by Aaron Thomas
A second bolt let out a thunk as it sank itself into the wood near Kilen’s head. It startled him and almost made him release the hold on his water magic. The thought of what would have happened gave him an idea. Like his nights on the pier in Basham, Kilen slammed his fingers knuckle-deep into the wood beams and released his hold on the water. The water rushed back down the bank, dragging with it the two unsuspecting pirates. The water pulled them into the other support beams down the bank. Their bodies came to rest in the water, limp and unconscious.
Kilen staggered along as fast as he could, feeling dizzy and weaker by the moment, his wound burning in the salt water. He wondered if he had used too much magic holding the water around him, but knew he had done much more before. He knew his weakness was something different. He continued on trying to pull his own fog around himself but couldn’t find the concentration to do so.
Kilen felt a brush of wind rush past him and turn around. It was unnatural and Kilen knew it was Jace. Soon after, a crystallized bird flew into the water. The spot where the bird dove in formed into a man pulling Kilen’s arm around its shoulder.
“We need to get out of here,” Joahna said.
Kilen did his best to stumble along with Joahna’s help. The motion of walking in combination with the crashing waves made Kilen’s stomach start to roll. He stopped and Joahna watched as he emptied his stomach into the water. Joahna pulled him upright and looked into Kilen’s eyes. They were shaking and glossy.
Kilen couldn’t see out of his eyes, he felt faint and was hearing everything as if it echoed. He spoke to the icy man in front of him, “I don’t feel very well.”
Joahna looked down at the bolt sticking out of Kilen’s leg and with a crystallized hand, ripped it free. The pain caused Kilen to retch again. Joahna quickly healed the wound in the leg but it did not help clear up Kilen’s mind. Jace blew in, followed by a stone version of Max with bloody stone swords.
Jace’s hollow figure came closer, “Poisoned arrow. We need to get him out of here. Fast.”
Kilen could hear the elementals talking about a poisoned arrow and the first thought that came to his mind was his book. He had written a list of poisons and antidotes with the help of his friend, Leroy. He thought his friends might be able to cure him with the antidotes listed in his book.
He forced out, “My book.” He was glad when Joahna recognized what he had said and reassured him they were trying to get him to his book and equipment outside of Kesterton. Kilen felt as if his muscles were not responding to his will. He tried to walk but couldn’t feel his legs moving. Even swallowing seemed to feel like choking. His body was in a pain that couldn’t be described; he pain and numbness at the same time.
The pain seemed to last forever but soon he heard words over the constant ringing in his ears.
“Drink it!”
Joahna’s voice reverberated in his head as he felt the rush of icy healing magic assault his body. He could feel his mouth enough to swallow the bitter concoction he had been given. The healing feeling continued and chilled him to his core. He wanted to be standing next to a warm fire. The vision started to slowly return to his eyes but he couldn't see much more than shadows and fog. He knew Joahna was continuing to hide them. The punctuated language of the pirates could be heard as his hearing returned.
“What did you give me to drink?” Kilen asked through a lethargic voice
“Something in your bag from Leroy. It was labeled poison antidote so we gave it to you. Are you strong enough to ride?” Max’s voice was urgent and almost scared.
“If you can hold my legs I think I can stay upright. Help me up.”
Max helped Kilen stand and he watched the world turn. His vision pulsed to the beat of his heart as if he was moving forward and backward all at once. The sandy-looking man did his best to hold Kilen still. It wasn’t long until he had formed into a horse under his feet and an icy set of arms threw his pack on the horse’s back. Max galloped along the beach, pushing every moment to speed himself up. Joahna landed as a bird on Max’s horse head and continued to heal Kilen’s body still being attacked by the poison. The more Kilen could see, the more danger he could tell they were in. Kilen watched as torches chased after them. The torches followed on land and sea. Kilen watched as the flames that lit up the sky continued to cast him in dim light on the beach below. He was again grateful that he had such powerful allies.
Offshore, one of the ships broke away from the others. The lights revealed that it had all four elemental marks on its side. Kilen could see a woman on the back of the ship holding her hands to the sails as an unnatural wind filled them, pushing the ship to gain in speed. Another woman continually threw flames into the sky and pointed where she saw Kilen trying to escape. Kilen began to feel a bit of comfort as the ship started to slowly turn towards the bank. He was sure they were about to turn around and head home with Kilen out of their grasp. Instead, the ship came up on to the bank. A wave of water followed the ship and continually kept the boat from running aground. The wielders on the ship gave it its own personal wave, wind, and light. The ship’s crew rushed from one sail to the other, making adjustments and readying weapons to fight.
Kilen spoke nervously to Max. “Faster Max. They are still coming.”
Joahna added to his stress in an eerie voice, “Do you see this Max?”
“What do you think I’m running so fast for?!” Max lurched forward trying to leave the ship behind. The wind wizard on board was steadied by an earth wizard and the ship picked up speed, rolling down the shore on a magic wave of water. The sight panicked Kilen and he tried to spur Max into going faster.
Kilen knew help had arrived when arrows launched from bows suddenly fell short, sinking to the ground or turned out to the water when being shot straight at him. The wind in the sails failed and went limp, leaving the ship to slow itself on the beach. Kilen watched as the ship’s sails caught a wind from the west and it lurched to the side nearly tipping the ship over. A couple men fell from its deck at another sudden jolt of wind. They were swallowed by the water keeping the ship afloat on the land. Jace’s handy work and the power of wind magic had saved him again. He remembered Alex’s warning about wind not being as weak as most thought. Kilen really wished he had taken the time to learn more about it while he was with the Elder Wizards.
The boat pitched forward as the wind wizard on deck had lain down to put herself into elemental form. The transformation must have made her stronger because the sails filled again and the ship was gaining on Kilen even faster.
Jace’s voice whispered on the wind, “She is stronger now. I can’t pull the wind from her in elemental form.”
Max raced on without the normal dramatics of being horse like in all facets.
Joahna spoke in his normal commanding tone. “Jace, aid her in the wind and I will do the rest.”
Jace and the wind faded away from Kilen and he watched the wind in the sails pull the thick cloth so tight that he could hear ropes and wood creaking under its pull. Joahna was still sitting on Max’s back in the form of a bird but soon he flew ahead and landed on the sandy beach. A wave crashed into the small elemental and when it receded, Joahna stood as a liquid man. He made himself as large a man as Kilen had ever seen. Max raced past him as Joahna stood his ground, waiting as the land-traveling ship soared towards him on a wave of magic.
Kilen had no idea what the plan was and he didn’t have time to think of any with crossbow bolts zipping past him as he guided Max back and forth out of their path. Joahna did nothing to stop the flying bolts but stood defiantly in front of the ship. The magical wave crashed into him and enveloped his liquid body. The ship’s massive weight showed no hinderance in crushing Joahna’s elemental body, but Kilen somehow knew Joahna’s work was not over.
The water rushing underneath the pirate’s ship soon started to turn to ice as it fell away from the ship. The rushing water turned to snow and the ship continued to travel forward, sliding its underbelly on the snow. The ship slow
ed and Kilen watched as ice started to form against the wood and barnacles coating the vessel. The wood and ropes creaked under the pressure to keep the ship moving at the speeds needed to catch Max.
New waves crashed against the shore bringing forth fresh water to renew the ships chase. The new water began turning to any icy slush and stuck to the hull of the ship. It froze faster than the waves could add to its movement and soon brought the ship to a stop. The assault of ice and the strength of the wind snapped the mainsail from its deck. Connecting ropes ripped the other sails from their place. In a mass of wood, rope, sails and debris men jumped from the deck into the water. Kilen and Max raced away as a still watery Joahna walked out of the pile of ice, resuming his bird form and taking to the air. They left the pirate ship looking like a deadly warning of what his friends were capable of.
Chapter 14 - Hunting
Bowie laid in the back of a wagon trying to sleep as it jostled him from side to side. He insisted that he be the last of his men to get sleep. He had received a few hours of rest before getting into the wagon and heading down the quiet rode. Each time they made out for a new camp, they picked up their own tents and moved forward to the next camp setting up for the another group of his men to arrive. Bowie had lost track of time and wasn’t even sure what day of the week it was. He had been awake too long to remember to keep track. He knew that it was early morning; still a few hours until the sun would come up. The stars made appearances between the tops of the trees far overhead.
He sat up and looked around at the men traveling in the dark. He was sure they could keep up to this pace but the horses and supply wagons were a different story. Ria was constantly rejuvenating troops and horses as they rode past her camp. He knew that Ria was also producing bows and arrow shafts for Bowie’s men to use. Bowie was pleased by the amount of game his men had been able to catch while out looking for the enemy. Meat was not in short supply at any one of the camps and was constantly being prepared for his troops.
Torch lights and campfires reflecting off the surfaces of white tents told Bowie that he had arrived at the next camp site. He knew he would find Ria, Auburn and Tyler in this camp. John had lead another troupe that passed late last night. Bowie was leading his men to the front of the advance to a new forward camp.
Bowie put on his hat, straightened it and retrieved his jacket from where he had laid his head to keep it from bouncing on the wagon. He didn’t think the moss could get any thicker, but each day it seemed to make heavier curtains hanging from the roots coming out of the ground. Each day of the summer grew hotter and more unbearable during the noon peak of the sun. He was glad that the sun did not penetrate the canopy.
Auburn was already awake and giving orders to the fletchers working hard near one of the fires. Two large piles of arrows had already been arranged and were being packed up in one of the empty carts. They had taken to even tying bundles of arrows to the outside of the carts and wagons to make room for more in the wagons.
“Good morning, Auburn.” Bowie said as the wagon came to a stop so he could jump out. “Do you have an accurate count?”
“Accurate, no. A good estimate, yes. We have been able to get our totals to about twelve thousand arrows. Of course we would have more if you hadn’t taken the others to the king,” Auburn said putting her bow on her shoulder.
“Twelve thousand and the ones we gave to the king already? Well, I would say your men could take a day off but we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. How is Ria holding up?”
A motherly voice spoke from behind him, “Better than you by the looks of it. You may want to pull the straw from your hair before talking to a pretty young woman if you want to have any chance at courting her.”
Bowie felt his hair and several pieces fell away. He then took notice of the straw coating his pants and he brushed them clean as well.
“I am not trying to court anyone. I am trying to make sure we all survive this war.”
Ria cleared her throat, “Be that as it may, you should always keep yourself presentable in front of women.”
Bowie straightened his hat in frustration. “Tell me, How are you really?” Bowie started to walk towards the front of the wagon line and watched Ria grace each man and animal with her touch as she answered.
“I am doing well. I have taken to sleeping most of the day but with the help of our secret I have been able to recover in time to complete all the necessary tasks.”
Bowie knew the secret was a handful of imbuements that would make her stronger than a small army. He’d seen what it looked like when those imbuements were stripped away from someone who used more magic than their body could store. Kilen had nearly died because of his own ignorance of that knowledge. Bowie wished he knew just how Kilen was doing on his mission with the Elder Wizards.
Bowie’s section was not only greeted by Ria’s magic, but also by other soldiers. Each wagon was supplied with fresh cooked beans, bread, and meat to consume on the road. The passing soldiers received bread, fruit, and more arrows for their quivers. Some even received new wizard-grown bows. Bowie made his way through the camp and made sure he shook hands with his men and asked them how they were holding up. Most men smiled as they worked, some stood to greet him. He even began learning more of their names so he could remember those who fought by his side.
When he was done, he noticed Auburn was mounted and holding Charger’s reins for Bowie. The horse was prancing and antsy to get back on the road. Ria did her best to help keep Bowie’s animal steady. His troop had already disappeared down the road to find the next camp location.
Ria stopped him before he got on his horse. “The scouts have stopped returning, Sergeant Crescent. I am afraid that you will find more of the Fire Realm soon. The men here were actively chasing two when we started to set up camp on this spot. They should have either met their doom or John’s forces by now.”
Bowie thought her words over as he mounted. If they were chasing down the enemy, it would be best to not divide his men any longer. Bowie dismounted again sending Charger into a bit of a fit, jumping and pulling on the reigns Ria held. Her strength imbued arm gave the horse a tug and set him right.
Bowie nodded and fished one of many maps out of his bag. Pulling the string that kept it rolled he laid it out on the ground, placing three stones on top as he talked.
“I think it’s about time we gather the forces. I will take my three hundred farther south and set up a camp large enough for everyone. I want you and Tyler to remain here until John and his three hundred soldiers catch up from the last camp.”
Bowie looked up from the map and waited for a nod before continuing, “From my next camp I’ll conduct one more sweep back here clearing that area with fifty men. When we arrive, all of us will travel to the new camp. I am sure we will need everyone rested and together for the days that come. ”
Ria curtsied low and bowed her head. She reached out her hand and touched Bowie’s shoulder. He felt the warm pressure in his chest as he was filled with energy.
She smiled, “We will see you at the day’s end. Take care of the girl, she has too many ambitions to become any sort of a lady. I will need her alive if I am to teach her to pretend to be one.”
Auburn snorted and released Chargers reins and turned her horse down the road.
“Wait, she's not staying with you?” Bowie asked.
Ria gave Bowie a sideways look filled with contempt, “No. You adolescent fool. You are the one that gave her the idea that if she became a good enough archer, you would let her hunt with you. She has been practicing everyday for as long as she can lift her bow. Then you didn’t even bother to tell John. He made an offhand remark that she was as good as any soldier in the camp. You made her the promise, sergeant”-she spat his rank as if it was an insult-”and now you have to live with it.”
Her face was as red as he’d ever seen it. She turned to leave and had walked a few steps away before turning around. He knew that when a woman came back for more, it was never good
.
“Don’t you let her die, Bowie Crescent. If you do, I will make sure you go the rest of your life remembering.”
Bowie didn’t know what would be worse; seeing Auburn die or having to live with Ria never letting him forget it. He knew he didn’t want either. He kicked Charger and let him run as fast as the horse wanted to catch up to the excited red haired girl. When he arrived back with his men he watched as they kept an observant eye to the forest on either side. Auburn was already in conversation with the soldiers bragging about how she was going on the next hunt. They encouraged her, giving her tips and instructions on how to be silent and the best way to hit a moving target.
Bowie cleared his throat, “Auburn, can I talk to you?”
She smiled at the soldier she was talking to and turned her horse to wait for Bowie’s place in the line to catch up to her. “I am very excited to be going on the hunt with you,” Auburn said.
Bowie gave her a half grin, “I wanted to talk to you about that.”
Before another word could leave his lips, “Oh no. You are not backing out of your promise now. I spent the last few days learning how to pour tea, walk with a book on my head, how to curtsy, and things that no man should know women do! I have gone through that torture to be able to go on a hunt with you and that is what I’m going to do. There is no way you are going to talk me out of it.”
Bowie started to talk slowly and quietly over the sounds of horses hooves hitting the ground. “I need you to stay behind. I can’t risk losing you to a Fire Realm man, which we are sure to find. You are too valuable to the success of this mission. You have perfected the way we make arrows so we can produce even more than I could have imagined. I need you to stay behind and watch the fletchers. I will set it up so you can stand watch for an attack if you want.”