Rogue Magician (The Magician Rebellion)

by Cornett, Curtis

  The sorcerer dropped his bag on the floor and immediately began sifting through the rune pouch checking them one by one. Normally he put the runes back in his chest back at the palace, but had not had the time recently so the runes in the bag were the same ones that were in it the day Byrn vanished. At first pass he did not notice any missing, but then he counted them. There should have been ten in the pouch. There were nine. Checking again he tried to remember where he had gone recently. After a moment it came to him and the realization gave the sorcerer a flicker of hope.

  “Byrn is in Ilipse!” Sane announced excitedly.

  “Then he should be easy to find,” Kellen slapped the sorcerer on the back. “He went from one prison to another.”

  The closest city to Ilipse that Sane could transport to was Lion's Landing, a port city on the southern end of the continent. From there he could reach the domain in a day.

  “Are you in the mood for a little travel?” Sane asked his knightly friend.

  “What about Sari?” Kellen was a little surprised at the sorcerer's choice, “Her tracking skills could be very helpful if Byrn finds a way out of the domain.”

  “Perhaps, I had considered her abilities, but I would have to find her first and time is of the essence. If Byrn is trapped in the domain, then it will not matter who goes, but if I spend all my time looking for Sari and Byrn gets out of Ilipse he will become much more difficult to find.” Sane hastily packed the runes back into his pack, “Besides Sari also has her own student, Byrn's mother, Marian Lightfoot. If I brought Sari to help hunt down my former apprentice with the order to kill him on sight, then she would be put in the position of betraying her student and I do not know if I can rely on her to do that.”

  “I am none too pleased with the task at hand either, my friend,” Kellen said lowering his voice. “What if we just let him go? He has made some mistakes. We did too when we were his age if you recall, but this boy does not deserve the fate that has been thrust upon him.”

  “You think I am unaware of that?!” Sane snapped at him. He knew the knight-captain was not accusing him, but the sorcerer still felt he was to blame in a way for Byrn's imprisonment and now his forthcoming execution. Thinking better of his tone, he relented, “I do not know what I should do when I find him. The king's command is clear, but this whole situation just feels wrong.”

  “Then let us go to Ilipse,” Kellen suggested, “and we will decide what to do once we find Byrn Lightfoot.”

  Chapter 25

  The next caravan arrived in Ilipse the following day and Byrn was determined to be on one of those wagons. Teamsters were unloading the wagons, bringing fresh shipments of meats, fruits, bolts of cloth, lumber, and leather hides. The citizens had taken up various trades over the years to make Ilipse a functioning community like any other town, but supplies had to be brought in on a regular basis. They also exported some of their wares to facilitate the purchase of more exotic materials and spices that were not covered by the royal stipend they received.

  There were five wagons in this caravan. According to Lora they were usually in and out of the town in less than two hours, making the margin of error rather slim. Byrn watched as one of the teamsters struggled unloading a box of hides that was much too large for one person. The teamster was younger than Byrn. He was probably only fifteen or sixteen just a few years into his apprenticeship. Byrn approached the boy from the side of the carts and as it began to slip from his hands Byrn reached him just in time to grab the other end.

  “You need a hand?” Byrn almost grunted as he caught the weight of the box. “By Learion, this thing is heavy!”

  “Yeah,” said the boy, “and my wonderful uncle saw fit to leave this one to me to teach me a lesson. I can not wait to see his expression when he sees that I took care of it without him.” The two boys maneuvered the box to an area set aside for unloading raw clothing materials no more than a hundred feet into the domain's residential area and went back to get another box. “Which cart are you with?”

  “I am with that one,” Byrn told him pointing in the general direction of the caravan, “but I was thinking of joining up with another crew. You got any openings?” he added hastily.

  “By the way my name is Tobias,” the teamster extended his hand.

  Taking it, Byrn replied, “The name is Maguire, but my friends call me Mag for short.” It was the name of one of the boys from back in the orphanage. A particularly large and angry boy that used to think it was funny to push the younger and smaller ones, like Byrn, around.

  When they got back to the wagons Byrn tried to look around for places to hide, but did not see any. The carts were small and nearly barren. Stowing away would not be an option unless they were filled back up with goods for export.

  A fat man who had been standing around talking to some others from the caravan hollered for them once the cart was empty. He had a pitch-black beard and wore a finely made red tunic. He looked like the kind of man unaccustomed to manual labor. “When you get done with that box, get to loading these onto the cart, lads!” He motioned to some smaller boxes at his feet.

  “Yes, uncle!” Tobias yelled back.

  Seeing several of the Kenzai guards surveying the proceedings Byrn added, “Yes, sir!” in an attempt to make it seem like he was with the teamsters.

  When they finished loading up six boxes of clothing sewn by the tailors and seamstresses of Ilipse Tobias and Byrn climbed onto the wagon and waited for the young teamster's uncle. Byrn leaned in closely to Tobias. “Do you think it would be alright if I rode with you and your uncle for a ways? Being on my own wagon may not be in my best interests, if you follow my meaning. My master shot me an unfriendly look when I came over to help you and I think he could use some cooling off.”

  Tobias nodded, “Just ask my uncle, Ferrio. I would be happy for the company.”

  Sometime later the black bearded Ferrio arrived and hopped into the driving bench of the wagon. Grabbing the reigns he looked back and asked Tobias, “Ready to go?” but before his nephew could answer Ferrio looked at Byrn and said, “Who is this?”

  “This is Mag. He is from one of the other wagons,” Tobias told him.

  “You do not look familiar,” Ferrio squinted at Byrn trying to place the young man’s face.

  However, the escaped magician expected some resistance and had prepared for this, “You remember me. I was helping Tobias unload those leather skins earlier and you asked me to help put these on.” He motioned to the new boxes filled with tanned leather garments.

  “His master is not too happy with him for helping us either,” chimed Tobias.

  “Is it Rectin? He has always been a bastard.” Ferrio smiled a little at the thought of getting one over on someone he clearly regarded as a rival.

  “That would be him,” confirmed Byrn with a conspiratorial smile.

  “You can ride with us for a ways,” the wagon master turned to check the horses' reins and added, “but I ain't feeding you.”

  Byrn could barely contain his excitement as Ferrio whipped the horses and the wagon began to roll forward with him on board. He watched with relief as they rolled out of the gate leaving the domain behind. Some distance away he could see some of the residents dealing with the newly delivered supplies. Among them were a golden haired woman and her daughter cautiously looking in his direction. Lora and Marisa smiled as the gate closed behind the caravan. Then Byrn's heart sank when the wagon came to an abrupt halt in an enclosed holding area.

  Four Kenzai guards approached the cart from different directions in a formation designed to catch anyone attempting to get off the wagon. Two of the guards searched underneath the cart while another climbed in the back and the last talked to the driver. Byrn did his best to remain calm and act as if nothing unusual was happening. The guard looked at Byrn for a second and he tried to avoid squirming under the man's stare.

  “Thaon, do you recognize this one?” the Kenzai said never taking his stare from Byrn.

  Another guar
d came over and regarded Byrn. “He was with them moving some boxes earlier,” Thaon said with some disinterest. The first guard seemed to accept this and continued his inspection of the wagon's bed.

  Following a cursory glance in the boxes large enough to hide a person the cloaked man jumped off of the cart and a moment later the outer gate was raised allowing them through. Ferrio pulled the cart behind the one that had exited just before them. They were in the middle wagon of the caravan and had two more carts to wait on. Byrn looked around at the uncluttered expanse. Ahead of them was an open road leading into a forest far off in the distance. It had been so long since Byrn was last able to see more than twenty feet in front of him that the feeling of seeing for miles was disorienting.

  He started to feel a slight tingle in his body and he knew from his training time with Sane that this was what it felt like when the blood source began to rebuild its energy. Byrn silently vowed never to be taken back to Baj ever again. From this day forward he would be a free man.

  It seemed like an hour later when the remaining wagons exited the holding area and joined the rest of the caravan, but Byrn guessed it was really only a few minutes that passed before they were on their way. The rogue magician wondered where they were going but thought it wise not to ask. If he was really a teamster with this caravan, then he should already know the answer to that question and asking could raise suspicions. After a few hours of watching the sun's movement Byrn could tell that they were headed south. For now that would have to be enough.

  ***

  It was some hours later when the caravan was passed by a pair of riders heading towards Ilipse. One rider wore shiny plate armor and his companion wore a green cloak.

  When the riders passed Byrn kept his head down, but he was eager to get a look at the passersby. He couldn't be sure, but he thought they were Kellen and Sane. Kellen may not be the only warrior in the kingdom with such remarkable armor and Sane may not be the only person to where a green cloak, but he was sure this was not a coincidence. A mix of relief and fear washed over him as he realized that he got out of Ilipse mere hours before he would have been discovered and that his pursuers would most likely be chasing after this caravan soon. He could only hope that the caravan stopped sometime soon for the night or reached a city where Byrn could disappear.

  “Did you see that armor?” Ferrio shouted to the lads in the back of the wagon. “I bet a suit like that is worth two-hundred gold coins.”

  “At least,” agreed Tobias, “I wonder why it is so shiny.”

  Byrn, or “Mag” as Tobias and his uncle knew him, could have answered that question. He thought back to the first time he saw Knight-Captain Kellen's armor. He simply thought it was well cared for or made of some special metal that gave it such a unique shine. It was only after learning about enchantments that he came to realize that the shine was most likely an indication of a magical spell tied to the armor.

  It was an hour later when the caravan reached the edge of the forest path and they came to an abrupt halt. “Why have we stopped?” Byrn inquired as his mind immediately went to him being discovered.

  “Highwaymen,” said Ferrio. “The guards will handle it.”

  As Byrn was about to ask “What guards?” four men in brown leather armor jumped out of the lead wagon and another two emerged from the rear one and ran forward.

  “All we want is the coin,” said the bandit leader as five more men came out from behind trees. “I've got ten swords and bows with me. If you want to live, then hand over your money and we will take the pick of your cargo. Otherwise the next caravan you will be a part of will belong to Kassani.”

  “No worries,” Ferrio told his teamsters, “Those boys are bluffing. If they had archers they would show them.”

  As if they were trying to prove the merchant's words, the caravan guards drew their weapons and attacked the bandits. An instant later, arrows flew from the forest hitting two of the guards and narrowly missing two more.

  “Get down!” someone yelled and Byrn jumped off the cart hiding behind it. Tobias quickly joined him. Ferrio slipped out of his seat in the front of the cart and circled around to hide with the boys.

  The sounds of fighting and screaming raged ahead of them. Byrn poked his head up for a moment to see two of the guards were dead and the remaining ones becoming quickly overwhelmed as they tried to deal with the sword carrying bandits while avoiding arrows from hidden foes in the trees.

  “They will be on us in a matter of moments. Are either of you armed?” Byrn asked his companions.

  Tobias shook his head in the negative, but Ferrio pulled a short dagger from his boot.

  “Give it to me,” Byrn held out his hand.

  “No,” Ferrio told him treating the blade with the same hungry desire that a starving man might have for his last morsel of food. A sudden desire to punch the man in the face and take his knife came over the elementalist, but he pushed it down. He could not give in to his rage like he did that night in Colum or allow himself to become like Mantellus.

  An arrow whizzed past Ferrio's ear piercing the ground inches away from his foot. “Give me the dagger,” Byrn demanded with authority as if the bearded merchant had no choice in the matter, “and I promise I will save you both.” Reluctantly Ferrio handed over his weapon and to his horror Byrn turned it on himself cutting his own hand at the palm and switching the blade to the bleeding hand cut open the other palm.

  He handed the bloodied dagger back to Ferrio who was trembling and dropped it into the dirt, convinced that if the bandits did not kill him the crazy teamster would.

  The young magician stood to face the caravan's assailants who were now moving past the second cart to the one he was at. Three of the bandits were left in view plus however many were in the trees. Two of the men approached from the left while the third came from the right. They tried to circle around Byrn behaving cautiously despite the fact that he was bleeding and unarmed.

  Drops of blood dripped on the dirt as Byrn lifted his hands up palms out toward the bandits on each side. The swirl of blood was fast. It was far faster than he remembered when he faced the ogres and he realized just how much his abilities had grown in the last year. Even in the “unprotected” area of Baj where he had trained with Sane there must have been some ambient effects of the wards keeping his full potential at bay, because now the magic flowed through him like never before. He conjured a shield around himself just before a volley of arrows from the forest's edge struck it harmlessly bouncing off to land at his feet.

  Byrn shot a blast of hot air from his palms knocking the bandits off of their feet, but the ones hiding in the trees were the real threat if his shield were to falter. He walked quickly with determination to a spot closer to the trees keeping his shield erected the entire time.

  “Come out now and surrender or I while burn the forest down with you in it!” Byrn screamed hoping his angry tone and earlier display would be enough to frighten the bowmen out. His answer was another volley of arrows bouncing harmlessly away once more. In response he conjured balls of flame and cast them against some of the trees setting them alight. Shooting a wall of flames would have been a better choice and would have caused much greater destructive force by burning away the undergrowth, but he wanted to avoid killing these men unless he was fairly sure that he was going to die anyway. Of course there was no need to tell them that. “I will not ask again!”

  Four archers stepped forward from the trees. “Toss your weapons over here,” Byrn commanded. The tell tale lightheadedness from casting magic in this way was beginning to set in. When all of their weapons were in a pile Byrn set them ablaze. The bows and arrows burned easily and the daggers and swords the bowmen had would be too hot for them to touch for a while without the risk of scalding their hands.

  Now that he archers no longer posed a serious threat, Byrn turned to face the swordsmen to find that they were all dead. The remaining merchants and teamsters had been quick about taking the bandits' weapons after Byrn
knocked them down and slit their throats or stabbed them.

  Tobias and Ferrio stood where Byrn had left them staring at him in shocked disbelief. “How do I get to the nearest city?” he asked them.

  Tobias was the first to regain his wits, “Head south through the forest. In a day’s time you will reach Lion's Landing.”

  “Thank you,” Byrn told him. “I am sure you will not mind if I take one of the lead wagon's horses, will you? It seems I may no longer be welcome among your group and the horse would be a fitting reward for saving your lives.”

  The teamster nodded his head and Byrn made about quickly unbuckling one of the horses from the first wagon. To Tobias, he said, “For whatever it is worth I am sorry I lied to you, but it seems to be a necessary thing just to survive. You showed me kindness earlier and I hope I have repaid that.”

  He noted that the fire he set to the trees was beginning to spread and he willed it to come back to him. The flames flew to him like a phoenix on wing and he caught it just above his hands before he could get burned. Raising his arms up to the sky he shot the flames into the air where they could dissipate safely.

  A minute later Byrn was riding along the forest path at a full gallop. The horse would not be able to maintain that pace for long, but Byrn hoped it would be long enough for him to put a fair distance between himself and the caravan before he had to stop for a rest. His head was still swimming from the exertion, but he found that it was manageable for the time being.

  Defeating a half dozen armed bandits with little effort and fleeing the people he just saved, Byrn asked himself if this was what it meant to be a magician in Aurelia. “Well there are worse fates,” he told himself thinking of the prison of Baj.