The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling (6 page)

Lor gave the lad a steady look. “Yes, feed
the horses and I’ll fix us a light meal to start the day. Then put
on their leads, water and harness them. I will put your packs in
the back of the wagon. We need to make up time and get closer to
the front of the caravan. Be off with you lad. Maybe you can ride
in the wagon, for a spell, with me today.”

Soon they were back on the road. Erin walked
beside the horses for a while. When the sun came up fully from
behind the hills. Tempo came out of the trees and stamped on the
ground as if asking to be picked up. She swept up the little
creature and set him on her shoulder where he soon fell asleep. The
horses didn’t seem to mind the proximity of the skunk and were
pulling well. Erin approached Lor’s side to see if there were
further instructions. Lor patted the seat beside him. Erin put one
hand on Tempo to hold him steady on her shoulder and the other on
the wagon side rail. Timing it just right she placed her foot on
the metal step and swung into the wagon seat. Lor grinned, “Nicely
done. You handled that well and Tempo hardly opened an eyelid.”
Erin smiled. Tempo had dug is claws into her shirt, briefly,
startled with the movement Erin had made but was already back to
sleep.

“Skunks are nocturnal and he has had to
adjust his sleep schedule being my pet.” They traveled a bit in
silence then Erin said, “Tell me about the Minor Guild. My father
was a weaver and I have never met a miner.” adding with a grin,
“Anything you tell me will be new.”

Lor laughed, “I’ll respect your trust and not
tell you any tall tales about ferocious legless reptiles that live
in the mines and eat unwary miners. Okay?” Lor winked at the lad
beside him, then continued. “The mining guild deals with precious
metals like gold, silver and rhenon, and other useful metals such
as, copper and aluminum. There are those miners who specialize in
locating, refining and working with metals. There is also the part
of our guild that finds the gem stones then cuts and shapes the
stones for jewelry and other embellishments. We also have the
‘Luminescence Crystal’ miners that provide everybody with our
household ‘glow stones’. Most all of these activities take place in
the Khanlund Province which is the most mineral rich province of
all the realm. It’s where I’m from.”

“That’s where the Great One lives, right?”,
asked Erin. “Have you ever seen him? Ever met him?”

“I have lived there all my life, though I
have traveled around.” answered Lor, “Yes, I have met him. Believe
me, meeting one of the ‘Sages’ is always interesting.”

Erin looked at him quizzically. “What do you
mean by that? I have heard that he is very wise but your wording
implies something more than that.”

Lor returned the look. “There is more to the
word. Every two or three generations an extraordinarily rare person
is born. It is sort of a throwback from an ancient race that we
came from. The person has an unusual set of qualities: wisdom,
intelligence, incorruptible ethics and usually an extra gift that,
seems to some, almost magical. They appear like a regular person
with great qualities but they are different. They can live for
hundreds of years. Our rulers have always been “sages” and we have
benefited from their wise leadership.”

Erin contemplated that for a moment then
replied, “It has never been explained that way. I suppose my
parents knew but it didn’t occur to them to spell it out. Something
you take for granted like the wind and glow stone light. Hmm. You
said he was ‘one of the Sages’. There are others then, if they are
born every forty to sixty years.”

“Yes, because of their long life there are
others but most live quite ordinary lives. They all have those
characteristics, though.”

Erin sat in thought for a few minutes then
asked, “So you don’t know who is a sage unless they live beyond a
regular life span.”

Lor gave the lad a long look and said
quietly, ‘Yes, that is probably true. They have a strong
constitution so usually don’t get sick. They can, I suppose, be
killed in an accident. It would be an “unpardonable crime” to cause
a Sage to die. They are so rare and revered. It is one of the
reasons that murder is such a great crime in our law
structure.”

“We got away from your original question. The
Miners Guild. My part in the guild has been with the Glow Stone
mining. I have taken many of these journeys, though, particularly
the Autumn fairs and the last business circuit of the year. It is
an important run to make sure that all of our provinces have the
supplies they need before the winter sets in and travel gets
difficult. But it is also a great time to trade and barter.
Sometimes someone has developed something really beautiful or
innovative. It’s at the fairs where we exchange ideas or news.
“

Lor continued, “By nightfall we will be at
the fair grounds by Wellyn. We will set up our booths at dawn
tomorrow. If you are agreeable, I would like you to stay with me
during this fall circuit and care for the animals. I’ll do the
selling and working with the customer but you could help me by
fetching things from the wagon, setting up and tearing down. You
could look for your Uncle Cron in the towns we will be visiting.
Though your appearance is a little dirty,” Lor gave Terran a grin,
“you look like a bright lad and could keep your eyes and ears open
for information that might be useful. I will feed, shelter and give
you two guild marks to spend at each gather. What say you? Do we
have a bargain?”

Erin opened the door in her mind just a
little bit further to “read” Lor. She had done that a time or two
before but if she was going to commit to working for him she wanted
to check him again. What she sensed was friendliness and concern
for the “lad”. She put out her hand and grinned, “That’s a deal!”
and shook his hand.

In early afternoon, Erin got down from the
wagon and woke Tempo. She told the little skunk about the plans and
the gather at Wellyn. “Because there will be many people about you
probably should get your hunting done now before we get there. I
don’t want you endangered by having to make your way back to me
through the crowds. The other alternative is for you to stay out of
the way in the brush and trees by the road until we leave the fair.
It is your choice.”

Tempo thought a minute then said, as he
headed into the brush, “ I think I should be near you at the fair.
Tell Lor I will stay in the wagon and guard it. Park where you need
to, I will find you tonight when people are sleeping.”

Erin walked by the horses for awhile then
pulled up along side of the wagon. “Lor, what do you think of Tempo
staying in the wagon bed during the day? People will not be tempted
to steal when there is a possible danger of startling a skunk and I
would worry less about his coming to injury in the crowds with
me.”

Lor gave a big laugh. “You have a point
there my friend. It’s an original way to protect my merchandise
when my attention is focused on my customers. I usually set up an
awning on one side of the wagon with a table for displaying the
different sizes of stones. So no one will know he is there unless
they try to get in the wagon. Clever idea.”

They pulled onto the edge of the Wellyn field
just before first moon rise. Erin unharnessed the horses and took
them to the river for a drink. By the time that the horses had been
watered, fed, rubbed down and tethered for the night Luna was
advancing up in the sky. Erin was tired and hungry. Lor had their
campsite completed and a small fire going. Erin could smell a
savory stew and it made her stomach growl. Lor looked up as she
entered the firelight and grinned at the audible sounds from her
stomach. “Come here, lad, and eat before your growling scares the
horses.”

Erin looked a little sheepish as she rubbed
her stomach as if that would quiet it. She sat down and started
shoveling the stew into her mouth. After a few bites she leaned
back and chewed thoughtfully. “You said you wanted me to keep my
eyes and ears open for useful information. What information would
be helpful for you? You are the only glow stone merchant here so no
one would be offering a better deal and the only people who would
approach you for business are ones that need glow stones.”

Lor looked at the boy in front of him.
“Useful information is anything out of the ordinary or news that I
should know to be an savvy merchant. In this business you need to
be aware of things happening that affect people in the towns and in
their lives. That may seem general so let me give you some
examples. I have been on this fair circuit a number of years and
have built relationships. So knowledge of births and deaths are
important. Also illnesses and crop failure could be useful. That
sort of things. As you wander around keep your eyes and ears open.
Store what you hear in your head and come back to chat with me
periodically. I will sort through what you tell me and we can
refine your sense of what is significant. Does that help? Lets bed
down under the wagon now. It is getting late. Cear is already
rising and it’s late. I assume that Tempo will find us during the
night?” Erin nodded as she unrolled her bedroll. As she quieted her
mind she thought about the next day and was asleep before Lor had
his blanket out.

At dawn the merchant train was in full
movement. Wagons were unpacked and awnings set up. Each guild set
their display to be the most pleasing. Lor was anticipating a brisk
business. Everyone needed glow stones to light their homes. The
stones had the unique property of being able to store sunlight
during the day for soft illumination in the evening or the
homeowner could place the stone on a special pedestal that was
hooked up to power from the home’s battery. Each home had a battery
charged, usually, by the solar panels, wind or water mills. The
glow stones, used thusly, gave off brighter light. After a several
years the stones ability to store and give light diminished and
would need to be replaced. Lor had all sizes in his wagon but this
trip he had something new. Usually the glow stones’ light was in
the white to blue range. Recently the guild had opened a new mine
and were surprised to find that the new stones gave a rose to soft
yellow light. His wagon had a solar panel on the roof and he had
been storing power to display the new color.

By full light the guild displays were ready.
Lor and Erin had set up several pedestals and placed examples of
the two kinds of glow stones on them. After breakfast Erin cared
for the horses as Lor finished the display. Tempo was in the wagon
settling down to sleep. Lor gave the ‘lad’ his two marks to spend
at the gather then said quietly to Erin, “Here they come. We’ll see
how busy it gets. Keep an eye on the crowd. If it looks like I am
getting behind then come around to give me a hand. If I can manage
then I will give you a nod and you can wander the fair. This is the
first time anyone outside the guild has seen the new color of
stones. It should be fun!” and a grin split his lean, brown face.
“Keep your eyes and ears open when you are drifting through the
crowd. Stay out of trouble and enjoy yourself. We’ll have time to
catch up with each other this evening.” and saying that, Lor turned
to his first customers. Erin watched for awhile. She admired the
new stones and could see the virtues of the different colors
available. Lor seemed to have everything under control so she
waited to catch his eye. When he gave her a slight nod she checked
on Tempo and the horses then left the wagon.

People were excited and a party atmosphere
was everywhere. There were fine ladies and gentlemen and
ragamuffins. Weaving through the crowd were the baker’s assistants
hawking their wares. Hot meat rolls, fruit danishes, juicy cheese,
meat or fruit blintzes, veggie and fish pockets served hot or cold
were carried on trays. There were booths with wine, beer, cider and
water. Mingling with the crowd was easy. No one would notice a lad
like her. She carefully cracked open her mental ‘door’. She knew
that to do more would be overwhelming and that she couldn’t let
much emotional noise and she would give herself away but she needed
to be able to her “antenna” out. She smiled at the thought of
having antenna like the beetles she had liked to watch as a
child.

Erin decided to start at one end of the fair
and work down the rows of merchandise. She noticed that the “Tool
Wagon” was set up near the Miners Guild wagons and the “Tinker’s
Wagon”. That made sense because exchanged, broken metal parts could
be melted and reformed during the winter months in the guild halls.
She admired the beautiful leathers in the Tanner’s stall. Hides,
furs, beautiful trims were displayed beside beautifully worked
belts, vests and boots. There was a couple that were looking at
several vests. The top one was a lovely deep amber leather. The
woman fingered it then remarked that it would have been perfect for
Auntie Jes. She looked sad and the man patted her shoulder. “Yes,
Hon, she would have loved it. She was always partial to that shade.
But this is a day to be happy. How about if I buy you that fur
lined brown one. Try it on. I’ll bet it looks great on you!” Erin
admired the golden vest also but when the couple made their
purchase she moved on.

The paraglider’s wagon had a cluster of
people. The wings ranged from the utilitarian white and grey, like
hers, to beautiful rainbow colors. There were the latest in
harnesses and packs. The people milling around were admiring,
feeling the quality of the wings and talking business. There were
two tanned men, wearing the medallion of the Glass Guild, standing
on the outskirts of the crowd, admiring the more colorful wings.
They were apparently from the Sawblen Province because they were
talking about the strong winds on the coast and how they created
great paragliding conditions. The taller one commented that he
would love to buy the crimson wing but he was helping support his
widowed sister. His brother-in-law had been a fisherman. In the
recent storms and dangerous tidal shifts several boats had been
lost.