Master Mage (13 page)

“I do have some work that needs to be
done … ,” Thad started to say but stopped himself when he saw the
pained expression on the man’s face. “But I am sure it can wait for
a time.”

“When I was a child, I lived with my
father, far away from any towns. My mother, I never knew as she had
died during childbirth. I always asked why we lived so far away
from others, but my father only gave one response—‘For
safety.’”

Jayden paused and took a deep breath,
the pain evident in his eyes. “When I was a young man at the end of
his boyhood, I learned the truth. The Brotherhood came in search of
my father, and while I hid, I watched as my father turned into a
massive bear, tearing into the Brotherhood with a wildness I had
never seen. My father fought long, killing many of their soldiers,
but he was finally brought down. The soldiers, unaware of my
presence, left, dragging the body of my father behind
them.”

“Scared and alone, I ran to the forest,
where I lived for years. I remember the first time I changed
clearly. I was tracking a stag that I had wounded when, suddenly, I
could smell its blood in the air. The next thing I knew, I was
running on all fours, faster than I could have thought possible.
Then the animal’s hide was in my mouth, and the taste of its blood
ran down my mouth.”

“It was years later when I came across
the people of Sanctuary. They allowed me to live with them, but it
was clear they didn’t care for my presence. The other internal
mages were treated like lesser people, but not with as much open
hostility as I was. I lived within the confines of the town for a
time, learning what I could, until I decided that it wasn’t for me
and left. I headed back to where I had lived with my father and
built a small cabin in the woods. There, I lived alone, living off
the wild, until I met Monique. She will tell you I saved her when
she lay left for dead in the snow, but I see it differently. I was
alive in the wilderness, but not living. I was a shell of a man
just getting by until I met her. Even when she saw me change for
the first time, I saw no hate in her eyes, no fear, just
acceptance.”

Jayden took a deep breath and looked at
Thad. “She talked about you often during our time together. She
claimed you as a brother, and so I must claim you as kin as well.
If you think ill of me, there is little I can do.”

“I do not … ,” Thad began to say before
he was silenced by Jayden’s cold eyes.

“I saw the look you gave me after I had
killed that man today in the woods. I noticed how you distanced
yourself as we returned to camp. I do not blame you. I am not a
man. I am a beast, but please, I beg you, do not poison the love
Monique has for me. Without her, I would lose what little of the
humanity is left within me.”

Thad looked at the man who had helped
rescue him from the clutches of the Brotherhood. “Jayden, I have
done you wrong. I will admit that what I witnessed today has left a
foul taste in my mouth, but I do not hate you for it. The fault
lies with me and my own fears. No matter who you are or what you
are, you are still my friend and the husband of my sister. That
will not change,” Thad said, choosing his words carefully. “Give me
some time. I am sure after the coming days, the little carnage I
saw within the woods will pale in comparison to what we shall
witness. Now unless Killian was wrong, tomorrow will see the first
sign of the approaching army, and there is much work I must
finish.”

“Thank you” was the only reply Jayden
gave before leaving Thad with his own thoughts.

You handled that about as
well as a blind man with a bow.

“Should I lie? Thanks to the gods’
blessing, I could feel his fears as easily as hear them. He is a
man and an animal at the same time,” Thad said, disgusted at
himself.

Why should that matter? How
many animals do you know that kill without reason? If you ask me,
man is the true beastly half of him.

Thad thought over Thuraman’s words. How
many animals killed simply out of fear and hate? The answer was
clear, even to him, but that didn’t erase the fear that had built
up inside him when he watched Jayden rip the man’s head from his
body. It was unnatural.

Are those not the same words
the Brotherhood uses to condemn you and all mages to their deaths?
You might want to think before you turn into the very thing you
yourself despise.

Thuraman was right, and Thad knew he
couldn’t argue against his logic, but that changed little. Hating
himself for his own feelings, Thad couldn’t calm his mind enough to
focus on his enchanting. Setting aside his work, Thad bundled up
within the warm confines of his blankets and tried to
sleep.

CHAPTER XI

Thad stood upon one of the large wooden
towers, watching as the Rane army came into view. It was an
impressive sight, to say the least. Thousands of soldiers marched
in line with the banner of the Kingdom of Rane flying
high.

The army stopped well outside of the
reach of the archers, and just as Killian had predicted, they
started setting up camp and assembling siege weapons. Thad looked
around at the wooden walls of the fort and knew they wouldn’t hold
out long against any concentrated attacks. Thad and the other mages
had spent countless hours reinforcing the walls with magic, and the
ones facing the western front had also been equipped with shields.
That would mean little once the boulders began to fly. The shields
would hold for a time, but sooner or later, they would fall, and
the walls would come down shortly after. Their only real hope of
holding out for more than a span of days was Killian’s advice that
they send small forays out to try and sabotage the enemy’s
efforts.

Unable to control himself, Thad stood
upon the tower, watching as the Rane soldiers worked. Thad was
amazed at the speed and efficiency at which the army moved. Trees
were cut and moved in such a way that he was reminded of the small
anthill that he had spent countless hours watching when he was a
small child.

Turning around, he looked at his own
forces. Many soldiers were rushing about, reinforcing the east wall
as well as positioning quivers of arrows along the walkway. A few
also started to position the few catapults they had in the
direction of the waiting army. Four mages who were skilled with
shielding were positioned around the camp should their skills be
needed.

The soldiers who were not working were
just as busy, but in a different manner. They ran around, acting
much like kids at play. It had not been the first time he had
witnessed grown men act in such a manner. He had seen much the same
thing before the attack at Southpass Fort. It seemed that when
death loomed near, soldiers reverted back to childhood. Maybe that
was one of the reasons why they were not as tense once the blood
started to flow.

“The sun will be setting soon,” Killian
said, coming up from behind Thad. “Are you going to be joining in
our nightly fun?”

“You seem to be looking forward to your
task?” Thad asked grimly.

“We are soldiers and killers. Many say
that we are even born with a sword clutched in our hands,” Killian
replied with a sly wink and a robust laugh. “I am no lover of
bloodshed, but right now, we have little choice. We can sit and
wait for them to bombard us with rocks and arrows, or we can move
out under the cover of night and try to reduce the damage that is
sure to come.”

“Then I guess I should be getting
ready,” Thad said gloomily as he dismounted the tower.

Killian led Thad to the mess hall,
where many of the soldiers sat eating. He was led to a large table
where two dozen Katanga soldiers as well as a handful of elves sat.
“Are we ready to go over the plans?” Killian asked as he took his
seat at the head of the table.

“Yes, Warmaster,” a young soldier named
Threnfor said. Thad had met the tall man a few times over the past
weeks and had taken a liking to the man, even if he was a bit too
serious.

“Then let us get to it,” Killian said,
leaning down and resting his chin on his folded hands. “Our task is
simple. We must take out the siege weapons in such a way as not to
draw too much attention. The best way to accomplish this is to cut
the ropes so that when pulled tight, they will snap. This will make
them useless for a time but can be easily fixed. Thad,” Killian
said, turning toward him. “Can you weaken the wood around the neck
of the catapult so it will snap under pressure?”

Thad thought about it for a moment and
nodded his head. “I have spent countless hours strengthening the
wood of the fort’s walls. It should be no problem to the reverse it
and weaken the catapults.”

“Good,” Killian replied, smiling. “That
will not only take them out of commission, but it has a good chance
of causing damage on their side as well. Now we just need to draw
their attention away from their siege weapons. While Thad and a few
of my men work to disable the catapults, the rest of us will attack
the far side of the camp … quietly. We want them to increase their
guard around the back of their camp while leaving the siege weapons
less guarded for future campaigns.”

Once everything was settled, the small
group of soldiers ate quietly. Thad had noticed that when war was
looming, soldiers tended to be lighthearted, but whenever a darker
mission was on the horizon, their moods changed dramatically. It
was one thing to kill a man during the heat of battle and another
completely to kill a man while he slept, even an enemy.

Later that night, well after night had
fallen, Thad along with the others who had been at the table
gathered at the entrance to one of the hidden tunnels. Thad had
never intended the tunnels to be used in such a manner, but he was
glad he had run across the information that led him to have the
tunnels built. He knew that with little time, there was little
chance for the tunnels to be finished, so he had created shovels
that could cut through even the hardest ground as easily as if it
were scooping water.

The tunnels were just high enough for
them to walk upright, though many of the other soldiers had to
hunch slightly to keep their head from bumping the support rafters
overhead. Just thinking about the sheer amount of wood that had to
be used in making the tunnels made him shudder. How much stronger
could the walls have been made if the wood had been used on them.
But not all was bad. The dirt removed from the ground had been used
to brace the walls, and with the help of the mages, it now was as
hard as the strongest stone.

As they moved through the darkness,
Thad let his magical eye slip into night sight. The heat from the
bodies moving reminded Thad of his time in the underearth. The
walls were cold at the bottom and warmed gradually the closer they
reached toward the roof. More than once, Thad noticed where a vein
of metal ran through the earth. Unlike the ground around it, metal
held heat differently and was easily discernible when it was close
to the surface.

Thad didn’t know how long they walked
before they reached a split in the path, and Thad’s and Killian’s
groups split. Thad pushed the uneasiness from his mind as Killian’s
group disappeared down the dark tunnel. They each had their own
tasks to complete, and lamenting the departure of his friend would
accomplish nothing.

Once they were back in the open air,
the Katanga soldiers spread out and scouted the area, returning
quickly to let Thad know the area was clear.

The march to the Rane camp only took a
few minutes, and Thad was amazed at the lack of guards they found.
Other than a few posted around the exterior of the camp, no one
seemed to be about.

The siege weapons were located near the
western front of the army but kept far enough behind their own
lines, making a direct assault upon them nearly
impossible.

Thad and the soldiers moved cautiously
through the neat row of tents. Looking around the camp, Thad was
reminded of Killian’s words when he had first gone through their
camp. Looking around, it was easy to tell where the officers slept
compared to the regular troops.

The sentries were mainly located near
the far end of the camp, watching the fort. Even from the distance,
Thad could tell the soldiers were not too worried about a night
attack, and Thad could easily understand why. Even if he could
march the whole of the Farlan forces against them unseen, within
moments after the attack, they would lose most of their troops,
especially if Killian was right about the hidden cavalrymen who
were supposedly camped not far away.

The Rane army already had two small
catapults finished, as well as a larger one near completion.
Looking around, Thad could see the logs placed around for more.
Placing his hand on the neck of the wood, Thad closed his eyes and
focused. The wood was strong and green with a large amount of
flexibility in them. Forcing his magic into the wood, Thad weakened
the wood, drying it out in the center and prematurely aging
it.

Weakening the wood was much harder than
Thad had imagined, but it was not overly draining, just
time-consuming. Four times during the process of the night’s work,
they had to stop and hide from a moving sentry, but they were able
to finish their task long before the sound of alarm issued from the
eastern edge of the camp.