| By: Jason Atwood |
Jayce and Kayli reached Enfield at around midday. Due to the town’s regulations, Annie and
the cart had to remain in a designated area just outside of town. It appeared to be a typical day in
Enfield. As they walked along the main road, the sights, sounds and smells of the town had a
calming effect on Jayce. The disturbing vision was quickly fading to mist just as nightmares do
upon awakening. The town was alive with activity. Children ran and capered up and down the tree-
lined path. Tradesmen were hawking their wares to residents and travelers alike. The aroma of
fresh bread from a bakery mixed with that of the smell of succulent food coming from one of the
inns. The couple strolled along, nodding and smiling to people they passed, and finally stopped in
front of the local healer’s home.
“Okay Jayce, I’m going to see what I can get for these dried herbs,” said Kayli laying her
hand on the satchel she carried. “Where shall we meet back up?” “I’ll just sell the vegetables
and eggs to Mijo, and then wait for you there,” replied Jayce. “He always gives us a good
price.”
“There are other things to do in this town besides shooting the breeze with your friend.”
“He’s a good guy, and he keeps me out of trouble,” Jayce said with a wink.
“You should really try to talk to him about all the rich food he eats. If he doesn’t drop some of
that weight, he’s going to wake up dead one day.”
“Don’t be so critical. So, he’s a little on the heavy side. He has a big heart.”
“You know who else had a big heart? Remember that merchant in Charton who tried to pull a
scam on the leader of the Black Tooth gang? He was huge! Remember how big his heart was
when those thugs cut it out of him?”
Jayce grimaced, “I had almost forgotten that image. Thank you so much for reminding me of
it.”
“Anytime, love. I’ll see you at Mijo’s,” said Kayli as she gave Jayce a quick kiss. Then she
disappeared into the healer’s house.
Mijo was the owner of the finest inn in Enfield, and served some of the best food Jayce had
ever eaten. However, it was not a good idea to eat at Mijo’s more often than on special
occasions. Not only was the food extremely rich, but he served portions large enough to feed two
or three people. Also, the prices he charged were not exactly cheap. He catered mainly to the
throngs of merchants and travelers from the large cities, people who were accustomed to paying
the prices he charged for fine dining.
Jayce entered Mijo’s inn to find him chatting with the patrons. According to Mijo, it was all a
part of good business. He claimed to get most of his customers by word of mouth. Mijo was
dressed in a simple shirt and pants, and he was wearing a grease spotted apron. If one word
could be used to describe Mijo, it would be round. He had a large belly and chest with thick arms
and legs. His body was a combination of fat and muscle that could only come from hauling barrels
and sacks of ingredients, then eating the resulting combination of those ingredients. His round
head was covered in a helmet of densely curled brown hair, and his full face sported a goatish
beard which was usually decorated with crumbs from his latest meal.
For a man who seemed to be very successful, Mijo dressed and carried on as if he was
constantly in danger of becoming destitute. Jayce inquired about this one day, and Mijo told him a
story from his youth. During his teens, he caught a sprite in a trap meant for squirrels. The sprite
was furious, and it demanded to be let free. Mijo knew that such creatures had mystical powers,
and he had heard stories of them granting wishes. He promised to free the sprite if it would grant
a single wish. The sprite grudgingly agreed, and it asked Mijo to state his wish.
Mijo said that he wished to be a successful and wealthy businessman. With a quirky grin the
sprite asked him if he was sure that was what he wanted. Mijo enthusiastically nodded in the
affirmative. The sprite snapped its fingers, and said that Mijo would from then on always be
successful in his business ventures. True to his word Mijo freed the tiny creature, and it flew up to
look him coldly in the eye. It let out a squeaky giggle, and Mijo inquired as to what was so
humorous. The sprite replied that while Mijo would be successful; he would never make more
riches than he could spend. He would never be able to amass great wealth, but would always have
what he needed. The sprite then flew away still giggling.
As Mijo grew older, he did have great success in all of his endeavors. Unfortunately, no
matter how much he made, something would happen to strip him of what he sought to save. He
had always been very frugal, and could make do with very little, although this did nothing to
improve his financial standing. He had mused on several occasions that maybe he should just
spend his money as soon as he got it. Alas, he never could bring himself go through with it. He
feared that if he wildly spent his money, then he would inevitably end up broke.
Whether his story had any truth or not was a matter of speculation. In any event, he was a
successful businessman, and he always had what he needed. He dealt honestly and fairly with his
employees and his patrons. Furthermore, he was generous to his many friends. Two of which
were Jayce and Kayli.
“Mijo!” Jayce called over the noise of the inn.
“Jayce, how have you been my friend?” Mijo asked as he turned to face Jayce, but then he
paused slightly and regarded Jayce with a concerned eye.
“Where did you pick that up?” Mijo asked gesturing toward the bruise on Jayce’s cheek.
“I got jumped by a furry woodland creature,” Jayce replied trying to make light of his
wound.
“That must have been one seriously angry squirrel,” Mijo replied. “You should be more
careful.”
“Thanks for the concern,” Jayce said dryly then changed the subject. “Your business seems
to be doing well.”
“Business is always good. How are Kayli and your farm? Still weeding the chickens and
feeding the vegetables?”
Jayce smiled, “Kayli is fine. She’s over at the healer’s right now trying to sell that old
gummer some herbs.” Jayce held up the basket he was carrying. “As for the farm, just look at
what I brought you, fresh eggs and the first tomatoes of the year.”
“Excellent!” said Mijo, and then he whistled shrilly to get the attention of one of the
waitresses. “Take these fine ingredients back to the kitchen, would you please,” he said to the
middle-aged woman who had just walked up, and Jayce handed the basket to her.
“I hope those are up to your high standards,” Jayce said with a grin.
“Probably not, but I’ll find some way to make them palatable,” Mijo replied with a wink.
“Come sit at the bar. Can I offer you a pint?”
“That would be most welcome. I see you are taking advantage of the latest council
decision.”
“I prefer to call it giving the public what they want. I’d never ‘take advantage’ of anyone,”
Mijo said with mock indignity, as he clapped Jayce on the shoulder and led him to a pair of empty
barstools.
They sat down, and Mijo motioned for the barkeep, “Serge, two pints of ale for my friend and
myself please.” Serge replied with a nod and a grunt, and then busied himself by drawing the two
drinks. Mijo leaned in close to Jayce and whispered, “Serge isn’t much for talking, but he’s one hell
of a listener. Good thing, I guess. His wife does enough talking for three people.”
Mijo nudged Jayce with his elbow, and Jayce gave a weak courtesy chuckle. Mijo was a nice guy,
but his sense of humor was a bit unusual. They settled down to enjoy their pints, but a clamor
arose from a nearby table. They looked around to see the same middle-aged waitress from
before holding a squawking young man by the ear.
“Mijo!” She called, “This whelp was gonna bolt without paying.”
“I was--OW!” the young man’s denial was cut short by a sharp jerk to the ear.
“Tilly, bring him over here,” said Mijo, “and let go of his ear.” Tilly led the young man over,
and then finally released his ear.
“Now, what’s all this about not paying for your meal?” Mijo inquired.
“I wasn’t tryin’ ta run out--OW!” He was cut short by a firm slap to the back of his head from
Tilly.
“I don’t think Tilly believes you,” Mijo said trying to suppress a grin. “Now are you unable to
pay, or do you simply want to cheat me?”
The young man stammered a bit, and then finally blurted out, “I don’t have any money. I was
hungry. It’s been days since I’ve had anything except bugs and berries to eat.”
“I see,” Mijo nodded sympathetically.
Jayce wondered when the last time Mijo was forced to eat a bug to survive, and his stifled
laugh came out as a snort. Mijo cut Jayce a scathing look, and motioned for the young man to
continue.
“I can pay in service. I’m an adventurer,” he said puffing his chest out slightly. It was all
Jayce, Mijo and Tilly could do to keep from breaking out into laughter at the young man’s serious
demeanor.
“What’s your name?” Mijo managed to ask, his face starting to turn red from pent up mirth.
“It’s Ven, sir.”
“Well Ven, how do you plan on paying for your meal?”
“If you had some rats in your cellar, I could exterminate them for you.”
“No, no rats in the cellar.”
“Giant spiders in the basement?” Ven ventured, clearly growing nervous.
“No, no giant spiders in the basement. We do have some pretty nasty cockroaches in the
kitchen though,” said Mijo, barely able to contain the laughter within him.
At hearing that, Jayce nearly gagged on a mouthful of ale. He wiped his mouth and croaked,
“I don’t know, Mijo. He looks a bit too puny to send in against the killer kitchen cockroaches.”
Jayce, Mijo, and Tilly all broke out laughing. Even Serge let out a small chuckle as Ven looked
nervously around.
After a few moments, Mijo finally regained enough composure to speak, “Tilly, take the boy
into the kitchen to do battle with the deadly dirty dishes of doom.” This resulted in a fresh wave of
laughter in which many of the nearby patrons joined.
“And Tilly,” Mijo continued after catching his breath, “get him to help unload the afternoon
delivery. All those heavy sacks of flour will put some muscle on those scrawny arms.”
The pair watched Tilly lead the young adventurer back to the kitchen. “Do you want to go sit
outside, Jayce?” Mijo invited “I need to get some air after all that laughing.” This sounded like a
perfectly good idea to Jayce, and so they took their drinks outside to sit in the rocking chairs in
front of the inn.
“Alright Mijo, tell me all the interesting news you’ve heard lately,” Jayce began. “You know
we don’t get much in the way of current events out where we live.”
Mijo stared ahead, seemingly lost in thought, at the people walking along the road for a few
minutes before finally speaking. “There was that incident with Lizzie not long back.”
“Lizzie?” questioned Jayce.
“Yeah, short for Lizard or something. She lives alone in a little cabin near the woods. She
looks like a bear, and she’s twice as mean,” Mijo explained.
“I’m rather glad I don’t know her. What happened?”
Mijo leaned close and whispered, “She stuck a hatchet in some guy’s neck.”
Jayce’s eyes grew wide, and Mijo continued solemnly, “She claimed that he tried to force her into
unspeakable acts of a sexual nature.”
Jayce arched his eyebrow with a certain amount of disbelief, “He’d have to be a pretty
desperate man to want to do something like that to the woman you described,” Jayce continued
with a sly grin. “In any event, she would be locked up if she’d really done such a thing.”
“True enough, my friend. However, the man happened to be an escaped criminal. He was
on the run from Winsford.”
“So they let her go?” Jayce nodded and waited for the punch line.
“Of course, they let her go! The death was ruled an AX-ident!” Mijo explained breaking out
into a fresh fit of laughter.
Jayce hid his face in his hands and groaned. Mijo’s jokes were not always this bad.
Sometimes they were much worse, and at times to the point of being physically painful. It didn’t
make things better that he would always pretend he was telling some serious news. The
unsuspecting victim, usually Jayce, would become so engrossed by the story that they wouldn’t be
prepared for the stinker of a joke that was sure to waylay him.
Another such example was a story about a farmer who raised swine. He had to have some
way to tell them apart, so he numbered them. He had ten in all. One day he noticed that Nine was
not feeling well. So, he went into town to try and get the ingredients for a special hog remedy
handed down to him by his father. However, when he returned, he found all his hogs cowering in
the corner except for Seven. Six was especially frightened, and was squealing loudly. Seven was
near Nine’s corpse, and the farmer could only conclude that Six was afraid because Seven ate
Nine. This joke was so wretched that it made all the children in town cry simultaneously.
Jayce regained his composure, and he looked up at the grinning Mijo, “One day you’ll tell a joke so
rotten that it will kill someone.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” he replied, still chuckling.
“Yes, I should thank you. I no longer fear death because Hell cannot possibly have anything
more tortuous than that joke.”
Mijo gave Jayce a sour look, and stuck out his tongue, “Wiseass.”
Jayce laughed, “You can’t be the only funny person around.”
“Alright, I have some real news for you. Do you remember that locksmith’s son you
convinced to come back to town and face his father?”
Jayce looked skeptical, “Yes,” he said as he prepared for another joke.
“Well, he ended up going through with the marriage.”
“Really? I thought he would stand up to his father, and tell the truth about his love for another
woman.”
“Here’s the funny thing,” Mijo continued. “The trader’s daughter didn’t want to marry him
either. They went through with the ceremony, and then she ran off with half the dowry.”
“That’s interesting,” Jayce said with interest. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s great. The marriage was dissolved because she ran off.”
“That is good news, I guess. Maybe he can marry his sweetheart now.”
“He already did,” said Mijo growing excited. “Not only did they wed, but he got to keep his
half of the dowry from the previous wedding.”
“I bet that made the trader a bit angry.”
“Angry is an understatement, but it was only fair. It was his daughter who ran off.”
“Something tells me that the bride and groom made their own arrangement concerning their
marriage,” Jayce said grinning broadly.
“An arranged separation is a good fit for an arranged marriage,” Mijo replied also grinning.
Their talk was interrupted by a commotion out on the street. Both men looked around, and found
the cause. The Professionals had returned from their mission.
A small crowd had formed around the three men as they walked up the road. Their leader,
Dean, was sporting a coon skin cap. He strutted proudly, playing to the public, soaking up their
attention. The other two Professionals, Jim and Tim, walked behind Dean. Between them they
carried a pole to which was lashed the carcass of a black bear. No doubt they would blame the
bear for all the destruction caused by the bugaboo.
Jayce felt anger welling up inside of him. Why should that trio of imbeciles get all the credit?
All they did was kill a wild animal that hadn’t ever bothered anyone its entire life. Jayce wanted to
stand up and call them out for the frauds they were. He deserved to be praised for risking his life
to help keep people safe. The thought of these three taking credit for something they didn’t do
was almost too much to tolerate.
Jayce took a deep breath, and run his hand through his long hair. What would it accomplish
to tell people the truth? Most of them would think he was crazy or jealous. To accept the truth of
the situation would be asking people to do too much. Not only would they have to accept that
three people who were highly respected were taking advantage of them, but they would have to
accept that there were horrible things in this world.
Most people knew, in the dark corners of their mind, that monsters existed. Children were
especially observant of strange happenings. Most people wanted to live quiet lives though, and
there was no place for the uncanny in this modern world. The Professionals paraded past, and
Mijo threw up his hand in greeting. Dean waved to Mijo just as he waved to all the other people.
Then Dean levied a weighty stare at Jayce and nodded. Jayce met Dean’s eyes and gave a slight
nod. There had always been tension between the two of them.
“I guess Dean will be wearing a new bearskin coat this winter,” said Mijo.
Jayce grunted and was about to make a snide remark when a form caught his eye. A wolf stalked
amongst the crowd following the Professionals, but no one seemed to take notice of it. A tingling
vibration traveled down Jayce’s spine into his fingers and toes. It was not just any wolf. It was his
wolf. He watched in silence as his wolf broke from the crowd and walked toward him. The sounds
of the town had become muted as the wolf approached.
Jayce steeled himself against a thousand imagined catastrophes. His wolf would not appear
unless there was some need, some danger. Maybe the sky would crack open, and demons made
from pond scum would tumble out to ravage the countryside. Maybe the members of the
Enfieldian Protection Association would violently protest the alcohol allowance by dousing the inns
in whisky, and setting them ablaze.
None of these things happened. The wolf simply walked up to Jayce and sat beside him.
The Professionals had walked past, and things reverted to normal. Jayce looked down at his wolf,
which looked up at him with a lupine grin. He decided that maybe the town was safe from pond
scum demons and crazed prohibition extremists for the moment, but why was his wolf here?
He turned to see Mijo looking at him with concern. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“Yeah, I don’t see what the big deal is with those guys,” Jayce grumbled.
“Let me guess,” Mijo began, “it wasn’t the bear that was responsible for all the incidents.”
Jayce shook his head.
“And you took care of whatever was really causing the problems?”
Jayce nodded.
“Look, I believe you. I’ve seen you do amazing things. I know you like to give credit to that
ghost-wolf of yours, or whatever it is.”
“It’s not a ghost,” Jayce replied with a little more fire than he intended.
“Whatever it is,” Mijo continued calmly, “it’s a part of you, and you’ve done great things. If
you don’t want them taking credit for your work, then set the record straight.”
“No one would believe me,” Jayce said quietly.
“I’ll believe you!” Mijo exclaimed. “You need to decide what’s important to you. Do you want
to be the hero of these backwards people, or are you satisfied knowing that you did something
good?”
“You’re right,” Jayce conceded. “I just feel so old sometimes.”
“Neither you nor Kayli are old,” Mijo chided.
Jayce snorted a small laugh. Mijo was right. Even though Kayli was a few years older than
Jayce, neither of them were elderly by any means, but they weren’t especially young. They were
at that point in their lives where they had left behind the naivety of youth, but their bodies were still
youthful enough to do almost anything demanded of them.
“Well, the whole point of moving out here with Kayli was to have a quiet life. If I wanted fame,
I could have stayed in Charton.”
“That’s right,” Mijo said smiling. “I like being able to just shoot the breeze with you. It’s hard
to do that with those famous…” Mijo’s voice trailed off, and he gazed at a figure walking toward
them. “By all the gods, they have sent an avatar of beauty down to us, and she’s coming this way.”
Jayce looked over at the person approaching. She was young, not much past adolescence. Her
skin was darkly tanned, and her hair was sun bleached to a dark blonde. She wore a simple blue
robe that hung loosely from her spare frame, and carried a weathered cudgel. She walked with a
glide, as if her feet never touched the ground.
The young woman turned her head lazily looking all around, yet looking at nothing in
particular. She stopped in front of the pair, and then turned toward them as if noticing them for the
first time. She first looked at Mijo then Jayce. She wore the expression of one caught in an
especially happy daydream.
Jayce looked at her closely. Her eyes were the washed out color of a desert sky. At a
distance he had not realized how small she really was. Jayce was not a particularly tall man, but
her head barely reached his chest. Upon closer inspection she was not nearly as lovely as she
had seemed at a distance. She bore the marks of someone who had traveled a great distance
with little rest. Her skin was dry, her lips chapped, and her face was drawn. She looked like a
person who had subsisted on the barest of rations.
She looked at Mijo with a dazed smile, and then glanced at Jayce. Mijo sputtered in an
attempt to talk, but she turned her gaze downward and spoke first.
“Awwwww, such a cute wolfy,” she crooned. “Are you friendly?”
Jayce felt his skin break out into gooseflesh, and Mijo cast a nervous look at him. The young
woman bent down to pet the wolf on its head. Jayce saw his wolf respond with a wag of its tail,
but it backed away warily as her hand brushed the fur on its head. To Mijo it must appear that she
was petting nothing but air.
She looked up and seemed to notice the two men for the first time. Her eyes focused on
Jayce, and she held out her hand. “My name is Vera,” she offered with a wide smile.
Jayce was too stunned to move or even speak. How could she see his wolf? Could this be
some sort of trick? Thankfully, Mijo broke the silence.
“I’m Mijo,” he said taking her hand in both of his.
“Ah, nice to meet you,” she said flashing a smile. “Is he yours?”
“I wouldn’t claim him if he was,” Mijo replied nodding toward Jayce.
Vera stared hard at Mijo for a moment and her brow furrowed. He smiled and let a nervous
laugh escape. Vera’s face brightened then she giggled as well. Mijo took this moment to sharply
jab Jayce with an elbow. Jayce revived from his shock and joined in the laughter. Vera turned
once again to Jayce, held out her hand and smiled warmly.
“I’m Jayce,” he said, while reaching to take her hand.
As his hand closed around hers, he felt a powerful vibration emanate from her touch. Energy
flared from within his chest, and surged throughout his body. Jayce’s breathing quickened. His
heart raced at a breakneck pace. This was it. This was what he had feared would one day
happen. He was losing control of his power, and he was going to hurt this young lady. Jayce tried
to focus, but his panic was too great. It was her. She had brought it out somehow, and now there
was nothing he could do to stop it. He could see the blue-green flame beginning to erupt from his
skin. There was nothing he could do to stop this unleashed runaway power. She was going to die.
At this point in our tale you have probably made some assumptions about Jayce. You may
have concluded that this was not the first time that Jayce lost control of his powers. Also, many
would agree that Jayce is by no means normal. In fact, Jayce most likely was never what would be
considered normal.
While all of you may be eager to know what happens to Vera, I must put the continuation of
these events on hold for a short while. Instead, I will relate to you another story. Don’t worry. It
will not take very long, but the knowledge it imparts will be most beneficial when we continue our
original narrative.
the cart had to remain in a designated area just outside of town. It appeared to be a typical day in
Enfield. As they walked along the main road, the sights, sounds and smells of the town had a
calming effect on Jayce. The disturbing vision was quickly fading to mist just as nightmares do
upon awakening. The town was alive with activity. Children ran and capered up and down the tree-
lined path. Tradesmen were hawking their wares to residents and travelers alike. The aroma of
fresh bread from a bakery mixed with that of the smell of succulent food coming from one of the
inns. The couple strolled along, nodding and smiling to people they passed, and finally stopped in
front of the local healer’s home.
“Okay Jayce, I’m going to see what I can get for these dried herbs,” said Kayli laying her
hand on the satchel she carried. “Where shall we meet back up?” “I’ll just sell the vegetables
and eggs to Mijo, and then wait for you there,” replied Jayce. “He always gives us a good
price.”
“There are other things to do in this town besides shooting the breeze with your friend.”
“He’s a good guy, and he keeps me out of trouble,” Jayce said with a wink.
“You should really try to talk to him about all the rich food he eats. If he doesn’t drop some of
that weight, he’s going to wake up dead one day.”
“Don’t be so critical. So, he’s a little on the heavy side. He has a big heart.”
“You know who else had a big heart? Remember that merchant in Charton who tried to pull a
scam on the leader of the Black Tooth gang? He was huge! Remember how big his heart was
when those thugs cut it out of him?”
Jayce grimaced, “I had almost forgotten that image. Thank you so much for reminding me of
it.”
“Anytime, love. I’ll see you at Mijo’s,” said Kayli as she gave Jayce a quick kiss. Then she
disappeared into the healer’s house.
Mijo was the owner of the finest inn in Enfield, and served some of the best food Jayce had
ever eaten. However, it was not a good idea to eat at Mijo’s more often than on special
occasions. Not only was the food extremely rich, but he served portions large enough to feed two
or three people. Also, the prices he charged were not exactly cheap. He catered mainly to the
throngs of merchants and travelers from the large cities, people who were accustomed to paying
the prices he charged for fine dining.
Jayce entered Mijo’s inn to find him chatting with the patrons. According to Mijo, it was all a
part of good business. He claimed to get most of his customers by word of mouth. Mijo was
dressed in a simple shirt and pants, and he was wearing a grease spotted apron. If one word
could be used to describe Mijo, it would be round. He had a large belly and chest with thick arms
and legs. His body was a combination of fat and muscle that could only come from hauling barrels
and sacks of ingredients, then eating the resulting combination of those ingredients. His round
head was covered in a helmet of densely curled brown hair, and his full face sported a goatish
beard which was usually decorated with crumbs from his latest meal.
For a man who seemed to be very successful, Mijo dressed and carried on as if he was
constantly in danger of becoming destitute. Jayce inquired about this one day, and Mijo told him a
story from his youth. During his teens, he caught a sprite in a trap meant for squirrels. The sprite
was furious, and it demanded to be let free. Mijo knew that such creatures had mystical powers,
and he had heard stories of them granting wishes. He promised to free the sprite if it would grant
a single wish. The sprite grudgingly agreed, and it asked Mijo to state his wish.
Mijo said that he wished to be a successful and wealthy businessman. With a quirky grin the
sprite asked him if he was sure that was what he wanted. Mijo enthusiastically nodded in the
affirmative. The sprite snapped its fingers, and said that Mijo would from then on always be
successful in his business ventures. True to his word Mijo freed the tiny creature, and it flew up to
look him coldly in the eye. It let out a squeaky giggle, and Mijo inquired as to what was so
humorous. The sprite replied that while Mijo would be successful; he would never make more
riches than he could spend. He would never be able to amass great wealth, but would always have
what he needed. The sprite then flew away still giggling.
As Mijo grew older, he did have great success in all of his endeavors. Unfortunately, no
matter how much he made, something would happen to strip him of what he sought to save. He
had always been very frugal, and could make do with very little, although this did nothing to
improve his financial standing. He had mused on several occasions that maybe he should just
spend his money as soon as he got it. Alas, he never could bring himself go through with it. He
feared that if he wildly spent his money, then he would inevitably end up broke.
Whether his story had any truth or not was a matter of speculation. In any event, he was a
successful businessman, and he always had what he needed. He dealt honestly and fairly with his
employees and his patrons. Furthermore, he was generous to his many friends. Two of which
were Jayce and Kayli.
“Mijo!” Jayce called over the noise of the inn.
“Jayce, how have you been my friend?” Mijo asked as he turned to face Jayce, but then he
paused slightly and regarded Jayce with a concerned eye.
“Where did you pick that up?” Mijo asked gesturing toward the bruise on Jayce’s cheek.
“I got jumped by a furry woodland creature,” Jayce replied trying to make light of his
wound.
“That must have been one seriously angry squirrel,” Mijo replied. “You should be more
careful.”
“Thanks for the concern,” Jayce said dryly then changed the subject. “Your business seems
to be doing well.”
“Business is always good. How are Kayli and your farm? Still weeding the chickens and
feeding the vegetables?”
Jayce smiled, “Kayli is fine. She’s over at the healer’s right now trying to sell that old
gummer some herbs.” Jayce held up the basket he was carrying. “As for the farm, just look at
what I brought you, fresh eggs and the first tomatoes of the year.”
“Excellent!” said Mijo, and then he whistled shrilly to get the attention of one of the
waitresses. “Take these fine ingredients back to the kitchen, would you please,” he said to the
middle-aged woman who had just walked up, and Jayce handed the basket to her.
“I hope those are up to your high standards,” Jayce said with a grin.
“Probably not, but I’ll find some way to make them palatable,” Mijo replied with a wink.
“Come sit at the bar. Can I offer you a pint?”
“That would be most welcome. I see you are taking advantage of the latest council
decision.”
“I prefer to call it giving the public what they want. I’d never ‘take advantage’ of anyone,”
Mijo said with mock indignity, as he clapped Jayce on the shoulder and led him to a pair of empty
barstools.
They sat down, and Mijo motioned for the barkeep, “Serge, two pints of ale for my friend and
myself please.” Serge replied with a nod and a grunt, and then busied himself by drawing the two
drinks. Mijo leaned in close to Jayce and whispered, “Serge isn’t much for talking, but he’s one hell
of a listener. Good thing, I guess. His wife does enough talking for three people.”
Mijo nudged Jayce with his elbow, and Jayce gave a weak courtesy chuckle. Mijo was a nice guy,
but his sense of humor was a bit unusual. They settled down to enjoy their pints, but a clamor
arose from a nearby table. They looked around to see the same middle-aged waitress from
before holding a squawking young man by the ear.
“Mijo!” She called, “This whelp was gonna bolt without paying.”
“I was--OW!” the young man’s denial was cut short by a sharp jerk to the ear.
“Tilly, bring him over here,” said Mijo, “and let go of his ear.” Tilly led the young man over,
and then finally released his ear.
“Now, what’s all this about not paying for your meal?” Mijo inquired.
“I wasn’t tryin’ ta run out--OW!” He was cut short by a firm slap to the back of his head from
Tilly.
“I don’t think Tilly believes you,” Mijo said trying to suppress a grin. “Now are you unable to
pay, or do you simply want to cheat me?”
The young man stammered a bit, and then finally blurted out, “I don’t have any money. I was
hungry. It’s been days since I’ve had anything except bugs and berries to eat.”
“I see,” Mijo nodded sympathetically.
Jayce wondered when the last time Mijo was forced to eat a bug to survive, and his stifled
laugh came out as a snort. Mijo cut Jayce a scathing look, and motioned for the young man to
continue.
“I can pay in service. I’m an adventurer,” he said puffing his chest out slightly. It was all
Jayce, Mijo and Tilly could do to keep from breaking out into laughter at the young man’s serious
demeanor.
“What’s your name?” Mijo managed to ask, his face starting to turn red from pent up mirth.
“It’s Ven, sir.”
“Well Ven, how do you plan on paying for your meal?”
“If you had some rats in your cellar, I could exterminate them for you.”
“No, no rats in the cellar.”
“Giant spiders in the basement?” Ven ventured, clearly growing nervous.
“No, no giant spiders in the basement. We do have some pretty nasty cockroaches in the
kitchen though,” said Mijo, barely able to contain the laughter within him.
At hearing that, Jayce nearly gagged on a mouthful of ale. He wiped his mouth and croaked,
“I don’t know, Mijo. He looks a bit too puny to send in against the killer kitchen cockroaches.”
Jayce, Mijo, and Tilly all broke out laughing. Even Serge let out a small chuckle as Ven looked
nervously around.
After a few moments, Mijo finally regained enough composure to speak, “Tilly, take the boy
into the kitchen to do battle with the deadly dirty dishes of doom.” This resulted in a fresh wave of
laughter in which many of the nearby patrons joined.
“And Tilly,” Mijo continued after catching his breath, “get him to help unload the afternoon
delivery. All those heavy sacks of flour will put some muscle on those scrawny arms.”
The pair watched Tilly lead the young adventurer back to the kitchen. “Do you want to go sit
outside, Jayce?” Mijo invited “I need to get some air after all that laughing.” This sounded like a
perfectly good idea to Jayce, and so they took their drinks outside to sit in the rocking chairs in
front of the inn.
“Alright Mijo, tell me all the interesting news you’ve heard lately,” Jayce began. “You know
we don’t get much in the way of current events out where we live.”
Mijo stared ahead, seemingly lost in thought, at the people walking along the road for a few
minutes before finally speaking. “There was that incident with Lizzie not long back.”
“Lizzie?” questioned Jayce.
“Yeah, short for Lizard or something. She lives alone in a little cabin near the woods. She
looks like a bear, and she’s twice as mean,” Mijo explained.
“I’m rather glad I don’t know her. What happened?”
Mijo leaned close and whispered, “She stuck a hatchet in some guy’s neck.”
Jayce’s eyes grew wide, and Mijo continued solemnly, “She claimed that he tried to force her into
unspeakable acts of a sexual nature.”
Jayce arched his eyebrow with a certain amount of disbelief, “He’d have to be a pretty
desperate man to want to do something like that to the woman you described,” Jayce continued
with a sly grin. “In any event, she would be locked up if she’d really done such a thing.”
“True enough, my friend. However, the man happened to be an escaped criminal. He was
on the run from Winsford.”
“So they let her go?” Jayce nodded and waited for the punch line.
“Of course, they let her go! The death was ruled an AX-ident!” Mijo explained breaking out
into a fresh fit of laughter.
Jayce hid his face in his hands and groaned. Mijo’s jokes were not always this bad.
Sometimes they were much worse, and at times to the point of being physically painful. It didn’t
make things better that he would always pretend he was telling some serious news. The
unsuspecting victim, usually Jayce, would become so engrossed by the story that they wouldn’t be
prepared for the stinker of a joke that was sure to waylay him.
Another such example was a story about a farmer who raised swine. He had to have some
way to tell them apart, so he numbered them. He had ten in all. One day he noticed that Nine was
not feeling well. So, he went into town to try and get the ingredients for a special hog remedy
handed down to him by his father. However, when he returned, he found all his hogs cowering in
the corner except for Seven. Six was especially frightened, and was squealing loudly. Seven was
near Nine’s corpse, and the farmer could only conclude that Six was afraid because Seven ate
Nine. This joke was so wretched that it made all the children in town cry simultaneously.
Jayce regained his composure, and he looked up at the grinning Mijo, “One day you’ll tell a joke so
rotten that it will kill someone.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” he replied, still chuckling.
“Yes, I should thank you. I no longer fear death because Hell cannot possibly have anything
more tortuous than that joke.”
Mijo gave Jayce a sour look, and stuck out his tongue, “Wiseass.”
Jayce laughed, “You can’t be the only funny person around.”
“Alright, I have some real news for you. Do you remember that locksmith’s son you
convinced to come back to town and face his father?”
Jayce looked skeptical, “Yes,” he said as he prepared for another joke.
“Well, he ended up going through with the marriage.”
“Really? I thought he would stand up to his father, and tell the truth about his love for another
woman.”
“Here’s the funny thing,” Mijo continued. “The trader’s daughter didn’t want to marry him
either. They went through with the ceremony, and then she ran off with half the dowry.”
“That’s interesting,” Jayce said with interest. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s great. The marriage was dissolved because she ran off.”
“That is good news, I guess. Maybe he can marry his sweetheart now.”
“He already did,” said Mijo growing excited. “Not only did they wed, but he got to keep his
half of the dowry from the previous wedding.”
“I bet that made the trader a bit angry.”
“Angry is an understatement, but it was only fair. It was his daughter who ran off.”
“Something tells me that the bride and groom made their own arrangement concerning their
marriage,” Jayce said grinning broadly.
“An arranged separation is a good fit for an arranged marriage,” Mijo replied also grinning.
Their talk was interrupted by a commotion out on the street. Both men looked around, and found
the cause. The Professionals had returned from their mission.
A small crowd had formed around the three men as they walked up the road. Their leader,
Dean, was sporting a coon skin cap. He strutted proudly, playing to the public, soaking up their
attention. The other two Professionals, Jim and Tim, walked behind Dean. Between them they
carried a pole to which was lashed the carcass of a black bear. No doubt they would blame the
bear for all the destruction caused by the bugaboo.
Jayce felt anger welling up inside of him. Why should that trio of imbeciles get all the credit?
All they did was kill a wild animal that hadn’t ever bothered anyone its entire life. Jayce wanted to
stand up and call them out for the frauds they were. He deserved to be praised for risking his life
to help keep people safe. The thought of these three taking credit for something they didn’t do
was almost too much to tolerate.
Jayce took a deep breath, and run his hand through his long hair. What would it accomplish
to tell people the truth? Most of them would think he was crazy or jealous. To accept the truth of
the situation would be asking people to do too much. Not only would they have to accept that
three people who were highly respected were taking advantage of them, but they would have to
accept that there were horrible things in this world.
Most people knew, in the dark corners of their mind, that monsters existed. Children were
especially observant of strange happenings. Most people wanted to live quiet lives though, and
there was no place for the uncanny in this modern world. The Professionals paraded past, and
Mijo threw up his hand in greeting. Dean waved to Mijo just as he waved to all the other people.
Then Dean levied a weighty stare at Jayce and nodded. Jayce met Dean’s eyes and gave a slight
nod. There had always been tension between the two of them.
“I guess Dean will be wearing a new bearskin coat this winter,” said Mijo.
Jayce grunted and was about to make a snide remark when a form caught his eye. A wolf stalked
amongst the crowd following the Professionals, but no one seemed to take notice of it. A tingling
vibration traveled down Jayce’s spine into his fingers and toes. It was not just any wolf. It was his
wolf. He watched in silence as his wolf broke from the crowd and walked toward him. The sounds
of the town had become muted as the wolf approached.
Jayce steeled himself against a thousand imagined catastrophes. His wolf would not appear
unless there was some need, some danger. Maybe the sky would crack open, and demons made
from pond scum would tumble out to ravage the countryside. Maybe the members of the
Enfieldian Protection Association would violently protest the alcohol allowance by dousing the inns
in whisky, and setting them ablaze.
None of these things happened. The wolf simply walked up to Jayce and sat beside him.
The Professionals had walked past, and things reverted to normal. Jayce looked down at his wolf,
which looked up at him with a lupine grin. He decided that maybe the town was safe from pond
scum demons and crazed prohibition extremists for the moment, but why was his wolf here?
He turned to see Mijo looking at him with concern. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“Yeah, I don’t see what the big deal is with those guys,” Jayce grumbled.
“Let me guess,” Mijo began, “it wasn’t the bear that was responsible for all the incidents.”
Jayce shook his head.
“And you took care of whatever was really causing the problems?”
Jayce nodded.
“Look, I believe you. I’ve seen you do amazing things. I know you like to give credit to that
ghost-wolf of yours, or whatever it is.”
“It’s not a ghost,” Jayce replied with a little more fire than he intended.
“Whatever it is,” Mijo continued calmly, “it’s a part of you, and you’ve done great things. If
you don’t want them taking credit for your work, then set the record straight.”
“No one would believe me,” Jayce said quietly.
“I’ll believe you!” Mijo exclaimed. “You need to decide what’s important to you. Do you want
to be the hero of these backwards people, or are you satisfied knowing that you did something
good?”
“You’re right,” Jayce conceded. “I just feel so old sometimes.”
“Neither you nor Kayli are old,” Mijo chided.
Jayce snorted a small laugh. Mijo was right. Even though Kayli was a few years older than
Jayce, neither of them were elderly by any means, but they weren’t especially young. They were
at that point in their lives where they had left behind the naivety of youth, but their bodies were still
youthful enough to do almost anything demanded of them.
“Well, the whole point of moving out here with Kayli was to have a quiet life. If I wanted fame,
I could have stayed in Charton.”
“That’s right,” Mijo said smiling. “I like being able to just shoot the breeze with you. It’s hard
to do that with those famous…” Mijo’s voice trailed off, and he gazed at a figure walking toward
them. “By all the gods, they have sent an avatar of beauty down to us, and she’s coming this way.”
Jayce looked over at the person approaching. She was young, not much past adolescence. Her
skin was darkly tanned, and her hair was sun bleached to a dark blonde. She wore a simple blue
robe that hung loosely from her spare frame, and carried a weathered cudgel. She walked with a
glide, as if her feet never touched the ground.
The young woman turned her head lazily looking all around, yet looking at nothing in
particular. She stopped in front of the pair, and then turned toward them as if noticing them for the
first time. She first looked at Mijo then Jayce. She wore the expression of one caught in an
especially happy daydream.
Jayce looked at her closely. Her eyes were the washed out color of a desert sky. At a
distance he had not realized how small she really was. Jayce was not a particularly tall man, but
her head barely reached his chest. Upon closer inspection she was not nearly as lovely as she
had seemed at a distance. She bore the marks of someone who had traveled a great distance
with little rest. Her skin was dry, her lips chapped, and her face was drawn. She looked like a
person who had subsisted on the barest of rations.
She looked at Mijo with a dazed smile, and then glanced at Jayce. Mijo sputtered in an
attempt to talk, but she turned her gaze downward and spoke first.
“Awwwww, such a cute wolfy,” she crooned. “Are you friendly?”
Jayce felt his skin break out into gooseflesh, and Mijo cast a nervous look at him. The young
woman bent down to pet the wolf on its head. Jayce saw his wolf respond with a wag of its tail,
but it backed away warily as her hand brushed the fur on its head. To Mijo it must appear that she
was petting nothing but air.
She looked up and seemed to notice the two men for the first time. Her eyes focused on
Jayce, and she held out her hand. “My name is Vera,” she offered with a wide smile.
Jayce was too stunned to move or even speak. How could she see his wolf? Could this be
some sort of trick? Thankfully, Mijo broke the silence.
“I’m Mijo,” he said taking her hand in both of his.
“Ah, nice to meet you,” she said flashing a smile. “Is he yours?”
“I wouldn’t claim him if he was,” Mijo replied nodding toward Jayce.
Vera stared hard at Mijo for a moment and her brow furrowed. He smiled and let a nervous
laugh escape. Vera’s face brightened then she giggled as well. Mijo took this moment to sharply
jab Jayce with an elbow. Jayce revived from his shock and joined in the laughter. Vera turned
once again to Jayce, held out her hand and smiled warmly.
“I’m Jayce,” he said, while reaching to take her hand.
As his hand closed around hers, he felt a powerful vibration emanate from her touch. Energy
flared from within his chest, and surged throughout his body. Jayce’s breathing quickened. His
heart raced at a breakneck pace. This was it. This was what he had feared would one day
happen. He was losing control of his power, and he was going to hurt this young lady. Jayce tried
to focus, but his panic was too great. It was her. She had brought it out somehow, and now there
was nothing he could do to stop it. He could see the blue-green flame beginning to erupt from his
skin. There was nothing he could do to stop this unleashed runaway power. She was going to die.
At this point in our tale you have probably made some assumptions about Jayce. You may
have concluded that this was not the first time that Jayce lost control of his powers. Also, many
would agree that Jayce is by no means normal. In fact, Jayce most likely was never what would be
considered normal.
While all of you may be eager to know what happens to Vera, I must put the continuation of
these events on hold for a short while. Instead, I will relate to you another story. Don’t worry. It
will not take very long, but the knowledge it imparts will be most beneficial when we continue our
original narrative.
| Splintered Fate |
| October 2009 |
| Serial Fiction |
| Copyright 2009 by Jason Atwood |
| Chapter 5 |
Bio:
Jason Atwood is a native of Sparta, a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. He now lives in Lilburn,
Georgia with his lovely wife Lisa and their four cats. When he's not writing, he's making a difference in the lives of
children as a pharmacist at a children's hospital in Atlanta.
Jason Atwood is a native of Sparta, a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. He now lives in Lilburn,
Georgia with his lovely wife Lisa and their four cats. When he's not writing, he's making a difference in the lives of
children as a pharmacist at a children's hospital in Atlanta.
| Return in November, 2009, for the next installment of Splintered Fate |
Need help finding the rest
of Splintered Fate?
Click here for the Serial
Navigation Page!
of Splintered Fate?
Click here for the Serial
Navigation Page!
| Click this button to go to the Orion's Child Serials Page! |