Somewhere far far away ... Part 11

Somewhere far far away ... Part 11

by CaylaCatz https://budgetpixel.com/u/CaylaCatz and @panos https://budgetpixel.com/u/panos

Index to all chapters: https://budgetpixel.com/blog/somewhere-far-far-away-all-chapter-links

here: Chapter 18 (by CaylaCatz):

Comments for Part 11

Chapter 18 : Maps, Merchants, and Mysteries

Chapter 18 images and text by CaylaCatz

Roberta's Skyport, original visuals and lore created by Bobbie . You can view her original images here: https://budgetpixel.com/p/39970

Cat's chapter:

The Wizard was already walking down the broad avenue.

Cat hurried after him, trying to take in everything at once. Merchants called from stalls overflowing with goods she couldn't identify. She saw a human food vendor roasting something that he was handing out to customers on sticks. It smelled deliciously like chicken. Then he turned around and started chopping up a snake to roast some more. Ewww!

So many different kinds of people bustled past in every direction. Skin, fur, and scales in all kinds of colors. She never knew hair could be naturally rainbow-colored. Children were laughing and playing as they followed their parents.

Other than being suspended high above the clouds on a city that might decide to eat people, it was surprisingly normal. She caught up with the Wizard.

Then she remembered Cook's errand.

"Oh!" She stopped and dug through the collection of items Cook had handed her. After nearly dropping a coin purse and accidentally unfolding the shopping list upside down, she finally extracted the map.

The Wizard glanced down, "What's that?"

"A map to Jax's shop. Cook asked me to pick up spices for him. But it says Thorne & Sons Trading Company on the map"

The Wizard took one look at the map and snorted, "Put that away."

Cat blinked, "What?"

"I know where Thorne & Sons is. Everyone does."

"Everyone?"

"Anyone who's traveled this route more than once." He starts walking again, "Come along."

With that, the Wizard turned down a side street without slowing.

"Darn it! Wait a minute," yelled Cat.

The Wizard stopped and looked back.

"Show me where we are on the map. I want to orient myself."

The Wizard walked back, "It's always good to know where you are. Maps are useful things." He tapped a spot near one edge of the parchment, "We are here!"

A moment later he traced a quick symbol in the air. Two glowing points of light appeared on the map: one yellow, one orange.

Cat jumped slightly, "What did you do?"

"You're the yellow dot. I'm the orange dot."

Cat stared, "Really?"

"Might be useful if we become separated."

"And I can find you at the orange dot?"

"Usually."

"Usually?"

"The orange dot may disappear from time to time if I need privacy."

"Privacy?"

"Wizard business. I've heard rumors there may be artifacts and grimoires available in this city. There may be deals to be made. "

"And you think Thorne knows about them?"

The Wizard chuckled.

"Thorne never knows anything."

"What does that mean?"

"It means if something interesting is happening, Thorne somehow always knows who you should talk to. But if you ask her direct to tell you plainly she knows nothing. Remember this about her. Anyways direct questions are rude in Roberta's skytown as a general rule so be careful about that."

"Why?"

"It's a pirate town. Always remember that. Magical policing or not, it's still a pirate town first and always. People don't like questions."

He started walking again, "Come along. If anyone can point us in the right direction, it's Thorne."

The Wizard resumed his brisk pace and Cat hurried after him, weaving through the crowded streets.

As they walked, Cat quickly discovered that "everyone has been there" did not make finding Thorne & Sons any easier. The skyport seemed determined to distract her every few seconds.

They passed a street musician whose instrument appeared to be made from crystal and brass. Followed by a stall selling brightly colored fruit that floated several inches above the display table. A pair of wolf-folk merchants argued cheerfully over the price of cheese while a flock of tiny winged reptiles perched on a nearby awning and watched the proceedings as if judging them.

Cat nearly walked into a lamp post while staring at a shop built inside a living tree.

"Try to look where you're going," the Wizard said.

"I'm trying," said Cat. "There's too much going on."

"That feeling never entirely goes away."

They crossed a bridge spanning a gap between two terraces of the city. Far below, clouds drifted beneath enormous stone arches and hanging gardens. Airships floated at dozens of mooring towers, their colorful envelopes and sails painting the sky.

Cat forced herself to stop gawking long enough to glance at the map.

To her surprise, the yellow and orange dots were still moving across the parchment. "Oh, that's handy."

"I know."

Several turns later the Wizard slowed, "There."

Cat looked up.

A large wooden sign swung gently above a broad storefront.

THORNE & SONS TRADING COMPANY

Spices, Teas, Herbs & Exotic Provisions

The shop occupied the ground floor of a handsome stone-and-timber building with wide windows and polished brass trim. Crates, barrels, and bundles crowded the covered porch. The scent hit her before they even reached the door.

Cinnamon.

Pepper.

Tea.

Something smoky she couldn't identify.

And at least a dozen other aromas blended into a fragrance that somehow smelled like adventure.

The Wizard pushed open the door. A small brass bell chimed overhead.

The interior was larger than Cat expected. Shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, packed with jars, tins, boxes, and bundles. Ladders on rails allowed access to the higher shelves. Colored glass jars caught shafts of sunlight from the windows, filling the shop with warm reds, golds, and amber hues.

Somewhere deeper inside, a ledger snapped shut. A woman's voice called out.

"If that's Cook sending another shopping list, tell him I'm still not extending credit."

The Wizard smiled. "Good afternoon, Thorne."

A moment of silence followed.

Then: "Wizard."

"You're too late. I'm all sold out of jerky for the day. I have a few guavi nutbars left." A middle-aged human woman with salt-and-pepper hair and a stern mouth comes up to the counter. The smile lines around her eyes belie her mouth.

"I'll take all your nutbars."

"Done a little magic, have you?"

"Always."

"Who's your friend?"

"Cat."

Jax's eyebrows rose, "The Seattle girl?"

Cat blinked in suprise, "How do you know that?"

"News travels fast on the wind."

"Oh." It felt weird that people she never met already knew about her. Especially in this strange world without social media. People wrote actual letters here. How fast could letters travel? She looked at the Wizard. Well, probably really fast. I'll never get used to magic being a thing, she thought.

"I heard Seattle has good coffee."

"Oh, it does!" Cat had to admit; she missed Seattle coffee.

"They are a bean juice, right? Not leaf, like tea?"

"Sorta."

"Bring me a sample. If it is as good as rumored, we can strike a deal."

"uh," Cat glanced over at the Wizard, her supplier for teleported goods from Seattle, "I'll see what I can do."

Cat pulls out the list, "Meantime, do you have these items for Cook?"

Thorne glanced down at the paper. "I can get it. Come back in three hours and I'll have it ready for pick up and payment."

As they were talking, the Wizard had paid for the nutbars Thorne had handed him and was contentedly munching. He perked up when Cat pulled out the bag of Snickerdoodles.

"Cook said these were for you. We want to sell cookies like these at the nightmarket tonight. He said to sign up with you?"

Thorne took out a cookie and handed one to the Wizard who had not asked. Although to be fair he had looked a bit like a puppy suddenly spotting a bone. She took out a second one and bit into it.

"These are delicious. Sweet. Got a bit of a crunch. I taste butter, sugar, cinnamon. Thinner than a biscuit and sweeter. What do you call these? Good but not extraordinary. I heard rumor tho of something called Chochip Coos."

"Chocolate Chip Cookies? We'll have a few of those but not many. Chocolate chips are not that easy to get. But we'll have a variety of cookies to sell. Cook is making some more batches from my Seattle recipes while I get his list."

Thorne pulls out a register from under the desk. "It's 100 coppers or 10% of the night's take."

Cat looks at the Wizard for guidance. The Wizard says, "10 silvers is fine."

Cat pulls out Cook's pouch and digs out 10 silvers from the bottom.

Thorne passes her two maps. "This is the town map. The nightmarket is here tonight." She marks a red square on the map. "It moves nightly so your spot is only good for tonight. It starts at 8pm and closes at midnight so don't be late."

She marks another red square on the second map, "This is the market. You are stall 23 which is here on the east side. Keep tabs on your money and keep it securely on you. There is no law against grabbing money that has fallen to the ground. Do you understand me?"

"Oh"

"Yeah, you look like a newbie. Look, our magic that guards us well is not intelligent. It measures intent to harm but it doesn't give a damn about money. Magic is a useful thing but it tends to be rather specific and rarely intelligent. Just ask him about magic. It has its limits. Thing with people and fae is that we always test limits and try to find loopholes. So here in Roberta's, no one can do you harm but we also have a very active Thieve's Guild. Got it?"

"Oh!"

"Ask him about the Thieve's Guild if you want to know more."

The Wizard shrugs, "We tend to have an on again off again relationship. Mostly off until they want to pay me to do some magic."

"Uh huh. Or if you've heard they have some artifact you want."

"Well do they?"

"Probably. No one knows what the Thieves Guild is currently holding. What are you looking for?"

The Wizard looks far away for a minute, "I heard they have the Ash Wizard's grimoire in Roberta's. Didn't hear who. Maybe you?"

"The genius wizard who experimented all the time?"

"Yeah."

"I doubt anyone has his grimoire. Not a full one anyways. Maybe a journal with notes about a set of experiments and sketches. But no, I don't have it. I don't know if anyone has it. There are a few booksellers at the nightmarket tonight. One of them may know. Not Elvira. She just handles romances. And be careful with Igor. He's gone a bit dark since he's taken up with the Count. Some of his books bite."

The Wizard looked interested at that.

She looked intently at the Wizard, almost a warning look, "You owe money again?"

"Probably." The Wizard thought quickly, "Thanks." He didn't think there was a bounty on him. Could be but unlikely if he hadn't heard. Owing money, tho? A few misunderstandings here and there. Could one of them be in Roberta's Skyport? Only one or two might come here. He'd keep an eye out.

"Be careful and keep a reign on your temper. Remember what happened last time."

"Yeah, I remember. "

Cat looked inquiringly at him.

"Someone was in my face and I was about to cast a spell on him. Instead the city put me to sleep for a week before I could. So he stole my purse while I was sleeping and the roominghouse charged me a week's rent for my nap. I'm still looking for that thief! He owes me," the Wizard grumbled.

"Leave him be," warned Thorne. "He'll just rile you up again and you'll probably lose another purse while you nap. Again."

Thorne looked at Cat, "Like I said, people learn the loopholes. Keep a hand on your purse, your cookies and your temper."

Cat answered, "I don't lose my temper very easily."

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Some people can be remarkably irritating," Thorne replied looking at the Wizard.

"Hey!"

"Come back in 3 hours for Cook's list. If you're coming back with her, I'll try to dig up some items you might be interested in too, Wizard. Your special interest is still portals, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Advanced teleportation and battle magic too. My protection spells are good but it doesn't hurt to learn more."

"What about you?" Thorne asked looking at Cat.

"A way home?" Cat answered.

"Can't help you with a fairy geas. No one likes to mess with fae business. Likely you'll figure it out."

"Oh, ok," said Cat. She'd known it wouldn't be that simple but she'd hoped. She still didn't know why the fairy sent her here. They'd been talking about books in a Seattle coffeebar and then bang, she was here. The fairy had seemed perfectly friendly and kind. What went wrong? Why was she sent here? So weird that people knew about her problem. Their airship had just landed there. How did Thorne know about her already?

"Ok. See you both later."

"Alright. See you in 3," the Wizard replied.

As Cat and Wizard left, an Elven couple entered with the woman heading straight for the fabric shelves.

Outside Thorne's store, Cat spotted a bookstore. "Wizard, can we go there? I love books."

The Wizard nodded and they strode to the bookstore.

The Skyport bustled outside, but the moment they stepped through the bookstore door, the noise faded. Shelves climbed toward the ceiling like wooden towers. Ladders rolled along brass rails. Books filled every wall. The smell of paper, leather, dust, and lamp oil hung pleasantly in the air. Cat sniffed delightedly at the sweet bibliosmia that pervaded the shop, that slight vanilla almond aroma of old books. A deep feeling of contentment washed through her to see books of all ages lining the walls. Vellichor, she remembered. That's the word for this feeling.

The Wizard stopped, staring up at the back wall.

Cat nearly ran into him.

"What is it?"

The Wizard tilted his head.

"Well now."

"What?"

"Either this is an extraordinary bookstore, or I'm about to make several unfortunate financial decisions."

Before Cat could reply, he wandered off.

Not walked off. A minute later he was floating six feet above the floor beside a towering bookshelf, completely absorbed in a row of ancient grimoires.

Cat sighed.

"I wish I could do that."

Then her attention was caught by two people standing next to a strange bookcase: an elderly man who looked like he might work in the store and a grumpy customer.

At first Cat thought the bookcase was moving.

Then she realized it was malfunctioning.

Shelves folded inward. Compartments slid open unexpectedly. Books vanished into the structure. Others emerged from places they clearly shouldn't have been.

A frustrated customer waved an empty hand, "My atlas disappeared!"

"I know it disappeared," the bookseller snapped. "I watched it disappear."

He pointed a finger at the bookcase. A blue spell light flashed from his hand.

Three shelves rotated. Seven drawers opened. A dictionary fell onto the floor.

No atlas.

The bookseller groaned.

Cat watched for a few moments. She stared intently at the bookshelf.

The movement looked oddly familiar. Not magical. Mechanical. A shelf would shift. A gear would hesitate. A counterweight would jerk. Then the whole thing would misalign.

Finally she approached, "Have you considered tightening that spring?"

The bookseller froze. Slowly he turned, "I'm sorry?"

Cat pointed beneath the bookcase, "The spring."

The old man stared at her looking a bit insulted, "I am a wizard."

"Okay."

"I built this shelving system myself."

"Okay, " Cat said agreeably

"I have been maintaining it for forty years."

Cat nodded, "I understand. The spring is still loose."

The bookseller glared at her.

"Look, I'll show you. I'll fix it for free, ok? I just need some tools."

The bookseller turned on his heels and strode into a backroom. The customer stared at Cat. Five offended minutes later, the bookseller was handing her tools.

The Wizard glanced down from somewhere near the ceiling.

"Everything under control?"

"Yes," Cat called.

"Excellent."

And returned to reading.

Kneeling beneath the shelves, Cat discovered an intricate network of gears, counterweights, hidden tracks, and folding hinges.

Some components were magical. Most were not. One retaining spring had slipped. A gear had fallen out of alignment. That was all.

The entire system had been slowly unraveling itself.

A few adjustments later, Cat tightened the spring and nudged the gear back into place.

The mechanism clicked. Then clicked again. Then began unfolding properly.

Shelves rotated. Panels shifted. Hidden spaces emerged.

Suddenly several missing books slid neatly back into view. The customer cheered, grabbing for his atlas.

The bookseller sighed with relief.

A final panel popped open. A compartment no bigger than a bread box appeared near the center of the shelf. Inside sat a leather-bound volume reinforced with brass corners. Plain. Unremarkable. Ancient.

The bookseller looked startled.

Cat noticed, "What?"

The old man didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on the volume.

Very quietly he said: "Hmmm." He picked up the book and tucked it into his pocket. He turned to his not-so-patient customer and accepted payment for the errant atlas.

"If you didn't have the best bookstore in Roberta, I wouldn't come back," grumped the customer as he was leaving.

"In Roberta? That's insulting. I'm the best in the whole hemisphere," said the wizard bookseller.

"I know, dammit. I'll be back, Al." The customer waved as he left.

The bookstore owner turned towards Cat, "Follow me."

Cat followed him into the backroom, a small office with a desk. He sat down and gestured for her to sit.

The bookseller placed the leather volume on the desk. It looked ordinary.

The book wizard stared at her from under bushy eyebrows, "Who are you?"

"Cat."

"Ah, the woman from Seattle. "When the shelves began collapsing, why did you help?"

Cat shrugged, "Books were falling. They were going to get damaged."

The bookseller nodded slowly. "As I suspected."

The Wizard drifted down from the upper shelves carrying a stack of books nearly as tall as himself. He peered through the door, "What did she do?"

The bookseller didn't look away from Cat, "She demonstrated the first virtue."

"The first virtue of what?" Cat asked.

The old man smiled, "The Library-Keepers." He rested a hand on the brass-cornered book, "For thousands of years our order has preserved knowledge others would lose."

The Wizard straightened slightly. Apparently he knew the name.

The bookseller continued, "The book appears only when someone chooses preservation over possession."

Cat looked puzzled, "Ok. What does that mean?"

"It means everyone else here today was worried about owning books." His gaze settled on her. "You were worried about saving them."

He slid the book towards Cat. Cat reached toward it, opening the cover. Every page was blank. She looked up.

The bookseller nodded. "That's the one."

"It's empty."

"Yes."

"I think your magical book is broken."

The Wizard laughed.

The bookseller smiled.

"Perhaps. Take it."

"What?"

"It chose you."

"What about these?" asked the Wizard with his stack of books.

"You chose them. Fine choices. I do appreciate a connoisseur of good books. I'll ring you up."

As the bookseller stook up to go back into the bookstore, he put his hand out. Cat shook his hand. "Welcome to the Library-keepers."

"Welcome? What?"

And somewhere behind them, the Wizard muttered: "Of course Cat gets a free magical book while I get stuck paying for mine."

"Do you want these delivered?" the bookstore owner asked.

"I'll take care of it," answered the Wizard and muttered a few words and the pile of books disappeared. "I'm starving. Is Gillian's still open?"

The book wizard nodded, "Yes, two doors down."

"Oh by the way, do you have Ash's notes or grimoire?"

Al perked up, "It's available? I don't have it, mores the pity."

"Too bad. If you get a line on it, let me know. Come on, Cat," said the Wizard. "Gillian has the best meat pies. You're in for a treat."

Cat tucked her new book into her bag and they left the shop.

Chapter 19 by Panos coming soon

In the meantime if you have missed previous chapters, you can find them here

Index to all chapters: https://budgetpixel.com/blog/somewhere-far-far-away-all-chapter-links

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