Chapter 1
Alex was a woman in her late forties. She was about five and a half feet tall and thin, her eyes were light green and her hair was black. “Well it used to be black”, she thought to herself as she stared out of her bedroom window. It was still black, but it was frosted with silver. She rested her hands on top of a crystal staff.
It was morning in early spring, and while Alex usually slept in whenever possible, today she woke up early and was unable to fall back to sleep. She didn’t feel like doing anything and so, Alex stood at the window. She looked over at her husband snoozing away in their bed. She smiled. She loved him, sure he could be a real jerk and he had caused her pain in her life, but she still loved him. She knew he loved her as well and it was that love, that funny little feeling of being loved by him, that made her smile.
She looked back out the window. Her children where gone now. Scattered across the world. She wondered what they where doing at this moment. She and her husband had worked hard to raise them right, and as far as she was concerned she had good children.
Her biggest question had been why her Maker, her God, had required them to live so far away. She knew he could hear her thoughts. She waited silently for his answer, watching the birds outside the window. It came.
Alex, my precious Alex, you devoted your life to your children, who are my children. Your work was not in vain, you will see the things I will do through your children and you will be proud. But your work with the children is no longer your main work as it once was. Before, I gave you the staff to defend yourself and your children and even while you were learning to use it, you suffered injury and pain. You were hurt by my enemies and betrayed by those who loved you. You and your husband, who I also love, hurt each other. You were also injured and hurt as a pair.
Alex I have sent your children away for two reasons. The first is because your children need training you cannot provide. Your desire to protect would interfere. The second reason is you. You and I need to start healing the hurts that you have received in your life. Do not think that because the hair on your head is turning silver, our work together is done, for it is not. But you are tired and you have hurts that my enemy would use to defeat you. We will rest a while and I will heal your hurts. Then we will begin new training and I will have new work for you. I am ageless and while you are coming to the end of one road, you are also coming to the start of a new one.
Today will be a day of rest for you, go back to bed and sleep in peace.”
Alex gripped her staff tightly. Ever since the Maker had given it to her his voice had become clearer and clearer. She felt at peace and a little sleepy and so returned to bed. She fell asleep and dreamed pleasant dreams.
* * * *
It had been a few months since that morning in early spring when the Maker had spoken to Alex. Not much had happened since then and Alex had all but forgotten about that morning. She was loading grain into her cart. Lilly, her horse was waiting patiently at the front of the cart munching on the oats in her feed bag. Alex did not enjoy loading the cart and dragging the grain to the market. It was a good hour into town. She did not like to haggle with the merchants on a good price for the grain. Her husband had offered to do it himself or to hire a farm hand, but he was to busy with the harvest or working on some other part of the farm. She hated the thought of a hired farm hand. If she did the work herself, the money they earned provided a reasonably comfortable living. Still, she longed for the day when they would have enough saved to sell the farm and live in a quaint cottage by a stream with a little garden and lots of flowers. When all she would have to do is what she and her husband felt like doing. These where the thoughts that Alex kept in her mind as she continued to load the cart.
Soon the cart was loaded. Alex removed the feed bag from Lilly. The horse nodded anxiously. She liked going into town. Somehow Lilly always managed to swipe an apple or two from a merchant’s table when he wasn’t looking. Alex grabbed her staff, hopped on the cart and was off to town down the long and bumpy road.
The town that Alex lived closest to was called Dock. It was a small town that was by the sea. The town had a little port that supported a small fishing industry. A few of the king’s ships where stationed here as well. The original founders of Dock must not have had much hope for the town and hence it’s name. That’s what Alex thought at least.
It was a cool day, but the sun was shinning and there was not a cloud in the sky. As she entered Dock, Alex felt the road below change from the smooth hard dirt to bumpy cobblestone. After about a mile of houses and small shops the road became crowded with people walking from one place to another. Traffic was temporarily stopped when Alex encountered another cart coming from the opposite direction. There was the standard amount of shouting about who was going to backup and why they couldn’t. Finally Alex relented and backed up and let the other person go buy. The man who controlled the other cart was old and gave Alex a sour look as he passed and made an unpleasant comment about women drivers. It was all Alex could do to not pop him on the head with her staff.
Alex continued down the road into the marketplace. The market was a small and crowded place. She could smell baked goods and smoked meat. A little farther the smells changed as she passed the fruit and vegetable stands. They had very little to offer, mostly dried fruits and vegetables because it was early spring, but soon to everyone’s delight there would be fresh produce lining both sides of this street.
She hoped Wilber was in a good mood today. He was one of the fairer merchants. She pulled her cart up to a sign that said “The Merchant’s Merchant”. This was Wilber’s piece of the market place. He was basically a middleman for the local merchants. If Wilber bought her grain he would sell it to the other merchants, saving her the trouble of going from merchant to merchant until she sold all it.
An old man stood at the entrance of the Merchant’s Merchant. Wilber was tall and skinny, he had a mop of gray hair on top of his head and behind bushy grey eyebrows were steel grey eyes.
He smiled as he saw Alex pull up to his store. He noticed Lilly stopped a little later than she should have. It put her closer to the neighboring merchants apple stand. His smile widened slightly. He was glad Alex had come today as he was running low on grain, hers was some of the finest in the area.
“Hello Alex”, said Wilber
“How are you Wilber, find a woman yet.“, she returned. She always asked him that. Wilber had never married and he was a nice enough man, she had always wondered why that was so.
“I’m fine and nope, no woman yet. Can’t find one that will tolerate my bad habits.“, he said, still smiling.
Alex feigned a look of shock, “You, bad habits, I don’t believe it.”
“Oh it’s true, it’s true.“, said Wilber shaking his head. “Then they start thinking they’re going to change me. That's when I start showing them my real bad habits”, with exaggerated seriousness. “But enough about me”, he said, suddenly relaxed and smiling again. “How are things on your end.“, he said genuinely interested.
“Boris is well, working hard on the farm as usual. Spring came in the nick of time as our winter supply of grain is almost gone. And speaking of grain here is some of the best grain in the land. Brought it here just for you”, she said with a smile.
She hopped Wilber would buy all of her grain and save her task of selling what ever was left over to others.
She looked at Lilly who was chewing innocently on somebody’s apple.
Alex and Wilber discussed business and when all was said and done Wilber had some men unload the grain and then he paid Alex. He had purchased all of the grain and so, Alex found herself in a good mood.
They said goodbye and Wilber returned to his market. Alex decided to do a little shopping while she was in town.
She needed some spices and decided to buy dinner for the evening. It would be late by the time she made it back home.
