Trading by Firelight

by C. M. Simpson

  Merde. I am going to have to look it in the eye, she realized. At least to make initial contact.

  Slowly, she raised her head, aware of the wolf’s pitch-black eyes watching her every move. When she’d lifted it far enough, she met its gaze.

  We come in peace, she told it and pictured the mage on the outcrop. Your enemy is our enemy. Look and see the truth for yourself.

  If the wolf was like the kat...

  She felt her world split as the pack leader accepted the connection she offered and pulled her in. Inside his head, she found he was even bigger than it seemed on the outside. He stalked around her, his nose touching her as he whiffled up and down the length of her body.

  Hey!

  He snarled in reply and came back to stand in front of her.

  What made the little human think it was ever going to be allowed to leave?

  Marsh arched an eyebrow at him.

  Like that, was it? Well, it was like this...

  You are interfering with our hunt.

  That was not the reply the wolf was expecting.

  Your hunt?

  Our hunt, Marsh confirmed, indicating Mordan. Our pride, and our hunt. We seek our cubs and the parents of our cubs.

  She managed a credible snarl of her own and continued.

  They have taken our cubs, our pack, and our pride. We must protect our territory and get our pride back.

  The wolf’s ears pricked.

  You speak like someone who cannot decide if they are wolf or cat. He paused. You do not sound like a man.

  Marsh had no answer for that, but the wolf continued.

  Yet you cross our territory like it is your own.

  Man claims this cavern.

  The wolf’s lip curled.

  Man’s opinion is nothing. The pack is all.

  Marsh regarded him.

  You work with the mages.

  It was a guess, and she pictured the leader of the shadow mages and the woman as she thought it. The wolf’s ears folded sideways and he looked sheepish.

  We have made the mages pack.

  Marsh thought of Roeglin, Henri, Gustav, and the others. She pictured Mordan.

  We are pride.

  She pictured the wolves from Downslopes.

  We are pack.

  The wolf’s ears pricked at the sight of the Downslopes wolves and his nostrils flared as he studied her scent. Marsh tried once more.

  May we cross your territory? And secure it from those who would bring it harm?

  He stared at her as though considering her proposal.

  The pack must be safe.

  While Marsh was pondering what that might mean, the wolf kicked her out of his head. She landed in her own as he turned snarling and snapping at those around him, and the pack turned its attention to the mage on the pillar. Mordan growled, and Roeglin screamed.

  “Watch him,” Marsh told Henri and knelt beside Roeglin, trying to connect to his mind.

  She found the way in, then discovered it was blocked. There was no way for her to get in and defend him from whatever the mage was doing. Marsh focused, trying to find a way past the blocks that one of them had put in place. If she could save him, she’d ask Roeglin about those later. In the meantime...

  She rose to her feet, calling a dart to her hand and hurling it at the mage on the pillar. It fell short, striking the pillar below him and dissipating. The mage didn’t seem to notice.

  He was pressed back against the rock, his eyes closed. A faint smile played across his lips as though he was enjoying whatever he was doing inside Roeglin’s mind. Marsh walked through the wolves, relieved when they moved aside to let her pass. When she got to him, she was going to throw him right into the middle of them.

  She scrambled up the rocks, reaching the first ledge, and looked back. Wolves and kat were watching her with something akin to anticipation on their faces. Henri had turned his back on them and was keeping watch on the cavern.

  He’d drawn his sword and moved back from the shrooms to give himself room to react to anything that might come bursting out of them. Roeglin was curled on the ground behind him. Roeglin... Marsh reached for the next ledge, the one that would put her just below the mage. She froze when something whirred past her, then dropped back to the ledge she was standing on and took a firm grip on the rock as she turned to survey the cavern below her.

  Something else whirred past her, and the mage above her gave a short, sharp gasp.

  Marsh refused to let him distract her from her search and soon found what she was looking for: Gustav.

  Standing in a gap between the callas, he sighted on the ledge above her one more time. Marsh resisted the urge to wave and went back to climbing. The least she could do was drag the body off its ledge.

  It didn’t take her long to get to where the mage had gone, and Marsh carefully peered over the edge of his perch. One look told her that Roeglin was safe. Gustav’s aim had been devastatingly accurate, and two dark quarrels protruded from the mind mage’s chest.

  Marsh reached up and grabbed him by the boot, trying to pull him down, but he was too heavy. She looked back at Gustav and saw he was no longer alone. He’d been joined by several of the local shadow mages. Seeing Es standing beside him should have been enough to warn her, but Marsh still fought against the dark vines of shadow that stretched out of the cavern’s ceiling and wrapped around her.

  By the time she’d registered they weren’t hurting her, they’d wrapped around the mind mage’s body and lowered them to the ground. The wolves stepped smartly to one side to give them space, but only Devin’s shout stopped them from rushing in to take their vengeance.

  “Leave it!”

  Marsh ignored the wolves. As the vines disappeared from around her, Marsh hurried over to Roeglin, worried that he hadn’t moved.

  “Ro?” She shook him. “Ro?”

  When he still didn’t move, she knelt beside him and tried to calm her fears. He was still breathing, so he was still alive. All she had to do was reach him. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on his back and reached for his mind.

  She was relieved to discover she was no longer blocked, not so relieved to find his mind quiet.

  Ro?

  Did he need healing? Did he...

  There’s no need to shout. Now get out of my head. I need to sleep.

  Marsh felt a nudge, as though he’d tried to kick her out and failed. It would have been funny if he didn’t sound so tired and bruised. She left, catching herself in a sob of relief as she surfaced, finding it almost second nature to draw a little of the surrounding energy and guide it into Roeglin’s head. As she did, she drew on her nature magic to look at him and used the way his life force looked to guide her healing.

  By the time she’d finished, Gustav had come to stand beside her.

  “Is he okay?”

  Marsh nodded.

  “You got to him in time.”

  “Another mind mage?”

  “Oui.” Marsh heard the fatigue edging her own words. “Just needs to rest.”

  “He’s not the only one.”

  From the way Gustav said it, it wasn’t a question; it was an order.

  “When we get back to camp. Henri has to be sick of carrying me by now.”

  “Henri’s got his hands full carrying Roeglin,” Henri said, coming to stand over her. “He’d just leave your ass here for the wolves to look after.”

  The wolves...Marsh couldn’t help smirking. Henri’s boots stank. He nudged her with the toe of one.

  “You still owe me dinner.”

  “How many’s that now?” Gustav wanted to know.

  “Three.”

  “Two,” Marsh argued, struggling to her feet.

  Henri placed his fingers against her shoulder and pushed her over.

  “Misbegotten son of the Deep!”

  “Three.”

  Marsh glared at him and got back up. This time he swept her feet out from under her.

  “A la putain!”

>   She didn’t let him get away with it though. Reaching out, she wrapped her hands around his boots and yanked him off his feet. This time she was able to get up and move out of grab range before he stood. He said nothing but stooped to scoop Roeglin off the ground and swing him over his shoulder.

  Gustav rolled his eyes and turned to the local mages.

  “We need to talk.”

  20

  Overnighting with the Shadow Druids

  They overnighted with Dimanche’s shadow mages and learned that the group worked with more than just the shadows. Many of them had an affinity with the plants and fungi that grew in the cavern. Others could speak with the creatures that lived there and a very few could call the insects, drawing clouds of glitter-winged color to dance in the air around them or carpets of dark-carapaced menace.

  Marsh shivered when she saw the latter but couldn’t help being fascinated.

  “Do you want to learn how?” Es asked, coming alongside her as she watched one of the younger mages demonstrate their control to an elder.

  “Do we have time?”

  Her answer came from Gustav.

  “Leclerc! We need you.”

  Es sighed.

  “Another day,” she said, “but if you want to try it, start with the shroom beetles. Their energy is easy to pick out from everything else.”

  Marsh hadn’t thought of the beetles as possessing a different form of energy to other things. She wished she had time to ask more, but Gustav bellowed again.

  “Leclerc!”

  “Thank you,” she managed, hurrying to where the Protector captain was sitting with the mercenaries and the shadow mage leaders.

  Es followed and took her place beside Devin. As soon as they were settled, he started.

  “These raiders,” Devin began. “Where do they come from?”

  “I don’t know. They come through portals they open in the shadows, and I have yet to find their home.”

  “When will you know?”

  “When the caverns are secured, I can begin looking for them.”

  He nodded and looked over to where Valerie and Luka were sitting.

  “This is who you chose for the defense of this cavern?”

  Marsh shook her head.

  “I did not choose them. They volunteered.”

  Devin didn’t look impressed.

  “Their interests are compromised.”

  Valerie stirred.

  “Not anymore. Once we’re done here, we’re informing the Gaeblers their contract has been terminated.”

  “And we’re doing the same for the Piermonts,” Luka added.

  “They will issue bounties,” Devin told them.

  Valerie and Luka stared.

  “They have done it before,” Devin added as though that proved everything. “Surely you knew that?”

  Valerie pressed her lips together and nodded.

  “We refused a number of bounties,” she said. “I do not know who took them.”

  “And you did not intervene,” Devin interrupted as though that made her just as guilty as those who had.

  Valerie blushed, and Luka gave her a look of disbelief.

  “You warned them?”

  The mercenary leader swallowed and her face paled.

  “When we could, we warned them. There were some, though...”

  Her voice caught and she bowed her head, letting the words trailed away. When she raised it again, her face was firm. She glanced at Gustav.

  “By swearing to defend the cavern and all in it, we can do better.”

  Devin studied her.

  “You want to atone.”

  She shook her head.

  “There is no atonement for not being able to stop what was done. We can only try to stop it in the future.”

  “You know that when you terminate the contracts, you won’t be told of the bounties.”

  “We’ll know of them. Maybe not as soon as we might have, but soon enough...and this time we’ll be able to see who takes them.”

  What she’d do with that information, Marsh didn’t know, but it was clear the mercenary leader had something in mind. Luka laid a hand on Valerie’s shoulder.

  “It is the same for us.” He turned to Devin. “We could do with magical support.”

  Devin didn’t answer straight away. Instead, he looked at where Roeglin lay at the edge of the fire, Mordan stretched out beside him. Seeing that the shadow mage was still unconscious, Devin looked at Marsh.

  “How does it work for the Monastery?” he asked. “Do you retain your independence?”

  “We retain our independence,” she said, “but I am not the best person to ask.”

  She glanced at Roeglin, then at Gustav.

  “Jump in if my understanding differs from how it really is,” she said, and then continued. “As I understand it, we have an alliance with the Founder of Ruins Hall, and now with the Protectors in Kerrenin’s Ledge. We train any of their people who show magical potential and help their troops discover any magical ability.”

  The look on Devin’s face said he was interested, so she went on.

  “Our mages fight in their units and come under their command while they’re in those units, and the Protectors must look after them as if they are their own men. In return, the Protectors look after the route between our caverns and allow us to recruit or take in any who either don’t want to join them or are too young to do so. We also provide a sanctuary for their families.”

  “And in the future?” Devin pressed. “How do we know the cavern leaders won’t use these forces against each other?”

  “They’ve never used force against each other before,” Gustav put in.

  “They’ve never had a trained force at their disposal before,” Devin snapped back, “so I’ll ask it again. How do we make sure that doesn’t happen?”

  This time Marsh indicated Gustav should answer.

  “The Protectors will become an independent force with the sole goal of protecting the Four Caverns,” he said, “just as soon as the caverns are secured and the raiders chased to their source. When that happens, the Founder of Ruins Hall will work with the Kerrenin’s Ledge Council to help the Protectors from their caverns combine into one independent body.”

  Devin’s lip curled in disbelief.

  “I can’t see that actually happening, can you?”

  Gustav shook his head at the words and looked the mage in the eye.

  “It will happen,” he assured him. “As much as I have served the Founder since he survived Chaumont, I am happier to serve the Caverns.”

  That was news to Marsh. She didn’t know what Chaumont was or where, or what had happened there, but she knew he’d been with the Founder for a very long time. The look on his face was both determined and closed, as though he kept some powerful emotions at bay. When he spoke again, it was to address Luka and Valerie.

  “Will you have the support of the Five?”

  “We already have the support of one of them,” Valerie answered. “Whether the others will agree is not certain.”

  Gustav frowned.

  “Can you sustain the force without them?”

  This time Luka replied.

  “It depends on the other companies.”

  “You mean mercenaries?”

  Luka shrugged.

  “If you like. The thing is, if we can convince them to join us as part of the Defenders, the rest of the Five won’t have a choice but to support the Defenders if they want to stay clear of the raiders.”

  “That will only work if they’re not working with the raiders,” Marsh added, and everyone turned toward her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that the Piermonts and Kearick both asked about the mages here, then the raiders attacked. It can’t be a coincidence.”

  Devin turned to Luka.

  “Is this true?”

  “We were asked to see what groups of magic users there were in the caverns,” the mercenary admitted. “Our understan
ding was that the Piermonts were seeking to hire those with skills in animal handling and to help them in the development of fodder shrooms. We never suspected...”

  Devin held up his hand and looked at the other mages gathered around the campfire.

  “We need to decide what to do next.” He hesitated. “You’re going to sever your ties to them?”

  Luka licked his lips and nodded.

  “We are canceling our contracts with them effective immediately.”

  Devin studied him, his eyes dark with contemplation. Finally, he addressed Valerie.

  “Can you vouch for him?”

  Marsh caught the rapid flicker of Valerie’s eyes from the shadow mage to Luka and back. To her, it looked like the mercenary leader was assessing her choices, but the woman’s decision was clear.

  “I will vouch for him,” Valerie said. “Together, our forces form the basis of the Dimanche Defenders. We are in the process of renouncing all ties to the Five. Assisting you took precedence.”

  Devin studied them a few heartbeats longer and stood.

  “You are welcome to stay the night,” he told them, “and we hope you will join us for breakfast in the morning.”

  As a way of telling them not to leave, it was a subtle as a brick, but neither of the mercenary leaders took offense.

  “Agreed.”

  They fell into silence, watching as the mages and druids withdrew past a line of carefully interwoven calla. The shrooms drew her eyes, and she studied the way they grew.

  “Do you like it?”

  Es had come to sit beside her.

  “I...yes. Don’t you have a meeting to attend?”

  Es smiled.

  “I’m here to supervise.”

  “Keep an eye on us, you mean?”

  And why would you be telling us that?

  Exactly.

  Roeglin was more awake than he appeared.

  Because you are not the only ones who can walk minds...Es’s clear voice interrupted.

  “Sons of the Deep!”

  Marsh’s exclamation drew the attention of everyone around the fire and all eyes focused on Es. The mage held up her hands.

  “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m just doing my job.”

  “You’re as subtle as a rock to the head,” Henri muttered, his comment meant to be heard. “Ouch!”