Mindbender

by David A. Wells

  “Anatoly, Boaberous, move that wagon back where it came from,” Alexander said just loud enough for them to hear. “There are half a dozen men in the alley behind it.”

  “I was hoping you’d refuse,” the enemy commander said as he started to advance.

  Thirty men poured out from the alleys into the road in front of them and fanned out around their commander.

  Alexander drew the Thinblade. Jataan produced a knife from somewhere and Conner drew his sword. Jack tossed up his hood and flickered out of sight as Lucky backed off toward the wagon, rummaging through his bag.

  As the enemy neared, Jataan darted in with impossible speed and drove his knife through the lead soldier’s breastplate and into his heart. He snatched the dying man’s sword from his hand and pushed him into the path of the next two soldiers. They stumbled, trying to get over their fallen comrade as Jataan cut their throats with lightning quickness.

  Alexander met the next enemy with a flick of the Thinblade, cutting his sword off just past the hilt. The blade clattered to the ground as Alexander slashed the man cleanly in half across the torso. The man just behind him faltered at the sudden carnage. Alexander took his head with another flick of the Thinblade.

  Side by side, Alexander and Jataan met the enemy charge. They gave ground in measured paces, mostly to avoid becoming entangled in the fallen bodies. Each new enemy met the uncompromising sharpness of the Thinblade or the inhuman speed of the only living battle mage. Within a minute, the enemy force was reduced by half.

  “We’re clear!” shouted Anatoly.

  Alexander glanced back to the wagon with his all round sight even as he met the next enemy, cleaving his shield in half along with the man’s forearm.

  “Fall back,” Alexander commanded.

  Jack, Lucky, and Conner slipped past the wagon into the alley. Alexander and Jataan hastened their retreat as a javelin darted between them and killed the nearest soldier. They reached the wagon as Boaberous hurled another javelin. Once they were all into the alley, Anatoly and Boaberous pulled the wagon in behind them to block the advancing enemy, then Alexander sliced the wheels, causing the heavily laden wagon to collapse under its own weight.

  They fled down the alley and found another route to the docks. Moving quickly through the warehouses, they reached the docks within a few minutes. Jack pointed out the little ferryboat they had hired. As they approached, Alexander could see the surprise on the captain’s face. He had sold them out. Alexander didn’t need his second sight to tell him about this man—he was an opportunist and a liar.

  Thinblade still in hand, Alexander boarded the little ferryboat and marched straight up to the captain.

  “You told the Reishi Army Regency where to find us, didn’t you?” he asked calmly as he leveled the Thinblade at the terrified captain.

  “They said they’d pay if I told them when someone tried to hire me to take them to Grafton Island,” the captain said.

  “Very well, you sold me out. Your life is forfeit. But I’m willing to sell it back to you if you’re interested.” Alexander said.

  The captain’s eyes widened. A few of his crew, mostly oarsmen, stood up like they were going to come to their captain’s aid but when they saw Anatoly and Boaberous eyeing them, they sat back down.

  “Whatever you want, just don’t kill me,” the captain pleaded.

  “Good. Cast off. Take us across the inlet to Grafton Province mainland. Make landfall as close to the port as you can without being seen,” Alexander said as he wiped the blood off his sword.

  The captain nodded but stood stock-still like he wasn’t sure what to do next.

  “Go!” Alexander said firmly.

  The ferry captain sprang into action, yelling orders at his men. Within moments they were moving out onto the water.

  They weren’t fifty feet from the dock when two dozen men led by the enemy commander came running up to the water’s edge.

  “Jataan, can you kill him from here?” Alexander asked quietly.

  “Of course,” Jataan said.

  “Do it,” Alexander said.

  Jataan nodded to Boaberous.

  The giant drew a javelin smoothly from the oversized quiver on his back and hurled it with surprising force. It flew true across fifty feet of water and buried into the enemy commander’s chest. He slumped to his knees and then toppled into the water.

  “Nice shot,” Anatoly said.

  Boaberous grunted.

  ***

  The trip across the inlet was quick. They left Bradfield at midday and arrived on the shores of Grafton Province just after dark. The captain drove his rowing crew mercilessly, coaxing every bit of speed he could from the well-muscled men. Despite his character flaws, the ferry captain did know his trade. He expertly maneuvered his boat through the shallows and made landfall gently and quietly.

  Before Alexander stepped off the little boat, he fixed the captain with his glittering golden eyes. “Speak of this trip to no one. If I discover you’ve sold me to my enemies again, I will find you and claim your life in payment.”

  The captain didn’t say a word but nodded his understanding. Alexander could see from the fear in his colors that he would keep quiet, for a while anyway.

  They moved through the darkness along the coastline toward the ports. It was several miles and slow going but much safer than venturing inland and chancing an encounter with an enemy patrol. Grafton was a fair-sized city about as big as Southport. When they reached the city itself, they found several small fishing docks and private boat moorings lining the water’s edge. They moved carefully, keeping watch for anyone who might see them. Most of the townspeople were sleeping, so Alexander and his men had little trouble until they reached the wall of Grafton Keep sometime in the middle of the night. The keep extended to the water’s edge, blocking their path. They would either have to go through Grafton or swim around the keep walls in order to get to the docks and the merchant ships preparing to sail for the island and ports beyond.

  Chapter 19

  “Let’s rest here for a few minutes,” Alexander said quietly.

  He found a flat space in the sand and carefully drew a magic circle. Lucky produced some jerky from his bag and passed it around to the others while Alexander sat cross-legged in his circle and closed his eyes. He was tired from the long day’s travel. At first he felt like he could simply fall asleep sitting up, but he cleared his mind and brought his focus to the task at hand. It took him longer than usual to slip free of his body and enter the firmament but he eventually found his way there.

  He didn’t waste any time listening to the song of creation but instead focused on his location and coalesced his awareness above his body. From there he floated up over the keep and took in the lay of the land. He saw the port and picked out a number of ships that might be headed for Grafton Island. The keep had several small doors that opened onto the docks while the outer wall extended to surround the entire port. Trade was Grafton’s lifeblood. It was clear that the people who had established this city wanted to protect their livelihood.

  Alexander turned his focus to the keep itself and moved within the walls of the large stone building. It was made of granite blocks and had clearly stood for many centuries. It wasn’t fancy but it was well armed and well positioned to defend the port. Several towers lined the wall facing the sea. Each housed a large catapult on its flat, crenellated top. The tops of the walls provided ample cover for archers and there were several smaller positions along the seawall armed with heavy ballistae. The walls facing the city were smaller but still well armed. The main gate was closed and the guard tower was manned and well lit with oil lamps.

  Alexander searched through the keep for the Governor and General Gord. He found a set of well-appointed living quarters high in the main building. The Governor had offered the general a suite of rooms that looked like it was reserved for honored guests. The entire floor was accessible through a single heavy oak door that led to a guard room manned by six men who
were awake and alert. Adjacent to the guard room was a barracks with another six men sleeping in their bunks. The door leading from the guard room was barred from the other side and opened to a staircase leading up to the central hall of the Governor’s floor. The hall ran down the center of the entire level and had two doors on either side that led to each set of living quarters and a third door at the end of the hall that led to a well-furnished covered terrace overlooking the ocean. There were four guards standing watch in the hall, two at each door.

  The Governor was sleeping with his wife. Otherwise his chambers were empty. The general slept with a young woman. Another room was occupied as well on the other end of the general’s suite. Alexander examined the man’s colors and discovered that he was not one of the wizards assigned to General Gord’s forces.

  He withdrew from the floor and traced a path into the lower levels of the keep, sending his awareness into each room in turn until he found what he sought. The wizard sat in a comfortable chair reading an old book by the light of two bright lamps. The room looked like a study. Alexander wasn’t too surprised to find the wizard awake. He examined the man’s colors and decided that he was a master wizard, although he couldn’t discern his calling. He did notice that there were a few spells surrounding the wizard but he couldn’t determine the purpose of the magic. Alexander remembered Mason Kallentera telling him that he often cast spells on himself designed to last for the day and provide him with magical insight and protection.

  He withdrew from the wizard’s study and descended lower into the bowels of the keep. After several minutes of searching he found a passage that led along the outer wall where he and his friends were resting. He pushed through the wall and found that it was easily four feet thick and made from large blocks of carefully cut granite.

  Finally, Alexander slipped back into the firmament and thought of Evelyn. His awareness came into being in the central tower room of the keep on the south point of Grafton Island. She was locked in her chamber and sleeping soundly. Satisfied, Alexander returned to his body and opened his eyes.

  “I’m glad you’re back, My Love,” Chloe said in his mind. “There was a dark spirit in the aether circling you, trying to get through your defenses. I was worried.”

  “I’m sorry I worried you, Little One,” Alexander said without speaking.

  He remembered the horror of the last time a dark spirit had taken advantage of his absence and used his body to kill two Rangers. He was glad to have proof positive that a magic circle could keep spirits from the darkness at bay while he used his clairvoyance.

  Alexander stood and stepped out of his circle.

  “What did you learn?” Lucky asked, handing him the bag of jerky.

  “General Gord is here with one of his wizards,” Alexander said. “It doesn’t look like they’re expecting us, and I know where they are in the keep. We might as well take the opportunity to strike at the enemy while we have the chance.”

  “I don’t understand,” Conner said. “How can you know where the general is?”

  Alexander smiled with a shrug. “Magic. I looked inside the keep and found where they’re sleeping. If we’re quick, we can hit them before they know what happened and leave the entire province and the enemy army without leadership. The confusion should buy us the time we need to commandeer a ship and make our way to the island.”

  Conner blinked a few times and shook his head. “I won’t pretend to understand how you can know these things, but I’ll take your word for it. How do you plan to get into the keep?”

  Alexander drew the Thinblade and carefully pushed into the wall of the keep at an angle. He made three cuts in the stone.

  “Anatoly, I need you to hold this block of stone in place and then let it down quietly when it breaks free.”

  The big man-at-arms stepped up to the section of wall and held it while Alexander made the last cut. Anatoly carefully lowered a large piece of stone the shape of a pyramid to the ground. It took several minutes for Alexander and Anatoly to remove sections of the stone wall until there was an opening big enough for even Boaberous to crawl through.

  The passageway they entered was dark and dank. Water dripped from the ceiling to form little pools on the floor before it could drain between the cracks.

  “I’ve seen my father use the Thinblade in battle only twice,” Conner said. “I knew it was powerful but I had no idea until today what it’s truly capable of.”

  Alexander nodded knowingly.

  “What’s the plan?” Anatoly asked quietly.

  “We go to the wizard first,” Alexander said. “Once he’s dead, we’ll make our way to the Governor’s quarters and kill him and the general, then out to the docks and onto one of those merchant ships. I’d like to avoid a pitched battle if possible and be gone before anyone knows what happened.”

  Conner looked a little uncomfortable with the plan. He started to voice his concern but stopped himself.

  “Say what you have to say,” Alexander said.

  “I don’t feel right killing people in their sleep,” Conner said. “Taking a life in battle is one thing, but this feels more like assassination.”

  Alexander nodded. “That’s because it is assassination. These people have come to your home and abducted your sister. They’ve landed an invasion force and are planning to make war on your people. They’ve forfeited their right to live under the Old Law. We are at war with them and it doesn’t matter how they die so long as they do. Make no mistake, Conner, there is no glory in war. It’s ugly and sad, nothing more. Our duty is to end this conflict as quickly as possible by killing those who started it. How we kill them doesn’t matter.”

  Conner frowned and nodded. “I’ve spent my life studying warfare. I’ve read a hundred books about battles of the past. The writers of those books all try to romanticize it and make it seem so noble and honorable. I never thought it would be like this.”

  “Remember the truth of it, Conner,” Alexander said. “One day you will wield the Thinblade of Ithilian and the decision to go to war for your people will be yours. Remember for every day that you draw breath that war is the ugliest thing humanity ever invented. Avoid it if you can, but not at the cost of the lives and liberty of the people you’re sworn to protect. If you must wage war, be ruthless and without mercy for those who brought war into your home.”

  Anatoly nodded silently.

  Jack was taking notes in his head again.

  They moved quietly through the lower halls of the keep. It was dark and quiet. No one came down into the bowels of the keep if they could help it. Alexander kept his vial of night-wisp dust partially covered to limit the amount of light it produced. After several flights of stairs and a few wrong turns, they came to a level of the keep with oil lamps burning in their wall sconces. They redoubled their caution.

  Alexander led the way with his companions following in single file. They rounded a corner into a hall leading to the wizard’s study and Alexander stopped. He motioned to the door two dozen feet down the hall and carefully drew the Thinblade. Everyone else followed suit and armed themselves. Jack tossed up his hood and flickered out of sight. Lucky produced a shatter vial filled with a pinkish-looking liquid from his bag.

  They slowly crept up to the door. Just a few steps away, Alexander felt the tingle of magic race over his skin. He knew instinctively that the wizard had been alerted to their presence so he closed the last few steps quickly and sliced vertically through the door even as his second sight registered the faint aura of magic surrounding the heavy oak door. A moment later the door detonated outward toward Alexander, spreading a shock wave of magical energy racing both directions down the passageway.

  Alexander was blown across the hall into the far wall. He fell to the floor with a thud and couldn’t move. It was as if his body simply couldn’t hear his mind. He tried to move, tried to regain his feet but he couldn’t make his arms and legs respond. With his all around sight, he saw the wizard standing in his study facing the open d
oorway with a look of recognition and happy surprise. Alexander shifted his sight to his friends and found them all standing stone-still where they’d been when the door detonated, all except Jack who hadn’t yet rounded the corner into the passage.

  “I must say, I didn’t expect this,” the wizard said. “Prince Phane said you were unpredictable and resourceful but I never imagined you’d come to kill me. It’s almost flattering. I’m sure he’ll be most pleased when I present him your head.” He sauntered confidently out into the hallway and his smile broadened when he saw Jataan standing frozen in place.

  “Ah, General Commander Jataan P’Tal, Prince Phane was most unhappy with your betrayal. I’m quite sure you will die badly, but then I am equally certain that I will be handsomely rewarded for delivering you to face justice for your crimes.

  “What’s that? Oh, that’s right, you can’t speak,” he said chuckling. “I’m rather proud of this spell, although I never imagined it would ensnare such valuable prey. I can’t tell you how long I worked on it to get just the right effect. Sadly, the first few attempts killed my test subjects, but their sacrifice was more than worth it. You are much more valuable alive than dead. I’m quite sure Prince Phane will enjoy your, um, interrogation,” he chortled.

  “Don’t fret now, the effects of the spell will keep you paralyzed for an hour or so,” he said as he strolled down the hall. “More than enough time for me to summon a platoon of soldiers and slap you in chains.”

  Chapter 20

  Isabel’s soul slipped free of her body to defend against the dissolution of existence that she would have faced had she become lost in the firmament. The world around her looked strangely translucent, as if the walls and objects had less substance than before. With a sudden shock she realized that her soul was in the aether, the place that separated the world of time and substance from the netherworld and the realm of light.