Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Two (29 page)

Darkness began descending on the valley, far faster than it would have done without the dense mist covering it. They had walked steadily all day within the dried up riverbed, and not seen or heard anything of their pursuers. Nobody spoke, but the atmosphere was one of quiet relief amongst the group. They had purposely passed up the opportunity to leave the riverbed via rocky paths several times during that day. Alexia had recommended doing this to confuse their pursuers even further. She had told them that if the Empire agents did manage to track them to the riverbed, they would expect them to leave it as soon as possible, and they would be forced to either check every
possible exit point, or split their forces to keep searching for them in the riverbed, either way it made sense to continue on as they were until later.
Eventually the land became much more rocky on both sides of the old riverbed, and they could have chosen to leave almost at any point along the bank without leaving any evidence of their passing, but they still continued until it was almost completely dark.

“I think we should get out of this riverbed soon. It's highly unlikely they will try to track us at night, but they may very well be tempted to search this riverbed for us if they think we're still following it. They can't get lost in the riverbed, and they could always retrace their steps back to wherever they are right now, and then continue the search in the morning when it's light enough,” Alexia said.

“I'd never have thought of that, but now you mention it, it seems obvious. I have to say, I'm impressed with your tracking skills and knowledge of evasion. Where did you learn how to do it living in a city?” Renn asked.

“I didn't always live in Stelgad. I was once part of a brigand of thieves that lived in the forest south of Lamuria. We robbed wealthy merchants as they passed through our forest on their way to the southern cities. We needed tracking skills to survive inside the forest, but we needed the skill to evade capture even more. The Duke of Oakedge
placed a massive bounty on our heads.
We had every bounty hunter in Afaraon after our hides, and even some from farther afield.

“Many of us evaded capture  for over a year, but the Duke somehow managed to get a spy into our band, and that didn't end well. Most of our band were slaughtered one night as they slept. Attacked from all sides with no chance of escape, and no mercy given. I returned a day later with another three of our members to find the devastation that was once our camp. I swore that day I would make the Duke pay for what he did, but I doubt I will ever get the chance to make good on that,” Alexia said, lost in the memories of her past.

“I never knew that Alexia,” Neala said, giving her friend a hug. Alexia brushed away the tears in her eyes and replied,

“It's not something I like to remember too often, besides it seems so long ago now.”

“I'm sorry, I never asked you about your past when you came to Stelgad, I feel so bad now,” Neala said.

Alexia smiled at Neala and replied, “There's no need to feel bad Neala, you were the one who took me under-your-wing when I first arrived at the Crows' guild with nothing. I remember you speaking up for me when they refused me entry into the guild, and old Reed challenged
you over it.
I remember watching you slice that guy up good while everyone around laughed at him getting beat by a young girl, but I also remember nobody else challenged you afterwards. I don't think that poor old guy even landed a strike on you, but you made him bleed good that day, I was impressed.

“Later Byron told me you could have killed him a hundred times during that fight, but you chose not to. At the time I didn't understand why you let him live, because where I came from, if anyone challenged another it was always a fight to the death. Later I understood it was through
loyalty
to your fellow guild member, something that you taught me Neala, that's why I chose to stay in Stelgad, and that's why I chose to become your friend, because I knew you would always be loyal to me, and I to you, and I had never had that before in my entire life.”

Lusam and Renn both felt awkward standing there watching the two girls hug each other, reminiscing over old times, but they needed to move before it got too dark to see. Renn cleared his throat and it seemed to do the trick. Both girls becoming aware once again of their surroundings and situation.

“Sorry guys, girl-stuff, you wouldn't understand,” Neala said, and they both giggled at some unspoken joke, before settling back down and falling in behind Lusam and
Renn.
Total darkness didn't come for another hour, instead it remained a colourless grey during that time, as if it couldn't decide whether it should go full dark or not. They didn't manage to find a particularly defensible position to make camp, and had to make do with the shelter of a large rock. Lusam had suggested it as a location because if they hid behind the rock, the Empire agents wouldn't be able to spot their auras unless they were right on top of them, as it was unlikely they would already be in front of their location. Each person took their turns on night watch, but apart from Lusam the others merely used their ears instead of exposing themselves to the mage-sight of the agents.

The night passed without incident, something that Lusam was very grateful for, as it gave him a chance to recover some of his strength from the day before. He wasn't by any means fully recovered, but he felt a whole lot better than he had the previous day.

Renn once again handed out some of his meagre travel rations and they were soon on their way again. Several times they thought they heard movement through the thick mist and froze mid-stride, listening for any signs of their enemy, but heard nothing definitive, only to once again resume their trek.

It was mid-afternoon when Renn who was leading them stopped dead in his tracks, quickly followed by the other three. What they saw before them stunned them all into a prolonged silence.

“Tell me that's not what I think it is,” Neala said quietly.

“I think it is,” Alexia replied.

“But, it can't be. We've been walking half a day, how can we be back at the same dried up river again?” Lusam asked.

“I don't know, but unless we can find some way to navigate in this valley I think we're destined to walk around in circles forever, or at least until we run out of food and water, which won't be very long,” Renn said.

“Let's find some cover while we try to come up with an answer,” Alexia suggested. They all knew that standing in full view at the edge of the riverbed probably wasn't the best idea, so they headed back the way they had just come, knowing they had just passed a bunch of large rocks they could take refuge behind while they tried to work out a plan of action.

“So, anyone got an idea how we can navigate through this crazy mist?” Neala asked.

“I can normally navigate quite well, but without
being able to at least see the sky or horizon I'm completely at a loss in this environment, sorry,” Alexia replied.
“Me too. In a forest, even when you can't always see the sky you can use the moss on the trees, but not here,” Renn said. Lusam had been thinking about this exact problem ever since they had first entered the valley. As soon as he had noticed the trees didn't have moss only on their north facing side he'd been worried about finding their way out of the valley again. He had thought of a possible way to navigate using his magic, but he wasn't sure if it would work, and using his magic when they were so close to their enemies seemed foolish, to say the least. The idea he had come up with would also no doubt require him to answer some tricky questions, ones that he wasn't completely sure he wanted to discuss openly for some reason.

“What about you Lusam. Any idea's?” Renn asked.

“Maybe,” he replied.

“Well do you, or don't you?” asked Neala.

“It's not that simple Neala. I would be using something we found in Helveel to navigate by, something I feel we should never reveal the existence of to anyone. I don't know why I feel this way, but I feel an overwhelming desire not to discuss it for some reason,” Lusam said.

“Lusam, I already know about it. Renn is a paladin of Aysha, his word is his bond, and Alexia I trust without
question.
If she gives her word never to speak of it, you can rest assured she will keep it,” Neala said. Lusam thought about her words carefully. He knew Renn would never reveal the existence of the book if he gave his word, but he didn't know Alexia, and could only trust Neala's faith in her.

He remembered the last time he had questioned Neala's decision to help Lucy, and he knew instantly she was right then, and she was right now too.

“You're right Neala I have to do it, but I will still ask Renn and Alexia for their word never to reveal my secret,” Lusam said.

“I swear by Aysha never to reveal your secret Lusam,” Renn replied, hand on heart.

“I give you my word Lusam, never to reveal what you say here today,” Alexia said.

“Okay, this is going to sound very strange to you both, and I'm sure you'll have lots of questions, but please keep them to yourselves until later, until we are out of danger and I promise I'll try and answer them then.” Lusam said. Renn and Alexia agreed and he continued to explain about the discovery of the stone door with the five pointed star carved into it, the book on the pedestal, and how it had enhanced his powers simply by reading it. When he finished he was about to explain his plan of how he intended to use the book to navigate by, but he was cut short by Renn.

“Aysha be blessed!” Renn whispered, “Lusam, have you any idea what you are claiming to have found lad! You've just perfectly described one of the lost books of the Guardians. Nobody knows where any of them are hidden. Wars have been fought over their supposed location for hundreds of years. It is written in the ancient scrolls that only a mage of incredible power can read such a book and survive, and only a Guardian themselves may read them all. They were created this way to stop any one person from ever obtaining such power as the Guardians of old once wielded.

“Now I understand why Aysha favours you so much, and why the Empire have sent so many to end your life. Your power must already be far beyond that of any normal mage, and with the proper training at the High Temple, it will become far more potent still. Lusam, you have no idea how important you are lad.” Renn looked shocked to his core, and couldn't even take his eyes off Lusam for a long while. Alexia didn't really seem too interested in his story. She already knew he could use magic, the amount and how powerful he was compared to any other mage didn't seem to matter too much to her, which Lusam was thankful for right then.

“Neala, can I borrow one of your enchanted knives please?” Lusam asked. Neala removed one of her knives and handed it to Lusam.

“Enchanted?” asked Alexia.

“It's a long story, I'll tell you another time,” Neala replied.

Lusam knew that the enchanted knife would amplify his divination spell when he attempted to locate the book. He had no idea how he knew that, he guessed it was part of the knowledge he had obtained from the book itself, but he couldn't know for certain. He formed an image of the book in his mind, and sent that image towards the enchanted blade. The knife began to rock back and forth through one hundred and eighty degrees, just like it had done when he searched for Neala. The range of movement gradually slowing until it stopped, dead still, pointing in the direction of the book, and Helveel.

“Wow! Neat trick, how did you do that?” Alexia asked.

“Thanks. I use one magical object to find another. I did it once before to track where Neala was on the road to Stelgad,” Lusam replied.

“But Neala isn't magical, is she?” Alexia asked, looking strangely at her friend.

“No, she's not, but her knives are. I used one of her knives to find the others, this time I used it to find the book,” Lusam replied. “Come, we'd better get moving. Every time I
use magic the Empire agents may be able to sense it.
We may well be using the book as a navigation tool, but they may be using us for the same thing.”

They set off in the direction the knife pointed and rechecked their course every hour, each time correcting their course accordingly. Without the use of magic they would certainly have remained lost within the valley. For the final two hours before full darkness they travelled without the aid of magic, deciding being off course a little was far better than advertising the spot where they intended to rest for the night.

The next morning they ate the last of their food and water before orientating themselves with the knife once again. Although Lusam was a little worried that their supplies had now run out, he felt sure the men following them had not had time to collect any kind of food or water whatsoever, and if they became hungry and thirsty, it was a fair bet the Empire agents would be feeling a whole lot worse. Onwards they went for another full day, every hour checking their course and correcting it if necessary, and once again refraining from using magic for that last two hours before full dark.

They all woke the next morning hungry and thirsty, but no one spoke of it. By mid-afternoon they were fortunate enough to come across a large rock formation with a trickle of water running down the face of it. Lusam collected some of it in a small force-field, boiled it, then cooled it quickly before carefully releasing it into two waterskins. He really didn't want to tip off their enemies to the water source, but drinking contaminated water wouldn't do any of them any good either, so they swiftly moved on and rechecked their direction ten minutes later. Hopefully if the Empire agents had detected his magic they would now bypass the water source completely, but he would never know.