The Seeker

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  “No.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “Divintry needs a new mage for their coven. One of their members died unexpectedly.”

  “How?” Rose spat.

  “From what I understand there was a fire.”

  “Was he trapped?”

  Robert shrugged. “I don’t know, Rose. There wasn’t a lot of information.”

  “Isn’t that just typical?” She tamped down on her anger that threatened to bubble to the surface. “Mages are dispensable. Lose one, just conscript the traveling minstrel into the coven.”

  “Better that than prison.”

  “He didn’t do anything wrong.” Rose flapped her arms in exasperation. “His paperwork lapsed. So what? The magistrate can give him a fine and then the troupe can be on their way.”

  “Except, he’s needed in Divintry. He refused to go to the coven and they’ve put him in the pit.”

  Shivers ran up and down her arms. The pit was a hole in the ground. No sunlight. Nothing but dirt surrounding the mage, the magnetism from the earth’s core would drain his power. He would be begging to go to the Divintry coven to get out of that pit.

  “We’ve got to get him out of there.”

  “Not we. The Seeker.”

  Rose nodded.

  Chapter Three

  Rose was exhausted. She spent the entire day doing cantrips and small spells to the delight of her brother’s neighbors. But it was an excellent cover. No one who saw her working today would ever expect that she would be saddling up a horse and riding to rescue a mage two towns over tonight.

  Her brother’s home was built on top of a series of caves, accessed by a tunnel in floor of a shed in his backyard. The tunnel, if you knew which turns to make and which traps to avoid, led to The Seeker’s lair. Robert had purchased his home from a pirate turned privateer who had accepted a commission as a regional governor in one of the provinces across the Great Sea. Before the pirate left, he showed Robert the secret caves he had used to smuggle goods before he became a law-abiding citizen.

  Robert had briefly toyed with the idea of smuggling, but he decided he didn’t have the stones it took to risk everything their family had built. Luckily, Rose had no such compulsions. When she came across the caves by accident one day, she knew she found a base of operations she could use to become The Seeker. Unfortunately when Robert was away at sea, she had to make due with stealing a horse and riding out of town.

  Adjusting her mask so it lined up with her eyes, nose, and mouth, Rose climbed on top of Atalanta, her brother’s fastest horse. Dressed like a bandit all in black with a gleaming silver rapier hanging from her belt, no one would ever suspect that she was a mage.

  When she first came up with the idea of the masked Seeker, Robert never thought she would actually go through with it. They were both excellent fencers, having studied the art since they could hold a sword. But when Rose's magical abilities blossomed at puberty, she was whisked away into the training rooms of the coven while Robert learned the way of the blade. Feeling sorry for her, Robert continued to train with her in secret, and taught her everything he learned from his master from rapiers to the heavier two-handed swords. She preferred rapier and dagger and while she had to leave her sword in the cave when she returned from a mission, she always had a dagger or two on her.

  At first Robert wanted to be the masked hero, but he found out the idea was better in his head than in actuality. He got so nervous about his first ride, he couldn’t get out of the jakes. Robert had a good heart, but he was a merchant and an explorer. He didn’t have it in him to put himself personally at risk. But neither could he sit back and watch mages on this side of the Great Sea be abused, not when he had friends and business associates who were mages in Solace. And certainly, not when it could be his sister one day at the end of a hangman’s rope or thrown into a pit. Rose loved that about him, even though he would never come out publicly in favor of the mages. He was a businessman at heart and was afraid it would ruin the family business.

  Rose let the horse run down the familiar path and out to the road. The night air was brisk and she wished she could feel it in her hair, but it was more important to have her long, blond curls hidden under the full mask. With the padded armor she wore and her breasts bound tight to her chest, she easily passed for a man. It was dangerous at night for a woman to be out. Even more dangerous if the woman was a mage. Rose was careful to deepen her voice if she had to speak, but always kept to the shadows, though, just in case.

  Atalanta thundered down the road, never slowing, as happy to be out of the stable as Rose was to be out of Demerest.

  They passed by several brave souls walking the roads.

  "Sorry," she called over her shoulder as the dust kicked up by Atalanta's hooves choked them.

  About a mile later, she saw the ambush only because the clouds moved away from the moon. In the moonlight, the glint of steel from the swords the men held at the side of the road caught her attention. Rose was going too fast for them to hope to stop her. They'd be crushed by Atalanta if they stepped out into the road. Besides, Rose was obviously not a merchant or carrying a heavy purse.

  No, these gentlemen would wait for slower moving prey. Like the travelers behind her.

  Not my concern.

  There was a mage to save and she still had a long ride to get there and back in one night. Yet, it didn't seem right to leave the travelers to their fate.

  Rose slowed Atalanta down.

  It's their own fault for being out at night. They should be snuggled safe and warm in an inn.

  And I should be in my bed in the coven.

  "Damn it." She hated when her conscience had a point.

  Whirling Atalanta back to where the bandits laid out their trap. Rose approached at a slower pace. "You there in the bushes," she called out. "It's not your night tonight. Do us all a favor and go home."

  "Why should we?" A large man with a mustache and a shiny gold hoop in his nose asked. He stepped into the middle of the road.

  "I don't want to fight you." Rose pitched her voice low and growly.

  "I bet you don't. You're out numbered." He crooked his finger and three other men stepped behind him. "Now, give up your purse and the reins of that fine beast and we'll let you leave."

  Atalanta tossed her head and snorted.

  "My feelings exactly," she said, patting the horse's neck.

  Taking a deep breath, Rose called on the night wind to power the fear spell. She let it build up inside her until the hairs on her arm rose and tingled. "Run away," she bellowed, letting the magic carry her voice into the men standing before her.

  Two of them shrieked and took off at a fast clip. The leader squinted up at her while the remaining man shook his head in disgust at his fleeing friends.

  Oh shit.

  "Jonesy, I think we hit pay dirt. If I'm not mistaken, we've caught a rogue," the leader said.

  "Better than that. I think that's The Seeker."

  Rose kicked Atalanta into motion, charging them.

  The leader squawked like a duck, but managed to toss himself to the side. Jonesy wasn't so lucky and went down under Atalanta's powerful hooves. Rose slid out of the saddle, pulling her rapier and dagger out in one swift move.

  "I would have let you live," she said, aggravated that she would have to kill the bandit.

  The leader brandished a cutlass and leapt for her. His swings were wild and rage fueled. She danced away, watching his form and looking for an opening. He was going to tire himself out before he put a mark on her. She cut him on the leg when he left an opening. He snarled as the cold air hit the cut. With a flick of his wrist, he flung a dagger from an arm sheath at her and thrust at her stomach. The dagger caught her shoulder, but the sabre missed as she dodged to the side. Using his committed attack against him, she sliced the tip of her blade across his eyes.

  Dropping his sword, he howled and clasped his hands to his face. It was child's play to plunge the dagger into his c
hest through a gap in his armor.

  "Should have ran," she whispered, twisting it before pushing him back.

  He landed with a thud on the road.

  Atalanta nickered softly.

  "In a minute, girl." Rose patted down the leader and found a small pouch of coins and jewels. She left it with him. His friends would need the money to bury him and Jonesy. On Jonesy's body, however, she found a rolled up wanted poster for The Seeker.

  The good news was it looked nothing like her and Atalanta. The bad news was bounty on The Seeker was one hundred gold pieces. A family could live a half a year on that. Rose would have to be very careful. Tucking the poster in her boot to show Robert, she got back on Atalanta and continued to Divintry.

  Chapter Four

  Guilt gnawed at Rose about killing the two men, even as her shoulder throbbed where the dagger had sunk in. She had healed the wound up with a spell, but the phantom pain stung. It didn't matter that they would have done worse to her, or that she saved the travelers from being robbed. She didn't like killing people. It made her wonder if there was something wrong with her that she was so good at it. Leaving Atalanta to graze in a pasture, Rose crept the last half mile to the town of Divintry on foot.

  It's done. Forget it.

  She sighed. She wished it were that easy. As soon as they resisted the spell, Rose knew they had to die. If word had gotten out that The Seeker was a mage, the laws would get more prohibitive and dangerous against mages who were just trying to survive.

  The pit where Divintry held the mage was on the outskirts of the town. In the dark and at this distance, Rose could only see only one guard. He was smoking a cigar and she couldn’t make out anything other than he was a big man. She tracked the light of the cigar’s tip until she was within casting range. After watching to see if there was a patrol making rounds, Rose was surprised that he was all alone. Maybe something would go right for her today after all.

  Humming a soft lullaby, she blew a kiss towards the guard and watched as he yawned. Frowning, Rose upped the power level of the spell and tried again. She didn't want hurt him. She just wanted him to fall asleep. The guard shook his head and rubbed his eyes. She watched as he stoked the campfire and set up to make a pot of coffee.

  Damn it.

  Rose clenched her fists, gritted her teeth and sent a ball of energy at the guard. His head snapped back as if she punched him on the chin, and he fell hard on the ground. Hurrying up to him, she bent to check his breathing and gasped.

  Bret.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

  But Bret just lay there motionless.

  "Please be all right." Tearing off her glove, she pressed her hand to his chest. After a heartbreaking long second, she felt the steady thump of his heart and the rise and fall of his breathing. "You idiot," she said, but she wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or him.

  Free the mage and go home.

  Scanning the area to make sure no one else had noticed the brief scuffle, Rose undid the four bolts that secured the round door over the pit. What should have been an easy levitate spell, brought her to her knees. She had overdone it this afternoon and her magic wasn't working as well as it should. On the third try, the door lifted completely off. Rose eased it to the ground. Rubbing her hand over her sweat stained face, she noticed her nose was bleeding from the effort of the spells. That wasn't good.

  "Hey," she whispered down the pit, flinching as she felt the magnetism of the pit. "I'm lowering you a rope."

  "Who are you?" A thin, reedy voice asked.

  "I'm here to rescue you."

  Rose went over to the hitching post where Bret’s horse was and secured one end of the rope there.

  "Hello Duke," she said.

  Duke laid his ears flat and flicked his tail at her.

  Rose tossed the other end of the rope into the pit. After a moment when nothing happened, she began to get a little nervous. It was only a matter of time before someone came to check on the prisoner or worse...Bret came to.

  "What's taking so long?" she hissed down the hole. Risking a look into the endless blackness, she saw that the mage had tied the rope around his waist.

  "You're going to have to pull me up. I've no strength."

  "Oh, for the love of..." Rose broke off and stormed over to Bret's horse.

  "I hate to do this." Untying the rope, she secured it around her own waist and untethered Duke from the hitching post. Duke snapped at her.

  "Stop that," she grumbled and launched herself into the saddle.

  Duke bucked and then took off. It was all Rose could do to hang on. Unfortunately, the mage ascended out of the pit at a fast clip and was dragged face first a few yards before she got Duke under control enough to be able to get her hands free to cut the rope with her dagger. It took longer than that to get Duke to obey her commands and go back to the mage.

  She heard the explosions and saw the fire just as Duke was calming down. By the time she soothed the high-strung beast and got him turned in the right direction, it was too late.

  "Oh no," Rose said as Duke shied and side stepped. The town was on fire. The air stunk of magic, thick and black like the smoke from the thatched roofs. "Bret."

  Forcing Duke forward, they made it back to the pit. Bret was on his hands and knees, staring at the town. He looked up as she came riding up.

  "You did this," he snarled and attempted to stand up.

  Rose shook her head. Then realized he wasn't talking about her casting the deadly spells. "Stay here," she said and kicked Duke hard to get him to brave the heat. The horse fought her every step and refused to go into the town. Squealing, Duke reared up and tried to buck her off. Giving up, she let him run away. When he was out of wind, she guided him to the pasture where she left Atalanta. The fires still lit up the night sky and the smoke blotted out the moon.

  Dismounting, Rose staggered to her saddle bags and took out a canteen of water. She drank half and poured the rest into a bucket for Duke. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do. Hoping that the fire wouldn't get this far, she led Atalanta out of the pasture and closed the fence.

  "Bret will find you," she said.

  Duke laid his ears flat again and stared at her balefully.

  Chapter Five

  It took three baths in the cold cave pools to get the smell of smoke out of her hair, but Rose managed to sneak back to her room in her brother's house without anyone noticing.

  "What happened?" Robert asked, waking up as she entered the bedroom. He was sprawled on the floor by the fireplace.

  Rose opened her mouth and sobs came out.

  She wasn't sure who was more surprised, her or him. He poured her a large glass of wine and offered it to her. She drank it in three long swallows. Shaking, she grimaced as her stomach almost rejected it. Rose took deep breaths through her nose.

  "Get some sleep. It will be better in the morning," he said.

  Rose shook her head. No. It was going to be so much worse. But she couldn't tell him. Not yet. She let him tuck her in and when he left, she cried herself to sleep.

  She slept until well past noon and even then, her brother's maid had to help her get dressed and walked her out to the garden for lunch. All the spell work she did yesterday had left her tired and weak. All she wanted to do was sleep.

  "All better then?" Robert asked when they were alone.

  Rose eyed the tiny sandwiches and felt her stomach roil in protest. She settled on a strong cup of tea heavily laced with sugar and milk.

  "I freed the mage," she said, her voice still hoarse from the smoke.

  "That's what I sent you out for," he said. She hated to burst the pride that had puffed up his chest. He looked very much like the noble merchant her father had raised him to be.

  "While I was on a runaway horse, he burned Divintry to the ground."

  "What?" Robert's tea cup clattered to the table. Good thing it was empty or it would have stained the fine linen cloth.

  Draining he
r cup in a long grateful swallow, Rose let the hot liquid soothe her raspy throat. The sugar bolstered her a bit. She poured herself another cup and said what had been haunting her all the way back from Divintry.

  "That wasn't a traveling minstrel. He had to have been a battle mage to have set so many fires, so many huge fires, in such a short time."

  The most powerful mages were plucked out of the covens and conscripted into the army. They were yoked and controlled by a handler who decided if the mage lived or died based on how he performed in battle. If they followed orders, they were given anything they wanted. Well, anything but their freedom. If they even showed a hint of resistance, the collar sent a lethal electric charge, killing the mage after a few minutes of agony.

  "You're saying you set a rogue battle mage free?" Robert choked out.

  "On your orders," Rose reminded him.

  "My contact said that he was with the singers."

  "He might have been travelling with them, but he wasn't an undocumented entertainer. He's AWOL." Somehow, the mage had slipped his collar and escaped from the army.

  "Shit." Robert said, jumping to his feet and pacing. "What are we going to do?"

  "I could track him," Rose said, reaching for a cookie. This day called for chocolate and lots of it.

  "No." Robert shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Are you sure Divintry is gone?"

  The cookies tasted like ash in her mouth. She rinsed it down with more tea. "There was a wall of flame I couldn't get my horse close enough to find an opening in the fire to help survivors."

  He frowned. "Atalanta should have let you get up right to the fire."

  Rose laughed without humor. "Yeah, about that. I wasn't on Atalanta. She was safe in a pasture about a mile away. I was on Bret's horse."

  "Bret Wallace? What was he doing there?"

  "Guarding the prisoner. The only thing I can think of is Bret was tracking the bounty on the escaped battle mage."