Tam slid her dishes onto the table and sat down beside Bas. “Figured it out?”
Bas nodded as he took food from one of her dishes. No one protested this as he was the one paying for the three of them. “Since you’ve made a lot of assumptions about my childhood, I might as well correct some of them. I am one of about thirty seven children—only twelve of us currently living—and had no recognition of any sort until about three or four years ago. I also rarely lived in the castle aside from when I decided to attend lessons or use the royal archives.”
“What, your maternal side had their own estate?” Orion prodded, not unkindly.
“No, I just slipped past my attendants and left to go on adventures all over the country. Since I was. . .maybe nine?” Bas shrugged and picked up another piece of bread. “I was raised more by the friends I made than my actual parents.”
Tam murmured agreement to the last part.
Orion furrowed her eyebrows. “Your mother wasn’t around?”
“She was even more notorious for running around the country unattended than me. However, she probably thought I was better protected in the castle than toddling after her like I did when I was an infant.”
After drinking some more of a dish Tam seemed to particularly like, some sort of grain and meat soup, she spoke up. “I was raised in Alita to be a knight and became friends with Bas while he was there to see other friends of his.” She looked at Orion. “How about you?”
Orion folded her hands in her lap. She didn’t like talking about herself—she was always conflicted about which set of past memories to talk about. There was one for Orion and one for Charlotte, but since they talked about themselves and already knew some of what happened in this world . . . “My family never liked me to begin with. I was just more trouble for them, even with my talents. Once I got kicked out I became a bounty hunter, met Sirius, and now I’m here.” She shrugged.
Bas nodded. He looked like he was already guessing about the circumstances of why a baron’s daughter would need to make elemental contracts. Only nobles who were from fallen households, whose legitimacy was in question, planned to fight personally in a war, or had something to prove risked forming elemental contracts. Most nobles were rich enough to buy mana crystals for use in their casual life.
There were two methods of course, with only the second being dangerous. The first way of trying to become enlightened and feeling connected by surrounding oneself by an element had been the elves’ and ancients’ way and they had not passed it on successfully. There were some other parts to this method that remained unknown. The only thing for certain was that some people were able to create an elemental contract when surrounded by that element for weeks or months.
The modern way was a relatively newfangled invention, but had been the way of humans for centuries. During times of poverty and war, nobles would spend a small fortune and peasants would spend their whole life’s savings in attempts to force a connection. This entailed flooding their bodies with mana from crystallized mana. From there, everyone seemed to have a different method of trying to form their elemental contract. Some went down to caves or swam in the ocean, as those using the old methods in tales still told in taverns did. Others simply stayed in bed.
Orion knew from her memories Charlotte had chosen to go down into a mine for the earth contract. Her family would only force her into the modern method if she failed. That was why Charlotte had stayed there for almost a week.
She had succeeded at using the first method for the earth contract, but then her grandparents had gotten greedy; they suggested a water contract. In Ahan, earth and water were seen as the best elements. Most money was made from exporting grain and other produce to nearby countries, or through creating various delicacies. Construction of canals and fending off drought were the highest concerns for anyone who lived there.
The ice contract had been a fluke from being forced into the second method after failing to make a water contract by standing in the river. She would never forget the burn of mana through her veins, an overload of energy that her body was not able to handle. She had always thought it was just the elements being temperamental and a bitch about who they made contracts with, but she had been confronted by the harsh reality that most people who tried this way probably just didn’t manage to survive the mana.
Orion was knocked out of her reverie by realizing her food was getting cold. She ate quickly to keep up with Tam and Bas, who were almost finished.
After the three ate dinner, they ordered hot cider and sat shoulder to shoulder by the fire.
It was not long before another person walked in from the storm outside. The man had two bags on his back and was carrying his sodden boots in hand. He had no hood, but there was a pair of goggles on his face and a scarf was wrapped around his head. Upon spotting the fire, he walked over and asked, “I’m quite cold. Do you mind if I join you?”
“We don’t own the fire. Feel free,” Bas responded.
“Thank you very much.” The man peeled his scarf and socks off and hung them on the rack in front of the fire. His black bangs were long and if not for his goggles, would be dripping water into his eyes.
“I’m Bas. This is Tam, a friend of mine, and Orion, who definitely has a worse hair cut than me.”
“Who are you?” Tam asked.
Orion tapped a finger against Bas’ mug of cider and thought about the drink turning to ice. She smirked and withdrew her hand.
Bas stared at his cup of now very much not hot cider and set it down. He didn’t complain, just sighed.
The man laughed. He didn’t seem to be much older than the three of them. “My name is Hazel Iustus. It’s wonderful to meet you all.”
“Why were you out in the storm?” Tam was clearly curious about the largest bag the man had—it was the type musicians had started carrying their instruments in, but the shape didn’t fit any of the common ones played in Malamut.
“I’m a wandering bard,” Hazel simply replied with a wink.
Tam leaned forward, craning her neck. “What instrument is that?”
“It’s called a trumpet.” Hazel unlocked the case and carefully pulled out his instrument. With a rag from his instrument case, he dried it off.
Orion started paying attention now. She had never seen a trumpet in this world. She wondered, with a brief flicker of hope, about whether this person also had memories of another life in a world full of machines, factories, and global communication.
“Would you care to have a brief competition?” Bas questioned. He pulled a flute from the bag slung over his shoulder.
Hazel nodded. “What kind were you thinking?”
“Something free spirited? Making up your own lyrics to the tune the other plays, perhaps?”
“That sounds quite fun.”
Bas stood up and then offered a hand to Hazel, pulling the older man up. “I’ll go first if that’s fine?”
Hazel started playing an upbeat, low toned melody in response.
Bas tapped his foot to the beat and started belting out the lyrics.
“I tell of a days that were dark
Of all the masters who left a mark
On the souls and hearts of slaves
Those that stayed,
Till their graves
And long decayed away
Off to jail with you!
Or off with their heads
The people cried,
And so did I,
So did I
That terrible day in red
To the nobles,
The emperor sent a decree
The nobles agree
They set their slaves free
All the slaves and common folk
Rejoiced,
Brightly,
Yet the masters exploited a loophole,
Ever so,
Quietly
Crown Prince Emlyn
Noticed the spirit
Of the free law,
And by all people in it,
Declared that the nobles
Would
Pay
Off to jail with you
Or off with their heads
The people cried, and so did I,
That wonderful day in Spring
The people cried, and so did I,
That wonderful day in Spring”
Heads started to turn towards the two after Bas’ first verse, and some patrons of the inn clapped along to the beat. A few even joined in on the last verse, fumbling through the words.
Orion looked down and realized that her cider had been switched with the one she had frozen earlier. She rolled her eyes and stuck her mug close by the fire. It would eventually warm up.
Bas caught his breath, then nodded towards Hazel and then put his flute to his lips. He played a similar tune to the one Hazel had given him.
Hazel propped his trumpet under his arm and thought for a few moments before he started singing.
“The war twenty years, a few months ago
Here’s a fun fact oft most lives forgo
The lost tale of the battle of Kardenay
They don’t tell you the Empire’s dogs ran away
They ran away, they ran away, they did
Right into the mouth of the old Fid
They ran away, they ran away, they did
Right into the mouth of the old Fid
I met a scavenger, far in the East
As I was starving, he made a feast
Priceless things, no bride, we were foils
He told me the history behind his daily toils
The war twenty years, a few months ago
Here’s a fun fact oft most lives forgo
Here’s the things they don’t teach in schools,
Armies are made of men and women, and often fools
Empire’s soldiers didn’t know how to deal with sludge
Lots of shiny chainmail were lost in the mud
The lost tale of the battle of Kardenay
They don’t tell you the Empire’s dogs ran away
They ran away, they ran away, they did
Right into the mouth of the old Fid
They ran away, they ran away, they did
Right into the mouth of the old Fid”
Bas and Hazel bowed towards the patrons that were enjoying their impromptu songs. They locked their thumbs briefly, an acknowledgement of each other’s skills and grinned.
“I have to admit, I think I lost that one.” Bas put his flute back in his bag. “The audience seemed to enjoy yours more.”
“I’ll graciously take the win, but don’t be hard on yourself.” Hazel patted Bas on the shoulder. “You’re a wonderful lyricist for someone so young.”
Some coins were tossed in the open case beside Hazel, but the room settled down quickly once everyone realized there wouldn’t be another song.
Hazel split the coins and tried to give half to Bas but was rejected.
“Don’t worry about us. We have enough to not have to worry about things for a while.”
“I will not press you further then,” Hazel agreed. He excused himself to go rent a room.
Orion tilted her head and studied the older man who was talking to Janus, the owner. She wasn’t sure whether Hazel was a transmigrator yet, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to test him. Even if he was a transmigrator, that didn’t mean she should trust him.
“What are you thinking about?” Tam asked.
“Nothing. I’m going to go sleep.” With Hazel staying the night, interrogations could be saved until tomorrow morning. Orion was far too tired to come up with ideas right then.
A/N
Meet Hazel everyone.
