Bright colors. Swirling cloths of yellows and reds waving in the wind created by the multitude of customers weaving in and out of the many stalls lining the crooked streets. The sound of laughter and friendly banter mingled together in the warm summer air. A child’s shrill cry of joy on receiving a sweet from its mother and a father scolding his young son for leaving his sight. A vendor shouting out that his wares are the best while the crowd parts to make way for the street performers who have taken up their positions on the cobbled streets, hoping to win a few smiles and coins in the bright market day. The sweet smell of sugared treats and the savory flavor of roasted meats hang upon the air, wafting towards the many willing customers who have come from far and wide to taste the famed treasures of the Belban Market. And above all of this the merry tunes of lively music, creating a general feeling of well being and joy among all, both old and young, male and female, short and fat, tall and gangly, noble and otherwise. The Belban Market.
Unfortunately, this bright and lively description I had once read from one of father’s travel books was nothing like the sight I came upon on the brisk morning of April 24th in the year of the Enkae 029.
The old city, having once been built upon the backs of many hundreds of years and thousands of hours of skillful craftsmanship from the loving hands of the many people who had built it had been torn down completely. Not a stone was left of the twisting cobbled streets that used to run up and down and in so many random patterns throughout the city or around the castle that was no more. In place of that once historic city now stood a wonder of design and simplicity. The streets were laid out in a grid system, each in perfect symmetry and parallel to the block like buildings on all sides. Grey and black stones were plentiful, with only a touch of white on a few of the grander buildings and shops. The paved streets and sidewalks were kept starkly clean and not one colorful silk scarf was waving in the breeze as I entered the market area.
White tents held the wares of the bored looking vendors in the city center. An occasional remark to a passerby seemed more a form of duty than desire. The customers were milling around, each taking their time and unafraid of being able to purchase exactly what they wanted because there didn’t seem to be much threat of someone else taking it before they did. Children were scarce and the few I did see where surrounded by a horde of adults that seemed intent on making that child’s life miserable with their scolding or spoiling, depending on how well the child behaved, and their absolute lack of smiles and fun. It seemed, to me at least, a miserable existence for any child.
And of course, there was no music. No street performers. No art being sold in the streets to brighten up the stark efficiency of the architecture around me. The Belban Market.
I had left my few belongings back at the room I had rented and Arrow was enjoying a rest in the stables so I had only my staff to worry about as I walked amongst the very slowly growing crowd of people in the city. It was still early and I had been told, on good authority, that most of the city slept until noon unless their work strictly prohibited them from doing so. It seemed that my authority had been right.
It was as I was leaving behind a certain bald headed vendor that had refused to respond to my smiles or friendly sally that I noticed the first real movement of life amongst the well behaved crowd of city folk. A group was gathering towards the large fountain of water in the center of the city square and I could hear a few shouts of anger mixed with the calls for a fight as I got closer to the crowd. I pushed my way through and found that a fight had indeed begun, right beside the fountain, and all the men of the town, that had yet arisen from their beds, had come to see it, as well as the few women that were out shopping.
My first sight of the two men fighting gave me a bit of a shock, for I knew one of them almost as well as I had known my own father. Indeed, he had been quite like a father to me, and more so in some ways. Master Sotor had trained me in combat from a very young age and it was because of him that I was certain of entering the ranks of the Nmari. I had but to see him and obtain a recommendation to finally fulfill the dream of a lifetime. And there he stood, or rather crouched, preparing to fight a brawl in the center of the city with all of these people looking on.
“My honor will not stand such a threat.” The words came from Master Sotor’s opponent and I turned to look at the younger man with interest. He was tall, a bit above Sotor’s own six feet, and had short, brown hair. His face was broad and angled, with thick eyebrows above blue eyes and I thought, in that instant, that he could have been an extremely attractive man if he had stopped scowling at my old friend. His figure was that of a man trained in war and I realized that he was dressed in the uniform of the Nmari, causing me to wonder, for the second time in just as many minutes, why on earth Sotor was fighting this man in the middle of the square and not at least in a place less obvious or embarrassing, for I was certain that Sotor was going to give him a good whipping and I felt sorry for the younger man. I knew Sotor’s whippings and they were not something I would have liked anyone else to witness, had I been the one in his place.
“That was not a threat,” Sotor replied to the young man, crouching even further down into his stance, “that was an invitation.”
The young man snarled and leaped for the master, going immediately towards his legs and toppling him to the ground in what was a surprisingly good attack. I watched for a moment with some interest before turning my eyes to scan the rest of the crowd. It was beginning to gnaw at me that there was something fishy about the whole thing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but that Sotor should be having a brawl in the city square with a young man who had obviously had his fair share of combat training… I suspected there was something more to the scene than met the eye and I was eager to find out what it was.
My eyes immediately alighted on a lounging figure at the edge of the crowd, just under the shade of one of the white tents. His face was obscured in shadow but I could see that he was taller even than the man fighting Sotor and leanly built. But what arrested my attention was the general languor of his attitude as he watched the fight. His hands were playing lazily with something, though I couldn’t tell from my distance what it was, and he was leaning against the pole of the tent, as though bored. And yet I sensed, even in that attitude of disinterest, that his eyes were moving, scanning the crowd with a keen glance even while he pretended to be bored.
I moved my way through the crowd, trying not to disturb too many people or look out of place as I made my way closer to the lounging man at the tent. I didn’t think he had noticed me yet but I wasn’t sure so I pretended to be looking for a better position to watch the fight.
I turned back to took at the fight and found that Sotor and the young man were still wrestling on the ground, yelling insults to one another and drawing the crowd even closer in. No one seemed in the least eager to stop it or tell the authorities and I assumed that something of this nature was more entertainment than bother.
As I turned my eyes back to where my disinterested spectator had been leaning, I startled the man next to me by saying “Tryk!” and then pushing past him as I searched for sign of the now missing man. I cursed myself for losing sight of the only “lead” I had in the strange case of Sotor’s fight and then, with a grumble, turned back to the crowd. No sooner had I done so than a drawling voice whipped me around, bringing me face to face with the tall man whom I had so recently lost sight of.
“Lovely day, isn’t it, Miss Shian?” the man had said. He was out of the shadows now and I could see clearly the face of the man I had been keeping an eye on for no real reason. He had dark hair and darker brows above very keen blue eyes and a mouth that looked like it was just waiting to break into a smile. Despite the lively look on his face and the quickness of his glance, the rest of his movements seemed as lazy as a cat lounging in the sun. He was no longer leaning against the side of the tent and yet he looked so comfortable that I wouldn't have been surprised to see him falling into sleep where he stood. I could see the faint trace of a dimple in his cheek and thought idly that he was probably one of the more attractive men I had seen since arriving in Belban, though not quite so good looking as the man currently wrapped up in Sotor's muscular grip on the stone of the city center.
“Quite,” I replied in a much more friendly tone than I felt. I was very much surprised that this stranger knew who I was and I was racking my brain to think of how he could have found out. “But I’m afraid you have the advantage of me, sir. You are?”
“Delighted,” he replied, sketching a surprisingly graceful bow and still looking up at me with those sharp eyes but now with a pleasant smile that brought out the dimple in his cheek. I found it hard to be mad at the fellow for not giving me his name but I wasn’t going to just let the matter go, not after the feeling I’d had in my gut since Sotor’s fight had begun and I had caught sight of this lazy man with the keen eyes.
“How nice for you,” I replied, unconsciously bringing my staff closer as I caught a glimpse of a very sharp looking pair of knives hanging from his belt. “Do your friends call you Del?” I asked with a little smile. I could see the replying smile once again on his lips and it quite nearly made me want to laugh for the ready humor I found there.
“Sy, actually,” he answered easily. “Delighted is my surname.” He finished this with a wink but instead of being offended I had the urge to laugh again.
“I see.” I was hard put to keep the laugh out of my voice but I still kept my hand tight on my staff. “And how is it that you know mine? Surname, that is.”
A roar from the crowd prevented Sy from answering and we turned to see that Sotor and his opponent were now atop the first pier of the fountain, drawing the crowd closer still and creating a wider open space around where Sy and I stood.
I stole a glance at Sy and found that, for the smallest moment, he almost seemed interested in what was going on. But then his eyes turned back to me with a lazy glance and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had yawned right then and there. He didn’t, but glanced lazily around at the tents where only a very few vendors remained, the rest having gone to watch the fight, apparently not caring whether or not their items were left out in the open to be stolen.
I placed my free hand on my hip and stared him down when I realized he wasn’t going to answer my question.
“How is it that you know my name, Mister Delighted?” I quizzed with righteous indignation. His eyes were laughing again and he raised his hands in a sign of defense.
“I surrender, my good lady,” he said with a chuckle. “Master Sotor had informed me that you would be arriving and, according to his very apt description, of both you and your staff, I recognized the personage of our mutual friend’s protege.” I mulled the explanation over for a moment while Sy stared down at me with a good dose of humor playing around his mouth and then I let out a laugh of defeat. “My apologies for causing you undue distress,” he continued. “Indeed, I should have known better than to endanger my own life by doing so.”
“Endanger your own life?” I questioned in great puzzlement.
“Yes,” he nodded sagely. “Master Sotor has warned me that to catch Miss Shian unawares is to take the first taste of death.” He said all of this in profound seriousness but I thought I could detect the faintest glimmer of humor in his eyes. “Poor Mr. Scuffles…” he trailed off, looking sorrowful indeed.
“Mr. Scuffles!” I choked out. “He did not tell you that!” I cried as I felt my face take on a deep shade of red and spread to my very toes as I thought of the humiliating moment when I had been startled by Raina’s poor little rabbit, Mr. Scuffles, and I had taken him down with my staff before I even knew what I was doing. He had not survived the day and no one in the house had even dared to come into my presence without first loudly proclaiming their entrance for almost an entire month. It was to my endless shame and I had pleaded with my family and Sotor to not tell the story to another living soul. It seemed he had not kept his word and I was justly angry with him.
Sy still had a serious expression on his face but I could easily see now that he was struggling not to laugh.
“Yes, poor Mr. Scuffles,” he continued with a sigh. “And then there was poor Serafina,” he continued in a less remorseful tone. “And the neighbor boy, Crissen, and Furby, of course.” I stared at him in open-mouthed horror and he finally laughed.
“Who are you?” I managed to choke out. “And why in Tryk’s name did Sotor tell you all of this?”
Sy stopped laughing and stepped a little closer as the crowd grew louder.
“My name is Sy Mason and Master Sotor is my uncle.” My eyes widened and then everything fell into place in my head and I felt my mouth drop open once more. “And I believe this little exhibition is coming to an end,” Sy continued, ignoring my open mouth with good grace and gesturing towards the fight. “Shall we continue this discussion at the Greens?” He didn’t wait for an answer but instead looped my free arm through his and began to lead me through the streets, towards the Greens, which was really just a fancy name for the only place in the city where anything green was allowed to grow. It was a large park with walkways throughout and a few scattered benches to sit upon and enjoy the small spot where real beauty struggled to survive in the big city created by man.
The both of us remained silent until we came to the Greens and I sorted through my thoughts with as much agility as a cat with four broken legs.
“You’re that horrid little boy that Sotor was always comparing me to!” I finally informed Sy as we began to walk the pathways of the Greens. He just laughed and shrugged. “Yes,” I continued. “He always told me that if I could not do it, then “Sy could” and I would just have to be content with sewing pretty cushions for the rest of my life! Oh, that made me so mad!” I shook just to think of it and Sy patted my hand consolingly before releasing it to bend down and pick a small yellow flower that had been allowed to grow though the cracks of the stones.
“Yes, and you were that nasty little girl that Uncle was always telling me would put me to shame for the skill I showed with the staff.” He handed me the yellow flower and sketched a bow. “I was told, on the best of authority, that if I didn’t take care I would one day be thoroughly mashed to a pulp by the lovely daughter of Lord Shian.” He smiled brightly at me and the dimple in his cheek deepened into a deep crease. “I have yet to find out if I am to be mashed to a pulp but I can see that my uncle did not exaggerate in his descriptions of his favorite pupil.” I shook my head, choosing to ignore the compliment even as the blush rebelliously spread to my cheeks.
“There’s no need to worry,” I assured him, “I only mash rabbits.” Sy let out a surprised laugh and I could feel a responding bubble of mirth rising up inside of me. “But, Sy,” I continued as we started walking again, “what in Tryk’s name was Sotor doing fighting a Nmari in the middle of the city center? The notion that he would brawl with anyone in a public place seems preposterous! It must have been something horrid indeed to have made him act so foolishly.” Sy shot me one of his keen looks but it passed before I had a chance to interpret it. He looked bored the next instant.
“It was, I believe, something to do with an insult paid to Sotor’s newest set of racers.”
“Racers?A brawl over horses?” I asked incredulously. Sy didn’t even have the grace to look guilty of giving me a fib. He just smiled and shrugged. “I begin to wonder if your uncle is really the same man that trained me in Cresture, for I don’t recall his ever being fond of racing or street brawls. Either you have entirely mistaken the matter or that man has been hit one too many times in the head.”
“There is nothing wrong with my head, Miss Shian,” a voice said from directly behind me. I whirled around and found myself facing my old master in all of his cool glory. He looked as though he had just come from a refreshing walk, rather than an intense brawl in the streets. His face was devoid of expression but I could see the light of humor flickering in his eyes and I felt my heart warm with his presence.
“No more than usual then, I’m sure,” I replied, holding back the smile that was reaching all the way to my eyes. Sotor eyed me warily up and down after the slightest raising of an eyebrow to show that he was choosing not to reply to the teasing remark. At last the smile showed on his face and he held out a hand to shake mine in a grip that said he was glad to see me.
“Welcome to Belban, Ryn,” he said, holding my hand with both of his. We held eyes for a long moment and it seemed that much was said in that silent moment. I wanted to expound with words but I could see that it would be imprudent with Sy there, and in a public setting, and so I let my eyes respond to the inquiries in Sotor’s and left it at that for the moment. “Come,” he finally said. “I have a job for you.” He looped my arm through his while Sy followed behind.
Sotor’s modest home was a building that looked much like every other dwelling place in Belban. The only significant difference was the location, as it sat directly behind the Lady Ruler’s palace, with a door that led into the east side of the grounds, where the Nmari were housed. It didn’t surprise me, as I knew that Sotor had been hired as a Nmari master for the past five years, since he had left Cresture. I just assumed that the other masters had similar accommodations. Sotor ushered us into the small room at the back of the house where a sitting mat had been laid and offered us chai.
Sy had settled down on the mat beside me and was leaning back on one arm. He looked extremely comfortable but I was coming to realize that he would look comfortable no matter where he was. He had a knack for taking control of his surroundings by acting like he belonged there. It was an enviable gift and one I thought I should like to copy.
“Yes please,” I replied to the offer for Sotor’s famed chai. Sy shook his head at the offer and Sotor laid the cup before me before settling himself on the mat in a cross-legged position and sipped thoughtfully on the steaming chai. I decided to wait for mine to cool after I scalded my lips with the first sip.
“Patience.” Sotor said the word with a sad shake of his head and I felt like a little girl again, used to his one word scolds that seemed to convey an entire lecture in them. I set the chai down and looked expectantly to my old master. He didn’t seem inclined to say anything.
“A brawl, master?” I asked with both my eyebrows rising up to my hairline. “In the streets? How mature of you.” I smiled sweetly at him and he harrumphed.
“Twit,” he said without rancor. I laughed at the term he had used so often with me. He set his chai down and shared a meaningful look with Sy. I tried to guess what they were saying with their eyes but it was utterly beyond me to comprehend what the tight-lipped master and easy going nephew were discussing and I had a sneaking suspicion that they weren’t going to let me in on the secret anytime soon.
“I assume you’ve come to join the Nmari,” Sotor finally said to me, breaking contact with Sy and looking back at me with the same keen look I had noticed in his nephew’s eyes. They were definitely related.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “As I wrote to you in my letter last month. I have a recommendation from Shefan and with yours as well…”I let it trail off. Sotor was shaking his head and I felt my heart turn to lead inside of me.
“No, Ryn,” Sotor said in a short tone. “I won’t recommend you for the Nmari.”
“What?” I screeched out. “But, Sotor, this is what we’ve planned on my whole life! This is what you trained me for! Do you think I’m not good enough? I am!” I asserted in what was nearly a shout. “I am better than good enough. “You thought I was good enough five years ago and not a day has gone by that I haven’t trained. I’ll prove it to you.” I grabbed hold of my staff that had been lying beside me and jumped to my feet.
“Sit down, foolish girl,” Sotor commanded from his place on the mat. I instantly obeyed, his voice bearing no room for contention. “Now,” he stared at me with hard eyes, “listen to me and listen well.” I shut my lips tight but he could probably still see the anger in my eyes and I was even more enraged to see him smile at it. “No, Ryn,” he began in a gentler voice. “You are much too good for the Nmari.” I looked a question at him. “Which is why I will not recommend you. I want you working for me instead.”
“Excuse me?” I asked in confusion. “Aren’t you with the Nmari?” He shrugged a shoulder and took a sip of chai.
“Not more than I have to be.” There was a slight upturn at one side of his mouth that could have been a smile. “I have more important work to do. And that’s why I need you working for me and not for the Nmari.”
“I’m still in the dark,” I complained.
“My nephew and I have begun an enterprise that has proven to be surprisingly successful and vital to the sustenance of the Enkae at this time. There is a great deal of unrest among the rising powers of the financial world. Feuds, you might say, are becoming rampant in Belban. The Lady Ruler is not willing to waste the Nmari’s time or resources on protecting or dealing with the growing number of those seeking redress for wrongs and so Sy and I have taken it upon ourselves to do so.”
“To protect the rich people from the other rich people? Just the two of you?”
“To protect those that hire us to do so. And no, my dear, it is not just the two of us. On the contrary, we have many of our hirelings spread throughout the city, and often working for imposing sides.”
“You’re mercenaries,” I declared with a great deal of surprise. Sotor smiled and Sy chuckled beside me.
“Yes, my dear,” Sotor consented. “We are mercenaries. And doing rather well at it.” He smiled widely and gulped down the rest of his chai and then leaned towards me earnestly. “All warriors are mercenaries, Ryn, fighting other people’s battles. The only difference between the Nmari and what I do is the person that gets to choose which battles to fight. You can join the Nmari and fight the battles the Lady Ruler tells you to fight - with much less gain, I might add - or you can fight the battles I assign you to and earn something from doing it.” He leaned away as I thought it over.
The choice seemed simple enough to me. I knew Sotor. I trusted him. I didn’t know the Lady Ruler and I was already doubtful of trusting her.
“What do you need me to do?”
