The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 1 (58 page)

“Ok, cutie, I can see why Liz likes you so much. Please calm yourself down, if those beautiful eyes of yours get any harder, they’ll pop out of your head. My name is Sasha, and I’m an old friend of your lover’s. If that’s enough to satisfy you for now, why don’t you come inside so we can have our conversation in comfort.” She said. Her invitation wasn’t a request, judging by the fire in her eyes. She looked at him for a moment longer before giggling and walking into the tavern. She ran her hand across Elizabeth’s face affectionately as she walked past.

“Oh, Liz, you always knew how to pick them. This one is too cute! Make sure he gets his butt inside after his ego cools off. I like him!” Sasha said. Elizabeth just laughed and walked over to where Tartum was standing.

“Come on, Sweetheart. I know she’s alot to handle but if she says she likes you, then you’re already ahead of the game. I know you probably noticed this already, but she’s a bit of a man eater.” She giggled. “Don’t worry, Sweetie, I won’t let her hurt you. You belong to me! Remember that!”

She looked him passionately in the eyes and kissed him. “I love you, Sweetheart, please trust me. Join us inside when you’re ready.” She almost seemed sad as she said that to him, and with one more quick kiss, she walked inside.

Tartum had never been so confused in his entire life. One minute, Elizabeth is acting like some angry person on a life or death quest, the next she’s hugging some strange seductress that’s giving him flirtatious and then sinister looks. He didn’t know if he was supposed to hug her or hit her and wanted to do both. He realised that women always seemed to confuse him. Sighing, Tartum touched his forehead and shook his head.

“If I live to be infinity, I’ll never understand women...” he said to himself. Gathering up what little dignity he had left, Tartum drug himself into the tavern preparing himself for round two.

...

The tavern was enchanted like Isidor’s old wagon had been. The outside structure was misleading, it looked to be a simple large building, but on the inside it was enormous. An army could comfortably eat, drink, and practice drills inside the walls of the building, with enough room left over for a dozen patrons to throw a party with every member of their family invited. It defied the rules of physics, but Tartum had seen this type of magic before and was able to get his mind around it fast. Buddy and Vaund seemed to be dealing with the change well enough; Buddy was standing a few feet inside sniffing the air intently, and Vaund kept looking back outside. Elizabeth was handling it the best and seemed to have no probelm with accepting the huge room as opposed to what she had seen outside.

The inside of the tavern was painted to match the colors outside. Bright white walls were edged in dark green and were decorated by all types of art depicting numerous species of birds. In many of the drawings and paintings, the birds were flying out of human hands. The artwork was as detailed and expertly done as the sign outside was. The tavern itself was split up into many areas, but no walls or discernible boarders marked where one area began and the previous ended. In one section you could have a table set for eating, and a few feet away there were two dozen people celebrating a birthday, while a group of people a few dozen feet from them looked to be engrossed in a meeting. How this was all possible lead Tartum to only one possible explaination. Strong magic was involved, which made Sasha even more mysterious than she was a few moments ago.

The people inside the bar were as varied as the city. Merchants and farmers mingled with politicians and royality. No one seemed to mind anyone else’s company and everyone was having a wonderful time. The music varied as he looked from one section to another as one bard was playing a lute while another worked a harp. In one section, there was a large party going on with no less than four bards playing their instruments, yet the group of people ten feet away were having a quiet conversation and didn’t seem disturbed in the slightest. None of this made much sense to Tartum, but how Sasha managed her tavern was the least of his concerns. This tavern seemed to have a little bit of everything and catered to all walks of life. Tartum did not try to hide how impressed he was.

Elizabeth walked over to him with the same huge smile he had seen her wear when Sasha first greeted her. He didn’t want to be distracted as he tried to get his bearings on the situation, but her beauty overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t help himself. He returned her smile and waited for her to join him.

“This place is amazing, babe!” Tartum said

Elizabeth laughed, “I knew you would be impressed. Sorry for earlier, but as I’m sure you’ve already figured out, Sasha is a bit more than just a tavern owner. Come on, Sweetie, let’s gather up the others and head upstairs.”

Tartum nodded his agreement and called to Buddy and Vaund. Buddy was at his side in a moment, and Vaund followed shortly after. The moment they walked into the first populated section of the tavern everything made sense. The sections of the tavern were individually enchanted and seemed to change to suit the needs of the people using them. As they walked into one section, walls materialized out of nowhere that shut out all excess noise and the view of the other patrons. The walls were insubstantial and could be walked through at will. It seemed they were an illusion, which made getting to a destination very easy considering the size and depth of the interior of the building. It all made sense to him now, the rooms were invisible when a patron first walked in so they could find an empty section or the group they were at the tavern to meet. Then as they made their way the walls appeared and each group had their own section to meet, eat, drink, celebrate, or mourn without disturbing or interacting with the other patrons. Tartum had to admit, it was genius.

They made it to the stairs and ascended to the top floor, where Sasha was waiting for them. The third floor didn’t have the same enchantment on it that the first floor did. It was much smaller than the first floor but the size of it felt right from what he remembered seeing of the building from outside. There was a large, oval shaped, heavy wooden table that took up the middle of the room, it was currently bare, but Tartum noticed it looked heavily used due to the amount of discoloration, cuts, scratches and nicks that marred its surface. There were two dozen chairs evenly spaced around the table, and they were identical. They seemed to be made of the same wood the table was and looked incredibly uncomfortable. When Sasha motioned for them to sit down, Tartum almost refused. One look from Elizabeth changed his mind immediately.

He sat down in a chair and found that his initial evaluation of it was accurrate. The chair was designed to keep the individual sitting in it striaght and upright. His natural urge to slouch and relax was impossible to placate thanks to the design of the infernal chair. Sasha seemed to not notice his discomfort, or if she did, she did not offer any apology for it. She simply smiled and waited for him to situate himself. Once everyone was situated, she looked directly at Tartum and spoke.

“Well, cutie, from what Liz and Buddy have told me, congratulations are in order. You did sooo well today and passed your overexam! Very nice! It’s good to know that a man like you, with such pretty eyes, also has some other uses...” Sasha purred at him. She was looking at him from under her eyelashes, and Tartum was having trouble thinking. Hilary used to talk to him like that when she wanted something, and Tartum remembered why it had been so hard to refuse her. Thinking became hard, and he was well aware that Elizabeth was in the room, judging his every action, so he decided to play it safe and nodded his thanks.

Giggling, Sasha continued; “Well, as you may have guessed, Liz and I are old, old friends from back when we were just tiny gourgeous babies, and we have been through alot together.
Oh my gosh,
there was this time after we ran away but before we joined the guild that there were these boys. I had distracted them, and Liz was taking their gold from the saddle, when they noticed her. They were
soooo
mad at her; they were going to hurt her! You know what she did then, cutie? She grabbed her shirt and...”

“SASHA!”
Elizabeth screamed. The sudden sound of her outraged voice started everyone and stopped Sasha’s story cold. Even Buddy sensed her mood and gave Sasha a warning growl. Sasha blushed heavily and lowered her head, although her smile never left her face.

“Goodness, Liz, I’m sorry I got carried away with the memories.” She said. Her apology sounded sincere, but her voice had an undertone of mischief. Gathering herself, she re-engaged Tartum by changing the subject.

“Well, I’ll tell you how that story ends later, cutie pie, but yes, as I hinted at already, I’m a full blooded member of the thieves guild, and I run this tavern as a money laundering and money making endeavor. It’s also a safe haven for you to lay low in, if the guards are sniffing around too closely at your heels. There are many safe havens in Saroth for our members, as I’m sure Liz will show you as she teaches you the ropes of missions and the like.
Oh
, you’re going to have
soooo
much fun!” Sasha said with a wiggle and a smile that made her look ten years younger. Tartum was having trouble keeping up with her exuberance and energy and couldn’t quite come to a conclusion on if she was crazy, slutty, incredibly smart, or a combination of all three. He feared to believe it was the combination, if that were the case, he decided this would be the last time he came here. He would rather face the stockade than deal with this woman alone.

“Anyway, I’m based out of this tavern, so if you ever need or want anything you’re always welcome to stay. Free of charge for you, cutie! You can even bring your sweet doggy friend! “She waved at Buddy who jumped up and began wagging his tail excitedly.

“Oh he’s
sooooo
cute! Oh! When you and Liz decide to get married, the wedding can be here!
Oh my GOSH
! The reception will be so
pretty
! With the flowers and the singing and dancing...
ohhh
!! I...”

“SASHA! PLEASE!!!!”
Elizabeth was out of her seat this time, and her face was bright red. Tartum had never seen her so off kilter and found her vulnerability very attractive. He didn’t even try to hide his smile.

Sasha looked puzzled. “What?! What did I say? You love him, he
obviously
loves you, marriage is just the next step. Relax, look at the way he’s smiling at you. He’s thinking it! I’ve been flirting with him for the past ten minutes, and he hasn’t so much as blushed. You’ve got him hooked, Liz, don’t be mad at me just because I say it out loud. You always were so bitchy about cute men!” she said. She meant to sound like Elizabeth had hurt her feelings, but Tartum could tell she was baiting her, he also noticed Elizabeth looked like she was about to take the bait. He had enough, he wasn’t going to let this overempowered whore talk to Elizabeth like that, nor did he like the fact she had been running them around her little finger since they arrived. If this woman was a friend, she’d better start acting like it soon, or Tartum would bring the building down around her perfectly shaped ears.

Brining his fists down hard on the table, he glared at Sasha. “That’s enough, Sasha! I do care for Elizabeth but that’s no reason for you to intentionally try to embarrass her, just because it suits your mood. You claim to have a grasp on who I am and what I do, so believe me when I tell you if you disrespect her again, intentionally or inadvertently, I’ll ruin those good looks of yours and wipe that fucking smile off your face for good! Are we clear?” Tartum said, his anger was growing, and his hand slipped down towards his rose petals as he gave his ultimatum.

Elizabeth sat down, hard. Sasha slowly turned her head from Elizabeth to Tartum, and they sat there glaring at each other for a long time. Tartum didn’t know if she was going to attack him, throw them all out, or start crying. After a few minutes, he didn’t think she was sure either. Finally she came to a conclusion and looked down as she slowly placed her hands on the table. Looking up at Tartum with those eyes that were too big for her head, she spoke. The woman that talked to him now was not the ignorant, bubbly bimbo that he had just threatened. This was the woman that had shot daggers at him just before they came into the building.

“You are defending a woman I consider to be like a sister, and you are young, so I’m going to tell you this just once. Very few people have ever talked to me like that in this room and survived. However, I like you and accept that I was out of line. So this time, and
only
this time I will apologize for my words and promise not to talk to her in that manner again.” Sasha’s eyes were blazing, and Tartum realized this was the real woman behind the facade. The bimbo was just the person the outside world saw. No wonder he had such trouble pinning down her personality, she had so many of them.

Tartum closed his eyes and shook his head. With a sigh, he replied, “Is there anything the thieves guild does that’s simple?”

Sasha’s smile returned, but the bimbo did not. “No, Tartum Fuin, typically everything we do is ten layers deep in an alterior motive. As it is, I will tell you my reasoning for being here and why I put on the facade when we first met. This city is ruled by a king; King Darrak of Saroth has been in power for over a decade and despite his gross stupidity, is incredibly lucky and has been able to balance the kingdom between law and chaos for some time now. Yet, he is alarmingly impressionable, superstitious, and gullible. Over the past few years, he has taken to listening to a pious idiot named Wyndall Argonak, the self-proclaimed Bishop of Saroth. The Bishop seems like a good man on the outside; never an outburst or a blemish on his reputation. Most of the populace loves him and believes he has a divine understanding of the will of the gods. The truth is the man is a sadistic, narcissistic, mad man that uses the king’s gullibility and his magical skills to imprison those that challenge him, kill those he finds troubling, and basically rules the kingdom through the lies and deceptions he tells the king. He’s also an accomplished and powerful caster and uses his arcane skills to further force the king to do his bidding or face, “The God’s powerful wrath” should he disobey. King Darrak is a good hearted man, but he’s far too stupid and fearful to go against the Bishop and without solid incriminating proof, there’s no hope of ever trying to convince him otherwise. So that’s why I am here, eventually, when the guild is ready, we will infiltrate the good Bishop’s home and find that evidence, we will use it to turn the king against him, and when the Bishop is no longer in power...we will place one of our own in his place. I have some magical ability myself and, as you’ve noticed already, am quiet good at manipulating men of low intelligence. So we stay here, gathering money, power, influence and supporters so that when we are ready to make our move it will be swift and complete.” An odd look came over Sasha now, and for a moment, Tartum thought she was crazed. As fast as the change came over her, it disappeared, and she was her same dangerous self once again.