by Alex Cannon
CHAPTER 8
Gidas sat atop his horse surveying the scene. Two days had passed and they were ready to travel. The sun had not yet completely risen and the air was still crisp.He sucked in the air, feeling its coldness sweep up his nose and lungs. The road leading away from Akilade was before him and it never looked better. It was finally his escape.He would not have to sit in that mage’s room, which had become more and more suffocating, or run through the hollow halls of Akilade on errands. It was bliss to be outside and in the open air.
Lazerek sat next to him, with a group of fifty mounted men.
The men were the best. They had been trained at Jahvel’s school, Cznia Mizrak and had arrived the day before.
Lazerek was eager to depart.Other magicians in Akilade were asking questions about their missing colleague.They wanted to know where the man was and who had seen him last. Gidas knew very little of what had happened, but Lazerek seemed not to care one whit about the man.Gidas did notice, however, Lazerek was very much ready to leave the school. He would ask the mage about it later.
Lazerek reigned in his mount and motioned for the leader of his men, Brock, to come.Brock was a big man; he was well muscled and taut. He looked ready to pounce at any time. His head and body were covered by a dull armor, black as night.Gidas was certain they would be hot in those. He had found out these men were not just good warriors; they were Sicari.Sicari were better than the best graduates from Cznia Mizrak. They were the elite students who trained further into their martial art, almost to a spiritual level.Gidas scoffed at that.As if a person could reach spiritual enlightenment by sweating and beating a post.Ridiculous.The Sicari were supposedly trained directly by Jahvel who was, without question, the most physically combat-adept man in all the land. Jahvel had not given these men to Lazerek. The mage had paid for them on the open market. Jahvel and Lazerek were loose partners, and Gidas wondered how Jahvel would take it knowing Lazerek had chosen to purchase his own company of men instead of using one supplied by his partner.
“Are the men ready?” Lazerek asked.
“Yes sir, they are.”Brock’s horse was turning in a circle, and Brock had to turn to keep his face toward Lazerek.
“Excellent, I plan to be in Spadix in three weeks, hopefully sooner.”
“We will make certain you arrive safely, sir.”
“See that you do.” Lazerek motioned for his horse to move toward the road, the rest of the entourage followed behind.As they left the general area of the school, Lazerek took his horse up to full gallop for a short while.
Gidas followed behind, enjoying the freedom.
They would be sleeping that night in Lex. He couldn’t wait.
Anything had to be better than that little, windowless room he had been sleeping in. It had smelled like mold and death.
They would be passing through Jahvel’s school soon. Gidas couldn’t wait to see Jahvel’s face when Lazerek showed up with his own complement of men.