Endless Flight

by A. C. Cobble

  “They will probably ruthlessly torture and kill him,” mentioned Rhys.

  She stared at the rogue. “Do you want to run after him?”

  Lady Towaal pushed them to keep moving long into the night. After the battle, no one complained. Besides, fleeing Kirksbane was becoming a bit of a habit.

  On the walk, Ben and Amelie decided it was time to get answers. After the experience with Tomas, they weren’t going to wait.

  “Lady Towaal,” started Amelie, “Can you explain why we should be walking with you right now?”

  “Girl,” replied the mage. She paused and frowned. “I suppose I shouldn’t call you that anymore. Of course you are right to question us. Let me think about the best way to explain.”

  Amelie looked at Ben and he nodded encouragement.

  “We quit the Sanctuary,” blurted Rhys helpfully.

  Towaal stared at him.

  He shrugged. “That’s what they want to know.”

  “What Rhys said is true,” agreed Towaal finally. “We returned to the City shortly after you left and immediately knew something wasn’t right. The Veil and her stooges were peddling a story about you attempting to kill your roommate, Meghan.”

  “That’s not true!” interjected Ben.

  “Obviously,” snorted Towaal. “I knew it wasn’t true the second I heard it. When I was refused access to the poor girl, I decided I must do something. With the help of Rhys, I was able to sneak in and see Meghan. I was wasting my time. She is Sanctuary heart and soul now. Meghan told her jailors I saw her and the Veil called me in. I have known the Veil for a long time, but luckily, I was able to hide much of my true intent. That woman personifies arrogance. She demanded I stay within the Sanctuary grounds until this matter was settled. Rhys and I left later that day.”

  “Why?” asked Amelie. “You’re a mage. How can you quit?”

  “I’m not quitting being a mage, girl.” Towaal sighed distractedly. “Sorry, I mean Amelie. I am not quitting being a mage. What I quit doing is following the orders of the Veil. For decades now, I have been unhappy with where she is steering us. This, well, it was too much for me. I could not be a part of it any longer.”

  “Then you know?” asked Amelie. “You know how they were going to sell me to the Coalition? How Reinhold and his men were killed? What happened the night we escaped?”

  Towaal grimaced. “I know a lot, but not all. We were able to find out or guess all of what you just said. Is there more we don’t know?” The mage shrugged. “Probably.”

  “Why, though,” asked Ben, “why is the Veil doing this?”

  A cool autumn breeze rustled the leaves around them and Ben pulled his cloak close. Lady Towaal paused before answering. They gave her time to think.

  “It’s both simple and complicated, I think. King Argren has no respect for mages, which of course, is offensive to my former brethren. He didn’t invite a Sanctuary representative to his Conclave, for example. Keeping the respect of Alcott’s lords is something the Veil considers very important. She could not let a slight like that sit unanswered. Also, with his Alliance, King Argren created a formidable force. Whitehall, Issen, Venmoor, and Northport. These are four of the six most powerful cities in Alcott, the City and Irrefort being the other two. Add in Fabrizo and the others, and Argren could field significantly more swords and better trained soldiers than the Coalition. The balance of power shifted, and the Veil acted to even it out.”

  “I-I don’t understand,” stuttered Amelie.

  “The Sanctuary claims to be above the fray, above the silly political games of lords climbing over other lords to be at the top of the pile. The truth is, the Sanctuary considers itself already on top of that pile. King Argren’s Alliance was gaining enough power that it might actually overshadow the Sanctuary. For the Sanctuary to maintain its position, they can’t allow that to happen.”

  “So,” extrapolated Ben, “they will help the Coalition finish the Alliance?”

  “No.” Lady Towaal shook her head sadly. “They will give the Coalition just enough support to make it an even fight.”

  Ben and Amelie frowned.

  “If neither side can gain a decisive victory,” explained Towaal, “then it will be a bloody war of attrition. In the end, the Sanctuary is the only winner.”

  “Like the Blood Bay!” exclaimed Ben.

  “I am glad you remember that story.” Towaal smiled wanly. “That war was four hundred years ago, but it is still fresh in my mind. Countless men died, and for what?”

  “I can’t accept that!” growled Amelie. “We can’t just sit by and let this happen. My home is under siege!”

  Towaal placed a comforting hand on Amelie’s shoulder while they walked. It was one of the only signs of human emotion Ben had seen her give.

  “We won’t just sit by and let it happen,” agreed Towaal. “We may not be able to prevent war, but maybe we can mitigate the carnage. Maybe we can save a few souls. First things first, we try to get your father some help.”

  They rested that night. In the morning, they started again toward Northport.

  “I’m getting pretty familiar with this road,” grumbled Ben.

  Amelie gave him a playful shove. “At least this time we have a mage, and, uh, Rhys, what is it you do?”

  The rogue ignored her.

  “That’s true,” agreed Ben. “We have a real plan now. We’re not just running out of fear.”

  Rhys coughed and Lady Towaal looked back at them.

  “What?” demanded Ben.

  “We just fought and publicly killed a mage,” explained Rhys. “You don’t think we should be afraid?”

  Ben looked at Rhys apprehensively.

  “Remember the discussion last night?” reminded Rhys. “The one where the Sanctuary wouldn’t let slights sit unanswered, how the Veil would do anything to maintain the respect of Alcott’s lords?”

  “Oh,” groaned Ben.

  “That fight just ensured we have the Veil’s full attention,” said Rhys grimly.

  “What does that mean?” asked Amelie. “An army of mages?”

  “There will be a bounty placed on our heads,” declared Towaal. “A significantly larger one than was already on yours. That will draw hunters from all over the continent, if we live long enough. Worse though, much worse, my brethren will hunt us. The Veil will send anyone she thinks is capable of defeating me. There are several. We must be suspicious of any woman who looks out of place. Staying hidden is the safest course, but in case we are found, we should always be prepared to raise our defenses.”

  “Our defenses?” queried Ben.

  “Hardening your will to defend against a mage’s attack,” explained Towaal.

  Ben looked at her blankly.

  “Damn it, girl,” Towaal barked at Amelie in frustration. “You are being hunted by mages and you didn’t teach him to defend himself?”

  “We, um, I was learning to use the sword,” mumbled Amelie in embarrassment. “I meant to teach him. I said I would.”

  “Oh my.” Towaal sighed. “We have a lot to do.”

  They kept walking another hundred paces then Towaal continued, “Rhys, we need somewhere close by where we can hide out for a few weeks. We need to instruct the young ones. Can you go ahead of us and find a place?”

  Rhys groaned but took off at a brisk jog without objecting.

  “Hide for a few weeks!” complained Amelie. “We must reach Northport and help raise forces to save Issen.”

  “Girl, I am certain you two will not survive this if you are unable to protect yourselves. The siege of Issen will take months, there is some time. We have a bigger, immediate problem. I cannot extend protection to you both and hope to defeat one of my colleagues. Remember your training. The only sure defense against an attack is an individual’s own hardened will.”

  ***

  Three days later, they settled into an abandoned farm house north of Kirksbane. It was set well off the road and in a sorry state of disrepair. Rhys specula
ted there must have been an elderly occupant who couldn’t care for the place any longer. Whether the occupant passed away or moved on, they did not know. Nearby fields lay fallow. It had been at least a season since anyone tended to them.

  The first day, Ben and Rhys cleaned up what they could and tried to make the place more comfortable. For people used to living on the road over the last two months, four walls and a leaky roof seemed like luxury.

  They cleaned out the hearth, kicked out a relatively debris free area for sleeping, and even found a sturdy table with usable chairs.

  Behind the farmhouse, they found a narrow creek sufficient for gathering water. It looked too small to contain fish, but they would look anyway.

  Ben scouted the area for signs of game. In the field, he found markings he thought belonged to wild pigs. He made a note to check for additional signs. Maybe they could stock up on ham and bacon for the rest of the journey.

  Also that day, Towaal sat down with Amelie and interrogated her about her training. Towaal had occasionally visited Initiate Amelie, but she was usually in the field. She was never assigned to training new mages.

  Ben overheard snippets of the conversation as he worked.

  “I understand the concept of hardening your will,” stated Amelie. “If you have hardened your will, and maintain the space around you, then another mage cannot manipulate matter within the sphere of your influence, right?”

  Towaal murmured assent.

  “And that is how you were able to push aside Lady Ingrid’s fire?” surmised Amelie.

  “Yes,” affirmed Lady Towaal. “It requires less willpower to control your body and the immediate area around you, hence, it’s easier to play defense than offense in battle. It is the property of inertia. Instead of trying to effect change in the world, you are trying to maintain stasis. Simply put, the physical world is inclined to keep doing what it is doing.”

  “Then how did you defeat Lady Ingrid? Was she not protecting herself?” questioned Amelie.

  “She was trying,” remarked Towaal dryly. “It is easier to maintain stasis, but a stronger will can still overpower a weaker will. A strong enough will can even manipulate matter within your body, despite you trying to stop it. They say the Veil can stop a person’s heart from beating using only her will, though I’m not sure how anyone would know that since the woman hasn’t been outside her residence in a century.”

  Amelie frowned at the reference to the Veil, but questions about the fight with Ingrid were more pressing. “So, are you that much stronger than Ingrid that you were able to overpower her? What kind of defense can Ben and I put up then if we are facing experienced mages?”

  “It’s important to understand that against a strong enough mage, you may not be able to put up any defense,” advised Towaal, “but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Lady Ingrid, I believe she was near my strength. She was also a field mage and had experience in combat. She forgot one important lesson though, which we teach all initiates. Magic involves two core capabilities, will and knowledge. Ingrid was pouring all of her willpower into the attack. She pulled heat from the courtyard and from her own body to generate the fire she was using.”

  Lady Towaal paused and sipped from a water skin before continuing. “By drawing in the heat, she created an abundance of its opposite in the atmosphere, cold. I understood that, but she may not have. In a sense, she helped me by creating the necessary conditions to use the drop in temperature to freeze the moisture in the air. After that, I formed the frozen water into icicles and directed it toward her at a high rate of speed.”

  Amelie sat back pensively. Ben hurried out of the door before he was caught eavesdropping.

  That afternoon, Rhys found Ben collecting firewood and bent down to assist. While they were working, Rhys simply asked, “Mathias?”

  Ben cringed. He hadn’t exactly forgotten about his friend, but so much had been happening that he hadn’t told Rhys yet.

  “He,” Ben paused, shifting the stack of wood in his arms. “He didn’t make it.”

  “How did it happen?” asked Rhys softly.

  “About a week outside of the City, a hunter found us. We fought and Mathias…”

  “It’s okay,” said Rhys.

  “Rhys,” Ben added, “if it wasn’t for Mathias, Amelie and I would both be dead now. He saved us outside the Sanctuary and he saved us in the woods that night. He didn’t have to help me. He knew what he was going against and he did it anyway, without a second thought. He was a good man.”

  “He was a good man.” Rhys agreed. “Tonight, we’ll toast to his memory.”

  “Mathias would like that,” agreed Ben.

  ***

  Amelie was eager to get back on the road and reach Northport with minimal delay, but after Lady Towaal and Rhys fully explained the capabilities of the Sanctuary, even she agreed they needed time to prepare. Mages, hunters, assassins, and soldiers would all be set onto their trail. Speed and stealth were two important factors, but they could not count on avoiding all conflicts. Already on the journey they had been attacked numerous times. It didn’t take much to imagine it happening again. They had to be ready to fight.

  So began two weeks of intensive training. Each morning, Rhys started with sword practice. In the afternoon, Lady Towaal taught them how to bolster their magical defenses, and in the evening, they practiced the Ohms, which relaxed their bodies and minds.

  Rhys’ sword training was different from Saala’s. Where Saala taught a variety of forms and spoke about how to react to an opponent and use them, Rhys emphasized creativity and getting your opponent to react to you.

  “Lead them into a mistake and never let them see what is coming,” he barked. “Remember, we are fighting, not dueling!”

  “We are practicing,” grumbled Ben.

  “I don’t practice, remember?” Rhys snorted. “Once I’m done with you, you won’t practice either. When you draw your longsword, you need to plan on using it.”

  Another difference was that Saala fought with a clean and elegant style. He favored observing an opponent and molding his attacks and defense to what they were doing. Rhys was quick, efficient, relentless, and brutal. He didn’t care what you were doing because he acted before you did it. Sparring with Saala was like dancing. Sparring with Rhys was like a no holds barred tavern brawl.

  It was exhausting for Ben and Amelie.

  On the first day, Rhys fashioned practice swords from materials he found in the woods around the farmhouse. He expected them to be used several bells each day.

  Ben quickly realized that while hiking through the woods kept him active during their travel, it didn’t have the same intensity as sword practice. He’d gotten out of shape compared to when he sparred regularly with Saala. Rhys was determined to get him back in shape.

  Amelie had it worse. She had never spent a significant amount of time practicing the sword. Several bells of handling two wooden practice blades were difficult for her. Rhys was able to motivate her easily, though.

  “How are you going to help your people if you can’t lift a sword,” chided Rhys.

  Amelie’s face contorted in a determined scowl and she charged forward, vigorously swinging her weapons. Rhys laughed and jumped out of the way.

  During the second week, Ben felt he was beginning to regain some of his conditioning. While he was less successful sparring with Rhys than he had been Saala, he did manage to strike the rogue a few times.

  That was until Lady Towaal got involved.

  Ben was balanced on the balls of his feet, circling Rhys while the man described tactics for facing more than one opponent. He had been demonstrating it earlier against both Ben and Amelie, but she was lying on the ground, completely worn down. Ben was tired too. He kept going though, hoping that Rhys would finally get distracted by something and he could get a strike in.

  Instead, Ben was distracted.

  A steady, cool breeze was blowing through, portending a storm later that evening. All of a sudden, th
e breeze turned into a gale.

  Rhys’ clothing flapped violently around him and Ben was blown off his feet and tumbled across the clear space they used for practice.

  As quickly as the gale started, it stopped.

  Amelie sat up, startled. She had only been ruffled by the burst of wind. Its effects nearby were apparent though. A cloud of dust was settling around Ben and a pile of loose objects were strewn around behind him.

  “What the…” he started. Then he saw Lady Towaal, calmly observing from twenty paces away. He stopped speaking. He knew what happened.

  “If a mage attacks you, she is unlikely to give you warning beforehand,” instructed the stern-faced woman. “You must be prepared at all times.”

  “How is that possible to be prepared for that?” complained Ben.

  “I didn’t get knocked over, did I?” remarked Rhys.

  That was the start of the second phase of Lady Towaal’s training.

  Earlier in the previous week, she began by teaching meditation exercises to calm and center them.

  “It’s not so different from the Ohms Rhys has been teaching you, if that helps,” she said, “but where the Ohms require concentration to achieve physical balance, this requires a mental balance. Eventually, either with the Ohms or holding your will, it should become second nature. Balance is a habit that you do without thinking.”

  Ben frowned, not understanding.

  “When you walk,” explained Lady Towaal, “do you have to think about every step?”

  Ben shook his head no.

  “That is because your body and mind unconsciously adjust as you move. You’ve done it enough that you no longer think about it. If you start up a hill, your center of gravity changes, and your body responds before you fall over.”

  “What is center of gravity?” asked Ben.

  Towaal sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Never mind. Just understand that physical balance and mental balance are similar. The goal is to maintain both at all times and always be prepared to adjust to your surroundings.”