Amalyn and the Owl

Amalyn awoke in a stable, sprawled uncomfortably on her sword in a pile of hay. Her horse, Uli, stared at her from above, a concerned look on his upside-down face.

“Don’t judge me, Uli,” she said, sitting up and shaking the hay out of her tangled brown hair. “Some people won’t trust you until you have a drink with them. Or three or four. I didn’t start the custom. Anyway, it looks like we got a job out of it.”

She picked up her satchel, and Uli nudged it with his nose.

“You know we don’t have any apples. They cost money. I can barely afford your feed.”

Uli neighed dejectedly.

“We can get some after this job. I’ll get you a whole sack of apples. This one’s going to be a lot of money.”

The horse just stared at the satchel.

“Don’t be like that. I’m trying.”

She hoisted the saddle onto his back and led him out of the stall. “Come on, Uli. Let’s go see if the job is real.”

The man in the tavern had told her to meet the village blacksmith around midday. He didn’t give a name or location, but blacksmiths weren’t generally difficult to find. You just follow the clanking. This particular blacksmith was a bald, burly fellow with a massive, curly red beard. He was chomping on an apple, chunks of which were stuck to the beard.

Uli whinnied longingly.

“Settle down,” whispered Amalyn.

“You’re Amalyn? The king’s mercenary?” said the blacksmith as she rode up to his workbench.

“Is that what they’re calling me?”

“Among other things. Answer the question, child. You're in the king's employ?”

“Yes. Off and on, when he pays enough, or when he can blackmail me into it. Otherwise I prefer to stay as far from the palace as possible.”

“No love for the king. Good. This job shouldn’t bother you, then.”

“And what is this job? Your scruffy friend in the tavern said it was a delivery, but wouldn’t say what it was.”

“Good on him. Better not to call too much attention to this particular package. Not if you don’t want a lot of unfriendly folk after you.”

Great, thought Amalyn. So much for the easy delivery job. “What folk? The king’s folk?”

“The less you know the better. Just be on your guard.”

“He said 100 gold,” said Amalyn, climbing down from her horse.

“10 now, 90 after delivery.”

“And what is my destination?”

“The Castle Raznid.”

“You mean the castle of the wizard Raznid.”

“That’s right, child.”

Child, she thought, says the man hiring me to do the dirty work. “I don’t much care for wizards. Even ones who went and got themselves banished from the Council.”

“So I’ve heard. Don’t care for the king, don’t care for the wizards…you care for the gold, yes?”

“Yes. Fine. What am I delivering?”

“Stay here.” The blacksmith disappeared into his hut for a few minutes and emerged with a domed, brass cage. In the cage was a small, fluffy creature, white with a gold-speckled back.

“A barn owl,” said Amalyn incredulously.

“Oooo, that he is, but a clever one,” he said, handing her the cage. “Don’t take your eyes off him, and don’t let him get in your head.”

“What?” she said, holding up the cage to get a good look at the owl.

He peered back innocently.

“He’ll try to talk you into letting him go,” said the blacksmith. “Ignore him. He’s all lies.”

The owl shook his feathers, but said nothing.

“So you need me to deliver a talking owl…”

“Yes.”

“…to a wizard.”

“Old Raznid put a bounty on his head.”

“How big a bounty?”

The blacksmith hesitated. “120 gold.”

“Liar.”

“No more questions. Just take him to Raznid. If it makes you feel better, you’re not working for the wizard. You’re working for Dakkar.”

“What?” said Amalyn, nearly dropping the cage. “Are you serious?” Dakkar wasn’t the head of some quaint guild of couriers. He was a very dangerous man—an underworld boss whose circle was difficult to get out of once one was in it. “Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I thought you ought to know that if you begin this delivery and don’t finish it, you’ll be dead by the end of the week.”

“And you think that makes me more likely to agree to this?”

“Just putting the cards on the table, child. Making sure you know what will happen if you start feeling sorry for the little bugger and…make an unfortunate choice.”

This is a really, really bad idea, thought Amalyn. She considered asking for more gold, but she’d heard that’s not a good idea with Dakkar’s people. Dakkar—why would he be involved in something like this?

“I’m not sure if I want to work for the likes of Dakkar,” she said. “I’m not that desperate.”

“Oh, and you think you’re better than him?” he said. “Or any of us, for that matter? I’ve heard the sort of work you’ve done for the king. Far worse than smuggling some animal. And the king’ll chop your head off just as quick as Dakkar if you don’t do as he pleases.”

If he remembers to, the daft bugger, thought Amalyn. At least with the king you’ve got a good chance to trick your way out of a beheading.

“It doesn’t pay to go having a conscience in this world,” said the blacksmith, brushing the bits out of his beard. “We do what we have to do to survive. Even outcast wizard spawn such as yourself.”

Amalyn squinted. “What did you say?” But her spiking anger was interrupted by a voice behind her.

“You!” said the voice. Amalyn winced--the stable master.

“What do you want, you old fool?” said the blacksmith.

“This wretched wench rented me stable for the night and snuck out without paying, she did!”

“I didn’t ‘sneak out,’” said Amalyn. “I was just getting your—”

“I’ll call the constables!” said the stable master.

“I’ll tell you what,” said Amalyn to the blacksmith. “Pay this fool right now and throw in some apples for my horse and I’ll deliver the damn owl.”

Raznid’s castle was a half day’s ride into the hills to the north. The sky was overcast, and the cold of the wind was beginning to sting. Amalyn had strapped the owl’s cage to the front of Uli’s saddle, and they could go no faster than a light trot without fear of rattling the little creature to death. But at least it made it for a peaceful beginning to the trip. Amalyn was beginning to think that maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. They made it a half hour down the road before…

“What did he mean by wizard spawn?” said the owl. His voice was tinny and a bit jolly. He reminded her of the king's jester, and she half expected him to break into song.

“What?” said Amalyn.

“The blacksmith. Why did he say that?”

“That’s the first thing you say?” said Amalyn. “I thought you’d offer to grant me wishes or something.”

“Wishes? What do you mean?”

“To let you go.”

The owl shook his head. “I can’t do anything like that. I’m not magical.”

“Says the talking owl.”

“I mean I have no command of magic. Unlike you, from what I gather.”

“What are you talking about?” said Amalyn, suddenly wishing she’d strapped the owl’s cage to the back of the horse. “I’m just a courier.”

“I know a magical being when I see one,” said the owl. “You reek of magic. As much as…him.”

“You mean old Rancid?”

“Raznid, but…yes. So, what’s the story? You used to be a wizard?”

“Absolutely not. Women aren’t allowed to be wizards. But I’m sure you knew that.”

“Just because they won’t call you a wizard doesn’t mean you aren’t one.”

“Well, I’m not. I’m nothing like a damn wizard.”

“Even though you’re gifted in the magical arts?”

“Now you’re just guessing.”

“Are you?”

“If I were gifted at digging up truffles, would I be a pig?”

Morrie cocked his head to one side. “Um…I don’t...”

“What’s your name, owl?”

“Raznid named me Morrie.”

“You prefer something else?”

“Yes, I prefer to be set free.”

Amalyn sighed. “Sorry, but…see that door on your cage? No clasp, which means it’s sealed with a spell. It would take a wizard to unlock it. You’re just going to have to wait.”

The little owl somehow gave the impression of a smirk. “I bet you know how to open it.”

Amalyn glared at him. “Well, Morrie, I was planning on getting through this trip with as little talking as possible, so, if you don’t mind…”

“You’re delivering me to my doom,” said Morrie. “The least you can do is keep me company.”

“What are you on about now?”

“Raznid is going to kill me when I get back.”

“Why, for escaping? Why would he pay to have you returned just to kill you when you got back.”

“Oh, he won’t kill me right away. He’ll torture me first until I tell him what he wants to know, and then he’ll kill me. I’m no warrior, though. Shouldn’t take him long.”

“And what kinds of things would he want to know?”

The owl stared at Amalyn for a moment as if trying to read her eyes, then shook out his feathers and turned his gold-speckled back to her. “I can’t tell you.”

“Fine,” said Amalyn. “I already told you I didn’t want to talk.”

“He sent me on a mission to find something,” said Morrie, turning to face her again. “And he’ll want to know whether I did.”

“Did you?”

“…Maybe.”

“And what was it he wanted you to find?”

“I really can’t tell you that. You think you’re in danger now—Raznid would rip the world apart to find the book.”

“Book? What book?”

“I don’t know why you keep asking. I’m not going to tell you anything.”

“Fine,” said Amalyn.

The owl made it five minutes before speaking again. “It’s a particularly dangerous book.”

“Yes, well, knowledge can be a dangerous thing.”

“It is when you can destroy the world with it.”

Uli whinnied and shook his head.

“Calm down,” she said to the horse. Then, to the owl, “You’re saying a book can destroy the world?”

“I’m saying Raznid can use the book to change the face of the Earth, destroying the world as we know it. That’s why you have to let me go. Because I did find it, and if you take me back to him he’ll get its location out of me, and I can’t let that happen. Neither can you.”

“Sure I can. If the world went to hell I’m not sure I’d notice the difference. And you can stop talking anytime now.”

Uli reared back his head and neighed indignantly.

“Uli, what’s gotten into you?” she said.

“I just thought you might want to know what your real job is,” said Morrie.

“My job is to return you to where you ran away from.”

“No matter what the consequences?”

“The consequences are that I won’t have to listen to you chatter anymore.”

And Uli stopped in his tracks in the middle of the road.

“What?” said Amalyn. “No. No, Uli, come on. Don’t do this.”

But Uli wouldn’t budge.

“Is something the matter with your horse?” said Morrie.

“Yes, he’s moody,” said Amalyn. “Come on, Uli, I’m sorry. You know we don’t have a choice.”

“Am I missing something?” said Morrie.

“He does this sometimes. Please, Uli?”

The horse lowered his head and grunted.

“Come on, we’ve got to leave him for a while.” Amalyn dismounted, shouldered her satchel, took a blanket from the back of the saddle, and unstrapped the cage.

“You’re just going to carry me?”

“No choice. Not until Uli cools down.”

“If it makes it easier, you can let me out and I can just perch on your shoulder.”

“Good one.” Amalyn hoisted the cage onto her shoulder and walked off the road towards the woods—better to stay out of sight while she’s on foot.

“Uli’s just going to stay there?”

“He’ll start following us after a while. He’s not a complete lunatic.”

Several hours later Amalyn was still on foot, deep into the hills. No sign of Uli. Her feet felt like they were bleeding. She hoped they weren’t. “We need to camp here. It’ll be dark soon, and I’m exhausted.”

“Are you sure you’ll make your delivery on time?” said the owl.

“What’s Raznid going to do, turn us away?” she said, setting down the cage. “Anyway, I can’t protect either one of us if I can’t lift my arms.”

“So you’re protecting me now.”

“Please don’t start.”

Morrie stared at the ground.

“Look,” she said, pulling the blanket from around her shoulders and spreading it on a flat patch of grass in front of the cage, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” said Morrie, his head still down.

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you. And…I know this isn’t fair. I know it’s not…right.”

“Thank you, but…that doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.”

“Maybe Raznid won’t punish you too badly.“

“Yes, maybe he’ll only gently torture me until I tell him where the book is.”

“There’s nothing I can do. I don’t have a choice.”

“You could let me go. That’s a choice.”

“You know I can’t.”

“I’ll find some way to pay you myself. I’ll bring you…rats, or something.”

Amalyn spit up a laugh. He was probably serious. After all, what use would an owl have for gold? Rats are food, aren't they? “It’s not that simple, Morrie. The people who hired me...they’re…beyond ruthless. You don’t back out of a job with Dakkar and live to see your next tavern crawl. They’ll kill me before the week is out.”

“Yes, I heard. Why on earth did you take the job, then?”

“Well, I…I was getting desperate. Work is scarce. Uli and I have barely eaten all week. With this much money I could...” Amalyn caught the owl's eye and couldn't finish. She could only imagine how she sounded to the one who was on his way to the gallows.

“Well, then I’m sorry. You’ve got the same choice I had to make, and I don’t envy you.”

Amalyn knew the owl was right, but didn’t say anything. She could tell he wasn’t lying about any of this. He was good and he was right and his damned moral compass was going to lead to her demise if she wasn’t careful. Her world didn’t work that way. There was no right or wrong in her life. Yes, Dakkar was a thief and a murderer, but so were the king and his soldiers and every damned wizard in the Hall of Wizards, and what does it mean to take a stand when there’s no one to stand with and who the hell has ever been on her side anyway and—

“Was your father a wizard?”

“What?” said Amalyn, trying to hide what felt like a gut punch.

“I still want to know what the blacksmith meant by ‘wizard spawn.’ As you said, women aren’t allowed to be wizards, so…”

“Yes, he was. He is. Are you happy?”

“Sorry, I just…why do you hate wizards if wizards are your family?”

“Family? There was no family. My father abandoned me and my mother.”

“Why?”

Amalyn wiped a tear from her eye. She couldn’t believe she was spilling her guts to an owl. “Because the Council of Wizards made him. He wasn’t supposed to have a child with…”

“Yes?”

“With a servant. The Council of Wizards made him choose between the wizards and us—my mother and me. And…he didn’t choose us.”

“I’m sorry, Amalyn,” said Morrie, lowering his head. “I’d hate the wizards, too.”

“Are you going to remind me now that I’m about to hand you over to the worst of them?”

“No.” He clawed the bottom of the cage aimlessly. “Do you have any food? Or water?”

“Yes. I have some dried beef, and…here.” She opened her waterskin and poured some into the owl’s open beak. Then she tore off a bit of the beef and slid it into his cage.

“Thank you. I haven’t eaten in a week.”

“The blacksmith didn’t feed you?”

“No, he was…cruel. He thought he could get me to tell him where the book was.”

Amalyn stared up at the sunless sky and tried not to think of what the bastard did to the little owl to try to get him to talk. She took a swig of water and closed her eyes. “You’re an amazing creature, Morrie.”

“You as well. I wish we had more time.”

“Yes, well…I need to get some sleep.” She pulled the blanket around her as she turned over to face away from the owl.

“Maybe he regrets it,” said Morrie.

“Huh?”

“Your father. Maybe he regrets what he did. You should talk to him.”

It’s too damn cold to fall asleep crying, thought Amalyn. She muttered a quick shielding spell and waited to fall asleep.

Amalyn awoke to the sound of shouting and stomping and clanking metal.

“She’s awake! Get the owl!” someone shouted.

“Amalyn!” screamed Morrie.

She rolled over and sprang to her feet painfully as something heavy ripped into the grass next to her. Morrie’s cage was in the same place she’d left it, but she was surrounded by five soldiers—the king’s soldiers, from the looks of the blue-tinged platemail.

Amalyn had time to draw her sword and block an overhead swing from the soldier in front of her before something heavy hit the back of her head. She landed face down on her blanket before blacking out.

She awoke again to something warm nudging her cheek. Then a whinny…

“Uli?” she said, opening her eyes to the see her horse staring her in the face. “I missed you, you flighty bastard.” She tried to push herself up, but she was still dizzy from the blow to her head. She grabbed Uli’s harness and managed to pull herself to her feet.

She scanned the area--they'd left her for dead and taken the owl. That was it. She was done.

Apart from her head she didn’t find any serious wounds. She looked up to see a few stars between the clouds. How long had she been out? What difference did it make? If those were the king’s guards, then they’d been sent to keep the owl from getting to Raznid. Maybe I’m supposed to lose here, she thought. Maybe this is the way it’s supposed to end.

“Uli…am I a villain?” she said, resting her forehead against his neck. “Did I turn bad somewhere?”

The horse bit the sleeve of her tunic and pulled.

“What? I don’t—”

He swung his head back, motioning her somewhere.

“Uli, there’s nowhere to go. I don’t know where they’ve gone, and they've got to be miles away by now.”

But he pulled at her sleeve again until she took the hint and pulled herself onto the saddle.

“What are we doing, Uli?” She held on to his neck as he rode over the moonlit hills until she could see a faint patch of yellow light in the distance. A camp. “You followed them?! Uli, you’re a genius! I am going to get you all of the apples in the kingdom.”

She slowed him to a trot as they approached the camp, then dismounted a few hundred yards away. “Stay here, Uli,” she said, patting him on the nose. “I’ll be back soon.”

It was still five against one, but this time she had the advantage. She crept close enough to see that two of them were awake, but neither was keeping watch. They were sitting in front of the fire, drinking mead. Idiots. The other three were sleeping off to the side. Amalyn had the beginnings of a plan, and Morrie’s cage was far enough away from the fire that it might actually work.

She drew her sword quietly at the edge of the camp and scanned the clearing once more. Morrie was staring right at her from his cage. Right, she thought. Owls can see in the dark. She wondered if he would alert them. After all, she was about to steal him back from the “good guys.” But he just stared, as if waiting to see what she would do. Here goes.

She muttered a quick spell, exploding the fire into sparks and stunning the two soldiers, who were probably half passed out already. The blast showered ash onto the three who were sleeping, jolting them awake. She ran into the clearing and managed to knock out the closest one with the hilt of her sword before the other two jumped to their feet and drew on her.

“Drop your sword!” said the one to her left.

She would have felt better about facing two hardened soldiers if she weren’t still dizzy from the head wound. But she had no choice. They were advancing. She needed the right spell, but she couldn’t think clearly…

Then a small but commanding voice rattled through the clearing, stopping the soldiers in their tracks. An incantation…or at least something meant to sound like one. Dramatic gibberish. Something about raining down lightning.

“The owl!” said one soldier to the other. “Can he do that?”

“It’s Raznid!” said the other. “He’s speaking through the owl! He’s going to—”

Amalyn, who had been watching the soldiers’ terror in amusement, saw her opportunity. She mumbled a quick spell that sent a jolt of electricity through their swords, which they dropped swiftly. She watched the two run away into the darkness, and then turned to Morrie. “You crafty little imp!”

“You looked like you needed help. Also…I thought you were dead!” said Morrie, hopping from one foot to the other in his cage.

“I feel dead. I probably need to sleep for a few days. And hopefully wake back up.”

“Well, we can’t be far now. You’re almost done.”

“Too right,” she said, sitting on the ground in front of him and steadying herself against the cage.

“Amalyn…I know you haven’t been given much of a choice. I know you’ve got to turn me in, but…I need you to do me a favor. After you leave me with Raznid, I need you to go to the Council of Wizards and let them know that he’ll have the location of the book soon, and that they need to get to it first.”

Amalyn rested her forehead against the cage. “Morrie—”

“Tell them that the book is in a tomb at the bottom of a cave in the Barren Hills.” He leaned forward in the cage and stared at her gravely. “Please. I’m trusting you, Amalyn.”

“Tell them yourself, you idiot.”

“I wouldn’t be telling you this if I…wait, what?”

Amalyn muttered a few words and touched the door of the cage with her palm. The owl watched as it swung wide.

“Amalyn!”

“I’ve decided that certain death is preferable to enduring your guilt-tripping for the rest of the way.”

“I knew it,” he said, squeezing his feathers through the opening. “I knew you were decent.”

“You should go,” she said, pushing herself to her feet painfully. “Get to the woods before those two bring back reinforcements.”

Morrie fluttered up to perch on Uli’s saddle. “But…I don’t understand why you came back. Those were the king’s soldiers. Why did you…you know.”

“Rescue you from your rescuers?”

“Well, yes. Why bother risking your life just let me go?”

“You wouldn’t have been been much better off with the king than with Raznid. Once you’d told him where the book was, he would have just put you to death so that you couldn’t tell anyone else. If he’d given you to the wizards, they’d have probably done the same thing. At best you would have been locked in a cage for the rest of your life.”

“But Raznid still wouldn’t have had the book, and they’d be mobilizing against him. The kingdom would have been safe. For now, at least.”

Amalyn said nothing.

“You were worried about me,” said Morrie with his smirking tone.

“No! I just thought…maybe I’d get your message to the wizards myself, and you could just go be an owl somewhere. I’d say you’ve suffered enough, little imp.”

“I am touched. What are you going to do about Dakkar.”

“Even he’s afraid of the wizards.”

“You’re…going to make a deal with them?”

Amalyn smiled. “You told me where the book is. I’ve got leverage.”

“That sounds risky.”

“They wouldn’t do anything to me. They’re swine, but they’re good at following their own rules. And their rules say I’m part of their domain, whether they like it or not. They’ll protect me from Dakkar. Especially since…you know.”

“Your father. So he’s still among them?”

Amalyn sighed. “Yes.”

“While you’re there, if you have time…”

“We’ll see. What are you going to do?”

“I am going to go and find the biggest rat I can possibly find.”

“Oh! Well—”

“Right now,” said the owl. “I’ve never been so hungry in my life.”

Amalyn was as hungry as she’d ever been as well, but the thought of eating a rat still made her queasy. “Well, then, I should probably…”

“Thank you, Amalyn. When all of this has blown over, I’ll come visit you.”

“Yes, that would be...nice,” she said, patting the owl’s head.

“I’ll bring you a rat.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to—”

“I’ll bring you loads of rats!” he said, taking to the sky.

“There’s really no need!” she shouted after him as he disappeared into the stars with a screech.

“Well, Uli,” she said, putting her arm around the horse’s neck, “we’ve got to go see the wizards. Or should we go find that book first?”

Uli reared his head approvingly.

“I’m dying to find out what all the fuss is about. First things first, though. Let’s see if these soldiers had any apples.”