Wizard's Education (Book 2) (37 page)

"I saw some trees near here that have bark we can use to lash the logs together." Chihon explained. "We can make a raft."

Lorit was not much help, but he loaned her enough power to drag three logs over to a spot near the bank. She located some trees from which she could easily peel the bark free. She twisted and braided the bark into a thin but strong rope and lashed the logs together. By the time she was finished, the sun was setting.

"We'll leave in the morning." Chihon looked over at Lorit for confirmation, but he was already fast asleep.

Lorit lay on the raft as Chihon pushed it into the stream. She jumped on as it floated out into the water. Her added weight rocked the makeshift raft, almost pitching Lorit off it. He groaned in pain, but held on with his good arm.

The raft bobbed along as the river wound its way through the woods. Occasionally it took a wild turn and ran down a small rapid. The trees along the stream gradually changed from bristling pine trees to oaks and the forest grew thicker. The trip was almost lazy and Chihon enjoyed the relaxing view when she was not tending to Lorit.

Lorit sat up more often as the day warmed up. He ate, drank and was alert and engaged. He was worried about getting to Amedon and about finding Zhimosom. His relentless pursuit on behalf of his friends was one of the things Chihon had come to appreciate about him.

The stream joined a wider river where the banks were far apart and the water moved slower than it had in the stream. Chihon tried to direct the raft towards shore so they could pull up on the bank and forage for food, but there was nothing to grab onto. She tried to find a suitable branch in the bits of flotsam that passed by so she could pole the raft. Eventually a long thin tree trunk floated close enough that she could grab it and use it to push against the bottom, guiding the raft towards the shore.

The water was muddy and dark as she worked the raft toward the banks of the river. She managed to shove it onto a sandy slope where the river curved, and dragged it out of the water enough to keep the occasional wave from lapping beneath it and floating it away.

"Lorit." Chihon tried to wake him, but he was fast asleep. "Lorit. I need to leave you for a while. I have to find us some food."

It was no use. She could not wake him. She dragged the raft further up onto the bank, wishing she could access his magic to bind the raft there, or lift it completely free of the water, but he was unresponsive. She shoved with all her might and placed a few rocks beneath the edge of the raft.

She made her way into the woods and soon found wild roots and vegetables. She collected them, carrying them in her shirt as she foraged, then rushed to get back to Lorit once she had enough for their meal. On the way, she spied a root that would help him with the pain. She pulled up a few, and thrust them into her pockets.

She rushed back to the river but when she reached it, the raft was gone. She was sure she hadn't gotten lost, but there was no sign of the raft.

It was gone, and Lorit with it!

She panicked. What happened? She had pulled it far enough up the bank to keep it safe. Had some swell come along and lifted it back into the water?

She looked out across the broad river. She thought she could make out the raft bobbing along down river. She sprinted through the forest, hoping to find some path that would take her along the water's edge. She ran as fast as the underbrush would allow her to, but she kept losing sight of the raft, even though it was moving slowly.

In spots, Chihon found the banks of the river wide enough to run along them. She drew tantalizingly near the raft, but was never able to get close enough that she could chance grabbing for it. Chihon looked at the water with distrust. She was not a strong swimmer and had bad memories of falling in the water as a little girl.

The river roared up ahead up ahead and the water started to run faster. The raft picked up speed. Chihon pushed herself harder, trying to keep up, but it was moving too fast now. She dodged rocks and fallen trees as she charged along the beach, until the beach gave way to rock.

The river had cut its way through the rock, forming a wide canyon that carved through the face of the cliff ahead. Chihon reached the waterfall just in time to see the raft shoot over the edge and out into the air. Lorit held on to the logs as they plunged downward.

Chihon rushed to the rock ledge that overlooked the precipice. The water below roiled with foam and debris as the waterfall beat down on it. It wasn't that far down. She could jump far enough to reach the pool where Lorit had hit. She steeled herself for the jump. The raft had broken apart and Lorit was hanging onto a log as it crashed along the rocks, battered about by the white water.

She had to get down there to save him, but the thought of jumping into the angry water struck fear in her heart. She saw the log strike the shore and Lorit crawl to safety. She breathed a sigh of relief and started her climb down, glad she had not had to jump.

The rocks were slippery and treacherous, but she was able to find suitable handholds as she made her way down. Her hands were scraped and bleeding by the time she reached the bottom of the falls. Each handhold and step brought her closer to Lorit, who lay there at the water's edge.

She rushed to Lorit and knelt over him. He was alive and breathing, but unconscious. She stroked his hair and straightened his clothes.

"Lorit, can you hear me?"

He remained silent.

She reached out with her magic and felt for any injury. The break in his arm was a bright red flare. A muted but still bright spot showed on his ankle. There was an almost imperceptible red glow from near his heart. She reached out and touched it, imagining it dimming, and diminishing. It slowly faded, but it took a lot out of her. She knew she had not healed him, but maybe she had reversed whatever harm he had suffered.

Lorit opened his eyes. "What happened?" he croaked.

"The raft was carried down river and over the falls." Chihon smoothed his hair and tried to soothe him. "You're all right."

"My leg." Lorit tried to reach for it and stopped. "My arm," he said in alarm. "What happened to my arm?"

"You were trapped in a mud slide," Chihon reminded him. "You're safe now. I'm going to get you out of the mountains. We're not far from Rohir. One more day and we should be there."

"How are we going to get there if I can't walk?"

"I'll figure something out." Chihon reached into her pocket for the root that would ease his pain. She was thankful that it was still there after her climb. She tore part of it off with her bleeding fingernails and handed it to him. "Chew on that. It will ease the pain."

Lorit took it and placed it in his mouth. He made a face at the taste of it but kept chewing. She could feel it working as he started to relax again, and soon he was sleeping peacefully.

She worried how she was going to get him the rest of the way out of the mountains. She couldn't carry him, and he couldn't walk. She sat by the small fire she'd made, looking off into the woods as the sun set. It was peaceful and quiet, a contrast to the danger she'd faced getting down to Lorit from above the falls.

Chihon heard a snapping sound off in the brush, and looked up to see a stag poke its head into the clearing. It was a majestic beast with its large, broad antlers. She counted ten points, one for each summer. She watched quietly as it walked to the river and dipped its head to drink. If only it were a horse, she could put Lorit on its back and they could walk out of the mountains, they could reach Rohir within the day.

Then it dawned on her.

She wished she had Lorit's staff; it would have helped amplify her magic. Maybe even as weak as she was, she would be able to bring the animal to her. If it couldn't carry Lorit on its back, it could drag him behind on a makeshift litter.

She approached the animal, projecting a sense of calm towards it. She muttered the words of binding. "Vobis erit servus," she said, commanding the stag to be her servant. "Amor me debeas" she whispered, binding the animal to her as her loving servant.

The stag stopped drinking and looked at her. It turned and walked slowly her. It bent down, nuzzling her hand with its nose, and sank to the ground, eyes fixed on her.

Rohir

Chihon fashioned a litter out of tree branches and bark. It took her most of the night, but it was the only way she was going to get Lorit out of the mountains. She dragged Lorit into the litter and fastened it to the stag.

She encouraged the animal to walk beside her as she picked her way along. She guided it more with her thoughts than her touch. She'd managed to snare a few rabbits the way Lorit showed her, so they were well fed. Lorit was no worse for the trip, but no better. As they traveled, Lorit fell into bouts of heavy sleep interspersed with short periods of awakening.

The steep mountains gave way to gently rolling hills with a light smattering of lush trees. The stag looked around, skittish to be out of the deep forest, but continued to walk beside her as they made their way. They passed through a small copse of trees, and Chihon heard rustling above them in the branches.

"Halt," a female voice called from above. Chihon looked around but could not see who was calling out. She halted the stag and probed with her magical senses. There were at least a dozen people perched in the branches above her.

"You can't see us, but we can see you. One false move and you're dead," came the voice again. Chihon could make out the person who spoke. She was a woman about twenty five summers in age. She was perched in the tree above Chihon, holding a long bow. The bow was drawn, an arrow was notched, and it was aimed at Chihon.

"You can put that down," Chihon called out. "We're not going to hurt anyone. We're on our way to Amedon."

The woman dropped from the tree and landed in front of Chihon. She was dressed in light brown leather that fit strangely. Chihon noticed that her left breast was missing; from the way she drew the bow back, it was obvious why this had been done. She placed her hand over her own breasts, as if the mutilation were contagious.

More women dropped from the trees in rapid succession, landing light on their feet and drawing their bows. Chihon noticed that they all had one breast removed to facilitate their use of the bow. She looked slowly from one to the other before speaking.

"I'm traveling to Amedon. My friend here was injured in a landslide. He needs a healer, food, and water. Can you help us?"

The leader approached Lorit and peered down at him. "A man," she snorted. "Why would we help one of them?"

She looked Chihon over, examining her from head to toe and back again. "You would make a mighty warrior. Can you use a bow?"

"I have never tried," Chihon said. "I am just a market girl."

The woman looked her over again. "You are no market girl." She drew her hand back and aimed a slap at Chihon, but before it could land, Chihon raised her shields and the woman's hand bounced off it.

The woman stepped back and drew her bow. "Sorceress," she shouted. "Kill her."

The rest of the women drew their bows, letting their arrows fly. Chihon felt the impact on her shields, but the arrows did no harm.

"Sorceress," the leader screamed. She ran headlong at Chihon her knife drawn. She impacted the shield and bounced off, landing on the ground. She quickly picked herself up, crouching for another strike.

Chihon held her hand up. "I am a Sorceress, that is true, but I meant what I said. We mean you no harm." She stretched out her hand and raised a fireball as she'd seen Lorit do. She had never used this spell before, but she felt the time was right for a little magic. "Tell me your name."

"My name is Chemwa." The woman lowered her knife and stepped back.

Chihon nodded to the rest of the women, who had fresh arrows notched and ready. "Put them down or I'll be forced to turn you to ash where you stand."

Chemwa waved her hand and the rest of her troupe lowered their weapons. She holstered her knife and nodded her head.

Chihon released the spell that kept the fire spinning and twisting above her hand. She was relieved that she had not needed to resort to violence.

"Will you help my friend?" she asked.

"He's a man." Chemwa spat on the ground. "They have their uses, but if they are not hale and healthy, they are no good to anyone. Why do you want him?"

"Because he's my friend," Chihon said. "And my partner in magic. He's a Wizard."

"We don't help Wizards and we don't help men." Chemwa turned her back on Chihon, gesturing to her warriors.

Chihon watched as the warrior walked away. She was tired, dirty, and hungry. She hadn't slept since the mudslide, and was on the verge of collapse both physically and emotionally and here was the help she needed, refusing her because Lorit was a man.

Chihon raised the fireball and cast it at the tree next to Chemwa. It struck with a crack and crackle and the tree burst into flames. It was consumed in the wink of an eye.

Chemwa turned back to Chihon; the fear in her eyes was mixed with anger.

"I asked nicely if you would help us. Do I have to get rude? I need your assistance and I don't care if you help men or Wizards. You are going to help me."

Chemwa looked as if she would kill Chihon where she stood, if only she were given the chance, yet she bowed her head and said "Yes, Mighty One."

"Take me somewhere where I can get help for my friend."

Chemwa turned back away from Chihon. "Follow me," she muttered.

At first, the woman kept her distance, but eventually she slowed down to match pace with Chihon and the stag.

"That's a fine animal you have there," Chemwa said. "How is it that a stag like that does your bidding so gently?"

"I've cast a spell on him." Chihon didn't trust the woman and didn't want to engage her in conversation.

"You are a mighty Sorceress indeed. If only we could use such magic on our men. They are notoriously hard to train and even when properly taught, they occasionally break training and have to be put down. It's such a pity."