I had an immediate impulse to turn on my heel and make a run for it. Being stuck in the middle of a power struggle was not my idea of a good time. Unfortunately, my mother hadn't raised any cowards, so I came all the way inside, shut the door, and took the seat Doss indicated. It did not escape my attention that the chair was set midway on an invisible battle line. It was neither on Doss's nor Haben's side. I had no idea what this was about, but I did not enjoy walking into a situation like this blind. The implication hung in the air that I had to choose a side, and that wasn't a choice I wanted to make.
"Garth, we have a situation on our southern border," Haben stated in preamble. "You are familiar with the Hobendon Peninsula?"
It took a second for my Jaunten blood to kick in and provide a mental map. Hobendon was a fairly large peninsula on the far south west corner of Hain. I nodded once in confirmation.
"The Komot River has overrun its banks and flooded some three hundred acres. Any attempt to dam it up has been futile. We believe that an underground spring has risen up and is feeding into the river. We need someone to investigate the cause and help with damage control."
Somehow I heard the words "only a Mage can do this." Oh boy. I think I was beginning to grasp the situation now. "Why me?"
It was Doss who answered, the words coming out through gritted teeth. "A Wizard or Witch could find the problem; however, without necessary preparation, they won't be able to help solve it in a timely enough fashion to suit everyone."
Ah. They wanted the quick solution. "A half-trained Mage is an acceptable compromise?"
Doss unbent enough to actually grin at me. "You have such a way with words, my boy. Yes, that's it precisely. Haben is convinced you can do the job."
"And you?" I asked quietly.
He sighed, a smile slipping off his face. "I think you can. You've advanced rapidly, but you've only been here a month and a half. I feel uneasy about you attempting something of this magnitude without supervision. So many things could go wrong!"
Haben pounced on that statement with almost vicious enthusiasm. "So send a Wizard with him! Think of this as practical experience for Garth, or a class project or something."
Some class project!
Doss snorted at the comparison but didn't immediately comment. After a long moment he blew out an irritable breath and growled, "Fine. Kartal is in that area, or was a week ago. I'll have him meet Garth there." Focusing on me he added, "Roarke Kartal is a Wizard prodigy. He's young, a few years older than you, but very powerful, and very capable. Between the two of you, I'm sure this can be cleared up quickly."
Why did that sound more like a threat than reassurance…? "Yes, sir. When do I leave?"
"Now," Haben answered.
~*~
It wasn't quite that simple. It actually took me about two hours to put everything together for a trip. Haben handed me a leather purse with enough silver to get me there and back, assuming that all the inns had reasonable prices. He also gave me a small seal that would allow me to draw more funds as necessary from any bank in the country. I appreciated having both—worrying about money was never fun.
The last thing handed to me was a full report of the situation, and a detailed map that outlined the damaged areas.
The Academy stables were full of horses, and it was there that I went to get a mount. The stable master gave me a sweet tempered mare named Sunny. She was a pretty little Palomino, and I was grateful that she wasn't a very large horse. Big horses kind of intimidated me, probably because I had so little experience with horses.
The hardest part of all my preparations was Night. He was more than willing to go on a trip and see the outside world. It was my riding Sunny that put him into an absolute snit.
There I stood in the stable courtyard, horse saddled, bags packed, money and information in my pocket, ready to leave…and having a heated argument with my Nreesce.
"Night, I can't ride you! I know I'm your Rider, but you aren't big enough to carry me yet!"
He glared at me, looking terribly hurt and offended as only a child can. "You're only supposed to ride me!"
"I know," I repeated in exasperation. "But you're not old enough to ride yet and I am not walking all the way there. We don't have that kind of time!"
Instead of continuing the argument, he lunged at Sunny and snapped at her. I caught him before he could actually bite her, and struggled to hold onto him. Busted baskets, I hadn't thought him that strong. It was taking all I had to hold him still. "Night, if you keep acting like this, I'm going to leave you here!"
He abruptly froze in my arms.
Good, finally he was listening to me. "I have a job to do," I told him firmly, "and it's going to be hard enough without arguing with you every step of the way. You either cooperate or stay home!"
His small body sagged. Even though he was being a brat, I still felt an urge to consol him. I really did like the little guy, even if he drove me absolutely batty sometimes. "Night, you know that if I had the choice, I'd ride you, but we don't have that option."
"I know," he said in a forlorn voice.
"So will you behave, or do I have to leave you here?"
He actually deliberated on that for a moment before promising with a heavy sigh, "I'll behave."
Thank all magic for small favors. "Let's go then."
"Garth!"
I turned sharply to see Chatta running towards me. She slid to a halt in front of me, panting and a little flushed from exertion. "Professor Doss said to give this to you."
The slim rod she handed to me was very familiar. It was a bon'a'lon, and a much nicer version than the practice one I had used in Weapons class. I stepped a few feet away before triggering the spell inside the wood. The rod shot out in both directions, extending to five feet in length, before two wicked scythes snapped out on either end. The sharp edge on the blades gleamed in the morning sunlight, and I nodded in approval. Yes, definitely better than the practice bon'a'lon. I hit the spell again, and it retracted back in on itself to the more condensed rod. "Thank you."
"We all know it's your favorite weapon," her expression grew somber, "and you'll need some protection out on the open road."
I waved her concern away. "If I run into any bandits, I'll just sic Night on them."
The Nreesce sniffed and gave me a glare. "I'm not a dog."
I ignored him and gave Chatta a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"You'd better." She grabbed me and gave me a tight hug.
I wasn't used to being hugged like this—Chahiran culture wasn't as touchy-feely as Hainian—but like any other teenage male, I wasn't going to turn down a hug from a pretty girl. I hugged her back, enjoying the sensation.
She stepped back and dropped down to give Night a hug as well. "You be careful too."
Night snuggled into her, eyes half-closed in bliss. If I didn't get him away from her soon, he'd start negotiating about taking Chatta with us.
I quickly mounted Sunny, reins gathered in my hands. "We'll see you in a few weeks, Chatta."
Night pulled free of her so he could prance at my stirrup, and with a last wave and smile, I kicked Sunny into a fast walk with Night trotting alongside.
"Take care!" she called to us.
"Chatta come with us?" Night looked up with imploring eyes.
He's so predictable.
~*~
There were a few facets to traveling with a young Nreesce that I hadn't fully considered while packing. I was so use to thinking of Night as a person in a Nreesce body that I failed to consider that to everyone else, he would just look like a young chestnut colt. When I stopped that night at an inn, Night naturally started to follow me inside, and the innkeeper nearly had an epileptic fit! He was ranting about animals and dirty horses at great volume and length. My attempts to derail him hadn't worked at all, until I finally lost my temper a little. I'd deliberately thrown up my weapon shield, which is visible to the naked eye. Mine is a dark green, which is supposedly typical of Earth Mag
es.
Whether he recognized the color or not, the innkeeper obviously recognized magic when he saw it, and abruptly shut up. It wasn't nice of me, but I looked him dead in the eye and made sure that I looked as scary and menacing as possible.
"Master Innkeeper. This is not a horse. He is a young Nreesce, and I am his chosen Rider. We are not to be separated. Will you accommodate us, or must I choose another place to lodge for the night?"
He pretty much saw my point immediately and, after that, bent over backwards to be helpful.
Similar things happened over the next few days as we stopped at an inn each night. I was almost tempted to skip inns altogether and just camp outside, but I'm a wuss when it comes to staying out of doors. I like my soft comfy beds. I think its part and parcel of being a city boy at heart.
On the third day, I was just riding, and wishing that I wasn't on the back of a horse. Sunny was a very sweet tempered, amiable mare with a smooth gait—or so I was told. Being so inexperienced with horses, I couldn't swear that she was a smooth ride or not. All I knew was that, after three days in the saddle, I was really looking forward to getting to my destination and using my own two legs again.
Early on the morning on the fourth day we reached Hogan's Ford. It was the only place where one could cross the Whinden Channel, and it was rather crowded by people wishing to do just that. It took me a moment to figure out where the line ended; I joined it with a sigh of resignation. If I managed to actually board the ferry in the next hour, I'd be very surprised.
As I was standing there, I realized that a man nearby was studying me intently. It wasn't hostile, but I was uncomfortable under such scrutiny. I turned to face him, returning his challenging stare. Far from discouraging him, he rose from where he had been sitting on the bench near the ferry dock and walked toward me.
"Are you the Earth Mage trainee the Trasdee Evondit Orra sent?"
I arched an eyebrow. Why did this man know me? "Yes."
"Excellent. Wizard Roarke Kartal at your service." He flashed a charming smile; one so practiced and polished that it was devoid of meaning.
Kartal was a typical Hainian with dark coloring and a lean build. He was classically handsome and, unfortunately, he knew it. Something in his manner suggested that his opinion was the most important one. Put simply, he just rubbed me wrong.
I gave him a slight bow out of strict courtesy. "Thank you for the gift of your name. I am Rhebengarthen. This is Night."
His eyes flashed to the colt at my side, and this time he actually looked at him. "Ah, a Nreesce, eh? How did you gain such a fabulous creature?"
Bad luck? "He chose me," I answered blandly.
"Well it’s a good thing I'm here. Your little Nreesce is cute but hardly helpful, right?" Again with the charming smile.
"Can I bite him?" Night growled.
It was so tempting to say yes. With some regret I shook my head no. Biting an ally was considered to be a no-no after all—although I might change my mind if Kartal continued to be an obnoxious prick. In the spirit of keeping peace, I changed the subject. "How much do you know of the situation?"
"Just what the report said." He shrugged nonchalantly. "With my guidance and power, we should be done in a snap."
Head hurt you with an ego like that? "Let's hope so." I wasn't holding my breath though.
"I promise not to bite too hard," Night inputted hopefully.
Don't tempt me.
~*~
Chahir doesn't have many floods. We have to worry about avalanches up in the mountains, but we do not have enough rainfall to make floods a regular threat. As I rode into the damaged areas, it was a little disquieting to see how much damage water could do. You couldn't see where the original riverbanks were, and there was water everywhere. It had been nearly four days since the flood, but the water was still several feet deep in some areas. I noticed at least three houses that were partly sunken. That didn't make sense to me, unless the foundations hadn't been on solid bedrock. Pointing to one I asked, "What causes that?"
"They're called sink holes," Kartal answered cheerfully, delighted that he knew something I didn't. "It happens when the underground water table erodes away the supporting earth and causes a shift of the terrain."
Interesting. It also supported the theory that there was a new underground water source that caused all of this. I really wanted to just sink my mind into the ground and go looking, but I didn't dare do that while trying to ride. I was still a little shaky when it came to playing seer, and moving around while attempting it wasn't the best idea.
We finally reached an area that was above the water level. Two men were waiting there when we arrived, and judging from the bright smiles on their faces, they were happy to see us. Of course, they hadn't met Kartal yet. In about an hour, they'll start planning his going away party.
We rode up to them, dismounted, and did the introduction thing. Mayor Rolland was a short, fat man who had enough wrinkles for five old men. It was especially funny when he smiled; he looked like a demented gnome. The other man was Coutere, who was as somber and serious as Rolland was jolly. He was in unrelieved grey, and had the same demeanor as a man going to a funeral.
"Anything that you need, just ask and we will do our best to assist you," Rolland assured us.
Kartal immediately jumped in and started being his normal, charmingly irritating self. I ignored him and stepped away, studying the surrounding area. There was just so much water, I couldn't see the lay of the land. I'd have to do this the hard way.
"Night?"
He bumped up against my shoulder, eyes trained on me. It was a little alarming how much he'd grown in the past month. His head was almost level with my chin now. "Yes?"
"I need to do a scrying. Give me a half hour, and if I'm not back, pull me out of it." We'd discovered earlier that with his telepathic abilities, Night could anchor me, calling me back to my body if it became necessary.
Rolland and Kartal were still speaking, but Coutere was watching me sharply. I ignored him as best I could and knelt down on the wet earth, putting both of my hands on the soil and closing my eyes. Then I released my mind and senses into the earth beneath me.
This still felt a little odd despite all of my practice. The earth itself has an underlying power, and if you tap into it, it can knock your socks off. I had to be very, very careful with how I moved through the different layers of bedrock and soil.
Eventually, I hit the water table and started skimming my way along its surface, feeling where the water went. I was completely unaware of my body, and its surroundings, except on the most basic plane. I knew that I still breathed, my heart still beat, but all of my attention was focused on the earth. I was captivated by the sensation of the water flowing through my metaphysical fingertips.
It was easy to follow the normal course of the river. The path of it was well worn and had probably been that way for centuries. I finally tripped over a place that was rougher and coarser in texture. This was a new path! I changed directions and followed it, up and up until I reached a mountain range. I could feel the heavy pressure of the earth and rock above my head, with the impossible age of the stone itself. But the path of the water was still coarse.
Something had broken this place, and I couldn’t put my finger on why. As I continued, I finally located the font of all the water. There was a huge underground lake that had lain dormant for many years and was now draining into the new course. I searched all around it carefully, and finally came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be difficult to just dam the area back up again. It'd been that way before; there wouldn't be any harm in keeping it that way.
"Garth, come back!"
Ah, apparently I'd been here too long. I pulled myself back into my body, snapping back into place with an almost audible gasp. I was breathing hard, and shivering from the exertion of extending myself that far. Phew! I really have to practice this more.
When I opened my eyes, there were four people looking at me. Night was ecstatic t
o see me; Rolland was puzzled and frowning; Coutere had a blank expression, and then Kartal. Kartal was visibly irritated, but I couldn’t figure out why. I didn't care to figure it out, to tell the truth.
"Have a nice little trip, Garth?" Kartal drawled with an edge to his voice.
I ignored him completely and focused on Rolland. "There is a new water source high up in the Boren Mountains. For some reason the bedrock shifted which created a direct line from an underground lake to the Komot River. I'll have to go up there to dam the water back up again."
"That is well over a hundred leagues away," Kartal observed tightly. "There is no way you could have reached that from here!"
"It wasn't easy," I admitted mildly. "I need more practice." Turning back to the Mayor I continued, "Give me a few moments to recuperate, and we'll look over the immediate area. Let’s see if we can't create some drains, to get the rest of the water out of here."
Rolland was literally bouncing on his toes, eyes sparkling. "My dear Magus, you are fantastic! So quickly you've determined what's wrong. I am impressed. How long do you think it will take to set up your drains?"
"I have no idea," I admitted. "I should hope not more than a day or two. The drains will help a little, but to really solve the problem, that underground lake needs to be blocked first. That's my true priority."
"Perfectly understandable," Coutere murmured. "Perhaps if Wizard Kartal is through talking the situation over, he can determine the best places for the drains."
I internally winced. The words were mild enough, but the slightly scathing undertone made it clear what Coutere thought of Kartal. The Wizard was furious and embarrassed, but visibly swallowed a scathing rebuttal.
"But of course," Kartal drawled with an urban lilt. "Garth, you've surely reached your limit today. Just relax and I'll handle the rest."
All I needed was five minutes to catch my breath, but I let him think he was in charge again, to avoid an argument.
This was going to be a long day.
~*~
Someone once told me that diplomacy not only meant saying the right things at the right time, but also leaving unsaid the wrong things at the tempting moment. I never fully appreciated that until I met Kartal.
Jaunten (Advent Mage Cycle) Page 9