Kazin smiled at his successful illusion. A cry alerted him to the prisoner’s distress. The water in the pot was beginning to get hot.
Kazin lunged at the pot and knocked it off the tripod. It landed on its side and spilled its contents onto the ground beside the fire. In seconds, Kazin had the elf maiden in his arms and was dragging her to safety away from the pot and the fire.
Clear, hazel eyes looked up at him gratefully as he untied the bonds around her wrists and ankles. When her arms were free, she embraced the mage tightly, her body trembling with fear. The trembling was replaced with shivering as her wet clothes began to cool.
Kazin brought her back to the fire and ordered her to undress and dry her clothes in the fire. As she did this, he turned away and removed his cloak, handing it behind him and ordering her to put it on. The elf girl giggled and complied.
When this was done Kazin turned around and intently studied the elf girl. She was shorter than he by a head, his cloak dragging on the ground around her ankles. Her long, golden hair was wet, and clung desperately to the exterior of the warm robe. Rivulets of water ran down the robe, the magical material naturally resisting the moisture. Protruding through the elf’s golden locks were tiny, pointed ears, evidence of her heritage. Her eyes glittered in the firelight like two tiny hazel jewels, and try as he might, Kazin could not pull his gaze away. His heart pounded in his ears.
The elf girl smiled and sat on a nearby log, grasping his hand and pulling him down beside her. “Thank you for saving me,” she said. “My name’s Della.”
“I—I’m Kazin,” answered the mage awkwardly.
Della smiled and squeezed his hand.
“I—I’ve got to get back to my companions,” said Kazin suddenly. “I’m supposed to be on watch.”
Della looked worried. “You can’t leave me alone. My clothes are wet.”
Kazin hesitated. “I’ll take you with me. We’ll dry your clothes at my camp.”
Della smiled mischievously. “O.K. I’ll wear your cloak until then. It’s nice and warm.” She rose and gathered her garments from the tripod. She carried them over to a small pack nearby, thrust them inside, and slung the pack over her shoulder. Then she stooped and picked up a small bow and a quiver of arrows, which she slung over her other shoulder. “I’m ready.”
Kazin rose quickly, suddenly aware that he was staring. He doused the fire with water still within the partly overturned pot. “How’d they get hold of such a huge pot?” he murmured.
“It was here when they brought me here,” said Della. “They captured me while I was asleep.”
When the fire was out, the mage and elf worked their way back in the direction of Kazin’s campsite.
“What are you doing alone in the woods with goblins about?” asked Kazin finally. He was glad it was dark.
“These are elven woods you are in, Kazin,” said Della. “It used to be safe for all to pass through. Recently, goblins and other creatures have been appearing more and more frequently. Something is wrong in the land. My people are worried, but they will not react without a sign. I have seen that sign, but they do not believe me. I must find that sign and bring it back to persuade them.”
“What sign did you see?” asked Kazin.
He never got an answer. A shadow suddenly sprang at the mage and elf, bowling them over and pinning them to the ground.
“Oww!” grunted Kazin.
“Shhh!” said a voice on top of them.
Through the trees a short distance away torchlight could be seen. A few soft voices could be heard but nothing was distinguishable. Moments later, all was still again.
“It’s O.K. now,” said the voice. “They’ve passed.” The figure rose and helped them to their feet. A familiar smile glimmered in the darkness.
“Rubin!” gasped Kazin. “What’s going on?”
“I was comin’ to warn you when I heard you talkin’. Your friends are in danger!”
“What do you mean?” asked Kazin.
“Those men who just passed—they’re lookin’ for you! They came by a group of us who were gatherin’ material for the ship’s repair and asked about you. I thought it was tad suspicious so I followed ‘em for a while. I saw that same mage who attacked us on the river. At least, I think it was him. I overheard him talking about killin’ a mage and someone called the ‘Guardian’. I knew you had mentioned something about Sherman being mistaken for this ‘Guardian’ so I figured you might be in danger. I went around them and came to warn you when I heard you talkin’ to your companion here. I pounced on you to keep you quiet.”
“Then we haven’t got time to waste!” exclaimed Kazin. He turned to the elf. “You’d better wait here. It’s too dangerous.”
Della shook her head. “I have a debt to repay. Let me help.” She held up her bow.
“All right,” agreed Kazin reluctantly. He reached into his robe and withdrew some spell components.
Della grinned mischievously. “That tickled!”
“Don’t ruin my robe!” Kazin admonished sternly. He hoped the darkness hid his smile.
The trio ran toward the companion’s campsite, taking care to move silently. Kazin couldn’t hear the elf behind him and had to look back several times to see if she was still there. She was. Compared to the lumbering sailor and himself, she was as silent as the wind on a windless day. He wondered secretly how she managed to do it, particularly with his oversized robe on.
When they were within sight of the campsite, they peeked through the trees to have a look. Sure enough, the companions were surrounded by fifteen or so rough looking men. Several had the minotaur and dwarf pinned down in their blankets with swords and scimitars. And Milena was struggling against two men who held her hands behind her back. Sherman stood facing a cloaked mage whose face was hidden, while two men held swords to his throat from either side.
“So this is the end of the line for you!” hissed the mage. “Even your mage has abandoned you!”
“He would never abandon me!” cried Sherman. “What have you done with him?” He moved forward but stopped abruptly as two swords prodded him. Trickles of blood ran down the warrior’s neck.
“Sherman, no!” cried Milena, struggling furiously with her two captors.
The mysterious mage laughed. “He won’t be here to help you this time! His feeble shield was no match for my skills! Goodbye, Guardian!” He raised his hand.
Kazin signalled the sailor and elf and stepped into the light. “Not so fast!” He raised his staff and sent a fireball at the enemy mage. At the same time, startled cries came from the enemy rogues.
The enemy mage batted the fireball aside with a lightning bolt originally intended for Sherman. The two magics clashed with a bright flash, and as the light dissipated, nearly half the enemy was lying on the ground with knives and arrows embedded in their chests and necks.
Sherman was already whirling around, taking out his assailants with the Sword of Dead which he had somehow obtained. Zylor took advantage of the distraction and sprang to his feet, slashing with massive claws at his adversaries. Harran rolled on the ground with one assailant, trying to hold off his opponent’s knife.
Milena had a more difficult time, struggling to free herself from the strong grip of her opponents. An arrow from Della embedded itself in the arm of one of Milena’s attackers and he let go with a yeowl. Milena broke free and kicked her other opponent in the groin. The man fell with a groan. Milena chanted and a nearby tree reached out its roots and took hold of the man, dragging him kicking and screaming into the undergrowth and out of the firelight. The first man moved to attack the druid again but another arrow penetrated his neck, and he fell to lie motionless on the ground.
The enemy mage, seeing everything falling apart, dove into the bush and disappeared from view. Kazin yelled and followed. By now Rubin had used u
p his knives and appeared in the clearing armed with his scimitar. He fought his way to Sherman’s side. Now the odds were changing and the last of the remaining enemies fled into the woods, with Della’s arrows flying after them.
Kazin groped his way in the darkness and heard a noise in front of him. It was the sound of a horse galloping away. He knew instinctively that it was the mage, escaping once again. He swore and returned to the clearing.
The others were already piling up the bodies of the enemy. Milena was off to one side healing a bloody minotaur. Della stood uncertainly near the fire. Upon seeing Kazin, she smiled and immediately ran forward and embraced him.
“Did you get him?” she asked.
“No,” said Kazin. “He had a horse.”
Just then Sherman stepped forward. He slapped Kazin on the back. “Good timing, Kazin. I knew you hadn’t abandoned us! Where were you, anyway?”
Kazin let go of the elf. “If it wasn’t for me going off the way I did, you wouldn’t have been captured in the first place.”
“He saved my life,” interrupted Della.
Sherman looked at the elf. “Then it was a good thing Kazin ran off after all. Without your help, we might have been in much worse shape.” He held out his hand. “Any friend of Kazin’s is a friend of mine. My name’s Sherman, at your service.”
Della smiled winsomely and placed her tiny palm in the warrior’s larger one. “I’m Della.”
“Sherman!” called Rubin. “Give me a hand with this thug. He’s a tad overweight!”
“Right,” said Sherman. He returned to the task of removing the bodies with Rubin.
Kazin turned to Della. “I guess I should introduce you to the others.”
Della smiled shyly and held his hand. “Lead the way.”
The watch was doubled and Rubin and Harran spent it playing with dice that the sailor had brought along. The rest of the night passed without incident. They set out early the next morning with two new members to the party.
Rubin claimed he was on shore leave since the Lady of the Sea was undergoing repairs, and he claimed they needed his help should the mage return with others to bother them again.
Della insisted she was going with them and that was that, despite Kazin’s objection to the contrary. He reminded her of the danger they were in. The elf insisted she was with the right people to help her find the sign she was talking about, and that the danger was inconsequential. When asked about the sign, she shrugged it off, claiming they wouldn’t believe her if she told them.
So the seven companions started west, following the Silver River inland. Around midday they passed the road that led into the elven heartland. Across the river stood an ugly, grey structure known as the guard post. In reality, it was a staging area for shipments bound into and out of the elven nation. The Silver River was a good way for goods to be shipped to and from the elves, while allowing the elves to stay within the boundaries of their beloved homeland.
Several convoys were loading up on their side of the river and Della stopped to procure supplies for her party. The elf in charge wasn’t particularly happy to be parting with some of his goods before entering the elven heartland, but he sold them what they needed regardless.
Toward evening the companions settled down at the junction where the Silver River changed from a northerly direction to an easterly direction. The water here was colder, being fresh from the melted peaks of the Five Fingers mountains to the south.
Kazin gazed up at the mountains with their milky white peaks. Many a climber had attempted to reach those summits, only to slip on their icy surface and be dashed to pieces far below.
“It’s still there,” said Harran, marching into their campsite after everyone had made themselves comfortable. “I can feel it.” He had been complaining all day about being followed. ‘Something silent and white’, he had claimed.
Kazin noticed that Della looked at the dwarf strangely every time he mentioned it.
“We’ll keep a double watch on tonight,” said Sherman. He was preparing their dinner over a cheerful campfire.
“I’ll take first watch with Harran,” said Zylor. He sensed Harran’s edginess and knew the dwarf wouldn’t want to sleep right away, despite having the last watch the previous night.
“Sherman and I will take second watch,” said Kazin. “That way, if I run off, Sherman can call me back.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” laughed Sherman. “Besides, if you run off, I’ll get your share of the food!”
“Very funny,” said Kazin dryly.
“Rubin and I will take the final watch,” added Milena.
“What about me?” asked Della. “Why can’t I be on watch?”
Milena considered the elf and knew what she was going through. “O.K., Della. You can go on watch with me. Rubin can have the night off.”
Della smiled gratefully.
Harran looked at Kazin and nodded toward the elf. Kazin knew what the dwarf was thinking and nodded his consent on the matter. The dwarf shrugged indifferently. If it was O.K. with Kazin, it was fine with him.
“We should cross the river tomorrow and get some horses in Windemeer,” continued Milena. “The short detour will save us time in the long run.”
“If there are horses in Windemeer,” said Sherman. “I’ve been there before and it wasn’t much of a town. One of us should go tonight and scout it out to be sure it’s a worthwhile detour.”
“I don’t think we should split up,” said Kazin. “Not while there’s a crazy mage on the loose, anyway.”
“Kazin’s right,” said Harran. “We should stick together for a while, especially if there’s something tracking us. Tonight might be another eventful night and we might need everyone to do their part.”
“We’ll all cross to Windemeer tomorrow, then,” said Milena. “It’s a short but necessary detour. The bridge is only a five minute walk back the way we came.”
“It’s settled, then,” said Sherman. “So’s dinner. Who’s first?”
That night Harran woke Kazin for his shift. Sherman was already in position on the far side of the camp.
“No problems?” asked Kazin.
“Nope,” said Harran. “All clear.” The unsettled expression on the dwarf’s face contradicted his words, however.
Kazin stretched and took his position opposite Sherman. Harran wandered off into the bushes nearby. It was a cool night, so Kazin wondered why he was retiring to a place so far from the fire. Then he realized it was probably a precautionary measure. If they were attacked again, being out of the range of the firelight and hidden by shrubbery could have its advantages. Kazin smiled. Good old Harran. He was always thinking ahead.
All was quiet initially. Kazin walked silently around his side of the campsite and exchanged hand signals with Sherman. All clear. He was just turning back again when there was a rustle in the bush behind him. Kazin spun around and peered into the darkness.
“Did you hear that?” asked Kazin.
“What’s wrong?” whispered Sherman. With three giant strides he stood next to the mage, looking into the darkness with him.
Suddenly Kazin saw something white between the trees.
“There! Did you see?” asked Kazin.
Sherman shook his head. “I’m afraid not.” After a moment he asked, “What do you think it is? The thing that Harran said was following us?”
“I don’t know,” said Kazin, “but it reminds me of the thing that lured me away last night.”
“Should we investigate?” asked the warrior.
“I will,” said Kazin. “You stay here and be ready in case there’s trouble. If I don’t come back in fifteen minutes, arouse the others.”
“Good luck,” said Sherman. “I’ll be waiting.”
Kazin cautiously entered the woods
, his staff held in readiness. He stealthily made his way to where the white form was last seen.
Almost predictably, the white thing reappeared not far away. Kazin quickly sprang after it. It played hide and seek with him for several long minutes, but Kazin doggedly followed. Each time it appeared he was closer.
Finally the white thing was visible almost constantly, flitting stealthily among the trees. Kazin half walked and half ran to keep up with it. Suddenly it vanished from sight completely. Kazin ran to where he had last seen it and stumbled through a tangle of brush into a wide clearing.
When he regained his footing, he looked up and his jaw dropped in astonishment. Before him, outlined in the clear moonlight, stood a snow white unicorn.
The unicorn shook its mane and glanced back at the mage almost balefully. “What’s the matter? You never saw a unicorn before?”
Kazin was stunned. “Did—did you just speak?”
The unicorn shook its mane again. “Of course I spoke. If it wasn’t me, then it must have been your imagination.”
Kazin approached the unicorn in wonderment. His hand trembled as he reached out to stroke its neck. The unicorn held still as the mage patted him.
Kazin slowly reached up and touched the icy, clear white horn. His hand recoiled almost immediately as it made contact, the horn icy-hot to the touch.
“There’s more magic in that point than any mage would want to handle,” said the unicorn sternly. “I allowed you to touch it so you would see for yourself.”
Kazin nodded. It still was incredible for him to be in the presence of such a mythical beast.
“You ought to consider yourself lucky,” said the unicorn. “No other mage can boast such a beautiful familiar.”
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 38