Master Mage (11 page)

Setting his sword aside, Thad picked
the leather armor that had been one of his two gifts from the
Vathari mage Sae-Thae. The armor was made from the hide of the
large lizards that lived in the underearth. It had two golden
stripes running down the center of its chest. On the left chest, it
was engraved with a black star along with a green and red dot that
shimmered slightly. On the right side was a silvery star with
traces of white with a golden orb below it. Not only were the
symbols fetching, but they displayed his skill with magic in the
style of the Mage’s Tower before the time of the Fae
War.

Setting the armor aside, Thad picked up
his other gift from his Vathari friend. A cloak made of an unknown
material that seemed to soak in any light that neared it. Thad had
taken particular care of his cloak as it was more than a piece of
clothing. If used correctly, it was also a weapon.

A rap on his door drew his attention.
Setting down his cloak, Thad turned as the door opened, and Maria
walked in. Seeing the queen shocked Thad slightly—not her presence,
but the fact that she was in his personal quarters. Not once since
his return to the palace had she ever entered his
quarters.

“Thad, do you have a moment?” Maria
asked, her voice sounding unsure.

“I am at your command, my queen,” Thad
replied, his tone welcoming but questioning.

“My queen, Your Majesty—there was a
time you used to call me by my name,” Maria said, the longing
evident in her eyes. “Please. If only when we are alone, call me
Maria once again. I know I cannot stop you from going to Digger’s
Fort. I have given up on that course,” Maria added
sadly.

“Maria, things are not the same as when
we were kids. You are no longer a princess, free to sneak through
the passages to visit me while I hide in the sewers from the eyes
of your mother. You are now the queen of Farlan, and I am a mage.
To the eyes of most, I am still only a slave,” Thad said, walking
over to the window that looked over the city. “No matter how much
you wish it, your nobles will never accept me as anything more than
that. Maybe by the time your children’s children take the throne,
things will have changed, but even that is only a dream unless we
survive the attack from Rane.”

“Did you know my mother hated the
labels as much as I do? It wasn’t until long after I was forced
from the palace that I truly understood that,” Maria said, walking
up behind Thad, placing her hand softly on his shoulder. “Did you
know that Bren was my father? I never understood why Mother always
kept him around, but now that I’m older, I think I am starting
to.”

“I lost both of them, Thad,” Maria said
brokenly, tears streaming down her face. “Bren died helping me
escape the palace, and Mother was killed when I returned. I don’t
want to lose you as well. Please. No matter what happens, come
back. I don’t care if you never show me the kindness you did when
we were children. I don’t care if you never hold me as I wish you
would. Just please don’t leave me alone.”

Turning around, Thad hugged Maria
tightly. She was his first true friend, and he had treated her
coldly since his return. Part of it was due to Brianna. Thad felt
that anything he did would be an insult to her memory. The rest was
his own pain, both new and old, but he forgot that he was not the
only one who had suffered in his life. “Maria, I will return,” Thad
replied confidently. “If for no other reason than to make sure you
don’t become as cold as your mother seemed.”

CHAPTER IX

Thad was settled and ready when the
Katanga forces moved out. He had thought about waiting to leave
with the mages, but he knew that for each day he dallied, the
harder it would be to leave.

Thad spent most of the march to
Digger’s Fort on foot, running beside the Katanga troops. Thad had
watched them during his own morning practice, but their morning
routine still astounded him. Each morning before the sun rose, the
soldiers were up and going through forms and drills. They didn’t
use practice swords, and to receive a blow only meant that you were
not paying attention and thus deserved it. Thad had seen
disciplined troops before, but the Katanga took it to a whole new
level.

Even on foot, the trip to Digger’s Fort
that had taken him three hard days of riding had been accomplished
in only five days. It was a simple yet brutal method; they ran,
stopping every few hours to check their boots, and anyone who fell
behind was left behind without remorse.

Upon their arrival at Digger’s Fort,
they were met by a happy and very welcoming army of Farlan
soldiers. The Katanga forces immediately started setting up their
tents as Thad and Killian headed to the commander’s quarters to
discuss the war that was now threatening to start all too
soon.

“Master Torin, I would say it is good
to see you, but I doubt you are bringing good news this late in the
winter,” General Bache said soon after the two entered.

“You would be right,” Thad replied. “We
believe that the last of the snow has fallen. As soon as snows
begin to melt, I believe our friends will be visiting
us.”

“What is your battle plan for when the
Rane army marches on the fort?” Killian asked bluntly.

“I don’t believe I have had the
pleasure of making your acquaintance,” Bache replied with a sharp
edge to his voice.

“This is Killian,” Thad explained
hastily. “He is the leader of the Katanga soldiers that I have
brought with me to reinforce your troops.”

“Ah … then let me welcome you,” Bache
said, his tone much friendlier than before. “Under Master Thad’s
orders, we have been digging tunnels wide enough for two soldiers
to stand abreast underneath the fort. They extend about five
hundred yards in all directions. The plan is simple. The mages will
shield our troops from arrows as we attack from a defended
position. Once night falls, our men will head out and circle behind
them and hit them where we can then run back to the fort through
the tunnels. Should they be followed, the tunnels have been rigged
to collapse. Once we know the fort is lost, we shall use the rear
tunnels to escape west and south. We know we can’t win with the
force we currently command, even with the reinforcements, but we
shall try and hold them at bay until we are forced all the way back
to the capital.”

“That is a workable plan,” Killian
observed. “Do you know the number they will march against
us?”

“The last reports vary, but not in a
good way,” Bache replied. “At the very least, the count of their
force is over eighteen thousand. At the most, over twenty-five
thousand. We don’t believe they will commit the full force of their
army at first. The border between our countries is not large, and
the more troops they commit, the harder it will be to supply them
food in the field. We believe that between six and eight thousand
will come in their first wave. They will test us, and their
officers will report back with the numbers of reinforcements they
will require.”

“That would be the sound thing to do
under the conditions. Until the forces arrive, me and mine will
scout the tunnels and surrounding areas so that we may be of better
use when needed. All my men have either longbows or crossbows, but
we have not brought an inexhaustible supply of arrows and bolts.
How are your stores? Should we need to restock?” Killian asked, his
mind running through various scenarios.

“Lindy, bring me the armory reports!”
General Bache yelled. Within a few moments, a young officer with
short blond hair came running from the back room, carrying a small
bundle of parchment. Bache flipped through the stack, running his
finger through the various numbers. “We had enough supplies for our
troops plus 30 percent. It will last us but not more than a handful
of days if the battle continues for extended periods of
time.”

“I would suggest you start making more,
but I doubt the materials are around for good fletching in this
season,” Killian replied, his brow furrowed in thought.

“I will dispatch a messenger to the
queen, asking for further supplies. I don’t know what she will be
able to procure, but anything would be a benefit,” Bache replied.
“I don’t mean to rush you two gentlemen, but there are things that
need my attention, and I am sure the same is true of you. Should
you need anything, you know where I can be found.”

Thad and Killian left the commander’s
quarters and headed back to the large force that had started
forming their camp up in the center of the fort. Thad mentioned to
Killian that there were still some bunks left available for a
portion of his men, but the old warrior assured him that he and his
men preferred to be in the open, where they could react more
quickly should the need arise.

Killian offered to give Thad a tent.
The young mage thought about it and agreed. The barracks might have
been warmer, but his last visit had left him bereft of sleep, and
that was something he was sorely going to need.

Thad’s tent was the same size and color
of the others, and inside, he found it much warmer than he had
anticipated. The lining of the tent was made of a thick animal hide
with two thick layers of fur that blocked out the harsh wind.
Looking at the tent, Thad wondered how they had condensed them down
to nothing more than a small bundle that could be carried on a
march.

As night settled, Thad started working
with some of the supplies he had brought with him. Pulling out a
large supply of metal and small gem shards, Thad began making
magical slugs. The gems were not strong, and any enchantment they
were used for would not stand the test of time, but they would suit
his purpose.

It was tedious work, but it
was one of the few things he was certain would be effective. No use
of grand magic would solve this problem.
Magic
, Thad thought to himself. How
many times had he foolishly rushed into danger thinking his magic
would save him only to find himself in dire straits? He had been
warned many times over and had shrugged off those warnings and
continued on. Looking back at each choice he had made, Thad nearly
laughed.

“Something on your mind?” Killian
asked, standing just inside the entrance flap of the tent. So
engrossed in his own ponderings, Thad had not even noticed the
warrior enter.

“What would you think of a man who
continued to make the same mistakes over and over?” Thad asked,
shaking his head.

“That would depend on the man,” Killian
replied, taking a seat on the ground next to Thad. “We do not view
men the same way you do, my friend. A Katanga warrior is only
allowed to watch during his first five battles. It does not matter
if that takes a fortnight or three summers. His next ten battles,
he is paired with a mentor or battle master. After that, if he
continues to make the same mistake, then he is reduced to a less
important role within the tribe until he begins to show
wisdom.”

“I always seem to rush into danger
without thinking,” Thad said, holding one of the small gem shards
and peering into it. “I think I know what I should do and how best
to prepare, but each time, I find myself in far deeper than I could
have imagined. Looking back now, I can see hundreds of ways I could
have done better.” Thad’s voice was morose, and the self-loathing
was evident.

“Had anyone ever been there to guide
your hand before?” Killian asked, his voice stern but sounding
oddly comforting to Thad’s ears.

“I was taught at the slave academy the
proper way to conduct myself during battle, as well as tactical
preparation,” Thad replied sheepishly.

“Books can be of great help, but they
cannot replace experience. You are still young, and rashness is the
mark of youth. Take from those experiences and learn from them. Do
your best not to repeat them in the future. If I had a copper for
every young soldier who thought he knew better and shrugged off the
words of wisdom from his elder, I could build a road of gold
uniting the entire land of Kurt. May I ask—what would you have done
in those situations had you not had your magic?” Killian asked
warmly.

“I don’t know,” Thad replied honestly.
“Most of the time, I just went with the flow, acting on impulse,
but when I was in Rane, I had time to think everything out. I had
plenty of time to plan, and I still didn’t think things through
properly. If I didn’t have my magic, I would have tried to follow
each member to their homes and ambush them. Thinking about it now,
that would have been the best course to follow overall.”

Killian laughed so hard tears began to
well in his eyes. “Would you like to know what your problem is?” he
asked, the laughter still echoing in his voice. “You play to your
strengths too much. A man who is good with a horse will always try
to find a way to fight in the saddle, but when inside a house, it
doesn’t work too well. Not every situation will call for magic.
Sometimes you must forget what your strengths are and focus on your
weaknesses. A man who is slow on the ground should not pick a
battle where being fleet of foot is needed. Know where you are
weak, and you will increase your ability to survive
tenfold.”

“I will take that into account,” Thad
replied, giving the stout warrior a weak smile. “Why did you come
to my tent? I doubt it was to hear me bemoan my own
follies.”