Master Mage (4 page)

“I have already had my share of food
from the palace kitchens,” Thad replied with a wink. “I just
stopped by to see how things were going with you. It has been far
too long since we had the time to simply chat.”

“Not much, really,” Shariel said,
shrugging her shoulders. “I do tend to have a lot of nobles trying
to hoist their sons on me. I don’t know if being called your sister
is a blessing or a curse. The gifts are all nice, but I don’t want
to think of dealing with boys yet. If I have learned anything from
you, it’s that boys are nothing but trouble,” Shariel added
jokingly.

The two sat talking for a short time
before the sun had fully risen into the sky. As the light started
streaming in, Shariel ran off for her studies, and Thad was left
with nothing else to do but start on his own work.

Everything around the capital was in
order, and the first signs of snow were beginning to show. Once the
ground froze and the land was blanketed in a sheet of white,
traveling would be much harder, so Thad took it as a perfect
opportunity to check on the new fort being built near the Rane
border.

If he was lucky and didn’t take too
many rests, it would be a three-day trip there with one day for
inspection and rest and another three days back. He had left a note
for the princess, but he was sure that she would most likely call
him to her dreams to let him know of her displeasure.

The ride over open ground with little
to think about was refreshing. The idea that he would have more
than an afternoon of peace, without the bickering and arguments
that he found in the capital, felt refreshing. As he rode along,
Thad had the urge to slow down his pace and extend his holiday for
as long as possible, but he knew that each day wasted might cost
him dearly in the end.

You could keep riding. Turn
your horse toward Abla and then north into the desert. Not even the
Brotherhood would follow you there.

“Living out the rest of my days in the
harsh desert doesn’t sound fun. I would much rather fight now than
spend the rest of my life worrying if the Brotherhood would find
me,” Thad told his staff proudly.

I figured as much, but
whenever I try and agree with you, it never works out. I find it
much easier to state the opposite and have you fill in your own
answers.

“You keep that up, and one of these
days, it is going to come back on you. I might just decide to do
just what you suggest,” Thad said, laughing.

Thad saw few travelers on the road,
though he wasn’t surprised. All merchants from Rane had been banned
from the country, and with the snows coming, most people were
keeping close to home in front of the fire. As a cold wind blew
through the air, forcing Thad to pull his cloak tight around his
shoulders, the thought of a nice fire seemed like pure
bliss.

Once the sun began to set, Thad
continued on for a short time until the darkness was so thick he
could no longer see the road. Unable to continue further, Thad
unsaddled Lady and pulled a bag of oats out of his magically
extended pack. After Lady was fed and brushed down good, Thad
pulled his own heavy bedroll from his pack and started making a
fire.

Within moments, Thad had a large blaze
roaring to stave off the frigid air. Watching as the fire burned,
Thad wished he had brought a few traveling companions with him.
Alone, Thad had no choice but to cover the burning coals with dirt
to ensure he didn’t wake to find himself or the countryside on
fire.

Pulling the thick blankets around him
closely, Thad curled into a tight ball. After a few moments, his
body heat warmed his blankets, and he was able to drift off into a
relatively peaceful sleep.

The next two days seemed as uneventful
as the first, and Thad quickly started to grow bored. At first, the
peace and quiet was much enjoyed, but Thad had spent so much time
in the company of others that the quiet surroundings felt void and
lonely. When he caught the first glimpses of the new fort, Thad
could have yelled for joy, knowing it means an ending to his lonely
travels.

From the position of the sun and the
distance to the fort, Thad knew that it would be nearly impossible
to reach it that day unless he wanted to risk killing his horse.
Sighing, Thad decided to travel as far as he could with what
daylight was left so he could arrive at the fort even an hour
earlier the next day.

That night, as he sat near the fire,
his spirits were high once again. He cared little for whom he would
have the company of on the morrow just as long as it was
someone.

You could always talk to
me.

“I fear that I might start to lose my
mind if I talk to you too much. Even worse, I might start to think
like you, then the world would truly be in danger,” Thad replied
half-jokingly.

You might have company
sooner than you might wish.

Without a word, Thad drifted into a
meditative state and used his magical senses to check the area.
Thuraman had been right. Less than fifty yards off and moving
slowly, five men with small magical dead areas
approached.

“Tell me when they near the tree line,”
Thad told his staff as he began to search through his pouches. Thad
pulled fifteen metal slugs from his pouch as well as two thick
metal rings. At first, Thad had to use his own stores of magical
energy to fire the metal slugs at the Brotherhood soldiers. To
alleviate that need, he had made rings that acted on the slugs with
their own stored energy. They could only fire six to seven before
needing the recharge for a span of days, but it was easier and
faster than using his personal stores of magic.

Other than his slugs, Thad pulled out
the magical orbs that would cause vines to grow. The vines were not
a very offensive spell, but they would ensnare the soldiers so he
could reduce the number he had to fend off at once. “What are they
doing?” Thad asked Thuraman once everything was ready.

They have spread out along
the tree line and are staying still.

“They must be waiting for me to go to
sleep. Might as well oblige them,” Thad said, setting his staff
down next to the rest of his gear. When he crawled into his
bedroll, he was careful to conceal his sword under its
folds.

His eyes closed, Thad reached out with
his mage sight. It wasn’t as clear as a picture he could see with
his normal vision, but thanks to the void spots created by the
white metal, Thad could easily tell where the five men were. The
assassins waited until almost a half hour after Thad lay down
before they started to move.

Thad’s first instinct when they started
moving was to jump up and start his assault, but he pushed it aside
and waited. He had three of the metal slugs in his left hand as
well as his sword in his right, with more slugs not far away. If
everything worked out the way he wanted, then Thad would kill most
of them before they had a chance to recover from their
surprise.

When the first assassin was only a
stone’s throw away, Thad threw aside his blankets. Jumping to his
feet, Thad fired one of the slugs, catching the closest man in the
chest and blowing him backward. Thad quickly shot off the remaining
slugs, missing with one and the other catching one of the men in
the leg, ripping it off as if it were a sheet of parchment. As the
man fell to the ground, screaming, Thad scooped up the three vine
orbs and threw them across the ground.

The vines shot up from the ground,
snaking around and grabbing hold of anything near. The assassin to
the far left, as well as the one on the ground grasping at his
bleeding leg, was quickly wrapped up by the vines. Thad watched for
a brief moment, making sure the two were out of the fight, before
returning his attention to the two remaining assassins.

The two remaining assassins circled
around him, moving slowly, but with intent. Thad bent down and
retrieved three more of his metal slugs as he tried to keep from
presenting his back as a target to either man.

With the slugs now in hand, Thad took a
more defensive posture. From the look of his opponents’ eyes, he
knew that they wouldn’t be caught off guard easily. Doubting that
his slugs would get another direct hit, Thad launched two of them
at the man farthest away and one at the other as he charged
him.

Thad didn’t look to see if his other
attacks had worked. He continued to keep his attention focused on
the man in front of him as he attacked vigorously with his sword.
Using his final trick, Thad called his staff to his now-empty hand
as he swung forward with a vicious overhead chop. The assassin,
seeing only a bare hand, paid it little heed as his eyes were
focused on the sword in Thad’s right hand. By the time the assassin
realized his mistake, it was too late, and the staff slammed into
his skull, shattering it like a porcelain bowl.

Thad, ready to defend against the other
assassin, spun back around but found the man lying on his back,
trying to stanch the blood flowing from his side. Thad’s slug must
have just grazed the man enough to rip a fair-sized hole in his
side. Without mercy, Thad walked over to the wounded man and
quickly ended his struggles as he separated his head from his
body.

The assassin who had lost his leg was
already dead, his body limp and pale as the vines continued to wrap
around it. The last assassin was still very much alive, but in no
condition to put up a fight. The vines had sprouted right under
him, tangling him before he had a chance to move. His arms and legs
were held tight, and his white dagger lay almost a foot
away.

“What luck, looks like I have a nice
present for my friends down at the fort,” Thad said as he sent his
magical energy into the vines, making them wrap around the man so
tightly he looked as if he was swathed in a green
blanket.

“Curse you to the abyss, foul mage,”
the assassin spat.

“If I remember correctly, I was simply
getting ready to sleep for the night, and you attacked me. If you
should curse anyone, it should be your own stupidity,” Thad replied
tauntingly.

When the assassin didn’t respond to his
taunts, Thad ordered the vines to wrap the man tighter. “Now just
why and who were you out hunting tonight?” Thad asked, his face
only inches from the assassin’s.

“We were looking for soldiers or
abominations that made for easy targets. We have already killed
more than two dozen on your roads, though I fear some of them might
have been no more than simple farmers,” the assassin replied, his
voice thick with intent.

“Looks like I won’t be getting much
sleep tonight. The moon is full enough. Why don’t we see if we can
make it to the fort?” Thad asked, pulling a rope from his pack, a
devious smile plastered on his face.

CHAPTER IV

Even with the moon out, the trip down
the road was slow. Thad’s earlier boredom was gone, replaced with
the pleasant sound of curses from the man being pulled across the
ground behind him.

It took slightly over two hours to
reach the fort. Had he known he had been that close, he would have
pushed on even after darkness had fallen, but then he would have
missed his party. The sentries called him to a halt but quickly let
him pass once they noticed the brand of two crescent moons on his
forehead. General Bache had to be roused from his bed and sounded
none too happy from outside the small building Thad waited in until
he saw what Thad had brought.

“Looks like you caught a nice-sized
rat, but couldn’t your visit have waited till the morning hours?”
the general asked groggily.

“Well, I didn’t feel all that safe
sleeping under the stars after running into five of his lot,” Thad
said, his tone serious and dry.

“There have been reports of bandit
activity along the roads, but I never thought much of it,” the
general replied, shaking his head. “Guess we better send out some
patrols to make sure the roads are safe, or the queen will have my
hide.”

“Now I know that you didn’t come here
just to bring us this fine gift, but if it’s all the same to you,
can we wait until daybreak for further business?” the general
asked, yawning.

Thad agreed and was led to a large
barracks and given an open bunk. The room smelled of sweat and
feet, but it was warm, and within moments, Thad was fast
asleep.

Thad was woken early the next morning
thanks to the bustling soldiers as they prepared for their morning
exercises. Thad followed the group out, his head still fuzzy from
lack of sleep. Once he stepped outside, he noticed that the sun
hadn’t even graced them with its presence yet.

Thad thought it odd that everyone wore
such light clothing given that the air outside was cold enough for
an ice room. He quickly learned the reason after half an hour of
pushing himself up from the ground and running in place. His heavy
tunic and cloak were drenched in sweat, and his body felt hot and
cold at the same time. As soon as the sun touched the edges of the
horizon, the army went on a long run around the fort. Thad had
thought he was in good shape, but the army regimen quickly proved
him wrong. Long before Thad was halfway around the perimeter of the
fort, he had dropped to the ground gasping and spewed the contents
of his stomach upon the ground.