Enlightenment

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Sara gathered the materials she needed for the spell, including a spoonful of brown mud from plant container. She measured carefully and placed a pinch on Prin’s head, then repeated the process with her own head. She read from the notebook, slowly and carefully, making sure to say each word correctly.

Prin waited, and nothing happened. She looked at Sara questioning her silently.

Sara said, “Almost funny, but not. Our first spell together and I just realized we won’t know if it worked until our hair grows out.”

Prin ran her hand over her bald head. “I feel the problem. If it worked, I didn’t feel anything like a spell. Those words you said, rhymed.”

“They usually do. It makes it easier to remember the enchantment.”

“Can I do one?” Prin asked. “I’m still not convinced of any of this.”

“Let’s find a small spell you can do.”

Sara thumbed through the notebook and paused. “Evelyn put a no-see-me spell on you?”

“Well, sort of. What she did was give us a powder, and when I didn’t want people to look at me, I sprinkled it over my head. It wore off before the end of the day.”

“That makes sense. I think I found the same or a similar spell. We just need to gather a few more things, all common enough.”

“I like that. The spell lets people look past me, but what if we used less of it? Would it mean people would ignore us? Or maybe just not pay attention to us?”

“Why would you want that?”

“Well, if we went shopping and I wore the no-see-me spell, I couldn’t buy anything because the vendors couldn’t see me.” Prin shrugged as if that explanation told all.

Before Sara could respond, the door crashed open, and Brice entered, out of breath and scared. “I heard a man yelling and making threats at the rental place where the woman that rented this to us works, so I moved closer and listened.”

His speech was broken by gasps for air. Sara motioned for Prin to wait before asking questions. He managed to draw a deeper breath. “Mrs. Lamont. A man wearing a green shirt was asking her about renting rooms to anyone with a girl.”

Sara and Prin exchanged panicked looks.

“Mrs. Lamont said she hadn’t. He punched her and called her a liar.”

Prin darted to her sleeping room, and since she had only unpacked a few things, she threw the rest inside her bag and stuffed her hat on her head. As she raced into the main room again, she saw Sara was busy packing, Brice had gathered his things and wore his peaked hat, and the white and gray ship’s cat from the boat stood near the doorway as if waiting to leave.

Cat? She looked again. It was the ship’s cat, but she hadn’t brought it, Brice didn’t know about it. Sara had rarely seen it since she worked in the galley and the cat stayed in the cargo holds to hunt vermin. Why is it here?

She went to it, but the cat backed away, maintaining the same distance. Sara charged out, carrying her bag and heading right for the door. She called over her shoulder, “Come on, they can’t be far behind.”

Prin and Brice raced after, their feet pounding on the stairs, although Prin had a fleeting thought that they didn’t know where they were going, then she corrected that. They were going away. That was enough for the moment. Where didn’t matter.

Once on the street, Sara naturally turned away from the office where Mrs. Lamont rented her rooms. Prin followed and made a mental promise to send a nice little silver coin to Mrs. Lamont. Their relationship, or the one between her and Sara, hadn’t gotten off to a good start, and it would have been easy for her to tell the questioner where they were. To avoid attracting attention, they walked instead of ran. Sara turned right at the second cross street, which would take her in the direction of the market, but to one side.

Prin asked, “What now?”

Sara snorted in disgust. “How do I know? They must be watching everyone that rents rooms in the entire city. The seaman’s lodging will be watched, too. We need a hole to dive into.”

They came to an intersection where they could see the harbor and the city spreading to the west. Prin said, “The Bos’n said there are farms that way. There were people selling apples and pears in the market, and they get ripe at the same time.”

The three turned west, as Sara said, “Your mind is wandering.”

“Maybe. But farmers need pickers for their crops. They hire a lot of people for the harvest, and at home, they provide small places to live while they work.”

Brice said, now that he had caught his breath again, “That’s the same as where I live. Are we going to hire ourselves out to pick apples?”

Prin said, “I’ll bet a lot of sailors do it to earn some extra money.”

“What’s that?” Sara said, pulling to a stop.

Prin glanced behind, where Sara was looking. “That’s our ship’s cat.”

“I know that. What’s it doing here?”

“Following us?” Prin asked.

“Has it been here all along?” Sara asked, in return.

“It showed up with Brice when he told us about the man yelling at Mrs. Lamont.”

Sara sighed, “Never mind that, now. We have more problems. Maybe we can get a carriage to take us to the farmland.”

“Carriage drivers tell tales, especially for silver,” Brice said.

Prin agreed. “It’s not that far. Besides, we need to talk and plan.”

Sara fell into step with them. “Well, our last plans were working out very nicely until Brice came back and ruined them.” Then she saw the hurt expression he wore and quickly said, “Of course, without his quick thinking we might be in custody right now.”

Brice looked at Prin. “I think I have a right to know what you did that has everyone in Gallium looking for you.”

“I was born.”

“I’m serious,” he said.

“Me, too. I was born, and that give me the position if that's the right word, or ranking, might be better. Because of who my mother and father were, I inherit a position that angers certain people because they want what I have. Does that make better sense?”

“I guess so. They must really want it badly. Have you ever considered just giving it to them?”

“It’s not a thing to give. It’s my life. If I’m alive, I’m a threat to some, sort of like you. A mage your age without training is dangerous. You’re too old to be trained as a mage and to learn to think like the other mages want you to, so they’ll be scared you’ll fight them. If they find you, they will kill you that day. Not the next.”

Brice walked along with his eyes focused just beyond his toes, then he said, “Nobody ever told me that. What’s up with the cat?”

“It’s from our ship,” Sara said.

“I know that. But why is it following Prin?”

Sara looked back, and the cat was still trailing behind them. “Prin?”

“It watches her. It follows where she walks, not where you and I do.”

“Cats have an excellent sense of smell,” Sara said. But, then she looked at it again and pulled to a sudden stop that nearly caused a collision. “Prin. Look at your cat, right around its eyes.”

“Pink,” Prin said.

Sara said, “Pink dots. Tiny, but unmistakable when you look closely. Maybe we should be following the cat instead of the other way around?”

Brice had knelt and peered at the cat from a distance closer than either of the girls. He said, “I don’t see anything.”

“That’s because you’re a mage,” Prin said easily, walking nearer the cat. It turned and started back the way they’d come. If they moved too close to it, the cat leaped ahead, if they slowed, it did, too. They hesitated to go in that direction, but instinct told them to trust the magic in the cat. After a few blocks, it turned onto a street they had never been on. Then another. It worked its way higher up the side of the hill until the harbor was so far below they could barely make out the individual ships.

Brice said, “I’m tired. This cat may just be looking for a mate, you know.”

The higher up the hill, the larger the buildings. Not taller, but more spread out. The streets remained narrow, but glimpses behind the houses revealed tall walls hiding trees and even sculptures. The few people they passed either wore the clothing of servants or the very wealthy.

Brice said, “I keep thinking you sure have a lot of faith in a ship's cat.”

Sara said, “Keep it down, Brice. I believe that we're almost there.”

“Where? And how do you know?”

Prin had seen it too. A single floating pinkish/purple dot floated directly at them, indicating it had originated ahead. Prin said, “Brice, please shut up for a few moments.”

“I should be told what’s happening.”

Sara said without rancor, “And you will. Just as soon as we know. But, seriously, shut up and do not speak again until dark.”

Prin glanced up at the same time as Brice. Sara was right. The day was coming to an end. But another of the dots came floating into view, bobbing as it moved. Instead of bright pink, these had a purplish tint to them and somehow seemed stronger, more complicated. She angled to her left a few steps and touched the dot with her finger, and as it popped, she sniffed.

Sara said, “Well?”

“It was a combination, stronger and more mysterious if that’s possible.”

Brice watched but said nothing.

Sara allowed two more dots to float past her on the other side of the street, then one headed right at them. She poked it and sniffed. “I see what you mean.”

The dots arrived more frequently until they reached a doorway. The dots emerged from inside, somehow drifting through the wood as if it didn’t exist. Prin realized that was like Evelyn’s tree. None came through the walls, just the wood door. Prin noticed the wood held a slight ruddy tint, just like the wood in the tree. The cat sat on the step at their feet and licked itself.

“This is it,” Sara said and rapped the door with her knuckles.

“It?” Brice said to himself, but both heard him.

The door opened. A woman with cheeks stained the same ruddy color as the wooden door stood before them. Her eyes went to the cat. She smiled. “Welcome. Come inside, please.”

A teapot and four cups sat on a tray. A piece of fish was on a small plate on the floor, and the cat ran to it and began eating with what seemed like more noise than necessary. The room was spacious, with four sofas, several stuffed chairs covered in rich brocade, and a ceiling so high a ladder would be needed to dust the dark wood it was made of.

Most of one wall was a fireplace, with compartments built in for tinder, cedar strips, and hardwood logs. A swing-arm held a black pot. The floors were bare rock, also reddish in color, and the walls were a matching shade of tan with a hint of red. Red doilies were displayed on the arms of the sofas to protect the rich fabric.

But it was the woman who held their attention as she pointed to a place behind the door to deposit their baggage. She was short, not even as tall as Prin, who was either eleven or twelve, but maybe thirteen. She was wide, with shoulders that belonged to a man. Her face was wrinkled, her eyes bright, and her movements were as quick and sure as those of any child.

Prin tried to guess her age and failed. That she was not young was evident. But neither was she old. She seemed worried, but also appeared to have expected them as she poured four cups of hot water and filled four silver tea-balls with dark leaves. She dipped them and passed the cups and saucers to each, before sitting on the facing sofa, the small tea table between them.

Sara said, “You knew we were coming.”

“The cat told me.”

“That’s our cat,” Prin said. “It’s from our ship.”

The woman sipped her tea and added a drop of milk before stirring it gently. “You may call me Maude. What you think you see, and what is the truth, is not always the same. Would anyone else like milk?”

Prin held out her cup, more so Maude would have to look at her as she said again, “That’s our cat.”

“I’ve introduced myself. Would you be so kind as to do the same?” Maude asked, ignoring Prin’s comment.

Sara set her teacup down harder than necessary. “No, I don’t think we will.”

“Oh, dear, have I offended?”

Sara threw Prin a warning glance, then said, “There are people looking for us. Hunting us. Dangerous people. Sipping tea and chatting is not what we’re here for.”

Maude said, “Why in the world would dangerous people be after you? Have you done something terrible?”

Sara picked up her teacup again and sipped, stalling for time, in Prin’s opinion. She had seen Sara do much the same on other occasions. She waited for an answer before continuing. And with good reason, since Maude evaded answering. While Maude seemed an overly friendly matron, they had no doubt she was a sorceress of the highest class, but didn’t speak or act like any they’d ever heard of. Sara said, “Is your husband at home?”

“Randall died before you were born, my dear. I live alone, so I love it when occasional company comes to visit.”

Prin glanced around at the size of the room, the doors leading to other rooms, perhaps to whole wings of rooms. Not a speck of dust, nothing out of place, nor sign of anyone else. Who cleaned and cooked for Maude, who made her clothing, cared for the grounds, and a hundred other things required in a home as large as a small castle? Yet, she’d not seen a single person.

She understood that Sara was getting upset, and Brice had no idea of what was happening but remaining silent as instructed. Prin stood, attracting the attention of all. “Your home is beautiful. Do you clean it yourself?”

“Mercy, no. I live here by myself and don’t allow it to get dirty.”

Prin said as if speaking offhandedly, “Do you do the dusting?”

“I cast a spell for that. But, since you are a sorceress, you knew that already, dear.” Maude smiled sweetly to take any sting from the words.

Prin saw through the sweet smile but remained calm. “Do you have people to help with the cooking, gardening and the rest?”

“I enjoy cooking on occasion. As for the gardens, when a tree or shrub grows to the right size and has been neatly trimmed, I throw a spell on it to make it remain the same. That way, I always have roses in full bloom, cherries on my trees, and so on. Of course, nobody else can see what I do. Just us.”

Sara said, “You speak freely with our male friend sitting right here.”

“The mage? He’s almost one of us, like a step-sister, don’t you think? Still part of the family.”

They hadn’t told her anything about Brice. Prin glanced at the cat again. “I said earlier, that’s our cat. How did you know what it looked like and where to send it to find us?”

Maude poured more tea. “I have many cats roaming the streets of Gallium, ordinary cats in every way, at least to everyone else. But if a sorceress looks at them, she sees a cat she is fond of, and when she looks closer, she notices the magic dots in the eyes and follows them here. I’m notified when someone follows the cat, and I get my teapot ready. I do love visitors, don’t you?”

“That’s not our cat?” Prin asked.

Maude mumbled a few words and the huge white and gray cat shrunk in size and changed colors to become a smaller tabby. “We should not always trust our eyes, should we?”

Sara relaxed, while Prin and Brice became more excited and he nudged Prin with his elbow. Brice said, “Did you see that? I saw it. The cat changed.”

Sara said, “No wonder the cat wouldn’t let me touch it. I’d have felt a smaller cat while seeing a larger one.”

Brice said, “So what? As a sorceress, you already knew it had a spell cast on it, right?”

Maude chuckled and said, “The boy is quick. However, I did not invent the spell, I copied it from an acquaintance so long ago that I forget her name, but I do remember she cast quite a spell.”

Prin glanced at a window and saw the sun sinking fast. She often used her age to beguile others, so she said in a charming voice, “As we mentioned, men are chasing us, including several mages who wish us dead. Me dead. We were going to head out to the country to pick apples so we could hide from them when your cat distracted us.”

“Oh, my. That’s dreadful, child. Is there any reason you cannot spend time here instead of an orchard? I love company, and it has been so long since I’ve had young people around.”

Prin saw an opening and dived in. “We’d love to. And since Sara and I know almost no spells, would you teach us some? I mean just a few basic things to amuse ourselves?”

Maude threw her arms wide and said, “I used to be a teacher of magic, you know. Oh, it was a long time ago, but such fun when a student felt the spark of learning.”

“Is that a yes?” Prin asked.

“Of course, it is. Why I have rooms in this big old house I haven’t entered in ages. I’ll teach you if you share your stories. I sense there are three of them, one for each of you, and I’d like to hear them all.”

“Will we be safe here?” Sara asked.

“Quite safe, I assure you. Anyone wish more tea?”