03- A Sip of Magic

by Guy Antibes

  “You’re smarter than that last comment,” Shira said. “You don’t have much time to adjust your thinking, or you’ll lose us.”

  “Lose you?” Pol immediately thought of Darrol and Val leaving, but then the gravity of what they said hit him. They saw him as their leader. It was more than Darrol proclaiming himself to be Pol’s sworn man. Darrol was leaving, but the pattern that Pol needed to comprehend what they were saying dropped into place. “Very well. I’ll act like more like a prince than a petulant teenager.”

  “That’s my Pol,” Darrol said.

  ~

  Val led them across the border in much the same way he had led Pol cross-country when he had fled from Borstall more than a year ago. Demeron’s absence tempered Pol’s enjoyment, but it still felt like fun.

  He looked ahead at Shira and Queen Isa riding together. Who knew what they would be talking about? Pol had to admit that Shira looked better each day as her hair grew out. She also filled the riding clothes nicely that Val had picked out for both of the women.

  Even Queen Isa looked surprisingly fit and energetic in her new outfit, and he realized that she might even have been younger than his mother. Perhaps she hadn’t seen forty yet and was probably even younger than Val. Pol wouldn’t dare ask her. Wearing a fancy dress with her hair up made her seem much older, or perhaps, more mature. Isa even looked happier riding a horse rather than being tossed around in the back of the wagon.

  Val rode back towards Pol. “What does your locator sense tell you?”

  The comment surprised Pol. He had thought they had lost their pursuit by traveling away from the army’s projected path and covering their tracks. He closed his eyes and opened them quickly.

  “Riders coming our way from the South.”

  Val nodded. “Keep looking and make sure your weapons are easily accessible.”

  Pol nodded.

  “I’ll tell the others. We’ll be picking up our pace.”

  They had traveled faster than the wagon would have permitted, and they were traveling in places where it could not have gone. Pol worried about his magical strength. He hadn’t really tested it since removing the coercion spell from Val.

  Shira rode back to join him. “Val says we might be overtaken by visitors.”

  Pol looked up at Queen Isa, now escorted by Horker and Kelso. “Can she ride faster?”

  “She is a good horsewoman. Don’t worry about her keeping up,” Shira said, looking at Pol. “Are you fully recovered?”

  Pol shrugged in his saddle. “I hope I don’t get tested.” He looked ahead and noticed the other riders pulling ahead. “Here we go.” Pol snapped the reins and kicked his heels into his mount.

  The pace picked up, and Pol wished he had Demeron underneath him. The horse not only was faster than any other he had ever seen, but the stallion knew no fear in a fight. He sensed the closing riders, alarmed that they were catching up.

  Val would know that, so Pol just made sure he brought up the rear, just behind Shira. They couldn’t converse at this speed. Val ducked into a long stand of woods, and Pol followed.

  They hadn’t gone far when the horses up ahead stopped.

  “We’ve gotten ourselves backed against this cliff of rocks. It probably runs the length of the woods,” Val said, shaking his head. “We’ll have to make a stand here.”

  “Can’t we follow this to where it ends?” Shira said.

  “While we pick our way, those that follow will catch us,” Kelso said.

  Pol looked at Darrol. “No Demeron, this time.”

  His friend shook his head, but smiled. “We do have an archer.” They both looked at Shira.

  “What do we do about Queen Isa?” Val asked.

  Isa glared at Val. “Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.” She looked up at the rock cliff. It was about twenty feet high. “I can climb up that and throw rocks from above.”

  “Then you…you better get going,” Val said, emphasizing that he talked directly to the Queen. “Let’s find a suitable place as our last stand and one that has easier access to the top.”

  Val rode along the base of the cliff. The brush at the bottom made it difficult, so they followed. The dots had entered the woods and were gaining on them.

  “Here,” he called to them. “Someone has made a camp here before.”

  They rode their horses into a clearing surrounded on three sides by rocks. It had indeed been made into a camp of sorts, but not recently. Probably bandits had made this their home for a season. It made a nice camp for bandits, but Pol thought that any time you had to make a stand, the odds were not in your favor.

  “Shira. I want you to stay outside, guarding the entrance at maybe fifty paces within the woods. You can find a good spot with a clear aim and a reasonable escape route.”

  Once Pol looked around, there was even a horse line with rope that hadn’t quite rotted in the back of the clearing. He jumped off his horse and tied it up.

  “Where are your knives?” Val asked.

  Pol pulled them out of his saddlebag. “Here they are.”

  Val’s eyes lit up. “These are Shinkyan throwing knives. I’ve never seen so many in one place.”

  Pol nodded. “I got them from a Shinkyan merchant.”

  Val selected about ten of the knives, and after secreting some in his boots, he put the rest in a back pocket. “I just hope they won’t cut a hole in my pants.”

  With as many knives as he could reasonably stow on his person, Pol put the box behind a rock near the wall and covered it with bit of brush.

  “I made it,” Isa called, waving from a crouch at the top of the wall. She disappeared, probably gathering rocks to throw down.

  “Here they come,” Kelso said. He had the least protection of anyone, since he was too big for the chainmail that Pol and Shira now wore. Pol moved closer to him, ready to set up a shield.

  He looked back up to see Queen Isa with two big rocks in her hands. She just had to throw them far enough out from the cliff and let gravity do the rest. Pol had an idea to help with her throwing, depending on how the fight went.

  Pol could sense the riders approaching. He didn’t know how they had found them, but perhaps it was a simple pattern, like sending out squads to all the border crossings with a magician who could locate. If that were the case, then the riders wouldn’t have to be expert scouts.

  Val mounted and rode out from the opening of the camp to meet the oncoming riders. None of the pursuers could see any of them.

  “Stay where you are,” he said. Val waved a sword at the troops who stopped and then spread out.

  “You are deserters from King Astor’s army,” the officer, who obviously led them, said.

  “No we’re not. There is not one person among us who has pledged to fight on behalf of South Salvan. I’ll submit to a truth spell to verify that.”

  “Then why are you running from us?”

  “Wouldn’t you, if mounted South Salvan troops were chasing you in King Colvin’s kingdom?” Pol could hear the ice in Val’s voice.

  The officer went silent.

  “Conferring with the magician who is the real leader between you?” Val said.

  “There are those in your party who are fugitives.”

  Pol wished he could see the faces. He gripped his sword harder in frustration. Words were just not enough to figure out how the parlay proceeded.

  “I won’t deny that,” Val said. “I will admit we have traveled from South Salvan. Each of us had their own reason for leaving your country, but I reiterate, none of us were members of King’s Astor’s forces.”

  “There are seven of you, and seven are no match for all of us.”

  Val laughed. It sounded forced to Pol, but then he’d rarely heard any real laughter from the Seeker. “You don’t realize whom you are fighting, do you? Did anyone bother to tell you who is in our party? Three of us are Deftnis-trained. Three magicians, including two pattern-masters.” Pol had to smile at that misdirection, but Darrol and K
elso were more than competent fighters. “We have two other magicians, both of which are trained in arms, and another swordsman with significant skills. What of you? One magician, who can obviously locate, and your swordsmen. Are you up to fighting us?”

  Pol could hear confidence, bordering on arrogance, in Val’s words.

  There was another pause.

  “Shira, two of them are in the process of outflanking you. Shoot the magician first, and then take care of the others when they attack.”

  Obviously, Val didn’t have any hope that the force would back down. Perhaps they were all mind-controlled or compelled.

  “You have archers?”

  Val laughed. “Why not? I don’t see any among you, but the two riding through the trees might be. It’s obvious you wanted them in position before you attacked. Be my guest. This is my last warning.”

  Pol looked around the corner of the rocks as the officer conferred with his men, while the magician looked up at the cliffs and sent two of the men back the way they had come. He had no question that the magician had found Queen Isa’s location.

  That was enough for Pol. He took a knife out of his boot and threw it at the magician. The way the knife sunk in his chest, he wore no protection.

  Shira cried out, as she must have found at least one of the flankers.

  “That’s two, at least,” Darrol said. He grinned at Pol.

  “Twelve to go,” Pol said.

  Kelso looked at the two of them. “What are you doing?”

  “Counting,” Darrol said. “It makes it more fun.”

  Val rode around the corner. “Why did you attack the magician?”

  Pol felt his face burn. “I thought—“

  “You thought! I wanted the magician.” He gave Pol one of those sardonic smiles. “Someone needs to climb that cliff and help the Queen down. She’s about to get a couple of visitors.” Val looked at the four of them. “Pol?”

  “I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”

  “I’ll go,” Horker said. “She’s my Queen.”

  Val nodded. “She is that.” He looked at Pol and muttered, “strong enough,” and grunted.

  They heard a horse approaching. “Got ‘em both,” Shira said as she jumped off her horse. She looked at Horker adjusting himself to climb the cliff. “You stay here, monk,” she said.

  “It’s up to the ladies to protect themselves. I’ll go.” She slung her bow over her shoulder and ran to the cliff.

  “Is she good enough?” Val asked Pol, who nodded.

  “Here they come,” Pol said. He plunged his sword in its scabbard and pulled out throwing knives. “They’ll retreat after I sting them a little.”

  “We have eleven left,” Darrol said.

  Val pulled two knives out. “We’ll cut that number down soon enough.” He ran to the other side of the clearing and hugged a rock as the first of the soldiers rode into the clearing. Horker, Darrol, and Kelso stood back from the entrance.

  The officer led the charge and was the first to fall to a blade in the neck from Val. “Ten, Darrol,” he called.

  Pol found the backs of two soldiers bearing down on the trio at the back of the camp. He didn’t bother throwing, but tweaked the blades into the soldiers’ hearts. He gasped at the reduction of his magical strength but called out. “Eight!”

  A body, pierced by an arrow, fell from the cliff. “Seven!” Shira said. “Even up.”

  Less than that considering that a few minutes ago they were outnumbered two to one, and still not one sword had been swung.

  The rest of the soldiers milled about the clearing, while all five of the men spread out. Another soldier dropped from his horse with a knife in the back of his thigh. Val had struck again.

  Shira yelled and fell to the floor of the camp on top of a soldier. She fought for breath and rolled over. “Six,” she said before she gasped again and fought for breath.

  Pol wanted to run to her, but he drew his sword and began to attack the men on horseback. Using his anticipation magic and his enhanced speed, he took care of another.

  A soldier turned and rode out of the camp. Pol jumped on a riderless horse and gave chase. He used location to find the soldier once he exited into the forest. He didn’t see any other soldiers, but he didn’t want this one to give away their position immediately.

  He bent low over his horse as relied on the animal to pick its way through the forest and branches low enough to knock a man off his horse.

  The dot stopped in Pol’s mind to see the soldier rolling over his horse standing close by. The man wasn’t as fortunate as Pol.

  As Pol dismounted, the soldier jumped up, sword in hand, and swept it at Pol, who ducked. The soldier smiled at his little trick and thrust at Pol, who created a thick air shield just in time to let the very tip of the sword cut into his chainmail, but steel didn’t touch flesh as the move gave time for Pol to draw his Shinkyan blade.

  “Give up,” Pol said. “I am a pattern-master.”

  The soldier sneered. “I don’t know what those are, but true steel is what I’ll decorate your insides with.”

  Pol felt pity for his opponent. He parried another thrust and sliced through the man’s sword hand. His blade fell to the forest floor. With the tip of Pol’s blade at the man’s throat, Pol commanded the soldier to sit.

  “I asked you to give up,” Pol said.

  “No man or boy should be able to move so fast,” the soldier said.

  “Take off your helm,” Pol said.

  The man did so. By following instructions, Pol was convinced the man wasn’t under compulsion.

  “Sit on your hands and don’t move. I know more than how to wield a sword.”

  “I saw, but you are out of your knives.”

  Pol shook his head and pulled one from his back. “Like this?”

  The soldier’s eyes grew wide. “Are you an assassin?”

  Pol felt like he was playing with a ten-year-old. “I am one of the Emperor’s Seekers. I’m going to put my hand on your head. Don’t move or it will be your last, understand?”

  The soldier finally looked afraid. “I do.”

  Pol removed a mind-control spell.

  “You are your own man again.”

  The soldier blinked. He looked even more afraid. “What did you do?”

  “I gave you some common sense. We’re going to go back to the camp. You are not to try to run away.”

  He nodded, and then shivered with a touch of fear. “I won’t. I won’t.”

  When the pair of them arrived back in camp, Pol noticed thirteen bodies lined up in a row.

  “Did they kill themselves when wounded?” Pol said. “I don’t know if the magician laid it on them, but I suppose none of them surrendered?”

  Val nodded. “I think some were compelled and some…” Val shrugged his soldiers. “It doesn’t matter now. How did you get this one?”

  “I defeated him, but he’s not under compulsion. I removed a mind-control spell before he was in a position to fight me again.”

  “Spell?” the soldier asked.

  Horker stepped up to the man. “You and your friends were under a spell. I don’t know if it was Manda or Onkar.”

  “Kansor was one of King Astor’s personal magicians,” the soldier said. He kicked the foot of the magician that Pol had stopped.He wondered if there were three groups of magicians: Onkar’s, Manda’s, and King Astor’s personal ones.

  “He dragged himself back into the fight, but Shira took care of him.”

  Pol looked at the cliff to see Shira helping Queen Isa finish her descent.

  “Not very sporting of me, eh?” Shira said.

  Queen Isa inspected the bodies with a look of distaste. “No, but then war really isn’t very sporting, is it?”

  Pol had to agree. “Damage?”

  “Kelso and Darrol have a few cuts, Horker, too. Shira has bruises that I don’t think she will let you touch,” Val said.

  Pol nodded and fought off a smile. “I’ll
take care of this man first.” He knelt down and repaired the soldier’s cut hand.

  He looked up at Pol’s face with astonishment. “And a healer, too?”

  “Val warned you,” Pol said.

  “I follow orders,” the soldier said. “I fight for King Astor and Queen Isa.”

  Isa stepped up. “And who do you think I am?”

  The soldier scrambled to his feet and then bowed. “My Queen!”

  She put a hand on his shoulder. “There will be lives lost because of the treachery of my husband and the Tesnans.” She glared at Horker. “We will let this man travel with us to our final destination. We might have use of him.”

  “You can let me go,” the soldier said.

  “I can kill you, so you can join in with your friends’ silence. The choice is yours,” Val said. “Personally, I’d rather not have Pol take responsibility for you.” Val looked grimly at Pol.

  “I will follow the Queen’s advice. We have some horses we can sell in the next town,” Pol said.

  Val shrugged. “By then it will be time for Darrol and I to head west.” He looked at Darrol, who nodded.

  “We are a fearsome bunch,” Horker said, pulling back a smashed section of chainmail, revealing a blood-soaked shirt. “Maybe Pol can help me with this before we go on our way.”

  “I’ll take care of everyone, but some of you will have to bury these soldiers in the woods,” Pol said. He looked at Val to see if the Seeker would countermand his suggestion.

  “Then let’s get going. I’d like to be well away from this place before dark,” Val said. He bent over and took one of the soldiers by the heels and began dragging him out of the clearing.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  ~

  POL HAD BEEN TO HILLTOWN BEFORE with his father and mother on a short tour to the south of Borstall the same year they had made the trip to Alsador in Listya. They had stayed at a noble’s manor just outside of the town, but Pol couldn’t remember the lord’s name. He wouldn’t be spending the night there. They split into groups and stayed at different inns. There were six or seven in the town, and Kelso picked the three best after they accumulated plenty of North Salvan coinage from selling the soldiers’ horses.