The basic plan was laid and we started assigning people different jobs. Some would raid the kitchen for food that would keep while we were on the road. Another group was assigned to get containers of water. Several of the older boys insisted that they locate weapons. They’d never seen the effectiveness of a wizard’s magic, so I went along with the plan. In all we had twenty-four people ages ten to seventeen, Tabitha and me. We would be a difficult group to hide and I’d never tried to cast ‘invisibility’ on so many at once. I assumed it could be done but it was too risky to try. If I drained my magic, we’d be left defenseless and helpless. The barracks fell asleep and even the tiny whispers were silenced.
I lay in my bunk looking up at the bed above. For just a moment, I was tempted to port Tabitha and me out of there and back to Eredwynn where things were more like we understood they should be. But I knew that neither of us could live with the idea of running out on all of these abused children.
Before dawn I got up and cut through the rivets holding the shackles to my legs with telekinesis, the way my Aunt Alice cut stone. I released Tabitha and Anne and started going bunk to bunk, silently releasing everyone from their chains. For some it was the first time that they’d been without that weight on their legs in years.
When everyone was free of their bonds, I woke Tabitha and Anne so the three of us could prepare the rest for the bellman. Everyone was excited to have free feet and they realized that our plans hadn’t been all talk and wishful thinking. A few of the larger boys grabbed bunks close to the door, just in case I wasn’t able to stun the man when he came to wake us. I didn’t blame them when I looked at it through their eyes. A little boy claimed to be able to knock out grown men from across a room. They had never even heard of magic other than the healing they’d seen and were understandably doubtful.
We heard boots crunching gravel, getting close to the door, and the tension in the barracks rose to a palpable level. The man walked in like he did every morning, looking tired and bored. He started ringing his bell to wake everyone before he noticed we were all on our feet. Fear registered in his eyes as he felt the hostility focused toward him. Before the man could turn to escape, the soft white ball of magic that was a stun spell hit him in the chest. He crumpled to the floor, dropping his bell. One of the younger kids grabbed the bell and continued to ring it to imitate the normal morning routine. The older boys pulled the man onto a bunk and we let some time pass as we pretended to wake and dress. We formed a line as usual, except I was in the lead, and we marched out as we were supposed to. I started locating guards and the food prep people as we went toward the tables that had been set up outside. During the prep stage I’d been told that there were only six guards and three food prep people, who sometimes doubled as guards if anyone got rowdy. The food prep people were at the tables as expected and I saw three guards standing around. That only left two unaccounted for and it made me smile. We got to the table and I turned, nodding to the oldest boys, men really, or they would have been in Eredwynn. I turned to the prep people and rapidly fired three stun spells, dropping them where they stood. The guards were frozen with shock, having never seen magic before, and it made them easy targets. I stunned them and the older boys quickly relieved them of their weapons.
I went looking for the last two guards while everyone started their assigned tasks. I found them kicked back, chatting, with their backs to the door. The first didn’t even know he’d been stunned and the second didn’t have time to leave his chair. I went out and reported that all guards and personnel were stunned. A cheer went up and everyone was less quiet while gathering up the supplies.
We found enough packs for the food, water and bedding that we’d need for the twenty-six of us that made up our new army. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the older ones helping the younger. They made sure that the packs they were carrying weren’t too heavy and that they were fed before we started the trip. There was food already prepared for our breakfast and we all ate heartily.
Tabitha, Anne and I led the group from the camp and we headed west. I didn’t know how Anne had become a leader of this ragtag bunch, but since everyone knew her, it worked out well. By the end of the first hour, I knew that we wouldn’t be at the next camp by nightfall. The younger kids just weren’t able to keep up a pace that would take us thirty miles in a day. We traveled as quickly as we could, stopping for lunch and continuing on. All the kids in the group had been at the farm for a while and it had toughened them up. They’d also learned not to complain and that was a blessing. As evening drew near, I knew that we were as far as we were going to get in one day. I turned and headed off the road toward a large group of trees. We could gather wood for fires and being off the road a ways might help avoid locating any travelers we didn’t want to find. I told the older boys what we needed and they rounded up groups to make a fire pit and collect firewood. Food was located by Anne and Tabitha with the help of the older girls and they began preparing dinner. One of the boys laid out a fire and was dismayed to find that they hadn’t located anything to start a fire with. I smiled and had him move back a bit and ignited the fire with a thought. The kids standing around just grinned at me and shook their heads.
After we ate and the sun had set, bedrolls were laid out for everyone. A watch was set up and I let everyone know that I was going to shield the camp. I tried to explain how it would work, but what seemed simple for me was hard for them to grasp. Finally I asked for a volunteer and a rambunctious boy of fifteen jumped up. I explained that I’d shield the camp; he would walk out of the camp past the shield and walk back with his hands stretched out in from of him. He was an attention hound and grinned at everyone watching while I put a dome shield over the camp. He looked at me to see if I was ready and I nodded. I reminded him to walk back slowly with his hands out like he was feeling for something in the dark.
With a grin, the boy sauntered out of the circle that I’d pointed out and turned back to the crowd with a grin. He shrugged, and came walking back to camp. I’d explained what he should do, and had even repeated myself. But it was still hard to watch as the poor kid walked, without slowing, into what may as well have been a brick wall. He staggered back from the shield with blood flowing from a broken nose. I quickly dropped the shield and went to him. As I healed him, I spoke loudly, “This is why it might be a good idea to listen closely when I’m using magic around any of you. It can be as painful to our side as it can be to theirs.”
I made sure the boy was all right and he was back to his cheerful self. He whispered, “Sorry ‘bout that, Seth. I thought you was kiddin’ about there being somethin’ in the way.”
I whispered back, “Don’t be sorry. You made a better point of why everyone should listen than I could have. I don’t think I’d have made it with the point of my nose, though.”
We went back into camp and with the dome shield back in place, everyone except the watch fell asleep. I laid there gazing at the stars and wondering how I was going to manage this undertaking. I’d freed one camp, but I’d done that by being on the inside where I could plan and prepare everyone. At our current rate of travel, we would get to the next camp shortly after noon, when the guards were on their toes and not just waking. I’d also have an extra twenty-five people that I’ll have to watch out for.
I slept lightly and woke with the sun. Some of the kids were already up and packing for the day’s trip. I chatted with some of the larger young men and played up their egos a bit. I let them know that we’d possibly have a fight when we got to the other camp and I’d be counting them to keep the others safe. Most of them had acquired weapons from the last camp. There were short swords, spears, clubs and some shields scattered among the men.
My new Lieutenants and I rousted the late sleepers and finished packing for the march. Naturally, we started later than I’d planned but at least we were on our way.
The march started with Tabitha, Anne and me once again leading the way. We seemed to make a little better time now that everyo
ne knew what to do. I was happy to see my Lieutenants pick up some of the smaller kids when they looked as though they needed a rest. For tough young men who had been through a lot on that farm, they hadn’t lost their compassion.
As noon approached, I started to wonder about pursuit. I knew that the men at the farm had horses and would have been able to run us down easily. I didn’t think that I’d stunned them hard enough to knock them out for more than a couple hours. The wagon wheel tracks in the dust on the road became more defined, signaling that we were getting close to our destination. A feeling of giddy, fearful anticipation washed over me. I doubted that anything could get through my shield and I kept Tabitha and Anne shielded as well. I was protecting Anne because she’d become friends with Tabitha, and anyone that she cared about, I cared about.
We approached the camp just as they were breaking for lunch. We had made better time than I’d expected and that cheered me up. My tiny army lined up with the two girls on either side of me. My half dozen Lieutenants were with us, three to a side. We were two hundred yards away when the alarm bells at the farm started ringing and the whole situation changed. A dozen armed and armored soldiers clanked out of the barracks and formed ranks.
I could feel the resolve drain away from the younger ones behind me. The sight of the soldiers seemed to inflame the young men in the front and we had to stop. I calmed the men as best as I could, while Anne and Tabitha mingled with the younger ones to keep them with us. I told the men that I was going to do something that might frighten the kids, but would frighten the enemy too. I explained what I planned and received incredulous looks and then agreement.
We began our march once more and the soldiers began moving toward us. At fifty yards I went airborne, startling some of the kids and setting Tabitha and Anne in motion to keep everyone calm. I closed the distance rapidly and opened fire with stun spells. The soldiers dropped one after the other and I saw farm guards forming up as a second line of defense. Seeing them didn’t bother me nearly as much as the soldiers had, because they were armed with clubs and not swords.
Chapter Six
I turned back to my army to regroup for the next attack and something hit me very hard in the temple. It didn’t hit my shield, it hit me! I don’t know what shocked me the most; the getting hit part or the falling ten feet to the ground! The men quickly surrounded me and Tabitha began nursing my head, which was bleeding badly. I felt sick and dizzy and knew of only one thing that could cause that. I looked inward and my magic was all but gone!
“Tabitha, get my pack and take the ink and parchment out. I need you to write something for me.”
She blushed bright red. “Seth, my writing is so bad no one could read it. I’m not even sure that I know all my letters. I’m a farmer, not a noble!”
The rough-talking Anne had grabbed my pack and writing utensils as soon as I’d mentioned it. “What ya need me ta write, Seth?”
I checked my magic level and made up my mind. “Just write SOS and toss the letter on the ground over there; my brother will know what I mean.”
She wrote what I’d asked and tossed the letter on the ground close by. I told everyone to stay clear of that spot. I looked for Davie with my remote viewing and found him in his apartment in Perlsea Castle. I sent the message and my vision faded. Tabitha and Anne did their best to tend to me and the men used recovered shields to make a wall between us and the slowly advancing guards. The guards only seemed to be worried about the six largest boys and the weapons they now wielded. Our plan had gone out the window with whatever had hit me and drained my magic.
I was fading in and out and wasn’t even able to explain why to the frantic Tabitha. She’d heard of the siblings for most of her life and had built up an image of us being untouchable. Seeing me down and defenseless had shaken her whole world view and she was distraught!
A hundred years later, which was probably less than a minute, my brother Davie showed up. He was dressed in what he called his formal Mage clothes. They were snow white with a hood and when he was stressed or angry, the cloth glowed with his magic. Receiving the SOS from me had him glowing brightly and his appearance frightened my army as much as the approaching guards. He glanced around, taking in the situation, and saw me on the ground. He glowed even more brightly and turned his attention to the guards. With a wave of his hand, stun spells dropped the men who had stopped as he’d brightened.
Davie ran the couple of yards and knelt beside me. The warmth of his unusual magic flowed through me, healing my wounded head, but he could do nothing about my magic. He asked what was going on.
I shook my head, still feeling queasy. “I was flying and was hit by something. I was shielded at the time, so I have no idea what it could have been. It seemed to suck all my magic away and I took a tumble.”
One of my men called over, “This bald man has a sling, Seth. I bet that’s what he hit you with.” He picked up the sling and a small bag of bullets and started toward us.
Davie raised his hand and held him back. “Take the sling and the bag and throw them as hard as you can into the woods behind you.” He looked down at me. “That bag and the sling both looked black to my magic. That must have been what got you. I just hope that if you decide to continue your adventure here, you watch out for that stuff!”
I smiled weakly with my stomach doing flips. “Do you see all these kids with me? They were slaves at a farm and I helped free them. The farm in front of us has the same thing going on and I’m here to free them, too. I can’t give up on this right now, not even if I wanted to.”
Davie nodded understandingly. “Well, let’s go check this place out and we’ll see what’s going on!” We walked into the camp while my men dragged the unconscious soldiers and guards to a shady spot. Davie just smiled and nodded as they took my instructions and followed orders. My mother’s main reason for not letting me grow up was that she didn’t believe that grown men would listen to someone who looked like me. My rescued army was proving her wrong.
Anne, Tabitha and Davie made the rounds, located all of the slave kids and brought them to us shackle free. I found it amusing that when the two camps met, they quickly divided into age groups. There was a lot of talking and pointing at me. I guessed that the new ones were being told whose plan this was.
Davie came over and asked, “Ok brother, now what’s the plan?”
It was at that moment that I changed my mind. I’d been determined to handle this situation on my own and prove to myself that I could. I suddenly realized that this thing was bigger than me and I needed help. I decided to call in enough firepower to bury any force that this king might gather against me, so I took three pieces of parchment out of my pack. Tabitha and Anne came over and sat beside me, looking concerned. I wrote out two notes that stated simply, ‘I need your help. Seth.’ I wrote one note that stated ‘I need your help and advice, your son, Seth.’
Tabitha nodded her understanding and Anne spoke, “I’ll run them for ya, if y’all can tell me where.”
“These are going to my family and they are around eight thousand miles away. It might take you awhile to get there and I’m in a hurry. Thank you anyway.”
I tossed the letters away about four feet apart. I didn’t want the back trails getting confused and my folks not being able to find me. I asked Davie to send them to Lia and James first, and make sure that Father was alone when he sent his. I didn’t want my mother getting wind of where I was or of any problems that I might be having. It would make for a perfect ‘I told you so’ moment and I’d rather avoid that, if possible. There were startled gasps all around as the letters were sent to their various locations. I told everyone to make sure that the area that the letters had been in stayed clear and I waited.
There were squeals and yelps when James popped in first. He came to me and hugged me, asking what was going on. I told him that we were waiting for others because this might turn into a big problem. Then again it might just be dismissed as nothing. He nodded, acknowledging my vagu
e answer. When Lia popped in, we went through the same routine, squeals and all. Father showed up and was dressed as he usually was, in nice clothes that any well-to-do individual would be wearing. There was nothing about him that would let a stranger know that he was the king of an entire country.
We all sat on the ground in a circle so I could explain what was going on. Tabitha sat in my lap and that brought grins to the faces of every family member there. I explained the child slavery and how I’d freed two farms. Now I had over fifty young people and I didn’t think that I would be able to travel to all the farms with all the freed slaves.
Father asked, “Is there anything that says that all the slaves have to be free before you talk to the ruler about changing?”
I chuckled. “Not that I’m aware of, but what I’ve learned from these people is that the king isn’t likely to change his mind about his farms. What should I do if that’s the case? I can’t walk away knowing that this is going on.”
Father agreed. “Good, I wouldn’t want you to, either. People looking the other way when they know something bad is happening is the same as giving permission. I knew I’d raised all of you better than that. I suggest that we stash the young ones that you’ve freed so far somewhere safe, and we go talk to the ruler of this land that is allowing this to happen. If we can’t change his mind about slavery being wrong, we might have to be a bit more convincing. What it may come to, children, may actually be a war. I won’t ask any of you to fight and will understand if you want to leave now.
Seth, A Naiad's Son (Generations of Eredwynn Book 3) Page 5