by Guy Antibes
It took three tries before he learned how to catch the falling rock with his spell. He was leading the rock too much with his sword. The shattering rock made an exploding sound and the shards rained down. The diameter of the falling rocks covered two wagons. Men fell from horses and the covers of the wagons shredded along with the supplies. One wagon’s wheels were disabled. Trak couldn’t quite tell from his vantage point, but he thought he heard cheers from the three men in front of them. They continued their work until most of the rocks were gone.
Trak didn’t feel too drained from using the pulses of power. He signaled for the two flyers to reconvene.
Neel waved over to Asem. “That works, but now we have to escort you over the eastern hills, so you can proceed to the Eastern Army,”
Ben waved and assumed his wind position again and off they went. The eastern hills dipped a bit, and that was the place where Trak waved Asem on.
Valanna took them south, skirting the hills. They hadn’t seen magicians on the eastern side of the river, and Trak worried about that. Riotro was somewhere in the rebel army column, and would be harder to entice him out into the open.
“I feel more exposed,” Valanna said. “I feel better when we travel in pairs.”
“I’ll put up another shield. Let’s make good time south.” He looked back north. The indiscriminate nature of the exploding rocks exposed the raw nerve he still had from the death and carnage leveled on the Kandannan army. This time the sharp edges of burst rock cut down any man, woman or animal within the radius of the blast. “I wish that worked with more precision,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Valanna said.
“Killing the drivers and the cooks instead of soldiers. Somehow it didn’t seem fair,” Trak said.
“What fairness is there in war?” Valanna said. “You’ve got to grow up and get past thinking that the enemy are all innocents. Nullia and I worked as a team on our expedition north from Mozira. To think that there are innocents in the army is a nice dream, but it isn’t reality, Trak. It really isn’t.”
“I guess I’m not sufficiently angry at all the rebels,” Trak said.
“Remember them attacking Garono and me when we fled from Espozia? Those weren’t nice people.”
Trak scratched his head. “I suppose you’re right. I did have to sneak out of Estia with Nullia.”
She nodded. Trak wondered about her comment. She had confused him since he met her again and had gotten to know her better. In some ways Valanna was more direct. Did ruthless fit into her description? Then she made a comment about feeling more secure. What did that make him? Less bloodthirsty but more courageous? He struggled with labels on their way back to meet up with the General’s army.
Again, he didn’t feel that he had changed very much, and Valanna had. His Pestledown memories of her didn’t describe the woman who provided the wind power for the flyer. She hadn’t lost any of her beauty that Trak could tell, but maybe she had lost some of her innocence. At least for now, he could actually see Valanna rather than think about her.
Still, after spending some time with her, it seemed to him that she had matured much more than he had and that unsettled Trak. He had thought once they met again, that the same feelings would come instantly, but they hadn’t. He wondered if she felt the same way. They seemed to have moved further apart than he had thought, but then he remembered their talk on the way from Colonel Mirona’s army. It almost seemed like they were on the same level again. Trak shook his head and tried to push such thoughts out of his mind. They had to concentrate on the next two days and the big battle tomorrow.
~~~
Chapter Twenty-Nine
~
The First Army of the Loyalists, as General Niamo called them, stopped for the night just about where Trak had destroyed the supply wagons. Shattered lumber and broken bags and crates littered the road where they camped. The army used what provisions didn’t spoil and chopped up the wagons for campfires.
“Battle tomorrow,” Misson said as he stuck his head in the tent that Neel, Ben and Trak shared. “Make sure you are well-rested and have food and water to last you throughout the entire day. My father and the General wish you well.” Misson grinned. “Well, my father, anyway. Good luck to you.”
“Thank you and tell the General good luck,” Trak said. Neel merely grunted as Misson left them.
“Rest up, boy,” Neel said. “I’m sure you are as nervous as I am. We have a long, trying day tomorrow.”
Trak nodded. “It was long enough for me today, practicing for so long, but I have the timing down.”
“You sure do,” Neel said, chuckling. “We all tried using wands and swords, but none of us can bring so much power to bear while breaking pose and aiming. You just sort of force your will on the pose.”
Trak shook his head. “That power might just be a curse.”
“It is, I’m sure. That’s why the Toryans hold Able, to ensure your return. They know how much power you wield, and Tembul’s description of your exploits with the Kandannan army will only make them feel better about forcing you to return to Kizru.”
Trak frowned. He wanted to get to know the new Valanna better. She respected his power, and that helped make up for his lack of age in her eyes, or so he hoped. A battle stood between the both of them as well as his quest to Bennin. First of all, he had to defeat Riotro in order to have a chance to see if Valanna and he had a future.
The certainty that Trak had felt months ago when he saved Garono and her from the attack on Estia disappeared in the forests of Torya where he had killed men and rushed headlong into perilous situations, only to survive. He knew much of that consisted of luck, but his power seemed to overcome the probability of bad outcomes.
“Well, you’ll have to move over some, boys, to make room for me. I am very, very tired,” Ben said as he entered the tent.
Trak sat up. “Learn anything new?”
Ben nodded his head. “I am sure the rebel army is deeply disappointed that their ability to move east or west has been stopped dead. They seem to be preparing for battle. There are rumblings in the earth, which means that the magicians are preparing fortifications of a sort.” Ben rolled out his blankets. “Let them wear themselves out. It will only impede their ability to fight tomorrow. They have to defend a very large front, and I didn’t know it, but Dalistro has brought up ships from Mozira and the coast to keep the rebels from crossing over to the other side.”
“It’s do or die for the rebels,” Neel said. He sat up blinking his eyes a bit. He must have fallen asleep. “That will only make them more desperate.”
“And more dangerous,” Trak said. He had read about so many battles where pockets of desperate men fought off much larger forces. As an aside, he noted that the General didn’t use his idea of moving up the army on the other side, and that brought a whiff of disappointment.
“Hopefully, General Niamo will grant clemency for any who wish to surrender,” Ben said. “If he doesn’t, a lot of men will lose their lives unnecessarily.”
“I agree,” said Trak. “That makes it even more important to get to Riotro as early as we can.”
Ben took a deep breath and exhaled. “Good luck with that. Valanna told you about the black-robed magicians that accompany Riotro? Nullia now thinks they are from Vashta.”
Trak gasped. “That’s on the other side of the world.”
“It is. They have magic, but it’s a bit different from what is practiced here. Different poses and power words give magicians other powers.”
“So they might be able to bring down our flyers?”
Neel put his hand to his chin. “So it might not have been Riotro who nearly brought down your flyer when we brought Valanna to the First Army.”
“No,” Trak said. “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t or if Riotro can do better or worse than a Vashtan magician.”
Ben rubbed his hands together. “So many surprises await us.” He lifted the corner of his mouth into half a smile. “I’m go
ing to bed, or I’ll be worthless to Asem tomorrow.” He lay down and closed his eyes.
Trak tried to do the same but never quite knew when he fell asleep. Neel shook his shoulder some time later to wake him up. “Time to fly, boy.”
“Where is Ben?”
“Already at work for the General,” Neel said. “Asem, Sirul, and Ben fly for the General, remember? The General wanted him up and in the air as soon as they could see something through the murk of dawn.”
“And we need more light to see our rocks drop,” Trak said.
Neel nodded. “Among other things. I feel rested enough.”
“I am. Rest doesn’t cure an anxious mind,” Trak said. “I hope all of us make it through today.”
“So do I.”
~
Despite General Niamo’s antagonism, he stood by Trak’s flyer.
“If you use your exploding rock strategy, I’d like it if you could go right up their middle. That way we can split up the rebel front line a bit.”
“I can do that. The rocks are a way to draw Riotro to us.” More diversions, Trak thought.
Niamo waved his hand impatiently. “I know your strategy. Keep him from my troops, and we’ll do the rest.” The General turned on his heel and stalked off.
Neel watched him go while Trak boarded the flyer and began checking their supplies and checking to make sure they were secured. Large rocks had been put into thick-walled crates for transfer to Honor’s flyer when they ran out.
Honor, Valanna, Kulara, and Tembul approached them from the tents.
“We are ready,” Honor said.
Honor looked nervous, but Valanna looked excited, with a face flush with an anticipation that Trak didn’t have. Kulara looked like a hawk ready to attack.
“Then off we go,” Trak said.
Neel took Trak aside while the others stowed their gear. “I don’t trust General Niamo. I think we should take off for Kizru as soon as this battle is over.”
The comment took Trak by surprise. “Shouldn’t we fight all the way to Espozia?”
“Be reasonable. There is nothing for you in Espozia other than being a minion within the Magician’s Guild, whatever that will be like once Riotro is gone. Valanna is bound to Warish.” Neel shook his head. “You’ve got friends in Misson and Garono Dalistro, but Niamo definitely doesn’t like you, and I would imagine that his subordinates don’t, as well.”
Trak put his hand on the railing of their flyer and put the other to his forehead. “It’s all confusing.”
“No it isn’t,” Neel said, taking Trak by the upper arm and leading him off a bit more from the group. “We take care of Riotro, if we can, and then we leave for Kizru along with any who will join us.”
Trak shook his head. He wouldn’t have ever thought of deserting the army, but then it wasn’t his army. He would have to think about it later. Right now he had to focus on what he would do today, not tomorrow.
Trak respected his birth father’s advice and felt like he would have to come up with a reason not to follow it. “I don’t want to talk about it now. Maybe later. Is that all right?”
Neel nodded. “That’s good enough for me. I just wanted to let you know how I feel. It’s time to go.”
They all mounted their flyers and took off to the north towards the rebel army. From high in the air, they looked down on the hasty fortifications. Large berms had been created along a line across the eastern hills to the Halgo River. The farmers wouldn’t be happy after the battle finished, Trak thought. Magicians had dug deep holes in front of the berms.
General Niamo wouldn’t be too pleased having to be so confined. “I’ll use up power, but I’ve got to give the Loyalists a clear path to the rebels,” Trak said, drawing his sword. “Go down to two stories just behind the berms, and I’ll try to push the earth back into the holes in the center. Niamo wanted to go right up the middle with his army. The magicians won’t have the time to repair the barriers. Neel, increase the physical shield.”
Valanna took them down over the rebel troops while Trak stood on the side of the flyer, sword pointed to the berms. He assumed the same pose he used at the quarry months ago in Colcan, and shot pulses of power into the berms. The earth exploded to the south, with most of it ending up in the holes created by magicians in the last two days. They flew for about four hundred paces, creating a wider, flatter area for Niamo’s troops.
“That’s enough,” Trak said. He assumed the lift spell and they were back up to thirty stories in the air.
Trak sat down in the flyer and rummaged for food and water. “Time for a break?”
Valanna stopped the flyer. Kulara maneuvered hers close.
“How are you?” Honor called over.
“A bit tired. I’m eating,” Trak lifted up a waterskin and half-eaten loaf of bread. “I figure we saved a lot of Loyalist lives,” he said.
“At the cost of rebel lives,” Honor said. “You help one group, you disadvantage the other.”
Trak had to nod. “Had to do it.”
“I would, too, if I had your power,” Honor said. Trak could see conflict on her face.
Did one always have to choose sides in a war? Trak looked down at the rebel forces and realized that at some point one did. He shook his head with dismay, knowing that Garono had said repeatedly that he would fix the Council’s mistakes, but even if he didn’t know how successful Misson’s father would be, Trak had no illusions about Riotro’s rule.
“Time to draw the magicians out,” Neel said.
Trak nodded and stood up, finishing off the small loaf and taking a final swig of water. Behind him he heard the sound of trumpets. Niamo’s troops were closing in.
“Over there,” Valanna pointed on the other side of the river. “Magicians? I count at least ten. Black robes are among them. I don’t know why I didn’t see them before.”
“Maybe they used a spell to hide,” Neel said.
How did Riotro categorize the Blacks? No other magician at the Espozian Guild had rated Black, and now they were popping up all over. Trak remembered black-robed magicians among the Kandannans, and Valanna had run into others in eastern Santasia. Were they just uniforms worn by lesser magicians?
He grimaced as he thought that they would find out soon enough. “Strong shields,” Neel said as they crossed the river and approached the magicians.
Tembul began to drop rocks over the magicians, while Trak, with sword drawn, exploded them with pulses of power. A few of the magicians dropped while others assumed shield poses, but their efforts seemed to be too late. Trak’s rock shards had hit all of them.
“Down!” Valanna said.
Trak used the descent spell on his flyer, and everyone cautiously inspected the damage.
Tembul pulled a hood from one of the dead magicians. “Where is this woman from?”
“She is a Vashtan,” Neel said, kneeling down by the body. “Dark, nearly black eyes, wheat colored hair, large flat nose over thin lips. The skin is honey colored, but covered with darker freckles.”
Trak began to inspect the fallen forms. All who wore black robes were similar in race to the Vashtan woman. “Why are they here?”
Honor stood after checking for a pulse of a man wearing a red robe. “Riotro has allies,” she said.
“Or Riotro is a puppet,” Neel pulled the hood back over the dead woman’s head. “We can leave it up to Misson to find out,” he said as they heard an explosion and all turned to see a cloud of dirt and dust on the other side of the river. He clutched his hand into a fist. “These were a diversion.”
Valanna turned to Trak as he saw another explosion. The sound took some time to reach them. He took her hand. “Back into the flyers. Now we know where Riotro is.” He clutched his hand into a fist in frustration. “We have to move quickly. We leave these magicians here, once we’ve laid them side by side.”
Their grisly task took only a moment, and soon they sped back over the river to see chaotic fighting below them. The battle lines had crumb
led with the explosions, and now the battle had lost all order.
“Shields!” Neel readjusted his pose and shouted the power word right after their flyer had begun to dip down.
Trak looked down below him. A circle of fighters had cleared a space around a group of robed figures. “Riotro must be down there,” he shouted over to the other flyer. The sounds of battle made it hard to hear, but Rasia nodded and rolled a large rock down. Trak exploded the rock, and the shards rained down on the soldiers below. The rocks seemed to bounce around the cluster of magicians, but had struck down the fighters on one side.
“They are quicker with their shields,” Tembul said as Honor brought the flyer closer to Trak’s.
“Drop rocks right on top of them. We have to distract Riotro from fighting the Loyalists,” Trak said.
Kulara and Honor nodded. Tembul began emptying rocks. The flyers moved around the outside of the circle and cut down the ranks of soldiers protecting the magicians.
Trak felt the flyer dip, and then it jerked down again. Both flyers lost headway,
“We are losing height,” Valanna said. “I’m getting us out of here.” She grunted with effort as she posed and re-posed. “The spell is too strong. I can’t get us to move very much.”
Trak looked down as panic threatened to grip him. “Keep your shield up, Neel.” He looked over at Valanna. Move the flyer right above the magicians,” Trak said. He gave the same order to Honor and Tembul. “We drop right on them and fight.”
Pointing his sword downward, he sent pulses of lightning into the magicians that lit up the shields into the shapes of bright shining umbrella.
“You can’t break through it at all?” Neel said, his brow covered with sweat as he continually renewed his power words.
Trak shook his head. “Feints. This is going to be a duel just like fighting among Gio’s swordsmen.” He occasionally shot at soldiers, who fell to his bolts, having no way to shield themselves from Trak’s attacks.