Chapter 22 Ridley
Atikus, Liv, and I rode out of Saltstone’s southern gate toward Freeport.
Atikus’s Gift had already proved useful when he sent word to the Freeport Guild that we were on our way, asking them to make preparations with a few of the local mages.
Unfortunately, Telepathy’s one-way nature limited the conversation, and the Freeport Mages couldn’t respond or even acknowledge the instructions.
The other unfortunate element working against our team and our mission was time.
Even while traveling along Melucia’s well-maintained roads and pressing our horses for speed, the trek from Saltstone to Huntcliff would take at least thirty days.
By the time we arrived in the southern port town, the trail would be as icy as the border in winter, so said Atikus as he sat astride his horse puffing rings from his pipe.
Nearly a month after we’d set out from the capital, the outskirts of Huntcliff came into view.
Summer was yielding to an early fall, and the breeze off the bay carried more than a hint of crispness.
Liv and I rode comfortably in our heavy Guard cloaks, but Atikus had to wrap several blankets about his thin frame to keep from shivering.
He claimed his joints had predicted a severe winter, and swore they were never wrong.
We trotted directly through the center of town, slowing as the central home of southern Mages rose before us.
In contrast to the marble majesty of the Mages’ Compound in the capital, this simple wooden structure appeared as humble as the Merchant quarters in which it nestled.
A rudimentary carving of the phoenix adorning the wood above the door was the only indication the place belonged to the men and women of magic.
As we approached, a young boy in a dusty-blue Mage-Apprentice robe took our horses while a snow-topped man stepped out to greet us.
“Mage Atikus Danai, in the flesh!” The man beamed.
“Pel, it has been too long.” Atikus returned the warm smile and clasped arms with his brother-Mage, then stepped back.
“Let me introduce our illustrious team: Guardsman Ridley Doa and his associate, Guardsman Liv Went. I know Lord Crim requested the best Saltstone could offer, but we’re all you get,” Atikus added with a theatrical wink.
Pel nodded to Liv and me. “Thank you for coming. We appreciate your help. Come, let’s knock the dust off and put some whiskey in.”
Atikus’s eyes brightened. “That whiskey sounds wonderful if it might also come with a side of pork. I’m starving, and I’ll bet you’ve never seen anyone eat like young Ridley here. I imagine he’s ready to chew on his horse after a month in the saddle.
It’s a good thing your young groom took the poor animal away before he could do any damage.”
Liv shot me a glance, but I simply shook my head and smiled.
As we entered, Pel glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sure you’d like to clean up a bit before supper, maybe even change. That should give the cook time to get something hot on the table. Why don’t we meet in the dining hall in, say, thirty minutes?”
I nodded and spoke before Atikus could offer another of his weak jokes. “That sounds great. Thank you, Mage Pel.”
We turned down one corridor, then another. Pel never broke stride.
“How big is this place?” Liv whispered.
“It looked tiny from the road,” I said.
Atikus glanced back with a grin and a cryptic reply. “You two haven’t been around Mages much, have you?”
Pel finally stopped before a simple wooden door. “Who’s up first?”
I stepped forward.
“Your room, good sir.” Pel bowed, the smile never leaving his cherubic face.
The others continued down the hallway as I stepped inside.
The room was basic, but comfortable, especially after the time spent traveling.
Ever the Constable, I took a moment to inspect every corner.
Finding nothing unusual, I turned to the washbasin on the table and was surprised to find warm, almost steaming water.
I pressed a wash rag to my face and let the water soak away our month-long ride as I rinsed off and changed out of my Guard uniform and into a pair of tan trousers, a simple white shirt, and a blue coat.
The team had discussed the need for some discretion while investigating in the port city and decided that both Liv and I should wear civilian clothing.
Answers would be easier to get out of people if they weren’t intimidated by a uniform bearing the capital’s crest.
A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts.
“Ridley, you ready? Atikus and I are walking to the dining hall,” Liv called.
I opened the door and froze. I’d known Liv for over a year, since joining the Guard, and couldn’t remember seeing her wear anything other than leather leggings and a navy cloak. “Liv, wow, you don’t look like a Constable anymore.”
“Was that a compliment?” She smirked, glancing down at a sage dress that clung to curves I didn’t know hid beneath her Constable’s garb.
“I hate this thing. Makes it hard to ride and even harder to run, but it should help us blend in. We can play the husband-and-wife routine, and Atikus can be our doting grandfather.”
“Hey! Let’s make that father, young lady.” Atikus wiggled his bushy brows before turning toward the dining room.
“Sure, Pop. Whatever you say.” She poked him with her elbow.
Atikus chuckled as I shook my head, something I’d done a lot over the past month.
The smell of roasted chicken drifted to us as we entered the dining room.
A wide variety of vegetables covered the center of a long table that sat alongside two similar tables.
Light-colored paneling and candles in silver brackets created a welcoming, almost cozy atmosphere.
The flame on each candle flickered with the same magical blue I had seen in the braziers of the guild in Saltstone, though I’d never seen it atop a candle before.
Pel and two other Mages entered through the opposite door and greeted us. The only conversation that survived the start of the meal was that of a fork and knife arguing over a piece of chicken. I was exhausted and starving; still, I couldn’t remember roasted chicken ever tasting so good.
Pel must have noticed the rapture on my face. “So, Constable, do you find our cook acceptable?”
It took me a few seconds to chew then wash the bite down with ale. “If I didn’t know better, I might think someone used magic. Mage Pel, this is the best meal I’ve had in a long time.”
“Oh, but magic was used in your meal.” Pel beamed. “Our cook has a unique Gift that none of us quite understand involving enhancement of flavors. He can’t alter what something tastes like, but he can accentuate what is already there. That’s why we call him Salt.”
“Salt? I like that. Funny little guild. I might have to trade in my uniform for a robe if this is what guild life is like.” I stabbed another potato.
“We have our moments—and you would be welcome.”
We finished the meal with a blueberry pie that made my eyes roll backward. Atikus, perpetually consumed with thoughts of food, never spoke as he focused on crushing his meal as though it were an enemy army. He was licking blueberry juice off his fingers when he noticed the group staring at him.
He turned to Liv. “Dear daughter, I believe you’ve embarrassed us with your table etiquette.”
Without missing a beat, and in a tone nearly as sweet as the pie had been, Liv replied, “Oh, dear father, the blueberry clinging desperately to that beard of yours might tell a different tale.”
I spit a mouthful of ale, and the rest of the table’s occupants devolved into joking and fits of laughter.
When everyone had eaten their fill, Pel’s expression sobered as he turned to his old friend. “So, Atikus, I understand you’re here asking after Bel. She’s a sweet girl. I’ve worked with her since she was a young thing, helping her learn to navigate her Gift.”
“I suppose we should talk business.” Atikus leaned forward and pressed his elbows into the table. “Ridley, you’re leading this investigation. Why don’t you start? We can jump in as we have questions.”
This wasn’t our rehearsed introduction, but I appreciated the way Atikus deferred to me despite my status as a cadet.
I opened a leather journal and leafed through a few pages.
“I’ve read the reports from the local Constables. They did a decent job with what little they had but didn’t find much. Has the guild learned anything new since you were alerted to our visit? It has been more than a month since her disappearance, so anything you might remember will be helpful.”
I paused, then added, “Oh, one more thing, do any of your Mages have a Gift that might help us locate Bel or recreate her route?”
Pel nodded. “Yes, but the information we gathered was not obtained by any magical means. Unfortunately, it isn’t much. A girl on staff who was a close friend of Bel stepped forward.
She said she saw Bel leave through the back door of the Hall and walk down the alleyway that runs behind the buildings, parallel to the main road.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” I sat back.
“How so?” Pel asked, his brow knitted.
“The local Guards have a witness who said she walked Bel out the front door and watched her go down the main road. That was around 18:00.”
Another Mage chimed in, “The main road is well lit and usually filled with people walking about, especially that time of day. Even with magic, it would’ve been difficult for someone to take Bel without anyone seeing something.”
I made a note, then asked, “What about the back way? The alley?”
“The alley is quiet. Nobody goes back there, really, except for the Merchants who own the buildings nearby, taking out their rubbish, that sort of thing.” Pel scratched his chin. “It’s mostly unlit and backs up to a large wooded area.”
I scribbled again.
Liv and I peppered the Mages regarding the alley, the businesses along the route, and who else in the guild might have seen Bel and lied about it. After an hour, Atikus stretched and yawned, his motions full of purpose and impossible to miss.