Firebrand

Keeping Time with Friends

"Max, I have an opportunity for you." It was only breakfast, but Martel did not wish to delay. In part because Maximilian might make other arrangements; in part because lunch was usually crowded, and he preferred if others did not overhear.

The mageknight raised his eyes from his porridge to give the novice a tired look. "Again? What is it this time?"

"An opportunity for glory. To be the knight who captured the maleficar that has terrorised Morcaster," Martel explained.

Maximilian squinted. "You know how to find him?"

"Not exactly, but we know he will be active soon when the full moon comes. And Kerra has men on the streets keeping watch, looking for any sign of him. But obviously, they would defer to a pair of wizards taking him captive."

The mageknight's sceptical expression deepened. "The copper lanes are huge. The chances of finding this fellow are impossibly low. All you accomplish is wasting a night searching for him."

"That may be. But considering that capturing a berserker got you an audience with the emperor's nephew, imagine what capturing a maleficar would do? In addition, I did you a favour attending the emperor's feast and impressing his nephew for you. It seems only reasonable you do this favour for me," Martel argued.

Maximilian ran his spoon through his porridge, watching it drip down the wooden utensil. "Fine. If you must twist my arm. When is it?"

Martel smiled. "Tomorrow night."

~

Everything settled with Maximilian, Martel felt ready for the night of the full moon. He had agreed with Kerra that he would be posted at The Copper Drum, now with the mageknight as well. Her guards would walk the streets, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious as best they could; should that happen, they would return to The Drum and fetch the wizards for assistance rather than go alone.

Practical matters taken care of, Martel only had one other thing he wanted to do before the night in question. As he had classes in the afternoon, he had to wait until evening; he had already informed Kerra that he would not be conducting any further training of her people, trusting that they had learned enough. Instead, he steered towards the Khivan enclave.

He drifted across the square in front of their local temple, where he had once been lucky enough to catch Shadi. The same did not repeat; he would have to find her at her home. He felt a little apprehensive, as he feared that her father would not approve of his visit, perhaps not even allow him inside. But if so, he still at least wanted to warn her and just speak with her briefly.

Approaching the watchmaker's workshop, Martel knocked on the door and waited.

He heard the shuffling of feet before his knocking was answered, and Master Farhad stood in the doorway, looking at him. For a moment, no words were exchanged. As Martel struggled to formulate the reason for his presence, the old Khivan man simply took a step back. "Get inside. Before everyone sees you standing there." The watchmaker turned his head over his shoulder. "Shadi! Boy is here to see you."

"Thanks," Martel mumbled, stepping past the threshold.

As Master Farhad retreated to the inner room of his workshop, muttering to himself, Shadi appeared down the stairs with a bright smile. "I'm so glad you're here! I've been meaning to find you."

"Looks like I found you first," Martel replied with an attempt of laughter, immediately feeling silly about his choice of words.

"Take a seat." Shadi waved at the chairs around the table and found some cups along with a pitcher of what turned out to be apple cider.

"Thanks," Martel said as he accepted his drink. "I actually came to tell you something important." He glanced through the open door that showed the inner room where Master Farhad sat working. "I have a few other things to tell as well if there's time."

Shadi smiled again. "Don't worry, nobody is throwing you out. But actually, let me go first."

"Yes?"

"Wait, I'm doing it wrong. Let me get it first." Shadi entered the back room and exchanged some words with her father, leaving Martel feeling both curious and awkward.

A few moments later, she returned with a curious object in her hands. It was a small wooden box, but with twelve numbers written in a circle on the front. Furthermore, a pair of thin sticks sat attached to the middle, pointing out at the numbers along the edge. Martel stared, wondering why the contraption looked familiar when he felt sure he had never seen anything like it. Finally, he realised why; the great watch built by Master Farhad, now sitting in the entrance hall of the Lyceum, likewise had these little sticks pointing at the numbers along the circle.

"It's a watch!"

Shadi grinned. "Quite possibly the smallest ever made. Certainly my dad has never made anything so small before."

"But the one in the entrance hall is so big! How can you make it so small?" He marvelled at the thought. He had at times seen Master Farhad working on the mechanical parts for the great clock that he built for the Lyceum. He could not understand how it could be made so small and yet work.

"Well, it's a simple one. This one only tells the time. The one at your school also knows when the sun rises and sets, the phases of the moon, and so on. Also, this one doesn't show twenty-four hours, but twelve hours instead," she explained.

"Are you going to sell it? Or has someone already bought it?"

"No, people who can afford clocks want big ones, with lots of uses. My dad made this one as a gift. For you." She looked at him expectantly.

He stared back in surprise. "What? For me?"

She nodded eagerly. "My dad found out that I never had a job, and that the money came from you. " She lowered her voice. "It didn't sit well with him, so he decided to make you this. That way, it isn't charity. You got something in return for your money."

Martel stared at the clock. One of the little sticks moved, catching him by surprise, and he laughed at his own reaction. No other student at the school had something like this, he was sure of that. "Thanks! Should I say thanks to your dad as well?"

"He'd probably just feel awkward about it. I'll let him know of your gratitude later. Anyway, what did you want to say?"

Martel's good mood took a slight tumble, though he still felt almost elated at his gift. "You heard about the maleficar? Last month."

"Everyone has. What about him?"

"He's active around full moon. I just wanted you to know, so you're careful especially around these days."

"Alright, though don't worry. I'm pretty sure we'd find out quickly if some stranger prowled the Khivan quarter. They tend to stick out among us," Shadi pointed out.

"Well, just be careful. With that out of the way, if we have time –" Martel shot another look at Master Farhad in the back room. "Guess who saw the emperor, at the Imperial Palace."

"No! You didn't! Tell me everything!"

Martel did.