They collapsed in the firm snow, breathing heavily and sending small clouds of heat with each breath. Cage canceled the axes.
Brooke then said “You didn’t see it, but it wasn’t a stream we were walking on, Cage love. It was a ravine, a deep hole between these hills.” She then hugged him and shook for several minutes, glad to still be alive. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I walked over it first and didn’t feel anything. It triggered something when you and the… oh, I understand now. The spell triggered because of weight. The horse weighed much more than myself. That could have been the trigger…” He felt her shake again. “Sorry you lost a friend.”
“As am I, Love, as am I. Rena loved her…” She replied. Brooke eventually came out of her reverie and loss to look over the icy trap. She pointed “Cage, why is there a lump of snow near where we fell?”
“Don’t know… everything else is cleared off.” He raised a hand and sent the magic, afraid to even chance walking across again. The deadly spell didn’t activate again as an invisible force grabbed the bulge of snow, lifted it and pulled it closer.
“My pack and fur!” She exclaimed in surprise. She didn’t question how it didn’t get consumed, glad only it hadn’t. Brooke held on dearly to the precious supplies. She took out a strip of meat to settle her nerves.
For ten minutes they sat, recovering, when she asked “What magic were those things. Were they what saved us?”
He nodded and created one for her to see for a moment to conserve what inner strength remained. “I know it doesn’t look like an axe, like what you wear, this shape is perfect for cutting into snow and ice. This is the fourth time an ice axe saved my backside. Before we go, I’ll make you a pair. Loan me your hatchet for a few minutes.” She slid out a tomahawk and handed it over. Cage moved to a nearby healthy tree to find an appropriate branch. It took several minutes until the right branch shape could be located. He cut it and found another to do likewise. Cage then handed her the two sticks with a sharp six inch joint with plenty of strength to function properly. He then carefully traversed the ice to cut a length of rope from the ice and returned with the two and a half feet. “Grip these for now. I think we should find shelter for the night. I’ll work on them then and make a leash where they can dangle from your wrists and be ready at all times.”
“My thanks, Love.” Brooke sheathed her tomahawk, shouldered her pack and gripped the wooden ice axes, ready to use them as he further explained the proper technique. Cage took charge of the fur bedding they sleep on to stay off the ground.
It took another hour to escape the pass then Cage found the oddest thing. Ahead stood a pyramid-like hill of ice, only it wavered like a mirage. The usual tingle of magic didn’t change and that made it more odd. He went to ask Brooke if she saw it, but by her expression revealed she didn’t see anything, even with it right in front of them. She grumbled “Another frozen lake. Don’t want to walk on ice ever again.” So she can’t see it? He asked internally. As they walked away he kept an eye on it as it was fascinating, and likely to kill him. He figured. At the peak of the four sided pyramid was crowned a large, teardrop shaped object. From the distance he guessed it to be as tall as a child and the base, where it was widest, was nearly a foot and a half wide in diameter.
Cage left the pyramid mirage of clear ice alone.
Inside an actual small cave they found that didn’t smell, crackled a warm fire. Cage used Brooke’s tomahawk to properly shape the wood while she followed his example. Working kept thoughts about earlier from claiming her being and overly mourning the death of her mare. She watched as he cut a small notch in what would become a handle and took the half of rope he cut again to firmly tie it on so nothing would allow the rope to slip from the wood. The underside of what would become the pick became sharpened to drive the applied force deeply and smoothly into the ice or snow. Ice would be infinitely more damaging to the weaker wood, but if there is a crack of some kind it would catch. The underside was shaved flat, only so much to not lose any integrity. The joint at the head would be a problem and wouldn’t hold a person’s dangling body weight, but he hoped Brooke wouldn’t need it for that. If it could keep her from sliding or rolling helplessly it would ease his mind.
Just as they were finishing, their sharp hearing heard the crunching of snow from weight. Both stood in the cave. Brooke removed her tomahawks, expecting a bear or some malevolent creature as Cage took up a simple fighting stance, expecting likewise.
What came next was completely unexpected. “Cage, you are one crazy fool, coming into this forest.”
“Who’s out there?!” Brooke demanded hotly.
“Wait… that voice… it cannot be… I know it…” Cage stood up and asked hesitantly “Granny, is that you?”
Megdline sighed heavily as she trudged into the light of the fire. She shook the flurry of snow from her shorter jet black hair. She brushed her yellow robes after tucking her staff with the inlaid topaz gem in the curve of her left arm. Her grey eyes looked into the small cave just tall enough for Cage to stand up.
Next entered Frill, the large Maine Coon feline. His woodsy coloring remained the same even though clumps of snow clung heavily onto his fur. His intelligent golden eyes looked over the fire to the two before he tilted his head towards Megdline and began meowing and making sounds like a bird. She replied “Me too. Hold on and let me get the snow off you.”
Cage felt a tingle of magic and jumped in front of Brooke, raising a shield around them both.
Megdline stopped her magic and turned her worried eyes out into the darkness. Frill jumped around and hissed while using his magic. “What did you see, Cage?”
“Granny, if that is who you really are, prove it.”
Megdline became less defensive and lowered the staff. She sighed in relief. “Don’t scare me like that!” She turned back around to see he hadn’t lowered the magic. “Interesting…” she sent her magic forth and stepped back as she saw black blades appear from his outstretched fingers. “Cage, I do not understand why…” she stopped talking as Frill yowled and began his cat-speak. “Oh, I hadn’t considered that.” She lowered her magic and said “I’m sorry for worrying you. But it truly is me. Only I cannot prove it… wait, do you think the forest conjured a likeness of us to kill you?” He nodded and lowered into a frightening fighting stance. Slowly she lowered her staff to the ground and held up her hands. “I know you can sense usage of magic like myself. If I were a spell designed to kill you, it would be easy to feel the stronger prickling sensation from this short of distance. Right now I’m not using any active spells and I’ve stripped my wards to comply.” She looked down beside her. “You too, stop using magic.” Frill spoke. “Hey, it was your observation… we both know he won’t attack unless provoked. I for one do not want to fight him when we finally get to find him after getting out of the dreadful snow.” Frill huffed and lowered his magic. His tail twitched with disgust and worry for it left them exposed.
Cage saw them go and stand by the wall. Their compliance made his stance melt, but the swords remained.
“Love, they could be another trap.”
Megdline’s eyes narrowed as she got a better look of the woman standing behind him. She didn’t say anything as it might make the situation more dangerous.
“I don’t sense her magic beyond my own. If they were a trap this place could do much worse. There could be a cave-in to crush us, attack us the moment they entered or even seal the entrance. Keep your weapons at the ready though.”
“I didn’t consider that an option.” She replied, keeping an eye on the two.
Cage stopped the magic and said “Brooke, what you’re about to see will be a test. If Megdline so much as twitches you may attack. Do not attack unless I wave my arms in a moment.” He saw her nod as he stepped aside. “Frill, do you remember our first encounter?” The large cat nodded seriously. “Then do as you did when I called you a pet.”
Frill’s eyes narrowed and he yowled warni
ngly, but then stopped when his gold eyes lit in understanding. Frill lunged at Cage, using magic. Cage created a barrier just over his chest as the feline knocked him to the ground. Brooke went angry instantly until Cage spoke easily “It is you, Frill.”
The cat blinked and looked down to see a half inch space from his paws to Cage’s chest. Frill reduced his great weight and sat. Cage removed his barrier and felt the natural cat’s weight. Frill began to speak and Cage leaned up and met Megdline’s eyes as she remained perfectly still. “He says you are stronger than last time. Your slightly more proficient in our art.”
“Thanks, Frill. I’m glad it’s really you. If it were a trap this forest conjured then you would have attacked my throat or fought harder. If that were the case then I wouldn’t have shown mercy.” He grinned.
Frill spoke and Megdline chuckled. “He said it would be a short victory for him.”
Cage sat up and Frill hopped off and padded over to Megdline again. “Now to ask you a question. Are there spells capable of reading my mind to create lifelike illusions from my memories and could replicate them with substance?”
Megdline smiled. “I’ve forgotten how you think of such unique possibilities. But for such magic I can definitively say no. The brain is structurally the same for everyone, but to see specific memories is impossible because we think and react differently do to our personalities. It is why no two people are the same. To pick one memory from your head would be like finding a single drop of fresh water in an ocean. It would instantly dilute into saltwater and be unusable. The only way to read a mind is up to the person it belongs to. The person can show memories through illusions which you’ve demonstrated for me before. Even twin mages who lived their entire lives together cannot read each other’s mind.”
“But then again, a trap that could read my mind might extrapolate what I know of my experience with the two of you to say exactly that to lower my defenses and kill me.” Brooke blinked between them as he never spoke to her like this before.
Megdline gained an introspective expression and tapped her bottom lip before saying “That is true and it could be the same for me seeing you…”
Brooke moved beside Cage as he stood. “Now for the big question, Granny… Why are you here right now, in Frozen Forest? The chances of our meeting being a coincidence at this very moment is impossible.”
“It isn’t chance that I’m here. I’m here for you.” She looked to the cozy fire. “Frill and I are freezing. May we please get warm by the fire first since I believe you are done testing for the moment?”
“Cage, I do not like this.” Brooke said clearly. “Why is she here in such a dangerous place for you? We should not have been followed in here. Are you sure she is the mage you told us if in your history?”
“Aside from a haircut I’m quite sure she isn’t a fake. She is too elaborate to recreate from what I’ve seen before. Speech and lecturing patterns are also as I expect from her.”
“Thanks.” Megdline spoke. “May I also reclaim my staff?”
“Sure, an illusion wouldn’t need one.” Cage answered.
The middle-aged looking woman, which he knew to be much older than she appeared, retrieved her straight staff with tiny writings all over it. It stood as tall as she with an enormous pyramid of golden topaz set in the top. She looked down at Frill and used little magic to remove the clumped snow from her Familiar. He spoke and shook from his whiskers to tail and she replied “You are most welcome.” They walked closer and sat before the fire. Megdline removed her gloves to warm pink fingers. Frill jumped into her lap and looked at the pair. He then began meowing. Megdline looked up and said “I know our meeting could have gone better, but we saw the fire’s glow as it started getting dark. We came straight here. Please sit, I will explain our presence here as soon as the chill in my body melts.”
Brooke gripped her weapons and followed Cage as he sat on the opposite side.
Megdline looked between the two and asked with a small smile “Cage, you cruel man. First you had the beautiful Meeka and you trade her for an equally beautiful…” She looked closer and raised an eyebrow. “Utala priestess?”
Brooke jumped abruptly and shouted angrily as her losses found an outlet. Her raw emotions didn’t find the implication funny. “Do not ever say that, Magic Woman! If you say anything so insensitive about my woman or look down on my man and the Utala chieftain then I will cut you deeply!”
Megdline simply blinked in surprise at such an outburst, but not fearing attack.
Cage looked up and laid a hand on her forearm. “Easy, Love, I do not think she knows.”
“Knows what?” The elder sorceress asked.
Brooke looked down at her man, realizing her outburst was uncalled for, but he didn’t scold her or show pity. He simply understood. His black eyes simmered with calm rationality. She huffed and sat back down on the fur.
Cage then took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers, making her lay one weapon down. He saw the sorceress and Familiar staring intently. “First, let me ask how you found me or how long you’ve been watching me?” Her grey eyes widened but she kept quiet. “Which way?” He focused and created the white string of light while also conjuring the spell where he could see far away.
Megdline saw the light and watched as a circular, black object appeared over the fire with a tiny orange light which grew as it revealed the cave in which they occupied. She smiled and said “I see you have learned to effectively use the seeker’s thread and sight mirror.”
“Sight mirror and seeker thread?” He asked and canceled the spells.
Megdline explained. “That versatile white string is called seeker thread and the conjuring of sight from far distances beyond your eyes range is the sight mirror.” She began stroking Frill’s soft fur. “Those spells are very reliable and there are only three more ways, to my knowledge, on how to follow someone. The others require a sample of the target when you don’t know what they look like, the sample being hair, blood, some kind of bodily part or an object that belongs to them alone. The next is to go into a deep magical trance that kills more often than finding someone and the last, to my knowledge again, is being quite familiar with a person’s mana where the mage instinctively knows where the other is at all times.”
Cage stored the information. “And which did you use?”
“A combination of the two you showed me. I might have tasted your mana, but not to the degree to always know where you are. That is usually reserved for lovers who have been together for years. As for how long I’ve watched. I’ve been… busy.” Cage didn’t let the slight hesitation to go unnoticed or the fact her body language is uneasy. “I have looked for you since last night, but I couldn’t determine your exact location. It wasn’t until this morning that I saw snow and at this time of year this forest is the only location I knew to have snow and not be at high, mountainous peaks. I could not jump to your exact location because the forest’s spells prevents it. I Jumped to the edge of the forest and traveled, using a seeker’s thread to find you a few minutes ago.”
“Hold up, Granny.” He said and spoke quickly. “This Jump you speak of, it is how you made that gold archway where you disappeared? Is it instant teleportation? And how did you travel so far so fast through the forest when we’ve been walking for two days? And why the hell did you follow us in here, knowing the dangers better than I? You haven’t forgotten that I’m not from Raliea have you?”
The woman smiled and he noticed she relaxed as he forcibly sounded anxious to give her a false sense of power. “One thing at a time, Dimwit.”
“Dimwit?” He asked.
“If you persist on calling me ‘Granny’ then I’m going to call you ‘Dimwit’.”
Cage smiled. “Sounds fair.” He then made his leg bounce impatiently. Brooke had never seen him act this way and came to realize it is nothing more than an act. She didn’t let on this observation as he was so convincing she wouldn’t spoil his work, whatever he planned. Cage remaine
d quiet though, waiting.
“The many questions you will have, I shall answer. Jumping is a simpler word for teleportation. As to how I moved faster… is because I glided over the more deadly traps sprinkled all over this ever changing land.” Then she held up a finger for emphasis. “And I will never be able to forget you are from Earth. I’ll explain why after you first tell me everything that has occurred since we parted.”
“Why? First tell me why I need to divulge everything when you show up out of the blue, here of all places.”
Frill meowed. Megdline looked down to listen. “Alright, if we are to build trust I must be first to start…” She sighed and met Cage’s mildly excited eyes. “The lengthy explanation will come after I hear your tale. The primary reason I braved Frozen Forest is because I have officially been the one selected by the ruling members of the First Magical Council to become your magic instructor. I am to guide and teach you magic so you won’t unintentionally harm yourself or others while experimenting the more commonly known practices. You will know all the spells I do, in time, and must show wisdom and patience before I teach difficult and complex spells…”
Cage dropped the visage entirely. “Does it have anything to do with why you are completely terrified of me?”
The crackling fire is all that made noise for a time. Megdline and Frill simultaneously went wide eyed at him. He had seen enough to realize this. His chuckle at their expression got Frill hissing a laugh and shaking his head. Megdline listened as she peered down at her Familiar. “Yes, I suppose he managed to manipulate me again…” She swallowed dryly before looking up. “Yes, I cannot express how much I’m terrified on what I learned, but I’m still here because I hope I do not make a mistake as your instructor. More than that, I know you have honor after our initial encounter and I’ve invested many weeks of the hardest work I’ve ever done because I like your candor. So few mages have it and speak around their true meanings and motives. And I truly wanted to see you and Meeka again. As I told you last time, it was the most fun we had in years. Will that be sufficient before I hear what you’ve done so that I can understand what I’ll need to properly instruct you on? Leave nothing out for all is important to me. I give you my word to explain everything after.”
Familiar's Ancient Throne (Book 2 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Page 20