The Crimson Spark, page 5
part #1 of Vagabond Legacy Series
She wondered how Quinnel and his men had gotten out. Had they even left the city? For all she knew they could be haunting some bar, waiting for everyone to calm down. Not a bad idea.
No. Not an option. You’re leaving tonight, you’re getting out of this bloody country remember?
“No, you’re making a mistake!” The cry came from towards the front of the crowd. Nea craned her neck and caught a glimpse of a boy her age being pulled aside. His left hand was coated with a thick bandage. The guards paid no mind and tore it off. There was nothing under the bandages, but Nea saw a small dark circle around his left ring finger. An obvious trick.
Stupid.
She watched the guards drag him off. That would be her in a few moments if she didn’t think of something. Perhaps she could hurt her hand, maybe damage it to the point the Nuptial couldn’t be seen. She scrapped this idea immediately; she needed her hands. Maybe if she put on a convincing enough show the guards wouldn’t check under her gloves.
I won’t lose, I can’t lose, not after this.
“Name?” asked a guard, barely looking up.
He was a bored looking man wearing the same red tunic and plate that the rest of the city watch wore.
“Niall,” she said, not making eye contact. Her da’s name would have to do.
“Just off the boat are you?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Visiting my da.”
“Good, he’ll likely need your help. I’ve heard the winter months are going to be hard this year. Where are you arriving from?”
“Meridus.”
It was a gamble. The place was so full of grassers that an actual slave would be a damn fool to say that’s where they were coming from.
“I see.”
The man looked down at his book and did a bit of scribbling.
“What’s all this then?” she asked, pouncing on the idea. The more questions she asked, the less like a slave she would look.
“We had an incident in the city center this morning,” replied the guard. “Tell me, have you seen any of these men?”
He handed her a stack of papers. Each one bore a detailed illustration of a man’s face – wanted posters. Nea immediately recognized one. The first face on the stack was the same she’d seen in the crowd. The Infernian man with the gem in his forehead.
Djeng Beljhar
Commander of The Black Briars.
Terrorism and Conspiracy.
Dead or Alive.
There was the name Quinnel had told her, Djeng Beljhar.
“Who are the Black Briars?” she asked, unable to help herself.
“Blimey you really aren’t from round here are you?” said the guard. “They’re terrorists who target the trading companies. Attacked an auction in town today.”
Terrorists who target the grassers; sound like your kind of people after all.
She flipped to the next poster. There he was, the icy young man who’d jumped her on the street.
Quinnel Votrow.
Second In-Command of The Black Briars.
Terrorism and Murder.
Dead or Alive.
“Have you seen any of these men?”
“No,” Nea lied.
“Go on through then,” Nea’s heart leapt and she made to step from the throngs but…
“Oh, wait just one moment if you please.”
This was the moment. The moment when she didn’t know if success or failure waiting, only that one of them was crashing down upon her and there was nothing she could do about it.
Don’t panic, he’ll see it on your face.
It felt as though Nea had been drenched in ice-cold water. He was going to ask to see her hand he was—
“Your surname,” said the guard. “I forgot to ask you.”
“Oh,” Nea prayed that her relief didn’t show too much on her face. Her real name would do, not like the grassers kept track of that stuff. “Dúlaman,”
“Dúlaman,” said the guard scribbling on his pad. “Alright off with you now.”
Nea turned to go when a voice broke over the dull murmur of the crowd, loud and commanding.
“Stop!”
No. Not now.
Nea couldn’t help herself, she turned back and felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Stepping from the crowd were three guards and they were pointing directly at her.
“You there, boy,” they called. “You’re under arrest.”
Weak, said the cruel little voice in her ear. Stupid and weak.
7
Lionheart
The first thing Seiyariu did was take Leo to get some new clothes. His slave rags were discarded for a black doublet and brown traveling pants that were baggy enough for him to grow into, or so Seiyariu had said. The vagabond let him keep his gloves, to conceal The Nuptial from any wandering eyes. The ensemble was completed with a pair of tall boots, and a long brown cloak with a hood that Seiyariu had insisted he wear up.
“They’ll know you by your hair; it’s a beacon,” he said.
The vagabond paid for these clothes without a fuss and like that, the two of them were off again.
“You’ll need a pack for the road. It’s nearly two weeks on foot.”
Seiyaru found him a pack, not unlike his own, and filled it with what he claimed were all the necessities of the road. These necessities turned out to be a single bedroll, a pocket knife and a spyglass. Leo was instantly suspicious of where a homeless wanderer like Seiyariu managed to get the money to pay for all of this, but he didn’t want to press the issue.
As night began to fall, Seiyariu didn’t take them through the main gate. Instead he led Leo to an area of the wall some ways from the crowds and activity of the city. There was a sizable missing stone in the wall here, surrounded by strange symbols Leo didn’t recognize. He watched in amazement as Seiyariu reached through the hole and pulled open a door concealed in the stones just large enough for the two of them to squeeze through.
“One in every city,” Seiyariu muttered. “Try to remember where.”
Leo crawled out of the makeshift exit and out into the world, then he felt his jaw drop. The rolling green landscape gave him a wild sense of freedom, an endless expanse of hills, trees, and looming mountains. So this was Fortuna. Seiyariu strode out into the dark world, his face like that of a singer about to perform.
They traveled down the road for an hour before Seiyariu turned and led Leo up a winding path through a dense canopy of trees that eventually burst out into a wide meadow.
“We’ll camp here tonight,” Seiyariu said, throwing his pack down.
“Out in the open?” asked Leo. He didn’t know very much about survival but if they were being hunted surely it made sense to find somewhere less exposed.
“I’m not an easy man to sneak up on,” Seiyariu replied. “Besides, from the look of things they’re more concerned with what’s going on inside the city than out. I heard more talk about that auction. If we’re lucky, the incident in the graveyard will be shunted down the list of priorities. Though come tomorrow we will have to be on our toes.”
Leo sank to the ground and stared at the forest, bathed in shadow. As the night wind blew in, he was thankful for the clothes Seiyariu had given him. The grass was soft and Leo was exhausted, but he knew sleep was a ways off. His mind was spinning.
“How are you holding up?” asked Seiyariu, sitting down beside him.
“I’m fine.”
“What about your arm?”
Leo winced. He’d hoped Seiyariu wouldn’t notice, but he’d seen Leo struggle to get the doublet on over the injury; seen the pain on his face. Would the vagabond leave him if he knew he could barely use it? Would Leo be alone again?
“It’s fine, just acts up once and awhile.”
“Give it here.”
Leo hesitated, but Seiyariu’s face invited no suspicion. He proffered his arm to the vagabond, silently wishing he’d not lost his sling. It had hidden the worst of the damage from view. Without it, it was plain to see that Leo’s arm was covered in thick deep scars up to his elbow. Seiyariu looked the wounds over calmly, running his fingers along one of the marks.
“Who did this to you?” he asked, simply.
“It was an accident,” Leo lied.
“I see.” Seiyariu’s expression was unreadable.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Leo lied. “I won’t slow you down. I promise.”
The vagabond gave him a curious look but said nothing else of it. “Good, help me gather some wood, and I’ll show you how to make a fire.”
Seiyariu gathered stones and placed them around the wood to prevent the fire from kindling the surrounding vegetation. He then lit the pile with a tinderbox from his pack. He whistled, at peace with the world. Leo, however, had begun to shiver. The cold of the night was creeping in. A heavy warmth surrounded him as Seiyariu wrapped his green cloak around Leo’s small shoulders.
“Stay close to the fire,” Seiyariu muttered. “You’ll get used to it soon enough.”
Leo did as he was told, the warm patch was the only part of his body he could feel. In a vain effort to distract himself, he gazed up at the stars.
Seiyariu noticed his gaze. “Leo, can you tell me what that constellation is?” He pointed to several stars shining beautifully in the cold dusk. Leo shook his head. He couldn’t connect the stars, no matter how he looked at them.
“I don’t see anything,” he said frowning.
“Leo.”
“Yes?”
Seiyariu smiled, “No, you misunderstand me, that constellation is called Leo.”
Surprised, Leo looked up at the stars once more. Seiyariu drew across the stars with his finger and this time Leo noticed them taking a shape. It was an animal, a lion with its head held high, roaring defiantly to all creation.
Seiyariu stared at Leo through the glint of the fire. “Is that your full name?”
Leo shook his head. “Leonardo.”
“Just Leonardo?”
“Fortunato. Leonardo Fortunato.”
“The fortunate boy in the fortunate land,” Seiyariu chuckled.
“I suppose,” Leo mumbled, letting himself smile a little.
“That’s not a name common to the Southern Isles. Tell me about your parents Leo, are they still alive?”
The question came as something of a surprise. Why did he want to know that? “No,” Leo replied simply. “I told you I grew up in a home.”
But when Seiyariu wouldn’t stop looking at him he elaborated. “My mother died before I was born.”
“Before you were born?”
Leo nodded. “A few minutes before I was born. That’s what the sisters told me anyway. They said she was sick.”
“How did you survive?” Seiyariu raised his eyebrows.
“Why do you care?” Leo replied more savagely than he meant to. He didn’t talk about this with people.
“Isn’t it enough that I do care?”
Leo shrugged and turned away. “She had been staying with someone in the mountains. My father maybe. He managed to save me.” Leo thought that was just enough. He didn’t want to talk about Nico unless he absolutely had to.
“I’m sorry,” Seiyariu said sincerely.
“It’s not your fault.” Leo blinked, as the crackling flames danced before his eyes. “Seiyariu?”
“Yes?”
“Where were you going exactly? Before I ran into you, I mean.”
Seiyariu laughed, “I wasn’t going anywhere!”
Leo looked at him, somewhat confused. “What do you mean?”
“Leo, that is the life of a vagabond. I’m never truly going anywhere. I go where the world draws me,” he said, staring thoughtfully up at the rising smoke.
“I don’t understand.”
“Ever since I was your age, I’ve never been happy with a sedentary life. I need to travel, see new places and sights. It’s part of who I am but… you’re looking at me like I’m crazy.”
“Doesn’t that get lonely? Don’t you… don’t you ever wish you had a home?”
“The first thing you need to learn Leo, is that home is a not a place, it is a feeling. It’s a feeling you get from being with those you care about and doing what you love.”
Leo stared down the road, his eyes misty. He hadn’t mentioned Nico, yet it was like Seiyariu could read his mind. Nico had been home. Without him, Leo had no idea where to go or what to do. An image of Nea and his kind smile flashed in front of his mind’s eye. He shook it away; this was not the time to worry about things he couldn’t help.
Seiyariu drew his sword, and began to run a whetstone over the blade. Now that he could get a good look at it, Leo saw that this sword and its miniature counterpart were like nothing one would find in the Southern Isles.It was a long two-handed weapon. Its pommel the same width as its grip. The cross-guard was a simple steel disc and the blade curved out slightly. Most curious of all though, was that only one side of the blade had an edge, the other was essentially blunt.
“I’ve never seen a sword like that before,” said Leo.
“I would be shocked if you had,” said Seiyariu with a smile. “They’re very rare in these parts. Crafted for speed and power by some of the finest smiths on earth. These two were given to me in my travels across the sea, far from the Kengean Archipelago.
“You’ve left the Archipelago?” Leo sat upright and stared at Seiyariu, his calm demeanor suddenly out of place.
Seiyariu blinked. “Yes, several times in fact. I went about as far east as you can go.”
“Was that where you learned to fight?”
Seiyariu laughed again. “Leo, you’re never finished learning to fight. But I learned to use it there, yes. If you’d like, I’ll teach you to use it.”
“Really?”
“Certainly, it is a useful skill for a vagabond to have.”
“Am I a vagabond now too?” Leo asked with a little smile.
“We shall see, perhaps a fine one in the making.” He pulled a bedroll from his pack and rolled it out by the fire. He stretched out on it with a sigh. “Get some sleep,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’re off.”
8
Down Vagabond Road
The sun was up and no matter how Leo shifted it wouldn’t go away. With a yawn, he sat up. The bedroll Seiyariu had given him had at one point been used to feed an entire colony of moths but it kept out the worst of the autumn chill. Leo stretched, rubbing his eyes, unable to remember the last time he’d fallen asleep with a full stomach.
He looked around for Seiyariu but the vagabond was nowhere to be found, nor were any of his things. Leo jumped up in panic, but as he did, a note tumbled off of his bedroll. Curiously, he picked it up.
Gone to get breakfast, keep fire going.
Leo breathed a sigh of relief. The vagabond was a mystery to be sure, but to be lost alone in Fortuna all by himself? The thought made him shiver. Leo glanced at the smoldering ashes where the fire had been. Beside them Seiyariu had left him a knife. Leo weighed it in his hands; it was heavier than it looked.
Leo wasn’t really sure what he was doing, but he began hacking off a few branches from the surrounding trees; the knife didn’t go through them instantly like he thought it would; he had to really hack at it. When he’d collected enough, Leo dumped the branches in the fire pit. Remembering an old trick he’d seen the paupers in the old city use, Leo picked up a small branch and, placing it on a larger one, he began to turn it. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster. Soon enough, smoke began to rise from the wood.
“Very good,” Seiyariu said, strolling up, a pair of dead rabbits swinging from one hand. “But you’ve forgotten something.”
He crouched down and picked up several dry leaves and twigs. He aligned the branches into a point and placed the leaves underneath. Then he took the tinderbox from his pack and struck a match. Seiyariu tossed it into the kindling, which ignited instantly, eating away at the branches. He then straightened up, eyeing his handiwork.
“Why couldn’t you leave that here?” Leo demanded.
Seiyariu raised an eyebrow. “Because you won’t always have one with you.”
He then showed Leo how to prepare the rabbits. Together, they constructed a spit and sat back to watch the meat cook. Despite himself, Leo smiled. Seiyariu was quite proud of his efforts. The meat was dry, but to Leo it tasted wonderful.
*
Seiyariu and Leo spent most of the day on the road. The sights and sounds of the world swept over Leo like a cool breeze; there was so much to see. They passed thick forests, some that had already begun to change color. Rivers ran through the countryside, reflecting the sunlight off their mirrored surface. Small towns were scattered here and there on the road and they would often pass other travelers. Leo saw young families in horse drawn wagons, rich men on horseback followed by an entourage of servants, silent men carrying swords, and loud, happy merchants striking up a merry conversation with anyone who’d listen. Among these travelers, Leo noticed several men in long green cloaks adorned with patches, other vagabonds no doubt.
At about midday they stopped and ate some dried fruit Seiyariu produced from yet another compartment in his pack. Perched on a rock, they ate heartily and watched the faces passing by.
“We’ll follow this road for a bit, head northeast through the swamps and then cross the inlet I think,” Seiyariu said. “It gets a little bit muggy but nobody takes that road. Besides, there’s an old friend I need to look in on.”
“Who?”
Seiyariu merely smiled and pretended he hadn’t heard. Leo frowned. He was still adjusting. Despite his hesitations, he felt resigned to go with Seiyariu. One thing still played on his mind however, a question that needed asking.
