Chapter 6: Chapter 6

It’s funny, I thought as weheaded out the front of the station, how Dorf’s attitude towards magic and steam-tech was actually fairly typical among most people. Oh sure, everyone loved steam-carriages, steam-trains, airships, things of that nature. Those things made people’slives easier, and so they were tolerated and held up as a standard of what us mere mortals could accomplish if we put our minds to it. Technology carried us forward into the future, as one company’sadvertising slogan went.

Now, show those same people crowing about how amazing technology was a pistol, a prosthetic limb, a person who had willingly chosen having their perfectly good eyes removed for artificial ones that saw in the dark and could detect heat sources – and watch how uncomfortable they get, some even averting their eyes or pretending that things like that didn’t happen. Tell them how in some shady parts of our fair city, poor people have their organs harvested so the rich and powerful can keep on living, and just watch the blood drain from their faces. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, as the Gnomes say. And those people really have asweet tooth.

But, as much as technology can seem divisive, both advancing our society and holding it back in equal measures, magic is in a whole other category altogether. Despite what the coppertales and the plays depict, magic is not a be-all end-all solution to all of your problems. Nor does magic do half of the things fiction says it does. Really, if I could just wave my hands and conjure upanything I needed, why would Iwork? Wouldn’t all magic users just make themselves rich living incastles and mansions? I swear, reading some of those stories I’msurprised my eyes didn’t stick in the back of my head I kept rolling them so much.

And don’t get me started ontrying to explain to a layman the difference between a full and apartial caster. It’s like I was speaking another language the few times that I’ve tried! Even Dorf barely understands, and he’s been around it for years! Really, it’s not that difficult. Partial casters are usually self-taught or partaking in a magical tradition that is passed down from parent to child; they can only cast charms or other minor magical spells; and sometimes craft little trinkets that can be used for protection around the house, love potions, things of that nature. Usually I compare it to someone who has learned a few words and phrases in another language; not enough to be fluent, but just enough that it’s apparent they’re making aneffort to speak it.

Full casters are not only capable of speaking that other language like a native, they speak it with such ease it’s like they were born to doso. I’m not even going to get into how many magical traditions there are. Suffice to say, those kids and their questions about what tradition I am only scratched the surface ofpossible combinations. Gods, Dorf was right. Listening to myself ramble on about magic and casters reminds me that I can be apretentious dick about it, like my shit don’t stink. I know it does, I just forget to inhale sometimes, that’sall.

“Hey, Jonas! If we’re gonna head over there, let’s go now before itgets dark. Some of us can’t see in itso well, thank you very much!” Dorf’s voice rang out from in front ofme, and I stopped my daydreaming to realize that he had flagged down one of the old horse-drawn carriages that still hung around the city, his look of a man hanging onto a cliff by his straining fingers as they slipped one by one. He knew his time was over, and yet he still kept fighting. I admired that; I also admired that I wouldn’t have to becrammed into my partner’s steam-carriage, and so I made sure to give the driver an extra silver coin as Iclimbed into the carriage. “You’reloving this, ain’t you?” Dorf grumbled as he slid into the seat infront of me.

“More than you can imagine,” Icouldn’t help but grin before Iinhaled audibly. “Ah! The classics, riding around in a horse-drawn carriage. Don’t you just love the fact that you can breathe without exhaust choking you? I know I do. Go on Dorf, take a big whiff!”

“All I can smell is the cheap gin the driver has on his breath and horse shit,” he mumbled, and I tried my best to stifle my laughter. From the look he shot me, I didn’t do avery good job.

I wiped a tear from my eye, and tried to wipe the grin from my face. “Before you got in, did you tell the driver where we’re headed?”

“Yeah I did, which he just nodded and said he figured as much, since otherwise we wouldn’t have hired him. Doesn’t pick up many fares infront of the station, you know. All inbuddy, let’s get this show on the road!” Dorf barked as he gave two short thumps on the roof. I heard the reins snap, and just like that wewere off. My partner pressed back into his seat as hard as he could, gripping the sides like his life depended on it. It almost seemed like he was whispering prayers, since I saw his lips moving but nosounds were coming out.

“Wait, don’t tell me: Dorf, do you have motion sickness?” I asked, finally seeing the real reason he may not want to ride around like this. “That can’t be it, right?”

“Well, what if I do?” he snarled out before closing his mouth angrily.

“I’ve seen the way you drive, and you drive like a madman! How is itthat you can do that, but the swaying of this carriage makes you want to vomit?”

He clenched his eyes shut tight. “When I drive the steam-carriage, I’m in control. It feels different, and so it doesn’t bother me that much. Here, I have no control over where we’re going and I can’t even see where we’re headed. It’s enough tohave my stomach doing flips.”

“Wow, partner, I had no idea. Truly, I didn’t.” I got quiet for asecond as Dorf just sat there, breathing loudly through his nose. “But, maybe you could try not driving like such an asshole next time? That might make it easier for me to feel bad for you in moments like this.”

“Fuck you,” he said, but he smiled when he said it. I smiled back, and then let him be. Me, I was enjoying the gentle back and forth of the carriage as it rolled down the street. They all used to be cobblestone lined, but after the rise of the steam-carriage as the vehicle ofchoice, all the roads got replaced with this new substance called concrete. Definitely made the ride smoother, in my opinion. Plus, from my earliest memories, I had always loved the smell of horses, and hearing them whinny took me back to a happier, simpler time.

Riding around this way you got to see more of the city than if you were rocketing around corners and down streets. Granted, today was agood day and the sun had managed to burn off most of the smog clouds that were emitted by our illustrious factories running night and day, but still…I looked out the window and watched the citizens going about their lives. It was my honest wish that I never had to meet most ofthem, since most of the time that meant either they were guilty of acrime, or I had to be the bearer ofbad news that someone they knew was the victim of one. Most people weren’t happy to see a detective, that’s for sure.

All too soon, my musings were interrupted as the carriage slowed down and the hairs on my arm stood on end. That much magic being used always added a charge to the atmosphere, another reason why steam-tech was forbidden from being used here. Too much power could cause some devices toexplode, after all. This meant wemust be approaching the entrance to the Arcane Market, which would be too narrow for the carriage todrive down. Plus, we didn’t actually have an official destination in mind, so we’d have to hoof it up and down the Market looking for what weneeded to find.

Once we stopped, I opened the door just in time for Dorf to throw himself out of the carriage and hurl up whatever he had grabbed for breakfast. That reminded me, I still needed to eat, I thought as mypartner tried his best to puke his guts out. Seeing stuff like that never bothered me, which was a plus inour line of work. And, my time at the Academy taught me that you ate when you could, slept when you had the chance, and never took for granted that you would live to see the next day. Ignoring Dorf, I handed the driver another silver and pulled out an apple from my duster for the horse. Both appeared grateful, and with a tip of his hat, the driver wheeled his carriage around and went off in search of more fares.

Standing up, Dorf took out ahandkerchief from his coat pocket and wiped his mouth off. Seeing how gross that looked, he grimaced and threw it in the nearest trash receptacle before pulling out his flask and rinsing his mouth out. “Ugh, that’s worse than the time Ihad worked up the nerve to ask Gregory out and consumed some liquid courage. Years later and I can still taste it. Let me tell you, Naga vodka tastes just as bad coming upas it did going down.” Shaking his head, he put his flask away. “So, any bright ideas where to start our search, Jonas?”

I shook my head. “I figured wecould start by paying our respects toMama Crea.”

Dorf paled even more. “Wow, you don’t mess around, do you? Gotta visit the scariest and craziest person here right off the bat, yeah?”

Scowling at him, I shushed him while I lowered my voice. “Keep your insults to yourself, OK? She’sbasically the mayor of the Market, and she’s our best chance of not wandering around all day and night hoping that we stumble upon someone who can help us! Or doyou have a better plan?” I hissed athim.

Pride and street smarts had awar on my partner’s face, but thankfully smarts won out and helowered his voice before replying. Iknew he didn’t like the old half-Giant, but bad mouthing her here inthis place could cause us trouble wedidn’t need to go looking for. “No, and you’re right. That’s as good aplace as any to start. Let’s go.” Helet me lead the way, knowing that my senses would be more likely todetect anything wrong before his would. It’s not weakness to admit when someone does something better than you, and after years ofworking together we had established a pattern to our investigations. Dorf handled the dirty work, and I handled the tech and the magic, even though I knew just about as much about steam-tech as he did, probably less.

Before we could enter the Arcane Market, we both had to pass under the Detection Arch. Long ago, somebody had created this gold and silver filigreed stone arch that passed over our heads. Any mundane that walked under it didn’tcause any reaction in the slightest. Apartial caster would cause it to glow a soft silver color, and a full practioner such as myself would cause it to light up bright golden. Supposedly, it was designed for the magic community’s protection, to let everyone know when a mundane was walking around. Me personally, I thought it was so more shady characters could try to pass off cheap junk and knock-offs tounwary shoppers, but then again I’ma bit more suspicious of my magical brethren. Past experiences and whatnot.

We both passed through, and like I mentioned it didn’t react toDorf at all and it lit up golden when I walked under it. My partner pulled his hat down tight as if he was preparing for battle, and with asmirk I lead us down the entrance into the Arcane Market, steeling myself for our meeting with the eclectic and ancient –for a half-Giant, that is- Mama Crea.