Lead Mermaids | Chapter 29
Book 1 of The Wizard Of The Dread Mountains
OUT BEYOND THE WILD VISTAS OF THE OUTER SPHERES, THE DWELLING PLACE OF GODS AND HEROES AND MONSTERS AND MYTH, IT IS SAID TO LAY AN ENDLESS SEA OF CONSCIOUSNESS FROM WHENCE HAS EMERGED ALL THAT IS AND ALL THAT ISN’T.
THOSE SUBTLE REALMS ARE THE GOAL OF EVERY WIZARD. AFTER ALL, IF YOU CAN GET THERE, YOU ARE ALREADY HALFWAY TO ANYWHERE.
Previously: The Aviglian populace, trapped under the stifling fear of a dragon which does not exist, turns on their would-be saviour Ezramel Wirtfrynn. So pushed, the wizard decides to leave them to their ill fate. Only to be confronted by the former counterpart to his failed plans, the alchemist Agrippa U’maya. As she pushes back on his fatalism, however, the cornered wizard lashes out against the one ally he had in that city, the person whom he wanted to see smile the most.
And, after their falloff, the wizard is left to reckon with the mistakes he’s made, the promises he’s broken.
Countless were the markings of boots, and sandals, and hooves, and wheels, carved into that ancient road which lead westward out of orichalcum-walled Aviglia. And, freshest among them, was a set of two dragging shoe prints, alongside which ran a single, swaying line that trailed, almost uninterrupted, all the way from the city gates.
That road would cut a path through the bordering woodlands, into the bowels of the continent and its many sprawling realms. If one were to turn southward a few days into the journey, they would find themselves climbing their way up to open meadows and alpine tundras, eventually reaching the jagged feet of the faraway Dread Mountains. Thus, at last, taking the traveller to a place closer to the stars than to any kingdom or village of man…
Yet there was still one more obstacle before the wizard could truly be on his way home.
Ahead, a lazy trail of smoke lifted from the Crossroad inn’s chimney. Into the far-off blue of the afternoon skies. And from inside the noise of spirited, if mundane, chatter could be made out. Forcing his unwilling feet, the wizard came up to the pale birch door, dragging his clay staff limply on the ground behind him.
Under the hanging brass sign, he was still gathering enough courage to knock, when the door swung inwards away form his hesitant knuckles. On the other side, Ermina jumped with a start upon noticing his presence.
“Oh, y-you’re back!” She turned her frizzled, kerchiefed head back and yelled out, “dear! Sir Wirtfrynn’s back!”
Murmurs and clattering could be heard from inside in response. But, even before that, the innkeeper had already set her eyes on the wizard again. “Are you alright? What happened?”
Then her husband and the rest of the Micci household rushed in and piled up behind her.
“The whole city has been going wild talking about you. Everyone’s saying something different, so we have no idea what to believe!” Audrinno added, to which all the others nodded in agreement.
With their heavy expectations weighing down on him, Ezramel held onto the torn brim of his pointy hat, and let out a sigh, “——I… I have failed in my quest…”
His clay staff held in the crook of his arm, he rummeged through the satchel hanging at his side with his good hand. And, upon noticing the fresh bandages covering his other hand, the people at the inn let out a collective gasp.
“——I have also betrayed the hopes placed on me by you——by Miss U'maya, as well…” he said, finally retrieving a small coin pouch, that clinked lightly as he held it by the string. “As such, I shall be taking my leave now. This should be enough to cover my stay here.”
Contained in that coin pouch were a handful of coppers, some silvers, and a single gold coin: assorted change from lands all over. Normally it would be difficult to get anyone to accept some of the currency that was rarer and less circulated in this region. But, under the current conditions, the simple fact that they were not made of lead should be more than enough incentive. Besides, it was all he currently had on his person.
The sorcerer held out the offering with his head hung low, mired in bleak thoughts.
He could not see the meaningful looks the four people of the inn exchanged amongst themselves. And so, of course he would be surprised when Ermina suddenly reached past the hanging pouch, seized him by the sleeve, and promptly dragged him inside.
…
While begrudgingly eating a serving of their squash and steakgill pottage, the wizard recounted the events that had taken place at Breilee and Aviglia, as well as his fight with Agrippa. His audience listened intently through the whole ordeal.
He finished his tale, a beat passed.
Then Argus let out a short whistle, and piped up, “Damn, it’s not for nothing they say that with a wizard their age is also the number of years they went without a woman…”
“Father!” Ermina chided.
“Is that really true, grandpa?”
“Otto!” Audrinno chided.
“Wh-what does that have to do with anything!?” Flustered, Ezramel’s voice came out perhaps a bit louder than it needed to.
Ermina shot a glare, before which both old man and kid alike shrunk and fell silent. Once the situation was back under control, she regarded the wizard, “please, don’t mind those two…” Then her expression grew serious. “But – you already know what you did wrong, right? It’s obvious just from looking at you.”
She was right; the wizard knew. It was all he could think about the whole way here.
“I broke the promises I had made——or rather, I was not even thinking about them…”
Agrippa had been counting on him. They had agreed to work together, to support each other in their goal of improving the city by ridding it of the lead coins. But, in the moment of crisis, when things were at their worst, he had just given up – and left her all alone.
Worse yet, he did not even notice that was happening. Truly, if he was acting like that, how could he call himself a wizard?
“Yes…” She rested her arms over the table, and leaned in. “So, then, what are you going to do about it?”
That was the real problem.
“I… I don’t know… I don’t think she would ever forgive me.”
“You’re free to think that if you want. But, ultimately, that is up to her, not you.”
There was a pause. She waited patiently for the wizard to digest that. And the others waited as well.
“——But then… what can I do?” His hand went up in search of his hat, but it grasped at nothing but air. He had hung the tattered old thing beside the door, after being pulled in.
Seeing that forlorn gesture, Ermina at last softened her expression. “All you can do is try to fix your mistakes, clean up your messes.”
For what felt like the first time in a while, the wizard closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath.
Then he smiled slightly, “and even it out, right?”
“Even yourself out,” Ermina said, smiling back.
The wizard’s chest felt somewhat lighter now. Even the environment around him seemed more brightly illuminated. The others sitting around the table were finally able to relax a little as he began looking them in the eye again.
“Still, there is the question of how you’re supposed to do that,” Audrinno spoke somberly. “You said that Sovereign Lord Grimeri is lying to the people on purpose, right?”
At the time, the wizard had been too wrapped up in the outrage of the moment to look at things critically. Now though, he had managed to calm down enough to keep his emotions in check. He was finally in a position where he could take a step back, and try to sort it all out.
“– That’s right. At first it was just a suspicion, that the Sovereign Lord was intentionally twisting the narrative to get rid of me. But, when I confronted him about it in the heat of the moment, it became obvious there was more to it.”
The others nodded along as he tried to explain his thought process.
“And if the Sovereign Lord was willing to do something like that now, then why would it be any different with the lead coins?”
“I can believe that.” Audrinno nodded along in understanding, combing his moustache with a finger. “For someone that powerful, admitting to a mistake is one of the most dangerous things you can do. It could cost him everything. Even if he knows it has to be done, I doubt he’d ever go back on the lead coins of his own accord. Especially if he’s the one in control…”
“For now, that is,” Ermina picked up where her husband had left off. “I doubt even the Sovereign Lord could keep a scheme like this under control for very long. If his city falls apart, well, so will the power he’s so desperate to hold onto.”
A brooding silence took over as they all sank into their own minds.
Back when they had first met, the innkeepers had told Ezramel about the vultures taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit. It was clear now that the biggest scavenger of them all had been roosting on a carpeted dais of polished marble this whole time.
“——That sure complicates things. Since then it’s not like we can just show the Lord how he’s wrong about…” Ermina tried to talk through her worries.
But, when she said that out loud, something suddenly clicked somewhere inside the wizard’s mind. His eyes widened, his pupils constricted. Yet both sound and sight slid away to the periphery of his awareness as the thoughts sprouted and grew into unseen shapes and invisible arrays.
It did not take long for the others to notice the change in his demeanour. After all, the intensity emanating from him was almost tangible. And so they all found themselves drawn in, waiting with breaths caught in their throats.
Then he broke out into a dry chuckle, “and this after she called me a charlatan!”
Baffled eyebrows rose up all around him, but he was too preoccupied to notice.
“– Oh, Miss Agrippa didn’t mean it like that… you’re not a charlatan.” Ermina was the first to make any sense out of his disjointed comment.
“Hm? Oh.” At that, the wizard finally remembered where he was. “No, I am not – but maybe I can be…” he said, rising briskly from his chair.
As he crossed the room towards the door, a confused ruckus emerged. Audrinno and Ermina exchanged looks before scrambling up after him, followed shortly after by their son. Only Argus remained seated, turning back on his chair to watch the scene.
“W-what… Where are you going?”
“You just said, lady Micci, that we cannot just show the Sovereign Lord how he is wrong – but, well, maybe we can. Maybe we can take it out of his control,” Ezramel said, a smirk playing along his lips. “I am going back to Breilee. Meanwhile, I need you to spread the word.”
The wizard stopped only long enough to collect his things from where they leaned beside the door – and to put his old pointy hat back where it belonged.
““——You don’t mean…”” The couple exchanged looks again, seeming to have already picked up on his plan.
“Let everyone know…” he said, running his fingers along the tattered brim. “That Vermithrax is coming to Aviglia!”