Chapter 6 (Conclusion)

With that Neun Ja turned her attention completely toward the proprietor who had come to take their order and began to select her meal. Jerrod was left without a clear answer to his questions. From the answer that he had received to the one he had just asked, it was clear that Neun Ja would give no better reply to it than the one that she already had.

The mystery that seemed to enshroud the sorceress grew even deeper and more enigmatic than it had been before. If anything, there seemed to be a touch of danger in her aura that had not been evident to Jerrod before. It made her no less attractive, however. Again, if anything, Jerrod was even more intrigued by his graceful, raven-tressed companion than he had been before.

The two of them ordered their meal from the tavernkeeper, a gruff fellow called Pal. The fare proved to be both hearty and extremely tasty. Seafood seemed to dominate their choices, but Jerrod supposed that that was to be expected given the location of Nova Ekirigilio.

Despite that, there was far more variety than Jerrod had anticipated. There was fried seafood of all sorts, steamed shellfish, seafood in chowders and stews, cold seafood mixed with greens smothered in a sweet and sour sauce that was pinkish-orange in color, and cold seafood drenched in a tangy red sauce. In fact, their were more types and preparations of seafood than Jerrod had thought possible. But they all looked and smelled delicious. Jerrod's meal did not disappoint -- it was indeed delicious, but it proved far less captivating than his companion.

After they had ordered, Jerrod asked Neun Ja to tell him about herself. She smiled her secretive little smile once again and gave a slight nod.

"Indeed, you did speak of us getting to know one another better. I suppose I may tell you of myself without too much danger," she smiled. "What would you like to know?"

Jerrod was caught off guard. While he had wanted to know more about his companion, he hadn't really thought what specifically he wanted to know other than why she had disappeared earlier.

"Umm, I guess I want you to tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Are you married? How did you come to study both sorcery and battle arts? It seems a strange combination. What brought you to the lands of Seremoreh?"

Her laughter seemed almost cliche. It was the sort of laughter Jerrod has always fantasized that the women he married would have. It wasn't a cackle. It wasn't a screech. It wasn't an indelicate snort. It was nothing short of melodious. Neun Ja's laughter tinkled like the gentle peals of a crystal bell. "So many questions! Well, as Astall told you back in Pond Eddy, I am from the other side of Zemelia. My land is called by some Hanhon. I grew up the third child of a farmer. We were not wealthy, but we always had food on our table. My parents were loving but stern like most of the parents in my country. They were somewhat disappointed that I was female as parents in our culture always wished for boys. Boys extended the families power by marrying into other families and gaining a portion of the other families wealth in dowry. By the same token, girls diluted the affluence of a family as the dowry was to be given out. It was not unknown in my land for parents to drown their daughters at birth. Despite this, the land was very crowded. Family was of extreme importance and elders revered.

One such elder who lived in our village was a mystic. When I was a young child, too young to know better, I thought he was a silly, funny man -- but very nice. He liked to play with the village children and was very good at tricks. Often, he would do such things as make sweets appear from thin air or create beautiful animals out of scraps of paper with a few simple folds. Sometimes he would cause things to disappear with a flash and sometimes just cause them to disappear. When I was a child, I enjoyed the flashes much more than the silent disappearances, but as I grew older that changed. I became fascinated with the less eye-catching of his tricks. They seemed much more difficult to explain. I wished to know how they were done.

I became even more fascinated by the old man's skills one day when some the young men of the town drank to much wine and began to brawl. There were eight of them -- five fighting three. All of them were young and healthy. Two of the combatants were larger than anyone else in our village. Their brawl started as a common pushing and shoving match, but it quickly escalated in to a serious melee. The young men began to damage not only one another but the village square. Some of the older men tried to stop them, but they, too, became embroiled in the fracas. It seemed as if the entire village was to be torn asunder. The old man was looking on at the spectacle which he beheld and shaking his head as if in disgust and sadness. With a sigh, he rose from his seat with the other grandfathers and walked over toward the fight. What followed was astonishing.

Wherever that old man walked, the brawling stopped. The young men went down like dessicated grain in a thunderstorm. Whoever the old man merely touched flew from the brawl as if he had been propelled by the hand of a god. Not one could stand before him. I tell you Jerrod, then and there I resolved to learn the old man's secrets. I did not want to be just another unrespected female who made the best marriage she could and then was forced to suffer whatever indignation her husband meted out!

I wanted to be strong and powerful and if such a little old man could handle with such ease the eight young men and their elders who had become embroiled in the battle, then he was the one to teach me. As it turned out, the old man was a wandering monk who had settled in our village. Such monks in our lands learn the art of hand-to-hand combat as a means of protecting themselves from bandits as they travel from place to place. While they are always extremely unagressive, they will fight if forced to and when they do they are almost unconquerable.

Cho San, as the old man was called, was even more. In addition to the martial arts -- or rather as an adjunct to them -- he had also become an adept in cha li, or the focus of the spirit and shadow. It was this which gave him the ability to pull sweets out of the air and to make things vanish without a trace.

I determined to become his student, and to make a long story short, I did so. He taught me much of what I know, but my appetite for such knowledge was voracious. When I had mastered all that he could teach me, I went in search of other teachers. I sought out all who had some special in gift in cha li. I followed each rumor, no matter how tenuous, and learned all I could from anyone and everyone in my homeland. Still I was not satisfied. I wished to know more to plumb the depths of the mind and soul more fully.

I heard that there those in your land of Seremoreh who knew such arts, arts that were unknown in Hanhon. I knew I must travel to the lands of Seremoreh to learn from these masters.

How I came here is trivial, but that is why I came here when I was still a young maiden. Once here, I apprenticed with a master of sorcery and became an adept in that art. I still seek to learn more, but there are few left who have sorcerous knowledge the depths of which I have not already plumbed."

"And, finally, as you may have guessed from my rendition of my story I am as yet unwed. I have as yet had little time or inclination for romance in my life."

"And you, Jerrod? Are you yet married?"

Jerrod was taken aback. "NO!," he blurted. "I mean, no I haven't had time for much in the way of a love life. I was apprenticed to Astall when I was twelve and he has kept me far too busy to meet girls."

Jerrod blushed and Neun Ja smiled, "Then you understand why I have not yet created any matrimonial ties."

"Well, it seems that we have both finished our meals. Shall we return together to the inn? We must rest well, I think, for the rest of our journey will undoubtedly prove more perilous than the last segment."

The two returned to the Laughing Cavalier without incident. The streets were crowded with people bustling to and fro on their normal midday business -- whatever it might be. Individuals were a blur to Jerrod. There were far more than he was accustomed to after having spent the last few years isolated in Astall's cottage. For all he knew enemies could be passing him within a few paces. The denizens of Nova Ekirigilio hardly seemed like trolls, although there were some he had to admit who in poor lighting might pass as such.

When they arrived back at the inn, Jerrod and Neun Ja went their separate ways with a few murmured farewells. Neun Ja went up to her room and Jerrod went in to the common room to join Urki and the others who had settled there. On his way to the bar where Urki was as usual flirting outrageously with the serving maid, Jerrod nodded and smiled at Enki and Derazha who hardly seemed to notice. A trifle put out, Jerrod sat down next to Urki and immediately broke in on the banter that was passing between the warrior and the serving maid (who seemed to be giving almost as good as she got).

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Urki?" Jerrod interrupted.

"Certainly, lad!" Urki smiled and winked at the tavern wench. "At least I would if I knew her name!"

The serving girl chuckled and turned back to her duties with a shake of her head.

"Well, young Jerrod, what brings you in here like a whirlwind looking for a place to land? Woman troubles?" Urki snickered.

Jerrod blushed. "No, nothing like that. Although you do seem to have a way with women.... Can you give me some advice on how to win a lady's heart?"

"Well magelet, I don't have much truck with ladies, but from my experience a skirt is a skirt. The trick to getting their attention is simple. Start by giving them all of your attention whenever you are with them. Don't worry about being too nice and genteel, but make sure you let them know that they are the most important thing in the world to you except perhaps, just perhaps, your own sweet self. That'll usually do the trick for starters. Now keeping their attention, that is another matter. Take control. Make sure that you are the focus of her attention. Sweet talk her, but don't make any promises. Everything else depends on the individual woman whose heart you are trying to win," Urki replied.

"Take that pretty Neun Ja for example," Urki didn't bother to hide his smirk as Jerrod blushed apple red. "If I wanted to woo that fair flower, I think I might.... Well, no use giving away too many trade secrets. I think I'll just let you figure that one out for yourself if you have a mind to do so."

Jerrod sputtered for a moment, speechless. Deciding that in this case withdrawal was perhaps the better part of valor, Jerrod called the serving wench back over and ordered a flagon of ale. Once it came, he sat studying the brew, resolutely determined to avoid eye contact with Urki for the time being.

By the time he had sipped the last of his ale, Jerrod was feeling a trifle less embarrassed, but only a trifle. Urki's occasional jests to the barmaid about young romance kept him from feeling truly comfortable. Fortunately for him, Ordolf picked that moment to return.

The elder mage sat down next to Urki and greeted both him and Jerrod. Ordolf placed his own order with the serving woman and engaged Urki in conversation giving both Jerrod and the serving wench a temporary respite. Jerrod took advantage of the diversion to order another flagon. As he was doing so, Ordolf winked at him surreptitiously.

"He distracted Urki on purpose! Why would he intervene on my behalf? Whatever the reason, I can thank my lucky stars!" Jerrod breathed a sigh of relief.

When he finished his ale, Jerrod went up to his room and did his wizardly exercises. Still learning his skills, he had had little chance to practice while on the road and was badly in need of drill to make his knowledge more fully ingrained. Even a moment's hesitation could be his downfall, as he had learned to his chagrin in his initial meeting with the twins.

Jerrod was determined that that would not happen again, so he set to his workout with tenacity. Time passed very quickly while he was absorbed in his workout. Soon the sun was sinking toward the sea outside his window. It was nearly dinner time. Jerrod finished his last set of exercises and went down to the common room to join the others for supper.

The others were already down in the common room. They had gathered at the table by the fire where Enki and Derazha had been conversing earlier. Jerrod joined the group as the serving maid came over to take their dinner orders. The rest of the company was discussing their departure the next day. They were making sure that they were prepared for what could be a lengthy journey far from lands with which they were familiar. There might be little or no chance for resupply, so each member of the little band made sure that he or she had forgotten nothing that was irreplaceable by discussing future possibilities with the others.

When Jerrod arrived, it seemed that the consensus that they all had everything that they could possibly need was being reached. All of the others were experienced travelers and adventurers. They had a good idea about what they might need and each felt that they had done a good job in Pond Eddy of meeting their possible needs. Wolf grumbled a bit about them having enough in the way of supplies to equip an army, but the rest paid him little attention. Even Brianna just smiled and shook her head at her spouse.

*       *       *       *        *

By the time their meals came, the eight of them had settled into quiet (in most cases) or boisterous conversations. The latter seemed to involve Urki more often than not. The young soldier appeared in particularly good spirits.

It was the eve of their departure. And Urki, unlike the others, was excited by their momentous and perilous journey. As his sister could and did inform anyone who was interested, he always reacted like this before heading into danger be it a battle or a simple barroom brawl. Urki paid his sister little heed, to him it didn't matter what anyone else thought. If his life was on the line, it made him feel strangely more vital as if he was living his life to the hilt. And that was something he enjoyed. It wasn't that he was unaware of the danger or unaffected by fear. Rather, those two things made him more aware of everything around him and more determined to experience them to the fullest.

He did have one regret. He was sharing a room with Jerrod and Ordolf. That meant he couldn't charm one of the serving wenches into his bed. While he didn't really care if his roommates thought him promiscuous, he did feel that it would be discourteous unless they, too, had a bed partner. And while Ordolf might be capable of attracting feminine companionship, it was clear to Urki that Jerrod hadn't yet matured enough to have any idea as to how to go about a seduction. Besides he was acting like he was moonstruck and making calf eyes at Neun Ja and there was not a chance in the world that he was going to attain her favor this night.

So it looked to be a night of drink and song instead of debauch. If so, he would make the best of it an enjoy to the hilt. And so he did. He laughed and sang with anyone who cared to join in. None could or would keep up with him for long. So no one even tried, with the possible exception of Jerrod whose head kept falling to the table for some inexplicable reason. Mayhap Wolf or Derazha could have matched Urki drink for drink if they had tried, but neither was willing to expend the sheer volume of energy into garrulousness that Urki seemed able to spend.

As they evening wore down, the others went to bed either singly or in pairs. Finally, only Jerrod and Urki were left. The serving maid was yawning off in a corner. Like the barmaid who had been there earlier, she, too, was a pretty blonde. A little shorter than her co-worker, she also differed in that she kept her hair up in some sort of strange pile on her head that seemed to be maintained by several multi-colored rods which the woman had thrust willy nilly in to her hair. At the moment though, her tresses seemed to be coming bit undone and strands of hair were beginning to stray as she yawned and rubbed eyes that were starting to redden under eyelids that were beginning to droop with sleep.

"Well, lad," Urki said to his companion, "It appears as though it is time to go to bed. What do you say we go up and lay ourselves down since I'm sharing a room with you and Ordolf instead of a more winsome companion." He blew the serving wench a kiss, grabbed Jerrod (who once again had his face in a puddle of ale) by the arm and marched the two of them off to their room.

As Jerrod blearily settled himself on his bed, he shook his head in amazement, an action that caused the strangest things to happen to the ceiling, the walls, and even the floor. He had never witnessed a performance quite like the one Urki had put on that night.

Just as Jerrod started to drift off into sleep first Urki and then Ordolf leapt out of bed. Their actions were followed almost instantaneously by the door to their room bursting inward as if it had been propelled by a catapult. Simultaneously there were sounds of alarm throughout the rest of the inn. And if Jerrod's ears weren't playing tricks on him, there was also the distant sound of fighting in the streets.

As Jerrod looked dazedly at the door, his saw outlined by its frame what appeared to be a troll. At least thought it was a troll, although in his state it looked more like five or six. Sudden terror burned the remnants of the nights debauch out of Jerrod. As the young mage struggled to rise, he realized it wasn't five or six trolls it was more like ten, and more were streaming through the doorway every minute.

Before Jerrod could get out of his blankets and even before Urki or Ordolf could mount any sort of an effective defense the three of them had been seized and taken prisoner by the trolls. That in itself was strange, for trolls did not often take prisoners unless they had eaten their fill already. In that case, they might take prisoners so they would have something fresh to snack on later. Even more alarming than the trolls taking prisoners was the fact that so many trolls were working together. Still more disturbing was the fact that they seemed to be doing so in perfect harmony with nary a squabble amongst them.

Jerrod had little time to ponder these mysteries before he was cuffed into unconsciousness by one of his captors. If he had stayed awake long enough he would have seen that the trolls had not only taken he and his two chamber mates prisoner, but they had also captured Wolf and Brianna and Enki and Derazha.