Tides of Faith: Travail of The Dark Mage Book Two (67 page)

Guards at the gate waved
them forward. “Come,” they said, “you will be safe within our
walls.”

Miko hurried and as the
heavens let loose with a torrential downpour, they passed through
and entered the city.

The warmth of a summer’s
sun prompted him to look up. Miko gazed on a sky so blue it nearly
hurt to look at it. Wisps of fluffy white clouds drifted by on a
lazy breeze. Turning about, he saw the sheets of rain and flashes
of lightning on the other side of the gate. Out there, the cloud
cover thickened and the world darkened. Yet inside the city,
sunshine.

They were in a market
plaza just inside the gate. Those people nearby seemed completely
oblivious to the storm raging just outside their walls. The guard
that had so frantically hailed them and ushered them inside now
stood calm and relaxed by the door to the gatehouse.

About to question the
guard, he caught an appetizing aroma that caused his empty stomach
to growl. One side of the plaza was filled with tables overflowing
with food. Meats, cheeses, breads and fruits and vegetables of
every kind beckoned. His stomach growled again. Forgetting the
storm, he crossed over to the food.

He took a roll and
slathered it with honey-berry preserves. Never had he eaten
anything so wonderful. Stuffing it into his mouth, he reached for a
second. “This is good,” he said as he turned to hand the roll to
the girl. “Here….” But she was not there.

A quick scan of the plaza
failed to reveal her.

“Where are you?” he
shouted.

Moving into the crowd, he
crossed from one side of the plaza to the other. Grabbing hold of a
young man by the arm he asked, “There was a girl with me. Have you
seen her?” He held up his hand, “She’s about so high…”

“It’s okay,” the man
assured him with a smile. “I’m sure she just wandered
off.”

“You do not understand,”
Miko insisted, “she is my responsibility.”

“It’s safe
here.”

Frantic, he left the man
and raced through the plaza. Out of the corner of his eye, he
caught sight of her entering a doorway leading into a two-story
home. “Wait!”

Knocking a gentleman
aside, he shot for the doorway. As he neared, a woman
emerged.

“Good day to you,” she
greeted with a friendly smile.

“Where did she
go?”

“Who?” she
asked.

“The girl that just
entered.”

“No one has come to visit
me for some time,” the woman replied. “I’m afraid you are
mistaken.

“But I just saw
her!”

About to thrust her aside
and enter, he felt a tug upon his shirt. Glancing back, he saw the
girl.

“Where were
you?”

She remained quiet, merely
looking up at him as she had done since they had met. No words, no
effort to communicate.

Wrapping her in a hug, he
said, “I was so worried.”

“This is a very safe
place,” the woman said. She laid a reassuring hand upon his
shoulder. “No evil will enter here.”

Worry and fear melted
away.

“Why don’t you take part
in our celebration,” she said. “There is plenty of food and
drink.”

“Yes,” he said, “we shall
do that.”

Peace settled over him
like a warm blanket on a cold day. Taking the girl’s hand, they
went to see what delicacies may be available. To his delight, an
entire table lay covered in the largest variety of tarts he had
ever seen.

“Oh my,” he breathed.
Taking one with a red berry filling, he bit into it and savored the
flavor as it burst in his mouth. “Mmmmm, that is so
good.”

Reaching for another, he
glanced about the plaza. James would like this place, he thought.
The cobblestones were clean and free of garbage. People were clean
as if freshly bathed and the background fetid odor endemic to
cities, such as Bearn had boasted, was pleasantly
absent.

Something nagged at the
back of his mind. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was,
but something was off about this place. Taking the girl by the
hand, he said, “Come.”

They perused a few stalls
as they made for the main thoroughfare leading from the plaza.
Those they passed smiled and often as not offered a friendly
greeting.

Then it hit him. Where
were the yells? The arguments? In all the years spent growing up on
the streets of Bearn, never had such a length of time as they spent
in this place gone by without hearing a voice raised in
contention.

Also, he had yet to see a
beggar. Not one.

Nothing was amiss. It was
as if the world’s troubles had never established a foothold. His
uneasiness grew.

Still the sun shone
overhead, the sky remained a brilliant blue yet his sense of
uneasiness would not go away. He turned about and headed back to
the plaza. Once there, hurried through the crowd and made his way
to the gate.

Even before he drew close,
could see the storm still raged outside. The rain pelted the ground
with wind-whipped fury. Flashes of lightning came one after another
though not a single crash of thunder could be heard. Entire bushes
that had been uprooted rolled or sailed through the air by fearful
gusts. The guard remained at his post, relaxed and unbothered by
the unbridled chaos raging just a few feet away.

He nodded as they drew
close.

“What is this…,” Miko
began but stopped when there came a loud cracking noise.

A fissure appeared in the
wall next to the gate. It widened rapidly.

Miko froze. Pointing, he
hollered to the guard, “The wall!”

“Yes,” the guard replied.
“A mighty wall it is, too.”

As the fissure widened,
the roar of the storm raging on the other side at last could be
heard.

“No, you fool!” Miko
shouted.

A whole section of the
wall beside the gate fell away and wind-whipped rain pelted Miko
and the girl. The guard remained oblivious, merely continued
leaning against the guardhouse without an apparent care.

Backing away, Miko dragged
the girl with him. More fissures appeared in the wall. With a
thunderous crack, the guardhouse shattered. It and the guard were
sucked into the raging maelstrom.

Wind swept through the
opening. Miko nearly lost his footing by the terrible blast.
Maintaining his grip on the girl’s hand, he spun about and together
they raced into the plaza.

“Flee!” he
shouted.

Other than a glance or two
in his direction, the townsfolk continued going about their
business.

“The storm is
coming!”

Above, blue sky still held
sway. In the sky where the gate and guardhouse had succumbed to the
storm, clouds now held a blood-red hue.

“Come on,” Miko said as he
raced through the plaza.

A massive section of wall
bordering the plaza gave way and was sucked into the maelstrom.
Five people stood nearby; the wind pulled three away, the remaining
two continued in their conversation, oblivious to what was
happening. Then they, too, were gone.

“We must find someplace to
shelter.”

As more walls gave way,
Miko raced from the plaza and headed toward the center of town.
“Take shelter!” he shouted to those they passed. Other than a
curious glance, they paid him little heed.

Catastrophic gales slammed
into the outlying buildings. Smashed, broken they were sucked into
the oncoming storm. People continued about their business as the
storm pressed deeper into town. Those walking along the outermost
streets noticed not at all the winds tearing apart their city. Even
when they were snatched up and sucked into the maelstrom, they
cried not at all. Merely continued acting as if nothing were
amiss.

The area of clear blue sky
above lay besieged by the storm; as buildings were consumed, the
beautiful expanse diminished. Dark clouds pushed forward and the
storm only increased its destruction.

Rounding a corner, Miko
came to an abrupt halt. The thoroughfare was packed with cheering,
happy people. A parade of sorts marched along with a hundred pipers
and drummers filling the air with a merry tune. The people
cheered.

Miko stood with mouth
agape. A glance back the way he had come showed little more than a
block of buildings remained and the storm claimed more with every
passing second. Yet these people seemed completely unaware of their
impending doom.

He wanted to scream at
them, but there was no time. He had to find shelter…but where? One
way looked about as good as another. The throng of people was less
dense to the left, he headed that way.

Threading his way through
the crowd, he kept a tight grip on the little girl’s hand. The
people cheered the coming parade. He worked his way through the
crowd and finally broke free. Behind him, the music faltered then
vanished. The storm had broken through to the gathered crowd.
People were snatched off their feet. Pipers played as they were
carried away; drummers continued their merry beat even as they
vanished into the dark tumultuousness that was the
storm.

Miko ran. He raced down
one street then another until finally, rising above the buildings,
the far side of the wall ringing the city came into view. His pace
faltered as his hopes sank. Then a group of soldiers passed by
heading toward the distant wall. Thinking this may prove their
salvation, he hurriedly followed.

Citizens cheered as the
soldiers passed.

They made their way
inexorably toward the far wall. Passing down the main thoroughfare,
they reached a junction where the crowd was especially congested.
Miko had to practically shove townsfolk bodily out of the way in
order to continue. As the people sang a merry tune and cheered
their soldiers, the soldiers turned onto the left-hand
street.

“Stay with me!” he
hollered to the little girl. Her hand rested securely in his as he
pushed his way through. Then, finally, they reached the end of the
crowd.

A vast plaza opened up,
reaching all the way to the far wall. Ranks of soldiers, ten deep,
stood in smart formation facing a dilapidated structure that stood
out from the outer wall. There was but one doorway, barely wide
enough to allow a single man to pass. Rising three stories, it held
windows only on the uppermost floor; dark shadows could be seen
moving within.

Miko had an unobstructed
view of the building as a gap ran amidst the ranks of soldiers
straight to the doorway.

The town behind them was
quickly being swallowed by the storm. Glancing over his shoulder,
Miko gauged that little time remained before it reached the plaza
wherein stood the soldiers. Turning back, he saw the girl racing
along the open space toward the building.

He stood frozen for only a
moment, unsure just how she had slipped her hand from his. But then
a cry rang out from an officer. Pointing to the girl, the officer
shouted, “Take her!”

Miko sprang into action as
the uniformed rows disintegrated; every soldier drew his sword and
rushed toward the girl. His sword was in his hand.

The gap around the girl
closed rapidly. Hundreds of men converged on her. Miko laid about
with his sword. Soldiers fell as he cut a swath toward the girl. He
heard her cry out, the first sound she had ever made. What she had
said he couldn’t make out, but it had been a cry of
distress.

Redoubling his effort, he
hacked away. Ten soldiers…twenty, the count was horrendous but
still he hewed and hacked. Almost to her side, a fetid odor wafting
on the breeze nearly made him gag. Then he saw her. Two soldiers
had her by the arms and were attempting to drag her back away from
the building.

“Leave her be!” he
warned.

Blade flashing, he dropped
two more nearby soldiers then advanced on those holding
her.

“We will keep her safe,”
the soldier on her right said.

“She will be happy and
safe with us,” added the other.

Miko stepped forward and
leveled his sword at the one on the right. “You cannot even save
your own city.” Behind him, the sound of buildings being sundered
and breaking apart grew loud as the storm drew closer. “Now, let
her go.” When the soldier looked to begin arguing, Miko
struck.

A thrust through the chest
dropped the one on the right, then pulling his blade free, he
slashed across the neck of the other, nearly taking the head clean
off.

“Come on,” he said as he
grabbed the girl’s hand. The only possible refuge from the storm
lay in the doorway of the building at the end of the plaza. A mass
of soldiers barred their way.

The wind now whipped his
clothes. Where the street had entered the plaza was now a whirling
mass of darkness. Soldiers, lifted by the winds, were drawn into
the chaotic maelstrom.

His blade danced and
soldiers fell. Step by step he made his way through their ranks.
With but fifty feet remaining, the fetid odor returned. Through a
momentary gap in the soldiers, he saw a figure standing before the
doorway. Cloaked in black, the figure wielded a curved dagger. Then
the press of battle once again obstructed the view.