Ancient Magic

by Blink, Bob

  Days passed, measured inaccurately by the times they stopped to eat or rest. The character of the stone changed on this side. It was more colorful, and softer than the hard black rock that was so common on the far end. The path used by the ancient travelers was easy enough to follow, although there were several places they were forced to detour. Small collapses of the sides or roof of the cave had buried sections of the trail which they had to work around or over before finding the path once again. Twice the river that flowed off to their side had undermined the trail and washed away sections of it. Nothing they encountered provided the kind of barrier the major blockage had, and they steadily made progress toward their ultimate goal.

  On the second day they had seen two more of the strange beasts. Fortunately they had been on the far side of the river and had been headed in the opposite direction. They moved as quietly as possible and took care to pass without giving themselves away. It was questionable if the creatures could cross the river, but with Jeen’s ability the only known way to stop them, they had no desire to test the creatures. They had seen how aggressive they were. Once again, it was impossible to make out details of the creatures without using the magical light, which would have given their presence away. Soon enough they had managed to move well beyond the range of where the beasts might see them.

  “Do you feel it?” Jeen asked after several days of walking.

  “We’re moving upwards,” Daria confirmed. “It’s very slight, but has been steady for some time now.”

  The others noted it as well. For days the path had been level or slightly downward. Now the grade had changed. A secondary indication was the river which was gradually falling away from them, flowing through the depths well below the level where they walked.

  Sometime later they could sense a change in the darkness of the cave. It was still dark, but not as absolute as it had been for so long. Light was gradually leaking into the depths. Then they started to hear things. First it was a breeze, ever so slight as it worked its way through narrow passageways in the rock. Then they could hear the screech of birds. Finally they saw the faint glow of light that had to be the far end they had sought so long.

  Invigorated by the nearness of the end to this seemingly endless trek through darkness, they quickened their pace. Gradually the darkness faded as more light worked its way into the cave. Then they could see a sliver of light and blue sky in the distance. It took another glass, but then they were nearing the entrance. The light seemed impossibly bright as they approached.

  “We must be cautious,” Kaler reminded everyone. “We have no idea what to expect on this end. We have seen no sign of mining on this side, but who knows what might be just outside.”

  Carefully they approached the entrance. Their eyes watered as they looked upon the brightly lit landscape outside the cave. The remains of the small village not too far outside the entrance were old and decayed. No one had lived there for a very long time.

  Blasts of hot air struck them as they lingered near the entrance. After days in the cool depths of the mountain. The outside air was uncomfortably warm. The land outside had changed as well. No longer were there cool mountains with stands of pine. The land here was drier with far less vegetation.

  “The Ruins cast its influence even here,” Ash’urn said softly. “We have a way to go before reaching the boundary, but this land is already turning to desert. We must replenish our supplies of water before venturing too far.”

  They lingered near the entrance for more than a glass letting their eyes adjust to the bright light of the sun and for their bodies to acclimate to the warmer air of the near desert. After their break, they left the shadow of the cave and explored the old town. It was even older than it had appeared at first. Rigo suspected it had been deserted before the path through the cave had been blocked. There were no clues why it had been built in this remote location. They discovered a small river that formed a large pool near the southern edge of the ruined village, before the river disappeared into the dry ground. For all they knew it joined up underground with the river they had followed for days. They made their first camp in the open by the pond for the night. After days in the darkness even the stars in the night sky gave welcome light. The clothes they had worn for days were dirty from the cave, and torn in places. They changed into their spares, washing the cave soiled items in the pond and leaving them to dry until morning.

  Rigo didn’t know where they were. Neither did Ash’urn, at least not exactly. He hadn’t been this close to the Ruins in this part of Lopal before, but explained that the wasteland couldn’t be far. Rigo knew without a doubt that where he wished to go was straight ahead. He’d never felt the pull so strongly.

  Chapter 52

  Commander Loum took a deep breath of the fall air. He loved this time of year, and was especially happy to be back in this part of Branid. He was raised not too far from here and was very familiar with the area. He liked the dense forests and the fall colors that were just starting to show. He’d hadn’t been back in this part of the country in more than three years, and was enjoying the adventure, despite feeling held back by the large group of men he led and the support contingent that necessarily followed such a force. While the men could have moved far quicker left to their own, the wagons and supplies that had to travel with them couldn’t maintain a faster pace through this kind of terrain. He could have moved ahead with some of the men, but given the current situation, he couldn’t risk losing the supplies to enemy action. Even if he had taken a group and ridden on ahead they would have had to wait somewhere up the trail for the rest to catch up, so nothing would be gained. Feeding more than five hundred men was no simple task. Five hundred and fourteen to be exact, not counting the one hundred and fifteen non fighting troops that were cooks, blacksmiths, wagon drivers and healers. Those were the ones who slowed the pace, but a force couldn’t sustain itself without them.

  He held his impatience inside and focused on the rolling hills through which they rode. The grass-covered land was filled with numerous trees even when they weren’t moving through the thick forest itself. Rocks and boulders further made the way difficult for the wagons. Finally, the frequent streams and occasional river added to the difficulty of moving wagons through here. But it certainly was beautiful. Risos be praised, but he sometimes wondered why he had left a life on the farm to become a soldier in places far less satisfying to live.

  “Scout coming in,” one of the soldiers behind him noted, interrupting his thoughts. He wondered why the men felt inclined to do that. It was as if he couldn’t see the man riding their way without being made aware of his presence. His eyes were as good as theirs, probably better in many cases. He could see that the rider hurrying their way was Jaff, his most trusted scout. He watched without changing pace as the man rode up to him and swung his horse around so he could ride along side and make his report.

  “Nobody there ser,” he said bluntly.

  That surprised Loum. And worried him at the same time. Rhory should have been at the rendezvous point by now. He had expected that the prince would arrive at least two days ahead of himself, and they were close enough now they would be there by nightfall. There might have been good reason for the delay, but already his sense of peace and well being had vanished. Now he was more anxious than ever to get to the agreed to location.

  “No sign they have been there?” he asked worriedly.

  “None at all. No one’s camped there in a very long time,” the scout replied. He’d known that Commander Loum would be disturbed by the news and had hurried back after taking a careful look around.

  Loum thought briefly, then made his decision.

  “Sergeant, split the men. Half will stay with the supplies, the other half will ride ahead with me. We’ll meet up again at the rendezvous point.”

  The action of splitting the force was quickly done. Commander Loum had the men pre-assigned to various reorganizations of their forces. Dividing the group into half, thirds, or fourths, each ma
n knew which group he was to be part of. Therefore, it was simply a matter of giving the order, and the two groups almost magically formed, one behind the Commander and another dropping back to escort the supply train under the leadership of Loum’s second in command.

  Seeing the group had sorted themselves out, Loum spurred his horse and signaled with his hand for the men assigned to him to follow. Quickly they distanced themselves from their slower compatriots.

  Freed from the slower pace, they moved smoothly over the rolling hills. Jaff led the way, riding slightly ahead of the Commander. He’d ridden this route twice today already and knew the best way to go. Had it not been for the concern weighing on him, Loum would have enjoyed the brisk ride. He’d been forced to plod along for days and this was an exhilarating change.

  Just over two glass later they rode into the prearranged campground. It was a very large area able to accommodate both the men that Loum had brought with him and those who still traveled with the Prince. It was immediately apparent that the Prince had still not arrived.

  Loum set the men to arranging the camp, and sent Jaff and the others scouts out to look ahead. He knew where the Prince was coming from and therefore it should be easy for the scouts to locate him. As much as he wanted to ride along with them, he maintained the proper discipline and remained to see to the establishment of their camp and the perimeter security. Had they not been in a situation where enemy soldiers might be encountered when they wanted to remain unseen, he would have had the entire force out looking.

  The various scouts drifted back into camp after dark. The rest of the force had arrived and were settled in by that time. No sign had been found of the Prince or his men. Loum felt a great uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. What had happened to his friend Rhory?

  “Maybe we should wait?” Loum’s second in command asked the next morning as Loum mounted his horse and prepared to ride out with half the men under his command. “Those were our instructions.”

  Loum had thought about it the entire night. Something had gone wrong. He was certain of it now. Otherwise the Prince would have been here waiting. Once again he had split the force, leaving half of the men here to set up a strong defensive position and to be here in the event the Prince showed up while they were gone. He couldn’t see how that could happen, but he didn’t want the Prince to arrive and find no one waiting. The other half of the men he would take and head toward the direction he was told the Prince would be coming from. Each man carried sufficient rations for a week of travel. The force he was taking was marginally larger than the force Rhory had left Sulen with initially, so he felt he would have sufficient men should they encounter trouble. In the worst case, he could have the men retreat back here where the rest of his force would be waiting.

  “The Prince should have been here,” was all Loum said. That was explanation enough for his actions. “Make sure the men are positioned to resist an attacking force. We could be gone several days.”

  With that, he turned his horse and nodded to Jaff to lead the way. Two others scouts were already out and searching, but this morning Jaff would direct Loum and his men based on his scouting the previous day. Later one of the other scouts would ride with the troops while Jaff went on ahead once again.

  They found nothing the first day. The woods showed signs of large numbers of horses having passed through, but nothing recent. Loum knew the area and the places where the wide river was shallow enough to make crossing easy. That wasn’t the case farther south where the river became deep and fast and required boats to cross almost everywhere. Loum allowed them to make camp reluctantly, feeling each hour they sat was possibly an hour when his Prince might be fighting for survival somewhere. However, traveling in the woods at night was not practical with this many men.

  The next morning they were on the move at first light. The men had already been up for more than a glass, as Loum was anxious to be on the way. Jaff and one other scout had left more than two glass earlier, and would be well ahead of them. They had ridden less than a glass when Jaff was spotted riding their way.

  “Enemy troops ahead,” Jaff reported when he’d brought his mount to a stop next to Loum.

  “How many?” Loum asked.

  “A small force. Nearly a hundred men. They are camping on this side of the river where it is easy to cross over. From what I was able to overhear, they are a raiding party and are returning home. I could see no sign of prisoners.”

  Normally Loum would have elected to attack the force. They were apparently taking it easy and were far outnumbered by his force. Taking a few prisoners he might be able to obtain valuable information. However, attacking the force would announce their presence and there could be a larger enemy force somewhere in the area. More importantly, a battle would significantly delay their finding the Prince, and that was his first priority at the moment.

  “Can we get around them unseen?” he asked Jaff.

  The scout nodded. “It would be easy enough. I sent Hann on ahead assuming that would be your decision.”

  Loum nodded. He’d ridden with Jaff often enough the man could anticipate his decisions. “Let’s go then,” he said.

  The route Jaff selected took them away from the river and extended the time it took to get where they were headed, but they were able to pass well inland from where the enemy had made camp on the bank of the river. By early afternoon they were back on the path they had been following.

  When the time came for Hann to return to the group and change with Jaff, he had not yet appeared. It was another half glass before the man was seen riding their way. As soon as he rode close enough for his face to be seen they knew something was wrong.

  “What did you find?” Loum demanded as the scout rode hesitantly toward them.

  The sorrow in the man’s eyes was clear for all to see. “I think they are all dead,” he said slowly. “It appears they were caught by a superior force and wiped out to the man.”

  Loum couldn’t say he was surprised. This was what he’d been fearing ever since the Prince hadn’t been at the rendezvous. But to hear the words spoken was another matter.

  “How far?” Loum asked.

  “Almost two glass farther on,” Hann replied.

  “Let’s go,” Loum urged, afraid what they would find yet needing to see for himself.

  There had indeed been a major battle here, Loum thought as he surveyed the area. He rode around the clearing seeing for himself with his experienced eye reading the signs of the battle. The grass was torn, with small trees and bushes trampled by horses that were being ridden by men engaged in combat. Blood and pieces of armor covered the ground. He could see the sign of hundreds of horses converging on the area through the three paths that lead into the clearing. There was no doubt it had been an ambush. Somehow they had known where the Prince was heading.

  In the center was all the proof that was necessary. It had been several days, but the smell of burning meat was still strong. A huge fire had been built and the bodies of men and horses had been incinerated in the resulting blaze. Loum was surprised that it had been done. If the body count, based on the number of skulls that had been dug out of the ashes were any indication, the Prince’s entire force had been wiped out. For the enemy to have the energy and willingness to expend the effort to build the fire and gather the bodies was surprising. There was something more to this. Perhaps it was a sign of respect because it had been the heir to the throne that had been killed. That was one reason why he had the men carefully digging through the ashes to see what they could find. In addition to the men and animals, they found parts of the supply wagons and burnt and blackened pieces of armor. There was no doubt these remains were those of Branid soldiers. By evening Loum was certain that no one had escaped. No remains could be explicitly identified, the flesh having been burned from the bodies by the heat of the blaze.

  His second in command came forward with a blackened chest plate. “Commander,” he said softly.

  When Loum looked up at him, he
saw the ruined piece of armor. He recognized it immediately. The partially burned pattern of the twin falcons was something he’d seen many times before. He held out his hand and the other passed it over. It was Rhory’s beyond a doubt. Loum had ridden with the Prince on multiple occasions when he’d worn it.

  “The body?” he asked softly.

  “Nothing we can identify. This is the only identifiable piece of his armor we have found thus far. One of the bodies might be his, but it is impossible to tell.”

  Loum nodded slowly. He continued to examine the armor as the other man walked slowly away. The men spent the next day continuing the examination and burying the remains. Eighty-six men had been consumed by the fire. Two more pieces of the Prince’s armor had been found. They couldn’t be absolutely certain, but it was apparent that the Prince had perished in this battle. Reluctantly, Loum released one of the messenger birds with the news of what had been found. The bird would arrive at the castle in Sulen in a couple of days. It would take him and his force considerably longer to return. The news would be old when they arrived. At least Loum wouldn’t have to be the one to inform Rhory’s wife Mos’pera. There was no way war could be avoided now.

  Chapter 53

  The tribal leaders, the lesser kings that ruled their respective lands and bowed only to the Lamane, had been arriving for more than a week at the location they’d been told would be set aside for this, the most important Caucus that had been held in more than a decade. The grounds, as far as one could see, were filled with colorful tents, the large ornate pavilions of the leaders themselves, surrounded by dozens of smaller shelters for their followers and advisors. Simpler accommodations, but still grouped with the others and distinguishable by color and pattern, were the tents that housed the forces each leader had brought with him.