Wizards' Exile

by Colin R Parsons

  ‘One thing at a time, Rebus. Let’s get the lad back first, then we have to find transport to take us the rest of the way,’ Caleb said, adding to the conversation. They moved over the next hill and Caleb stopped.

  ‘What is it?’ Rhidian asked curiously.

  ‘He definitely went this way,’ Caleb spoke, peering down the valley.

  ‘Yes, I agree,’ Rebus said, adding a nod.

  ‘I can see footprints.’ Rhidian raised his voice excitedly. He was right – in the gravel there were impressions.

  ‘Well…’ Rebus uttered.

  ‘They’re not boots. More like trainers, so it must be Red,’ Rhidian gushed. At least the boy was up and walking.

  ‘That’s not going to help us much though,’ Caleb admitted.

  ‘Why?’ Rhidian asked and looked perplexed.

  ‘The ground changes further along,’ Rebus cut in. He was right; the shale which they’d been crunching through was soon to change to grass, and that would be more difficult to see where the trail would lead.

  ‘Back to our original plan,’ Caleb said.

  The three men scrambled their way down the hillside – loose rocks and gravel spilled to the bottom. Rebus slipped and was helped back to his feet by the others. When they got to the treeline the last of the footprints disappeared.

  ‘Where did he go? Is it this way?’ Caleb said, flicking his gaze from left to right. He stood with eyes shut, willing his magic to reveal something.

  ‘It’s no use, Caleb. I can’t feel him either. His essence is fading,’ Rebus admitted.

  Things were looking grim, until Rhidian knelt down. He ran his eyes along the ground. He paid particular attention to the grass and shrubs. The three of them were in a clearing and the sun shone through the overhanging branches, leaving bright, luminous shapes on the grass. The continuing winds made the tree limbs tremble, making it seem as though the trees were whispering to each other.

  ‘Well?’ Rebus croaked impatiently. Rhidian said nothing for a moment and looked straight ahead.

  ‘Ah hah,’ he finally chirped up. ‘The grass is flattened and these shrubs have been disturbed. That wide gap between the trees is where I think he must have gone.’ Rhidian looked up at his two wizard companions, a smile beamed all over his face. Wizard intuition, he thought… pah!

  ‘All right then, we go that way.’ Caleb walked off and left the others in his wake.

  ‘Hold on, Caleb,’ Rebus called after him. ‘We have to be vigilant. I feel we’re getting really close. We don’t know if there’s anything else here.’

  ‘Stop!’ Rhidian shouted.

  ‘What…?’ But Rebus didn’t have time to continue.

  ‘Shhh!’ Rhidian had his finger to his lips. ‘Listen.’

  By this time Caleb had returned. He looked blankly at Rebus who looked just as mystified at Rhidian. Then it happened. The sound of a low-pitched growl that rumbled along the ground and vibrated up through their bodies. Everyone froze.

  ‘What is that?’ Caleb mouthed the words. Rebus and Rhidian shook their heads, mystified. All three of them dipped down behind a small clump of bushes. The clearing turned into centre stage and the biggest bear anyone had ever seen now occupied it. It was six feet on all fours, so Rebus calculated it would reach at least twelve feet when fully upright. Caleb’s eyes resembled giant rock pools. Rhidian’s bottom jaw dropped so low that he almost rubbed his chin on the ground.

  The bear was humongous, its paws easily the size of a large dinner plate. It snuffled the grass with its wet, black, shiny snout and lifted its head up, sniffing the air. Rhidian held his breath. The animal must have recognised the odour. It immediately opened its gaping mouth and let out a colossal growl and revealed a row of huge front canines, jagged and sharp as rocks. The ground physically shook as if frightened by this monstrous beast. The sound was deafening making the three men wince. The bear looked in their direction and they knew the game was up.

  ‘What do we do?’ Rhidian whispered in terror, his eyes almost popped out of his head.

  ‘There’s not a lot we can do,’ Caleb responded.

  ‘He’s right. We have to face this thing,’ Rebus said reluctantly.

  ‘FACE IT?’ Rhidian gushed. There was another loud roar, as if the bear was inviting them to reveal themselves. All three stepped from behind the bush, fully knowing they didn’t have a chance to outrun the animal. Upon seeing them, the monster let out another huge snarl. Rhidian trembled so much he didn’t know if he could hold himself up. He switched his gaze from Rebus to Caleb… they appeared calm. How did they do that when he felt as though he was about to throw up?

  ‘What… are… we… going… to… do?’ Rhidian said, and barely got the words out.

  ‘Caleb,’ Rebus said, and quickly whispered into his ear. Caleb nodded in agreement.

  ‘Whatever you’re going to do, guys, do it now,’ Rhidian squeaked.

  The huge bear was about to strike and lowered its head to the ground. It let out the biggest and longest roar Rhidian had ever heard. Everything within a mile shook as if hit by a massive explosion. Its mouth was wide open and inside revealed the most powerful set of jaws. Rhidian could see quite clearly deep scars of battle gouged into its fur. This beast was no stranger to a fight and would make mincemeat of them in no time.

  If the roar wasn’t an impressive enough show of dominance, then the next thing that happened took their breath away… it stood up! The three men took a step back and each craned their necks to take in the enormity of its size. This animal was colossal – at least twelve feet tall at its peak. It would need heavy weaponry just to slow it down.

  ‘Oh, GOD, we’re all going to die!’ Rhidian said, the words falling from his gaping mouth. The engineer had forgotten his quest. Nothing mattered to him now but how violently he was going to part this world. He could feel warm tears welling up in the corner of his eyes and his nose began to stream. He found himself taking short, sharp breaths but panic was just another element of fear.

  Another almighty roar suddenly filled the air and Rhidian turned his head with a jerk to see what was happening. He couldn’t believe it – another bear appeared from a gap in the rocks. This one was brown and just as big and powerful as the black one. The second bear slowly padded towards the black bear and a battle was about to commence.

  Rhidian took a few steps back and collided with a tree, which instantly winded him. He looked on, knowing there was nothing he could do to defend himself against these huge beasts. He noticed though that the black bear looked confused. Rhidian was still trying to breathe as he studied the other animal. He noticed too, that it looked very similar to the black bear. Not only that, but it had identical scarring as the other bear. He gasped for air, but he also couldn’t work out what was going on. The brown bear then let out another howl that overshadowed the black bear’s dominant call. This really shook old black’s confidence.

  Soon everyone could see that there was a definite change in the situation. The black bear suddenly began to cower – its ears drooped and so did its shoulders. Rhidian glanced over to Caleb and Rebus who were fully concentrating on some spell or something. They were standing each side of the brown bear and had both eyes closed. Rhidian was overwhelmed.

  These two bears were more than he could handle. Had the wizards combined magic to conjure up this apparition? Was it real, or was it just coincidence? Rhidian was taking no chances and flattened himself against the tree as much as he could. He closed his eyes and clenched his mouth shut.

  The brown bear let out another colossal roar and that was enough to secure the situation. The first bear looked broken and dropped down onto all fours. The next thing, it let out a couple of high-pitched whimpers, then backed away. Rhidian opened his eyes a crack… and then fully. The two sorcerers were still fully committed to their illusion and didn’t move. The black bear was no more and scampered off beyond the trees, with the brown bear still bellowing in its wake.

  ‘Okay, fellas… it’s gone!�
�� Rhidian shouted. The bear turned to him and leaned forward and bared its teeth. Rhidian screamed and threw his arms up to protect himself. And then silence. Rhidian slowly dropped his hands down when he heard the sound of chuckling and was confronted by two grinning wizards. The engineer stared back, eyes blazing. Then, he relented and shook his head.

  ‘You…’

  ‘Now, now, Rhidian, there’s no need for any ill will,’ Rebus said, still beaming. Caleb’s grin was so wide that Rhidian thought the top of his head would fall off.

  ‘How on earth did you manage that?’ he asked, still physically shaking from the trauma.

  ‘You’d have to be a wizard to know that, my friend,’ Caleb responded. ‘The main thing is it worked.’

  ‘That could have gone so wrong,’ Rhidian expressed.

  ‘Did you have any other ideas?’ Rebus said, scornfully.

  ‘No, I guess not, and I am grateful, but we still have to find Red,’ he insisted.

  ‘True, and time is of the essence. There is a wild bear out here and Red is on his own. He wouldn’t stand a chance against that thing and I don’t know if that spell would work again,’ Caleb admitted.

  ‘OK, I can still see where the ground has been disturbed. Let’s just hope it’s Red that has disturbed it.’

  ‘Let’s go then, guys, but keep an eye out for Barney,’ Rebus joked.

  ‘Barney? Are you serious? It’s got to be Jeremy,’ Caleb added.

  ‘Shut up, guys,’ Rhidian said, still feeling a little bruised from the joke they’d pulled.

  Soon they disappeared into the thicket and resumed the search for Red.

  ‘GRRRRRR!’ Rebus growled.

  ‘Not funny, Rebus,’ Rhidian snapped back.

  ‘It kind of is though,’ Caleb joined in.

  ‘Right, that’s enough,’ Rhidian continued, and after one or two more growls, Caleb and Rebus relented.

  Chapter 17

  Imago Pirates

  The tracks continued for a while and then disappeared again. They all stopped and stared at the ground. Rebus spoke up.

  ‘What do we do now?’ he asked, looking concerned. ‘We’ve no trail to follow.’

  ‘I don’t know, but we can’t give up.’ Rhidian was worried but adamant about continuing the search.

  ‘I understand you’re concerned about young Red, but the light is fading and I’ve lost his essence,’ Caleb said, pointing above.

  Night was indeed slowly devouring the blue sky, adding a deep purple to the backdrop. The trees were fanned out, but the twilight still hid them from predators. The urgency of finding their friend, and the inevitability of darkness, made Caleb, Rebus and Rhidian forge on in silence and only spoke when they needed to. As it got darker, movement became more difficult.

  ‘Did anyone think to bring a flashlight?’ Rhidian said, realising he hadn’t.

  ‘Didn’t you?’ Rebus said, and tried to look into Rhidian’s eyes but it was too dark.

  ‘No I didn’t. I thought you did,’ Rhidian responded.

  ‘What about you, Caleb?’ Rebus asked.

  ‘Me, no, I was too busy getting the food,’ he answered.

  ‘So… none of us thought to bring a light?’ Rebus said with a sigh. There were shakes of the head all around, ‘I suppose things were a bit crazy back there.’

  ‘Hold up a sec,’ Caleb said and dipped to the ground.

  ‘What is it?’ Rhidian was feeling excited. ‘You found his trail again?’ he asked, his voice sounding upbeat.

  ‘No, just grabbing a tree branch,’ Caleb revealed. Rhidian couldn’t quite see what he was doing as the night had smothered everything and made it difficult to see anything. ‘I’m going to try and make a burning torch,’ Caleb said. ‘We’ll need light.’

  ‘We’re going to have to stop soon anyway, light or no light,’ Rebus grumbled. ‘It’s getting too dangerous.’ He was right of course, but Rhidian didn’t want to give up.

  ‘Just a little further,’ Rhidian chirped up, hoping the rest would agree. ‘Please, I’m really worried about Red.’

  Caleb had found some small rocks and emptied one of the food bags into the other. He wrapped the canvas bag around the top of the branch and tied it as tight as he could to the wood. He used the straps to secure it. He smashed the rocks together and produced sparks. Soon a small flame appeared, catching the fibres of the dry cloth.

  ‘We have light,’ Caleb announced proudly, but that was short lived. ‘Look, there,’ he said urgently. He pointed the flame towards something, not too far ahead. There were also lights in the distance. All three were astounded.

  ‘Where did they come from?’ Rhidian asked. ‘I didn’t notice them before.’

  ‘We weren’t concentrating and we’re tired,’ Rebus exclaimed.

  ‘An encampment?’ Rhidian whispered. ‘Could be trouble. Do you think it’s Red?’

  ‘We have to get a closer look without being seen. Then we can see what it’s all about,’ Rebus replied.

  ‘Yeah, everyone keep their eyes peeled,’ Caleb instructed.

  ‘You’re going to have to put out that torch,’ Rebus insisted. ‘That’ll give us away before we get anywhere near.’ There was a huge sigh from Caleb.

  ‘I’ve only just lit this,’ he groaned, but he understood and stubbed it out in the mud, but kept hold of the stick just in case he needed it for a weapon.

  They scrambled along the ground – it was slow going, but the lights in the distance were getting brighter.

  ‘This is hopeless,’ Rhidian groaned.

  ‘Stop complaining. You were the one who wanted to keep going,’ Rebus rasped.

  ‘We can climb up here and maybe see what’s going on,’ Caleb cut in, and was already making his way to the top of a grassy knoll. Rebus and Rhidian scrambled up behind him, huffing and puffing as they went. The three men slithered along the ground like snipers and peered over a small stump. The lights in the distance reflected in their eyes.

  ‘Can you make anything out at all?’ Rebus whispered into Caleb’s ear, his tired eyes squinting, not as true as they once were. Ahead was what looked like a makeshift camping site. It looked empty of any people, but someone must have lit the torches.

  ‘I can’t see movement beyond the fires, but from here it looks like some kind of entrance,’ Caleb admitted.

  ‘We have to get a closer look,’ Rhidian whispered, his determination building.

  ‘Okay, but everyone keep your heads down,’ Rebus insisted.

  They got to their feet, but bent themselves double in order not to be seen. The night sky was shrouded in grey clouds, with no sign of a moon. They kept well hidden and, as they moved in, found a formation of boulders metres from the entrance and ducked down behind them. They were close enough now to see everything. The area was totally exposed by the yellow flames. There were four stakes planted in the ground, set outside the entrance to a cave.

  ‘What is this all about?’ Rhidian was unable to work it out. ‘Do you think Red has gone in there?’ he asked Rebus.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Rebus replied, rubbing his beard. ‘I’m picking up something, but not sure if it’s him,’ he said honestly.

  ‘Maybe it’s just a deterrent,’ Caleb said.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Rhidian asked, ‘a deterrent for what?’

  ‘Well, perhaps it’s just to keep away any animals, like that bear we encountered,’ Caleb continued. ‘Maybe no one ever comes here and whoever is in there doesn’t need to worry about being attacked.’

  ‘Well, there’s only one way to find out, especially if Red is in there,’ Rebus said.

  ‘Maybe only one of us should go in and see if it’s safe,’ Caleb said, and peered at his two friends in the pale light from the cave.

  ‘Makes sense to me,’ Rebus agreed.

  ‘Who’s going in then?’ Rhidian asked.

  ‘I’ll do it and I’ll signal you to come in if it’s safe,’ Caleb assured them.

  ‘Are you sure, Caleb? I don’t mind
doing it,’ Rhidian commented.

  ‘It’s fine, honestly.’ With that, he got up and looked all around before he made his way to the mouth of the cave. The light from the flames exposed him fully to anything that lay inside. So, instead of gingerly edging forward, he simply walked in and disappeared into the shadows.

  It was blindingly dark inside the entrance, worse than the forest. So black in fact, that he had to grope more than walk along the passageway. The surface of the wall was coarse and felt like a really abrasive sponge. He moved slowly and deliberately; there might be hidden dangers, he figured. He didn’t need to injure himself at this stage. To his utter delight after only minutes of edging forward, there was safety in a small source of light. It was only a pale glow, but was enough for him to get his bearings. The closer he got, the brighter the beam became. The lighted torch revealed the entrance of an inner cave. With the light came signs of life and a smattering of muted conversations, which echoed from within. Caleb immediately ducked out of sight and held his breath. There were people here.

  The voices amplified from further within. Caleb kept his back flattened as best he could to the cave wall and engaged the light. The voices were, in fact, further away than he realised, and he felt more confident that they wouldn’t see him. This section of the cave was a lot narrower, and he had to turn sideways to fit through. It was instantly brighter in here and now he felt really exposed. Caleb dipped down to his left where there was cover. He squatted until he felt confident enough to lift himself to look over the top.

  He very slowly put his hands on the boulder he was hiding behind and eased up to eye-level. The wizard couldn’t believe what he witnessed. Way in the background there was a lot of activity.

  ‘Good grief… the ship!’ Caleb gasped. He looked on in amazement. The pirate ship that had been following them through the storm was right there. He squinted to try and see what they were doing. They were repairing it. Of course, he thought, Rhidian had said something about them breaking away from pursuing them.