Chapter Twenty-Eight - A Suffragus

  53rd Day of Spring - Year 1758 of the Golden Era

  Shorefarm, Yellowfield, Draya Calyrex

  "I didn't like him," Viridian said.

  They were halfway down the road, the mage tower barely visible against the stars in the background. Viridian's little lamp was the only source of light they had, other than the sliver of moon hanging above. It was enough to travel with, as long as they kept to the roads.

  She had as firm a grip around the haft of her pike as she could manage, just in case something jumped out of the underbrush at them. They weren't exactly travelling quickly either. Their walking pace was slow and measured, avoiding potholes by feel more than by sight.

  "He was a powerful magus," Lazur said. "That deserves respect."

  "She said she didn't like him," Carnel said. "Not that she didn't respect him."

  Viridian nodded. "Yes. That's right. He was maybe strong. I can't tell that just by looking. He felt strong. But he was also... not a kind person?"

  "He is a magus. Maybe they don't need to be kind," Lazur said.

  "Being strong means you can do whatever you want, no?" Carnel asked. "But there's always a bigger person around, and I don't think he was a very powerful magus. Maldrak felt stronger."

  Viridian hummed. That was true. Maybe Beornhelm was doing something to disguise his strength, but even so, he didn't feel as powerful as Magus Maldrak. "Stronger than Nocthorn," she said.

  "Yeah," Carnel agreed.

  "Nocthorn is a Magus Suffragus," Lazur said.

  "What does that mean?" Viridian asked. They came upon a fork in the road. Last time they were here, they took the turn towards the tower, but now Viridian started them down the unfamiliar path that should lead more towards the west, where Shorefarm lay.

  "Magus Suffragus is a title," Lazur said.

  Carnel made a strange snorting sound. "But what does it mean, Lazur?"

  Lazur glanced her way, then sniffed. "It means two things. Suffragus means supporter."

  "So she's a Magus who supports other mages?" Viridian asked.

  "It's more like she's an apprentice without being an apprentice," Lazur said.

  "That makes a lot of sense," Carnel said. The sarcasm didn't quite carry through in the tone of her voice, but the sense was there nonetheless.

  Lazur grunted. "Don't be rude. It means that she's not formally anyone's apprentice, but she's still able to take on that role. I think it means it'll be longer before she becomes a full magus, but she's not beholden to a single mage."

  "Interesting," Viridian said. "When did you learn this?"

  There was a long stretch of silence, just their feet crunching on gravel and loose rocks before Lazur answered. "I don't know," she said.

  "That's okay," Viridian said. She could understand that. Sometimes she reached for something and found her hands closing over nothing. Other times she reached for hair that wasn't there, or turned as if expecting to see someone familiar, but that person wasn't there, just a ghost in her imagination.

  "What's the other meaning?" Carnel asked.

  "What?" Lazur asked.

  "You said there were two meanings to Suffragus."

  "Oh," Lazur said. "The other meaning is that the person with the title has a right to vote. I think... I think in a mage's tower, things are decided based on votes. In the academies too. But not everyone has a vote. Only the people who reach the rank of Magus Suffragus and those above them."

  "Good to know," Viridian said. "There's a few more mages on the Gentle Tidings but most of them don't feel as strong."

  "Jorvin is stronger," Carnel said. "Stronger than that guy at the tower."

  Viridian thought about it for a while. "Are you sure? He felt about as strong?"

  "Maybe, but Jorvin would win in a fight," Carnel said.

  Viridian half-turned to look Lazur's way. "What's Sir Jorvin's title?"

  "I don't know," Lazur said. "He's a mage-knight. It's not the same as an academy mage. Knights have their own... orders, I think? But I agree with Carnel. Even if he's only as strong as Magus Beornhelm in terms of magical strength, he would win if it came to a fight. Mage-knights are warriors. Mages are academics."

  They continued to talk as they walked, though it wasn't long before they started to run out of pertinent things to talk about. The 'who would win' discussion was limited to what little they knew about various people, and so they soon turned to their more immediate goals.

  Viridian wanted to make stuff. Things. It didn't matter what it was, she just had an urge to craft things. For now, she wanted to start by tailoring the clothes they'd found so that it fit them all. She was constantly bothered by her nakedness, even if there was no pain in the exposure and they had nothing to show for their lack of wear.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Lazur's interest in magic was well-established. She wanted a few days to just study it further and practice the one spell she had until she had perfected it.

  And when it came Carnel's time to share, the puppet-woman discussed in great detail the kind of weapons she'd like to try. Warhammers were her current idea, and she kept wondering if they could borrow some of Tomas the blacksmith's tools to see how well they would handle in a fight.

  That sparked an argument with Lazur, who insisted that smithing tools weren't meant to be weapons.

  Viridian listened in. The sound of her companions arguing was familiar, and far safer than the rustle of wind through unfamiliar woods and the occasional cry of a distant animal.

  Eventually, however, they came upon Shorefarm.

  In the dead of night, the town was barely visible, but the path they'd taken had a bend that rose up along the side of a hill and that gave them a decent view into the valley that held the town. From so close, they could make out individual homes, and several of these had lights sparkling within.

  The centre of the town was a grand old church, a building made of carved stone with a tower stuck to one side overlooking the entire town.

  The town was laid out in little clumps. Four to six houses, usually all close together, with wide roads between each clump, and around all of that, the walls of the town keeping it safe.

  "Look, all the way over there," Lazur said as she pointed into the darkness.

  It took Viridian a moment to see what she was pointing to. There was a large home, a mansion maybe, out across from where they were. It was built adjacent to the town itself, hidden by some trees, but the mansion was large enough that it stood out anyway. It helped that there was light coming from several windows within.

  "Mansions mean lords," Carnel said. "I don't know if we can take on another mayor. Not unprepared."

  Lazur nodded. "I agree with you, for once."

  "We don't need to go to the mansion," Viridian said. "We're just here to look for the Magus' apprentices. Maybe there's an inn? Or a place for visitors?"

  Lazur turned and gave Viridian a long stare. "We are not human. And we are foreigners. They will not trust us."

  "Better than being caught sneaking into the town," Carnel said. "Then we will be letting them know that we are there for trouble."

  "I suppose," Lazur said.

  Viridian tilted her head, scanning the town below. "Then we walk in," she decided. "Not sneaking, not skulking. We enter like travelers."

  Lazur shifted slightly, considering. "If we are seen and questioned, we say we are seeking the apprentices," she said. "That is our truth. But if they do not trust us, they might turn us away."

  "Then we make them trust us," Carnel said simply, rolling her shoulders. "We are not here to fight. But if they attack, we do what we must."

  Viridian nodded. That was enough planning for now. She adjusted the strap on her pike and led the way down the path, her lamp swinging at her hip. The road sloped downward, leading them through a patch of forest that shielded them from the town's sight for a few minutes.

  As they neared the outer gate, they slowed. It was a simple wooden thing, reinforced with iron bands, but sturdy. A short stone wall surrounded the town, enough to deter bandits but not a serious fortification. It was only just tall enough that Viridian couldn't see over it, but it was only as thick as her forearm. It wouldn't stop anyone determined from entering, but it did a good job of marking where the town proper started.

  A single lantern hung from a post beside the entrance, illuminating a watchman slumped on a stool, wrapped in a thick cloak. He had a spear leaning against his shoulder, though it looked more like a walking stick in his hands than a weapon.

  "Is he asleep?" Carnel whispered.

  Viridian stepped forward cautiously, then rapped the butt of her pike against the ground. The sound echoed dully against the quiet of the night.

  The man jerked awake with a sharp inhale, his hand fumbling for his spear. He squinted into the darkness. "Huh? Who goes there?" His voice was thick with drowsiness.

  "Travelers," Viridian said calmly. "Seeking shelter. And information." A small part of her hoped that this was a good sign.

  ***