The Wall
Cordan turned their pace over to Seth with orders to keep them all moving through the night and the next day; they would stop only after dark that night. Sean was little better than a sack of potatoes until late morning; of course, being awake didn’t mean that he was all that much better than a sack of potatoes, but at least he wasn’t delirious.
What woke him was Prince dropping his head to drink from a river. It was like reliving a half-remembered nightmare. The only difference was that his hands were tied to his saddle near his knees. After a moment’s panic, he realized that these bindings had likely been necessary to keep him in the saddle; it’s just that they didn’t let him sit all the way up, and with Prince dropping his head down to drink, Sean felt unbalanced. Laon was at his side a few seconds later, before he thought to use magic to free himself.
“My lord, calm yourself; you’re all right,” he said, as he gripped Sean’s shoulder to help support him as he moved Prince aside a few steps away from the water’s edge.
On his other side, Mattie nearly threw herself off her horse to run to his side as well. “My lord.” She gripped Sean’s knee while she studied his face, then nodded to Laon. “You can let him go, but if he tries to use any magic at all, you take him out. You understand? You knock him out, hard.”
“Mattie?” Sean couldn’t believe his ears.
She turned back to him. She was in a fury. “When he’s done with you, you’ll be my meat.”
“Mattie?” he asked again, as Laon untied his hands. He turned to Laon for an explanation. “What’s with her?”
“Collapsing the way you did scared her. She thought you’d killed yourself,” he said simply. “You might have even managed to burn yourself out. We’re not sure; only you can tell us that, but I will do as she says if you so much as twitch in that direction. I swear. I’ll hit you.”
“You’re my bodyguard, you said so. You’re supposed to protect me from this kind of thing,” said Sean indignantly. They make me feel like I’m some five-year-old who just ate all the Halloween candy before it could be given out to trick-or-treaters.
“I am your bodyguard, my lord, but I’ve learned in my short time in that position, that sometimes that means I must protect you from yourself.” He stepped away and gave Prince a slap on the rump sending him into the river they were all crossing.
Burned out? Am I burned out? No, I’m not. Under Mattie’s shield, I hadn’t been able to see Laon’s red glow and I can, so I still have my magic, but why was Mattie so hostile? All I remember was being exhausted; hell, I’m still tired.
Prince climbed out on the other bank and shook himself, causing Sean to clutch at the saddle that shimmied violently, totally distracting him from his train of thought.
When Prince was done shaking, he dropped his head for a mouthful of grass, so Sean looked around. For all the world, it looked like they were a herd of horses. Just because most of them had either a person or a packsaddle on them didn’t take away from the herd aspect. Most of the horses wanted to shake the water away, but Seth and his men were pushing again, so they strung out along the road once more.
Sean noticed the kids; he had almost forgotten about them. They seemed less withdrawn, more chatty, there was even some quiet laughter, but then they had something besides their lack of magic to think about.
He looked at his men; it seemed like everyone was doing all right. They all seemed to be in good health and good spirits. Sean looked ahead. “Where are we headed, anyway?” he asked Laon, who was glued to his side again as soon as he had retrieved his horse and crossed the river. “As a matter of fact, why are we headed anywhere? Who gave the order to break camp?”
“Cordan ordered camp broken because it was no longer hidden. He wasn’t comfortable remaining so close to the city, so we’ve been moving ever since we left day before yesterday.”
Sean looked at the road they had just traveled. Cordan had been concerned about someone being able to follow their tracks to the camp, and here they were leaving the road looking like a newly tilled field. “So much for staying hidden,” he said.
“We’re moving fast enough for now,” replied Laon. “And Seth has riders on the horizons.”
Sean remembered when they’d first found his cousin; they had spread out to hide their trail. They had been a lot less in number, but with Cisco healing their passage, they had left no mark. “Relay the order. Leave the road and move apart; the only horse following another will be a packhorse that’s being led. Then bring Mattie here. Where is she anyway?” Sean twisted around and when he couldn’t see her, he reached to speak with her anyway. Laon must have been watching closer than he thought, and frankly, he had forgotten Mattie’s warning. The side of his head exploded.
Sean’s head was pounding. He pushed his eyes open and noticed it was dark, though he could pick out at least one campfire. He moved his hand and felt dirt. Prince pushed his nose down into his face and snorted, blowing dirt in his face.
“Sean…Sean, are you all right?” asked Larry, the urgency plain in his voice.
Sean tenderly pushed himself onto his hands and knees and heard himself groan. “I’ll tell you as soon as I figure it out.” He heard Larry move, probably to give him a hand, but Prince stomped over him with his version of a growl. His leg bumped Sean’s pounding head causing him to duck back down with a groan. He reached out and pulled the hair on Prince’s leg; the horse pushed his nose down at him again, then a moment later, he was lying down beside him. Sean gripped his saddle and said, “Up,” for him to pull him to his feet. He rested his splitting head against the cool leather of the saddle between his arms while he got his feet more firmly planted on the ground.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and yet Prince stood calmly. “You have our lives and our memories,” said the voice at his back. “Learn to use our energy, too.” Then Sean’s hair was ruffled, though he felt no breeze.
He turned in time to see the moons come out from behind a small cloud. No one was there. Larry was, but he was off to Sean’s right and closely watched by Prince. I heard my father’s voice. It was my father’s hand on my shoulder; I know it.
He leaned against Prince’s side. “Dad,” he called.
“Seanad? Is everything all right?” Elias asked.
“What was my father like?” asked Sean.
“Are you all right?” he asked again.
“He uses… He used two swords, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did. Your grandfather insisted, though he didn’t have to insist very hard.”
“Was he strong with the magic?”
“Yes, he was, though not as strong as you. Seanad, why are you doing this?”
“What was he like?”
“What do you want to know? He was a brat when he was a kid. As he got older, he was a little less bratty, but no less arrogant. He took his position seriously, though; and when his father named him heir apparent, he took a vow to do the best he could. I think he would have made a fine king. Is that what you wanted to know?”
“I wish I could have known him.”
“I wish you could have, too. What’s the matter, Sean?”
“I keep making mistakes, and I keep running out of enough power to do what I need to do. I’m tired and I don’t have time to do things better. I’m making such a mess of things.”
“Listen, Son; you’ve tackled a big mountain, and you haven’t fallen yet. You’ve accomplished a lot on nothing but a high school education and I’m proud of you. You’ll do just fine. You sound tired, it’s late, why don’t you get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning; things are always better in the light of day.”
Sean sighed. “Yeah, I think I will. Thanks, Dad.” He pushed himself away from Prince and turned to pull at the cinch.
“Sean, are you all right?” asked Larry.
Sean glanced over at him where he stood in front of Prince. “I’m fine. I have a mother of a headache, but I’m fine.” Then he looked at Prince’s attitude a
nd remembered that he had woken up on the ground. “What happened? Where are we?”
Larry was still uncertain if he could move closer. “From what I understand, Mattie told Laon to knock you out if you tried to use any magic. You must have tried something, so he knocked you out of your saddle. When you didn’t move, Prince stood over you and he wouldn’t let anyone near. Laon figured if we shot him, you’d kill us. We were forced to make camp and hope you were okay. Jesus, Sean, you’ve been lying there for hours. Are you sure you’re all right?”
Sean pulled the saddle off and dropped it on the ground, then dropped the headstall on top of it. After slapping Prince off to go graze, he headed toward Larry. His head was exploding and he staggered a bit, or perhaps he just tripped on something in the dark, but whatever, Larry caught his arm and guided him to the closest fire.
Mattie sat on the other side of the fire beside Cordan, and she wouldn’t look at him. Jenny was quiet too, but then it looked like she had been crying not too long ago. Laon also looked guilty, and Sean noticed that his hand was wrapped.
With his head pounding, Sean didn’t have any patience. He spoke quietly, but most of that was because talking louder would have hurt. “Mattie, Laon, my use of my magic is my business. If you have to do something when I’m delirious, fine, otherwise let me be. The only way I can become as strong as I need to be is if I keep beating my head against the wall.” He sank down on the log Larry had led him to, then slid farther down onto the ground to lean against it. Jenny handed him a bowl of stew as new tears rolled down her cheeks. “Jenny, I’m fine. Don’t cry.” That was the wrong thing to say.
“Oh, Sean,” she sobbed. She would have crawled into his lap if he hadn’t been sitting with his bowl there. She sank down to the ground beside him and touched his cheekbone. The touch, gentle as it was, told Sean that something might be broken. “Oh, Sean, you were just lying there. You were so still.”
Sean stopped her babble before it went too far. He cupped her face. “I’m fine, Jenny. Laon packs a mean punch, and I was exhausted to boot, but I’m fine now. At least I will be as soon as I get some food in me.”
She pulled herself together and got him a chunk of bread and a thick slice of cheese. His supper, being well after others had already eaten, was uncomfortably quiet. Jenny tried to ease things until Larry led her away in order to stop the torture, but Sean didn’t let up on Mattie or Laon. Cordan didn’t interfere either.
Finally, Mattie spoke. “I’m not going to apologize for what I said.”
“I don’t need an apology,” said Sean.
“If I can’t keep you from killing yourself, then maybe you should just send me back…” she continued.
“I’m not going to send you back either; I need you, Mattie. I need you as a healer and I need you to help me control myself. Just don’t ever tell Laon to hit me again. If I fall, I fall. You can pick me up after.” He turned his attention to the other target of his ire. “Laon, I value you too, you’re a good bodyguard, but if you ever hit me again… I could kill you. I’m dangerous and I’m trying my level best to become more so. Do not allow me to doubt you.”
“My lord…” Sean could see the agony in his face. “My lord, I will never do such a thing again. You have my word.”
Sean healed his hand from where he sat. Laon snatched it up as if it had been burned. “There may be times when you just might have to; just be careful, okay?” Sean settled down even further, intent on curling up by the fire. He was so tired, and his head was fit to burst.
Mattie came over and draped a blanket over him then knelt down beside him. She rested a hand on his cheek and healed the chipped bone there. Sean would likely have a black eye tomorrow, but just now, he was happy to have less of a headache. “I’m sorry, Sean,” she whispered.
He smiled; we’re such a sorry lot. “Help me sleep,” he said. “Don’t let me sleep more than two days.”
“So, now you’re going to sleep.”
“I can’t explain it. Just bear with me. I don’t…have…t~i~m~e~.” His words sounded slurred even to him. Her magic was doing its job. How could she possibly be so weak and yet do things much stronger mages couldn’t?
Sean woke up and stretched, then he threw back his blankets and got dressed. He scooped up his books and headed for the kitchen. Mom had breakfast ready. His favorite: scrambled eggs and bacon. He missed scrambled eggs and bacon. Why would I miss that? He finished eating and shoved his books in his bag, followed by his lunch.
“Have you got everything, dear?” Mom asked as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
“I…I think so,” he said.
“You don’t sound too sure about that.”
“It feels like I forgot something, but I can’t remember what. I have all my books, though, so I’m sure I’ve got it all.”
“Well, all right dear. If you forgot something, just give me a call and I’ll run it by. I have to go shopping before I go to work anyway.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mom.” Sean gave her a fast hug and found himself wanting to hang on, but there was no reason.
He went from one class to another, forgetting things right and left. He did the wrong assignment for algebra and had the wrong book for biology. When he opened his lit book, the printing was all wrong and he couldn’t read it. That was the most baffling, because he’d just read that assignment last night.
Lunch was elven rations and it was dry and tasteless, then he couldn’t find a water fountain anywhere. He tried to buy a soda from one of the machines, but the change in his pocket was the wrong kind; it was all gold and silver, not a quarter in sight. He tried to find someone to borrow from, but then the bell rang and he was late for gym class.
When he arrived in the locker room, everyone was already changed and the last of them was heading through the door to the auditorium. When he caught up to them, he saw that they were all sitting around the teacher in six different groups of four or five each, and they all had small, colored candles in their hands. The teacher was saying, “Today, we’re going to learn how to light our candles, then we’ll lift the little rock you all were told to bring.” He’d forgotten his rock, so he had to lift the teacher.
By the time he got to the shower, all the hot water was gone, so he had to heat it. Then he realized that he still had his clothes on, and now he was all wet and he couldn’t get his locker open.
He was still dripping when he got to his art class and he dripped all over his painting of some ugly, twisted tree until all the colors were just a blur. The teacher liked it, though she commented, “We weren’t doing watercolors today.”
When he handed his history paper in, his teacher glanced through it frowning, then handed it back. “This is very impressive, but if you could translate it for me, I think you would get a better grade.” Sean looked at it and saw, in his handwriting, the history of his country, all the way from when his distant ancestor had discovered this fertile valley, through the battle that held the narrow pass, to the present day. He even got all the names and dates right. Then he realized that the entire ten-page report wasn’t written in English; how could he have made such a blunder?
His humanities paper wasn’t much better. Though he had written it in English, he had chosen the Midwestern farming and ranching culture to write about, and the assignment had been to write about Ruhin and how magic had influenced their culture. He had never been so glad to have a school day end. He left the building and picked up his saddle…
That’s wrong.
He turned around and saw the scattered camp with its many small fires. The sun was dipping low and most everyone was either tending some of their gear or fixing something for supper.
Charles was watching him with wide eyes. Laon was standing close, as was Larry, and several others. Sean realized he was holding his saddle, and dropped it. He looked around behind him, just to make sure. Only the river was there, no school. It had all been a twisted dream. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. God, what a nightmare.
> He walked back to the campfire, pulling Charles close as he passed him. “It’s all right, Charles, I’m awake now.” Later, over supper cooked by Jenny, he told them about his dream and they all got a good chuckle over it, though much of it was completely lost on Charles and Laon.
Flights and Challenges
Having slept so much, Sean wasn’t very tired after supper. He was still exhausted, but he just wasn’t sleepy yet. He found a lantern among the gear that would have normally gone in his tent, then he found his map and spread it out near the fire.
The boy mage came up just as he was making himself comfortable. When he didn’t say anything right off, Sean said, “Hi. Having trouble sleeping?”
“So far,” he said. “You too, I see?”
“Sometimes. Have a seat.” Sean motioned him to join him.
He looked curiously at the map. “What are you doing with that?”
“I use this to help me know which direction to go. Once I decide our destination, I can open a gate directly to that place. That way we can cover over a hundred miles just by stepping through a door.”
“I never heard of anything like that,” he said. He gazed at the map and clenched his jaw.
Sean watched the muscles around his mouth twitch. “Would you like to learn how?” he asked. The boy’s jaw muscles jumped and clenched again. He looks underweight for his age. “What’s your name?” asked Sean, in order to help him put off the decision a few moments longer.
“M’ name’s Paddn,” he said, a bit jolted by the distraction.
“The magic is in your blood, Paddn. It’s part of who and what you are. I grew up without it, so doing without doesn’t really bother me much, but I see how that seems to bother others like you.” And then he remembered what young Berck had said. “It wasn’t you who did those things back there. You might remember it, but you didn’t do them.” Sean watched him digest that for a few minutes, then sit back. “Come here. I’ve never done it before, but I’ll see if I can bring you with me.”
The Making of a Mage King: White Star Page 14