Stepping into the magic ward was Peter felt travelling to a world where magic was real should be like. Walls surrounded it, and the gate was set in a tunnel through. That the wall wasn’t a natural formation was clear, but it also appeared to be formed from a single piece of stone. The buildings defied physics. Most had towers and turrets. Bright colours were everywhere, and plants. One tower looked to have been carved from one massive tree trunk. Despite being open to the sky, the air felt different in this ward. Like being at the base of a waterfall.
The residents were far past eccentric, nearing insane in appearance. More styles of clothing than Peter had seen in his life on modern-day Earth were worn. Materials he didn’t think should work as clothing, like living vines and stone. He had gotten used to the variety of physical features people displayed on this world, but here he was seeing tails, horns, scales, feathers, and hooves, in addition to unnatural colours.
He was gawking around, mouth open, possibly drooling, certainly obstructing traffic. With a shake of his head Peter set about exploring the ward. He still couldn’t read the local writing, which he was reminded of every time he looked at a sign. Instead, he had to rely on images and what he could see through windows or on display.
Finally identifying a sort of pub or café, Peter went in and claimed a stool at the bar.
“What can I get you?” asked a man with grey stubble and an eyepatch.
“What have you got?” Peter answered.
“The widest selection in the Empire.”
“So you have herbal teas?”
“Of course. Did you have one in mind?”
“Yes, please. Err, no, I wasn’t thinking anything specific. Something new, preferably.”
“Sure thing. I’ll put the kettle on to boil. What brings you here?”
“I’m waiting on a representative to finish deliberation on my petition, so I thought I’d like to see what it’s like.”
“You’ve a petition in deliberation? What about?”
“Yeah. Long story, not all that interesting.”
“How many languages do you speak?”
“Fluently? One.”
“Could have fooled me, we’re up to six now.”
“Well, if I took of a charm I’m wearing, we wouldn’t understand a word each other says.”
“Ha! And where would you have gotten said charm?”
“A guard captain wanted to ask me some questions, so a funny little man made it. I think it was only meant to translate between the two languages, but I’ve spoken to mammoths and a yeti since I put it on.”
“People speak to beasts all the time.”
“I bet they don’t often understand when the beasts respond.”
“You’ve had conversations with mammoths?”
“Yes.”
“Can you talk to all beasts?”
“I don’t think so, it seems they need a certain intelligence. Maybe to have a complex vocal language to begin with.”
“Interesting. Oh, kettle’s boiled.” This bartender, or barista, whichever, poured the water in a cup he had put dried plant matter in. “What do you think?”
Peter took a whiff of the steam and got clear scent. “Peppermint?” Taking a sip to confirm, he burned his lip and put the cup down.
“You know it?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“If it’s the plant I’m thinking of, I’m curious how it is you have it.”
“There is a trade network spanning many worlds, I’m not sure from which peppermint originates.”
“To my knowledge, the one I was born on. Maybe the representative’s deliberations aren’t as vital to me getting home as I had thought.”
“Now things are starting to make sense. I have more questions than ever, but we’re getting somewhere.”
“Maybe.”
“This conversation deserves to happen somewhere more comfortable. When the lass gets back from whatever business she had, we’ll go somewhere else with no distractions.”
“Okay. What I really came down here for was to learn a bit about magic. Learn about how it is learned. Where I’m from magic is considered a made-up think, not real. Something to entertain children.”
“It’s significantly easier for some than others. I know someone who might be able to help and will likely be willing to for a chance to take a look at your charm.”
“Ah, well, I try to keep that secret. I’m rather partial to it, you see. I haven’t been successful at learning the language here.”
“Understandably.”
“I should be wary of who I trust.”
“Yes, you should be.”
“That’s an odd thing to say.”
“There are those around who can’t be trusted.”
“There usually are.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I haven’t decided yet. By appearance I’d say you wanted people to think you are one not to be trusted, but I’m a quick judge of character and I’d say you are more inclined to do what is right than most. Not to be confused with what the law says is right, I should add.”
“Hmm. Well, go about your business, and come back when the sun starts to set. Bring whatever friend has managed to keep you alive this long if you’d like.” The man whistled and some ferret-like creatures scurried in from somewhere. He mumbled to himself as he wrote notes and attached them to each of the collars.
Peter finished his tea and continued to wander. Most of the bits of conversation he overheard made no sense to him. He passed at least three men who didn’t look like they had washed or eaten in a week drawing symbols on the cobbles with chalk and muttering to themselves. A woman leapt from the top of a tower, to all appearances going to hit the cobbles, but slowing to a stop in the last ten feet as if the air around her had increased in density.
Stopping to look at books, one stood out to him. He had to check twice to make sure, but the words on the spine were in the Latin alphabet. Not just that, they were in English. It was a book Peter was familiar with, Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
“Where did this come from?” he asked casually.
“Some far-off land you’ve never heard of,” came the reply.
“Can I take a look?”
“If you insist.”
Carefully flipping through the pages, he confirmed what he held. “How much do you think this is worth?”
“The important question is how much you think it’s worth.”
“Oh, well, umm,” Peter dug around in a pocket and produced a handful of coins. If he had to guess, he would say it was the equivalent of fifty Canadian dollars. “This much?”
“You’ve read my mind! Deal.” The bookseller swiped the coins without Peter feeling anything.
Starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with all the strange sights, Peter headed back to the barracks. Marla came in just as he sat down and opened his book.
“Good, you’re back. I haven’t confirmed anything yet, but it seems like a single dragon egg would be enough for a bribe. There are all sorts of ridiculous rumours, ranging from pregnancy to a disrupted supply chain to someone important stranded in the mountains to the north.”
“The Sky Turtle might serve us well, then.”
“Maybe. Did you enjoy your wander?”
“It was a bit overwhelming, but yes. I found some stranger things than I expected, though.”
“Like what?”
“The second one was a book I’ve read a few times, though from a print run I’ve never heard of. The first was a cup of peppermint tea.”
“I’ve never heard of that herb.”
“Exactly. It’s common where I’m from, mostly used as a tea or to flavour candy.”
“How did you find one today, then?”
“I walked into a café and asked for herbal tea, something I wouldn’t have tried before. I don’t think the barista expected me to recognize it.”
“Where did he get it?”
“He just said something about a secret trade network between worlds and that he didn’t know which one the herb originated on."
"Oh, I had heard rumours of that, too. The guard doesn’t take too much interest in it, though, because there is no harm being done.”
“When the conversation started, he was switching between languages, which I couldn’t tell, of course. Asked me how many I knew, I answered with one, he said I had spoken six so far. I didn’t let him see the charm, but I had to tell him about it. I couldn’t think of a way to keep it hidden completely.”
“How much did you tell him?”
“Not much. He said he was going to contact someone who might want to help – not that I really told him what I was looking for help with – and asked me to come back when the sun starts to set. He also said I could bring ‘whatever friend has kept you alive this long’ if I liked.”
“We can certainly do that. It sounds like a more promising lead than the official route.”
“That’s not saying much, though, is it?”
“No. You mentioned a book?”
Peter held up the book in his hands. She arched an eyebrow, so he turned to the first page. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit,” he started. Marla sat down and listened to him read.
On their way out of the barracks, Peter and Marla bumped into Egbert, who chose to join them. Finding the café in the magic ward wasn’t as easy as Peter had hoped, but he managed. Seeing the man he had spoken to, he led the others over, but the man stood up on seeing them. Peter noticed that while the man’s left eye was covered by a patch, his right leg ended at the knee and a crude wooden prosthetic attached to allow him to walk.
“We’ll be going this way, lad,” he said, turning and leading them out of the room through a small door in the back. Peter had to duck. “The others are waiting down here; good to have a bit of privacy when you don’t want everyone to know what you’re discussing.” Taking a lit lantern, he led the way down some steep wooden stairs. He led them through a chaotic stockpile of barrels, crates, and sacks to a massive barrel. “If you could pull the hatch closed behind you, thank you,” he said as he caused the lid of the barrel to swing outward and stooped to walk through first. Marla went next, then Peter nearly crawling, and Ebert dutifully pulled the door closed as he followed.
Six upholstered armchairs sat in front of a roaring fireplace. The three on the left were occupied, as were two of those on the right. The man sank into the empty chair and sighed. “It’s time for introductions, I believe. My name is Barnabas, and my associates are Reynard, Theobald, Chesley, Shaye, and Aster.” He paused.
“My name is Peter, and these are Marla and Egbert.”
“Now, Peter, can you tell us your story?”
“What, are we expected to stand?” Peter asked.
Three more chairs scraped across the floor from the shadows to come to rest behind the three standing. Nothing visible was propelling the chairs.
“Well, I suppose everything before two guards ran into me while I stood confused on a street that wasn’t the one I had been walking down a few seconds before is irrelevant. You’re interested in everything after that, I’m assuming. That’s where I’ll start, but I hope you have beverages ready. "It’s a long story.” Peter told the story yet again.
When he was finished, all six were staring at him. After a few minutes, Theobald asked “you’re giving the emperor dragon eggs?”
“It seems like the best option for someone with my limited resources,” Peter answered.
“You built a flying boat in a few weeks with the help of random townsfolk?” Shaye blurted out.
“Yeah, still not sure how I pulled that one off.”
“Along the way you just taught a stranger in the mining town the secret to Akorkin Spirit Iron?” Reynard slowly asked.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“A dryad has been following you around and going out of her way to help you?” Aster asked.
“Unfortunately. I was just starting to get used to her appearing, but I haven’t seen her since my involuntary swim down river.”
“I can’t tell if your luck has been exceptionally good or exceptionally bad,” Chesley stated.
“It is a rather mixed bag, I know.”
“Do you have any idea what the thief had stolen or how they fled to your world?” Barnabas asked.
“I think there was mention of a device that opened a brief portal to a random location and that was why I couldn’t be sent back immediately.”
“Those are rare. Whoever it was stolen from is likely powerful, whether politically, financially, or magically,” Theobald said. “It seems likely that they are sponsoring your trip here to petition the council to be sent home.”
“You said it was the guard funding this journey,” Peter said, looking to Marla.
“It’s what I was told. I have a writ that allows me to withdraw funds from any guard post and have the balance transferred come tax time. That may have been a ruse or just practical. If someone important and wealthy enough didn’t want to travel with you, having an organization with posts in every settlement of note take that on with the promise of reimbursement would be convenient.”
“We could speculate all night and not be any closer to knowing the truth. Getting you home is what is important, as your mischief is likely leaving chaos in your wake. A state sanctioned portal would be easiest, but, if that isn’t possible, we can build the equipment the emperor keeps locked in a vault. It just requires collecting materials that are hard to come by in the requisite quantities even here in the capital. This Sky Turtle of yours could prove invaluable in that effort.” Barnabas looked to the others.
“I’ve heard whispers of this backlog you’ve run afoul of. Key people are distracted, leaving everything to grind to a halt. If the council isn’t straightened out soon, the empire could start to collapse.” Chesley was looking worried.
“Yes, well, there are plenty of possible causes. Not much we can do until we narrow it down,” Theobald said dismissively.
“If there is no action we can take at this time, I would like to start learning about how magic works and how it is learned,” Peter started, but was interrupted by Barnabas.
“While it could be counterproductive for you to leave the city while waiting on a decision, we can still work on our alternate plan to have it ready if it comes to that. Until we can make that call, we may need to have you make social calls to the palace to engage in some court intrigue. It’s getting late for tonight, though. Shall we adjourn?”
“Yes, there is a lot to consider before taking action,” Reynard seconded. The others nodded, and minutes later Peter was being let out a back door with Marla and Egbert in tow.
“What do you two think of this plan?” Peter asked.
“What plan?” Egbert countered.
“I think they are taking advantage of you somehow, but it might just be your presence. I hate politics,” Marla answered.
“It does seem they are looking to capitalize on an opportunity helping my cause might create. They also don’t seem as united as they want to appear. If I can get what I need, I don’t mind helping them. Just not if it will negatively impact you two.”
“Appreciate that,” Egbert replied.
“I think there are things they didn’t want to let us know,” Marla added.
“Of course. Like the secret interplanetary smuggling network.”
“You said trade before,” Marla responded.
“I’ve had time to think. It’s secret, and the council has some method of controlling who can travel between worlds. The only logical conclusion is obvious when you look at it that way.”
“Are you looking forward to socializing with those in the palace?” Egbert asked.
“Absolutely not. It sounds like a nightmare for me. I won’t do it without getting an escort included.”
“Which one of us?” Marla asked.
“Either or. Both, even. Whatever is appropriate for the occasion.”
“Gee, thanks,” Egbert muttered.
“Time to get some sleep and worry about details tomorrow,” Peter said as they reached the barracks. He heard murmurs, but didn’t pay attention. Instead, he headed straight to his bunk and climbed in. He was contemplating a third option: break into the vault and go home without approval. What would they do, track him down and arrest him? The only snag was not knowing how to use whatever was locked away in the vault. It wasn’t small, though.