Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Magic tingled in Braiden’s hands as he slowly drew out a length of moongrass, one foot working the spinning wheel’s pedal as he coaxed the thread from the machine with careful fingers.
Even as a practitioner of the weaving way, this was the closest to wizardry that Braiden had ever experienced, this satisfying sensation of quite literally making magic with his own two hands.
A fine thing that the moongrass filament was so easy to work with. The stuff only needed a good rinse in a water basin to clean off the sticky sap, leaving bundles of stringy fibers that twined and held together well enough for threading into garments.
That was when Braiden actually infused the filaments with magic, deciding on the particular brand of enchantment to bestow on a pair of mittens or a humble cardigan. Something to warm the wearer’s flesh, perhaps, or to ward away stinging insects? So many possibilities, never enough time.
Good thing there would always be plenty of moongrass.
He’d found that it was best to do his spinning out in the open, setting up his wheel in a visible spot on the shop floor not far from the counter.
The wheel’s rhythmic motion had an almost hypnotic quality, drawing curious customers like moths to a flame.
Braiden still didn’t know everything there was to know about business, but the longer someone lingered in the shop, the more likely they were to buy something.
And now that he was spinning faintly glowing moongrass, too?
There would never be any shortage of questions from customers, and Braiden was only too happy to chat.
Burrowfolk moongrass had been the greatest boon not only for the shop, but for Braiden’s own trajectory as an artisan. How thrilling to add an entirely different dimension to his handcraft, performing the act of creation twice over with every new project.
First was actually creating the garment, whether it was knitting a scarf or crocheting a hat. And to get to decide what sort of magic to weave into the stitches, too? Braiden felt blessed, immensely lucky.
And even luckier to have found such loyal and helpful friends like Elyssandra and Craghammer. Even as Braiden spun the filament, the two of them flitted about the shop floor attending to customers so that Braiden wouldn’t have to.
Elyssandra had even doubled duty for Augustin’s elixir station, effortlessly identifying and selecting the right beverage for a buyer by glancing at an elixir’s color alone.
Braiden even caught glimpses of her producing a wand from the folds of her cloak, the very same one that Augustin used to chill his drinks, probably “accidentally” procured when the wizard wasn’t looking.
It was well into the afternoon when Braiden put aside his spinning and put on his interrogation hat. What was going on with Craghammer and Elyssandra? Not that he minded them showing so much enthusiasm for keeping shop, but this sudden burst of motivation had come seemingly out of nowhere.
“And you’re sure you’ve actually had lunch?” he asked. “Only that you asked us to leave you here at the shop. I’m quite sure there isn’t much to eat in the ice box upstairs.”
“Oh, yes,” Craghammer said, trying to slyly crumple up a bundle of greasy paper behind the counter, sliding it into a little trash bin on the floor. “Very good lunch. Nothing to worry about.”
Elyssandra laughed nervously, a thread of manic glee in her voice. “As if you’ve ever known me to skip a meal. Come now, Braiden.”
“All right, then,” Braiden said. “Just checking. Only make sure you don’t eat your fish and chips too close to the merchandise. It’s good stuff. I’m just not sure anyone wants to buy yarn that smells like seafood.”
Orc and elf alike exchanged odd glances and even odder giggles. What was going on with these two?
Not long after, the bell above the door tinkled as what must have been the last customer of the day stepped out into the street. Braiden waved at her back, exhilarated, as she hobbled off with an armload of new yarn.
“All right, now,” Augustin said, cornering Craghammer and Elyssandra at the counter. “The two of you, it’s time to talk. You’ve been behaving very strangely today.”
Elyssandra blinked innocently. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“We always do lunches together,” Braiden said, throwing his hands up. “Not that I mind, but this is the first time the two of you have stayed behind, and you specifically asked to do so, too.”
“Don’t think I haven’t been watching you two like a hawk,” Augustin said.
“Craghammer — you’ve gotten even better at serving customers.
You’re even smiling when you make change now.
And Elyssandra, why are you suddenly spending so much more time at the elixir station?
That’s my job. You really don’t have to. ”
Elyssandra wiped the back of her hand across her brow. Craghammer sniffled primly as he adjusted his vest. Nearly in unison and just as Braiden expected, they answered, “I don’t know what you mean.”
But it was very clear to him now. All this stuff about taking lunch at the shop and spreading themselves across all aspects of business at Beadle’s Needles, accessories and elixirs alike — they were trying to prove a point. Braiden blinked.
“Are you trying to show us that the two of you can manage the store alone?” Braiden asked, a little spark of excitement buzzing at the base of his spine.
“And what of it?” Elyssandra asked, arms crossed defensively, but she couldn’t disguise the tiny smile escaping the corner of her mouth.
Augustin’s brow furrowed. “And why would you need to do any of it alone when Braiden and I are right here to help? In fact, it’s supposed to be the other way around. The only reason you’d both have to step up is if the two of us left town for — oh. Oh! I see.”
Craghammer grinned, fangs and all. Considering the sharpness of his teeth, the orc actually had a very sweet smile.
“The two of you have joked about going on a small holiday enough that we thought it might be time to help you make it actually happen. Augustin and your elementals, and Braiden and your othersheep.”
“Othergoats,” Braiden corrected, his gaze going distant as he stared dreamily out the window.
“Yes,” Elyssandra said. “That. We’ve heard enough. You’ve both been working so hard for the shop. Isn’t it time for a little break? Let good old Craghammer and Elyssandra take over for a spell.”
“But we’ve only just opened shop,” Braiden said, already searching for excuses. “What if we run out of stock? What if we run out of moongrass accessories to sell?”
Craghammer shrugged. “Begging your pardon, Braiden, but as magical as they are, the moongrass items are still only selling at a steady pace. It’s entirely feasible for you to work a little harder to build a small stockpile, just enough to keep the shelves full while the two of you go wandering and such. ”
Braiden rubbed his chin. Craghammer had an excellent point. Already his orcish apprentice was learning so much. Or was it the other way around? He was teaching Braiden how to run his own business.
“Say I do stockpile a few extra crates of elixir,” Augustin said. “What happens when a thirsty adventurer comes in search of Augustin’s Effervescent Elixirs, but finds no Augustin waiting for them?”
Braiden rolled his eyes. Elyssandra chuckled.
“You said so yourself. Limited supply and high demand. We can easily tell customers that you’re away on important business and will be back within the week. Who doesn’t want to hear about the Wizard of Weathervale’s latest adventure? They’ll come back to the shop to find you. I guarantee it.”
Elyssandra buffed her nails against her tunic, smug and self-satisfied.
She was right, too. Before becoming an adventurer slash caravan escort slash shopkeeper, Elyssandra was the nearest thing to a celebrity seeker, hunting down heroes to sign their own pages in her special journal.
She, of all people, understood the mind of a true devotee.
“We’ll have to work extra hard for a few days,” Braiden told Augustin. “Just to build a supply.”
“But then we’ll be free to travel after,” Augustin answered. “Even for a short while.”
Everyone jumped when Craghammer smashed his fist on the counter. “Then it’s settled,” he said jovially, deciding on everyone’s behalf. “Make your moongrass and brew your elixirs, then set off on your small journey.”
Elyssandra clasped Braiden by the shoulder, massaging it with a smile. “I promise, the shop will be waiting for you when you come back. Everything is going to be just fine.”
And Warren and Bones would always be there to lend extra hands, too, as long as Elyssandra could threaten them out of their beds. Braiden turned everything over and over in his head. He couldn’t find any fault with the plan, so deviously concocted by his assistant shopkeepers.
Within minutes of closing the shop, both wizard and weaver were hurrying down the cobblestoned streets, wrapping scarves around their necks and shivering as a chilly wind blew the heat of the afternoon sun out of Weathervale.
Well and good that they now had plans to leave town, but they needed a destination, too.
And maps. Couldn’t go anywhere without the right map, could they?
Shop preparations aside, paying the local library a visit would also be worth it, as long as they made it before closing time.
Candlelight flickered through the squat but longish building’s many windows, an encouraging sign.
Figures milled among the shelves, Weathervale locals browsing the stacks for reading material for the night.
Braiden nodded approvingly as he saw the library’s operating hours engraved in a brass plaque by the door. Perfect. They had at least an hour to peruse the stacks, then time to browse the night market for dinner once the library closed for the evening.
The smell of old paper and ancient ink greeted Braiden’s nostrils, a curious change from the salty breeze that seemed to permeate the rest of Weathervale. At the library’s main counter, an older gentleman with a bald pate and bleary eyes yawned into his open hand, nodding politely as they entered.
“Oh, good,” Augustin whispered as they maneuvered the shelves. “It’s the sleepy one in charge tonight. He’s far more lenient than the one with her hair in a bun and the half-moon spectacles. She’s kind of mean, if I’m honest.”
Braiden quirked an eyebrow as he followed, curious to know why Augustin seemed to know exactly where he was going. “You’ve visited before, then?”
“When I have an hour or two to spare,” Augustin answered, grinning over his shoulder. “This isn’t the first time I’ve looked up places to investigate for air elementals, you know.”
Braiden smiled, remembering how he’d done something similar over his own lunch breaks. There weren’t many actual accounts of encounters with the othergoats — most literature still considered them so rare to the point of mythical.
But Braiden knew they were real, of course. How else could he have spun his favorite black sweater out of othergoat wool? Unless, of course, the man he’d purchased the wool from had lied to him and only really sourced it from a more common domesticated animal.
But that was impossible. The othergoat sweater warmed him on chilly days like nothing else, its very fibers infused with a cozy supernatural heat. They had to be real, damn it. If Augustin could have his air elementals, then Braiden deserved to meet an othergoat, too.
It felt so satisfying pulling atlases and almanacs from the shelves, Braiden and Augustin putting their heads together and finding the place where their interests overlapped. Braiden scrawled an ever-shrinking list of locations on a sheet of paper.
Air elementals frequented places where the wind blew the longest, most consistently, contrary to what Braiden thought, which was to look to locations where the wind howled its very strongest.
“A valley,” Augustin suggested, pointing at a newer map of the realm, indicating a few of the options they’d already narrowed down together.
“Someplace where the wind flows freely. Never ending. The ever-present rushing of air means a greater chance of the essences coalescing into an actual elemental.”
“Yes, agreed,” Braiden said. “It’s where othergoats are supposed to congregate, too. Keeps them cool in hotter seasons and keeps them safe from predators.”
He ran his hand over the parchment, following Augustin’s finger, tapping his own nail on the map as they traveled Aidun together. And suddenly, all at once, their fingers paused to press at the exact same spot.
They exchanged a smile. Yes. This place would be perfect.