An Unlucky Encounter
Chapter One
The sun was starting to move lower in the sky and the roads
leading into Clover were slowly starting to fill with people. For Dalia the
random comings and goings were both a blessing and a curse. She’d set out from
her campsite early that morning with every intention of hitting the road with
her flute in hand and skipping along. What better way was there to build buzz
for a traveling performer? Then she’d started out and realized she just didn’t
feel like it.
Instead Dalia kept her flute tucked away and enjoyed a peaceful
walk.
Everything in her little part of Karden was going well.
Clover, a large town that sat on the border between the kingdoms of Kins and
Rosslin, was less than an hour away and one of her favorite venders had
promised to have something special for her the next time she went through. The
man specialized in goods from all over the continent and sometimes had the rare
item from the outer islands to the north east.
Dalia smiled thinking about the silken robes she’d purchased
the season before. The brilliant red fabric was perfect for the performance of
blades. She’d also caught the attention of several nobles and found herself a
welcome guest in several smaller towns over the winter. It was always nice to
make new connections. The very thought put a little skip in her step and she
smiled as the road began to fill with more people.
The gates that would lead her into Clover Market came into
view and Dalia reached back to grab her flute. As her fingers brushed over the
slick metal, she heard someone mutter nearby. Any other time she would have
ignored the odd sound, but when she felt a weight lift from the inner pocket of
her vest, she froze in confusion. Her hand zipped around and patted against her
side.
“Where’s my money?” Dalia demanded as she spun, wildly
looking for the culprit. The first thing that caught her attention was the man
rushing down the edge of the road. She charged forward, breezing by the people
that were starting to crowd towards the market. Keeping the man in sight, she
yelled out, “Stop, thief!”
Dalia should have known that would just make the man run
faster. As the pick pocket feigned to the left and into the rough brush on the
side of the road, she cut sharp and charged into the overgrowth after him. “Get
back here,” she called out, following him further from the road. Her hand
reached out, his back just out of reach.
The man looked back and Dalia got a look at his dark
features. She was close enough to see his mouth start moving right before she
lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and jabbing her shoulder
into his side. A loud grunt escaped the man’s mouth as he crashed to the
ground.
Scrambling up, Dalia fisted her hand in the man’s shirt.
“Where’s my money?” she asked. The man stared up at her as she brought her
other hand back. Just as she felt the tug on her wrist, the thief muttered
something and the world popped around them.
Even dizzy, Dalia threw her fist at the man. His hand
followed slapping the spot she’d just hit. Confused, she lifted her hand and
watched his arm follow. She shook her hand. His shook too. “What the hell?” she
said, jumping up to her feet. The thief sat up, arm shooting out to follow her.
It was like they were chained together, but Dalia couldn’t
see anything connecting them. Suddenly the chaotic sounds of swords clashing
filtered in and she looked around. A dozen men in armor were engaged in a heated
battle. In the madness that surrounded
her, she could make out two distinct groups. A handful of men wore hardened
leather and were outnumbered by men in dark plate mail.
“Where are we?” Dalia asked, feeling the thief struggling to
his feet beside her. Jerking her hand sharply, she glared back at the stranger.
“And why are we chained together?”
“It was a mistake,” the thief exclaimed, suddenly grabbing
her and spinning them around. The swoosh of a sword breezed over her back and
Dalia’s eyes went wide. “I don’t know the word to unchain us.”
Anger roared in Dalia’s ears as she pulled away from the man
and reached back her free hand for her long dagger tucked at her back. “Fix
it,” she demanded, turning to block the next blow. Steel clashed and the
armored soldier looked startled when she threw him back with a shove of the
short blade.
Still connected to the thief, Dalia itched to reach for her
longer short sword, but she’d never reach it with her left hand. Instead she
would have to do her best with her defensive long dagger. The solider swung
again, this time a snarl contorting his face. The broadsword struck her weapon
and as she shoved the attack away the thief pulled her back.
The extra step between Dalia and the soldier caused the next
swing to go askew. She took it as a chance to swing the flat edge of her blade
at the venerable expanse of the man’s neck. The man hit the ground hard and the
thief took the chance to move them further from the fight.
“Start working it out, thief,” Dalia said, taking up a
defensive posture at the edge of the chaos. She didn’t bother to look back at
the mumbling man. He was trying and that’s what she needed. All of her
attention honed in on the fight and the men that had noticed their arrival.
Several of the soldiers in plate were already moving towards them.
A familiar pull tugged at Dalia’s stomach and she had to
suppress the urge to roll her eyes. A swirl of magic blurred the area behind
the men attacking her and a whirl of golden skirts spun into existence. “Dal!
Finally a fight!” the djinn squealed as she jumped into the battle.
The thief at Dalia’s side had stopped his muttering and was
staring wide eyed at the scarcely clothed woman. “Close you trap and get to talking,”
she said, shaking her wrist and lifting her long dagger to block. Gritting her teeth, she muttered to herself
about young djinn. The man stuck to her went back to mumbling to himself and
pulling her this way and that.
Soldiers clad in hardened leather littered the ground. In a
few twirls and swings Aline had taken out two on her own. A bright smile
covered her face and a determined glint filled her golden eyes. Dalia noticed
it was only the men in metal armor that attacked them, but they were soon finished
off. The sound of one scampering to his feet nearby drew the djinn and the last
Dalia saw of the man Aline was joyfully chasing him through the trees.
“Figured it out yet?” Dalia asked, scanning the dead. Beside
her the stranger that had gotten her into this mess scoffed. Rolling her eyes,
she saw one of the leather clad soldiers shift. She drug the thief along with
her as she moved passed the dead.
Dropping down to one knee beside the old soldier, Dalia
reached her hand out to press against the bleeding wound on his side. “Thief,
he’s still alive. Find me something to help slow the bleeding,” she said,
seeing the sharp rise and fall of the soldier’s chest.
“The name is Sanderwise. Not ‘thief’ and why should I care
if he’s alive or not? He could just try to kill us for being here,” the thief
said harshly, tugging his arm.
Shooting Sanderwise a sharp look, Dalia jerked her arm back
and hissed, “I defended you even after you stole from me, Thief, and this guy
couldn’t try to kill us right now even if he wanted to.”
Sanderwise didn’t pull on their shackles again, but he
pointed down at the man with his free hand and blurted, “That doesn’t mean we
should give him the chance to try.”
“Then fix this,” Dalia offered shaking her chained hand. The
wizard thief rolled his eyes and let out a scoff as she tuned out whatever else
he might have said in favor of the groaning near dead man on the ground.
The sound of wet hard leather rubbing against more wet hard
leather should have been quiet, but as the knight reached up his arm the sound
was almost deafening. With strength Dalia swore he shouldn’t have the man
clamped his hand down on her shoulder and pulled her forward. Leaning over the
man, she held back a startled shriek. “Take it,” the man said in a low voice.
His eyes, a dark blue void of life, stared at her.
Swiping her tongue over her suddenly dry lips, Dalia calmed
down her racing heart. “What?”
With one hand still holding Dalia in place, the soldier
moved his other hand to his neck and tugged a leather cord from under his
breast plate. “When death takes me you take the shard,” the man coughed out. A
small river of blood made its way from the corner of his mouth and down his
chin even as he pulled the pendant into view.
Dalia eyed the crescent shaped gem as the soldier’s fingers
wrapped around it. The soldier pressed it into her hand. “Swear you’ll take
it.”
The only thing Dalia could do was give the dying man her
word. “I swear,” she whispered, watching his eyes roll back and feeling his
fingers go lax.
“Dal, they’re regrouping!” Aline shouted as she came
charging out of the trees. Her silken outfit shimmered around her as she slowed
and flashed a heated glare at the thief.
Taking less than a second to tighten her fingers around the
pendant, Dalia pushed herself to her feet. “How many?”
“Doesn’t matter. We should get out of here,” the thief
interrupted. Turning to wrap an arm around Dalia, he continued, “Get back to
your realm, djinn, and meet back up with her later.”
Narrowing her eyes, Dalia tried to struggle against the
thief’s arms. She was about to reach up and start clawing his eyes out when he
spoke. “Juntulanbe.”
***
The world blinked and popped back into place, but Dalia
wasn’t surrounded by blood and death anymore. Instead they were standing in a
small clearing and the sound of a river roared nearby. Pushing herself from his
hold, she demanded, “Again? Where did you bring me this time?”
“Justang,”
Sanderwise grumbled and suddenly Dalia felt herself freed from the man. Taking
several steps back, she reached back and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of
her short sword, waiting for him to answer. “This is the place I camped two
nights ago. It’s a full day and a half away from that fight and Clover.”
Dalia let out a huff, holding her grip on her sword tight.
“Where’s my money?”
Lightening blue eyes widened and Sanderwise started patting
down his loose over shirt. Finally, he pulled out the leather pouch and tossed
it to her. As she caught the money in her free hand, he said, “Sorry about
that. You did catch me after all and fair is fair. No hard feelings.”
“Fair nothing. You stole from me and dropped me into the
middle of a fight. I should gut you, thief,” Dalia hissed, but still she
loosened her hand from the weapon at her back. “I’m Dalia of the Road. You?” It
only made sense for her to introduce herself and it seemed like the fastest way
to learn more about the man. He wouldn’t be the first thief she’d kept company
with, but he was the first that used magic to steal.
With a flourish of his arm and a bow, Sanderwise dipped his
head. “I am Sanderwise Rosenster of Kin. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Dalia.”
Even his words now dripped with a thick charm. It left a bitter taste in
Dalia’s mouth and she rolled her eyes. Aside from a pickpocket the man was no
danger.
A few swift glances told Dalia all she needed to know about
the area. They were close to a low bank next to a small river and the road
appeared to be well away on the other side of a thick growth of trees. For a
campsite it was perfect. Narrowing her eyes, she glared over at the thief.
Sanderwise was inspecting her, trying to figure her out just as she was trying
to figure out her surroundings.
Sanderwise wasn’t overly tall, but he wasn’t short either.
If not for the piercing blue of his eyes, Dalia wouldn’t have paid the man much
attention. Shaggy black hair, a day or two worth’s of beard growth covering
half his face and the dark clothing looked remarkably like most of the
travelers she encountered. “I could be in Clover right now, eating. Since you
caused this problem, you catch supper.”
Nodding, Sanderwise accepted his job with grace. He even
grabbed a small armful of wood and sat it out. “Floosh.” It was another magic word and this one caused a flame to
spark to life. Looking up at her with a grin, he pointed towards a bit of
shrubbery just behind her and said, “You build the fire up and I’ll be back
soon.”
As the man walked away, Dalia searched the spot he’d pointed
out and found a stockpile of wood. Thick sticks, twigs and even a few broken
tree limbs were tucked back. It was clear Sanderwise used this site often
enough to be prepared. She made quick work of building up the little flame his
magic had sparked.
Sitting in front of the fire, Dalia stared down at the dark
crescent shard. She didn’t understand what it was, but she could feel the
weight of carrying it. It was heavy in her hand, almost dragging down the soul
within her. It wasn’t a physical weight, but something hidden. Every breath was
a little harder to take than the last. What was this shard and why had those
men died for it?
Stretching out her feet and tucking the dead man’s gem into
her vest, Dalia eased the straps of her pack off her shoulders. She leaned back
against the travel bag for support and watched the now evening sky start to
color with the early colors of sunset. She could hear the sounds of Sanderwise
speaking and the splashes that followed. It was clear the man was drawing the
fish straight out of the water with magic, just as he had made the fire.
A tug at her stomach made Dalia sigh and suddenly a breeze
blew around her. Out of nowhere Aline appeared. The djinn landed in Dalia’s lap
with her arms wrapped around her shoulders. “That was so much fun today. Thank
you!”
Staring into the golden eyes of her friend, Dalia smiled.
“Aline, I didn’t get in the middle of that on purpose.”
Letting out a joyful giggle, Aline kicked her feet. “Oh,
you. Don’t be shy. It was so much fun,” she said and leaned in to kiss Dalia.
Well prepared for it Dalia turned and shifted, causing the djinn’s lips to miss
their mark.
Dalia was trying to gently fight off a very happy and
determined Aline when a cough caught their attention. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to
interrupt.”
“Sands, this is Aline. Aline, Sands is the one who put us in
the middle of that fight.” Dalia caught the arched eyebrow and questioning look
the wizard sent her at the nickname and shrugged. That’s what she was calling
him, whether he liked it or not. Sanderwise was too much of a mouth full.
Aline tightened her arms around Dalia. “Thank you, but she’s
my treasure.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sands said with a smirk. With a line
of fish in one hand he looked foolish in his mock bow, but Dalia just narrowed
her eyes at him as she continued to pry the djinn off her neck.
“We’re not a couple, Aline. You know that,” Dalia grumbled
when she finally lowered the djinn’s arms down to her lap. “Would you like to
cook the fish as a thank you to Sands?”
Flashing a pout, Aline lifted herself off Dalia’s lap and
moved to start working with the river fish. Sanderwise watched as the woman took
the food from him. “So, Dalia, you are friends with a … djinn?” It had taken
him a second to find the right word to describe the attractive creature.
Dalia could see Sanderwise’s eyes follow Aline as she moved
around the camp. “She’s my dance partner.” Taking a chance, she stared over the
fire at the man. “So, what kind of wizard are you? I’ve never seen a real
wizard misspeak before.”
Sands shrugged and lounged back against a tree. “I’m more of
a part time wizard.”
Dalia inspected the man. Magic in the mortal realm was
harnessed only through the spoken word. Sanderwise had not only mistakenly
chained them together, but had taken forever to remember the words to free them
from each other. Yet, just earlier that day he’d effortlessly snatched away her
coin pouch. “And full time thief?” she
accused.
Bright blue eyes sparkled in the fire light. “It’s a living.
I learned what magic I needed and the rest was just too much trouble.”
That Dalia could believe. From what she’d heard it took
decades to master the ancient language that magic responded to. She’d heard it
many times through her travels, but most of those wizards were elders. Sands
didn’t look that much older than her. “You haven’t tried to steal this. Forget
the word?” she asked, dangling the pendant and its chain from her fingers.
Sands stared at the gem and sighed. Reaching his hand out,
he said, “Slamatrac.” Dalia felt a twitch in the chain, but
the gem didn’t bother to respond. “Can’t steal it. Somethings special about
that little jewel.”
Staring at the gem, Dalia nearly lost herself in the gleam
of midnight blue. The weight of the day started to settle on her shoulders and
already she was feeling the drain of wakefulness pulling at her. “Maybe we
should just eat and get some sleep. I assume we’ll be parting ways tomorrow,”
she said, forcing herself to stand.
“Maybe. I don’t know,” Sands said as Dalia passed him and
headed towards the river. A quick glance to Aline was all it took for her to
know the djinn would watch her pack. That left her free to wash away the spray
of blood and grime of the day. A bit of cold water, a full belly and a night of
sleep should restore her whatever this little adventure had stolen.
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