by Jamie Davis
Kay spared a single glance in the enemy’s direction then started down the far side of the hill towards the camp. She called out to Hal as she hurried off.
“Don’t be a hero, Hal. If they break through, run for it.”
Hal waved his hand in reply. His attention was already on the leading slope down to the fog bank. He had a hint of a plan, but his thoughts came slowly as if they had to move through jelly to get to his brain. Creating that fog bank had spent him, depleting a reserve of power deep inside he hadn’t known he could tap. He needed rest but there was no time.
The Grendlings were closer than before now. He could hear their growling yips and yowls; alien war cries carried on the wind to his position. The first of them entered the fog bank and disappeared inside it. It would slow them but eventually, they’d find their way to the other side.
Shaking off the cobwebs in his mind, Hal had one more idea to try. He spread out his fingers horizontal to the hillside with his thumbs touching and his palms down. He closed his eyes and drew upon as much of the hidden reserve of energy as he could bear. Opening his eyes, Hal directed the vapor in the fog bank at the base of the hill to chill, until it began to freeze onto whatever surface it contacted.
Shouts of alarm inside the fog signaled his success. The coating of ice on the ground inside the fog and on the lower slopes of the hillside below would be hard to cross with any speed now.
The exertion didn’t come without a penalty. Hal swooned then clutched at his chest as crushing, squeezing pain tore at something inside him.
As the darkness closed in, he had a final wry thought. Pushing himself beyond his limited magical abilities wasn’t a good idea apparently.
Health damage: Health -55
Hal fell to his knees and tried not to cry out in pain. He needn’t have worried. He lost consciousness before he had a chance to give voice to his agony.
10
“The boy’s a damn fool,” Ragnar growled. “What was he thinking?”
“What’s wrong with him? He looks dead, worse than dead.” Kay asked. Hal heard worry flooding her tone.
“I don’t have Bronwyn’s abilities at healing, but I could delve him well enough to know he broke something important inside. His magical spark is dimmed, almost missing entirely.”
“Is he going to live?”
“Probably, though he’ll not be casting any magic for a while.”
Hal tried opening his eyes but squeezed them shut again when the light from the blue sky overhead flooded in. It sent a stab of pain into his brain from the brightness. At the same instant, the wagon or cart he lay in rolled through a rut and slammed him rapidly up and down. He let out an involuntary groan.
“He’s awake,” Kay said. She placed a hand on Hal’s arm. “Hal, what were you thinking? You could have died before anyone got back to you. As it was, we nearly didn’t. Whatever you did to the Grendlings forced them to circle around and try to approach the camp from a different direction. That was the only reason we had time to go back and search for you.”
“It worked? I wasn’t sure.”
Ragnar let out a brief chuckle. “It worked, though I’ve never seen anyone as new to magic as you harness that kind of power. You probably took a year off your life force drawing on your internal reserves that way.”
Hal realized he was shivering, despite being under a pile of blankets. He accessed his menu and tried activating his resist cold ability. It was grayed out and wouldn’t allow him to turn it on. In fact, all his spells were grayed in the menu rather than their usual glowing golden hue.
“I can’t cast anything. My magic is gray.”
“Boy, I don’t know what that means but you’re right about not casting anything anytime soon. You damn near burned yourself out yesterday. I’m surprised it didn’t kill you outright.”
“But I have to have magic. My family…”
“Will have to wait, Hal,” Kay told him. “Ragnar thinks your damage can be repaired but not by him.”
“Who? Tildi?”
Ragnar laughed.
“Tildi is able to do a lot of things the rest of us cannot but she’s not up to healing this. Bronwyn is the only one who can help you if anyone can.”
“That’s where we’re taking you,” Kay explained. “Ragnar thinks if we can get you to the High Forest and Bronwyn’s stronghold in time, she can restore your magical power. Now lay still and rest. It’ll take us two days to reach the place where Ragnar can reach out and contact Bronwyn for help.”
Hal nodded and let sleep overtake him again. It brought a welcome respite from the sensation of a hammer trying to drive a spike into his skull. Anything was better than the constant throbbing pain.
———
Hal woke as Kay and Ragnar moved him from the cart to a blanket spread on the turf at the foot of a tall rounded stone set in the ground within a circle of smaller square blocks carved of the same light gray rock. Beneath the lichen and moss covering much of the stone’s surface, Hal could make out weathered patterns of runes and etchings carved in the stone’s surface.
His hand drifted to his head. The pain was still present but much less than it had been.
“How long did I sleep?”
Kay turned and pulled the edge of the blanket back over him to keep him warm against the chill of the northern wind blowing through the stones.
“You’ve been in and out of sleep for the better part of two days. Ragnar kept having to stop and cast more healing spells on you.”
The ice mage leaned over him, scowling.
“I hope it’s not a waste of time, boy. I’m not much at healing and it took a great deal more of my energy to keep you alive than I’d like to spend when we’re being pursued like this.”
“Pursued? Who?”
“Those mage hunters are likely still on our trail.” Ragnar paused to spit on the ground at the mention of the Emperor’s thugs. “I think I managed to throw them off the scent for a while. The problem is, the way they followed us to the camp makes me think they are tuned in to my magic use somehow. If I’m right, then they’re going to know exactly where I am when I activate the stones to send you to Bronwyn.”
“Why couldn’t you open a portal where we were and send us to her then?” Hal asked.
“Like I told you, boy, not all of us are as good at teleporting as Tildi is. Most of us need to use natural centers of power like these stones to enable magic outside our chosen elemental school. We were lucky this place was as close as it was to us.”
“Will Bronwyn be able to help me recover my magic? I have to get it back, Ragnar.”
“If anyone can help you, she will do the trick. Healing’s her central ability. She knows more about the life force that runs through all of us than anyone alive. Once you’re fixed up, she can also teach you about earth magic which is the next task Tildi has for you. I have one piece of advice for you. Bronwyn can be, uh — prickly — yes, that’s the best word for it. She is big on courtesy and knowing one’s place in the world. I suspect it comes from being an elf princess, but whatever the reason, you need to keep that in mind and stay on her good side. If she decides you’re not worthy of teaching, not even Tildi and all her stubbornness will change Bronwyn’s mind.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. So, what’s next?”
“I’m going to contact Bronwyn using the stones to focus my power. Once I reach her, you and Kay must place a hand on the central stone and keep them there while the two of us transport you to the High Forest. After that, it’s up to Bronwyn.”
A shout in the distance interrupted their conversation.
“Damn, that’s got to be the mage hunters. They’ve found us. Quick, put your hands on the stone.”
Hal rolled to his side, gritting his teeth as the sudden movement set his head to throbbing again. He reached out and pressed his hands against the smooth base of the stone where it met the turf.
Kay reached over him and did the same.
Nearby, Ragnar muttered so
mething under his breath Hal couldn’t make out and then a bright light flared overhead, the glare blinding Hal for a moment until his eyes could adjust.
A woman’s voice filtered down from the light source.
“Ragnar, you startled me. What are you doing opening the stone portal without the proper preparations?”
“No choice, Bronwyn, I’ve got the one Tildi sent me. He’s injured beyond my ability to heal. I need to send him and his companion through to you. The hunters are almost here, and I didn’t have time to follow the normal procedure.”
“You know what that does to the inherent power of the stones, Ragnar. Once I bring the two of them through, the portal will close for a fortnight. You’ll be trapped there on your side without a way to escape.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll find a way to slip past their wards. I’ve done so before.”
More shouts reached them from outside the circle of stones. The voices were much closer now.
“We’re out of time, Bronwyn. You’ve got to pull them through. I can’t do it from this side without letting go of the doorway.”
“Be careful, you old fool. I expect to see you again, soon.”
Ragnar didn’t say anything. He gave a half snarl, half grin and nodded.
The light above flared once more, and this time Hal felt something shift, like when something outside a moving car went in the opposite direction, disorienting you for a moment about which way you were going. When the light subsided, and Hal’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, he and Kay were somewhere else entirely.
It was no longer cold, the chill of the northern wind replaced with a gentle forest breeze, carrying scents of wildflowers and freshly mown grass within its gentle caress. They had arrived in a forest clearing surrounded by a ring of enormous trees stretching high into the sky. At the center was an even larger tree, taller than the others around it.
Hal struggled to a sitting position to look around. Kay stood nearby, her hands raised. She faced four archers clad in muted greens and browns. All had their bows drawn with arrows nocked. When Hal moved, two shifted their aim to him.
“Don’t move.”
Hal didn’t need the shouted order from the closest archer. He got the message and raised his hands over his head.
Studying his captors, he noticed the slightly pointed tips of their ears, slipping out from beneath the braided strands of their straight blonde hair. Wow, real elves. He’d known they existed in Fantasma, but they kept to themselves and rarely seen outside of their forest strongholds.
Behind the four elves a figure in white robes stepped from behind a tree into the clearing.
“Stand down,” Bronwyn ordered.
Hal recognized her voice from the light shining over the stones back in the Northland.
The elves lowered their bows but stood ready to intervene. These men were hardened warriors judging by their discipline and the way they carried themselves. They were ready to act, even with their weapons at rest.
The elven princess approached. A silver circlet lay across her brow, disappearing into the long strands of her blonde hair draping her white-clad shoulders. She was probably the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and totally out of his class. Heck, she was in a class all by herself.
“Greetings to you Hal Dix, and to you Princess Kareena. Welcome to the High Forest. I’m sorry for the stern nature of my guardians. They take their responsibilities seriously and don’t like it when I receive visitors unannounced.”
Hal needed to say something. But what? He was at a loss for words. Luckily Kay was not. She executed a perfect curtsy even in her armor.
“We thank you for your hospitality, Princess Bronwyn, though we expect no less from one such as yourself. Your reputation precedes you and does not begin to live up to the reality of your presence.”
Hal thought Kay laid it on a little thick, even after getting Ragnar’s warning of how to act. Bronwyn, however, welcomed the compliment with literal open arms, wrapping Kay in a warm embrace.
“We are cousins in nobility, Princess Kareena, how could I not extend the hospitality of my ancestral home to you and your companion? Please call me Bronwyn. Between we princesses there must be some familiarity, yes?”
“Then you must call me Kay, Bronwyn. It is how I’m known now, since my family’s downfall.”
“A most unfortunate turn of events and one that will hopefully be remedied someday.”
“That is why we are here, Bronwyn. Hal has certain abilities according to the mage, Tildi the Elder. She believes he could be …”
Bronwyn raised a hand, interrupting Kay’s explanation.
“I’m well away of who and what Hal Dix represents to Fantasma. I did not agree with Tildi’s initial decision to involve him in this world’s conflicts, but I have to admit, he’s demonstrated a certain ability to insert himself in places where he will most disrupt the status quo.”
Kay chuckled.
“That is an apt representation of him, Bronwyn.”
“You both know I’m right here and can hear you talking about me, right?”
“Ah, the man can speak for himself I see.” Bronwyn smiled down at Hal then pointed in his direction. “Guards, place him under house arrest until I decide what to do with him. The princess and I will discuss his disposition in private.”
The elf princess gestured to the edge of the circle and nodded to Kay. She returned the nod and with a brief glance back at Hal, followed Bronwyn from the forest clearing, leaving Hal and the four elven guards alone.
“Well, it’s just the five of us now. So where to?”
The leader pointed to Hal and two of the guards shouldered their bows and lifted Hal to his feet. They pulled his daggers from their sheaths on his belt and led him to a separate path in the opposite direction Bronwyn and Kay took. As they entered the trees and started down a winding path into the lush green of the High Forest, Hal tried to keep track of the twists and turns his captors took. He hoped he could get away from them and return to the clearing to find Kay. It was no use, though. Within a hundred steps he was hopelessly lost.
Hal shook his head. This wasn’t good. His interaction with Bronwyn, the second mage he needed to learn wizardry from, had not started off on the best of terms.
11
Hal had to admit; this was the most comfortable jail cell he’d ever been in. It was more of a jail apartment than a cell. There were several rooms in the small stone building including a bedroom, privy chamber, and what could only be called a parlor.
The furniture featured ornate wooden carvings and designs along with embroidered cushions in tones of greens and tan. The bed, though a tad small for Hal’s size, had a feather mattress and a thick comforter against the chill of the forest at night. He didn’t need it, though. After staying in the frozen north, Hal thought the night here was practically balmy by comparison.
Despite the presence of all the creature comforts, it was still a prison. There were bars in the windows with a wrought iron lattice resembling living vines. His guards remained outside the single door and only opened it to bring him a tray with bowls of fruits and nuts that must be what elves called dinner.
Hal tried talking to his captors on several occasions but the elves either didn’t understand him or refused to talk with the prisoner in their custody. After the third time, the guards refused to answer him, Hal gave up trying. They’d tell him what was up eventually. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve getting locked up in the first place. Bronwyn was supposed to be one of Tildi’s mage friends.
Hal winced when he turned too fast away from the window. He was still recovering from the injury he did to himself stopping the Grendlings. Perhaps some chakra healing would help. Hal started the meditative trance taught to him by his friend Rune and went through the motions of the Tai Chi-like chakra exercise. After several minutes, he was rewarded with a chime and a notification.
18 health points restored
Health: 93/130
H
e noticed a difference right away. The dull ache in his bones had lessened and he felt mentally refreshed though physically tired at the same time. Hal decided he wasn’t going to learn anything useful from his silent guards, so he might as well turn in early for the night. It was hard to judge the time this deep in the forest canopy, but it was definitely getting darker.
Hal took the lamp, already lit on the table in the parlor and carried it to the nightstand in the bedroom. On the way, he scooped up a handful of nuts and munched on them while he got ready for bed.
Maybe Kay would talk some sense into Bronwyn and she’d let him out of here. In the meantime, there was nothing to do but get some sleep.
It was morning when Kay’s voice jolted him awake.
“Hal get up and get presentable. Bronwyn’s agreed to take a look at you and see if she can heal your injury.”
“Great, so she’s decided to train me after all? I was beginning to think I’d done something wrong.”
Hal rolled out of bed and pulled on his boots and reached for his cloak hanging on the post at the foot of the bed.
Kay lowered her voice.
“I don’t know that she’s ready to teach you her magic. Look, all elves are prickly like Ragnar said. Bronwyn is worse than most. You’d do well to keep that in mind and pay attention to your manners while here among them.”
“Why? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Stop whining. It’s bad enough you’re here in the first place. They don’t like unannounced visitors or humans in general.”
“They treated you well enough.”
Hal leaned forward and sniffed in Kay’s direction.
“You’ve had a bath at least. That’s not the way I was treated.”
“I’m considered visiting royalty of a sort, even though my family is deposed. It’s a formality, but it’s that formality which makes it important to them. Just remember manners and rules.”