Chapter 3: Better Too Many Wards, Than Too Few

At dinner I met with the two people in army uniforms. “James, I’m Lieutenant Alexander Smith and this is Sergeant Donna Simms. We represent Princess Ellen who has been given command of the Fifth Regiment. Sadly she has received little in the way of magical support. We heard about your well purifying potions. The poisoning of wells is a common military tactic used in wars and having clean water can save an entire army. We would like you to come with us, you would work directly for the Princess and make potions for her and the Fifth Regiment; you will of course be paid handsomely.”

“If you want potions from me it would be impossible for me to leave this swamp. I get all of my ingredients from it. From my books I know just how rare those ingredients are. Besides that, I still might have a business relationship with Mister Phelps, though he might not want to buy anything from me anymore. If I have to, I can choose to never leave my swamp again. It has everything I need to live a long and pain free life.”

“No, I can assure you that if Mister Phelps decides not to purchase from you anymore then we will buy directly from you.”

“Okay, but you mentioned a war. Is the Kingdom at war with somebody?”

Both soldiers looked at me with amazement and then exchanged looks with one another while slowly shaking their heads.

Sergeant Simms spoke, “you truly don’t know what is going on outside of that swamp of yours, do you? Yes, the Gulf Kingdom has been at war with the Eastern Empire for almost fifteen years now, though it has been mostly naval engagements. They first launched surprise attacks at sea which destroyed nearly all of our fighting ships and killed the majority of our trained crews. The Empire stages frequent raids on our ports and shipbuilding facilities, so we can never manage to adequately rebuild. The mountains and your swamp prevent us from marching our army in and attacking them that way. While they have always had a superior navy their army has been historically poorly equipped and trained. Since they instituted the blockade our country has suffered and we must end it soon.”

“Oh, you mean the land on the other side of the swamp? I almost tried trading there but I couldn’t find any villages near the swamp like this one here.”

I got wide eyed looks from the both of them. Lieutenant Smith growled out. “You mean to tell me that you made it to the other side of that killer swamp?”

I huddled back in my chair. “Yeah it’s just the same swamp. The only problem is the big lake that’s in the center, it’s wide and deep. My flat bottomed boat is not the best for crossing it especially when the waves pick up. I’m pretty sure that there are some big beasts living in it too, maybe even some water dragons.”

They were looking at me strangely and I was afraid again. “If you don’t believe me I can take you there.”

“We need to know for sure; when can you take us,” asked Lieutenant Smith.

“Tomorrow but we’ll have to stop by my home first. It will be a rough trip, taking several days.”

“We’ll be ready in the morning.” They both got up and hurriedly left. I wondered if I should just pack up now and head for home. This morning everything was great and now my life sucked again. How did that happen?

The next day we walked down to the dock and climbed into my pirogue. Good thing I hadn’t made any purchases because with three people it would have been a tight fit. I didn’t bother with the pole at all and just used the rune to move the boat.

They both looked startled to have the boat move by itself and at about the pace at which a man could run.

Sergeant Simms spoke. “How are you doing this? I thought you told us that you didn’t know any real magic.”

“This is just being done with a simple rune of movement. It takes someone with magic to inscribe it and make it work. It’s not real magic. I only know a few minor spells. I’m trying to master everything in my potion, rune and ward books before starting on my spell books.”

I had my crossbow out and I was keeping a lookout for crocs. We chatted during the two hour journey. They asked questions about living in the swamp and I asked questions about where they lived and the army. Technically I found out that I wasn’t even a citizen of the Kingdom since the King didn’t claim the swamp. Who would want a swamp? I would!

We arrived at my island and I invoked the rune to make the boat lighter so I could drag it further ashore, this action also raised eyebrows. When we approached my keep they both suddenly stopped in fear and then backed up a step. I was a bad person. I had wanted to see if my wards against human intruders actually worked, so I hadn’t warned them.

“My wards keep away all humans but me. Let me go ahead and take them down. Then you’ll be free to approach.” I got a few grumbles in return.

I let them inside my home and checked on my chickens which I had bought this last spring. After collecting eggs, I started preparing a meal of turtle soup and biscuits.

“I’m going to have to dose you both, with a lot potions, to keep you safe and healthy while crossing the swamp. If you don’t drink them, I’ll take you back to the village tomorrow because I doubt if you’d make it alive to the other side without them.”

First, I gave them each a small cup of health potion. After dinner they had dose of fever potion. Before bed they got their first anti-poison potion. The next day I gave them five more potions and each was preceded by a small meal. Even with the health potion they were pretty miserable. I explained that it was mainly caused by the fact that I was giving the doses to them all in one day. We stayed the following day in my keep to let them recover. To make up for getting them so sick, I gave them each a wooden shield that was inscribed with wards and a rune I had made extras for myself. The rune for shielding I used would work for even non-magic users though it would not be nearly as powerful and would need to be refreshed fairly often. But the shield also had warding symbols for crocs, dragons, spiders, cats and snakes; and those wards should last for months. They liked their new shields even though the wood working was pretty crude.

We started out three days after arriving at my island. They seemed to be doing much better that day thanks to a day of rest and the health potion.

When we got to the lake they were amazed. It was so wide that you couldn’t see the opposite side. It would be a three hour journey across it at full speed but I didn’t want to go that fast. I wanted to give the wards inscribed on my boat time to work so I moved at a walking pace. I could see, with my witch sight, immense creatures beneath the water moving off as my boat approached. On occasion some of the beasts would not move off and I went around them. It was probably, some animal that I didn’t have a ward for.

We made it to the other side and the two soldiers went ashore to scout around. I hid back in the swamp and watched for their return. It took them almost four days to make it back. I fished, ate well and gathered potion ingredients while waiting. They were surprised and relieved to find me still there.

“We never thought you would wait so long for us but you were our only hope. Thank you for staying.” Whispered Lieutenant Smith, Sergeant Simms nodded agreement. I pulled the boat away and we set off for home.

Sergeant Simms began talking. “The Empire is even worse than we thought, with secret police and spies watching even their smallest towns. There is no joy for the common man or woman there. Even dressed as we were in workmen like clothes the quality of our attire drew attention and we had to flee and hide for days while they searched for us. If you hadn’t have stayed and waited for us, I don’t know what we would have done.”

I shrugged my shoulders. It was just another day in the swamp for me with plenty of good eating. Actually, I had found the past four days relaxing after my problems in the village.

On the journey back we came to the large lake again. We set up camp on the edge so we could start across in the morning. I put out wards and prepared dinner. I think Donna was starting to like snake. The next morning we set off and I kept a look out. I really didn’t like those large creatures beneath the water that my witch sight revealed to me. I didn’t know what they were but they were certainly big and they scared me.

We had almost made it across the lake when a large beast chose to approach my boat. My wards proved to be completely ineffective against it; in desperation I increased our speed and tried to make for the swamp groves. We skipped over the beast and I heard the water erupt behind us. My passengers screamed but I didn’t turn around to look, I had to guide the pirogue. They yelled at me to go faster and even to keep going after I had passed through the first line of trees.

Finally I yelled back, “Can I slow down now?”

Donna answered me, “I think so.”

Relieved at hearing her reply, I cut our speed way back while watching for threats. “What was that creature? I never turned around to look and see because I had to steer the boat.”

Smith answered me, “it was a kraken, a gigantic kraken! I thought those things were a myth or at least nowhere near the Gulf Kingdom. When you made it into the trees it reached after us with its long tentacles and nearly got us too. There is no way that I’m ever going across that lake again.”

“I guess on the off chance that I ever come this way once more, I had better put a kraken ward on this boat. Now I know why one of my magic books has that kind of ward in it.”

Donna began talking. “I know that Drake’s swamp drains into the gulf but there are no longer any channels that are navigable by anything larger than a small boat. I wonder if long ago a kraken got itself trapped here and could never make it back out?”

I shrugged my shoulders; I certainly didn’t know the answer to that question. We had to camp out for one more night before making it to my home. The two soldiers now seemed to be very nervous while camping outside.

We stopped at the keep because I had some stuff to pick up and make before returning to the village again. I made two wooden disks that I hung on my front and back. When activated they should shield me from any more thrown objects. I also made several potions and packed some that I already had made. Thinking why not, I also loaded my spare warded wooden rounds into my boat along with four newly made signs that would deter spiders.

We left at noon the following day and it took us two hours to make it to the village dock. When I pulled the boat up Mack was there waiting there with another person.

“James, I would like to apologize to you, about how I reacted the last time you were here. I would also like to continue buying the things that you make. The woman with me is Mayor Michelle Star.”

“James, I’m sorry that people let their tempers get the best of them without thinking and I would like to apologize on behalf of the whole town for what happened. I see you returned with our two visitors from the army. Are you going to be going off with them?” She seemed quite worried and very nervous for some reason.

Alex wanted me to keep quiet about our trip so I lied. “No, they wanted me to show them what else I could do, so I took them home with me. I have some anti-venom potions that Mister Phelps might like along with some wards inscribed into some wooden rounds.”

The two soldiers made hasty goodbyes because even though it was mid-afternoon they needed to immediately get on the road and report back to the Princess as soon as was possible. They had a few potions and their shields to show her. I followed Mack back to his shop and I showed him what wards and potions I had. To my surprise he bought everything. I sold the wards for three silvers each, they were easy to make once I learned how but they were boring too. So I didn’t know if I was charging too much or too little for them.

Mack ordered more of the signs, even knowing that they wouldn’t last longer than six months and might only last for four. To make up for that I agreed to charge only a silver to refresh each round. I guess I would have to start traveling with my carving tools and ward making potions.

The soldiers had warned me about something though. It turned out that it was illegal for anyone but a guild certified mage to practice in this kingdom. The Guild or the King’s Constables might come and cause me some problems, if I kept doing business in Ester’s Village. I brought that up with Mack.

“Mister Phelps, Lieutenant Smith told me that it’s illegal for anyone but a Guild certified magician to sell magical goods or services within the Gulf Kingdom. I might have to stop selling to you here.”

He looked stricken. “James, if we made you angry, we’re sorry but we desperately need what you sell us and those damn Guild mages would never come to a backwater village like this place.”

“Well those soldiers gave me an idea too. It turns out that Drake’s Swamp isn’t part of the Gulf Kingdom. I’m thinking about opening up a small store and workshop on one of the little islands nearby. In the future I’ll pick you up at the dock and sell to you on the island. Then I’ll bring you back with your purchases and we should be within the law then. You’ll be buying from me outside of the Kingdom and you would just be bringing your purchases back home with you. It’s not like I’m selling anything to you inside the Kingdom.”

So that’s what we agreed to do. I had to get back home and start making everything to fill his rather large order. But first I had to place an order for some lumber to build my store and pick out an island in the swamp that nobody seemed to care about. Finally I was able to return home. I was gone for a month and I worked twelve hour days to fill even a small part of Mack’s order. I didn’t have it all done but I guessed that I had been away long enough and he might want what I had managed to complete.

I arrived late one morning at the little island I had previously selected that was nearby Ester’s Village. The island was small and I only needed four wards of each type to protect it. So I set them up and unloaded my goods. In reaction to my wards, the island came alive with creatures slowly fleeing it. I kept my witch sight active, looking out for any spiders, I really hated them. I was forced to track down and kill some spiders since not all of them could figure a way off the island, even though there were paths filled with more mud than water that they could have used to get someplace else.

When I thought that I had the area secured I left to fetch Mack. I lent him an amulet that I had just made which would let him pass through my ward against humans. We conducted our business and I brought him back to the dock with his purchases. Then I showed him something nifty I had just figured out.

“Mack, leave your goods in the boat. I’ve got something to show you.” I attached a wooden pole to the front of the boat then I reduced its weight using the appropriate rune and activated the movement rune. I guided the boat and controlled the runes through the pole. The boat came out of the water and slid along the ground like it had wheels. I watched the ground carefully since I didn’t want to put a hole in my boat.

We hauled his stuff to his store and then I flipped the boat over to take a look and see what damage I might have done to it, oops. I guess that was a bad idea. I took my boat back to the dock empty and Mack laughed at me, the bastard. I wondered how much a new boat will cost. Maybe, I should just have somebody fix this one? Well it hasn’t sprung a leak yet; I guess I’ll use it for the next few days and make some arrangements.

I went to check on my lumber. The lumberman had it all ready and he had three people that would build my store for me. I would pay them each three silvers per day until it was done. It should take four to five days. I would also provide transport to and from the island. I asked the lumberman who made the best boats around and he sent me to his sister. A new boat but bigger than the current boat I was using would cost me two gold coins plus materials and four wards that would repel spiders and snakes. It would take her about a month to complete my new pirogue. When it was done she would repair my old boat, which should last the month, I hope. I gave her a partial payment of two gold coins and left.

I shuttled my workers back and forth from the island and stayed in the inn. During the days, while my crew was building my store I inscribed wards on scrap pieces of lumber that the men produced. I was going to give each person two wards as a bonus. They had all asked for either spider or snake wards.

The weather was getting colder and when they were done I painted the outside of the building with a water proofing potion and the inside in a potion that would prevent mold and decay. Maybe I should make a ward to repel termites? I closed the door on my new shop, checked the wards and headed for home. I had a lot of studying to do and spring would be my busy time of the year. I didn’t plan on returning until then. My boat builder would hold my new boat for me. I was kind of tired of being around people all of the time.

I finally succeeded in making one dose of a healing potion but it was wasted when I tested it. That was a hell of a lot of work and I used up a lot of rare ingredients with my failed attempts. I learned some new runes and wards, including one for kraken but I didn’t test it. I also began studying spell castings for those times when people are throwing rocks at me or a kraken tries to eat me. You never know those spells might just come in handy.

The next three months passed quickly and I soon had to start gathering ingredients again and making wards. I’m glad that I had that building crew cut me up a bunch of wooden boards to make signs out of, that way I didn’t have to waste my time sawing rounds. My days were spent doing more valuable things.

I came back to my store with my pirogue completely loaded. It’s a good thing that it didn’t spring a leak. I fetched Mack and sold him what I had made and then I took him back to the village.

Michelle had my new boat ready, so I dropped off my old one for her to fix. Mack had placed another order for potions and more wards. I had to refresh some of the ones that I had sold last year. I took them to my store to do that. I had stocked my little shop with the supplies needed for that task. It took me a day to refresh the wards and then I returned home to work on Mack’s order and study. I decided that I had to spend more time studying and less time doing other things. Mack would just have to be satisfied with smaller loads of merchandise from me.

He was disappointed when I returned and informed him of my decision. “Mack I’m sorry but I have to spend time studying my books too. There is so much that I don’t know but could be put to good use if I did know it. Like my new potion to cure deafness. I have to study, make goods for you, cook, clean, and maintain my home. There just isn’t enough time in the day for me to do everything.”

“Why don’t you hire someone to do your housework for you? You should have more than enough money.”

“Mack I live way out in the swamp and I like it that way. Even if I hired someone just for the spring, summer and fall; still no one would want to risk living out there with me.”

“James just offer to pay them really well. I’d suggest offering four silvers per day for a month. At the end of a month you bring them back and hire someone else. That way no one feels abandoned and cut off out there for too long.”

“Sounds good, if you can find someone who will do it, you can hire them for me. Besides cooking my meals they’ll have to clean my clothes and house; as well as take care of my garden and chickens. Cooking my meals means they’ll have to prepare any game I trap and that includes snake, I like snake.”

To my surprise he quickly found an older lady named Margaret Adams to work for me. Before we left I gave her a dose of a health potion and a fever potion so she wouldn’t get sick on me. Then for her first six days I gave her a dose a day to protect her from bites. I showed her how I liked snake and turtle prepared. She already knew how to make really tasty frog legs. I had an empty room which I turned into a bedroom for her. She would look at me strangely at times with very big eyes. I think all of this magic stuff looked pretty impressive to her. As a bonus I was offering my temporary servants sixteen wards at the end of their month’s work and they could pick what kind they wanted too. The ingredients for wards were cheap and that was far less than a day’s labor for me, whereas having a servant saved me at least three hours a day.

I was studying late one night and without asking for it, Margaret brought me a snack of corn bread and honey with lemon flavored water. It was good. “Margaret you are a gem. Any other person I hire will be hard pressed to match the work that you have done for me. Your husband and children are extremely lucky people to have you in their lives.”

I went back to looking at my book and I started munching on the corn bread. She made a funny sound but when I turned around she was gone.

I have never seen a person work so hard. I had to force her to take breaks, I was afraid she was going to make herself sick. The keep and my gardens had never looked so good. I had to go off into the swamp looking for ingredients and she got really nervous whenever I left, I guess she was fearful of being stranded on my tiny swamp island. I suppose I really couldn’t blame her but she was being paid for that slight risk.

Her fear affected me so much that I decided to do something about it. When I took her back to the village I also brought back my small pirogue that I didn’t use anymore. I left it with Michelle to refurbish and if she couldn’t, to build me one of a similar size.

Margaret surprised me though when I brought her back to the village, she gave me a big hug and cried. I guess she really needed the money. I had already agreed to let her oldest child take a turn at being my servant in two months time. She promised to have him trained up by then. Diane Phelps was going to be Margaret’s replacement for the new month.

Diane proved to be a hard worker too but I had to make and fetch my own snacks.

“James do you ever remember your mother or your father?” Diane asked me one time at dinner.

“No, I only remember living in a place where I wasn’t beaten. I remember the Witch giving me all kinds of potions during my early days with her, the potions made me sick and cry. In my books there are a couple of potions that will take your memories away. They are especially effective on young children. She might have given me one or I might have simply forgotten. According to you I was only three at the time.” I shrugged my shoulders and went back to eating. My parents had sold me; if they wanted to talk to me it was up to them. I certainly wouldn’t go looking for someone who obviously didn’t want me.

The following month my boat builder’s son Simon took over and my new pirogue, was ready as well. I spent a week engraving runes and ward symbols into it. I planned for it to be an escape boat for anyone on my island. A person with the right amulet could activate it and it would take them safely back to the village, hopefully with no guidance on their part. But if it got stuck, the passenger would have to work it back out into open water. The magic on the little boat would only work because it was a very small craft and I would need to renew that magic every week. I set up a policy with all of my hired hands that if I was absent for five straight days that they were to use that boat and return to Ester’s village. Every time I brought someone back to the village, they would follow me in that little boat thus proving to them and me that it would indeed work. Simon was the first passenger. His cooking left a lot to be desired however he did have a way with snake. He did a great job cleaning up some of my attempts at woodworking around the keep. I gave him a bonus.

Frank Adams was my next hire. His mother had trained him well and he brought me snacks. The only problem I had with him was that he practically forced me to take him with me when I went gathering in the swamps. I would only let him come though if he stayed in my boat which was heavily warded. It could take someone back to my keep if necessary. But for that to work I had to keep its magic touched up twice a day.

“James, aren’t you afraid of being alone out here in this swamp?”

“No, the Witch scared me far more than this place. This swamp is my home; it feeds me and protects me. I don’t think anyone would dare risk traveling deep into it just to hurt me.”

He tried to start some conversations with me but I was always too busy to talk other than at dinner. He didn’t like my scars at all. I had kept them covered up around his mother. He said that next year he would bring a deck of cards and teach me how to play. I shrugged my shoulders.

At the end of the month I returned him to the village. Bethany Hansen the mother of little Gloria was supposed to take over but I had surprise waiting for me.