Ascent of the Aliomenti (5 page)

The noise was overpowering. He’d come to appreciate the tranquility of the village, and even more the near silence outside the village and in the forest or the cave. Here, the sounds of thousands of people moving, talking, and shouting seeped through and over the walls, joined by the sounds of men and women creating and building as they tried to earn a living, buying and selling within the many markets inside the city walls. He let his hearing reach out, enjoying the banter in the marketplace, as a farmer argued and bartered with a woman over the price of the grain he offered for sale. It was a discussion that reminded him of the many trips he’d made with the Traders over the past three years, trips he’d never again enjoy. All of the Traders were dead. Officially.

Will heard the sound of chains and wheels moving, and realized that it meant he’d soon see the two Traders who were still alive. Unofficially. The gates of the military city of Abrecan were opening, the yawning doors providing entry to a city certain to provide Will with copious amounts of unpredictable adventure.

IV

Abrecan

1021 A.D.

Stepping inside the city of Abrecan was, for Will, like entering a major twenty-first century metropolis after weeks or months in the smaller, cleaner, quieter city of Pleasanton. The Aliomenti village offered an efficient, planned layout designed to keep common resources together. They’d put the Stores and Shops next to each other to eliminate the need for the craftspeople to cross great distances to store finished goods; they’d save time they could better use creating more. Will asked why they didn’t have the Shop fronts and Store fronts facing each other, rather than back-to-back. Eva explained that the back-to-back design meant fewer walls to build and used less space. They’d also realized that, unless they spaced the facing fronts a significant distance from each other, they’d struggle to pull the horse-drawn wagons between the buildings during loading or unloading of material.

Abrecan was, in contrast, built in a chaotic fashion. It seemed that they’d built what they needed, when they needed it, in whatever open spot they could find. Lodging, training grounds, apothecaries, bakeries, markets, latrines... all were crammed together with no thought as to the efficiency, safety, or hygienic propriety of the layout. As if to illustrate that point, Will watched a young girl dance out of her home, right into the midst of two knights engaged in swordplay just outside her door. She was saved from immediate death only because the blade that struck her was made of wood with a dull edge.

The knight seized the unconscious child, looked around, and spotted Will. “Here,” he snapped, thrusting the unmoving child into Will’s arms. “Take her.”

Will blinked. “Shouldn’t we get her back to her parents?”

The knight ignored him, instead returning to his swordplay with his counterpart.

Will shook his head, threw a wall of nanos around himself and the child, dispatched some of his healing nanos into her body, and moved to the door of the residence from which she’d emerged. Shifting the child in his arms to free up one hand, he knocked.

The door opened a few moments later, revealing a woman in disheveled clothing with a blank, emotionless face. “Your daughter has been struck on the head by the knights behind me, ma’am. We should get her medical attention.”

She stared at the child, as if unwilling to admit what she was seeing in front of her, her face growing ever more devoid of any life or emotion. Will trickled a small bit of Energy to her, both to help her respond to the situation and to try to determine the cause of the misery shrouding her face.

The knights had been practicing with wooden swords today due to a similar accident a week earlier, when her husband, a carpenter, had exited their small home at the moment a sharpened metal blade slashed toward the door. With his brutal death, all joy had left her, and though she’d fought to maintain her grip on life for her daughter, she’d failed. She’d prayed daily for death for herself, yet had instead seen her daughter injured in the fashion that had ended her husband’s life. Her despair and grief became complete.

Will sent cheerful Empathic Energy into her, and she regained focus. “Let’s go take care of your daughter, ma’am.”

The woman simply nodded and followed him, but not before closing the door. She did not fear theft; she feared finding another severed head inside.

She finally found her voice. “Where are you taking her? I have no money.”

Will smiled. “Don’t worry about that.”

“I don’t take charity, sir.”

“The money will never touch your hands, ma’am. I will not allow a child I can help to suffer for lack of funds.”

She opened her mouth to protest again, and then simply nodded. Her tears, for the first time in a week, were tears of joy, grateful for the compassion of a stranger.

Will tuned in on Eva’s harp-like Energy sound, weaving through the complex maze of buildings as if he’d lived in the city his entire life, and the child’s mother hovered close, glancing at the unconscious girl. “Is she still...?”

“She’s alive,” Will said. “She’ll be fine. I’ve heard of a very good doctor who will help her feel better in no time.”

They finally approached the small pod of doctors dispensing medical care in one of the few open spaces within the city not designated as markets or training areas for the knights. Will spotted the platinum-blond hair over the masses, and was reminded once more that Eva was a woman of exceptional height. He strode toward her, projecting a thought her way.
Coming to visit, doctor. The woman with me knows only that I’ve heard of you.

Making friends already, Will? Very impressive.

Will and the mother approached Eva. “Excuse me, ma’am?”

Eva turned, frowning as she spotted the young girl in Will’s arms. “What happened to your daughter, sir?”

Will smiled. “She’s not my daughter, ma’am. Her mother is here, though.” He nodded to the woman hovering nearby, amused at the woman’s awe of Eva. “She was struck on the head with a wooden sword swung by one of the knights, and... well, she’s got a nasty bruise on her head as a result, I’m afraid.”

Eva sighed. “Let’s put her down on the table, and I’ll take a look.” She motioned to the table behind her, and Will deposited the girl there, taking great care to protect her already-damaged head. Will could detect Eva’s Energy trickling into the girl, aiding and encouraging the healing process.

Eva stooped to check on her patient, analyzing the well-formed and colorful lump decorating the side of the girl’s head. “We mostly need to help control the pain she’ll experience when she wakes up,” Eva said to the mother. “I don’t think you’ll find any permanent damage has occurred, but we certainly don’t want her to suffer while her body heals. I have medications that can provide that pain relief, but they aren’t cheap.”

The woman hung her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t...”

“Make sure she has enough,” Will said. “I don’t want to check on her in a few days and find she’s feeling any pain that’s not necessary.” He leaned closer to Eva. “How much?”

“A gold coin,” she whispered. “I assume you don’t want her to know?”

He nodded.

“Swing by later; your credit is good with me, sir.” He stifled a chuckle.

“Let me have my assistant collect the medicine, then, and show you how to prepare and apply it,” Eva said, directing her attention to the girl’s mother. She glanced around. “Hope? Can you help prepare a bundle of medicines for this woman and her daughter?”

Hope emerged from the crowd, pausing only briefly as she caught sight of Will. She quickly recovered, remembering that they’d never met in this town, and hurried to Eva’s side. “Of course,” she replied. “What does she need?”

Eva explained the proper combination of herbs and the application schedule to Hope, who listened attentively, nodded, and began rummaging through a large bag stowed beneath the table. She pulled out a collection of plants and a bag, and began showing the mother the proper technique to ground the plants into a paste, which could be applied to the lump.

With the mother distracted, Will fished a gold coin from his own money pouch and handed it to Eva. “Thank you, ma’am. I understand they’ve recently lost their husband and father, and I feared the mother had lost hope after seeing her daughter in such a condition. Thankfully, I’d heard of your skill and recommended we bring the girl to you. I trust she’ll recover soon.”

Eva nodded. “That was a kind thing you did, sir. Generosity and compassion from a stranger can be powerful recuperative tools, as much as any herb.”

Hope finished providing instructions, and had the girl’s mother to prepare and apply the herbs under her direction to ensure that the woman could repeat the process on her own. The woman profusely thanked all of them.

As she began gathering the bundle, a man’s voice rang out over the crowd. “Will! Is that you?”

Will panicked momentarily, for no one here, outside the “doctor” and her “assistant,” should know his name. He turned as a tall man with brown hair strode toward the group, and recognition hit. “Richard! How are you, sir?”

Richard had once led an organized group of criminals that had preyed upon vendors in the small towns and cities that Eva, Will, and the other Traders frequented. They’d smuggle two or three men into the city in a covered wagon driven by a companion, and at night the men who’d entered the city unseen would stalk vendors returning home with the money earned from a day’s work. The men would leave the next day in a similar fashion, and no one would ever find the culprits. Will, using his advanced Energy skills and nanos, had captured three men engaged in a heist during his first Trading trip to Richland, and had destroyed Richard’s alliance of thieves in dramatic fashion. Richard had turned from his evil ways, and had served as Hope’s escort as she journeyed from the Aliomenti village to Abrecan. Richard, a tall and powerful man, had been defeated in battle by Will while the latter was unarmed. Richard had eagerly accepted the more honorable work Will had recommended and provided.

“I’m doing well, Will. The lady was a charming traveling companion, and I was happy to serve in that capacity. I have found work with a master sword-maker here, and have, in a short time, become a sparring partner for several of the knights. They’ve spoken of considering me for knighthood, Will.
Me.
I cannot believe that is possible.”

Will smiled. “I told you you were meant for something greater, didn’t I?”

Richard glanced at the mother and the unconscious girl, and his face fell. “What happened here?”

Will explained the situation, and Richard nodded, thoughtful. “I believe I’ve found my good deed for the day.” He turned to the mother, who was trying to figure out how to carry her daughter and the bag of herbs supplied by Hope. “Excuse me, ma’am? May I be of service to you?”

The mother turned, and found another smiling face ready to help. She dissolved into tears.

Richard looked abashed. “Was it something I said?”

Will laughed. “Yes, Richard, it was. And that’s a good thing. She’s had little happiness in her life, especially this past week, and yet strangers have suddenly come forth to help her. Those are tears of joy, shed at learning that there are good people left in her world.”

Richard nodded, thoughtful, and went to put a comforting arm around the woman, who turned her head into his chest and continued weeping. Richard’s face softened. “It’s going to be all right, ma’am. Let me carry your daughter back to your home.”

She nodded, wiping away the tears. “You’ve all been so kind. I... I don’t know how to repay you.”

“One day, you’ll have the chance to help somebody else, and you will,” Will said. “That will be all the repayment necessary.” He glanced at her. “I never asked your name, though.”

“Rachel,” she said. “My name is Rachel. My daughter’s name is Miriam.”

“I wish you well, Rachel,” Will replied. “Take care of Miriam.”

“I will, good sir,” she said. “I will.”

Richard gently cradled the girl in his arms, and walked away with Rachel, chatting. His face had taken on a gentle look, one Will recognized. He’d become quite smitten with the young widow and the little girl he held. Will smiled. He could think of nothing more noble than becoming that missing void in a family torn apart by senseless violence.

“I’ll take my leave then, doctors.” He nodded at Eva and Hope, and walked away, leaving the women to tend to their next patient.

He meandered through the structures built in their haphazard fashion, wondering how the residents were able to find anything. While the Aliomenti village was relatively small, especially compared to a thriving city like Abrecan, the planned layout was one Will would insist upon in future building activities. Given that Arthur and Adam had been part of the group of ten that oversaw construction of the original village, a layout planned for maximum security and utility, he doubted that would be a problem, regardless of the length of his absence. Will realized, even though he’d just left in anger, that he was already thinking of his future return, and planning enhancements to the layout of the neighborhood.

He occupied his time by tracing the Energy trails left by Eva and Hope, using it to trace a path back to their humble residence. It was, like much of this large city, crammed into a space that would have been better served providing a function other than housing. They lived above a bakery, and while Will suspected the aromas were far superior to what they might experience elsewhere, it seemed a room better suited to housing a baker working in the shop below.