The Saint Delivers a Message

After several hours of wandering Merlin finally escaped the large stucco buildings and found himself back in the more familiar, open space that was the main Leopold Harbor port.

He sighed in relief then proceeded to ask the dock workers where Carrolly’s was which thankfully proved to be far easier to find. Despite Ruth’s appalling description of the place as being a haven for wanderers, vagabonds, and criminals*, the area of Carrolly’s place was actually a fairly nice residential area.

*Ruth would later vehemently deny giving such a description.

The area was lined with rows of close knit, white townhouses with blue accents. Merlin admired the cozy layout of the place while traipsing up the cobblestone street.

Finally he came upon the place with a sign hanging over the steps indicating it as “Carrolly’s Place”

“That is a big sign” He whistled. He skipped up the steps and entered the quaint little inn, causing the welcome bell to jingle.

“Welcome to Carrolly’s Place!” Announced a girl in her early teens, “Are you looking for a place to stay for the night, or are you just here for dinner service?”

“You offer dinner service?”

“Yes. The house is open from 6-8 for dinner, any paying customer is welcome.”

“Huh. Good to know, but I am a guest. Actually my party should have come in ahead of me. Under the name Ruth.”

Her eyes flickered wide, “Oh! You’re the friend of Ruth the two kids mentioned!”

“Yep. So, they were here?’

“Yes, they came in around two hours ago. They were a bit manic but they talked things out with my mother and after that they ate and went out with her to get ingredients for tonight’s dinner. They should be back pretty soon. I’m Mei.”

“Merlin. Do you mind if I have a seat in the dining room.”

“Sure, Mr. Merlin, right this way.”

Mei showed Merlin to a seat. Carrolly, Lila, and Cate returned about 15 minutes later.

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“Mister! You’re safe!” Cate ran to Merlin and he bent down so she could give him a hug.

“I told you he’d be fine.” Lila folded her arms.

“And you were right. There’s no way guys like that could do me in.”

“Did you…umm, k-kill them?”

Merlin looked the girl dead in the eye, “I’m a healer. I heal. I would never take a life. So, long as my patient wants to keep living, I will do my best to keep them that way.” He smiled reassuringly.

“They deserved whatever they had coming to them.” Lila said flatly.

Sensing everyone’s spiraling moods, Carrolly interrupted, “How about we get started on dinner?” She clapped her hands.

Cate looked she wanted to say something but thought better of it and grabbed one of the bags hanging from Carrolly’s arms. Lila sideeyed Merlin but followed her friend into the kitchen.

“Hi! I’m Carrolly, the owner of this inn and a friend of Ruth’s.”

“Good to meet you ‘Friend of Ruth’s’ I’m Merlin. I’m practically fresh off the boat from Eden and Ruth told me I should come here for lodging.”

Carrolly kept up her cordial smile while at the same time locking her sharp gaze firmly on Merlin, sizing him up.

“That’s quite a voyage it must have been rough”

“No, ma’am!” Merlin laughed.

“No? Hmm. Well, Ruth seems to trust you so that’s good enough for me. Why don’t you wait here and dinner’ll be up in a few.” She started toward the kitchen.

“Oh, right!” Merlin fished around in his pockets and pulled out a note, “From Ruth.”

She dropped her bags in the foyer and took the note. Her smile dimmed somewhat as she read, “What have you got on you? And to be clear I don’t want the actual answer.”

Realization dawned on Merlin, “10 Blessed Silver and 1 Holy Gold.” Merlin lied.

She sucked in a breath, “And what do you actually have on you, for real this time.”

“5 High-Holy Platinum, 185 Holy Gold, and 58 Blessed Silvers.”

Her face stiffened much like Ruth’s making her look like the statues back in the Church of Eden that he spent so long staring up at.

“Right. Right. Sure. Sure… tell you what, normally I’d say to stop pulling my leg but I actually believe you. Do you know what would happen if anyone found even a single gold coin on you?”

“They’d strip me naked and hang me by my toes.”

“At the very least. Imagine if you they’d found a H-high-p-platinum coin?” She tripped over the word, even saying it made her light headed, “You understand that one High-p-Platinum could destabilize the kingdom’s entire economy.”

“Not at first.”

“But you understand now, yes.”

“Yes.”

“So here is what we’re going to do.”

She handed Merlin a magic bag and told him to empty all his coins into it, saving 1 Holy Gold and 10 Blessed Silvers. Carrolly nearly fainted when she say the High-Holy Platinum. Then she put the bag in a box and used a spacial spell from her late husband’s grimoire to shrink the box down to the size of a small marble. Later that night she made it into a bracer with a about two dozen layers of security. Apparently Carrolly and Ruth used to work at a Private Magical Security firm that had major contacts with nobles and royalty from several kingdoms, so this was kind of her area of expertise.

Merlin later asked why Ruth was selling fruits in the Marketplace uptown, the short answer was “It’s her hobby.” They both retired fairly early and very suddenly for reasons that they couldn’t reveal do to binding contract magic and they were both given substantial sums for their retirement (a whopping 10,000,000 malba or 2 Holy Golds). They both needed something to occupy themselves with while still maintaining a low profile, so Carrolly opened an inn and Ruth took up produce.

After all learning all that and handing off the marble to Carrolly, Merlin joined the girls for dinner. The two girls regaled Mei and Carrolly with what little bravery they saw from Merlin and Mei told them about her experience running the inn with her mother.

Cate seemed to grow a bit sad during this part of the conversation.

Ruth finally made an appearance once the sake and cake was rolled out and things suddenly got rowdy but in homely, comforting way.

Merlin smiled as he watched the two ladies jabbing each other and sharing stories. This was the experience that he’d been deprived of for all those years and he burned it into his mind.

Eventually, it got to be late and the kids began to yawn, so they excused themselves from the table.

Merlin did the same.

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 Merlin sat in his room writing in a journal when he heard a knock at the door. He got up and opened it. Standing in front of him was Lila and Cate.

“Mr. Merlin, sir, may we come in.” Cate fiddled nervously with the Demon’s Eye necklace in her hand.

Merlin smiled and gestured for them to enter. His room and the girls’ room were mostly the same. Both were small and only had one bed. The inn was originally Carrolly’s childhood home, it had been renovated and she bought out the four townhouses on either side of her (two on each side).

The whole place a had a cozy, lived-in vibe that felt nice to Merlin who’d been trapped behind layers of grey cement walls and rarely had company save for the statues.

“Why don’t you two have a seat?” He pointed to a small couch opposite the chair where he’d been journaling.

“Thank you.” Said Cate. Lila seemed a bit grumpy but followed Cate.

“Is something the matter, Lila? Did I do something?”

She looked awkwardly to the side, “No. Not a thing.”

“We wanted to thank you for helping us, she’s just frustrated since she can’t figure out how.” Cate explained.

Lila looked away in response, refusing to make eye contact with Merlin.

“Is that right? Well you don’t have to worry about that. I have all I could ever need.”

“Do you? Is that really true?” Cate accused.

“That’s rude, Lila!”

“Hah. No, it’s all good. I don’t mind. Hmm. What makes you think I’m lying?”

Lila was suddenly just as nervous as Cate appeared to be, “It’s just the way you look around at everything, like you want it all. And you seemed sad whenever Mrs. Carrolly talked about her family and was joking around with Mrs. Ruth. That’s just how it looked.”

“Is it?” Merlin wasn’t trying to hide anything, he probably couldn’t if he tried. He wasn’t accustomed to lying, he’d certainly been working on developing that skill but it didn’t exactly come naturally.

“I guess you’re right.”

“I am?”

“You’re lonely?” asked Cate.

“Lonely? I don’t think that’s the right word for it, but I do long for what Ruth and Carrolly has and what Carrolly and Mei have. And this place does move me. Back home… I guess it’s not really a home, the place I grew up was not so lively or colorful and I didn’t have parents or friends. So, I do envy them and you two as well.”

““Us?””

Merlin flashed a warm smile, “What you’ve been through and the bond you’ve forged because of it, I can tell you’ll be lifelong friends, even sisters. You probably already think of each other that way.”

“How do you know what we’ve been through! We’ve only just met.” Lila spat, the mood suddenly soured.

“When you touched the necklace?” Cate said slowly.

Lila head whipped over to Cate and then to Merlin who nodded in confirmation.

“When I touched the necklace…”

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Merlin found himself in a rustic log cabin, laughter could be heard. A woman with thick red hair stood at the door watching two little girls playing in the yard.

“I took Lila in about a year ago. She lived in the orphanage at the base of the mountain. Cate and I went to visit every week to bring them a nice hot meal. Things were really bad for them. One day there was an earthquake causing a massive tree to be uprooted. It fell on top of the orphanage. Five out of 18 kids survived. One of them was badly injured and permanently scarred. She would never be able to work or marry, most likely. I swore I’d never use my magic again, not even on the verge of death. I knew the cost but my future versus hers… I didn’t hesitate. I used my magic and transferred her scars onto me. I found myself out of a job, I couldn’t even find work as a prostitute. Then about two months later I collapsed. It turned out she was sicker than I realized. She was carrying a terminal illness that no one had caught. I was bedridden for months afterwards, getting weaker by the day, but seeing her able to smile and play was worth it. I knew that things would be difficult once I was gone, they already were.”

The laughing stopped and a group of men approached the house.

“She’s in here.” Beckoned Cate.

They led the large man and his lackeys inside. A woman in robes was with them this time, whom Merlin didn’t recognize, but the man was certainly Mr. Leer.

“How do you do, Madame. My name is Leer, Leper Leer. At the request of your darling children I’ve tracked down an actual saint to heal you. I must warn you however, healing magic is tricky and doesn’t always work, and even when it does… well, at the very least you can have some hope now.” He lowered his hat reverently but a sinister smile tugged at his cheek.

The “saint” waved a staff around and muttered a spell. Merlin knew what healing magic sounded like and whatever she was casting was not it. The tip of the staff glowed green for a second and then went out.

“It is done.” The “saint” said quietly.

“Thank you so much mister.” Lila was crying tears of joy. Merlin’s blood boiled at the scene. He wasn’t accustomed to anger but this certainly brought it out.

“What about the payment, Mister.” Asked Cate.

He tossed her hair, “We’ll be back for it later, just spend time with your mother for now, that’ll be far more potent than what we’ve done for her.” And with that they left.

The two girls ran to their mother’s bedside.

The mother sat up and looked at Merlin, “I was barely conscious for all of that but I knew that whatever they did wasn’t healing magic. I wanted to be mad, but I didn’t have the strength and with my two darling daughter beside me I just couldn’t. I didn’t have much time left and my strength was quickly leaving me. I could feel myself fading with every day. Before that happened I knew I needed to leave them with something of value, something that could protect them while they were young and provide for them when they’re grown.”

The mother brushed the hair our of her face revealing her eyes. One of them was missing and the other glowed pink and gold, “Even if it did me in, I swore I’d ensure their future. My precious Cate has my blood, in a few years she’ll awaken to her powers but they are both my daughters and I want them both protected from whatever malice the world might throw at them.”

She pushed the purple and pink stone into the center of the necklace and chanted a few words in the demonic tongue. It glowed intensely. The mother coughed up blood and then collapsed. She was clearly dead.

Merlin felt his eyes begin to cloud over and grow hot.

“A few days later that man came by with his lackeys.” The mother appeared next to Merlin, “They ransacked the place and stole my savings and the Demon’s Eye necklace you now hold in your hands.”

All the furniture faded. Now he was standing in the middle of a barren cabin. He looked down at the necklace and then at the two kids cowering in front of him.

“I’ve never sensed magic like yours before, it’s truly unbelievable. You conceal it well but Djinn are masters of concealment, illusions, and trickery. My eyes in particular would never be fooled.” She circled around Merlin like a shark.

“You are unfamiliar with this land and I realize how suddenly this whole situation cropped up but may I request something of you?”

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Merlin paused, “What did she ask?” Lila’s eyes were wide.

Merlin didn’t continue.

“Cate.” Lila gripped her sister’s hand.

“I knew it was important to her but I didn’t put it together.” Tears dripped down Cate’s face, “She was clutching it when…when…” she was getting choked up. Lila’s eyes were beginning to water as well.

“Why did she go so far? Why? She told me she was getting better and then she didn’t and why? I’m not even her real daughter! I’m a stranger. I didn’t ask-” she couldn’t hold it together anymore and began wailing.

Merlin let them cry, deep down they already knew the answers to their questions. Even so, he knew their mother would want it said out loud.

“Because you’re both her daughters and she loves both of you more than life itself.”  And after that the two of them cried themselves to sleep. 

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Epilogue:

“You’ve been hiding something from me. I can smell it, young man.”

Once the two of them had fallen asleep and been tucked in Merlin went downstairs to see if there was anymore of the sake left only for the lights to suddenly click on revealing Ruth and Carrolly sitting in wait.

“I have a real good nose for money and I sense more. Now, you should only have 1 Holy Gold and 10 Blessed Silver, am I right.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Merlin responded awkwardly.

“Yer voice is kinda shrill there. I knew it you are hiding some money away.”

“It’s not safe to be walking around with anything super expensive. You’ve got to give it up before I finish the bracer. Out with it.” Carrolly insisted.

Merlin knew it was useless hiding it and he really did only have one of them. He held out a black pearl. He didn’t hand it in initially because it was technically money but it was the most expensive thing he had on him.

Carrolly and Ruth got up from their chairs and approached the pearl.

“What is it?” Ruth picked it up and rolled it around. It wasn’t solid, in fact, it was kind of squishy but it would take a superhuman effort to actually break it.

“An Ambrosia Pearl” Merlin whispered.

“An Ambrosia Pearl? Hmm.” Carrolly took a turn rolling it around in her hand.

“An Ambrosia Pearl?” Ruth repeated.

As if on a time delay they both suddenly sucked in air.

““An Ambrosia Pearl!”” They screamed in unison.

“Yes.”

“Like the stuff Ambrosia is made from?” Ruth asked.

“Yes.”

“It can’t be, but I know you’re not lying, but, but, but…” Carrolly seemed to be malfunctioning from the shock.

“I’ve heard a single one can multiply your strength and magic pool a hundred-fold for 5 minutes and it can bring back the dead, and-”

“It’s even rumored you can see the future and can heal literally any illness or disease.”

“I heard it can turn back time.”

“It can’t turn back time.” Merlin corrected, “But, yeah, it can do all that other stuff you said.”

“It’s priceless. It shouldn’t even exist!”

“We didn’t see anything Ruth! Give that me, Merlin! I’m putting it in the storage box!” She yelled.

“Why are you yelling!” Ruth yelled back, “I’m old not deaf.”

“I’m sorry!” She was hyperventilating by this point, “We’re putting it away and never speaking of it again. If anyone realize what that was it’d start a goddamn war. Do any of you have a problem with that!”

““No, ma’am!”” Merlin and Ruth called back. And so they swore to never discuss or tell a soul about it for the rest of their lives and even beyond.