Dopemage by S. F. Lydon

Author:S. F. Lydon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ibis Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-04-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Dane awoke to Storr standing over the pallet of bedding set up for him in a small side room.

“Up you get, kid. Lissa said we’re to teach you some basics, so best we get to it.” Dane nodded dully and forced himself to rise. He was tired from a late night spent drinking with Storr and Tamar, who lectured him at length on the virtues of gambling. As he entered the kitchen, he saw through the window that it was already nearing noon. Storr pushed a heel of good bread smeared with butter into his hands as he moved past him.

“Come on,” Storr said as he pulled the front door open. “You can eat as we walk.” Dane wished he could sit and eat, but Lissa had told him to follow these men, so he did as he was told. Tamar was already outside, seated on the stoop and smoking from a pipe made of dark wood. He nodded to Dane as he fell into step beside Storr.

Dane’s head pounded as he followed the two men through the streets. He noticed that they soon passed out of the residential area into some sort of warehouse district. Tall, wide buildings dominated the narrow streets, leaving little room for the sun to shine down. They came to one at the end of a dead-end street. This one was larger than the rest. It was five stories tall and at least three hundred feet long.

Storr pushed the front door open without knocking. Dane followed along with Tamar into a small office room. Three men lounged in chairs around a table to one side, while a thin, severe-looking woman sat behind a desk on the other. A large door stood opposite the one they had entered. The men barely glanced at Dane, but the woman looked at him with sharp, blue eyes set deep in her dark-skinned face.

“Got a fresh recruit to work with, Sherim,” Storr said to the woman with a smile. She nodded slightly and lowered her head to whatever paperwork she was working on. Tamar nudged Dane in the back, urging him toward the other door. Storr pulled it open as Dane reached it.

“Welcome to your first official day as a Narcomancer.” Dane stepped through the door and stared around in awe. The entire interior of the warehouse was one giant room. There were no windows except at the very top of the walls. Wooden platforms ran along the outer edges of the wall at regular story heights, forming a series of balconies that encircled the room.

The center of the room was filled with various structures, some metal, and some wood. There was a series of steps set up on wooden poles that formed a disconnected path around the room. Metal bars hung from the ceiling on ropes in a similar formation.

“What is all this?” Dane asked, still unable to get over his awe.

“This is where we train. We call it the Barn.” Storr said. “Each of these serves a purpose to practice with your powers on.

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