Ancient Magic

by Blink, Bob

  The next couple of days were much the same. They walked through the night and well into the morning. Game was plentiful and they had more than enough to eat. They had taken to hunting more than they needed, carrying the extra meat along for their meals while resting in the afternoons. The quiet times allowed them to sleep and talk more.

  “Do you think that Branid’s King knows that the prince he is arranging for his daughter to marry is simple?” Kaler asked off-handedly one afternoon. “For that matter, does she? She has never met the man. It is unlikely she will until the day of the wedding.”

  “Simple?” Rigo asked looking confused.

  Kaler tapped the side of his head. “Not all there,” he added.

  “You mean there is something wrong with him?” Rigo asked, recalling how Inge had thought the elder prince handsome and desirable.

  “The Crown doesn’t admit to it, but while I was at the games there was a lot of speculation about the possibility. Apparently the fact the envoy was there to arrange a royal match had started the rumors among the young nobles once again. The prince is kept secluded and is only seen in public under very controlled conditions. Since there hasn’t been any concern about war until recently, the extra precautions are unusual, and he has never acted in a very “princely” manner.”

  “I have no idea,” Rigo said honestly. “If the King doesn’t know, wouldn’t that be likely to cause problems once it’s discovered?”

  “That’s why I was wondering. The whole idea is to forge an understanding between the two countries to help fend off any advances by Lopal. That kind of deceit might undermine the whole effort.”

  The discussion turned toward the politics of the two countries, but both were country boys and they were out of their depth. Kaler voiced the opinion that war was almost a certainty if the observations of those he had mingled with at the games were based on true events and not just rumor.

  As Rigo drifted off to sleep he couldn’t help but wonder how these events might affect his own plans. If war broke out, travel into Lopal would be virtually impossible, and he had a feeling deep inside that he would have to go there to find the answers he sought. The timing was bad. He prayed that everything could just remain stable for a couple of years and allow him to complete his journey.

  The next morning they reached the first of the streams that flowed eastward to merge with the Great Central River. That made their travel easier as they followed the path of the water. Finally they reached Thale.

  Thale was a medium sized town situated on the banks where the stream they had been following joined its water to the already substantial Great Central River. Many more streams and smaller rivers would do the same as the land’s mightiest river grew in size as it flowed southward. Thale had been one of the towns that grew up supporting the river trade, and could trace its history back many hundreds of years. Rigo was certain they would be able to better their situation here, assuming the Duke’s forces were not on patrol looking for them. Technically, they were no longer on the Duke’s land, but Thale was so close to the eastern border that the Duke probably felt his jurisdiction extended this far. Kaler had said he was certain the Duke wouldn’t feel restrained by the fact they had walked past the borders of his domain.

  They had already stopped at an active outdoor marketplace where Rigo had exchanged one of his gold coins for silver. They had purchased additional clothing as well as a variety of items that would benefit their traveling as they continued on.

  “The inns closer to the river will be cheaper,” Rigo said, having some experience with finding establishments that offered reasonable prices. In the past Kaler had possessed sufficient funds he could be more discriminating.

  “They will also be considerably rougher,” Kaler replied, looking at some of the burly and unkempt men that sauntered along the dirt streets as they moved away from the more affluent parts of town.

  “We want a place where I can find the right kind of game,” Rigo said. “This will be the first chance to fill our purse. A few towns like this one and we will be in a position to book passage rather than walk.”

  Kaler nodded and didn’t reply, but quietly checked to ensure his sword was free in case he needed to draw it quickly.

  After several tries Rigo settled on a run down looking establishment with weathered gray wood sides that hadn’t seen paint in more years that Kaler had been alive. Two blocks from the waterfront, the rooms were cheap and the crowd boisterous, even this early in the afternoon. They paid the innkeeper for a couple of nights and asked about baths. They were told they would have to go to one of the bathhouses, a couple of blocks away as the inn did not offer anything along those lines.

  A quick check of the room showed them a ramshackle pair of beds with stained blankets with a single cracked bowl and an old pitcher filled with water. The door had a wooden bar that could be dropped into place for security when they were inside, but nothing to close it off while they were away. Given the limited possessions they had, it didn’t matter. They headed off in search of the baths carrying everything they owned.

  The baths were pricey, but well worth it, and after dressing in their new clothing they discarded the older garments. The cost of cleaning would have been almost as much as the cost of new items, and there were reasons not to keep the older items around. They returned to the inn in time to sample the evening fare, offered at a modest price. It wasn’t as good as the food they had been eating on the trail, but they didn’t have to prepare it and the ale was cheap if a bit bitter.

  “You’re sure you can hold your own among these water rats?” Kaler asked. The rough nature of the men made him uncomfortable. They would be the type that might not take too losing very well.

  “I won’t be taking money from the likes of them,” Rigo said. “I’ll be targeting the types that take their money. The gamblers who never set foot on the ships and make their living siphoning off their silver. They will actually be pleased to see the vultures lose a few coins.”

  “And your skill is a certain thing?”

  Rigo smiled and picked up the five dice that lay in a depression at one edge of the table. Both cards and dice were available at every table. The dining tables served a dual purpose, and later all would be given over to those who wished to spend the night gaming. A number of games were already in progress. He rolled the dice and let them fall on the table. The numbers one to five came up in order. He picked them up again and rolled again. Once again the same string was shown.

  “How about threes?” Kaler asked.

  Rigo rolled the dice and all came up three.

  “Vipers?” he asked, referring to the single eye that was commonly a winning throw.

  Rigo complied and all five dice showed the single spot face up.

  “You can control the throw always?”

  “I can, but won’t. That is blatant cheating and I would not feel proper even against the type that would cheat. I can sense when it is the right time to bet against the roller of the dice and when to hold. That alone has served me well enough in the past and doesn’t interrupt the natural flow of the game.”

  Rigo was proven correct, and while he started slow that first night, by late the next day they had won enough that they decided to slip away and take another room in a better part of town. Kaler had noted to Rigo that during the last session a burly individual in the back had been paying abnormally careful attention to them. As a result, they returned to the inn, but instead of going into their room they had walked past, slipped out the back way, and disappeared into the alleyways they had taken care to learn the previous day. It was time to move on, and before the sun was up the following morning they had left the inn and the town of Thale behind.

  “How long to the next village?” Rigo asked Kaler a couple of days later as they continued to follow the smooth waters of the river southward.

  Kaler had no more familiarity with the area than Rigo, but he had had more time to talk with other patrons while he watched his friend gamble
and had learned a little about the river and the towns ahead.

  “The next village is a lot smaller than Thale and should be less than another day ahead,” he replied.

  He was looking at Rigo as he spoke and was therefore surprised when they made the next turn to find three large guardsmen blocking the trail.

  “That’s them,” one of the guardsman exclaimed. It was clear that somehow their description had been circulated. The three men drew their swords and advanced toward Rigo and Kaler. The markings on the guardsmen’s uniforms identified them as the Duke’s men.

  Kaler was quicker than Rigo could have expected, and moved forward himself, his short sword already drawn and engaged the two closest of the men. Metal rang on metal as he deftly blunted their attack. With Kaler between himself and the two guardsman, Rigo couldn’t take any action, but the third man who was advancing on him was in the clear. As he had done with the thug on the docks months before, Rigo thrust out his hand and employed a magical push. The man was thrust off his feet and smacked soundly into a large tree a couple of feet behind him. That ended his involvement in the fight.

  Rigo turned to see how he might help Kaler who was soundly beating the two guardsmen he was battling when he noticed two archers standing atop a huge rocky outcropping off to one side of the trail about thirty paces away. Kaler’s back was to them, and the first was drawing back his bowstring while taking aim at the young fighter’s back. His intentions were clear.

  Nimbly Rigo reacted. He didn’t know what was behind the outcropping where the archers were standing, but it was at least a twenty foot drop off the front. He used a pull this time, drawing the man toward him rather than away, and although the distance was almost at his limits of ability, he was gratified to see the archer with the drawn bow suddenly start flailing and then fall off the front to smash heavily into the rocky ground where he lay still.

  The second archer was in the process of fitting an arrow to his bow. Rigo reached out to the wood of the bow. Wood was easy, and he caused the fibers to separate so that when the archer attempted to draw the string, it snapped in two.

  The problem of the archers temporarily resolved, Rigo turned back to check on Kaler only to find the two guardsmen down. One was already dead, and the other bleeding profusely. It didn’t take an expert to tell he wouldn’t last long.

  Rigo looked back to check on the remaining archer, but he was nowhere to be seen. He had apparently decided that it was time to withdraw. Kaler noticed the man at the bottom of the hill.

  “Archers?” he asked, quickly realizing the peril he hadn’t been aware of.

  Rigo nodded. “Two of them. I think we had best get moving.”

  “How did they know about us and get ahead?” Kaler wondered aloud as he cleaned his sword on the uniform of the dead guardsman.

  “The watcher back in Thale, I’d guess,” Rigo replied. “He probably hadn’t been thinking of robbing us as we feared. He was more than likely one of the Duke’s men watching for us to appear. I’ll bet they sent someone down river on the boat to the next village. These men probably have been hiking upriver from there.”

  “They probably sent another team north out of Thale in case we went that way,” Kaler surmised. “These guys are going to be missed sooner or later, and it doesn’t seem wise to head into the next village as planned.”

  Rigo nodded his agreement. “I think it’s time we crossed over into Lopal.”

  Chapter 16

  “You’re bleeding,” Rigo said pointing toward Kaler’s left arm.

  “One of the bastards got in a lucky cut,” Kaler acknowledged. “It isn’t bad. I don’t suppose you can do anything about it with your magic?”

  Rigo shook his head. “I’ve never been able to heal or cure anything with magic.”

  Fortunately, Kaler’s assessment appeared to be correct. The blood was already starting to dry on the surface scratch, but it was a reminder that as good as he was, Kaler was fighting with limited equipment.

  “You need a shield,” Rigo said, taking a closer look at the arm. He couldn’t help thinking how useful it would be if his magic could repair such wounds.

  “I never liked them very much. They are cumbersome to haul around and they are a detriment to nimbleness.”

  “You’ve used one before?”

  “My uncle insisted I practice with one. I had a small arm shield with my gear, but that went the way of the rest of my stuff.”

  “Well, if you’re going to be fighting multiple adversaries, we might want to see if we can replace it.”

  “None of these guys have one,” Kaler noted, pointing to the three men that lay scattered on the ground.

  A quick check turned up nothing of much value. Between them the three men had less than a silver Falcon in coin, and their weapons were of the same quality of the one Kaler had acquired when they had escaped the castle. He did take a couple of boiled leather armbands that fit. They would protect his forearms against the kind of nicks and cuts he had just received.

  “What about the archer?” Kaler asked once they had finished going through the dead guardsmen’s possessions.

  Together they walked over where the archer lay in a crumpled heap, keeping an eye out for other guardsmen. As they approached, Rigo could see why the man hadn’t moved. He had hit head first on a large stone boulder and had bashed in his skull.

  “Can you use the bow?” Kaler asked, hefting the weapon.

  “Never fired one,” Rigo admitted.

  “Me neither. Rather I’ve tried, but could never get the hang of it.” Carelessly, Kaler tossed the weapon aside.

  The dead man wore another of the low quality swords, but had nothing else of use to them. Kaler was just standing from his examination when they heard the nicker of horses.

  He was reaching for his sword when he saw the heads of the animals that were tied to the trees behind the rocky embankment from which the archers had attempted to shoot at them. Together they maneuvered their way over there, alert for any other potential attacks.

  “Four horses. I’d say the fifth man has run off,” Rigo said.

  Quickly they checked the animals. Each had a small shield, larger than the kind Kaler was used to, but which could be carried across his back without interfering with his drawing the large two handed sword. There were also food bags on each of the animals, which they sorted through selecting the best items since they couldn’t carry it all. They elected to leave the animals. Horses would restrict their ability to move through the thick forest, and they hoped to cross the river before much longer and would have to abandon the animals again anyway.

  Satisfied they had everything of use, the two friends stealthily moved away from the tethered animals and deeper into the woods, heading south once again, but this time off the trail. They moved closer to the river in hopes they might find a means of crossing the deep water. It was too far to consider swimming, at least with all the gear they carried, and unless circumstances forced the issue they wouldn’t leave their gear behind.

  Evening was setting in when they spotted the small dwelling nestled back in the trees. A small half moon beach had formed along one of the twists of the river, and a wooden boat was drawn up well above the waterline. Quietly they slipped through the trees and approached the structure. Perhaps they could hire the fisherman or whoever resided here to ferry them across.

  “There’s no one here,” Kaler said, stating the obvious after they had made a complete inspection.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in a while,” Rigo agreed, running his hands through the dust on the flat surface that had served someone as a table. Together they headed back outside to have a look at the boat.

  “That’s not going to work,” Kaler observed, looking at the dried out rowboat with gaps between the wooden boards that made up the sides and bottom.

  Rigo eyed the old beat up craft critically. Then he looked up at the sky. It was too dark to have attempted a crossing now anyway, and it would be foolish to
try and travel in these unknown woods in the dark. They could easily stumble upon more guardsmen.

  “Let’s drag it into the water,” Rigo suggested.

  “Whatever for?” Kaler questioned.

  “It’s dried out. If we put it in the river, the wood might swell. There’s a chance the boards will swell enough to seal the cracks. We can’t go anywhere tonight anyway. We can check again in the morning. If it isn’t water worthy by then, we will just have to press on and see what else we can find. This would be perfect if it can be made to work because there would be no one to reveal we have crossed.

  Kaler appeared doubtful. “You’ve said you are good with wood. Can’t you use some of your magic to repair it?”

  “I can take wood away or weaken it. I can even shape it a little. But I can’t put wood where there isn’t any.”

  Reluctantly Kaler helped lift the heavy craft across the rock and dirt beach toward the water. They dragged it out into the water far enough that it would be able to sink completely, then allowed it to settle to the bottom. Rigo dropped a couple of heavy rocks into the sunken craft, then tied a rotting old rope he found to the craft and a nearby tree.

  “You really think that’s necessary?”

  “No, but why take any chances. We’d feel really stupid if the river washed it away during the night.”

  They took turns sleeping during the night, but no one approached the small cabin. In the morning they ate a cold breakfast washed down by water, then went to see if the boat was going to work.

  “Roll it,” Rigo instructed. That’ll let the bottom come up.”

  Standing in the river, they both were getting soaked, but they managed to get the boat turned. It floated lazily upwards, and Rigo examined what he could see of the bottom. The wood had indeed swollen, but there still appeared to be small gaps.

  “Right it,” he directed, and together they managed to flip the boat upright so it was floating. Half a hand of water still filled the bottom, but Rigo climbed aboard and sat on the wet seat that spanned the width of the small craft.