I sat in the main room, sewing a piece of clothing. My skill with needle and thread, while rusty from not being used, was still a class above normal peasants. I was, after all, trained to serve a noble woman. I sat in a small circle of peasant women and girls as they worked, repairing their father's, husband's, or brother's clothes, while the men worked outside. Some went into the nearby forest looking for food, gathering wood, or clearing away snow.
The women marveled as my hands moved with a speed and dexterity unknown to them.
"You're husband musta loved you. Them's some fine stitching," Lori said as I finished patching a pair of trousers.
"Aye, even gave me the bride price to use for myself." The women looked at me like I had grown a second head.
"That's more than love, dear. " An older woman, Olivia, said.
"Aye, but now he, my ma', pa', even my boy is gone," I said, then solemnly looked over to the woman holding a small child. The child looked sickly; she didn't cry or complain. She didn't have long for the world.
But a mother's love was a powerful thing; every day she tended to the child, holding her against her chest. Every day she prayed, but unfortunately for her, there would be no answer. Everyone knew the inevitable fate of the child, but none would say it.
"How old was your boy?" The old woman asked.
I shrugged, "A little over a summer."
The woman with the child perked up at that, then asked. "Do you still make milk?"
'Did she want me to nurse her child? I suppose with food so scarce, producing milk would be difficult for a woman's body.'
I shook my head, "No, I dried up months ago." Glancing at the child, I felt a small amount of pity and, oddly, a sense of happiness, not at the fate of the child but at the fact that I felt pity at all.
'How odd.'
After finishing up a shirt, I stretched and stood. "I think I'll stretch my legs."
"Be careful, dear, the cold can be deadly," another woman warned.
Before I left the room, I looked down at the woman holding her child to her chest, trying to nurse. Shaking my head, I walked through the door.
The night before, I tossed the largely consumed log I kept inside my potential energy ring before it turned to ash. Now, without a source of fuel, I had to deal with the cold like every other peasant. Walking towards the gate, I spotted Nat and Dalton keeping watch.
It was easy to find the stairs leading up to the tower.
"Don't tell me you two, just stand there suffering the entire time," I said after reaching the top.
The old man laughed, "That's what guard duty is, girl, standin' around being bored and hatin' life."
Dalton shrugged, "Don't mind him, it ain't so bad."
I looked out in the direction from which I came. "I must have been quite the sight, me coming out of the ice mist."
Nat laughed, "Little Dalton here damn near pissed himself thinking you were a specter come to reap our souls."
Dalton looked away from me, clearly embarrassed.
"That's just mean, do I really look like a specter, Dalton?"
Dalton me looked up and down, "No, not up close. You're much prettier than a specter."
I touched his arm, "Why, thank you for the compliment, and not loosening an arrow at me."
"My pleasure," he said, then I pulled away.
"It is oddly beautiful in a way," Nat said, staring into the mist.
"Perhaps, but it's much better when you're not fighting the wind the entire time."
"What are your plans, Nina?" Dalton asked.
I shrugged, pulled down my hood, and let the cold wind blow through my hair. "Who knows, find some work? A decent place to live? Not many options for a widow."
"They said you've been telling stories half the night. Might I beg for one? Can’t think of a better way to pass the time." Nat said.
~
I recounted the magus and the Merchant to them, this time leaving in the copious amounts of sex. My audience of two was very entertained. I didn't even put much effort into the telling.
We talked for some time, largely meaningless, but I had so much knowledge compared to them that the conversation evolved into me teaching them about the world.
"Are your people really so savage?" Dalton asked.
"It's important to take history with a grain of salt. But every book seems to agree that northerners are that savage," I explained.
"Madness," Nat said, shaking his head.
Looking at the sky, I turned to leave, "Be safe now. I have to head back."
Dalton offered a hand, which I shook.
Nat looked from Dalton to me and back to Dalton, then back to me. He rolled his eyes and looked at Dalton like he was an idiot.
I left only to hear someone get smacked over the head. "A handshake, really, boy? What's your pa’ been teaching you?"
I kept walking away uninterested in the conversation.
Three Days Later
Willam and I sat in his small office in the early morning, and he finally managed to get his hands on all I would need.
Staring at the items on Willam's desk, I nodded, "Not bad at all."
Dried meat, fruit preserves, decent-looking hardtack, and a small palm-sized sack of salt. More than enough food for two weeks of travel with proper rationing.
"You've been helping out quite a bit," Willam said.
I shrugged, "Just some stories in the night and sewing."
He shook his head, "It's more than that. Do you know how long it's been since the people had a good laugh? The sound is sweeter than music."
"I can understand the sentiment. But why are you bringing this up?" Clearly, there was something he wanted to say.
"What are your plans?" I shrugged, "Head east, I suppose."
"Why not remain here? You seem like a competent woman. Widow, you may be, but I've seen Dalton following you around."
'Because I'm a murderer dozens of times over. And I refuse to die in this small town. And not only do I not care for men; Dalton seems, at best, a well-intentioned idiot.' The source of this content ɪs novel•fire.net
"It's just not for me, Willam. I can't remain." I said with a smile
He nodded, "Some part of me knew you would say that."
I snapped my finger as I remembered something, "Do you have ink and parchment?" I asked.
He nodded, "Some, how much you need?"
"A few sheets, just enough to jot down a few thoughts."
He nodded, reaching into a drawer in his desk. "Consider this a gift, can't rightly take more coin from you."
I took the roll of parchment and ink, placing them inside my pack.
Something grabbed at the edge of my attention. "Do you hear that?"
Willam looked confused. "Hear what?"
"The wind." Willam's eyes flew open. Without even communicating, we rushed out the door, passed the room filled with lightly dozing peasants, and headed outside.
Staring up at the sky, Willam said, "Anier, blesses us today."
The wind died down significantly, and the snow was little more than a light dusting. But the sky, though, was what filled my heart with relief. For the first time in months, I could actually see the azure sky, not an unending blanket of clouds.
"Praise the goddess,"
"Blessed Anier, thank you."
"She smiles upon us today."
People left their homes; all were in high spirits. The winter finally broke. Soon enough, every peasant who heard came walking out, looking up at the sky. There was still significant cloud cover, but occasionally, one could see the blue sky above. As the days passed, the skies would clear and the snow would melt. It was a good bit of luck that the winter broke early.
From the group of peasants, I heard the cry of a babe, loud and strong. The young woman, Sif, her name was, cradled the child, smiling as she bellowed with all her might, as if her voice would push away the winter.
I, like everyone, believed that the babe would die. But time proved us all to be fools. I allowed the positive emotions to wash over me.
'I thank you, priest, I'm glad that I can still enjoy things like this. What a meaningless life it would have been if I could watch this scene of happiness and relief yet feel nothing. It's such a strange thing; one conversation can have such a drastic change in one’s life. How many tragedies could have been avoided if someone just heard the right words at the right time?’'
I turned to the smiling peasants. The past few days were pleasant enough. I couldn't stop myself from wondering what kind of person I would have been if I had been born here, among kind people.
Likely, I would not be Myr. But such thoughts served no purpose. I looked at the mother holding her child, smiling as she cried. Then I recalled my time with the caravan and the other babe that died on the journey.
'You can indulge this little part of you. Besides, it could come in useful later. This is a border town. Many stories will be exchanged. Why not start muddying the waters? '
Turning to Willam, I nodded to his home.
~
"So, I'm guessing you're heading out." He asked. I nodded, "If so, then it has been a pleasure to have you, Nina."
I offered my hand and he shook firmly. Then his face showed confusion as he felt something hard pressing into his gloves. His eyes became saucers as a golden royal stared back at him. Most peasants would never see that coin in their entire lives.
"Who are you?" He asked, unable to take his eyes away from the coin.
"You'll learn eventually. For now, just remember me as Nina."
I had four more on me, not to mention my two energy rings were made from gold and silver. I had far more coin than I really needed.
"A quarter of this is for the babe and its mother. The rest is for the others. Should be enough to hold you all over until the harvest, no?"
I could tell he wanted to reject the coin. But necessity stayed his hand.
"You sure about heading east?" He asked. He warned me several times how dangerous the roads would be once the winter breaks.
I pulled out one of the Magical cat's teeth, a front incisor, and handed it to him. It was finger-long and had an odd silvery sheen.
"Give it to the girl when she comes of age. It brings good luck."
He stared at the overly large and sharp incisor, then twisted it around. "What kind of animal has teeth like this? Odd."
I laughed and said, "A giant, magical, cat, weasel thing."
He looked me up and down, "You're the strangest person I've ever met."
~
I left Portsmouth an hour later, heading east through the forest. I had a fresh piece of log to fuel my armor, and for once, there wasn't an unending gale of frosty wind. The morning was actually pleasant.
Chewing on a piece of dried meat, I walked through the forest, pleased that I could see much more than a few hundred feet in front of me. By my estimation, the journey should take four to five days, and I had more than enough food to spare. So I ate more than needed to keep my energy up.
I smiled as I heard the cry of birdsong in the distance. Hopefully, I won't have to suffer through another deep winter for at least a decade.
~
It took a few days before I finally intersected a road, then after following it for an hour, I reached another small town. Decent size, to the south was a large, penned-off area attached to a barn. The horse master acted as headman. It shouldn't be too difficult to purchase a horse; even double the price would be acceptable.
After rebinding the energy ring to my medallion and right hand, I disabled the warming circuits in my armor, just to save on energy. You never know if something will go wrong.
It didn't take long for people to notice my approach. Two men in heavy cloaks and grey brigandine marched towards me, exuding self-importance. Why? I didn't know they didn't look like more than thugs in repurposed armor.
“Hoy, lass, what you doing out here?” The larger brown-haired one on the left asked. His eyes roamed over my body. It wasn't hard to guess their thoughts.
‘I’m guessing you two fools are wondering what's beneath the armor.’
“I’m here to buy a mount, I hear your headman has good horse flesh,” I stated.
“Are ye now?” The left one said, smiling, revealing rotten teeth.
“Indeed, now, can you direct me to the horse master, or will you keep postering?” There was no point in putting on a performance for this lot of human waste.
“She got a mouth on ‘er Dent.” The big one said.
Dent licked his lips, “I know what she can do with that mouth.”
‘I’d sooner cut out my own tongue and gargle acid.’
Dent stepped forward, and the big man stopped him, saving his life, since I would have turned his face into a bubbling grease. “We gotta take ‘er to the Headman, He'll be angry otherwise.”
Dent kissed his teeth, then, after a few moments, was finally cowed.
“Fine, come on, lass.” He turned and walked. I followed as the men led me further into the town. The commoners were half-starved, meek-looking people who turned their faces away in fear or pity at my passing.
I sighed, preparing for the inevitable.
‘Maybe the headman will have some sense.’
We stepped up to a large building connected to the field. Inside were more peasants. All women, some had bruised faces and shied away meekly as we passed.
Dent walked up to a large door and knocked twice, then entered. After a minute, he gestured for us to go inside. Inside was an opulent, finely decorated room with polished oak furniture. The headman was a normal-sized man, well-dressed, with a neatly trimmed beard. To the right was a large hearth providing the room with a significant amount of warmth.
“Sit,” He said.
After following his words, he spoke again, “So I hear you want to buy from my stock?”
Dent and the big man stood behind me, some form of intimidation, probably.
“Indeed, something strong that can travel long distances. A horse master with sense would have beasts ready to sell after the winter.” I answered calmly.
He chucked under his breath, “Such a bold lass, I do have such beasts in stock. But I shall demand a steep price, surely you know. How hard it would be to keep them healthy through a deep winter.”
‘He does have a point, even one or two royals I would be willing to part with if the beast was exceptional.’’
He smiled a bit too slyly, “Ten royals, fair price, no?”
‘Robbery, he means,’
“Unless your stock has the stallions from the greatest imperial breeding lines, then nothing you have would be worth ten royals.”
He shrugged as if he were helpless.
‘I need a mount. Caravans won't start up for at least another few weeks. I don’t fancy walking all the way to the middle of this empire. I suppose everyone can’t be reasonable. If I can't buy. I'll take.’
I sighed and considered my course of action. He seemed to take that as some kind of surrender.
“We can always work out a deal, my dear.”
I raised an eyebrow. Perhaps I won't have to leave a strong trail after all. Who am I kidding? There is only one ending here. I knew it the moment I stepped into the building. Those women, of course, were proof enough.
“And that is?” I asked.
She smiled slyly, “I’m a decent man, spend some time getting to know me. We can work out a deal. It’s not safe on the open road for a lone woman.”
Dent and the big man stepped up behind me.
‘So, either I spread my legs for you or the two men take me against my will? Is that the suggestion? I’m willing to sacrifice much for power, but not that.’
I looked around the room.
‘So much fuel. The fool should have just sold me the horse and be done with it. He would have been free to keep abusing these peasants, and I would be on my way. But no, now I have to leave an obvious trail for the Magisterium to follow.’
There were probably several desperate families or people who came wandering to this village only to find this vermin.
I killed all my emotions and focused. My eyes became cold, and my heart rate slowed. No more conversation was necessary.
In a single motion, I stood, spun around, and extended my right hand. The two men looked surprised, and Dent looked to be in the middle of drawing his sword. But it was too late, I strengthened the focused binding to its maximum. Red-blue spiraling fire erupted from my hand, splashing against his upper body, cooking his flesh in a fraction of a second. Then I turned the flame on the larger man. I kept spraying him as he fell and writhed on the ground.
I cut off the flame and left the two men screaming, turning to the headman, I smiled and asked.
“I’ll make you a counteroffer. I’ll take a mount for free. Deal?”
The man was breathing heavily and nodded eagerly, “Y-Yes, Magus.” I nodded, then drew my dagger and finished off the screaming and writing men. I took a few more stabs than would be necessary.
I sat back down and asked with a smile. “I believe I have been insulted. How would you apologize for that?”
He looked around frantically, “Free mount. My best stallion, not even gelded, has a saddle perfect for you. ”
“Truly? How kind of you. How would you repay the insult of your guards?” I asked.
He looked around, “Coin! I have coin. A proper payment.”
I nodded, “Fetch your stash of coin, I’m sure it's hidden somewhere in here.”
He bit his lips and looked to the door, “I can make you suffer, Jules. Or do you think you can outrun fire?”
He nodded and looked as if he was about to cry. To his left was a large armoire. I watched him closely as he opened the door and pulled up a false bottom. He took out a heavy iron lockbox and placed it on his desk.
“Open it.” From inside his shirt, he pulled out an iron key to open the foot-wide box and turned it to face me. I whistled.
Inside was at least 200 silver coins, four golden royals, some fine-looking silver jewelry, and one diamond ring.
I whistled, “I believe this is fair compensation.” I took out every gold royal, the jewelry, 50 silver eagles and added them to my pack. Then flipped the lid closed.
“Then we are in accord?" He asked. I smiled and nodded.
He breathed a sigh of relief, before I raised my hand and, with a smile, burned him alive. After my log turned to ash, I used his desk as fuel and didn't stop until his screams ended. The room stank of charred flesh and burned hair.
‘I know you have more hidden around. Worm,’ I spat on his charred corpse and searched his office.
Taking out a piece of parchment, I quickly drew an arcane circle that would pull gold and silver into the center. After expanding the sphere, any time the precious metal intersected with the sphere of influence, there would be a drain of energy. I used this tool to locate half a dozen items around the room. A small gold inlay quill, and an ornate box, with a small pouch holding a ruby, roughly the size of a walnut. Any gold I kept. The extra silver I added to the lockbox. After taking every bit of coin and jewelry off his person, I smiled.
‘Now, how do I spin this to my advantage? It's not like I could have depended on the worm to be quiet.’
~
Glancing through a window, I found a half dozen armed men standing outside the front door. Behind them was a gaggle of peasants watching. Tossing my heat absorption ring to the hearth, I bound it to my medallion.
An idea formed in my mind, inside the box was at least 150 silver.
Shrugging, I headed through the door where the half dozen men in leather armor were waiting. One was carrying a bow and arrow.
I stepped out into the cold, dropped my energy ring onto the wooden floor, and placed the iron box next to it.
“Halt, woman, who are you and what have you done to the headman?” The largest man screamed.
“The headman and the two idiots are dead. I'm the one who killed them.”
I stepped down, walking towards them without fear. “You vermin. I know what you do to these innocent people. You soulless creatures are the reason why that insect could do as he wanted. You stood by and did nothing. No, even worse, I bet you all enjoyed his leftovers. ”
Based on the steely gaze from most of the women watching, I was right.
“Disgusting swine, you deserve nothing but death, and it's about time you get it.”
No one moved forward; the screams likely caused them to be cautious.
The man with the bow actually loosed an arrow at me. My barrier changed the path of the arrow, and it missed completely.
“So, you choose death then.” I ran forward, smiling, and extended a hand. A woman my size charging a group of men would be a death sentence, but I had magic. I extended a right hand and burned the man close to me, the one who shot the arrow.
The burst of fire set him and his clothes ablaze; he fell to the ground screaming in agony. I readied myself to burn the rest, but they were already running. A few peasants ran while others looked dumbstruck. I finished off the screaming man quickly.
The speed a man could achieve when petrified was impressive. Chasing them was pointless.
I was left with most of the commoners staring at me, “Now you all have a choice.” I walked back to the iron box and dumped every silver coin onto the steps.
“Take the coin and run, or take control of the town.”
“We can't just take over.” A woman said.
“Why can't you? What’s the truth, but the story everyone agrees on? You have the coin, don't you? I’m sure one of you can step up. Is there anyone here who knows how to run the horse trade?”
An old man raised his hand.
“Well, there you are. Give these people the fairness and justice they have long been denied.”
“What are we gonna tell the baron’s men when they come for taxes and such?” Another woman asked.
‘Would it serve any purpose in killing them all?... No, it makes no difference; they still would assume it was me. This would just paint me as a remorseless killer. It was true, but having the entire empire, including the commoners, as my enemy was daunting. I just need to spin the story a certain way.’
“I’m sure every one of you can testify to the Headman’s crimes.” Heads bobbed up and down in agreement.
“When they come, tell them the truth as you know it. The headman, Jules, was a rapist who worked people to death. No, be even more viscous. Say he forced you to work as slaves over the winter. He preys on young women not even past their first bleeding and turns them out to his men after he is finished.”
A young man raised his hand. I nodded for him to speak, “He actually does pay us, not much, but we get a couple of bits. ”
I rolled my eyes, “So, what? Does he have a record? If so, his house is right there. Search and burn them. So long as you all agree on what to say, that is the truth. Say it with your chest, say it over and over, say it until you believe your own lies. This is your chance to turn things around for yourselves. Does Jules have any heirs or family members in the town?”
Heads shook.
“Why do this?” A young girl asked.
I continued. “I couldn't stand by and do nothing while that bastard abused innocence. Tell them that story. All blame lands on me; none of you will be punished for crimes you didn’t commit, after all. Just remember the story and say it over and over.”
There was a discussion amongst themselves. I shrugged and headed back into the house. I smiled as I entered his kitchens and immediately began stuffing a large canvas sack with strips of dried meat and cured sausage.
‘This is growing rather heavy.’
I walked out the front door ten minutes later, chewing on a spicy sausage.
“Can someone help me saddle a horse. ” The coin was gone, and they were in deep conversation.
“I can,” a young man said.
“Good, come with me,”
“Wait, Lady Magus,” an old man said.
“Have you made up your mind?” I asked.
“Not yet, but we're getting there. I think we can figure it out before the law comes callin’. You need to be long gone from here. This is for you.” He said, offering me twenty silver coins.
I raised a hand pretending to be noble, even though I had already taken a fortune from the headman.
“No, you’ll need all the coin you can get. I didn't do this for coin. Sometimes a person needs to do that which is just.” I said, offering my most magnanimous smile. The man looked moved by my words.
“You have a noble heart.” He said, nodding solemnly.
I almost laughed, but I kept it in.
‘How many years was that man hoarding wealth? Doesn't matter, it's all mine now.’
“Do you have a name, my lady?” He asked.
I smiled, “You’ll learn it eventually. Just remember the Maiden of Fire.”
~
I rode out of town an hour later on a black stallion. He was large and fierce but took to my commands easily enough. His saddlebags were filled with provisions. They had some more questions on how to spin the story.
Not even peasants could be convinced to hide knowledge of an apostate, nor did I believe every one of them would hold up during an interrogation. But if the lie served their best interest and was closely aligned with the truth as they knew it, then there was a chance it could work. Even if the ones who ran got caught, the story wouldn't change.
So, the compromise was to smear the headman’s name with even more crimes that he had already committed and paint me as the savior. Of course, being meek peasants, they couldn't in any sense try to stop a magus. And finally, to say that I went east and not northwest. I wanted the story to spread far and wide. Lord Heywood boasted that he had eyes and ears in every town in the empire, but humans are strange and fickle creatures.
I wasn't sure if the play would pay off in the end. But if even one commoner decided not to scream for a guard if they recognized me, then it would be worth it.
‘For now, no main roads and no large towns until I reach the capital.’
I smiled as I admired the diamond ring. “Who knew playing the hero would be so profitable?” Laughing, I prepared myself for a long and lonely stretch of travel.