A tale of magicians, magick and a lost boy. This started off just as a one off story, but as I was writing ideas kept popping up and by the end of this first part I could see quite a long saga ahead. It is my very first time venturing into a realm of fantasy, a much loved genre, and I fear not doing justice to some of the wonderful writers who's works grace my bookcases. By saying this is a fantasy I don't really need to stress that it is a work of fiction. Set in a nameless land, maybe even a nameless world, our rules and conventions do not apply here.
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The world outside the library window was white, more snow fell to join that already covering the ground. Ghostlike figures could be seen through the window, hair made from straw and coals for eyes. The three children had had a grand time, muffled in heavy coats to keep out the cold, but once evening fell their reddened noses soon faded once they spent time in the warm bathing pools. Tancred and Jamil, as always, proudly displaying to each other the increasing signs of maturity, the sproutings of hair under arms and the downy crown above their boyhood charms. Donae, becoming a more modest little lady by the day, soaking in bubbles in her own tub up on the top floor. But now, all abed in the house, Jacob sat alone and content in the dimly lit library, his thoughts ranging from what had already been achieved to what was ahead in the game being played out by him and Tancred.
Another sat with him that winter's night might have been prompted to ask why. Why was he going about things in this fashion, with the power of his magick he could have brought about his goals in a single day. If Jacob chose to answer such a question the answer would have surprised none who knew him well. Because it was fun, and he liked having fun. None but a handful of mortals knew that a great mage still lived in the world. The legends of mages being long lived was common. But if mages were long lived why had they died, was a question he often mused when the talk turned to such things, as he sat in an alehouse posing as a travelling stranger. His role as a sentinel, left to watch over the world, had seen him in many positions over the generations. Sometimes as an austere figure stood beside the king, other times never seen, remaining in isolation scrying abroad many lands watching and influencing events. Once he had even sat on the throne as regent until the crown prince came of age. His present role, as tutor to the royal princes, greatly satisfied his love of people. He loved being among mortal folk as they laughed, lived and loved each other. To watch a babe in arms grow to manhood and start the cycle of life all over again was sustenance to his heart. People were good, well most were good he would have qualified, and in order to be good they needed to find their strengths and to push further all the time. He could never be happy stood behind a backcloth, controlling like a puppeteer. No, Jacob would be found on the stage of life as a player as often as not. Taking all the decisions made things too easy for people, and it led to weakness, far better for them to develop their own strengths, although, if pressed, he would have admitted pushing things in a certain direction at times. Some of the little ways he had pushed events were going on this very night. Churches opening their cellars to the homeless, a roaring fire and bowls of hot soup to feed those unfortunates finding that open door. A dose of winter flu raging through the night watch, keeping many of them home in bed rather than patrolling and rounding up urchins sleeping in alleyways. The man newly in charge of the city goal signing an order giving extra rations to his prisoners.
Another way in which he pushed people could be seen to one side of the library. Tutoring Tancred had gone on all through the time they had been in this city. Whenever that sad day came the prince needed to be ready to take the burden of kingship. The war game the two boys had played that first night they discovered their love for each other had become a firm favourite between them, Tancred learning Jamil's method of fighting a war of insurgency, and Jamil learning more of conventional warfare on the board. Stalemate was becoming more and more the result of the games. Setting out the playing pieces of the game on a large desk Jacob then took Jamil's box and added his green pieces to those already in position. Placing a number of books, inkpots and such in the space between the two opposing carved armies he outlined the situation to the two boys. How could Tancred's red army fight and overwhelm the green forces of the other side, The books and pots placed on this board being natural boundaries, mountain ranges, rivers and such. He told the boys they were playing together, both in command of the red force, decisions were to be taken that both had worked out. They could, if needed, ask for the advice of Zachary, for he had played this game since childhood. Over the next days following commencement of wooden hostilities much of Jacob's letter paper was scribbled on and discarded as the boys tenaciously worked to find a solution.
In due course the two boys came to Jacob and asked if they could add Jamil's red pieces to Tancred's that were already in position. Jacob gave them permission to do so, provided they had a way of supporting that increase in the army. More food would have to be provided, more horses for the cavalry, and more weapons and uniforms. If the extra forces were presently citizens of the red country then this meant less workers to till the land to grow that food. Less people engaged in husbandry to provide those animal, not only horses for cavalry but livestock to fill the army's stomach. More trees needed to be grown for lumber to build barracks, again more forests meant less land to grow food. If all these extra provisions were to be bought from another land then taxes had to be raised to fund the purchases, therefore they had an unhappy citizenry, increasing the risk of unrest in the land.
"But all this isn't fair" was Jamil's immediate reaction "You have placed those books further to one side, we have less land than green land"
"Who has ever said the world is fair? A general cannot move mountains to make his battlefield better suited to him winning, his strategies are always controlled by the geography where he finds himself fighting. His resources are never limitless"
He then added further woe to the crestfallen young generals stood with him in the library and placed different coloured napkins at points around the desk. Telling them that a general could face the chances of another land that could push into red land's territory and seize parts if they saw weakness. And in this way Tancred learned of the problems his father had to contend with, faced with a larger, aggressive neighbour that had carried out border raids or attacks on a regular basis. Jacob's long term aim in staying in this city was to bring change from within, to put in place men who would treat with other lands as peaceable rulers and not look to wars between countries as the first option. Keeping Tancred here with him during this was invaluable experience for the king to be who would reign in that new time ahead. And if the rigid, structured upbringing of a young royal was put aside, and he could be a normal boy for a time, then he also learnt far more of the normal lives of the subjects he would one day rule over. Never spoken about, even to Tancred's father the king, was his prime reason for being, The long hidden secrets that lay hidden deep in the land he had protected for all those countless years.
As soon as the snows covering the city had cleared work on emptying Sir Samuel's mansion would start. Clerks had spent time itemising and marking all items. In the meantime the doors between the servant's wing and the main house had been secured so no pilfering would go on. Needless to say, wards put in place by Jacob would beat any attempt to tamper with the locks. The contents were after all Thomas and Simon Alver's property, and servants with an uncertain future wandering about unobserved was not an ideal situation. They had been told they would be allowed to remain in their quarters for the winter months, and would be paid, but the house was to be vacated by the first day of summer at the latest. Jacob was taken by Zachary in the small carriage to the mansion, where he found a number of documents and ledgers written in Sir Samuel's hand. Returning to his own home he set about recreating those ledgers, weaving in among the records a trail of corruption, and misappropriation of a large amount of the city's revenue from the slave trade and other financial penalties levied by the justice system of the city. Records of large amounts of coin paid to a ring of co-conspirators, all of whom referred to only by initial or mark. Any who knew Sir Samuel's hand would swear that these records were clearly written by him, comparisions between genuine documents being beyond doubt. Returning to the mansion he left them in various desks and cabinets, locking the drawers and taking away the keys. These desks, being of outstanding quality, would only be sold at auction to the moneyed class of the city, and when locksmiths were engaged to open the locked drawers the web would be exposed to the city authorities. It was also inevitable that some buying this beautiful furniture would actually have been complicit with Sir Samuel, they would not only be fearful of the code being broken, but after reading those amended records, would be looking at the rest of the cohort in suspicion, convinced he had been cheated by them. A dark mood came upon Jacob as he stood in the room where he had sat sharing a supper with Sir Samuel, looking at the artwork that still hung on the walls he decided to leave them be. The workmen used to empty the house would spread the story of what they found here, instead he would give instructions for them to be removed and immediately burnt.
News of Thomas Alver's visit to the city had never become public knowledge, he had arrived unannounced, the business had been agreed in secrecy, and he had boarded the same schooner for it's return to his home isle. He had no wish to meet any of his father's friends, who he looked at as being every bit as despicable as his father. And with the inn being quietly owned by the trading house his name had never appeared on any bill of charges. Those who had coveted Sir Samuel's house were anxiously awaiting the brothers arrival on the first schooner arriving at the city docks after the winter hiatus. That wait would carry on long after that schooner tied it's mooring ropes to the wharf though. All involved had readily agreed that the sale, and the new purpose for the mansion, would remain a strict secret. When workmen were seen at the house it would not be known if they were preparing it for sale, or for the brothers to return and take up residence. With Jacob now going to be taking many more trips to the mansion, all in the small plain carriage, Zachary needed to be brought further into the inner circle. Calling him into the library Jacob went through the events that had already taken place regarding the mansion. Hearing about the home for the foundlings he was full of enthusiasm for the plans to educate them and show them a way in life. He had thrown himself into helping with Jamil, having him sit beside him up on the front of the carriage, showing him the rudimentary ways of driving it and with the care of the horses. Then came to the best part of his news. The king's spy master had already intimated to Jacob his hope of being able to retire in the not too distant future, return to the kingdom and spend time with the family he had been away from for many years. If the hope that a number of these young orphans proved to be suitable to life as an agent for the king then it would also mean a much larger workload for the spy network. To this end it had been decided to separate the tasks of spying from the trading house. Zachary had already been marked as a suitable candidate to take over the network after the current head retired, so now Jacob formally offered him the post, based at the children's home. Whoever was given charge of the trading house would remain aware , but not involved in operations, except for the passive passing on of useful information that came to light through it's legitimate trade.
Sitting together with glasses of wine to celebrate Zachary's promotion Jacob turned the conversation to Jamil. "Tell me, how would you assess our young man's suitability as our first recruit?"
After considering for a short time Zachary answered "He's very bright and quick to learn. And I like the way he can be so unpredictable on the battle board. Add to that his tremendous loyalty we saw with looking after little Donae, I would likely picked him from a classroom of boys as worthy of investing the time to train him"
"Let us start doing some early work, informally so he sees it all as a game" Jacob suggested to Zachary.
Coming into the dining room the following morning Jacob found the two boys making short work of the food had laid out. He told them he thought they had gone as far as it was possible playing battles against each other with wooden pieces on the board. When time and weather allowed he would set each of them missions against the other, and instead of the board they would use the city streets as the playing area, or sometimes he might even set them working together on a task. One may be instructed to follow the other when carrying out a task around the city. If one of them spotted his friend following him his task would be to shake loose and foil his friend's efforts. They may also be asked to follow Zachary or be asked by Zachary to follow Jacob without being seen. At a later stage in the games Jacob intended to bring in things like secreting messages in hidden places for the other to recover. Jacob had little doubt as he started all this off of Jamil being more than able, the boy had not survived these city streets on good luck alone. Later that morning Jacob took Jamil to one side and gave him a bag of coin, he told him to accompany Zachary into the city when he went about today, go to the markets and buy for himself a number of different style caps and coats of various colours. Also that his purchases were not to be seen by Zachary, or anyone at the house upon his return. He was to take the parcels to his own room so he could change his appearance when engaged in the game. By the time he had provided the same for Tancred it would amount to a tidy sum, but knowing the children's home would need a large amount of children's clothing when it started, and with the boys growing at the rate they where, it would all remain serviceable for another child within a short time.
It was a time of little activity as they waited for the snows to clear. It took Jacob a lot of hours sitting alone in the library and writing an extensive accounting of all that had gone on, and all that was still planned for the months ahead. He asked leave for Tancred to stay with him through the coming summer as those plans developed. He put the case that with Tancred conceiving the plan it was only just that be saw at first hand the success. He also stressed the value of such experience for him to have in future years. Having spoken openly to the king about his worries over Tancred not feeling himself suitable for his pre destined role as sovereign the maturity he was seeing now allowed him to assure the king that those fears were substantially eased as he worked with the boy here. Once completed he encoded it and sealed the bulky letter with a ward so it could only be opened by Tancred's father the king. It would leave the city onboard the earliest ship leaving for a different shore once the docks reopened, From wherever that place would turn out to be it would then be carried to their homeland. Needless to say Tancred's bedroom activities were not mentioned to his father. Asking permission was merely a formality, as he knew that the king would be eagerly watching events from a distance, and wishing it was he instead of Tancred having such a wonderful time making mischief among their enemies. Knowing much about Jacob's magery he would have no fears at all about his son's safety. And with the royal children having a private upbringing, until being formally presented to the court at sixteen years of age, any absence could continue unnoticed.
The news of Sir Samuel's serving staff being discharged from service was already around the city. So when wagons started moving through the streets taking the furniture to a warehouse, where an auction was to be held, there was renewed speculation about his sons returning. The latest story was of the large house being converted into two dwellings for the brothers to live in side by side. Hearing the way people remembered the young men before they both fled, both they and their mother had been held in great affection, the first glimmerings of an idea came to Jacob. Could these brothers possibly be the men who were able to heal this city, and be persuaded to return and head a council of new leaders once he had engineered the fall of the Grand Duke.
The movements of the wagons having now become commonplace it was of no significance when three empty wagons made their way into the, now empty, mansion's grounds. Zachary had carried Jacob there earlier in the small carriage. The group of eight men made their way to the empty wine cellar. Taking the tools they had brought with them they broke down the racks as Jacob directed them to. With picks and shovels they made short work of the tiled floor. Jacob, still appearing as a frail elderly man could not set to with them, but he did better than that and spelled them to work through the day without feeling the effort. They had soon cleared down to uncover twelve large chests wrapped in waxed sailcloth. These chests he had the men carry and load four to a wagon and taken directly to the king's trading house. Looking at the large hole before he closed the cellar door Jacob smiled to himself, thinking of another night time run through the streets to return and make good the cellar floor bringing earth in from outside to replace the space left where the chests had lain.
In the vaults of the trading house Jacob and the trade master stood and looked at the opened chests, the gold stolen by Sir Samuel glittering in the lamplight. Even after paying back the King's exchequer the sum paid to Thomas and Simon Alver the amount remaining would be ample to do everything and more that he planned, without it costing his homeland a single coin.