The strange noises from Blackthorne's cottage continued for the better part of an hour. Taina returned and entered Moria's cottage. Faeya Ryr returned to her cottage to fetch Gerrand for dinner. Wynne walked out of her door and scowled at Blackthorne's cottage. Navir sat near Dvorak's cook pot and watched the movement of his companions. Dvorak tasted his stew and nodded to Navir. Gerrand and Faeya Ryr came with their bowls and Dvorak served everyone.
Taina came out and got a bowl of stew and went back in the cottage. Wynne picked through the stew to find the pieces she wanted. They ate in silence.
Blackthorne's door opened and he walked briskly to the cook pot and filled a large bowl with stew. He stirred it with his spoon and raised a mouthful to his lips. He blew on it and tasted it, slowly savoring the flavors.
"Ah, Dvorak this hits the spot. What is better than stew on a day like this?"
"You sound pleased," said Wynne. "Are you glad Kerreth is dead?"
"No, no, of course not. I was able to complete a very difficult spell that in time will be very helpful to us. It helped me put Kerreth's death from my mind for a while. I'm sorry no one else was so occupied."
"I've never trusted you," said Wynne.
"Of course you don't," said Blackthorne. "But that doesn't keep you from getting what you want."
"I don't think you have any feelings. You are just a shell; your soul burned away centuries ago."
"All except my heart; you hold that."
Wynne did not answer but looked into his cold eyes.
"I am going to check on Moria and Taina." She walked away.
Dvorak settled himself down on the soft grass. He watched the clouds roll across the sky.
"What do you see Dvorak," said Blackthorne.
"Chaos and tears."
"Wisely spoken old friend. We shall eat ashes before this is over."
Chapter 20
One of the guiding principles I set forth for the Mage Council, which later became the Mage Guild and its school was that a practitioner of magic had the responsibility to guide the inexperienced in magic to their potential. This could be as basic as teaching the novice how to avoid hurting themselves to taking them on as an apprentice. In all cases the existence of the novice was to be disclosed to the Mage Council who then could offer training and keep track of magic throughout Landermass. A good idea, but often sidestepped.
From Gerrand's Histories of Landermass.
Days came and went and Jarius did not make his move. Davan began to resign himself to the fact that they would not be leaving. The hard work initially drained him but he adjusted to it. However, the mental stress was numbing. He moved a step slower and kept his gaze downward.
Davan's mind was numb the rest of the afternoon. Somehow, he got through the day without any extra lashes. He ate his meager dinner and collapsed on the floor next to Jarius. He drifted in and out of slumber. In the deep night he flight a sharp nudge and Davan was awake and alert. He laid still, his eyes adjusting to the dark. Jarius tugged at his arm and he sat up. They went to the window and looked out. The interior of the stables glowed with faint flickering light. Davan walked around to several of the Men and woke them up, whispering that they should wake the others.
"What's going on?" asked Rerce.
"Shh."
"Tell me or I'll call for the guards," said Rerce.
The man crumpled from the force of Taslot's fist. "He's an informer for Freibane. Foiled a couple escape attempts since I've been here."
"There's a fire in the stable. In the confusion we can escape," said Davan.
"Fire? How did you do that?" He looked at Davan and then to Jarius.
"Must have been lightning," said Jarius.
"It's a clear night," said Taslot, looking sharply at Jarius.
"I won't turn my nose up to good fortune," said another man. "Look! Freibane's Men are running to the stable."
"Our guards are gone," said Davan. "Time to run. Good luck gentlemen. May we meet again under better circumstances."
"Let's go!" said Jarius, pulling at Davan's shirt. They led the men outside where they broke into several groups running away from Freibane's compound. Freibane's men saw the escaped workers and shouted. Some Men ran to horses to ride down the fugitives.
Davan and Jarius headed north toward the road to the sea. They ran for a while then stopped and listened for pursuit. They kept a distance from the road and heard horses moving up and down the road. It was not safe to travel on the road. Freibane's men watched the road north; the boys would need to travel cross-country to the port of Karlsea.
They took stock of their supplies and there was one knife between them and no food or water.
"Well, a good start," said Davan sourly. "We can live in the wilderness for weeks." He kicked a stone watching it tumble across the grass.
"We are free. That should count for something."
"Should have prepared better; we had enough time."
"Hindsight is useful," said Jarius. "But we cannot drink or eat it. You keep the knife for I have my magic. We must travel quickly to get out of the area. I don't know how far north Freibane's men will ride but the farther north we are the better. I can sense water not too far west of us."
"There is a river," said Davan. "I remember seeing it on Brevin's maps."
"Good. We need to get water there. I know how to create vessels to carry it."
"There are places where the road draws near the river; we will have to be wary."
They walked at a forced pace in silence until the river cut through the land before them. They passed herds of sheep but only saw the shepherds from a distance. The land rolled down toward the river and they reached it before they found a secluded place and watched the river for a quarter hour before they moved to the water's edge and filled woven grass container that Jarius constructed and sealed with magic.
"Jarius, can you still sense my father?"
Jarius closed his eyes for several minutes and then opened them, looking at Davan.
"I'm not sure. I don't feel the creature as strongly so perhaps he is human again. However, there are many trails of magic out there right now. I can't read them clearly enough to know if any of our friends are following us, but there is much more magic in the area than I hoped. We best be careful. I feel and undercurrent of great power but I am not threatened by it. Still I am not reassured."
"What do you mean, 'great power'? A single person?"
"I can't tell. It's a very great sorcerer at the least, but it could be a god. I don't remember ever touching such power. It's much more than Gerrand or my mother can tap, perhaps greater than Blackthorne. It's hard to put into words."
"Where should we go?" asked Davan.
"Let's continue to the coast. That was the direction your father had been traveling. Maybe we can find some clue or a lingering magical aspect to follow. We can't go back. There's Freibane south of us and who knows maybe the Wolfen haven't given up on us."
"Wolfen! I had forgotten them."
"Let's hope they've forgotten about us. I think we can walk for two more hours and then find a safe place for the night."
"What about the sorcerer?"
"I don't sense any attack; not really even a probing spell. It seems I just sense the presence; it doesn't seem to be doing anything."
"That's good. I'm ready, let's go."
They walked at a steady pace following the deer trails among the trees within hearing of the road. Any horses on the road would be heard long before they could see the boys who would be hidden by the time the riders passed. For Davan, the realization of the task ahead of them dragged at him. They were lucky to have escaped the labor camp; how would they find his father? What if his father had taken a ship across to Amloth? They could not afford to pay passage on a ship and if anyone would allow them to work for their passage the time necessary to earn their passage would put them so far behind Ian that they might as well give up.
Once Davan had thought he heard a horse and a little l
ater Jarius thought the same thing. Davan held his knife in his hand while he walked; Jarius noticed the knife and nodded in approval. Jarius held his hands out, palms down and closed his eyes. His mouth was moving and his fingertips began to glow with a pale blue light. They moved forward at a measured pace listening to the sounds around them that had all seemingly gained in volume.
They reached a hill among the trees that afforded a view south along the road. They waited several minutes and saw no movement behind them. The road north was partially obscured but what they could see was clear. The trail wound down by a huge tree, its roots spayed out like giant fingers. Davan led the way and jumped over the last root. A man rushed forward and clubbed Davan on the shoulder. Davan dropped the knife and fell to the ground clutching his shoulder. Jarius stood watching. A second walked into the open space patting his club with his hand.
"Jarius! Your magic!"
"You are going back to Freibane," said the man. "No kids are escaping from us."
"Jarius?"
Jarius did not move. Davan tried to get up but the second man swung with his club grazing the already throbbing shoulder. Davan went down and stayed down.
"Looks like this one is scared stiff."
"His hands are blue. What is it?"
"Maybe he does have magic like the other one said."
"Too scared to use it."
"Maybe he started the fire. Freibane will be pleased to get his hands on him." He reached and grabbed Jarius's arm and light burst forth, blue and blinding. The man lay on the dirt, rubbing his eyes. Jarius ran back the way they had come.
"Come back here! It will be harder for you! Watch the other one." One man gave chase and the one regaining his sight picked up his club and stood over Davan.
"Don't give me an excuse to use the club. You'll pay for what your friend did; mark my words. It will be hard labor for you two."
Time passed while Davan lay on the dirt. His mind cleared and he knew his situation. The man leaned again a tree watching Davan. Each time he saw Davan look toward him he patted his club.
"Just stay down there. If you try to get up I will put you down hard."
"Is that a polite thing to say?" said a soft voice.
An old man stood ten paces to the man's right. He held a walking staff but not much else.
"Get a move on, old man. Unless you want to join Freibane's work party, but I don't believe you'd last very long."
"Do you think me frail? I have looked like this for years uncounted and my strength is still green."
"Well, then. Let's give it a go," said the man. He raised his club and rushed forward. The old man raised a hand and the man froze in his tracks. Only the widening of his eyes and their frantic darting showed he was more than a statue.
"Davan, are you well?"
"Ran! Thank you! Another man is chasing Jarius."
"Jarius will be fine. In fact he has already lost his pursuer and is heading back here."
"How do you know such things? I mean, I know you're a wizard and all, but how can you see things far away?"
"Ah, my young friend. There is much you cannot understand and I will not burden you with knowledge that you cannot use. You will never be a magician, wizard or sorcerer. It is not in your blood and the price you would have to pay to gain such power would leave you an empty shell."
"Like Blackthorne?"
"Ha! Sharp wit, my friend. Blackthorne is not an empty shell although much of his humanity is lost. But you are correct in the assumption that the cost for his power was very great. Blackthorne was not a normal child in any case. You would not survive to reach Blackthorne's skill level, nor would any Man. Even your faint Celaeri blood would not aid your quest for power."
At that moment Jarius returned. He saw the man on the ground and turned to Davan. Jarius tensed when he saw Ran. The old man smiled and held his hand out.
"Welcome Jarius. Davan and I are getting reacquainted. However, the two of you do not have much time to rest. There are more men heading this way."
"How do you know?" asked Jarius. "Are you one of them?"
"No. I can sense their approach. I believe you can do the same Jarius, but your mother has not taught you. There should be a buzzing just below your left ear. Can you detect it? With some experimenting you will be able to tell the direction but now is not the time. Let us head north on this trail. There is no one ahead of us and we can hurry."
The old man led them quickly into the trees. Davan marveled at their lack of noise stomping through the brush, snapping twigs, guessing that Ran used magic to muffle the sound of their passing. A mist rose from the earth blending among the trees and the trio was invisible. Jarius walked close to Ran watching every move. He was impatient to ask questions but it was not the time. Davan was relieved to see something taking hold of Jarius' curiosity and that the young sorcerer had more than anger within him.
They walked the remainder of the day and found a dry place out of sight from the road. Davan setup camp while Ran warded the area with Jarius watching intently. Then they all sat down to talk.
"Who are you?" asked Jarius.
"Just a wandering old man," said Ran.
"You have magic, I saw it."
"Well, yes, but I learned it so long ago there isn't much I remember."
"How did you know where to find us?"
"I met Davan earlier. One of the magics I remember is how to find people that I have previously met. Davan mentioned you two were going to the coast and then I detected Davan south of here. You should have reached the coast long before now so I suspected there was trouble."
"You were right," said Davan. "We were slaves for a landowner. Jarius set a barn on fire and we all escaped in the confusion. I imagine some were recaptured. I hope they aren't punished too much. We are free, they are not."
"We were close to going back," said Jarius. "I couldn't bring myself to use my magic to harm the Men who jumped us. That nearly finished us."
"Ah, don't be too hard on yourself," said Ran. "You will learn to use your magic to defend yourself. You must ask Brevin Tarbin to teach you."
"Brevin? You know Brevin?" asked Davan. "But he's back with the others. We aren't going back."
"You don't have to," said Ran. "He will be here in the morning."
"Will you be coming with us?" asked Jarius.
"No. I have done what is needed. You must seek your own destiny. I am merely a guide. Most likely you won't see me again. My path seldom repeats itself."
The morning came and so did Brevin as Ran predicted. Davan ran to Brevin and hugged him. Brevin looked him over and nodded to Jarius. Then he saw Ran.
"How?"
"I found them wandering. They are in your charge now, Brevin Tarbin. It is time for me to go. Good luck Davan. Master your magic, Jarius. May your path be smooth Brevin." The old man walked into the trees.
"You know him?" asked Davan.
"I know of him," replied Brevin.
"He said his name was Ran," said Jarius. "But I think he was more than just a wandering mage who had forgotten his spells."
"Is that what he told you?" asked Brevin.
"Yes."
"Then I guess that is what he is."
"Is his real name 'Ran'?" asked Davan.
"If he said so."
"Brevin!"
"I believe it is part of his real name. He is very very old. I do not know the truth of his history so I shall say no more. Let's break this camp and head to the coast. I have enough coin for us to gain passage on a ship. You two probably could have worked your way across but it is not pleasant. Plus there is the risk of the captain not releasing you at your destination."
"Why would he not release us?" asked Davan.
"Davan, I thought I lived a secluded life, but you are naïve," said Jarius. "Many ships use slaves for crew. Had you forgotten Freibane? Only difference is land versus sea."
"We must go," said Brevin. "It will take the better part of the day to reach the coast."
Chapter 21
The Turucks and the Daerlan were once a single race. When the Daerlan left Arda and sailed to Amloth and founded Liannest, the taint of the Menaloch stayed with them. Over time discord took root among the Daerlan and King Navir could not stamp it out. Violence rose between the people and a faction developed that distrusted Navir and wanted to set their own path. Tol Makk and his son Tag Makk led this group. Tol Makk wanted to attack the new Men settlement on Amloth blaming the Men for their troubles. Navir counseled that the Menaloch who drove them from Arda hounded them still. It became a bloody age in Liannest as their great new city Aleiander crumbled under the weight of their guilt. Finally Tol Makk led his followers back to Anavar and they settled east of Arda in the Koberi Desert and dwelt there for two millennia.
From Gerrand's Histories of Landermass.
Salie led them through the northern forests in an easterly direction. The undergrowth was soft and moist making progress slow and the air carried a stale dampness. The plight of the princesses was dire; he felt that in his old bones. Dangerous magic was abroad again and despite his solitary life his senses recognized the peril to the land and its people; all of its people. He no longer considered himself a Turuck; he was a member of all the peoples of Landermass. He served Tag Makk for seventy years and knew too well the taint of madness in power. Salie remembered the gradual changes in Tag Makk; gradual but irrevocable. There was darkness around the eyes; the short temper and the growing callousness toward his own people. In time Tag Makk's most trusted colleagues feared him. Salie did not wish for anyone else to live through the evil that followed. The Celaeri had claimed that same madness long before it took hold of the Turucks and their leader. Although the Celaeri were an ancient threat they were tangible and relentless. Domination drove their armies centuries ago and would have again if they had not been pushed back fifteen years earlier. Pushed back, defeated but unbowed. Ioane Adan would push her people until none remained and it was becoming apparent that would be the only solution. Salie had been a decisive general for the Turucks and if called upon he had no qualms of leading Men for the annihilation of the Celaeri. The Celaeri's time had long since passed.
The Vlakan King (Book 3) Page 19