Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2006 17:58:45 -0700
From: Trewin Greenaway <trewingreenaway@cronnex.com>
Subject: JESSAN  A TALE OF WIZARDRY Chapter 6

JESSAN -- A TALE OF WIZARDRY Chapter 6

Copyright 2006 Trewin Greenaway  All Rights Reserved

To learn more about me and the genesis of this tale, visit my website
http://www.cronnex.com/ .

I hope to post a new chapter every Saturday from now on. If you're
enjoying the story, do let me know!

=================================================

                                       PART II -- GEDD

                                           Chapter 6


AT FIRST, there was only the sensation of my lips being wiped with a wet
cloth, the smell and taste of bitter herbs, and, further off, the sound
of soft conversation. I couldn't make out the words but I thought I
knew both voices. At the same time, I dimly realized that this couldn't
be. One voice belonged to my childhood and the other had come into my
life only recently. I could almost, almost, put a name to it. But, no,
the word slipped away as I sank back into the vast and shimmering
depths.

Then, later--how much, I did not know--I felt something also familiar, the
warmth of another body, lying next to my own. Even in my sleep, this
felt good to me, and I began to shift myself, so that I was pressing
against it instead of merely lying up against it. For awhile this was
enough. But then I began to yearn to touch it, to move my hand across
it. I had hands, still, surely, somewhere...it was just a matter of
remembering how to use them.

As I puzzled over this I heard a voice speaking softly in my ear and
this time I could make out the words. "Little apprentice," the voice
said, "where are you? Come out, come out, and play with me."

I smiled. I knew this voice. I felt its owner's fingers caress the side
of my face. They ran down my neck and stroked my chest. My body
quivered to that touch.

"Don't stop," I whispered. "Don't stop."

"I would never want to," the voice replied. And the fingers wandered
down to my stomach and came up my other side, explored the other side
of my face, and finally began to gently caress my hair.

"Alfrund," I said. "Alfrund." I was so pleased to remember his name that
I smiled again, a radiant smile that spread across my entire face.

He leant down and kissed me, first on my mouth, and then on my cheeks,
my eyebrows, my forehead. Then he opened his lips and gently sucked on
the end of my nose, making me laugh.

"Can you open your eyes?" he asked. "It's been a long time since I've
looked into them."

"I would rather reach over and touch your face," I whispered. "I miss
the feel of it and every other part of you. But I seem to have
forgotten how. Does that seem strange?"

"No," Alfrund answered softly. "You've been long asleep. You're waking
up slowly, and at first everything will seem like a part of a dream. In
sleep, you walk without moving your legs, see without opening your eyes,
and grasp without moving your hands, and so it is for you now. But not,
I think, for long."

Although I wasn't aware I'd dozed off again, I knew that someone else
was tending me, wiping my body with a moist hot cloth scented with
smithta and another herb I couldn't place. Then my head was lifted up
and a tiny bit of some potion trickled between my lips.

I swallowed. The smell of the person who was doing this was so familiar
that it shook memories out of my mind the way a wind scatters autumn
leaves.

My eyes fluttered open. "Grysta," I whispered. "Grysta." Her hair now
was white, but bound in the same braids, and coiled tightly on the top
of her head. As a child, I was allowed to brush her long hair when she
had let it down for washing. Her face was filled with wrinkles but her
gray eyes were still calm and clear. My hand moved and found her old
one and held it tightly. "Does this mean I'm dead?"

Grysta burst out laughing. "Are we met in the Hall of the Hallowed?" she
asked. "Not yet, little one, not yet. But, yes, it's your Grysta, who
dandled you when you were a baby and came again to teach you your
letters when you were a wee bit older. I've lived here in Gedd all my
life except for those visits to you and my daughter and that metal
smith of hers at the village at the end of the world."

"Is that it's name?" I asked. It seemed a fitting one.

"Your village?" She sniffed. "No. As far as I know, it has no name. I
call it that because that's where it is. Although it will have a name
soon enough, once the word is spread out that you came from it."

I thought she meant the Summoner and his allies, and I shuddered. When
Alfrund had said that they would start searching for me there and then
follow us up the coast, I'd no idea who "they" were or what this might
mean. Now I had some inkling, and it made my heart sick. I fought off
these thoughts, and still holding Grysta's hand, asked her where
Alfrund was.

Her eyes hardened slightly. "That scoundrel," she said, "is away for the
moment. Whenever he's here I have to keep myself from hugging him one
moment and wringing his neck another."

I looked at her in astonishment. "He saved my life, Grysta, and more
than once."

She snorted. "And you saved his, and more than once. He put you at
terrible risk, with one crackbrained scheme after another. If he hadn't
got you here safely at last I would have roasted him in my hearth and
basted him with his precious dogbane until he was brown and crisp."

"Well," said a voice, "I can think of several herbs that would do me
more justice--but then, Grysta, you were never much of a cook."

Alfrund came in and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Our patient has
improved a mite since I watched over him last." He ruffled my hair. "I
just hope he isn't still so weak in the head that he believes the
wicked things about me that you've been stuffing into his ears."

Grysta shook her head. "I can't say wicked things about someone who
brought my grandson two whole leagues from the shore to here without
raising the alarm. But," she added, glancing over at him, "you're
right. I'm sorely tempted to."

Alfrund laughed. "And I'd deserve them, or most. Let's see if things
don't go smoother from here on."

Grysta shook her head and sighed. "If only they don't go worse still,"
she said.

Suddenly there was a voice calling from below. Grysta opened the door
and called down an answer. "I'm needed as a midwife," she said, "and so
I shall leave you two alone." She gave Alfrund a warning glance and then
turned to me.

"One last thing, I have a young helper, named Onna," she told me. "She
is about your age and I think that you'll like her. But please remember
that she knows nothing about you--remember to keep it that way. This
isn't because she can't be trusted but because it would be foolish to
put her in any more danger than she already is, simply by being in the
same house as you.

"I've told her that you had been helping Alfrund gather herbs up in the
hills above the town, where you were bitten by a poison snake. She's
very talkative so it should be easy to avoid her questions by asking
her another, yourself. I'm constantly shushing her, so she'll be more
than happy to make up for lost time."

A second shout came up and she bent over, kissed my forehead, and
hurried out, closing the door behind her. Alfrund listen to her
footsteps down the stairs for a second and then began to remove his
clothes. That done, he climbed into bed with me and we wrapped
ourselves around each other.

I wasn't sure what I wanted more, to burrow up against him or to touch
every part of his body with my hands and my mouth. I felt like a dog
who has just discovered an intoxicating scent and immediately rubs his
body all over it.

After a bit, though, I calmed down, and was content to lie in his arms,
kissing his mouth and stroking his sex with my hand, and he stroked
mine. My urgency was such that, in what seemed but a moment and with my
whole body quivering, I spent in juddering spurts. And, after some
gentle but persistent coaxing, guided by his hand, Alfrund did, too.
Then a sweet contentment flowed through us both, and we lay still in
each other's arms.

                                       oooooooo0ooooooooo

AFTER A WHILE, though, my curiosity overcame me, and I said into his
ear, "I've so much to ask you and now that you're in my power, you must
answer all my questions."

He smiled. "Ask away, and I'll reply to any that don't lead to sadness.
I'm in no mood right now for that."

"Fair enough," I said. "Why does my Grysta call you a scoundrel? And,
for that matter, how is it that you know her at all?"

"Hmm," he said. "Grysta thinks lowly of me right now for two reasons,
one more important than the other. That one is that I encouraged
you--ordered you, really--to use powers that you don't yet understand and
can't control. When you didn't come out of that second trance on the
boat, we both knew we might well have lost you. As it is, you've been
unconscious for ten days, and so eaten nothing all that time, and--as
you'll remember--not that much before."

"I don't feel hungry," I said, "except for you. It was when you laid
down beside me that I first felt any urge to return from that place.
Grysta says you carried me here from the boat, but how did you get the
boat to land?"

Alfrund laughed. "Well, to tell the tale correctly, let's start when you
went into the second trance. I've no idea what you did but you lured the
war galley deeper and deeper into the fog, until all I could see was the
ball of fell fire, and even it had become a mere hazy glow.

"At that point, I thought, `enough is enough,' and called you. I thought
my voice alone would pull you out of your trance. When you didn't
respond, I crawled to the stern of the boat and gave you a shake. You
simply fell over on your side. Your eyes were wide open, your skin was
cold--you seemed so close to death that it tore my heart. I think I'll
never be so happy again in my life when finally, yesterday, you spoke
to me and smiled."

He kissed me then, holding my head with his hand. Then he lay back and
sighed. "Anyway, as I looked helplessly at your inert form,  there was
the sound of a terrible crash, followed by shouts and screams. The
great drum of fellfire had been kept flaming for too long and had burnt
its way free of the mast. It fell down onto the war galley and in mere
moments had set the ship on fire. It then proceeded to blaze its way
down through it, deck by deck, and sink it."

"I saw it all," I said. "I had found my way into the Summoner's head and
watched it through his eyes."

Alfrund looked at me in shock. "Well, you were busy in that trance of
yours," he said. "Please don't tell Grysta this or I'll really find
myself on that spit. Anyway, although I was astonished and relieved by
the sinking of the war galley, I would easily have swapped that to have
you back. I've never been more frightened. There I was, alone in the
dark and fog with you slumped in a heap before me, in a boat that I
didn't know how to row, with no idea of where to take it if I could."

I hugged him close. "We each faced our worst terrors that night alone,"
I said softly. "For me it was the war dogs, and for you, being adrift
at sea."

Alfrund glanced at me. "The dogs were more terrifying than the
Summoner?" he asked. "I would have thought that he would have relegated
the dogs to a distant second."

I shook my head. "No, the Summoner was different.  He certainly did
frighten me, but with him I somehow knew I could fight back. I felt
that the moment you explained to me what was happening in my mind and
what I had to do. From then on, I was learning too much to feel as
afraid as I was before the dogs. The very thought of them terrifies me
still." I put my arm around him and asked, ""Then what?"

"Before the galley sank," Alfrund continued, "the Summoner must have
cast a thought to someone ashore. Because after awhile, I began to hear
the muffled tolling of the Great Bell of Gedd. It's housed in a tower at
the harbor, and it's rung when the fog comes in unexpectedly, to guide
boats safely to the harbor. The Lord of the Fort couldn't send any
rescue boats out, so he had the bell rung in the hope that it would
help any survivors find their way back.

"When I worked that out, I decided I would have to just learn to row.
I'd already closed your eyes; now I wrapped you up safely in our
cloaks. Now I slipped the oar into that device that holds it, gingerly
balanced myself on the platform, and tried to remember exactly what I'd
seen while I'd been watching you in the dark."

I smiled. "You didn't watch me for long, unless you did so between
snores."

He smiled in return. "I slept like a log, for a bit," he admitted, "but
some sense of danger woke me a bit before you spoke to me. All was
quiet, though, and I was content to watch you working the oar in the
starlight. You were so graceful at it and so sure and it eased my eyes
to watch it." He fell silent for a moment, and I closed my eyes. His
words had sent a glowing warmth throughout my body.

Finally, I said, "I would give anything to have seen you at that oar."

"And I would happily give anything to prevent you from ever doing so,"
he retorted. "In any case, it turned out not to be as difficult as all
that. What is hard is not pitching yourself over the side while you're
doing it. I can swim, it's true, but I didn't fancy my chances at
getting safely back in the boat without tipping it over and tossing you
into the water as well.

"Still, I kept my footing and eventually I grew skilled enough to move
the boat forward instead of around in circles. Even so, it took me a
long time to make the shore, and I know it was thanks to amazing luck,
because the direction of a sound isn't at all easy to fix in the fog."

"True enough," I said. "I really am amazed. I'll never again think of
you as a clueless landsman...just as a sorely inept seaman."

Alfrund gave me a poke. "I accept your commendation. Lucky yet again, I
found the shore before I found Gedd and so was able to beach the boat
unnoticed and carry you and our packs ashore.

"Of course, I'd no idea where we were. I left you hidden in some
shrubbery (praying I'd be able to find you again on my return!) and
slipped away to do some scouting. By then, morning had come, light was
sifting through the haze, and it wouldn't be long before the fog went
back out to sea. But, lucky yet a third time, I came across a pasture
with a pony grazing in it, with his bridle hanging on the gate.

"He was a gentle beast and consented to be led away. I returned to
shore, draped you over the pony, covered you with a cloak, and
shouldered the packs. At a casual glance,  I would appear to be a
trader, early on the road. I found the path, followed it to the main
road to Gedd, and soon had my bearings. Grysta's house is on the
outskirts of the town, and so I made my way there without alarm. If
there were patrols out, I never encountered any."

"And the pony?" I asked.

Alfrund nudged me. "I'm no horse thief!" he said, with mock indignation.
"Grysta knew the beast and its owner, and brought it back to its
paddock. When asked, she said that she had found it wandering by
itself, and suspected some boys had `borrowed' it for an early morning
ride. So, the pony's well, I'm well, and most importantly, you are,
too."

"But suddenly very hungry," I said. "Do you think Grysta has anything in
the house I could eat--right now?"

"If she hasn't, then horses can fly," Alfrund answered. Rising from the
bed, he pulled on just his shirt. "It will only be a question of hot or
cold, wet or dry, sweet or salty, flesh or fish."

I considered for a second and said, "I choose them all."



He returned after a bit, bearing a spoon and a large glazed earthen bowl
of steaming broth. "There's a lot more down there, as well," he said,
setting the bowl down on a small table beside me. "But let's start with
this. Grysta left it simmering on the back of the stove for you, and
you'll find it soothing and filling, and it may be all that your empty
stomach can handle right now."

He put his arm behind me and gently lifted me into a sitting position,
and packed pillows behind me. When I protested, he shushed me. "Be glad
I'm not allowing myelf the pleasure of feeding you, spoonful by
spoonful, as Grysta would. But having felt your hand on my shaft, I
know it now has some strength in it."

"Well, so did your shaft--then," I answered. "But my hand is like your
shaft--now."

Alfrund laughed as he sat beside me and held out the bowl. "Give it a
try," he said, "and let's see. Perhaps you'll find it strengthens you
everywhere."

Cautiously, I took up the spoon and dipped it into the soup. My hand did
shake slightly as I lifted it up, but not enough to scatter soup on my
bedclothes. I took a little sip, for it was quite hot. It had a rich
meaty flavor edged with herbs and it was very good.

For a while, mouthful quietly followed mouthful. But after a bit, as the
spoon headed back to the bowl, I glanced up at Alfrund and said, "You
said there were two reasons that Grysta was angry with you. What's the
other?"

Alfrund blew through his lips and looked away. "She thinks it's not
right for me to be sleeping with you. She believes that you're not yet
old enough for this, at least with someone my age, but also that it's
an impertinence for me to do so, given who you are."

I put the spoon back into the bowl and waved the soup away. "Your
apprentice, you mean," I said angrily.

 Alfrund took the spoon, dipped it into the soup, and held it up to my
lips. "I won't talk to you if you don't keep eating," he said. "I did
promise to answer your questions but I'll do so only if you promise to
listen to my answers."

Somewhat sulkily, I opened my mouth for the spoon, and after he fed me,
he continued,  "If you were simply my apprentice, she would still have
the first objection, but perhaps feel it less strongly--all the more so
because she knows me so well.

"But you must already be aware that you're meant for something other
than the quiet life of an herbalist. We do have our share of
quacksalvers, but our profession hasn't yet attained such ill repute
that soldiers and war dogs are sent to capture or kill us."

I sipped from the spoon and watched it return to the bowl. I could have
fed myself, but now that I knew I could, I preferred having Alfrund do
it. It comforted me against what I was hearing.

"Grysta can't stop us," I said finally. "I won't let her."

"No, she can't," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't consider
what she thinks, or at least respect it enough to not rub our lovemaking
in her face while we're staying in her house."

He lifted another spoonful of soup to my lips as he said this, so I had
to get it down before I replied, which made me at least consider what
he had said. It seemed that the more urgently I wanted an answer to a
question, the more confused it made me when I got it. So I said nothing
at all, but merely gestured with my hand that I had eaten enough.

Alfrund set the bowl aside and laid a hand on mine. "Jessan," he said,
"when you said you had questions for me, I honestly thought they would
have to do with why we are resting here and what will be happening to
us next. I just wasn't prepared to start talking about you and me."

I turned my head toward the wall but I heard his words. It was true. I
had barely given those things a moment's thought. My need for Alfrund
had overpowered everything. When I turned my head back to look at him,
my eyes were full of tears.

"Fisherboy!" he whispered, "don't break my heart." He reached over and
gently touched the carved dolphin that still hung around my neck.
"You're at the very brink of the age of choice. If it were you and
Faryn sharing this bed, Grysta would think nothing of it--a thing
between two boys.

"But when it is you and me there, she has reason to worry. And she also
has spent enough time in company to know that  in the ordinary course
of events I wouldn't even be drawn to someone as young as you."

He was going to say something more, but the words failed to come. He bit
his lip and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they, too, were
full of tears. "Why does any of this matter?" he said. "The truth is
that I love you very deeply."

"I love you very deeply, too," I said. "But when I say those words I
give you my heart. When you say them, I feel you shifting yours beyond
my reach."

"I know," he said softly. He put the bowl of soup on the little table
beside me, stood up, and began pulling on the rest of his clothing.
"I'm going to take a short walk to let my thoughts settle. As Grysta
has already told you, Onna is below, so you won't be left here alone.
I'll tell her you're sleeping, so she won't bother you. But she'll come
immediately if you call. And, if need be, she'll know where to find me."


He looked down at me and smiled. "You may not believe it," he said, "but
all I have to do is look at you to know that a minute from now you'll be
sound asleep." He leant over, kissed me on the lips, and went out,
closing the door quietly behind him.

Alfrund was right. My confusion and anger were already fading into a
distant blur.  The time I spent in the void wasn't real sleep, it
seemed, but something else; my body, my mind, both needed the healing
of plain, familiar slumber and it was sweet to surrender to it.