Sweetmeat

Thanks everyone, for the feedback so far. This is my first novel and I appreciate the kind words.

After leaving the library, Sayer found himself in the central quad of the academy campus. He could see half a dozen buildings around which were probably various lecture halls and dormitories. The whole campus was surrounded by a 10-foot-high brick wall with the only obvious exit being a wrought iron gate. He could see a couple of shadowy figures moving around under a lamp in the distance. No doubt they were prefects that the silver-haired girl mentioned. 

At first glance, Saint Augustine Academy seemed to be a surprisingly normal school. In the middle of the night it was almost completely deserted. Sayer could easily avoid being seen so long as he stuck to the shadows. The only real issue was how would he get over the wall? And even once he did so, where exactly should he go?

It was obviously magic created by the book that brought him here. From his reading he knew that magic users in this world were called sorcerers, but he really didn’t know any details about how it worked and what kinds of power they wielded. He could try finding a sorcerer and asking if they had a way to send him back to his world, but that didn’t seem reasonable. Even assuming he found a sorcerer and they had the power to help, why would they? They had no incentive to help him. They could just as easily dissect and study the freak from a parallel universe.

These were all problems for later. Right now Sayer had more immediate issues. Because he was wearing modern clothes from Earth, he was bound to draw attention no matter where he went. Sayer decided his first steps should be to leave the academy, get some clothing that would let him blend in, and find a place to stay for the night.

—

After some time spent searching, Sayer found a tree that was growing close to the perimeter wall. Maybe he would be able to use it to cross over. With some straining, he managed to shimmy his way up the tree and then carefully edged his way along a branch to get as close as possible. He was still a meter or so away, so he psyched himself up and then made the leap. 

The end of the branch snapped just as Sayer flung himself towards the wall. He managed to touch his fingertips to the lip, but instantly lost his grip and tumbled back to the ground. The impact knocked all the wind out of his lungs. 

As Sayer laid on the ground wincing, he had a self-deprecating smirk. For a moment there, he almost believed he was an action hero or something.

There wasn’t much time for introspection, however. He soon heard a soft humming sound that was drawing nearer. Sayer rolled over onto his front and then crawled into some nearby bushes. All he could do was pray that whatever it was hadn’t already heard his antics.

Sayer hid as best as he could and spied on a figure approaching in the darkness.

What he saw was a middle-aged woman in a long blue robe. She had a hooded shawl covering her, but when she faced his way Sayer could see her eyes were covered by a blindfold. She had one hand raised and it gave off an eerie red glow. Floating a few inches above that hand, was a human eyeball. The eye dripped with sinew hanging behind it as if it had been freshly plucked from its socket. This eye was the source of the humming sound as it hovered there.

She gestured with her fingers and the eye seemed to respond to her command. It floated away and circled around the tree he had been climbing a few moments ago, searching. It then returned back to the woman’s hand to relay to her what it had seen.

Sayer held his breath and kept absolutely still. After his exchange with the girl in the library, he had subconsciously started to believe that this world wasn’t as dangerous as he was first expecting. But now he didn’t dare to be frivolous any longer.

The seconds ticked by slowly until the woman finally continued further along the wall to continue her search. Sayer exhaled the breath he was keeping in, but he still didn’t move from his hiding spot. He refused to move an inch until he was certain that the woman wouldn’t return, and only then finally crawled out from the bushes.

Was that one of the ‘prefects’ the library girl mentioned so casually? He was expecting a strict older sister, not a creepy justice from hell!

Sayer moved with a lot more urgency than before. Despite his ribs still hurting from his fall, he was soon back up in the tree for another attempt. This time after he flung himself, he got a good enough grip to hang from the wall. With one final burst of strength, he lifted himself enough to roll over the top.

Carefully lowering himself down on the other side, he dropped the few remaining feet. Sayer landed on a stone footpath to the side of a cobble street. He could see blocks of steep-roofed buildings and gas lampposts at every corner. 

The scene looked like it could be found in Victorian era London, however on closer inspection many of the buildings didn’t quite match that aesthetic. The architecture also incorporated elements such as gothic pointed arches and towering spires. One stone edifice even had an exquisitely detailed gargoyle perching above its entrance. Sayer made a mental note to give a wide berth to that door.

This street was even more desolate than the academy. To be fair, with the possibility of wandering into someone like that prefect in the dark, Sayer could understand Melogos’ lack of a flourishing nightlife. 

He quickly ran across the street and ducked into an alley. It was better not to stand in the open. Sayer planned to get away from this area and find somewhere to stay as soon as possible. That meant he would need money to rent a room. Sayer had a solution in mind, but it would require him to meet at least one more local during the night.

—

The academy was located in an upper class area of the residential side of Melogos. This area was separated from the seedier and industrial parts of the city by an artificial waterway that cut right through the center. There was only a single bridge that connected the two halves.

Sayer knew he could never afford a room on the nice side of the city. Instead he crossed the bridge and searched around for the dirtiest, most rundown part of town he could find. He eventually came to a street that was a combination of low income housing for dock workers and a redlight district. 

Unlike the empty streets near the academy, here there were occasionally people that could be seen out late. There were even a couple businesses with the lights still on. One was a pawnbroker that caught Sayer’s eye.

Inside he found a grungy storefront with paint chipping off the walls. The shelves were filled with a random assortment of second-hand items, chaotically displayed without any rhyme or reason. A fine china set, a cane with the handle carved to look like an eagle, and a viola that was missing the tuning pegs all sat side by side. 

A tall man with a curly cue mustache and a tophat stood behind a counter. He wore a maroon suitcoat over a plaid vest. His eyes met Sayer’s and he beamed a greasy smile that showed off some wooden teeth.

“Oh a new face! Doing a little late night shopping, I see. Or perhaps you’re in need of a loan?”

Sayer felt goosebumps rise on skin as the pawnbroker’s words slithered into his ears. He shook his head and stepped forward to the countertop.

“Neither, I’ve got something I’m looking to sell.”

He took the watch off his wrist and placed it before the man. This watch wasn’t anything precious, but it was a modern piece of craftsmanship that was most likely unique in this world. Molly gave Sayer this watch as a gift last year. He would have never considered selling it a few days ago, but now he was almost glad to be rid of it.

The pawnbroker’s eyes flicked down to the watch with interest. He immediately picked it up to inspect closely without ceremony. Of course a man in his business had seen hundreds of timepieces before, but this one was a little strange. He couldn’t figure out how to wind it. Come to think of it, everything this new customer of his was wearing was strange too.

“Ah, it’s truly a work of beauty.. Does it use sorcery to function?”

“You can think of it as such.”

“Since it’s such a special item, I can make an exception and give you five Elks for it.”

Sayer didn’t have any idea of the worth of an Elk, but he still guessed this man was trying to rip him off.

“Ten Elks. I guarantee you’ll never see another item like this again after today.”

The broker shook his head and waggled his finger back and forth.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. My friend, that won’t do at all. This might be an interesting trinket, but its function isn’t any different from an ordinary timepiece. I’m already taking a big risk by offering you five. Besides, I have no idea on the origin of this item. For all I know it could be stolen from one of those affluent sorcery families. Wouldn’t I be creating trouble for myself if I were to accept it? It is only because I can see that you have an honest face that I’m willing to take such a risk. I am trying to run a legitimate business, after all.”

Sayer frowned and drummed his fingers as he considered. He was truly desperate for money and negotiation wasn’t his forte. As he glanced to the side, he spotted an old mud-brown frock coat hanging on a rack. He pointed towards it as he looked back at the broker.

“How about seven Elks and a decent set of clothes.”

The man made an act as if he was struggling internally for a moment, but then spread that wooden smile wide once more.

“Alright, it’s a deal.”

He clattered some coins onto the countertop that he already had prepared. It was clear that he never had any intention of letting the watch go. The coins were yellowish and had the side profile of a scholar stamped on them. Sayer would later learn that ‘Elk’ was short for electrum mark and the portrait was of Solomon Rainecourt.

Besides the coat and handful of coins, Sayer left the shop with a white ruffled shirt, tan trousers, leather shoes, and a charcoal vest. He changed into them in the shop and tossed out his clothes from Earth. Before he left, the pawnbroker flattered him by saying that he looked like a dignified gentleman, but Sayer didn’t believe that for a second. 

—

After leaving the pawnbroker, Sayer headed to a motel on the same street. When Sayer asked for a room, the concierge asked if he wanted it for just an hour or the whole night. This made him forget about investigating why the floor was so suspiciously sticky. By the time he finally found his room and laid down in bed, it was just an hour or two before dawn.

Sayer was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life. He was already mentally drained before he came to this world, and then he spent the whole night creeping around in the dark. But despite his fatigue, his thoughts were restless.

What exactly was he to do next? Investigate a way to return to Earth? How? There was also the library girl who made him agree to a favor. Meeting her meant returning to the academy where that creepy woman was so he wasn’t keen on it.

On the other hand, Library Girl might be mischievous, but she was the most friendly local he met so far. And perhaps the ‘portal tome’ had some special connection to that place since that’s where it brought him. He could ask her if she’s ever heard of anything like portal sorcery or if that place has any information on the subject. He just hoped that the favor she asks for wouldn’t turn out to be too troublesome.

Wait a second… Hadn’t he agreed to do her a favor a little bit too easily? She coerced him into agreeing, but he really didn’t need to make good on it. Even if she knew his face and name, he could just go by a pseudonym. But it didn’t even occur to him at all at the time to refuse her demands or ask for something in return. Was this the effect that a pretty face had over him?

Also, what was she doing in the middle of the night? And how had he not seen her following him? He didn’t even notice when she walked right up to him until she tapped him on the shoulder! The more he thought about it, the more Sayer realized how odd that whole situation was. 

Sayer suddenly had the strange feeling that of the three Melogos locals he met, she was the most dangerous. As his thoughts went around in circles, Sayer felt his eyelids gradually growing heavier. His last thought before he drifted off was that he needed to learn more about the strange silver-haired academy student.