You’ll do fine, Cathy said. I’m here to guide you.
Then let’s take care of these bandits.
I crept forward drawing closer and closer. I could start to make out the sounds of the bandits talking to one another planning their attack.
“Gilroy will hang back and watch the house,” a muffled voice said. “Signal us if you hear anything from inside the house. Jackie, you are with me.”
“Okay, boss,” the others whispered.
I heard shuffling as ‘Jackie’ and ‘Boss’ left the corn field. I raised the cast iron pot into the ready position.
Are you kidding me? Cathy asked. You’re going to hit him with the pot?
If I had a golden broadsword that could cleave all three of their heads off in one swing I would use that but this is the only thing I have. Magic will just burn the field down.
Cathy sighed. A shame. The broadsword sounds amazing.
I stalked closer until I could make out the crouched form of Gilroy. I brought the pot up, ready to bring it down with all the strength I could muster.
Better make it two hits then, Cathy said.
When I was within striking range, I swung the pot down and it connected on the back of Gilroy’s head. I hollow sound rung out in the night and Gilroy stumbled forward but didn’t go down. I raised the pot again and struck Gilroy in the face as he turned around. Another hollow sound rung out followed by the sound of Gilroy collapsing on the ground. I looked up towards the other two and they were just staring at me. I dropped the pot and ran into the corn.
Why did you drop your weapon? Cathy asked as I shoved corn out of the way.
I panicked.
I made out the sound of corn stalk being chopped and I looked behind me to confirm that one of the bandits was chopping his way after me.
“I’m going to get you, Pot User!” the bandit shouted.
“Stop destroying the corn!” I shouted back. “People need to eat that!”
“I’ll eat you!” the bandit shouted.
Clearly creativity isn’t his strong suit, Cathy said.
What do I do now?
Head for the house again, she answered.
What? The other bandit will...
Use that Illusion spell you like so much, she interrupted.
I took a wide turn and headed back towards the house. The bandit chasing me was slowly gaining ground but I focused on the other one. I could feel his mind as he waited for me and I plucked an ear of corn off a stalk as I ran by. As I broke through the corn field, I threw the ear of corn his way and tapped into his mind.
His bow had been drawn waiting for me but he stopped and watched in terror as the ear of corn morphed into a snake. The bandit quickly changed his aim to the ‘snake’ and released the arrow. The arrow pierced the corn and without breaking stride, I sent a Pulse towards the bandit. The Pulse hit its target and knocked him off his feet as I ran past him.
The bandit chasing me was gaining too much ground so I reached out with my mind and used another Illusion. I rounded the corner of the house and pressed up against the wall of the house. My heart was pounding and I was breathing heavily but I held my breath to make the illusion work. The bandit rounded the corner and slowed to a stop looking bewildered.
To him, I had simply vanished.
I sent a Pulse out and hit him in the elbow causing him to drop his sword. As the sword fell to the ground, I grabbed him from behind and tried to restrain him as his friend rounded the corner.
“Shoot him, Jackie,” the bandit cried as we continued to wrestle.
I saw Jackie draw his bow and I spun the bandit around in time for him to catch the arrow that was intended for me. The bandit cried out in pain and started to sag towards the ground. I forced him back up to keep him position between Jackie and me.
“Shoot HIM, not me, you lutz,” the bandit known as ‘Boss’ shouted.
Jackie drew another arrow and shot Boss in the chest, then drew another and shot him again.
“Sorry, Terry,” Jackie said. “You are too damn loud.”
I dropped the bandit and watched as Jackie turned to flee.
Stop him! Cathy shouted in my head.
I reached out my arm and shot a Pulse but aimed too far forward and just made Jackie stagger back unharmed. I adjusted my aim but watched as an arrow hit Jackie in the back. He lurched forward as another arrow hit him then slowly fell to his knees before face planting into the dirt.
A young man rounded the corner, drew his bow and pointed it at me. I raised my arms and my hands buzzed with electricity as a Ward materialized in front of me.
“Who are you?” the young man shouted.
“Andy...er...Andrew,” I answered still breathing a little heavily.
“What are you doing here?” he asked still trying to threaten me with the bow and arrow.
“I was out for stroll when I noticed the bandits,” I lied. “I figured you could use help.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?” He asked.
“Believe it or don’t, I don’t care,” I said with unfamiliar attitude. “Now, shoot me and get it over with. I can’t keep up this Ward forever.”
He looked like he was going to release the arrow but lowered his bow. “You’re a Mage?”
“No, I’m just someone who likes to make shadow puppets with his hands, see?” I said sarcastically as I mashed my hands together to try and create something.
Cathy laughed. You’re in a fun mood all of a sudden.
Yeah I know, I can’t stop it, our personalities must be fighting each other.
“It’s impolite to mock someone while on their farm,” the guy said trying to sound tough.
“It’s impolite to point weapons at your guests,” I shot back playfully.
Keep going, I like this, Cathy chuckled.
I don’t even know what I’m doing.
An older man, clearly the father came around the corner and gave me a confused look. “A Mage? Out here?” he asked. “What brings the Order this far into the farmlands?”
“I was heading to the capital when I saw the bandits and stopped to help,” I answered.
He snorted. “Well then, you have my thanks, I guess. It’s not like your kind to be helpful. Unless you want something.” He stopped and squinted his eyes at me. “We don’t have any money so don’t bother asking.”
“I...I’m not here for money,” I replied confused. “If anything I was going to ask if I could fill my canteen with water. I’m all out.”
“Figures,” he scoffed.
“Harold, calm down,” a female voice said as a lanky older woman with frizzy hair walked around the corner.
“Go back into the house, Mary. There could be more of them out here,” Harold said.
“Who? Bandits or Mages?” she asked calmly.
“Both,” he answered.
“Actually, it is just me,” I said. “And there were only the three.”
“Three?” the young man asked. “There are only two here.”
“There’s one more at the edge of your field,” I said. “You’ll find him next to the, uh, cast iron pot.”
“Cast iron pot?” the young man asked bewildered.
“I didn’t want to use any magic and destroy your crops,” I said defending myself. “Plus, I’m sure it helped wake everyone up so you knew something was wrong.”
“That’s unexpectedly nice of you,” the young man said.
“Come on, Aaron,” Harold said. “Let’s check that out and make sure the Mage is telling the truth.”
Harold and Aaron left and Mary took a deep breath and sighed.
“You’ll have to forgive them,” she said.”We’re far enough away from the towns and close enough to your Tower that we are often targets for bandits or Mages looking for an easy target. Out here nobody cares.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me,” I said shocked at the mention of Mages extorting farmers. “I was genuine when I just asked for water.”
&nbs
p; She smiled sweetly. “I think we can handle that. What is your name?”
“Andrew,” I answered, “uh, Andy for short.”
She gave me a weird look. “That’s your first name isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I answered. This time it was my turn to give her a weird look.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Usually your Order is all rank and last name. Like they’re the King of Balendar or something.”
I shrugged. “I’m just Andy.”
She laughed softly. “Where are you sleeping tonight?”
“I found a nice tree on the edge of your land that looked comfortable,” I answered.
“Its looks are deceptive,” she warned. “Maybe you are better off spending the night inside the house.”
“Oh, I’ll be alright,” I said. “I think it would be better off if I stayed outside anyhow.”
“Nonsense,” she said. “Don’t worry about Harold. He talks a big game, but when it comes to decision making, you’re talking to the queen of this household.”
I chuckled. “Thank you very much, Mrs...”
“Reed,” she answered as he husband and Aaron came back.
“We found your pot,” Aaron chuckled. “The bandit took quite the hit to the face.”
Mary took the pot from Aaron and shook her head. “It’s going to need a good scrub in the morning. Aaron set up an area for our new friend to sleep for tonight.”
“What?” Harold exclaimed. “But...?”
“He has helped us, the least we can do is offering him a dry place to sleep,” Mary said to him.
“But he’s just going to hurt us later,” Harold said quietly to her but still loud enough for me to hear.
“If we go around expecting every person to be a bad person, we miss out on meeting the good people,” Mary said proudly. “We are only letting him sleep here. We are not giving him our house.”
“Fine,” Harold grumbled as he walked away. Aaron gave me an unsure look but left without saying anything.
“Gather your stuff and meet me at the front door,” Mary said as she watched them leave. She turned back to face me. “And you better hurry before Harold locks the door.”
“Right,” I said as I raced off to gather my pack.
Chapter 11
I opened my eyes slowly and saw two identical faces staring down at me. The faces were smiling and they looked to be no older then 10 cycles. They had their brown hair in the same style and their brown eyes stared at me with both fascination and caution. Where did they come from? Was I dreaming?
If you are, I’m not controlling it, Cathy said.
“Hi,” the one on the left said.
“Who are you?” the one on the right asked.
“Is it true you are a Mage?” the one of the left asked excited.
“Could you turn Aaron into a frog?” the one of the right asked matching her sister’s excitement.
“Uh,” I croaked, half asleep.
“Can you talk?” the one of the left asked.
“Do you speak other languages?” the one on the right asked.
What is it with these two? Cathy asked.
“One at a time, one at a time,” I groaned as I sat up.
The girls shuffled to stay in front of me, still staring and smiling.
“You can talk!” the one on the left exclaimed.
“Yes, but not very well sometimes,” I answered.
“How come?” the one on the right asked.
“I’m not very good,” I said looking around trying to remember my location.
I was in a small room that I remembered was called the ‘Family Room’. The seats, a couple of tables and a bookcase were the only furniture in the room.
“How can you not be good at talking?” the one of the right asked confused.
“I never know what to say,” I answered.
“You knew what to say there,” the one on the left pointed out.
Smart girl, Cathy said.
I chuckled. “I guess I did.”
“Who are you?” the one of the left asked.
“Are you a Mage?” the one on the right asked.
“Uh, I’m Andy,” I answered. “And yeah I’m a Mage.”
“Wow,” they both said simultaneously.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I’m Clare,” the one of the left said then pointed to her sister. “And she’s Bethany.”
“I wanted to say it,” Bethany whispered to her sister.
“You weren’t fast enough,” Clare giggled.
“So can you turn Aaron into a frog?” Bethany asked turning her focus to me.
“No, I can’t,” I answered.
“Why not?” Clare asked.
“Are you not good enough?” Bethany asked.
“What are you good at?” Clare asked.
A good question, Cathy chuckled.
“Girls!” Mary exclaimed as she entered the room. “Leave our guest alone.”
“Sorry, Mama,” the pair said contritely, turning to her.
“Now, go wash up. Breakfast is ready,” Mary said as the girls ran out giggling. She turned to me. “I hope they didn’t wake you.”
“No, they didn’t,” I said as I looked around for my robe.
“Join us for breakfast before you head out,” she said.
“You’ve already done so much for me,” I said. “I couldn’t.”
“You better,” she said. “I already set you a place. It’s impolite to let good food go to waste.”
She left for the kitchen and I threw off the blanket of my bed roll. I found my robe bunched up and used as the pillow. I picked it up and shook it a bit before putting it back on. I rolled up the bed roll and attached it to my pack before searching for the dining room. It wasn’t hard to find. I just followed the laughter of Clare and Bethany.
The table was large enough for the entire family and an extra chair was pulled up to make a spot for me. The girls enthusiastically encouraged me to sit by them claiming they had ‘saved me a spot’. I sat down and starting to enjoy the eggs and bacon in front of me.
“So what do you do at the Tower, Mage?” Harold asked between mouthfuls. “I’ve never see that type of robe before.”
“I’m a Keeper,” I answered.
“A Keeper of what?” Bethany asked excited.
“Wild animals?” Clare asked matching the excitement.
“Keeper of the Archives,” I replied.
“So, books?” Harold asked.
“See, Dad,” Aaron started, “you have nothing to worry about. He’s only some bookworm who wants to steal all of our books.”
“Boys,” Mary warned then turned to me. “Why are you out this far? I hardly think, ‘out for a stroll’ is a good enough reason to be this far from the tower.”
“I’m on a mission to the capital for the actual Keeper,” I explained. “I’m just his Apprentice.”
“Thurlborn Peak?” Harold asked worried. “Is something big going on?”
“No,” I lied. “I just need to pick something up from the Forge of the Kings.”
Harold scoffed. “Only the best for Mages.”
“Well, you are a long way north if you’re heading for the capital,” Mary said.
“I was just following the map given to me,” I said. “I was told it would be the safest path for me to travel.”
“What do you have to be worried about?” Aaron asked. “You’re a Mage. Just zap them with a Fire Ball.”
ZAP them with a fireball? Cathy asked.
“You said yourself,” I shrugged. “I’m only ‘some bookworm’. How powerful can I be?”
“Aaron should go with you then,” Mary suggested.
“What?” Aaron and Harold asked at once.
“You have to go to Thurlborn Peak anyhow to sharpen the tools at the blacksmith,” Mary said to Aaron. “At least with Andy here, I won’t have to worry about you travelling alone.”
“But...” Aaron started but was cut off his moth
er’s hand.
“The road has become too dangerous recently,” she explained. “You saw what happened last night; the bandits were right on our doorstep.”
“Then I shouldn’t leave,” he pleaded. “I am needed here.”
“Your father can handle it here, but he is too busy to take the trip to the capital,” she continued.
“Then why can’t I just take it to Riverside this one time,” he said. “It would be much quicker.”
“I will not have Burt working my tools,” Harold said. “That hack should be the last person folding laundry, let alone iron.”
“The Steel Anvil is the best blacksmith in Balendar,” Mary explained. “And the closest one after Riverside.”
Aaron sighed. “Fine.”
Do I say something?
Better not, Cathy said. You always say the wrong thing.
“What do you think, Andy?” Mary asked.
“Uh,” I said. “If he doesn’t want to, I’m fine on my own.”
“The boy is not going to travel with some Mage,” Harold said. “He’ll be fine on his own as he’s always been.”
“They’re travelling together and that’s final,” Mary said calmly. “The road is too dangerous.”
Aaron stood up with a frustrated look on his face and left the table. The twins slipped away quietly and I figured it would be smart to do the same. I grabbed my pack from the Family Room and headed out the door. Mary stood outside watching as Harold stomped off towards a large barn.
“Take care of my son, Andy,” Mary said without looking at me. “I’m placing a lot of trust in you.”
“You’re placing a lot of trouble on me too,” I said walking towards her. “Your son clearly doesn’t like this idea.”
“His hatred for Mages comes from his father,” she said as turned to face me. “His heart is the farm. He knows we need the tools sharpened for the harvest and he’ll make sure it gets done whether you are with him or not.”
“Very well,” I nodded, unsure of what else I could say.
“Just promise me, you’ll look after him,” she said seriously. “If any trouble comes your way, use your magic to keep him safe. He’s headstrong and foolhardy sometimes.”
I chuckled. She had been nothing but nice and caring towards me. The least I could do was make this promise for her. Whether I could fulfill it or not would be a different matter.
The Tower Of The Watchful Eye: The Legend Of Kairu Book 1 Page 9