by AC Cobble
They shuffled along silently after that, everyone lost in their own thoughts.
Long-lived. Not only did they exist, but Ben knew one. The world was a strange place.
A bell before daybreak, they made it to the edge of the vineyard. There was no wall there, just an unceremonious end to the vines and the start of a forest. It wasn’t the pine forest Ben was used to from home, but it felt good to walk into the concealment of the trees and out of the open vineyard.
“What do you think?” asked Mathias, huffing and puffing with his hands on his hips. “Travel another half bell then rest? In here, I think it’s safer to move during the day.” He gestured to the leaf cover above that was blocking the moonlight. “Without light, we’ll be tripping over every unseen branch and rock. It’ll make a racket and one of us could break a leg.”
Ben and Amelie shared a look then shrugged.
“Makes sense to me,” replied Ben.
They rested late into the morning and spent two more days gaining elevation and putting distance between them and the City. There were no signs of other people and they began to feel comfortable. On the third day, they sat around a cold camp, getting ready for another hard day of travel. Their pace in the forest wasn’t quick. It had been uphill the entire way.
“Should we break for a day and restock our supplies?” suggested Ben. “Hunt, fish, and gather what we can?”
“Aye, I think we should,” answered Mathias. “We have maybe two days left of what you got from Reinhold’s pantry. While I’d like to keep moving, it won’t do us any good if we run out of food.”
“If we stop,” added Amelie, “I’d like to practice.”
“Practice?” inquired Ben.
“The sword,” she replied. “Hopefully we get through this with stealth and speed, but if we don’t, I need to learn to defend myself.”
“Why not,” agreed Mathias. “I could use a bit of practice myself. I got rusty tending bar the last several years,” he finished with a grin.
Amelie smiled. “You two help me with the sword, and I’ll teach you a few things I learned at the Sanctuary that might come in handy if we meet a mage.”
Ben’s eyes lit up. “You can teach us to fight with magic?”
She snorted. “I can’t teach you to fight with magic, but there are things I learned that can negate someone else’s magic, at least when it comes to affecting you. As you know, it’s all about willpower. If someone tries to impose their will on you, it’s possible to resist that with your own will.”
“Did they teach you to fight at all?” asked Ben. He was thinking the lightning bolts that Lady Towaal called in Snowmar could come in handy.
“No, unfortunately they don’t teach that to initiates,” she answered. “That’s too much power too soon. It’s dangerous to learn that kind of talent. They teach us defense only, in case we were to encounter another mage. Someone who learned on their own or outside of Alcott, I suppose. If we get into a mage fight, our best bet is to run.”
“Too bad,” muttered Ben.
“Actually, there is one advantage we have.” Amelie pulled a small carved wooden disk from a pocket in her dress. “This.”
Ben remembered seeing the disc before. Amelie had taken it from the glass building they fought Eldred in. “What is that?” he asked.
“It’s a repository,” she explained. “It’s infused with energy. It takes weeks for a skilled Mage to create one, constantly drawing energy from the air or their body and transferring it into the disc. The energy is captured in these runes you see inscribed along the edge. I knew it was there because our instructor was demonstrating its use the previous day. She used it to draw energy off of the living plants in the laboratory then applied it back into them. It’s not full, but she showed us how to charge it. It’s not difficult. I think once I establish the link, I can do it while we walk.”
“Is it a weapon?” Ben asked, fascinated.
“Not exactly,” answered Amelie. “They are used to cast great spells more powerful than the mage or the environment could support. It can be any spell, really. So it may be helpful because I am not very strong. When it’s used properly, the mage channels the extra energy into whatever they are trying to do. When used improperly, the energy could be released explosively.”
“Explosively?” wondered Ben.
“That means run.”
The day passed quickly but productively. Right after breakfast, Ben set a couple of small game snares and managed to catch a rabbit by afternoon. He also collected a pouch full of nuts and a few other things to supplement their supplies. The rabbit was lean and gamey, and the nuts carried a slightly bitter taste, but they would need both if they wanted to keep up their energy during the hike.
After Ben showed Mathias and Amelie how to set the traps, they spent the afternoon practicing the sword. Ben didn’t participate. He wanted to take the opportunity to rest his sprained ankle. Mathias proved a capable teacher for Amelie, though.
They didn’t have the proper sparring equipment they used back in the City, so they practiced with their real blades. It was a careful and slow dance. Practice was best when it seemed realistic, but none of them wanted to risk an injury.
They had Ben’s Venmoor steel longsword, a sturdy, well-used broadsword Mathias brought, and a curved saber Amelie had pulled off the wall in one of Reinhold’s office rooms. It wasn’t the best quality, which is likely why it was overlooked, but it was better than nothing.
Mathias was a steady and efficient fighter. He didn’t have near the grace of Saala, or even what Ben was starting to achieve, but unlike many swordsmen, he stayed away from the flourishes and complicated sequences that were common in sparring. It left him with short and economical strokes. He got the job done with minimal wasted effort.
Amelie showed a great deal of improvement from when she first started training with Saala. She was still nowhere near the skill of Ben or even Mathias. She kept at it though with a determined look on her face.
After a bell of sparring, both Mathias and Amelie were exhausted.
“It’s been a few years,” huffed Mathias.
Amelie nodded breathlessly. “Not a few years for me, but this is more tiring than sitting bell after bell in a lecture hall hearing about vegetal growth patterns.” She paused. “Actually, maybe it’s not more tiring than that.”
Ben chuckled. “Don’t go too hard. It’s the first day and we have a lot of travel to do. It won’t do any good if you’re so tired you can’t hike. Maybe we can try doing the Ohms. That’s not as strenuous.”
They started at the beginning and Ben instructed Mathias and Amelie how to move through the forms. Amelie had seen them before when they were on the road going to the City, but she hadn’t practiced them since then. She quickly caught up and before long was cycling through the first set of movements.
Mathias struggled with the challenging flexibility positions. At one point, he glanced over at Amelie who was twisting around with no difficultly and he muttered under his breath, “Nice to be young.”
“You’ll get there,” encouraged Ben. “It will just take some more work, that’s all.”
“I don’t think so,” grumbled Mathias in response. “Some things are lost in time. Me bending down and touching my toes is one of them.”
He straightened up and stretched, cracking his back and joints in the process. “It does feel good though. Even if I can’t do it like you kids, I can get better. You can always get a little better.”
The next morning, they started early and well rested. For three days, they hadn’t seen any signs of pursuit. Now they were well off the established roads and pathways. They knew the Sanctuary had soldiers and likely hunters searching for them, but this far away, they were gaining confidence that it was possible they could get out of the mages’ noose.
The terrain grew difficult throughout the day as they progressed deeper into the foothills of the mountains. Rocky outcroppings began to appear and they decided they would turn
north after stopping that evening. Gaining elevation put them further from civilization and reduced the chance of running into someone, but if they went too far, they would lose some of the plant cover. The trees were already noticeably smaller and the undergrowth was thinning out.
“Just like home?” Amelie asked Ben.
“No, not quite,” he responded. “It’s pine forest back home. These are sycamore, beech, and maple. Farview is a little higher up too, so the air is different.”
Looking around, he added, “The pine is also evergreen. Before long, these trees will start to lose their leaves. By the end of this month, the color of the leaves will change. In two months, it will be nothing but bare branches.”
“You know a lot about trees,” Amelie said with a grin.
“I come from a family of wood cutters.” Ben smirked. “Everyone knows about something.”
That evening, they made camp and started a fire. They had been keeping cold camps, but they figured they were far enough from civilization it was safe now. It was autumn, and this deep in the mountains, the night air was brisk. Ben was glad of the cloak he’d found at Reinhold’s estate. He pulled it close and huddled near the fire.
Mathias had dinner duty that evening, which both Ben and Amelie appreciated. The former soldier and tavern owner was easily the most skilled at mixing the motley supplies they’d brought and coming up with something resembling a decent meal.
Mopping up a hearty stew with a crust of hard bread, Ben had to ask, “Mathias, this is delicious. How did you learn to cook like this?”
“Years of practice and experimenting,” the gruff veteran answered with a smile. “Soldiering is mostly about sitting around and waiting. Occasionally, there is some marching. Very rarely, there is a fight. It feels like you are almost always waiting. You’ve got to find something to do or you’ll go mad. Some take up wood carving. Some learn an instrument. I cooked. I realized early on that the most popular man in the camp is the one who can make dinner. Unless of course,” he continued with a yawn, “you’ve got a man who can brew ale. You brew good ale, and someone will always watch your back. A good brewer has more protection on a battlefield than the lord does.”
“Glad to know I’ll be welcomed then.” Ben smirked.
“Aye. If you ever join an army, make sure they know what you can do.” Another yawn and a stretch. “I think it’s time for me to get some shut eye,” mumbled the veteran.
Mathias rose to his feet, started toward his pack, and then froze.
A whisper of steel against leather. Ben’s senses spiked with fear. Ben couldn’t see around Mathias in the dark, but he could sense the alarm in his friend’s stance.
Suddenly, Mathias dove toward his pack and the broadsword he had tucked under it. He shouted back to Ben and Amelie, “Run!”
A shadowy figure was revealed standing at the edge of the firelight. All Ben could see was a dark silhouette of a man. The light reflected along the edges of two blades. A long, slender rapier and a dagger. Before Ben could react, the figure charged toward Mathias.
Ben sprang up and yanked his own sword out of its battered leather sheath. Amelie was struggling to draw her saber.
The dark figure was on Mathias in a blink and stabbed down with the rapier.
Mathias, instead of pulling his sword free or scrambling away, surged forward and caught the assailant in the midsection with his shoulder. He propelled them both back onto the ground. The hilt of the rapier bounced harmlessly off Mathias’ back.
Mathias landed on top of the figure but the attacker continued the momentum and kept rolling, kicking with his feet and flipping Mathias up and over. The veteran somersaulted in the air before landing hard on the ground.
Ben charged forward, ignoring the twinge of pain in his still tender ankle. He tried to catch their attacker while he was still down, but the man sprung to his feet before Ben could get there.
Ben swung his longsword but his wild swing was expertly turned aside by the man’s dagger. The attacker’s rapier lashed forward and Ben scrambled back, narrowly avoiding being gutted. A thin burning cut blossomed across his stomach where the point nicked him.
Mathias clambered to his feet and drew his broadsword. He stood squarely behind their assailant. Ben and Amelie were in front. All three spread out to encircle the man.
“I don’t know why you are doing this or who you are…” started Ben.
“Enough, boy,” interrupted the man with a snarl. “You may not know me, but I know you, and your heads are the same price, dead or alive.”
The rapier flicked toward Amelie and she scrambled backward out of reach. Mathias and Ben both saw an opportunity and charged forward. The attacker responded by lunging toward Ben.
Ben stopped and set into a defensive posture while Mathias continued his charge at the man’s back. Instead of the expected attack at Ben though, the man spun around and crashed his rapier against Mathias’ broadsword. The heavy weapon was shunted aside and Mathias crashed inside the guard of the rapier. The grizzled veteran was startled by the attacker’s pivot and didn’t react in time to the dagger, which whipped around and slashed him.
Mathias yelled a strangled cry and flailed backward, clutching at his neck. A spray of blood arced out from a wound as he flopped onto his back.
Ben’s stomach churned with concern for his friend. He was also concerned for himself. The assailant was too quick and his fighting style was completely foreign. He used the two blades like they were extensions of his arms. There was no defense against both of them when he was able to block with one and counterattack with the other.
With Mathias out of the fight, the man slowly turned to face Ben. The firelight cast frightening shadows across his face. His wicked smirk gave him a nasty, demonic look.
Ben backed up to give himself room and time to think. Amelie circled behind the man’s back. She was hesitant to attack after what happened to Mathias.
“Amelie,” called Ben, thinking quickly. “See to Mathias. I will deal with this.”
The man smiled. “You’re awfully confident boy. You sure you don’t want help from the girl?”
“I don’t need it,” growled Ben.
The man cackled and stalked forward.
Ben stepped back and circled to what he hoped was the man’s offhand–if there was one. While the man slowly advanced, Ben kept backing up. He stayed in the circle of light from their fire and didn’t engage the man.
“Too scared to fight me, boy?” taunted the attacker.
Ben remained silent and continued to stay just out of reach.
“Very well,” snarled the man.
He surged forward and lashed out with his rapier. Ben parried and stepped back again. A momentary flash of frustration crossed the man’s face, giving Ben hope.
Again the rapier whipped out and Ben easily parried and continued his slow retreat. The man swung forward again, following it with a weak slash from his dagger. Ben kept out of reach of both.
The man started a series of ferocious swings and jabs, but Ben refused to engage. He kept meeting the attacks with minimal force and stepping away when he could. The thrusting attacks from the rapier became faster and wilder as the man grew angry.
“Fight me!” he yelled. Recklessly, he leapt forward, trying to catch up to Ben’s withdrawal.
It was what Ben had been waiting for. With both of the man’s blades extended and the man jumping in the air, Ben burst forward, ducking the sharp steel and thrusting his longsword deep into the man’s chest. The impact of their bodies colliding drove the longsword clean through the man. He collapsed lifeless into Ben.
Ben shoved the body off his weapon, panting heavily. He looked down at the dead man, still uncertain about whom he was.
“Ben!” cried Amelie.
She had been watching the fight, looking for an opportunity to assist, but now that it was over, she knelt next to Mathias.
Ben dropped his longsword and ran to Mathias.
The barkeep was ly
ing on his back, his breath was coming in strained, wet gurgles. The flickering fire lit his blood slick hands. They were clasped around his neck and Ben could see in his eyes that it was over. When Ben drew close, Mathias tried to whisper something. Only blood bubbled out of his mouth. Crimson streaks leaked down his cheek.
Ben rocked back on his heels, struggling in vain to think of something they could do.
Amelie sobbed and gripped Mathias’ arm tightly. “Hold on,” she begged. “I can heal you.”
Mathias tried one more attempt at speaking, but couldn’t get out the words. He met Ben’s eye and withdrew his hands from his neck.
A splash of blood shot out with the release of pressure and Ben saw the gaping wound that went from just below Mathias’ ear to the front of his neck. He knew Amelie didn’t have the skill to heal that.
With each heartbeat, a progressively weaker spurt of blood pumped out. Within the space of a dozen breaths, Mathias was still.
They spent half the night burying their friend. Ben dug out a shallow grave using his hands and the veteran’s broadsword. Amelie kept watch, jumping at every little sound in the surrounding woods.
Ben said a few short words. Then they moved camp one hundred paces further up the side of the mountain. They tried to lie down and rest, but neither of them could sleep.
After a half bell, staring up at the stars, Ben broke the silence. “Who was that?”
“A hunter,” answered Amelie morosely. “Someone the Sanctuary sent after us. He said there was a price on our heads.”
“Do you think he was working alone?” asked Ben.
“I hope so. It’s not unusual for men like that to work alone.”
“If he wasn’t alone, he would have waited.” Ben sighed. “At least I think he would have waited. But if he could find us, then others might also find us.”
“You’re right,” said Amelie. “But what does it matter? What else can we do but keep moving? If we stay still or we try to hide, it will just make discovery quicker. If they capture us, we may as well be dead.”
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