The star of Morcyth ms-5

by Brian S. Pratt

  “Find a pool of water,” James says as they all dismount, except for Jiron who’s still tied to his saddle.

  After a short hunt, a pool is located and James comes over to kneel beside it. Letting the magic flow, he concentrates on the bottleneck ahead of them and an image begins to form.

  They see the trees and boulders which form the bottleneck and sure enough, spaced in and behind the trees are soldiers of the Empire. A dozen crossbowmen and another two dozen men at arms, as well as one civilian are lying in wait. Further behind them they find the soldier’s horses tied in a group.

  “That group the Shynti and I saw had fourteen soldiers and two civilians,” Qyrll says. “This could be half the force which was sent here.”

  “And the other half is with whoever has the Star,” finishes James. Whoever has it will need to get through Madoc’s lines to reach the Empire so would definitely need the others.

  “Nice of them to split their forces for us,” Uther says in satisfaction. “Will make this all the easier.”

  Canceling the spell, James gets to his feet. From atop his horse, Jiron asks, “What’s the plan?” He thinks for a moment before turning to the others and says, “Okay, here’s what we do…”

  James steps out on foot by himself and approaches the bottleneck. The shimmer of his shield is barely discernable in the light of day. Once he’s covered a hundred feet, the others begin to follow on horseback. Jiron is in the rear leading James’ horse.

  Maintaining a quick, steady pace James closes the distance to where the trail narrows. As he gets closer, he detects movement among the trees and boulders where the soldiers lay in wait.

  Suddenly, a command is given and a dozen bolts fly toward him. Steeling his nerves, he watches as the bolts come straight for him and continues his advance. One by one the bolts strike the shield and are deflected to the side.

  Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!

  Three massive explosions erupt amidst the soldiers lying in wait, screams of men are heard as they’re tossed into the air. Behind him, James hears the others give out with a yell and charge forward.

  Jiron comes forward as well and stops when he draws close to James, staying near in case a soldier gets through.

  Qyrll is the first to enter the area of destruction and is peppered by falling debris, fortunately none of any size. Both swords out, he vaults from the back of his horse and engages the enemy. Slightly dazed from the concussions of the three explosions, the soldiers put up little resistance at first. But then others from the rear come forward and the battle is joined. Miko and Fifer are the next to arrive with Jorry and Uther right behind.

  Facing off against a soldier in a dark uniform, Miko parries a thrust then returns with a slice. The soldier’s movements are quick but Miko is able to deflect the attack. Battle rages all around as each faces off with one or more opponents.

  Fifer faces two and is having a hard time in breaching their defenses. Both are master swordsmen and just when he thinks he’s over matched, a stone flies from behind and takes one through the chest. Hole opening up in his armor from where James’ stone hit, the soldier stumbles backward and falls to the ground. Now having just the one, Fifer is able to hold his own.

  Jorry and Uther are back to back holding off two each. One of Uther’s suffers from a leg injury sustained during the explosions which makes his attacks less precise. “Need any help?” Jorry asks from behind.

  “You worry about yourself,” Uther says as he feints to the one without injuries and then strikes out toward the other. Striking him across the throat, the man stumbles backward, holding the wound in a vain attempt to prevent his blood from escaping. Finally overcome with loss of blood, he collapses to the ground.

  “Ha-ha!” Uther boasts. “One down.” Behind the man he’s battling, he sees a crossbowman emerge from around one of the trees and begins cocking back his crossbow. Once it’s locked into place he turns toward Uther and brings the crossbow to bear.

  Uther is distracted by what he’s seeing developing behind his opponent and allows his opponent to maneuver through his defenses, sinking his sword into his side. Crying out and abruptly twisting to the side he moves out of the crossbowman’s line of fire just as the bolt is released. The bolt flies and barely misses him as he twists. Going over Jorry’s shoulder, the bolt strikes one of his opponents right between the eyes and sinks three inches into his skull.

  Uther’s injury is bad and he’s unable to adequately defend himself from the soldier’s attacks.

  Hack! Hack! Slash!

  The soldier beats against his defenses, each time Uther is afraid that he won’t be fast enough to bring his sword back for the next attack. The pain in his side flares as he moves first one way and then the other to counter what his opponent is doing. Finally, he brings his sword up to ward off a severe blow and it’s knocked out of his hand. Seeing his death coming, he braces himself for the impact.

  A shadow suddenly appears and the soldier is bowled over as Miko tackles him to the ground. “Get back to James!” he cries to Uther as he rolls to his feet. Sword at the ready, he prepares for the assault.

  The soldier faces Miko and then launches into a series of blinding attacks which he meets and counters. His skill, having been augmented by his time with the Fire, is superior to that of most and this opponent is no exception. He takes the man’s measure and after a few passes begins working to bring his sword into just the right angle. When at last the moment is at hand, he feints an attack to his head which causes the soldier to bring his sword up to just the right place, creating a hole. With speed the eye can barely see, Miko brings his sword around and thrusts through the hole, taking the man just to the left of the breastbone and puncturing his heart.

  As the man sags to the ground, Miko pulls his sword free and looks around. The crossbowman which had almost killed Uther with his bolt lies dead on the ground, head blown apart by one of James’ stones. Glancing around, he sees the battle is over.

  Jorry is tending Uther, the wound is serious but not life threatening. Packing the wound with a spare shirt, he rips cloth from another and ties it tight much to the chagrin of his patient.

  “Would you be careful!” admonishes Uther.

  “Shut up you old woman,” Jorry replies back as he ties the last knot.

  “Is there anyone alive?” James asks as he and Jiron come forward.

  “Over here!” Fifer yells. One soldier who sustained a cut to his sword arm lies on the ground at his feet, Fifer holds his sword threateningly to keep him quiet.

  James rushes over and asks, “Do you understand me?”

  The soldier glares at him and doesn’t reply. James glances to Qyrll who speaks to the man in his own language. The soldier replies back and Qyrll says, “He understands me.”

  “Ask him what happened to Dave,” he says. “I…I need to know.”

  Qyrll turns back to the man and for several minutes they exchange words. The soldier’s face gets a weird look to it as he talks to Qyrll. When at last the soldier finishes speaking, Qyrll turns back to the others.

  “Well?” asks James.

  The soldier had originally been a part of a mission to hit The Ranch and attempt to capture the rogue mage. But after the incident in the pass, all their plans changed. They had followed James’ group until they reached Ironhold and then settled in to wait and watch while he and the others combed the town.

  Word was eventually given that they were on the move and so they began the task of following them. He and the others were never given a reason why an attack had not been launched upon the mage and his companions during their time at Ironhold. Some believed it because none wanted to face the magic which has ended some of the most powerful mages of the Empire. Others felt they were waiting for reinforcements.

  After reaching the foot of Kiliticus, they were amazed to see two people on a poorly constructed raft paddle out into the middle of the lake and then sit there all day. At first they thought something would happen but were disa
ppointed.

  Finally, the two people came to shore and the group climbed up the side of the mountain and lights sprung to life on the darkened slope. It was at that time word was given for all units to converge on the lighted area.

  Before they reached the area with the lights, they went out. Using lanterns, they continued the rest of the way and found the opening in the side of the outcropping. The mage in charge of the group, along with two other men began talking about the ramifications of what is happening.

  They were there several minutes before the mage starts barking orders and has them make ready to enter. Then suddenly, a blinding white light erupts from the opening and a man stumbles forth.

  The ground began to shake as the mage raises his hands and then the mountain caved in. Dust belched forth from the opening and when it cleared, there on the ground lay a man.

  The mage and the civilians were next to him, the rest of the soldiers kept their distance. Clutched in the man’s hands was the source of the blinding light. In the light, they saw the man’s face contorted in some agony, maybe horror, later none could say for sure. An inarticulate cry began to emerge from him as the mage and the other two backed away.

  The skin of the man began turning dark and his cries became more feral, less human. Spreading from where his hands gripped the object, the darkness spread quickly. Soon the man’s skin where it began had turned black as coal. The man’s cry was cut off when the black spread up his neck. By the time it covered his entire face, the man had stopped moving and lay frozen.

  The light from what he clutched in his hands finally diminished completely and the only light left was that coming from the lanterns. The mage glanced to the others for a moment and then picked up a stick. Moving forward, he quickly struck the object and it broke free, as well as the man’s hands. They simply broke off at the wrists.

  As the gem-like object hit the ground, the man began to crumble in on himself. After a couple minutes, only a pile of dark, fine dust was left. The mage picked up the gem with a cloth and put it into one of his belt pouches. Then they began moving out of there.

  Qyrll glances to James as he says, “They discovered we were following them and laid a trap hoping to slow us down. The others are moving with all speed to reach the Empire.”

  The horror of Dave’s fate is almost too much for him to believe. His best friend, life long companion. Good times, bad times, Dave had always been there for him.

  The Empire! Anger, the likes of which he’s never experienced before erupts. The Empire took his friend, tortured him and in the end twisted him to their own ends. The Empire!

  Looking down at the soldier at their feet, he says with barely controlled rage, “Kill him.”

  Fifer looks to James who yells, “I said kill him!” He then glances to Jiron who nods. Striking out with his sword, he ends the life of the soldier.

  Turning around abruptly, James goes to where Jiron is holding his horse and mounts. The others quickly get on their horses and then he takes off as fast as the terrain will allow him. When they pass by the horses left by dead soldiers, they pause momentarily while Fifer and Qyrll gather them and bring them along. Extra mounts will enable them to cover more ground quickly as they’ll be able to trade off from one to another.

  James sits impatiently while the horses are being tied in a line and then once they’re ready, again bolts away down the trail. He doesn’t get too far before Qyrll comes to the fore. “Let me take the lead,” he says.

  With a glare of irritation, James acquiesces and allows Qyrll to once more lead the way. After all, he knows the way back better than the rest. Also, he picked up on the ambush back there before any of the others.

  They ride hard throughout the rest of the day, only pausing once in a while for the call of nature and to swap horses. Jorry has to help Uther down off of his and onto another when the time to change mounts comes. When he does, he takes notice of a growing red stain that’s gradually spreading from the point of entry. “You okay man?” he asks, worried. His friend’s face is pale and drawn.

  Getting up onto the fresh mount, Uther grunts and then says, “You worry too much.”

  “Be right back,” Jorry tells his friend and after receiving a nod, walks over to where James is finishing cinching the saddle on his spare mount. “Uther’s not doing too good,” he says.

  Glancing back, he sees Uther in the saddle sitting quiet and still, which isn’t like him. “Anything we can do for him?” he asks.

  “I don’t think so,” Jorry replies. “All this riding is hard on his wound. It isn’t going to heal.”

  “Might be a good idea if you two take it slower,” he says.

  “But you’ll need us,” insists Jorry.

  “One more sword won’t make any difference,” he explains. “Besides, Uther couldn’t defend himself now even if his life depended on it. And in a little bit, it may. You two follow along behind as best you can and then head back to The Ranch.”

  Glancing back to his friend who’s sitting askew in the saddle, he says, “I hate leaving you.”

  “I know,” James says in understanding. “But at times, circumstances dictate for us to do that which we don’t want to.”

  “You be careful,” Jorry tells him.

  “We will,” he assures him. “You just take care of him.”

  Jorry nods then returns to the side of his friend.

  Once Qyrll has assisted Jiron in mounting another horse, they all mount and get going. When the others notice Jorry and Uther not moving to keep up with them, James explains the situation.

  Making good time, they reach the shore of the large lake. The sun is almost down but no one even thinks about stopping. It’s going to be another clear night and they would rather travel slow than possibly allow the soldiers to get any further ahead of them. But they’ve all been up for over twenty four hours now as it is.

  James calls for a brief rest so they can all get a little sleep. Catching them quickly will do them little good if they’re all so tired they can’t take them on effectively. They don’t stay very long, merely five hours or so before they’re off again.

  Another couple hours finds them approaching the first river they encountered after leaving the mine area on their way to the ruins. Qyrll takes them upriver until they reach the ford then crosses over. On the far side, he stops and gets off his horse.

  The others come toward him as he bends over and examines a pile of horse manure. Standing up, he says, “Looks like they camped here last night. Might not be more than a couple hours behind them.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” Fifer says as Qyrll gets back in the saddle.

  Turning his horse to head downriver, Qyrll leads them on.

  As he follows behind Qyrll, James continues to ruminate about Dave, their life together and the tragic end of it all. His anger, which at first had burned like a white hot sun, has cooled a little and he can approach this in a more rational manner.

  Last night he was all for razing the entire Empire to the ground, destroying all its cities and citizens. But now his need for vengeance is more directed against the ones responsible for this, the leaders behind the Empire. He feels slightly ashamed of himself for wishing harm on the innocents; the women, children, those who are not part of the war machine.

  Once they return to the lake, the going becomes steadily easier and they’re able to increase their speed. The foothills afford much more gradual terrain than the hilly, forested region they just came from.

  “The mine we passed on our way out is just ahead,” Qyrll announces after the lake is an hour behind them.

  “Good,” says James. “If the mine is just ahead then we’ll be on roads from this point and may have a chance of catching up with them.”

  It isn’t long after that when through the hills ahead of them the road leading from the mine to Ironhold appears. Qyrll moves onto the road and then breaks into a gallop as he turns in the direction Ironhold lies. The others follow suit.

&nb
sp; Riding hard it takes a little over an hour before they crest a hill and Ironhold appears below. “There they are!” Miko cries out.

  Just entering the town are over two dozen riders, and they’re riding hard.

  “Heya!” James says as he kicks his horse and races down toward the town.

  “James!” Jiron cries out as the rest gallop to keep up with him.

  Not heeding Jiron’s cry, James races at breakneck speed down toward the town. All he can think of is Dave and the Empire’s role in his demise. Red begins clouding his vision as the pent up rage begins to take control.

  The soldiers have disappeared among the buildings before James even closes half the distance. Which way they went is hard to tell but only one road leads out of Ironhold to the south and that’s where they’ve got to be going.

  With the others trying to catch up, James lays along his horse’s neck in an attempt to decrease wind resistance and increase speed. He closes the distance with the outskirts of town rapidly and finally shoots down the street between the outlying buildings.

  Ahead of him is an intersection and when he reaches it, crossbow bolts fly from the street to the right. He becomes aware of his danger too late and one bolt takes him in the leg while four others strike his horse.

  The horse stumbles and throws him from the saddle. He flies through the air and slams into the ground ten feet away. Instantly, he erects his shield around him just as another volley of bolts flies at him. They strike the shield and are deflected away.

  His nerve endings tingle when he begins detecting the workings of magic. Looking around quickly, he sees the mage emerge from the side street and come toward him. In his hand is the Star. His troops set up a blockade to prevent the others from coming to his aid as bolt after bolt is fired.

  Jiron and the others are forced to retreat from the deadly volley. They quickly backtrack to the edge of town and then their group splits, Jiron and Qyrll going to the right and Miko and Fifer going left.

  James gets to his feet, his right leg from which the bolt is still protruding barely able to support him. Thankfully it’s only embedded in the muscle and didn’t hit the bone, although the pain it’s inflicting is almost unbearable.