A Darkness Unleashed (Book 2) (9 page)

“It’s always easier paddling downstream, but upstream is where the gold hides.”—excerpt, Riverboat Captain’s Creed

T
allen brushed Stew’s coat along the withers, the steady rhythm of the curry comb settling his mind, as did the soft munching sound of the horse working a feed bag. Maddi smiled at him over the brown shoulders of her own mare, standing there packed under a low roof with Shade, Fireheart, and a few other steeds. The deck of the riverboat did not shift much, but still the horses needed soothing from time to time.

And it is a great excuse to spend time with Maddi.
He looked over his shoulder at the dozen deck hands pushing poles along the riverboat’s edge.
And alone time is so hard to find on this boat.

A whoop sounded from along the shoreline where another man drove four pairs of mules, all hooked to a long hitch pulling a rope tied to the front of the riverboat. A wide track along the edge of the Andon River allowed the team to make good speed, while the polemen and rudder kept the boat moving straight and free of impediment.

When Tallen looked back at Maddi, he noticed that she too watched the mule team.

“Why didn’t we just ride these horses?” she mumbled, maybe only half to him. “Those mules are slower fighting the current than we would ever be on the road.”

Tallen searched for an answer, but Tomas Harte spoke up from where he inspected Fireheart’s hooves. “Every evening, we would have to stop to rest our horses and ourselves. On the boat, we only stop every five leagues, just long enough to switch out the mule teams. This way, we still maintain that speed, even at night.” His eyes drifted over to where Tanya played with Ami in the bow. “It is by far the swiftest way for a group such as ours to travel to Gavanor.”

Tallen watched Maddi gaze at Tanya, nervous concern playing across her features. “The duke promised to keep your house safe. We can move the three of you in there for now. The doctor won’t find you.”

Maddi gave him a forced smile. Her focus still drifted to Tanya. “I may need a bigger place.”

Returning her faint smile with a wider one of his own, Tallen offered his hand. “We can see about that. In the meantime, let’s get some lunch.”

She slipped her cool hand into his. Tallen enjoyed the strength of her grip when she gave him a squeeze. “Then maybe we can find some time alone,” she whispered

A nervous thrill shot through his chest, and Tallen cleared his throat. “I have to practice my magic with Dorias this afternoon.” He looked to where the wizard stood near the bow, his gaze upon the river and an apple in his hand. “But maybe after dinner?”

She squeezed his hand again.

Lunch was short, consisting of a few hard biscuits moistened with ale, some barely warmed beans, and a wrinkled apple from a barrel in the hold. Maddi sat with him, and they ate in contented silence. Eventually, Ami and Tanya joined them, the girl grinning behind her plate at Tallen. He made a silly face, and she giggled.

When his plate was empty, he rose from the narrow table. “See you tonight for supper?”

Maddi’s smile was warm. “I can’t wait. We can go for a walk on deck afterward.”

Pangs of regret coursing through him, Tallen contemplated the curve of her lips for a longing moment, before he at last turned and climbed up and out. He walked toward the bow to join Dorias Ravenhawke, where the wizard watched the waters flowing by. Merl perched upon the narrow rail of the riverboat.

“Hello, my friend,” the wizard greeted without turning. “I was thinking we should talk more about your rescue of Maddi.” Dorias tapped his pipe out upon the rail and set about repacking it from an aromatic pouch. “You only spoke of it in passing to me, and I could tell it weighed heavily upon you.” He looked up from his pipe to watch Tallen, those dark, raptor eyes full of both sympathy and curiosity. “These were the first humans you have killed with your own power…the first fellow mage. How are you sitting with that?”

Tallen placed his hands upon the rail, staring out at the water that passed by so much more quickly than the shoreline. He listened to the creak of leather and wood coming from the mule team, along with the shouts of the teamster and occasional brays from one of the animals. He remembered the crumpled bodies of the mage and the doctor’s men, and he could not brush the images away, no matter what he tried to force in their place.

“They haunt my dreams, Dorias.” Tallen sighed. “When I close my eyes I see their faces.” He looked up at his mentor, the pain in his heart breaking out on his face. “It’s worse than the orcs I killed in Bridgedale. I barely remember that night, yet they still hid in my dreams. But the doctor’s men…his secretary…they reach out to me in nightmares, begging me for their lives.” His voice broke, and he cleared his throat. “It’s not every night, and being around my friends makes it better.”

Dorias eased a calming hand onto his shoulder. “Killing a man is a hard thing, Tallen. I’ve killed more men in my lifetime than most ever meet. The Balance and the Waters both know that for truth.”

Looking up, Tallen saw that the hawkishness had faded from Dorias’ gaze, replaced by broken regret. The morose tone of Dorias’ words seemed strange coming from someone with such power. It reminded Tallen that his companions had seen many dark times, and each had suffered great tragedies on the road to their fame and fortune.

The wizard’s voice softened as he continued. “Many of those deaths I would take back if I could. Some I would gladly kill again. But you must remember, it is the greatest burden of a wizard’s power, the ability to deal in life and death.” His hand squeezed Tallen’s shoulder. “I believe you to be a wise man, and that you will be fair in dealing it out. The fact that your first killing haunts you so only reassures me.”

Dorias pulled his hand away and returned to watching the Andon. “Remember, too, that those you killed would have been far less bothered by your death, and that they would have hurt Maddi with just as little concern.”

The wizard rapped his knuckles upon the rail. “Now, as to the specifics of how you defeated them. Using the Psoul Aspect to kill, to stifle the flow of life within a person’s
psahn
, is very dangerous, even for a mage with your powers.” He tamped down his filled pipe and lifted it toward his lips. “If you tried to do that with a Dreamer, a paladin, or even a Talented healer, they could very easily turn your power back upon itself, causing a disruption in your own
psahn
.”

Dorias lit the pipe with a strand of Fire. The sweet scent rose to Tallen’s nose, making him wish he had brought his own pipe up from below. “I think I understand,” he said, his mind going back to that day. “When I reached out with Psoul, when I entered their life force pattern, I felt…exposed…like my clothing had been ripped away.” He scratched his chin, concern welling up in the back of his mind. “I tried to attack the doctor, but he slapped me back, numbing my sense of Psoul.”

Drawing upon the pipe and puffing out a ring of blue smoke to drift along in the wind, Dorias gave Tallen a hard look. “You must have caught him by surprise, or he could have cut it off permanently. When you reach out, you open yourself up to attack. Your power gives a direct line to the heart of your
psahn
. If you are extended too far, you cannot withdraw quick enough to protect yourself. A skilled, prepared Dreamer could snuff out your life before you even entered his
psahn
.”

“Then I am lucky you are the only other skilled Dreamer out there,” Tallen joked, hoping to cover the fear that spiraled into his bowels.

Dorias frowned. “So far as we know. Plus, from the description of his powers, I have no doubt the Lord Doctor could have done much more had you not caught him unawares and weak from attacking Maddi.”

Tallen’s thoughts raced down the dark paths full of unknown dangers. Those paths led in a thousand directions, each one warning him of rampant destruction or his own grisly death. A chill, heavier than winter on the river, settled into his bones. He wrapped the gray cloak more tightly about his shoulders.

Clearing his throat, Dorias spoke around the pipe clenched in his teeth. “Regardless, I am glad that you seem to understand, though I doubt anyone truly can.” He puffed blue smoke into the wind. “Come. Let us use our power in Water to see if we cannot speed our journey.”

L
ight snow covered the banks of the Andon, the scattered whiteness having fallen during the night. Steam rose from the hot tea as Tallen blew across it. He sipped at its lightly sweetened contents, and it warmed him as it went down. The smell of bacon frying on a charcoal fire reached his nose over the fruity scent of the tea. The clatter of wood sounded behind him, followed by a burst of laughter from a man and the giggle of a girl.

“That’s right,” the man’s voice called. “You’re already getting the hang of it.”

Tallen turned to see Gwelan Whitehand parry a swing from Tanya, who held a carved wooden sword. The clack echoed across the deck and the water.

“I’m not letting anyone hurt Ami or Maddi again,” the girl shouted with another hearty swing.

Gwelan parried. “Well, you are a good beginner, but you still have a lot to learn.”

He twisted his own wooden sword and sent hers flying across the deck, where it skidded to a halt at the head of the gangway. Maddi emerged from below just as it stopped.

“What are you doing?” she shouted, stamping up onto the deck. She looked at Tanya who shook a stinging hand. “You’ve hurt her!”

Maddi ran to hold Tanya, who pushed against the embrace.

“I’m all right,” she said, pulling away and jogging over to the little sword. “I want to learn and Mister Gwelan promised to teach me.”

Tallen noticed the wary look Maddi cast in Gwelan’s direction. The swordsman bowed his shaven head, mostly covered by a black knit cap. Leaning over with fluid grace, Maddi picked up the sword herself and took a few steps toward Gwelan.

“Then let’s see if you are good enough to teach my girl,” she said, hefting the sword and staring at Gwelan.

The man nodded. “Fair enough.”

He lifted his sword to salute her, but it quickly turned into a parry of her first blow. The harsh smack of wood on wood echoed in Tallen’s ear.

Gwelan smiled over clenched teeth. “You have a strong arm.”

He blocked four swift blows from Maddi, most of them aimed toward his head.

“I’m fast too,” Maddi said with a grin.

She threw another flurry of blows in Gwelan’s direction. Tallen held his breath at the sight.
I’ve seen her fight, but never with such ferocity. And this Gwelan Whitehand, he holds her at bay with every swing or stab.

The two danced across the deck of the riverboat, a small crowd gathering to watch. Tallen and Tanya stood rooted, while Tomas Harte emerged from below. Even Merl fluttered down to watch from the back of a bale of leather goods.

Maddi leaped over a barrel in apparent retreat then spun to land a blow that Gwelan barely caught with his own blade. The concentration on his face shifted to a more serious demeanor, and he returned a swift riposte, which Maddi ducked only by a razor’s edge. She moved swiftly to her right, faking a swing that Gwelan moved to block. Before they made contact, Maddi used a large box as a step and flipped head over heels to land on the far side. She smiled as she swung hard for his back.

Somehow the swordsman twisted, catching Maddi’s blow while still on one foot. Her wooden blade glanced to the side and Maddi lost her footing. She scrambled to parry a vicious return from Gwelan.

With a roar, Maddi leaped at him, and the two tumbled over each other, their blades locked. When they came to a stop, she held her empty hand’s thumb at his throat.

“Normally I have a second blade,” she panted, sweat running down her face.

“So do I,” Gwelan replied with less exertion in his voice. Tallen noticed he held two fingers of his left hand under her ribs.

“Fair enough,” Maddi answered, letting go and hopping to her feet. She offered Gwelan a hoisting hand, and he took it. “If you are careful, you can train her.” She handed the wooden sword to Tanya with a smile.