The Rogue Sorcerer: The Caldronian Guild : Book 2

by Andrew G. Wood

  The small rescue group ran in the direction that Sasha had pointed out to them, and after just a short distance were forced to dive for cover as they noticed several riders sat looking into the trees. Not knowing for sure if any of the horseman were magical Samuel knew he needed to trust the two young sorcerers with him. “Shield me and Kenton, and walk behind us,” he said quietly hoping to remain unseen and unheard. The element of surprise might be the only chance he got, especially being outnumbered. He assumed as Leo had done a few moments earlier that those wielding weapons were probably unlikely to be magical. If that were the case he reckoned only two of the group likely to be sorcerers, and that these would have to dealt with first.

  In amongst the trees, Leo found a good spot and decided to make a stand. “Stay close to me Jon…No arguments,” he said glancing over his shoulder to check the youngster was still nearby. After puffing out his cheeks, he used the cover of a wide tree trunk to obscure himself from the view of the pursuing riders. He was partially concerned that only a few of them had bothered to give chase in to the trees. This of course meant the other riders might at that moment be attacking his friends, catching them unawares.

  With a sense of anger, as much at himself for not warning Sasha and the others, as to anything that the pursuers were doing, he steadied himself. After another deep breath Leo concentrated as he stepped out from behind the tree trunk. The first rider, a sorcerer spotted him almost immediately, and raised his hands to attack. Leo did not give the man any chance to fire, sending forth his own volley of energy bolts.

  Just as Daron had taught him, he made them small and rapid, but with sufficient power they could kill. The man targeted cried out in pain as he had no time to shield and was struck by Leo’s attack. The others giving chase all fired simultaneously Leo’s direction, although he was glad to see the magical ones at least were still out of range. The energy bolts fired his direction merely petered out before they reached him, unlike the arrows sent his way, one of which whistled a few inches past his head. Knowing he was not dealing with any sorcerer capable of bettering him he fired back, sending forth a dozen or more bursts of energy in the general direction of the enemy. Putting a little more force into them than the first time he fired, he was disappointed to see the first few hit a wavering shield hastily thrown up by his attackers. Previously he knew his attacks could break through most defensive barriers put up against him, yet each and every shot he fired was merely stopped in its tracks.

  Leo thought that such a rapid volley of shots must have tired the enemy out and decided to repeat the attack, only to be stunned by the outcome. Once more the two enemy sorcerers seemed capable of blocking his shots, and more worrying for Leo was they did not appear any worse for doing so. Unsure as to why his attacks were being so ineffective he slipped back behind the cover of the tree trunk. “How are we doing?” Jon asked peering just ever so slightly around to try and see what the enemy were doing. “They’re still stood some way off…Why aren’t they coming any nearer?” he added.

  Leo did not have an answer to the question, and in all truth he was himself surprised by the enemy’s lack of movement. “Perhaps they are scared of you?” he heard Jon say. Leo doubted that was the case, although he had managed to reduce their number by one. Maybe his attacks had been far stronger than they had envisaged, but as to why they were being deflected so efficiently he did not know. Were these few sorcerers like him? He supposed it was possible. Why should he and Daron be the only powerful sorcerers in the entire world, there must be others, some perhaps even more so. With that rather sobering thought, Leo was quickly brought back to his senses by Jon tugging on his robe. “Either do something awesome or run,” the youngster shouted.

  Samuel and Kenton crept as quietly as they could, using the skills they had learned in the guild to do so. Walking several yards behind them were the two young sorcerers that would be needed to protect them should they be spotted. As they neared the riders, one of the horses pulled slightly, turning the man around just a little, bringing the two warriors into his line of vision. A strange situation arose where both Samuel and the rider froze, each clearly not sure what to expect from the other.

  Kenton however did not hang around and was already lunging forward. Whilst Samuel and one rider were stood staring at each other, he was plunging his sword into the back of another. Mason decided to act on his own initiative sending forth several small bolts of energy from close range, hitting at least three of the riders. Jake, not wanting to feel left out decided he should probably do likewise, making sure he targeted the one he thought was probably a sorcerer.

  Samuel dragged a man from horse, thrusting his sword down into his torso as he hit the ground with a thump. He glanced over to his left to see both Jake and Mason sending forth dozens of energy blasts, cutting down the riders far more efficiently than he and Kenton could have done. Despite being glad the two sorcerers had made the job far easier than he had first envisaged, this was just another case of his group not doing as they had been told. Pushing his self-doubt aside he fended off a swing of a sword from an injured fallen rider, before sending the man to his death with a swift strike that almost severed his head from his shoulders.

  “Can’t you shield us or something?” Jon asked Leo still tugging on his robe.

  “Will you stop that,” Leo snapped trying to think of what to do. He knew that if he sent out more power he risked losing control, and although cutting down half of the forest in the process probably would mean dealing with the enemy as well, it might not help his friends. The thought that Sasha and the others could be in danger gave him a sense of determination. He knew that he needed to get this right, and after taking another deep breath and watching two more arrows fly past his position he concentrated for all he was worth.

  Letting the flow of energy steam down in his arms to his hands and out of his fingertips he sent forth a solid beam of white light. It cut through the overhanging branches as if they were not even there, and struck the sorcerers shield. The barrier of wavering light flickered as his attack hit, but faltered just a few moments later as the two enemy sorcerers both collapsed down from their horses. Knowing he needed to keep control Leo stopped his attack immediately.

  “Wow! That was awesome,” he heard Jon saying. “Do it again,” the lad added excitedly. Leo just shook his head a little, before deciding to go on the offensive. “Follow me!” he shouted stepping out from behind the cover of the trees. He sent forth several smaller attacks, downing a man reloading his bow, sending his horse into a panic as it ran off into the trees. With only a couple remaining Leo reacted quickly, managing a shield to his fore as he walked with purpose towards the enemy.

  He was just waiting for them to fire before he lowered his shield and fired at them, when both were struck from behind by blasts of energy. He picked up the pace a little unsure as to what had just happened, when Jon shouted out he could see Samuel and a few of the others. Leo felt a sigh of relief, not only had he managed to keep himself and Jon alive, but it appeared the others were fine as well.

  Leo dropped his hood to reveal a smile as Samuel was first to come over and ask he was okay. “What about you lot?” he replied concerned he could not see Sasha in their number. “Don’t worry we left Sasha with Alec and the others,” The warrior replied noticing the concern. Samuel asked Kenton to check all the fallen riders were actually dead, and to search their bodies for anything of note. As a group they all turned to hear a man crying out, only to see Jon with a bloodied dagger in his hand. The enemy sorcerer felled by Leo just a few moments earlier coughed and spluttered his last breath as the youngster pulled back on his head, having just sliced the man’s throat.

  “That always freaks me out,” Leo uttered as he turned away unable to watch. Only after he had heard the man’s body thumping back down to the ground did he eventually turn back and watch Jon wipe the blade of his small dagger on the man’s tunic. “Where did he get that from?” Leo asked to himself as much as the others.
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  “Sasha gave it to him,” Mason replied stepping up alongside.

  After gathering the horses and supplies from the enemy, the group walked intact back to where they had left the others. Sasha may have been injured but it was clear she had not let the youngsters just sit idly by and await the return of the others. Not only was the camp cleared, but the horses ready to go, “I thought we best prepare in case we needed to make a quick exit,” she said with a smile, glad to see all her friends returning.

  Leo was just about to quicken his pace and give the beautiful young ranger a hug and a kiss when Jon darted ahead of him. “Whoa! You should have seen me?” the lad shouted excitedly making sure he grabbed her full and undivided attention. Leo just grimaced, something that did not go amiss as Samuel chuckled at his reaction. “Let’s just be thankful everyone is okay,” he said patting his sorcerer friend on the shoulder with his huge hand.

  With them having extra horses, the newer members of the group were given the option to ride those instead of sitting in the wagons. After all, they would all need to hone their riding skills sooner or later, and as the opportunity now allowed for them to do so, Samuel thought it a good idea. Unfortunately for Jon all the horses were quite large, and with him still being somewhat smaller than the others, he found it difficult to control the horse given to him; something Leo especially found amusing.

  It was whilst chuckling at one such occasion that Sasha trotted up beside him, “Don’t laugh,” she snapped. “I remember you not so long ago falling off your horse,” she added glaring angrily at him. Suitably admonished Leo instantly apologised, “Sorry,” he said rather pathetically hoping the ranger would forgive him. However, it was clear she was not happy as she gave another glare before dropping back down the line. “Someone’s in the dog house,” he heard Alec snigger from in front of him.

  Despite his own situation, Leo was actually glad to see the young literary apprentice laugh again. “I can’t seem to do much right lately,” he said moving his horse forward to ride alongside Alec. “I’m sure you will be fine,” his friend replied with a smile before having to straighten his specs. “Come on tell me all about it. Especially the part where Jon saved us all,” he said.

  “Is that what he said?” Leo said with surprise.

  “Yes that’s what he’s told Sasha,” Alec chuckled. “He reckons you hid behind a tree shaking like a leaf you were so scared,” he added.

  “The lying little…” Leo snarled, “I hope he falls off that bloody horse now. Cheeky little sod!”

  Chapter 13.

  Mia had decided on a lie in, after all what else did she need to get up for. Fennick had afforded her a small room that she could use, and although it was pokey and dark it did allow her some privacy. The bed was a little uncomfortable, being as the mattress was filled with straw, but she knew it was still better than living on the cold damp streets; somewhere she might still have been. Worse still she could have been in dungeon awaiting her execution, so supposed she had something to be thankful for.

  Fennick had continued in his bid to extract information from her, and although she had allowed him a few small bits about the guild, she was now playing hard to get. The man had wined and dined her, which she had to admit was quite nice. He had even tried to seduce her, and although she had contemplated allowing Fennick to bed her, the thought of him being so old had put her off. Maybe if she had drunk a little more wine, she might have allowed him, but as it was she politely refused his advances.

  She turned suddenly as a tap at the door sounded, and watched as it creaked open just a little. “Are you awake?” came the whispering voice.

  “Yes, come in Gallien,” she said pulling the sheets covering her body down just a little.

  “Can I come in?” he asked

  “Of course, you can,” Mia replied, wondering if the small amount of cleavage she was showing would even be visible in such a dim light.

  Mia felt her heart racing as Gallien sat down on the bed beside her. After a short silence he eventually spoke, “I’ll be honest with you Mia,” the young man said in a tone that suggested he was being genuine. “Fennick has asked me to get closer to you…”

  “So I will reveal all my dirty little secrets,” Mia said interrupting him.

  “That’s pretty much it. Yes!” came the reply.

  Mia felt a little annoyed, not that Fennick was trying so hard to get her to reveal what she knew, more because Gallien would probably not have been there otherwise. “Why did you tell me that?” Mia asked thinking that he need not have told her the reasons for being there. She listened as Gallien stuttered his voice a little, “Well…I kind of like you,” he eventually said, causing Mia’s heart to start pounding.

  After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she tried to be rational. Gallien was only there because he was told to. Besides which she had shared kisses with lots of boys before, Leo and Ewan to name the latest. She let her mind wander a little as the name Ewan seemed to mean so little to her, yet somewhere in the back of her mind there were images of her sharing long intimate moments of kissing. She decided that must have been old Mia, the new Mia was far more grown up and wanted more than a few childish kisses.

  “So what are you going to do to get information out of me?” she found herself asking. “Surely Kala won’t be happy you are about to seduce me,” she added with a confidence she never knew she had. It was clear that Gallien was the more nervous of the two, “I don’t think you understand,” he said, “Kala and I are not intimate. Sure we are best friends, but she prefers…Well she likes other women,” he added. Mia was a little taken aback by the answer, “Really?” she asked. “How peculiar,” she added realising the chances of Gallien being hers had just increased dramatically.

  Not wanting to waste an opportunity Mia lifted her hand and placed it on the young man’s legs, moving it slowly, seductively up and down. “Would you like to join me?” she asked feeling herself becoming aroused. She did not wait for an answer as she decided she was going to have him there and then anyway. New Mia got what she wanted, and at that moment in time she wanted nothing more than to bed the man beside her.

  After several minutes of fumbling around in the dark removing his clothes, Mia shoved the man back onto her bed. Although her experience with men had never passed the kissing and touching stage she knew what to do. She placed her hands on Gallien’s well-toned torso, feeling every inch of her body come alive. She leaned down and kissed his soft lips, and although she was certain he was probably far more experienced than herself, it was Mia who took the lead lowering herself gently down upon him.

  Mia awoke, not sure how many hours she had been asleep. She could feel the soft breathing of Gallien beside her, and one of his arms wrapped protectively around her. She smiled at the memory of what they had done together, and although it had not lasted as long as she would have hoped it was still an experience she would like to repeat.

  She smiled, as in the dim light of her room she could make out the outline of Gallien’s face. Sent to her to try and extract information, something she had not given. He had proved every bit the man she had hoped him to be; Lean and attractive, and surprisingly tender, she felt herself wanting more. She tried to wonder why she found the man beside her so irresistible but pushed that idea from her mind as she moved her hand down under the sheets. Gallien stirred slightly, groaning as she worked her magic thinking this time she would let him take control.

  It was early afternoon by the time Mia and Gallien both dressed and emerged outside. The sun had already passed its zenith, as Mia noticed a rather glum faced Kala staring at her from across the way. Seeing she was annoyed, Mia grabbed Gallien’s arm, linking it with her own making a clear statement. Whatever she was thinking Kala was not impressed, and turned away walking off towards the treeline. Mia felt pleased with her mornings work, and more so that she was getting one over on Kala. She looked up to see Gallien staring after her, “Leave her be, we don’t need her,” Mia said firmly pulling hi
s arm for them to walk the other direction.

  Gallien nodded, and Mia gave herself a smile as the man obediently did as she asked. “What shall we do?” she heard him ask. “Fennick will expect me to report back to him,” he added realising Mia had told him absolutely nothing. “How about we get something to eat?” Mia suggested feeling hungry after her mornings excitement. Once more Gallien obliged, although she thought she saw him glance back towards Kala for a moment.

  After a surprisingly good meal of wild mushroom soup and a bread roll, Gallien once more reiterated his concerns of needing to see Fennick. “What are you going to tell him?” Mia asked with a wicked smile on her face, “That you made love to me all morning?” She scoffed, “It will only make him jealous. You know he tried to bed me himself only yesterday?” Mia added trying to judge Gallien’s face for a reaction. If there was any hint of jealousy there Mia could not pick up on it, and so decided to let that subject be for now at least.

  After stopping off for a few moments around the back of one of the timber built outhouses, where Mia felt the need to share a kiss with Gallien, the pair of them headed to the building Fennick called his own. Linked arm in arm appearing to anyone looking on like long-time lovers, they knocked on the door and waited for an answer.