The Tears of Mars - A Traveling Salesman's Darktime Tale

By Scott Swift

A witch’s diary, a magic jewel, and creatures galore! The Salesman’s latest tale is a winner!Every so often the Salesman crosses paths with someone from his past. This time, it’s the mysterious witch behind the attack on the Wizard’s Tontine! With the help of a local trapper, and a few enchanted items, the Salesman has to make sure her astonishing power to create undefeatable armies is never used! This is one story that will have you on the edge of your seat!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9780983808442

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Table of Contents

Part I - The Trapper’s Hut      1

Part II - The Young Witch’s Tale      47

Part III – On The Path      81

Part IV - The Witch’s Resurrection      123

Part V - The Witch’s Revenge      149

Postscript      191

Part I

The Trapper’s Hut

Once upon a time there was a traveling salesman who went from town to town, knocking on doors as he went.

One day....

Chapter 1

The salesman found himself walking up a cold and snowy mountain.  It was early winter, and despite a fierce and chilling storm the night before, he awoke this morning to a quiet winter wonderland. Everything was covered in a fresh layer of light, powdery snow, and although it made walking difficult, he didn’t mind. The beauty of the landscape around him, and the smell of the crisp, fresh air kept him energized.

After several hours of climbing, he noticed a thin strand of smoke rising over the crest of a hill just ahead.  His pace quickened, and when he reached the top he saw that the smoke was coming from a small, squat wooden hut a dozen or so yards below where he was standing.  It was covered in ice and snow, and the smoke rising from it had an odd, bitter smell.

He carefully descended the slippery slope and stopped to brush himself off when he reached the door. The furs he wore were quite warm, but they would be useless and freeze solid if they became wet from melting snow.

When he was done, he called out, Hello!  Hello! Is anyone there? I am a Traveling Salesman and I have goods for sale. Would anyone be interested in seeing them?

He heard someone inside the hut cough several times.  A faint voice answered, Come in, come in, followed by several more roaring coughs. 

The salesman opened the door and crept into the small hut, keeping his head low to avoid breathing the smoke that hung in the air.  It was dark and cramped, and even bending over, the roof stood just an inch or so above his head. 

The uneven floor was made from ax carved wooden planks, and hanging on the surrounding walls were dozens of drying animal pelts. A few bundles of root vegetables, which appeared to be reasonably well preserved, hung on the walls beside them. 

The salesman cautiously moved forward, and after a few steps came to a small, smoldering fire, a wooden table and chair, and on the floor between them an old man covered in furs and blankets.  He was coughing and shivering, his watery eyes barely open.

The salesman quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around his face. Whatever illness this man had, the salesman had no intention of catching it. 

He bent down and felt the man’s head.  It was burning up - so hot that he quickly pulled his hand away and began to frantically search his sack of goods.  He was looking for a potion he had made some weeks earlier after coming across a rare plant whose flowers are legendary for their healing powers.  He had intended to sell the potion, but this man was on the verge of death.  If he didn’t get help immediately he would surely die.

"Where are you? thought the salesman as he pushed about the items in his sack. I know you’re in here somewhere...Ah! There you are!"

He removed a very small, deep blue glass vial with a cork stuck firmly in the top.  Giving the vial a good shake, he removed the cork and touched the wet bottom to the man’s lips. 

The man inhaled deeply and began to convulse, every muscle in his body tightening and releasing at once.  A greenish light appeared in his mouth and began to spread; first to his lips, then his face, and finally covering his entire head and body. The salesman watched as the light washed over him in waves, spreading from his chest outward.  This continued for several minutes, when finally, the light began to fade.

The old man leaned over, coughed hard a few more times, and a dark ball of phlegm the size of a goose egg flew out of his mouth, splattering on the floor!  He fell back into his blankets and took several deep breaths before finally calming down.

The salesman was impressed! He had seen the potion work before, healing wounds, mending broken bones...even fixing poor vision.  But he had never seen it force a body to expel a sickness before!

Squatting down to get a better look at the quivering blob of dark phlegm, a small smile came across his face. "I’ll have to thank the witch who taught me this potion next time I see her!" he thought.

The old man sat up, looked around, looked at the salesman and said, Thank-you, before collapsing again. 

Rest, said the salesman, I’ll make you some food.

The man groaned and coughed and rolled over onto his side, closer to the fire.

The salesman took several of pieces of wood from a pile near the door and threw them into the fire.  He gave it a few good blows to get it burning again, and set about making a meal. 

From his sack, he took out a small iron pot, filled it with snow, and then set it on the fire. While the snow was melting, he took down a bundle of root vegetables from the wall, cut them up, and threw them into the pot. Lastly, he removed a pouch of dried rabbit meat from his sack along with a small, hand-hammered metal container holding a dozen different spices, each wrapped in a small piece of thin, folded paper.