The Sartious Mage (The Rhythm of Rivalry)

by B. T. Narro

  I needed to hurry, especially because I’d have to flee while carrying Lisanda. I couldn’t outrun them. I had to find a place to hide.

  I slid down quickly, navigated around Lisanda, and set my feet on the ground. I frantically tried to untie her but gave up after a breath. The knot was too tight.

  It took me about five rapid heartbeats to create a small razor out of SE and another five to cut her loose.

  “There!” It was the guards. I hadn’t gotten out of sight quick enough. I looked around desperately, beginning to think it was all over.

  There was an alley between houses in front of me. Should I leave Lisanda and run for it? No, not after everything I’d been through. She was my only leverage.

  I ran to the alley with my hostage bouncing around on my shoulder.

  My shoulder, back, and arm all burned with the excessive strain, and I nearly dropped her twice in the span of a few breaths.

  There was a fork in the alley. A cluster of barrels were stacked up neatly to the right, so I went that way. With a strong gust of Bastial wind, I knocked the barrels over behind me and kept going. I turned a corner.

  “He went this way.” I could hear the guards kicking the barrels out of their path. One of them fell and cursed.

  I was already at the point where I could only jog. I needed another plan besides running. A few turns brought me to a dirt road.

  There was a horse tied to a cart. There had to be someone nearby who owned it. I found him pissing on the corner of the house. He swayed back and forth, humming something, clearly drunk.

  Good, I thought, rushing over to the cart behind the horse. It was cloaked in a dirty brown cloth. I yanked it off and found a cage had been fashioned to the cart, making it a transport vehicle for live animals. I’d seen one before but never driven one.

  Unfortunately for Lisanda, there were about ten chickens clucking around inside of it.

  I unlatched the door and guided her inside like putting a piece of meat into an oven. The chickens were startled, jumping around with open wings in an attempt to avoid her limp body.

  Even in my panic, I couldn’t help but notice the floor was covered in hay and chicken excrement. She wasn’t going to like this. I threw the cloth back over it.

  I took Lisanda’s purse from my pocket, grabbed a few coins, and threw them at the man still pissing.

  “For your horse and chickens.” It wasn’t even close to the amount of money needed to make it a fair trade, but it was all I could spare and better than nothing.

  He swung his head over his shoulder at the coins dancing around him. With a baffled look, he immediately fell into a dilemma of finishing his piss or reaching for them.

  I climbed on the horse. The guards had found me. They shouted for me to stop.

  I kicked the horse to speed around the nearest corner, taking another turn as soon as I could.

  The shouts quieted, leaving only the sound of panicked chickens flapping around Lisanda in the back.

  Chapter 12: Betsa

  I had no more dream dust, hardly any money, and no food except Goreng’s crackers.

  I had to be more careful than ever. If a guard on horseback found me, that would be it. If a guard on foot was able to stop my horse, that would be it. If someone else recognized me who’d heard of the kidnapping, that could be it.

  Everything could be over with the slightest mistake, and here I was so tired I barely could keep myself on the horse. I kept him at a slow pace, unsure how long he’d walked before I’d taken him. He wasn’t sweating yet, and he followed my commands without resistance, so he seemed to be in good shape at the moment. But I knew I might need him to gallop if I ran into trouble, so it was better to save his energy. We could travel farther that way as well.

  It soon occurred to me that I probably was just making excuses so I didn’t have to ride a trotting horse. When horses sped up past a walk, but were still below the speed of a gallop, balancing became a chore. Usually I’d have no trouble, but I was seeing spots from lack of sleep and food. I needed to conserve myself as much as I could before Lisanda woke up.

  I kept south, sticking to dilapidated roads that were less likely to attract others. I crossed a house that had a small fenced backyard. There were stacks of hay but I saw no animals; they probably were sleeping under a roof somewhere.

  It reminded me of my farm. The thought of taking the Princess home always had been tempting, but I knew better than to actually consider it. I didn’t want to get Sannil and Kalli involved in this. If my path was tracked there, the guards would punish my family for helping me.

  But my farm was just south of the city, in the same direction I was headed…

  Maybe I could stop there just for a night? It would be so nice to see my father and sister, to sleep in my own bed, to have a real meal. Half of me already knew that’s where I’d wanted to go all along, but my other half still argued against it. I’d be putting their lives in danger. What if something happened to them because of me? I’d rather spend the rest of my life in prison than bring harm to my family.

  But if I got there late and stayed one night it should be fine. I’d be gone before any guards came, and that’s even if they tracked me there, which shouldn’t happen as long as I remained unseen.

  Still, I knew I shouldn’t go there.

  Lisanda would wake before we got there, anyway. I needed a more immediate plan for her.

  The cage was fashioned to the cart, but it was meant for small animals, not people. The Princess could break the latch to the door by kicking her way out. She’d make a run for it. People certainly would see that.

  I couldn’t stay another night in the city. I was stupid to even risk staying at an inn.

  There would be no more sleeping until I left the city.

  I couldn’t leave Lisanda in the cage. She would wake in a few hours and unleash Bastial hell if she wasn’t bound and gagged. Even then, she would do everything possible to get away from me. I needed something I could offer her if she cooperated.

  It was so easy to get Harwin working with me. I’d hoped for the same with Lisanda. I even thought I was getting somewhere after she saw my darkness attack, but then she’d fought against me when the guards showed up. Now, I had no idea how much she would cooperate, especially after she awoke to find herself lying in chicken excrement.

  I’d ridden for an hour without a plan. The sky had begun to glow gold with the incoming sun. The streets were about to be more crowded.

  I was in an area of town where the dry dirt roads stretched for hundreds of feet between houses. I hadn’t been here before, but I knew this part of the city to be nicknamed The Desert. There had been a bad fire in the last few years, taking out nearly all the houses that used to stand along these roads.

  Rumors were it was caused by a powerful mage working for King Danvell Takary. The mage was searching for a fugitive known to be receiving help from the people here. Eventually, the mage got fed up with the lack of information he’d received and burned the houses of people who claimed to know nothing.

  Even after rumors like that, it was common knowledge this mage still worked for the King. In fact, he probably had been sent after me with the rest of the guards the monarch could spare.

  I came to a small house with a porch. There was a young girl, probably thirteen, sitting in a rocking chair with a bowl in her lap. She stood when she saw me, her head tilting curiously.

  “Jek Trayden?” she called. “What are you doing around here?”

  I stopped the horse. “Just passing through…have we met?” A lot of people had come to see me perform when I worked with Drent, the blacksmith. I couldn’t remember them all.

  She nodded and came out to meet me. I hopped off the horse and hurried over to her. I didn’t want her to get too close to the cart. She’d find Lisanda if she took a peek under the cloth covering the cage.

  If she were an older, I probably would’ve ignored her and continued on, but children and young adults who recognized me
were always eager to please. More importantly, she had food with her and probably more in the house. I wasn’t going to make it to the end of the city without provisions.

  “I visited you at the blacksmith’s up north a while back. You gave me this.” She reached into her pocket and showed the object to me with an open palm, wanting me to touch it.

  I took it from her hand. It was hardened Sartious Energy shaped into a “B.” The emerald green glistened in the light from the sun climbing over the hills.

  She smiled at me. “Because I told you my name was Betsa.”

  “You keep it in your pocket?” I smiled back, holding it out to her.

  She took it and held it up to the sun like it was the first time she’d seen it. “Where else would I keep it?”

  She was a bit taller than Lisanda, coming up to my nose. She had hair so blond it was nearly white. Her smile was cheerful and cute, with eyes to match. Her features reminded me of childhood, of how different life used to be just four years ago when I was her age.

  “Are your parents around?” I gave an obvious look toward her house. “I would be forever in your debt if I could purchase some food and water.”

  “Forever, you say?” Her smile became sly. “It’s just me and my mother. And she doesn’t come home until late, or early. I’m not sure what to call it. She won’t be here for another few hours. Want to come inside?”

  She half-turned toward her house. “There’s plenty of food for you, your horse, and your…” She pointed to the cart. “Are those chickens I hear?”

  I chose not to ask anything about her mother’s—probably not so honorable—line of work.

  “You have a good ear, Betsa.” I walked her away from the cart. “I would love to come in, but I’m in a rush, and I have to stay with my horse.” I pulled the purse from my pocket. “I have these coins for food and water.”

  I dug out the last of Lisanda’s money, took Betsa’s hand, and deposited the coins, affectionately closing her fingers around them. It was clear she liked me, so I figured there was no harm in using that.

  “Could you bring me whatever you wouldn’t mind sparing for that?” I pointed to the money I’d given her.

  She nodded. “Sure you don’t want to come in?” She rocked back and forth.

  I smiled. “I’m sure.”

  Betsa jogged into her house.

  I wasn’t surprised when she returned with far more than any adult would’ve given me for the payment I’d offered.

  “That’s so much!” I ran to her. She had three loaves of bread, a flask of what I hoped was water, and another bucket that definitely held water.

  “The bucket is for your horse.” She walked past me to set it down in front of him. He took to it kindly. “The rest is for you.” She squeezed close to me to dump the bread from her arms. She pulled two apples from her pockets. “These as well.”

  “This is very kind of you.” I wondered where I was going to put everything. I could hold the bread and flask with one arm, but I wasn’t keen on riding a horse that way. Then there were the apples. I took a sip from the flask, thankful it was indeed water, then slid it into my back pocket and took the apples with one hand.

  “You won’t miss the flask?” I asked.

  “It’s my mother’s. I don’t like when she drinks from it, so I want you to take it. I cleaned it and filled it with water.”

  “Thank you.” I didn’t feel right about taking it, especially knowing how her mother was going to react, but I needed it even more than the food.

  “How about a spell?” She went to her toes then back. “Please?”

  “Would you like another letter?” I asked.

  She nodded. “J, for Jek.”

  I felt a wide smile come on. This was why I originally loved the idea of a reputation. Many people I met were like Betsa, always leaving me in high spirits. But it was this same reputation that had drawn the attention of the King, which led me off to Zav to take Harwin and now put me here with an unconscious princess in my cart—some of that was actually my fault, I realized.

  “Open your hand and keep it as still as you can.”

  She did and I took my wand to it. Creating the letter was easy but still exacted quite the physical toll. Like any manipulation of SE, it was always harder with lack of sleep and food.

  “There you go,” I said when I was done. “I’m sorry to run off like this, but I must be leaving.” I turned toward the horse.

  “Thank you,” Betsa said with a wave. She ran back toward the porch.

  Bread wasn’t the best thing for a horse, but it was far better than nothing. I ripped up half a loaf and fed it to him. I gave him an apple as well. I stuffed the rest of the food into my pants and shirt pockets. A loaf of bread fit in a pocket like a foot in a glove, but it seemed to work well enough. I hopped on the horse.

  No money, but at least I had food and water. Now it was time to deal with Lisanda.

  Chapter 13: Chickens

  One thing about the south side of The Nest that worked in my favor was that the closer to the border, the more people tended to keep to themselves. There was a general notion that everyone could have intentions of harm or theft, so everyone avoided each other whenever possible.

  I needed to make sure the horse felt safe. I found doing so was the best way to gain his trust. So I stayed away from streets with shifty looking people who might startle us. If someone had a sword on a belt or a dagger on a hip, I chose a different path.

  While feeling safe was the best thing for the horse, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the worst thing I’d done for Lisanda. She clearly believed she could get away with screaming and fighting me.

  The problem was that I wouldn’t hurt her. I knew so, and I was beginning to think she realized that also. Why else would she show such little worry about going against me?

  I felt myself sighing as I thought about it. I couldn’t make her fear me, not without hurting her, which I was unwilling to do. I wondered what Micah Vail, the King’s adviser, had expected me to do with the Princess to keep her obedient. He couldn’t possibly have thought I would hurt her. He never would’ve suggested taking her otherwise.

  Maybe he really did know me as well as he pretended to, but how?

  I shook my head. This was not the time to think about Micah. I needed a plan for Lisanda.

  When I came out of The Desert and into another part of town, I had an idea.

  I found a road that twisted up a slight incline. Some of the ground here was cracked from an earthquake that took out the houses along these hills long before I was born. With plenty of other places to live in The Nest, no one had rebuilt in this area. It was probably my last chance to deal with my captive without being seen or heard.

  The dream dust would be wearing off soon. I was a little jealous that she’d slept so much more than I had. But when I removed the cloth from the cart and stepped into the cage, that jealousy quickly faded.

  The chickens must’ve gotten used to Lisanda because many were walking around on top of her. One was pecking at her hair mopped around her head. She was on her side with her cheek pressed against the ground.

  I flipped her on her back and pulled her up to a sitting position. Her tunic had some stains, and her hair had collected a copious amount of muck. The smell inside the cage was a little past unpleasant.

  I used Sartious Energy to bind her hands behind her back. Then I bound her ankles together. Feeling dizzy when it was done, I stepped out of the cage to regain my focus.

  When I was ready, I went back in to try to wake her.

  Every time I climbed in or out, the chickens clucked and rustled their wings. The cage was too low to stand in and hardly wide enough for me to fit with Lisanda and the chickens. Many of them jumped around my feet as I navigated through while crouched. I knew it would be much easier to be in there without them, but I couldn’t get rid of them. They still had a purpose in my plan.

  I sat Lisanda up again, holding her back to keep her upright.
I brushed her hair out of her face. Unsure of the best way to wake her, I started patting her cheek.

  “Lisanda, wake up.”

  Nothing.

  I patted harder. “Lisanda.”

  She made a grunt. Her eyes opened soon after, looking around for a few breaths until they eventually turned and found my face.

  “Weth am I?” She looked down at herself and her eyes filled with anger. “I’m thilthy!” Her face tightened when she saw a chicken. “Thickenths? Geth me outh!”

  She squirmed away from them, pushing herself into me. The birds were frightened by her movement, hopping around and clucking loudly. She lowered her head into my chest and mumbled something. I couldn’t tell if she was frightened or just really didn’t want to touch them.

  “They can’t hurt you.” I took off her gag. “Listen—”

  “Get me out of here!” she interrupted. Her voice was pleading, her head still against my chest. She really did seem scared of them. This was far better than I’d expected. She must never have been around chickens before. Of course, I realized. Why would she? And it probably made her fear worsen that her hands and feet were bound.

  I wrapped my arms under her shoulders and maneuvered her out of the cage. Then I stood her up and shut the cage door behind us to keep the chickens inside.

  “Listen, Lisanda—”

  “I can’t believe you got me filthy again!” she interrupted before I could explain the situation.

  “It was my only choice,” I told her.

  “What happened?” She looked around us frantically. “And where are we?”

  I told her what happened, the bedsheets, the guard trying to cut us down, the injured innkeeper, and so on.

  She sat down and lowered her head when I was done. She seemed to be in pain.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked.

  “A headache,” she admitted. “So, are you going to leave me bound like this?” She kept her eyes on the ground between us.

  “That’s what I was going to tell you.” I sat down in front of her, holding out the flask of water.