Chapter 83: The Sisters

I was miserable most of the night. My back ached, and my legs kept falling asleep on the thick branch. The rope also dug into my ribs when I drifted off and did not maintain my balance. The nocturnal animals that passed under us were a constant parade. I pointed them out, raccoon, a pair of foxes, a giant beetle, and four giant weasels. The weasels had Konstantin on edge and had us remain still until they passed well out of sight. Their long, lanky bodies were seven to ten feet long.

After being sure they had passed, he said, "Giant weasels are not to be taken lightly. They must have a den around here and are probably the apex hunters in the area. I am guessing that was two parents and two young ones. If they caught you alone, they would each grab you and tear your body apart." As if prophetic a pitiful cry of an elk or deer could be heard a distance away. It was quickly silenced.

Konstantin listened and waited for a while before continuing in a whisper, "Their coats are extremely valuable to the right buyer, and they generally do not attack humans but are a menace to livestock. Their saliva is also deadly as it prevents blood from clotting." He finished his lecture, and the rest of the night was quiet. Konstantin assumed the weasels' scent trail had scared everything else away.

As the sun rose, we waited till mid-morning before descending, just in case the weasels were late getting back to their den. I was surprised the weasels had unnerved Konstantin. He admitted, "If I was in a group, I would not be so cautious. But alone against those four fast hunters? No, it would not have gone well." He then hedged his own statement, "Now, if it was just two of the critters. I could have handled that." He put on a crafty smile.

We started gathering plants and some mushrooms that sprouted overnight. He pointed out a purple berry, "Winterberry. It's very sweet, and they keep all winter, hence the name. If you want to have some with your breakfast, just make sure you chew them well and spit out the seeds."

I picked a few of the berries, which were hard. I squeezed one too hard, and it burst, covering my hand in a brilliant blue. I tried to wipe it off, but it was like ink and stained my hand. Konstantin looked both amused and disappointed.

"I guess this would have stained my teeth," I noted, weary of Konstantin.

"And your lips," he smiled. "A little payback for the bread and the introduction of your air barrier. They are nutritious but also make a great dye. Oh, do not look so sour, Eryk! The stain fades after a week or so. Or a simple alchemist solvent would work as well."

I grunted, showing my displeasure. We continued on task, but I took careful note of any possible shenanigans from Konstantin. Just before noon, I informed Konstantin, "My dimensional space is full. Should we head back?"

He arched his eyebrow, seemingly surprised, and nodded. As we walked back, he asked me questions about what I learned about my air shield. When I told him everything I had learned, he responded, "I admit that is one of the more impressive spell forms I have heard of, especially for a legionnaire. The fact it is a spell form means it takes you no time to cast it, unlike a true spell. It will serve as a barrier against most mage-ranged spells and infantry weapons. And you can overlap them! If it didn't have such a short duration, you would be unstoppable in combat. Show it to me again."

We paused in our walking, and I set the shield at eye level. Konstantin felt the air and moved slowly around it. "Remarkable. And you can stand on it?"

I cast another one two feet off the ground and hopped up. I jumped up and down like a kid on a bed. There was a very small spring effect. Konstantin asked, "How do you know where to stand?"

"The air is blurry blue. Wait, you don't see it?" I asked, perplexed.

"No, I can feel it and get the shape with my hands, but I see nothing. It is not unusual for mages to be able to cast spells only they can see," Konstsntin motioned for me to cast it again. I did, and he quickly felt it out its shape and climbed on it. He jumped like I did until it ended and landed smoothly on the ground.

"Well, we can practice with it. But I also suggest you find out how many in a row you can cast when your aether is full." He drew his short sword. I sensed this was not going to be fun. In the end, it was a lesson filled with many suggestions. Konstantin thought the shield was defensive, offensive, and a great way to confuse an opponent's movements since only I could see it.

Tactics like casting one eye level parallel to the ground to combat rushing opponents. Creating tripping hazards low to the ground. And his favorite was creating a box if I circled an opponent and had the aether to spare. We were sweating heavily, and I was out of aether when Konstantin halted the practice. "You need a lot more practice, but I think you could join the Hounds if you wish." His statement hung in the air.

It sounded like a probing question, and I replied after a long pause, "I am fine in Castile's company. As long as we are not sent to die in a siege again."

Konstantin gave a horse laugh, "That was a tight one, agreed." He did not mention the Hounds again, "Now, as we head back to the city, I want you to give me three more ways you can use your new air disc outside of combat."

I came up with barring a door, keeping the rain off of me, and using it as a platform to jump higher. Konstantin considered each, "The door is a good idea. I hadn't thought of that one. The rain shield, not so much, Eryk. It only lasts a dozen heartbeats. It is a waste of your small aether pool. The jumping platform is good, though. Scaling a wall or descending out a window. Keep thinking and experimenting. The best warriors have solutions before the problems present themselves."

We entered the city of Sobral, and Konstantin led us to a herbalist shop. "I am going to leave you here to sell your harvest."

"I thought we were gathering them for the alchemist the Duchess was hiring?" I asked confused.

"Oh, you are—just not this batch. Once you sell them, give the coin to Castile or Adrian for the company coffers," Konstantin said, waving a hand in the air as he walked away.

"How do I know what a fair price is?" I barked at his retreating back.

"Figure it out," he yelled back and was gone to do his own business.

I entered the shop to find two older women at the back, crushing dry herds in a mortar and pestle. I approached them, and they gave my legion armor, a narrow appraisal with their eyes, "What brings you here, legion boy?"

The other woman eyed me up and down and suggestively said, "Need an ointment for the crotch crickets?"

The pair were not being malicious; they were just old women talking playfully to the younger generation. "I am here to sell." They had skeptical looks in regard to my appearance—either from my age or armor. I moved to an open table and dumped the contents on the table from my space. They were suddenly more interested and began sorting through the pile of fungi and flora, mumbling about magic being wasted on the youth.

I wandered the shop as they worked, and there were a number of jars of ointments and tinctures and bags of powders. "Are you two young women alchemists?" I asked, picking up something labeled red aloe and mint oil.

The one on the left chortled, "No boy. We might know as much as an alchemist about herbs, but we both lack any control over our aether cores to infuse potions to activate the ingredients. All of our concoctions are non-magical in nature."

The other woman added, "But sometimes our products are just as good as an alchemist." They nodded together, and I could see the resemblance.

"Are you sisters?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

"We are, Lyla and my sister Ria, at your service, boy." They nodded in unison.

"I am Eryk," I bowed, and the old women giggled at my formality.

Ria took over the conversation, "We are willing to purchase these," she indicated half the table. "For twelve silver and 40 copper. These are either too damaged or just not useful to us. These she pointed, and two yellow bundles of flowers and a stack of winterberries have value but not to us."

I did not know if their offer was fair, so I tried to haggle, "Twenty, and you tell me what I did wrong in harvesting the damaged ones."

Lyla narrowed her eyes, sizing me up, "Sixteen, and we will charge you four silver for an education."

I laughed as she had offered me less, "I guess you are not interested." I moved to gather up my harvest.

Ria took hold of my wrist softly to stop me, "Sixteen silver, and we will take an hour to talk with you and answer your questions."

The next two hours were extremely informative as the two older women liked to talk—and flirt with me. I learned about all the flora and fungi I had harvested, their uses, and their preparation for preservation. They explained what I did wrong in my harvesting, and I now had some ammunition to correct Konstantin. I moved the valuable yellow flowers and berries into my space. I had a list of what the older woman would want in the local woods and what they thought an alchemist would want as well. They had been extremely helpful, and I think they enjoyed talking with me.

I left the herbalist with sixteen small silver coins. It was not a bad haul for two days' work. It was three times what a normal legionnaire would make in a week. I made my way happily back to the Citadel to find Castile. Castile was in the dining room with the Duchess and Felix. Felix was taking notes, and I walked behind him. He had incredible penmanship and was drafting letters for the two women. Castile looked up, waiting.

"I made the company sixteen silver, harvesting in the woods." I placed the coins proudly on the table.

She looked up at me and then at the coin, "You can give the coin to Delmar. Did your training with Konstantin go well?"

"I made significant progress," I replied and relaxed as it appeared I was seeking her approval and praise for my efforts and would not get it.

"Good. We are sending out letters to alchemists registered with the Empire. Continue to practice your gathering skills. When we get a bite, I will likely send you and Adrian to convince them to relocate to Sobral." Castile explained her plan. So that was what Felix was writing. I swept up the small amount of coin and retreated to my room.

I had just stripped off my armor when Delmar knocked. He entered, said I had done good work, took the sixteen silver, and left. I turned on the tub water to find it was cold. I knocked on Lareen's door, but she did not answer. I filled the tub with cold water and took a cold bath. Once clean, I fell asleep on the bed in my trousers. Konstantin had kept me up all last night, and sleeping came easy.