A Bit of Truth

Avdren moved to the door, pulling it open to admit Simon into the small home. The captain gave him a nod but quickly closed the door behind himself and moved to the table. He motioned Avdren to sit. "I'm glad you're both here as I asked. I learned a few things." He pulled out a chair and sat at the table, adjusting his belt so the sword remained untangled. Looking at the guardsman sitting at the table with Mildred, Avdren was reminded of a time back when he was a child. Simon had been much younger then, Mildred too. She had caught him 'borrowing' an apple and had used Simon's imposing nature in an attempt to scare the wits out of him. It had worked, in part, and he had promised to stop. He thought his parents would have been angry, but Mildred and Simon had never said a word. "It'll be our secret," they had promised him. "Unless you decide to try it again." 

"What's with the chalk on the floor?" Simon was gazing with interest at the intertwining ring of symbols.

"Tried to bind to a spell book Mildred let me borrow." Avdren dropped into a chair. "Didn't work. What about you? You said you found something out?"

Mildred poured another cup of tea and pushed it over to Simon, who accepted it gratefully. He took a cautious sip before clearing his throat. "Well, sort of. There was a man who came to the city earlier this week. An envoy from Gilspen. He matches the description you gave, and funnily enough, neither I nor Commander Geoff can remember the name given by him when he arrived." Simon took another sip of his tea and winced before blowing on it.

"Well, what are we sitting around here for then?" Avdren started to push himself to his feet. "Surely we should-"

"No," Simon interjected. "We shouldn't do anything. The guards are out combing the city for him. Not because someone saw him by your house, but because he seems to have vanished." He set down the cup of tea and looked at the other two. "It sounds like you were right, though. Yesterday, he spoke to us about some of the guards. This morning, he apparently asked for a few of them to come with him and then headed out to tour the city. Sounds like he learned which of them could be bought, or perhaps he already knew them."

Avdren sat back down as Simon explained, folding his hands together as he listened. "Simon, I hate to tell you this, but my intuition tells me the real envoy is lying in a ditch somewhere. I know without a doubt that I saw that man before today. He was already in town a day or two after the funeral. That was weeks ago.Whoever this Scarred Man is, he had a plan. My family's collection was part of that plan somehow." He mentally winced with the continued omissions. These two had been akin to a second family for him growing up. Lying to them didn't sit right with him. "Look," he cleared his throat. "I think I have a rough idea of what needs to happen, but neither of you can be much help, and clearly I can't stay here." Mildred started to speak, but he raised a hand in supplication. "Whatever their reasons for attacking, I killed two members of the guard. I have no witnesses to prove how or why it happened. No witnesses to say anyone else was even there, or why the library burned. Staying will only lead to you two being wrapped up in it." His hands trembled a bit, and there was a touch of fear to his voice. When he looked at Simon and Mildred, though, his eyes displayed a rock-solid purpose. "I will need to borrow supplies. I have nothing besides a bit of silver and a single gold tab, the clothes on my back, and this book." He tapped the tome Mildred had given him, and gave a sad smile. "Seems I must break my promise and 'borrow' a few apples one more time."

Mildred gave a sad chuckle. "Still being silly. It actually is borrowing if you ask first. I don't think you should leave, though. Simon could help you. You could clear your name, find a job. There's always a spot for you here." Simon nodded initially, then shook his head.

"I wish that were all true, Mildred, but it isn't. I fear I would only cause more trouble for him. As far as any of the nobles know, a diplomat is missing. Soon, two guards will be found dead. I'd wager that could happen at any moment with how many of the men are out searching." He rested a hand on Avdren's shoulder. "You always were a smart lad. Good instincts."

"Thanks." Avdren gave a bit of a laugh. "I always had good teachers." Mildred stood up and began pulling items from the kitchen. Some bread, a pair of waterskins, apples, and a few chunks of dried beef. Avdren watched with a smile. He hated having to ask them for this, and lying to them on top of it just hurt even more. "I'll head south, I think. It seems like Gilspen is my only lead for now." Another lie. He knew he had to go northwest, towards his family's old home. There were things hidden there that he needed. Without magic, he would be almost defenseless, and he had questions he needed answers for. He decided to tell them one thing. "Mildred, Simon. I think I've read stories before that explained similar events like what he did to my eye. It's some form of curse mark, I think." A partial lie, but with as much honesty as he dared. He stood from the table as Mildred came back over and offered him the sack. He took it, and then embraced her. "Thank you. I'll come back as soon as I can." When Simon stood, Avdren shook his offered hand before embracing him as well.

"Here, take this. Maybe learn how to use it. What good is a wizard with no magic anyway?" Simon retrieved a heavy-looking knife from his belt and passed it over, flashing a grin at his joke. 

"Thank you." Avdren took the knife and hooked it to his own belt. "I'll be able to stab the wolves once or twice before they eat me I suppose." 

"One other thing!" Mildred hurried from the room and came back with a well-worn cloak. She threw it around his shoulders and fastened it at his neck before reaching over and pulling up the hood. "There, now maybe folks won't recognize you as quickly."

He gave her another hug, not trusting his voice. Stuffing the spell book into the bag before hoisting it up. "Go out the nearest gate and head west for a bit. There's a town a few miles down the road that should have some supplies you can purchase." Simon gave him a nod. "Certainly be cheaper than anything in the city. That coin should last you a bit. Don't pull out the gold until your silver runs out." Avdren inclined his head in thanks before turning and heading for the door, offering a solemn wave before ducking out onto the street. He knew he wasn't truly prepared for this, but he had to. Even if he could clear his name, staying in the city was a death sentence. The mark on his eye, Crintis Atrim, meant "Shattered Soul". His parents had told him about it, and the memory sent a chill up his spine. It had been a part of their family for generations. Killing them off one by one. He wasn't entirely sure how his parents had removed or hidden their marks for so long, but it had only been temporary. The curse still killed them in the end. They had collected all those magic items and spells for naught. Used him as a test subject for all their experiments. He needed to learn more about the curse, and that meant going back to the old home. He hoped there would be some clue there, and that the building was at least still standing. The stranger with the scar had known who he was and who his parents were. He had known about all the magic his parents had collected. Whatever spell that man had cast on him, Avdren was sure the curse had reacted to it. Before they had come to Agrenon, his own mark had faded. It had remained that way until the attack.

He made it to the gate with no problems. His heart hammered in his chest so loudly he was sure everyone around could hear it, but Stynic must have been on his side. The guards simply gave him a brief glance before waving him through. Once out of earshot, he heaved a sigh of relief and adjusted the bag in his grip. There was one other problem he had to solve as well. His magic. He couldn't find a suitable word for how it had felt when he tried to perform the binding ritual. His body could evidently still react and use the arcane, but somehow, he couldn't bridge the mental gap to link to a spell book. Thankfully, the road was long, and he would have plenty of time to search for an answer.