Jiron nods with his head indicating for Jared to follow. As they walk from the rubble, the people stand in silence and watch them go. They walk steadily and surely through the ring of people and down the street. He glances back once he’s past the onlookers and sees they are still watching him, some have begun to poke around the rubble.
The city itself has caught fire in several districts from the flaming debris that fell back to earth after the explosion. As they make their way further from the site of the explosion, the town becomes much more of a flurry of activity as people rush to put out the fires that threaten to consume their town.
Walking with a purpose, they arrive at an inn where Jiron leads them to the stables. He and Jared saddle three horses while James sits on a barrel and rests. “You okay?” Jiron asks while cinching on one of the saddles.
“Just tired,” he replies. “I’m out of crystals.”
“That’s not good,” comments Jiron. “Still going to hit that other place before we go?”
James sits there and thinks a moment before replying. “It’s on the way out of the Empire,” he tells him. “Let’s see how I feel when we get there. If I’m up to it we’ll take it out.”
“Fair enough,” he says. It takes but another minute to saddle the remaining horse then he comes to help James into the saddle. He finds a stash of water bottles which he fills and attaches to their saddles. Then once they are mounted, they leave the stables.
Smoke rises in the air from the fires. Riding quickly through the streets, they make it to the western gate and with luck find it open with no guards. They are all busy fighting the fires.
Once through the gates, Jiron takes them off the road and cuts across the desert.
Chapter Twenty One
______________________
“Milord!” Aezyl cries as he throws open the door to his chambers and rushes in.
Snapping awake, Kerith-Ayxt’s anger flares at the gross breach of decorum, not to mention the fact that he’s completely exhausted from the ordeal of summoning Aekion. With a harsh reprimand on his lips he turns eyes red and full of anger on his aide.
Before he has a chance to speak, Aezyl suddenly realizes what he just did and comes to a stop. “Forgive me my lord,” he cries as he drops to his knees. “But the mage has been found!”
“What?” exclaims the High Lord Magus as he sits upright in bed. “Where?”
“Just to the southeast of us milord,” replies Aezyl. “In the city of Taerin-Alith.”
“Taerin-Alith?” he asks.
“Yes, milord,” his aide replies. “And he has vanquished Aekion!”
“Impossible!” he cries out. “You must be mistaken.”
“No, milord,” he insists. “Inyi had the duty to search for the mage and all of a sudden the mage’s protection was gone.”
Getting out of bed, all thoughts of reprimanding his aide gone, he says “Tell me everything.”
Aezyl then proceeds to tell him of discovering the mage in a destroyed building, the subsequent destruction of Aekion, and how the citizens of Taerin-Alith seemed to simply let him go. “Of course the city was awash in flame, most likely due to the battle between the mage and Aekion,” he suggests for the reason they let him go.
“Where is he now?” the High Lord Magus asks.
“In the desert,” he replies. “I think he may be coming this way.”
“Here?” he asks.
“Maybe not here,” his aide replies. “But the direction he’s going will definitely have him pass nearby.”
Pacing and thinking furiously, Kerith-Ayxt begins to formulate a plan. Turning to his aide he says, “He can’t have much left in him after overcoming Aekion. Which of our masters has recovered most from the summoning?”
“Inyi has milord,” he replies. “He has since been keeping an eye on the rogue mage,” he replies.
“Have him take a score of the more powerful from the lower Circles and destroy the mage,” he explains. “Tell him the mage is weakened and to move fast before he can recover.”
“Yes, milord,” says Aezyl as he comes to his feet. Giving his lord a bow, he quickly leaves to carry out his lord’s command.
Defeated Aekion! Unbelievable! Kerith-Ayxt paces his chambers as he tries to come to grips with the impossible.
Shortly after leaving the town behind, James realizes his protection against magical detection is no longer in operation. Bracing for opposition, he reinstates his protective shield and waits while they ride. Immediately, he feels them try to break through but the attempt is half-hearted at best, not nearly what he experienced the time before. When it finally stops, he wonders why they didn’t try more. Whatever the reason he’s happy about it, confused, but happy.
Riding through the desert under the hot sun, they stay just out of visual range of the road to the south. He knows the magical school isn’t more than a day down the road. It’s entirely likely that they will send someone to investigate what happened back at the town.
With the light beginning to fade and James being exhausted from the battle, they move even further into the desert to find a spot to camp for the night. “Maybe you could use that mirror of yours to find a place where we could water the horses,” Jiron suggests.
“Can’t,” he replies. “It melted when the creature of fire appeared.”
“Oh yeah, right,” he says, a little embarrassed for having forgot.
Before the sunlight completely disappears, a stand of trees appears to the north, the kind normally found near watering holes. Relived to have stumbled upon an oasis, they alter course and make their way quickly toward it.
Other than half a dozen of the date bearing trees, the area surrounding the water is bare. The watering hole itself is barely three feet wide and not very deep. The horses eagerly approach and are allowed to drink their fill while they lay out their bedrolls.
Once settled in and they are having a bite to eat, he tells them what they are really after in the next town. As he lays it out, Jared gets a look of disbelief while Jiron just grins.
“Are you out of your mind?” exclaims Jared when he finishes laying it out. “You are but one mage and you plan to go up against dozens, maybe hundreds?”
“I don’t actually plan to fight the mages themselves unless forced to,” he explains. Glancing over to Jiron he sees the expectant look of impending battle. “My plan is to get in there, destroy their library and get out fast.”
“And they will simply allow you to do that?” questions Jared. “How do you plan on doing that with everyone looking for you and knowing your approximate position?”
“Haven’t quite worked that out yet to tell the truth,” he admits. “But take it from their point of view. Here I am in hostile territory, just having gone through a draining battle.” He glances to Jiron and asks, “What would be the logical thing to do?”
“Certainly not take on a group of mages,” he says with a nod. “They may not realize you know the School is even there. But once you do, the smartest course you could take would be to get as far away as possible. The last thing they will expect is for you to attack, one mage against who knows how many.”
“Exactly!” declares James. Turning back to Jared he adds, “They won’t expect it. Piece of cake.”
“You’re going to get us all killed,” Jared grumbles.
“Likely,” he admits. “But no guts, no glory.”
“Since when have you been interested in glory?” asks Jiron with a wry grin.
James laughs and says, “I’m not. It seemed an appropriate thing to say under the circumstances.” They both stare at each other and then break into laughter once again. Not sure where the laughter is coming from, maybe just giddy at still being alive.
Jared just stares at them and shakes his head.
Ka-Boom!
From the southwest a light flares in the deepening gloom of night a second before the sound of a massive explosion rolls over them.
“What was that?” Jiron exclai
ms as they get to their feet.
James felt the distinctive tingle of magic being performed briefly with the light of the explosion. “Magic,” he says.
“Should I check it out?” Jiron asks. “It couldn’t have been more than a mile or two away.”
“It might be a trap to draw you out,” cautions Jared.
Shaking his head, James says, “I don’t think so.” To Jiron he nods. “Go find out what it was but be careful.”
“Right.” Quickly saddling his horse, it doesn’t take him long before he’s mounted and ready to go. He glances to Jared and asks, “Do you have a candle?”
“A couple, why?” he replies.
“Keep one burning so I can find my way back,” he explains.
“Okay,” he says.
James comes to Jiron and says, “Find out and come right back.”
Jiron smiles and replies, “You worry too much.” Kicking his horse in the flanks, he bolts from the oasis.
Where the explosion occurred is easily found, torches and lanterns light the scene. The area of destruction looks to have been where a caravan had pulled off the road and camped for the night. Destroyed wagons, dead horses and damaged goods are strewn all over. Dozens of bodies are being gathered by those still alive.
He slows down and stops before he enters the light. Watching from the darkness, he tries to understand just what happened. Then all of a sudden he sees a robed mage appear from around one of the few wagons left untouched. The mage’s robe is in tatters and stained with blood. Limping and holding one arm close, it appears as if he’s in a lot of pain.
That’s when he realizes many of the bodies lying across the ground are robed mages. What the hell happened? Unable to understand the language, he watches for several more minutes as the survivors scurry around, see to the wounded and stack the dead off to the side.
Other than that one mage, it looks as if all the others were killed in the explosion. Whatever the reason, at least there are now less to deal with when they go for the library. Finally deciding he’s seen all there is to see, he turns his horse back to the desert and hurriedly returns to the others.
Jared’s candle is a beacon in the night and he has little trouble in finding his way back. When he arrives, he tells the others what he saw. “It makes no sense,” he states. “Could there be another mage out there who’s fighting them?”
James shakes his head as a grim expression spreads across his face. “I don’t think so,” he replies. “You said there was a caravan there?”
“That’s right. Mages and wagons…” he begins then suddenly understanding comes. “The wagons!”
Nodding, James says, “The wagons. One must have been doing magic and got too close.”
“What does wagons have to do with it?” Jared asks.
Never having explained to him what he had done and not wanting to now, James says, “It’s complicated and I don’t want to get into it right now.”
Jared glances from Jiron to James knowing he’s the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on. A little hurt at not being trusted, he keeps silent.
“Must have been on their way to strike at you,” suggests Jiron.
“I would think so,” agrees James with a nod. “How many were there?”
“I saw over a dozen lying dead on the ground,” he tells him. “One survived but he was in bad shape.”
James sits and considers all that Jiron has told him. The idea with the wagons is working better than he had anticipated. Only the unexpectedness of the attack could explain the death of the mages. Had they had any warning at all, there would have been fewer killed.
“Blow out the candle and let’s get some sleep,” he says to Jared.
“Don’t you want to get out of here?” Jared asks.
Shaking his head, James says, “No. We need the rest and I don’t like the idea of wandering around this close to enemies in the dark unless I have too. We’ll keep a watch and make an early start.”
Jiron takes the first watch. As James settles into his blankets, he hears the soft tread of Jiron as he moves around the camp. Settling down into his blanket, he tries to relax and eventually falls asleep.
In a room adjacent to the Great Hall, several mages stand around a circular table with a mirrored surface. The master in control of the Table of Sight directs the image as he scans the wreckage. Mages he has known for years, some for decades lie dead. Two, Inyi included, were accounted among the most powerful at the School. And for them to be so easily taken out didn’t bode well.
The door to the room opens as the High Lord Magus enters. Turning to face him, the master wilts slightly under the burning glare of Kerith-Ayxt.
“Inyi’s gone my lord,” the master says with a slight tremor in his voice.
Burning with barely controlled rage, the High Lord Magus says in a voice deceptively calm, “Show me.”
Moving aside, the master makes room for Kerith-Ayxt to view the image. As the master shows his lord the faces of the dead he can feel the rage mounting in him. Finally settling the image on the lone mage who survived the blast he says, “Only Nyz survived.”
“Send riders to bring him back,” he orders. As one of the other mages leaves the room to carry out his orders, Kerith-Ayxt turns to the master in charge of the Table. “Find the mage.”
The master licks his lips in nervousness as he turns his full attention to the Table. Sending magic into the Table, he hunts for the mage but to no avail. The image of the Table shifts and ripples but fails to reveal anything. “I am unable to milord,” the mage finally admits as he halts the search.
“Slaves are due here by noon,” Kerith-Ayxt states. He turns to look at the mage and says, “When they are, use them to find this mage.” The tone of his voice leaves little doubt of his fate should the master fail.
“Yes, milord,” the master replies.
Kerith-Ayxt motions for another mage, one of the Fourth Circle, to come close. “Have the First’s go in search of the mage,” he says.
“Milord?” questions the Fourth.
“Have them comb the area to the south and east by horse and foot until they find him,” he clarifies. “If they should find this rogue mage, have them create a beacon that we can home in on. Tell them not to attempt to take the mage on their own but to wait for others. Once we know where exactly to look it should be easy to keep an eye on him.”
“Yes milord,” the Fourth says as he quickly leaves the room.
Turning back to the image of his dead mages, the High Lord Magus seethes with rage.
Early the next morning when the sky is just beginning to lighten with the coming of the dawn, they set out. Same as the day before, they run parallel with the road while maintaining a discreet distance.
Jiron rides point a hundred feet ahead of James and Jared. The sun no sooner begins to crest the horizon before he makes out the silhouette of a rider almost directly ahead. The rider is sitting there staring in their direction. Jiron comes to a stop and waits for the others to join him.
Indicating the rider he asks James, “What do you make of that?”
Staring through the glare of the rising sun, he sees the rider just sitting there. “I’m not sure,” he replies.
“Could he be a scout?” suggests Jared.
“Seems a little young for that,” replies Jiron.
“Probably a farm lad out and about early in the morning,” decides James. “Pay him no attention.”
“Alright,” says Jiron as he gets his horse moving.
They don’t travel very far before James feels the tingling sensation of magic. “He’s a mage!” he exclaims. They look and find the lad with arms raised and sitting still.
“What’s he doing?” Jiron asks.
“I’m not sure but we better find out,” he replies. Kicking his horse into motion he races toward the boy with the other two right behind. Seeing them charging forward, the lad turns his horse and begins racing away.
They begin to gain on the boy when
from the west and north, other riders make an appearance as they angle toward the fleeing rider. “Damn!” curses James. With their position now known, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to make an attempt on the School’s library.
More tingling is felt as the riders each summon magic. “They’re all mages,” James tells the others. “We better get out of here before more come.” Turning his horse, he heads north.
“Are they from the School?” asks Jared as he swings in to follow.
“Have to be. Since they couldn’t locate me by magic, they sent riders out to find me,” he speculates.
“But they still aren’t going to be able to track you though, right?” Jared asks nervously.
“They don’t need to track me specifically now,” he explains. “They can simply watch the stretch of desert that we are on and keep track of us that way.”
“So what do we do?” Jared replies.
“Wait for dark and try to lose the watchers then,” he says, though with the riders keeping an eye on them that will be hard to do. With Jiron again in the lead, they race north through the desert, all thoughts of tackling the library gone. Following behind them are five riders, each able to wield magic.
“Finally!” exclaims Kerith-Ayxt as the beacon comes to them. The master in charge of the Table soon has the desert in view where the First indicated. They see the First sitting there staring off across the desert. The master scrolls the image and soon has three riders in view.
“That’s them milord,” the master says.
“Excellent,” breathes the High Lord Magus. Staring at the three, he’s able to easily pick out the mage. To a Mage of the Fourth standing there with him he says, “Gather the Circles. We’re going to ride forth and take care of this mage once and for all.”
“Yes, milord,” the Fourth says with a bow then leaves the room.
To the master in charge of the Table he says, “I shall leave you a couple Firsts and Seconds to aid you. When the slaves come, you know what to do?”
Shades of the Past: The Morcyth Saga Book Six Page 30