Master Mage (12 page)

“We received word from our larger force
that they have marched through the winter and should be arriving
shortly. My best guess would be that they will be able to join us
after the initial attack, but before the Rane forces receive their
reinforcements. This will add a great deal to our advantage, but
not if we let Rane spies slip past our line of defense. On that
measure, I have sent a small group of my men to patrol to border,
looking for anyone trying to pass.”

“Why, tell me, shouldn’t you report
directly to the general?” Thad asked, more than slightly
confused.

“You, I have come to know over the days
we have spent training,” Killian replied, smiling. “You are still
young, but you have a decent head on your shoulders when you stop
to use it. The general, on the other hand, I know nothing about and
have had no order from the queen to listen to the man. If you think
he should be made aware of this news, then I will leave it up to
you to tell him.” Killian stood and gave Thad one last fierce look.
“We may be mercenaries, but we do not follow the orders. We are
given a mission, and we decide the best way to accomplish it. This
time, we have been tasked with keeping the Rane forces off of
Farlan soil, and for that, we may work with your army, but we will
not heed any commands that we do not agree with.”

As Thad watched the older man leave, he
thought about their conversation. He had made many mistakes,
sometimes the same ones he had before. More than once, he had
rushed ahead without thinking. That was in the past,
though.

You really think you can
simply decide to think before acting? I would love to see you use
your brain for more than parting your ears, but I don’t think it
will be as simple as you think.

“I have to start somewhere, Thuraman,”
Thad replied to his staff defensively.

I hope it’s not just a
start. I don’t enjoy having to watch you fumble around like a
beggar after a dropped coin.

Ignoring Thuraman’s further comments,
Thad went back to work on enchanting the metal slugs. With no more
snow coming and the air warming up fast, it would only be a matter
of days before the Rane forces decided it was time to move. There
was always the off chance that they would hold and make sure
nothing else was coming in fear of a freak blizzard, but Thad
doubted it. The weather in western Kurt was fairly stable, and once
the air began to warm, it usually meant the end for the cold
weather.

As the night wore on, Thad started to
wear down fast. There never seemed to be enough time for everything
that needed to be done. Many of the soldiers around the camp often
said that most of their time was spent in a hurry to do nothing but
wait, but for Thad, he never seemed to have enough time to
rest.

Exiting his tent, Thad looked up into
the sky and noticed that the moon was out in full brilliance. The
sound of faint drums could be heard in the distance, and Thad knew
that the elves were not far away. Looking over to the eastern side
of the camp, Thad noticed Monique walking out of the door to her
cottage.

For a brief moment, Thad thought about
going and talking to his old friend, but he dismissed the idea.
There was little he had to say to his friend, and the tension
around the troops was almost palpable, and Thad doubted that
Monique was taking the pending war any easier. He had not spent
much time with Monique lately, but he knew that she cared deeply
for her new husband, and women never seemed to take the idea of
their lovers heading into war easily.

Slipping back into his tent, Thad
pulled out his sleep roll and bundled up tightly. The air was still
cold, but it was much warmer than it had been only a fortnight
before. Shivering lightly, Thad tucked his chin close to his chest
and closed his eyes.

As he slept, Thad found himself
drifting in the murky darkness. He had not found himself in the
familiar darkness for some time. As his mind cleared and the
darkness receded, Thad found himself in an unknown room. It was
easily twice the size of his quarters at the palace with a large
canopy bed that could easily fit ten people.

“Is everything going OK?” Thad heard a
musical voice say from behind him.

Turning around, Thad found Maria
standing behind him, wearing a thin light red lace nightgown. Thad
had seen Maria in all kinds of garbs, but nothing as revealing as
what she now wore. Thad tried to think of an answer, but the words
that came out of his mouth were far from intelligible.

Maria stepped closer, her smile growing
larger by the second. She leaned in and kissed Thad hard. It was
soft and warm, and Thad could smell the faint scent of honey. Thad
turned his head slightly and closed his eyes, and Brianna flashed
through his mind.

“I can’t,” Thad said hesitantly as he
pushed Maria away.

“You cannot push me away forever,”
Maria responded hotly. “One day, you will have to notice
me.”

“I can see you,” Thad replied, holding
firmly on to Maria’s shoulders, warmly rubbing them.

Maria shrugged off Thad’s hands and
pulled away. Thad was only left with the sad look in her eyes as
the darkness once again folded in around him.

CHAPTER X

The first signs of the Rane army came
from one of the Katanga scouts. It was a few days earlier than they
had expected, but not too alarming. The scout reported that five
thousand troops were headed their way. It was a few thousand more
than they had stationed at Digger’s Fort, but with a defensible
position, Thad was sure they would win the first
engagement.

“Most of their troops look like light
footmen mixed with archers and a few hundred heavy soldiers,”
Killian said, pointing at one of the larger passes on the map. “I
don’t think we will have as much time between engagements as we had
expected. The only reason they would send a force like that would
be if they wish to draw out our forces. No matter what, we can’t
let them draw us out.”

“Why do you say that? If we can march
out and wipe out their forces quickly, then shouldn’t we?” a young
officer asked smugly.

“Are you a half-wit?” Killian asked the
young man as if speaking to a child. “My bet would be a second
force about half the size of the one we have seen on horseback.
Their plan will be to draw us out and move up behind us on
horseback. If we let that happen, we have lost.”

“None of the scouts have reported a
second force,” the young man retorted hotly.

“A good mounted force can move at four
times the speed of a regular soldier. We wouldn’t even receive news
of them for days, and by then, the pass will be crawling with
soldiers. The chances of a scout getting past the force and making
it back are nearly impossible. If you really want to test my
theory, then send out some of your men to try and skirt around the
advancing force.”

“Lieutenant Thompson, would you be so
kind as to keep quiet lest you make all of us look like fools?”
General Bache said sternly. “What would you suggest we do,
Warmaster Killian?”

“They will start building siege weapons
while making it look like they are open to attack,” Killian said,
taking a drink of his ale. “The whole time, their forces will be
ready to form up and march. They will pull this charade until
either we attack or their siege weapons are complete. My men, along
with a few of the elves who are trained for such matters, can sneak
in and take out the siege weapons. The trick will be to disable
them in such a way that it goes unnoticed. Once they believe they
are ready, they will march on the fort while striking at us from
afar.”

“That doesn’t sound too promising,”
Bache stated as he wrung his hands.

“It won’t be pleasant, but we have to
hold out until reinforcements arrive. If we march out, then we will
fall, and the rest of Farlan will follow. We will need to hold
strong and use the tunnels Master Torin had built to peck away at
our enemy until they fully commit their forces to an
assault.”

“What if they try and pass us and head
farther into Farlan?” Thompson asked, his tone having lost most of
its sureness.

“The only way they would try that is if
they had a large-enough force to hold us at bay. If we do find
ourselves in that position, we will have to retreat to the west and
regroup and try to hold them at bay.”

“Gentlemen, it sounds like we all have
work to do. Have the men ready. I believe before nightfall
tomorrow, we will start to see the first blood of the coming war,”
General Bache said as he stood from his seat.

“The waiting is almost over,” Thad said
to Killian as they walked out of the commander’s
quarters.

“After the blood starts to turn the
soil red, you will wish they had held off for even a day longer,”
Killian replied, his eyes focusing off into the distance. “What are
your mage friends doing to prepare?”

“Mother Mary and a few others are
working with the field surgeons. The rest have taken up with
different forces to support them. I heard that you refused any
magical assistance.”

“We don’t like having untrained
soldiers in our midst. One wrong move during a battle can cost many
men their lives. Now if you would like to march with our forces, I
wouldn’t mind,” Killian said, giving the younger man a
wink.

“I might just take you up on that
offer,” Thad replied, laughing.

The next few days were tense as the
news of the force marching toward them spread throughout the fort.
Thad spent most of his time with Killian and his troops as they
explored the tunnels and surrounding landscape. Jayden had also
joined in the ranks of the Katanga and helped the warriors navigate
the foreign landscape.

Jayden was much different away from
Monique. The way he man moved through the brush reminded Thad of an
animal.

On their last foray outside of the
fort, it was Jayden who noticed the presence of Rane scouts. They
were walking through the brush in the northern forest, setting
traps, when the large man’s head suddenly jerked up like a startled
deer. Thad was happy for the forewarning, but something about how
the man acted unnerved him.

Instead of immediately retuning to the
fort, Killian wanted to see how many scouts were present and, if
possible, capture one or more of them. Counting Killian, himself,
and Jayden, there were thirteen men, and Thad doubted the trained
warrior would let himself fall into a dire situation.

They found the scouts with ease thanks
to Jayden. There were eight of them spread throughout the forest.
Killian separated the men into groups of two, leaving himself,
Thad, and Jayden to each take on a target alone.

Thad used his magic to lift himself
above the ground so that his feet made no sound as he moved toward
his target. Within moments, Thad was close enough to step through
the shadows and right behind his target. Amazingly, the scout
noticed something and pulled his sword to defend himself, but he
was a moment too late as Thad’s blade burst through his chest
before he had a chance to turn around.

Pulling his blade free, Thad turned to
the next closest target to see Jayden grappling with his scout. It
hadn’t dawned on Thad before, but the large man didn’t carry a
weapon, but from what Thad could see, it didn’t seem to hamper him.
Jayden held the scout by his neck inches from the ground, and with
one firm shake, the sound of breaking bone echoed through the
woods. Thad felt his stomach churn as Jayden continued to pull,
ripping the man’s head from his body like a child might do to a
doll. Thad lost his battle when the large man tossed the head to
the ground and licked the crimson liquid off of his
fingers.

That night, after they returned to the
fort, Thad went straight to his tent, wanting to get away from
everyone and settle his thoughts. He had seen carnage before, but
what he witnessed in the forest shocked him.

“Thad, may we talk?” Jayden’s rough
voice echoed from outside his tent.

“Come inside,” Thad replied,
desperately trying unsuccessfully to calm his voice.

Jayden walked in, and Thad could still
see the red tint that colored the man’s tunic. The sight of the
blood reminded him of what he witnessed, sending an uncontrollable
shiver down his back. “What can I do for you, Jayden?”

The large man took an uneasy seat on
the ground. “Do you know about the different forms of magic?”
Jayden asked, his head hanging low and his eyes searching the
ground.

“You mean internal and external magic?
I have read some on it, though I have not had much experience with
users of internal magic,” That replied hesitantly.

“We are not looked upon kindly even
among other mages,” Jayden said, his voice full of sorrow. “We are
outcasts even among other outcasts. Unlike external mages, our
magic cannot be controlled and formed as we desire. My body heals
itself on its own, whether I will it to or not. It also changes
even if I dearly desire to remain a man.”

“I don’t understand what you mean,”
Thad said, more than a little confused at the man’s cryptic
words.

“Yes, I guess I am being a little
confusing. Do you mind listening to a long story?” Jayden asked,
his voice hopeful.