Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Four

by Dean Cadman

  Lusam’s acceptance speech had gone equally well. The gathered crowds cheering him loudly when he had promised to continue protecting Lamuria and Afaraon against any future aggressors. He didn’t look at the King whilst he read it out, but Neala assured him later that his message had been delivered and fully understood. Apparently the King’s face had turned a deep shade of purple on more than one occasion during his long speech.

  It seemed like everyone in Lamuria had attended the statue unveiling ceremony. Those who could not fit inside the High Temple lined the streets outside it. The High Priest had promised Lusam that his voice would be loud enough to hear even to the people outside. Apparently, one of the many magical enchantments the High Temple held was the ability to relay what was being said inside the building, to those outside. It was something that was mainly used during royal coronations, weddings, and other events of national importance.

  One person who did not attend, however, was Renn. He and the fisherman, Durlan, had used the distraction of the ceremony to quietly leave the city. They would be waiting for Lusam and Neala with horses a few miles east of Lamuria when night fell. As Renn had predicted, Durlan was more than happy to pilot the boat to Thule for them. The loss of his family and home had made him desperate to seek any kind of revenge that he could against the Empire. And striking directly at Lord Zelroth had been beyond his wildest dreams.

  When the ceremony was finally over, and the crowds had started to disburse, the King had approached Lusam. He had shaken Lusam’s hand and congratulated him on an expertly delivered speech. Lusam kindly thanked him, then assured him that he had meant every word of it, and looked forward to protecting Afaraon for many years to come. It had been difficult to keep the disarming smile on his face, while the King stared defiantly at him, but he had managed it. The King had eventually nodded, replaced his blank look with a smile, and bid Lusam and Neala good day. Lusam hoped he hadn’t pushed the King too far with his comments, but he felt it had been worth it, regardless.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After they returned to the barracks, Lusam had been kind enough to help Neala out of her tight fitting dress, and they had spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in each other’s company. Neither of them had wanted to move until the sun had begun to finally sink towards the horizon. But when it did, they were soon busy preparing for the night to come.

  Lusam was desperate for it to become dark enough so they could finally leave Lamuria, but Neala reminded him that she still had to take care of the King’s spies first. She had bought an outfit to disguise herself as an old woman, and when Lusam first saw her in it, he actually thought an old woman had somehow found her way inside the barracks.

  Neala’s movements and mannerisms were uncanny. She walked slowly and unevenly, as if her hips were causing her some discomfort. Her spine was arched in a way often seen in the elderly, and she leant heavily on her crooked walking stick. A cloak covered her head, and a thin veil her face. She even wore fingerless gloves on her hands, and her fingernails had been slightly stained yellow to mimic great age. Lusam knew who she was, but still wouldn’t have recognised her on the street outside.

  Neala told Lusam that she would be back soon, and left through the rear window of the barracks. She made her way directly towards the vendor that the King’s spy bought his food from each night. She knew she would be early, but she could ill afford to be late. There were other vendors around that she could use as cover until the King’s spy arrived. She knew that he would walk down the main street from where he lived, and that would give her plenty of time to see him and get into position.

  Neala had sewn a small hidden pouch to the inside of her cuff, and filled it with the potent sleeping powder she had obtained from the Hedgewitch. She had connected one end of a short piece of string to the pouch opening, and the other end wrapped around her middle finger. When she reached for something and straightened her arm, the pouch was pulled open, and the contents spilled out. It was a simple and effective mechanism she had used many times before.

  When she arrived several of the clothes stalls were already packing up for the night. But she knew that the food vendors would still be open for many hours to come yet. She slowly browsed the various open stalls, earning herself everything from a simple snigger, to verbal abuse for taking up their time and not buying anything.

  It wasn’t too long before she spotted the King’s spy walking casually down the street towards her. She positioned herself at the stall directly next to the one she knew he would buy his savoury pastries from. She had counted only six of the pastries when she had first arrived. She hadn’t bought any of them, just in case another customer arrived and bought the remaining two before the spy arrived. But now he was approaching, she moved in before he arrived.

  “Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked, obviously expecting Neala to be wasting her time as well, judging by her tone. Neala handed the woman a gold coin without saying a word. Then while the woman’s attention was firmly focussed on the gold in her hand, she reached out her other arm across the top of the pastries, emptying the contents of her pouch across the first three or four. Then she picked up four of the six pastries, leaving behind only the two which contained the most sleeping powder. The sleeping powder blended in almost perfectly with their dusting of flour, but Neala knew which ones she had coated well.

  The woman behind the counter wasn’t happy about her reaching across and helping herself to her wares, but she held her tongue over it. She took the savoury pastries from Neala, and wrapped them in brown paper, before handing them back to her along with her change. The broad smile which spread across the woman’s face signalled the arrival of the King’s spy. She obviously considered him a valuable customer. Neala smiled behind her veil. “It’s a shame, those might be the last pastries he ever buys from you,” Neala thought to herself, as she turned away from the stall and began to slowly make her way back towards the barracks.

  When Neala arrived back at the barracks, she found Lusam watching the spies outside using his mage-sight.

  “They’ve already eaten the pastries,” he said without taking his eyes off them.

  “Yes, they usually eat them as soon as they take over from the day shift. I was counting on them doing the same thing today.”

  “So how long before it takes effect?”

  “I’m not really sure. I guess it depends on how much of it they ate. It’s not a particularly fast acting drug. They’ll start to feel a little tired and hopefully find a place to sit down before they eventually fall asleep. I didn’t want to use anything that worked too quickly, just in case the daytime spies decided to stay around for a chat, like they do sometimes. Plus the last thing we need is for them to suddenly fall off the roof and kill themselves. Not only would the King blame you for their deaths, but he would be on our tail as soon as someone found the bodies. At least this way, we should get a whole night’s head start on them,” Neala replied.

  “I don’t suppose we have to wait for them to fall asleep. We could just leave through the back window,” Lusam suggested, still intently watching the spies for any signs of change in their behaviour.

  “We could. But what happens if they do fall off the roof. Or if they manage to raise the alarm somehow. I think spending a few more minutes here making sure they’re no longer a threat to us, is time well spent.”

  “Yeah, you might be right,” Lusam conceded.

  It only took another fifteen minutes for the sleeping powder to start taking effect on the spies. Lusam watched as they first sat down, then a moment later slumped sideways onto the flat roof.

  “They’re down,” Lusam said grinning.

  “Good. Then I guess it’s time we left,” Neala replied from behind him. Lusam started walking towards the front door, but Neala stopped him in his tracks.

  “Not that way!” she said shaking her head to herself. “Just because those two spies are out cold, doesn’t mean we can simply saunter out of the city. We’ll need
to leave Lamuria unseen, and not via a city gate either. I have a route planned for us, but you must stay really close to me.”

  Lusam nodded, knowing perfectly well that Neala was the expert when it came to sneaking around anywhere. He followed her down the hallway and into a room on the left. She collected a large bag from the corner of the room and produced two long black cloaks from it. After handing one of them to Lusam, she fastened the other around her shoulders and pulled the hood up to cover her head. Lusam followed her lead, and when they were both suitably attired for their secret night-time jaunt, they left the barracks for the final time through a rear window.

  Lusam was excited at the prospect of sneaking around just like Neala often did, and looked forward to learning something of her trade. Neala must also have sensed his excitement, because less than three steps away from the window, she stopped in her tracks and said, “Stop grinning like that. Or someone’s bound to spot those pearly whites of yours.” Lusam was stunned. She hadn’t even turned around to look at him.

  “How did you even know I was grinning?” he whispered.

  “Because I know you too well. Now stop talking, and follow me,” she replied in a whisper. He couldn’t help himself grinning again, as he followed her closely from shadow to shadow.

  Lusam had no idea where he was by the time Neala had done weaving in and out of the backstreets and alleyways. Not once did they emerge from the shadows, and only on two occasions did they even see another soul, neither of whom saw them.

  Eventually they reached a narrow alleyway between two large buildings overlooking the city wall. It was at least a hundred paces to the city wall, and the whole area was well lit by several oil lamps mounted on tall posts, just like most of the other main streets in Lamuria.

  “Now what?” Lusam whispered in Neala’s ear.

  Neala carefully peered around the corner, checking both ways up and down the street for any movement, but nothing stirred. “Can you extinguish those lights for us?” she whispered back.

  “Sure, but what about anyone who sees us running for the wall?”

  “That’s why we won’t be running. People take a lot more notice of anyone they see running. Especially at night. After you extinguish the lights, we’ll wait for a count of thirty before we walk out of here holding hands, and with our hoods down. If anyone sees us leave this alleyway they’ll just think we’re a courting couple having fun. Walk diagonally towards the wall, and check for any signs of people using your mage-sight. Once we get close to the wall, take me in your arms and spin me around for a kiss. That way you can check in the opposite direction too. I can see people in the open, but you’re the only one who can see them in the shadows, or hidden on the rooftops. If the coast is clear, you need to quickly levitate us down the other side of the wall,” Neala whispered.

  Lusam nodded his head, and magically snuffed out the six closest oil lamps. The whole area was suddenly plunged into darkness, and he began the count to thirty. Neala took hold of his hand, and when the count of thirty was up, stepped out onto the street with him. They walked diagonally down the street, as if they were in no hurry, and had no specific destination in mind. Lusam slipped into his mage-sight and scanned the shadows and rooftops for any signs of life. Apart from a few hungry rats, he saw nothing. Then he placed his arm around Neala’s waist, and stepped in front of her as if playfully giving her a kiss. Once more he scanned the shadows and rooftops, and once again found no signs of anyone.

  “It’s clear,” he said quietly. They immediately changed direction and headed towards the city wall only few strides away. Lusam kept his arm around Neala’s waist, and stepped off the edge with her. He felt her suddenly tense up and take a sharp intake of breath, as he let them free fall the first few feet below the top of the wall. Once they were hidden from view, he slowed their descent and gently lowered them both to the ground below.

  Renn had given Lusam detailed instructions of where to find him on the eastern road. The problem was, Lusam had no idea which side of the city they had just left. He had only ever entered or left via the northern gate, unless of course he counted the time when he levitated over the eastern wall to defeat the Empire magi.

  “Where are we?” Lusam whispered as they hunkered down next to the base of the wall.

  “We’re at the southern end of Lamuria. This is the main industrial section of the city, so I figured it would also be the quietest part at this time of night. You said Renn told us to meet him on the eastern road, right?”

  “Yes. But we have to go all the way around the city and join the northern road. It’s the only way out of this valley,” Lusam replied quietly.

  “It might be the only road, but it’s not the only way out of this valley,” Neala whispered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we’re standing beside the southern wall, so around that corner is the eastern wall,” Neala said pointing towards the far end of the wall, “which means the eastern road is somewhere up there on the clifftops above. Why bother travelling all the way around the outside of the city to get to the northern road, if we have to follow that road all the way back here again? Why not simply levitate up the cliff face and join the eastern road that way, and save ourselves a lot of time and walking in the process?”

  “Good point. But what happens if we can’t find the road when we get up there?”

  Neala smiled at him. “It’s really easy to find. It runs almost along the edge of the clifftop.”

  “I thought you said you hadn’t been to Lamuria before?” Lusam asked slightly confused.

  “I haven’t. I saw a map at the Hedgewitch’s house. It’s always good to know as many potential escape routes as possible, wherever you are,” she replied grinning at him, and moving off towards the far end of the wall.

  It seemed like they were doing it her way after all.

  It took them twenty minutes to cross the valley floor and reach the base of the eastern cliffs. It was so dark that they could barely see the ground in front of them, and after stubbing his toe on a large rock, Lusam slipped into his mage-sight so that he could see more clearly. But not before Neala had wound up face down in the dirt herself, after getting her foot tangled in a low growing shrub.

  Before Lusam began to levitate them up the cliff face, he checked once more for any signs of pursuit, or people watching them from Lamuria. Even though he was confident that no one was watching them, he still stood behind Neala so that her body would help mask the use of his magic. And as another precaution, he also completely shuttered his own aura from view. He knew it would be very unlikely that anyone would be looking in their direction when they levitated up the cliff face, and even less likely that they could detect his magic. But he felt a simple precaution like that was well worth taking, especially given the importance of the mission he was on.

  He took hold of Neala’s hand in the darkness. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied nervously. Lusam chuckled to himself. “What are you laughing at?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t understand how you can be so afraid of heights, when you used to walk around on roofs for a living, that’s all,” Lusam replied honestly.

  “When I’m on a roof, I have something solid under my feet. When you do… this,” she said, waving her arms around in the darkness, “all I have under my feet is a lot of nothingness.”

  Lusam chuckled again. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you,” he said pulling her into an embrace and kissing her, whilst at the same time levitating up the cliff face.

  Neala squealed, broke off the kiss, and slapped his arm hard. “Concentrate on what you’re doing,” she scolded him. Lusam thought about reminding her that it was her idea to come this way, but decided it probably wasn’t worth the ensuing pain. Instead he just grinned to himself in the darkness, whilst Neala clung on to him for dear life.

  They soon found the road, just like Neala had predicted they would. It was actually less than fifteen paces
away from the edge of the cliff, and ran parallel to it for the entire length of the valley. Beyond the road was a dense forested area, with what looked like deep swampy areas. Even with his mage-sight it was difficult to see much detail in the darkness, but he doubted it would be easy to walk through, and probably impossible to ride through. As they walked along the road, Lusam began to suspect it had been built so close to the edge of the cliff as an extra security measure for Lamuria. Any invading army would be spotted a long time before they made it to the northern road which led down into the valley basin. And that in turn, would give Lamuria much more time to organise their defences.

  It was a dark moonless night, and that, combined with the thick overhanging trees of the forest, meant that the road was all but invisible in the darkness. If Lusam had not been able to use his mage-sight, it would have been extremely easy for them to stumble over the edge of the cliff, and fall to their deaths far below. He held Neala’s hand and walked at a pace which she was comfortable with, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to see very much in front of her, if anything at all.

  It took them another thirty minutes to reach the intersection where the eastern road crossed the one they were on. If they turned west, they would eventually come to where the Empire’s army had amassed on the southern clifftops. But they needed to turn east, and follow the road for about two miles until they crossed a small stream. There they would find an old abandoned miller’s cottage, and hopefully Renn and Durlan too.

  Once Lamuria had vanished below the horizon behind them, Lusam created a small light orb near the ground. He kept the intensity of the light as low as possible, only illuminating a few paces in front of them. Even so, it was still enough light for them to significantly increase their speed, and they were soon making much better progress.