The Missing Mage (2 page)

Scanning the tree-line Nathan couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the Baltan countryside. The tall, dark trees were a sea of greens that contrasted with the golden fields. Specks of grey and black among the trees hinted at the soldiers hiding in the forest.

Nathan looked down to the gates, tipping his bow up to give the signal. He was ready and they would open the gates now. As the gates opened, movement happened everywhere if front of him. Baltan archers popped up on the wall, ready to loosen arrows at the mage or any enemy archers who strayed too close to the wall. Out by the tree line, enemy archers prepared to shoot anyone coming out beyond the wall. As the gates opened wider, Nathan searched through the different bodies making their way out of the tree line, looking for signs of the mage. Finally, he spotted a bald man in flowing robes walking out from the tree line by himself. The enemy archers were surrounding the mage, but at a healthy distance. Possibly out of fear of being roasted alive, thought Nathan.

When Verin had told Nathan the plan, he explained that once the fire mage began working on his spell he would be in a trance. If Nathan waited until then, the mage would not notice the arrows and Nathan would get a couple of chances to hit him. Of course, the downside to this theory was if Nathan missed those few chances there would be no time for Verin and the men to retreat. The entire plan revolved around successfully hitting the mage
. Wait
, Nathan told himself,
don’t fire until you are sure of the target.

Finally, the mage stopped moving and began his spell. Nathan took a deep breath raised his bow and fired. The arrow shot into the sky, sailing towards its target. At this distance, there was no sound on impact, but in his mind, he could hear the arrow go thump as it penetrated the ground. The arrow landed in line with the mage, but it was a good 50 feet short. Nathan lined up his second shot, raised his bow slightly, and pulled as hard as possible on the magical bow. His arm pulsed with the strain as he fired again. The arrow flew true and fast and looked like it would score a hit when at the last second a burst of wind came from the side and pushed the arrow off trajectory.
Damn it,
thought Nathan. That one should have worked. Nathan could see the fireball growing between the mages opened arms. He had time for one more shot. Nathan pulled back on the bowstring. Lined up his shot and was just about to shoot when he felt the slightest change in the wind. He held the shot even longer, his arm screaming in agony at the strain on his muscles. When the wind died, Nathan fired the shot.

This time the wind played no tricks, and the arrow flew true. The mage was readying to release his fireball, when the arrow came down, striking him in the shoulder. When it hit the mage, the force of the arrow spun the mage around until he was looking down. The shock of the strike broke the mage’s focus and he released his fireball directly into the ground in front of himself. The tremendous explosion knocked down many of the enemy archers surrounding the mage. Apparently, their archers misjudged the proper distance to stay away from the mage, thought Nathan as he watched the chaos ensue.

From the gates of the city, a loud roar of approval came singing out as the rangers and knights rode onto the battlefield. The sight of the mage dying in a fiery explosion along with the charging riders caused many of the enemy warriors in the skirmish line to simply turn and run. The bows of Verin’s rangers and the lances of the knights he led made short work of those that chose to fight.

Chapter two

AVA LOOKED AT Bravin, then back at the room a second time. “Are you sure this room is for us?” The suite that the captain of the city guard had brought them to was as big as her entire house in Elderwood had been. The spacious common area featured a fireplace and several comfortable looking couches. Besides the furnished common area, there were also two bedrooms.

“If the room isn’t satisfactory I’m sure something else can be found,” replied Bravin, keeping a straight face despite being amused by the way the girls were gawking in awe of the lavish accommodations.

“Oh no, it’s very nice. Thank you very much,” Ava replied, surprised that the guard would be concerned that the room wasn’t to their liking.
Does he not know we are orphaned refugees without a home to go to?
Ava thought to herself. She wasn’t bitter, Nathan was right; everything they loved in Elderwood was gone, coming to Balta with him was better than any other options.

“I’ll be heading back to the wall now, but I will inform Lady Avera that Verin has guests. I’m sure someone will come see to you soon enough,” said Bravin. 

As Bravin closed the door on his way out, Ava turned to the girls with a beaming smile, straightened her back and took a haughty tone of voice. “Hmmm, no I’m afraid this room simply won’t do. Only two bedrooms? And what is this? A balcony looking out over a garden? Oh how dreadful, I simply cannot stay here…”

Ava was doing a wonderful job impersonating a snooty rich girl until Rose’s giggles turned to laughs, the sound prompted her to break from character and laugh as well. Even Sharon, who had been so stoic and reserved lately, relaxed and joined in the mirth.

They were all sitting on the balcony, admiring the beautiful and exotic gardens below when they heard a knock on the door. Ava rushed to the door to open it. A tall, elegantly dressed woman stood in the doorway. “Hello,” Ava said hesitantly as she looked to her guest.

“Hello. I am Lady Avera, and I must apologize. My brother Verin has been a dreadful host, leaving you at the docks by yourselves then having you thrown into a castle room without even a proper introduction. I’m afraid today’s events have been trying for everyone.”

“Oh, we have been treated well. Bravin was very kind to bring us to this beautiful room.” Ava paused to consider her words, then continued. “We saw the fires from the dock. Is everything okay?”

“Yes dear, everyone in the city is okay. There is an attack, but my brothers are dealing with it as we speak, so I’m sure everything is fine. Now, without being too forward or rude, might I ask your names? I’m afraid my brother did not inform anyone of who his guests are.”

“Oh, I am sorry Lady Avera. That was rude of me. I should have introduced myself when you first came in. I am Ava.” Ava turned and pointed out the girls in turn, “This little one is my sister Rose, and this is Sharon. We are friends of Nathan’s.”

“Nathan?” questioned Lady Avera.

“Nathan Stoneblood, Verin’s nephew… actually your nephew too, I guess. He is with Verin right now.”

Lady Avera, obviously taken aback by this news, lifted her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. She stood there for a moment before finally speaking. “I will have my brother hung for this. Bringing my nephew home and then not even telling me about it. I swear the minute he became a ranger he lost all civility. We did not know he was even alive.” Lady Avera paused, absorbing the news that her nephew was alive and well, and now in Balta. “Please, if you don’t mind, could you tell me about him? Tell me about my lost nephew.”

“Okay, where should I start?” asked Ava.

“The beginning of course, I know nothing, beyond the fact my sister and Soron left so many years ago. I didn’t even know where they chose to live. It was a secret kept even from me, her sister.” A bitter cord could be heard in Lady Avera’s voice for the first time. She resented the circumstances that forced her sister to flee north.

“Elderwood, we are from Elderwood. It is a small village outside Salma. Nathan grew up there with us. We lived there with our families until the village was attacked. Nathan’s parents, Sharon’s parents and our father were all killed in that first attack. Nathan took Rose and I into the swamps, saving us from the attack. After we returned from the swamps, Nathan was heartbroken. He left the village to roam the swamps. We tried to rebuild Elderwood, but so many died, and the traders who were our livelihood stopped coming to the village. That is when Verin came to Elderwood.”

“I am so sorry for you loss. That must have been a devastating time for you girls,” said Lady Avera.

Ava nodded, it truly had been a terrible time. “When Nathan came back to the village he started teaching us about potions. He wanted us to make salves and perfumes to sell to the traders, just like his mother had.”

Avera smiled, Velaina had been a wonder when it came to making such things. She had loved wondering the woods looking for ingredients. “Go on,” urged Avera, wanting to hear more.

The girls continued to filled her in on Nathan. How he went off with Verin to kill the bandit chief, and then came to Mithbea to rescue them. Ava even told her about the wolf and his trials with Thomas, while Rose told her about all learning to make perfume and medicines.

Sharon added a few details, embarrassing Ava about describing them as a couple. Ava blushed, ignoring the comments and finished telling the Lady Avera about the rescue and traveling by ship to Balta.

 Lady Avera was fascinated by their stories and would interject occasionally, asking them more about themselves, and how they lived in Elderwood before the attacks. By the time the whole story was done, all four of them had shed tears at one point or another. Lady Avera cried throughout the story.

“Well first, there will be no more of this Lady Avera stuff. From now all you all address me as Avera. Second, and there will be no arguments on this, you are coming to live with me.” Avera glared at the girls, daring them to argue the point.

When Rose jumped up and hugged her, the argument appeared to have been settled. Ava smiled, “I think we would like that very much.” Already Ava was starting to love Balta. If the rest of its citizens were half as nice as Avera then this was a wonderful place.

“Now that we have introductions and living arrangements taken care of, let’s get you girls hot baths and clean clothes. You are having dinner with the king tonight, and I have a nephew to meet, so we all need to wipe away these tears and get ready for a lovely evening. “

When Avera left the room, the girls all hugged each other. Avera was so warm and friendly; living with her would be great they all agreed. Finally, they had something to look forward to. Balta was looking better by the moment.

Chapter three

DUKE EVOLLAN PULLED the knife out of the scout’s back, wiping his blade clean on the fallen man’s tunic. The previous night they had camped a short distance from Meron, capital of the kingdom of Morthon. This morning, the scout had suggested that he would prefer not to go into Meron, and would like his final payment for bringing the duke safely across the desert. The duke agreed, he just needed the scout to point out exactly where Meron was and how to get there. While the scout stood pointing out the landmarks, the duke slid his knife into the man’s back, giving him his final payment.

So far, the trip to Morthon had been a complete disaster for the duke. Not only had he lost his prisoners and all of his men, besides the scout now lying cold at his feet, but he had also lost a good percentage of his stolen gold when the horses were taken from the camp during the rescue.

How the boy had found them so soon was beyond the duke. It should have taken weeks or months for the boy to get his letter and make his way south to Venecia. Nevertheless, without doubt, it had been the boy at the attack at the watering hole. The duke and his scout had hidden behind a sand dune and watched him defeat several of the duke’s men and then finally Bailmont, an accomplished warrior. Frustrated but unwilling to risk dying, the duke had slunk off into the night to make his way to Meron.

Meron was supposed to be a fresh start, a place where he could start building an empire. Duke Evollan had ambition and while his plans in Solotine had gone awry, he still had plenty of gold and the ability to make things happen. What he could not afford was people talking about his failures. With the death of the scout, there were no longer any ties between himself and the failures of his past. The duke mulled over all this as he walked towards Meron.

The path to Meron was dusty and difficult, but as he got closer to the city, the land gradually changed from the crusty, dune-filled desert sands into hard dirt and grasslands. The duke was finally through the vast desert that encompassed the middle of the continent of Mithbea.

Meron, capital of Morthon, was a sprawling city. Once a traveler passed the surrounding area filled with small farms, they reached the houses and shops of the peasantry. Further to the west, the duke could see large estates of the kingdom’s aristocracy but here in the city, the houses ranged from shanties to worse. The stench of human misery assailed the duke’s nose. Garbage, blood, sweat, and sewer mixed with the strong spicy foods cooking in the markets, making for a nauseatingly sweet aroma that made the one long for the acidic, yet clean-smelling air of the desert.

As the duke got closer to the center of the city, the ground started to slope upward. The shanties and small shops gave way to larger, better-built buildings that housed the businesses catering to the gentry. This was where the duke needed to be, learning the cities dark secrets, finding an angle to exploit. This was where the duke would begin to build his new legacy.

Chapter four

“IF YOU THINK RISKING your life saving people from those attackers would spare you from getting an earful for not bringing me my nephew right away, you are surely mistaken,” spoke Lady Avera as she stormed into the room, interrupting Verin as he reported to the king on the successful mission.

Verin smiled, his sister scolding him for poor manners was nothing new. “Greetings sister, actually I bribed our brother. In exchange for chasing off the horde of marauders, he gave me you to sell off to some foreign prince. Perhaps I should have held out for gold, no prince is going to want a wife with a temper like yours.” Verin stood to hug his sister. He grabbed her and whispered in her ear, “I missed you too, sister.”