Anais of Brightshire

Chapter4

"Anais, I think you're improving," Thellium said one afternoon as he helped me work through a difficult passage of a manuscript that detailed the formation of the Seven Shires after the fall of the monarchy.

"Thanks."  I smiled ruefully.  "But, I feel like I'm still struggling."

"You would learn faster if you could spare more of your time."

I grimaced.  "I can't."

"I know, I know, you are dedicated to your work in the laundry.  On another note, I was wondering if next week you might look for bound books for me when you are at the market?  I have so few that have been printed from the new presses in Courtshire.  I'm not sure if any traders deal in books here in Brightshire, but it's possible some might come in from the West.  I'm always interested in histories, religious texts, or natural sciences.  You've saved me so much money that I'm confident I can afford the luxury."

"I'll look.  I've seen printed books sold in a few shops."

"Also, if you see any manuscripts on mage-craft, please inform me."

"Mage-craft, as in magic?"

"As you well know, magic is forbidden in the Seven Shires and if any texts are getting here from other lands I would like to destroy them before they fall into the wrong hands."

"Why is magic forbidden?  In the manuscript, we're reading about the fall of the monarchy.  It sounds like mages helped the Seven Shires, and they made life better for the people.  The mages improved crop yields, transportation, and kept the peace. I don't understand why magic is forbidden.  It doesn't make any sense."

"It's complicated, Anais.  I'd prefer not to discuss it with you."

I frowned.  I hated being treated like a child.  There was so much that I didn't understand.  I loved the idea of magic, it seemed like such a hopeful thing.  It didn't make any sense that it was outlawed.

For about a year I kept up this balancing act.  With two coppers a week from Thellium, a copper a week from the laundry, and with few expenses, I soon accumulated a small fortune.  Considering that fifteen coppers could be traded for one silver coin, I had what amounted to more than nine silvers.  Unfortunately, everything I considered buying, from fancy dresses to decorative jewelry, seemed impractical.  The only indulgence I had allowed myself was the purchase of a small gray suede purse lined with pink silk.  I would carry the purse, filled with my coins, across my neck and underneath my shirt each time I ventured to the market for Thellium.  I welcomed the reminder that, at only twelve years of age, I had the means to buy almost anything I liked.

One autumn day I walked through the market, my feet interrupting the floor of dead leaves below.  I entered a dimly lit shop owned by a cadaverous old woman named Lilithan.  Lilithan sold mainly paintings bought from traders from the West, but she would also sell printed books, when she had them.  She was one of the few shopkeepers I found in Brightshire who dealt in books and manuscripts on a fairly regular basis.

"My favorite customer," Lilithan greeted me as I entered.  "Here to peruse my books again?  A trader from Barriershire came in this morning and sold me a small lot.  They're on the shelf in the back.  You know where."

I made myself comfortable sitting cross-legged on the dirt floor, and slowly read the titles.  There was one book that Thellium might want about Candel, a kingdom, north of the Seven Shires.  I carried the small book to Lilithan, who charged me a silver for it, which I claimed was well overpriced.  We eventually agreed on seven coppers.

"There is one more that you may be interested in," Lilithan said in a hushed voice as she looked around the empty shop.  She pulled out a thin, poorly bound manuscript.  "I shouldn't have this.  I didn't realize what it was until after the trader left.  The lettering on the cover is faint, and reading is such a trial for me."