“Why do we have to do this?” Kayleb passed the bowl back to her. “Do you really believe they can call on the spirits of their dead ancestors?”
“Customs, traditions, and even religious beliefs are a source of great comfort to people.”
“Hmmf!” he snorted.
Alicia watched a cloud cover half of the moon. “You don’t believe in religion or traditions?”
“I believe in the gods, but I don’t think they allow the spirits to roam around every full moon.”
“The world doesn’t function according to our beliefs. Instead, we believe what we resonates most to us on a personal level, and that becomes our religion,” she said. Alicia hung her head and folded her hands in prayer, the way the tribal people were doing.
Beside her, she felt Kayleb squirm but he kept quiet. Ana’s chant took a long time. Finally, she stopped. Everyone gazed expectantly at the fire. The flames crackled and burned, and then slowly, she sensed, rather than saw, the edges of the flames turn black. Threads of black smoke escaped from the fire and swirled over it. The smoke thickened, and began to move in different shapes.
The tribal people began to shout. One after another they said things, asked questions, and every time someone demanded an answer, the smoke changed shape. Alicia saw people traveling on a long road, a range of mountains that reminded her of home, the ocean, and people fighting. Two figures danced in view, and moved away to show a tall tree.
Finally the smoke dispersed. One of the women was crying, while others patted her on the back.
“What happened?” she whispered to Ana who was wiping away her own tears.
“Her twin daughters are with the ancestors. She is happy they found their place amongst the old ones.” Ana stood. “Come with me,” she said, her voice grave.
Alicia followed the healer away from the crowd around the fire. “What else did you see?”
Ana stopped by the side of a wagon, her eyes fixed on the ground. “It is hard to decipher the images of the spirits, but I saw a long, hard road ahead of us. We will not be able to go back to our people. Of course, we must all discuss what we saw, and reach a consensus.”
“What will you do if you can’t go back?”
Ana shrugged. She locked glances with Alicia. “It is difficult to say. The spirits will show us the way.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine the suffering of these people if they were forced to move away from the only way of life they had ever known. What would they do? Where would they go? “If you don’t go back to your people, you are welcome to join us in Iram. It’s an island off the western coast. It’s my homeland.”
Ana inclined her head. “Thank you. I appreciate your offer. It is not known whether we shall meet again, but there is a debt to be paid to you.”
“But I…”
“There is something important I must tell you.” Ana took Alicia’s hand in her own. “Your life is not your own to throw away. You must not do the thing you are planning to do.”
“What?”
“It isn’t your destiny,” she said. “You path lies elsewhere. You will stand with your brother and sister one day and fight a war that will change this world for better. It is your duty to be there with them. Together, you are strong. Alone, you will all fall.”
For a moment Alicia was nonplussed. What was the woman talking about? Did she mean that Alicia shouldn’t go to the temple where Vindha was creating demon mages, or did she mean something else?
She pulled her hand away. “I will do as I must. Thank you for telling me all that.”
Ana nodded. “I’ll check the young,” she said.
Alicia watched the healer walk away. She wasn’t sure if she fully understood the warning of the spirits. Before leaving Iram, she had decided on her course of action; it was her duty to destroy the temple and put an end to Vindha’s plans. If she managed to stop the production of the demon mages, they might have a chance to win a war against him. Nothing, and no one, could deter her from her chosen course.
Not even the spirits. And maybe, not even the gods.
That night Alicia slept little. She moved from child to child, monitoring their fever, watching them for any sign of increased internal bleeding or delirium. In between these rounds she caught a few moments of sleep, knowing that tomorrow would be a tough day as they would have to pick up the pace in order to make up for lost time.
When the sun poured its light into the eastern horizon, Alicia found herself standing by the fire, drinking hot tea and eating stale bread. All of the children were better, and only one still had fever.
“The red marks have gone down by half,” reported Ana, with a wide grin. “The girls are talking already. They want to have breakfast.”
“Absolutely not,” said Alicia as she handed over a tray of breakfast to a man. He lumbered off to give it to Kayleb who was sitting with the men. Defying her instructions to stay aloof, he had slept with the tribe at night. “Every child needs to drink two more cups of the brew,” she ordered.
The administration of the medicine took much less time than previous day. The children drank the medicine while complaining loudly.
“It gladdens my heart to see them grumble,” said Ana. She held an empty cup in her hand. “That one there,” she pointed to a girl who was grimacing at the aftertaste of the brew. “She is my niece. Her five year old brother passed away four days ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears prickled in Alicia’s eyes. “The youngest fade the fastest with quilla.”
“We lost four infants, two toddlers and two older children,” said Ana in a matter-of-fact voice. “Our tribe kicked us out before our children could make the rest sick. But you saved us, and we will forever remain in your debt.”
“What will you do now?” Alicia asked.
“Once they are all well, we’ll decide what to do.”
“Do you think you will be able to make the medicine on your own?” The quilla medicine had to be consumed fresh within a day, but it could be brewed easily and with speed. Alicia explained everything to the women as they worked, but she worried whether they would be able to reproduce the medicine if the need arose.
“I’ve everything here,” Ana pointed to her head. “You don’t worry, mistress.”
Alicia smiled as she watched a girl, who was near-comatose yesterday, struggle to fix her hair. “I’ve faith in you, Ana.”
“Your man is waiting.”
Alicia looked to see where Kayleb stood with the horses, their packs already loaded and tied. Alicia hugged the older woman. “Don’t forget to give two more cups to each child in the afternoon, and let them rest for one more day before you begin travel again.”
“I will do so,” assured Ana. “May the Goddess aid you in your journey.”
Soon they were traveling away from the tribe, eager to regain the time they had lost. It would take days, if not weeks, to reach the mountains, and who knew how many trackers tailed them.
Safety was no longer an illusion they could afford to cling to. Every moment lost was a moment they were closer to being captured and killed. Now, perhaps more than ever, they needed to pick up the pace —and reach their destination as fast as possible.
Chapter Nine
Maya and Theodore led the horses on foot over the rocky terrains. It would cost them time, but they couldn’t afford to lose their mounts at this crucial time. For the past two days they had been chased by Vindha’s trackers. After being nearly caught at a river bank, they had set a fast pace to outrun the two mages and the six soldiers who traveled with them.
Theodore still shuddered to think of how close they came to being killed. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were high atop a hill, and looked across at the right time, they would have been caught unaware by the tracking party.
He raised his head to look at the looming mountains ahead. The distant peaks were lost in white, fluffy clouds. Right up ahead was the pass that would lead them into the safety of the neighboring kingdom. As the terrain improved
, he motioned for Maya to ride her horse. At full gallop, they made haste towards the relative safety of the mountain range. The underbrush thickened as they neared the pass. Although the mounts slowed, Theodore was confidant they had escaped the trackers. He looked back once and was relieved to see no sign of the riders.
Their troubles were over.
Maya’s horse reared and she was flung off its back. Theodore jumped off his horse even before he saw the burning arrow that hit his mare on its side. The magic-fortified arrow pierced the skin, damaging vital organs as it buried itself deep in the body. The animal bolted.
“Maya!” Rushing to her, he was relieved that she was unhurt. The shields they carefully constructed and strictly maintained since their departure from Iram had saved their lives.
“My poor horse,” she sobbed.
Theodore was surprised to see her gelding still standing despite the arrow that shattered its right knee. Its right leg was raised above ground. The animal was in considerable agony as it snorted and flung its head back. Its eyes were rolling in fear and pain, the whites showing.
He’d been so careless. So stupid. Rather than give chase, their enemies chose to guess the direction of their travel, and circled ahead to set up an ambush. The pass was a perfect place for an attack, as it was a wide open ground.
The two rival mages neared as Theodore help Maya stand. They stood back to back, both of them conscious of the fact that there were soldiers hidden in the trees, probably holding crossbows trained at them.
“Keep an eye out for arrows,” said Theodore. “And don’t let them separate us.”
The fight was brutal. The enemy mages bombarded them with fireballs, burning arrows, whirlwinds, rocks and pebbles. Luckily their shields held firm as the soldiers tried to pierce them with broad head arrows. Still, they were outnumbered and if they hadn’t planned for such an eventuality, they might have been less prepared and easily taken in.
Maya fought with a determined ferocity, her water bombs detonating with loud booms. She managed to locate and hit two of the soldiers who were sitting high up on trees in the mountains. One of them broke a leg and yelled loudly for a long time, while the other fell unconscious. Maya threw a few blue spelled pellets and sucked the moisture out of the air. The mages stepped back as they couldn’t breathe. This gave Theodore an opportunity to ensnare them in twin tornadoes. A solider loosened an arrow at him, but Maya’s water fountain turned its direction and one of the enemy mage was hit by the arrow on his shoulder.
“They aren’t protected against a physical attack,” said Theodore. “Focus on that.”
They concentrated on showering the mages with pebbles, rocks, and thorns from nearby bushes. The physical offensive forced the mages to waste their energy.
The mage who was hit was losing blood copiously, and as a result, his reflexes were slow. Theodore’s rock hit him square on the forehead with enough force to break his bone. He collapsed immediately.
Maya grinned. “Slightly better odds now.”
Theodore leaped aside to avoid an arrow. His shield would have stopped the attack, but enough hits and it would puncture, leaving him vulnerable.
After seeing one of their mages down, the soldiers multiplied their efforts. Arrows whizzed past them with frightening speed. “You take the mage. I’ll see to the soldiers,” said Theodore.
They turned so that Maya was facing the fire mage. He was hurling torrents of orange-red fire, even as he dodged the rocks she pelted him with. Seeing an opportunity, Maya threw three white pellets over his head. The water in the surrounding air froze, and he was caught in a hail of sharp piercing ice. Theodore engulfed a tree in multiple whirlwinds, and two more soldiers fell off. One of them broke his neck, but the other ran screaming behind the tree while a whirlwind chased him.
Theodore stopped three arrows directed towards Maya in mid-air. Clearly the soldiers were ordered to protect the mages at all cost. But the three remaining soldiers and the lone mage wouldn’t pose much of a problem.
“We’ve got it,” Theodore yelled as he blew gusts of wind into the trees, searching for more soldiers. His words proved to be less than prophetic, because at that very moment, Maya’s shield ripped open with a loud, screeching sound. Her cloak caught fire. Jets of water from her fingertips doused the flames, but that lapse of concentration gave the fire mage an opportunity to hit her with triple balls of fire. Theodore pushed her aside, knowing his shield would absorb the magic.
Maya was saved, but his own shield melted under the mammoth attack. An arrow caught him in the leg. Despite the intense pain, Theodore forced himself to remain erect.
The battle had suddenly turned, but he kept his head. Now, he was facing the fire mage. Using an old trick, he diverted the torrents of fire back on the mage, forcing him to retreat.
Arrows rained around him. It was only a matter of time before one of them succumbed to a serious injury. Suddenly, there was a loud scream, and then another. No one shot at them anymore. Someone had taken out the soldiers. The fire mage panicked, shocked to lose all his support.
“Kill him,” said Maya as she stood by her side.
“No,” Theodore ordered sharply. The fire mage was retreating. He was walking backwards, and looking eager to escape. “He doesn’t wish to fight anymore.”
“He nearly killed us,” she said, her jaw clenched in anger.
“But he didn’t quite manage, did he?”
Maya snorted but said nothing.
The fire mage scampered up a mountain, and soon disappeared behind a huge boulder.
“He is going to circle back, and go wherever he tied his horse. Should have killed him when we had the chance,” Maya muttered. Her lips were pinched in anger.
Theodore didn’t reply. His gaze was fixed on the three archers who were climbing down the mountain, their bows held at the ready.
“What now?” said Maya, slipping an arm around his waist. “Are they friends or enemies?”
“We’ll know soon enough,” he said with a grim note. “They don’t appear to have any magic.”
Maya didn’t take her eyes off the bows held in their hands. “Mages could be hiding in the mountains.”
The archers walked closer. As they neared, Theodore noticed the blue insignia stitched on the right sleeve of their tunic. “They are from Izba,” he said, still not sure if they were safe.
Izba was the kingdom that lay beyond the pass. Although the kingdoms to the north were not allied with Vindha, he still wasn’t sure what their intention was. They had allowed the mage who was attacking them to escape. Did that mean they were already allied with Vindha? Why did they then kill Vindha’s soldiers?
He wondered what their fate would be. Were they destined to die before reaching their destination? Was it too late to ally Iram with Izba and the other free kingdoms?
The archers came to a halt a few feet away.
“Who are you?” one asked.
“Greetings, friends,” said Theodore. “We are messengers sent by King Seve of Iram. We have a letter that must be read in the presence of King Amber of Izba.”
The archers exchanged a look. “Why did you fight with those mages and soldiers?”
“They ambushed us,” he said. “We don’t know what their intentions were.”
“Do you wish to return or go to the court of King Amber?”
“We will proceed to King Amber’s court.”
“Follow us, but know that if you harm us, your lives would be forfeit,” said one of the archers. He turned and walked off with his companions.
The archers wouldn’t be so confident unless they had the protection of mages hiding in the mountains, keeping watch over them. Theodore was not scared; his intention was not to fight but to reach the court of King Amber. He readied himself. With a deep indrawn breath, he pulled the arrow out of his leg. Despite his effort, a short scream escaped his lips. The archers looked back, but didn’t make an attempt to provide help. Maya took out a poultice from a pouch hanging on h
er belt. She poured some water over it to activate the herbs, and placed it on his bleeding wound. She wrapped it with her scarf so it would stay in place.
“This should stop the bleeding,” she said. “But it would be better if we can get you to a healer.”
“That would be up to these people. For all we know, we could be walking into a trap.”
“At least we are safe for now.”
Theodore limped beside her, his arm around her shoulders, as they followed the archers. The horses were long gone, but much to Theodore’s surprise, the other side of the pass contained a camp that was populated by other mages and soldiers from King Amber’s army. The archers belonged to a scouting party that patrolled the pass. They were handed over to the camp commander who, after hearing their tale, finally summoned a healer. He left them with the healer.
The healer took off the poultice and with a flick of his hand, he closed the wound. “The bone was chipped. I can’t heal it altogether, but I will give you some herbs which you must mix in your tea and drink for seven days. It will aid the healing.”
“Thank you.”
After the healer left, they were provided with some food.
The commander returned with a mage in tow. The mage was a young man of nearly twenty years of age. He wore the insignia of Izba on his tunic. “You have a message from King Seve for King Amber?” the mage asked, his voice somber. “May I see it?”
“It’s for the king’s eyes only,” said Theodore.
The mage didn’t look perturbed by the refusal. “King Amber is holding court in the city of Aba. I can accompany you there as I have to return to court to give my report about this encounter.”
“That would be very kind.”
“You should proceed at the earliest. Horses have been readied,” said the commander.
Theodore and Maya went outside where three horses were already waiting. Although shooting pains radiated from his leg when he put pressure on it, Theodore managed to mount the animal. The sooner they got this done, the faster they could go back home. To Theodore’s surprise, five archers accompanied them.
The Warrior Mage (The Power of Three Book 2) Page 10