The Making of a Mage King: Prince in Hiding

by Anna L. Walls

  She jumped and started to slip away, but he pulled her back. He liked her next to him.

  “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said, from behind her hand.

  “You didn’t disturb me. I don’t mind. I was just wondering why you always waited.”

  She didn’t answer, but he could feel her starting to tremble. Then in a very shaky voice she whispered, “I don’t have any blankets. I thought…I thought if you were already asleep, you wouldn’t notice. I thought I might be able to be gone before you woke up, but you always wake before me.” She paused a little longer, and she might have started to cry, but it was too dark to tell. “You never invited me…then this morning, you left sometime during the night. The nights are cold.”

  Sean wrapped both his arms around her. “I didn’t know you didn’t have any blankets. I like you, and I like you here. If you want, we’ll divide our blankets up so you can have your own, but I like waking up next to you, and I didn’t leave the bed sometime during the night; Byron got me up at dawn for my first lessons.”

  She sniffed into his chest then tipped her head back to look up at him. He could barely see the glow of her face reflected by the stars. “Really?”

  “Really,” he said.

  She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and squeezed the tears out of her eyes. “Really?” she asked again.

  Sean had to chuckle. “Really,” he repeated, and gave her a light kiss on the top of her head. Her hair smells good. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

  Trouble in Town

  Ferris woke Sean before dawn and handed him a cup of steaming chamma. He sipped and grimaced, but he wanted the caffeine so he weathered the strong, bitter flavor. One cup was about all he could stand, though. Then he walked over to the tree and released Byron, and they had another morning of lessons.

  During their lunch, Byron asked, “Are you taking me back to my stable?”

  “What do you mean?” asked Sean. Surely, he didn’t just say ‘stable’.

  “We will be reaching the town where I’m stabled by evening. Will you be returning me to my stable?”

  Sean leaned an elbow on the pommel of his saddle in order to look at Byron more closely. His black leathers looked lived in far longer than the last two days, and the black scarf he’d worn over his face during their battle had long since disappeared. “If I take you back there, they’ll just send you back out after us, won’t they?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Do you want to go back?” asked Sean.

  Byron jerked his head up and riveted his eyes on Sean. “Want…?” He tried again when the words wouldn’t come out. “It’s…” Then he tried yet again. “I…” Then, quite unexpectedly, he keeled out of his saddle in a heap, causing his horse to shy over into Prince, who did some dancing of his own.

  As soon as he could, Sean leapt down beside him and turned him over. He’s still alive. Ferris was beside them in a second. “I didn’t think asking him a simple question would have such an effect,” said Sean.

  “What did you say to him?” asked Ferris.

  “I simply asked him if he wanted to go back. We were talking about the town up ahead. He said he operated out of there. Then he just locked up and keeled over.”

  Ferris lifted one of Byron’s eyelids. “He’s locked up all right. I hate to say it, but you might have killed him.”

  “What?” said Sean. He touched Byron’s neck; his pulse was pounding, but his skin had gone cold and sweaty. I don’t want him to die like this. Sean tried to heal him; he tried as hard as he could. Byron went rigid under his hand.

  Ferris stepped away, though he watched over Sean’s shoulder.

  Sean stopped when Byron went limp again, and his breathing became ragged, but his heart wasn’t pounding anymore.

  Ferris lifted an eyelid again. “Well, maybe. Come on, let’s get him back on his horse. We shouldn’t stop here.”

  Sean lifted Byron back onto his horse and they tied him there to keep him from falling again. Ferris was right; it wouldn’t look good if they were caught camping only a few hours from town.

  When the first signs of the town came into sight, Ferris pulled in beside Sean. “We shouldn’t take him into town, certainly not like this. You better take him around to the other side and make camp. We’ll check into an inn and buy supplies, then we’ll meet you sometime tomorrow.”

  “Good idea,” said Sean, and he turned off the road.

  “And stay out of sight,” Ferris called after him.

  Sean headed around the north edge of the town, taking every care not to be seen, which slowed their progress dramatically since he was forced to choose the least desirable terrain to traverse.

  It was long after dark and the moons were high when they finally reached the east road. He didn’t bother with a fire; he just got Byron down from his horse and rolled him up in his bedroll. The ropes had been forgotten with the rest of the supplies, but with him cocooned like that, Sean didn’t figure he could do much without alerting him. He worried that he wouldn’t be doing anything at all for a while yet – if ever.

  As soon as they were settled, Sean called Ferris. “Ferris, can you hear me?”

  There was a long pause, then, “Yes. I hear you,” he whispered.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Things could be better,” he whispered again. “The garrison is missing our friend’s patrol, and of course, they know which direction they went. They don’t seem to believe us when we say we haven’t seen them.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure. They went over the horses pretty close. I think they recognized them, or perhaps their tack. I told them I’ve owned them for years, but I don’t think they’re buying it.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing. We walked into this, we’ll walk out tomorrow. You stay where you are.”

  Sean didn’t sleep that night. He didn’t even sit down for more than a few minutes at a time. He paced. He checked on Byron. He checked on Prince and the other horse. He went to where he could see the road, then he searched for a vantage point where he could look toward the town, though he couldn’t see it in the dark, then he’d start all over again.

  Byron woke before the sun started to light the eastern horizon. “What happened? Where am I?” he asked, as he struggled with the blankets.

  Sean went to him. “We’re on the other side of town. Go back to sleep. I don’t think there’ll be any lessons this morning.”

  “On the other side of what town? What lessons? Who are you?” he asked.

  Sean could hear the confusion in his voice, which he noticed wasn’t quite as gravelly, but in the dark, he couldn’t see his face. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what the town is called. Don’t you remember what happened yesterday?” Sean could see Byron’s eyes glitter in the starlight as they searched for a memory, as well as for something familiar about the silhouette of the man who knelt above him.

  “Yesterday…” He searched a little longer. “Yesterday …my son and I were taken to the king to answer for the theft of some of his horses. He wouldn’t believe me when I told him they were struck by lightning. I even showed the men who came to collect them. I offered to show anyone else, but he…he…” His face fell with confusion.

  Sean helped him sit up and unwind a bit. “Yesterday, you fell from your horse. For the last two days, you have been teaching me how to handle a warhorse.”

  “Warhorse?” he seemed confused.

  “I think the term you use is ‘destrier’.”

  That got his attention. “What are you doing with one of those bastards?” He looked around as if expecting one of them to jump out of the bushes at him.

  “Prince is a warhorse, and he knows a lot of nifty tricks, but he’s not a monster. He’s dozing right over there.” Sean pointed to Prince’s dark form only a few yards away. Looking at Prince reminded Sean that dawn was fast approaching.

  He stepped away to contact Ferris again. “Ferris
, can you hear me?”

  “…can’t do that!” yelled Ferris. “We’ve done nothing wrong. You get your hands off her!” He grunted as air was forced from his lungs.

  “Oh shit, Ferris! What’s happening?”

  “You bastard,” gasped Ferris. “You have no right. Get away, Sean, get away!”

  Suddenly, as if someone had just flipped off a light, Sean’s touch with Ferris was no longer there. He tried Cisco, but she was pissed again and refused to answer. He tried Larry and got nothing, and Errol was panicked beyond reason. He was afraid to try Mattie or Jenny for fear of what he might hear. He ran to Prince and began to saddle him.

  Byron came up behind him. “What’s happened? What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Sean turned to him. “Your horse is over there. You do what you have to do, but if you go into town, you’ll be killed. If you come against me, I’ll kill you. If you fight beside me, they will kill you.” He turned back to Prince. “It’d be best if you just disappeared.”

  Half an hour later, Prince and Sean thundered into town. The people were just waking up, but those that saw them ran screaming in panic. Sean spotted their horses being led out of a stable and compelled them all to return. The knots in his stomach clenched.

  The men struggled with the horses for a moment before they took notice of the bedlam around them and caught sight of the big horse with its black rider charging at them, then they abandoned the horses and ran.

  Sean followed them with grim fury. He expected them to lead him to where he wanted to go. As he thundered down the cobbled streets, people scrambled in every direction – unnoticed signals ensured that Prince missed them all. “Ferris, where are you?” asked Sean – nothing. “Larry, can you hear me?” – nothing. “Errol.” He was there, but he didn’t answer. At least he could find him, and hopefully, they were all together.

  Sean’s advance was not to go uncontested for long. His quarry found a garrison compound and sounded the alarm. Guards on the wall fired arrows, while others tried to close the gate. Sean pulled Prince to a halt. He brushed the arrows away and turned his attention to the ponderous gates. Before they could be locked, he melted them into useless slag and smoking ash, causing the men standing on the wall above them to flee the smoke and heat. “Send them out or I’ll bring the wall down!” he yelled.

  “Send who out? Who do you think you are to make demands here?” called one of the guards from the wall.

  “You took prisoners this morning,” returned Sean. “If they are not released, very soon, I’ll come in there and take them out.” He made a crenellation fall away from the speaker, forcing him to leap behind another.

  Orders were given, but Sean couldn’t hear what they were. Prince’s ears were pointed sharply forward; he had his eyes on the gap in the wall where the gate used to be, while Sean watched the tops of the walls.

  Errol began to stir.

  “Errol, can you hear me? Are the others with you? Answer me! Tell me what’s going on in there.”

  “My lord?” he gasped. His voice shook, then the connection was shattered by a scream that was cut short.

  “Errol, wake the others. I’m coming for you.” He wasn’t sure if Errol had heard. Jesus, this is so stupid. I snatched Errol and Prince from my uncle’s grasp, and here I am now, trying to bash my way into a town garrison to break my friends out of jail. It was too late to change things now. He had already made his mistakes; now he had to deal with the consequences. If Ferris and Cisco both decided to beat some sense into him, he wouldn’t stop them; he deserved it.

  Sean heard a commotion from inside the compound. He looked up to see a reenactment of his worst nightmare. Once they get a saddle on them, they must keep it on them. He could only count his lucky stars that there wasn’t another monster like the big gray Byron had ridden. He kicked himself; I really need to learn how to deal with my confrontations.

  He was just about to reach out to the pair and wipe their lives away when another horse and rider appeared. The destrier in front of him had scarcely cleared the gate when they charged in from the side, only they didn’t charge at Sean; it was Byron, and he was charging at the leading destrier, his own mount suddenly looking miniature in comparison. What Sean saw looked like someone riding into a wall; it was going to be a disaster.

  Prince reared up a bit and screamed a challenge, and the destrier extended his head and laid his ears back. Baring his teeth, he screamed back, then Byron crashed into them. His horse had tried to swerve at the last second, but Byron had expected that. Somehow, Byron managed to get himself up behind the demon, and before the rider could do anything about it, Byron broke his neck and threw him from the saddle.

  A few moments later, after several hard-delivered signals, Byron managed to pull the horse away from the body he was so intent on rendering unidentifiable, then he turned to Sean. “Give me a sword.”

  Sean could only stare in astonishment. Did I do that? Nearly all of Byron’s scars were gone. He didn’t have any more time to wonder, and he could only guess at Byron’s motives. Sean gave him the dead man’s sword. Miraculously, it hadn’t been broken or bent by the pounding hooves of Byron’s new mount. Good thing the man was dead before he hit the ground.

  After barely a moment’s hesitation, Byron took the sword that drifted up from the ground and spun his horse to face their new threat. Three more madmen on destriers were just clearing the gate, and behind them were a couple dozen men on foot.

  “Stay back!” Sean yelled at Byron. Byron glanced over his shoulder at him and then backed his horse to stand beside him. He gave the horse a kick in the nose to stop him from going after Prince. Sean wiped the life from the riders, then spun the horses around. With running men now in front of four uncontrolled killing machines, it was a slaughterhouse.

  “Ferris, can you hear me?”

  “Mmey,” was his groggy reply.

  “Where are the others? I’ll get you out of there.”

  “Wait, lend me your magic,” he said. He sounded hurt…grim.

  “How do I do that?”

  “Just let me…” and Sean felt a tug. He felt things breaking and blowing apart. It was very satisfying under the circumstances. “The women are somewhere else. Find them. If they’re here somewhere, guide me to them.”

  Find them, he says. “How are we doing, Byron?”

  Byron looked at Sean; there was a nasty glint in his eyes. “Couldn’t be better.”

  The archers on the walls were shooting at the horses now, but they had armor on, so the arrows were doing little more than making the big horses madder, if that was possible. Looking past them, he could see men scrambling to other horses.

  “Cisco, can you hear me?”

  She answered this time. “Seanad, where are you?”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m on the second floor of the main garrison house in the middle of town. Where are you? You sound close.” She didn’t sound at all alarmed.

  “Nonsense, I’m just stronger. Where are the others?”

  Her voice went hard. “I don’t know. They separated us.”

  “Ferris will come for you. I’ll find the others.” Prince whirled under Sean and he had to grab the pommel of his saddle to keep his seat.

  Coming up behind them was what could only be the town’s police force. They were a loose collection of about fifteen men, uniformed much like the men dying inside the wall – all in black – but other than that they looked like a mob. None of them were mounted, and most of them carried billy clubs opposite their swords.

  “Stay back!” Sean yelled at them. “I don’t want to kill you.”

  “Like hell,” muttered Byron at his shoulder.

  “Can you watch everyone? I need to find the girls.” Sean asked Byron.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, as he eyed his young companion sharply.

  “I’m not going anywhere without the rest of my friends. I just won’t be paying much attention here for a little bit.”

&nb
sp; Byron looked at Sean then glanced at his sword. “You’re a mage.” It was almost a question. “I’ll watch for now, but I want my revenge.”

  Sean glanced at their surroundings. “I think you’ll get your revenge, or at least a piece of it.” An old woman’s screech echoed in Sean’s mind. He rides Terror, and Revenge will fight beside him. ‘Revenge’ fit this man far better than it ever had Errol. He regripped his swords and turned his attention back to finding his friends.

  “Ferris?”

  “Here,” he snapped. He was still tugging at Sean’s magic and breaking things. He had recovered enough to be really pissed.

  “I assume you are in the same building as Cisco. You both feel like you are in front of me. Cisco says she’s on the second floor, and I’m going to assume that she must be somewhere near the back, because she’s not aware of what’s going on out front here. She’s alone. I have to find the others.”

  “Understood.” Something else blew up.

  “What are you doing?” asked Sean, and felt a malicious satisfaction in the touch.

  “I’m drafting an army.” Sean understood then; he was breaking cell doors. He liked that idea.

  “Mattie, it’s Sean, can you hear me? Don’t be afraid. Just talk to me.” Sean had never talked to her like this before. He wasn’t sure she knew about such magic.

  She was crying hard, but she was there. “My lord?” She was so upset that the backwash of emotion almost brought tears to Sean’s eyes as well.

  “It’s me, where are you? Is Jenny with you?” he asked as gently as he could.

  “I don’t know (hic) where we are. We’re on an upper floor. Lord, Miss Jenny is hurt. She’s bleeding. I can’t wake her. The Captain Commander… He…”

  Sean bit his tongue on a tirade of colorful language that would only frighten her even more. “Mattie, put your hand where it’s bleeding. I think I can do that much from here at least.” Sean didn’t understand her embarrassment and confusion, and didn’t have time to think about it, but she did as he asked. Mattie possessed a little white magic, so either she was too weak or too upset to accomplish the task herself. He was able to help her stop the bleeding. “Now Mattie, I’m going to get you and Jenny out of there, but I can’t do it right now, not if Jenny’s hurt. You just hold on and stay close to Jenny. Everything will be just fine.”