Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town (13 page)

            
She went on, “If they didn’t ride flea bitten nags, we ought to get ten gold for
them. Probably yield us all a hundred gold pieces. I, for one, could
use
the extra money.”

            
Zoran reflected on her suggestion and then spoke, “Ordinarily, Jarka, I’d say go
ahead. However, we have two of our team laid up, and we are under orders to get this
wagon to Brn in three more days. I think the wisest course is to leave them for now.”

            
Bernard spoke up, “Boss, if they have horses tied up out there, those creatures
will be in grave danger. Wild animals can get them or they might die of thirst or
starvation. We cannot simply leave them be.”

            
“Okay, okay,” he grinned, “I know when I am outvoted. I don’t want to harm
animals any more than you do. We’ll spend a bit of time checking on them, okay?”
Bernard smiled as did Jarka.

            
“Hey, this is my woods. Let me go. I can backtrack the men and find their horses
rapidly,” Zdenka called out. “I’m done digging anyway. Someone else can bury them.”

            
Zoran hesitated to send Zdenka out there alone, but he couldn’t see Jarka burying
the dead bandits either. “Jarka, you go with her. If you come across any more bandits,
send us a message immediately, got it?” They nodded and the two women vanished into
the dense trees. “Emil, lend me a hand with these bodies, will you?”

            
A half hour later, Zoran cast his Dig spell and finished covering them up, forming
a nice looking mound. Just then, they heard horses coming and a pair of smiling women
rode up, leading two long strings of horses. “Found a pile of gems in one of the saddle
bags,” Jarka called out. “Good horses and saddles. Probably we can each make ten gold
pieces for our efforts.” She was now in good spirits. After tying the string of horses to the
wagons, along with those of Bernard and Karel, the group once more headed on down
the road through the Dark Forest.

            
That night, they made camp near a small stream, which they forded first. Around
the campfire, they chatted about their big battle. Zoran kept it light, however, “Well, we
sure are an unusual team, that’s for sure. Jarka’s idea to fly above the battle casting
spells worked perfectly. Good going, you two.” Zdenka smiled too. “As for our twins
here, you were amazing. I honestly thought that I would be burying you two back there,
if not from the arrows, then from the sword strikes. You two are a powerhouse in a small
package! No question of that. I will have to remember that. Are all of the people in your
country as tough and strong as you two are?”

            
“Oh, more so, we are like you, only in our teens. We will get stronger as we grow
up,” Emil explained. He was telling the truth.

            
“One day, I would like to visit your country of Voss,” Zoran decided. Neither twin
replied to that comment, however.

            
They chatted until long after dark. Zoran insisted that both Bernard and Karel
sleep through the night. Emil and Renata took the first watch, and then later Zoran and
Jarka watched their camp. In the dawn hours, Zoran promised to wake Zdenka and let
Jarka get some sleep. Instead, Tomas insisted that he be allowed to stand watch with
Zdenka so Zoran could get some sleep.

            
Zoran was sound asleep when his inner sense forced his eyes instantly open,
senses alert. He lay still listening. It was Emil and Renata’s guard duty. Had something
happened to them? No they were sitting back to back near the rear of the wagon,
occasionally poking at the small fire. Then he heard a light sound, padded feet upon the
forest floor. Many of them. He was about to call out “Megalowolves!” but decided to see
how the twins handled it.

            
Drawn by the scent of so many horses, a pack of twenty came to investigate and
see how easily they might scavenge a meal. However, as one crept slowly up to the
campsite, it stopped suddenly and sniffed. Then, it beat a hasty retreat! All of the pack
followed, leaving the campsite in utter silence once more. Strange, he thought and then
went back to sleep, confident in the twins.

            
Around one in the morning when he and Jarka had been on duty for several
hours, Jarka finally began to say what was on her mind. Talking in a very low voice, she
said, “Okay, they have to be asleep by now, Zoran. Now do you see what I mean about
them
being really, really strange? Have you ever known
anyone
whose chest can stop an
arrow? Or how about anyone whose chest
breaks
swords without getting a scratch on
themselves? Eh? Know of anyone who can do that?
I
certainly don’t.”

            
“Archmage Nadia did say that the twins knew some spells. Perhaps one of their
spells somehow protects them against missiles and swords? I believe that there actually
is such a spell, only we haven’t yet gotten to it,” he confided in her. She bit her lip; she
had not thought of this.

            
“Aye, you have a point. Okay, then how do you explain that those two could lift
that tree? Both draft horses would be needed if we had to do it.
Explain
that one, if you
can,” she replied and asked.

            
“Again, could be some kind of Strength spell that they had on themselves. That’s
possible, you know,” Zoran replied.

            
“Damn, you are right again. Yes, I’ve heard of Strength spells too. That may be the
answer. But why wouldn’t they just come out and say, ‘Look gang. We have cast a couple
of spells that you all don’t yet know on ourselves, which make us into supermen.’ Or
something like that. I mean, if
I
could do that,
I
would certainly tell you all about it.
Well, okay, but that still doesn’t explain why they just disappear every Sunday and what
they are up to, now does it? I still think that they are hiding something, and I aim to find
out what,” she said defiantly.

            
“Let me know when you find out,” Zoran replied sincerely. She smiled.

            
Around noon the next day, Zdenka said, “Zoran, see that faint trail there to your
left? That tract leads to our home. It’s about half a day’s travel to get there from here.”
He smiled and thanked her for showing him. He really did want to visit the ex-General,
though he was not sure just why at this point. A gut feeling told him that he ought to talk
with the man.

            
Shortly after that, a band of five riders passed them. Later in the afternoon, they
stopped to help another wagoner repair a broken axle. Nothing else of significance
happened that day or night. Both Bernard and Karel insisted on standing watch,
claiming that they felt nearly as good as new, though Zoran doubted that very much.
Both were still healing, but he allowed them to stand watch.

            
Mid-morning, they finally left the Dark Woods proper behind them. While there
were still plenty of patches of forest, the dim daylight was now replaced by sunshine,
and the peaks in the distance quite visible and spectacular. Zoran found himself
frequently gazing at them. This Brn country was very picturesque.

            
During their last day of travel, several lighter wagons passed by them on their way
into Brn, while several heavily laden wagons lumbered on past them coming from Brn.
Three sets of riders also past by them as well. At no time did Zoran get any sense that
trouble was near at hand. At last, they rode into Brn late Saturday afternoon. Inside the
gates, a dozen city guards took over for them.

            
“I’ll get rid of the horses and stuff for us; meet you at the tower,” Jarka suggested.
Bernard volunteered to lend her a hand.

            
“We want gems please, pretty green ones,” Renata called out to Jarka.

            
“Make mine clear gems,” Emil added. Jarka smiled; they would be small ones,
unless these horses were worth more than her initial guestimate. At suppertime, Jarka
joined them in the tower.

            
“Okay, we got around eight hundred gold pieces worth from all their stuff. That
amounts to one hundred fourteen for each of us. We were able to pick up seven gems
worth about a hundred each. So here, have your pick. Each pouch has fourteen gold
coins in it.” She dumped seven glittering gems onto the table.

            
“Ah, so small,” Renata sighed, as she picked up an emerald.

            
“How big did you want it?” Jarka teased her.

            
“Oh, this big,” Renata put her hands together, indicating a softball size. Everyone
roared with laughter.

            
“You’ll need five thousand times more gold pieces than we got today to get one
that size,” Jarka estimated for her.

            
“Oh! Ah well, this is very pretty, and it is my first, very own gem. I love it. Thank
you Jarka,” Renata bubbled, very pleased with her small emerald.

            
Now the team went back to their studies once more.

Chapter 7 Sholov Province

Archmage Milos walked into the Baron’s War Room, a windowless, heavily guarded
square room, located deep within Castle Dorumova’s walls. Metal shielding lined the
walls to prevent mental spying by other Duskas. Metal tended to block their telepathy,
or so the Baron had long ago decided. At least it did for him. Actually, Milos was
responding to the Baron’s summons.

            
Milos closed the door behind him and sealed it. Baron Kazimir was talking with
his top general, Bor Wenceslas. On a large table was a mockup of the Sholov Province
and the fortress-castle Mik, where Warlord Mikolas ruled the province. Well, not for
much longer, Baron Kazimir was making his last minute preparations for his assault on
Sholov. Milos studied the three dimensional map, noting where the warlord’s
fortifications were located and where the Baron’s powerful army was currently
stationed. The fortifications he himself had worked out, having made numerous flights
over Sholov Province while Invisible. Milos observed that none of the small army men
and pieces of equipment had been moved from their previous positions. He took this as
a good sign. The Baron was not changing plans at this late date.

            
“Ah, Milos. Thank you for coming on such short notice. We are ready to begin the
assault on Sholov Province. General Bor wants to move the launch date up one week. He
believes that spies have already gotten our planned staring date back to Mikolas, so this
move may take him by surprise.”

            
“I told you that we should have used magic to locate those spies before they could
elude our borders,” Milos replied, feeling that his previous position in this spy matter
was now vindicated. The general overruled him, believing that his scouts could intercept
the spies while they were en route back to Sholov Province.

            
“Hell, it doesn’t matter one iota whether we attack today, next week, or next
month!” Baron Kazimir bellowed boastfully. “Mikolas will be crushed utterly. Now then
I have two questions for you, well three really. Are your Mages ready to hit the field?”

            
“Aye, the seven are packed and awaiting your orders. I believe that they are
anxious to show you and the world the kind of destruction that they can wreak on
stonework,” Milos answered.

            
“Good, good. Now then, is Radek really ready? He’s insisting on personally
commanding a regiment himself, but how goes his magic training? I don’t want to risk
him if he is not up to Mage standards.”

            
“I believe that I have taught him everything that he can learn. He is not the most
intelligent Duska I ever taught, which is limiting his ability to grasp the top power spells.
So yes, I cannot teach him anything further. Your daughters, they still have a year to go.”
He knew that the Baron cared little for them; his only plans for them were to marry
them off in some manner that benefitted him with stronger alliances. The Baron
grimaced at the notion that his favored son and appointed heir, Radek, was not so
bright. Yet, he knew this to be true; his facial muscles tightened and then relaxed. There
was nothing he could do about that, unless he wanted to take another wife and try again,
but then there was the age problem. He was now approaching sixty. Even if he did
manage to remarry and father another boy child, he would be long dead before the boy
reached adulthood and would very likely be assassinated long before then. No, it was
Radek or nothing and certainly not the bastard son, Zoran, who had run away like the
true coward that he was. Pity the assassins had failed, he thought.