by Dean Cadman
Renn turned to look at Lusam, slowly nodding his head. “Okay, lad, let’s get the girls and get moving. After all, the sooner we’re done in these mountains, the sooner we can get you safely to the High Temple in Lamuria.”
Lusam had almost forgotten about his promise to Renn with everything that had happened over the past few weeks. He knew he had to keep his word and return to the High Temple with Renn, but he wasn’t looking forward to it one bit. But after everything Renn had gone through rescuing Neala with him, and now in these mountains, Lusam hadn’t the heart to do anything other than agree with him.
Ten minutes later they had all gathered the few possessions they had, and regrouped outside the cave entrance ready to depart. Lusam took one last look at the agents’ camp to check they hadn’t moved, then returned to the others.
“If we stay close together I should be able to levitate us all at the same time. Even if the Empire agents fire on us, we should be over the top well before their missiles arrive,” Lusam said. They all gathered close to one another, and Lusam began to quickly levitate them over the huge rockslide. Once they arrived at the other side, Renn went back to the edge of the path and checked on the agents below. They were now scurrying around within their camp like ants in the distance. One of the agents must have noticed Renn’s aura visible at the edge of the path, because as one, they all ceased their scurrying around and tried to appear relaxed once more.
“Looks like our friends down there noticed our departure. They all started rushing around as soon as we moved, but they’ve seen me watching them now, so they’re all sitting down again, trying to make it appear like they don’t know,” Renn said chuckling to himself.
“I might have an idea,” Lusam said. “Renn, just stay there a minute, please. I’ll be right back.” Lusam moved over tight against the wall and then began to follow the path for a few hundred paces. The path was wide here, and it curved to the left, making it impossible for the agents below to see him. He knew there was a switchback also to the left a little further along, from when he had scouted the path earlier. Maybe he could fool the agents into thinking they had remained there longer than was actually the case by using his old trick of projecting his aura. He returned to the others and explained his plan, exchanging positions with Renn and placing himself in the agents’ line of sight. Once the others were at the switchback, he checked the agents’ camp to make sure their ruse had worked, and then took a step back. He projected his aura at the place where he had just been standing, then carefully made his way to the others at the switchback. It got more difficult to maintain his projection the further away he got, but once they reached the switchback, it became gradually easier again as they travelled directly above where they were only minutes earlier.
Fortunately the path seemed to get wider the further they travelled, and staying away from the agents’ line of sight was fairly simple. When they reached another switchback they stopped. They could clearly see that path here became much narrower further along, meaning they would be spotted easily if they attempted to go any further. It would only be an advantage if the agents levitated to the cave level. If they were spotted this high up the mountain, the agents would simply bypass the cave level, and later come directly to where they were now. Lusam soon realised what they had done hadn’t given them much, if any advantage at all. He was about to suggest that there was no longer any point hiding, but he suddenly had another idea.
“Everyone wait here. I’ll be back in a minute,” Lusam said getting to his hands and knees. He shuttered his own aura completely, but maintained his projected aura at the rockslide below. He crawled slowly up the path, to the point just before where he would have been seen by the agents if his aura had been visible, then stopped. He moved slowly to the edge of the path and peered over the edge. What he saw below put a huge smile on his face; he was directly above the cave. The path here was so narrow because most of it had slipped down the mountainside causing the blockage outside the cave. One advantage, however, was the fact that it now gave an unrestricted view of the immediate area outside the cave entrance and surrounding path. It would be a perfect vantage point from which to stage an ambush, possibly ending their pursuit once and for all.
Happy with his discovery, Lusam moved back away from the edge of the path and returned to the others with the good news.
“I think we may have a chance to end this chase right here,” Lusam said, grinning widely. “Where I just looked over the edge is directly above the cave. There’s also a clear view of the area in front of the cave and about twenty paces further down the path. I’m sure it would be an easy shot for Alexia to make from there.”
Renn chuckled a little. “I like it, lad. The Empire agents will think they’re safe at the other side of the rockslide, but instead, it should be like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“Even if Alexia missed them, it would put them on the back foot again. I’m guessing they would think twice before they came rushing headlong into any possible future ambushes,” Neala said confidently.
“Oh, I won’t miss,” Alexia said seriously, eliciting good humoured laughter from the others around her.
Lusam eventually cancelled his projected aura at the rockslide, and they all hastily began making preparations for their ambush.
Chapter Fourteen
Zedd gave the order to move, and both his men scrambled around the camp gathering their possessions. A few seconds later Zedd noticed they were being watched from above.
“Stop!” he commanded. “Sit back down. We’re being watched from above.” The two men did as commanded, ceasing their movements immediately and attempting to look as relaxed as possible to any onlookers.
‘Whoever was spying on them seemed in no hurry to leave,’ Zedd thought to himself as the minutes steadily passed by. After thirty minutes Zedd began to wonder if they would ever leave, that was until his thoughts were interrupted by a strange voice.
“Identify yourselves!” the voice said inside Zedd’s head. Zedd spun around in search of its owner and was shocked to see four agents approaching their camp in the distance.
“Stay silent!” Zedd spat at his men, who evidently had also heard the request in their minds. “My name is Zedd—who are you?”
“I am Vintenar Yeroth, and I command you to stay where you are.”
Zedd voiced a few choice words. A Vintenar was a commander within the Empire, and usually commanded twenty men. This was the last thing he needed right now. If they had been regular Empire agents he would have simply assumed command of them as he had done the others, but this man was a Vintenar, and significantly more powerful than he was. If he should find out what Zedd had done, he would kill him on the spot, and his family would be forced to bear the shame back in the Empire.
Zedd needed to think of a plausible reason for being here, let alone recruiting men without permission.
“Sir, I was under Yeroth’s command in Stelgad. They were his men you commandeered,” the agent informed Zedd, barely hiding his amusement at how Zedd was now squirming. Zedd fumed with rage as the agent almost taunted him with his words.
“If you say a word to Vintenar Yeroth contradicting what I’m going to tell him, I will kill you instantly. He will kill me if he finds out what’s happened here—but not before I kill you. Do you understand me?” Zedd growled at the man. The man’s face went white at the choice he had: tell the truth and be killed by Zedd, or lie to Vintenar Yeroth and die by his hand later. He didn’t reply, he simply nodded his understanding. Zedd looked at Cole, and he also nodded his understanding, knowing he was far too involved now to do otherwise.
Zedd was good at thinking fast on his feet, but this time he knew he must be far better than good—his story had to be perfect or he was dead.
It felt like an eternity as he watched the four men approach their camp. He could clearly see the strong shield Vintenar Yeroth had erected around himself and his men—he obviously didn’t trust Zedd. He could also see the strength of Vintena
r Yeroth’s aura, and he knew he was far outclassed there too. ‘Things don’t look good,’ Zedd thought to himself.
A few minutes later Vintenar Yeroth and his men entered their camp. He was older than Zedd, possibly in his mid-fifties, and he looked like he had never done a day’s work in his life. He was short with a balding head that glistened with sweat in the morning sun. His large rounded belly made him look almost as wide as he was tall, and the intricate tattoo on his forehead signified that he belonged to one of the larger noble houses in Thule. Although status in the Empire was dictated by a person’s magical ability, it wasn’t unknown for the nobility to buy their way into positions of power, and Zedd suspected this was one of those occasions.
“I will give you one opportunity to explain to me why you commandeered my men without my permission, or indeed informing anyone else you had done so,” Vintenar Yeroth said threateningly. Zedd feigned innocence, eyes going wide, as if he were not guilty of the accused crime at all.
“Sir, I can assure you that I did send word back to Stelgad regarding the men I commandeered. I don’t understand why you didn’t receive word of it, sir,” Zedd said in his most subservient voice, and turning to the agent he had just threatened to kill. “What was that man’s name I sent back to Stelgad, you know, the fiery one.” As he said it, he moved his eyes through the sky behind the man, simulating the trajectory the fiery undead-agent had taken the night before. Zedd knew that was one agent Vintenar Yeroth was unlikely to ever see again.
“His name was Torl,” the man replied begrudgingly.
“Ah, yes—that was him, Torl,” Zedd said turning back to Vintenar Yeroth. “I sent him back to Stelgad shortly after we entered these mountains with word of our intended plans. I can’t image why he never reported our intentions to anyone. I can only assume something prevented him from doing so, but what, I have no idea I’m afraid.”
Vintenar Yeroth’s gaze bore into Zedd, as if he were trying to determine the validity of his story. The reading of minds was not permitted between agents. Only the Inquisitors were permitted to do so, and of course, Lord Zelroth. But under the circumstances, if he chose to do so, Vintenar Yeroth could command Zedd or one of his men to submit to a mind read, and he would unlikely be punished for his transgression once he returned—something Zedd was very well aware of.
“Very well—then report to me why you are here and where the remainder of my men are,” Vintenar Yeroth said, still watching Zedd’s reactions closely.
“Of course, sir,” Zedd replied with a disarming smile. “When the location of the boy-mage was discovered outside Stelgad, my colleague and I were the closest to him. We gave chase into The Forest of Dannar, as did another larger group of agents. We formed into one larger party for increased effectiveness—as regulation dictates—and then pursued the boy-mage and his party through the forest and into the base of the mountains.
“At that point I was the highest ranking agent there, so I took command of the group. We felt sure we could capture or kill the boy-mage at first, but he and his party proved to be more troublesome than we anticipated. They entered the mist-covered valley, which I’m sure you also passed through on your way here, and that’s when I sent Torl back to report our position and request further reinforcements.”
Vintenar Yeroth remained silent for what seemed like a very long time to Zedd. He felt certain none of his story, so far, would or could be disputed, but he still felt a huge amount of apprehension about what he would surely be asked next.
“So where are my men now?” Vintenar Yeroth asked, still staring intently at Zedd.
“We had been pursuing the boy-mage and his party for days, when I noticed that rockslide blocking the path up there,” Zedd said, pointing up the mountainside. “I sent the men to attack them as they tried to cross the barrier. I had seen the boy-mage levitate from the city wall in Stelgad, so I felt it was necessary to remain here, just in case he tried to escape down the mountainside instead of trying to cross the barrier. Either way, he should have been an easy target I felt.”
“What do you mean, ‘should have been’?” asked Vintenar Yeroth suspiciously. “Are you trying to tell me they have escaped?”
“The truth is, I don’t know, sir. The last report I received described a cave entrance next to the blockage. After that I’ve been unable to contact my men. I presumed they had entered the cave in search of the boy-mage and his party, and that was the reason why I couldn’t contact them. We were about to go investigate when you arrived, sir.” Zedd replied, intentionally leaving out the small detail of the two paladins, one of whom was carrying a particularly deadly bow.
Zedd heard Vintenar Yeroth try to communicate with his men on the ridge high above them—but he knew no reply would be heard. Zedd realised that whoever had been watching them from above was now gone, but even more disturbing to Zedd, was the fact he could no longer see any trace of them. He didn’t relish the prospect of going up the mountainside blind, not knowing where that girl and her bow were hiding.
“Then I suggest we go see where they are,” Vintenar Yeroth said, indicating he wanted Zedd and his men to remain in front of him, where they could be easily seen.
“Of course, sir,” Zedd replied, bowing his head in deference. Zedd indicated that Cole should join him, and his remaining man fell in behind without question. ‘Not surprising now he had lied to Vintenar Yeroth, or at least not been forthcoming with the truth,’ Zedd thought smugly.
Zedd could only guess where the boy-mage and his party were now. He intended to keep a keen eye open for them on his ascent up the mountainside, but he also wouldn’t hesitate to use Cole as his own personal shield if he had to. Once they reached the sheer rock face Zedd began to levitate, taking Cole along with him, and once again his remaining man followed close behind. Zedd glanced back towards Vintenar Yeroth and his men, still on the ground far below them. ‘He’s waiting to see if we’re attacked in the air before he follows us,’ Zedd thought, with utter contempt for the man.
Zedd scanned the mountainside for any evidence of the boy-mage’s party, but he couldn’t see any sign of them anywhere. When he reached the level of the cave he began to move towards the path but instead of landing on the path, he momentarily levitated a little higher. That’s when he saw it. The briefest flash of someone’s aura high up above the cave. ‘They were waiting to ambush him and his men,’ Zedd thought, anger quickly building within him. Then after a moment, his smile returned, as he realised he may be able to actually use this to his own advantage. He checked to see where Vintenar Yeroth and his men were and was glad to see they had only just left the ground below.
“I suggest you stay near the wall if you want to live. They’ve planned an ambush for us in front of that cave. And don’t even think about warning our friendly Vintenar about it, or the ambush will be the least of your concerns,” Zedd said glaring at his remaining man. The man subconsciously glanced towards the cave, as if he were expecting to see the boy-mage and his party there, before turning back to Zedd and nodding that he understood.
“Good, now it’s about to get interesting, especially when our Vintenar finds all those bodies,” Zedd said quietly. Seconds later Vintenar Yeroth and his men joined them on the path. Once again Vintenar Yeroth insisted that Zedd and his men should lead the group, which he did, making sure he kept as close to the wall as possible.
When they came within view of the rockslide, they could also clearly see the bodies of the dead agents strewn across the path. Eight bodies lay in the mud, five of which had already been reanimated once, but three still remained viable minions.
“How could one boy possibly kill so many of our agents?” Vintenar Yeroth asked, shocked at the scene before him.
“I have no idea, sir,” Zedd replied, pretending to be equally shocked. “I think that must be the cave they’re hiding in, sir,” he said, pointing to the opening. He watched the Vintenar’s face pale at the thought of entering the dark cave. A cave where someone powerful enough to ca
use the deaths of so many agents may be lying in wait for him and his men. Zedd smiled inwardly, knowing he could use the uncertainty of this man against him.
“Sir… I feel responsible for the deaths of these men. It was my orders they were following when they died, please, allow me and my men to check the cave. If they’re still inside, I will bring them to swift justice for what they have done here, that I promise,” Zedd said passionately. It didn’t take Vintenar Yeroth more than heartbeat to accept Zedd’s offer—just as Zedd had expected it wouldn’t.
“Very well, I will allow you to avenge their deaths on my behalf,” Vintenar Yeroth said, waving his hand as if he had just granted Zedd a great privilege.
Zedd had to swallow his anger for the man before he was able to calmly reply, “Thank you, sir.” Zedd turned to Cole and his remaining man, signalling they should join him inside the cave, then began walking towards the cave entrance.
“Oh, I almost forgot, sir,” Zedd said stopping mid-stride and turning to Vintenar Yeroth, “One of the boy-mage’s party dropped a pouch full of gemstones. There was also a map showing the location of what looks like a new training facility here in Afaraon. I had one of my men carry them for safekeeping… sorry, I mean your men, sir.” Zedd pointed in the general direction of the dead bodies, then continued towards the cave entrance, his smile growing wider with each step he took. It was common knowledge amongst Empire agents that Lord Zelroth had suspected the existence of an unknown training facility here in Afaraon for a long time, but none had ever been found. Zedd knew that anyone who brought such knowledge to Lord Zelroth’s attention would be rewarded handsomely indeed, and he was equally sure Vintenar Yeroth knew that too.