Mindbender (31 page)

Alexander nodded in thought.

Conner started to say something but Jack silenced him with a hand on his arm.

Alexander made his decision. “Ezra, spread the word to any Reishi Protectorate operatives you know that I am the Reishi Sovereign and that Phane is the pretender. Strike his forces whenever and wherever possible. Hit him where he’s weak and avoid him where he’s strong. Fight from the shadows and avoid confrontation.”

“By your command, Lord Reishi,” Ezra said as he saluted, fist to heart.

“Jack, let’s go see that ferryboat captain,” Alexander said. “I think we’ll be needing his services after all.”

They emerged from behind the wagons into the market square and Ezra melted into the crowd. Jack led the way to the docks through the milling throngs of people. Alexander was vigilant. He knew the enemy was nearby and they were probably looking for him. He still hadn’t worked out how to get to Grafton Island but he was certain that the direct route was not an option. A ferry against patrol boats armed with ranged weapons was a recipe for disaster.

The shops near the market square gave way to warehouse buildings as they neared the docks. Alexander could hear the seagulls and smell the salt air mixed with the odor of fish as they walked down the narrow road.

A single man with a sword stepped out from around the corner ahead of them with a smile and fixed Alexander with the look of a predator.

“Surrender to me and I’ll let your friends go,” he said.

Alexander stopped in his tracks. Behind them a wagon that had been parked in a cross alley was pushed across the road, blocking their retreat. Alexander reached out with his all around sight and saw a large number of men waiting in the allies on either side of the road ahead and a smaller contingent behind them in the alley where the wagon had been parked. When he looked closer, he was relieved to see that they were armed with swords rather than crossbows.

“Anatoly, Boaberous, move that wagon back where it came from,” Alexander said just loud enough for them to hear. “There are half a dozen men in the alley behind it.”

“I was hoping you’d refuse,” the enemy commander said as he started to advance.

Thirty men poured out from the alleys into the road in front of them and fanned out around their commander.

Alexander drew the Thinblade. Jataan produced a knife from somewhere and Conner drew his sword. Jack tossed up his hood and flickered out of sight as Lucky backed off toward the wagon, rummaging through his bag.

As the enemy neared, Jataan darted in with impossible speed and drove his knife through the lead soldier’s breastplate and into his heart. He snatched the dying man’s sword from his hand and pushed him into the path of the next two soldiers. They stumbled, trying to get over their fallen comrade as Jataan cut their throats with lightning quickness.

Alexander met the next enemy with a flick of the Thinblade, cutting his sword off just past the hilt. The blade clattered to the ground as Alexander slashed the man cleanly in half across the torso. The man just behind him faltered at the sudden carnage. Alexander took his head with another flick of the Thinblade.

Side by side, Alexander and Jataan met the enemy charge. They gave ground in measured paces, mostly to avoid becoming entangled in the fallen bodies. Each new enemy met the uncompromising sharpness of the Thinblade or the inhuman speed of the only living battle mage. Within a minute, the enemy force was reduced by half.

“We’re clear!” shouted Anatoly.

Alexander glanced back to the wagon with his all round sight even as he met the next enemy, cleaving his shield in half along with the man’s forearm.

“Fall back,” Alexander commanded.

Jack, Lucky, and Conner slipped past the wagon into the alley. Alexander and Jataan hastened their retreat as a javelin darted between them and killed the nearest soldier. They reached the wagon as Boaberous hurled another javelin. Once they were all into the alley, Anatoly and Boaberous pulled the wagon in behind them to block the advancing enemy, then Alexander sliced the wheels, causing the heavily laden wagon to collapse under its own weight.

They fled down the alley and found another route to the docks. Moving quickly through the warehouses, they reached the docks within a few minutes. Jack pointed out the little ferryboat they had hired. As they approached, Alexander could see the surprise on the captain’s face. He had sold them out. Alexander didn’t need his second sight to tell him about this man—he was an opportunist and a liar.

Thinblade still in hand, Alexander boarded the little ferryboat and marched straight up to the captain.

“You told the Reishi Army Regency where to find us, didn’t you?” he asked calmly as he leveled the Thinblade at the terrified captain.

“They said they’d pay if I told them when someone tried to hire me to take them to Grafton Island,” the captain said.

“Very well, you sold me out. Your life is forfeit. But I’m willing to sell it back to you if you’re interested.” Alexander said.

The captain’s eyes widened. A few of his crew, mostly oarsmen, stood up like they were going to come to their captain’s aid but when they saw Anatoly and Boaberous eyeing them, they sat back down.

“Whatever you want, just don’t kill me,” the captain pleaded.

“Good. Cast off. Take us across the inlet to Grafton Province mainland. Make landfall as close to the port as you can without being seen,” Alexander said as he wiped the blood off his sword.

The captain nodded but stood stock-still like he wasn’t sure what to do next.

“Go!” Alexander said firmly.

The ferry captain sprang into action, yelling orders at his men. Within moments they were moving out onto the water.

They weren’t fifty feet from the dock when two dozen men led by the enemy commander came running up to the water’s edge.

“Jataan, can you kill him from here?” Alexander asked quietly.

“Of course,” Jataan said.

“Do it,” Alexander said.

Jataan nodded to Boaberous.

The giant drew a javelin smoothly from the oversized quiver on his back and hurled it with surprising force. It flew true across fifty feet of water and buried into the enemy commander’s chest. He slumped to his knees and then toppled into the water.

“Nice shot,” Anatoly said.

Boaberous grunted.

***

The trip across the inlet was quick. They left Bradfield at midday and arrived on the shores of Grafton Province just after dark. The captain drove his rowing crew mercilessly, coaxing every bit of speed he could from the well-muscled men. Despite his character flaws, the ferry captain did know his trade. He expertly maneuvered his boat through the shallows and made landfall gently and quietly.

Before Alexander stepped off the little boat, he fixed the captain with his glittering golden eyes. “Speak of this trip to no one. If I discover you’ve sold me to my enemies again, I will find you and claim your life in payment.”

The captain didn’t say a word but nodded his understanding. Alexander could see from the fear in his colors that he would keep quiet, for a while anyway.

They moved through the darkness along the coastline toward the ports. It was several miles and slow going but much safer than venturing inland and chancing an encounter with an enemy patrol. Grafton was a fair-sized city about as big as Southport. When they reached the city itself, they found several small fishing docks and private boat moorings lining the water’s edge. They moved carefully, keeping watch for anyone who might see them. Most of the townspeople were sleeping, so Alexander and his men had little trouble until they reached the wall of Grafton Keep sometime in the middle of the night. The keep extended to the water’s edge, blocking their path. They would either have to go through Grafton or swim around the keep walls in order to get to the docks and the merchant ships preparing to sail for the island and ports beyond.

Chapter 19

“Let’s rest here for a few minutes,” Alexander said quietly.

He found a flat space in the sand and carefully drew a magic circle. Lucky produced some jerky from his bag and passed it around to the others while Alexander sat cross-legged in his circle and closed his eyes. He was tired from the long day’s travel. At first he felt like he could simply fall asleep sitting up, but he cleared his mind and brought his focus to the task at hand. It took him longer than usual to slip free of his body and enter the firmament but he eventually found his way there.

He didn’t waste any time listening to the song of creation but instead focused on his location and coalesced his awareness above his body. From there he floated up over the keep and took in the lay of the land. He saw the port and picked out a number of ships that might be headed for Grafton Island. The keep had several small doors that opened onto the docks while the outer wall extended to surround the entire port. Trade was Grafton’s lifeblood. It was clear that the people who had established this city wanted to protect their livelihood.

Alexander turned his focus to the keep itself and moved within the walls of the large stone building. It was made of granite blocks and had clearly stood for many centuries. It wasn’t fancy but it was well armed and well positioned to defend the port. Several towers lined the wall facing the sea. Each housed a large catapult on its flat, crenellated top. The tops of the walls provided ample cover for archers and there were several smaller positions along the seawall armed with heavy ballistae. The walls facing the city were smaller but still well armed. The main gate was closed and the guard tower was manned and well lit with oil lamps.

Alexander searched through the keep for the Governor and General Gord. He found a set of well-appointed living quarters high in the main building. The Governor had offered the general a suite of rooms that looked like it was reserved for honored guests. The entire floor was accessible through a single heavy oak door that led to a guard room manned by six men who were awake and alert. Adjacent to the guard room was a barracks with another six men sleeping in their bunks. The door leading from the guard room was barred from the other side and opened to a staircase leading up to the central hall of the Governor’s floor. The hall ran down the center of the entire level and had two doors on either side that led to each set of living quarters and a third door at the end of the hall that led to a well-furnished covered terrace overlooking the ocean. There were four guards standing watch in the hall, two at each door.

The Governor was sleeping with his wife. Otherwise his chambers were empty. The general slept with a young woman. Another room was occupied as well on the other end of the general’s suite. Alexander examined the man’s colors and discovered that he was not one of the wizards assigned to General Gord’s forces.

He withdrew from the floor and traced a path into the lower levels of the keep, sending his awareness into each room in turn until he found what he sought. The wizard sat in a comfortable chair reading an old book by the light of two bright lamps. The room looked like a study. Alexander wasn’t too surprised to find the wizard awake. He examined the man’s colors and decided that he was a master wizard, although he couldn’t discern his calling. He did notice that there were a few spells surrounding the wizard but he couldn’t determine the purpose of the magic. Alexander remembered Mason Kallentera telling him that he often cast spells on himself designed to last for the day and provide him with magical insight and protection.

He withdrew from the wizard’s study and descended lower into the bowels of the keep. After several minutes of searching he found a passage that led along the outer wall where he and his friends were resting. He pushed through the wall and found that it was easily four feet thick and made from large blocks of carefully cut granite.

Finally, Alexander slipped back into the firmament and thought of Evelyn. His awareness came into being in the central tower room of the keep on the south point of Grafton Island. She was locked in her chamber and sleeping soundly. Satisfied, Alexander returned to his body and opened his eyes.

“I’m glad you’re back, My Love,” Chloe said in his mind. “There was a dark spirit in the aether circling you, trying to get through your defenses. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry I worried you, Little One,” Alexander said without speaking.

He remembered the horror of the last time a dark spirit had taken advantage of his absence and used his body to kill two Rangers. He was glad to have proof positive that a magic circle could keep spirits from the darkness at bay while he used his clairvoyance.

Alexander stood and stepped out of his circle.

“What did you learn?” Lucky asked, handing him the bag of jerky.

“General Gord is here with one of his wizards,” Alexander said. “It doesn’t look like they’re expecting us, and I know where they are in the keep. We might as well take the opportunity to strike at the enemy while we have the chance.”

“I don’t understand,” Conner said. “How can you know where the general is?”