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

“But he came covered in dirt! I helped wash out his things! They were coated!” But she looked more horrified that Theissen was someone to worry about after all.

Nodding, the silversmith chuckled. “So I hear.” He turned toward Theissen. “Why was that?”

Giving a shrug, Theissen reached for his stew bowl and the spoon. “I had several unfortunate encounters on my way up here. Besides, it is hard to shake off roadside dust when your head’s swimming.”

“Yes, I heard about that. Your cousin said you were walking all night.”

Theissen nodded. “That about sums it up.”

“But why?” The silversmith sat in another stool that had been hiding underneath the table. It turned out that there were around five of them in the room.

Shaking his head, Theissen contemplated just skipping the explanations. Looking at the silversmith, he realized that this man was not a man of brevity, unlike the family he grew up with. With another shrug Theissen said, “Well, I ended up running from the lady of a manor just south of here. She was getting frisky, and she was married.”

The silversmith’s eyes grew wide.

“I was just there to make a cabinet for her, but that woman…” Theissen shuddered.

“You don’t mean Coverteen Manor. That lady?” the silversmith asked.

The name sounded familiar, but Theissen did not remember looking at the sign when he had gone in. “I couldn’t say. All I know is that her husband the master was away, and she was coming on to me faster than I could think. So I snuck off.”

“Did you finish the cabinet?” Alania stood in the doorway, looking concerned.

The silversmith turned her eyes toward her with a smile.

Theissen nodded. “Of course. The name of Carpenterson of Lumen has to be upheld. But I did sneak off before getting paid, I’m afraid.”

His sister stared at him and then came over, wrapping her arms around his head, patting it as if he had been a pet. “You silly boy.”

“Ow! Get off Alania.” He pulled from her arms, blushing quite red.

“Yes, dear. His dignity, if you please,” said the silversmith. But then he turned. “But still, why didn’t you just take what they owed you with your magic?”

Theissen gave him a warning look, peeking over at the others in the room. However, the cook did not seemed shocked by this news though perhaps interested to see magic done for herself. The nursemaid looked more apprehensive, perhaps the real reason she had gone so green.

“That would be stealing,” he said.

“No, it wouldn’t,” the silversmith retorted.

But then Alania patted her husband on the shoulder and shook her head, reminding him that it was sore spot for her little brother. She then looked up with a smile at Theissen. “Well then, we’ll just have to make sure you get plenty of rest here and well packed for when you go on your way. That is unless you wish to stay in Pepersin Town.”

Her eyes sparkled revealing that she would love the idea if he stayed.

Shaking his head, Theissen shut his eyes. “No, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

She frowned. “Why not? Your carpentry is ten times better than the local carpenters. Dad is the one who sells to most of the noblemen in town anyway.”

“Which would soon be Kolbran’s business in a few years,” Theissen said with a frown. “Besides, if that mistress of that manor house is as tenacious as I think she is, I ought to keep going. The housemaid and the blacksmith seemed to think that if I didn’t please her, she’d spread rumors that I made advances on her. Then her husband would be out to get me.”

He started to eat his soup, getting hungry just thinking about it.

“No. I ought to keep going north like Dalance and the others did,” he said once he swallowed.

“Dalance settled beyond the mountains in the capitol city,” Alania said with a frown. “Tolbetan went over also, though he still won’t say which village he settled in. And Kinnerlin’s far north, in Coastal Town. Why would you want to move so far away from home like that? I hear conditions are worse over the mountains. And really, if you love Mom and Dad at all, you won’t go so far away.”

“Why is that?” Theissen asked. “Dad told me to go out and find my own place in the world. He even made it sound like I really ought to go as far from Lumen as possible to find my own space. Or at least far enough so Kolbran can find his own strength in carpentry without being overshadowed.”

Alania frowned. “But what about Mom. Or Milrina?”

Moaning and rolling his eyes with a look for help at his brother-in-law, Theissen saw no sympathy. The man had learned early to keep out of Carpenter son and daughter family issues. He was already averting his eyes the other way, suddenly playing with his son in fact.

“I write Mom when I can,” Theissen said. His frown then deepened. “As for Milrina, maybe my moving away will be good for her.”

“With that rascal Shoemakerson around? You know he was just waiting for you to leave to make advances on her,” she said.

Theissen’s face drew wan. “You mean Lonse? Give me a break. Milrina hates him. And he really isn’t too fond of her either. Last time I saw him, he was making eyes at Floristdaughter.”

“Ok, fine!” Alania threw up her hands. “I’ll miss you. Besides, it is nice knowing a wizard is around. If you leave, I’m sure that magician will act up again and—”

“If the magician acts up,” Theissen cut her off. “Then the village elders will have him executed. We already talked about it earlier this year, long before I left.”

“Magician?” the nursemaid murmured. Her hands were empty. The silversmith was now feeding the squashed peas to his son, making cooing noises though only managing to get food near his son’s mouth rather than in it.

Alania turned as she sighed. “Maybe I’m being selfish. And maybe I’m feeling stupid for wanting you to be a girl when you were born. I just want you to stay.”

Theissen made a face. “Being a boy is not what makes me a wizard, Alania. And I can’t stay.”

“Great,” the silversmith suddenly said, stuffing both the peas and the spoon back into the nursemaid’s hands. “Since that’s settled. Let’s eat lunch.”

Alania was about to protest, but looking at her husband and then the determined look on her brother’s face, she sighed and also drew up a stool. “Alright. Fine. I had to say my fill before you went off and did what you wanted anyway.”

Theissen smiled. He was glad she understood him at least.

The cook dished out the stew into three bowls then set out the pepper in front of Theissen’s bowl with a smirk. Their eyes met, the cook’s flirting with one thought only, waiting for an answer.

“Oh, all right,” Theissen muttered, and he touched the cook’s spoon, turning it a strong shade of red.

With a yip of surprise, the cook dropped the spoon. The nursemaid almost dropped the bowl of peas. However, the baby cackled, reaching out to him.

Smiling, Theissen turned to his nephew. “You liked that? How about this?”

He then touched the chair the baby was sitting in, turning it a swirl of rainbow colors. The baby clapped his hands and laughed. Theissen laughed also, echoing the baby’s laughter as if he were very young again.

The nursemaid did drop her bowl this time. It shattered, the peas splattered out like flower petals from the center.

Bending over, Theissen scooped it up, mending the bowl and then setting the pea goop inside, leaving no stain. “Sorry. My fault.”

But the nursemaid ran out of the room, practically screaming as her skirts flew behind her.

Theissen frowned, glancing at Alania, but did not move from his stool. “That is another reason I ought to go.”

To that, Alania sadly nodded.

Theissen left Pepersin Town early morning after spending three days with his sister. His cousins, aunts, and uncles visited in that time which unfortunately made it impossible for Theissen to get any real rest. However, he did receive a mountain of useless advice with sprinkles of real useful advice. The first of the useful advice was from the cook, the last from his brother-in-law.

“Before you enter a town, shake the travel dust off. You’ll be better received, and you may get a free meal with that good looking face of yours,” the cook had said after he had eaten his stew on the first day.

The silversmith had woken him very early on the last day with breakfast and walked him to the post where he could take a carriage part of the way to get out of town without being seen. Apparently the master of that manor had sent people into town to round him up. The mistress undoubtedly had told him a lie for revenge has Theissen had predicted.

“Just stay off the roads, but don’t go into the forests. Beware of bandits. If you take the Liptan Town forest route between the Tuscon and Dondit Mountains, make sure you go out with a caravan. They say there are seriously dangerous demons in those places. It is best to go with a group. If you go further north and take the north route from Shoredge Town, do the same. Just be careful. They say the forests between the Jadoran Mountains and the Dondit Mountains are full of two demon communities. They aren’t man eaters, but it is said that they are easily offended.”

Theissen nodded.

His brother-in-law handed Theissen his pack. “Get off at the turnpike. I’ll instruct the driver to take it easy. Try to rest as much as you can, and be careful.”

Nodding again, Theissen accepted the bag.

The silversmith did not let go though. He looked his brother-in-law in the eye and smiled apologetically. “I just wanted to tell you before I may never see you again, that I am sorry I misjudged you. I’m sure you noticed when I first married your sister that I was avoiding you. It sounded so scary—a wizard and all that. I had no idea what it meant. All those stories one hears as a kid about wizards and witches….”

Theissen raised his eyebrows, only having ever heard scary stories about witches. But of course now knowing they were all wrong after having met a witch, he wondered about what was said about wizards.

“I had no idea you would be so nice,” the silversmith said. “And good. My aunts made me believe that wizards were nothing but trouble.”

That really did surprise Theissen. Though he could see the flow of magic, he never could read what was going on in a person’s thoughts. Their feelings were sometimes obvious, but thoughts were always a mystery. 

“Now I can say it.” The silversmith took Theissen by the hand. “I am glad I met you, Theissen Darol Mukumar Carpenterson.”

Theissen smiled and nodded. “Same here. And thank you.”

The silversmith let go and closed the carriage door. He went over to speak to the coachman. Then, minutes after, they were off. Theissen peeked out the window once at his brother-in-law. He saw the man sigh