Mage and Mate

by Taki Drake

  “Do not worry about me. We have to make sure that we take care of you. I’m not the one who is broken and bleeding.”

  “I understand, but I need to know what has happened.”

  Suddenly bursting into tears, Linie leaned her head on Mary’s front shoulder, sobbing into the woman’s side. “It was only a room, but it had everything that I owned in it. They destroyed everything. Just everything.”

  The girl sobbed uncontrollably for a minute before speaking again, saying, “The door was not kicked in, so the landlady had to have allowed them to enter. She probably even opened the door for them. I can’t go back there. I am sorry it took so long, but I found anything salvageable and brought it with me. They cut up my blankets, ripped up my clothes, and destroyed even my sketchbooks. I only have pieces left.”

  “They are evil. Prejudiced from fear or simply venting anger against someone they think is weaker than they, these people belong to the demons of the underworld.”

  “I know that, but it still hurts. I didn’t have very much, but Chraha’s friends destroyed what little I had. Even the last pottery cup that my father made for me before he died has been shattered.”

  The anger engendered by predatory unkindness energized Mary past anything else that could have happened. By herself, she would have slipped into an uncaring stupor. For the young woman that had sacrificed everything in an attempt to shelter a stranger, the older woman pulled her weary, damaged body back into the fight.

  Taking a careful breath to avoid the stabbing pain of her broken rib, the Axlen woman stated, “We need to let my friends know what has happened.”

  Linie crouched closer to Mary, and wrapped a slashed and shredded quilt around the injured woman, trying to stop the Axlen’s shivering in shock. The young girl replied, “I still have my comm-unit, but I don’t know what number to call. Are you sure that you want to endanger your friends?”

  “What do you mean? Why would they be in danger?”

  “Chraha will have all of her scary friends looking for us soon. They don’t like anybody different or anyone that slips out of their control. Lots of people that don’t look Kherisian have ended up hurt or dead in this part of town.”

  “I don’t think it’s a problem for us at this point. My friends are very capable, and they don’t much like to see any of our group hurt.”

  The girl pulled out a very old, worn comm-unit. Head down, she started to bring the unit online and make it operational, saying, “It must be nice to have friends.”

  Responding to the wistful pain in the girl’s voice, Mary said, “You will have friends, too.”

  Startled, Linie looked up into Mary’s eyes. The Axlen could see the tracks of tears down the young woman’s cheeks. The signs of grief were there, but they paled in comparison to the stubborn determination in the girl’s face.

  This one is a keeper. I hope the Mage will see that.

  Chapter 25 – Call for Help

  Arkken Port

  Luka was behind the bar as usual when Jenna and Margo came in. He took one look at their faces and reached under the bar to pull out some of his reserve stock. Pouring them each a stiff drink, he slid the glasses over and commented, “I take it things did not go well.”

  “You could say that,” responded Margot, “We found different groups all mounting attacks against Ruth and Pawlik.”

  Jenna took over, saying, “You would think that buying a dress would be simple, but it is not. The aristocracy seems to be taking the position that Ruth is a gold digger, and after Pawlik’s money. They are trying to make their displeasure known and plan on grinding that into Pawlik’s face. Borach’s heir is trying to make people think that Pawlik’s mind has been damaged because of his captivity. Probably to make anything that the Lord of Borachland says or does mistrusted.”

  The bartender leaned toward the two Marines and said, “This sounds like something we need to bring to a council of war. What do you think?”

  Startling both women, an assertive voice said behind them, “I would agree on the strategy session. Luka, how about if you get somebody in to watch the bar and let’s go over to a more private booth. It will be easier to come up with a response there. After talking with both Pawlik and Ruth over the last week, I’m pretty sure they are going to need strategic options and a list of tactics.”

  Responding to the voice of command, the two former Marines straightened up and said in unison, “Yes, Sir!”

  Luka laughed and said, “Marines. You can retire them, you can demob them, but they are still Marines.”

  The assured voice responded, threaded with traces of amusement, “I don’t see that as a problem.”

  Sharing a smile with Jenna and Margot, Luka called for his backup bartender, as the two Marines that headed the Inner Keep Guard organization for Borachland Castle turned to see the back of Alan Culhane’s wheelchair returning to his table. Exchanging astonished glances, Jenna and Margot followed the Major’s path and took seats at his reserved location.

  After a short moment, the bartender joined them, and Jenna and Margot brought the two men up to date on everything that had happened. Luka asked questions as Alan stared thoughtfully at each of the women’s faces, looking for nuances and hints.

  As the bartender ran out of questions, the retired Marine commander started his own interrogation. Asking questions mostly directed at Margot, the man who had headed the Arkken Marines for decades before retirement extracted every bit of information out of the former Recon scout.

  By the end of his questions, Margot was exhausted. She felt like her brain had been vacuumed dry as every nuance, every hint that she had heard during the day was pulled, defined, and noted. The Major had managed to even extract things that she had not remembered hearing.

  Jenna was taking notes, watching the skillful way that Alan led Margot into remembering more details and how he constructed the framework that would put the answers into perspective. She was impressed and felt that she had learned more about interrogation in the last hour than she had in the previous ten years in the Marines.

  As the questioning slowed down, both men slipped into a contemplative fugue. Jenna and Margot tried to relax, focusing on their drink and waiting for the two older and more experienced people to tell them what they were thinking about.

  Savoring the complex aromas of the distiller’s art, Margot thought, between the top-rated NCO that Luka was and the high-level officer that Major Culhane is despite his retirement, I hope we can put something together for Ruth that will work.

  << The Major and Arturis will work it out, Margot. Both of them are strategic thinkers and very accomplished at putting these type of puzzle pieces together. >>

  << I hope so, Bill. I can gather the data, remember the comments, but I feel a little lost when it comes to putting it all together. >>

  << That’s why we have a team. We don’t have to do everything ourselves. >>

  << <> >>

  In the relative quiet of the sparsely populated barroom, the alert sound of an incoming call to the bar comm-unit was nothing more than background noise. Jenna was seated next to Major Culhane, and she clearly saw the startled movement of the assistant bartender, Patry, as he answered the call.

  Patry’s big eyes got even wider as he heard the person talk. Everyone at the table heard him stammer, “Hold on just a minute!” With a panicked expression on his face, he called out, “Luka, we have an emergency. Mary has been attacked and needs a rescue.”

  The bar exploded into action. Luka and Jenna sprinted toward the comm-unit almost colliding in their efforts to find out what was happening. Margot took off for the second story, racing to retrieve weapons and armor. Stretching out a long, powerful arm, Alan Culhane cleared the tabletop in a single motion, preparing it for a battle plan.

  There were three other former Marines at a small table, drinking and having a quiet conversation. One of them grabbed his comm-unit and began to dial while the other two dropped their drinks abruptly and hurried over to
the table and stood at attention, saluting the Major and speaking in unison, “Available for tasking, sir.”

  << <> >>

  Jenna beat Luka to the communication device by a split second, diving directly over the center of the bar. She twisted her body and grabbed the comm-unit from Patry’s hands, stabbing the open mic icon and the recording icon. She cried, “Mary! Where are you, and what is the situation?”

  To everyone’s surprise, it was a stranger’s voice that answered. Sounding like a young girl, the woman said, “Mary says that you can help us, but I’m not sure how. It’s very dangerous here, and I’m pretty sure Chraha will have people searching for us soon if they are not already looking.”

  The picture from the comm-unit was broken up. To Jenna’s experienced eyes, it was evident that the unit was old and not in the best repair. The former Marine saw flashes of a face, a young girl or woman, with traces of tears on her face and a frightened yet determined look that made her look slightly older than she probably was.

  “My name is Jenna, and I am a friend of Mary’s. Please tell me where you are and give me a quick recap of the situation. Once you’ve done that, we will know what sort of forces we need to bring to extract you.”

  Her brisk tone and calm manner seem to settle the girl down. In fragmented snapshots, Jenna could track the girl as she took a deep breath and began speaking again, “My name is Linie. Mary came into the dressmaker shop where I work and started to ask about getting a gown made. The head dressmaker is a hateful woman who dislikes anyone who is different. First, she yelled at Mary, and then she attacked her.”

  Jenna could tell that everyone within the bar was listening. The lack of conversation and the presence of a low growling sound permeated the atmosphere. Raising her hand in an abrupt motion to close off the commentary, Jenna focused on what the frightened young woman was telling her.

  From the corner of her eye, she could tell that Luka was grinning at her widely in approval. She vowed to herself that she would think about that later, but for right now, all of her attention was on the young woman.

  “Just tell me what happened, Linie. We are all listening to you.”

  The young woman continued, saying with shaky sobs, “Everybody was hitting her. Some of them used their fists, but Chraha was beating her really hard with a flexible cane or stick that was cutting horribly. Mary had ducked her head, but even the blows on her back made blood fly everywhere.”

  Margot came charging down the stairs just in time to hear the last sentence. Placing a variety of weapons on the floor with precise motions, the deadly Recon scout dropped her clothing and quickly assembled her armor. Her face was terrible in its expression of fury, and even from across the room, Jenna could feel the murderous anger that sang through her friend's bones.

  Not hearing any response, Linie continued, her voice becoming even more broken, “I tried to stop them. I really did. They would not listen to me at first, but eventually, they stopped hitting Mary. Chraha tried to get me to back down. She asked if I would report them if they killed Mary. Everyone was angry, and I could feel their thoughts pushing at me. I was terrified. I knew I couldn’t win, but I told them that I would report them anyway.”

  Reaching her limits, Linie completely broke down, crying in fear that hurt Jenna’s heart. Before anyone could respond, a hoarse voice whispered in halting sentences, “She stood up for me, Jenna. They were all more powerful individually than she is, and there were many of them. They could just as easily have killed her, but she tried.”

  “Mary!” The cry erupted from many throats into a chorus of concern and caring. Jumping in before others could babble at their injured friend, Luka said calmly, “How immediate is the danger and where are you located? It’s obvious that you’re not with your own comm-unit because the tracer is not working.”

  A thread of amusement wove its way through the pain of Mary’s voice, “I miss you too, Luka. I am in pretty bad shape. In fact, I’m not sure that I can walk at all. I’ve had substantial blood loss, and I’m in pretty severe shock. Linie managed to sneak back to her room, but the dressmaker’s minions had been there first. They destroyed everything this young girl owned.

  The only sound was painful breathing as Mary tried to marshall her thoughts. She started again, communicating in short gasps, “Linie still came back and has covered me with the shreds of her only blankets, trying to keep me warm.”

  A group of three men had been working on comm-units at a table next to Alan. One of them, a typical Kherisian with gray skin and jewel-bright eyes, called out a triumphant, “Got you!” and stood up. Looking over to what had become the command table, the man straightened to attention and reported, “Sir, Comm Sgt. Bob Helly, sir. We have their location pinpointed.”

  The Major responded with approval, “Excellent!” Looking over at the table with the other two men, Alan added, “I’m glad to see the sort of initiative still lives. Good job, Marines.”

  Margot nodded her head to the group in thanks and turned back to the live comm-unit. She had a vicious smile on her face as she leaned over the bar and said in a cold, furious voice, “We now know where you are. The old comm-unit has been traced, and we will leave here within two minutes. Hold on for just a little while. You will have support and extraction in less than ten.”

  Mary’s voice was fainter, and everyone in the Force X taproom could hear the waning of her energy. It was eerie, the silence that settled in the room. While Jenna and Luka had been talking to Mary, the barroom had become crowded. It was full of armored Marines in the uniform of the ArchMage, each one fully kitted out and ready for battle.

  Totally quiet, there was no rustling, no fidgeting. Each person’s ears strained to hear Mary’s voice. Her voice fading to a shadow of sound, the Axlen woman whispered, “Promise me that even if I don’t make it, you will take care of this girl.”

  A mighty chorus answered, “We promise.”

  Chapter 26 – Team Away

  Arkken Port

  The outside door to the bar slammed open, and a man rushed in, out of breath and calling out, “Is the Mage here? I need to talk to her immediately!” He came to an abrupt, sliding halt in the middle of the floor, startled to see so many battle-ready people.

  Quickly, Jenna called out, “It’s Corland Perley. He’s a friend.”

  The young man, obviously not used to running, was flushed and continued to gasp. In between his attempts to breathe, he asked, “Do you know what is happening? My grandfather heard some news that concerned him. He’s on his way here but he still 30 to 45 minutes away. He told me to come as fast as I could and warn you that one of Ruth’s people has been attacked.”

  One of the closest Marines slid a chair under Corland, and the trader gratefully collapsed onto it. Patry, the assistant bartender, sent a mug of ale over to help calm the flustered man down.

  Margot and Alan exchanged a look before the senior Borachland Inner Keep Guard took over the questioning. The Major began rapid but quiet interrogation of the surrounding Marines, gathering information on capabilities and skills. Some he sent upstairs for additional armament and others were directed on tasks and errands that took them outside of the bar.

  Several people began to set up a communications area at the table next to their commander. Acting with the trained movements of highly trained professionals, it was a matter of minutes before what looked like a command center nexus became operational.

  The mood was tense, but there was no fear or frantic wasted movement. Allen sat in the middle of a complicated dance of chaotic effort, directing and controlling it like it was an orchestra, and he was the conductor.

  It took Margot only a few moments to pull all the information that Corland had. Master Trader Perley had overheard someone bragging that they had managed to isolate and injure one of Ruth’s assistants. Knowing that time was of the essence, the wily old man had excused himself for a moment and used his comm-unit to contact his grandson from the bathroom. He then returned to his meeting
with the goal of discovering as much as he could about the situation. After the meeting was over, he would join them at Force X.

  Luka and Jenna stay glued to the comm-unit, offering what reassurance they could to Linie and Mary. Worried that the two women would be discovered and attacked again before the relieving force could arrive, Luka suggested that they hide.

  Mary’s thready voice answered, “I am so sorry, Luka, but I can’t move. My hooves don’t even feel attached to the rest of me. But Linie can…”

  “I will not leave you. Somebody has to help you, and I’ve decided that’s me. So let’s not talk about me running away someplace.” The young woman’s voice sounded serious and incredibly stubborn. Those listening at the bar could hear her puffing exhalations as the young woman tried to conquer her fear.

  The breath sounds stopped, and there was a worried susurration of alarm from the remote listeners. Finally, Luka asked, “Linie? Mary? What’s going on there?”

  Mary laughed, the sound of her voice cracked and hoarse, but filled with approval in amusement. “You guys had better be careful when you come to rescue us. Linie is creating a nasty obstacle course that anyone wanting to get to us will have to surmount. Broken glass, sharp wires, rubble, and other items are being scattered all over the place right now. She also is piling up ammunition to throw. There are now several convenient piles of broken bricks and rubble.”

  The answering roar of approval from the bar inhabitants shook the walls. When it died down, Mary’s voice was tiny by comparison, barely audible through the comm-unit as she murmured, “I think Ruth will like her. She seems to understand the concept of ‘We are Not Prey.’”

  << <> >>

  Easily beating the time Margot had promised that a rescue team would be dispatched, an armed and armored shuttle lifted off from the street in front of the Force X Bar. Now it was a matter of timing.

  The Major had picked his rescue team carefully. A large number of volunteers meant that he had plenty of options, and the size of the assault shuttle allowed him plenty of room. The team that he had selected included a pair of experienced medics, snipers, and combat veterans. Two Comm officers joined the group, all under the command of a highly decorated Captain with a calm manner and reputation for decisive actions.