Stonecutter's Shadow: A young mage's fight through a fantasy kingdom full of treachery

by James Haddock

  “Now I know we have much to tell each other, but first we need to secure the castle. Who of the palace guard remain loyal?”

  “Most were killed the first night, Sire,” said Goodberry, the major-domo.

  “Sergeant Bruce still lives,” Miss Jewel, the cook, said. “He helped a few others escape and has been looking in on us from time to time.”

  “Good, send for him. Tell him nothing of us, just send for him.” She nodded and stepped out the door to speak to one of the kitchen brats … the kids that always hung around and did scut work for a bit of bread.

  “So Lermont is truly gone, then?” Aric asked.

  They all nodded, “After the walls collapsed, he became as jumpy as a cat,” Goodberry said. About a week ago he took the mercenaries and rode out. They took everything of value as they left.”

  “We'll take care of him in due time,” Aric said. “First, we have work to do here. It looks like we need supplies.” He glanced at me, and I stepped forward, setting a large purse of gold on the table, then stepped back. “In the morning, see what you can do about supplies,” Aric said, pushing the purse to Goodberry.

  “While you are taking care of that, I have messages to send, I'll be in the king's office.” Everyone stood, as Aric stood. “Thank you, everyone.” he said, and we left the kitchen.

  “We need to secure the palace, Aric said, glancing at me. “And since you broke it, you need to fix it,” he said smiling.

  “That's what I get for showing initiative,” I said, stepping into Shadow. Aric continued down the hall. I found an out of the way corner from which to work, then sat down and got comfortable.

  I concentrated, feeling the stone around me, it felt like an old friend. I reached down to the bedrock and asked it to move back up under to support the palace and walls. After a moment I felt it begin to move.

  I felt along the walls that had collapsed. I wasn't going to completely repair them now, just raise enough to keep people from just walking onto the grounds. I thought I'd do a complete repair later but realized it would take the same amount of energy and time to do the complete job now.

  I concentrated and felt stone begin to shift and reform. I fixed in my mind and asked the stone to go back to the shape it was before it fell. I followed the stone and rocks’ movement, staying close to it. It was soothing to me, like I was part of it. I felt like I was just floating along, almost like a dream.

  * * *

  I woke with a monster headache and an empty stomach. Sitting up, I took out my water bag and drank my fill. I felt the Shadows, there were more people in the palace. I felt the walls, they were completely repaired, and soldiers were manning them. “That's not good,” I said to myself.

  I wasn't sure how long I had been out, but based on my hunger, it must have been at least a few days.

  I was a little lightheaded, so I took my time standing. I stayed in Shadow and made my way to the kitchen, no one new was there. I stepped out of Shadow and sat down at the table.

  Miss Jewel seeing me brought a large plate of eggs, potatoes, and ham. “The king said you'd show up hungry enough to eat a whole hog.” she said, smiling at me. I nodded and dug in.

  Chapter 18

  I stopped eating after the third plate and sat enjoying the hot tea. Aric came in and sat across from me, smiling. “When I said fix it, I didn't mean all at one time!”

  I shrugged. Jewel set out hot tea for Aric and refilled my cup. “How long was I gone?” I asked, taking another swallow of tea.

  “Six days,” he answered.

  I felt my eyebrows raising, “no wonder I was so hungry!” Reaching out, I felt the stone through my feet. Everything was back as it had been before the collapse.

  “Sergeant Bruce found the remaining palace guards and brought them in. We brought in some of the regular army soldiers to fill the gaps on the wall. I've sent messenger birds letting everyone know that Lermont has fled and I'm back in control of the capital.

  “I've rescinded the death warrants on all magic users,” the prince continued, “and assured everyone that it is safe to use our port once again. What we need next is gold in our treasury. I need to prove that I'm not going to bleed the people for more money like Lermont did.

  “We also need to pay our people. The army has not been paid in months and many have taken to farming to feed themselves and their families.”

  “Then I'd best go to the vault and make a deposit,” I said, smiling.

  He nodded, “join me in my office when you’ve finished.”

  He left and I drank my tea. “Thank you, Miss Jewel,” I said standing.

  “Oh, posh on that ‘miss’ business! I'm plain Jewel.”

  “A jewel indeed, but never a plain one.”

  “It'll do you no good to sweet talk me young man. Now get on with you, I have work to do,” she said, chuckling.

  I walked down to the vault, the doors were all locked and there were no guards. I went under each door and spread my storage sheets out on the floor of the vault. Then I replaced all the gems and jewels that the king and I had taken. I also added half the yellow gold from Redmoore's vault and all the blood gold.

  Then I stared at the blood gold… it didn’t feel quite right. Touching it, I concentrated, and ‘saw’ that someone had added something to it to give it the red tint.

  I shrugged, leaving that mystery for another day. I kept the rest of Redmoore's gold and all their gems and jewels for myself, putting my riches in Shadow. I went to the office where Aric was working. The door was open, so I went straight in. “The vault is ready,” I said, as he looked up at me.

  “Good! I'll send for the army paymaster and escort. The army being paid should reassure people… that and paying hard cash for supplies the palace needs rather than demanding credit.”

  “I'm sure it will, but it's still going to take time to get the city resupplied. Until cargo ships start sailing back to our harbor, it's going to be tight.”

  “Exactly. You've named the biggest problem we have facing us. I've sent messages to reassure other kingdoms that our harbor is safe, but how long it will be before ship's captains trust us again is anyone’s guess.

  “What I need you to do,” the prince continued, “is go back to Split Rock keep and recover the gold left in that vault. Then take our ship and travel to another ports and buy supplies. While you are there buy more supplies and contract with other ships to deliver the cargo here.

  “It won't take long for word to get around that our port is safe for trade. In the meantime, our cargo ships will take the pressure off our people. I know I'm asking a lot, but you are the only one who can do this.”

  I nodded, “I'll leave right away.”

  “Good,” he said, nodding, “Good.” He went back to reading messages.

  I shrugged and stepped into shadow. He was acting like a king, sending servants off to do his bidding, which annoyed me a bit.

  It was time for me to go, I decided. I had kept my promise to the old king and found Aric and had helped put him back on the throne. I would do this last thing, but after that I would choose my own path, and that path led north in pursuit of Lermont.

  I went to the best inn the city had to offer, ate a large dinner and took a room. I needed a good night’s sleep, I planned on riding my falcon to Split Rock, and I didn't know how much I would have to steer him. I felt we shared a mind link, but I wasn't sure if it would be enough for what I wanted. I'd find out in the morning.

  * * *

  After I ate a large breakfast, I went into Shadow, and went up to the roof of the inn. I held out my arm and rubbed the falcon ring with my thumb. The falcon appeared sitting on my arm looking at me. “Time to go,” I thought, stepping into the falcon's Shadow. When I did, he took flight. Concentrating I could see through his eyes as we flew.

  “Take us south,” I said. He turned south and flew higher and faster. we were covering a lot of ground. I watched the land pass below us. I wondered how smart he was and how much we could u
nderstand each other. This was a lot easier than traveling by horse or wagon, and much faster than the other birds I had ridden.

  The longer I watched through his eyes, the more I felt and heard, including the wind rushing past, the sun above and the wind lifting our wings. It was an amazing feeling.

  We made Split Rock by midday, I asked Falcon to circle the area, and he did. Not much had changed in the month I had been gone, although the battlefield at the keep had been cleared of dead and debris.

  I had the bird land on a high rock cliff above the keep. I was becoming more attuned to Falcon, and I was able to feel the Shadows through his talons. The Shadows said there was no one at the keep below, so I had him glide down to the keep wall below. When he landed, I stepped out of his Shadow, then held out my arm and he jumped to me.

  “Well done, my friend. Go hunt, return to me when you've finished,” I said, and he launched himself into the air. I watched him a few moments then stepped into Shadow. Looking toward the village I could see no one, and there were no ships, in the cove.

  I stayed in Shadow and walked to the vault. Nothing had changed, all was as I had left it. I went under the vault door; everything was still here. I laid out my storage sheet and began loading the treasure onto it. There was quite a bit, and it took me a while to move it all. I had never seen so much gold.

  I just moved it like I did stone at the quarry. When I was done, I put all the treasure in Shadow, folded the sheet, and put it away.

  I went back outside and walked the walls of the keep. It wasn't a bad place overall, and I liked the sound of the ocean wave hitting the cliff rocks. I went up the Shadow of the cliff to its highest peak. I took a seat, looking out to sea. I felt Falcon returning, so I stepped out of Shadow. He landed on my shoulder, shaking his feathers into place as he settled down. I reached up and scratched his chest and felt contentment coming from him.

  I noticed some specks on the horizon but couldn't make out what they were. I concentrated and looked through Falcons eyes. His eyesight was far better than any human's. The specks were two good-sized ships under full sail. We watched them for a while, but my curiosity got the better of me so I sent Falcon out to have a closer look. I watched through his eyes as he made his way toward the two ships. They were indeed large ships and were flying mercenary flags. Were they coming looking for a contract, or had the wolves come to feed on the weak?

  Falcon landed on the top of the main mast, and we watched them as they came closer. When they got closer, the soldiers began arming themselves and the sailors began making the long boats ready to launch.

  If they were here looking for a contract, only a few would come ashore, but I didn't think this group were here to talk. I told Falcon to return to me. When he reached me, I put him back into his ring and continued to watch the ships approach. Since I had changed the cove, the village no longer had its natural protection.

  Word of the fall of Split Rock keep and the probable death or capture of the crowned prince had spread, I surmised. It hadn't taken long for opportunists to show up to take advantage. It was the way of the world.

  The longer I thought about it the angrier I became. The ships came straight into the cove and dropped anchor. When they did, I raised the seabed up under them, just enough to hold them in place.

  The condition of the ships and men said pirate and raiders more than a bonded mercenary company. They were now lowering long boats to land their raiders. The villagers had seen them and were fleeing the coming pestilence.

  There would be no one to oppose their landing. They waited until they had six long boats loaded, then came ashore. Once ashore, half of the men moved toward the village the other half toward the keep.

  With no army to fight them, I would have to use magic. The half that had come for the keep was now in shadow. I struck, attacking them with their Shadow Forms … their own Shadows began to attack them. The half going to the village heard steel ringing against shadow steel and came running to assist their comrades and even the long boat crew joined. As they arrived their Shadows attacked them as well. There was no hope for them, they tried to run but how can you outrun your own shadow? As each Shadow killed its host, it fell to the ground with him. Before long only dead bodies were left on the beach.

  The ship's crews were trying to free their ships from the sand on which they were grounded, but to no avail. When the sun began set, and the long Shadows reached the ships in the cove, I Shadow jumped to them, then went to the captain's cabin to see what I could learn.

  “We can do nothing until the tide reaches its highest, then we should be able to get away,” the captain was telling the filthy, stinking men sitting around the table. The cleanest thing about this lot were their weapons.

  “So much for easy pickings!” a lieutenant said.

  “We should have known better, it all sounded too easy. They said all the kingdom’s mages were dead. I guess the joke’s on us,” agreed the captain.

  That was all I needed to hear. I took their Shadow Form and as one, cut their throats and left them seated around their table. I left the captain's cabin and went below decks.

  I killed everyone I came to, leaving them where they fell. In the main below deck area there were fifty soldiers sitting around. It was an eerie sight as all had their throats cut at the same time. leaving them where they fell, I continued searching the ship. Once I had killed everyone on the ship I moved to the other ship and did the same.

  * * *

  The Shadows told me where they kept their gold, which I took. There were also 50 horses in the hold of each ship. I decided I'd have some of the villagers come throw the dead overboard tomorrow. I'd need to find a captain and crew to sail my new ships, but that could wait … I needed the bodies removed first.

  At sunrise I Shadow jumped back to shore and went to the village tavern. No one was there, and very few people were left in the village. I made myself at home, lighting lamps and cook fires, then made myself breakfast. I finally got tired of waiting so I went to where a man was hiding.

  “Hey, you can come out now, they're dead.”

  He peeked out the window at me. “M'lord, you came back.”

  “I did, now go and tell the others I'm back, and it’s safe to come in.”

  “And the raiders?”

  “Dead.” He nodded with relief and left to carry my message to the ones hiding in the forest. I went back to the tavern, fixed more hot tea and waited.

  * * *

  It took a few hours but finally most of the villagers returned and gathered at the tavern. Most of the men had worked on ships of one kind or another all their lives so there was no shortage of hands to do what I wanted.

  “I've killed all the pirates and taken the ships for my own. I need men to go aboard, strip the dead, and toss the bodies overboard. Set all the weapons aside, but you can keep what coin you find on them. I'll also pay you a day’s wages for your work. Same goes for the dead between here and the keep.

  “But before you start chucking them overboard, there are 50 horses on each ship I want off-loaded and brought ashore. Once my horses are safely ashore then you can throw the bodies over. Once that's done, we'll speak of the cargo they're hauling.” Their headman organized and put them to work. That done, he returned to me.

  “When was the last you saw of my cargo ship?”

  “Two weeks past. He sailed for Port Skole to buy supplies. If all goes well, he should be back in a fortnight.”

  I nodded, “Good. Next, I want you to send a rider to Rollings. See if there are any of the Rolling mercenary company officers still alive. If there are, have them come see me. I have work for them. Also put the word around that I need seamen to man my ships, and I'll be looking for two captains to sail them.

  “Yes, Sir Mage. I'll see to it straight away.”

  It took them two days to get the horses ashore and dump all the bodies over the side. After that I had them to start cleaning and repairing the ships where needed. They brought the captains logs
from the ships, and I read over them.

  They were from Meridian and had, at one time, been a bonded mercenary company. Defeats and hard victories had pushed them toward piracy. They were not under contract when they come here, they were just looking for easy prey.

  Overall, the ships were good vessels, but just needed a bit of looking after. As I stood there looking out at my ships, I decided I needed a quay. Maybe I was just bored! I stepped into Shadow and sat down. I felt down through the rock and asked it to raise up. I pictured what I wanted in my mind and held it firm. I raised a 300-foot-long quay and lowered the seabed to make the water deep enough for ships to unload cargo without fear of damaging their bottoms.

  It took me all day to finish the job. When I had finished, I ate a large meal and went to my room. I put my bed in Shadow — I was trusting people less and less.

  * * *

  I slept through the night and half the next day. I rose, bathed, and ate another large meal and felt the better for it. Stepping out of the tavern, I could see my ships were now moored at the new quay. I walked down to see what progress they had made on the ships. They were looking a lot better, and the workmen had them opened to air out as they continued cleaning.

  “Sir Mage,” Turning I saw the village's clerk-bookkeeper coming toward me. “I have a list of the ship's cargos.”

  “What have we got?” I asked taking the offered papers I scanned down the list.

  “Not a lot considering the size of the ships. Some grain, I'm guessing for the horses. Flour, sugar, salt pork, dried fish, and rum. Most of that seemed like supplies to support the mercenary company and ship's crew. Trade goods, which probably came off a captured ship, are cloth, steel, copper, tools, salt, and wool.

  All the black powder is for the ship's cannons. There are some additional weapons, not counting the ones we took off the dead.”