The next day Sam sat in the back of the wagon as he and Armegon made the monthly trip to the local village. There they would pick up supplies and sell the three cows and two horses that trailed along behind the wagon. Sam was fond of all the animals that were on the ranch, but Armegon was adamant in the need to sell them. They needed money if they were to visit the city. And Armegon had to hire someone to watch the farm.
Just as when strangers had visited the ranch, Sam wore a blindfold when they were in town. He was dressed very warmly with a deep hood and mittens. Armegon had told him that it was all a game to see if he could act like a blind boy. Sam rather liked that game, because it gave him a chance to bump into things. Also the clear skies and strong sunshine hurt his eyes.
He had his new staff and used it as a tapping stick when they arrived. Sam--his vision was partially obscured--took in the sights of the village as best he could through two slits Armegon had cut in his blindfold.
Armegon quickly conducted his business with familiar associates while keeping an eye on Sam. This was the first time he had brought the boy to the village. The unusual features and extremely rapid growth would be quickly noticed if Sam had accompanied him more often. That was one of the reasons he and Ultrecht had decided to take Sam to Tycho instead of Allentown of Seron. Tycho was a delightful mixture of many races and Sam would not stand out so easily there.
After concluding his dealings with the stockyard, Armegon took Sam to the general store and sat the boy on a bench just inside the door. "Stay here," he told the boy. "As soon as I make some purchases and speak with the proprietor I have a surprise for you." Sam waited quietly and Armegon disappeared behind a pile of bags of meal.
Armegon located the store keeper fussing over a sugar barrel. "Good morning Mister Cadot," he said.
The plump merchant looked up and closed the barrel. Wiping his hand on his apron he extended it in greeting. "Ah, Mister Armegon, it’s been several weeks. How’s business."
"The rains were hard, but we survived it with little damage," Armegon replied. "Now I need to pick up some more supplies."
"Of course," the merchant said happily. "Would you like your usual shipment?"
"That’ll be fine," Armegon agreed, but then changed his mind. "On second thought hold off on the cloth. We haven't used up half of that last bolt yet. And cut back on the salt too, but add an extra sack of flour. Sam’s eating me out of house and pantry."
"Sam?" Mister Cadot paused. "Oh yes, your nephew. I seem to remember you telling me that he was blind. How is the lad?"
"Just fine," Armegon replied. "I brought him with me to town this time, but the people scare him, I think. He’s sitting by the door."
Cadot slunk over to peek around the corner at the figure sitting on the stool next to the entrance. "What a shame," he said sadly as he returned to the counter. "Life is so cruel when a man is whole and complete. To be blind is going to have him either begging on the streets or dependent on another for the rest of his life."
"I’ll provide for the lad," Armegon assured the store owner. "It’s the least I can do for she who gave birth to him."
"Was that your sister," the merchant asked as he recorded Armegon's order in his ledger.
"In more ways than you could imagine."
"Was she of elven blood as well?"
"No," Armegon replied. "She was of pure human stock."
"I had a half sister as well," Cadot said as he passed Armegon the bill of sale. "I hope she doesn't leave her little monster for me to care for or else I’m going to have to clear-cut the Great Deep for whipping rods."
Armegon counted out the gold to pay for his order. "That bad, eh?"
"I’d rather be a slave in House Blackheart than a foster to that brat."
Armegon smiled as Cadot counted the gold and swept into a strongbox. "Well Mister Cadot," he said. "Thank you for your time. It may be a few months before I get back. I’m going up to Tycho to visit some relatives and that’s a long voyage."
"Really? Are you taking going up the strip?"
Armegon thought about the ships that skimmed up the Glass Desert. They certainly did move faster. That route would make the trip a matter of weeks instead of months. "No," he said at last, "we’re going to take the scenic route up the east side of the Orkons through the edge of the Deep"
"That’s an old trail," Cadot warned. "Watch out for bandits."
"That’s of no concern," Armegon assured him. "A friend of mine is going with us, and he can handle just about any trouble we run into."
"A warrior eh, or perhaps a warlock?" Mister Cadot frowned. "Never had any use for either, but it’s your company to keep. In any event have a pleasant trip."
Armegon assured him that they would and bade him a hearty farewell. Then he collected Sam and left the mercantile.
"Kind of nosy isn't he," Sam observed as they crossed the street.
"Most villagers are that way," Armegon said. "They all want adventure and excitement, but they’re not willing to give up their comfort to experience it so they experience it through others. It’s somewhat of a symbiotic relationship since when you have someone interested in your tales you can usually coerce them into better prices but..." Armegon realized with a start that Sam probably didn't understand a thing he had just said. "Yes, Sam," Armegon agreed, "he was nosy."
Armegon and Sam rode in the wagon down to the edge of the village to the blacksmith's shop. While Mister Cadot was filling their order, Armegon decided to take Sam to have Ultrecht's metal sleeve placed on his staff. Armegon was very familiar with the dwarf who was polishing the blade of a newly forged timber ax. When the wagon pulled up the dwarf looked up with a grin so big that it appeared as if a crescent moon had taken up residence in his dark beard.
"Welcome Armegon," he called out as he stood and walked out from under the open shelter. The bright afternoon was cool, and the dwarf wore a leather coverall in spite of the heat of the forge.
As they disembarked. The dwarf took a good look at Sam. "Well, who do we have here?"
"This is Sam, my nephew, Aldeban." Armegon looked at Sam, "Sam, this is Aldeban Steelsong."
"Pleased to meet you, sir," Sam said politely.
"And you too master Sam," the dwarf replied likewise. "What can I do for you today?"
Armegon took Sam's tapping staff and retrieved the metal sleeve from the wagon.
"Aldeban, we’d like for you to put this sleeve on this staff."
"I think that can be arranged," Aldeban said as he took the sleeve and inspected it critically. "What’s it for?"
"The boy’s blind," Armegon said. "I’ve been teaching him to defend himself with that staff by sound. But he needs something with a little more punch to it than just a stick."
"That makes sense," the dwarf replied and fitted the compared the sleeve to the end of the staff. "I think we can expand it enough to slip it on. But the fit’s going to be tight enough that we won't have to staple or nail it down."
"That’s the idea," Armegon remarked as he sat on a chair next to some metal tubes.
The blacksmith fitted the sleeve to a pair of tongs and stroked the bellows. "One more question before I start," he said when the coals were white hot and little tongues of blue were creeping upward from their depths. "What kind of enchantment did you put on this thing?"
Armegon was about to deny the presence of an enchantment, when Aldeban cut him off. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. After all it’s your business, I just don't want a latent spell blowing up in my face. It’s also possible that I might depolarize the magic in the forge."
Armegon gave in. "It’s a location spell," he told the craftsman. "That’s so I can locate him if he gets into any trouble."
Aldeban nodded. "That’s a good idea I suppose." He put the metal in the forge. "I always suspected a little magic was in you. I’ve never known anyone with elven blood that wasn't the least bit tangled up in magic." The sleeve had begun to glow a deep red. "Don't worry I won't break the enchantment."
When the sleeve turned bright orange, Aldeban removed it from the forge and quickly placed a gauntlet on one of his hands. He then removed the sleeve from the tongs and worked it onto the staff.
"There," he said. "I didn't want to heat it too much or the silver would have melted. Let it cool slowly, and then polish it with this oil," he recommended as he dug through a cabinet. He removed a flask and passed it to Armegon. "This will enhance the enchantment slightly and make the metal bond to the wood. It was given to me by a druid in exchange for a solid gold sickle. I never did find a use for it until now." The dwarf pushed the hood from Sam's head and pulled down the blindfold before Armegon could stop him.
"Yep, I think this’s the time to use this stuff. You may not be blind, but you are special." The old dwarf ruffled the boy's hair. "Don't worry, Armegon," he said. "Your secret is safe with me."
Armegon struggled to overcome his surprise. "Aldeban you’re a perceptive dwarf. Thank you."
Within the hour Sam and Armegon had picked up their supplies and were back on the road to home. "I like Aldeban," Sam said as he handled his weighted staff.
Armegon smiled. "I do too. I’m going to repay him for his loyalty one of these days."
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