Magus (Advent Mage Cycle) (6 page)

A few taut moments ticked by, and then I saw him—a short, lithe figure that was carefully making his way down. He stopped some fifteen feet away, remaining an obscure shadow. "If you're a Witch, then what is he?"

I could tell by the voice that the person was young, and definitely male. What was he doing out here, in the middle of nowhere?

Chatta indicated where I was still sitting on Night. "Do you mean Garth?"

"Yeah, him."

"He's a Mage," she answered without any inflection.

There was a weighty pause, as if the boy was thinking that revelation over. "What's a Witch and a Mage doing in Chahir? And with a group of soldiers?"

"Looking for magically gifted Chahirans to take back to Hain," Chatta called back cheerfully. "How about it? We'll help you get across the border and into Del'Hain so that you can be properly trained."

There was pregnant silence, but apparently the boy decided to trust us, because he moved forward again. It took a moment for him to weave his way through the trees, but he finally came into view, stopping only a few feet away from Chatta.

This close, I could see that the boy was very powerful, and very gifted. He'd give Kartal some fierce competition that was for sure. Untrained as he was, he was still managing to shield most of his power—and wear something of a glamour, as well. On the surface, he looked clean, well dressed, well fed.

Chatta gave a sharp hiss when he stepped into view, a sound that I echoed.

The glamour didn't fool me or Chatta.

We could see that the boy was filthy, his legs and arms covered in bruises and scratches. He was rail thin, dressed in clothes that were little better than rags. His skin and hair was so dirty and matted that I had no idea what his normal coloring was, only that he had grey eyes.

Chatta took one look at him and went into Mother Hen Mode.

I've seen my friend do this before. She can turn on so much charm that a poisonous snake would feel ashamed of itself for attacking her. When she gives that particular smile to men, most of them melt like so much ice in the noonday sun. This poor kid didn't stand a chance of resisting her.

"I'm so glad you came down so that I can properly meet you," she beamed with convincing sincerity. "And what is your name?"

"Reschkeenen," he replied almost shyly. "Are you really a Witch?"

"Really," she assured him. As proof, she slid her wand out of her sleeve and extended it to him. "Feel it," she encouraged. "You're a Wizard; you should be able to feel the magic in my wand."

Very hesitantly he reached out, only touching the tip of the wand with his fingers. His eyes went wide with wonder as he felt the magic, and the grip that he had on her wand tightened for a moment. "There really is magic in there," he whispered. "Can you do something?"

"A demonstration you mean?" At this she hesitated, looking at Xiaolang.

He shook his head. "That's not wise I'm afraid, Master Reschkeenen. We're not in a friendly providence, and I don't wish to attract attention from the authorities."

The boy looked a little disappointed, until Chatta slid an arm around his shoulders and smiled brilliantly at him. Under the force of that charm, any disappointment he felt vaporized.

All right, I admit it, I was a little jealous that she was being so charming and familiar with him. But I'm an adult, I can handle it.

Chatta introduced him to everyone, and then offered to let him ride with her. I think it was the idea of staying in close proximity with the beautiful Witch that decided the boy, because he didn't hesitate to come with us. I watched as he snuggled up against her back, smiling in contentment.

"
Garth, there's steam coming out of your ears,
" Night informed me drolly.

I ground my jealousy under a mental heel and strove to not let my pettiness show. Trying to show Night that I wasn't jealous, I uncapped my leather canteen and handed it to the boy. "I'm sure you're thirsty, it’s a warm day." And it was, for Chahir.

He took the canteen eagerly, with a muttered thank you, and drained it dry.

Chatta and I exchanged looks while he was distracted. She knew as well as I what condition the boy was in. The glamour that he wore, however, said that we would have to be careful in how we offered help. He had too much pride to let us see how bad his condition really was—he certainly wouldn't let us treat him like a charity case.

I thought about it for a moment, and then when I had an idea of the right thing to say, I caught his attention. "Reschkeenen, I'm not sure if you know this or not, but magical users eat more than most people, because using magic is so draining on us." Which was true. Mostly. "I'm sure this is an unnecessary question, but are you hungry?"

"It's important that you always eat when you can," Chatta added quickly, backing me up. "We've brought extra food with us just for that reason."

I knew he was starving, so was a little impressed with his control when he nonchalantly shrugged. "I could eat something, I guess."

"Good," Chatta approved. "Garth, dig out that sweet bread I brought from home."

I knew what she was referring to. Chatta loved this particular pastry that was filled with strawberry jam and covered in powdered sugar. It travelled fairly well, so whenever we had to go anywhere, she inevitably bought some for travel food. I leaned close to her saddlebags and dug the food out, then handed it Reschkeenen.

He didn't wolf it down, as I expected him to, but still he ate so quickly that within a minute there was nothing but crumbs left. The taut pain of hunger faded some from his face. He was no longer starving, but still hungry.

"That was quite good, thanks," Reschkeenen said with a cheerful smile.

"You're very welcome," Chatta responded with a smile over her shoulder.

I wanted to stuff some more food into the kid, as I was sure he needed it, but wasn't sure on what to do next to get him to eat some more without putting his back up.

Xiaolang caught my eye and waved me forward. Reluctantly, I urged Night into a fast walk until we were abreast of the Captain, and then settled into a pace that matched Hayate's.

"That boy is not in as good a condition as appearance suggests," Xiaolang observed in a quiet undertone.

I looked at him in surprise, and then felt like smacking my head for being an idiot. Of course Xiaolang would sense that something was wrong, he was an empath. If the boy's condition didn't say something to him, Chatta's reaction and mine would have tipped him off. "Yes. He's wearing a glamour."

"I thought so." Thoughtfully he glanced back. "He has great pride, that one."

"Yes," I concurred. "But he's starving, and we need to feed him as much as possible."

"And give him a bath, as well. Hmmm." Xiaolang looked ahead, as if he could look through the multitude of trees and see the land ahead. "If memory serves, we'll come across a small town in a few hours."

It took me a minute to remember the town's name. "Sutton, I think."

Xiaolang nodded in confirmation. "We'll stop there for the night. I'll set Aletha and Chatta on the boy. They'll make sure that he's properly taken care of."

Aletha was rather like Chatta in that way—she had a lethal amount of charm, and no qualms about using it to get her way. The poor kid really didn't stand a chance with both girls ganging up on him.

Xiaolang interrupted my musings with another low question. "More importantly, is he going to attract attention while…actually, what
is
he doing precisely?"

"Glamour and shielding," I answered with an absent look over my shoulder. "I'm actually impressed he's learned how to do that. Most wizards can't do anything without some tool of focus—this boy must have incredible willpower."

"It's probably that willpower that's kept him alive this long," Xiaolang observed. Something was off about his expression, but his face cleared before I could discern what it was. "Anyway, back to my original question. This glamour and shield that he's wearing, will that set off the alarms?"

"It could," I admitted. "He's shielding so strongly that I doubt it, though. I barely felt him, even when I was practically right on top of him."

"Hm," he responded absently. "Still, I want to persuade him to not use any magic, not until he is safely out of Chahir. It's much safer that way. I'd rather not take any chances."

I thought it was very wise to take precautions, but I still wasn't sure on how to convince our young Wizard to see our point of view.

"Once we reach Lovett, we'll take the highway north. That road comes very close to the border at one point—we'll separate there, and I'll have Shield and Aletha get him to a safe house."

I knew enough of the geography to know what he was talking about. "That's still a good day's trip."

"I know, but I don't wish to separate prematurely. Many things can still go wrong, and I want to keep us in a cohesive group as long as possible."

It seemed like a good plan to me, but then, sneaking people out of hostile countries wasn't my specialty. "You're the expert," I shrugged.

Xiaolang frowned a little in thought, head cocked. "Garth, how does shielding work, exactly? You and Chatta aren't shielding, are you?"

"No, we aren't," I confirmed. "There's no reason to, because we're not using magic at all. You see, shields come in various styles for us. Some we can use to repel weapons, others to protect us against backlashes of magic—and then there's the kind that helps us to remain unnoticed. It's not really a shield, in the strictest sense of the word. It's more like we're projecting a thick spell around us so that we completely blend in with our surroundings."

Xiaolang was following this explanation carefully. "Camouflage."

"Actually, that's an excellent word for it." I thought about it for another moment, then shrugged off-handedly. "Anyway, that's probably why no one else has found him either. They literally didn't see him."

"You saw him," Xiaolang pointed out. His tone and expression were almost completely neutral when he said this.

"I felt him," I corrected. "I can't see magic. And even then I was practically on top of the boy before I felt that anything was off. I think his shield must have slipped for a moment, because even though he's right behind me, I can't feel him now."

"Hm." A moment passed while Xiaolang considered this. "But can you do something similar?"

"It's not easy for me, but I can do it for short periods of time." That sort of shield fell on the subtle magic border, and I had to really concentrate in order to be able to hold it. "Chatta is much better at it than I am."

"Can it cover whole groups of people?"

Ah. I was beginning to see what he was driving at. "I can't. Chatta can."

Xiaolang cast a thoughtful glance over his shoulder toward the smiling Witch. "Good to know. Now, in the more immediate sense, how do we convince the boy to drop that glamour of his?"

Good question. I graciously waved him back toward Reschkeenen. "I leave that to your incredible diplomatic skills."

The Captain gave me a dirty look. "Thanks, Garth. Your confidence is underwhelming."

I gave him a mock innocent smile—and then wisely moved out of hearing range, before he could think of a way to get revenge.

~*~

I'm going to kill him.

Slowly.

With a very dull spoon.

"
Jealousy is unbecoming,
" Night informed me with a smugly superior look.

I growled back at him. Everything had been fine when we settled into a decent inn for the night. I'd zipped out to a nearby merchant's stand and bought some better clothing for Reschkeenen, came back and ate some dinner, and then thought I should probably deliver the new clothes before our young Wizard got out of his bath.

That's where the trouble began.

I found Reschkeenen in Chatta's and Aletha's room, wrapped up in fluffy towels, ensconced on the bed, and being practically hand fed by both women. Convincing the boy to drop his glamour had revealed just how thin he was. His skin was mottled in bruises and cuts. The sight had sent both women into Mother Hen Mode, and they were both coddling him like mother cats with a new kitten. That I didn't mind—the boy obviously needed some attention.

What I minded was how he was responding.

Reschkeenen was somewhere around fourteen years old, which meant he should be more than capable of taking care of himself. Right now, however, he was downplaying his capabilities, and flirting shamelessly with both women in order to keep their attention on him.

It made me want to smack sense into him.

I hadn't stayed long in that room—I was afraid I might give into my impulses and beat some common sense into the kid—and I'd quickly retreated to the stables. Being in Chahir, as we were, no one could know that Night was a Nreesce. Advertising his true nature would be like painting a target on our backs, so he had to play the part of a normal stallion while we were around people. I'd expected him to pitch an absolute fit when Xiaolang had told him that, but Night had only grumbled a little before sighing and giving in. We had indeed come a long way. A year ago, I would have had a major temper tantrum on my hands.

So, I'd gone down to the stable to talk with my Nreesce and cool down some. I'd ranted a bit to Night, telling him about the situation, and he had listened to me patiently as he crunched on a carrot.

Of course, as soon as I was done, he had immediately started laughing himself silly.

"
Garth, seriously. He's a fourteen year old boy that's been running scared for weeks,"
Night chided with obvious patience.
"Having two beautiful women suddenly rescue him and then pamper him must be a fantasy come true. Any other male would react the same way
."

I know. That didn't mean that I liked it.

"
They're both sensible women—”

"They sure aren't acting that way," I grumbled under my breath.

Night gave me a severe look and continued as if I hadn't interrupted. "—
and I'm sure that they're not going to let it get out of hand. Besides, it's only for another two days or so. Then he'll be sent to the nearest safe house.
"