Magician (44 page)

Pug thought he saw glimpses of color in
the trees ahead, as they descended into the southern woods of the
valley, but couldn’t be sure. As they reached the woods, a
shout went up from within the trees. The lieutenant cried, “All
right, they’ve seen us. Ride hard and stay close.” He
spurred his horse forward, and soon the entire company was thundering
through the woods. Pug saw the horses in front bear to the left and
turned his to follow, seeing a clearing in the trees. The sound of
voices grew louder as the first trees went flying past, and his eyes
tried to adjust to the darkness of the woods. He hoped his horse
could see more clearly than he could, or he might find himself inside
a tree.

The horse, battle trained and quick,
darted between the trunks, and Pug could begin to see flashes of
color among the branches. Tsurani soldiers were rushing to intercept
the horsemen, but were forced to weave through the trees, making it
impossible. They were speeding through the woods faster than the
Tsurani could pass the word and react. Pug knew that this advantage
of surprise couldn’t last much longer, they were making too
great a commotion for the enemy not to realize what was happening.

After a mad dash through the trees,
they broke into another clear area where a few Tsurani soldiers stood
waiting for them. The horsemen charged, and most of the defenders
scattered to avoid being run down. One, however, stood his ground, in
spite of the terror written on his face, and swung the blue
two-handed sword he carried. A horse screamed, and the rider was
thrown as the blade cut the horse’s right leg from under him.
Pug lost sight of the fight as he sped quickly past.

An arrow shot over Pug’s
shoulder, buzzing like an angry bee. He hunched over the withers of
his mount, trying to give the archers behind him as small a target as
possible. Ahead, a soldier fell backward out of his saddle, a red
arrow through his neck.

Soon they were out of bow range and
riding toward a breastwork thrown across an old road from the mines
in the south Hundreds of brightly colored figures scurried behind it.
The lieutenant signaled for the riders to pass around it, to the
west.

As soon as it was apparent they would
pass the earthwork and not charge it, several Tsurani bowmen came
tumbling over the top of the redoubt and ran to intercept the riders.
As soon as they came within bowshot, the air filled with red and blue
shafts Pug heard a horse scream, but he couldn’t see the
stricken animal or its rider.

Riding quickly beyond the range of the
bowmen, they entered another thick stand of trees. The lieutenant
pulled up his mount for a moment and yelled, “From here on,
make straight north. We’re almost to the meadow, so there’ll
be no cover, and speed is your only ally. Then once you’re in
the woods to the north, keep moving. Our forces should have broken
through up there, and if we can get past those woods, we should be
all right.” Meecham had described the woods as being about two
or three miles across. From there it was three miles of open ground
until the North Pass through the hills began.

They slowed to a walk, trying to rest
the horses as much as possible. They could see the tiny figures of
the Tsurani coming from behind, but they would never catch up before
the horses were running again. Ahead Pug could see the trees of the
forest, looming larger with each passing minute. He could feel the
eyes that must be there, watching them, waiting.

“As soon as we are within
bowshot, ride as fast as you can,” shouted the lieutenant. Pug
saw the soldiers pull their swords and bows out, and drew his own
sword. Feeling uncomfortable with the weapon clutched in his right
hand, he rode at a trot toward the trees.

Suddenly the air was filled with
arrows. Pug felt one glance off his helm, but it still snapped his
head back and brought tears to his eyes. He urged his horse ahead
blindly, trying to blink his eyes clear. He had the shield in his
left hand and a sword in his right, so that by the time he blinked
enough to be able to see clearly, he found himself in the woods. His
war-horse responded to leg pressure as he moved into the forest.

A yellow-garbed soldier burst from
behind a tree and aimed a swing at the boy. He caught the sword blow
on his shield, which sent a numbing shock up his left arm. He swung
overhand and down at the soldier, who leaped away, and the blow
missed. Pug spurred his horse on, before the soldier could get in
position to swing again. All around, the forest rang with the sounds
of battle. He could barely make out the other horsemen among the
trees.

Several times he rode down Tsurani
soldiers as they tried to block his passage. Once one tried to grab
at the reins of the horse, but Pug sent him reeling with a blow on
the potlike helmet. To Pug it seemed as if they were all engaged in
some mad game of hide-and-go-seek, with foot soldiers lumping out
from behind every other tree.

A sharp pain stung Pug on the right
cheek. Feeling with the back of his sword hand as he bounded through
the wood, he felt a wetness, and when he pulled his hand away, he
could see blood on his knuckles. He felt a detached curiosity. He
hadn’t even heard the arrow that had stung him.

Twice more he rode down soldiers, the
war-horse knocking them aside. Suddenly he burst out of the forest
and was assaulted by a kaleidoscope of images. He pulled up for a
moment and let the scene register. Less than a hundred yards to the
west of where he exited the woodlands, a great device, some hundred
feet in length, with twenty-foot-high poles at each end, stood.
Around it were clustered several men, the first Tsurani Pug had seen
who weren’t wearing armor. These men wore long black robes and
were completely unarmed. Between the poles a shimmering grey haze
like the one they had seen in Kulgan’s room filled the air,
blocking out the view of the area directly behind. From out of the
haze a wagon was being pulled by two grey, squat, six-legged beasts,
who were prodded by two soldiers in red armor Several more wagons
were standing beyond the machines, and a few of the strange beasts
could be seen grazing beyond the wagons.

Beyond the strange device, a mighty
camp sprawled across the meadow, with more tents than Pug could
count. Banners of strange design and gaudy colors fluttered in the
wind above them, and the rising smoke of the campfires stung his nose
with acrid pungency as it was carried off in the breeze.

More riders were coming through the
trees, and Pug spurred his horse forward, angling away from the
strange device. The six-legged beasts raised their heads and ambled
away from the oncoming horses, seeming to move with little more than
the minimum effort required to take them out of the path of the
riders.

One of the black-robed men ran toward
the riders. He stopped and stood off to one side as they sped past
Pug got a glimpse of his face, clean shaven, his lips moving and eyes
fixed on something behind the boy. Pug heard a yell and, looking
back, saw a rider on the ground, his horse rooted in place, like a
statue. Several guards were rushing over to subdue the man when the
boy turned away. Once beyond the strange device, he could see a
series of large, brightly colored tents off to the left. Ahead, the
way was clear.

Pug caught sight of Kulgan and reined
his horse to bring himself closer to the magician. Thirty yards to
the right, Pug could see other riders. As they dashed away, Kulgan
shouted something at the boy that he couldn’t make out. The
magician pointed at the side of his face, then at Pug, who realized
the mage was asking if he was all right. Pug waved his sword and
smiled, and the magician smiled back.

Suddenly, about a hundred yards in
front, a loud buzzing noise filled the air, and a black-robed man
appeared, as if from thin air. Kulgan’s horse bore straight for
him, but the man had a queer-looking device in his hand that he
pointed at the magician.

The air sizzled with energy Kulgan’s
horse screamed and fell as if poleaxed. The fat magician was tossed
over the horse’s head and tucked his shoulder under as he hit
the ground. With an amazing display of agility he rolled up onto his
feet and bowled over the black-robed man.

Pug pulled up in spite of the order to
keep going. He reined his horse around and charged back to find the
magician sitting astride the chest of the smaller man, each grasping
the left wrist of the other with his right hand. Pug could see that
they were locked eye to eye in a contest of wills. Kulgan had
explained this strange mental power to Pug before. It was a way in
which a magician could bend the will of another to his own. It took
great concentration and was very dangerous. Pug leaped from his own
mount and rushed over to where the two men were locked in struggle.
With the flat of his sword, he struck the black-robed figure on the
temple. The man slumped unconscious.

Kulgan staggered to his feet. “Thank
you, Pug. I don’t think I could have bettered him. I’ve
never encountered such mental strength.” Kulgan looked to where
his horse lay quivering on the ground. “It’s useless.”
Turning to Pug, he said, “Listen well, for you’ll have to
carry word to Lord Borric. From the speed that wagon was coming
through the rift, I estimate they can bring in several hundred men a
day, perhaps a great deal more. Tell the Duke it would be suicide to
try to take the machine. Their magicians are too powerful. I don’t
think we can destroy the machine they use to hold the rift open. If I
had time to study it . . . He must call for reinforcements from
Krondor, perhaps from the East.”

Pug grabbed Kulgan by the arm “I
can’t remember all that. We’ll ride double.”

Kulgan began to protest but was too
weak to prevent the boy’s pulling him to where his horse stood.
Ignoring Kulgan’s objections, he bullied his master up into the
saddle. Pug hesitated a moment, noting the animal’s fatigue,
then came to a decision. “With both of us to carry, he’ll
never make it, Kulgan,” he shouted as he struck the animal on
the flank. “I’ll find another.”

Pug scanned the area as the horse
bearing Kulgan sped away. A riderless mount was wandering about, less
than twenty feet away, but as he approached, the animal bolted.
Cursing, Pug turned and was confronted by the sight of the
black-robed Tsurani regaining his feet. The man appeared confused and
weak, and Pug charged him. Only one thought was in Pug’s mind:
to capture a prisoner, and, from his appearance, a Tsurani magician
in the bargain. Pug took the magician by surprise, knocking him down.

The man scrambled backward in alarm as
Pug raised his sword threateningly. The man put forth his hand in
what Pug took as a sign of submission, and the boy hesitated.
Suddenly a wave of pain passed through him, and he had to fight to
keep his feet. He staggered about and through the agony saw a
familiar figure riding toward him, shouting his name.

Pug shook his head, and suddenly the
pain vanished. Meecham sped toward him, and Pug knew the franklin
could carry the Tsurani to the Duke’s camp if Pug could keep
him from fleeing. So he spun, all pain forgotten, and closed upon the
still-supine Tsurani. A look of shock crossed the magician’s
face when he saw the boy again advancing on him. Pug heard Meecham’s
voice calling his name from behind but didn’t take his eyes
from the Tsurani.

Several Tsurani soldiers ran across the
meadow, seeking to aid their fallen magician, but Pug stood only a
few feet away, and Meecham would reach them in a few more moments.

The magician jumped to his feet and
reached into his robe. He pulled out a small device and activated it.
A loud humming came from the object. Pug rushed the man, determined
to knock the device from his hand, whatever it might be. The device
hummed louder, and Pug could hear Meecham again shouting his name as
he struck the magician, burying his shoulder in the man’s
stomach.

Suddenly the world exploded with white
and blue lights, and Pug felt himself falling through a rainbow of
colors into a pit of darkness.

Pug opened his eyes. For a moment he
struggled to bring them into focus, for everything in his field of
vision seemed to be flickering. He then came fully awake and realized
it was still night and the flickering came from campfires a short
distance from where he lay. He tried to sit up and found his hands
tied behind him. A groan sounded next to him. In the dim light he
could make out the features of a LaMutian horse soldier lying a few
feet away. He was also bound His face was drawn, and there was a
nasty-looking cut running down from his hairline to his cheekbone,
all crusted over with dried blood.

Pug’s attention was distracted by
the sound of voices speaking low, behind him. He rolled over and saw
two Tsurani guards in blue armor standing watch. Several more tied
prisoners lay about between the boy and the two aliens, who were
speaking together in their strange, musical-sounding language. One
noticed Pug’s movement and said something to the other, who
nodded and quickly hurried off.

In a moment he was back with another
soldier, this one in red-and-yellow armor, with a large crest on his
helm, who ordered the two guards to stand Pug up. He was pulled
roughly to his feet, and the newcomer stood before him and took
stock. This man was dark-haired and had the uptilted, wide-set eyes
that Pug had seen before in the field among the Tsurani dead. His
cheekbones were flat, and he had a broad brow, topped by thick dark
hair. In the dim firelight, his skin looked nearly golden in color.

Except for their short stature, most of
the Tsurani soldiers could pass for citizens of many of the nations
of Midkemia, but these golden men, as Pug thought of them, resembled
some Keshian traders Pug had seen in Crydee years before, from the
distant trading city of Shing Lai.