Mage (The Elemental Magic Series Book 2)

by Michael Nowotny

  Jessica took the lead. "That's what we're trying figure out. He's a sorcerer and not of a known family. I suspect he's from a forgotten off shoot of one of the dead families. I'd like to look at the lineage books of the lost families."

  "So we have a mystery of broken lineage, intriguing? You'll be sure to tell old Hammen, right quick?"

  "Absolutely, if one of the histories needs correcting you'll be the first to know." Peter told the man who was rubbing his hands together as if he was about to dig in to a feast.

  "Yes, yes. I'll get the books and you can start your search!" Hammen told them as he turned to the rows of bookshelves behind him.

  Alec watched the man go from shelf to shelf seemingly at random to pull out books. Other shelves had scrolls in their cases stacked here and there. Certain shelves were labeled and were full and sagging. Others were almost empty with only a few books or scrolls on them.

  Hammen came back to his desk and set down four books and two scroll cases.

  "You'll have a care, right?" He looked worriedly at the scrolls.

  "Absolutely, we'll treat them like a babe in his swaddling clothes. They're safe with us Hammen." Peter assured him.

  Peter and Alec gathered the books and scrolls and followed Jessica out to the waiting carriage.

  Back at the house Peter and Jessica had Alec write down as many of his relative’s names and description of them no matter how distant, third, fourth cousins, any she told him. Meanwhile she led Peter off to the room he would be staying in.

  Alec sat down at the table and began making his list. It was pretty short. He separated the list in half. One side for his father the other his mother. Under his father he wrote Patten Carter then Steffen Carter as his grandfather and Shelly Carter his grandma. He didn't know what his grandma's maiden name was. For his mother he wrote down Sophie Pulseen then May Pulseen grandma, Karen Pulseen, and Randal Pulseen grandpa. He didn't know of any other relatives, any cousins or other aunts or uncles. It made him sad to think about. Of all the relatives he knew only he and his aunt Karen were alive. It was very depressing really.

  Jessica and Peter came back a few minutes later. Alec handed his list to Jessica. After reading quickly she handed it to Peter.

  "Is this everyone son?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow. "No cousins, no other aunts or uncles?"

  "Sorry, I was never told of any. My aunt Karen might know more but no one ever said anything to me."

  Jessica laid a hand on his shoulder in a comforting way.

  "We'll just have to ask her when we go to your friend’s wedding. That is if you don't mind having an old man tagging along. I've already put in yours and Christi's leave with the school. It’s for two days before and after the third weekend of fall right?" Peter asked with the fatherly smile that Alec had come to like so well.

  "Yes it is, that should do it and you’re more than welcome to come." Alec liked the idea of another male going with him. That meant five of them going to the farm, Christi and himself, her mother and her aunt Teresa and now Peter.

  Alec and Peter talked about various things till George got back at supper time. Most of it centered on Alec transferring to Stalle's class full time since he couldn't be a sorcerer without any magic. Peter tried to persuade him to join a different battle schoolteacher but Alec refused to be swayed.

  With George back and supper done Alec was grateful to stand back as they rehashed old times with the evening advancing. Alec bid them a good night retiring to his room. He quickly wrote two letters, one to Karen telling her most of what had happened and how he felt. The other to Jake letting him know he would be happy to be his best man and that four others would be joining him for the wedding. Sealing the letters closed he took them back to the sitting room and gave them to Jessica to be mailed.

  Alec wasn't surprised when George knocked on his door before the sun rose the next morning. They quickly saddled their horses and mounted. Alec felt like he was wearing an armory, bow, quiver of arrows, brace of knifes across his chest with one in his boot. Then he had his old knife at his left hip and the larp sitting on his stirrup. They stopped at one of the early bakers and bought a sweet roll for the road, eating it while they rode.

  They met the rest of the guards just outside the east gate. George gathered everyone around and filled them all in on the job. They would be escorting a group of wealthy merchants to Sandstone, a city on the edge of the Plains. They would be riding hard and fast to discourage bandits from attacking. He told them if anyone had a problem then they should stay here.

  As George led them off to one side of the gate Alec got a chance to meet the other guards. Billy was a tall but thin man who looked like he had a hard time staying in one place for very long. Marty was slightly taller than Alec with a ready smile. Then there was Simon, he was taller than Alec by at least a head, he looked like a normal guy. The last two were Jill and Janet, sisters. Both were probably at least a good ten years older than he was and Jill told Alec she was the older of the two by a year and a half.

  Almost half an hour later three carriages rolled out of the gate, each one had four horses in front of it. A single man drove each one with a man beside him with a crossbow. The carriages were full, six people to each one ranging in age from a woman who could have been a grandmother to a young boy of about eight.

  George spoke with someone in the first carriage then motioned for them to head out. True to his word they rode hard and fast at a fast gallop. Alec rode beside Marty at the back of the group. In no time they were in the countryside eating up the miles as they passed small farms and their fields. For Alec the miles weren't the only thing he was eating, dust from the other horses and carriages billowed up in front of him getting into his eyes, nose, ears and mouth. He glanced over at Marty and saw he had his entire head covered with a thin fabric. Marty must have noticed his plight because he slowed his horse to a walk and Alec matched him. He held out a cloth like the one he had on to Alec. Alec wrapped the cloth around his head. It was thin enough to see and breathe through but would keep most of the dust out. Alec spurred his horse on following Marty so they could catch up to the others.

  It was really boring following the others with only the fields on either side to look at. Alec found himself thinking of his power and well. Separating his consciousness, he kept part of his focus on the road and what was in front of him, the other part he drew inside. Just because he could, he searched his well for even a glimmer of his power. Nothing. However he could feel the rest of his body. He could feel that the muscles in his thighs and rear would be very sore long before the day was out.

  They seem to be asking for him to do something, something other than to stop mistreating them. They wanted more oxygen from his blood and had real tiny almost strains on the outsides of them.

  He could see that as he took deeper breathes it put more oxygen into his blood. Alec unconsciously started pushing more of it to his rear and thighs. He stopped as soon as he realized what he was doing. Excited he started again but with an effort. The muscles began healing themselves rapidly and he could feel a difference almost immediately.

  With the sun high in the sky, the group pulled off to one side of the road for lunch. Alec climbed down from his horse and led it to a small stream that ran next to the road to let it drink. Marty came over, told him that his horse shouldn’t have much more after a couple of minutes to drink or it would start cramping, and make him lame.

  Alec pulled the horse away from the stream and tied the reins to a low hanging branch before sitting beside the tree.

  Pulling out some bread and dried beef for his lunch he sat back to relax. When he finished his lunch he noticed his larp, still on his saddle, was getting tangled in some of the branches of the tree and went to take it off the horse.

  Alec pulled it off the hook and out of the stirrup when an arrow sliced across the top of his shoulder and went off into the field in front of him.

  "Attack!! Attack!!" Someone shouted.

  Alec spun ar
ound realizing he'd almost been shot in the back again. A man on horseback was charging towards him. He had a spear held ready to stab at Alec.

  Alec tried to remember his training with Allen. He swung his larp around knocking the spears tip away and kept rotating till he felt the studded end hit the man as his horse took him past. Alec spun expecting him to double back and try again, but the man was face down in the dirt with his own spear through his neck as blood pooled around it.

  Alec could only stare as the blood slowly ran out and seeped into the ground. He'd just killed a man. The thought ran through his head over and over. He couldn't take his eyes off the body and blood. As the realization hit him his stomach lurched and churned bringing his lunch back up.

  Suddenly Marty was beside him trading blows with another man sword to sword. It was quickly obvious Marty was outmatched. He kept backing up trying to gain more time between blows, but the bandit pursued him relentlessly. Alec watched waiting for the opportunity to help him in any way he could.

  The inevitable happened, with a series of blows Marty's sword flew from his grasp. The man reared back to give the blow that would end Marty's life. It was act now or stand there and watch him die. Alec chose to act. He swung the larp around and up catching the man’s arm at the elbow. The bladed end acted as a hook pulling the arm back before continuing through it. The arm came off at the elbow and landed on top of Marty.

  The man clutched his arm with a scream and took off running. He didn't make it ten feet before two arrows sprouted from his back killing him.

  Alec heaved again before helping Marty to his feet and looked around. George was cleaning his sword off and Jill was already helping the merchants right one of their carriages. Alec helped Marty over to where Janet and Billy were talking with George, he didn't see Simon anywhere.

  "Is it bad? Where are you hit?" Janet asked Marty, as she looked him over.

  "I just got this little one on my arm. I'm good, thanks," Marty said.

  "Yeah, you wouldn’t be here if it weren't for Alec and me." Jill told him as she came walking up with her bow in hand.

  "Alec here disarmed the guy before I finished him off.” She laughed at her own morbid joke.

  George asked if anyone had seen Simon and Billy told them that he was dead. It was decided that they would continue to the next town before stopping for the night. Hopefully it had an inn they could all stay at.

  As Alec rode he kept seeing the man's face as he cut off his arm. The memory just played over and over as Alec wondered if there had been anything else he could have done.

  Alec rode next to George in front of the group where George must have noticed the look on his face.

  "You didn't have a choice. He would have killed Marty then you without a second thought. When a man tries to harm someone else you have the responsibility to do everything you can to stop them, even if that means dispensing justice yourself. I know it's hard to think that way. You have to move past it, it's the only way."

  "I just didn't expect that much blood." Alec shook his head as if he were trying to get the vision of it out of his head. "I keep seeing it over and over. I keep wondering if there wasn't something else I could have done."

  "You did what you had to, what you were supposed to do. You were in the right! Understand!"

  "Yeah, I guess I just need to move past it, like you said." Alec attempted a weak smile.

  They rode up to the gates of a large town called Riversbend.

  The local militia questioned George before they were let in. Following the main road through the town they came to a two-story inn called The Leaping Trout.

  Alec held George's reins as he went in to check for rooms. He came back out with a couple boys.

  Alec and Billy gave them a hand stabling the horses, some of the horses needed to be taken over to the black smith's shop seeing as he had several stalls available. Billy went in to the inn while Alec helped lead the horses over.

  The black smith was a short stout man named Matt. He was somewhat irritated that they wanted to use his stable even though it had been arranged with the innkeeper. Alec thanked him, even with his grouchy demeanor.

  Chapter 3

  Stepping through the door of the inn Alec waited for his eyes to adjust. Most of the merchants were seated with mugs in hand and a few were eating some kind of white fish. A tangy butter smell hung in the air making Alec's stomach growl. Alec saw a hand wave out of the corner of his eye.

  Marty was waving from a table with the others. Alec took a seat at the table and Marty pushed a mug of what looked like ale in front of him. Alec debated if he could have it or not, it hadn't been very long ago that he'd had the bout of The Waking Sleep.

  "Thanks, but I can't, Marty." Alec told him.

  "Sure you can. I'm buying your drinks tonight. You saved my life today, man!" Marty slid the mug closer to him.

  "It's not that I don't want to, don't get me wrong. I just can't, I've The Waking Sleep, and so I shouldn't drink." Alec explained. He didn't want to be rude.

  "What the hell is that?" Billy asked as he slid away from him, as if it might be catching.

  "I'm a sorcerer, or use to be, so if I drink very much alcohol I fall unconscious." Alec told them, he had all of their attention.

  "Damn, that sucks for you!" Billy called out before taking a big swig from his mug.

  Alec ordered some apple juice when one of the barmaids came close and a plate of trout. She said it was their special.

  "So what you just fall flat on your face if you drink? Man, that's gotta be rough!" Marty shook his head.

  "No, he just sits there really. He'll even talk a little bit, but it's like he's awake and all 'cept there's no one home." George gave them his best blank stare. "Saw it first hand the other day. You had what, two glasses of that dark stuff?"

  Alec nodded.

  "Then he was gone for a good couple hours till we were able to get some special herb tea down him. Even then you looked like you'd been hit in the head or something." George gave him a grin and a wink to say he wasn't trying to give him a hard time.

  "Wow, I'd heard of that. Heard it was like yeah couldn't remember anything that happens when you're out like that. Is it true? Nothing at all?" Janet asked him.

  "It is, couldn’t remember anything. No dreams or anything." Alec shrugged.

  "So you're what a wizard then? I don't see any wand or dead chicken heads!" Billy laughed at his own joke seeing that no one else did.

  "Actually I'm a sorcerer, or was anyway." Alec didn't feel like going through the whole story for them.

  "You said was, that means you aren't now?" Marty had a puzzled look on his face. "I didn't know you could just give it up."

  "Well, I got injured and it took the last of my power to heal me or I would've died, now my body can't make more magic and so I'm done being a sorcerer." Alec told him. He really wished he could have that drink now. It sucked all the bad and none of the good from being a magic user.

  Alec got his plate of fish along with everyone else and ate quickly not wanting to talk any more. It was good. Baked in some butter with herbs of some kind, the fish was nice and tender. Good dry bread and some chopped asparagus went with it nicely.

  Alec decided to call it a night early. George handed him a key when he asked if they had rooms. He told him to leave the door unlocked as Marty was bunking with him. Marty gave him a grin from across the table.

  Alec made his way to the stairs getting a few greetings from the merchants. His key had a number four crudely scratched into it. A few wiggles of the key got him into the room. Two beds on either side of a window with a chest at the foot of each. His saddlebags were sitting on top of the right one. A chamber pot that didn't look all that clean was half under the bed as he sat to take off his boots. He kicked it into the corner furthest from him. He'd rather go outside to the outhouse than use it. He undressed and laid out his clothes for the morning. After turning down the lamp between the beds so it would give Marty just enough lig
ht to do what he needed, Alec lay down to go to sleep.

  Alec found himself staring at his larp standing at the corner by his head. Though he'd cleaned the blade, he thought he could see a reddish tint to it now. He laid awake that way for at least an hour. Seeing the reddish tint and remembering the look of terror, pain, and shock in the man’s eyes that he’d killed.

  Alec didn't hear Marty come in but he did hear him early the next morning. It sounded like two bullfrogs fighting. His mouth was hanging open and it looked like he’d barely made it on to the bed. Looking through the window the sun was just barely making the sky pink where it sat below the horizon.

  Making his way down the stairs after throwing his clothes on, Alec found the innkeepers wife coming out of the kitchen with another loaf of bread to lay on the bar.

  "An early riser, the fire’s probably still going under the tub out back if you want a good soak. Be about a half hour till breakfast is ready anyway." She told him while she worked the bread out of the pan.

  "Thank you, ma’am. I think I will." Alec ran back up to his room with Marty.

  Slipping in quietly Alec grabbed his towel and a bar of soap from his saddlebags. Marty was still snoring away with his mouth hanging open. Making his way to the back of the inn a small shed had smoke rising from a hole in the roof. The bath was empty of water but some coals were still red under it. Alec filled buckets from the well making six trips and threw a couple small logs in the pit to heat the cold water quickly.

  Shedding his clothes, he slid into the tub. The water was still fairly cool but not to the point of raising goosebumps. He lathered up the soap and washed as the tub got nice and warm then laid back to enjoy the warmth.

  Alec sent his mind into his body wondering what else he could still do without his power.

  Apparently being a sorcerer was partly mental as well as having power. He had a small cut on his hand from cleaning his larp. Searching the cut he didn't see any infection. Normally he'd lay a patch of his power over a cut and push his thoughts of it healing into it.