…CHAPTER 6…
Makramand

The streets of Makramand were less crowded than usual, although the market place had drawn in as great crowds of Ramandi men and women as it usually did. As the crowd milled around furiously, with people tearing this way and that seeking the ultimate bargain, the woman with the pouches struggled her way through, and the man at her side did his best to keep up. Those who noticed the couple shied away almost immediately, shoulders hunched and heads bowed to avoid being seen. The couple had first been seen the day before, when frantic Ramandi folk had run up and down the streets screaming about Saidor Jin and Dealer officers.

The woman was young, but most Ramandi who had heard of her and her friend were not silly enough to believe that was a disadvantage on their part. Saidor Jin was Saidor Jin, as far as most saw it. Better not to have anything to do with them, was the general feeling among the people. It was quite ironic that out of all the Avelonian cities, the one that feared and hated Saidor Jin the most was also the centre of trade for elem.

Despite the fact, no one ever expected to see Saidor Jin roaming the streets. In the experience of Ramandi folk, any respectable Saidor Jin would send a messenger to his or her deeds for her. The sight of this woman in the city, coming in person to do her business, was quite unsettling for most. Even more disturbing was the sight of a Dealer soldier who travelled with the woman. Reports said the man was out of uniform, but that did not mean a thing to any Ramandi man or woman these days. The sighting of a Blademaster’s sword at his hip spoke loudly enough for itself. His was the sword of a specialised warrior, marked out by the strange shape of a coiled snake, made of ruby, that sat nestled in the middle of the jewel encrusted hilt. Instead of appearing garish and over the top, the hilt in fact looked quite splendid. It was not a sight of admiration for the passers-by on the street, however. It was a sign of something to be feared.

The warrior man was to be feared, but he was also to be respected. Of course, fear and respect usually came hand in hand, did they not? Often respect was born of fear, especially among Ramandi folk. So they watched the Dealer warrior wearily. The fact that he walked around with his hand constantly on the hilt of his sword did not reassure any of them.

The old man behind the counter at The Magician’s Haven looked quite terrified when he saw the pair, of whom he had heard so much even in the last hour, approaching him. He quickly disguised his fear with a look of determination and pride. He almost lost his grip when the woman flashed him a dazzlingly beautiful smile. No one had told him she was beautiful! He could certainly have been more prepared for something like this if someone had.

“I’m after aisha, calcenstone and blackstone,” she said, the cheerfulness in her voice contrasting excruciatingly with the things he had heard of her terrible nature. He squirmed uncomfortably, and he could cover up neither his uneasiness nor his surprise at her friendliness towards him. She looked like the kind of woman who was quite capable of handling herself in a city like this, a city that the man didn’t mind admitting made a less than desirable home for most of its residents. So why was she trusting him, a total stranger? He didn’t have the foggiest idea.

He blinked before regaining some of his composure. Trying to return the smile, he said, “Why certainly, my Lady.” He gave a start as the last word slipped out. “Er, Saidor Jin,” he said quickly, looking and sounding as if he thought the woman would kill him.

Instead that dazzling smile returned, and the Saidor Jin shook her head. “Do not concern yourself with formalities,” she replied. “I am Kazja. My friend here wears the sword. You ought to be more weary of him, and stop wasting your time on me.”

The old man glanced at the swordsman, whose face remained as flat as stone, and beads of sweat popped up on his brow. Oh, Light help me, a bloody Dealer. And he’s with a Saidor Jin! Don’t tell me the two sides are teaming up together? What would that mean for mankind? Armageddon, that’s what. Please don’t let the Dealers be having words with Saidor Jin. Please!

“Well, my Lady, I believe we have plenty of each of those substances you mentioned.”

The old man did not know how he had managed to form the words in his mind, let alone getting them out of his mouth! He was almost struck dumb with terror.

“To begin, of course we have aisha! This is Aisha City!” he said in a vain attempt at humour.

He grimaced as soon as he had spoken.

The woman only nodded. “Indeed it is. I am usually able to supply myself with aisha from the woods near my home, but the source seems to have died out.”

The old man nodded. Perhaps he was not going to die?

“How many pieces would you like, my Lady?” he said. He had forgotten that she had ordered him to address her by her first name. “Three gold crowns will have you one piece.”

He saw the woman wince at the price, and wished he had offered her everything for half price. That would have broken him for the remainder of the week. He relied heavily on the elem for his income. But what was a week without food compared to a head rolling around on the ground apart from his body? He firmly believed that was going to happen to him before this day was done, and he did not relax even when the beautiful woman smiled again.

“Yes, all right. I need more than one piece…I can divide them with sanyaflower to keep the smaller bits as powerful as an ordinary piece…” The old man’s eyes widened at this. He had never heard of dividing aisha into pieces as powerful as the original nugget! How bad that must be for trade if other Saidor Jin knew the trick as well! With great annoyance, he supposed they all did. “…And if I use samca powder, that will give…” She continued, and the old man wondered if she knew she was thinking aloud. She was half turned away from the old man, but that did not mean she could not see what he was doing. He had heard things about Saidor Jin, things that suggested they possessed powers going far above and beyond the bounds of ability in an ordinary man. The old man did not move a muscle. The young Dealer soldier’s hand was on his sword hilt, as it always was.

The woman looked up then, seemingly decided. “Four pieces will do me, and here are the twelve crowns for all,” she said, dumping a handful of coins into the old man’s cupped hands. Gold crowns were so big that they fit snugly into the palm of a man’s hand. They were more like medallions. The swordsman grimaced as the old man dumped the coins into his pouch, and the old man almost dug them out again and gave them back.

“Now, some calcenstone, you said?” he asked then, failing to keep the tremor out of his voice. The woman did not notice anything, but the swordsman frowned slightly. The old man felt his knees weaken dangerously. The woman saw nothing.

“Yes, and I already know I need seven of those. Please say they are still twenty-five coppers apiece?” she said. The old man nodded despite the fact that, in truth, the price of one stone had recently risen by five coppers. Again, what were the thirty-five coppers he would lose to this woman compared to his life? He scrambled to the end of the stall to find the box with calcenstone, and crouched down to retrieve it, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. He took the same moment to reflect.

This woman seemed very different to normal Saidor Jin. She had not threatened to kill him yet, nor even implied that she would if she thought it was necessary. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the shelves. A bloody Dealer! By the Light, if the Dealers and the bloody Saidor Jin were linking powers, no common folk had a chance of surviving the aftermath of it. He shook his head, hardly believing that such a terrible thing could even be a possibility. He thought he was going to be sick, and he quickly stood up to breathe the fresh air.

He carried the box of calcenstone and placed it before the woman on the top of the stall, where all his magical dealing was done. She bent her head over the box and began to sort through the selection, probably looking for the biggest pieces. He did not know the ways of Saidor Jin, but he did know that all pieces of calcenstone did the same thing, no matter if one was double the size of the other. Then, he supposed, she was not looking for larger pieces. Would a Saidor Jin like herself not know the tricks of the trade even better than he?

He decided he really did not care about what she did and did not know, not when his life was on the line as it was now. Imagine, having worked all these years to make a good home for his children and grandchildren, and here he might die by the hand of a Saidor Jin as a result of a simple misunderstanding! The humour in the situation was almost great enough to make him laugh over it…but not quite. The old man shivered and tried to think of other things. He looked up to find the swordsman staring at him with a blank expression, and quickly moved to locate the blackstone, the third elem the woman had asked for.

He did not hesitate this time, but grabbed the box roughly from it’s shelf and walked quickly back to the pair at the other end of the stall.

Raegan smiled at him again, and this time he frowned openly. He really did not think he was going to die here. Remarkable, when he had been so sure he would a few moments earlier.

“Seven calcenstone, and fifteen of the blackstone, and that will do me for today,” said Raegan, or Miss Kazja as she had introduced herself. Having nothing to do now but wait, she took a moment to glance around her at the activity on the street.

It was only as Raegan turned back to the merchant that she realised just how nervous he was. She frowned over at Braxus, who shrugged in reply.

The little old man dumped the calcenstone and blackstone in Raegan’s hands, and in return she dug out more money from one of her pouches. Braxus gaped. All that money, where was it coming from? She had enough there in her hand to buy two horses! Braxus shook his head in wonder. She really was quite a remarkable woman, always surprising him in one way or another. He wondered how many more coins she had in there.

The little man took the coins graciously, and watched Raegan expectantly, seeming to expect her to hit him in the face or something. Raegan just smiled.

“Thank you,” Raegan replied. She turned around and took Braxus by the arm, leaving the old man gaping after her in wonder. He had not been killed! She had not even touched one hair on his head! Remarkable. He sobered as he realised there was still time for her to attack. Who knew? Two hundred steps down the road, she could decide to turn on him. Even four hundred steps away! When she and the Dealer warrior disappeared from view, he decided someone up in the heavens liked him today.

Braxus smiled as he and Raegan walked away from the merchant dealer’s stall. “That man was scared of you, Raegan,” he said. “I realised it just now. Probably thought you were going to fry him.”

Raegan looked surprised. “Do I look scary?”

Braxus shrugged. “You do have a certain way of glaring,” he joked, and she hit him with a little more strength than he’d counted on. “No, really, it’s not your looks per se – I think rather that it’s your temper they’re wary of.”

“You’re a funny man,” Raegan muttered, but he could tell she wanted to smile. She would, eventually.

Braxus was serious now. “I don’t know… People seem very strange around here. They seem to shy away from us…and when I went around with Aldene, they were even worse. They looked at her as if she meant death for all of them. I thought it quite strange.”

Raegan frowned. “Well, I suppose they have every right to be wary. These days, it can be the only way to survive. You’ve got to look out for yourself every second of every day. You never know when you could get knifed in the back.”

Braxus grimaced. “Thank you for that,” he said sarcastically. “I have always enjoyed talking of knives in backs whilst in the city of Makramand.”

Raegan smiled. “My apologies,” she said sheepishly. “I am a pessimist, Braxus, and there is no point in my attempting to change.”

“And rightfully so, in this day and age!” someone cried from behind the two, and they spun around to seek out the speaker. Before Braxus knew what was happening, Raegan rushed forward, arms outstretched and eyes wide with excitement. Braxus saw who had called out, a young man about his own height, with untidy sun-coloured hair and soft brown eyes. The man wore a leather tunic over a white, billowy shirt, and matching leather breeches. Braxus noticed that the man was the type most women would probably consider very handsome. He watched how Raegan smiled up at him, positively beaming as if this were her long lost love, and something told him not to like the newcomer. He just had a feeling.

“Santin!” Raegan yelled, leaping into the young man’s arms and almost bowling him over as she did so. The man laughed delightedly, wrapping his own arms around the Saidor Jin and staggering to keep his balance.

“It is wonderful to see you!” Raegan cried, smiling down into the Santin fellow’s eyes from her perch. Santin laughed softly again. That is a good technique, Braxus thought sourly. I ought to try it out one day…the soft sort of laugh, not self-possessed but perfectly sensitive. Braxus felt a little nauseous. This Santin fellow seemed a little too silken to be trusted.

“I know, I know!” Santin replied, setting Raegan back onto the roadway. “Everybody says it. And when it comes from a Ramal girl, I know it’s that much truer.”

Braxus frowned and rolled his eyes upward, averting his eyes briefly as he did so.

Raegan stood smiling up at Santin, shaking her head in wonder. Braxus wondered how she knew this man. Did she really travel to Makramand so often that she knew the locals?

“Oh, if only Miri were here!” Raegan cried softly, clasping her hands together. “How long has it been since you saw one another? Oh, she would give anything to see you again. You must come to Shadow Glade one of these…”

Raegan’s shoulders drooped ever so slightly as she trailed off. “Never mind,” she said quietly, laughing uneasily. Braxus wondered what was wrong. He remembered that Miri, or Mirigan, was one of Raegan’s sisters, and obviously Mirigan was a friend of this Santin, but why had Raegan trailed off so sadly just now…? Was it something about Santin? Had the man done something to Raegan’s family? Braxus felt his hackles rising, and clenched his fists. The next minute he was relaxing those hands and shaking his head at himself. He was being ridiculous, that much was true. But he couldn’t help feeling a little concerned about Raegan. She was clearly troubled about something.

Braxus cast his memory back, remembering that when he and Aldene had first stumbled across Raegan back there on the road from Shadow Glade, she had been dreaming, or nightmaring anyway. She had spoken a name, though Braxus’s memory failed him when he tried to recall what that name had been. Could it have been this man’s name? No, the name Santin did not sound at all familiar.

Braxus was confused, but Santin seemed to see some detail that he had missed, for he took Raegan by the arms and held her firmly, peering into her eyes intently.

“What is it, Raegan?” he asked, and Braxus was startled at the fierceness in his voice. “What has happened to Mirigan?”

Braxus was bewildered, wondering what had possessed the man to make such a leap in logic.

Raegan’s eyes lowered, and she seemed about to reply when she started suddenly, and for the first time in the past five minutes, remembered Braxus. Turning, she smiled bravely, but Braxus saw right through it. Her eyes spoke of personal trouble of the keenest kind.

“Braxus, I am sorry!” she exclaimed, reaching her hands out to him. “I was distracted. It is just that Santin and I are very close acquaintances… I have not seen him for a long time.”

“Do not say another word,” Braxus replied, smiling. He shifted uncomfortably under Santin’s intense gaze, which had switched from Raegan to him. “I should leave you two to talk. You must have a lot to catch up on between you. Perhaps I will fetch Aldene for a walk along the docks?”

Raegan smiled fondly. “Thank you, I knew you would understand.”

Actually, quite to the contrary, Braxus responded inwardly, I do not understand a whit!

Raegan stopped him as he began to turn. “But before you go, I will introduce you. Santin is an old family friend, and happens to be very fond of my little sister, Mirigan!” Raegan spoke slyly, poking Santin in the side. Santin flushed, but stepped forward to offer his hand to Braxus. Braxus took it, and shook it firmly.

“Any friend of Raegan’s,” Santin said, “is a friend of mine. I trust you are enjoying your stay in Makramand?”

They all laughed.

“Quite,” Braxus replied, his smile remaining in spite of his inward misgivings about the man opposite him. “How could one not enjoy this beautiful city?”

“I agree unequivocally,” Santin said, and Braxus found himself resenting the fact that he seemed so…good. There was just something that was telling him not to like the man. It dawned on him suddenly that it could be something like jealousy.

That made no sense, of course. Certainly Raegan was lovely, but Braxus did not feel that way about her. Perhaps the jealousy had arisen from the fact that Santin and Raegan seemed so close? Braxus had shared some moments of certain intensity with the Saidor Jin of late, but he didn’t think that the two of them had bonded in any particular way. And do you wish you had? an inner voice asked him almost dubiously. Why is such a thing necessary?

He had no answer, but he suspected that jealousy had been his motive in refusing to warm to this Satin fellow. He supposed he’d have to live with that. He was determined, however, that Santin would not be unduly judged in future. And it’s a comfort to know that he’s for Mirigan Ramal, instead of Raegan.

Braxus said, “I will leave you now. Enjoy your talk, and I will see you back at the inn later on, Raegan.”

At least I can say that, unlike him – I am sharing an inn with her.

It was as if he’d wound back the clock ten years and was fighting the other boys for a girl’s attentions again. Absurd.

Braxus smiled as he turned to walk away, wondering what Raegan and Santin would speak of. Obviously, Raegan had things to say to him that she wasn’t willing to have Braxus overhear, perhaps some sort of family secret. Braxus wondered if he and Raegan would ever become close enough that she would share her secret with him. And then his thoughts found their way back to his own secrets, and he wished he had never remembered. He struggled to put his problems out of his mind once more.

He focused gravely on the docks in the distance, and made a vow to himself. For this day, at least, he would pretend he did not have any worries. He would pretend that the worries he carried were someone else’s.

Then perhaps he would be able to get to sleep that night.