New Home and New Ideas

Breeze City.

Like Pleasant Valley, where blizzards raged all day, this city was swept day and night by bitter winds from the Snow Mountains, blowing across the forests and plains at their feet.

A gentle breeze was merely a fond wish of this northern city's residents. One telling sign: Breeze City had several times as many people with rheumatism as other towns.

Andrew Luna met Annan and the others outside the city gate and brought them to the neighborhood where the Morning Breeze Inn stood.

Annan spotted a familiar figure. Just as at the Haunted Gold Mine, the man had a cane and a limp.

"You know him?"

"Yes. From Pinglin Town."

Annan briefly recounted Old Zoran's pursuit of his dream at the gold mine. In some ways, the man had been far luckier than he was...

"We call Old Zoran 'Druid' because his cane is always moldy and green, and because he can 'prophesy.'"

It was pure coincidence. Who would have guessed that Annan's former "boss" at the Haunted Gold Mine lived on this very street? He was even the neighborhood patrolman.

"Prophesy?"

"Whenever the weather's about to change, Old Zoran's bad leg starts hurting." Andrew Luna shared the local curiosity. "He's never been wrong."

"What's a patrolman?"

"Something like a Street Sweeper. He checks the street for rats."

Andrew Luna greeted Old Zoran, who responded warmly. But when he saw Annan beside him, he hesitated. He recognized Annan and Martin, yet the mage's robe and Annan's much-improved looks left him unsure.

"Uncle Holin asked me to give you his regards," Annan said politely.

Though Uncle Holin had no idea Old Zoran was here.

"Annan's a Sorcerer now. He'll be staying in our neighborhood for a while," Andrew Luna said.

"So it really is... you." Old Zoran's already bent back bowed a little lower. Thank goodness he had never bullied the two cousins... apart from that business with the sour peas.

Martin suddenly asked, "How come I never heard Uncle Holin say that?"

An awkward silence fell.

Andrew Luna smoothed things over, took his leave of Old Zoran, and led them to their temporary lodging—an attic beside the Morning Breeze Inn.

The basement was a wine cellar belonging to the female Dwarf beside them. The ground floor was a spinning mill, the second floor a warehouse, and above that was the attic.

Soluman Copperbeard was even wealthier than Annan had imagined. Unfortunately, she did not like his type.

The mill was running when they arrived. The women gathered around bulky, ponderous spinning machines, making cotton thread like spiders spewing silk.

Annan climbed the rickety wooden stairs and looked at the women sneaking glances at him, though his interest was nothing like theirs... Watching the slow, heavy spinning wheels at work, Annan, whose mind was full of ways to make money, suddenly thought of a name: the Spinning Jenny.

The creak of the spinning wheels grew muffled and faint as they reached the second floor. Using it as a warehouse sounded odd, but Annan saw a passage running through it to the neighboring inn.

At last they reached the attic. Its sloping roof made it feel both empty and cramped, and a thick layer of dust covered everything.

Living in a place like this was undoubtedly an insult to a spellcaster. But Annan had just had a brilliant idea, and even the dust stirred into the air seemed as fragrant as pollen.

Everything was perfect.

Getting in and out of a third-floor attic was a nuisance—but most of the surrounding buildings were homes of only two stories, giving it a view across a broad stretch of low rooftops;

The attic had bay windows only at either end—one faced the Snow Mountains and the other the Mage Tower, offering splendid views in both directions;

The noisy inn was right next door—and Andrew Luna, a friend of Faster and the others and a professional guard, was there. Safety was no concern.

Andrew Luna had worried that the young Sorcerer might dislike this temporary home. Instead, he found Annan looking positively delighted...

With an attitude like that, no wonder even Faster, who had lost his drive, wanted to help him.

Annan's lodging was settled. Martin was next.

Soluman Copperbeard suggested that Martin work at the Morning Breeze Inn. Andrew Luna thought it over and agreed. "You worked at Faster's inn before? Then come work here. Meals and lodging are included, and I promise nobody will dare bully you."

"What's the pay?" That was what Martin cared about most.

Annan also spoke up for his "cousin." "Martin gave up the chance to become Mr. Fast's apprentice to protect me."

Andrew Luna smiled. "Hmm... how about one silver coin a week to start? You keep your tips, and if you do well, you can get a raise."

Better pay, room and board, and tips—Martin had no reason to refuse.

"This place needs cleaning. Copperbeard, take them out to buy a few things first."

"We still have some luggage in the carriage," Annan said.

"I'll take care of it."

The female Dwarf beckoned to Annan and Martin. "Come on, boys. Let me show you the sights."

Annan had seen Breeze City's streets before, but for Martin, who had spent over a decade in Pinglin Town, everything was new. Passersby took one look at him and seemed to think, Another country boy. Then they noticed Annan in his mage's robe and hurriedly looked away.

Mages were not usually easy to recognize, but a Sorcerer's looks and bearing left a lasting impression.

"What do you want to buy?"

Soluman Copperbeard moved through the city like a local. In Pinglin Town, she had kept herself shut in her cellar. Whenever she went out, townspeople stared at her, whether out of curiosity or ignorance.

The people of Breeze City had long since grown used to other races—though they also knew to hide their prejudice.

"Magic scrolls."

"You know I can't pay for those."

"Then I don't need anything." Annan turned to Martin. "What do you want?"

"I'm starving."

So the female Dwarf took them to a restaurant.

Annan ordered mashed potatoes and vegetables. Then it was Martin's turn.

"Two orders of mashed potatoes, a large pumpkin pie, a steak with extra sauce, tomato soup, two pieces of toast, and cheese on one of them."

Annan, the customers in line, and Soluman Copperbeard, who was about to pay, all turned to stare.

"...And a chestnut cream cake, a glass of blueberry juice, and a hash brown."

"Can you eat all that?" Annan could not help asking.

"I threw up a lot in the carriage."

Dozens of minutes later, Annan and the female Dwarf returned to the Morning Breeze Inn with Martin, who was cradling his bulging stomach.

After getting Martin settled, Annan took the spider back to its old haunt.

It did not seem to recognize the place at all, nor did it show any desire to crawl out of its glass jar, where it had woven a layer of webbing.

Coming from the inn's second floor into the warehouse, Annan asked Andrew Luna, "Do all the spinning mills here use machines like the ones downstairs?"

"I think so."

"Those are quite old." Soluman Copperbeard knew her neighbor's business better. She said the newest spinning machines worked almost twice as fast as those.

Even so, they were still several times slower than the Spinning Jenny.