Adamagika: The Spirit Within - 13. Ch 13: Secrets

CHAPTER 13: Secrets

I came to realize that there were two things I really hated in this world.

The first thing I hated was hating anyone. Despite the fact that Marcus has been making my life miserable for years, it has never reached that point where I hated him. I was angry at times sure, but mostly I was afraid of what malicious thing he’d do next. But after that fight in the garden involving him and Jacob, I’ve come to hate both boys with a passion.

And I absolutely hated hating them.

Sure they got me kicked out of school and ruined my magical education which was the only thing I really had in the city.

Sure they got Magister Aenhol disappointed in me, whom by the way did not waste any time expressing just how upset he was. He was waiting for me in my room when I got back from the garden. How did he even know that fast?

And sure I’ll probably starve now that I was banned from the dining halls (ok, in the back of my head I was certain that Magister Aenhol wouldn’t let me starve but still…).

I had all these perfectly legitimate reasons to hate them and I did.

And it made me absolutely miserable. I hardly slept that night. The days after weren’t any easier also. I either could not sleep when I wanted to or I woke up before any decent hour. I was not in my nature to hate anyone and it was obviously affecting my mind and body. I’ve never hated anyone before and when I finally did, I realized that it was an awful feeling. I knew I had to forgive the two soon if not for their good, then for my own peace of mind.

The second thing I’ve come to hate was not being able to talk to Jacob. I realized that I desperately missed talking to him. Since that day over a week ago, Jacob has not spoken to me. Well, I haven’t spoken to him either but that was not really the point.

The point was we’ve been avoiding each other or at the very least Jacob has been avoiding me. He no longer spent time in our room. He only ever came in to sleep and change clothes for the next day. I don’t even know where he went off to. It certainly could not be to class since we were both banned there. I couldn’t really talk about the whole thing with anyone because the only one I really felt comfortable talking to was Jacob. In case it wasn’t clear yet, I wasn’t really on speaking terms with anyone else in the school. In fact, no one’s even bothered to ask me about the fight. It was as though after it, all interest on the matter had died. Sure I considered speaking to Phillip and Jorik but for some odd reason I felt ashamed to see Phillip right then and Jorik was… Jorik.

And so my contact with anyone has been quite minimal, even with Magister Aenhol. He has been providing me with money since I was expelled. I used to receive a small amount from him to keep for myself whenever he would ask me to perform a task for him like picking up items from the Trade District. After my expulsion though, I received a constant budget from him to spend for food (since I could no longer eat at the school’s dining hall). At first I felt guilty about it but then I realized that I would not have had enough spare cash to feed myself for too long without his help.

I asked him once if he gave Jacob the same amount and he said yes. I also asked him if he knew where Jacob has been going the past week. He said he didn’t and he advised me to patch up the rift I had with him before it left a permanent dent in our friendship. I appreciated that advice coming from him. I figured that it meant he cared for us both.

So tonight, I planned to ambush Jacob and force him to speak to me. I had several reasons to speak to him.

Other than the fact that I really did want to speak to Jacob again, another reason was that Magister Aenhol asked me to meet him along with Jacob tomorrow night by the castle gates.

The most urgent and important reason perhaps was that tomorrow was my birthday.

I did not want to spend my birthday angry at Jacob especially since it was also his birthday. Speaking to him almost constantly for two months made this sudden void of silence between us gnaw at me unbearably. Sometimes it made me wonder which would have been better: attending school without having Jacob or having Jacob without attending school.

I was seated on my bed planning what I was going to say in my mind when I heard a noise at our door. Jacob entered our room and contrary to my behavior of the past few days, I actually looked up to his face to examine him.

It was clear that Jacob has been troubled. His eyes were red and dry. The skins under them were patches of darkness which questioned if he ever actually slept while he was in our room. His hair was matted with a little dirt here and there. It also had a disheveled quality about it that suggested that he just got involved in a fight.

What caught my attention the most though was the look in his eyes. They were dead and empty.

“Jacob,” I said tentatively.

He looked at me briefly but almost as if he hadn’t heard me turned his eyes away and headed towards the bed. Before he could lie down, I reached out to him and grabbed his arm.

He stood there, frozen, his eyes cast down on the bed.

“Jacob, we need to talk,” I said.

He made no acknowledgement that he heard me. He simply stood there as though waiting for me to let go so he can lie down.

“Sit with me,” I said. I knew he understood what I meant. For added measure I added, “please.” I let go of his arm and hoped he would sit by the window.

I watched him nervously as he remained unmoving. Not an inch of his body showed any sign of having comprehended what I said. After what seemed like an eternity, his head turned towards the window and he looked blankly at the two chairs there facing out into the dark night. He walked towards it and took his usual seat, head bent down.

I sat down beside him but instead of experiencing the usual candor we had with each other when we sat by the window, the air felt stiff and awkward. I figured that this was a good first step though to fixing our friendship.

I raised my hand as though to reach out to him but kept it inches from his skin; hesitant, uncertain, afraid. I wanted nothing more than to hug him in that moment. No words could express how sorry I was, how stupid I’ve been.

In the silence, a tear made its way down my face and a sniff escaped me.

Jacob looked over and our eyes met, one tear stained, the other blank and empty. His eyes twitched as though seeing things for the first time and the pale blue flooded with emotion.

In that moment, we knew and understood. We threw our arms around each other as tears began to fall in earnest.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” He said in a cracking soft voice in between racking sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

I held unto him tightly, unwilling to let go. I knew that everything that truly mattered to me was in that moment enveloped in my arms and I’ll be damned if anything ever took that away again.

When we finally managed to pry ourselves apart, Jacob’s face was stained with tears and his eyes were bloodshot. His lips though were curled in a smile. It was amusingly depressing.

“Adam, I’m so sorry,” he began.

“Shhh,” I said as I rubbed my open palms against his cheeks to wipe away the tears, “I know”.

Unknowingly, my eyes lingered over his lips. They were moist with snot encouraged by tears. I had a strange desire to feel them with my fingers and perhaps something more. As my thumb made its way slowly down his cheek to its destination, Jacob tried to stifle a yawn but failed miserably.

“I’m sorry,” he said shyly. “I haven’t been sleeping very well.”

“Me neither,” I said as my own exhaustion seemed to catch up on me. I let my hands fall from his cheeks and for the briefest moment Jacob seemed hurt, missing the contact. I offered him a smile.

“We should go to bed,” I offered.

Jacob nodded and we both stood up to undress and wipe away whatever grime on our skins we could with our used clothes. Once we were both stripped down to our boxers, we each headed for our respective beds. The lights as if sensing our impending sleep dimmed on their own to a very dull dot in the darkness of our rooms.

We looked at each other briefly and smiled before finally taking our place in our respective beds. Even with so few words, I knew we were okay.

I leaned back onto my bed, my head resting on both hands. I stared up into the ceiling for a moment then closed my eyes willing myself to go to sleep.

Less than a minute passed before I felt an arm slide across my stomach and a leg wrap itself snugly between mine. A head rested on my bare chest. It inhaled deeply.

Without opening my eyes, I smiled and wrapped one arm around the warm body cuddled to me and finally fell into a deep, wonderful sleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was well past noon by the time I woke up. Jacob was still cuddled against me as he was the night before with the addition of a pool of drool that managed to build itself on my bare chest. Normally, I would have found this repulsive but right then it seemed oddly cute.

I knew I couldn’t get out of my bed without waking Jacob so I gently shook him. He grunted concomitantly to my shake so I nudged him a little harder. His head popped up to look at me, his eyes a dazed blur of confusion and annoyance, his mouth lolling open.

“Time to get up, sleepyhead,” I said with a malicious grin.

“Uhh,” he said before promptly dropping his head on my chest again. “Gimme sixty minutes.”

“Oh no you don’t,” I said. “Today’s our birthday and we aren’t spending it in bed.”

Jacob’s head promptly shot up knocking solidly against my chin. After profuse apologies, we finally managed to extricate ourselves from the bed and stand up.

“Is it really our birthday?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah, it is,” I said surprised that Jacob didn’t even notice. “Where have you been?”

“I guess I’ve just had so much going on in my head that I completely forgot,” Jacob said softly. I felt sympathy for him in that moment. If he had been so bothered that he forgot his own birthday, then the entire ordeal must have been harder on him than I thought. I went over to him to wrap him in my arms but before I could, he ran towards the dresser unaware of my intentions.

He promptly opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a small grubby looking brown package. He stood up uncertainly and walked over to me. He raised the package towards me and said “Happy Birthday!”

I was surprised to say the least. I was thinking of getting Jacob a gift too but in light of what happened in the last few days, all thoughts of gift giving were promptly thrust out of my mind.

Now, I felt even more awful.

“I didn’t get you anything,” I said somberly.

“It’s ok,” Jacob said cheerfully. “I understand given, you know, what happened.” He offered me a smile before shaking the package in his hand. “Come on, open it.”

I took the package and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a red pouch tied with gold strings that tied it shut. Something hard was inside.

“Open it,” Jacob said again with a smile.

I untied the string and turned the pouch upside down on my hand. An amulet fell out.

It was beautiful. The centerpiece was held by a tough looking leather string connected to it through a brass ring. It was round and had a more or less three inch diameter. It looked like it was carved from blue and white stone. The front had a border slightly raised which curved into the center of the piece like a finely carved out crater. In the middle, there was something that looked like a crowned wasp with wings stretched out and whose tail was curled in towards its body.

Five symbols were etched around the wasp. I didn’t recognize any of them but they reminded me of the natural elements earth, wind, water, and fire. The fifth one though looked like an oddly shaped “A”. The rest of the space around the symbols was occupied by geometric carvings and some swirls. The carvings were so shallow that I needed to turn the amulet in my hand so that light would hit it at a steep angle and the shadows formed the unmistakable shapes on the amulet. They reminded me of ancient patterns found in temples before magic came into the world.

On the back, words were etched:

For Adam,

Always yours.

- Jacob

“I had it made just for you,” said Jacob softly. “They also enchanted it with strong protective magic and a few drops of my blood. The crafter said that as long as I am alive, my blood will protect that amulet from most harm like bludgeoning, cutting, or even natural wearing out.”

“Jacob, I don’t know what to say. This… This is the most amazing thing anyone’s ever given me.”

“Just say you forgive me and I’ll be happy,” he said softly.

“Jacob, you know you already had that last night,” I said tenderly.

“I know,” he said as he studied the floor. “I just would like to hear you say it out loud.”

I walked closer to him lifted his chin with my fingers, forcing our eyes to meet. In those pale blue eyes I could see uncertainty, pain, and something that looked unmistakably like a deep desire.

“You’re forgiven,” I said.

Jacob smiled as his eyes seemed to go moist. I intervened before it went further.

“Now,” I said loudly. “We have lots to do today. Seeing as how it’s our birthday, I think we should head out and get something special to eat. Later tonight, Magister Aenhol wants to meet us by the gates. I’m sure he has something planned for us as well. What do you think?”

“You know,” Jacob said, “right now, I’m willing to go anywhere and do anything with you. Just say it and your wish is my command.” He gave me a wide smile.

“Don’t be silly, Jacob,” I said as I playfully punched him in the shoulders, “it’s your birthday too.”

“Yeah, I know,” he complained as he pretended to nurse his bruised arm, “but really, I have no idea what we should do. I haven’t celebrated my birthday since…” he trailed off and seemed to look into the distance.

“Hey,” I said while gently nudging him, “you’re with me now. You now have permission to celebrate your birthdays again.”

“Yes, master,” he laughed. “I just hope it won’t be our last birthday celebration together.”

Somehow I did not find that comment as amusing as he did.

“Why don’t we start changing into something nice so we can get going?”

“Sure.”

We took sets of clothes and toiletries and headed for the shower room. Over the last two months, Jacob and I have been taking showers at the same time. The awkwardness I used to feel before waned down over time until it became just a casual activity we shared.

Today, though, was different.

For some reason, I felt like I had to watch him. Although high walls divided each shower space, only curtains serves as doors that gave the last bit of privacy for the ones using them. Something I noticed early on was that Jacob never fully closed his shower curtain. For whatever reason, he would leave maybe half a foot exposed which for anyone passing by was enough to get a full view of the shower’s occupant.

I had a strange desire to see him. I peeked through my curtains. My shower was a few spaces across his. I watched as the steaming water dripped down his taut back all the way to his exposed legs. I watched Jacob with my mouth agape as though seeing him clearly for the first time. He was beautiful. I felt a stirring in myself – an unmistakable hardening.

When the water suddenly stopped pouring in his shower, I panicked and immediately slid my curtains close.

“Woah,” he said as he passed my spot, “did I actually finish my shower before you?” he laughed.

“Yeah,” I said hoarsely, “birthday shower. I have to make myself extra clean.” I laughed or at least made a very feeble attempt at it.

My shower curtain suddenly slid open by its own accord. Jacob was staring at my exposed body and undoubtedly shocked face.

“Want me to help you?” he said softly. I stared into his eyes and saw only one emotion – desire.

“Uhh, uhm, uhh,” I stammered helpfully.

He moved into the shower getting his recently dried chest wet again. He stood against my body and I felt the unmistakable sensation of hardness meeting hardness. He placed his lips close enough to my ears to kiss and breathed softly into it. I shivered despite the warmth of the water.

“I really like you, Adam,” he said in a soft voice that made my imagination go wild. He bit my ear and my legs threatened to give way. I leaned into him closer and our hardness seemed to quake with the added contact.

“Ehem,” came the unmistakable clearing of someone’s throat somewhere down the corridor. “Adam, may I speak to you for a moment please?” It was Magister Aenhol.

I pulled away from Jacob but held him in my arms. He was biting down on his lower lip attempting to stifle his laughter. He was too cute for his own good.

“I’ll be right out, sir,” I yelled. “I just need to get dressed.”

I turned to Jacob and in a much softer voice said, “we need to get dressed.”

“Yeah, we do,” he said though he made no move to do so.

“We need to go now,” I laughed. “Magister Aenhol’s waiting for us.”

Jacob took my face in one hand and turned it to face him. “I just need ten seconds.” He leaned his head sideward and parted his lips. He was going to kiss me.

“Adam, are you done yet?” came Magister Aenhol’s voice again.

Jacob released an exasperated sigh. “We should go,” he said and then turned around leaving me by myself in the hot water.

I absolutely hated him.

And yet I was completely giddy at the same time. What did that mean? Jacob just said he liked me. Does that mean he liked me that way? And he was about to kiss me, wasn’t he? That was the only possible explanation for his behavior.

But then this little nagging thought grew in my head. What if whatever we were feeling was a result of whatever this connection was that we seem to share? The sense of closeness and familiarity I developed with him was already there even before I got to know him. Magic could easily be playing a role in how we were feeling for another.

Was it possible that these feelings weren’t real? Perhaps circumstances were only playing up our feelings. We had, after all, fought the last few days. This could certainly be an after effect of what had transpired between us.

I shoved the thought out of my head. Jacob was my friend and possibly someone that could be more than a friend. Today was our birthday and I wasn’t going to let anything ruin that.

I gained back a friend and I will be happy wherever it led.

We got dressed quickly without further action other than the occasional glance at each other. Every time we’d catch the other looking, we’d smile and laugh. I have not felt that good since forever.

When we got outside, Magister Aenhol was there with a knowing smile. He spared Jacob a glance before turning to me. “Adam, I have something for you to pick up.”

“Oh, what is it, sir?” I asked.

“It’s an item critical for the defense of our city,” he said casually. “I need you to pick up something from the Ice Queen’s Taverna. Are you familiar with the place?”

I smiled. “Yes sir, absolutely.”

“Good. Look for a man named Jorik and tell him I sent you to pick up the package. Make sure to be careful with it, Adam,” he said nonchalantly then added in a much more serious and grave tone, “it is vital that it does not fall into the wrong hands, Adam, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I said seriously, “may I ask though why you’re giving me this task if it was so important?”

“Well Adam,” he said quietly, “I trust you and right now we have to be very careful of who we trust.” He paused then added, “that is why I’m giving you this assignment.”

In the back of my head, I had a nagging feeling that he was trying to say something I didn’t like but I ignored it for the meantime.

“I won’t disappoint you, sir,” I said with conviction.

“Good. Keep it safe until I can get it from you tonight. I’m afraid I have some things I need to take care off until then and I will be unavailable.”

I gave him my assurance that the package will remain safe with me and with cordial farewells we went our separate ways.

“He’s up to something,” Jacob said as we headed out of the castle towards the Trade District. “I can feel it.”

“Nah, he’s always like that giving me important assignments to do.” My chest puffed out on its own.

“Whatever,” he said with a laugh as he swatted my puffed out chest away.

We chatted on the way to the Trade District. We picked up some sandwiches from a store that was not only far from the Taverna but at a completely different direction. Jacob whined all the way there but I said the sandwiches were worth it. The sandwiches were really good but in truth, the real reason was I wanted to have a chance to look around for a gift for Jacob.

I kept an eye out for anything that might be interesting for him. There were plenty of magical items up for sale across the different stores. At one point, we went into a potions shop (under the pretense that I was looking for ingredients for Magister Aenhol). The smirk Jacob had on his face told me he probably knew what I was up to but was nice enough not to mention anything.

I might have been a little obvious when I would occasionally ask him what he thought of this or that item we just passed by.

A persistent and boisterous lady behind the potions counter insisted we buy a few love potions guaranteed to get anyone smitten to the first person they see. I was tempted to buy it actually for reasons she might not have approved of. She also showed us a sleeping potion that she said would make the drinker more docile and obedient just before falling into a deep sleep. I sniffed at it and it smelled remarkably like chamomile leaves. My eyes started to feel heavy. Jacob shook me and hinted that he could think of a few things he’d like to do with that. I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to know what he meant.

When she started selling us potions that would “raise our vigor” in bed, I promptly pushed Jacob out before he caught on to what she was saying.

In retrospect, she might have approved of what I wanted to do with a few love potions.

We passed one store that sold live animals but I figured Jacob might not want one. Besides, we wouldn’t know where to keep it. Giving him clothes was not an option considering we had the dresser already (though of course, we couldn’t really pick what ended up in there). Food would be a waste also.

I contemplated getting him a dagger from one of the antiquities store as a replacement for the one Magister Aenhol took. But one look at the price tag of a very simple looking dagger and I knew that it was not an option.

By the time we finally got to the sandwich store, Jacob was on an all out mourning session for his poor feet. I knew he wasn’t being serious but I teased him anyway about that considering he should be used to walking great distances in the forest. In truth though, I wanted to whine about the distance too but kept my mouth shut. Jacob insisted that it was different in the forest. The air there was different and there was aura of freedom that made you want to run or walk. Here in the city, he said it felt stuffy.

I thought about that and realized that, to some extent, he was right. When I was in the forest, I didn’t tire as easily as I seemed to here in the city. This made me worry that Jacob was not enjoying life in the city. He must have sensed what I was thinking because he assured me that life here was just different from life in the village but he was still enjoying it here very much.

After a very brief but enjoyable lunch of sandwiches and orange juice, we bought some extra food which we intended to bring with us for our journey to the Seer. The whole trip would take about three days and without food being provided by the school, we had to procure our own. Afterwards, we headed towards the Ice Queen’s Taverna. I suggested that we take a different and even farther set of streets on the way there. Jacob, however, shot that idea down as he said that after all the time we spent going around, we would hardly have enough time to get the package Magister Aenhol needed and get back in time to meet him. He also added that I should look for his present while he wasn’t with me; that way it would really come from me.

I sheepishly agreed with him and decided to spend our time on the way to the Taverna admiring his gift instead. I’ve been wearing it over my shirt since we left the castle.

“How’d you come up with this pattern?” I asked referring to the intricate designs on the amulet he gave. “You said you had it crafted for me. What does it mean?”

Jacob looked over at me with a somewhat confused look and asked “What do you mean?”

“Well where’d you come up with the wasp and the symbols? Did you pick them out of a catalog or something?”

Jacob continued to look at me in a strange manner. “It’s the same as the amulet your mother wore.”

I looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Your mom,” Jacob said as he continued to look at me then understanding seemed to dawn on him, “you mean you don’t know?”

“What do you mean?” I asked now completely confused.

“Your mom,” he insisted. When I continued to just stare at him he continued. “Didn’t Magister Aenhol explain it to you?”

“Magister Aenhol? Explain what?” I said starting to get annoyed by the ambiguity of what Jacob was saying.

“When you were a baby, your mom gave you to that family in the village.” He looked at me as though to check if what he said registered anything with me. When I said nothing, he continued. “I saw it that day in the forest, you know when we had visions of each other’s lives.”

“What exactly did you see?” I asked him suddenly curious at what he saw.

“Well, it was dark but there was this man who met your mom. I only knew she was your mom because she said you were her son. Also, if the way she dressed was any indication, I would say she was a mage. I don’t know who the man was because I didn’t see him in any of the other visions.”

“What did she look like?” I asked. I called to mind the image of my village mother and the first that came to mind was that day she wanted me dead.

“Well, she had dark brown hair. It was long and wavy. She had a very pretty face, smooth with sharp features. She also had these brown eyes much like you.” Jacob said this last part wistfully and looked into my eyes. I stared into his and felt a very unusual feeling. It was like a deep longing.

The woman he described to me did not fit the description of my egg-laying mother back in the village.

“Anyway,” he continued as he looked away, “she gave you to this man who looked like he lived from the village. He didn’t dress in robes like most mages do. She asked him to keep you safe and to treat you like his own son. She said she would return for you when the time was right. She was talking about some prophecies that made it exceptionally dangerous for you to be exposed until the time came for you to understand.”

I pondered what this meant for me and a thought occurred. “Treat me like a son? Do you mean you saw my father?”

“Well, maybe,” Jacob said. “I told you, I didn’t see him again in any of the other visions.”

I wondered what this all meant and tried to remember my father. All I knew of him was he died when I was really young at the hands of mages. I had this vague memory of a man that I always thought of as my father but I could hardly remember any of his features. I didn’t even know when or how exactly he died. We didn’t have any pictures of him around our old house. My mom, or at least the person I thought was my mom, would get angry whenever I would ask about my father. At a young age, I learned early not to ask.

“So, I was adopted,” I said softly as we were getting closer to the Taverna. “I don’t remember my father, well I mean the father I had back in the village anyway. They just said he died to mages when I was really young.”

“I’m sorry,” Jacob whispered. “Do you think that’s what happened?”

“I used to,” I said tentatively, “but now I’m not sure. I mean if my mom was a mage, would it make any sense for them to kill my dad when they knew he was friendly to them.”

“Maybe the others in the village found out what he did,” Jacob suggested.

“Hmm, I suppose that’s possible. That would have been considered like treason. But if they did, then how come they killed him and they didn’t kill me?”

We were silent for awhile as we thought this over. Jacob was the first to break the silence. “Adam, you don’t suppose he could still be alive, do you?”

I thought about that as a possibility. If what Jacob saw was true then not only did it mean that my real mother was somewhere out there but my adoptive father could be alive and they just told me he was dead. I didn’t know him, really. But if he was someone my mother trusted enough to care for me then he must have been a good man. Another thought occurred to me at this.

“I suppose he could still be out there,” I said, “but now I’m even more curious about my real parents. I mean my real mom and dad. They must be out there right?”

“I guess so,” Jacob said. “I think anything is possible nowadays after everything I’ve seen here.”

We continued our walk towards the Taverna which surprisingly was already within our line of sight.

“Hey, Jacob. You said something about Magister Aenhol explaining something to me. What did you mean by that?”

“Oh!” Jacob exclaimed as though he suddenly remembered something. “Yeah. He was there.”

At this I stopped walking and made Jacob stop also by reaching out to his arm. “What do you mean?”

“He was there the night your mom gave you to that man. He was accompanying her.”

A multitude of questions came rolling into my mind and it seemed as though the world was spinning. Suddenly nothing was making sense.

“Hey,” Jacob said softly. I could feel his hand on my palm. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” I said but I felt winded and exhausted. Then just as quickly, I became angry. “He never told me!” I said it rather loudly that some people in the street began looking at us.

“Maybe he had a reason not to,” Jacob suggested softly, “you can ask him later if you want.”

Yes, that’s exactly what I was planning to do. I was going to ask him then give him a piece of my mind for not telling me anything. If he was there, then he would have known what happened. He could have told me all this time. He could have even told me about my real mom and where I could find her. Then a disturbing thought came to my mind. What if she was dead? What if my adoptive father was also dead? And Magister Aenhol simply thought that it was best not to tell me. I suddenly felt sick and queasy.

Jacob grabbed my two arms as though to keep me from falling. “Hey, you’re not looking so good,” he said with a voice filled with worry.

“I’m fine,” I said, though I still felt like I would soon be seeing my sandwich again. “You’re right. I’m going to ask him later. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for all this.”

Jacob looked at me as though he did not believe I was fine at all. I started walking again towards the Taverna to put him at ease.

Jacob walked up to me and was looking at me as though I was going to collapse at any moment. I didn’t say anything and just kept walking. After awhile he spoke up.

“What do you think we’re picking up?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied as I welcomed the change in topic. “He said it’s for the defense of the city so it must be important.”

“It’s a bit odd, don’t you think? I mean, sending something so important to the Taverna?”

I shrugged. “I think Jorik and Magister Aenhol are old friends.”

“Really?” Jacob asked with some surprise. Whether it was genuine or staged, I didn’t know. “They don’t seem like the type to mingle.”

I shrugged again as we finally reached the Taverna’s door. “I don’t know really. I guess we shouldn’t judge people too quickly, eh?”

I saw Jacob nod just before we entered the building. It looked just as packed as it usually was with middle aged men and women sprawled across many small tables.

“Hey Jorik,” I said to the bartender behind the bar.

“Eh you again,” said Jorik in what had become his usual greeting to us. He was cleaning a dirty mug with a rag. I would later find out upon closer inspection that it was in fact a clean mug being rubbed with a dirty rag.

“Hey Jorik,” Jacob piped up. He seemed to have grown some fondness for the older bartender probably because of his village-like demeanor. I never mentioned this to Jacob of course.

“What brings ya boys here today?” Jorik said as a response.

“Magister Aenhol sent us to pick up a package.”

“Aah, delivery boys, eh?” he turned his head towards the back room and yelled “Phillip!”

Phillip came out from the back looking grimy and gorgeous as always (well, not the grimy part). He had a smile on his face that would have won the Most Dazzling Smile in Arantiva prize if such a prize existed. I was sorely tempted to start one as a tribute to him.

“Yes, Joe?” he asked.

“Bah! How many times do I have to tell ya not to call me that?”

“Aww you know you like it, you big ole softy” Phillip responded mischievously.

Jorik just grunted his response which I’ve come to interpret as neither an affirmation nor denial of whatever was said. “Just get the package that arrived yesterday, will ya?”

“Sure,” Phillip said, “hey Adam, hey Jacob.”

“Hey,” I said somewhat softly before repeating it in a stronger more manly way. “Hey!”

Jacob ignored him.

“I’ll be right back,” he said before disappearing in the back room again.

Jacob and I sat down at the bar. I looked around while waiting. “Where’s the Ice Queen?”

“Meh,” Jorik said, “beats me, she’s probably off charming some poor old sap that fell for her charms.”

We all laughed at that knowing that was clearly not possible.

Phillip returned soon carrying a fairly large box. He seemed to be having some difficulty carrying it.

“Here you go,” Phillip said as he dropped the box on the bar with a loud thud.

“Watchit!” Jorik said loudly. “You break it, you pay for it.”

Phillip rolled his eyes before turning to Adam. “By the way, Happy Birthday Adam.”

This surprised me and made me excited at the same time. “Thanks! How’d you know?”

He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Word gets around.” He then turned to Jacob. “I hear Adam’s not the only birthday boy today. Happy birthday too, Jacob!”

Jacob merely grunted.

Jorik cleared his throat and reminded us about giving the package only to Magister Aenhol. I assured him I would and then lifted the box. It was surprisingly very heavy and it made me even more curious what was inside. I had to use both hands to lift it and even so I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry it for too long.

We said our goodbyes and just as I was about to leave I could have sworn that Jorik was glaring daggers at Phillip who looked sheepish. I wondered about that but shrugged it off thinking it must have been about something I wasn’t involved in.