Dark Territory

by A. C. Cobble

  Amelie nodded slowly.

  Ben knew her natural instinct and training from the Sanctuary would be to distrust any man who practiced magic, but the stranger was right. They had no reason to harm each other. So far, the man had done nothing but help them.

  The man stuck his hand out and Ben took it.

  “Jasper,” said the man.

  “Ben. This is my friend Amelie.”

  Jasper shook Amelie’s hand as well, though hers hung limp in his grasp. He then offered to do the cooking, explaining that when he visited Creegan, he always did it. After experiencing Creegan’s meals, Ben understood why. Ben and Amelie sat on the bed while the man bustled about. He ventured out to the shed again and returned with the pork loin Ben butchered and a handful of herbs.

  “You’re here to buy the tree, aren’t you?” asked Ben.

  Jasper smiled back at him, his face creasing into a tapestry of ridges and valleys. “That I am,” he agreed.

  “I was helping Creegan cut it down,” explained Ben. “After he was injured, I finished, but I’m not sure how you’re going to take it. Creegan didn’t mention anything about cutting it up. It’s the entire tree, just lying there.”

  “I’ll worry about that,” responded Jasper. “My arrangement with Creegan is for him to locate the trees and chop them down. That’s it.”

  ***

  Ben woke the next morning to a pained groan. He sat up and saw Jasper was already awake, squatting by the hearth. Creegan was awake too, gripping his shoulder.

  “Bloody demon bit the hell out of me!” muttered the woodsman. “I’m starving. Ugh, what happened?”

  “Don’t worry, friend,” Jasper assured him. “I am here, and you’ve been well taken care of. You need to eat. It will be weeks before you have your full strength, but you will be okay.”

  Creegan shifted around. Jasper helped him, slowly working the man to a sitting position and then to his feet. Eventually, holding his arm, Jasper helped Creegan shuffle to the table where the woodsman sat and glared around the room. Jasper served them a hearty breakfast, which Creegan devoured, hungry after a week of being spoon fed mush. The woodsman kept quiet, obviously anxious with so many people crowded into his small cottage.

  “Your guest told me you found another tree,” Jasper mentioned to Creegan. “While you were unconscious, he finished cutting it down.”

  Creegan grunted. “It’s about a bell’s walk from here. Not a lot of landmarks.”

  Jasper frowned.

  “I can show you,” offered Ben.

  “That would be very kind of you,” responded Jasper.

  Creegan shoveled another bite of breakfast without commenting.

  After breakfast, they trudged out into the knee-deep snow. It had piled up after the storm the previous day, but the morning was bright and sunny. Ben led the way, followed by Jasper, and then Amelie. She insisted on coming. She’d already removed the sling from her arm. Ben could tell her shoulder was much better so he didn’t object. If it were him, he would do anything to get out of that cottage after being locked inside for so long.

  Amelie called up to Ben and Jasper, “We seem to be passing a lot of trees and not stopping.”

  “That’s true,” responded Jasper. “The one we are going to is special.”

  “How so?” challenged Amelie.

  “This one has been growing for a long, long time.”

  Amelie snorted dubiously.

  “It certainly took a long, long time to chop it down,” complained Ben.

  Jasper chuckled. “Aye, it would have. That’s why I pay Creegan so handsomely.”

  “What are you going to do with it?” asked Ben. “As I said, it’s a rather large tree. The three of us aren’t going to be enough to drag it out of there. It took over a week to chop through the trunk so I’m not sure how easy it will be to cut it into manageable pieces.”

  “When you cut through the trunk, you didn’t find any wood, did you?” asked Jasper.

  Ben frowned. “I’m not sure. The entire trunk was consistent with the bark, but I thought that was just a unique property of the tree.”

  “Not quite. What I want from it is the heartwood. The heartwood of that tree is different from any other substance in this world.”

  “What is different about it?” queried Amelie. “You keep saying that, different, just like Creegan did. How so?”

  Jasper stopped walking and looked back at Amelie. “I thought you would have guessed by now. The tree is an anima-tree, and the heartwood of the tree is anima-wood.”

  She stared back at him blankly.

  “The Sanctuary doesn’t teach anything these days,” grumbled Jasper.

  “I, ah, left before my training was completed,” confided Amelie.

  “I can see that. Anima-wood is unique. It is highly absorbent. It collects energy easily and in higher volumes than any other substance I’ve come across. These trees have been alive for a long time. Because of that, they’re stronger, truer. That true nature is why they are so useful in making.”

  “Making?” asked Amelie, confused.

  Jasper shook his head then started walking again. Amelie stomped through the snow to catch up to him.

  “What is making? Is that the creation of magical devices?” she asked. “We studied the use of devices but not their creation.”

  “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” murmured Jasper to himself. “Just another step in consolidating her power.”

  Ben walked on silently, raising his legs high and stomping down on the snow to blaze a trail. It was strenuous work, but he was completely captivated by the discussion going on behind him.

  “I know you have no reason to trust me or even like me,” stated Amelie, “but I ask you to explain what you’re talking about. Please do it in the spirit that there is no reason we should be opposing each other. Believe me when I say I am not a vassal of the Veil. The Sanctuary has sent soldiers, hunters, and mages after me. They’ve tried to kill me half a dozen times already. It’s obvious you have no love of the Sanctuary, but I have even less. You are worried a Sanctuary mage would try to capture you if they found you. They’ll do worse to me.”

  “They won’t just try to capture me, girl,” responded Jasper dryly. “I’m a man and I’m well versed in the art. I’ve known the Veil and some of her secrets for a long time, longer than you can imagine. While half a dozen seems like a large number to you, I can assure you from personal experience, that is just the beginning. The Veil doesn’t forget. If she sets mages on your trail, she will never stop, never give up. As long as you live, they will be trying to kill you.”

  “It sounds like we’ve got a lot in common,” chirped Ben.

  Jasper sighed. “Maybe we do.”

  When they arrived at the tree, Ben held back. Jasper and Amelie moved forward to examine it. Even lying on its side, it was an awesome sight.

  “I feel a little bad about cutting that down,” admitted Ben.

  Jasper climbed up on the fallen trunk with surprising agility and started pacing back and forth on it, kicking snow out of the way and looking down at the dark bark.

  “Don’t feel bad,” Jasper urged without looking up. “The land supports us. That is what it is there for. Trees grow and trees die. That is the cycle of life, even for anima-trees.”

  The mage drew his dagger and paused a third of the way from the bottom of the trunk. Kneeling down, he placed the point of his dagger against the bark and closed his eyes.

  Amelie looked to Ben and he shrugged. He didn’t know what the man was doing. They stood silently for several long minutes. The only movement was a light wind blowing through the trees. Ben pulled his cloak tight and wondered how long winter lasted in the north. They had to be halfway through it, he hoped.

  Suddenly, Jasper pushed down with his dagger. The blade sunk into the hard bark of the tree. A crack filled the air and the entire trunk split. Jasper jumped off and they all watched as the heavy bark fell away.

  Ben, curious,
stepped forward and saw a single, skinny log sitting in a shell of the thick bark. It was rounded at the ends and appeared perfectly smooth, like a master craftsman had sanded and polished it for days.

  “Anima-wood,” explained Jasper unnecessarily.

  He climbed back up and tapped around the edges of the log with his dagger. With considerable effort, he pried it out of the trunk and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

  It was about a pace long and as thick as Ben’s leg.

  “What are you going to do with that?” asked Amelie curiously.

  “I’m going to make things,” responded the mage. “Ready to go back?”

  Amelie grunted.

  ***

  When they got to the cottage, they found Creegan up and moving about. He was slow and had none of the vigor they witnessed when they first met the man, but Ben was heartened to see him on the mend.

  “I’m as worthless as a newborn fawn,” complained the woodsman.

  “Keep eating and drinking plenty of water,” advised Jasper. “You almost died. You can’t expect to be back to normal in less than a day.”

  “I did make it as far as the shed,” the woodsman admitted. “Got some things to make a proper meal, but I figured you’d prefer to cook it yourself.”

  Jasper nodded, evidently choosing to be polite and not comment on Creegan’s culinary skill.

  “I also saw some of my supplies had been disturbed,” continued the woodsman, looking at Ben and Amelie.

  “I went through your things when you were ill. I tried to find some medicine for you,” explained Ben. He suspected Creegan was talking about the jars of coin.

  “You could have helped yourself to what was in there and left me to die,” rumbled Creegan. “A lot of folks would have done that. No one would have known different.”

  “I would have known,” responded Ben.

  “You’re a good man, Benjamin, and I owe you.”

  Ben smiled. “We helped because we could. You helped us too, so nothing is owed.”

  Creegan shook his head. “The last thing I remember is that demon’s jaw closing on my shoulder. You risked your life to fight it off me, dragged me back here, tended to me for a week, and you didn’t rob me when you easily could have. I made a deal to help you. You helped me and got nothing in return. Ain’t fair. You saved my life. I want to give you something. What about half my gold and half my silver?”

  Ben blinked. That was a fortune.

  Amelie spoke up for them, “That is too generous. We can’t—”

  “I know you’re running from something,” argued Creegan. “You need the coin.”

  “That’s your coin,” complained Amelie. “Your life savings. We can’t take that.”

  “I would have died!” exclaimed the woodsman. “If you won’t take the coin, then I will follow you. I’ll stay with you until I can make it right. I owe you, and I’ll be in your service. A life for a life. I won’t be able to rest until I clear that debt.”

  “Now that Amelie is better, we need to leave,” argued Ben. “You said it yourself. You’re not strong enough for travel. Really, we helped because we could, not because we expected something in return.”

  The woodsman shook his head, his bristly beard waving dramatically. “I insist. I’m an honorable man, and I won’t let you leave without something as a token of my thanks.”

  Amelie glanced at Ben helplessly. The woodsman didn’t know the risks they were facing. He didn’t know what he was agreeing to.

  “Maybe there’s another option,” offered Jasper quietly.

  They all paused.

  The mage continued, “Creegan owes you and I owe him. Maybe I can help you in exchange for him helping me. We can all clear our debts in a sensible fashion. First though, I want to understand what is happening, I want to hear your story. As you’ve said, you have no love for the Sanctuary, and neither do I. Let us find some common ground.”

  Amelie gripped Ben’s hand. He understood. Telling their tale was a risk, but with hunters and mages searching for them, they would have to take risks to make it to Irrefort. He decided they could tell some things but not all. The mage would be sympathetic to someone fleeing from the Sanctuary, and news of the battle in Northport had certainly spread by now. Jasper should know what happened in the Wilds to cause it. Ben would describe their involvement with minimal detail. Towaal and Rhys would also go unmentioned. Jasper may not trust former agents of the Sanctuary.

  If they wanted the mage’s help, they’d have to tell him they were going to Irrefort, but Ben decided he’d frame it as a quest to meet up with scattered companions rather than a mission to enlist the help of the Purple. Until they knew the man better, Ben didn’t want to share that kind of information.

  “We’d better sit down for this,” started Ben.

  Underground

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be warm again,” griped Amelie.

  She was bundled up in the heavy cloak she’d worn since Northport and thick furs that Creegan provided. More clothing than they’d worn into the Wilds, but Ben had to agree with her, it was still cold.

  “Just two more days and you will be warmer,” assured Jasper.

  They’d been following the man all morning, heading away from Creegan’s cottage and south into the mountains. Counter-intuitively, as they moved further south, the colder it got. It had to do with the change of elevation, Ben understood, but he couldn’t explain it any further than that.

  “Two more days and then what?” inquired Ben. “We packed enough food for two weeks.”

  “That we did,” agreed Jasper. “In two days, we’ll enter the mountain. We’ll travel underground for a week. When we reemerge, we’ll be a short day’s travel from my home. It will be warmer there.”

  “Underground?” wondered Ben.

  “Aye, it’s a safer route. Quicker too.”

  Ben looked around. “Safer?”

  “You said the Sanctuary is looking for you, right?”

  Ben nodded uncertainly.

  “Anytime you’re on the surface and in the open, they can find you,” explained Jasper. “Albeit, the odds are slim, but if they ever did spot me, it wouldn’t take much to narrow the search and find my home.”

  “You’re talking about far-seeing?” asked Amelie.

  Jasper winked at her. “So they did teach you a little.”

  “You think the Sanctuary is looking for you with far-seeing in this remote, random area?” asked Amelie skeptically.

  “You never know,” responded Jasper. “I’ve made it as long as I have by being overly cautious. I stay under the trees. I travel during storms or at night. In the rare case I can travel underground, I do. I don’t travel on busy roads, and I avoid population centers. After what you said last night, you should consider doing the same as best you’re able. I know you’re dead set on getting to Irrefort, but even there, the mages will find you. Maybe you should reconsider.”

  “We have to go,” replied Ben.

  “Then my best advice to you is keep moving. Always keep moving. If a mage somehow catches your scent or spots you, they could still be days away. You keep moving, changing direction, and you’ve got a chance to get away.”

  “You know a lot about this. What did you do to incur the wrath of the mages?” queried Amelie.

  Jasper smiled at her. “I’m a mage, girl. The Veil has very specific instructions on how to handle practitioners of my sex.”

  Amelie looked at him suspiciously. “Is that all?”

  “You are mighty perceptive for an initiate,” jested Jasper

  Amelie’s look turned into a glare.

  The man coughed discretely then continued, “The Veil and I don’t see eye to eye on many things, not the least is that she wants me dead. Because of that, I tweak her when I can. Helping you two, for example. If it puts a burr under her skirt, I’m happy to do it. I’ve been doing that for a long time now. She’s grown tired of it.”

  “How long?” asked Ben.

  Jasp
er didn’t answer, confirming Ben’s suspicions. Since they left the City, he’d learned that a long time was sometimes a very, very long time. Ben let it drop. Jasper enjoyed mystery. That was clear. In time, Ben knew they’d find out more.

  Ben lifted one sodden, snow-covered leg and stomped down, pressing the snow firmly to clear a path for Jasper and Amelie behind him. After two more days of this, he knew he’d be so exhausted he’d barely be able to move his legs, but the mage was carrying the log of anima-wood across his shoulders and Amelie was still weak from her broken collarbone. Hence, Ben’s job was to blaze the trail.

  He scrambled over an icy rock and stared up the slope ahead of them. They were climbing steadily into the foothills of the mountains. It would be a rigorous climb in any circumstance, but in the knee-deep snow, it was a struggle to keep going. They left off talking, everyone focused on one foot in front of the other, trying to not slip on the icy patches and tumble back down the slope. A bell later, the sun was falling behind the trees. Ben started looking for a suitable campsite, something out of the wind, anything out of the wind.

  “Hold,” cried Jasper.

  Ben looked back at the man then glanced around them. Nothing nearby looked like a comfortable resting spot to him.

  “What is it?” Ben asked.

  “Do you know how to use that mage-wrought blade?” asked the mage.

  “How did you know it was mage-wrought?” queried Ben.

  A bestial shriek cut through the white noise of the wind in the trees. Ben swept out his longsword and turned to face the direction of the sound. Between the trees, still two-hundred paces away, he saw a squat black shape barreling through the snow. Amelie drew her rapier and dagger and took Ben’s side. Jasper laid the anima-wood down but didn’t draw the thin sword on his hip.

  Ben raised an eyebrow, but the man simply gestured to the demon and said, “I want to see what you can do.”

  The creature was fifty paces away and coming fast. Ben grunted and stepped forward, settling his footing in the deep powder. The beast headed straight for Ben, no thought of strategy, no thought of defense, no thought of how Ben might react.