Allan cleared his throat.
Instead of landing on Captain William’s roof, he chose to land behind the house and knock on the man’s back door. He lifted back into the air and waited. When the Captain came out, he made a noise and landed on the ground in front of the Captain.
“Playing the bard, as well as the hero?” the man asked Allan.
“I didn’t want to alarm your wife. Not all masked men try to be good men.”
“No. You, however, have done a great deal of good.”
“How so?”
“Truly?”
“I have a hiding place far away from the city.”
“I see. Well, Kenneth and the others confessed to their crimes. Lord Neville has already sentenced them to long terms in jail. They agreed to testify against Gillam in exchange for not spending the rest of their lives in jail, or being executed.”
“When will Gillam be put on trial?”
“In six or seven days. Lord Neville wanted the trial sooner. I advised him to wait a bit. Give his father time to realize how much trouble he was in, and how severe his punishment might be.”
“Good advice, Captain.”
“It might be Major soon.”
“Indeed?”
“Lord Neville thinks there should be a leader of His Lordship’s guards. The Captains would still be allowed to report to His Lordship, but there would be an officer above them. His duty would be to make certain they were doing theirs.”
“That would be you?”
“I haven’t decided whether to accept the commission, if it’s offered. It’s an opportunity, but it might also be a burden.”
“Power is always an opportunity, and a burden.”
William smiled. “Spoken like a man beyond his years.”
Allan nodded. “I’ve had some growing up to do.”
“So you have. Tell me something.”
“I’ll try.”
“You assumed a great deal when I sent Delilah to find you. I could have been lying. You could have been set up to fall into a trap.”
“I did. But seeing as you and Lord Neville know that I’m a mage, I also know you’d be concerned about trying to trap me. If I could set fire to a house without much effort, what might I do if I tried?”
“Good point.”
“Besides, you gave me no reason not to trust you, Captain William. Neither did Neville. I lived on the streets, before I became the Defender. I learned early how to spot folk you could and couldn’t trust.”
“A fair point. I suppose we won’t see much of you now.”
“You won’t, but not for the reason you think.”
“What do I think?”
“You think that, with the Conner Crew removed, the boy thieves dispersed, and Gillam and his corrupt friends in jail, there won’t be much for me to do. You’re right, but not completely right. Crime will go down. It’s up to you, and Lord Neville, and Delilah, and everyone else to keep it down.”
“Honesty and compassion, you mean?”
“Yes. I can fight criminals, but I can’t fight hunger, or poverty, or men losing their jobs. If I’ve cleared the city of the worst men, it’s so the better men, and women, can improve things without any obstacles.”
“That is what I thought. What’s your reason for not staying?”
“Elderwood is one domain among a whole kingdom. There are other cities, other domains, that have problems like this one did. Worse problems, perhaps.”
“We all hear tales, friend. How can you be sure?”
“Can you believe that Gillam, an ordinary ruler of an ordinary domain, on the periphery of this kingdom, was the first to think of all his corrupt schemes? Either he’s the cleverest Lord in history, or he has bad examples to follow.”
William let out a breath and nodded his head. “Sound reasoning, I fear.”
“Don’t worry, Captain. If you need me, I’ll return. This is my home, for all its faults, and everything I suffered.”
“How will we contact you?”
“You won’t have to. If there’s trouble, I’ll be back.”
“Well, if you’re going away, then I ought to give you something.” William went back into his house. He returned a few moments later with a bag in his right hand. He stuck out his hand. “A gift, from His Lordship.”
Allan carefully reached for the bag. It felt heavy, and metallic sounds came from inside. He shook his head. “A reward? I don’t think I should accept it.”
“I think you should. If you’re going to travel the kingdom, you need to look like a man who travels, when you’re not wearing your mask. That leather might be enchanted, but a bit of steel can’t hurt. You won’t always be able to hide in abandoned homes and ruined castles. You might have to stay at a proper inn.”
“You know where I was hiding?”
“Delilah said you talked with her in an old castle in the country. Kenneth, Conner, and the rest told of where you questioned them.” William smiled. “Your secret is safe, for now.”
Allan let out a breath. He hefted the bag of coins in his hand. “I shouldn’t accept this, but you’re right. I might need armor, and better disguises. Who knows about this?”
“Only Lord Neville and myself.”
“Make sure no one else knows. I didn’t do all I did to become rich.”
“Why did you do it?”
“It’s like what I said to Delilah. I discovered that I had this fantastical power. I could have used it to help myself. Not only did that seem wrong, but it would be short-sided. That’s what led to the downfall of the mages so long ago, Captain. They used their spells to help themselves, to coins, to power, to women, to more spells. They did little to help anyone else. When the magic started to fade from their overusing it, they had no one they could rely on for help.”
“Not even each other?”
“Especially not each other. Fighting among mages was so established that, when they needed to work together, only one mage could see that the fighting had to end. The rest kept on fighting, even at the cost of their power as mages.”
“That’s the choice we have, I suppose. We fight with each other, or we fight for each other.”
“Indeed it is, Captain.”
“Take care, Defender.”
“You take care, Captain.”
“I shall.” He smiled again. “I’ll also make sure everyone knows that, if you’re needed, you’ll come back.”
Allan bowed his head. He tied the bag of coins to his belt. He took a breath, and rose up into the night sky. As he looked over the city he thought, I’ve taken on a huge burden. I pray to the Goddess that I’m up to it.
ABOUT THE DEFENDER SERIES
The Defender is a series of novella-length fantasy stories set in a world where magic has returned after being dormant for centuries.
There are two ways to read the stories in the series. One is by getting the ebook collections. Ten stories are in each volume, and each volume is titled The Defender Chronicles. The other way is to buy the print volumes. Each one collects five stories, and are titled Tales of the Defender. To find out when the volumes come out, and for links to the online stores where you can buy the collections, click the link to go to the Defender page at my blog.
Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the tales of the Defender.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Collins is the author of three science-fiction novels: Monitor, Lisa’s Way, and Expert Assistance. He’s also author of two fantasy novels, Cassia and The Opposite of Absolute, and the young adult novel True Friends. He has several short-story collections available, including The Frigate Victory Omnibus Collection and The Case Files of Gwen Conner. He’s sold over 90 stories to magazines such as Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine; Tales of the Talisman; Space Westerns; The Fifth Di...; and Sorcerous Signals.
To learn more, to follow him on social media, and to keep up with his writing, visit his blog, One Kansas Author.
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