Tests of Blood - 7. Chapter 7

Dalen didn’t need to use his gift of Mindspeech to know what the man on the other side of the carriage from him was thinking. Jolan Crutchfield wasn’t a tall man, barely coming up to Dalen’s shoulders, and he was twice as round as Dalen, with a ruddy face and a tendency to sweat at the slightest exertion. He had met Dalen at the station when the locomotive from Haven arrived.

From the moment he had introduced himself, Jolan Crutchfield made it plain as day that he felt Dalen wasn’t going to be of any major assistance to their town, and he resented ‘their’ mages being taken away for use ‘over there’ in the war. More than likely, Jolan thought he was a useless Royal Brat, expecting to be pampered and not of much use at all.

“I see the new construction on the bean processing center has been completed.” Dalen said aloud, earning himself the first sharp look of surprise from the lumpy Jolan who took the opportunity to wipe his balding head.

“I, uh, you know about the bean processing plant?” Jolan asked.

“His Majesty has made sure that I am familiar with the last two years of reports from the mages stationed here, tax records, Council proceedings, and of course, the reports from the Heralds on Circuit here.” Dalen said in an offhand manner while the man’s eyes almost bulged. “You were first chosen to represent the Processor Guild three years, two months, and eighteen days ago, if my memory serves. One of your first victories was getting the town Council and the Crown to both help in the funding of that new processing plant. It will help increase the yield of each area harvest, and should greatly increase your Guild member’s profits while actually reducing the price of the finished good by ten percent. The Crown gets the benefit of owning the design which it can use to build similar plants in other parts of the kingdom at a much reduced price.”

“Yes, um, well it was a good bargain for all involved.” Jolan said with a slight bow of his head and a bit of a smile.

“Nonsense.” Dalen said sharply. “His Majesty believes it is a prime example of just how Valdemar’s system of governance works and is superior to those in other kingdoms. The Guilds, local farmers, local manufacturers, local Councils, and the Crown can work together so that everyone profits, and it even allows the Crown to help other parts of the Kingdom as well.”

“His Majesty really said that?” Jolan was surprised; excitement and pride began to beam from his face.

“Yes, he did when we were discussing it during one of our rides.” Dalen confirmed, and made sure to remind the man of his closeness to the King. Dalen’s mother would have done it to remind the man of her ‘importance’. That was not why Dalen was doing it though. He did it to show the man that the King was sending someone with some brains, not just a Royal Brat.

“Would you mind if I ask you a question, Highness?” Jolan asked him and Dalen took the opportunity to smile.

“Please, Master Crutchfield, call me Dalen when we are alone and formalities can be relaxed.” Dalen said with a nod of his head to the man and a slightly widened version of his smile.

“Oh, if you insist.” The man murmured and Dalen could just imagine him at a dinner party saying ‘Oh, now Dalen, you know, Prince Dalen, he and I are close so he told me not to use his title when we’re alone…’ Lord Aberly’s keep was too far for a casual dinner party, so it probably wasn’t too often that locals interacted with Valdemar’s nobility in any real way.

“I believe you had a question, Jolan.” Dalen said, taking the liberty of calling the man by his first name now that he had laid his trap. It would be unseemly for the man to insist the younger Dalen call him by his title, and unlike the man, Dalen was not restricted to calling him by his first name only when they were alone. The dance of propriety and proper decorum was one that Dalen had mastered before he turned five.

“Oh yes, um, Dalen, I was wondering if, well, no disrespect intended, but we normally have three mages here and I was wondering if the Crown had considered sending more than one to replace them.” Jolan said. “I mean, you being a member of the Royal Family, we can’t expect you to work so hard to replace three mages…”

“Please, let me set your fears at ease there.” Dalen said in a relaxed manner and with a bit of a drawl. He was wearing formal Mage robes today which clearly showed his Master badge on the collar.

“So there will be more mages coming?” The man asked and then withered under the stern look that Dalen gave him.

“No, other than me, there will be no more mages arriving any time soon.” Dalen said with a very disappointed tone in his voice. “I must say, I have been looking forward to this assignment as a very relaxing vacation. The mage work that is needed here barely requires Journeyman-level work, much less Master-level which is the rank I hold. The fact that since the war began, I have been functioning between Master-level and Adept-level makes this place seem like a pleasant vacation.”

“Oh, I, uh…” Jolan stammered as he wiped his brow again and Dalen hid the smile that he was feeling inside. Once he got past Jolan Crutchfield’s tendency to judge quickly and wrongly, he was certain that he would grow to enjoy the man.

“I might even be able to have some time to do the research that this blasted war has been delaying.” Dalen continued in a slightly aggrieved tone. “You can’t imagine how needy a town the size of Haven is when it comes to magical resources and being the most powerful mage in residence meant there was always a hundred and one tasks waiting for me to have time to attend to them.”

“Oh, I, uh, I am sure we will do our best to not bother you too much.” Jolan said weakly.

“On the contrary, my dear Jolan.” Dalen said with a smile. “Please, do not hesitate to ask, unless I am in the middle of doing some research of course. If it is an emergency though, don’t even let me conducting research stop you from getting my attention. First and foremost, I am here to serve the people of Burnham.”

“We are grateful to have you, as well.” Jolan said and this time, unlike on the platform, it sounded like he might mean that.

“I see we have arrived.” Dalen said as he looked out the window and saw the carriage was pulling into what looked like a miniature forest in the heart of the small city.

“Yes, we are at Windfire’s Vale.” Jolan agreed with him. “It is said that during the evacuations from Ancar’s final push into Valdemar that the Tayledras Adept Windfire k’Chona used this place to help Valdemarans evacuate. He built this place for his comfort while he was here, and expanded it when he stayed after the war was over and we’d won. The records indicate he stayed here for years until the Mage Storms came and he was forced to abandon the place.”

“After he left, he sent word to Haven about this place and Darkwind k’Treva came down here after the mage storms were over.” Dalen said. “Family history says that he was happy to reset the channels for the nodes as well as make sure the Vale would recover as well.”

“Family history?” Jolan asked.

“Oh, yes, Darkwind k’Treva and the Princess Elspeth are my direct ancestors.” Dalen said in an offhand gesture, and knew that reference alone should seal his reputation as a ‘competent’ replacement.

“Oh, we didn’t know that.” Jolan said weakly. “Yes, well, Darkwind k’Treva established a conclave of mages here, and they ceded everything but the centermost part of the vale as a public park. Many of our citizens come here to relax and stroll through the place. I have heard it is very relaxing for them, especially the public bathing pools that are on the east side.”

“Yes, that is what I read.” Dalen agreed as the carriage moved down a well-paved path that led to the heart of the miniature vale. He could feel the shields on the vale testing him as they approached, and he gave them the key he had learned from Dellinar. Their questioning turned to welcome and he felt the full control of the basic shields fall into place inside of him.

Jolan didn’t even get out of the carriage when it stopped. Three middle-aged men came out of the vale entrance and took his bags from the carriage. The vale was a geodesic glass dome similar to the one in Companion’s Field that served as the home of the non-human ambassadors and had been built by Firesong k’Treva. Inside the dome, an older woman was waiting for him. She wore brown cotton pants, low-cut boots and a loose-fitting white tunic. From the fact that all of these people were dressed similarly, he assumed it was their livery.

“Welcome Master-Mage Ashkevron.” The older woman said with an appropriate bow of her head. “I am Liandra, Keeper of Windfire’s Vale.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Liandra.” Dalen said with a return bow of his head to the older woman. “Please, call me Dalen while I am here.”

“Master-Mage Horn left instructions that we were to prepare you quarters.” She said with a tight smile. “He expects that he will be gone for quite some time and left messages for you in the primary workroom. Do you have a routine you wish established?”

“Why don’t we take a few minutes while I get settled and can go over the notes that Horn left before we talk about schedules?” Dalen asked and she nodded her head.

“In that case, please let me show you around.” She said politely and he nodded, wondering how many mages she had gone through in her lifetime. It was obvious she belonged here; the magic of the place accepted her implicitly, along with the other three men that he saw.

Several things were obvious as she took him around. First was that it was larger than the small vale that Firesong k’Treva had built in Haven, even if it was built along the same lines. There were three domes to this place, and the first one looked like the ‘public’ areas of a Mage retreat. It included several secluded little areas that could be used for meditating or small meetings and two non-private workrooms that would be useful if doing workings involving visitors. The kitchens were also here, as well as a dining area for guests.

The second dome held the working areas of the Vale, including several more private workrooms, at least one laboratory, several offices, and the private workroom that had belonged to Windfire and reportedly never opened for anyone else. It was rumored that inside this workroom was his original research that he abandoned during the Mage Storms. Dalen had to exercise all his control to resist investigating it now. With discipline, he accepted the directions to Master Horn’s office before heading into the third dome.

This was the area for private living quarters. The mages that had lived here until recently had all cleared out their quarters since it wasn’t certain they would be returning, leaving Dalen free to claim the largest of them. Fully a third of this dome was taken up by a series of bathing and relaxing pools filled with water fed by a local spring, and heated by magic.

“It seems like an awful lot of space for just me.” Dalen said after Liandra had finished her tour.

“We get new mages here every few years.” She said with a shrug. “Not many Valdemar mages are comfortable living in a place that is as much alive as it is shelter.”

“It feels right to me.” Dalen said with a grin, and it did. He had noticed that the ‘walls’ were really mage-sculpted rock and vines, and that most of the ‘rooms’ in the living areas were really constructed from tree branches and more vines to provide privacy. Everything here was alive, and left his mage sense tingling in a healthy way he had rarely experienced before.

“My family has tended this Vale since Windfire first started growing it before the Mage Storms.” She said with pride in her voice. “He taught us how to tend the plants, and keep them alive, as well as how to sculpt them so they performed their intended function.”

“You have done well, Liandra.” Dalen said without any hint of sarcasm.

“My grandson Quinn is about your age and has started looking for work in the afternoons after his lessons.” Liandra said with a close look at him. “I will have him start in the family traditions here as your personal assistant. The two of you will get along.”

“You don’t need to…” Dalen started to protest and she laughed.

“Now look here, the Crown pays us a budget each year to tend to this place, and the Burnham Council pays us a stipend as well to look after the Vale area as a whole, so don’t think you have any say over staffing, unless one of us fails in his or her duties, or some disciplinary action is necessary. If there is a problem like that, I expect you to come to me, you understand?”

“I understand.” Dalen said and this time his eyes were a bit wide at her forcefulness. Yet, he knew she was right from the things he’d read before coming here, and had little motivation to step on her toes. He was here for just a year, at the most, before he went back to Haven.

“We will be happy to serve breakfast to you here in your rooms.” She continued laying down her expectations for him. “If you are a late riser, we will adjust accordingly, but usually breakfast is a course of bread, fruits and cheese except for two days a week when we get a little fancy. If you want to participate in those meals, you are more than welcome to join us in the kitchen dining area about an hour after sunrise on those days.”

“I’ll probably be there.” Dalen said with a smile. “I am usually an early riser unless I was up all night casting.”

“Sometimes that’s when it’s best for you mages to cast your magic, we know.” She said with a nod of her head. “That’s why we will always keep a tray of high-energy fruit bars and juices outside the work rooms. Don’t worry if you don’t use ‘em, we give them to the needy before they go bad and replace them for you. Lunch is similar to breakfast except we also usually have a few lunch meats available. That will be available for you in the kitchens, or if you are in the building we’ll offer to bring it to you. Dinner, well I’ll go over the menu with you at the beginning of the week so you can pick what you want. If it’s just you, we’ll be happy to serve you in your quarters, or in the dining room if you wish. In case you’re having guests, just let us know as soon as possible. I don’t know if you’re the type that likes to throw parties, but if you are, we ask no more than one every seven days.”

“I was thinking it would be wise to throw one for the city leaders in a week or two, after things have gotten settled.” Dalen said after taking a deep breath and was surprised at the smile on her face.

“Now that’s a good lad, just you keep up that habit of telling me things like this right off.” She was smiling. “Right, now let’s see, that means the guest list will need to be at least thirty people, which we can handle without a problem. Lord Aberly won’t wish to come but his wife certainly will, she just loves parties, and so will his son and both of his daughters. Oh, yes, um, we can discuss all those specifics later, but I think a welcoming party would be just the thing. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Mage Horn, but he didn’t understand that sometimes you had to invite everyone over to take a look at you and he had no understanding of politics at all.”

“Really?” Dalen asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t get me wrong, Master Dalen.” She said quickly. “He was a good mage, and a good man to be in charge here, but he didn’t understand or want to understand the politics of his place here. The people here have looked at always having a Mage in residence as being their right and a sign of it being good to live here. We know who the mage is will change every few years, as well as the sub-mages, but it’s nice knowing we always have one. Now we’ve lost all our mages to this war that is way far away and we’re just getting back one mage, so a party will be just the perfect thing to reassure everyone.”

“I see.” Dalen said although he thought her logic was a little faulty, and he wasn’t quite sure why people in this area were so dependent on mages.

“You don’t, not yet, but I think you will.” She said with a mysterious smile on her face before she started to turn. “Oh, before I go, as I said, I will have Quinn come up later today after his lessons are over. Your bags will be brought up here shortly by one of the boys. Now if you want us to unpack them for you, just leave them be and one of us will get to them later tonight. Otherwise you should take care of them soon after they get here. As I said, Mage Horn left notes for you in his primary workroom; I pointed that out to you, so any questions before I get back to work?”

“How do I summon someone if I need help?” Dalen asked, not having seen any of the familiar bell pulls that were in both Forst Reach and the Palace.

“Why just use a bell tone with your magic.” She laughed. “Its how the mages have always done it.”

“Oh.” Dalen blushed, not having thought of just using magic. It was a simple solution really. The older woman laughed again before heading out of the room. Dalen stood there for a moment, thinking about what he would be doing here and wondering if he would fall flat on his face before deciding to go and see what the mysterious Mage Horn had left for him.

Don’t cross Liandra if you value your rest. Otherwise, I would recommend finding a schedule that fits you.

That was the beginning of the notes that Mage Horn had left for Dalen, and covered things quite well. What followed was a rather lengthy list of the daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks that the Mages of Burnham were expected to complete. Truth to tell, he felt overwhelmed looking at all the tasks until he began to see the patterns that lay in them.

That was something Grandfather Ashkevron had impressed on all the boys at Forst Reach, that there was a pattern to everything. Figuring out the shape of the pattern was important to solving the problems. His early work in mage-craft had only reinforced that viewpoint, and now it was nothing but second-nature to Dalen. Instead of wailing about not having enough hours in the day to complete all the tasks he needed, he searched out the patterns to them and began to work up a schedule using the ink and paper that were on the desk that was now his.

He was on his eighth draft when the presence of someone in the room drew his attention from the work he was doing. At first he was irritated but when he saw it was a red-haired guy about his own age he put aside his irritation. The person standing just to the left side of the doorway was slender, bordering on being too skinny, and had a very pale complexion which only made his vibrant, fiery-red hair all the more noticeable.

“Hello.” Dalen said as he finished studying the red-head, who was dressed in the brown pants and white shirt the others who worked here wore. “You wouldn’t happen to be Quinn, would you?”

“Yes, I’m Quinn, my lord.” The boy said, and his voice gave away the fact that while he might look the same age as Dalen, he sounded years younger. A bit later than was normal, he also bowed his head as if not accustomed to the genuflection.

“Please, call me Dalen.” Dalen said with a gentle smile. The boy’s body nearly trembled as he spoke. “Why were you just standing there?”

“Gramma always said to never bother a mage while they are working, just stand there and wait for them to notice you.” He said quickly.

“If I was casting magic, she is exactly right, but I would not be casting any complicated spells here in the office.” Dalen assured him. “I was just concentrating on a problem and trying to figure out the best way to schedule everything.”

“Oh.” Quinn said with a frown. “Do you want me to come back later? Gramma sent me up when you didn’t show for dinner to make sure you weren’t gonna starve…”

“Actually, I lost track of time.” Dalen said as he stood and stretched slightly. His back was sore from sitting in that position too long, and he noticed that the room was now lit by a bright mage light that had turned on automatically. If he remembered correctly, they were all fed from a pool that was supplied from the local nodes, which he would have to replenish once a moon. A simple spell noticed a human presence in a room and powered up the light from the pool of power.

It was based on a spell that had been found in Urtho’s tower during the Mage Storms.

“Gramma said she would leave some dinner out if you want.” Quinn said eagerly as Dalen finished stretching.

“Did you eat?” Dalen asked him and Quinn shook his head.

“Gramma sent me up here before we ate and I’ve been waiting for at least a candlemark.” Quinn answered.

“Unless I say otherwise, you should eat with everyone else and not wait on me.” Dalen told him as he prepared to leave the office, passing through the vine-covered entrance with Quinn a step or two behind him.

“I will, sir.” Quinn said quickly as he followed Dalen.

“What did your grandmother tell you regarding your duties here?” Dalen asked him as they walked towards the first dome and the kitchens.

“She said I was to report here two marks before dinner.” Quinn answered. “If you have any shopping you need, I can pick it up for you on my way in after schooling. During the week, I will sleep here and leave in the morning a mark after breakfast so if you need anything before then I will take care of it for you.”

“What are you here to do, Quinn?” Dalen asked with real curiosity. “Are you here to change my bedding for me and dust the room?”

“No, those are taken care of by… by someone else.” Quinn said with a flush. “I am schooling in many things, so I can help you perform the administrative functions of your duties, like scheduling for you and handling needs you might have, making sure you have transportation where you need to go and so on. It’d be best if I could be with you all day, of course, but Gramma insists I finish my schooling.”

“I am still finishing my own schooling, although it is greatly delayed by my being here.” Dalen laughed as they reached the kitchens and one of the men he’d noticed earlier nodded at them.

“It’s about time you brought him down for dinner.” The man said to Quinn who blushed slightly.

“Aw, Pa, he was working up there and I knew better than to disturb him.” Quinn said and Dalen looked at the two again, still not seeing any resemblance between them until he noticed they had the same hazel eyes, and the same mouth structure, a bit pouty in the lips.

“Very well.” The older man said. “Milord, there’s food and whatnot in the warming oven for the both of you. If you wish, you can get seated at your place at the table and the boy’ll bring the food right out.”

“We can both bring it out.” Dalen said. “I’m not some spoiled child.”

“Never said you were, sir.” The man smiled. “Still, let the boy do his job. We’re here to worry about all the little things so you can keep your focus on your magicks.”

“Thank you, sir.” Dalen said with a nod, vowing to himself to learn everyone’s name later.

It only took Quinn a few minutes to bring the food out and he sat readily enough when Dalen motioned for him to join him. With a few questions, it became quickly apparent that nearly all of Liandra’s family was involved in the maintenance and care of this place, treating it as their mission in life to keep this ‘park’ presentable and accessible for all the people of Burnham. Quinn was also an amazing source of information for all the little details that didn’t go into official reports.

“Oh no, Lord Aberly still hates all the social functions, but his wife manages to still attend most of them with their son and daughters.” Quinn laughed when Dalen mentioned something about the Welcoming Party he had discussed with Liandra.

“What do you mean?” Dalen asked.

“Well, you know the law that says all kids have to attend schooling through their sixteenth year, or receive tutoring?” Quinn asked him and Dalen nodded, getting a smile from Quinn who was growing more talkative as they ate. “Well, you see, the Lady Ophelia was getting quite bored out there on their estate. She grew up in the capitol and was used to having a lot of parties to go to and didn’t like that aspect of being out at the end of the line, so to speak.”

“End of the line?” Dalen asked with real curiosity.

“Yep, we’re at the end of the Locomotive line, so they call this place the ‘End of the Line’.” Quinn explained. “Well, it’s kind of catchy, even if some people mean it as an insult. It’s like they use to call places ‘in the middle of nowhere’.”

“I get the idea, Quinn.” Dalen said with a gentle laugh.

“Yeah, right, well, anyway, Lord Aberly kept hiring tutors because it’s too far to send Fitz back and forth each day. But when the girls came along, I heard tell that it got so expensive that Lady Ophelia convinced him to pack the lot up and send them to the Crown school here in town. He bought them an apartment here near the school and so the Lady Ophelia comes and stays in town while school is in session and then goes out to the manor for the three days school is out each week.”

“That seems like a decent arrangement.” Dalen said with a shake of his head. Forst Reach never had that problem since there was always a bevy of younglings needing an education and it was a short ride down to the village Crown school. It was only when Dalen had manifested his Gifts that he was given a special tutor, and that was for mage-craft.

“It lets Lady Ophelia get to her parties without pestering Lord Aberly, who can go on hunts anytime he wants during the week now, and they all get together over the weekends and catch up. Fitz seems to love it.”

“Fitz?” Dalen said with a raised eyebrow. “Your tone seems to say you know him fairly well.”

“He’s only a year younger than me, and when he first showed up at school, well some kids thought it’d be fun to pick on him.” Quinn shrugged. “I stuck up for him and we became friends.”

“That’s good.” Dalen said with approval. “I don’t think I’d want to work daily with someone who wouldn’t stick up for another person.”

“You sound like a bloody Herald.” Quinn laughed and then looked horrified at his choice of language.

“The last thing on this planet I want to be is a Herald.” Dalen chuckled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Heralds, it’s just that it isn’t my choice of careers.”

“Well, I don’t think I’d want to be one either.” Quinn chuckled.

“What will you be?” Dalen asked.

“Oh, I’ll be doing this just like Gramma.” Quinn said with confidence. “I love it here, and I love keeping Windfire’s Vale in top condition, plus the place likes me. Every time I come here, I feel it welcoming me and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Gramma seems to agree with me. Not one of her boys has she ever mentioned turning things over to, but me, well she says I’ve got a shot.”

“Wouldn’t your father and uncles be upset by that?” Dalen asked with real curiosity.

“You don’t get it yet.” Quinn said with a smile. “No one crosses Gramma. What she says goes, and that’s the way it is and always will be. If she says it’s me, or that it’s some stranger she picks up out of the gutter, we’ll go along with it because she knows what’s for the best.”

“I see.” Dalen said as he leaned back in his chair at the rich oak dining table. It said a lot, and he remembered the note that Horn had left him. Maybe the stay here would be far different than he had expected after all, and that was a little bit exciting.

Just a little bit.