Seeds of Virtue, Dark Descent, Book I

CHAPTER 12

  Pelartis truly was an amazing city, with roads paved with reddish brick, elegantly sculpted street lamps made from bronze, and towers of stone and copper colored steel plates that shined in the rays of the setting sun. They had been in the care of Xavdak for so long that the day was almost over by the time they were released. As they traveled down the road, all around them the hustle and bustle of the nightlife was just beginning. As one set of merchants was closing down their carts, wagons, or shutting their doors for the night, another was just opening for business. In this city, Druzeel found it hard to believe that there was any time during an entire day that the streets would be quiet. In Pelartis, something always seemed to be happening.

  He passed dozens of buildings that towered over the hundreds of citizens walking the streets. Even the smaller buildings, some being only a single story or as wide as a few horses standing in a line, seemed to loom over him. Every single one was elegant, with the architect sparing no expense when building the structure. It was art in a functional form. Even many of the people he passed were dressed with an exquisite sense of fashion, with bright colors, ornate accessories, and vivid designs. He wondered if the entire city was like this, as beautiful and as classical as the things he saw before him. True, they were in the wealthier part of the city and many in this area could afford to be radiant. Still, he wanted to believe that even those that may not have the means or coin to be so extravagant would find some way to express themselves as those before him. As he traveled further into the city, he saw that what he believed was probably not true for many of the Pelartians that were not dressed up in dazzling dresses or vests that sparkled wore simple shirts or trousers. Druzeel quickly came to realize that in this city, it was either one extreme or the other.

  Druzeel traveled behind Dex and Jannda, content to let them led. He used the time away from Brask, away from the harsh words, away from all the bickering, to actually enjoy himself and take in his surroundings. It was the first time he had a little peace since they had started the quest. He also had no idea where he was going. He had read much about the city. Their culture, many of their laws, and their history was known to him, but he had never studied any maps. Since Dex was the one that mentioned the merchant, no doubt a wealthy man based on where they were, he was the one that led the way, with Jannda close by his side. The two seemed to be familiar with the streets, so Druzeel followed in silence, enjoying the sights and sounds of Pelartis.

  “We’re being followed,” Jannda said sometime later. Her words snapped Druzeel from his thoughts and he looked at her in confusion. She had barely turned her head or looked at the hundreds of people they passed. Was she guessing? He looked to Dex, who only nodded in agreement. The man hadn’t taken his eyes off the road in front of him either. Were they messing with him? Was this payback for his words while under Xavdak’s scrutiny?

  “Behind us,” Dex said, turning his head to look at his young traveling companion. He must have seen Druzeel’s confused expression. Druzeel went to look but thought better of it. He thought it would be better not to let whoever was following them know that they knew.

  “You can look,” Dex said. “They know we know.”

  “They would be stupid not to,” Jannda commented.

  Druzeel turned and peered into the crowd, looking for intolerant and unfriendly eyes. He saw nothing that stood out. There was just a mass of bodies. How could anyone single out anything in this mess?

  “The Pillars,” Jannda said. There was a tiny bit of frustration in her voice. The boy really is obtuse, she thought to herself.

  Druzeel turned and looked again, this time searching for any guards that may be near them. He saw a handful to his right, just a few yards away, but their attention seemed to be on a group of unruly elves. He looked further away and his eyes settled on about half a dozen Pillars, looking right at him. Druzeel would have expected the Pillar he was staring at to look away or act like he was looking at something else, but the man never turned his eyes. He just looked a Druzeel with an expression of suspicion.

  “They want us to know,” Druzeel finally said, coming to the same conclusion that Jannda and Dex had some time ago.

  “Xavdak wants us to know that he has eyes on us at all times,” Jannda said, a little relieved that Druzeel was not as thick as he seemed. “Though we have been cleared of the caravan attack, it is clear that he thinks we are still up to no good and a threat to his citizens.”

  “Let him,” Dex said. “We have more pressing matters to worry about than Xavdak.”

  “And we have done nothing wrong,” Druzeel added, wanting his two companions to know that he stood with them despite what he had said under Xavdak’s interrogation. He felt Jannda’s frustration with him and tried to make her understand that he held no animosity towards her. Turned out, she did not care what he thought and had no desire for his forgiveness.

  “Yes,” she said in a harsh voice. “We have done nothing wrong. I can’t say the same thing about you.”

  Druzeel looked at her in surprise. He had not expected her to react in such a manner. He knew she was annoyed and irritated with him but she must realize that the reason they were in their current predicament was because of the assassin. It was not anything he had done. The guards would have taken them in no matter what they said, but they may have been a little more gentle had the group taken his advice and left the bodies alone. Given her current reaction, he wasn’t about to remind her of that.

  “We would be under their watchful eye no matter what happened with the caravan,” Druzeel said. “The assassin made sure that–”

  “I’m not talking about what happened at the caravan,” Jannda said, throwing up her hands. “My gods, are you that stupid?”

  “Jannda,” Dex said softly. He understood her anger, but now was not the time to start an argument, in the middle of a busy street, with a handful of guards watching their every move. He had left Brask and the others behind. He thought they would have a little break from this.

  “No Dex,” Jannda said, looking at her friend. “He needs to know what he did wrong. Aren’t you the one that told him to learn from his mistakes? It seems he hasn’t learned a single thing. The boy has no common sense!”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong,” Druzeel pointed out, defending himself.

  “You’ve done the worst possible thing!” the halfling almost shouted. “You betrayed us to Xavdak. I know you did not approve of what we did at the caravan, to bodies that had no use for what was left behind, but the least you could have done is shut up and keep your thoughts to yourself. Even Dex is smart enough to know that.”

  “I’m not going to lie,” Druzeel said. Anger started to creep up his spine and leak into his mind. He wasn’t going to betray what he was because she felt guilt for her actions.

  “You should have defended us,” she replied, anger in her eyes. “At least play dumb or avoid the question. Instead, you gave Xavdak information to use against the rest of us. We could have been thrown into the dungeons because of you.”

  “I did defend you!” Druzeel spat back. “Yes, I told Xavdak about what you did, looting the corpses, but I did defend you!” Druzeel went over a short version of what he had said during the questioning, that his companions were acting out of survival, that their life experiences are bred into them and to act differently would go against everything they know. Jannda appeared to listen to his every word, but she just rolled her eyes in the end.

  “So we acted out of survival,” she mocked. “So do brigands! So do thieves! They do what they do because they know no other way. Do you still not realize that you lumped us in with every single criminal and miscreant that Xavdak has ever put to the question? Do you not see that because of your words, that in the Pillars’ eyes, we are no better than the assassin we are chasing?”

  Druzeel was going to offer a retort, to challenge what Jannda had just said, but his words caught in his throat. Could that be how Xavdak and the rest of his guard see us? he though
t to himself. Have I placed us in the same category as thieves and rogues? What Jannda said did make a certain amount of sense and if it was true, he really had done them more harm than good. But they chose to act that way, Druzeel quickly told himself. I tried to stop them from looting those bodies and dishonoring the dead, but they wouldn’t listen. And they had only made it worse by lying about their true intentions. No, this is not my fault, he thought, defending himself in his mind. If they were seen as criminals, as people without honor, it was their own doing. He could have said that just then, but no matter how angry Jannda’s words were making him, he decided to keep his true feelings to himself. To do otherwise would just make her angrier and he had no wish to upset the only other part of the group that may eventually be on his side. He started to respond but Jannda kept on going.

  “I want to give you the benefit of the doubt,” she said, her voice softening a little. “I want to believe that you will learn, that you will not continue to be so damn ignorant in the ways of the road, in the ways of the real world, but you are making it hard to do that. I have patience, but only so much.”

  Another surge of anger shot into Druzeel. She had just called him ignorant and slow to learn, but the anger he was feeling slowly gave way to understanding. He suddenly saw that he was indeed having trouble adjusting to life on the road. It was not what he expected it to be and it seemed that he was making everyone angry at every turn. He was not used to such behaviors and they were not used to having someone like him along on a journey. They were also having trouble getting passed Brask’s preconceived notions of him, feelings that he had obviously shared with the rest of the group. Both himself and the others just needed more time to get used to one another.

  But, Druzeel quickly said to himself, should I really have to change myself that much to please everyone else? Should I give up what I believe in and the principles I was taught just so the others will accept me? They are the ones lacking ethics and morals. They are the ones that decided to rob the dead and lie to cover their dishonor. No, he said, getting angrier with each passing moment. I will not change who I am and what I believe in to make them all happy. He was about to voice his feelings but Dex spoke up.

  “He just doesn’t know,” Dex said, bringing a look of surprise on Druzeel’s face. That was not the response he expected. “He has been tucked away in that tower for most of his life,” Dex continued. “He has hardly left Atlurul. He doesn’t even have a quarter the life experiences as we have. You need to give him time. We haven’t even been on this journey for two weeks yet. He will learn but you and the others need to have more patience.”

  “But he supposed to be a wizard!” Jannda said, talking as if Druzeel should know much more than he does. “Aren’t they supposed to be smart? Are they not supposed to be masters of knowledge and learning? They have the power to bring down kingdoms, but he hardly acted like a simple novice back there.”

  Outrage burned through Druzeel as Dex and Jannda continued to argue, to talk to one another as if he wasn’t even sitting just a few inches from them. That enraged him more than anything else. If they held criticisms or had advice, they could at least speak to him and not act like he wasn’t even there. He was not a child. He was not some newborn that needed constant supervision. He was Druzeel Sesstar, apprentice and trained wizard to the great Lord Graeak Loyalar. He deserved more respect than this.

  A spell quickly came to his mind, one that would shut both of them up and make sure they knew exactly who he was, but he quickly calmed himself and resisted the temptation to cast the spell. It would do no one any good if he lashed out in anger. Graeak had taught him better than that. A wizard first tried to solve problems and his troubles with words and negotiation before restoring to more aggressive means. It was just so damn frustrating listening to these two.

  “Enough!” he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. Jannda and Dex quickly went silent, surprised at the outburst from the young wizard. Gone were his thoughts of holding his true feelings at bay. He let everything pour out of him, intending to let them know exactly how he felt.

  “I am not a child!” Druzeel said. “And I do not appreciate you speaking as if I wasn’t here. I may not have the experiences that you two have, but I will not compromise what I believe in for you, Brask, or anyone else. And I will no longer sit here and listen to either of you.” With that, Druzeel turned his horse away from Dex and Jannda. His spurred his mount onwards and quickly moved away.

  “Druzeel, wait!” Dex said, urging his mount to follow, but Jannda reached up and grabbed his reins, stopping him.

  “No,” she said reluctantly. The only reason Dex listened to her was because he heard the regret in her voice. She knew she had gone too far but the damage was already done. “Let him go,” she said. “I think we all need a little time to cool off.”

  “He doesn’t know this city,” Dex replied, watching Druzeel getting further and further away.

  “He knows the name of where we are supposed to meet and when,” Jannda said. “He’ll find us when the time comes. Let him calm down. I think it will be better for all of us.”

  Dex nodded to his halfling friend. Then he looked up and watched as Druzeel disappeared into the crowd. When the wizard was out of sight, he turned around and the two companions continued down the street, heading for Dex’s contact. He knew they had been hard on Druzeel and he wished he had watched his words a little more carefully.

  “After all this,” Jannda said after a few moments of awkward silence, “you still defend him. Why?”

  “I guess I see a little of myself in him,” Dex responded. “I remember when I was his age, still learning the ways of the road, doing stupid things. Like him, I found myself in certain situations where my inexperience was a disadvantage. Every time I look into the mirror I am amazed I am still alive.”

  “Let us hope Druzeel lives so long,” Jannda said.

  Dex looked at his longtime friend and saw genuine concern on her face. He quickly found himself nodding in agreement. Druzeel’s ignorance was indeed a danger, to himself and others, but given time, he would learn and become a better man. Dex just hoped that his lack of experience would not get them all killed.