Chapter 2

Mann had to drag himself out of the bed the next morning. He was not completely surprised when Karith did not show up for his morning exercise. He halfheartedly went through his morning routine, hoping that at some point she would stick her head though the door. He had just finished when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he called out hoping it was Karith. Had he used his awareness he would have known that it was not.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" Galt asked, entering the room with a tray holding two steam cups of coffee.

"Yes, just let me wash up," Mann replied, and then poured water into the basin and washed his face and arms.

"Thank you," he said while taking one of the offered mugs and sat on the edge of the cot.

Galt took the other cup and sat down, setting the tray on the desk. He blew across the top of the mug and sipped the stimulating brew.

"There are some things that you should know," Galt began, looking at his cup. "Karith's mother was a healer, an exceptional healer, and was treating a disease known as the 'Black Death', or simply 'The Plague', when she contracted the disease and subsequently died from it. It was believed, and further investigation supported that belief, that the disease was started by Moravian Sorcerers in an attempt to soften up the opposition, so to speak. The Bohemian Empire has designs on the whole of Europe, possibly even the world. So you see, Karith has a definite aversion to all things supernatural, whether they be good or evil."

"Who are these sorcerers?" Mann asked, having only received a partial answer from Karith when he asked her during the geography lesson.

"No one knows for sure," Galt shrugged and then continued. "Some say that they come from deep within the Carpathian Mountains, and that they are the spawn of Hell. All I know is that they are evil men that practice the dark arts and gifts bestowed upon them from the Evil One."

"But that is not me," Mann tried to protest. "I am not like that."

"So you say, but how do you know?" Galt countered. "How do we know?"

"I cannot say how I know, but I know. I have no way to prove to you my intentions," Mann sighed. "But I feel it in my being. I am not evil, not like that at least. Truthfully, I am probably not entirely good either. But I am loyal, and you and Karith have done so much for me. I could never do either of you ill. I will swear on whatever thing that you make your oaths on."

"That will not be necessary," Galt smiled. "I trust your intentions."

"As do I," Karith interjected from the doorway. "I trust the man I know, regardless of the fact that he does not know himself. Come, breakfast is getting cold."

And that basically ended the discussion. Karith did not want to discuss anything to do with what happened the previous evening, and truth be told, neither did Mann. They just went along as if the entire episode never happened. Galt returned to the forge, where several wagon wheels were waiting and Karith and Mann returned to the room and her studies.

The two spent the rest of the day studying the different subjects that Karith needed to know to get into the university. She finally called a halt to the review and stretched her back and smiled at Mann.

"Do you think I am pretty?" she asked suddenly, watching his expressions.

"Ahh, what kind of question is that?" Mann asked nervously.

"The kind that requires an answer," Karith replied, watching him intently.

"You do know that I am considerably older than you, right?" Mann tried to dodge the question.

"You do not know that for certain, do you?" Karith replied with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her lips. "But, that really was not an answer, was it?"

"Karith, yes, you are beautiful," Mann replied, smiling nervously. "We have a connection; I felt it when I opened my eyes that first time. But, we could never be together because I feel that there is another, the same way I know I could never cause you harm."

"You think I am beautiful," Karith's smile lit up her whole face. "All I asked was if you thought I was pretty, but you think I am beautiful."

With that she stood and left the room with Mann wondering what just happened. A few moments later Galt stuck his head into the open door.

"What has gotten into Karith?" he eyed Mann dangerously.

"I am really not sure," Mann shrugged. "I am not sure I would understand women, even if my memories were intact. But do not worry; I have no designs on your daughter."

"It is not your designs I am worried about," Galt confessed. "Are you ready for dinner?"

The two left the shop and entered the house where Karith was busy in the kitchen so they sat at the table and discussed when Mann would actually start helping in the forge. The only thing holding him back was footwear and they did not expect to hear from the boot maker for another day or so.

Dinner was a lively affair; Karith was very engaging and animated in her speech, causing her father to shake his head. After dinner they decided to sit in the front porch and try the smoking again. This time Mann used a taper and smiled with the first draw on the pipe. He sat in quiet contemplation for several moments and then looked up.

"I have done this before," he proclaimed, removing the pipe from his lips and smiling. "The feel is off, so either the pipe or tobacco was different, or perhaps both."

He chose not to speak about his method of lighting the pipe in deference to Karith, but even that seemed routine. Wherever he had come from, magic, it seemed to him, was commonplace, or at least not frowned upon. He wanted to explore the magic thing a little more but definitely not in anyone's presence. No, he had learned what type of reaction he could expect to get from others.

The three sat on the porch and enjoyed the evening; Galt and Mann enjoying the pipe, and Karith just enjoying the company. Finally, Galt tapped out his pipe and announced that the morning would come early and that it was time for Karith to retire for the evening. Mann followed Galt's example and tapped out his pipe and bid the two goodnight and retired to his room within the shop.

Mann refilled the washbasin pitcher and decided that he was not really tired. Having recovered his strength over that past few days he noticed that he did not require as much sleep as Galt or Karith. He decided that now was as good a time as any to determine the extent of his magic, as Galt called it. Mann did not think the word was correct, or that what he manifested was magic. It seemed more incarnate to him, rather than powers bestowed by some being, whether good or evil. He felt that the power he displayed was somehow connected to the natural world and therefore neither good nor evil.

He first concentrated really hard and snapped his fingers and nothing happened. He realized that he was nervous and his heart was racing, so he took several deep breaths to calm himself down. He searched for his center, as if he was preparing to exercise, and once he found it he relaxed and let the calmness envelope his whole being. He opened his eyes and concentrated on his right hand and felt a flow of energy travel up from deep within him and then tiny gold flames appeared on his fingertips flickering back and forth. He gasped in astonishment losing his concentration and causing the flames to die out. He re-centered himself and once again the little tendrils of gold energy appeared, jumping between his spread fingertips. This time he held his emotions in check and concentrated on the energy. He turned his hand over and willed the energy into a golden ball hovering just above his palm. The ball was a swirling mass of moving energy as it slowly rotated within the palm of his hand. When Mann turned his hand palm up he noticed the rune glowing golden on his wrist.

"A rune! It is called a Rune!" he cried mentally and then felt a stabbing pain in his head. "Aghhhh!"

He fell to his knees and brought his hands up to either side of his head, trying to contain the sharp, stabbing pain. He dropped forward until his forehead rested on the stone floor of his room and moaned as the stabbing pain threatened to send him into unconsciousness. He lay like that for several moments until the pain slowly ebbed, giving him relief.

Panting from the intensity of the pain he slowly rose to a kneeling position, buttocks on his heels, and rested. When he felt stronger he slowly stood and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"All right, we do not want to do that again," he softly chuckled to himself.

Feeling stronger he quickly found his center and concentrated and the ball reappeared. This time he followed the flow of energy back down his arm into his core and then down through the floor. He was accessing some sort of energy stream and it was all around him. He was right in his assessment that the power was somehow part of the natural world. He released the flow and the ball faded away. Then he reached out with his awareness, feeling the flow, and channeled it into his body, bringing both arms up and watched the energy dance back and forth across his finger tips. It was easier this time; he did it more naturally, more subconsciously. He pulled the energy back in and tried to store it and found he could contain the flow within him, building it, increasing it, focusing it, controlling it! He almost laughed out loud. The energy was making him giddy with its power. He released the energy and it flowed out like the tide, receding to sea and with it went his stamina. The practice had drained him and he decided to call it a night. Feeling extremely sleepy he washed his face and changed into his nightshirt. His legs were heavy as he approached his bed and sat down. Blowing out the candle he lay down and was quickly asleep. He slept the entire night through without turning or waking at all.

The next morning he awoke at sunrise, poured water into the basin, and washed away the sleep from his eyes. After stretching he was just about to start when there was a knock on the door. It slowly opened revealing a smiling Karith.

"You have not started yet; good," Karith smiled, entered his room and closed the door.

Mann shook his head and walked over and re-opened the door and turned toward Karith.

"Not enough room in here for the both of us," he smiled as he exited the room and the shop.

He stopped in the small courtyard between the house and shop and waited. I did not take long before Karith entered the courtyard with a pout on her face and stepped to his side, ready. He demonstrated each of the 24 movements that he remembered and then they practiced the first ten until Mann felt that she was proficient in them. By the time that they were done Karith felt comfortable with the movements. Mann promised to add movements as she mastered the previous. He explained that it was more important to master what she knew than to know more.

Galt had taken a break and had been watching the last several moments of their exercise with a critical eye on how Mann moved. He realized something and turned back to his shop to grab a longsword that had been made for a noble who had not yet picked it up. Walking back to the courtyard where they had just finished he offered the hilt to Mann.

"I have watched your movements and believe you have practiced with a sword," Galt pressed the sword into Mann's hand. "See what you can do with one in your hand."

Mann took the sword with his right hand and looked down the blade length to inspect its trueness. He then placed the blade point on the ground and rolled the pommel back and forth through his hands also inspecting trueness. Finally he laid it out on his left palm and moved it back and forth to check its balance. Satisfied that he had a feel for the weapon he looked back over to where Galt stood watching the display and nodded.

"You realize that you just demonstrated the correct way to determine the balance of a weapon?" Galt asked, and then added. "That tells me more than your exercises did that you know your way around a blade."

Mann closed his eyes for a moment holding the sword at the ready and then began to move. Several moments later he opened his eyes as his body moved through several forms naturally, as if he did them every day as second nature. He had a large smile on his face as he moved through the forms and then repeated. He completed fifteen different forms that flowed naturally from one to another when he abruptly stopped, looking around frantically. For a moment, he thought he remembered something - joy and sorrow - and then it was gone. A feeling of melancholy enveloped him and he offered the sword back to Galt and left the courtyard.

"Papa, what just happened?" she asked, watching Mann leave the courtyard and enter the shop, heading for his room.

"I think he remembered something, or almost did," Galt offered. "Did you see the smile on his face? The forms brought back emotions, good emotions I think. He is good with a sword, very good. There at the end it was almost as if he was practicing with someone at his side."

"I am going to go after him," Karith announced, turning toward the shop door. "I am worried."

"No, Karith, give him his space," Galt stated, shaking his head and placing a hand on her shoulder. "He needs time, give it to him."

Mann spent the rest of the morning sequestered in his room while Karith helped her father around the forge until lunchtime approached and she decided that he had had plenty of time. She planned to make him lunch as an excuse to check in on him. The boot maker's arrival gave her a better opportunity.

Mann heard the knock on his door and figured he had hidden long enough. He went to the door and opened it finding Karith standing on the other side.

"Master Giuseppe is here with your boots," Karith announced and turned back toward the shop.

Mann followed her out to where Galt was talking with Master Giuseppe, the boot maker. Giuseppe had him sit down for the fitting of both the working boots and the soft sole hunting boots. After he was done, Mann thanked him and Galt bartered tool repair services for the boots. Giuseppe smiled and then produced a half dozen tools needing repair. Galt promised to get started on them that very afternoon and Master Giuseppe took his leave. Mann thanked Galt and promised to repay him somehow.

"You already are," he smiled pointing to Karith. "Helping her in her studies frees me up to work in the shop, not to mention cleaning the forge each night and preparing it for the next day."

Mann promised to help out more, in any capacity that Galt needed. Slipping on his new boots, he grabbed the broom and began to sweep out the shop. Karith returned to her studies while Galt started on the boot maker's tools. Galt had Mann help in the repair of Master Giuseppe's tools, giving Mann a sense of accomplishment. Karith broke for lunch and prepared a light affair of cheese, fruit, and wine. After lunch, she again returned to her studies while Mann cleaned up the main forge area and organized it based on Galt's instructions. Galt, meanwhile, moved into the sword room and continued with his latest commission, the sword for the nephew of the Comté. There was not much left to do and Galt wanted to finish, so he worked late into the evening, only stopping briefly for the meal that Mann brought him. Finally finishing the sword, he shifted a portion of the remaining coals to a small brazier that he tended daily, while the rest of the hot coals and all of the unburned fuel was moved to the main forge. He closed down the sword forge and locked up for the night. Mann met him at the porch with a glass of wine and his pipe. The two sat and discussed the day while enjoying the wine and the tobacco. Karith came out to sit with them until it was time to retire for the evening.

The next morning Galt commissioned a local boy to deliver the news that the sword was ready and then went about his morning's tasks. The rest of Mann's clothes were delivered and Reynaldo accepted the invitation to stay for lunch. They received another lunch guest when Nigel stopped by to check on his patient and was offered lunch as well. Nigel gave Mann a clean bill of health, but cautioned him about headaches and dizzy spells. Lunch was just finishing when the boy returned with a message for Galt. Paying the lad several coppers he broke open the sealed message and read that they would be having guests that afternoon.

Galt quickly finished lunch and excused himself from the table and hurried back to the shop and opened the sword forging room. Mann looked at the guests and shrugged. He bid them good day and followed after Galt. He found him trying to tidy up the room. Mann grabbed a broom and began sweeping out the sand and other debris from the floor while Galt checked the sword's edge and then polished the blade to a high shine.