Children of Prophecy (7 page)

He walked over to Tal, ignoring the brisk autumn chill. He arched his eyebrow as he recognized the sword his apprentice wore, but he’d previously discussed that with Kove’tar. The Ranger had made his gift, so Car simply shrugged mentally and asked “Are you ready?”

Tal shrugged. “I have Kove’s sword, my robes, my skills, two days food and a spare tunic.” A small grin crossed his face. “I think I’m ready.”

“Good.” Car turned at the sound of hooves on the cobbles to see Gav’rell riding towards them. “Kingsman Gav’rell.”

“Hawk Car’raen. Will you two ride with me? At least to the High Roads.”

“I would, Gav’rell,” Car told the man. “But we will not be riding.”

Gav looked confused. “Then how do you intend to reach Kahir?” he asked.

“We’re going to fly,” Tal told him with a teenage grin.

He looked even more confused for a moment, forcing Car to suppress a smile, then he realized with a start. “Shifting,” he said simply.

“Exactly,” Car confirmed. “We’ll probably be in the High City before you, even with dealing with the mess in Kahir.”
Well, probably not, if it’s as messy as I think it is.

“Well, in that case my lords,” Gav’rell said with a bow, “I bid you a pleasant, uh, flight.”

This time Car did smile, slightly. “A pleasant journey to you as well, Kingsman,” he said genteelly. The Kingsman nodded and, with a final wave, turned his horse to the road.

Once the Courier had turned away, Car turned to Tal. “Let’s be off then,” he told his son quietly.

He watched for Tal’s nod of agreement, then concentrated and Shifted. Spreading his wings, he took to the air and began to circle, waiting for Tal. He didn’t have to wait very long, as Tal followed him up within moments.

The two hawks circled each other in the sky for a moment, and then set off south.

That night they landed in a small forest, just out of sight of a small village with an inn. Reaching the village would be a matter of minutes. Though their black tunics would prevent most trouble, Car made certain his sword was visible, made sure that Tal did the same.

Tal had an abstracted look on his face, one Car had learned to recognize as weariness. He felt the same himself; maintaining a Shift was not easy – and to lose it while flying would be fatal. Flying was
not
his preferred method of travel. It was merely the fastest safe method.

Nonetheless, he straightened his tunic. “Come on Tal,” he told the weary youth, “we’ll rest here tonight, then fly on in the morning. We still have a ways to go.” They’d made roughly two hundred miles today, but that left another six hundred before they reached the northwestern border of Kahir.

His apprentice said nothing, merely nodding and beginning to walk towards the village.

The innkeeper greeted them at the door. It took him moments to recognize the black tunics of Battlemagi and greet them. “Welcome to our humble inn, Battlemagi,” he said with a low bow.

“Thank you, friend,” Car replied, inclining his head in return. “Do you have a room for two available?”

The innkeeper drew his head back in offense. “For Battlemagi?” he snapped. “Of course I have room available. Come, come!”

He led the way into a dimly lit taproom. A handful of locals and a single travel-stained trader were the only occupants. All of them dipped their heads in respect as they recognized the Battlemagi’s robes.

Car returned the gestures with a general nod, including everyone in the room, before the innkeeper led them up the stairs to the rooms.

He stopped at the first door and opened it. “Will this do for your lordships?”

A quick glance around the room showed two single beds and a small washbasin. The room was plain, but clean, with new linens on the bed. Car nodded. “This will do admirably, innkeeper. How much?”

“For Battlemagi, milord? One silver four.”

Car pulled his purse from his pocket and placed two silvers in the man’s hand. “Keep the change, friend.” Even with the extra, he knew he was only paying about two thirds what the man would charge any other traveler.

“Thank you, Mage.” The innkeeper’s face glowed.

“We’ll be leaving early in the morning, so we won’t be imposing on you for breakfast,” Car told the man.

He nodded. “You will sup with us tonight, at least?”

Car hid a sigh and nodded. “I will pay, of course,” he said softly. These people would try and feed him what they expected a Battlemage to want – and they couldn’t afford to do so without being paid. Which wouldn’t stop them trying.

“My lord! The meal is included in the price of the room,” the innkeeper insisted, exactly as Car had expected.

“I insist, friend,” the Hawk replied, his eyes and voice firm.

“Your will then, Battlemage.” With that, the innkeeper bowed out of the room, probably headed downstairs to arrange the best meal he could.

“He seems… friendly,” Tal commented, his weariness showing in his voice.

Car realized with a slight consternation that he’d forgotten the youth had never spent more than an hour Shifted before. Tal was almost certainly much more tired than he was.

“Most people are,” he told his apprentice. “Battlemagi are the last appeal of men such as him, against criminals, against their lords… against anyone they can’t deal with any other way.” Car shrugged. “Besides, who do you think would be more deserving of your help? Him, or some duke or Earl with his own bodyguards?”

“Him, of course,” Tal replied instantly, looking oddly up at his master.

“Exactly,” Car replied with a small smile, proud of the answer. “You think that way and so do the majority of Battlemagi. He, and other men like him, know that. They know that we see them as our first responsibility. That is why they prefer us to anything else. Battlemagi are trusted even over Kingsmen by most common folk.

“We also have the additional boost of being rare,” he admitted. “An innkeeper like that man, in a town this close to the High Road, will probably see maybe one Battlemage a year.

“And, on the other hand,” the old Mage continued softly, “they do not see our darker side. A man such as that will have seen perhaps two Judgments in his life, and likely lesser ones at that. They see us as their protectors.” Car sighed. “And because they see us that way, they will do their best for us and we must accept it. Which tonight, means eating with them, tired as we may be.”

Tal slowly rose to his feet. “I understand, Father.”

Tal’s impression of Kahir was one of rocks and fields and not much else. The Earldom extended out from the main body of the continent on the peninsula bearing the same name. The peninsula seemed to be made primarily of just rock, but the people of Kahir had spent over two thousand years shaping that rocky peninsula to their will, making it their home. Now, there were few places that didn’t show the hand of man, even from the air.

Small villages dotted the landscape, each centered in a neat group of walled fields, either gold with wheat or green with grass for livestock. Tal also noted the sight of larger towns, one or two of which could even be called cities.

As night began to fall, Car screeched and nodded his beak towards one of the smaller villages. Moments later, the two hawks were plummeting towards the ground.

Within minutes of entering the village, Tal knew something was wrong. Each night they’d stopped on their journey down here, they’d been greeted in much the same way as they had at the first village. Here, mothers were hustling their children indoors at the sight of the two Magi and men slammed their doors and windows shut against them.

Tal looked around, to find that the main street had emptied since they’d entered the village. “Something’s wrong here, Car,” he said quietly.

“Indeed,” his master agreed, nodding. He pointed to a building just down the street. “There’s the inn. We’ll see what we can find out there.”

As they approached the building, Tal heard the sound of the door slamming and bolts going home. He and Car shared a look, then Car knocked on the door.

It took nearly a minute for the man on the other side to speak. “We’ve no room for the likes of you,” he finally spat in response to the knock.

Car shrugged, then knocked again. “This is the Battlemage Car’raen and my apprentice,” he said sternly, words that would open any door anywhere in Vishni.

“Like I said, we’ve no room for the likes of you!” the man barked, but there was a tremor of fear. “Our rooms are for honest folk, not thieves and murderers.”

Tal looked at Car and mouthed the words:
thieves and murderers?

“Something is
very
wrong here,” Car said quietly. “Change into your formal robes, Tal. It appears we must begin earlier than expected.”

“We’re not going to…” Tal trailed off, unwilling to even suggest hurting the innkeepr.

“No. But if we are to pass Judgment, we must be dressed for the occasion.”

Tal followed Car back towards the inn, dressed in the white robes over black tunic of his formal uniform. The hilt of the Islander sword was clearly visible and easily reached.

He glanced nervously at Car. His master was dressed in the same clothes and his sword was just as visible, but he also carried his Mage’s staff – a much more dangerous weapon than any sword.

They reached the door to the inn, standing side by side. Tal watched as Car lifted his staff and knocked on the door with it, three times. His gestures, even to the number of knocks, seemed oddly formal.

When Car spoke, his tones were definitely – and coldly – formal. “In the name of the King and the Law, open this door,” he commanded. “The Hawk Car’raen has come to pass Judgment.”

Tal was using Air to enhance his hearing, so he could hear the rapid inhalation of breath on the other side of the door. A moment later, the bolts slowly slid back and the door opened.

The man behind it, presumably the innkeeper, held an old longsword. Despite the notches in the blade, there was no rust and the blade was clearly functional – and pointed straight at Car.

“What the hell do you want?” he demanded.

Car continued in the same formal tones he’d used before. “Freeman of the Kingdom of Vishni, I must take your statement for a Judgment before the High Law.”

Tal realized he was the only man inside or outside the room who didn’t inhale in shock at Car’s statement. High Law only applied to nobles and Magi, for it contained nothing that would apply to a freeman; and the only punishment for breaking the High Law was death.

The innkeeper’s face drew closed. “Why should I tell you anything?” he demanded, his voice trembling. “You’ll just go share it with your friends and then where will I be? Out a life as well as a son?”

Tal noted the tensing of muscles in Car’s face that meant he was starting to get angry. He ever so slowly shifted around, the better to shield the man if Car did something untoward.

When Car spoke again, every noise in the room stopped. His voice seemed to carry the sounds of steel, battle and death and yet was still his own. “
Tell me what is happening here
!” he Commanded.

Tal recognized the voice. Command Voice it was called; the most difficult ability of a Death Mage to master and almost irresistible. Limited in what you could Command a man to do, but for investigations it was always useful.

The innkeeper started to speak, the words tumbling out of his mouth without his own volition. “About two years ago, we started to get a group of Battlemagi swinging through, about every month and a half. They said they were collecting taxs for the Earl, but what it amounted to was that they took what they wanted. Anything they wanted,” the keeper said bitterly.

“They took money, art, livestock… even people. About six months ago, they swung through and decided they wanted one of our local girls, name of Jil’hen. My son was betrothed to her and tried to stop them.” Tears began to pour down the innkeeper’s face, as the spell forced him to continue, to remember. “They burned him down where he stood and then burnt the house he’d built for himself and Jil. They took her with them, the scum.” The innkeeper slowed, as the magic released him. He faced Car’raen and Tal’raen with a cold and weary dignity. “Tell me, now,
Battlemage,
why I should be trusting
you,
” he said flatly.

Tal looked at Car and almost recoiled from the cold fury in his eyes. It wasn’t directed at the innkeeper, but at the Battlemagi who had broken the Oath.

“Freeman of Vishni, your statement has been taken,” Car said, his words still formal, locked into the rituals of his rank. “On my Oath as a Battlemage and a Protector of the People, I
will
see justice down.” Car inhaled and continued in less formal tones. “If those men have done this, they are no longer Battlemagi. They are simply dead.”

Tal didn’t think there was a single man in the room who didn’t shiver at the frozen menace in the Hawk Car’raen’s voice.