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They were at mid-day, having made good time, when Anders tried out his latest phrase, raising a small building near a stream, in a quarter hour. It didn’t have water connected to it, and was little more than a roof with four walls and a sturdy foundation, but a dozen people could sleep on the floor inside, in a pinch, if they needed to. He made a sign saying as much, and was riding on, making the road in front of them, when the Duke called for them to move out again.
Having a proper spell for such things was truly a lot easier than doing it the other way. He’d learned three new types of structures the night before, instead of sleeping, when he’d laid down. It meant he was light on sleep, perhaps, but what he’d gotten had been enough, if barely. As he worked that day, Salina handed him food and water, in the saddle, so that he didn’t need to slow his road making efforts. It was still enough work to leave him slightly breathless, but other than that and some sweat, he was fine enough. Even that, the dampness he felt, was due to the heat of the day, rather than his hard work of the moment.
Javina was the one in a trance, searching things out for them, as she rode in one of the carriages. If there was anything to report, she hadn’t mentioned it to him. Then, she would have reported to the Duke, not anyone else, if it was important. Instead of worrying about that, he kept his right hand pointed forward, indicating where the road needed to go. It wasn’t hard to do, except that the constant use of energy was a drag on his soul.
It made for a full day, since every time they stopped, he put up another small structure, if it was possible. In one location it simply wasn’t, given the terrain, so he’d made a wider spot in the road, for wagons to turn around in, if they ever needed it.
In all, the road they were traveling on was improved greatly, with their passing. That night he started to work on a new inn, as requested, having a new word for that, as well, only to find Salina moving in and starting in on it, before he could even get set. Rather than interrupt her, he stood back, surprised. Not by Salina, who was growing into her position as Great One, or at least being an apprentice for that position, but at the fact that a small collection of men and women from the local town, which they were outside of by a small distance, came and stood there, wringing their hands, and goggling. Not only at the building of apparent stone growing there, but the state of the road, behind them.
They approached, moving not toward any of the fine dressed people, but rather toward Svenson, who was tending to the goods wagon. Anders could hear them, but didn’t intervene or move to protect the man. They didn’t seem violent, after all.
“What is this, ifn we can ask, it being thought proper like?” This came from a very old man, who was in dyed blue clothing, which marked him as being somewhat successful, no doubt. The rest of the people had bits of color to their clothing as well, though not all of it was clean.
Svenson, tow headed and a bit wrinkled at the eyes, waved at the place growing behind them.
“Duke Lister and his friends are putting up inns along the King’s road. One of you should take it on as a project, if you can. It will be a lot finer than what most have. I stayed in one last night. In a soft bed, and washed my face out of water in my own room, this morning. It just pours from the wall, when you lift a little gate. That boy over there is Master Brolly, the war mage who won the war with Yanse? He’s set to start a big school, to teach what he does. It’s opened up for anyone that has the gift for that kind of thing. I heard the King’s payin for it?” The man rubbed at his face, his thick beard being brushed to the side in places for a moment. “The King was going to make him a full Duke, for what he did, but he turned it down flat, not being old enough for that. I have to reckon that as being wise of him, don’t you think? Instead, he begged for a mighty college to be built. They, these folk and some others, put up a grand set of buildings in a single day! They also built road like this back here, all the way back to the castle, nearly. The whole kingdom is getting that. There are buildings like this and some others for folk to shelter in, if the weather turns foul on them, too. Just sitting at the side of the road, for any in need to use. Not just the wealthy and powerful, neither. They was real clear on that. Anyone, from King to plow boy.”
There was a disgusted sound, from a younger man, in the back.
“We don’t need no magic, round these parts! What we had was fine enough! Magic brings in dark things, death and ruin, we all know that!” The fellow was worked up, but a few in the crowd did try to shush him, at least a bit.
Anders moved over then, in case the fellow attacked. It was his job to protect Svenson, after all, not the other way around. He’d hired the man, so that duty was his.
Besides, letting the blowhard have the last word would leave people agreeing with him.
“That’s old thinking and wrong. The people of Istlan don’t fear magic any longer. That’s sweeping the whole land, in fact. I’m surprised it hasn’t reached here yet... Anyway, magic is just a tool. A thing that some can learn to use, to do useful things, like this. Some person, a long time ago, started rumors about magic being bad, not understanding that and it sort of stuck. We’re changing that thought now. It’s just a tool, after all. Now, is one of you the headman here?”
That, it turned out, was the first man, who had spoken to Svenson. The man in all blue.
“I be that, sir. Or, er, lord? I don’t know how to say it, what you’re called?”
Duke Lister, smiling, moved over at about that time.
“Sir, works. He’s a full knight. The youngest ever named such, in Istlan, in fact. For his part in the last war.”
The old man tried to bow, botched it pretty badly and did something close to a curtsy. A few of the others tried to do that, as well.
“No offense meant, Sir Brolly!” He ducked a few more times, and looked as if he really figured Anders was going to be bothered by that sort of thing.
“None taken, of course. What’s your name, if I may ask?”
“Thom Firs, headman for Goshberry, back there, Sir Brolly.”
He bowed, using first courtly, and looked into the town, for the first time.
“Do you have room for a new meeting house? We can put one up today, if you like?”
The man tried to demure, at first, the others seeming shy, but he finally led Anders to a large open lot, just off the center of the town. It was more work for the day, but he got to try out one of his new spells, calling a meeting place into being. It seemed to grow on its own, and did have water to it, as well as a small barn stuck onto the back of it. The structure was a bit plain, on the outside, but with some decoration could have been used as a temple for various gods, if required. The place was three stories high, but mainly had one large room inside, with the back half having rooms to use as office spaces or storage.
Instead of more strange, awkward bowing, the people just stood there, gaping for a while. Finally, one of them, a small girl, walked up to him. He didn’t know how old she was, but he had to figure it was very youthful.
“Can you come and fix my house? It leaks.”
A woman, seeming careworn and scared, ran to the girl, taking her hand.
“Elise! Don’t say things like that! We can’t bother these important people!”
Anders, feeling tired from a full day’s work, forced a smile, trying to make it seem real.
“Where is it, Elise?” She was, he decided to guess, possibly four years old, so even having been scolded, a moment before, waved in the right direction.
“That way. It’s not far. I can show you?”
It took a different type of effort to fix the thatch roofed cottage, which truly was about to fall down. The mother, Glaren, explained the reason for that, as he worked.
“My Micah died, just after Elise was born. I don’t have a man, so... I tried to fix it.” She seemed truly shamed by her lack of a good place to live.
That she’d honestly tried was apparent. Where it was held up, tied in some places, it was even strong enough. The rest of it wasn’t going to last though.
The trick was that he needed to replace it all, without seeming to just raze it and starting over. After all, Micah had built it in the first place and doing that would damage his memory. That meant he was doing the work on it as darkness fell, just finishing as Prince Erold and Svenson walked up, to see what he was getting up to. Why the driver was there, he didn’t really understand. Except that he was the one the people there had been comfortable enough with to approach, first thing.
Erold was in a new outfit, which was loose, plain and light tan in color. The cloth seeming thick and a bit like homespun. If that tricked anyone in accepting him, Anders didn’t know, being busy, replacing the roof and making some glass windows for the place. They weren’t perfectly clear, and were thick enough not to break if hit by anything normal, but they’d let a lot of light in and trap the heat, in the winter. They could open, for use in summer.
Then they needed shutters on the outside, which took even longer, as they stood there, waiting for him. He hurried, but felt watched, the entire time.
“Finally! Sorry about that, Glaren. I wasn’t trying to take up the whole evening on this, leaving you standing out here like this. This should be a bit snugger, for the winter months. It won’t leak, now.”
Elise, looking tiny, moved in and touched his arm with her slightly grubby hand.
“Thanks be to you, Brolly. I like it. This is much better.”
The mother was about to thank him as well, when Prince Erold laughed. It wasn’t mean sounding.
“No rest for you, Anders! We actually need you to come and cook for us. Salina has the kitchen ready and Svenson and the others collected wood for us, and have a fire going. Sweyn started it. Using magic. She’s very proud of that fact. Not that I blame her, it was impressive.” He seemed almost defensive on the last bit.
Anders simply grinned.
“That’s good progress then, considering she’s been riding in the back of a carriage for days while she’s learned. What else does she know... actually, I’ll test her, after the meal.” He turned then, and bowed to the girl and her mother. “Ladies? I have some work to get to. Sorry to run off on you. If you need anything else, let us know before we leave? That might... We should also be back, in a few weeks, if nothing else.”
The mother nodded.
“My thanks, Sir Brolly. This is a wonder. A kindness...”
It was getting awkward, so Anders simply bowed again, and ignored the blushing that Glaren was doing. Distracted by that going on, Anders didn’t really notice that a man was running at him, fists clenched to fight, at first.
He turned, ready to make the man explode, his right hand clenched for it and power flowing into the move, when he realized it was just the grumpy young man from earlier, who wasn’t certain about magic. The fellow swung wildly, having to stop running in order to do that, which Anders stepped back from easily.
Smiling. There was a bit of question in his expression, but he didn’t lash back at the fellow.
The man was heavier than he was, but not by a vast amount. It was also very clear that he didn’t know how to fight. Not in a trained fashion, at any rate. Anders dropped into a hasty, rather light, trance, trying to work out what the fellow thought he was doing there.
That, it turned out, was protecting his town, from the magical monster who had come to plague them. By which he meant Anders, of course. The one who had tried to seduce Glaren, a good woman, with a small palace. A thing that the man figured would work to win her over, of course. It really was a nice seeming place.
So, instead of doing anything too violent, Anders ducked a few times, and finally, not wanting to be beaten by the man, moved in right after a large, powerful, blow and tapped him in the jaw, hard enough to knock the man to his knees. He tried to get up then, which had Svenson moving, to push him down.
“Stop. What are you thinking? These are good people. Stand now and apologize!” The driver seemed to be honestly upset, and Anders doubted that the man was going to do it, so readied to continue the fist fight, if it was needed, when a few others from the town, who had been hanging back and watching, in the distance, moved in. One of them was the old headman.
“Sorry there, Sir Brolly... I... Sender, why? Now you’re going to be hung and what did you prove? Only that you can’t beat a boy in a fight. This was foolish, after Sir Brolly gifted us with a nice new meeting place and an inn. This could be big-like, for Goshberry! Now they’ll probably kill us all for being ungrateful!”
Anders waved that away, the knuckles on his right-hand aching from the single blow he’d landed. Instead of angrily demanding death in retribution, a thing that, very clearly, everyone else there seemed to expect, Anders laughed.
“See Sender? You don’t really fear magic hardly at all! Now, let’s put this behind us and not seek unneeded violence in the future? I expect better of you. Going around, getting into fights... What would your mother think?” The man was probably old enough not to be bothered by the invocation of his mother, but a woman from the back of the crowd that had gathered frowned and stepped forward.
“I don’t think too highly of it, to be true. Is he to be hung? He’s a good man, I swear, mostly. Not like this, tryin to hit people and the like. My only child wot lived, so...”
Anders bowed toward the woman, who didn’t do it back, seeming not to know if she should or not. When he stood, Erold spoke.
“This is repaired, then? Good. We need our cook back, if we’re eating tonight. I can boil some roots, and maybe some meat, but that’s not going to be nearly as tasty, is it?”
That was probably true. After all, Anders was the one with all the spices. Though, if Erold could find that, he could make something passable, no doubt. Boiling things wasn’t the best way to make it all, but it would work, and keep people alive.
Rather than wait to find out if he was going to be attacked again by Sender, Anders turned and walked off, his wizard skills behind him, on the still angry man. Upset or not, the fellow was focused on what Glaren would think of him, having been so easily defeated as he’d been, instead of planning to prove that he could thrash a man who had done that to him, with a single blow, hardly even trying.
When they were nearly back to the new inn, Anders shrugged.
“He thought I was going to take advantage of Glaren, who he’s fond of. It was misplaced, but nothing to get worked up over.” He didn’t think so, at least.
Erold growled.
“We’ll need to hide this, from Duke Lister, then. He really will hang the man for doing that. As a knight, well, you have that choice as well, and could have him killed if it were your pleasure, but no one would insist on it. You’re also a Prince of Barquea, though, and the grandson of a baron. Either of those things would end in death for that man, no matter what you say about it. Honestly, I should insist on it, so that Barquea won’t view it as an act of war.”
He hadn’t really considered it that way, even though it did sound about right, now that it was mentioned. Even he’d grown up knowing not to attack nobles.
Rather than go on about that, he waved at the Prince.
“I was introduced as a knight though, and handled myself well enough that I don’t have to hide from the minor scuffle in shame. What say you, Svenson? Should we keep this quiet, do you think?”
The man actually glared at him, as if upset he was being drawn into the matter, when he’d rather ignore it.
“I don’t know, to be honest, like. We all get foolish about women, at times, don’t we? Maybe we just like... Don’t mention it? Less’n we’re asked, o’course. Then we have to be on with the truth, but until then?”
The Prince snorted.
“Agreed. We won’t speak on this, unless asked about it. Otherwise, that man will probably die. We should leave early, if possible.”
That was fine with Anders, of course. They’d been doing that anyway. Still, he prepared extra, for the morning, so he wouldn’t have to start a second fire, allowing them to leave about an hour earlier. Before anyone could come and find them, to apologize or something like that which would give them away to the Duke.
The man made that part a little difficult, seeming almost to dither in the morning, with both Anders and Erold pushing to get on the road. A thing he noticed, his face going sly.
“Is there a problem here? You went into town for a long-time last night, Anders... Did something happen?”
He was about to lie, to save a life, when Erold spoke instead.
“There was a small house that needed to be rebuilt. It was a lot more work than it sounded like at first, and Anders rather impressed the widow woman and her daughter. I think he’s trying to avoid being married before the end of the day. The woman really did seem grateful, after all. It was a mistake, only making a new home for her...”
The Duke laughed, his face suddenly pleasant.
“Ah, that makes sense then. Well, we can go now, I suppose, as soon as everyone is ready. Who’s doing the road work today?”
Anders looked around, and noticed Salina looking their way, having heard.
“Salina? Are you planning on doing the road today?” It was fine with him if she wasn’t, of course. She wasn’t truly there to slave away each day, not that the effort would harm her at all.
She didn’t even make a face at the idea.
“That was my plan, if that works for you, Prince Anders?”
“Perfect! I’ll see to the food then, for you. Who is going to be watching for us? Javina did it yesterday...” He didn’t look at Erold, which was a good thing, since Mathia, seeming worried, straightened.
“It’s not my strongest skill, but I can try it? Is that...”
“That works. From horseback, which will be harder. I’ll ride next to you, in case you need help, to make sure you don’t fall. It can really happen. I’ve done it, several times myself.” He honestly had, but no one there laughed about it.
Taking a deep breath, as if facing a daunting task, Princess Mathia shakily grinned at him.
“Thank you, Anders. Are we in the middle again?”
That was the right spot for someone riding in a trance, so he nodded, with Duke Lister calling out the order for the others.
“Princess Salina is in front, doing the road, Meric and Hollan, you’re with her, point guard. Gull and myself will take the back. Prince Erold, I’d like a roving circuit, from you. Pay special attention to the sides of the road.”
That was a good call, as it turned out. Anders wasn’t truly busy, after the first stop, since Mathia was learning not to fall out of the saddle as she used wizardry rather quickly. He had to grab her a few times, but she didn’t break her mental state at all, even then. He was also riding to the wagon with the food, a few times per hour, which was still holding out very well, and grabbing dried fruit, crackers and cheese for Salina. She wasn’t gasping at all, in her efforts, being very strong, as far as magic went. She still ate the food though, seeming hungry enough when he gave it to her.
She also drank water fairly freely, even if she didn’t seem too hot.
Erold being on the side of the road meant that he was able to raise his right hand in a fist and make the neck of a medium sized deer explode, about halfway through the day. They actually stopped, to bleed it, and did a quick butchering, so they could wrap it up, frozen, for later. Anders did that part, even if his skills that way still weren’t wonderful.
Fresh meat would be nice, for the evening meal. They’d been eating preserved, so far. He had some fresh things in the wagon, but those were mainly greens. He used some magic to collect some gosberries, which were nicely ripe and in season, the egg sized hairy green and tan fruit flying to him through the air in plentiful numbers. He also got some early apples that seemed fine, if not perfectly ripe, some fresh roots and greens. The work being done as they rode, taking things from the forest around them. It was the perfect time of year for it, in that area and they were far enough from people that, with a bit of care, he knew he wasn’t stealing from farms or gardens.
When they stopped, he still put up the new shelters, and in one case, an inn, since the spot was perfect for it, and he had a new phrase for it he’d wanted to check out. It took the right kind of environment, with a river or moving body of water near it, but it came into being with only one spell, over the course of thirty minutes. Complete with running water inside.
Duke Lister gave him a hard look. It wasn’t clear why until he spoke.
“Are we stopping for the night?”
Anders shook his head.
“No? There will be rain tomorrow, but we can keep going, now. Salina isn’t stressed or anything and we have several hours until the normal time for that. Unless you see need for it?”
That got him cuffed, gently, on the shoulder.
“I don’t, in fact. I just wasn’t expecting you to casually build a structure like this in the middle of the day. Good work. Let’s ride then!”
That night, when they got into place, the structure was built by Lissa. She had a bit of trouble with the water system, but instead of doing it for her, Anders had her do the work over again, explaining it slowly to her, and letting her do it all, until it was finished correctly. That clearly frustrated her a bit, but instead of lashing out, she sighed.
“I’m not that good, am I? At magic, I mean?”
He was taken aback by the words, which certainly weren’t true at all.
“You’re very good, in fact. Why would you think otherwise? Because it took a bit of practice to learn something you haven’t done before? That’s how everything works, you know that, right?”
She gave him a strange look then.
“Certainly, except that you did the same thing earlier, with a single spell, didn’t you? This took me... What, a hundred?”
“About that... Still, I made up a new spell component for it, the other night. You can do that, right? You have that one for clear glass, so you know how to do it. I need to learn that one, myself. Maybe tonight?”
She looked troubled for a moment then nodded.
“I should do buildings then, too? It hadn’t occurred to me, before this. I mean, how often will I really be doing that kind of thing?”
Anders didn’t know at all. Still, he tried to give her a thoughtful look, instead of a shrug.
“As often as you wish? Also, work out something finer for the road work? You’re doing that tomorrow, for the whole day. The more refined the spell, the better you know it, the less energy it takes. You’re strong in magic, but there’s no need to not do it the easy way. You know, the one that requires you to lose hours of sleep tonight, instead of being well rested in the morning?”
She stuck her tongue out at him, a bit snottily, then laughed.
“That sounds less than pleasant. I’ll do that. You really think I’m doing well?”
It was clear that she needed to be reassured, rather than her not understanding how far she’d come.
“Very much so, in fact! Which, of course, means that you’re just going to be pushed to do even more. That’s learning for you, though. Say, do you know when everyone plans to go back to Barquea? I didn’t ask, myself. I need to know, before I go around making new plans for everyone.”
The girl glanced at him, standing outside of the new inn, and sighed.
“We’re set to travel at the start of winter here. Just before that, so we don’t get stuck in the snows. Javina needs to marry Prince Daren, so she might be staying. I don’t know on that part, to be honest. Jasmin will be with her husband, but there’s no real reason for me or Salina to stay. Well, other than to learn more magic, if we can? I’d get into your new school, but I’m fairly certain that would take a spot from one of your people, so it can’t be allowed.”
She seemed a bit down about that part, for some reason.
He raised his eyebrows.
“We should put in for that, then? I’m nearly certain that we aren’t going to have hundreds of volunteers to begin with. If we can get even twenty in the first year, I’ll be well pleased. Of course, so far, it’s only lessons from myself and Demo Gull. I should try to get Depak Sona in on the effort, if I can. Hoatha...”
The girl looked around then, and leaned into him.
“Something is wrong there, Anders. He’s... Not right. I can’t explain it.”
He’d had the same feeling, and tried to come up with a reason for it.
“It’s probably his age, to be honest. What’s a person who’s over a thousand supposed to be like? I can’t even imagine, except that I’ve seen him. Lady Martya... You know that she’s Ganges as well, right? Hoatha? Ganges was his first name.”
The girl frowned at him.
“What? I don’t... No, I don’t understand.”
He nodded, even though he’d been certain things had been mentioned around the girl. That didn’t seem to have connected with her, for some reason, and might not have really taken place.
“Ganges the Great and Terrible was a wizard, which means roughly mage now, about fifteen hundred years ago. He tried to take over the world and nearly succeeded. No one has mentioned why he gave that up. He saw the error of his ways, perhaps? Anyway, Hoatha Eta is that man from long ago. In his own person. Lady Martya has a copy of Ganges in her mind. An old thing, from over a thousand years ago. It seems like she’s working to take over the world now. We’re trying to talk them out of it.”
The girl shook her head.
“Oh. I... knew that... I must have forgotten.” Then, shaking her head again, she suddenly walked away. It was strange and a bit rude, but Anders simply went and started the meal for the day, not really thinking about it.
That idea, that Ganges was back, wasn’t a thing for a little girl to have to concern herself over. Truly, even he shouldn’t have to worry. Not over that. Lady Martya was fine, and even had been kind to him, for years. Hoatha was his oldest friend. Considering that, he grabbed some of the frozen meat, enough for everyone to have healthy portions, as well as the apples and some other ingredients. Greens as well, for health.
It was interesting, using the stone oven that the Princess had made, being a bit large for their needs, but he made bread, for that night and the next day, and several apple pies. He also portioned the beef into tiny slices, for easy eating. That was served along with sliced and lightly fried roots, and a small selection of greens, bitters and herbs that he’d gathered that day.
The food was humble enough, really, he thought. That, he knew was probably him showing the fine upbringing that he’d had, growing up in a castle. Farad had gone through much of his life with very few fine pies, made with sugar or other sweet things, for instance. The idea had existed, but it was a special treat. The kind of thing he’d enjoyed once every five to ten years. Now he made that sort of thing while they traveled, on the road.
Truly, he wasn’t serving what the castle would have, or the household of Sula Darian, but it was filling, wholesome and even if he had to lay claim to it himself, well done. The people of Goshberry wouldn’t be eating anything as fine that day, he had to believe. What they really would be having though, was a thing that Anders Brolly honestly didn’t know about.
Due to the fact that, while he’d never considered it much before, he’d been wealthy, his entire life. Privileged, in a way that was invisible to him, or had been.
Still, they had pies, and his work and effort had provided them, meaning he could take pride in them. They were well made, and flaky, as well, since he used some fresh butter for them, which was a thing he had about fifty pounds of, in a time sealed travel box.
It wasn’t until later, as everyone ate pleasantly that something occurred to him. It was a dark thought, and probably not true at all. Still, he waited for everyone, and as he cleaned up for the night, clearing the tables, he waved to Princess Lissa. She scampered over, seeming happy enough.
“You wish for me to help you clean? I barely know how, but if you show me what to do?”
He nodded. Extra hands were always welcome, after all.
“Oh, say, do you remember what I said about Ganges, earlier?”
She gave him a puzzled look then.
“Who? I...” Then, turning on her heel, the girl walked away directly, not saying anything more.