Origins: A Deepwoods Book - a Collection of Deepwoods Short Stories (Deepwoods Series 0) (19 page)

“I just wanted to get some potatoes,” Sylvie complained,
throwing her hands into the air.

“If you step outside of the Hall, you take me.” Wolf gave
her a look that didn’t leave any room open for argument.

Since she had already gotten into trouble, and had been
saved by Tran, she really didn’t have any ground to stand on. Sighing in
resignation, she let her shoulders slump. “Yes, I understand. Master Amar, I’m
sorry about this. You’ve now gotten into two fights because of me.”

“Two?” Wolf muttered, perplexed.

Sylvie ignored him and continued, “Why don’t you go back
with us?” She sweetened the invitation with a particularly winsome smile. “You
can stay at the Hall for tonight. You wanted an introduction to a good
guildmaster, right? Well, ours is the best in the city.”

“Is that right.” Tran glanced at Wolf and, no surprise,
found the man scowling. But a good enforcer wouldn’t react any other way. The
enforcers should always be the last to trust a stranger, especially in their
own Hall. Partially to rib the man, partially because he had no other place to
go, Tran gave a shrug. “I accept.”

“Good!” Having gotten her way, Sylvie spun on her toes and
led off.

Wolf kept in step with him as they followed her. Tran didn’t
find this behavior surprising and patiently put up with it. But while they
walked, he might as well get some more information. “So, this guild of yours,
what type is it?”

“Escorting,” Sylvie responded over her shoulder.

Oh? That’s why she was surprised earlier. “Are there many
escorting guilds in the city?”

“I think we’re the only one.”

“We are,” Wolf confirmed.

“But we have a Pathmaker, that’s why.”

A Pathmaker? Now it made perfect sense why they were an
escorting guild. But if they were the only one, then trying to find another
escorting guild was not an option here. Maybe they had a position available?
Tran’s eyes cut to the side to look at Wolf. Although being in a guild with
him
might not be the best situation.

“We’re a small guild,” Sylvie continued, volunteering
information. “There are only six of us. It’s new, too. It’s only been in
business a little over two years. I’ve been with them now for about three
months. I wasn’t jesting, earlier, about our guildmaster being the best in the
city. Siobhan Maley is her name, and I’ve never seen another like her.”

A woman guildmaster? While not unheard of, it was somewhat
rare.

“Here we are.” Sylvie pushed open a heavyset door made of
wood and waltzed inside.

Tran got a better look as he stepped through. Two story
building made of stone and wood, the construction of it sound and in good
repair. The place was clean, too, and had a feeling of warmth and welcome. He
liked it instantly.

A redheaded woman looked up at their entrance. She was
striking, in a different way than Sylvie, with clear green eyes and fair skin.
“Sylvie!” she greeted, a definite accent audible. “Wolf, welcome back. I see we
have a guest?”

“I was in a bit of trouble earlier, and he rescued me,”
Sylvie explained. “This is Tran Amar.”

The redhead—Tran assumed this to be the guildmaster—stood,
and he realized with a start that she was unusually tall. The top of her head
would reach his chin easily. She extended a hand, and he took it, finding her
grip pleasantly firm. “Pleasure.”

“Pleasure is mine, Tran Amar,” she returned. “I’m Siobhan
Maley, Guildmaster of Deepwoods. Welcome, and thank you for protecting one of
mine.” Concern tightened her eyes and she canted her head, getting a better
look at his face. “You’re injured.”

His jaw throbbed under the reminder and he couldn’t quite
conceal a sour glance at the man that had hurt him. “Somewhat.”

The woman was sharp—Siobhan’s eyes went back and forth
between them. “Wait, Wolf hurt you?!”

“I didn’t know he was protecting Sylvie at first,” Wolf
responded defensively.

Siobhan rolled her eyes expansively toward the ceiling,
hands splaying out as if she were saying a silent prayer. “Wolf. Just once, can
you try asking
first
and beating up people after getting the answer?”

“I’ll do that next time,” Wolf drawled.

“Mercy preserve us, that’s what you said last time,” a
ginger-haired man said wryly from the table. From the way he chuckled, Wolf’s
behavior was not strange or unprecedented.

“Beirly, get me the kit,” Siobhan requested. She barely got
the words out before the ginger-haired man was moving. “Well, Master Tran, I’m
sorry you were hurt by one of mine while
defending
someone else from my
guild. To help make up for that, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“He’s actually new to the city and looking for work,” Sylvie
put in. “I promised him he could stay here tonight?” The question was in a more
uncertain tone.

“Of course, of course,” Siobhan said. Putting a hand on the
back of his arm, she encouraged him to come in further. “Come, sit. Let me tend
to that jaw. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“A few scrapes and bruises, nothing to be concerned about,”
he assured her, warmed by the kindness and hospitality he was receiving. The
chairs seemed a mite small for a man of his size, but when he sat in one, it
held him. Relaxing, he turned his head more to the side so the guildmaster
could get a better look at it.

“How did this happen?” Siobhan asked in concern.

Obligingly, he and Sylvie took turns telling the story.
Wolf, he noticed, did not say a word but stayed well within reach of the group.
He had perched himself on the edge of the table, legs crossed at the ankle,
appearing totally at ease. Tran wasn’t fooled. That man could explode into
action in a split second and was poised to do just that, if Tran proved
untrustworthy. Personal feelings aside, he could acknowledge the Wynngaardian
as an excellent fighter and a good enforcer.

Siobhan heard them out patiently, only stopping Tran long
enough to clean the wound on his chin and put some salve on it. When they
finished, she said, “Then thanks are in definite order. Master Tran, I will do
what I can to repay you. Now, you said that you’re new to the city and looking
for work. Work as an enforcer or guard?”

It was the obvious conclusion to come to. No one saw Tran
and thought of him as intelligent. With three long braids reaching to his
waist, the scars on his visible skin, and his massive build, he resembled a
thug. It took time before people realized there was more to him. “Yes,
Guildmaster.”

Sylvie had a sardonic smile on her face as she piped up.
“Siobhan, he said that he’s actually looking for a guild to join. In fact, he
wants to join an escorting guild as an enforcer.”

“Does he now.” Siobhan put her chin on both hands and leaned
forward over the table’s surface, looking at him squarely. “Master Tran, you
realize that this guild is an escorting guild?”

“Sylvie tells me it’s the only one in the city,” he
confirmed. He wasn’t quite sure how to react in this situation. Did Sylvie
bring this up to somehow recommend him for joining? “Are you, ah, looking for
another enforcer?”

Wolf made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

“I am,” Siobhan admitted bluntly. Her head cocked,
acknowledging that she heard Wolf’s protest, but was choosing to ignore it.
“The more enforcers I have, the better. I’m especially intrigued by
you
,
Tran Amar. There aren’t many men that can fight Wolf and come out intact.”

Yes, he bet that was the case. Deciding to test the waters
slightly, he crossed his arms over his chest and riposted, “As for that,
Guildmaster, there aren’t many men that can fight
me
and come out
alright.”

Siobhan’s eyes went wide and then she threw back her head
and laughed outright. “Is that so! Tran Amar, I think I like you.”

“Siobhan!” Wolf growled at her.

She waved him down irritably. “Oh, don’t get your pants in a
twist. How many men would act as he did? Coming immediately to Sylvie’s rescue
is one thing, and offering her an escort home another. To top it off, he’s got
the skills to fight
you
. You expect me to pass him up? Not likely.”

“You know nothing about him!” Wolf protested, no longer in
his relaxed stance, but coming to loom over her.

Far from being intimidated, she leaned back in her chair and
met his eyes with a challenging stare. “And how much did I know about you, when
we first met?”

For some reason, that stopped Wolf cold. He opened his mouth
to say something, but closed it again without a single sound escaping. Heaving
out an irritated groan, he went back to his perch and slumped against the
table.

Tran sensed quite the story there. He’d have to get it
later, though, as he recognized this was not the time. Instead, he drew his bag
into his lap and fished out the letters. “I do have recommendation letters from
my last three employers, if you’d like to see them?”

“I would,” Siobhan agreed, holding out her hand for them.
Taking all three, she unfolded each with a practiced snap of the wrist and then
read through them with astonishing speed. Tran was still not used to writing,
as his people didn’t believe in it, and it had taken him years to learn to read
and write. He still struggled with it a little. To see her read three letters in
five minutes was impressive.

“They speak highly of you,” she commented, folding them back
up. “In fact, the only complaint they had was that you like to brawl too much.”

Tran shrugged. He had no defense to that.

“Well, I already have one brawler in the guild.” Siobhan
didn’t look at Wolf, but they both knew who she was referring to. “I don’t
think another will break me. But let’s do this: Tran, why don’t you stay here
on a trial basis? I can’t hire an enforcer that can’t work with Wolf. Prove to
me that you can protect this guild and work well with him during the winter. If
you can do that, I’ll offer you a permanent position.”

It was a generous offer. At the very least, it would carry
Tran through the winter. So without hesitation, he extended a hand. “Deal.”

Siobhan took it, her grip firm, smile satisfied. “Good.
Sylvie, show him the empty rooms and let him choose one. Tran, welcome to
Deepwoods.”

Tran was of the mind that getting up late in the day wasted
precious daylight hours. He rose early, no matter where he was, and trained
first thing. In this guild, they had a small training yard in the back, a bare
space that gave him privacy and a few wooden posts to beat on. It wasn’t much,
but he was used to nothing but an empty field while on escorting duty, so it
was better than the usual.

When he wandered out that morning, he found that he wasn’t
the only one to train this early. The other enforcer, Man Fei Lei, had beaten
him there.

He’d met the other man the night before and hadn’t quite known
what to think of him. It was extremely rare to meet someone from Saoleord.
Well, he said man, but really Fei looked more like a boy to him. If he had
actually hit his twenties, Tran would be very surprised. He was small, almost
dainty, with slick black hair and almond shaped eyes set in pale skin. When
Siobhan had introduced him as an enforcer, Tran had almost laughed in
disbelief.

Now, watching the boy train, he was glad he hadn’t.

Fei gripped a sword with both hands and moved like
lightning, weaving in and out of the morning sunlight with such speed that it
looked like his shadow was constantly trying to catch up with him.
Shadow-fighting. That was what it was called, right? Tran had heard of this
before. It was impressive to watch. This was a fighter that depended on speed
and technique to overpower his opponent. Was he strong? Tran had no doubt of
that, not after watching this display, but it wasn’t brute force he used to
win.

Fei did one more arcing slice through the air and then
stopped abruptly, barely breathing hard, before bowing to an invisible opponent
and re-sheathing his sword. He was in profile to Tran and without looking, he
greeted quietly, “You rise early.”

“As do you,” Tran responded. So, he’d been noticed, but
still Fei finished his form before speaking? Such was the behavior of a true
master. It made him respond formally: “I learned much from watching you. I am
grateful.”

He didn’t smile, but the Saoleordian’s expression softened
into a more content expression. “You are welcome. Siobhan-ajie told me that you
are a strong fighter, like our Wolf-ren. If we are to work well together, I
must see how you fight myself. Would you care to spar?”

Part of this offer was no doubt curiosity but Tran had to
admit it was a valid point. They needed to know how the other moved to be able
to partner up well in a fight. “Of course. Weapons, no weapons?”

“No weapons,” Fei denied, already taking his sword off and
setting it aside. “For now. We have a job to take on tomorrow and cannot risk
injury.”

A wise precaution. Tran stretched his arms above his head,
then twisted his waist back and forth, limbering up some as he stepped into the
center of the yard. Fei patiently waited for him to finish before falling into
a fighting stance, arms up in a defensive position. Tran settled himself into a
wide stance as well, arms raised, and grinned at him. “Back to the ground
decides the winner?”

“Agreed.” Fei launched himself forward, front foot flying
out.

Tran barely dodged. He’d expected that flying attack, and he
still
barely dodged. This kid could certainly move. Stepping half back,
he tilted his torso back, barely dodging again, then deflected a series of
strikes with his palms. The impact was strong enough to make tremors run down
his arms. Man Fei Lei was small, yes, but not weak. Not in any sense of the
word.

A grin stretched from ear to ear, Tran stopped defending and
started attacking. It took time to see the pattern, the rhythm of the fight,
but he eventually felt like he had a tenuous grasp on it. Enough to respond in
kind, at least. They were almost equal in force, certainly equal when it came
to fighting ability, and if there was anything lacking, it was experience. Fei
did not know how to brawl like Tran did, that was obvious in his fighting
style, and it was that lack that would be his downfall.

Tran grabbed his leg this time instead of just blocking it,
taking it in an iron grip, intending to end the fight by putting him on the
ground.

Fei didn’t dangle like he was supposed to but instead used
Tran’s grip like a support to lift his other leg up and around, aiming for the
side of Tran’s head. He was forced to let go or suffer getting a heel against
his cheek. Swearing, he did, then jumped back to avoid a punch aimed at his
gut.

Alright, so, the kid knew more about brawling that he’d
thought. He seriously had to stop underestimating him.

Flipping back to his feet, Fei grinned at him. “Thought to
catch me?”

Tran snorted. “It would have worked, if you weren’t as agile
as a monkey.”

That made the boy laugh briefly. “You’re strong. No one else
has been able to hold onto me like that.”

“I doubt anyone could keep up with your speed long enough to
catch you, either,” Tran drawled. “Should we stop here? I think we’d have to
seriously hurt each other to determine a victor.”

“Siobhan-ajie would not be pleased if we went too far. I
have a good understanding of how you fight now. I am satisfied.” Fei gave him a
proper bow. “My thanks for the training.”

Tran, not used to bowing, gave a nod instead. “It was a good
bout. We can train like this again, I hope.”

“Any morning you wish to,” Fei assured him as he retrieved
his sword and put it back on. “For now, breakfast?”

“Sounds fine to me. Ah…I didn’t see anyone in the kitchen
cooking?”

“We have a cook that comes in for dinner, but breakfast is
up to our own devices. I know of a bakery on this street that offers good
rolls.”

That sounded like an invitation to Tran and one he was
willing to take the boy up on. “Lead the way.”

Armed, and with jackets on to avoid the morning chill, they
walked down the street together. At this hour there was quite a bit of traffic
as people went to work and the stores opened. Tran was impressed with the order
of the city. Whichever guild ran the place knew how to run a tight ship.

Fei turned into a little out of the way place that smelled
like baked heaven. Tran’s mouth watered from the aroma alone. When they stepped
inside, there was a counter displaying all sorts of rolls and breads, three
tables with benches, and a perky young girl with braids behind the counter. She
straightened with a knowing smile at Fei. “Your usual, sir?”

“Four of them,” her regular customer requested. “And two
mugs of hot cider.”

“Coming up.”

Fei nodded him toward a table, so Tran sat, arranging his
long legs out comfortably to the side. There were not many tables he could put
his legs underneath. With them seated, he couldn’t help but indulge his
curiosity a little. “Man Fei Lei, I’ve never met someone from your city before.
How did you come to be this far south?”

“I left home some years ago and came here with a caravan.
Since then, I was guarding, going from place to place, until I met
Shiobhan-ajie. She took a liking to me and asked me to join.” Fei spread his
hands as if to say that was the entirety of the tale. Tran didn’t believe that
for a second. “You, too, are far from home. I have never met one of your people
either.”

Hoping to get the boy to open up a little more, Tran
responded more frankly. “Among my people, it’s customary to make a decision
when you’re fifteen on what you want to do in the future. You choose a career
and whether you want to stay in your hometown or not. I chose not to, as I
wanted to see more of the world. It took three years of training—mostly in
languages—before they deemed me knowledgeable enough to go out on my own. I
left seven years ago and haven’t been back since.”

“Hmmm,” Fei hummed with a look of intense interest. “You
cannot go back, or choose not to?”

“It’s customary to stay with your choice until you’re
roughly thirty years old,” Tran explained patiently. “At that point, you can
re-evaluate your choice and decide if you want to do something else instead. So
far, I haven’t regretted the choice. I’m not the type to enjoy always staying
at home.”

“That is interesting. You say that you had to learn
languages…?”

“Trade languages, mostly, although I did have to learn how
to read and write as well.”

Fei blinked. “You were not taught growing up?”

“No.” Now that was an interesting reaction. Not all of this
world was educated; in fact, the majority of it wasn’t. “You were?”

“Oh yes. My people are firm believers of education.”

“Really? Well, so are mine, but they believe more in the
oral tradition. My language has no written form. We rely on memory and
recitation to pass along information and history. I was only taught to read and
write because my elders were certain that I would be at a severe disadvantage
in the other continents otherwise.” It turned out they were right to think that
way.

This shocked Fei so much that he looked like a gaping fish.
“You pass down whole histories verbally? How are you certain that nothing gets
forgotten?”

“We have very strict training on that, to make sure that
nothing is lost from one generation to the next.” Tran could see the kid didn’t
quite believe him. “Shall I recite a short history for you?”

“Do so, please,” Fei requested, eyes sparking to life. “I am
very curious.”

Yes, he could see that. Tran felt like he had just connected
to his new guildmate by hitting a hidden switch. Now, the question was, what
story to tell? He settled on the creation story of how the four continents came
to be and launched into it. The Teherani tradition didn’t just teach the next
generation the words of a story, but the nuance, the gestures, the overall feel
of it as well. Everything he said, did, even the way he said it was an exact
replica of how his master had taught it to him.

Fei sat spellbound, hanging onto every word. It took a
moment for Tran to realize that the little girl that worked there was equally
spellbound and stood frozen three feet from their table, a tray of their
breakfast in hand. Tran finished with a (slightly) more flourished ending than
usual and grinned at them.

“I have never heard the creation story told in such a
manner.” Fei’s hand twitched, as if hungering for pen and paper. “Everyone in
your country can do this? Recite it like that?”

“Exactly like that. The tone, the gestures, all of it is
taught and is part of the story. So, you see, we cannot lose anything when it’s
passed down to the next generation.”

“Remarkable.” Fei leaned back in his chair and then looked
around, blinking, as if suddenly realizing that he was still lacking his
breakfast.

Their waitress realized the same thing in the same moment
and scurried over, quickly putting their plates and mugs down before drifting
back behind the counter.

Tran was hungry after the training of this morning and he
took a generous bite into the roll, finding it filled with meats, cheeses, and
vegetables in a gooey and wonderful concoction. Mouth happy, he consumed the
rest in four bites and went for the second roll.

Fei watched this play out and remarked, “I think you have
the appetite of Wolf-ren. I did not order enough.” Turning his head, he
requested, “Four more, please.”

Not remotely full, Tran appreciated the additional order and
restrained himself from grabbing the other man’s share. “Tell me how escorting
jobs work in this guild.”

“It is simple, really. We depend on Grae-ren’s pathmaking
skills to take on jobs. This job is a caravan that is going to Vellshire, in
the southern part of Robarge. The size of the caravan is quite large, so we
likely will need to split it into two or three parts in order to take it on
path.”

This wasn’t unexpected and something that Tran had
experienced many times before. Even the most advanced path had limits and
couldn’t take a fully loaded caravan all at once. It was common to break it up
into smaller groups and take a section at a time. “How many groups?”

“Grae-ren calculated it to be three. It is part of the
reason why Siobhan-ajie is so pleased that you came when you did. This job
would be difficult with only two enforcers.”

Two enforcers and two beautiful women in the guild with
three sections of a caravan to guard all at once? Tran could see why it would
be a problem. Not that he didn’t doubt Siobhan was able to protect herself, not
with those twin swords on her back. But he also clearly saw from the
interactions last night at dinner that Wolf didn’t let the woman out of his
sight for long. There was a very strong, almost overprotective, bond between
those two. “I can see why. Man Fei Lei, tell me honestly, who needs the most
protection?”

“Sylvie-jae and Grae-ren,” he responded promptly, mouth
kicked up on one side. “For different reasons. Sylvie-jae, as you’ve experienced
for yourself, is too beautiful and attracts the wrong types of men. Did anyone
explain to you that she is our trader?”

“No, actually, I didn’t catch that part.”

“She has not been with us for long but we have made several
excellent deals because of her skills. Tomorrow’s job is one of them. But it is
not wise to let her out of sight for long. Please mind this.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her. Why Grae?”

“Grae-ren is extremely absentminded when he is thinking.”
Fei’s eyes rolled up in a clear prayer for patience. “And the man is always
thinking. He attracts pickpockets like a carcass would flies. Here, in
Goldschmidt, we do not have much trouble. Wolf-ren’s reputation is such that
most do not care to cross anyone in Deepwoods. Our trouble comes about because
of visitors to the city, not the residents.”

Meaning the four fools that had attacked Sylvie were
newcomers to the place or people passing through? That did make sense. “But
outside of Goldschmidt, he attracts trouble, I take it.”