A tale of magicians, magick and a lost boy. 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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ovote@unseen.is
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Knocking lightly on the door of Tancred's bedchamber Jacob heard Tancred call him in the room. Opening the door he quietly said "I'm going to be out until late tonight, some events are going to take place at that private club I spoke about earlier. And I'm going in the city to make sure lots of people are about to see those men brought to justice in shame as they are marched through the streets"
Leaving the house he made his way through the darkened city to the private members club. The order with the details of the raid was just about to be executed by the Major at the constable house. Still being reasonably early, the alehouses and inns would have many patrons coming and going, and lots would see the large group of constables forming up and boarding the open carriages they used going about their business. Once the constables had successfully entered the large building and found what was in progress he would melt away from the club and make his way into the city. A touch of spelling on his appearance and the man who went from alehouse to alehouse making the news known would ensure he never be recognised as the elderly merchant.
Standing in the dark outside the gates he waited until he saw one of the guards making moves to close them, the carriage that had just entered would be the last expected if the procedure was the same as last time, when Sir Samuel brought Jacob they being last to arrive. Stepping to the gates he quickly spelled the two guards there, and moving inside the grounds found the other guards patrolling. They would continue to walk their routes now, but pay no heed to any events until seized by the constables. But in the unlikely event any looked from a window things would appear normal. He then walked the perimeter of the building, warding each door and window to prevent any escape. He left the doors so they could be opened from outside and ensured they would open from a touch from outside. With the fall of the Mountain earlier that day he expected that the programme would now change, and that the patrons would now take individual children upstairs to the private rooms much earlier. Scrying through the club he found that this was so. He could hear the sound of carriages in the distance, and so melted into the darkness against the ground's walls.
The constables carriages pulled in through the gates, as each drew to a halt, and men jumped down from them, the constable Major directed his men in different directions to all the doors of the building. On the sound of his whistle the doors were burst through and men poured inside. The sounds of shouting men could be heard from the open doors, and it took only a few minutes before men were dragged out in various states of undress. Some had managed to pull a shirt or trousers on, others holding bed sheets around themselves, some were pulled into the night completely naked. Their hands were quickly bound and they were made to sit in a group on the ground and guarded by a number of constables. By now the constables had also found the dazed guards, coming to their senses they had not been able to understand how the constables had appeared from nowhere. In the sorry group sitting on the ground Jacob recognised two priests of the city, a doctor he had seen about and a lawyer. He was delighted to see one of the four men he had seen speaking together on the docks that morning, the Grand Duke's chief finance officer. Others he didn't know by sight. This would be a night that shook the whole city from top to bottom. Seeing the Major coming out of the front doors of the building he paid attention to what he was telling his men. The Major was pointing to the rich carriages of the patrons standing in a row to one side, and also to the open carts they had arrived in. Jacob was heartened to hear him order that the prisoners were to be taken in plain sight in the open carriages, and the children found inside were to be kept and carried to the city infirmary in the closed carriages to save any seeing them. Jacob was heartened to hear the disgust in his voice, and marked him to be a man that to keep note of for the times ahead. Good men would be needed to bring about order after the change on the way. Feeling that is was about time to make for the city and spread the news about Jacob silently slipped through the gates unseen by the constables.
Making his way through the alehouses along the route in to the city Jacob spread the news of the impeding arrival of a large group of men taken into the custody of the constables. Accusing them of devil worship in some places, of human sacrifice in others, and of the actual truth in still more alehouses. Seeing the crowded streets ahead, the Major sent men forward to gather night watchmen and constables to contain the large groups on the streets leading to the constable house. Their passage through the streets slowed due to the number of people. The prisoners seated in open view of the crowds, with constables now having to stand on the outer steps holding on to the carriages. Despite the efforts of the prisoners to hide from sight some constables took it on themselves to take hold of the men's heads, or hair, and pull them up so as to be clearly seen. To cries of disgust, and calls to string them up, they were borne into the yard of the constable house, with the strong gates being closed behind them. Their could be no hiding the arrests of those men. Throughout the night carriages made the journey between the constable house and the private club, gathering all the secrets held in that place, to be inspected and used in the case against the arrested deviants.
The next morning Jacob sent Joshua into the city on foot, with instructions to hire a street carriage and have the driver bring him back to the house, the merchant and apprentice would then return in it to the city. Today it would not be wise for a rich man's carriage to be seen in the city he thought. He had no worries for his own safety as he made his way through the streets and markets. In his time here he had become well known and, fuelled by Sarah's gossip, his actions taking in two orphan children to work happily in his house, and the many acts of kindness he did as he went about had been seen by many. The elderly merchant and his nephew were now looked on with great affection by all who knew of him. The markets were busier than usual that day, though little was being bought or sold as it's purpose had become more a forum for any news to be exchanged. Carriages seen flying in and out of the constable house only added to each new rumour. The two made their way to one of the churches that did good work providing a foundling home for orphans in the city, and provided for the priest a large bag of coin. He asked the priest to approach the city authorities and offer places in the home for all the children discovered in the club the night before. Although they had been found drugged and compliant, as the men satisfied their wicked lust on them, he did not want them to become pawns of the city and portray them as willing. Or worse to be thrown in the slave cages as incorrigibles, no understanding of the end of the trade being yet concluded. At around midday the carriage of the Grand Duke himself was seen drawing to a halt outside the constable house, and him entering with great ceremony. Inside he was given a full report of the arrests and of the documents still being inspected to find the extent of this club's activities. He would never say that he knew all there was to know about the club and it's members already though. Having discovered an embezzler some years previously the man had desperately bargained away the secret in exchange for a promise he be spared the rope. Once the man had told all to the Grand Duke's intelligencers though he was instead poisoned, the Grand Duke finding great amusement in keeping his promise to the poor man.
When men hold others in tyranny, cruelty or fear, they often fail to see that the same fear lies in them also. And that fear travels both ways through a society. So the Grand Duke, stood in the Major's office that day, may not have recognised that his decision to allow the arrests to stand, and the men punished, was due to his fear of large scale unrest if he did otherwise. The head of the constables force stood alongside him most surely did though. Completely mystified at the origins of the orders for the arrest, he feared both the Grand Duke above him believing he was not in charge of his offices, and also the Major below him knowing the orders had not come from his hand. As they left the constable house in the Grand Duke's carriage both men were silent. One thinking how someone's unknown actions had made him appear to be an effective keeper of the laws of the city, the other deciding who should replace the fool sat beside him, that had acted as a loose cannon, and caused the loss of such a valuable source of secret knowledge. All of this coming on top of the worrisome discussions that had gone on the afternoon before, during the Grand Duke's council meeting.
As the carriage passed through the sullen crowd on it's journey back to the palace a large clump of mud landed on it's rear, and slowly spread down to cover the insignia painted in gold. The anger of the crowd changing to laughter behind it. High on a rooftop overlooking the street two urchins perched. One of them wagering the other a stolen apple if he could hit the carriage with a handful of filth scooped from the gutter. After seeing the wager won, they scampered away over the roofs and were never seen again, the apple falling from the ripped pocket of the thief on the way, to be eaten by neither. In time that act of childish bravado was wrongly seen by people, as they realised there were those among them who could overcome fear and act. The palace grooms washed away that mud, and never reported it, fearful of the anger of the people above them, save the angry mood around the palace that day trickling down on them in the same manner the mud had trickled down the golden insignia.
From where they stood watching events inside the tea shop Jacob and Tancred watched the constable house doors open and the portly well dressed man emerge from them.
Making his way to his carriage he stood on the step and turned to address the crowd. "My client is entirely innocent of the things he is accused of. I will clear his good name in the courts and ..." He got no further with his speech as the first missile, an egg, hit the carriage beside him. It was swiftly followed by others, and then other assorted items that had been pulled from the baskets of some of the people carrying them home from market. The crowd surged forward as the man pulled open the carriage door, clambered in and slammed it shut behind him. It took only moments for the mass of people to surround the carriage and start pushing from to side to side, the groom up on the bench jumping to safety towards the constable house. The constables spilling from inside were just a few seconds too late to prevent the carriage tipping to it's side. The horses, still harnessed to the front, kicking out in panic, and their screams of terror being joined by those of the lawyer trapped inside the carriage. Armed with clubs the constables spread out around the wrecked carriage and pushed the crowd back. The crowd, being shocked at their own actions as much as anything else, soon came to cease their efforts.
Tancred touched Jacob on his arm and murmured to him "Was that you?"
"Only the eggs, things got a little .... out of hand afterwards" replied Jacob softly, and looking a little abashed. Tancred then, failing to keep Jacob's lesson of the day before, let out a snort of merriment.
Turning to the woman of the tea shop Tancred asked "Please could I take my Uncle Jacob out through your back door, I don't want him knocked from his feet in this crowd" Showing his growing ability to act out a part in front of others.
Once they left the tea shop Jacob felt there was little else that could be done in the city that day, and hired a carriage to take them back to the house.
Pulled to safety from the wreckage of the carriage the lawyer was brought back into the constable house. Still shaking from his narrow escape he announced to the Major that he would no longer be acting for the imprisoned man he had, only minutes earlier, stood on the carriage defending. Demanding at the same time that the Major provide transport and men to take him in safety back to his offices. And, being a lawyer, he added silently to himself that the cost of a new carriage would be added to the charge for that day's business in the service of his former client. Another lawyer stood to the side of the room pulled a third aside, and quietly suggested that they follow suit, going as quickly as possible to the wives of their clients, and offer to act for her instead. For there was certain to be much legal manouvering in securing the fortunes of the men held in the constable house.
Upon bringing his prisoners to the constable house the night before the Major had sent a Captain with men to the homes of the arrested to search through for further evidence of wrongdoing. A number of wives had been quick to understand the danger they could face, and set manservants, or hired men, to stand guard outside. Some of the men had been unmarried though, and once the constables had finished searching those men's houses the servants were left unknowing as to what should be done next. One manservant decided to take his own action, seeing he would soon about to be unpaid and homeless, he went around the house and collected items of value that would see him through the uncertain times ahead. Filling the small servant's buggy he went straight to the alehouse he often frequented. Standing on a table in the crowded room he told his fellow drinkers he had left the house doors unlocked, and they could take anything they wanted, he then left and made his way to his mother's home. His initial reasons for telling all to go was to cover the theft of his buggy full of expensive items, for he could now say he fled from the mob frightened for his safety. By the end of that day there would be squads of men protecting most of the homes of the imprisoned homes and families, the empty houses either ransacked or earmarked to be raided, and the two arrested priests had been stripped of their positions in the churches they served at.
As night fell the imprisoned men sat dejected, not knowing the full extent of the woes that would land on them in the days ahead, losing their homes, their families, and their entire fortunes. For some it would be enough for them to take the easy way out, for the others the punishments would be never ending.
For Jacob and Tancred it was a night for them to sit and enjoy sweet wine together, talking over the plans for the days ahead. Zachary and Jamil spent the same time in a coach house, enjoying the singing of the serving girl as she entertained the room, and looking forward starting their journey home in the morning.
The Grand duke spent the evening alone in his study, making the final decisions how to recoup the loss of the wines, lamp oil and lumber that had been lost on the slave ships. All the actions he would take would be unpopular. Seizing all supplies of lamp oil for the palaces and homes of the wealthy, leaving the people to use dirty, smoky tallow candles. Increasing taxes to offset the loss of the ships and lumber would not be enough on it's own. He needed to also stop the annual payment of bonuses to the military forces to even come close to recovering the losses.
A short teaser of a future escapade in the life of the eternal man.
JACOB IN THE SLAVE LANDS
Straightening himself up from the rail he bent to pick up his bag and hefted it up on his shoulder. Making his way to the gangplank he went down on to the dockside. Dodging around carts full of produce he walked off the dock and found himself in a square with a busy street market underway. Passing by the shouting hawkers, and holding up all manner of strange objects to tempt him, he crossed the square and found a ramshackle inn on the corner of the square. Entering the inn he stood at the counter.
The innkeeper came to him and the man asked "You got ale?"
The innkeeper dipped into the barrel at the side of him and filled a dirty looking tankard, flicking a dead fly off the surface of the murky liquid, he pushed it towards him.
"You got rooms?" was his next question.
"You got coin?" came the surly response.
Digging into his pocket he pulled out the collected debris from it, a tobacco pipe, flint, three dice and a tatty pack of playing cards bound with ribbon, all mounted up on the bar top. Sorting through it all he picked out some small gold pieces and a battered silver royal.
Looking at the innkeeper he asked "How much?"
Another surly answer "Half a silver a day"
Seeing the other's nod the innkeeper put a stubby finger on the silver coin and slid it towards him.
"You need hat as well. That Northern skin of yours do no good down `ere. Too warm for thee"
Giving a little laugh he said to the innkeeper "Too warm in the North for me just now, that's why I'm down here"
"Card fingerer are you then? Catch you at it round this side of the world yull have no fingers to deal `em with"
At his customer shake of his head he went on "What you done then if it weren't cards?"
"I don't finger cards, not good enough to get away with it. I was footman to the Lord Mayor in Talcar city. His daughter's wedding dress got too small for her" miming with his hands to show a rounded stomach. "Had to hide in the attic for two days before I could sneak away, only place I could shit was the chest he keeps his ceremonial robes in up there"
Turning to look across the room the innkeeper said to him "Feel just like ome from ome then. Your room be the attic again. And you get ideas on ploughing my daughter's furrow you'll be sitting to piss as well as shit"
Looking in the direction of the innkeeper's nod he saw a slow moving, ponderous creature collecting pots off the grubby tables. Reassuring the innkeeper he quickly said "I'm off women for a time, reckon it's safer" and wondered if he could even find a furrow under the enormous stomach.
"You got a name then stranger?" asked the innkeeper.
Pausing for a second as if deciding the man replied "Jacob, ... yes I'm Jacob"
"Jacob it be then. If you're not in by the time I shut doors, you stay out all night. Yull still pay for the room lover boy" and on that turned to serve someone else.