Wizard of Jatte by Rowan Erlking (librera reader txt) 📕

“But I paid seven coppers for that many last time! Why are you raising the prices? You made a deal with my employer!”

Theissen walked up behind her then gazed at the fishmonger’s selection. It was an average catch, not all that great in regards to freshness. The fishmonger’s eyes flickered slyly up to Theissen, ignoring him briefly as if to say he would be with him in a moment.

“Things change. Your master hasn’t been very forthcoming and agreeable lately. I’ve decided to rework that agreement.”

“You mean renege, don’t you?” Theissen cut in.

The fishmonger looked up at him, startled. “This is none of your business! Go on your way, Carpenter!”

The woman looked up. Her eyes set first on his clothes, then went wide on his face. “Theissen!”

“She knows you.” Theobold blinked at the pair.

“Milrina?” Recognizing his cousin, Theissen walked closer, taking in the changes in her face and shape. She looked so grown. More womanly. “Oh my heavens! It is you! What are you doing in Jattereen? I thought you went to South Town with a cousin.”

She nodded and then fell against his chest, sobbing. “Oh, Theissen! You never wrote a word after I left Lumen! You said you’d meet me in South Town!”

He closed his eyes and sighed, thinking about all the things that had happened since then. Wrapping his free arm around her, trying not to get the fish on her clothes or her long hair, he held her close. She looked different. More mature. And she was still beautiful. But despite all that, the only feelings he had for her, even now, was relief that she was well. “I’m sorry. I got hung up in the Jadoran Forest. I haven’t written Mom since then either.”

“That’s thoughtless, Theissen!” Milrina continued to sob, her tears wetting his shirtfront. “We were worried about you! We thought the demons got you.”

Theissen smothered a laugh, looking to Theobold who rolled his eyes. Demons certainly did get him, but not in the way she thought.

Stepping closer, Theobold whispered into his ear. “Hey. Who is this girl?”

“Oh.” Coming to himself, Theissen pulled Milrina back. “Milrina. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Theobold, uh, Whitefeather. I met him in the Jadoran Forest. He saved my life.”

His cousin, and once fiancé, peered at Theobold’s strange white hair, cautiously extended her hand to him. “Really? You saved him?”

Theobold took her hand then kissed it with a bow. “It was my honor.”

Milrina blushed, ducking her eyes.

“Theobold. This is my second cousin Milrina Weaverdaughter. We were childhood friends, and also—”

“About that,” Milrina cut him off, staring up into Theissen’s face and clutching his hands with a squeeze. “I didn’t tell you why I came to Jattereen City.”

“Are you going to buy fish or not?” The fishmonger suddenly cut in, glaring at them both.

“Not from you,” Theissen snapped and led Milrina over to the side of the boardwalk, entirely out of the fishmonger’s way. He smiled happily at Milrina. “Go on. You were saying….”

She nodded. “I’m sorry. But when you left you said that we were both free to look among other people for, well…you know.”

He nodded back, wondering what had happened since the last time he wrote her. “Are you married?”

Milrina ducked her head, blushing. “Not yet, though I am engaged.”

Theissen was altogether stunned. His fallback was now gone. He wasn’t sure how he felt at first. Was he sad? Or was he relieved?

“You mean she is the fiancé you told me about?” Theobold glanced from Milrina to Theissen, especially taking in Milrina’s figure. He smiled with approval.

Nodding to him, Theissen said to her, “When did you get engaged?”

She blushed and looked up, glad that he did not sound angry. “A few months ago. I hadn’t heard from you, and I met the most wonderful man. He was visiting his family in South Town at the time. You should meet him, Theissen. You’d like him. He works for the law office here.”

Theissen just stared. He would like him, huh? Was she just saying that to make him feel better? But as he gazed at her face he could Milrina truly did look happy. And she was begging desperately for his approval. Smiling with some pain, he rested his hand on her head. “I wanted you to be happy. I knew I couldn’t do that for you.”

“Are you kidding?” With that old-friend look Milrina always had, she said, “It is hard to beat the affection of a wizard. You did protect me from Lonse.”

“Is that why you liked me?” he murmured in wonder.

She grasped his hand in both of hers. “I liked you the day we moved into Lumen Village, Theissen. You were my friend from the start.”

He sighed.

“And you always were,” she fondly smiled, “honest with me. Always protecting me. And you didn’t rush into something like everyone else, like you could see the consequences years down the road.”

That wasn’t how he would have described himself, but Theobold also nodded as she said it.

Theissen sighed again. “Are you really happy with this match? You’re not doing it because I wasn’t around and you feel pressure from your mother?”

Shaking her head, with a wider grin, she declared, “Nope! I love him deeper than the ocean! We hope to get married in the spring if we can get enough money to pay for our living. That’s why I came to Jattereen. Only earning the money is harder than I thought. You can’t believe how much they charge for room and board here.”

“I can guess,” he replied with snort. “We tried to get an inn, and we found out pretty quickly.”

“I work at an inn,” she said, linking her arm in one of his. “I help with the cooking and serving. I get five coppers a week, and he deducts for room and board from that.”

Theissen stared. “Only five coppers a week?”

She nodded. “They say people like me are a copper to a gold. Replaceable.”

“They’re lying.” Theissen turned to Theobold. “Milrina is an excellent cook. If we really want to eat well, we should hire her.”

Theobold’s feathers fluffed up under his robe, getting excited. “She cooks? Can she teach the other women to cook?”

Milrina blinked at them. “Me, work for you?”

“We’re family!” Theissen grinned happily. “We’ll hire you today! You can work in our inn! We’ve opened up one down on the Serjiev highway.”

“You opened an inn?” Milrina stared at him more.

“Among other things,” Theobold said with a laugh. “Your cousin has been busy.”

“You haven’t neglected your carpentry, I hope.” Her voice got that familiar chiding sound to it.

“Of course, not.” Theissen immediately laughed.

“Definitely not,” Theobold said, grinning at him. “We couldn’t make him give it up no matter how hard we tried.”

“We?” She looked to Theobold as if seeing him more clearly. “Who is this we?”

“You’ll get to meet them soon,” Theissen said. “But first, we need to find a Hann tradesman to help me translate a letter.”

With a laugh, Milrina shook her head. “Ok. I have no idea what you are up to, but you sure have changed. You ate, slept, and breathed carpentry the last time I saw you. Now you hang around with strange white haired people, barter with fishmongers, and seek out Hann tradesmen as if it were old hat. Theissen, what have you been up to?”

He chuckled, pulling her along. “I’ll tell you along the way. It has been a long three years.”

“Nearly four,” she said, clinging to his arm with joy.

Theobold strolled after them, grinning.

They mostly headed deep into the docks. The Hann tended to barter in merchandise rather than perishable goods. Those markets were closer to the docks where foreign ships were tied up. Theissen peered at the many strange constructions of sailing vessels, glancing once or twice at the khaki suited men who walked from the Angledoli sailboats. Maldos broad oar-boats rested between some of them with their black skinned owners moving freight. They had slaves among them, islanders peering out with dead-looking eyes. Most were chained, heaving loads as their masters cracked whips over them. The threesome cringed as they continued past. There was a Hann ship on the other side, but it looked deserted.

“Maybe there is another further down,” Theobold gestured to where several strange looking ships were tied. “I can fly over and see if I can spot one.”

Theissen put a hand on his shoulder, casting a glance at Milrina. “Don’t spook the locals. We have to get home and establish ourselves before you can feel free to fly around.”

“Fly?” Milrina looked at the both of them curiously.

Theobold immediately blushed. They had not told her that he was a demon yet. Apparently Theissen wanted to do it in a safer, more enclosed setting. “Fine. We’ll hoof it then, though I’m really getting hungry. Can’t we stop at a vendor and get something to eat?”

Milrina pointed over at another pier. “They have a food market that way. I usually pick up lunch there.”

Nodding Theissen turned back around. “Goodness, I’m glad you’re here to show us around. Off to the food market then!”

Of course they had to weave in and out of the fish market to get there. Theobold cringed at the fish while Theissen chatted with Milrina, laughing like they were kids again on a trip with their fathers to the shores of the peninsula to drop off furniture and cloth. They held hands, going in and about, passing other merchandise carts where Theissen saw a Hann.

“There’s one.” He pointed him out.

“Can it not wait until after lunch?” Theobold groaned already continuing on.

“I agree,” Milrina clenched her own stomach.

Making a face, Theissen sighed and nodded. “Fine. After lunch.”

They hurried to the food market and bought some egg bread that had pickled vegetables with shredded meat, dipped in hot sauce. It was a local snack and incredibly cheap, Milrina’s favorite. They leaned on the dock railing as they ate. The salt air smelled fresher here, but it was not as fresh as the docks near Lumen on the southern peninsula. Theissen gazed out at the sea, letting his thoughts drift as Milrina talked.

In the crowd, a child brushed past them, laughing as he ran from another kid, playing a game. Milrina laughed as they scampered about, watching them. Theobold munched with vigor on his food, hardly paying anyone else notice. Yet Theissen felt his side and frowned.

“Remember when we used to play like that?” Milrina chuckled.

Theissen didn’t answer, his eyes following them.

The kids were still running about the crowd, laughing in their game of tag. But then one child tripped on a slightly upturned plank edge, falling on his face.

Theissen hopped up right away, rushing over to him.

Helping him up as the child sobbed, Theissen hissed in his ear, “I’m taking back my coin purse and all the others you’ve stolen. Steal from me again, and I’ll turn you in to the constables.”

The child quickly turned, staring at him with a horrified face.

Theissen blinked at the face. It was not a boy, but a girl—and he knew that girl.

“It’s you!” He yanked her off the ground. “Is your carnival around here too?”

The child screamed out. “OW! He’s hurting me!”

Milrina ran over. “Theissen what are you doing?”

“She’s a pickpocket! She works for a corrupt little carnival I bumped into in Shoredge Town.” He jerked the little girl her onto her feet. “Now give me back my money pouch!”

The child just wailed her head off, doing her best to make Theissen look bad. If he had not been a wizard, it would have worked. But he shook the money pouches out from her clothes with bit of magical urging. He took his own pouch back and handed it to Milrina along