Wizards' Exile

by Colin R Parsons

  ‘Being locked up and not getting much sleep or much to eat or drink, will do that to you,’ Alba responded dryly.

  ‘How did you get mixed up with those villains?’ Rhidian enquired, keen to get to know their new friend.

  ‘I used all my magic steering a small vessel from Valusha. Everyone else had gone – escaped or otherwise,’ he said. ‘Those pirates,’ he gritted his teeth as he spoke, ‘they picked me up while I was drifting. I was weak from hunger and thirst. Their intention was to get the reward money offered for me.’

  There were raised eyebrows and Alba picked up on this. ‘Jenta-Lor is offering large amounts of cash to whoever can bring back any wizards that escaped. Captain Jacobs was going to drop me off, when they were next in the area. They were crafty. They kept me weak so I couldn’t build my magic… I hate pirates.’ His steely glare gave away the fire he felt inside.

  ‘Well, you’re here now and, once we find Obsidian and take over Valusha again, things will get better,’ Rebus said with determination.

  ‘You’re looking for Obsidian?’ The old wizard looked surprised. ‘Do you think he’ll want to go back after how they treated him?’ Alba asked.

  Rebus looked into Alba’s eyes… unblinking. ‘The people know they made a mistake by electing Jenta-Lor to rule in the first place. I think they want Obsidian back desperately. As much as we do,’ Rebus concluded. Life is not good for the people of Valusha at present.

  Red entered the room with food supplies.

  ‘The galley is full to bursting,’ he said cheerfully, still chewing on something.

  ‘Well done, lad, you’re learning,’ Caleb said, shaking his head in disbelief.

  ‘Where is Obsidian?’ Alba interrupted.

  ‘We think he’s in Gelbar and that’s where we’re headed,’ Rebus informed. ‘Come on, let’s eat, everyone. We’ve got a journey where we need our wits and strength about us,’ Rebus said.

  ‘What’s happening Rhidian?’ Caleb asked, his eyes narrowing. ‘You look agitated.’ And the wizard walked over to the control panel. Rhidian was looking intently at the instruments.

  ‘There’s something wrong,’ he said. ‘The fuel dial is dropping.’ As he said it, the engine faltered and cut out. Red stopped what he was doing, fear ripping through his body. He looked at Caleb.

  ‘I wondered why they weren’t aiming at the balloon,’ Celeb remembered.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Rebus asked with trepidation.

  ‘I’ll let you know in a minute. Rhidian, come with me,’ Caleb urged, and waved his hand for Rhidian to follow him. They hurried along the deck and down below. When they got there they could smell the damage.

  ‘They weren’t aiming at the balloon, were they? I’ll bet the captain didn’t want to damage the ship.’ Rhidian was shaking his head.

  ‘Yeah, they were aiming at the fuel tank. They knew where it was situated, and also knew it would cripple us. If they can get our ship up and running they’ll soon be after us,’ Caleb said gravely.

  ‘Our ship was completely wrecked. They won’t be repairing that in a hurry,’ Rhidian added, knowing how much work was involved.

  ‘I can’t do anything with this ship without the proper materials,’ Rhidian admitted, ‘and fuel,’ he added.

  ‘They were probably going to load them in the morning,’ Caleb surmised. The ship listed and the two men immediately had to grab hold of the something to keep upright.

  ‘What’s happening now?’ Rhidian gasped.

  ‘Let’s get up top and hope Captain Jacobs hasn’t caught up with us already,’ Caleb hissed, his eyes filled with discontent. The two men rushed up onto the deck and were met with a strong wind buffering the ship. They clambered along the wooden floor, trying to keep balance. When they got to the navigation room, everyone was inside waiting for them.

  ‘What do we do?’ Rebus said.

  ‘I think we’ve hit a slipstream. We’ve no control in here. There’s nothing we can do, only ride it out,’ Rhidian assumed. ‘We can’t pull away from this, it’s too strong and we’ve already lost all our fuel. The balloon is fully inflated but with no power it will take us where it wants. Hold on.’

  ‘You heard Rhidian, everyone hold onto something solid,’ Caleb said as the ship tilted even more. The winds picked up speed and tossed the ship from side to side. The small crew held on inside the control room, hoping it would soon blow itself out.

  ‘We haven’t had much luck since we left the prison, have we?’ Red cringed at what he’d just said. He’d rather be in a storm than back in that jail, though.

  ‘I can try and hold a steady course,’ Rhidian bellowed. ‘Can’t you keep it steady with magic?’

  ‘We’ll try,’ Rebus said. ‘Alba, have you enough strength to help us? With just a small amount of magic it could make all the difference,’ he insisted.

  ‘I’ll try,’ Alba replied and still looked very weak.

  ‘That’s all I ask,’ Rebus added.

  All three wizards, Rebus, Caleb and Alba, sat on the cabin floor and closed their eyes. Rhidian or Red couldn’t see what they were doing, but after a short while the ship began to settle and kept a smoother course. There was relief as things calmed. The ripping slipstream threw everything at them, but after an hour, the wind died down and the wizards broke free from their spell.

  ‘There’s land!’ Red shouted from the deck and ran to help Alba, who looked as if he was going to collapse. The clouds were almost clear and a dense wooded landscape revealed itself. ‘Maybe there’s fuel down there?’

  ‘I’m going to try and set down while we’ve still got buoyancy,’ Rhidian said. ‘Everyone agree?’ There was a reluctant nod from everyone but they all knew there really wasn’t much choice.

  ‘I’ll let the gas out of the balloon,’ Caleb said and went outside. There was a release valve with a rope hanging from it. This must let the gas from the balloon and the ship should soon lose altitude, he assumed.

  ‘Not too much, Caleb!’ Rhidian shouted from the wheel. ‘Gently, little-by-little. We don’t want to crash land.’ Rhidian kept the pirate ship steady as they dropped from the calm blue sky. Caleb released small amounts of gas that hissed when the valve opened and Rhidian steered towards a patch of open ground. Down and down the craft drifted until it landed with a thump. Rhidian had navigated the ship so that it rested against the treeline and kept upright.

  The great balloon looked more like a mutilated melon as it slowly flopped to one side and dragged the ropes with it.

  ‘Don’t empty it completely, Caleb,’ Rhidian urged, thinking ahead. ‘We may need a quick getaway and we can re-inflate it later.’

  ‘But we won’t be able to fly it without fuel,’ Red said with confusion.

  ‘True,’ Rhidian said, ‘but once we’re up in the air at least we’ll be out of harm’s way. I can figure out how to repair the tank and if we find some oil we can get it going again later.’ Red nodded in compliance.

  ‘Let’s tie it down then,’ Caleb said. ‘If we fix the rope to those trees we can free it later.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ Rhidian said in praise.

  ‘Not only engineers have good ideas,’ Caleb replied with a wink and a sly grin. ‘Come on, you lot, give us a hand.’

  ‘What happens now?’ Rhidian looked at Rebus.

  ‘We have to find out where we are first,’ he retorted dryly. ‘Okay, gather round everyone. We need a plan,’ Rebus insisted.

  Chapter 20

  Sacred Ground

  Oak trees surrounded them and it was so dense that it was almost impossible to get a bearing to find out their position.

  ‘I haven’t seen this much greenery in a long, long time,’ Rhidian admitted and snuffled in the fragrance of the leaves. He closed his eyes – it was amazing.

  ‘Me, neither,’ Red agreed, and ran his hands along the rough bark of the closest tree.

  ‘We must be at a high altitude,’ Rhidian assumed. Red just shrugged his shoulder.

  ‘I th
ink we’re in Gelbar,’ Rebus announced with great enthusiasm.

  ‘I think you’re right,’ Alba assured him.

  ‘Gelbar. So we’re here,’ Red said with a hint of excitement.

  ‘How do you know?’ Rhidian pressed. ‘There are trees everywhere around here. It’s impossible to see anything.’

  ‘I know what you’re saying, Rhidian, but I recognise this place.’ Rebus seemed convinced.

  ‘Alba?’ Rhidian said.

  ‘I’m getting the same feeling – don’t ask me why,’ he said.

  ‘We have to find higher ground where we can work out exactly which way to go.’ Rhidian was looking a little panicked, and felt hemmed in. It was claustrophobic to say the least. Before they could move out, Rebus stopped, said nothing and closed his eyes. Red looked at him with concern.

  ‘You all right, Rebus?’ Red asked.

  ‘Hold on, Red, don’t touch him,’ Rhidian said. ‘Look at the others.’ He’d noticed that Caleb and Alba were also standing quietly with eyes closed. ‘They’re experiencing something that only sorcerers can.’ Rhidian was right and all three wizards were homing in on some kind of signal. Red sat down on the ground – he felt a little giddy.

  ‘Are you all right, Red? Do you want some water?’ Rhidian asked and touched his shoulder for support.

  ‘Y-es please,’ Red stammered. ‘I-I don’t know what’s come over me.’ Rhidian handed him a bottle and Red gulped it down.

  ‘You’ll be all right. Just sit there for a moment. This place is very dense and can suck the air out of your lungs,’ Rhidian added.

  ‘He’s here, somewhere,’ Caleb opened his eyes and spoke.

  ‘Yes – yes, he’s definitely here,’ Rebus said, revealing the biggest smile.

  ‘I haven’t felt that kind of feeling in a long while… since Valusha,’ Alba gushed.

  ‘How far away is he?’ Red questioned and didn’t look as flushed.

  ‘Can’t tell for certain, but I think it’s this way,’ Rebus said and pointed to a small opening in the trees. ‘One thing I do know is that he doesn’t know we’re here. I didn’t get anything back from him.’ Rebus looked disappointed. The other wizards nodded in agreement.

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t want to be found?’ Rhidian said, and looked pensive.

  ‘Well, he’s damn well going to be found,’ Rebus exploded. ‘We haven’t travelled this far to be disappointed.’

  ‘Calm down, Rebus. When we find him we can go from there,’ Caleb said sensibly, and eyed the old wizard with a look of indifference. ‘We have to find him first.’

  ‘Come on, Red, let’s get some supplies together. They must have bags here where we can each carry stuff,’ the engineer said, and he and the boy set off below. After a short while everyone was kitted out with a shoulder bag, food and a drink for the journey.

  ‘You can lead us,’ Rhidian said as he pointed to the three wizards. Red said nothing and trailed along behind them.

  ‘Everyone, stay together. We don’t want to get lost in this place,’ Caleb acknowledged everyone with a nod.

  It was dawn when they left the stranded ship and Rebus spearheaded the party. All five moved off through the trees in silence.

  ‘You all right to travel?’ Caleb asked Alba, concerned that the old man hadn’t quite got his strength back since his ordeal.

  ‘Yes, it’s fine. Be nice to stretch my legs after all that time cooped up in that cage,’ Alba admitted and shrugged his shoulders – the memory brought the disgust he still felt.

  The air was humid as the great sun lifted slowly into the sky. The temperature soared as the early morning dew quickly settled into a mist. The heat inside the forest held and their clothes clung to their bodies. It was hard work just to negotiate the deep foliage.

  ‘Keep yourselves hydrated, drink plenty of water,’ Rhidian half whispered.

  ‘Why are you talking so quietly, Rhidian?’ Red chirped up.

  ‘I don’t know, but I’ve a feeling there maybe more here than we know,’ he said. The forest held many sounds of creatures, birds and some grunting sounds that the group didn’t want to encounter. They got to a point where the ground dipped and they found themselves by a fallen tree. The trunk linked two sides of a rather wide ravine. The old tree was rotten and flimsy in places but, unfortunately, the only way to cross. The stream below wasn’t deep but the drop to it was – at least ten metres.

  ‘We’ll have to go over in single file,’ Rebus instructed, and looked further downstream. ‘There’s doesn’t seem to be any other way.’

  ‘I’ll go first,’ Caleb piped up. ‘I can help you from the other side.’ He stepped out onto the limb and with the agility of a monkey was soon over there.

  ‘You next, Alba,’ Caleb called out. The wizard gingerly made his way across, splaying his arms to balance. Next was Rebus and he took a more speedy approach and didn’t falter. Red was up next and he looked really nervous.

  ‘Go on, Red, you can do it. Just take your time,’ Rhidian whispered in his ear. Red took a lot longer than the others and gently edged his way over. The log creaked below his feet and seemed to be laughing at him. He was sweating and he almost overbalanced midway – everyone gasped! but he made it.

  ‘Okay, Rhidian, your turn,’ Caleb urged. He was last to go. Unbeknown to the others, Rhidian was terrified – more so than Red. He’d fallen down the side of a cliff when he was a kid and that had stayed with him through his entire life. Rebus noticed that there was something troubling him.

  ‘You’ll be fine, Rhidian,’ Rebus called out in encouragement. ‘Don’t look down.’ These were the words that Rhidian didn’t want to hear. Caleb gave Rebus a sharp look of distaste.

  ‘No one wants to hear that,’ Caleb whispered to Rebus.

  ‘Come on, Rhidian,’ Red shouted, and that unsettled the engineer even more as he stepped on a particularly rotten part of the tree. It gave way and Rhidian fell straight down. He landed with a thud on a small ledge that was jutting out, about a third of the way down. The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs and he lay there not moving.

  ‘I’ve got a rope,’ Caleb said, unwinding it from his shoulder. He tied one end to a tree that was close to the edge and tossed it to where Rhidian had landed. He lowered himself down until he was by his side. Rhidian was coming round and sat up.

  ‘Rhidian, let me tie this around your waist. This ledge isn’t going to last long with both our weight on it.’ Caleb grimaced. ‘Pull him up quickly.’ The others pulled and with the combined strength of the three, he was soon hoisted up to safety. ‘Quickly it’s crumbling,’ but even as he said it – it gave way. Caleb braced himself for the long fall, but didn’t move an inch once the ledge collapsed. Instead, he was held fast by the combined magic of Rebus and Alba. He floated upwards in a bubble of air and was placed gently at the top.

  ‘Thank you, guys,’ Caleb said in gratitude.

  ‘Me too, thanks all. I thought I was a goner,’ Rhidian said, still shaken from his near-death experience.

  ‘Let’s get out of here before anything else happens,’ Rebus insisted.

  Damp mist thickened ahead of them and the humidity got unbearable as they moved further along. They were soon at the edge of the forest and it was cooler here, but the mist still danced and swirled before their eyes.

  ‘Where are we?’ Rhidian said. He squinted to get some idea, but with the grey barrier blocking everything in sight it was impossible.

  ‘Give it another half an hour and this fog will soon clear,’ Rebus commented, the sweat running down his face and chest.

  ‘Yes, that will soon burn away but then we’ll be exposed to the sun directly once we’re out of this forest,’ Alba said, and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

  ‘Do not trespass beyond this point,’ Red said as he looked at a signpost.

  ‘What’s that, boy?’ Rebus questioned.

  ‘Look over here. I think it’s some kind of burial ground,’ the boy explained.

 
‘I get it now,’ Rebus realised.

  ‘Get what?’ Caleb asked and stood at the sign with the others.

  ‘We’ve definitely landed in Gelbar. And I don’t think we’re far away from Obsidian,’ Rebus said, his eyes wide with delight.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Caleb quizzed.

  ‘How are you so certain?’ Rhidian posed the question.

  ‘Gold,’ Alba spoke up.

  ‘Yes, gold,’ Rebus smiled. ‘This is the burial ground of the unfortunate. These are the miners who dug for gold and lost their lives in the attempt. This is their final resting place and no one should disturb or trespass the ground. But there’s no other way around and it’s too dense to go looking. We have to cut through the graveyard. Everyone with me?’ There were nervous nods from the rest.

  Reluctantly they walked beyond the trespass sign – each kept their eyes sharp and as they walked through the spiritual peace, fear filled each and every one.

  Chapter 21

  The Mine

  The five figures felt almost invisible as they ambled amongst the dead. No one spoke for a time until the dense heat of the day soon turned cold. The clothes they wore were damp and uncomfortable in the heat – now clung to their bodies like heavy armour. Red shivered and he found it hard to breathe. Something was happening and he was scared to think what it might be. He darted his gaze in every direction and craned his neck from side-to-side. His stomach was so tight he felt as though he wanted to be sick.

  ‘I don’t like this,’ he said in little than a whisper, and imagined the gravestones rising up. ‘We shouldn’t be here,’ he complained. ‘It’s not right.’

  ‘Red, stay close – we’ll be fine,’ Rhidian assured him, and his soft voice seemed to calm the youngster, but not for long. The grey curtain that engulfed them was slowly giving up its secrets. Headstones and crosses appeared with scary-looking wrought iron statues. The graveyard had been long forgotten and the decay was all too obvious. No one came here to honour these dead – death showed itself in every designed sculpture and weeping cherub. ‘I don’t like it here,’ Red repeated and shivered in cold.