Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (24 page)

The warrior, upon seeing the mage, suddenly grinned and sheathed his sword. “Kazin! Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick! Why didn’t you send word or something?”

Kazin suddenly realized he had been gone for nearly three weeks. It certainly didn’t seem that long. “I was on an important mission, only, it wasn’t an important mission after all and—never mind. I’ll tell you about it later. What happened here? By the looks of it, you’ve had more important things to worry about besides me. Is everything O.K.?”

Sherman smiled. “Everyone’s A.O.K. The fence is reparable, but the barn is finished. We’ll have to build a new one. Mom’s a little tense, but I can’t blame her. She wasn’t used to seeing dead men on her lawn.”

“Dead men? What happened?”

Sherman stepped aside. “Come on inside and I’ll explain.”

Kazin entered the house and went into the sitting room. Ezra was cleaning off a table. She looked up and smiled wanly. “Hello, Kazin. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Hi, Mrs. Takar. I’m sorry to see you lost your barn. I wish I could have been here to help.”

“A barn is only a building, Kazin. We are fortunate we didn’t lose my husband or my son. That would have been an irreplaceable loss. Though why anyone would want to hurt them is beyond me.”

“I know how you must feel,” said Kazin sadly, looking down at the floor. “Losing someone close to you is a hard thing to deal with.”

Ezra looked at Kazin with concern in her eyes. “You sound as if you really lost someone, Kazin. Are you O.K.?”

Kazin looked up again. “Yes, I’m fine. I just wish I could say the same for Max.”

“Max?” asked Sherman. “What happened to him?”

“He’s dead, Sherman,” said Kazin. “He was killed in our last mission.”

“Poor boy!” exclaimed Ezra. She came forward and embraced Kazin. “I’m so sorry, Kazin.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Takar,” said Kazin.

Ezra released Kazin and asked, “Do his parents know? Have you told them?”

“Not yet,” said Kazin. “I was going to stop there first but I heard about the situation here so I came straight here instead.”

“You can be at ease about us, Kazin,” said Ezra. “My husband’s asleep and Randall’s in town, and, as you can see, Sherman and I are still alive.” She looked lovingly at her son. “It’ll take more than a bunch of bandits to harm my son!”

Sherman blushed.

“Don’t tarry here too long,” continued Ezra. “Max’s family deserves to know about Max as soon as possible.”

“I know,” said Kazin. “I’m going there shortly.”

“Come on,” said Sherman. “I’ll walk you to the gate and tell you what happened while you were gone.”

The friends went outside and headed slowly for the gate. Sherman related the events of the attack several days earlier. Apparently Randall and Mrs. Takar were in town for supplies at the time. Sherman was suspicious about that part and mentioned it several times in his narrative. When the bandits first appeared, they said they were looking for work. Mr. Takar refused their request and they became belligerent. Sherman came outside to see what was wrong and the moment the bandits saw him, they drew their weapons and ran toward him. To separate Sherman from his father, one bandit lit the barn on fire. Mr. Takar was forced to try to contain the fire and save the cows while his son fought the enemies single-handedly.

Sherman quickly disarmed his first opponent and used that man’s own weapon, a short sword, to finish him off. With the same weapon, he fended off several blows and kept his attackers at bay.

Meanwhile, Mr. Takar had gotten the cows out of the barn, but it was too late to save the building itself. Seeing Sherman surrounded by bandits, he abandoned the barn and, armed with a pitchfork, charged into their midst. The pitchfork struck true, and one bandit collapsed to the ground. Another bandit slashed at Sherman’s father but did no damage, hitting his arm cast, which was not due to be removed for another three days. Sherman took advantage of this distraction to launch a series of well-placed blows of his own. Two more bandits were felled before the rest turned and fled, tripping over the gate in their haste.

When Randall and Ezra finally arrived from town, the barn was already in ruins. They were in time to see the last of the bodies being dragged to the road for the undertaker to retrieve.

“And that’s how it ended,” finished Sherman.

“I don’t know,” said Kazin, “but it’s sure beginning to look as if someone doesn’t like you, Sherman.”

“I know,” said Sherman with a sigh. “I just wish they would come forward and identify themselves personally. I’m getting tired of fighting the middle men.”

“Don’t wish too hard,” said Kazin. “You might get more than you bargained for.”

The friends parted at the broken gate and Kazin backtracked to Max’s house. He didn’t really want to do this next job, but it had to be done. When he arrived, he asked to be let in the house to bear some sad tidings. The parents reacted as he expected. Max’s mother excused herself and went into a back room. His father simply sat there and shook his head. Kazin related what he could of their dangerous quest and emphasized Max’s prowess in attacking the dragon. Finally Kazin could say no more and excused himself, offering his condolences before departing.

He was only part way down the front stairs when he remembered the talisman from the tower. He drew it from his pocket and turned to re-enter the house when he saw Max’s younger sister, Vera, standing in the doorway.

“Hi,” said Vera.

“Hi,” answered Kazin. “Sorry about your brother.”

“I’ll miss him,” said Vera sadly. “I always wanted to be a mage like him.”

“I’m not sure your parents would like that,” said Kazin. “They wouldn’t want you to end up like your brother.”

“I wouldn’t,” said Vera confidently. “Not if I’m a white mage. I could heal mages like you and Max so you wouldn’t die.”

Suddenly an idea occurred to Kazin. “How old are you, Vera?”

Vera grinned shyly. “Eleven. I’ll be twelve in two weeks, though.”

Kazin smiled. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Sure.”

Kazin held out the talisman. “This talisman is for you. It’s a fire protection medallion. It’ll get you started on becoming a white mage. Consider it an early birthday present.”

“Gee, thanks!” Vera held it aloft admiringly.

“Just don’t let your parents see it yet. After what happened to Max, they might take it away from you.”

Vera quickly hid the talisman in her pocket. “You can count on me!”

As Kazin left Max’s house, he felt as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. For every mage to die, another one would always come to take his place. Kazin had no doubt that Max’s sister would become an excellent white mage if she kept up her interest and enthusiasm. Kazin whistled lightly to himself as he headed for the comfort of home.

The reunion with his family was short but heartfelt and early the next morning the young mage departed for his new assignment for the tower. Leaving so soon after getting back was hard but he had work to do and this time he was not going to make any mistakes.

Rounding the bend in the road near Sherman’s place, he was surprised to see the warrior himself, exiting the gate with a large packsack on his back.

“Sherman!” called Kazin. “Where are you off to so early?”

Sherman spun around. “Oh—hi Kazin. I might ask you the same question.”

“You first,” said Kazin, catching up to him.

“I’m taking my troubles away from home,” said Sherman. “It’s obvious that someone is after me and if I stay at home it’ll do more harm than good. I left a note and some gold coins on the table so they can buy materials for a new barn. Until I find out who’s after me, it’s better that way.”

“Your mother’s not going to like that,” said Kazin.

“I know,” answered Sherman. “But it’s for the best. I’ll find some work somewhere.”

Kazin realized Sherman would be hard pressed to find work with enemies following him around. They marched in silence for a while.

“Well?” prodded Sherman finally.

“What? Oh—I’m going on a trip for the tower. My first messenger job.”

“Where to?” asked Sherman.

“I’m not sure I’m supposed to—oh heck—I’m going to visit the Tower of Hope,” said Kazin, spreading his hands.

“The Tower of Hope, eh?” said Sherman. “Who’s going with you? That road’s getting more dangerous all the time.”

Kazin stopped walking. “I hadn’t thought of that. With more army troops being sent to the north, there’s not as much security out that way as there used to be.”

“They’re sending you alone?!” asked Sherman in astonishment.

“I guess so,” said Kazin. “At least, they didn’t give an indication that anyone was going with me.”

“That settles it then,” said Sherman. “You’ve just hired yourself a bodyguard. That is, if you’ll take someone who attracts trouble like pigs attract flies,” he added dryly.

Kazin looked up at his friend and didn’t know whether to hug him or punch him. He decided to do neither. “I appreciate the offer, Sherm, but I don’t know if the tower will endorse a bodyguard for my mission.”

Sherman looked crestfallen.

“Of course,” amended Kazin, trying to sound optimistic, “it doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m sure they can afford it.”

Sherman brightened. “Alright. You go to the tower and do what you have to. I’ll book passage to Warral and get supplies ready for our trip.”

“Just one thing,” said Kazin. “Two, actually. One—the tower might not agree. Two—even if you set sail right now, I’ll be in Warral nearly a day ahead of you.”

“How?—oh, magic,” said Sherman dejectedly. “I’ll just have to catch up with you, then.”

Kazin patted the big warrior’s arm. “If the tower permits it, I’ll wait for you in Warral. If not, I’ll leave a message for you when you get there. O.K.?”

Sherman smiled. “Even if they don’t agree, they can’t decide who your traveling partners should be, can they? I’ll catch up with you either way.”

Kazin shook his head and grinned. “You got me there.”

Krendal was seated behind his desk in his chamber when Kazin was ushered in.

“Good morning, Kazin. Are you ready for your first real assignment for the tower?”

“Yes, Sir,” said Kazin.

“Good. You are to bring the codes, which are bound in this scroll, to the Tower of Hope, and return with the Book of Prophesy. There is a horse prepared for you in Warral and your supplies are there as well. A contact will meet you at the portal. Are there any questions?”

“Yes,” said Kazin, “as a matter of fact, there is. From what I’ve heard, the roads are becoming increasingly dangerous to the west. Am I correct?”

“Quite right,” answered Krendal. “I expect you to travel cautiously and wisely. Keep your spell components handy.”

“Would it not be wise to hire a bodyguard?” asked Kazin.

“Body guards attract attention, Kazin. Mages traveling in numbers always do. Alone you would hardly be noticed.”

“What about a bodyguard who isn’t a mage?” asked Kazin.

Krendal’s eyes narrowed. “What have you got in mind?”

“A friend of mine is a bodyguard,” said Kazin uncertainly. “He is big and well trained. I believe he will increase my level of safety.” He didn’t mention the part about attracting bandits like flies.

Krendal sat back. “Considering the circumstances, a bodyguard would be a wise precaution. Someone should be watching things while you sleep. Very well. You can hire him. Ask Valdez for an extra pouch of gold on your way out. Guards aren’t cheap these days, but in this case, I’ll let it pass.”

“Thank you, Sir,” said Kazin. “My guard should be in Warral by tonight. May I wait for his arrival?”

“Yes. Is that all?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Very well. You are dismissed.”

Chapter 22

S
herman was right on schedule late that evening and he quickly jumped off his ship onto the dock and looked around. Kazin sat not far away on a bench reading what looked like a spell book. The big warrior walked over to him.

“You’re still here,” said Sherman. “I take it I’m hired?”

Kazin smiled. “You bet.”

Sherman grinned. “I’d better get some horses and supplies.”

“No need,” said Kazin. “I had all day to get ready. Let’s turn in for the night and start early before sunup.”

“Great,” said Sherman. “Let’s go.”

The following morning they spurred their horses onto a furious pace. With luck, they would reach the white tower within seven days. They rode past a small village and made camp a few hours outside Kallard. Kallard was a small town consisting of the residences of families of soldiers stationed at the guard post to the north. That guard post was originally designed to keep an eye on the Jackal River’s exit.

It was from this exit that, many years ago, a legion of lizardmen, goblins, and orcs made a ferocious attack on the human settlements. They were short of food and attempted to procure supplies from the farmers.

The attack was ill-timed, however, since there were human troops already in the area originally on their way to relieve the soldiers in the Tower of Hope. The lizardmen and their cohorts were beaten off, and a guard post was established to prevent such an attack from happening without warning ever again.

The late spring air was cool and fresh as the companions rode through the small residential town around midmorning the next day. They stopped briefly for provisions before booking passage on a barge across the Jackal River. On their way to the barge, they passed a rough looking figure on horseback who stared at Sherman in a peculiar fashion. When they rode by, he turned his mount and continued to observe the warrior with interest.

“What was that all about?” asked Kazin.

“I don’t know,” said Sherman. “Be on guard just in case.”

The barge trip was uneventful, however, and though it was already late afternoon, they decided to press on. If someone was after Sherman, they would be hard pressed to keep up.

At one point they halted to water and rest their horses. There were more trees and heavier vegetation in this area. The sun was falling behind the treetops ahead of them and the night would be a cool one despite the protective forest.