The Mongrel Mage

by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

  Kaerylt was waiting for them when they rode back to the inn and reined up outside the stable. “Meet me in our room. You can tell me what you found out there. Then we’ll get some dinner.”

  Beltur wondered at his uncle’s curtness, but he just nodded and said, “Yes, ser.”

  Sydon didn’t say a word.

  Beltur was more than happy not to be stuck grooming Sydon’s mount, especially since Sydon was clearly miffed at having to do it himself. Beltur did have to wait for Sydon to finish, but he kept his smile to himself, and then walked quietly across the courtyard with Sydon to the main inn building.

  No sooner had the two stepped into the small inn chamber where Kaerylt sat on the end of his pallet bed than Sydon immediately blurted out, “We ran into a bunch of raiders. They attacked us. I threw a chaos-bolt. They backed off.” He shot a sharp glance at Beltur, as if to suggest Beltur say nothing.

  “It wasn’t quite that way,” Beltur said evenly. “The raiders had brought down a grasslands antelope. We neared where they were. Several of them rode toward us. They weren’t carrying bows—”

  “Yes, they were!” interrupted Sydon.

  “The nearest one was empty-handed,” stated Beltur. “So were the others, and they reined up well back of the one who rode toward us.”

  “Then what happened?” asked Kaerylt.

  “The chaos-bolt—”

  “Beltur partly blocked it!” snapped Sydon.

  Kaerylt turned to Beltur. “Why did you do that?”

  “You said we weren’t to attack unless they did. They hadn’t loosed arrows, and they didn’t have blades in their hands, and there was only one rider coming toward us. Besides, two of the riders were women.”

  “Women riders?” questioned Kaerylt. “That’s preposterous.”

  Beltur shrugged. “I saw them. I also sensed them. They were women.”

  “You must have been mistaken. The herders don’t let their women ride free.”

  “He certainly was,” insisted Sydon.

  Kaerylt turned his eyes on Sydon. His voice was cold as he said, “Beltur is doubtless mistaken about the women, but he was right about your poor decision to throw a chaos-bolt at a single rider. Especially in the middle of all that dry grass. Now … don’t interrupt again.” He looked back at Beltur. “What happened after that?”

  “They all rode away. I hoped that they thought the chaos-bolt was just a warning.”

  “So do I,” replied Kaerylt dryly. “Did the chaos start a fire?”

  “No, ser. I checked on that. After that we rode another kay or so, and then took another path that headed south and led back to town. We only saw one grass antelope and that group of herders the whole time. There was no sense of excessive order anywhere.”

  “Do you have anything to add?” Kaerylt asked Sydon.

  “I still think they were dangerous and that warning them was a good idea.”

  Beltur decided against pointing out that warning hadn’t been Sydon’s intention. If his uncle hadn’t understood that already, nothing Beltur said would change that.

  “Let us hope they thought it was just a warning.” Kaerylt coughed. “As I told you, I went south, more to the southwest, actually. Unlike you, I saw no riders, but I did see quite a few hoofprints, enough that there must be several bands of herders around. We also spooked a large grass cat. It thought about attacking, but decided seven men and mounts weren’t good odds and vanished into the grass.” He stood. “I’m hungry, and we might as well eat.”

  “What are we going to do tomorrow?” asked Sydon.

  “What we did today. After your … encounter, I’d like to see how the herders react.”

  “I just—”

  “Not another word about it, either of you.” Kaerylt opened the door. “If you want dinner, I suggest you two accompany me.”

  Beltur let Sydon leave before him, then closed the door and followed the other two.

  XI

  On fiveday, Kaerylt decided that all three mages and all the troopers should ride out together. That might have been because Kaerylt had decided he couldn’t trust Sydon and Beltur to scout on their own, but he didn’t explain. They spent the entire day riding through the grasslands largely to the southeast of Kasiera, and although they glimpsed several bands of herders, not a one of them was accompanying the grassland sheep for which they were known. More important, while one group of riders shadowed the mages and troopers for several glasses, they never even came within a kay of the fourteen, although by the time those riders turned away, Beltur had been able to sense them clearly, and one was definitely a woman, but Beltur saw no point in saying so.

  On sixday morning, after breakfast, as the three mages were getting ready to leave for the stable, Kaerylt said, “Pack all your gear and bring it with you.”

  “Ser?”

  “We might not be returning here if the herders invite us to Wulkyn.”

  “Why would they do that?” asked Sydon.

  “You never know, and if the opportunity affords itself, the last thing I want to do is defer and return here. We might not get a second chance.”

  Beltur didn’t pretend to understand. He just packed his gear and carried it to the stable, where he fastened it behind his saddle, arranging it so that he could easily get into his saddlebags for the leftover bread he’d brought from breakfast.

  Once all the troopers were also there, Kaerylt gathered everyone around him in the stable yard, rather than simply telling everyone to mount up and giving directions from the saddle. “Yesterday, you all may have noticed that the herders followed us for a time. This may happen again. Or it may not. I’ve put out word that I’d like to talk with them. I don’t know how that will be taken. They may approach peacefully, but if … if they decide to attack, we won’t have much warning. For that reason, I’d like all of you to stay fairly close to me once it’s clear that there are herders—or raiders—nearby.”

  “You heard the mage,” added Pacek firmly.

  Beltur kept his frown to himself. His uncle had made no mention of putting word out to the herders. How had he done that? Through the town elder? And when? Beltur didn’t recall Kaerylt being that far away … and certainly not long enough for a lengthy conversation.

  “It’s time to mount up,” said Kaerylt evenly.

  Beltur did so, and he and Sydon took their position in the column behind Kaerylt and Pacek as the fourteen rode out of Kasiera, this time heading to the southwest over the narrow brick and stone bridge across the stream and definitely in the direction of Wulkyn.

  Less than a glass later, Kaerylt reined up and turned in the saddle. “There are raiders beyond the next rise. Sydon, you and Beltur need to ride ahead of the undercaptain and me, a good twenty yards. Don’t worry. The raiders are a good kay beyond the rise.”

  “You want them to see us first and think we’re alone?”

  “That’s the idea. Then we’ll see how friendly they really are.”

  “They won’t be,” declared Sydon.

  “That may be, but you’re not to use chaos until you and Beltur both agree that it’s necessary. Both of you. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, ser.” Sydon’s voice was not quite sullen.

  “Now … you two ride around us and lead the way.”

  Beltur let Sydon take the lead, then moved up beside him.

  “If they attack,” said Sydon sardonically, “I’d appreciate your agreement before the arrows strike us.”

  “If there’s a real attack, I’m no more interested than you in being a target.”

  “Good.”

  As he neared the top of the low rise, even before he could see beyond the crest, Beltur could definitely sense the herders or raiders, and they seemed to be more like a kay and a half away. Yet when he reached the top of the dirt path and looked to the southwest, it appeared to him that the mounted riders were indeed more than a kay away, possibly even closer to two kays. He immediately studied the grassy expanse closer to him and Sydon, but coul
d not see or sense anyone or anything large hidden any closer.

  At the same time, he could feel a line of chaos not that far behind him and Sydon. He frowned as he realized that Kaerylt had created a partial concealment over the Gallosian troopers and himself, one that only concealed them from anyone looking at them from the southwest, but one that left Beltur and Sydon fully exposed to the view of the raiders. For a moment, Beltur wondered why, then realized that the line concealment allowed the troopers to see where they were going, unlike a full concealment. But that raised another question—why a concealment at all? To see if they’ll attack two men riding alone? That would certainly determine how peaceful the herders—or raiders—might be.

  Beltur was still puzzled as to why he could sense the grasslands riders from as far as he could, almost half a kay farther than on fiveday, and a good kay farther than he’d been able to do before he had left Fenard. It couldn’t be just practice, because he’d practiced glass upon glass for years before trying to use order as a structuring method. The only conclusion he could come to was that, at least for him, Jessyla had been right … or that his interpretation of what she had suggested worked better for him than what Kaerylt had taught him.

  He pushed that conclusion to the back of his mind as he realized that even more raiders were appearing, seemingly from everywhere, and all of them were headed toward him and Sydon. Why now? Just because there were only two Gallosians visible?

  “This looks like an attack to me,” declared Sydon.

  “It looks that way, but we don’t know yet, and there’s no point in using chaos until they’re close enough for you to be effective.”

  “Just keep riding!” called out Kaerylt. “We’ll move up as necessary.”

  Beltur thought about trying to count the oncoming raiders, who were now moving at a fast trot and less than a kay away, turning closer to due north as they neared. There were certainly more than a score, possibly two score, if not more, and he could sense others farther away, some of whom were riding toward the northwest to flank Beltur and Sydon, at least if the two kept riding along the dirt road. Beltur glanced back, but he saw nothing but grasslands because of his uncle’s concealment.

  “Stop when they’re about two hundred yards away!” called Kaerylt. “Then see what they do.”

  The first riders kept coming, and by the time they were some three hundred yards away, Beltur could tell that all of them held bows.

  “They’re all carrying bows,” he called back.

  “Don’t use chaos until they loose shafts. Then take down as many as you can as quickly as you can.”

  As if we could really do anything else once they attack … if they attack. Beltur turned back to Sydon. “I’ll shield so that you can use all your chaos on the attackers. I’ll add what I can beyond shielding.”

  “That makes sense. Let’s rein up a good bit before they reach two hundred yards.”

  “Fine.” Beltur doubted that either of them could determine two hundred yards to the digit, or even to the cubit. He kept watching the raiders, who still approached through the high grass at a fast trot. He thought, but wasn’t certain, that some of the attackers were women. They might have been youths, but he didn’t think so. “They’re at about two hundred fifty yards, but they haven’t nocked shafts yet.”

  As the distance closed, Beltur watched the lead riders even more intently, even while he edged his mount closer to that of Sydon and prepared to lift his order-linked shield. The smaller he could keep the shield the stronger it would be and the longer he could hold it.

  “Rein up!” said Sydon.

  Beltur didn’t argue. He reined up alongside Sydon. The raiders looked to him to be considerably farther away than two hundred yards, but they would cover the extra yards in no more than a few moments.

  Nearly instantly, even though Beltur heard not a word, all the attackers urged their mounts into a gallop, raised their bows, nocked arrows, and loosed shafts so quickly that their hands seemed almost to blur, and a second volley was off just as Beltur locked the shield in place. Arrows shattered against the shield, spraying away from the two mages. Beltur’s mouth dropped open. While he could feel pressure as the arrows struck the shield, he could bear that impact.

  Chaos-bolts flared from Sydon, and three, then four of the lead riders went down, little more than a hundred yards away.

  Beltur tried one of his order-latticed chaos shafts, and it went through the chest of a rider, but as it did, and the rider flew out of the saddle, Beltur was rocked back, and he had to grab the horse’s mane to stay mounted. For a moment, he felt like he was losing control of the shield, and he just concentrated on holding it as a handful of riders bore down on them, curved blades in their hands instead of bows, although Beltur had not seen them change weapons.

  Sydon took out two more, their riderless mounts shying to the side. Then one of the mounts crashed into the unseen order-linked shield, and the other two riders tried to turn their mounts from the fallen rider and horse. One succeeded. The other went down, as did yet another following rider.

  Belatedly, Beltur realized that other chaos-bolts were slamming into what remained of the attacking raiders, before, almost as quickly as the raiders had come, those who had survived had turned and ridden off into the grasslands, swiftly leaving the Gallosians alone on the dirt road … except for the fallen attackers.

  Beltur lowered the shield. His legs were shaking, and he was a little light-headed, but his new shield had held. It really held.

  Kaerylt reined up beside Sydon. “You did a good job of dealing with them.” His eyes then went to Beltur. “All that work with shields paid off, didn’t it?”

  “Yes, ser.”

  Kaerylt glanced toward the two mounts that had fallen when they contacted the shield. One of the riders was clearly dead, his body limp and his head at a strange angle. The other one was trapped under the body of her mount. Kaerylt immediately launched a chaos-bolt, one with enough force to turn the fallen raider woman into a charred and unrecognizable heap. “Too bad about that.” He looked at Beltur. “Not a word. Ever.”

  “But…”

  “You were right, and I don’t want you ever to mention it. Is that clear?” Kaerylt’s words were colder than ice. He turned to Sydon. “You either.”

  After a moment of clear surprise, Sydon replied, “Yes, ser.”

  Kaerylt turned in the saddle. “Undercaptain! We’re done here. We’ll head back to Kasiera, but we won’t be stopping there.”

  “Yes, ser mage.” Unlike Sydon or Beltur, Pacek didn’t seem in the slightest bit surprised. “Spoils, ser?”

  “If you make it quick. Once your men are spread out…”

  “Yes, ser. They know.”

  Kaerylt looked back to Sydon. “Once they return, you need to ride rearguard now … just in case there’s some raider sneaking through the grass. Beltur will switch places with you later.”

  “Yes, ser.” Sydon didn’t sound all that pleased.

  Kaerylt ignored that displeasure.

  Beltur took out his water bottle, drank, and waited.

  When the troopers returned, Pacek rode over to Kaerylt and extended a leather pouch.

  “The share for you mages. Not that much in coppers. No jewelry. I’ll see about selling the blades when we can.”

  “Thank you. I’ll leave the details to you.”

  “Our pleasure, ser.” Pacek sounded as though it was indeed a pleasure.

  Beltur did notice more than a half score of scabbards and blades fastened behind the saddle of one trooper. No wonder the undercaptain was pleased.

  Once the troopers began to re-form, Kaerylt then turned his mount and motioned for Beltur to ride beside him as they began to retrace the route they had taken.

  “If you wanted them to attack,” Beltur asked his uncle, now that they were well away from Sydon’s earshot, “why were you so upset that Sydon tried to use chaos on those herders the other day?”

  “Because I needed them to actu
ally attack you two—or me. You half rescued the situation by turning his chaos-blast into a warning. That also meant that we’ve had to stay here days longer than I would have preferred.”

  “Why did you want them to attack?”

  “Because I tried to make it attractive to them. Let’s leave it at that for now. You’ll see as matters develop.”

  Beltur certainly hoped so, because nothing seemed very clear at the moment, and much as he wanted to ask just how his uncle had made the attack “attractive” he knew that asking when Kaerylt had said not to would only anger his uncle without Beltur learning anything.

  “You’re pale,” added the older mage. “Drink some water and eat that chunk of bread you took from the table.”

  While he rode the next kay, Beltur did just that. When he finished the last crumbs, he still felt tired, but the light-headedness had vanished.

  Little more than a glass later, as they neared Kasiera, Beltur could see smoke rising from several places in the town, as well as from spots in the grasslands adjoining the tilled plots along the stream.

  “They attacked Kasiera,” said Beltur. “Why? Everyone here thought that wouldn’t happen.”

  “Apparently, they were mistaken,” replied Kaerylt calmly, as if he considered the attack a matter of course.

  “You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

  “It would have happened sooner or later. After what we’ve done, I considered it likely. Obviously, we won’t be stopping here tonight.”

  “You knew that as well, didn’t you?”

  “You’ll learn that some things become obvious in certain circumstances.”

  That was another of his uncle’s cryptic utterances that Beltur let pass. As he studied the town, he saw a rider heading toward them. “Here comes someone.”