A Tamer's Legacy

Chapter 2

Jared let me sleep through the night. The bumbling fool. I woke to the sound of footsteps and a vessel clanging. I squinted through my sleepy haze to see Syla, Jared's younger sister helping my mother make breakfast. He had not woken me up for my shift! Furiously, I sat up and looked around for Jared, ready to gvie him a piece of my mind. He was asleep, curled up in the far corner of the room, clutching his dagger.

Just seeing him lay there, so innocent and unassuming, was enough for my anger to melt away. However, I would be taking first watch tonight.

I yawned and stretched. My mother looked over at me and smiled. "Good morning dear. Breakfast is almost ready."

Syla smiled her usual shy smile. "Good morning, Vay."

I nodded in response. Our one-roomed living quarters did not really provide much privacy and it was for this very reason that mother had strung up one corner of the room with some old dress material she had. It served as our bathroom. The old couple was still asleep. That was one of the only things they did. Jared suspected that living below the bridge where we had found them must have been terrible for their health for the river over which the bridge was built contained water which was filthy and contaminated with effluents from the furnaces of the Magicians.

"It must have affected their nervous system." Jared had said. "Makes their thought process and responses slow. As the years pass, I fear that it will worsen."

As usual, he was right. A few months ago, the old man used to help us in gathering firewood and his wife in cooking. Now, it was an effort for them to even get up in the mornings. It was only a matter of time before they went to sleep and would not wake again. Mother did all she could to help them get better but we simply did not have the means to supply them with medicine. Maybe that would change now that I had the ring.

I looked towards Jared's sleeping form and thought about the arguement we had had yesterday. I felt bad for loosing my temper. Jared had not meant to hurt me, he had only been looking out for me. I decided to sort out the issue the minute he woke up.

I washed myself with cold water and no soap. The last bar had been used up three days ago. Water, thankfully, was not a problem for us. There was a borewell a few blocks away. It was supposed to be reserved only for the rich who could afford to pay taxes but families like mine got water from there before the sun rose. The soldiers would be drowsy from the previous night's drinking and all the rich people would still be slumbering. It was a risky deal, but we were helpless. There was no other way we could get clean water.

Patting myself dry with a rough cloth, I donned the same set of clothes I had worn yesterday. My mother had washed them two days ago and I did not feel that they were filthy. They would suffice for at least another day before I switched to my only other pair.

Coming out from behind the flimsy, so-called curtain, I noticed that Jared was awake and drinking some soup that his sister had just served him. I smiled and walked over to him.

"Good morning," I said as I graciously accepted the bowl my mother handed me. "Morning, Vay."

"You did not wake me up for my shift," I said accusingly. "I am aware."

When he did not give me any more of an explanation, I let the matter drop. "When are we going to Tako?" I asked him.

He raised his eyebrows. "We? No, Vay. I am going to Tako's. You are staying right here."

"What! That is not fair. I stole the ring, I have a right to be there." Jared sighed. "Tako is not someone I would want you to meet with, Vanor. He is dangerous and really shady. Not someone a young girl should know."