Magus (Advent Mage Cycle)

by Honor Raconteur

  "Garth?"

  "Yes, Night."

  "For your sake, I hope the next person we find isn't a boy."

  I groaned at the very thought. "That makes two of us."

  ~*~

  We didn't find a boy next.

  We found three girls.

  Once we reached Ashton, we'd eaten a hearty supper in the taproom, then scattered in different directions. Chatta and I had gone upstairs to start searching the city. I hadn't been at it for more than twenty minutes when I stumbled across the nearest prison—and the occupants of that prison.

  "Chatta," I urgently grabbed her attention. "The prison has three inmates that are magical."

  “Where?”

  “Just north of us,” I answered.

  She immediately shifted her focus, and within moments saw what I had felt. "Three girls," she whispered in dawning horror.

  I had suspected they were girls—I can sometimes feel gender in power, although not often—but hearing her confirm that made me sick to my stomach. I hated the idea of anyone in prison, much less young women. "We've got to get them out of there," I said in rising panic. I was already rolling off the bed, heading for the door.

  Chatta was right behind me, darting off the bed. "I'll get Eagle and Hazard, you tell Xiaolang. Meet us in the stables in five minutes."

  A thought occurred and I shook my head. "We need to switch," I disagreed, already out the door and going down the stairs. "You know what the inside of the prison looks like, you go find Xiaolang. I'll get the other two." Xiaolang would need all the time he could get to plan a breakout.

  Chatta's eyes lit up as she saw my point, but she didn't do anything more than nod sharply before she was out of sight, moving quickly toward the back of the inn.

  As it turned out, I found Hazard and Eagle on the street. They were weighted down with several packages—food and the like—but apparently were done with the shopping, as they were heading back toward the inn. I waited until I was close to them before speaking, not wanting anyone to overhear. The streets were fairly empty at this time of night, but it never hurt to be cautious. "We found three more."

  They both stopped dead, eyes flaring wide in surprise. It was Eagle that asked the obvious. "Where?"

  "Local prison. Chatta's telling Xiaolang now."

  They didn't ask another question, just started for the inn again, their pace so quick that they were nearly running. We made a brief detour past our rooms, long enough to throw everything inside, then I led the way to the stable yard.

  The small yard was empty, filled with nothing but shadows and a pile of hay. I almost turned back toward the inn, thinking that I had somehow passed Chatta and Xiaolang, when I saw a flicker of movement near the stable door. Looking harder, I realized that it was Chatta, and she was waving me forward. It was so dark I could barely see her.

  I wasn't inclined to stay disgruntled by the darkness for long—it might come in handy later.

  I crossed the stable yard with Hazard and Eagle close on my heels. Chatta moved out of the doorway, giving us room to enter the small stable.

  Xiaolang was bent over a bowl filled with clear water. From the glimpse I gave it, I saw that Chatta had done another scrying of the prison, apparently so that Xiaolang could see for himself what the interior was like.

  Smart girl.

  Xiaolang gestured us closer, gaze not moving from the water. "Garth."

  I obeyed the terse summons and went directly to his side. He was pointing at the image in the bowl, and I followed the direction of his finger. There were three girls in a small, dank cell, their ages ranging from about fourteen to seventeen. They were cold, a little dirty, and huddled together as if trying to find some comfort. From what I could see of their features, I guessed them to be sisters—they looked remarkably similar to each other.

  "The collars around their necks," Xiaolang asked with quiet anger, "what does that mean?"

  All three girls wore a loose collar around their necks. I growled when I saw the color of those collars. Black. "They're marked for death."

  Everyone hissed in surprise around me. I looked up to meet Xiaolang's eyes, giving him the rest of the information that he needed. "The policy is that once a person is marked for execution, they're dead within a day. We don't have a lot of time."

  Xiaolang nodded curtly, his eyes already turning toward his men. "Eagle, get everything packed back up and saddle the horses. Meet us at the back gates of the town. Chatta, help him. Be prepared to leave in a hurry." Without pausing to see if he were obeyed, he turned to Hazard. "I trust you have your lock picks?"

  "Of course."

  Chatta was nearly at the door when she heard this and turned back. "I'd let Didi deal with the locks, while you deal with the people," she advised.

  Xiaolang blinked at her. "Didi?"

  "I'll explain," I told her, "you go pack."

  She nodded in agreement, disappearing from sight.

  "There's no lock in the world that a Meuritta can't pick. He'll get us in, in record time."

  We had been throwing so many magical and strange talents at Xiaolang that he didn't even blink at this one. "Get him."

  I darted to the back of the stable where Night was. Didi was also required to hide when we entered any kind of town as he was obviously a magical creature, and would give us away if spotted. He normally hid with Night when we did stop at an inn. "Didi?"

  He was curled up in the straw next to Night, but at my call his eyes snapped open and he lifted his head, curious. "Di?"

  "I need you," I told him, extending an arm to pick him up. "I need you to pick a lock for me."

  His ears perked at this. Didi loves it when we tell him he can pick a lock—he probably thinks of it as permission to misbehave. He scampered into my arms, curling a paw and his tail around my arm for balance. "Di!"

  I couldn't help but smile a little at his enthusiasm. He could certainly be an adorable little creature, when he put his mind to it. "There's a prison near here with three young women in a cell," I told him, carrying him to where Xiaolang and Hazard were. "I need you to pick the lock to their cell and free them."

  Didi was nodding fervently, obviously relishing the idea that he was able to play the part of the hero, for once.

  "I might need you to unlock the door to the prison itself, too," I continued thoughtfully. I wasn't sure if the prison doors would be locked or not, at this time of night. "We'll have to see when we get there, all right?"

  He nodded again, eyes shining, whiskers bristling.

  Xiaolang had been conferring with Hazard, but apparently had been keeping an eye on my conversation with Didi as well. He looked up, studying the Meuritta with bemusement. "He's intelligent enough to understand you, isn't he?"

  I felt almost proud of my furry, mischief loving friend when I answered. "Yes, he is."

  Of course that intelligence was usually used to think up pranks…but we weren't going to go into that.

  "Hm." I could almost see the wheels turn in Xiaolang's head as he filed that bit of information away. I had the feeling that Didi was going to have an active role in future rescues. "Didi, I want you to fly ahead of us and look at the back door to the prison. That door isn't guarded, but from what Chatta showed me I think it's locked. See if you can unlock it for us."

  Didi straightened, obviously trying to look serious and dependable. He couldn't quite pull it off—he just looked adorably earnest—but the effort was sincere. He nodded firmly.

  "Do you need a lock pick?"

  Didi cocked his head in question.

  "I've never seen him use one," I told Xiaolang. I thought about it, but I'd never seen a tool of any sort in Didi's hands. "I'm not sure he'd know what to do with one."

  Hazard plucked a thin metal file out of a pocket and showed it to Didi. "This is what I use to open locks with."

  Didi took it with both hands, turning it this way and that as he examined it. Apparently he liked it because he gave a happy chitter.

  "I t
hink he'd like to borrow it," I translated dryly.

  "I guessed that," Hazard replied just as dryly.

  Chatta appeared in that moment, carrying several saddlebags and two packages in her hands. I handed Didi over to Hazard so that I could help her before she dropped something.

  "Chatta, come show Didi the prison so he knows what he's looking for," Xiaolang ordered.

  I took over saddling and tying the bags on as Chatta did another scrying for Didi's sake. By the time that I had Night and Chatta's mare saddled Didi was already gone.

  The next few minutes were a flurry of activity as we all prepared to leave. Xiaolang outlined a quick plan for us, which could be summed up in a few words: Break the girls out, ride hard north, don't get caught.

  It was an easy enough plan. I just wasn't sure if we could manage it.

  By the time we were all saddled and ready to go, the plan had been refined a little. Chatta and I were to wait by the back door, ready to load the girls on the horses and hightail it out of town. Xiaolang, Hazard and Eagle would enter the prison itself and get the girls out.

  We were as quiet as possible as we traveled the short distance to the prison. They'd built it near the center of town, and it was entirely constructed of thick grey stone—all in all, it was a dreary building. I would have hated it even without knowing of its more sinister purpose.

  Xiaolang led us toward the back entrance, hidden from the main street. We had to travel down a short, narrow alley in order to reach the back door. With four horses and a Dragoo, it quickly became crowded in the narrow confines of the alleyway.

  Didi was waiting patiently for us on the roof. He flew down once he saw us, then proudly pointed at the door, chittering softly.

  "It's open?" Xiaolang guessed. He was becoming better at interpreting Meuritta body language.

  Didi nodded fervently.

  "Excellent work," the captain praised quietly. Didi preened. "Now, I'm going to crack that door open and let you through. Go directly to the cell and open that door, please. How long will you need?"

  "About five seconds," Chatta inputted wryly.

  Xiaolang gave her a swift nod of thanks, his attention still on Didi. "I'll give you cover to get that lock undone. As soon as it's free wave at Hazard or Eagle, and then come back out here and join Chatta, all right?"

  Didi was back to being the serious hero, and he nodded somberly.

  I was silently impressed as I watched the three men gather at the back door. They never looked at each other or said a word, but they moved as one unit. It was obvious from watching them that they had worked with each other for a long time. That level of comfort couldn't exist otherwise.

  My nerves were taut with tension as they crept through the door. They left it open a few inches, just enough for me to see a sliver of hallway.

  "Can you see anything?" Chatta whispered to me.

  "A wood floor and three cell doors," I answered just as quietly.

  She pondered that for a moment. "That's not very helpful."

  "I didn't think so either."

  From inside, there was a sudden shout of alarm, then several thuds.

  "I think they were just discovered," Chatta muttered in dark humor.

  Didi flew out the door, almost diving into Chatta's arms. She caught him with the ease of long practice. "Did you get the door open?"

  Didi nodded fervently, eyes still on the back door, as if he were expecting to be followed.

  He wasn't wrong. Not two seconds later, Eagle appeared, shoving the door roughly open. He was urging three young women to hurry—unnecessarily, I might add. They were already sprinting outside.

  I caught the first girl out by her wrist, towing her toward Night. Her hands were handcuffed together at the wrist, and I knew she'd have difficulty climbing up on Night while tied up like that. Picking her up by the waist, I lifted her up onto Night's back with a single heave of effort. She gave a slight squeak at the sudden motion, but grabbed at the horn readily enough with both hands to catch her balance.

  I turned back to help the other two, only to find that Chatta already had one up on her mare, and Eagle the other on his stallion. There was nothing more for us to do here. I climbed up behind the girl, and didn't even pretend that I needed to have the reins in my hands. "Night, get us out of here."

  "Hold tight," he ordered grimly. He reared slightly in order to turn quickly in the enclosed space of the alleyway, and then he was sprinting madly.

  When Night decides to move, he moves. I've never seen him run this fast. The brat's been holding out on me.

  I could tell the girl in front of me was afraid we were on a runaway horse, so for her peace of mind, I picked the reins up. But I didn't give Night any direction. He knew where to go. I was more focused on the people behind me. Chatta was right on my heels, as was Eagle—I didn't see Hazard or Xiaolang yet, and I wasn't pleased about that.

  What was holding them up?

  We rounded a corner, and I was forced to look ahead or become so unbalanced that I would fall off. I didn't fancy crashing on the cobblestone streets, so I decided I better pay attention to where Night was going.

  The streets were dark and deserted, so we thankfully didn't have to worry about dodging people. It took five nerve-wracking minutes to get clear of the town, and then we were on a flat road that was barely illuminated by moonlight.

  I dared another glance over my shoulder, and was relieved that at some point Xiaolang and Hazard had joined us. They were catching up quickly, but there was no one in pursuit behind them.

  It looked like we had done it.

  Hayate was amazingly quick—he managed to catch up to us within a few minutes, despite the fact that Night hadn't slowed down his mad sprint. Over the sound of the pounding hooves, Xiaolang called out, "Chatta, can you put a shield over us?"

  Chatta looked like she wanted to smack herself in the forehead for being an idiot. "Yes." She erected a quick shield, hiding the entire group from sight. As soon as it was up, Xiaolang motioned for us all to slow down.

  "There's no point in wearing ourselves out if no one can see us," he observed aloud. "Now, let's get some introductions done. I am Captain Xiaolang of the Red Hand." Since he was closest to me, he was directing his words to the young woman sitting in front of me. "Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

  "I am Rheiveraan," she answered shyly. She was the youngest of the group—at least I thought so. She was certainly the smallest of the three girls. "That's my sister Rheijennaan," she pointed to the young woman riding with Chatta, "and my other sister Rheinellaan."

  All of those hours that Eagle and I had spent teaching Xiaolang proper Chahiran customs hadn't gone to waste. The Captain made the polite response without hesitation. "Thank you for the gift of your name. Allow me to introduce the rest of your rescuers. Behind you is Magus Rhebengarthen."

  She twisted abruptly to stare up at me, jaw dropping slightly. "Magus?" she parroted in disbelief.

  I was so used to this response, I didn't do anything more than shrug. "I was the first Mage found in over two hundred years, Rheiveraan, but I can assure you, I'm not the only Mage out there."

  Xiaolang continued as if we hadn't interrupted him. "Riding with your sister Rheijennaan is Witch L-Chattamoinita Delheart."

  It was Rheijennaan's turn to twist around in surprise. She was too surprised to say anything coherent, however.

  "Eagle Sevar is riding with Rheinellaan, and last but not least, Hazard Harewood."

  In the silence of the night, Rheinellaan's voice carried easily. "Why did you rescue us?"

  "It's our task," Xiaolang answered. "The King of Hain has ordered us to find every magically gifted person in Chahir, and send them to Hain."

  "Then," Rheiveran whispered in front of me, "we're going to Hain?"

  "Yes," I answered gently. "You'll receive training there. You won't have to worry about your safety again, Rheiveraan."

  Silent tears slipped down her cheeks, but she wiped at them quickly
. "Thank you."

  "Didi," Xiaolang summoned the Meuritta with a brief wave of his hand. Didi, being the attention hog that he was, instantly responded and flew to hover around Xiaolang's head. "Scout ahead of us and see if you can't find a good place to camp for the night. Make it at least another two miles farther from the city."

  Didi was still high from his successful role of hero; he chattered back in cheerful tones then rapidly flew forward along the road.

  "What," Rheijennaan demanded with awe in her voice, "was that?”

  Chatta started to explain about Meurittas, and then about Dragoos, and finally about Night—which made Rheiveraan start in surprise when she realized that she was riding a magical creature. As she was explaining, she was zapping the manacles off the girls’ wrists. They fell to the ground with a clatter. I let her words become background noise as I turned my attention to other things.

  We wouldn’t be able to travel far with the girls. We simply didn’t have the supplies for three extra people. Xiaolang, being the prepared person that he was, had bought extra bedding and food in case we picked up another person. But no one had expected that we would pick up three people at the same time.

  Xiaolang and I must think alike. He shifted in closer to me and said in Hainish, “We won’t be able to travel far doubled up like this.”

  “I know,” I responded. From the thoughtful expression on his face, I knew that he had already thought of something. “What’s the plan?”

  “We’ll come close to Habbick tomorrow morning,” Xiaolang mused, as if he were thinking the process out loud. “You said that they are very tolerant of magic.”

  I was beginning to see where he was going. “Yes, I did. You want me to take them across?”

  “By that earth traveling method you have,” Xiaolang confirmed, happy that I was following his train of thought. “It won’t take long to take them over to Hain, will it?”

  “Not long,” I agreed. I tried to estimate how long it would take because Xiaolang liked having a time frame to work in. “Perhaps an hour, altogether. I’d like to properly introduce the girls to whoever is in charge.”

  “Instead of dropping them off like a litter of kittens?” Xiaolang drawled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in sardonic amusement.