The Sorcerer's Widow

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kel had never realized how complicated starting a business was.

Irien took charge of finding a suitable location, while Dorna set about selling some of her husband’s magic to fund the tea shop. Both of them used Kel as an errand boy, a job he had done before, but it was different this time-he didn’t need to hold out his hand for a coin after each errand, and at the end of the day he sat down to a generous supper without worrying about how to pay for it, or where he would sleep.

He also served as a local guide for Dorna as she roamed up and down Wizard Street, talking to sorcerers and sorcerers’ suppliers, gathering references and making appointments, and dickering over prices. He sometimes accompanied Irien as she traveled around the city, talking to landlords and property owners and magistrates and tax collectors about what spaces might be available for rent or purchase, what debts might be attached to them, and so on. He went along on several visits to the city vaults under the north barracks, and helped carry various sorceries to prospective buyers. Every night, when his work was done, he slept in a good bed at the Three Feathers, a bed he had all to himself, with no rats or roaches or centipedes around.

It was nice to have all that space and comfort, but sometimes at night he missed Ezak, and wondered where he was and what he was doing. Dorna and Irien kept Kel too busy to go back to Smallgate and check.

A sixnight after his return to Ethshar, Dorna informed Kel that he was now going to escort her to Vezalis’ house, so that she could make arrangements for the trader to supply the shop with the teas Dorna wanted.

“I can show you which house it is,” he said.

“I want you to talk to him with me, too.”

“That might not be a good idea,” Kel warned her. “He doesn’t like me.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Dorna said. “This is business.”

Kel did not find that entirely convincing, but he did not argue further. He led Dorna back to Archer Street, but this time without any shortcuts-since Kel knew where they were going, they turned onto Archer at its northern end, in Grandgate, and walked it for the full length of Soldiertown, with no need to dodge through alleys and courtyards. When they neared Vezalis’ house, Kel pointed it out. It was much like the other houses on the street-two stories with a steep-gabled attic, half-timbered, with painted plaster between the heavy wooden beams. The paintings on the trader’s house were of ships under full sail, though, rather than the more customary gardens and crockery.

“It’s not very big,” Dorna remarked.

Kel turned up an empty palm. He was no judge of house sizes; they all seemed big to him.

“You’re sure that’s it?”

Kel nodded.

“All right,” Dorna said. “Come on.” She marched toward the door.

“Maybe I should wait here,” Kel said, staying in the middle of the street.

Dorna stopped and beckoned to him. “No,” she said. “You’re coming with me. I told you that. You work for me, and you’ll probably need to deal with him later, so you might as well get used to it.”

Reluctantly, Kel followed her.

This would be the first time he ever approached Vezalis the Merchant with anyone other than Ezak present. It would be the first time he had come to this house when he was neither accompanying Ezak, nor looking for Ezak. He was not at all sure how Ezak’s uncle would take that; would he think Kel was a traitor, abandoning the friend who had raised him?

Dorna waited on the front step until Kel came up behind her, then knocked loudly on the big red door. Kel waited apprehensively.

“He may not be home,” he said, when no one answered Dorna’s knock immediately. “He travels a lot.”

“I know that,” Dorna said, annoyed. “Does anyone else stay here when he’s traveling?”

Kel hesitated. “He told me not to say.”

Dorna glanced back at him. “Does he have any family?”

“Just Ezak.”

“Does Ezak live here when his uncle’s away, then?”

“No!” Kel said. “Uncle Vezalis wouldn’t trust him that much.”

Dorna snorted. “His own uncle doesn’t trust him alone in the house?”

“His uncle knows him better than anyone.”

Dorna laughed, then abruptly stopped, staring over Kel’s shoulder.

Kel turned, and saw Ezak’s uncle standing several yards away, watching the two of them warily. He was a big, burly man in a fraying velvet tunic and well-worn boots, but he seemed in no hurry to confront the short, skinny pair on the steps of his home.

“Vezalis!” Dorna called, waving. “I need to speak to you!”

Vezalis sighed, and walked toward them. Halfway there he cocked his head to one side. “Do I know you?” he said.

“Dorna the Clever,” Dorna answered. “Nabal the Sorcerer’s wife. I mean, widow.”

“Oh!” The trader quickened his pace and held out a hand. Kel started at learning Dorna’s full name for the first time-up until now she had called herself only “Dorna the Sorcerer’s Widow” in his hearing. But then, he supposed that it would not be wise to call oneself “the Clever” in front of people you were going to be haggling with. “I never expected to see you here!” Vezalis said.

Dorna took his hand and said, “With my husband gone, I had no reason to stay in the village.”

“Of course,” Vezalis said. He looked warily at Kel. “You know this boy?” he asked.

“More or less,” Dorna replied. “He and your nephew Ezak tried to steal some of my late husband’s sorcery.”

“Oh,” Vezalis said, his expression more resigned than surprised. “I’m afraid I’m not responsible-”

Dorna shook her head. “That’s not why I’m here,” she interrupted. “He works for me now.”

Vezalis stepped back. “Works for you?”

“Yes.”

“But you know he’s a thief?”

“He was a thief. Now he’s my assistant.”

“I… That’s very generous of you.” He threw a quick glance at Kel, who looked back defiantly.

“He’s been earning his keep.”

Vezalis gave Kel an uncertain look; Kel guessed the trader wanted to hear another side of the story. He did not say anything, though.

“Is Ezak working for you, as well?” the merchant asked.

“Certainly not! I wouldn’t trust him for a moment.”

Vezalis’ expression was frankly puzzled, but before he could say anything more Dorna continued, “I’ve come about those teas you sold me.”

“What about them?” Vezalis asked warily. “Was there a problem?”

“No, not at all. In fact, I was hoping you could supply me with more-much more.”

For the first time, Vezalis smiled. “Oh?”

“Yes. I’m opening a tea shop over in Nightside, at the corner of Aristocrat and Harbor Streets, and I need someone who can keep me stocked with all those lovely varieties you used to bring me at my husband’s shop.”

“A tea shop?” He smiled, and clapped his hands together. “An entire shop? Wonderful! I’m sure something can be arranged.”

“When would you like to make those arrangements? Might I come in?”

“Oh,” Vezalis said. His smile vanished as he glanced at the still-closed door. “No, I’m afraid this is not a good time. Might I perhaps come by the shop, say, this afternoon?”

Dorna shook her head. “The shop is still being readied. Are you sure this isn’t a good time?”

“Very sure.”

“Then perhaps you could meet me at the Three Feathers, in Grandgate, this evening after sunset? And bring samples.”

“I can do that,” Vezalis agreed. “The Three Feathers?”

“On Gatehouse Lane, off Wall Street north of the market.”

“I can find it.”

“Good! Then I’ll see you there.” Dorna offered her hand again, then stepped back off the stoop and headed up Archer Street.

Kel started to follow her, but Vezalis called, “Kel! Wait a minute!”

Kel stopped, and turned back to Ezak’s uncle. He was actually glad to be called back; he wanted to ask after Ezak.

“What’s going on?” Vezalis asked quietly, with a glance at Dorna. “What are you two up to?”

“I’m helping her open a tea shop,” Kel said.

“No, I meant you and Ezak. What are you up to?”

“Nothing. I haven’t seen Ezak in a sixnight. Hasn’t he been to see you?”

“Yes, he has, but when I asked where you were he said it didn’t concern me.”

Kel turned up an empty palm.

“Are you two all right?”

“I’m fine. I don’t know about Ezak.”

Vezalis glanced at Dorna, waiting for Kel ten yards up the street. “Are you two planning to rob her?” he asked quietly.

“No.”

“This tea shop thing-I could use a regular customer, and if you steal from her…” He didn’t finish the sentence.

“I’m not going to steal from her,” Kel said flatly.

“You aren’t. What about Ezak?”

“Don’t know. I haven’t seen him.”

“Is he angry with you about something?”

“Don’t know.”

Vezalis stared at him for a moment, then said, “Kelder, I know you don’t like to talk if you don’t need to, because your mouth got you in trouble when you were a kid, but please, tell me what’s happening. Ezak is my only family, and if you two are going to do something stupid, I want to know about it.”

Kel stared back, then looked at Dorna, who was waiting patiently. Then he turned back to Vezalis and said, “We went out to her village to try to steal her husband’s magic, because you told Ezak about this dead sorcerer, only she figured out why we were there. She’s much smarter than Ezak. She figured it out right away. But she needed some help moving stuff, so she pretended she hadn’t, and we helped her while Ezak looked for a chance to steal all the magic. Except when he tried to steal it, he set off something with a name I can’t pronounce that went and fixed up an old Northern thing that cut off part of Ezak’s ear. I helped Dorna stop the Northern thing and get her magic back, and while we were doing that Ezak stole some of her other sorcery, but she had a magic tracker, so she came to Ethshar and found him and took it all back and said she’d kill him if he ever bothered her again. But I didn’t steal anything from her, and I helped her, so she hired me to help with her tea shop, and I haven’t seen Ezak since we took back her bag of magic.”

“I saw the ear,” Vezalis said. “He said it was cut off by a magic sword.”

“Sort of,” Kel said. The Northern sorcery had not been a sword, but he didn’t have a better word for it.

“So you two-you argued? When you helped the sorcerer’s widow get back her things?”

Kel shook his head. “Didn’t argue. I went with Dorna.”

“But you and Ezak-he’s the closest thing to a family you have.”

“He protected me,” Kel agreed, nodding. “He took care of me. But he got me in trouble, too. A lot.” He suddenly felt his eyes stinging, though he didn’t know why. “I miss him, but I’m tired of being in trouble. I don’t want to be a thief any more. I want to be Dorna’s assistant. I wasn’t a very good thief, but I think I can be a good assistant.” He wiped a tear from his cheek; he was unsure how it had gotten there. “Tell Ezak I miss him, but as long as Dorna pays me, I’m not coming back to Smallgate.”

Vezalis considered him for several seconds, then held out a hand. “I’ll tell him,” he said. “Good luck, Kelder.”

Kel did not understand why Vezalis was using his full name, but he shook the offered hand, then turned and hurried to catch up with Dorna.

They walked several blocks up Archer Street in silence, but then Dorna said, “I wonder why he didn’t invite us in?”

“He never invites anyone in,” Kel said. “Not like that.”

“Why not?”

“Watchdogs, partly,” Kel said. “Not very well trained.”

“Watchdogs?”

Kel nodded. “Three of them. Azrad, Anaran, and Gor.”

Dorna smothered a laugh upon hearing that Vezalis had named his dogs for the founding overlords of the three Ethshars. “What do you mean, not well-trained?”

“They attack anyone except me, Ezak, Vezalis, and his two girlfriends,” Kel explained. “Even if Vezalis is with them. If he had been home he would have locked them in the back room, but where he was outside with us…”

“…it would have been awkward,” Dorna finished for him. “I see.”

Kel knew he probably shouldn’t say any more, but Vezalis had loosened his tongue, and he was not quite ready to tighten it again. “There’s the merchandise, too,” he said.

“What merchandise?”

“All his merchandise. Doesn’t have a warehouse anymore. Keeps everything in his house. That’s why he needs so many dogs.”

Dorna glanced back at the house. “He keeps everything in there?”

Kel nodded. “He used to have a warehouse, long ago. But he took all his money and bought a ship and it sank, so he didn’t have any money when there was a fire at the warehouse, so he couldn’t rebuild it, and…well, now he keeps everything in his house and does all his traveling on land, with his cart, the way he came to your village.”

“That explains a lot,” Dorna said.

“He was traveling when his sister died-Ezak’s mother. They’d had a fight when she took up whoring, so they hadn’t spoken in years. He hadn’t even known she had a baby. By the time he got back and heard from the magistrate that she was dead and that he had a nephew, Ezak was living in an alley. He’d been turned away from his uncle’s house when he first went there. Vezalis found Ezak, but they didn’t get along very well. Later he got Ezak an apprenticeship, even though no one was sure whether he was really only twelve, but it didn’t work out, and Vezalis blamed Ezak for messing it up, and Ezak blamed Vezalis for trying to make him do something he didn’t want to, and they haven’t had much to do with each other since then. We stayed in his attic sometimes, because he didn’t trust us around his merchandise in the other rooms, but Ezak never liked it.”

“I can understand that,” Dorna said quietly. “You and Ezak and Vezalis have had more than your share of misfortune, haven’t you?”

Kel turned up an empty palm.

“Well, you don’t need to live in alleys or cellars or attics anymore,” she said.

Kel smiled happily at that.