“There is no reason for your party to dally,” Boris replied to Arik instead of Alex. “I suspect that you are headed to Dorgun. I can provide directions to Tedi when we leave Ongchi. He will catch up to you.”
“I would like to go with you,” Tanya said as she stood and faced Master Khatama. “The skills you taught me might come in handy.”
A puzzled frown fell over Master Khatama’s face as he stared at Tanya. Slowly he shook his head.
“We cannot accommodate another member in our group,” Boris declared. “We leave immediately. Do you have a horse Tedi?”
“Bin-lu brought him down this morning,” nodded Tedi. “I am ready to go.”
“Good,” nodded Master Khatama. “Come, Niki. Bin-lu, give a hand to Tedi and lead him to my wagon.”
Master Khatama turned and strode off towards his wagon. Jenneva and Tanya stood shaking their heads. Alex restrained himself from going after the old mage.
“I want you to be very vigilant, Tedi,” warned Alex. “I understand your need to do this, but I am worried about your safety. Keep your wits about you and remember our training.”
“And practice daily,” added Arik. “You know we have not been very good at remembering that. I want you safe as well as your mother. Promise me.”
Tedi walked over to Arik and hugged him. “I promise,” Tedi said softly. “I don’t want to leave you, but I must. I promise I will be back before you even miss me.”
Tedi turned abruptly and followed Niki and Bin-lu out of the campsite. He heard Alex ordering the Rangers to mount up as soon as he left the campsite. He resisted the urge to turn around and rejoin the Rangers. He quickly realized how close he had become to all of them. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and focused on thoughts of his mother. By the time he reached Master Khatama’s wagon, Niki, Bin-lu, and Boris were already seated. He walked around to the back of the wagon and untied his horse. He mounted his horse, and the wagon started to roll towards the city gates. Tedi followed the wagon through the city gates. Officer Tang-shei and the rest of the gate guard bowed low as Master Khatama passed by.
Once they were outside the city, Tedi rode next to the wagon. He ignored the conversation the others were having. His thoughts drifted to memories of the times he had had with the Rangers. After several hours, Master Khatama pulled the wagon off the road for a meal break. Tedi tied his horse to a tree and joined the others as Master Khatama passed out fresh bread, cheese, and small strips of cooked meat.
“You are a quiet one, Tedi Markel,” Boris said as he interrupted Tedi’s thoughts.
“I am sorry, Master Khatama,” responded Tedi. “I guess my thought are still with the Rangers. I miss them.”
“You will be back with them soon enough, lad,” smiled Master Khatama. “Are you sure that is all that is bothering you? I know some of your group was thinking that I am crazy. Are you worried that they may be right?”
Tedi’s first reaction was to feign ignorance of the Rangers’ concerns and he started to shake his head. Suddenly he turned and locked eyes with Master Khatama.
“I would be not be truthful if I said I did not have concerns,” declared Tedi. “I mean no disrespect Master Khatama, but it is known that you are becoming senile.”
Niki gasped, but Tedi ignored her as he continued, “None of the Rangers think you are crazy. In fact, they all have a great deal of respect for you. They are concerned about your memory loss, and frankly, I am too. If this plan leads to my death, then so be it, but I cannot endanger my mother’s life with an ill-conceived plan. Why were you not willing to discuss it with the Rangers?”
“How dare you speak to Master Khatama that way,” shouted Niki. “I should fry you where you stand.”
Master Khatama waved his hand towards Niki in a calming fashion and chuckled. “You speak your mind, lad,” smiled Master Khatama. “I find no disrespect in your words. I am sure that your mother is very precious to you, and you are right to fear for her safety. The fact that you are willing to expend your life for hers is noble and shows your love for her.”
Boris turned and scanned the hillside adjacent to the road. He walked to the back of the wagon and pulled out a staff. He ran a rag over the staff and then motioned for Tedi to join him.
“Let us take a short walk up this hill,” suggested Master Khatama. “Do you know how to use a staff? I see that you carry one on your horse.”
“I know the staff fairly well,” stated Tedi. “In fact, I should probably practice it with Bin-lu when we stop for the night. It is good to keep in practice.”
“Any skill worth possessing must be practiced constantly,” nodded Boris. “Are you a fearful boy?”
“I like to think that I am not,” replied Tedi, “but in truth there I times when I struggle to overcome my fears. I will do what is necessary to free my mother. I can promise you that. Whatever role you have for me in this plan, I accept it.”
“Good,” smiled Boris as they reached the top of the small hill. “For this plan to succeed, you must do only one thing. You must trust me explicitly. Push all of your doubts about me out of your mind. This is essential. Only by believing in me can this plan succeed. You must be clear on this. Do you understand?”
“I understand your words, Master Khatama,” frowned Tedi, “but I must confess that I still have doubts. You did not answer my question about revealing your plans. How can you expect me not to have doubts?”
“A fair question,” conceded Master Khatama. “I did not reveal my plans because of the need for secrecy. There were people there that I did not know. Surely, you can see the wisdom of that.”
“I would agree with that wisdom if it were true,” retorted Tedi. “Everyone there claimed to know you, and I believe them. They are my friends and I have trusted my life to them in the past. I would willingly do so again.”
Boris frowned and stared at Tedi. “I know they all claim to know me,” conceded Boris, “but truthfully I cannot remember them. Perhaps they are mistaking me for someone else. I do not recall ever meeting any of them.”
“You don’t remember any of them?” echoed Tedi. “I was with Arik and Wylan when we met you in Cleb. I remember Tanya as your assistant when you used to visit the village Arik and I grew up in. I know for a fact that you know some of them.”
Boris sighed and gazed down the hill towards Niki and Bin-lu. Finally he turned and faced Tedi.
“I have become forgetful,” admitted Master Khatama. “I must have offended them greatly. At least you can understand my reasoning for not divulging the details of our plan.”
“I do understand,” nodded Tedi, “but you are asking me to trust you explicitly. Can you understand that I might have trouble doing that? It will not be due to a lack of respect for you. My mind will just wonder if you are capable. It would be natural for me to question your orders.”
“I like your honesty,” nodded Boris. “Let me assure you that there are some things that I will never forget. Like you will never forget to walk, I will never forget my trade. That is all that matters for this plan. I will demonstrate that momentarily, but the demonstration requires your trust. Can you manage that for a few moments?”
“I will try my best for you, Master Khatama,” nodded Tedi. “I know that you are taking a great risk in helping me to rescue my mother. I owe you my life for that alone. Tell me what you want me to do.”
“Take this staff,” offered Master Khatama. “Tell me how it feels to you.”
Tedi took the staff and felt its balance. He walked through some of his practice moves and smiled.
“It is the most natural feeling staff I have ever held,” grinned Tedi. “It is as if it was made just for me.”
“It was,” smiled Master Khatama. “I have been working on it for some time now. There is one final step that must be performed to make it perfect. This is the step that may cause you harm if you do not believe in me. Look into your soul, Tedi. It is important that your trust in me is absolute. I admit that my memory is failing, but you need only
trust my ability in magic. Can you do that?”
Tedi had never known that Master Khatama was a magician before the previous night. But if what Jenneva and Tanya had said was true, he was an extremely competent master of the magical arts. He had seen their magic and he trusted them. Slowly Tedi nodded his head.
“Tell me what to do, Master Khatama,” Tedi said. “I will trust you.”
“Good, lad,” smiled Boris. “I want you to hold the staff above your head and pointed towards the sky. Hold it tightly with both hands. Do not let it slip or tip towards the ground.”
“That’s it?” asked Tedi.
“That is all,” smiled Boris. “Remember, no matter what happens, you must hold that staff like I have instructed. Do not let go until I tell you to. Your life is at stake here. Trust me.”
Tedi frowned as he nodded at Master Khatama. He dutifully hoisted the staff above his head and pointed it at the clear blue sky. He could feel beads of perspiration forming on his forehead and wondered what dire event was going to take place. He had long had a distrust of anything magical, but he knew that he had to pass this test to save his mother. He silently vowed that the staff would not sway while he held it.
Master Khatama raised his hands high above his head and started muttering words that made no sense to Tedi. Master Khatama’s face turned upward and Tedi followed his gaze. A lump formed in Tedi’s throat as he saw a dark cloud forming over his head. The cloud grew swiftly in size, and Tedi could see tiny bolts of lightning snapping within the cloud. A tremor of fear coursed through his body, but he gripped the staff tighter.
Master Khatama’s voice rose in volume, but Tedi could still not understand the words. The sound of thunder roiled across the sky and echoed off the nearby hills. Suddenly a brilliant flash of lightning streaked earthward from the dark cloud. Tedi had the urge to drop the staff and dive down the hill. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to picture his mother. Even with his eyes closed, the flash was brilliant. He felt the lightning strike the staff and could feel the energy tingling its way down through his body.
Tedi bit his lip and tightened his grip on the staff as the lightning seared through his body. He felt huge raindrops hitting his skin. The cold rain boiled and felt hot as it steamed off of his head and arms. The light through Tedi’s eyes was intense, and he began to feel as if he would faint. He tried to grip the staff harder, but his fingers would not obey. His hands could not grip any harder than they were. Suddenly it was over.
“Rest your grip,” ordered Master Khatama. “You can lower the staff now.”
Tedi opened his eyes and lowered the staff. He looked around and the grass was wet everywhere, except for a circle around himself. He looked up in time to see the last of the black cloud dissipating.
“What happened?” Tedi asked as he tried to relax his muscles.
“You were struck by lightning,” chuckled Master Khatama. “The important thing is that you trusted me.”
“That’s it?” questioned Tedi. “This was just a test to see if I could follow orders?”
“Of course not,” explained Boris. “The use of magic today should not be wasted on such trivial things. In fact, we will have to leave this place soon to avoid being detected. Before we leave though, I will explain what just happened. Try to relax your muscles.”
Tedi nodded and moved around to limber up his tensed muscles.
“What I did was to fuse energy into your staff,” explained Master Khatama. “Magical energy to be precise. You must learn to use it properly of course, but I am sure that you will.”
“What does this magical energy do?” questioned Tedi as he examined the staff.
“It is energy that is tuned to your body,” Boris continued. “You will be able to strike things with tremendous force when you use the staff. Because the staff is yours and yours alone, to others it will be a normal staff. Only you can wield its magical properties. Strike that boulder with the staff. Strike it hard.”
Tedi looked skeptically at the boulder, but he dutifully shoved the end of the staff at it, hoping that his new staff would not splinter. The huge boulder split in two and Tedi’s mouth fell open.
“That was a rather slight tap for someone who claims to be proficient with a staff,” complained Master Khatama. “Strike one of the halves as if you meant to destroy it. Think of that boulder as your worst enemy. Listen to me and trust me.”
Tedi shook his head, but he twirled the staff hard and brought it down on one of the halves. The boulder shattered into thousands of pieces.
“That was better,” grinned Master Khatama. “You must learn to control the force of it. If you do not mean to kill your opponent, remember to hold back your hits. You can control the force with your mind. Your intentions will determine the force applied. Hit me with the staff. Hard enough to almost bruise my arm, but not quite.”
“Master Khatama…” began Tedi.
“Trust me, lad,” smiled Master Khatama. “Trust me.”
Tedi nodded and concentrated. He swung the staff as he would during a practice session. He heard the sound of it hitting Master Khatama’s arm and briefly closed his eyes.
“Ow,” cried Master Khatama as he pushed his sleeve up to examine his arm. “You are a strong lad aren’t you? Well you did exactly as I asked. See, no bruise at all. Come let us rejoin the others and get moving along the road before anyone shows up to see what the magical energy release was all about. I want you to practice with that staff every time we stop.”
Chapter 3
In Memory of Wolinda
Klarg saw the rider coming and called a halt to the column. Calastano and Hagik immediately appeared at Klarg’s side. Nobody spoke until the rider halted in front of Klarg.
“They are about three hours behind us,” reported the rider. “I fear they will have little trouble following the tracks from a hundred of us.”
“Were you able to get an accurate count of them?” questioned Klarg.
“Fairly accurate,” nodded the rider. “They appear to be three hundred strong. It is a fairly typical size for a border patrol.”
“We are hardly close to the border,” frowned Klarg. “We are only a half-day’s ride to Barouk.”
“Perhaps they have been tracking us since we crossed into Lanoir,” shrugged the rider. “We do leave a pretty obvious track, and the Lanoirians do not take kindly to armies within their borders.”
“True,” nodded Klarg. “Whatever their reason for following us, we must take steps to eliminate them. I will not jeopardize our coming conflict with the Rangers by allowing the Lanoirians to remain at our back.”
“Our magicians can make short work of the Lanoirians,” offered Hagik. “There is no need to bloody your men.”
Klarg turned and gazed at Hagik. He didn’t care much for the man, but he was a much easier taskmaster than the witch Wolinda had been. At least he did not try to interfere with Klarg’s plan for securing his men. Klarg finally admitted to himself that he didn’t care much for magicians at all. As far as mages went, Hagik was not so bad. Calastano was even better. Calastano appreciated Klarg’s discipline and control of his men and often deferred to him on matters that were not magical in nature.
“I do not want to alert the Rangers that we are close,” Klarg eventually stated. “I would prefer to eliminate the Lanoirians with as little magical activity as possible.”
“But they outnumber us three-to-one,” complained Hagik. “We cannot afford another slaughter. Sarac will not stand for it.”
“There will be no slaughter,” Klarg sneered. “At least not of our men.”
“I think Klarg has a valid point,” interrupted Calastano. “This close to Barouk our magic would surely be detected. We can of course use shields to protect Klarg’s men during the battle. With a good enough strategy, the losses should be minimal.”
Klarg’s thoughts of Wolinda tickled his mind. His brow furrowed as he recalled the details that led to her death, and the deaths of his men.
&n
bsp; “Shields,” murmured Klarg. “Yes, shields will be important. So will the terrain. With the proper terrain, this conflict can be easily won.”
Hagik frowned and shrugged. He clearly was not happy with Klarg calling the shots. Klarg had seen that attitude before. Sarac was unforgiving towards his magicians when they failed in their assignments. The Dark One had slightly more tolerance for failure from the Dark Riders, but only a fool would think of failing him twice. Klarg turned towards the rider.
“Take four men and ride towards Barouk,” ordered Klarg as he looked at the rider. “Spread the men out widely. I want to find a narrow canyon in the hills before us. Find one that will allow for archers above the Lanoirians and yet narrow enough to allow our magicians to shield our men blocking the exit. Each man is to report back as soon as the canyon is found so that we may divert our path towards it. Go.”
The rider saluted smartly and rode towards Barouk. He called four men to follow him and shouted orders to them as he rode.
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” complimented Calastano. “Simple shields and low level spells will suffice to aid your archers. Let us hope that your men can find the appropriate terrain.”
“I am sure that they will,” Klarg smiled at Calastano. “While we ride, we can think of ways to make it look like the Rangers destroyed the Lanoirian column. It would not hurt to have the Lanoirian army chasing the Rangers, too. After all, we really don’t care how the Rangers are destroyed, as long as we can take credit for it.”
* * *
Master Khatama directed the wagon off of the road and halted. He promptly climbed down from the wagon and announced a meal break. Niki headed for a nearby stream with a bucket to obtain water for the horses while Bin-lu gathered wood for a fire. Tedi thought it was a little early to stop for the night, but he tied his horse to a tree and decided to practice with his staff. He felt a slight tingle as he grabbed the staff and stopped to examine it.
It was indeed a magnificent staff, hand-crafted by Master Khatama himself. The lightning ritual had charred the staff to a smooth and glossy black finish. Tedi stared at the letters of his name burned into the staff near one end. The letters were perfectly formed, but Tedi was sure that they had not been there before the lightning strike. He wondered how the lettering and coloring had been done.
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