God of Magic 2

by Logan Jacobs

  "We have these in the mountains of Morelia, too," Lena explained. "We call them pura berries. In the summer, people make wine out of them, and we use them to sweeten medicines and things."

  "You use these in alchemy?" Maruk asked nervously as he rolled one of the berries between his large fingers. "They, er, they don't have any side-effects, do they?"

  "No, not naturally," Lena replied cheerfully. "Unless you count them staining your tongue purple if you eat too many."

  Maruk placed the berry carefully on his tongue and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. Then his eyes went wide.

  "Oh! That's very good. You said your people make a wine out of these? Do they ship it overseas?"

  Lavinia caught my eye and grinned.

  "Come on, you two," the ladona woman said. "There will be plenty of time to order expensive foreign wine when we get back. We still have to find Aurelius." She took the lead up the trail again, and we followed, though Maruk and Lena hung back and talked quietly about wines and jams and other confections that could be made with the berries.

  About a mile or so beyond the bushes, we came upon another trail marker, although this one was in much better condition than the first. The markings on it were still in some sort of shorthand none of us could decipher, but at least the existence of the post here meant there were people somewhere nearby. Lavinia's tracking instincts were as true as her aim.

  I didn't sense any sort of magic around the marker, sinister or otherwise, but I tried not to be dissuaded by that fact. It wasn't as though I expected we would be able to walk right up to Aurelius' front door as soon as we got into the mountains. Clearly, one of the clans Uriel told us about had a camp somewhere nearby, and surely they would have some idea as to the rogue mage's whereabouts.

  The path became steeper and rockier as it wound upward, closer and closer to the looming gray peaks of the Canterrose Mountains. I couldn't help but think the peaks looked like the jagged shoulders of some enormous creature, and I was suddenly reminded of a short entry for giants in the field guide I'd brought along.

  According to the author, giants were more like features of the landscape than people in appearance, and they were slow-moving and generally unaggressive. Furthermore, the author claimed giants were all but extinct, and any still alive had moved to the fringes of the realm to avoid contact with the busier people of this realm, the elves and humans and so on. Giants, therefore, were nothing we would have to worry about here, the author promised.

  The real threats, aside from the gryphons that we'd already met, were the mountain trolls, or perhaps the occasional ogre, and of course, there were nonmagical predators as well, such as bears and wolves. I saw no sign of any such creatures as we hiked along, but I kept my eyes and ears open all the same just in case.

  The soft mauve and periwinkle hues of approaching dusk were just beginning to color the sky when we saw the orange glow of a campfire far in the distance. Without anyone needing to say anything, we slowed and moved off the trail together beneath the sheltering gloom of the trees.

  "One of us should go up first, to see if they're friendly," Lavinia whispered.

  "I'll go," I said. Even if the people in the camp ahead were friendly, they might not react as well to Lavinia or Maruk marching into their camp, heavily armed and in bloodstained armor. Also, if things didn't go well, we'd need Aerin safe so she could heal any injuries we sustained.

  That left me and Lena, and I at least had my magic as a back-up if things didn't go well. Although I was prepared to defend my reasoning, none of the others argued. I handed Merlin over to Lena and adjusted my cloak to conceal the dagger in my belt.

  "We'll keep an eye on you from the trees," Lavinia promised, and I nodded before I stepped back onto the path and made my way up toward the glow of the fires.

  Despite not knowing what to expect, I wasn't worried. Uriel hadn't said anything about the nomadic clans here being hostile, and I doubted a group of trolls would be camped so low in the foothills like this. At least, according to what I'd read, they preferred higher altitudes. The core of it was, though, that I trusted my skill and the skill of my friends to keep me safe. I caught glimpses of Lavinia as the ranger moved through the trees on my right like a shadow, her long white hair just barely visible through the dark leaves. The others would be further behind, but I knew they were keeping watch as well.

  I had walked maybe half a mile before a voice rang out.

  "Stop there." It was a young man's voice, and though I could tell he was trying for a confident tone, his voice cracked slightly when he spoke.

  I stopped and waited as the lookout approached me. I kept one hand on the hilt of my dagger, as a precaution, but I doubted I would need to use it. It was obvious this boy wasn't a troll, and even in the growing darkness, I could see the white-knuckled grip he had on his spear and the taut skin around his eyes. If he was this nervous about meeting me, I'd been right about coming myself instead of sending Maruk or Lavinia.

  The boy, a human, was tall and gangly, but as he drew near and stopped about two yards from me, I guessed he wasn't much older than twenty, if that. His pale cheeks were marked with acne scars, and his brown hair stuck up in tufted spikes as if he'd just rolled out of bed. The leather armor he wore was too short and too wide for someone of his build, and it hung awkwardly over his bony shoulders.

  "Who are you?" the boy asked, once again with an obvious attempt to sound stern, though there was a slight tremble in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

  I wondered if he had a naturally nervous disposition, or if there was something else that provoked this sort of reaction from him.

  "My name is Gabriel," I said in the most non-threatening tone possible. "I'm just passing through, and I saw your fire. I was hoping I could stay at your camp for the night." The boy was still as rigid as a steel beam, so in an attempt to be friendly, I asked, "What's your name?"

  The boy blinked, obviously surprised by my question, and he cast a glance over his shoulder back at the camp as if he expected someone there would tell him how to respond. By now, I could see the silhouettes of a few other people against the firelight, though they were too far away to make out clearly, and certainly too far away to have overheard any part of our conversation.

  "I'm Gaerwen," the boy answered after a moment. "But my friends call me Gaer. Well, I mean, everyone calls me Gaer, I guess."

  "It's nice to meet you, Gaer," I said, and I took a step forward and held out my hand.

  Gaer didn't move, and he eyed my hand as though I'd held out a viper at him.

  "You're not sick, are you?" he asked, and his pale green eyes flicked nervously from my hand to my face.

  "No, I'm not sick," I answered.

  Gaer stared at my outstretched hand for a moment longer, then hesitantly took a step forward as well and shook it. When he stepped back again, he threw another look over his shoulder at the camp, and I wondered if there was anyone specific he was waiting for.

  "I'll have to ask," he said. "About you staying with us, I mean."

  "I understand," I replied, "but I should mention, I'm not alone."

  Gaer's eyes flicked past me to comb over the trees, and his hand tightened over the shaft of his spear.

  "I just came ahead to look for shelter," I explained, then added, "but don't worry, none of us are sick." When Gaer didn't answer, I decided to go on. "I'm with my guild. We're called the Shadow Foxes."

  I'd learned that guilds commanded a certain level of respect across the realm. Of course, the more prestige a guild had, the more recognition they could expect outside the city, but even for guilds that weren't as famous, there was a sort of trust and respect people had for them. Hopefully, knowing we were part of a guild would convince Gaer we could be trusted.

  "Oh," Gaer swallowed, and his fingers worked around the wooden shaft of the spear again. "A guild. Well, I still have to ask."

  I nodded. That was more than fair. "Should I wait here, then?"

  The boy bobbed his
head up and down in a nod.

  "I'll be right back," he said, and then he turned and walked quickly up the trail toward the camp. I could see when his silhouette joined the others before the fire, and after a moment, he began to make his way back, this time with an older woman at his side. I did my best to look non-threatening and healthy while they approached.

  "Uh, Gabriel, this is Saelin," Gaer said awkwardly. "Saelin, this is Gabriel."

  The woman was in almost every respect the opposite of Gaerwen. She was short, and she hunched over slightly as she walked steadily forward with the aid of a gnarled cane, but there was still something undeniable about the confidence she carried herself with. She was wrapped in layers of worn cloth, and she had a furry shawl pulled over her shoulders, which I guessed was the hide of some mountain animal, though I couldn't recognize the pelt. There were streaks of gray in her dark blonde hair, and her thin brows were furrowed in a skeptical frown as she appraised me with dark eyes. She reminded me of an owl the way she watched me, and though I doubted she was over five feet tall, there was an intensity to her that made her intimidating nonetheless.

  I had begun to wonder if perhaps I should say something as the silence stretched between us, but then the woman spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

  "You got a cough, boy?"

  "Uh, sorry?" I started.

  "Do you have a cough?" the woman repeated, and this time, she spoke slowly, as though she was talking to a child.

  "No," I answered with a frown. "I already told Gaer--"

  "What about a fever?" the woman interrupted. "Chills? Sore throat?"

  "I'm in perfect health," I answered as soon as I could get a word in. "I swear." They certainly seemed concerned about that. I wondered if there was some sort of summer illness that plagued these parts.

  "You said you had a guild?" the woman prompted, and her dark eyes narrowed.

  "I do," I said. "They're not with me, of course, I just came to--"

  "Any of them got a cough?" the woman asked impatiently.

  "No," I answered. "No coughs, no fevers, chills, or sore throats."

  I wanted to ask more about this illness these people seemed to be so preoccupied with, but I didn't want to risk annoying the woman just yet, not while our opportunity to join the camp for the night was on the line. We were prepared to rough it on our own out in the forest, of course, but I was sure we'd be doing plenty of that once our search for Aurelius got underway. We could use one last night of good food and relative comfort before then, and hopefully, these people would be able to give us some direction regarding the rogue mage.

  My questions could wait, though and instead, I thought of something I could offer.

  "One of my guild is a healer," I said, "and we have a friend with us who is a talented alchemist. If anyone is ill in your camp, I'm sure they'd be happy to help."

  The woman considered me for a moment, but if anything I'd said was good news to her, it didn't register on her face.

  "You and your guild can join us for the night," she said finally. "When Corulin returns, he'll decide if you can stay longer."

  Chapter 13

  Saelin didn't seem particularly pleased when I returned a few minutes later with Lavinia, Maruk, Aerin, Lena, and Merlin. Her sharp eyes immediately went to the puca, and I wondered if she could somehow sense his magical nature despite his disguise.

  Gaer, on the other hand, seemed downright terrified of our party. His eyes darted nervously from Maruk to Lavinia to Aerin, and even Lena seemed to intimidate him.

  For a moment, I was worried the clan might rescind their hospitality whether we were healthy or not, but then Saelin snorted and waved for us to follow her into the camp. Five large, hide-covered dwellings sat hunched like enormous beasts around a single, long fire pit in the center of the camp. It appeared as though the clanspeople simply felled one of the great pines and stripped it of its branches, then laid it out on its side to burn. Stones marked the edge of the fire pit, and there were mats of woven grass set out at intervals around the perimeter a comfortable distance from the flames.

  As we approached, a few of the people who had been sitting around the fire turned, and though they fixed us with looks of surprise and wariness, none of them got up or made any kind of protest to our presence. I supposed Saelin was their leader, at least temporarily, and none of them had a mind to argue with her. I knew I wouldn't have wanted to if I were in their position.

  I counted twenty-seven people in total, including Saelin and Gaer, and I wondered if that was the typical size of these mountain clans or if the sickness they'd seemed so worried about reduced their numbers. At least all of the people here looked healthy, though I caught the eye of a young woman across the fire who appeared to have been crying. In fact, there was a noticeably solemn feeling in the entire camp, and everyone looked to be on edge.

  "Have a seat," Saelin rasped as she gestured to the mats around the fire. "We'll get you something to eat." She nodded then to a pair of young men, and they got up silently and disappeared into one of the shelters.

  We took five vacant seats around the end of the fire nearest to us, and I was surprised when Saelin crouched down on the free mat next to Lavinia. The old woman eyed the ranger's bow and quiver of dark arrows and pressed her thin lips together.

  "Had any luck hunting?" she asked, though her tone suggested that she already guessed the answer would be 'no.'

  "We haven't tried," Lavinia replied. "We only just got here. We were with a caravan before."

  "Mmm." Saelin nodded.

  Just then, the young men returned and handed wooden bowls filled with some sort of stew to each of us. Steam wafted up from the bowls and carried with it the rich scent of cooked meat. I recognized some of the berries Lena showed us earlier among some pale, starchy kind of vegetable.

  "Thank you," I said to the man who had given me my bowl, but he didn't respond as he returned to his earlier place by the fire, so instead I turned to Saelin. "Have your people been getting sick recently?"

  The woman frowned deeply as she stared into the rippling flames in front of her, and for a moment, I wasn't sure she was going to answer me.

  "Yes," she said at last. "For the past month and a half, many of our clan have fallen ill."

  Since no one here looked sick, I wondered if all those afflicted had died. I wanted to ask, but I wasn't sure if I would be overstepping any boundaries. Saelin and her people were being kind to us, but they were still strangers.

  "There might be something we could do," I said instead as I looked to Aerin on my right and Lena on the healer's other side. Aerin understood my intention immediately.

  "I'm a Cleric of Evarun," she explained. "If you have anyone here who's sick, I could try to heal them."

  "And I'm very good with potions," Lena added. "I could see about making some medicinal teas or something."

  Saelin looked from one woman to the other, her expression unchanged, then shook her head sadly.

  "I appreciate you offering," she said at length, "but none of our people here are ill. Besides, there's only one cure for what ails those who are sick, and it's not in your prayers or your medicines."

  She spoke frankly and with the same confidence that she'd shown previously, but there was a distinct weariness to her voice now as well, as though she'd heard similar offers before and had long since learned not to put too much hope into them.

  "I'm sorry about the people you lost," I said sincerely. I remembered visiting my grandmother every weekend in the hospital when I was young, how difficult it was to watch her waste away and know there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  Saelin nodded appreciatively, but as she twisted the edge of her shawl between her bony fingers, there was a somber light in her eyes.

  "You said there was only one cure," Aerin said with a slight frown. "Do you mean you know what it is?"

  It seemed like a perfectly innocent question, and I was glad Aerin had thought to ask, but as soon as she did, Saelin's expressi
on became closed off and she stood suddenly.

  "I'll leave you to your meals," she said. "When you're ready, find me, and I'll arrange places for you all to sleep." With that, she turned and left abruptly, and Aerin cast me a worried glance.

  "I didn't mean to offend her," the redheaded elf said, and she chewed on her lower lip as she watched the woman go.

  "I know," I told her gently, but I wondered why Aerin's question had provoked such a response from the woman. I didn't want to say it out loud, but I suddenly remembered what Aerin said about Aurelius and his studies, the way he sought to cure people through blood magic. Was that the case here, that whatever this illness was, it could only be cured by some dark magic? This might explain Saelin's reluctance to share information with us.

  Even so, I didn't get the sense the woman was hiding some dark secret, only that we had touched on a sensitive subject.

  "What was your impression of her?" I asked Aerin quietly, careful so that we wouldn't be overheard. I hoped Aerin's ability to read people's auras might shed some light on the subject.

  But the elf shook her head and frowned.

  "I don't know. I mean, I don't think she's dangerous or anything," she whispered back. "I can tell she's afraid, though, and sad."

  "She mentioned someone else before," I said. "A man named Corulin. She said he would decide if we could stay here longer."

  "I've never heard of him," Aerin replied. "Maybe he's their leader?"

  I hadn't expected she would have known a random person from the nomadic mountain clan we had more or less stumbled upon, but I figured it was better to have said something. I didn't expect we would have a reason to stay longer than the night, but I did want to wait until this Corulin person returned and speak to him before we left the camp, in case he knew something about Aurelius.

  Almost as though she'd guessed my thoughts, Aerin asked, "Did you tell her why we're here? I was just thinking if these people are getting sick … well, I don't know anything for certain, but Aurelius was known for studying types of healing magic."