'I love magic.'
There were few things more enjoyable than a soak in a hot bath, with a bottle of chilled wine and a full stomach. Carps Run was large enough to have a private bathing room for its better-paying customers. They provided soaps, oils, and even had lilac petals floating in the large wooden tub. I pitied the peasant who had to bring bucket after bucket to fill it. But not enough to not request the water to be changed twice. A bottle of weak, slightly sweet wine sat on a table; underneath was a piece of parchment with a heat absorption circle.
Absorbing heat from a substance to use as energy was one of the most elementary forms of energy sources. However, what if removing heat was the point, and I didn't need the energy for anything? Simple, create an arcane circle with only a single load rune. The energy dissipated into nothing; with some reduction runes, I could chill the air inside the circle of influence, so water didn't freeze. Place the bottle inside the sphere of influence, and we have a chilled bottle of wine.
A wonderful accompaniment to my bath for nothing but a few minutes of effort. I made it an unfocused binding just because I wanted to relax as much as possible. Heating the water took a bit of work, but fortunately, my room in the inn had a hearth. A quick and dirty heat conversion circle and another circle carved into a piece of wood that heated the surrounding water, and just like that, my bath was almost uncomfortably hot.
Combining that with near ice-cold wine resulted in me not leaving the bath for an hour.
'A book! A book would have made this perfect.'
Every time I walked out, the servants were beyond confused by the heat, but were smart enough not to bother me about it. I still played the stuffy noble role, and it kept the most bothersome people away.
The past week, however, wasn't just spent relaxing; I needed to travel quite a distance. Either by carriage, walking, or, as I was currently working on, riding.
It was a skill I lacked. I managed to find a horse master in the town willing to teach me. After the bottle was finished, I sighed and stood, slightly shaky.
I was still a bit gaunt, but a week of stuffing myself with as much meat as possible was helping. Combing and drying my hair would be a pain, but I had enough practice with Surian to know how to take care of it. While I didn't care much for the feminine trappings of current fashions, I was proud of my raven hair. Elis's free-flowing style, I admired, so I copied shamelessly.
I was dressed in a dark green shirt, black bodice, and dark grey pants with Elsi's boots, and, of course, my white gloves. They were always within grabbing distance from me, and I never removed the stone from the leather strap around my neck. Though I kept my silver earrings, everything else was melted down and sold. Now I had almost 220 silver stashed away in a thick leather bag across the room. My only items of value were my new quill with Emyr's feather. Dagger at my waist, Elis's pocketknife, the ancient-looking gold coin, and, of course, my stone.
I left the bath fully dressed, ignoring the bowing peasants as I entered my room. A reasonably large space with a feather bed and a large writing desk. I wasn't stupid enough to leave any of my belongings out of my sight.
The town didn't have a proper name; most just said border down or river crossing, with equal frequency. It was rather large, perhaps 500 buildings in total, with a minor noble acting as the mayor. I couldn't care less about them; my goal was the horsemaster, to continue practicing my riding.
~
"That's it, just a flick of the reins and a kick, no need to force 'im, he'll know what to do. Just guide 'im. Roll your hips with the movement, don't tense up." Henry said.
I was riding a large gelded grey stallion around a simple track. While its incredible musculature made it intimidating at first, it had an easy-going nature and took to my commands easily. He cost me a full twenty silver. Well over a 5-year's wages for a normal laborer. From everyone I spoke to, Henry knew his horse flesh and was an excellent teacher. In less than a week, I could ride. Though I was still hesitant to push the horse to a full gallop.
It was rather amusing how much I could spend on a whim. At one point in my life, a silver eagle would have meant the world to me. Now, even gold meant little.
After a quarter hour of riding, I returned to the large bear of a man, who smiled widely.
"You've taken to him well," he said as I hopped off the dappled grey stallion. I patted his flank appreciatively.
"I've no eye for horse flesh, but even I can see he's quite exceptional."
From out of a satchel slung over my shoulders, I pulled out a couple pieces of sliced carrots, holding them out to him. His hairy lips brushed against my leather gloves as he ate.
"I pride myself in my work. Will you be housin' 'im 'ere or you pannin on leave' now?"
I brushed my hands along his strong flank, "In the morrow."
Henry nodded, "He'll be ready for you."
~
Leaving the town was much simpler than entering. Cloud, as I had named my new mount, walked along the road at a steady pace. We had long since left the main highways, opting for a faster route east, then north to Harlock. The roads were less crowded this way, so I had the chance to put Cloud through his paces.
The dirt road stretched into the distance, with no significant bumps or changes in direction. I steadied myself in the saddle and gripped the reins firmly, then spurred Cloud into a trot, rolling with the motion of his movement instead of fighting against it.
Cloud shook his head left to right, blowing air out of his nostrils, as if I were holding him back.
'Oh, you want some speed, do you?'
"Up, up, up," I yelled, spurring him on. I increased the pressure on my feet and shifted my weight forward. Cloud, being trained to respond to the movements and sound cues, went from a slow trot to a canter, then a full gallop.
My hair whipped about as our speed increased. The wind rushed by my ears, drowning out the sounds of the forest. I started laughing. We flew down the road at incredible speed; trees were but a blur, and nothing in the world mattered. I was free.
Cloud's breathing became heavy, a sign he was being pushed too hard. I shifted my weight backward, "Ho, ho, ho." I yelled, with only a slight pull on the reins.
Slowly, Cloud decreased his speed until he was only walking. My heart was racing even though he was the one doing all the work. I didn't think horse riding was something I would love. But the speed and freedom I felt were intoxicating. All I wanted to do was push the horse faster, to run forever.
As my heart rate slowed down, Cloud settled into a leisurely walk. I stared up at the sky, smiling. He knew to follow the road so I could easily get a drink of water or check my map. I tried to read a book I got from the border town, but that only caused headaches. Even though I couldn't enjoy the book, I was content.
Without the power I held, I would never have braved the journey alone, but now, I could do anything.
~
After hours of travel, the sun started to set. I had already veered off the main road and set up camp a few minutes walk into the forest. I found a small clearing of trees, tied Cloud to one, and got to work.
I spent half an hour gathering wood before the sun set. Piling it up in the center of the clearing on the dirt ground. I held one piece of wood in my left hand and pointed my right palm at the pile.
After activating my animus and binding the source from my left to the load on my right, flame erupted from my hand, instantly setting the pile of wood on fire. The wooden branch in my hand turned into ash in seconds.
After that, I got a long stick and drew a circle around the flaming pile of wood, creating a heat absorption arcane circle around the fire. Then I drew another circle in the dirt around my bedroll, which would heat the air. The unfocused binding didn't need to be strong. After finishing, I sat on the bedroll, feeling the air around me slowly heating. I modified the unfocused binding for several minutes, trying to find the right temperature. When it was exactly right, I released my animus, smiling as the air was just the right amount of toasty.
'It was worth it in the end. Let the nobles and peasants twirl in the wind with their meaningless lives. This is true freedom. I can go anywhere, be anything. I am free.'
~
My journey continued for another week, occasionally passing through towns and villages to stock up on food. I stayed clear of Vinlan's capital, heading northeast in hopes of reaching Harlock in the next week. Cloud was an excellent mount, even after a week of travel; I had no complaints. There was even one night when I improperly tied him to a tree; he didn't even wander off far, grazing not ten feet from where I hitched him.
I was brought out of my musing by a small village. It wasn't on the map; poor and desolate was my first thought when I rode into the main square. It didn't have a wall, and at best, there were 20 buildings. The people who walked the streets gaped as I entered, as if they had never seen a lone woman on a horse before. They didn't have proper guards, just pathetic-looking men carrying wooden cudgels. I sighed and searched for a merchant. I had enough food for at least another week, but it wouldn't hurt to have more.
I sat atop the dappled grey stallion in the middle of the village. Gazing at the people dressed in homespun and canvas, I couldn't help but feel disgusted.
Finally, someone dared to approach me, an old woman of all things. She hobbled towards my horse using a cane as support. I hopped off Cloud, holding on to the reins.
"Ahh, Milady. Lookin' for food or lodgin’," she asked.
"Just some food for my horse would be sufficient." I didn't dare eat anything from these people.
"Some barley, oats, carrots, or fresh fruit would be acceptable." Cloud could graze when we stopped, but supplemental food helped him keep his energy up, at least according to Henry.
"Ah, I got barley, but it's rare in these parts and....."
"Ask your price," I commanded, cutting her off.
"10 bits for a sack." She said, trying to smile, revealing a mouth full of crooked teeth. It would have been best if she had never opened her mouth. The rest of the villagers gave me a wide berth.
"Can you wait here?" she asked.
I pointed north, "I'll be at the north exit, I'll wait a quarter hour no longer."
I observed the villagers as I waited for my sack of barley. 'These people are so odd. Everyone looks suspicious of me. No, not just suspicious. Pity. Greed. Anger. Oh, a bit of jealousy on that one.'
~
Growing, annoyed about how long the woman was taking. I mounted my horse and prepared to leave. Just as I reached the edge of town, the woman came shambling over.
"Sorry, it took so long, milady." She said, handing me a canvas sack.
'She took nearly half an hour.'
I opened it and checked the contents. No mold, sawdust, or grass clippings, just proper barley. I tossed her ten bits and brought the sack over to Cloud. He dove into the bag like a horse possessed. I let him eat half of it before I stored the rest in his saddlebags and prepared to leave.
The woman came over to me, standing uncomfortably close, "Maybe you should be careful on the road. You never know what you might run into?"
'That's a warning if I've ever heard one.'
She bowed, turned, and left before I could ask questions. Moving faster than someone with a cane should be able to.
But I wasn’t willing to turn back; it would extend my journey to another week. I kicked Cloud into a canter, leaving the village.
I took the journey at an easy pace. The forests were in the fall season, and the leaves were quickly turning yellow and orange. I had to wonder what the woman was warning me about: bandits, thieves? Highwaymen? Wolves? Perhaps it was just like the stories, and there was a group of women who needed to be rescued from their cruel treatment. The villagers would humble themselves at my feet and throw a feast in my honor for their rescue.
Perhaps it was wolves or bears, beasts stalking roads to make a meal of a traveler. What if it were like David the Dimwitted, who stumbled upon a den of hungry harpies who mistook him for a chick due to his feather coat? My mind whirled with excitement, the anticipation growing as Cloud walked along the dirt road.
~
It was bandits.
My disappointment was infinite.
Not an hour after leaving the village, eight men, and I, use 'men' loosely, stepped out of a stand of trees blocking my path. Three were in cheap canvas, two were in old, cracked leather, and the rest wore a mixture of plate and leather. Half of them carried swords, two had axes, and the rest had wooden clubs.
The largest man in the plate stepped forward, swaggering as he walked towards me. I tried to hide my amusement. The sword on his hip, though, looked rather nice. The rest of the men followed a few feet behind him.
I remained silent, waiting for him to speak.
"Well, well, well, what 'ave we 'ere, boys? A little girl wanderin' the forest." He said. Some chuckled as he spoke.
Now wanting to scare Cloud into throwing me off, I dismounted.
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" I asked, fixing my hair and giving him my best smile.
He licked his lips. "I got some idea, but first, how about you step away from the horse?" He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
'Poor fool.'
"Before we get to negotiations. The town knows about you all, don't they?" I inquired.
A couple of the men laughed, "Aye, they do. They know not to talk less we...." He smiled viciously, "Pay them a visit."
'Now their actions made sense. They were delaying me for someone to send these morons a message.'
"I'm a decent man. We come to an agreement, and things don't get too messy. We ain't never had a northern woman. But I hear they’re feisty in bed."
It was rather amusing watching the drama play out.
"I call next after the boss," one said.
"Not on yuh life. Ain't goin' last like the last time."
I rolled my eyes. Pressed my left hand against my chest and started muttering.
Not all shared the enthusiasm; some looked ashamed. Not that it mattered to me either way. They were dead before I knew their intentions.
"Praying ain't gone help girl..." The man said.
I raised my hand and shouted the final rune. The binding solidified, and power flowed through the arcane circuit for the dragon's breath.
"Die," I said with a smile on my face.
A thirty-foot stream of fire blasted out of the palm of my hand, completely consuming the man. I swept the flame across all eight of them. Their screams of fear quickly turned into agonized cries that drowned out my own laughter.
My flames weren’t normal; they burned hotter than any campfire. Hot enough to char flesh in a fraction of a second.
The flames licked at their skin, burning away cloth and turning their flesh into a cracked, blackened ruin. I cut off the flames after six seconds. Everyone was curled on the ground, writhing and screaming in agony or dead. The metal armor glowed slightly red from the intense heat.
I sighed, took out my dagger, and went to work. It was quite the effort to kill the struggling fools, but I managed it. Their cries and begging didn't stir my heart in the least. In fact, they were dead when they walked out of the forest. I just needed them all within my range.
Next was searching their pockets and, finally, taking the leader's sword. The hilt was a bit scorched, but the damage was superficial. It looked like a standard arming sword. The blade was decent quality, well-polished, and after using it on the last man, rather sharp.
Next to me, someone stepped on a branch. I held my hand out, ready to kill whoever was there. "Step out now, or I'll burn everything in your general direction. You included."
A young boy, perhaps 13? 14? Stepped out. He looked beyond terrified. Unable to take his eyes off the 8 charred corpses.
"One question? Did these men have a camp?" I asked. My nonchalant tone shocked him out of his dumb silence.
"Y-Y-Yes. N-N-Not far. Sorry, we didn't know you was a magus," He forced out, unable to look me in the eyes.
"Forgiven. Now lead me there, and you get to live." I lied, then pointed at the corpses, "Move these bodies off the road."
Looking back towards the village, not an hour away by horse, I considered burning it all down. Then I ended the idea, it would take too much time. Gathering everyone up, making sure there were no witnesses, was too much work for too little reward, regardless of how fun it would be to burn them all.
The boy started crying as he kneeled over a charred corpse.
'I suppose they did look the same, brown hair and square jaw.'
"Boy, I don't have all day, hurry up," I ordered.