The Missing Mage (24 page)

When Nathan was safely across, Sharon and Ava crossed, carrying their supplies and those of the mages. When Quinton was done tying the mages up, he backed his way out of the camp brushing the vegetation and grass around to hide their tracks.

“Good thinking, Quinton,” Nathan whispered. “That will help slow them down. The longer it takes them to figure out that we crossed the river the better.”

“Nice idea, using the log!” whispered Quinton back at Nathan.

Nathan carried Cyrnic farther into the jungle, leaving him where he would not be visible from the river, then returned and helped Quinton drag the log across the river then throw it into the jungle. Once again, Nathan picked up Cyrnic and started to trek through the thick jungle. Now that they were no longer following the path of the mages, travel was much slower. Each step was taken with care. The jungle was full of venomous snakes, creepy spiders, and many worse creatures.

When the group had traveled an hour from the mages’ camp, Nathan put Cyrnic down. “Okay Ava, time to wake Cyrnic.”

Ava went into her pack of medical supplies and grabbed her smelling salts. Holding the salts under Cyrnic’s nose, she moved her hand back and forth, letting the scent waft into his hairy nostrils. She wondered how he could breathe with that much nose hair.

Cyrnic’ eyes opened slowly, and then he blinked a couple of times. Cyrnic looked at the group of young friends, his eyes focusing on each of the youths. “Well you I know,” he said to Quinton. “But the rest of you, I am afraid I have not had the pleasure of meeting.”

“My name is Nathan Stoneblood, and these are my friends Ava and Sharon,” said Nathan.

Cyrnic’s eyebrows lifted at the mention of Nathan’s last name. “Interesting, you are Soron’s son I presume?”

“Yes, you knew my father?” replied Nathan.

“I met him when he was courting your mother; he was quite the adventurer in those days, my kind of man. He helped me with a delicate matter, and now you are here rescuing me, funny how these things happen.” Cyrnic looked past the youths into the jungle. “Where are we now and what happened to my capturers?”

“We are about an hour south of the river. We tied the mages up, back at their camp. Hopefully, they are still sleeping like babies,” said Quinton.

“I don’t suppose you found a small black book when you took me?”

Nathan shook his head and then replied. “No, but not all of the mages were in the camp.”

Cyrnic sighed. “Yes, three of them went ahead using my diary for directions, it probably won’t help them. I can see them getting close to order’s secret hideout, but it would take them months to decipher the important parts of my chicken scratch. Unfortunately, I am afraid we need that diary if we are to find the tomes.”

“Okay, so how do we find those mages?”

“Luckily for us, they too will be heading south. A small lake ahead is the first marker on my map. They will be heading for that lake,” said Cyrnic. He had a pounding headache, not uncommon with over indulging in spirited drinks or breathing hallucinogenic smoke. The strong dose of sleeping powder had some nasty side effects. He hoped his kidnappers were going to suffer the same headache or worse.

“Then so are we,” replied Nathan.

Chapter twenty six

THE GROUP COULD ONLY travel another hour before the sun started to disappear over the horizon. Not having an easy trail to follow, Nathan did not want to try traveling at night unless it was absolutely necessary. Finding a small clearing, they stopped for the night.

“We will keep a watch tonight, Ava and I will take first shift. Quinton and Sharon, you get the late watch. Cyrnic, you get some rest,” said Nathan.

Cyrnic gave a weary smile. “I would say I can handle taking a shift, but the truth is the last few days have been rather tiring, and I am exhausted. The Darcarions are not the most hospitable hostage takers I have encountered in my day. Their torture methods are rather crude.” Cyrnic lifted his hands up, the fingers on both hands were broken and misshaped.

“Oh my, let me look at those,” said Ava. “Do you want something for the pain?”

Cyrnic shook his head. “No. I have enough magic left to manage the pain, I just don’t have enough left to heal myself. I used a lot of energy surviving the torture.”

Ava swore. “Those bastards. Next time we are putting them to sleep permanently.” Ava ignored the cracking and popping as she forced each of Cynic’s fingers back into place, and then she focused her own magical energies on his hands. Her magic would allow his wounds to heal faster and ensure that he regained full use of both hands. Once she finished with his hands, Ava asked if he had any other wounds.

“Well now that you mention it, I don’t suppose you have any salve? The Darcarions also did some damage to my back.”

Ava carefully lifted the mages shirt up, revealing the raw-looking wounds. The Darcarions had sliced his back in several places. The raw wounds were swollen and blistered, if they weren’t cleaned soon infection would set in.

As Ava cleaned the wounds, Cyrnic talked about the horrors he endured. “It wasn’t the cuts that hurt the most, it was that I could never see when the next one was coming.” Cyrnic paused and shook his head. “You have to give the Darcarions some credit. They have torture down to an exact science.”

Ava said nothing as she applied the salve to Cyrnic’s back. She was so angry that she wanted to go back and kill the sadistic mages. When she was finished, she turned to Cyrnic. “I am so sorry you had to go through that.”

Cyrnic gave Ava a big smile. “Nonsense child, what have you got to be sorry about? You four rescued me and you have done a wonderful job of fixing up my wounds. I feel a thousand times better already, and knowing that the son of Soron Stoneblood is leading us to the tomes gives me confidence that we shall succeed in retrieving them. My day has gotten remarkably better thanks to you and your friends.”

“Was Nathan’s dad really that special? I only ever knew him as a blacksmith.”

“Oh, Soron was much more than just a blacksmith. There was a time he was the most feared warrior in all of Solotine. Soron grew up in a very volatile word. Northern Solotine is a harsh land and as the son of a chieftain, he was tested often. As his father grew in power, so did his number of enemies. When his father was declared king, even more powerful enemies came to destroy them. Soron saved his father, and their people, by going out to face an oncoming army alone. He defeated their greatest warrior in single combat, and then he disappeared.”

“Wow, he was always so gentle and kind. It is hard to imagine him doing those things. But it is also hard to imagine Nathan doing the things he has as well. I guess they are more alike than I thought,” said Ava.

“It is true. I can see it in the boy. He is much like his father, yet he is much more earth attuned.”

“Earth attuned?” asked Ava. She knew that Nathan’s magic was powerful and related to elemental magic but the term ‘earth attuned’ confused her.

“The boy has a powerful and deep source of magic power. His mother’s family, Quinton in particular, has always shown strong magic power. Add his father’s heritage in the mix, and you have a young warrior with some very unique abilities. Being able to produce bloodstones is a very powerful weapon. He will be a very powerful mage if he can control his temper,” said Cyrnic.

Ava looked across the camp to where Nathan was cutting down some of the jungle foliage, making more space for the camp. “His temper isn’t that bad,” she replied in defense of her friend.

“Ah, that just means you haven’t seen it yet. Giant’s blood is a blessing and a curse. Exceptional strength and strong magic are the blessing. The curse is the deep down rage that made giants so dangerous. Tame creatures until riled, they would become irrational when angered. Part of what made Soron such an exceptional warrior was his ability to harness that rage. Nathan has the same skills his father had, and a much stronger magical energy. But, until he is able to harness his dark side he will not be as dangerous as warrior as his father. Perhaps that is a good thing.”

Ava was not exactly sure what Cyrnic meant by that, but was uncomfortable talking about Nathan having this dark side Cyrnic spoke of. “I still don’t understand what you mean by ‘earth attuned’.”

Cynic looked around and then finally picked up a handful of dirt. “See this dirt, nothing magical about it right?”

“It certainly doesn’t appear magical,” Ava replied.

“Ah, but it is,” Cyrnic explained. “Everything around us has energy: plants, trees, rocks, even this dirt. The amount of magical energy stored in this dirt is so minuet that it would be useless to a mage. But what about a rock? I have seen your bag filled with magical rocks. Each has a large amount of energy stored in them. I am a powerful mage, I can do wonderful things, my good friend Balthazar is even more powerful. I doubt either of us can do that. Magic is not an exact science. There is still so much we are learning about magic. How different elements and energies interact. One way of describing it is a locked door. The rock has the same magic capabilities, regardless of who holds it. Nathan’s talent is being able to unlock its potential.”  

This, Ava could understand. Her lessons with Balthazar and Helena had certainly unlocked her own magical potential. Before she could ask Cyrnic any more questions about Nathan’s magic, or his father Soron, Nathan came back to talk with Cyrnic.

“How did you find out the location of the tomes, Cyrnic?” asked Nathan.

“Well, after a fiasco where I almost blew up half of Balta, I realized that I was reaching for power beyond my understanding. I decided to stop experimenting so much and start studying more about the nature of magic. Historically, there have been many eras where magic was better understood and more common than it is today. Mages are usually on the front lines of war and often the most powerful and knowledgeable mage die young. So much knowledge has been lost over the years. When I was banished to the forest, I brought with me many of the old, half-destroyed tomes that were nearly over the generations. I was restoring a tome regarding the Red Order when I found a reference to their having a home at the southern tip of Hocton Forest beside a small lake. At first, I searched the forest itself and the few lakes that fit the description. None of them had a structure such as the tome described, but then I realized that the earth is always changing. The jungle has grown. What was once the southern tip of the forest is now deep in the jungle. Once I understood that, I was able to start mapping and learning how the jungle has changed over the years. I have made many excursions into the jungle, searching for the right lake and it was only recently that I found it.”

“If you left Balta because you almost destroyed it, then why are you searching for tomes that could end up destroying the city? That seems like you are doing the same thing over again,” asked Ava.

Cyrnic shook his head, he didn’t want people misunderstand his quest. “No. My reasons for finding the tomes have nothing to do with power. I know the legends about the stone golems, but the Red Order didn’t just study golems. They used elemental magic to build, for medical applications, and many other useful areas. The knowledge of the Red Order would be of great benefit to society.”

“It doesn’t matter now. King Ganus has heard about your work and he wants the tomes. We need to get your diary back and find them,” said Nathan.

“King Ganus? He is behind the Darcarions?” asked Cyrnic. “Oh, that is not good at all. Darcarions are ruthless and evil mages but nowhere near as power hungry or ambitious as King Ganus. He would put all of Mithbea under his thumb if he had the power to do so. How did you learn of his involvement?”

“King Ganus has a spy in the royal courts of Balta. Duke Evollan, the man behind the attack on our village, is now an enemy of King Ganus. The duke sent me a message about the spy and the Darcarion search for you,” explained Nathan.

“Intriguing. War, does make for interesting alliances, the enemy of my enemy, and all that rubbish. Well, I certainly am glad he chose to contact you. I am a little surprised that the king didn’t send someone with a little more experience, but I am glad to see you nonetheless.”

“He did send Balthazar, but we fell into a Darcarion trap at your house. Balthazar was wounded and a ranger died. Ava, Quinton, and Sharon came to rescue us. Balthazar sent us all to keep searching for you,” explained Nathan.

“Ah, that makes more sense. Balthazar defeated in battle. The Darcarions are more powerful than I thought. We will have to be very careful.”

Nathan agreed. The Darcarions were powerful mages indeed.

…

When they finally found the Darcarions, they were camped beside a small lake. From the edge of the jungle, Nathan and Cyrnic watched the mages as they methodically searched the edges of the lake.

“That is it, they found the lake,” exclaimed Cyrnic.

“Will they find the building?” asked Nathan.

“Not where they are looking. The tomes I found describe the building being near the lake, not right beside it. And my notes, past the description of the lake, are much more cryptic regarding where I thought the location would be. I doubt they even tried to figure them out. Look there,” Cyrnic pointed at one of the Darcarions. “He has my diary in his hand.”

Nathan nodded. “Okay, let’s back up into the jungle and decide a plan of attack.”

As they retreated to the where the others waited, Nathan started planning the attack. The three Darcarions would be deadly adversaries, but the element of surprise was on their side and it would play a large role in their success.

“Are they there?” asked Sharon when Nathan and Cyrnic came back.

“Yes, they are walking along the lake edge right now,” replied Cyrnic.

“What are you thinking, Nathan?” asked Quinton.

“Ava and I will attack them. The three of you will stay back. If we fail you can sneak in at night and try again.”

“What? No way,” protested Sharon. “Why don’t we all attack at once?”

“Because Cyrnic is not in any condition to fight yet and he is the one who can find the tomes. Someone has to protect him.” Quinton interjected before Nathan could answer. “You and I will make sure Cyrnic is able to find the tomes.” Quinton was finding it easier to follow Nathan’s thinking. Their teamwork was solidifying.