Vitiosi Dei (Heritage of the Blood Book 2) (10 page)

              As Shawnrik watched one of the horseless carriages roll past, he asked Verrian if they were also powered by an electric current. Nodding, Verrian said that they partly were, and that they would learn many of the principles in basic engineering. Shawnrik asked if the Shapers had designed the power source, and Verrian scoffed, saying that everything in the city was run by science, not magic. The way he said it, you would almost believe that he thought Shapers were scam artists. Might as well not even believe in Dragons, at that point!

              Shawnrik was impressed with everything that these people had managed to do without the help of the Mages, though, and thought there might be something to this science thing after all. The wonders he had seen over the last few days that had been created through science had impressed him more than many of the things he had ever heard of that Mages had created in Safeharbor. At least here they seemed to improve the quality of life for everyone, instead of just those that could afford to pay a Shaper.

              They walked along the streets of Serenity Valley for some time before they came upon a smaller building with a sign out front that said, “Gnorman's Family Jewels,” and in smaller letters, “Buy, Sell, and Trade. Consignments welcome.”

              “This is the shop of a friend of my family. His name is Gnorman, he is a gnome, and he is a cheat!” Verrian said with a grin, “But he loves to haggle, so whatever price he quotes you tell him you want twice as much. He'll go off about highway robbery and how is he supposed to make a living, but he'll quote you a higher price. Do you know how to haggle, or should I do it?”

              Shawnrik had been grinning from ear to ear at the first mention of the crooked little gnome. No one made it very long on the streets of Safeharbor without being able to haggle with the merchants that frequented the Dock's District. He had learned at an early age that you could stretch your money a lot further if you were able to convince the merchant to give you a more suitable price.

              “No, this is one thing that I have seen the pros at work doing.” It was true, too. He didn't think that his tongue was a match for that of Nim or Victor, but he thought he would do well enough.

              They opened the door to the little shop and a little bell on the door tinkled, welcoming them to the store and alerting the shop owner to their presence.

              Verrian was excited for the first time for as long as he could remember. He hadn't met many people that he could call a friend, and he knew even fewer people that were willing to stick around and listen to him talk for an hour about something that he found interesting. For the first time in his life, he thought that he might have found someone that could actually be his friend, instead of someone who just hung around him because of who his father was. He knew that most people found his curiosity and drive to know how everything worked annoying, and he had rarely been invited to play games or hang out with other kids his age. Part of it had also been his size, though; he had always been smaller than the other kids his age, and none of the other kids wanted to pick him for their team when they were playing something as aggressive as Dirt Ball.

              In many ways, Verrian felt that Shawnrik Larston was a lot like him. It might not be visible at the first glance of the young Half-Giant, but Verrian knew from their conversations that in many ways their minds worked on the same level. Shawnrik was everything Verrian had ever wanted to be and more. They were the same age, but Shawnrik was already close to seven feet tall, and looked like someone who worked out—a lot.

              Verrian thought that Shawnrik must take after his father's side, as he didn't have the blocky look that many of the Storm Giants seemed to possess. His features were well defined, but possessed many more fine curves than hard angles. Seeing how often Shawnrik's hair kept getting in his way, Verrian thought that he might suggest a haircut before they went back to the Institute.

              Verrian saw a stone that Shawnrik dumped out in front of Gnorman that looked almost exactly like the golden yellow color of the Half-Giant's eyes. When he asked what it was, both Gnorman and Shawnrik simultaneously replied, “Topaz.” Shawnrik's eyes were the only part of the young man that didn't scream athlete in Verrian's opinion. They held a keen intellect and a curiosity that he felt his own eyes must reveal to anyone who might bother to look.

              He realized in that moment that there was an added plus to having Shawnrik as a roommate; it was much less likely that he would be picked on this year. Verrian had never taken any physical courses before because he knew how much he would get harassed by the other kids. His father was the treasurer for the Parliament, so the only thing his father cared that he learned in school was math, and lots of it.

              Verrian had given in to the idea that he would be an accountant, or maybe even take his father's job, which was just a glorified accountant, but watching his friend haggle with Gnorman gave him a new hope.
If a street rat from Safeharbor can become a student at the Institute in Serenity Valley, maybe I can change the direction of my life as well.

              “Seven fifty,” the gnome said in response to Shawnrik's last offer, his enjoyment of the process no longer hidden as the smile took control of his features.

              “Eleven seventy five,” Shawnrik replied with a straight face, but Verrian thought his roommate was enjoying this just as much as the Jeweler was.

              They were getting down to the fun part of the haggle, and Verrian thought that even his father would be proud of the fight that Shawnrik was putting up against the little Jeweler. Verrian had also noticed that Shawnrik had only dumped out a small portion of the bag that contained his gems.

              “Nine seventy and that's as high as I can go before you send me into the poorhouse!” Gnorman said after about ten minutes of back and forth negotiations, the grin now a permanent feature of his face.

              “Nine seventy five, and I give you four more gems to make a set of cufflinks for Verrian and myself so that we might display your grand craftsmanship and tell everyone where they are from,” Shawnrik said, waiting for the Gnome's reply. After about a minute, he began to reach for the gems as if to put them back into the bag.

              “Ah lad,” Gnorman said, “you are a boy after my own heart. Not only are you getting more than a fair price, but you are having me make you something for free as well. Tell me, where did you learn the game?”

              “The Dock's District of Safeharbor,” Shawnrik said, finally allowing the grin he had been holding back to come forth.

              Gnorman's eyes widened and he looked to Verrian for confirmation of the statement. Verrian nodded. “Well,” the Gnome said cheerfully, “if that is the way everyone haggles in Safeharbor, I am in the wrong part of the world. How do you like Serenity Valley so far? I assume you are a student at the Institute with Verrian here?”

              “It is amazing here, sir,” Shawnrik said, his voice holding no small amount of awe. “In some ways it is like home, but in so many other ways it is completely different.”

              Verrian saw where Shawnrik's eyes had fallen as he finished his statement, and realized that his new friend had probably never seen a digital clock before.

              “Yes, every city is a little different, I suppose, but I think you will like it here,” Gnorman said. Verrian didn't think the Gnome quite understood just how different the cities were, but before he could say anything the Gnome decided to play friend of the family. “It is good to see Verrian with a friend, too. Maybe he won't get picked on as much this year.”

              Verrian watched as Shawnrik's gaze shifted from the clock to the shopkeeper, and finally to him. Silently cussing out the Gnome, Verrian held back a sigh.

              “People pick on you?” the large young man said, his voice like an approaching storm cloud. “Why?”

              “It's nothing bad...” Verrian began, but Gnorman cut him off.

              “Nothing bad!” Gnorman made a spitting motion. “Phaw! Nothing bad my foot! I have had conversations with your father, young man, and with several of the Instructors at the Institute. If you call getting knocked around, your head dumped in a toilet, and being hung up on things nothing bad, then you are as mad as a harpy.”

              “That's not right,” Shawnrik said. “Didn't you fight back?”

              “What can I do?” Verrian's voice came out somewhere between a cry and a shout. “Not only am I a third their size, but it is usually a group of them doing it.”

              “I don't know, Verrian, but we'll figure something out. You just tell me if anything like that happens again this year. You are my roommate now, and we have to watch out for each other.”

              Verrian had looked down at his feet, ashamed of his outburst, so he was surprised to find the large hand on his shoulder. When he looked up he saw Shawnrik looking down at him, topaz eyes glinting in concern. He couldn't tell for certain through the moisture in his own eyes, but he thought that Shawnrik might be crying, but when the young man spoke his voice was strong.

              “Because if we don't, who will?”

              “Oh!” Gnorman cried. “That's friendship alright, reminds me of when I went to the Institute with your father, Verrian.” The Gnome wiped the corner of his eyes with a handkerchief before starting to count out the money that they had agreed on. Gnorman continued to regale the two with stories about his time at the Institute.

              Shawnrik dumped the rest of his bag of gems onto a pillow that Gnorman had placed on the counter for just such a purpose, and the greedy expression that crossed Gnorman's face as his eyes fell upon the pile of gems was enough to lift Verrian's spirits once more. It took Shawnrik a few minutes, but he found four gemstones that were near enough alike to suit his purpose. Verrian nearly choked when he saw what his roommate had chosen for them. He didn't know a whole lot about gems himself, but having grown up around wealth, he knew enough to recognize a diamond when he saw one. Not only were these some of the largest that he had ever seen, but they were a beautiful purple hue.

              “You have some eye, kid,” Gnorman said. “I can't put stones like this into something as mundane as cufflinks, though—that would be criminal. Something with those in them needs to be visible!” A grin spread across the Gnome's face after a moment's consideration. “Have you ever thought about getting your ear pierced?”

              Verrian looked at the Gnome incredulously, finding the idea ludicrous, but he noticed Shawnrik nodding.

              “Sure I have. Half of the people I knew growing up in the Dock's District wore them.”

              “My father would kill me!” Verrian said, his voice strangled.

              “I know! Isn't it great?!” the little Jeweler said, a mischievous glint in his eye. “I'll tell you what I'll do; I'll make an earring for each of you, that way you can look like pirates!” The gnome's grin began to fade as he fell deep into thought. “Maybe an earring and a ring, either way it's sure to be impressive.”

              “You don't have to do all that,” Shawnrik said, placing the remaining gems back into his pouch.

              “Nonsense, you have me going now, boy, bad luck to not do things you know you should do. I'll have them ready before the Winter Festival, so you will have them for the dance. Just be sure to tell people where they came from!”

              Verrian noticed that Shawnrik had left several gemstones on the pillow as they left, and when he mentioned getting a haircut Shawnrik said it sounded like a good idea. It didn't take them long to find a place that was open. They were in and out quickly, and as they left, both boys' hair now closely cropped, Verrian noticed that Shawnrik's hair had a blue hue to it that couldn't be seen when it was longer.

              The next stop was a clothing store, where Shawnrik bought several sets of new clothes and two pairs of shoes. They realized that it was well past lunch time as they began to make their way back towards the train, so they stopped for a quick bite to eat. As they boarded the train back to the Institute, Verrian had one thought.

             
This could be a very good year.

              Shawnrik was glad when he finally got all of his bags into the room and packed into his chest. It was a nice change from living day to day, wondering what he would have to do tomorrow to survive, and he found that he rather liked it. He knew that he didn’t want to get too used to it, but he would enjoy it while it lasted.

              On his bed was a finalized schedule, and he was pleased to see that he had been approved for every course for which he had applied. The next thing that he noticed was that it was arranged in eight day increments, which neatly divided the month into four segments. Shawnrik thought that whoever had thought of such a thing must have had a very organized mind. In Safeharbor, they had gotten along fine without dividing the month into four parts, but he also saw the benefits of it while working on a rotating schedule like the one that he held in his hand. The eight days were aptly labeled ‘Firstday’ through ‘Eighthday.’ This made today a Firstday, and the Second Firstday would come on the ninth day of the month. As he thought more on it, he decided that he liked the idea more and more.