The Black Mage: Apprentice (37 page)

I stood up with a start. "Darren, we are
twenty
minutes away from the wall!"

"That was when we didn't know where we were
going." Darren's tone was anything but helpful. "Now we do. If we
run we should be fine."

A bloodcurdling scream shot out, echoing
across the clearing. I whirled around to stare into the woods
behind us. "What was that?" I kept my voice low. "Did the battle
already start?"
Leave it to Darren to lose track of our
time!

"I'm not sure." Darren was staring in the
same direction as me. He seemed puzzled. "Only it doesn't make
sense. All of the other mentors are at the keep, so why would a
mentee attack one of their own?"

"Maybe they know we are out here? It could be
a trick."

Darren rolled his eyes. "But why would they
think we would help?"

There was a loud boom and the ground beneath
us shook violently. That same second, a chorus of men's shouting
rang out just north of us.

"I don't think it's the mentees trying to
trick us." I reached for my scabbard at the same time that Darren
cast out three bolts of lightning into the sky, one by one. They
flashed directly above us.

My lips parted in surprise. "What was
that
for?"

Darren grabbed my arm and started to run,
dragging me behind him. "A distress call."

I stumbled along behind him, trying to keep
up. "Caltothians?"

Darren released me and pointed to the same
path we had taken from the keep. It was at least fifteen minutes
from the fortress.

I started to walk toward it and then froze.
Darren wasn't following. "Darren," I whispered loudly, "what are
you doing?"

"I'm going to find out what is
happening."

I stared at him. "Are you mad? What am I
saying, of course you are! Darren, you can't - who knows how many
of them there are!"

"Ryiah, this is not a request. I am
ordering
you back to the keep. Warn the others!" His garnet
eyes flashed. "I am a prince; you are my subject. Now is not the
time to question me!"

I ignored him. "Darren, you can't do this on
your own! You need me."

"I need you to do what I…" He gave up when he
caught my expression. "Fine," the boy snapped, "but Ryiah, no
heroics. I will
not
have your blood on my hands."

"So kind of you to care." I couldn't keep the
sarcasm from my words.

"I mean it, Ryiah."

"Are we going or not?"

****

I followed Darren, darting from one tree
trunk to the next and peering out into the dark forest beyond. It
was hard to see - the sun was almost completely blocked out by the
towering pines crowding the sky… but what I did see through narrow
shafts of light was alarming.

Five knights, four men and one woman, were
tied and bound in a circle on the ground. Scattered nearby were
three bodies with blood pooled around their necks. With a sickening
realization I noticed their heads were severed, with just a small
patch of skin connecting the neck to the body. I recognized one of
them as a soldier from the keep's regular patrol. The young man had
escorted me on my weekly visits with Derrick.

My chest tightened.
Hensley
. He was my
age. He had told me he missed his old comrades in Tijan… Now he
would never see them again.

The sun's next ray revealed a large gathering
of men and women in dress I did not recognize. Caltothians. Their
clothing blended in with the surroundings – dark brown breeches and
long green tunics, covered in a thick brown cloak that hooded their
faces.

One of the first things I noticed was that
there was no chainmail or plate armor anywhere on them.
That
must have helped them catch the keep's regiment by surprise.
Without the rustle of metal rings, the enemy had managed to blend
right in with the rest of the forest… until a passing patrol had
come across their place of hiding.

Who knew how many more would have been
captured had it not been the day of our mock battle? Most of the
keep's regiment had been dismissed to view the affair from the
keep's towers; only a few had been assigned to patrols.

"I count fifteen, but there might be more out
back." Darren's voice was barely a whisper.

The Caltothians seemed to be arguing over
what to do with the remaining hostages, although it was hard to
know for sure as they were all speaking at once. Only short
fragments of speech carried over to where Darren and I hid
crouching.

At one point, one of the Caltothians strode
forward and grabbed a prisoner by the back of his braid. She
brandished a jagged-looking blade against the base of his throat
and shouted something to the others. Another Caltothian rushed
forward to pull her back but it was too late. The woman dropped her
grip and a thick spray of blood spewed from the man's neck.

One of the hostages let out a muffled
cry.

My fingernails dug into Darren's arm so deep
he bled. I dropped it immediately. Three soldiers – and now one
knight - were dead. I glanced at the non-heir and saw fury.

"We've got to do something," he growled. "I
can't just watch them slaughter my own people."

My throat burned and I forced myself to speak
softly. "I can light a fire." I could see it now. "I could cast one
large enough to get the Caltothian to investigate… I know they
probably won't send all of their men, but they might be confident
enough to leave only two or three guarding the prisoners since they
are already bound."

Darren's jaw clenched, and for a moment he
looked like he was fighting himself. Finally he said, "You need to
go far enough that it takes them a while to return. I can handle
the ones that stay behind, but I need to know you'll hide as soon
as you've got their attention." He ran a fist through his hair.
"I'll help the hostages back to the keep, but you need to promise
me you'll stay safe until I can send help."

I squinted into the trees. The woman was
already pointing to another one of our knights. I needed to go.
Now
. Before the others found the same fate as the man with
the braid. I stood and Darren grabbed my arm.

"Don't you dare get caught." His voice was
oddly strained.

"Why?" The words fell from my lips before I
could stop them. "Why would you care?"

Darren looked away from me. "Just don't,
okay?"

"Okay."

He looked at me then. For a moment he said
nothing. When he finally spoke his expression was dark. "Run,
Ryiah. Run fast."

And with that, our plan was set in
motion.

****

I sprinted through the trees, leaping over
jagged granite and forcing my way through thick brush as I made my
way across the dense forest. I needed to get as far away from the
Caltothians – and the Keep - as possible. It was hard to keep track
of time as I ran. I needed to put at least ten minutes between us.
I wanted to do more but I was afraid if I spent any more time
running, another knight would die.

I came to a stop in front of a towering pine.
Just behind it was a thundering white stream. The river would keep
the fire from spreading west, which was where I would seek shelter.
The pine's thick smoke would draw the Caltothians out and there was
no chance the Ferren's Keep regiment would miss it.

I placed my palms on the trunk of the tree
and set to work projecting my casting. The pine was close to three
hundred feet – at least fifty taller than the rest of its
surroundings. It would take much more power than normal to exert a
casting of its range, but I had not used my magic once that
morning. I had a full reserve to draw from. And pine burned
fast.

In five minutes I had the highest branches
roaring in red. A thick gray cloud straddled the sky. The top
quarter of the pine was engulfed in flames.

I released my casting and stumbled back,
slightly dizzy. The distance had been a greater effort than I
expected. Still, the fire was burning high and there was no missing
its smoke. Darren would see it any second.

I raced over to the stream and then, standing
in the shallow shore, cast a cursory brush of wind to displace any
dirt I had marked with my steps. The rest of the river was too
powerful and too fast to swim. I could feel its undercurrent
dragging at my feet.

Summoning another casting, I transported
myself to the other side. It took a great effort to carry my weight
across. Self-levitation was always costly, but I didn't trust
myself to balance on a log. The river was too dangerous.

When I reached the other side I immediately
dropped my magic and sprinted into the thick forest beyond. My
heart was racing and every breath sounded louder than before. I
clawed at blackberry brambles and forced myself to keep on running
anywhere with brush so that it would be much harder to track the
path I had taken.

****

I wasn't sure how much time had passed. I was
crouched behind a tree, watching, waiting. I had heard shouts for a
while now, but none of them had come close to where I knelt hidden.
I couldn't see anything except for a few feet in front of me, but I
was confident I wouldn't be caught off-guard. After finding my
spot, the first thing I had done was cast a thick mess of dead
leaves in a large radius surrounding me.

I would hear my attackers before they found
me.

When the shouting got closer, I was able to
count eight or nine voices. Relief flooded my chest. I had been
afraid most of the Caltothians would stay behind. My plan had
worked.

Darren is freeing the hostages right now.

I took a deep breath and then choked as I
breathed in a new scent. Either the Caltothians had Alchemy potions
on hand, or they had a Combat mage in their midst. I recognized
that foul stench from the mock battle in Devon – it had come with
the mentors' fog. The same poisonous vapor that had made me lose
control of my body.

I had to move. The thick silver fog was
spreading fast, any moment it would reach my tree line-

I made a split second decision to rip off my
tunic. Then I wrapped it around my face so that my ears and mouth
were covered. Then I ran, fast as my legs could carry me, ringlets
of chainmail clanging against my skin now that the tunic was not
there to muffle them.

"
There
! You see her?"

Shouting sprang up behind me but I didn't
dare look. I cast out a giant sphere at my back and sprinted deeper
into the forest.

To my right a tree exploded in flame.

I ducked right and started to zigzag among
the trees and rock, hoping to lose the party tracking me. But I had
no such luck. The shouting kept getting closer.

And the castings were multiplying.

They most definitely had a mage. And from the
number of castings so far, they had at least three, if not more. A
well-trained war mage couldn't cast as many attacks as the ones I
was avoiding now. Not at once.

At some point I came across the same river
from earlier. The burning tree was just beyond it, now a towering
spiral of flame.

My stomach fell. I had to cross. Every other
direction I was surrounded. My pulse was racing and I could barely
breathe. My vision swam in front of my eyes. I could not maintain
the defensive sphere and levitate at the same time.

My magic was depleting fast.

I sent a swift plea to the gods and dropped
my defense, casting myself into the air. It would only take me
twenty seconds to cross…

But a biting pain tore into my side before I
had even completed ten. The sudden shock shattered my concentration
and my casting fell away.

And then I fell. Into the raging stream below
I lost control of my magic. It was too late to attempt another
casting – it was impossible to focus. White water swarmed me and I
was thrust under its surface. I choked liquid as I fought to get
air, only to be tossed again, rock after rock in the stream's rapid
course.

The river was ice cold and the sharp pain in
my thigh became more intense. Red blood and white waters threw me
against the current, beating my body with every river rock along
the way. I fought to the surface each time, only to get sucked
under and then out. My fingers rubbed raw from scraping against
rock.

I couldn't cast. Not with the collision of
pain and water choking my lungs. My legs were numb and it was
becoming harder and harder to swim. I couldn't see anymore.
Darkness was grabbing me, pulling me under.

My arms held on the longest, but eventually
those two slowly slipped away…

All at once I was conscious of gold. Sunlight
streamed down from above, blinding me. I was at the surface. I
could breathe.

There was shouting in the distance. My ears
were pounding too heavily to notice.

My entire body ached, my skin felt like
ice.

I opened my eyes and saw that the raging
river had fettered out into a shallow stream. I had washed ashore.
There was a deep gash in my left leg. An arrow had struck it. Part
of the shaft was still in it.

But I was still alive.

All at once the shouting drew closer and my
heartbeat could no longer block out the words.

"We found the mage girl!"

"Get her bound and gagged – she might be able
to pain cast!"

I tried to move, stand, anything, but my
limbs were still catching up from the cold.

I tried to cast but my vision just spun and
spun and a sharp pain probed at my head until I was forced to vomit
the contents of my breakfast onto the sand beside me.

I couldn't escape: I needed to do exactly
what the Caltothians feared. I needed to create more pain. I
blinked at the shaft in my leg.
If I could just roll myself onto
my side.

I shifted just slightly and pain tore into my
thigh. I screamed. Magic came rushing out and I thrust as much of
it as I could muster into the band of enemies racing toward me.