“I’m planning on leaving the day after tomorrow. I have saved enough to buy supplies for several days. I wouldn’t mind the company if you want to come with me.” Alec said.
“I didn’t know you had an actual destination in mind. Where are you headed?”
Alec turned and pointed. The feeling in his head had become stronger as he got closer to where he needed to be. It was now more of a compulsion. Several times he’d caught himself walking in that direction without meaning to and that worried him.
“I don’t know other than it’s just few days east of here and slightly to the north. Any ideas?”
“Sounds like the edge of the mountains. Hopefully it’s not in the swamp to the north.”
The grey and dreary day was giving way to a wet dark night. The smell of cooking food was getting stronger with each minute as they made plans. Alec wasn’t worried about the cold too much; he planned on trying his hand at warding on his new cloak.
Alec followed Allen down the steps for supper. The two of them had just sat down at a table when a young boy approached their table.
“Persistent, aren’t you?” Allen asked him.
“They sent me back over now that you were done, sir.” The boy said.
Allen motioned for Alec and the boy held out a folded piece of paper to him.
“I was told to wait for a reply.”
Alec unfolded the paper and read through it. Looking around the room, he shrugged.
“They think that the amount of power I’ve used today is like a beacon to the gods. They want me to allow them to come over so they can help me shield.” Alec said.
“I say if the gods had a problem with it they would have showed up by now. I don’t see that goddess or your friend anywhere. Allen told him. “Are the mages still over at the other inn?”
Alec searched for his power and found the two small bits of it just down the road. It appeared that they were pacing back and forth.
“They’re over there but they don’t seem too happy about it.”
Alec flipped the paper over and wrote on the back. “No gods. Don’t need you.”
With the boy returning with their answer Alec and Allen ordered their supper. Charley had made fried chicken and chilled green beans. The chicken was pretty good. He had added some herbs to the breading and hadn’t over cooked it. Alec had tasted much worse and even made worse himself. The beans were the real treat, crispy bacon and thin sliced onion with a light apple vinegar sauce. Alec made sure both Charles and Charley knew it too.
Alec took his staff with him back to the stable. A part of him wanted to run his hands along it and another wanted to see how it would respond to his power. He definitely didn’t want it too far from him. Alone now, Alec laid out his cloak across his bed. He knew what he would use for the wards themselves and hoped he wouldn’t catch the cloak on fire when he burned them onto it.
Gathering his power, he pictured a warm comfortable heat. Using a nail, he branded the word warm around the inside of the cloak. Repeating the process with the words dry and clean he branded the words one on top of the other. From the outside, the cloak looked like any other plain, dark brown, going down to just below his knees with a hood.
Slipping the cloak around his shoulders Alec tied it closed under his chin. He didn’t feel any warmer but didn’t expect to. The stable was still warm from the day. Climbing down the ladder, he pulled the hood up over his head and headed outside. The rain was a steady constant rain. As the rain fell it took what heat was left with it. The rain hit the cloak and ran off of it without even soaking into the outer edge. Moving back into the stable he dropped the hood and watched as his breath clouded before him but he felt no chill.
Alec went to bed comforted by the feel of his staff nearby and the warmth of his blanket. A couple hours before dawn he started awake, something was off. Checking on the mages, he found they were still down the road. Something was wrong though. Dressing quickly, he threw on his cloak and grabbed his staff. Running to the inn Alec instinctively ducked as lightning flashed overhead with a sharp crack of thunder.
Alec climbed the steps to Allen’s room and knocked on his door as quietly as he could. Allen answered the door, awake but rubbing his eyes.
“What’s the matter? You look pale.” Allen asked.
“Something is wrong and I can’t figure out what. It even woke me up.” Alec explained.
Allen suggested he check on Robert and Sherry again then asked if it had anything to do with the compulsion driving him north. Alec quickly checked again, nothing, and he realized the compulsion was barely even there.
Stretching out his senses, Alec felt the storm, searching for power being used. To his surprise it was there in the storm just not as he expected. Someone was encouraging the storm to pass quicker. Following the power, he traced it back to the east just a couple miles away. What surprised him even more was that it was a power he recognized, Aaron the god of rivers.
Giving a quick explanation to Allen, Alec told him he was going to try and catch up with the god. Allen followed Alec out the stable and they were in their saddles a short time later. Alec was nicely warm and dry within his cloak compared to Allen who continued to wrap himself tighter within his.
Unable to ride very quickly in the dark, it took longer than normal to make it to the river. The banks of the river were overflowing into the field. If it continued to flood the fields it would push into the town destroying everything.
Alec tried to get a more accurate sense of where Aaron was but found his power was spread all around the edge of the river and even in it. Between flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder he had a hard time spotting anyone in the dark and rain. Feeling a tug on his arm Alec looked over at Allen and saw him pointing. In the distance sitting atop a small hill it looked like a small boulder sitting by itself. Alec dropped his shield over his power for a split second and saw an arm fly up from the figure and wave back and forth. Riding up the hill they rode into an area where the rain was shielded off to the side.
“Alec, I didn’t think to see you again. How are you?” Aaron asked.
“Good. I lost your stone when I was attacked a while ago then felt you over here. What are you doing out here?”
“Managing the flooding so it doesn’t wipe out the small towns downstream. I found the stone on the road a couple days ago. I didn’t know if you dropped it on purpose or not.”
“I’m staying at The Merchants Rest in the town. If you’re going to be done soon why don’t you stop over so we can talk for a while?” Alec asked him.
“So that was you yesterday using power?” he asked.
“Yeah, I was making my staff. Sorry.”
“Not a big deal. I was just curious. If you’re up for it I could use a hand here?”
“I wouldn’t know what to do other than give you some of my power. You’re a god. Do you need my power?” Alec asked.
“Yes I’m a god but even our power takes time to replenish.” Aaron told him.
“Alright, how can I give you power?” Alec asked.
Aaron handed him a large smooth light blue stone from inside his cloak. “Just push as much power as you can into the stone.”
Kneeling down with his eyes closed, he started pushing his power into it. Alec didn’t feel comfortable enough to do it standing up, afraid he’d loose his balance and fall over. The stone drank in his power as he pushed more and more into it. The stone stopped absorbing the power Alec gave it and he opened his eyes.
Allen was standing next to the god talking when Alec opened his eyes. He handed Aaron the stone brimming with his power. He wasn’t worried about using so much power. A good night’s rest and his well would be full by morning. Aaron took his stone carefully and handed back one similar to the one he’d lost. With Aaron’s thanks and assurance that when done he’d find him so they could talk, Alec and Allen headed back to the inn.
Chapter 19
King Manister rode out of Kingston to fanfare and a crowd
of people wishing the army a speedy victory. He led the army from the front with his advisors and generals. Ahead of the army, a trio of rangers scouted finding the easiest path for the army to pass through. Immediately behind the king a full dozen wizards followed and then the mounted knights and mounted men. The normal men of the army brought up the rear, followed only by the supply train.
After a week and a half they were nearing where the northeastern boarder of Maldore met the desert. The priest that had come with him continued trying to turn him from their path using everything from a logical easier path to saying the gods would condemn the army to failure if they continued.
Sitting on the boarder of the desert in his tent King Manister sat back in his padded chair sipping from an actual goblet make of silver. In a few minutes he would call his generals and advisors into his tent and inform them of what he was, a mage. The priest had advised against telling everyone his family’s secret. He would do it anyway because after they crossed into the desert and made camp he would use his vast amount of power to call water from deep below for his army.
King Manister stood as they came into his tent. The generals stood at attention before him ready for any order he would give. The advisors stood off to the side ready to give him their opinion of the situation.
“I have called you here for an important announcement. Over the years I and those of my lineage have kept a secret from the public, I am a mage.” He held up his hand to stop any questions.
“Like my father before me and his before him, I was trained by the temple. My power was released when I was fourteen and drained completely. Several months later my power returned and I was trained in its use.”
Several of his advisors turned to each other in confusion, they had never heard of their king possessing magic. It was one of the generals that asked the question on everyone’s mind.
“Sire, why have you not told us before?”
“A good question, at the behest of the temple, my family has maintained the secret of being magic users for centuries. My family has had more mages in it than almost all the other magic families put together.” After answering several more questions from his advisors he dismissed them so he could get some rest.
Passing into the desert was like crossing from one room to another. One side had green grass that was slowly turning brown with the season and just a few feet away the ground was barren and cracked several feet beyond. The priest was not happy going into the desert and hung back, which was fine with King Manister, he didn’t want to hear about it anyway.
Throughout the day the rangers reported back that there was nothing ahead of the army other than more sand. A brief rest for lunch and they passed into the barren foothills where the mountains met the desert. Manister called a halt before a low depression and the army started setting up camp for the evening.
The depression would do some of his work for him. Stretching out his power, Manister compacted the loose sand around the low area until it met with the granite foothills. His army watched their king work for them and cheered as he completed the new basin.
Cutting his way down through the layers of sand at the bottom of the bowl, he forced the sand together. As he neared the ground water, Manister could feel the pressure it was under. Water slowly trickled up the pathway he’d cut. Just punching down into the underground water would destroy much of the work he’d done. Narrowing his focus, he slowly carved a smaller and smaller hole down until finally punching a small hole.
Water rapidly filled his cut below the basin and shot out several feet into the air. At this rate it would take a couple hours to fill the basin before it over ran the edge near the foothill. He could cut the hole bigger and fill the basin a lot faster but that would turn a nice little brook leaving the basin into a small river. He didn’t need a river, there was no telling where it would go, besides the army was already calling the basin Manister’s Oasis.
King Manister stepped out of his tent. He was happy his army had taken the news of his power so easily. He stood looking out over the oasis as the sun finished setting. He could smell the food being prepared for his men mixed with the sour tang of unwashed sweat. Tomorrow would be interesting. The rangers had found a barrier barring their way and had yet to find a way around it.
Power had been used and a fair amount at that. She could feel nearly every bit of power used near her home, where her power was strongest. As a goddess, Melanie was supposed to take her turn at reinforcing the barrier; instead, she had ordered one of her younger gods to do it. Not for the first time did she wonder if she should have sided with the Banished and if it would have made a difference.
With her home buried within the mountains between the two countries, she was able to watch as the invasion began. She had no problem helping the Sendarians if she had to. Her informant in the Sendarian had carried through with her plan so far and she only had to sit back and watch it unfold.
Melanie’s vendetta with the young mage would be coming to a close soon too with the compulsion she’d laid on him, luring him to her home where her power was strongest. She could feel the younger god adding his power to the barrier in the distance as well but didn’t that he didn’t have enough to do the job properly. Ever since her brother had been killed she’d found she didn’t really care about the mortals as much as she thought she did. It was Jeramiah who had actually convinced her to help the others to banish the other gods. It was all just a game and the mortals were nothing more than a means to an end, a way of getting more power.
It was a beautiful day. Christi looked out her window in the tower and felt the cool breeze blow across her face. Peter had told her to get plenty of rest the night before; they would be starting on spells that weren’t within her affinities. She was really looking forward to learning how Alec had made the cooling spell and maybe reverse it so she would be warm this winter.
On her way to the meal hall she once again realized how many people had left with the second part of the army. She smiled remembering the looks of relief on Master Stalle’s first year student’s faces when she’d stopped by to ask if he’d received anything from her brother yet. With only the first year students left at the academy, he was working them every chance he got. Her own instructor was much the same, only she was one of the ones being over worked. Even Peter was working her extra hard. Headed back to the tower Peter met her outside, impatiently pacing back and forth.
“Are you ready to begin? Don’t be surprised if these spells use nearly all your power. Using spells outside our affinity use allot more power but it’s still necessary for you to know them even if you rarely use them.” Peter led her back behind the tower to their practice area.
“Why wouldn’t you just ask someone else to cast the spell?” She asked.
“Let’s say you’re by yourself and you need shelter. It’s too far to the next inn or farm, and the weather turns bad, cold, or storms, how do you get shelter? A shield will drain you severely over time and it takes years of practice to sustain one while you sleep. What do you do?” he asked.
“Build something out of whatever is around me.” She answered.
“You don’t have enough time, it’s a freak storm. What you should do is grasp the dirt with your power and pull it up and over into a dome to protect yourself from the elements. If there is enough time to grab branches for a fire you could even poke a small hole in the top to let out smoke.” Peter demonstrated the forming of the dome and used three fingers along with his power to punch a hole through the hardened dirt.
Peter showed her several other helpful spells, stone bridge, spikes sticking up out of the ground away from her, he made her do each of them so she would have some sense of how much power it took. Christi still had power left, but was covered in both dirt and sweat by the time lunch rolled around. She was told that she would be using water spells tomorrow and that she should be prepared to get wet.
Christi sat with her friends in the wizard’s school. Several of them gave her odd looks but d
idn’t say anything. Done with her meal, she sat forward enjoying a slice of apple pie when she heard a small cough beside her.
“Can’t get enough of us wizards now that the trash has been thrown out?”
Christi looked. Travis stood there with a smile on his face.
“What are you doing back here? Aren’t you suspended?” She asked.
“Ha, the council rescinded the suspension. Too bad the commoner ran away first or I’d have to give him lessons too. Guess it will just be you and I.” he said.
“What are you talking about Travis? I’m a sorcerer. What do you think you can teach a sorcerer?” she asked.
“Weren’t you told? I’m to instruct all magic students in officer training and how to command. Since you will be of higher rank than most of the other students I will be instructing you on a one on one basis.” He told her.
Christi looked at the smile on his face and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wanted to knock those shining white teeth into the back of his throat while he cried like a baby.
“We’ll meet in the courtyard behind the first wizard’s tower tomorrow after lunch. Don’t be late!” he told her.
Complaining to Peter was no use and she never considered talking to Master Stalle. Every magic user was required to go through the training. The next day, Christi found herself next to Travis as he barked out commands to a dozen enlisted. The worst part was the fact that he was good looking and came from such a good family. It was his attitude toward others that was his low point.
Travis gave her the list of commands and had her call them out, making sure each and every soldier could hear her. Christi’s voice slowly grew hoarse as the afternoon drug on. Declining his offer to have the evening meal with him, Christi made her way back to her own tower. She had to meet with him in the morning to put the enlisted men through their paces as he’d called it.
Christi went through her evening routine before settling down for the night. She missed having Beth there and Peter was frequently attending meetings in the evening. Most of all she missed Alec, even if she was still upset with him, she wanted him back.
Mage (The Elemental Magic Series Book 2) Page 20
