Preserving Hope (14 page)

Great
, Will thought.
Everything is a political power play, and I’m caught in the middle of it
. It was concerning to see what amounted to battle lines being drawn, and the apparent inability of any villagers to act without some type of approval from Arthur. They couldn’t even cheer the news of tremendous profits without waiting to see if Arthur approved?
He knows it, too. He waited just long enough to start clapping to make it clear to Eva that everyone follows his lead.

Eva began calling out groups: smiths, farmers, millers, weavers, carpenters, foragers. Each group came forward and received their specific purchase requests and an accounting of the financial aspects of the transaction. Will worked with the other Traders to locate their purchases in the wagons, and brought them forth as Eva called everything out. Most people purchased necessary supplies and raw materials: seeds, yeast, needles, farming tools, saws, hammers, cookware, and raw iron. Many also had requested various luxuries, including clothing, jewelry, and other items. Will hadn’t noticed it before, but the Traders were certainly more shabbily dressed on a daily basis than others. He imagined that they’d been putting their earnings into caring for Elizabeth for quite some time, and had spent little on themselves. He experienced a feeling of gratitude for their sacrifice on her behalf.

The process took hours, and was highly inefficient. Will would often have to search each cart for the correct supplies, and the supplies required for the person waiting were frequently buried at the bottom, rather than at the top where they would be easily accessible. He made a mental note to think through a better approach to their return trip; perhaps separating supplies by profession and calling each profession in order to ensure no digging was required. He also wondered if they might, perhaps, be better off setting up a store of the likes he knew in his time. Rather than trying to make individual purchases for people and then match them up, perhaps they could purchase popular items in bulk, and then sell at a profit within the community. He’d need to talk to the other Traders about that idea. He scowled, realizing that they’d only be able to try something that different after getting the approval from the other villagers, and more specifically, from Arthur. Given that the idea would come from Eva’s Traders… he knew already that the idea was doomed to failure.

It was nearly evening when the last individual received their money, supplies, and personal treasures. The Traders were exhausted, but happy, as Eva concluded the transactions by dropping fifty gold coins in each of their coin purses. They walked to the center of the community and had their fill of their evening meals, each dropping a copper in the hand of the cook, who ladled each a full bowl of a steaming beef and vegetable broth and a small loaf of bread. Many of their neighbors walked by, and called out words of thanks for the terrific profits they’d netted as the result of the Traders’ efforts.

As the sun set, Will made his way back to his room, next door to Eva’s. He’d not seen Elizabeth since that morning; she’d stayed put in Eva’s room all day. Apparently, Eva had “purchased” Elizabeth for the duration of their trip to watch her room, so as to prevent her from being treated poorly in their absence. Will had a hunch that Arthur wouldn’t honor that “purchase” since Eva wasn’t around to verify that it had been carried out. He wanted to speak with Elizabeth, find out just how far she’d progressed, and talk to her about what she wanted to accomplish and how he could help. He could check on how she’d been treated in their absence as well.

Will snapped his fingers and turned around. He walked to Arthur’s residence, and, unsure of social conventions of the time, used his own and knocked. Arthur opened the door. “Will!” he exclaimed. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I would like time with Elizabeth tomorrow.”

Arthur blinked, and then smiled. “Will, Elizabeth’s time is very valuable. I’m afraid she has quite a full calendar several months in advance.”

“I’ll give you a full gold coin instead of the usual silver coin.”

Arthur paused to consider it. “I’m not sure if that’s wise, Will. What will I tell Maynard? He has quite the temper, you know, and might not take kindly to having his schedule altered in that fashion.”

“I’m certain that the gold coin can prove quite useful in changing his mind and easing his excessive pain and grief over the matter, Arthur.”

Arthur chuckled. “You do have a way with words, Will, but unfortunately, words alone won’t enable me to talk to Maynard. However…” Arthur paused dramatically.

Will sighed. “What do you want, Arthur?”

“If I had a gold coin for my own troubles, and another to ease Maynard’s concerns, I believe we could make it happen.”

Will paused for a moment, pretending to consider the offer. “Deal,” he said. He pulled two of the coins from the bounty Eva had just distributed, and held them out to Arthur. “And I don’t expect any further negotiating, Arthur. I will be here after our morning bath tomorrow, and I do not expect to see Elizabeth walking away with Maynard or anyone else.”

Arthur nodded. “You will have no issues in that regard, I assure you. Do keep in mind the rules, however. Elizabeth is not to be terrorized or made to suffer needlessly. And she is not to be taken through the gate to the outside. Is that clear?”

Will frowned. “Not leave the gate? Why is that?”

Arthur sighed. “I fear my daughter has a great desire to see the world, and I dare say that if she ever leaves the security these walls provide as part of her daily work, her curiosity would drive her to escape her host and vanish from our midst. It is for her protection — and
yours
— that the rule has been made.”

The pause had made the message clear. Whoever lost Elizabeth would have an angry community rioting at them, much as they’d formed a mob to kill the girl’s mother. Anything preventing them from learning how to build the enhanced abilities they all so desperately sought would be at risk of serious injury.

Will nodded. “We will go to the Schola, then. You may lock the door after we enter to ensure there is no escape. For
her
safety, of course.”

Arthur nodded. “Then our transaction is done. I will notify Maynard, and see you in the morning, Will.”

He closed the door, and Will walked back to his room, wondering if he’d just acted the part of the hypocrite for paying Arthur for the privilege of talking to a supposedly free young woman.

XI

Cave

Will woke at dawn and rose from the cot he used for a bed. He had no blankets for cushioning and the cot was little more than a plank of wood. It was something he’d need to correct quickly; his back, though quite limber after the past few months of living and eating and exercising with the Alliance, was sore after the night’s sleep. He’d only slept through it for one night before going out on his first trip with the Traders, and he’d accepted the harsher sleeping conditions on the road. The bedding at the inn in Richland was comfortable, and Will wondered if he’d made a mistake in not purchasing blankets for his own use while he was there. Perhaps he could purchase some here in the village during the day.

He recognized that he’d need to spend these early morning hours, before the other villagers woke, doing his own Energy work. There were several skills he’d not practiced or perfected under Adam’s tutelage, and he’d need a private locale to use for that work. The diary, as he’d come to think of the notes sent via the paper scroll computer, had recommended working on invisibility and flying, with basic instructions for each. Once he found a spot suitable for practice, he’d use the same place to work with Elizabeth on her Energy skills. She’d need to learn to control and grow her Energy, or she’d risk exposing her development to people who wouldn’t take kindly to her progress. He’d teleport them both to the practice site, for he had no intention of walking out the gate with her and raising Arthur’s suspicions, especially after he’d offered to let Arthur lock them in the Schola for the day.

Will had only had a single chance to experience skill Adam had described as clairvoyance, and that experience came about by accident. Essentially, it enabled him to use his Energy to extend his senses of sight and hearing to remote locations. His brief work with nanos suggested he could probably accomplish similar functions with the tiny machines, but he knew he needed to get as much Energy work in as possible. He climbed back on his cot and sat with his back against the wall, closed his eyes, and projected Energy out of his body, attempting to “see” via a connecting strand. It was a practice much like running a long connecting cable from a remote video camera, and he found himself “seeing” the top of his own small room. He allowed his viewpoint to float upward to get a better view of the village and its surroundings.

The vast forest containing the small walled village was nestled between two rivers, both of which flowed north and merged into one larger river, north of the village. The two tributaries, which Eva had referred to as the Ealdor and Halwende rivers, cut through the forest before meeting and joining beyond the trees. To the east, nearer to the calmer Halwende, were larger clearings in the forest, where grasses and harvestable grains grew. That was where Will had arrived in the time machine. It was south of their primary bathing spot, and the trees to the north prevented any line of sight between the two spots. There had never been a chance that Will would be seen upon his arrival. The image of the village, situated in a roughly circular forest bisected by rivers flowing northeast and northwest to a convergence point, looked much like the future Aliomenti symbol he’d come to loathe. Was it a coincidence, or did the Aliomenti of the future eventually achieve the ability to see the world from this viewpoint and use it as both map and logo? He snorted at his doubt. Of course they’d get the ability. It was merely a matter of when.

He noticed an expanse of gray-colored terrain to the north, and wondered if that indicated the presence of a series of caves in the area. If he was able to locate one that was large and difficult to reach, he’d have the perfect spot for his own training and for Elizabeth’s as well. Will lowered his remote eyesight into the area, swooping down from the sky like a hawk descending on its prey, and found that the coloration did, in fact, mark a series of caves. The largest, at the top, was both spacious and nearly impossible for anyone to reach on foot, for the climb was fraught with sharp rocks and a nearly vertical incline. Satisfied, he cemented the picture of the area in his memory for later teleportation. He recalled his Energy, and found the experience of ending this session was much like waking from a deep sleep. He blinked several times to reorient himself, climbed off the cot, and exited his room. He walked to the front of the community and joined the growing crowd of people waiting for the departure for the morning bath in the cool waters of the Halwende River, accepting the compliments of those still enthralled at the tremendous profits he’d helped them earn on the Trading trip to Richland.

Eva gave him an odd look as they walked toward the gate, but said nothing. He wondered if she’d detected the Energy he’d expended on his clairvoyant journey; this wasn’t the time to discuss such matters, however.

Though he’d only participated twice, the morning bath provided Will with a sense of routine and normalcy. It was a time for socializing and laughter, much as those in his time socialized over morning coffee or tea in office buildings. Once they returned to the village, it would be time for all of them to begin their daily work. Will caught a glimpse of Arthur talking to Maynard, a huge, hulking beast of a man who worked as a smith forging weapons. At one point, Maynard looked in Will’s direction, glaring, but then his gaze was distracted by a gold coin. The man seemed pleased with the money, but the gaze was still anything but friendly.

Will spent his bathing time trying to rationalize what he’d done the night before to secure time with Elizabeth. He’d chided all of them for “buying” Elizabeth’s time, had called it slavery, and had said he’d never do so. Yet he’d gone to Arthur and had bartered a higher price for her time this day. Was he any better, playing into the system? At this point, he reasoned, he had no choice; Elizabeth had made it clear that she didn’t want to change the system designed to enrich her father at her expense; she wanted to use the system to change
him
. He had also decided he would pay Elizabeth five gold coins as well, to help her start to develop savings she would need when she one day walked free. She could keep the coins in the cave; no one in the community needed to know she had any money, least of all her father. Will hoped to spring her free upon the world, away from the tyranny in this tiny would-be kingdom, and for her to survive on the outside, she’d need a large amount of money. This would be his method of getting as much of his money as necessary to her. He knew he could get more at any time; he could learn a craft and secretly build items for trade in the cave, teleport to a far-off city the Traders would never try to reach, and sell them. As best he could tell, he didn’t need money for anything to survive here outside the daily copper for food and the rare handful of silver coins for clothing, boots, and blankets; if necessary, he was confident he could forage what he needed to survive even if he gave all his money to Elizabeth.

Arthur whistled, an indication that it was time to head back to the village. Will joined the others in wading out of the frigid waters, shivering and feeling more alert in the cool morning air. Though it was summer, the northern location meant that the mornings were still relatively cool, and he once again lamented his lack of blankets for warmth. He could certainly warm himself with his Energy, but had decided since his arrival in the past to limit his actual usage within the village to what was absolutely necessary. He’d elected, before meeting anyone in the past, to prevent the discovery of his skills until the villagers were ready to learn of them. Now that he’d met several of them, he felt his decision was a wise one.