Branded Mage (19 page)

When they finally stopped for the night
, Thad could see the faint light in the distance that he assumed was Southpass Fort. It didn’t look like it was far away but even a small distance seemed impossible as the snow was now almost knee-high.

Everyone was eerily quiet around the campfire that night. The meal was splendid steaks that Eloen had seasoned to perfection. He wasn’t sure when she had the time to pick it up while they were in town but was happy that she had.

Everyone seemed apprehensive each doing their own unique preparations for what they may await them in the morning. Darryl oiled his favorite and most worn battle harness. Ballard used a whetstone on his sword even though it did no good to the magic imbued blade. Eloen simply sat watching everyone as she organized her pack.

Everyone else went about their own routine as if no one else was there. Alden sat down beside him patting his softly on the shoulder. “Tomorrows the big day we are finally going to reach Southpass. Are you ready for it?”

“It’s not like the battle is going to start tomorrow I don’t think even the Ablaians are dumb enough to try and force a march against defended battlements in this snow.” Thad said solemnly.

“That’s true but whether the Ablaians show up tomorrow or next year when we arrive at Southpass Fort we will be there for war no matter when it comes. The second you lose that mindset is the moment you will find yourself in trouble. Complacency kills more soldiers than the enemy alone.”

Thad understood what Alden was saying. If he wasn’t constantly prepared for the war to start then when it did he might find himself with his pants around his ankles. He wasn’t a born soldier and didn’t relish the thought of having to kill a fellow human, but if he didn’t get it in his mind that it was going to happen and soon he might not be able to act when the time came.

As he lay down to sleep
, his mind warred with itself on what he should be doing. Part of him wanted to run. He wanted to leave Farlan and everything with it far behind him. The other part wanted to help protect his fellow travelers, the soldiers who he had grown to care for as much as he would if they were natural brothers born of his own blood.

“Why couldn’t life ever be simple? What I wouldn’t give just to be able to wake up go to work the fields then go home to an enjoyable meal, like I had on Joan’s farm. Why did I ever leave that place?” Thad asked to himself.

He knew the answer. Joan’s didn’t have the excitement that he had craved. He had dreamed of being a great mage hailed by all those around him, but truth was far different than what he had dreamed about. He wasn’t an all-powerful mage, he could barely do a quarter of what he knew was possible. He had no clue how to defeat an army but here he was war knocking on the door and he was headed to answer its deadly call. 

CHAPTER XV

Southpass Fort was a massive compound with walls that spanned nearly two thousand feet wide and fifteen feet thick. The gates were made of layers of hard wood that were banded in iron with three massive tree sized planks that held it closed. The wall was at least fifty foot tall with shielded battlements that soldiers patrolled constantly.

Inside the fort there were large barracks that housed over five thousand troops. The armory was huge. It held supplies for ten times the number of soldiers. There were also small stalls that had been set up but were currently abandoned, most likely to be used again when the trading season started up again.

Thad stared in awe as he looked at the sheer size of everything. He had imagined a large wall but nothing on the scale of what he now saw. Eloen and Captain Harmon escorted him to the main command center, located at the center of the fort.

Inside the command center they found a spry older soldier who was still well toned even though age was starting to show its effects on him. His body was still heavily muscled, but his hair held a shimmery sliver shine to it, and his eyes looked dull and cloudy.

“Captain
Calisaren, Captain Harmon, and Master Mage Torin reporting for duty to General Foreman.” Harmon said loudly, in a sharp crisp voice.

The general looked them over them for a long time. The man’s piercing eyes made Thad
uncomfortable. “Good to have you men with us. Captains, you may report to Captain Long. You should be able to find him in the training yard working with some of the younger troops.”

The two captains snapped to a ridged stance placing their fists over their chests and turned around before leaving the office. With his friends gone
, the general turned to him giving him his full attention.

“Now Master Mage
Torin was it? I got a messenger bird the other day about you from the queen. Don’t know what I did for the gods to grace me with the likes of you when we are in such dire straits, but I am happy to have you here. Now as much as I’d like to start barking orders at you, I wouldn’t know where to start. Magic is a little outside my knowledge, so for the most part, if you need something ask for it. If you think you can do something to help shore up our defenses ask about it first please. While it may seem like a good idea to you, we are more experienced in the art of war.”

“Yes sir. If possible I will need a heated room to work in. Currently I do not know what I will be able to do to help you defensively, but I have some ideas if you want to discuss them.” Thad said stuttering nervously.

“No need to be nervous son. Oh, and none of that sir nonsense. You are a civilian as far as I’m concerned so I would be happy if you would address me as either General or Trent. My day is pretty much open and I could use a distraction from the normal monotony I face around here.” Trent said giving him a friendly smile.

The two men talked late into the day. The General was very interested in what Thad could do with his enchantments. At the end of the day Trent ordered Thad to be given a room in the armory so that he could start work on enchanting the weapons. He also sent one of his men into Tremon to get a large shipment of cat’s eye gems, crystals, and a glass blower. It would take about five to eight days before the soldier would be able to return with the needed supplies and with only a handful of his own gems left there would be little he could do until they arrived.

One thing they both agreed to was him magically enhancing the wood, steel, and even the stone of the wall so that even if they found a giant to knock on the fortress it wouldn’t so much as chip.

Thad dined with the general that evening. He enjoyed the man’s company enormously. He was an intelligent soldier with more knowledge of battles than Thad thought he could amass in a life time. He had served in two prior Ablaian attacks, and both times had distinguished himself with his foresight and planning. He still wore his Slave brand of the queen proudly, although it had been covered by his hair when Thad had first met him.

After the meal Trent poured them each a glass of bittersweet blackberry wine. It was much like the wine had been when he was in Tremon. With the memory of his last encounter with such a wine still fresh in his mind, Thad made sure to only lightly sip his drink. His hesitancy got a hearty laugh from the older man.

“Now we have to figure where you should bunk. I could put you in the barracks with the soldiers, but I doubt you would be able to get much rest or planning done there. We don’t have any officer barracks available at the moment even your friends have to share. I do have a spare room in the command building, but only if you wouldn’t mind having to put up with a nosey old man from time to time.” Trent said cheerfully.

Thad smiled at the old man. He had to admit to himself that he feared he would have to live in the crammed barracks that smelled of sweat and other foulness that accumulated when a large group of people lived in close quarters. “Sounds like a plan to me. Honestly I’m quite exhausted, and if you would show me to my room I would love to take a quick bath and hit the sack.”

Trent’s smile widened at Thad’s words. “No problem, my young man. There is not a bunk in there at the moment, but while you are out at the baths I will have some of the soldiers bring one in for you. I will also have them clean up the room a little. I was using it to store some confiscated items, but we can move that to one of the other buildings for as long as you need the room.”

Trent led him to a cluttered room that was only a bit smaller than the one he had back at the palace. It didn’t have any windows but with as cold as the weather was, he considered that a blessing. The general promised him that when he returned he would have a clean room furnished with a bed, desk, and a few chairs. Trent had said they probably wouldn’t be anything exquisite, but they should do the job. As he left for his bath Thad assured him anything would work.

There were two sets of baths one for the regular soldiers and one for the officers. Thad on the General’s suggestion went to the officer’s baths. The General assure him that, while they were smaller, they did have the warmest water. The water wasn’t steaming hot but was pleasantly warm. It helped easy some of the soreness that days in a cold saddle had worn into him.

There were a few others in the baths with him but they remained silent like him just enjoying the pleasant soak. As he sat back he thought about what he would do first. The large doors were already secure but the general showed great interest in having them strengthened even more. He was the expert on defending the fort so he figured it would be a good place to start. After that he could start working on some of the battle harnesses in the armory so that when the gems arrived all he would have to do was add the defender enchantment to them. In fact he should be able to write the enchantment on the harnesses and then link them to the gems when they arrived. It would save a lot of time and in theory it should work.

Back at the command headquarters, he found his room clean and furnished with a stout wooden bed that looked as if it had once been part of a bunk bed. The mattress was lumpy and a little worn, but was still much better than sleeping on the floor. The desk was old and worn and one of the legs appeared to have been fixed numerous times.  There were also three chairs, each one different, and one was such a hideous green it hurt Thad’s eyes to look at it.

The next morning
, he woke late. The sun had already cleared the horizon. Trent wasn’t anywhere to be found, so Thad decided to look at the large wooden gate, after he got a bite to eat.

The first task was
, to simply to examine the wood and metal of the gate with his magical sight. The more he used it, the easier it was for him to control it. The wood was much easier to look into than a human body. The first problem he encountered was that while the wood was the same kind, it was not of the same tree. There were minute differences in its makeup meaning that he would have to enchant them separately. He could do this, but it would be stronger if he could enchant the gate as a whole.

Focusing harder
, Thad tried to see if he could force the wood to bond together as one seamless piece of wood. At first, it went easily, until he came to the nails and iron that linked the pieces together. With a little extra force, the metal started to almost melt into the wood, making it shine light silver with little spots of brown where the rust hadn’t yet been scrubbed clean.

It didn’t take long
, even with his staff, for him to begin to tire. He wasn’t even a quarter done with the gate when he was forced to take a break. It was still a few hours before it was time for the midday meal so, decided it was a good chance to check out the room in the armory that Trent had designated for his use.

The inside of the armory
smelled of old leather and oil. A fairly young soldier sat in a cushioned chair with his feet resting on his desk. He wasn’t very big; to call him skinny would have been an understatement. He had short red hair and a very pale complexion with freckles covering every inch of visible skin. Thad knocked hard on the desk, forcing the young soldier to tear his attention away from the book he was absorbed in.

“Yes?” the young guard asked lazily.

“I am Thaddeus
Torin; I believe General Foreman informed you that I am to have room to work here?” Thad said slightly annoyed at the soldier’s dismissive attitude.

At the mention of the general’s name
, the soldier quickly straightened himself. “Ah, yes Master Torin. The room is through the door behind me, it is the second one on the left. It’s still a bit dirty, but I haven’t had a proper chance to get it cleaned.”

“I can see that,” Thad said sarcastically, “and where would I find the
storage for weapons and other equipment?”

“The first door on the right is the weapons
, and the second is armor. The first door on the left is where our blacksmith does repairs. The other two rooms are for spare supplies and records.” The soldiers said, his attitude changing abruptly from inattention to being fully cooperative. Thad was slightly surprised and wondered why the man wasn’t mucking out the latrines.

Not wanting to let the annoying young soldier ruin his day
, Thad continued through the door and back to the room that had been set aside for him. The room was far from clean and more than one part of the wall had moss covering it. A few items still cluttered the room, including what looked like left over, moth eaten blankets.

The room smelled as bad as it looked
, making Thad retch uncontrollably. Holding his hand over his mouth, he quickly exited the room so he could get some fresh air. Walking back to the front office, Thad was able to convince the soldier to part with a couple of burlap sacks he could use to clean out the refuse in his office.