Free Magic (complete)

Chapter 18

Jak walked through the doors of Raastad's most prestigious bath house. He was covered in dirt from the road, his clothes were tattered and it took him four days to reach the city instead of two. He carried a linen sack and his two daggers and nothing else. His hair was a mess and his boots were terribly scuffed.

"You must be looking for the establishment down the street." A bearded attendant sneered down his long nose from behind his counter.

"Take it up with Tess. Tell her Jak is in town." He tossed a large gold coin on the counter and continued his tired walk towards the mens' bath.

"Listen here, this establishment isn't for just anyone with the coin to-" The attendant was cut of by a plump woman in black silk robes.

"Jak! Darling you haven't come to see me in so long." She walked right up and planted a kiss on his mouth in front of the entire lobby.

"Good to see you Tess." He grinned wide at the bearded attendant who was very red and very angry and visibly holding his tongue.

"I hope you know you have a place to stay for the night." Tess purred in his ear, and she called for an attendant. "Miles! Miles I need robes for a guest!"

Miles must have been the attendant who tried to turn Jak away, because through gritted teeth he welcomed him to the bathhouse and escorted him to the Mens' rooms. The whole commotion drew eyes from around the corner on the womens' side and an assortment of giggles. Jak gave them a wink and the shy ones ducked back around the corner.

The bath was rich with steam and sweetly perfumed. Women in white robes stood waiting to hand towels to the bathers or rubbed the shoulders of those soaking. Jak disrobed, surrendering his weapons and a woman took his clothes away in a basket, leading him to a private soaking tub. The layers of dirt melted off of him. Every ache was soothed and he nearly fell asleep. A young man stood in the middle of the large pool holding his palms over the surface of the water. He a purple mark glowed gently on his pale skin.

"Master Jak, do you need assistance?" A woman with light brown skin sat behind him on the floor of the bathhouse. She didn't wait for an answer before rubbing his back with oils.

"Ohoho I've missed this place." He grinned as she dug deeply into his muscles. When she was done and he really was nearly ready to fall asleep, he glanced around the room. Some of Selstad's most powerful men and women came here. It was the easiest escape from the biting winds the country suffered from, and this particular business was reliable for both service and discretion.

Jak woke with a start as he realized he was slipping into the warm water. He waved over an attendant who brought him a towel and a robe.

"Mistress Tess would like to speak with you when you are descent." His attendant told him softly and smiled. "Or before if you like."

"Lead on, I'm as ready as anyone could be to meet Tess." Jak was lead to a back room with plush cushions and fresh flowers. His clothes were cleaned and neatly folded on a bench, his daggers on top.

"Hello Jak." Tess was drinking a dark wine. "How are you?"

"Better now. If it's a tale from the road you're after I have plenty." Jak sat right next to Tess and took an already poured glass of wine from the side table.

"I know how it works Jak." She winked. "What are you in town for? Business first, pleasure later."

"Lookin' fer Magnus Hughes. He was done in for at the Royal University, or so I'm lead to believe. I don't think foul play is suspected. Anyway, lookin' for those who might've been close to him." Jak took a long drink of his glass, it was sweet and went straight to his head.

"Magnus Hughes, not one I can say has visited my humble establishment." Tess said. "But I do think I heard about his passing, they've been having a hard time replacing him. He was quite the authority on ancient lore apparently. They finally gave the job to his former assistant Jesser Muenkson. You might try there."

"I will, but first I need to rest my weary travel worn bones." Jak whispered, smiling into her neck as she giggled. "Now how about a tale or two?"

Anders paced his room, thoughts heavy on his shoulders. He would bet all the money he had that it wasn't a sickness afflicting the people of Whitethorn. The amount of drained power was substantial, and it was exactly what was needed for the spells in Jak's stolen journal. Why it affected some soldiers too he wasn't sure yet.

He walked the hallways deep in thought. What could he do to find this mage? Where was the power being held? Another storm was brewing and he couldn't feel the flow of power over the energy building in the air. Not that he would necessarily feel it anyway, he had no idea how it was being drawn out.

"Harlow." Anders stopped pacing. Harlow might be able to see it with his strange lenses. Anders walked out of his room and stopped. Where would he find Harlow? For that matter was he even in the keep anymore? He may be staying in town, but if so where?

"Jak where in Spirits hells are you?" Anders growled out loud and stormed down the hall. The thief would know Cliffside well enough, and might be able to find the little scholar. But Anders was on his own.

He decided to start from the first floor up. It was between meal times and the great hall was empty. The large library wasn't much better and the librarian had no idea who Harlow was. He went to the front gate to ask the guards, maybe they would know him from coming and going.

"Don't know anyone by that name, and I don't care." One of the guards held his hand over his mouth. "Now get going before you get us sick too." The other guard nodded his agreement.

Anders didn't wander the second floor as long as he did the first, if you weren't sick or in your room, you weren't on the second floor. Up to the next, he checked libraries and sitting rooms alike with no luck either. He eventually made it all the way up to his own rooms with no sign of Harlow.

All he could do for now was help the sick where he could. He wasn't afraid of catching something he didn't believe was actually a sickness. He reported to help in the big smaller library where he could keep an eye on Ghilda and make sure she wasn't overworking her powers. He ran bread and broth from the kitchens to the sick rooms. He carried linens and water, and made the mages rest periodically. He scarcely had time to eat his own meals, but he made himself stop to do it. He was no help to anyone if he fainted.

But all the while as he carried and fetched, he was looking for Harlow. He asked everyone, older mages, royal medics, the occasional soldier he saw patrolling. No one seemed to know him by name. By the end of it he had spent two days looking for Harlow and working in the sick rooms. Every day more mages took sick. The braver guards took to checking every room for mages who had fallen ill and couldn't get out of bed alone.

The end of the first week brought the first death. An older man, a brown robe even after having tested. They removed his body and took it to the Cliffside cemetery. He had no family left to come mourn for him.

The death shook the keep terribly. The well burned candles for him, the sick grew scared they would be next. Ghilda and several of the other mages who cared for him were in tears. She didn't eat much the day he passed despite Anders's attempts to coax some broth into her.

Anders began watching for Jak out the windows that overlooked the cliffs when he had breaks in the work. Since his powers were of no use in the sick rooms, he took to storing his excess magic in his device. As far as he could tell he wasn't losing a noticeable amount of power and it had been many days since he first deposited some of it.

Finally hope came in the form of a short phrase uttered by a passing soldier. Anders was laden with a tray of bread when he passed two soldiers on patrol.

"Magister ga Harleurngin returned yesterday didn't he?" A bearded guard in chainmail spoke to his shorter counterpart.

"Yes, with the others. They'll be staying in town but will be surveying the field for use tomorrow." They continued chatting and walking towards the soldiers' mess hall.

"ga Harleyu, Harlyern, Harleurngin? Harlow?" Anders whispered. He knew somehow it must be him. Tomorrow, he had to sneak out tomorrow before anyone else died.