Regulators Revealed

by Toby Neighbors

  “Flamba,” he said, summoning a small flame with the simple kindling spell that Outrider Reegan had taught him.

  The flame caught the oil-soaked end of the torch and ignited easily. The fire was not only bright enough to light their path, but it was warm too. Dex held the torch close, greedy for any type of relief from the unrelenting cold. Almost as soon as he had the torch burning, he heard the distant call of a familiar phoenix.

  “You hear that?” Dex said, patting Titan on the neck with his free hand. “Bliss will show us the way home.”

  It was too dark to see the phoenix approaching, but a second call sounded louder and made Dex feel as if things were getting better, even though the cold night was already making it difficult to keep moving.

  “Just a little farther,” Dex said. “We can make it.”

  Getting back down from the horse, Dex moved back to the cart, illuminating the thick, wooden frame. Just above the top walls of the cart was a dowel that ran parallel to panels on three sides. It was a perfect roosting spot for the phoenix and he felt sure she would be happy to ride on the cart whenever she needed a rest from flying. The big bird swooped down out of the dark and landed first on the barrel of ale, but quickly hopped onto the railing of the cart. She cooed happily.

  “It’s good to see you too,” Dex said. “But we have to find the pass and get through the wall before we stop for the night.”

  Bliss bobbed her head, the golden feathers bouncing along. She cooed again and took to the air. Dex followed his own trail back to Titan and remounted. They followed Bliss, who called out every few minutes to keep them moving. When they reached the crack in the wall, Dex felt dismay. The wind had blown snow into the passage, and it was now so filled with snow that it was higher than Dex’s waist.

  “Oh no,” Dex said. “We’ll never get through that.”

  Titan neighed, and Dex considered for a second releasing the spell on his father and making him dig the snow out of the pass, but he quickly discarded the idea. They had no tools for such a task, and even if they did it would take hours, even if they weren’t already exhausted.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Dex said aloud, fighting the urge to lean onto Titan’s neck and close his eyes. He felt like he just needed a little rest so he could think clearly. Perhaps they should have stayed in the village, but when Bliss began to cry out again with a sense of alarm Dex realized that would have been a huge mistake.

  “What is it?” he asked, turning to look back the way they had come. It was too dark to see anything, the sky was filled with thick clouds that blocked out the moon and stars. But Dex could see the flittering light of torches approaching from their rear. It was impossible to tell how far away the riders were, but a group of people out on the cold winter night could only mean one thing — the Regulators were on his trail and gaining fast.

  Chapter 23

  Dex felt terrified as he realized they had no place to run. He was pinned against the great wall, exhausted and on the verge of hypothermia. He couldn’t trust his father to help, and fighting the unknown number of wizards was simply too dangerous to risk.

  “We have to get out of here,” Dex said.

  Bliss squawked as if in reply, but Dex knew it was up to him to discover a solution. He was a Marshyl and that meant he would never give up. He just needed a way into the gap, but the wind had blown so much snow into the narrow space that there was no way to get past it and no chance of digging their way through before the Regulators caught up with them.

  Suddenly an idea came to his mind, one that was at least worth a try. One of the basic spells Outrider Reegan had taught Dex was thorssa a summoning spell. He had no idea if he could boost the spell’s power, but he had the Lord Marshyl’s sword and it was worth a try.

  He jumped from Titan’s back, his fatigue forgotten in his panic to find a solution to their problem. Drawing the double-edged sword, he pointed it at the gap and cast the spell. A large chunk of snow came hurtling out of the crack in the massive wall. Dex swung the sword and sent the snow flying away. He cast the spell over and over, essentially digging the snow away, only much more quickly. To his relief the snow only filled in the gap for about six or seven feet, the rest of the path was clear. Once Dex determined he had enough snow out of the way, he led Titan over the small mound of compacted snow and into the pass. When he went back for the cart the light from the torches was much closer, but Dex was confident he had enough time. He led the draft horse into the pass, nearly losing his father off the back of the cart as they climbed over the hump at the entrance. Dex moved them twenty feet or so into the pass, then used the summoning spell again, only this time piling snow into the gap.

  It only took a few minutes to build up nearly six feet of snow, clogging the entrance to the passage for more than ten feet. He couldn’t see his pursuers although he knew they must be close. He moved back past his horses and led them deeper into the pass, almost to the other side. It was much warmer in the pass, out of the wind. Dex settled in a narrow spot near the snow that clogged the exit of the pass. His torch wasn’t all that warm, but in the small space with the horses standing close by and Bliss settling in the gap with him, Dex finally started to thaw. He moved his father using the opal ring’s levitating ability, but didn’t free him from the elvish ending curse. Dex knew that the Regulators might follow him. They could certainly use the same spell to gain access to the gap, but if they came into the small passageway, his horses would alert him. He drove the torch into the ground, wrapped himself in a blanket, and slept in his armor.

  It seemed like only a heartbeat before sunlight filtered down into the gap and Dex realized he slept through the night. He hurt, his body was cold and stiff, but he also felt stronger after getting some rest. He used the thorssa spell to dig their way out of the passage. The southern side of Torgyl’s Wall hadn’t gotten as much snow, almost as if the wall itself had held the storm back. The ground had patches of snow, but most of it had blown into the small valleys between the grass-covered rolling hills. Dex led Titan and the draft horse out of the crack and back toward the place where the dwarf had saved him from the rock troll.

  It took a little over an hour to reach the spot, but the mark on the wall was unmistakable. Dex levitated the barrel of ale out of the cart and called to the dwarf.

  “Hello!” Dex shouted into the hole. “I’m looking for a dwarf. I have ale.”

  A moment later the deeply wrinkled face of the dwarf appeared. He rubbed his eyes against the sunlight. The clouds had parted and there were patches of brilliant blue sky showing.

  “Yur back,” the dwarf grumbled.

  “I am, thanks to you. I couldn’t have done it without you helping me find the pass.”

  “And savin’ yur neck from a rock troll, laddie, never furget.”

  “I won’t,” Dex said. “I have your ale.”

  “I said a keg, not a wagon full,” he complained. “How do ya suppose I get that hulking monstrosity into the wall?”

  “I don’t know,” Dex said. “You told me not to bring a cask. You said you wanted a full keg.”

  “I could swim in that thing.”

  “Or bathe,” Dex suggested.

  “Yur one to talk, I smelled ya and those filthy animals a mile away.”

  Dex laughed and he thought he caught the dwarf smiling, though his beard made it difficult to see.

  “I am very grateful for your help. I won’t soon forget it, but I’d feel better knowing who to thank exactly.”

  “Gurn Thickskull is what I’m called, but ya should know that already, yur carrying one of my own swords.”

  “What?” Dex asked, drawing the Lord Marshyl’s weapon.

  “That’s right, I taught your elder how to forge blue steel. Even gave him a few of my beard hairs, although how that makes better steel is a mystery to me.”

  “You know the Lord Marshyl.”

  “Wasn’t so high an’ mighty when I knew ’im. Just a pup, like you.”

  “I can�
��t believe it,” Dex said.

  The dwarf held up his hammer. “I’ve only ever taught one human to forge.”

  “I have to introduce you to my friend Kyp. He forged my armor. He’s a genius and he also loves ale.”

  “Everyone loves ale,” the dwarf said.

  “One day I will return, Gurn. With your permission of course.”

  “I guess that wouldn’t be so bad.”

  Dex reached out his hand, and the dwarf shook it. Then he disappeared inside his hole in Torgyl’s Wall. Dex was tempted to stay and see how the dwarf was going to get the barrel of ale into his small home, but he knew he didn’t have time. Turning to his father, he released the elvish ending spell.

  “I suppose you could walk,” Dex said as his father groaned and began to stretch out his stiff muscles and joints.

  “Give me a minute and I’ll walk,” Maslow grumbled. “I could eat too.”

  Dex gave his father a strip of dried beef.

  “This tastes like shoe leather.”

  “If you’re going to complain,” Dex said, climbing onto Titan’s broad back and settling onto the saddle, “you can ride in the cart.”

  “No thank you, I’ll walk. I’ll walk.”

  The day stretched out before them, just as the landscape opened up. Wide fields of long waving grass and patches of dirty snow were the only landmarks. Dex kept his father moving south in front of Titan. The draft horse followed behind, still pulling the cart that only had their meager supplies. Dex considered abandoning the wagon, which left a much more distinctive trail than just the horses alone, but he couldn’t count on not needing to confine his father again. If Maslow became troublesome, Dex would have to paralyze him and return him to the cart to keep them moving.

  There was no doubt in the mind of the young Marshyl that the lights he’d seen had been Regulators in pursuit. His tactic at the pass may have stumped them for a while, but they wouldn’t simply give up, not while he had their most powerful wizard in his custody.

  Dex pushed a steady pace all day. When night fell, Dex cursed his father, levitated him onto the cart, and kept moving. He tied the draft horse’s lead to Titan’s saddle pommel and walked ahead of Titan. The terrain was still rolling hills and Dex felt confident traveling at night. When the moon began to set, and Dex came across the dried remains of a fallen tree, he made a quick camp. The tree burned easily, and Bliss brought Dex another rabbit. He cooked the animal over the flames from the fire, and released his father long enough for Maslow to eat and stretch out on a blanket. They slept near the fire, and rose a few hours later when the sun rose.

  At midday on their second day the grassy hills ended and they headed out onto the dusty, arid terrain the Greeg Lands were known for. When Bliss returned to Dex an hour later and wouldn’t stop squawking, Dex knew something was wrong. They were near a tall, narrow butte. Dex took the opportunity to levitate himself up to the top. It was fast but strenuous, and Dex felt unsteady while he was in the air. When he reached the flat top of the butte, he could see for miles in every direction. Bliss had followed Dex up, and was loudly urging Dex to look to the north, where a group of riders were on his trail. He guessed from the looks of things they were at least an hour behind him. He turned to view the trail ahead and caught sight of a Greeg tribe on the move to the southwest of his position.

  A plan began to form in his mind. If he could lead the riders southwest, the Greeg warriors might just deal with the Regulators for him. Dex forced himself to jump from the butte, using the magic of the opal ring, but kept his eyes closed until he was completely under control. He landed easily, but felt weary from exerting so much magical power. Dex had already set the elvish ending spell on his father, who was sitting in the back of the cart. Instead of releasing Maslow to walk, Dex climbed onto Titan and set a fast past southwest, toward the Greeg tribe.

  They traveled the rest of the day, making a cold camp near a boulder surrounded by thorny, barren shrubs. Bliss was restless, but Dex knew there was nothing more to be done. He stayed awake until midnight, and then roused Bliss and let the bird watch over their camp until sunrise while Dex caught a few hours of sleep. The phoenix could see much better at night than Dex could and she was an intelligent creature. Keeping watch at night was just one of many skills she was good at.

  The next day they set out at dawn again, and once more Dex left his father paralyzed in the cart. Not just because they could travel faster that way, but because Dex knew if he did end up in a fight with the Regulators, he couldn’t trust his father not to turn on him.

  A few hours later Bliss squawked loudly, and flapped her huge wings in front of Titan until the horse reared. Once Dex managed to get the horse settled down, he dismounted. The plume of dust behind him made it obvious what the phoenix was worried about.

  “Go high,” Dex told Bliss, leading Titan and the draft horse to a waist-high boulder where they could have some protection from the approaching wizards.

  He tied the draft horse’s lead rein to Titan’s saddle, then took a position behind the cart. There was an arroyo to Dex’s left, which would keep the Regulators from circling around behind him. They might try to flank him, but at the very least, Dex could levitate to the far side and buy himself a few minutes while the wizards found a way over the dry riverbed.

  Dex had recovered his own weapons, but he didn’t have Maslow’s wand, or the ruby ring he’d taken from the mage in Northia. He did however have the oak wand he’d taken from Zander near Mygar’s Keep. Not that he felt he would need it, there was nothing the wand would do that he couldn’t do with the Lord Marshyl’s sword or the opal ring that had bonded to the skin of his right hand. His only concern was the number of Regulators pursuing him. Once he knew what he was dealing with, he had a surprise in store for them.

  He’d been lucky when the Greeg stole his belongings. They had taken some things and left others. One of the items they had left inside was the parcel of griffin dung that Outrider Reegan had given him. He was careful to touch the small objects only with his gloved hands. He moved just one of the trio of rock-shaped chunks to the ground near his feet.

  The last order of business was to secure all of his supplies on Titan’s saddle. They had three blankets, one spare torch, a half-empty water skin, and a sack of food, mostly dried beef, but some vegetables and stale bread too. If Dex had to flee, he would take Titan and leave the draft horse, cart, and his father. Dex was confident he could hold his own with the Regulators. Other than his father, Dex had yet to meet one that impressed him. They seemed weak and ill trained in magic, yet he knew he couldn’t count on that. Overconfidence was foolish when dealing with an unknown opponent. And if the Regulators proved to be a dangerous bunch, he would retreat to safety, then look for a way to subdue the wizards and regain his father.

  He had everything prepared and there was nothing else to do but wait. Dex wasn’t a patient person, and facing a group of wizards all alone was frightening, but he was a Marshyl Knight, in spirit if not yet in deed. He was trained to stand against tyranny, against the fiendish actions of outlaw wizards and he wouldn’t be cowed, no matter how many Regulators came against him. He would show them what a Marshyl could do, and he doubted they were up to the challenge.

  Chapter 24

  The Regulators rode up quickly. They were making a push to close the distance and Dex could tell from the surprise on their faces that they hadn’t expected him to stop and wait for them. There were eight riders, six men and two women, who spread out in a loose line in front of Dex.

  “Throw down your wands and dismount,” Dex said in a loud voice.

  “I don’t think we’re going to do that,” a weasel-faced man said with a chuckle.

  “I think you will,” Dex said. “I can’t promise you won’t get killed if you don’t.”

  “You’re out matched,” said a red-headed woman with wide lips who looked as if sneering was her usual expression.

  “She’s right,” the first man said. “You’re all alon
e, Marshyl.”

  Before Dex could reply Bliss swooped down with a long, loud cry. She flew right in front of the Regulators’ horses, spooking them. Two even tried to buck off their riders. One of the women fell, and Dex took the opportunity to levitate the small, rock-shaped piece of griffin dung toward the Regulators. He had left it on the ground by his boot, and only lifted it a few inches from the dirt as it glided toward the Regulators. They didn’t notice it. Their horses were kicking up dust and when Dex felt it was in the proper place he used his magic to crush the dried excrement. The tiny fragments caught on the breeze and wafted up and across the line of Regulators.

  “Last chance,” Dex said.

  “For you, maybe,” said the red-headed woman. “Give us the Hammer and we’ll make sure you die quick.”

  Dex could see that the Regulators nearest to where he’d sent the griffin dung were already noticing its effects. A couple were watching the sky, keeping an eye out for Bliss, who was circling high above. Dex was positioned behind his cart with his sword and shield held low, hidden from view. He still wore the robe he had taken from the man named Zander, but the hood was thrown back and his armored skull cap was visible, not that Dex expected the Regulators to realize how strong his armor was. He waited for someone in the group to make the first move, giving the griffin dung time to have an effect on the Regulators.

  “I can’t do that,” Dex said. “He’s going back with me.”

  “Boy, this isn’t some game,” the man said, his voice sounding strange, as if he were struggling to get the words out.

  “Your man is right here in this cart,” Dex said. “If you want him, come and get him.”

  The red-headed woman was the first to pull her wand. Her hand flicked upward, the wand appearing suddenly, and shot out a flash of pale, yellow light, barely visible in the bright sunlight. But Dex was ready and his shield came up quick and easy, catching the spell and sending it flashing back at the woman, who fell from her horse to avoid the curse. There was a loud crack and shriek of rage. Dex guessed the woman’s wand had snapped in her fall.