hearing it, the footsteps broke into a jog. Then shortly afterwards, three initiates armed with various weapons ran into the stairwell.

“It was terrible, I think someone started a fire!” I said still pretending to be a porter. “Please, you must hurry! I think someone’s hurt!”

              The inquisitor initiates barely slowed down as they passed me. I believe the leader of the group mentioned something about “he’s trapped now!” or similar as they passed me. Regardless, my porter’s attire and their obvious excitement at the chase caused them to not give me a second glance. As soon as they were passed, I got out on the first floor by the door to the main castle. Unfortunately, another group of initiates was just coming in from the other end. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to risk being recognized a second time, I headed back into the castle and let the initiates follow their friends towards the hogtied Judith.

              Inside the castle again, I turned and saw the guard I had passed earlier standing at his post but looking extremely agitated.

“What happened up there boy?” He asked.

“I don’t know, I was trying to remember what room I was supposed to go to, but then heard fighting and decided to get the hell out of there!” I said, thinking quickly and trying to not sound suspicious.

“Good idea there kid,” he said. “That mage nonsense is far above our pay grade. Let the church’s pet freaks deal with it. Now you get out of here!”

“Good idea,” I said, and beat a hasty retreat further into the castle.

              I realized at this point that time was increasingly against me. Meredith was likely already waiting for me at the stables and getting nervous every time large amounts of power was channeled. Since the dorms and the library were connected by a hallway that ran along the side of the castle, I quickly decided to access the front entryway and stables through the library. Besides, with Judith hogtied in my room, the chance of anyone there recognizing me was very small.

              I headed down this corridor unmolested, fortunately enough. It was a frequently used pathway, as it connected the library, the classrooms above it and the dorms. It allowed students to walk to class and back on rainy days without having to get wet or walk through mud. I imagine it was also quite popular in the colder winter months too. Today however, it was empty, thanks to the examination. At the door to the library, I peeked inside quickly. There did not seem to be anyone in there, so I ducked in.

              The library was dark. The only lights coming in were through the windows. No one was at the front desk either. I guess Judith had abandoned her post, albeit on Claudius’s and Alfieri’s orders, to come ambush me in my room. Still, not wanting to alert anyone who might be in here, I walked as quietly as I could down the central hallway with both ears listening intently for any noise. Fortunately, there weren’t any. I made it to the central desk without incident. From there, I made a quick left, keeping close to the shelves of books and headed for the main entrance to the library that lead out into the green by the front entrance of the castle.

              Once at the door, I peeked out the windows to see into the main entryway. There was a ton of people coming and going out there. I, however, didn’t see any inquisitor initiates; which made sense, since the practice yard was at the other end of the castle. Still, since Judith’s ambush, I wasn’t taking anything for granted. I slipped through the front door of the library and out into the entryway.

              Not wanting to look too suspicious, I proceeded to walk towards the stables on the right hand side of the gate area as if I had a task to accomplish there. Sometimes the best disguise is looking like you have an important task to do and knowing where you are going. Regardless, I made it to the outside of the stables without incident. Once there though…

“You! Boy!” Said an officious voice. “Come help me with this!”

              I looked over and saw a merchant with a pompous demeanor and an expensive outfit sitting in the driver’s seat of a small but ornate cart.

“Yes sir?” I asked, walking over to him, not wanting to blow my cover.

“Where am I supposed to deposit this infernal thing?” He said.

“I’m sorry sir,” I said. “What infernal thing are you talking about?”

“My carriage and my blasted horse?! What did you think I was talking about?” He practically yelled at me.

“I’m sorry sir,” I responded. “But, I’m quite sure I don’t know sir. Would you like me to walk your horses and carriage to the stables for you sir?”

“Yes, that would be good!” He said, seemingly mollified by my tone. “Now I need to find that blasted skin flint Claudius, he specifically ordered me to deliver some goods to him, but didn’t tell me how busy it would be today. I have very important things to do in town and didn’t think this delivery would take me all afternoon!”

              He kept right on complaining, apparently oblivious to the fact that I wasn’t really listening. I walked up to the horses, patted them gently, retrieved the reins from the merchant, who had by now complained his way off his cart, and I started to walk them slowly over to the stables. I didn’t mind doing this, after all, the stables were my goal. Also, actually walking the horse and carriage to the group of other carriages helped my disguise even more. Who but a stable hand would be walking a horse and carriage or cart to the stables?

              This came at just the right time, as a group of initiates rounded the far side of the classrooms in a relative confusion. Not wanting to be caught staring, I kept the horses and cart between myself and them, as I headed to the stables. Once there, I unhitched the horses, and walked them into the stalls, just like I used to do at home after a delivery to Forsburg. I was just finishing taking the last of the horses’ tacking off when I heard a voice behind me.

“Well, it sure took you long enough to get here,” said Meredith. “I’ve been hiding here for an hour now! You could have told me you were going to be dressed as stable hand though. Where did you get those clothes?”

“It’s a long story, but it involves your friend Judith ambushing me in my room,” I said.

“What?!” said Meredith. “She didn’t try anything, you know, funny? I think she was a little jealous of how much time we spent together.”

“Not unless you count trying to attack me with my sword and trying to fry me with lightning.”

“Judith tried to kill you?” said Meredith with a confused expression on her face. “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”

“Oh it was her,” I replied. “She said something about Claudius and Alfieri not wanting me to get my sword and giving her good grades and a position in the capital as a reward for catching me.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” said Meredith. “What did you do?”

“I stunned her and left her hogtied in my room,” I said.

“Huh, and I was worried about her doing something funny!” She said.

“Meredith, she had just tried to blast me with lightning,” I said. “Taking advantage of her while she was tied up was the last thing on my mind, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Last thing on your mind?” She asked. “Then why was it your first guess at what I was insinuating? Huh?”

“Because you had just mentioned you worried about her trying some ‘funny business’ with me,” I said. “Anyway, we can argue about this on the road. Have you got the gear we need?”

“Yup!” She replied happily. “I snuck out of work early and made my way to the castle. I just batted my eyes and said I needed some stuff for the hospital and everyone just let me wander around unsupervised. I even got one of the guards help me pick out some warm things. I hope they’re the right size.”