by Brandon Barr
Either way, their safest exit was now sealed off. They could retreat to the east or west, but between the two fronts, they’d be hemmed in and pinched like a sandwich.
A deadly hush had fallen over the farmers as they stared out at the mysterious northern force approaching them.
Suddenly, one of the farmers shouted, “It’s Aryn of North Meadow! Those are friends, not foe!”
Cheers erupted from the farmers surrounding Brundig. He could hardly believe it. Another miracle!
First, the rescue of him and the besieged men and women hiding in Hargstead, then the shocking sight of Payetta controlling an army of rodents, now this! A force of farmers so large, it looked as if the entire remainder of North Meadow had joined them to fight!
Aryn waved as he approached. “Good to see you, Mayor. We’ve come just in time I see!”
Brundig strode out to meet the North Meadow blacksmith. “It appears you’ve brought the rest of the north with you!”
Aryn smiled, but his eyes were all business. “You have Payetta to thank for it.”
“I know what you mean,” replied Brundig, shaking Aryn’s hand. “I found out the truth about her too.”
Aryn’s brow wrinkled as he gazed over Mayor Brundig’s shoulder toward Hargstead. “The truth? You mean that despite her mouth, she has a good heart beating underneath her ornery hide.”
Brundig frowned. “That too, yes. But also that she’s a—”
A war cry rumbled behind the mayor, and he spun quickly around.
The Hargstead gate was open, and pouring out were the raiders they’d held within. Titannus’s force of a hundred men joined them, and the two merged together, glaring out at the farmers’ position. With a shout, the raiders lifted their swords in the air.
“Do we dare stay and fight?” asked Brundig. “Even with your added men, it’s going to be a brutal battle.”
“Yes we dare to fight,” came Aryn’s reply, then he shouted out to the farmers all around: “If we run, we’ll be running for the rest of our lives. A wise man told me that, and I believe it. If we don’t stop these intruders here and now, we’ll never have a homeland again. We make a stand today and tell the mages and their soulless followers that if they want our farms and our families, they’ll have to pay for it with blood.”
Aryn lifted a sword in the air and shouted. The gathered farmers joined him, lifting their crude weapons over their heads and unleashing a brutal war cry.
As the noise died down, Mayor Brundig looked out at the raiders and noted with pride that their enthusiasm had dissipated. They no longer held their swords aloft, but instead stared uneasily at them, a grave silence having replaced their gloating cheers.
A sharp whistle sounded from a new direction. At first the mayor thought it was one of the farmers, but then the piercing warble continued, and he realized it was off to his left.
It was then his eyes settled on a small party coming towards them. The first thing he noticed were two human heads being held up, one of which was being spun around by its long white hair.
The woman spinning the head around was familiar enough, and the sight of her told him exactly whose head it was being twirled about.
Mayor Brundig could hardly control himself. “IT’S PAYETTA! SHE’S GOT TITANNUS’S HEAD ON A STICK!”
***
Payetta grinned at the mayor’s exuberant cry and led her party toward the rallied farmers.
“He’s really excited to see us,” said Justen, carrying She Grunts in one arm, his opposite wrapped around Payetta’s waist.
Payetta’s eyes narrowed on the men surrounding the mayor. Something confused her. It appeared the number of farmers had doubled in size! Mayor Brundig pushed his way to the edge of the throng to greet her.
The raiders in the distance seemed to be in shock. She figured most recognized the long white hair flowing from the stick she held, if not the disfigured head dangling beneath, with an arrow shaft sticking out the eye.
“We’re ready for a fight,” declared Mayor Brundig, kneeling before her.
Payetta laughed. Who did he think she was? “Get up, Brundig! I’m no princess. But I do appreciate the new attitude considering our last meeting. I take it I’m no longer banished.”
Mayor Brundig stood, slightly abash. “Certainly not! I apologize about that.”
“No more apologizing,” shouted Old Ferren from behind Payetta.
“Sorry!” declared Brundig swiftly.
Payetta’s eyes fell on a surprising face. It was the blacksmith who’d departed north, and now he was standing just behind the mayor.
“Good to see you, Aryn. I’m glad you made it back.”
Aryn nodded casually. “I brought a few friends with me. The rest of North Meadow that is.”
Her face grew very serious. “Thank you. Those men you brought may have just secured us a bloodless victory today. Right now, it’s time to find out.”
Payetta squeezed Justen’s hand, feeling the healing flow from his fingers into her right shoulder. She looked to Daeken. “As planned. On the count of three. Ready?”
“Ready,” Daeken smirked, holding the giant’s big dome out from his body like a stinky sock.
With a jerk, Payetta pulled the stick from the impaled head, then gripped her trophy by its long white hair.
Together they began to twirl the two heads.
Payetta counted to three under her breath.
In tandem they flung them at the large gathering of raiders. The heads flew, landing hard on the wet ground where they bounced a few times. Titannus’s head rolled into the feet of a couple of raiders at the front of the line, while the head of the giant stopped a few feet short. Probably as a result of the big ears, but Payetta wouldn’t give that to Daeken.
“Hmmmmm,” she hummed, “mine went a bit further. Anyone ever tell you you throw like a girl?”
“The guy whose head I just tossed told me something similar.”
Payetta laughed. “Is that a challenge?”
“Just don’t ever tell me I hit like a girl,” replied Daeken. “That’s when people start losing body parts.”
Payetta watched one of the raiders bend and pick up Titannus—or what she’d brought of him. Another ran out and picked up the giant’s head.
Payetta let go of Justen’s hand and took five steps out toward the raiders.
“You bastards want to live or die today?”
She let the question hang in the air for a second. Just long enough to let it sink in, but not long enough for anyone to get brave.
“If you want to live, take those presents back to Zarith Smith. Tell him he’s going to need a lot more mages and a lot more men if he wants our land. I control the animals in this forest. I control the trees. Those weeds you’re standing on are mine, and the mice and weasels and ball-chewing badgers living all around you—they’re hungry for blood and dicks and eyes and ears! If you don’t want to lose any of those items, or end up like Titannus, then don’t come back. Zarith Smith can’t protect you from what I’ll do to you.
“Or, if you’re feeling really stupid, you could fight us right now. No mage. No big oaf of a giant. A fourth of your men already dead. And just you, me, and my friends here. You have ten seconds to decide. Your time starts now.”
She began shouting out a countdown.
The raiders’ heads snapped back and forth. They seemed at a complete loss without Titannus to direct them.
Some of them began to flee north east toward the woods.
By the time she got down to one, every man there was heading for the hills. The faintest hearts had gone first, but once the trickle started, the dam had broken easily.
Payetta watched them leave as South Meadow rumbled with the shouts of the farmers.
“You did it you wild, wolverine-tongued step daughter!” shouted Old Ferren. “I swear I’ll never harass you again. Not until tomorrow!”
“What a kind gesture from old wet-the-pants! I’ll take it!”
Jax ben
t over laughing.
Payetta turned to Aryn, her grin sobering. “Thank you. We’re in your debt.”
“Hardly,” said Aryn. “It’s good to know we have a mage on our side. Could have used that information sooner though.”
“We didn’t know how you’d take it,” said Payetta. “I think my secret came out at just the right time, in the right circumstances. Otherwise you might have had another reason beside my vulgar tongue to chase me off!”
Aryn grinned. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Payetta looked about for Mayor Brundig and found him drinking out of some sort of flask that he quickly stuffed back in a pocket.
“Mayor, you should know that Percy proved himself a faithful man again after Titannus left his mind. He saved my life in fact. Punched the mage in the face for me. That said, I think we should plan a meeting to discuss the Meadow Guard joining up with the Heroes Brigade. I’ll head things up, if that’s all right with you.”
Mayor Brundig bowed his head. “I declare you head of security of the Meadowlands!” The mayor looked up from his bowed position, eyes holding a slight concern. “Where is Percy?”
“He’s injured pretty bad—holed up in a farmhouse, but he’ll live. Jax, would you take some men with you to bring him back. You can use the stretcher Titannus was on. It’s still there on the table.”
“Will do!” shouted Jax.
Payetta could feel a giddy excitement as she was nearing the end of the people she wanted to speak with. The day was still young, and she had somewhere to go with a certain someone.
“Daeken, you damn well better stay here with us. You take that kid of yours, find a farm, and make yourself a home. We need you. The Brigade needs you. And dammit, I want you fighting at our side. We’re not going to sit back and take it like we did this time. If I have any say in it, we’re bringing the fight to Zarith Smith, and were taking it to him hard.”
Daeken took the boy off his shoulders. “Normally I’d say a flat no to anyone who tried to tell me what to do. But since everything you said is exactly what I intend to do anyway, you make it a tad hard to resist.”
“So you’re going to do what I told you to do.”
“Yes. For now.”
“Good,” sang Payetta. “Welcome to the Heroes Brigade.”
Daeken smiled and put his hand on Shepherd’s head. “When you get back from your mud bath, there’s something I look forward to telling you.” He glanced down at the boy. “But it can wait for now.”
Payetta arched an eyebrow, “I like surprises.” Her heart thumped as she turned to Justen. “I’m ready when you are.”
“She Grunts wants to come too,” smirked Justen.
“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Ready for what? Where are you going?” asked Mayor Brundig.
Daeken cut in. “Trust me,” he said dryly, “it’s best if you don’t know the answer to either of those questions.”
“We’re going to the big upper mud hole in the river for a week,” replied Payetta in a helpful tone. “Justen promised me and I’ll not refuse. We’ll be in naked motion most of the time, if you need me to elaborate further, I can, but there’s a child in earshot. I strongly suggest you use the lower river mud holes if you want to stay clear of us. We’ll be quite engaged with one another and not in the mood for company.”
Mayor Brundig stared at her, face red and words failing him.
“All right,” piped Justen, a bit red faced himself as he looked around. “Now that everyone’s heard our plans, let’s be off.”
Payetta gave her husband a wink. “Lead the way, hotass.”
***
She Grunts sniffed at a hole in a big log, smelling the sweet aroma of food. Swiftly she dug a paw in through the hole, then drew out a handful of writhing succulent beetle larva.
Quickly she stuffed them into her cheeks and enjoyed the burst of juicy flavor.
In the background, near the river, her masters were mating again. A rather prolonged, repetitive act that She Grunts wanted nothing to do with. She’d learned not to bother them when they were engaged in such a manner.
Besides, the noises they made annoyed her. Far different from the happy laughter sounds she enjoyed.
She Grunts reached into the log again and pulled out another paw full of larva. The masters would do what they wanted. She didn’t care as long as they were happy afterward—which they always were.
She stuffed her cheeks again and gazed out at the woods.
Sweet delicious dandelions, this was the life!
FINIS
Author Notes - Brandon Barr
Written August 9th, 2017
Thanks for picking up Rogue Mage and giving it a read!
It was a blast working with Michael Anderle and the other writers in the Age of Magic. Writing a book can be a pretty lonely project, but with readers like you spurring us on, and our fellow authors in the universe encouraging us, it makes the writing process exponentially more fun and exciting.
So I have to tell you a quick story about how I wound up writing with Michael and the fine folks in the Age of Magic.
I’ve been writing and publishing since 2005, but until I ran into Michael Anderle’s online author community, I had never experienced such a generous and savvy bunch of writers. I joined up September of 2016 and instantly made friends with so many wonderful authors: Justin Sloan, Craig Martelle, Michael, and the list could go on and on.
When I joined the group, I was in remission from a nasty type of leukemia (AML). In December of 2016 the Leukemia came back. During that time, Justin Sloan caught wind of my bad turn of events. He immediately got the word out in Michael’s group about my diagnosis. So many amazing author friends from that community rallied around me and supported me by sending me messages, offering to take over aspects of my writing business, and also promoting my books to help support me and my family. It was an amazing thing to experience so much kindness and love.
Well, I survived the intensive round of chemo (Barely…I almost died), then had a 2nd stem cell transplant at City of Hope Medical Center at the end of January 2016.
So here comes the happy part…
In March, I was enjoying my nice, all inclusive retreat at City of Hope. Round-the-clock room service, bedside attendants, intravenous fluids run right into my veins so I could just lay back and relax and watch TV as my brother’s stem cells worked their magic on my evil leukemic ones. Life was good! And then…it got better!!
I got a phone call from Michael. He said he’d read a bit of my work (responsibly making sure I wasn’t a complete hack) and then he said something like, “Want to coauthor some books with me?”
Immediately, I reached out to clutch the bedrail, then replied in the affirmative using the steadiest voice I could manage. Talk about lifting my spirits! I vomited out my excitement on all the nurses that day (not literally, but, you know, metaphorically, as in, I couldn’t keep it all in).
And that’s how I’m here today, cancer free, and releasing my first book in the Age of Magic.
I’m SUPER excited to be here.
Lastly, I want to thank my amazing, faithful readers who’ve followed me book after book in my epic sci-fi fantasy series, Song of the Worlds. Thank you for your love! I cherish your readership (and your kind emails and support through my dealing with cancer). I want to give a big shout out to those newsletter subscribers who won my character name contest. Kim M Snyder, Susanti, Krystinna Hardin, Bill Schmidt, Suzzette Murphy, Debbie Cooper, Jessica Thompson, Valerie Helmstetter, and Brittany Wininger! Because of you ladies and gentleman, we have the character names Tanner, Jamie, Farrah, Rolf, Gerrin, Krolan, Ian, Straever, and Culley.
Thank you :)
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
August 10th, 2017
First let me say THANK YOU for not only reading this book, but also making it to the end to read these author notes, as well.
How the hell am I supposed to follow an Author Note like B
randon’s? Seriously - a Cancer story? Oh for fuck’s sake.
;-)
Now that I have that out of my system (c’mon, it was funny! - I’m still getting shit for deleting a few of Candy Crum’s exclamation points in her author notes. Man, I feel like Rodney Dangerfield at times… “I get no respect!” and now I know what he meant.)
Anyway, I want to tell a story about pre-teen Michael Anderle. You know, that geeky kid with glasses (oh dear broken dwarf leg were they ugly!) and a haircut only a mother would love.
Because the girls did NOT dig the cut, just saying.
So, that kid had a huge desire to be someone special, and he wanted to help change lives. Generally speaking, it was a desire to help people in cool ways, but he wanted to do it because ‘he’ was special. Meaning, I really wanted to be someone special, and because I was special I could help others.
I know, it’s kind of self-serving, but younger me didn’t care.
I grew older, but I didn’t grow any more special. I did come to learn about a few cool things I could do better than others, but it wasn’t anything life changing. I continued to care about helping others and often, would help to the detriment of myself. It was a personality trait I’ve come to learn is admirable, but needs to be pulled in or I could get taken advantage of pretty easily.
Fast forward thirty years.
Justin Sloan puts up a post to support Brandon Barr and his effort to beat cancer in the 20Books group. Some of you might remember looking at his books when I highlighted the series on the website since he reached out and asked (he asked knowing I promoted other authors). That shoutout is here: http://kurtherianbooks.com/2016/11/10/dont-cross-this-line-snippet-11-of/
I never mentioned Brandon’s cancer, and frankly he never really talked too much about it online until he showed back up in 20BooksTo50k Facebook group and said “Thank you!” to all of the wonderful people who supported him, whether he knew about it or not.
