The pack was huge, bigger than any he had seen outside of a human city. The count was beyond his ability to reason, but he knew that this was the source of his troubles. He had to warn the rest of his pack. Wolf-Ghost decided it was best to get back to his own den, but he picked up the scent of another lone human not far from the first one he killed.
Well, I have time for one more, he thought and set out to leave another example of how he dealt with intruders in his forest.
Wolf awoke from the strange but wonderful dream with a yawn and a stretch. He smacked his lips at the coppery taste that filled his mouth like the shadow of memory. He plucked a pinch of young pine needles from the tree and chewed them, quickly taking care of the strange morning taste. He squinted at the darkness and felt around for Ghost but the wolf was not here.
Probably went out to expand his territory again. Not a bad idea come to think of it.
He laid his hand onto the silver wolf’s head pommel of his short sword and was surprised to find that it was warm to the touch.
It was probably under Ghost and he just left.
Wolf gave his chest and arms a quick scratch then crawled out from under the thick boughs of the young tree. Rough hands suddenly grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. Wolf cast a startled glance behind him and looked into the fur-hooded face of the man that held his arms tightly to his sides.
“What do we have here?” a second man with a drawn sword asked in amusement. “You ain’t no wolf!”
“I am so!” Wolf shot back.
“Ya look more like a wood rat than the wolf we tracked back here. What do ya know about that, boy?”
Wolf dropped to his knees without warning, slipping from the man’s grip that held him, rolled to the side, and drew his small sword.
“I know you orc lovers better leave me alone,” Wolf warned, brandishing the masterly crafted shortsword with much more bravado than skill.
Both men grinned disdainfully at the half-elf’s bluster and the one with his sword drawn spoke. “Now ain’t that a pretty little thing. Am I supposed to be scared of a little boy with a pretty little knife?”
“I would be more afraid of Ghost if I were you,” Wolf replied to the man’s taunt.
“I’m a man grown, boy, ghosts don’t scare me none no more.”
“Well I guess that will be the last mistake you ever make then.”
Before the man could reply, a black blur leapt out of the trees, pinning his sword arm uselessly against his chest as he fell and Ghost found his throat. Wolf lunged forward and slashed at the other man before he could even get his own blade halfway clear of its sheath. The wolf-headed sword sliced through the thick fur coat and steel-linked armor as if it were made of paper. Blood blossomed in a thick line across the man’s midsection as he dropped to his knees then fell facedown into the snow.
“I think it’s time to go, Ghost.”
Wolf gathered his bow and quiver and strapped on his snowshoes, never noticing the dark, dried blood that covered Ghost’s chest. He looked at the bodies of the two men, unaffected by the sight of their blood.
Definitely not from around here; too tan and they stink.
Wolf and Ghost began the long trek through the snow back the way they came. Wolf knew all he needed to know and was in a hurry to get back and tell Azerick. Whatever these men were doing, it was not going to be good for the school or North Haven.
Wolf returned to the keep late that afternoon and sought out Azerick and the others. He was doubly lucky in that it was almost time for the evening meal. That way they would all be together and he could fill his hungry belly.
Wolf and Ghost strode into the dining hall, took a seat without preamble, and began helping himself to everything within reach, fixing a second plate for Ghost and setting it on the floor. He did not like that Ghost was required to eat on the floor like an animal, but Allister got mad last time he set him a place at the table with the rest of them.
Humans, go figure, he thought.
“It is nice to see you actually sitting at the table and not darting out from under it to steal a ham or swinging down from the rafters,” Azerick said from the head of the table.
Wolf just shrugged and shoveled food into his mouth with inexpert use of the metal utensils. Yet another reason he rarely ate at the table with the others.
“There are people in my woods—men,” Wolf finally said once he slowed down with his eating.
“I imagine there are from time to time. Does this surprise you for some reason?” Azerick asked.
Wolf shook his head as he bolted down a large piece of roast. “There are a lot of men. I killed some, one, and Ghost killed three—although I may have killed three and him one, not sure. Maybe we should split the first two.”
All conversation stopped and every eye suddenly turned to look at the young man still eating, seemingly unperturbed by what he just said.
“You don’t know if you killed one or three?” Azerick asked.
“I don’t know, maybe it was a dream, I’m not sure.”
Azerick spoke with measured slowness. “Who did you kill, Wolf?”
“Some men; soldiers from the looks of them—guards, maybe scouts. Definitely scouts I think. They had a really big camp with lots of tents and horses.” Wolf glanced out of the corner of his eye toward the ceiling. “I think there were anyway, but that may have been a dream too but I don’t think so; not just a dream anyway.”
It was Aggie who spoke next. “Wolf, what do you mean by you think it was a dream and what did you see?”
Wolf shook his head as he swallowed nearly half a potato, barely chewing it. “I went to sleep, I think, and then I was Ghost. I chased some deer then I smelled humans. I killed a guard and saw a huge camp with lots of tents and horses. When I woke up two men grabbed me. Ghost killed one and I killed the other with my sword. By the way, have you found my present yet for those feathers?”
“No, Wolf, I have yet to find something appropriate,” Azerick replied in exasperation.
Aggie looked at Ghost who was peering over the top of the table as if he were following the conversation. He yawned widely, his tongue jutting out and curling, and ended it with a squeak.
“What do you make of that, Aggie?” Allister asked his lady friend.
“I think we had best heed the young man’s warning. I won’t pretend to fully understand what he is talking about in regards to the dreams, but I think he has seen enough that we would be foolish not be ready and quickly.”
Azerick nodded at her suggestion. “I agree. Coupled with the news Zeb brought and what I saw with my own eyes, I think we need to be extra vigilant and warn North Haven as well. Wolf, how far away were they and how many do you think there were?”
“It took me the entire day to get back so figure two, maybe three days for them. I’m not sure how many men. There were tents for as far as I could see and I could see pretty far with Ghost’s eyes. At least as many humans as I have ever seen in one place before and several hundred horses.”
“Bags, hundreds of horses and likely not even their entire force,” Allister muttered.
Jansen spoke up, breaking his usual silence. “A heavy cavalry-equipped army you can figure perhaps five footmen and one archer per cavalryman; a standard army—perhaps two to three times the ratio of men afoot to horses.”
Alex concurred with the bodyguard’s estimate with what he learned in his years at the Martial Academy.
Rusty sighed at the sound of those numbers. “Let’s hope it’s a cavalry-oriented army then.”
Aggie spoke up. “Let’s see if I can get a better look at what Wolf saw.
The senior wizard grabbed a shallow, silver dish from beneath the bowl of potatoes, filled the bottom inch of it with water, and recited a spell. She gazed into the reflected image for several long minutes before finding what she was looking for.
“Oh dear,” she mumbled then spoke up. “It would appear our wild young friend is quite correct. There are several thousand men
in a large encampment just days to the south.”
“I think I had best go see the duchess immediately and warn her,” Azerick said as he stood up.
Whether he had eaten his fill or not Azerick suddenly found himself without an appetite.
“And maybe Lady Miranda?” Colleen asked teasingly as she sipped at her goblet of red wine.
“I had best go with you, lad, just so you don’t ruffle any feathers while you deliver your warning,” Allister said and rose with him.
Azerick had Peck bring Horse and a well-tempered mare around and they were on their way. Azerick summoned his staff to hand even though he could have left it at the keep and called it in an instant. He liked the feel of it in his hand and the impression the powerful weapon made.
Was it always that way or was this a new feeling? He usually just left it behind, not bothering to encumber his hands needlessly. The sorcerer ran his hand over the smooth, burgundy wood, tracing the patterns of the many runes carved in its surface and felt the thrumming power just waiting to be unleashed upon a deserving foe.
Stop it, you demonic cesspool. I know what you are doing, Azerick ordered his unwelcome parasite.
And I know what you will be doing and I like it! I can smell the blood on the air. Death is already being carried on the winds of fate and it brings the sweet smell of wanton destruction and brutality! Finally, after weeks of this pointless existence we can get back to doing what we do best—killing those who stand against us!
I thought maybe I would just sit this one out, stay in the rear and provide defensive support and let Allister, Aggie, and Rusty handle all the unpleasant stuff.
No, you cannot deny me this nor can you deny yourself! I know you; you could not just stand by idly while others threaten those you love.
It was amazing how the demon could make the word love sound so disgusting. He was right though, he could never just stand aside even if he knew that his friends could handle it themselves. Azerick could hear the demon’s gleeful laughter in his head and could almost picture him rubbing his palms together like a child waiting to open his winter fest gift.
The sun was down and the gates were closed by the time they reached North Haven proper. A guardsman called down a challenge from atop the gates.
“Ho, who goes there?”
“Magus Azerick and Archmage Allister, we have urgent news for the duchess.”
“Oh, good evening to you magus, archmage. Come ‘round to the sally port and we‘ll let you in.”
Azerick could already hear the large crossbar being raised from the smaller gate a few yards ahead. The two mages walked their mounts through the single gate into the open area beyond. Another guard rode up on a horse as two men lowered the stout crossbar back into its support brackets.
“Good evening gentlemen. I will escort you to the castle. I am—holy halberds in heaven, it’s you!” the guardsman shouted in shock.
“Captain Cruthers?” Azerick asked, recognizing the former watch captain of Sandusk. “What are you doing here?”
The man ran a hand over his face and groaned. “It’s Lieutenant Cruthers now. I took your advice and moved north with my wife where it is nice and quiet and safe like you suggested. It’s not going to be quiet for long is it?”
“I don’t think so,” Azerick admitted.
“I should have known better, I really should have. I should have stayed in Sandusk where I only had to worry about killer dust storms, nomadic raiders, murderers, and thieves. It was so much safer. Follow me please. Try not to kill anyone on the way to the castle,” John said in resignation.
“You sure have a way of making friends wherever you go,” Allister whispered with a grin.
Guards took hold of their mounts at the gates of the castle as they dismounted. Lieutenant Cruthers handed them off to the castle guards and returned to his duty at the gates. The duchess’s seneschal met them just inside the castle entrance in the lavish reception hall.
“Good evening, gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of your distinguished presence?”
Before either Azerick or Allister could answer, the hall echoed with hurried footsteps and the chiming of small bells.
“Good evening, Captain Brague,” Azerick said without turning his head to see whom it was that approached.
“What are you doing here?” Captain Brague growled.
“I have urgent news for the duchess; news that is best not delayed by petty rivalries,” Azerick intoned as he turned to face the obstinate captain.
“Then you can tell me and I will decide if it is worthy enough to excuse interrupting the duchess.”
Allister stepped forward at this point to prevent unnecessary delays. “Captain, I assure you our message is urgent and we should be taken to the duchess with great haste.”
Captain Brague knew Magus Allister by reputation well enough to know that only a fool would disregard anything he had to say.
“Very well, Magus, follow me,” Brague relented.
The captain led them through the ornate marble halls at a fast, bell-jingling pace to the dining hall where the duchess was entertaining several nobles of the city. All eyes turned to watch the trio enter.
“Magus Allister, Magus Azerick, what an unexpected surprise,” Duchess Mellina said without emotion at their sudden entrance. “I must apologize for not inviting you to dinner. I did not think you would care to attend such a social function.”
Captain Brague took a single step forward. “Forgive me, Your Grace, but Magus Allister said that he had an urgent message to deliver and I felt compelled to bring him at once along with—him,” he informed the duchess with a jerk of his thumb toward Azerick.
“Good evening, Azerick,” Lady Miranda said with a warm smile.
“Good evening to you, Miranda,” Azerick returned, matching her smile with a rare showing of one of his own.
Captain Brague glared daggers at Azerick’s failure to address Miranda by her title but said nothing.
Oh you have got to be joking! Please tell me we are having relations with that!
We are not having relations or anything else with that! You will have no part of anything with Miranda! I will push you so far back in my mind that your entire world could be encompassed by a speck on a grain of sand!
My, what a complete over-reaction for someone not having relations. Oh, this is fantastic! –Hey, stop it, nooo! The demons voice trailed away and disappeared behind an iron wall of absolute nothingness.
“Perhaps you would like to discuss this privately,” Azerick said.
“Is it a personal matter or does it involve the city?” the duchess asked.
“I believe there is a great threat to the city and possibly the entire kingdom.”
Worried mutterings erupted around the table but a frigid look from Mellina quickly silenced them. “Then please proceed. Everyone at this table has a large stake in the safety and success of the city and has a right to know about anything that threatens it.”
“Very well, Your Grace,” Azerick replied with a nod. “We believe a large group of soldiers are no more than three days march from here, possibly only two. Several hundred cavalry could reach the city in less than a day.”
Miranda threw a delicate hand to her full lips with a gasp of shock. Duchess Mellina reacted with the same cold, calm demeanor she granted any other sort of news.
“Do you have an approximation of their total numbers, Magus?” Mellina asked after once again silencing the worried mutterings of the nobles with a steely glance.
“At least three thousand; perhaps as many as twice that.”
The mutterings took on an air of panic at Azerick’s words. All the nobles voicing their fear and shock sounded like a gaggle of frightened geese, honking wildly without coherent purpose or direction.
“Silence!” the duchess shouted in a rare show of emotion. “I thank you for this information, magus. Once again, you have proved yourself a valuable friend to the city. Captain Brague, head the readiness of the ci
ty’s defenses. Double the watch and rouse the militia. Unlock every weapons store we have and put them into the hands of every able bodied man and woman in the city. If these men do indeed plan hostilities toward North Haven, we will repel them just as my grandfather and his father before him repelled the pirates and barbarians.
“Chamberlain, have my armor readied. If North Haven falls it will be atop my cold, dead body. I want buckets and cisterns filled to fight fires and barricades erected along the streets to channel anyone who breaches our defenses into killing zones. It looks as though this year’s winter festival will be celebrated in a display of blood, valor, and heroism.”
An older, heavy-jowled noble cleared his throat. “Your Grace, perhaps it would be prudent to evacuate Lady Miranda and as many non combatants by ship as we can. Most every merchant ship that calls North Haven home is docked for the winter. We could move several thousand if necessary.”
Azerick answered the nobleman’s suggestion for the duchess. “I would strongly advise against taking to the sea. One of my ship captains reported that Southport had numerous warships standing ready and closed its harbor as well as its gates. It is quite possible that those ships are to be used to invade North Haven by sea, or at the very least, provide a blockade against anyone escaping to seek aid and could at this moment be waiting to capture or sink any vessel heading south.”
“That vile, treacherous snake!” Miranda shouted in fury. “I never thought that even he would sink so low as to take North Haven by force despite all his treacherous ambitions!”
“Chamberlain, send a runner to the harbor master and have him raise the chains to seal off the harbor. Have the harbor fortifications put on alert and see that the weapon emplacements are ready to engage any ships attempting to invade us by sea,” Duchess Mellina ordered.
“We do not know if that is Ulric’s plan, but we will be prepared and I would not put such treachery as being beneath him. If he is behind this, I will do everything in my power to see that he pays a reckoning for it. Magus, can we expect any magical aid from you and your people in our time of need?”
The Sorcerer's Vengeance (The Sorcerer's Path) Page 31
