The Journeymen

Suspicious Minds

The sun was just beginning to rise, orange light glowing from the east as Jack, Evan, and a squad of guardsmen searched the city. There were squads just like theirs, looking for one man, Gabe Franks.

Walking in silent fury, the two Journeymen had led their squad first to the market area where Anya believed he may have gone. Not finding him there, they began to work their way outward. There were a limited number of working and charged radios but what could be found was divided up amongst the squads. Each man searching knew that their subject was extremely dangerous.

Jack refused to tell his apprentice about his suspicions until he had more evidence beyond his gut feelings. He was rarely wrong but even in his anger he knew that it was still a possibility. Although Anya's relationship with Chuck was nothing like Jack's had been, he knew she cared deeply for her fallen master and he did not want to give her the horrible news that her boyfriend had murdered him unless he was absolutely certain.

With the sun's coming, so too came the merchants at the market. Although the explosion had to have been heard throughout the city, merchants still needed to make a living and there were no days off when trading your goods meant the difference between hunger and plenty.

The two masters' effort having been in vain, even communicating with the guards who had been on gate duty at the time of the explosion, Jack and Evan led their squad into the market in search of the old woman that Anya had previously mentioned. Guardsmen in the squad began questioning vendors as the market slowly came to life. There were no pictures of Gabe to show, only descriptions. Evan, who had never met the wizard, took an interest in the man's blue eyes as they were likely his most distinctive feature.

Jack spoke with no one other than Evan but only spoke when a question was directed at him. His jaw was clamped down so hard it looked as though his teeth might crack but he didn't care. The man could only focus on avenging his fallen comrade.

Allowing their squad to interact with the vendors, the two Journeymen worked around the outside edge of the market. Their hope was that Gabe had gone to the old woman who he and Anya had met in the morning before the attack. Jack hoped that the young man he had grown to trust and respect over the previous weeks had not so easily tricked him and that the wizard was off somewhere in the city, lost and confused.

"Jack, we're on the right trail. We'll figure this out," Evan said, attempting to comfort his friend.

Answering with only a grunt, the taller of the two men continued on, walking past vendor stalls for the woman who might hold answers for him. Evan did his best to keep up, nearly having to jog to keep up with the man's determined, longer strides.

Suddenly, the younger Journeyman stopped and pointed. He knew he had found the woman. Tucked away in a corner of the market was an old woman with a small and simple stall. There was a meager selection of fruits and vegetables set out on display as well as some small trinkets and valuables which she likely hoped to trade for something to help keep her alive for another year.

"It's her," Jack said, bluntly.

He walked up to the woman and who attempted to greet him.

"Hello young man, can I offer you-," she began before being cut off by the tall hunter.

"The wizard with the blue eyes. You have seen him haven't you? Yesterday, here in the market."

The woman nodded and smiled, unbothered by Jack's brash behavior, "Why of course I did! He healed my hand in the morning and then stopped by later in the evening. Right before the explosion. What happened with that explosion? I hope nobody was hurt."

Jack clenched his fist on the counter that separated him from the old woman. "People were hurt. Lots of people were. Did the wizard tell you anything?"

The haggard woman held her recently healed hand to her mouth, "Oh my, there's no way that nice young man could have done anything like that!"

The fiery eyed warrior leaned toward the woman and repeated his question, sharply growling each word, "Did the wizard tell you anything?"

He then felt a calming hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from the frightened woman. "Ease up, Jack," he heard Evan whisper from behind him.

Growling in frustration, Jack stepped away from the woman and allowed his more senior companion to continue the questioning of the woman.

"Ma'am, it may be hard to believe but right now we need to know anything you can tell us about what the wizard did. I know you believe he couldn't have done this so if you can offer us any information, hopefully that would at least help us be able to rule him out. You said he visited right before the explosion, what did he say?"

The woman considered the much more even-tempered man's questions. Seconds stretched on into eternity, at least from Jack's perspective before she finally answered.

"He said he was leaving but didn't say where he was going. He also wanted to leave the necklace here so his young lady friend could come and get it from me," she said, holding up a simple gold necklace in her hand.

Evan reached out and gently took the necklace from the old woman, examining it in the morning light. "Well it sounds like he was planning to leave the city. That's very suspicious, especially if he was as smitten by Anya as you say he was. We'll start sending out scouts and trackers."

Jack nodded silently and began to find a guardsman with a radio to begin the process of dispatching raiders when the old woman spoke up, "I almost forgot, he left a note for his lady friend as well."

The vengeful man turned around just as Evan opened the note to read it. He watched as his veteran companion ran a hand over his closely cropped hair. Evan held the note out to Jack who snatched it away.

Opening the note, Jack read the short message. Furious, he crumpled the note in his fist before driving the same fist down on a nearby vendor's counter. His fist smashed through the board that he struck, sending splinters and several cabbages flying before he stormed back in the direction of Liza's house.

***

Anya had fallen asleep at some point in the middle of the night. She hadn't even crawled under the covers of the bed she had been given, she simply had passed out atop the sheets, surrounded by scraps from the food she dined on before her slumber. She lay there as the sun creeped into the sky, towel wrapped around her now dry hair.

She was shocked to be awakened by a wild eyed Jack holding a crumpled piece of paper in his bloodied hand. He held it out to her as she snapped up into a seated position.

"Read," he snarled through clinched teeth.

Anya tilted her head, wild hair exposed from the towel that had fallen, eyes still blurry from her slumber. She took the paper with one hand, rubbing her tired eyes with the other. Holding it open with both hands, she read it. Written in black ink was the simple message:

"It was me. I love you. If you love me too, prove it and come find me.

-Magic Man"