Magus (Advent Mage Cycle)

by Honor Raconteur

  I knew he was starving, so was a little impressed with his control when he nonchalantly shrugged. "I could eat something, I guess."

  "Good," Chatta approved. "Garth, dig out that sweet bread I brought from home."

  I knew what she was referring to. Chatta loved this particular pastry that was filled with strawberry jam and covered in powdered sugar. It travelled fairly well, so whenever we had to go anywhere, she inevitably bought some for travel food. I leaned close to her saddlebags and dug the food out, then handed it Reschkeenen.

  He didn't wolf it down, as I expected him to, but still he ate so quickly that within a minute there was nothing but crumbs left. The taut pain of hunger faded some from his face. He was no longer starving, but still hungry.

  "That was quite good, thanks," Reschkeenen said with a cheerful smile.

  "You're very welcome," Chatta responded with a smile over her shoulder.

  I wanted to stuff some more food into the kid, as I was sure he needed it, but wasn't sure on what to do next to get him to eat some more without putting his back up.

  Xiaolang caught my eye and waved me forward. Reluctantly, I urged Night into a fast walk until we were abreast of the Captain, and then settled into a pace that matched Hayate's.

  "That boy is not in as good a condition as appearance suggests," Xiaolang observed in a quiet undertone.

  I looked at him in surprise, and then felt like smacking my head for being an idiot. Of course Xiaolang would sense that something was wrong, he was an empath. If the boy's condition didn't say something to him, Chatta's reaction and mine would have tipped him off. "Yes. He's wearing a glamour."

  "I thought so." Thoughtfully he glanced back. "He has great pride, that one."

  "Yes," I concurred. "But he's starving, and we need to feed him as much as possible."

  "And give him a bath, as well. Hmmm." Xiaolang looked ahead, as if he could look through the multitude of trees and see the land ahead. "If memory serves, we'll come across a small town in a few hours."

  It took me a minute to remember the town's name. "Sutton, I think."

  Xiaolang nodded in confirmation. "We'll stop there for the night. I'll set Aletha and Chatta on the boy. They'll make sure that he's properly taken care of."

  Aletha was rather like Chatta in that way—she had a lethal amount of charm, and no qualms about using it to get her way. The poor kid really didn't stand a chance with both girls ganging up on him.

  Xiaolang interrupted my musings with another low question. "More importantly, is he going to attract attention while…actually, what is he doing precisely?"

  "Glamour and shielding," I answered with an absent look over my shoulder. "I'm actually impressed he's learned how to do that. Most wizards can't do anything without some tool of focus—this boy must have incredible willpower."

  "It's probably that willpower that's kept him alive this long," Xiaolang observed. Something was off about his expression, but his face cleared before I could discern what it was. "Anyway, back to my original question. This glamour and shield that he's wearing, will that set off the alarms?"

  "It could," I admitted. "He's shielding so strongly that I doubt it, though. I barely felt him, even when I was practically right on top of him."

  "Hm," he responded absently. "Still, I want to persuade him to not use any magic, not until he is safely out of Chahir. It's much safer that way. I'd rather not take any chances."

  I thought it was very wise to take precautions, but I still wasn't sure on how to convince our young Wizard to see our point of view.

  "Once we reach Lovett, we'll take the highway north. That road comes very close to the border at one point—we'll separate there, and I'll have Shield and Aletha get him to a safe house."

  I knew enough of the geography to know what he was talking about. "That's still a good day's trip."

  "I know, but I don't wish to separate prematurely. Many things can still go wrong, and I want to keep us in a cohesive group as long as possible."

  It seemed like a good plan to me, but then, sneaking people out of hostile countries wasn't my specialty. "You're the expert," I shrugged.

  Xiaolang frowned a little in thought, head cocked. "Garth, how does shielding work, exactly? You and Chatta aren't shielding, are you?"

  "No, we aren't," I confirmed. "There's no reason to, because we're not using magic at all. You see, shields come in various styles for us. Some we can use to repel weapons, others to protect us against backlashes of magic—and then there's the kind that helps us to remain unnoticed. It's not really a shield, in the strictest sense of the word. It's more like we're projecting a thick spell around us so that we completely blend in with our surroundings."

  Xiaolang was following this explanation carefully. "Camouflage."

  "Actually, that's an excellent word for it." I thought about it for another moment, then shrugged off-handedly. "Anyway, that's probably why no one else has found him either. They literally didn't see him."

  "You saw him," Xiaolang pointed out. His tone and expression were almost completely neutral when he said this.

  "I felt him," I corrected. "I can't see magic. And even then I was practically on top of the boy before I felt that anything was off. I think his shield must have slipped for a moment, because even though he's right behind me, I can't feel him now."

  "Hm." A moment passed while Xiaolang considered this. "But can you do something similar?"

  "It's not easy for me, but I can do it for short periods of time." That sort of shield fell on the subtle magic border, and I had to really concentrate in order to be able to hold it. "Chatta is much better at it than I am."

  "Can it cover whole groups of people?"

  Ah. I was beginning to see what he was driving at. "I can't. Chatta can."

  Xiaolang cast a thoughtful glance over his shoulder toward the smiling Witch. "Good to know. Now, in the more immediate sense, how do we convince the boy to drop that glamour of his?"

  Good question. I graciously waved him back toward Reschkeenen. "I leave that to your incredible diplomatic skills."

  The Captain gave me a dirty look. "Thanks, Garth. Your confidence is underwhelming."

  I gave him a mock innocent smile—and then wisely moved out of hearing range, before he could think of a way to get revenge.

  ~*~

  I'm going to kill him.

  Slowly.

  With a very dull spoon.

  "Jealousy is unbecoming," Night informed me with a smugly superior look.

  I growled back at him. Everything had been fine when we settled into a decent inn for the night. I'd zipped out to a nearby merchant's stand and bought some better clothing for Reschkeenen, came back and ate some dinner, and then thought I should probably deliver the new clothes before our young Wizard got out of his bath.

  That's where the trouble began.

  I found Reschkeenen in Chatta's and Aletha's room, wrapped up in fluffy towels, ensconced on the bed, and being practically hand fed by both women. Convincing the boy to drop his glamour had revealed just how thin he was. His skin was mottled in bruises and cuts. The sight had sent both women into Mother Hen Mode, and they were both coddling him like mother cats with a new kitten. That I didn't mind—the boy obviously needed some attention.

  What I minded was how he was responding.

  Reschkeenen was somewhere around fourteen years old, which meant he should be more than capable of taking care of himself. Right now, however, he was downplaying his capabilities, and flirting shamelessly with both women in order to keep their attention on him.

  It made me want to smack sense into him.

  I hadn't stayed long in that room—I was afraid I might give into my impulses and beat some common sense into the kid—and I'd quickly retreated to the stables. Being in Chahir, as we were, no one could know that Night was a Nreesce. Advertising his true nature would be like painting a target on our backs, so he had to play the part of a normal stallion while we were around people. I'd expected him t
o pitch an absolute fit when Xiaolang had told him that, but Night had only grumbled a little before sighing and giving in. We had indeed come a long way. A year ago, I would have had a major temper tantrum on my hands.

  So, I'd gone down to the stable to talk with my Nreesce and cool down some. I'd ranted a bit to Night, telling him about the situation, and he had listened to me patiently as he crunched on a carrot.

  Of course, as soon as I was done, he had immediately started laughing himself silly.

  "Garth, seriously. He's a fourteen year old boy that's been running scared for weeks," Night chided with obvious patience. "Having two beautiful women suddenly rescue him and then pamper him must be a fantasy come true. Any other male would react the same way."

  I know. That didn't mean that I liked it.

  "They're both sensible women—”

  "They sure aren't acting that way," I grumbled under my breath.

  Night gave me a severe look and continued as if I hadn't interrupted. "—and I'm sure that they're not going to let it get out of hand. Besides, it's only for another two days or so. Then he'll be sent to the nearest safe house."

  That was actually a cheerful thought. Surely I could put up with this ridiculous behavior for another two days. I had some control of myself, after all. "Yes, you're right."

  "I usually am."

  "Don't push it," I advised him dryly. "Do you need anything?"

  "No, I'm quite comfortable. I'll miss sleeping with you, though."

  "I won't," I teased him, already edging out of the stall. "You snore something awful."

  He took a playful nip at me, which I ducked. Grinning, I ran for safety before he could catch me.

  "Brat."

  "Good night, Night!" I caroled back with an impish smile.

  "May your bed have many crawling visitors."

  I snickered at that. "You too, my four-legged friend."

  ~*~

  Two days, can, under the wrong circumstances, seem like an eternity.

  "—that's so sweet of you to say, Keen."

  Hearing Reschkeenen's given name out of Aletha's mouth, I winced. Keen had wasted no time in giving both women the right to call him by his given name. A privilege, I noted, that he had not extended to the rest of us.

  "But it's really true, Aletha. I've never seen a soldier as beautiful as you are—”

  Hearing that sly flattery behind me, I had to restrain the urge to turn around, grab the kid by the throat, and start shaking. If that flattery had been sincere, fine. But it wasn't, and hearing him gushing along these lines for a whole day was driving me up the wall.

  And despite what Night might think, it wasn't because I was jealous. It was just disturbing to listen to. I know this for a fact, because I wasn't the only one reacting like this. Shield was right there with me. So was Eagle.

  Hazard thought it was hilarious, but his amused expression was turning slowly darker with every passing mile. I was betting that he'd join us in being irritated soon.

  The only people that could accept this calmly, so far, were Xiaolang and Night. Night, because he thought the drama around him was highly entertaining. I wasn't sure what Xiaolang thought of the situation. So far, he was just watching everyone with a thoughtful look, like his mind was a thousand miles away.

  Actually, that might have been the case. Xiaolang spent a lot of time thinking. He was constantly tweaking or re-evaluating his plans, and often studying the map of Chahir he carried around.

  Of course, right now he was probably wondering who it was safe to send Keen off with. The original plan had been to send Shield and Aletha off to deliver Keen to a nearby safe house, but Shield was ready to strangle Keen at this point. It was only because of the boy's age that he wasn't already "missing."

  I didn't envy Xiaolang trying to make that decision. No one he sent would really be safe, except Aletha and Chatta. And even they might be tired of the boy's antics in another day or so.

  "Might" being the key word. I hadn't seen any signs of that yet.

  Eagle came up to ride beside me, doubtless to avoid being near Keen any longer. He looked rather…well, murderously frustrated. "I hope the next person we rescue is a girl."

  Actually, I'm not sure if the situation would change all that much if we had rescued a girl instead of a boy. There were some pretty good looking men in this group. The roles would be switched, certainly, but history was bound to repeat itself.

  I didn't feel it was wise to point that out to Eagle at that moment; maybe later, when he's had a chance to cool down. So instead I uttered a neutral, "Hmmm."

  "Garth, I hope you don't mind my asking…" Something in his voice caught my attention and I looked at him closely. He really did look rather hesitant, visibly unsure if he should continue with his train of thought. "They say that you are the most powerful Mage in all of Hain."

  I blinked at this. I had heard no such rumor. "Well, I was the first Mage discovered—”

  "I'm not referring to that," Eagle corrected with a quick shake of the head. "I know how they call you the Advent Mage. But according to the information we gathered prior to this assignment, you are the most powerful magician in all of Hain."

  This was definitely news to me. I blinked at him stupidly. "Ah. Well…um…I didn't know that. Did you bring this up for a reason?"

  Eagle gave a nervous glance to the back of Xiaolang's head, who was riding a few feet in front of us. I cast a glance in the same direction. Whatever it was that Eagle wanted to talk to me about, he obviously didn't want Xiaolang to overhear. "Can you put some kind of a protective barrier around a whole country?" he blurted out.

  I just stared at him like he had sprouted another head. Where was this coming from? I could tell from his expression that he was serious, and that he was desperate to know the answer.

  I wasn't sure if I could give him one, though.

  "Honestly, Eagle, I've never tried," I admitted slowly. I was thinking it over, trying to judge from past experiences whether it would be possible or not.

  "You should be able to," Night informed me. He turned his head slightly so that he could give me a thoughtful look. "Other Earth Mages in the past have been able to do it. Of course, they normally had a little help, like another Mage assisting with the effort. With any large project, it takes a lot of power and control.”

  Sometimes Night's knowledge of magic—and of my own abilities, for that matter—was much better than mine. It was the benefit of being Jaunten, and knowing everything that his mother knew. And considering that Advent Eve had been the mount to a powerful Earth Mage, she'd known quite a bit about a Mage's abilities. I was definitely intrigued by this information. "Really? Hmmm." I quirked an eyebrow at Eagle, who looked very excited. "What country do you want me to put a barrier around, anyway?"

  With another nervous look at Xiaolang's head he answered quietly, "Q'atal."

  Q'atal? My eyes drifted to Xiaolang's back, and I stared at him thoughtfully as I considered everything I knew. Xiaolang was Q'atalian. Q'atalians are notorious for not leaving their country unless absolutely necessary. I had always assumed that something very drastic had pushed the Captain out of his homeland, although I still had no idea what. Most exiles weren't fond of their homeland once they were kicked out. Eagle's question to me, however, indicated that Xiaolang might still care about his country.

  But why a barrier?

  My voice lowered automatically to match Eagle's quiet tone. "Why would Q'atal need a barrier?"

  "Q'atal is a pacifist country, you know that, right?" I nodded quickly. That was common knowledge. "Did you know that it is illegal to kill someone there—under any circumstances? Even self-defense?"

  That I hadn't known. "That's a little…extreme, isn't it? I mean, a person should be able to defend themselves."

  Eagle's smile was wry. "Believe me, I agree with you. Still, that's the law there. If you break it, you're exiled. End of discussion. And it's because of that law that Q'atal is getting raided so badly."

&n
bsp; "Raided?" I repeated, feeling like a knot was twisting low in my stomach.

  "Raided," Eagle confirmed with a dark frown. "The bandits know that no Q'atalian would fight back, not facing the sentence of exile. So it's easy pickings. They wait until there's a caravan of goods heading out for the market. Then they scamper into Q'atal, ambush the caravan, and scurry out again before anyone can catch them." Eagle's forehead was furrowed, expression as black as a thundercloud. "They don't dare get in too deep. The Empire of Sol has a contract with Q'atal—we'll protect them if they'll come to our markets first to sell their goods. Still, we can't afford to constantly patrol those borders. Sometimes we miss bandits, and they're able to get in and out before we even knew they existed."

  This wasn't painting a pretty picture in my head. I could see in my mind's eye exactly what he was describing. "So you want me to put a barrier around Q'atal, to protect the inhabitants."

  "You can do that, right?" There was a trace of desperate hope in his voice. "Make a barrier that will only let Q'atalians in and out?"

  "Yes, I can do that. Whether or not I can make a barrier large enough to go around a whole country? That I'm not sure about."

  "You can do it," Night assured me again. "You'll be exhausted afterwards, but it's within your ability."

  I was only marginally reassured by this. My idea of exhausted and Night's idea of exhausted might be two completely different things, after all.

  "We'll be perfectly willing to pay you to do it," Eagle put in quickly. I think he knew by my expression that I was considering it. "The whole team is behind this."

  "Except your Captain," I pointed out. Eagle was being too furtive for me to believe otherwise.

  "No, no," Eagle corrected hastily. "He'll agree to it. It's just, well, we don't like to bring up Q'atal around the Captain. He's always quiet—” Eagle looked away, eyes falling to his hands on the reins "— and sad, after he's reminded of Q'atal."

  I probably shouldn't have pushed it any farther than that, but I was dying of curiosity. A Q'atalian soldier was one of the greatest oxymorons in the universe; you couldn't leave a mystery like that alone. "Do you know why he left?"