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CHAPTER FOUR
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I arrived in Sondres in less than a week, a little before the sun rose. I stunk, my beard was growing out, and I was hungry. I had stolen some clothes hanging on a washer woman's line and replaced them with my old ones, which were worn, but still relatively fine, save for some stab wounds. Finding water had been no issue. I had no bow with which to hunt, however, and was not precise enough for invocations to replace it, so I had traded my labor for food at inns, chopping wood, drawing water, and in one case, cleaning out the stables. I was not eager to repeat that particular task. In any case, I was eating, but generally only one meal a day, so I knew that I needed to find some kind of steady source of funds.
Once I arrived I continued down to the docks, remembering from a trip some years ago that they were always looking for strong backs to load and unload the ships. I was still in fairly good shape, especially after Raisa's healing, and I had the advantage of magic.
It would have been dangerous to show off powerful invocations as they would be a dead giveaway of my Pureblood status, but thankfully, I had no such abilities, and my hair had never changed. That being said, a few freshly trained mages arrived in a city like Sondres each day. Some made their way in the arts of war, others became laborers, functioning as living cranes or carts that could quickly and precisely manipulate cargos. I was hoping for employment as the latter.
Once I arrived I found a dock master who needed such help and negotiated for a day's work. Being the son of nobility my understanding of the value of things was, I will admit, limited, so I was probably underpaid. I knew it would enough for food and a room, so I did not complain.
As the day passed, I got the hang of things, slowly levitating crates and pallets that would have needed large numbers of men or slow cranes to move. My skills were not extraordinary in this regard, but as far as I could tell from what my fellow workers said there were only two other mages who bothered with this kind of thing, and one of them was elsewhere. Most preferred to sign on with the courts of lesser nobles or one of the mercenary companies fighting in the never-ending war across the sea.
By the mid-afternoon, I noticed that I was being watched. She wasn't being subtle about it. She was tall, and well-muscled, although still obviously feminine, tanned with thick black hair shorn shorter than mine. She wore a sleeveless shirt, leather pants that looked to be some kind of armor, and soldier's boots. By the intent way that she watched me placing crates I knew that she intended to hire me or bed me. Maybe both.
As I stopped for a moment, she approached me and slapped me on the back, affably. I wasn't offended, but I was surprised. That seemed to be a good way to start a fight in a place like this.
On the other hand she seemed as though she would have no trouble winning fights.
Up close I could see that her nose had the shape that only came from being broken a few times, and her rough features were scarred, although she was, in my mind, still attractive, no one would ever call her pretty.
"That's some nice work. How long have you been at it?"
"Uh," I said, wondering if I should tell the truth, "I really just started today."
"No, I meant how long have you been doing this uninterrupted? Without a break?"
I hadn't given it much thought but the truth was that I hadn't taken one.
"I guess since daybreak," I said, and her eyebrows raised in surprise. I wondered if I had perhaps said too much.
"Well, this crook," she said, gesturing to the dockmaster, who I noted was within earshot, "will work you and pay you nothing for your trouble. I'll give you a contract with my company. Mostly it will be things like this, but if you know any battle magic then you'll get a hefty raise right off."
I gave it some serious thought. At that time however, leaving for the continent was not what I wanted. I could better achieve my aims by remaining here, earning money, and planning.
"I don't think that's where I'm heading. But thank you."
"Well, if you change your mind, come down to The Dead Archer. That's where we're recruiting. We're going to be leaving in a week, so don't dawdle," she walked off, shouting over her shoulder, "You're wasted here!"
I laughed at her audacity and finished my task. Although the dockmaster had provided water and some stale bread throughout the day, I was hungry, thirsty, and tired. I knew that I had enough for room and board with a little left over. Maybe I could even hit the baths. It was a good day.
When it occurred to me how different my definition of "a good day" was from a week ago, I did get a little depressed. As I walked, I noted some kids running past me, towards the center of the city. That was where our family had what they called the "Winter Palace". It was also where father tended to rule in times of crisis or war, assuming things were going well.
"The prince is here!" one of the children shouted. I panicked for a moment, until I realized that they were almost certainly referring to Tyr.
What would he be doing here? Was there going to be an announcement of some kind? Would my mother or Merwyd be here? I decided to take the small risk of exposure for the opportunity to gather information. Although I wouldn't admit it to myself, the chance to glimpse the woman that I loved was also foremost in my mind. If she was here, perhaps I could even get her a message.
As it turns out, she was.
I arrived at the plaza to the type of carnival atmosphere that always accompanied royal proclamations and important executions. Vendors sold a variety of dubious street food and I shamelessly ate two sweet rolls and some unidentifiable roasted meat while I waited with the rest of the masses.
The palace itself stood squat with a single, large square tower. There was an ornate balcony from which such announcements were made. The building itself was decorated with colorful blue and gold banners, with the royal wyvern seal upon them. They looked rather new.
