The Princess and the Apprentice

by Roland Boykin

  Aldan ignored the sharp hiss that escaped Odessa’s lips and the curse from Derek as he dropped the crossbow. “It is recorded that long ago, during the War of the Mages, hordes of goblins were created and sent against the enemy armies during the night. They feed only on human flesh, and other than being sensitive to fire and light, they have few weaknesses. Supposedly they were all hunted down and eliminated.”

  “I’m a pretty good shot with a crossbow, Jon. Why don’t we just go and kill them?” Derek asked as he picked up his weapon.

  “Unless you get a lucky shot to the eye, crossbows won’t kill them, and if you are close enough to use your sword, they can reach you with their claws.” He turned to look back at the inn. “What I don’t understand is why the people inside opened the door and let them in.”

  Odessa had moved over to lean against the side of the wagon next to Aldan. “What do you mean?”

  “The front door was opened from the inside. There are a few claw marks, but nothing that could have forced it open.” He turned his attention back to the young apprentice. “Any suggestions?”

  “Other than going back to free the dragon so he can come and burn them out, I suggest we try and find another inn or farmhouse where we can hole up for the night.”

  The princess laid a trembling hand on Aldan’s shoulder, her eyes wide and staring. “And if we find nothing, Aldan. What then?”

  He held her eyes for a moment then turned away.

  “We die.”

  Chapter Ten ~When Darkness Falls

  The sun continued on its path towards the horizon, indifferent to the plight of the companions as they hurried along the road in search of shelter for the night. The untended farmland fell behind when the road entered a sparsely wooded area unlike the dense and lush forest at the beginning of their journey.

  Long skeletal fingers stretched for the sky from the tops of the stunted trees, as if begging for rescue from the brackish water they were drowning in. Sickly vegetation covered their roots and spread its yellow-green leaves over the water, providing shelter for the inhabitants of the bog.

  Swarms of insects formed a dark mist that flowed back and forth across the road. The companions were forced to cover their mouths and noses with cloth while attempting to swat the hordes away from their eyes. Fortunately, Aldan had recovered enough strength in his arm to hold a cloth with one hand and swat with the other.

  The smell of decay and the flying denizens vanished as quickly as they had appeared as the road began a slow ascent and the land around them changed once again. Undulating hills dotted with rocks and the occasional ancient oak provided grazing for a small number of horses and cattle. A large house and barn could be seen in the distance, but no trace of wood smoke rose from the chimneys.

  Aldan lay in the wagon, eyes closed, tired of seeing nothing but clouds and sky. The threat of the goblins was a welcomed distraction from the other thoughts that plagued him. What must the Princess think of him now after his bonehead actions during the fight with the outlaws? How could he have been so careless? Granted, he’d never been in a fight like that before, but the first thing his old master had taught him was a defensive spell to protect himself.

  Attuned to the feel of power, he could sense the lingering signature of the magic used to heal him. Even now, the accelerated healing was sending short bursts of pain through his chest, and then itched as the flesh mended. The feel of the magic was like nothing he had ever sensed before, and that worried him. He was afraid the Princess had discovered a new source of power and would decide she no longer needed him.

  Unable to lie still any longer, Aldan rolled over on his side and struggled to sit up. Odessa reached over to help him, and then made room so he could lean against the sacks next to her.

  “I feel like such a fool,” he muttered.

  She glanced at him a moment and then continued to stare at the road behind. “What you did was foolish, but you are never a fool. What really happened?”

  “When I saw your life being threatened by those men, I panicked and reacted without thinking,” he confessed. “The thought of protecting myself never entered my mind.”

  Regardless of what she believed, he was beginning to have serious doubts. “You and the men would probably be better off without me. You seem to be perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves.”

  This time, Odessa not only turned to face him, she grabbed his head and forced him to look into her eyes. “Now you listen to me, Aldan Beaverson. We would not have made it this far without you. The only way I’ll be able to win back my kingdom is to have a mage at my side.” She paused, searching his eyes before continuing. “Don’t ever leave me. I have already lost two very special men in my life, and I can’t bear the thought of losing a third.”

  “Derek is coming back,” Jon called softly over his shoulder, hating the need to interrupt them. “I think he may have found something.”

  Held captive by the intensity in her dark green eyes, Aldan finally tore free and moved over to lean against the side of the wagon, thinking, ‘now I feel doubly the fool’. He had spent his life in books and study, never as someone special. The idea was a little scary, but yet oddly comforting.

  “There is a village at the top of the next rise.” Derek announced after coming alongside. “It appears abandoned, but the shutters on the inn are locked, and there is smoke coming from its chimneys, which tells me there must be someone inside.”

  Now that they had a destination, Jon picked up the pace in a race against the sun. As soon as the village came into sight he urged more speed out of the team, and they slid to a stop behind the inn just as the sun touched the horizon. He set the brake and jumped down, shouting orders. “Derek, unhitch the team and get the horses inside the corral. They will just have to suffer with the tack until tomorrow. Then grab the supplies and meet us at the door.”

  Odessa quickly dropped their supplies over the side of the wagon and with Jon’s help she was able to get the weakened apprentice out and on his feet. Bags in hand, they walked on either side of him towards the back door of the inn. Derek caught up as they reached the door, supplies in one hand and a loaded crossbow in the other, an extra bolt in his teeth.

  Jon pounded on the door with his fist. When that elicited no response, he rapped the hilt of his knife against the wood and shouted, “In the name of all you hold sacred, open this door!”

  The muffled, querulous voice of an old man could be heard coming from inside, “Away wit ye, vile demon! You shan’t be foolin’ me inta openin’ dis door.”

  “Open up, you old fool!” Jon shouted back. “Demons do not knock, nor do they speak. I am a soldier in the King’s Guard, accompanied by the King’s Mage, and he says if you don’t open this door he will blast it open!”

  The moment the door moved, Jon shoved with all his weight, driving the old man back and dragged his companions in with him. He almost laughed at the sight of the old innkeeper holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a kettle lid as shield in the other. At the unmistakable thunk of a crossbow firing and a scream that stood the hairs on the back of his neck at attention, Jon spun around to find Derek attempting to reset the bow.

  He grabbed his partner by the collar, yanked him inside and slammed the door shut with his body just as a weight impacted the other side.

  “Bar the door. Hurry!”

  Derek dropped the bar into place just as another goblin added its weight to the first and they began to howl and claw at the wood.

  The innkeeper still looked suspicious, but had lowered his knife and kettle lid. “Dems ain’t da uneeforms of da King.”

  “As to that, I suppose I forgot to mention which King,” Jon admitted. “Anyway, thank you for opening the door. That was a close thing.”

  Odessa stepped forward, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Master Innkeeper, please let me apologize for forcing our way in. We have had a long and perilous journey and didn’t fancy the idea of becoming a goblin’s supper. I’m Odessa, and these are
my companions, guardsmen Jon and Derek, and Mage Aldan.”

  She gently steered the old innkeeper back to his stove. “Now, do you have a room we may purchase for the night?”

  “Take yer pick, m’lady. They’s a might number o’ folk hidin’ in ma inn but dem’s all huddled in da common room.” He jerked his head in the direction of the door leading out of the kitchen while replacing the lid on the stew.

  “Why don’t you put together a meal for all of us, and we’ll meet in the common room after we’ve had a chance to clean up,” she suggested, and then motioned the others to follow her.

  The companions left the kitchen and were met by the fear filled faces of families hiding behind overturned tables. The women and children cried quietly behind the men who held swords that had probably just been pulled out of attics where they had sat for generations. Odessa put her arm around Aldan and with the aid of his staff, led him over to a corner bench, ignoring the stares.

  “You rest here until we’ve eaten and then we’ll see how you handle the stairs.”

  Aldan reached out and took her hand, gave it a weak squeeze of gratitude, then slumped back against the bench. The villagers righted their tables and began to talk quietly among themselves. Odessa and the guardsmen returned just as the innkeeper came through the kitchen door with two mugs of ale in each hand. He returned shortly with four steaming bowls of stew and a loaf of bread.

  The warmth from a cheerful blaze in the fireplace and full stomachs threatened to put the companions to sleep where they sat. Odessa shook her head to clear away the lethargy and turned to Jon. “We finally have the time to properly care for your arm. Let me go upstairs and lay out everything I might need. Give me a few minutes then come on up and we’ll take care of that wound.”

  He glanced down at the blood soaked wrap around his arm and nodded. “That would be greatly appreciated, ah… Odessa,” he stuttered, uncomfortable with the familiarity of her name. “I’ll just finish my ale and then be right up.”

  She hurried upstairs, pulled the ornate book and dagger from her pack and prepared to prick her finger. She hesitated as a voice filled her mind once again. “That is no longer necessary. I’m now yours and yours alone, young one. Just open my pages and ask.”

  “Can you teach me how to heal Jon’s arm?”

  “I can, but it will require the sacrifice of your own blood. Are you willing?”

  At her nod of acceptance, the voice continued. “So be it.”

  The book flipped to a page where the words simply flowed into her mind. When Jon arrived, she was ready. The slip of the blade as she cut away the old wrap on Jon’s arm caused a sharp pain in her palm. It was a small price to pay for Jon’s loyalty.

  The villagers had overcome their fear of the strange men by the time Odessa and Jon returned. Several of the adults were peppering Derek with questions and Aldan had attracted several children to his bench. The little ones were giggling and laughing as Aldan pulled small flowers from behind the girl’s ears and found small copper pennies in the pockets of the boys.

  Odessa couldn’t help but smile at the look on Aldan’s face as he tried to ease the fear from their minds. An unbidden thought brushed the surface of her mind, here was a man who would make the perfect father to her children.

  Before she had a chance to pursue that thought, movement in front of the fireplace caught her attention. She watched in horror as the now familiar smoky form of a krindar materialized and faced the villagers, white fangs glistening.

  An eerie silence fell over the common room as the villagers slowly backed away from the demon and towards the front door. An understanding of what happened at the first inn they discovered shocked her with its crystal clear simplicity.

  “Jon, the door!” She screamed. “If they open it, we’ll all die!”

  It was too late. Two of the men had already reached the door and started to lift the bar when a bolt of lightning shot from the top of Aldan’s staff and impacted the door with a deafening crash. The door simply vanished, leaving a solid wall. The demon spun and focused its fiery eyes on Aldan. It flew towards him with frightening speed, only to disintegrate into thousands of tiny sparkles against the mage’s personal shield. The eruption of howls outside the inn drowned out the sound of Aldan’s body hitting the floor.

  Chapter Eleven ~Time to Rest

  Amid the rising voices of the villagers, Odessa rushed to Aldan’s side where he lay on the floor. “Are you hurt?”

  “No,” he breathed, eyes closed. “Just tired.”

  “This was planned, wasn’t it?” She made it more of a statement than a question.

  He opened his eyes and nodded. Taking a deep breath, with her help, he stumbled to his feet and collapsed back onto the bench. “You had better calm the villagers first and then we’ll talk.”

  “Do we need to fear another demon?”

  “I don’t think so, but I will cast a protective spell around the inn as soon as I catch my breath.”

  It was obvious to her that he would need to do more than catch his breath, but she didn’t argue. She turned her attention to the shouting that was still happening at the front entrance, and after the painful memory of her father teaching her the ‘Voice of Command’, she spoke.

  “Silence.”

  * * *

  Aldan watched as the Princess negotiated a path around the overturned chairs on her way to confront the men at the door. Unable to keep his eyes open any longer, he cradled his head in hands that still shook, and attempted to order his fear-filled thoughts before they overwhelmed him.

  He did not have the knowledge or the strength to take on another mage with the ability to summon krindar and who also appeared to control the goblins. There was no doubt in his mind that they were up against such a one. Should they take a chance and stay here several days so he could recover, thereby risking discovery, or should they continue on to the King’s castle? He would not leave the people without some protections, but that would weaken him even further.

  Aldan opened his eyes as the innkeeper quietly set another mug of ale on the table and turned to watch as Odessa calmed the men gathered there. There was the source of his other concerns, and a little fear. When she and Jon returned to the common room, the residual trace of that unfamiliar magic used to heal him surrounded the Princess like a sweet perfume. At that moment, Aldan realized the only thing it could be… Blood Magic, which only a woman could wield. The magic journals he’d studied only mentioned it in passing since it was extremely rare. Would she still be interested in him once she understood the potential of her new power?

  Odessa returned to the table and sat facing him. “Once I explained to the men what we think happened at the other inn, they quieted and seemed to understand the mistake they almost made.” She reached across the table and gently laid her hand on his arm. “Aldan, what should we do? I’m still worried about what’s happening back home, but I feel we should do what we can for these people.”

  Jon and Derek quietly joined them and nodded their heads in agreement, having heard the Princess’s last remark.

  The wearied apprentice glanced at each of his companions in turn, and then focused his gaze on Jon. “You must know that this was a planned attack by a mage who is stronger than I am. He probably won’t notice what I’ve done here tonight, but if we stay and do more, we might gain his attention, and that would be bad.”

  Nothing more was said as they sipped their ale until Jon straightened up, leaned toward Aldan and whispered. “Whatever you and the Princess decide is what we’ll do. But I have always felt it is wrong to leave a known enemy behind you. If we can get the villagers to support us, I think we should go back and destroy those goblins.”

  Before Aldan had a chance to respond, the innkeeper approached their table, eyes downcast and nervously twisting a towel in his hands. He bobbed his head toward the Princess, and then addressed the apprentice. “M’ Lord, ma door? You be putting back ma door?”

  Aldan ignored the snicker
from Derek and took pity on the distraught innkeeper. “What are you called?”

  “Garth, m’ lord.”

  “Your door will return in the morning, Garth, and I have cast a spell around the inn that should keep out any more demons. Please have the villagers wait for me in the morning. It is important that I speak to them. “

  “Afta’ tonight, they maybe not leave nohow what wit dem beasties outside.”

  “The goblins will be gone with first light, Garth. Just keep the fire burning bright, a number of candles lit, and we should be perfectly safe.”

  Garth hurried off to ensure there was enough wood for the fire and to collect as many candles as he could find. The companions finished their drinks, then headed upstairs, Jon next to Aldan and Derek directly behind. The exhausted young apprentice practically fell into the first bed he saw and fell asleep within moments. Odessa decided to stay with him, while the guardsmen took the next room down.

  Sometime during the night Aldan woke to a presence in his bed… warmth against his back. Before the fog of sleep could dissipate, the voice of his tome whispered, “Sleep.”

  * * *

  In the morning, the sound of splashing water brought Aldan up out of the depths of empty dreams. It took a moment for his heavy eyelids to lift far enough to focus on the person standing by the wash basin. Embarrassed by the sight of Odessa running a wet cloth over her nude body, he groaned and rolled over to face the wall. His imagination, however, relentlessly filled his mind with a vision his eyes could not see as the sounds of cloth against skin continued. Silence and a gentle hand on his shoulder brought an end to the fantasy.

  “Are you awake?”

  “Are you dressed?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’m awake,” he answered, rolled over and made room so she could sit on the edge of the bed. Her expression told him nothing but he could feel the heat travel up his neck. “Forgive me, Odessa. I didn’t mean to peek.”