Walking Mage

CH12:Healing within

A letter came for Lynn from the Head man Jan. It was delivered by the same maid who had dressed Lynn for the meeting with High Mage Corla, who just gave Lynn a devious grin. Lynn had no idea why but figured the women must have thought the worst.

Runner was busy letting Roar fly in the courtyard. It was only mid-morning so some of the lesser Ladies were out watching the dragite train. Jile was there as well teaching the girl, but Lynn thought that Runner was doing just fine with Roar. Lynn would probably end up giving the dragite to Runner when she continued her walk.

Opening the letter carefully, for it was double sealed, Lynn was greeted with three small bamboo tubes inside the bigger one.

Each tube held stamp symbol that had become a code system that Lynn had created quickly the day after her spy network was formed. One each for Anna, Jile, and Jan.

Jan had joined up the next day after their return, after having a short conversation with Lynn and Jile.

What had struck Lynn was that the conversation had seemed as if it was going to go a different way. Like he had wanted to talk about other issues but was afraid to, in front of Jile.

The Head Chief Anna wrote in a form of writing for the kitchen called chicken scratch. It was a way around a commoner knowing reading and writing. Each food type and item was given a symbol mark, with some joined for precooked or smoked orders.

Lynn had a cheat book in her library that she kept. When her hand maiden Starla had asked why Lynn had a cooks book Lynn had a ready lie that she might need to cook when she continued her Walk and it would be good to know how.

The handmaiden was unusually inquisitive of late and it was slowly growing on Lynn's already stretched impatience. Runner avoided the young handmaiden outright and that was a problem as well. Starla acted at times as if she ran Lynn's suite, and Runner along with it.

The cooks report was more of the same. Some supported Awl, some stood for Flower, many wanting just to be invisible till it all ended.

Jile had more to say since some of the guardsmen were becoming concerned with Master Awl not coming out of his apartments. Guards needed a strong leadership.

It was Jan's note who took her breath away. He needed her to meet him in the hidden glass room immediately; and no one could know of the meeting.

He also said that Flower was planning a unscheduled trip to a country House just outside of Farth. Something about a sister Lady needing her help. She had no family that anyone knew of, or close female friends, that she would warrent her running off so.

Lynn burned the notes and even the tube it came in and headed straight for the meeting with Jan.

Within a short time Lynn was standing in front of Jan and looking down on the rooms below. The early drinkers were in their normal seats with maids deftly avoiding the random attempt at touching them.

"Thank you for quickly seeing me young Mage Lynn." Jan began with a thickness to his voice that she had never heard before. "What I'm about to do is a death sentence but I do what I must."

Lynn gathered magic as fast as she was able, which was faster in the Tusk's Viewing room she noted in the scientific part of her brain. Not knowing what the Head man was planning on dieing for made her afraid that Flower had gotten to him somehow.

"As a Head of a House your first responsibility is to the workings of the House." Jan went on. Having no clue that Lynn could fry his brain with the amount of magic she held. "Also to the Master of that House. I've been Head here longer then Master Awl, but he was the first that I ever thought of as a friend."