The Making of a Mage King: Prince in Hiding

by Anna L. Walls

  She sniffed. “Okay,” she said in a shaky voice.

  Sean glanced around and saw that little had changed, but then only a couple minutes had passed. “Ferris, you get Cisco and get out here. We need to get out of town as fast as we can.”

  “Where are the others?” he asked. He wasn’t blowing things up anymore.

  “They’re farther up in the building somewhere, but Jenny’s hurt; you won’t be able to carry her out safely. I’ll pick them up as soon as we are out of here.”

  “Understood.” Sean could feel the grim anger that suffused him.

  “Are you done yet?” asked Byron. “We’re running out of grace here.”

  Sean looked around; the killing horses were now dead and the men beyond them had mounted up, and the policemen behind them were getting bold at the sight of reinforcements. “What do you think? Divide and conquer or smash-and-bash?”

  “Are your friends in there?” asked Byron. Sean nodded. “Then I say we go in there and smash-and-bash a path for them, then we can smash-and-bash our way back out again.” A twinkle of glee was in his eyes. “Between the two of us, I don’t think we can be stopped. Divide and they will conquer; at least they’ll conquer me.”

  Sounds reasonable. I’m already hip deep in this mess; might as well finish it. It was time to test the things Byron had been teaching him. They charged through the gate. As he passed through, Sean found wood in the walls and caused it to burst into flames. The men on the wall ran or jumped as the substructure exploded under them. He didn’t know so much wood was used in the construction of stone walls.

  Men trapped in the court scattered before them. On foot, they were no match for two men on killing horses, and without archers on the walls, they were even further disadvantaged.

  The policemen charged in after them. “Front door, Ferris! Soon!” called Sean.

  “Coming.”

  At the wide steps, they turned to face the horsemen charging at them across the compound. “Magic or swords?” asked Sean.

  Byron’s eyes were slit evilly. “I want blood.”

  “Blood it is,” said Sean. Both Prince and Byron’s new horse reared up, screamed their challenge, then lunged forward into the oncoming charge. Being on foot, the policemen were forced to scatter away from the fight as the two large horses crashed into the smaller horses, causing them to skitter on the paving in their effort to scramble away. Some of them had marginal success, and some of them slipped and fell. Both of the warhorses went after whatever was closest.

  Since their bigger feet were getting better traction on the cobbles, the larger horses had little trouble bashing more horses off their feet, then dealing out injury and death shortly thereafter. Many of those who succeeded in avoiding the swath of destruction dealt out by the two warhorses, met their rider’s swords, and Byron’s was particularly deadly as his attacks were fueled with vengeful fury. Then they were past, leaving a swath of screaming men and horses in their wake.

  The two of them whirled and cleared the front steps once again in time to see the big, ornate doors burst open and more guards pour out. Those who couldn’t avoid the issue sought to engage them, but most of them dodged past and kept going. On their heels came Ferris and Larry, striding side by side. Larry’s face was redder than when Cisco had tied him to the kitchen chair. In his hand he carried a heavy table leg.

  Behind them, Cisco was supporting Errol. All of them looked tattered and abused, but Sean didn’t have time to notice much more than that. Those behind them in the courtyard were regrouping.

  Ferris, Larry, Cisco and Errol made their way to Byron and Sean; the two riders bracketed them, then they all cut their way back out of the courtyard. Just as they reached the smoldering remains of the gate, Sean was punched forward in his saddle with a brutal double punch. He felt his body go numb as his swords slipped from his hands, then he felt himself slump forward. Larry managed to keep him in his saddle. He had no idea what happened after that.

  Arrows Buried Deep

  Painful motion woke Sean. Sandwiched between the bruising ache in his middle from where the saddle ground against the stones in his gut, and the deep agony between his shoulders that robbed him of breath, he couldn’t begin to know which to alleviate first, but pushing away from the saddle seemed like a good idea. At his first movement, the horse stopped. He pushed himself up and immediately regretted it. He clung to his small piece of the world and forced himself to breathe. Cisco and Larry were on either side of him still mounted. So, they found the horses. They were no longer in the town, and since there was grass underfoot, they were not following a road. “Mattie? Jenny?” That was the best he could muster to ask after them.

  Larry looked away, and he knew they had been left behind. When he regained a little of his failing breath he said, “Won’t leave them.” He struggled to stay awake and gather his strength.

  Cisco was the first to guess what he was attempting, “You can’t do this. You’re too weak.”

  “Then…give me…lend me…strength,” hissed Sean.

  Byron was beside him on foot. He looked so different and Sean was having trouble thinking. Byron gripped Sean’s hands, which were still tied to the pommel of his saddle.

  They tied me? Sensible, I suppose.

  “Take my strength,” said Byron. “Take whatever you need.”

  Sean couldn’t wait any longer. What he had within him was slipping. He thought of the girls – both of them. He hoped they were together. He thought of Jenny; her favorite shoes, her love for colorful clothes, her smile, her laugh. He thought of Mattie; how her nose turned red when she cried, her graceful body as she slipped into her dress, her long legs as she pulled her socks up. He pulled them to him. He wilted forward over his saddle. Somewhere, far away, he heard a distant cry of pain.

  Sean woke to the feel of sheets under his cheek and the smell of a light breeze. I must have left the window open. He listened for the sound of traffic outside, but all he heard was crickets and birds. He was just beginning to understand that this might not be his bedroom when he heard a stick snap behind him.

  “He’s coming around.”

  He didn’t recognize or understand the voice; it didn’t belong in his bedroom. He jumped and tried to face the threat, but only made it part way. With his face buried in the blankets under him, he tried to curl up. The blankets and the ground under him muffled his cry.

  He recognized Cisco’s touch as she pushed the pain down to a more manageable level. When he ran out of breath and strength, hands pulled him flat again and turned his head so he could breathe. Hands pushed his hair back as he continued to moan.

  “Seanad, listen to me,” said Cisco.

  He recognized her voice and he tried to find her, but the angle was wrong; all he saw was a knee and he couldn’t tell who it belonged to. He slid a hand out; he only managed a few inches, but someone took it up.

  “Seanad, listen to me, you have to remove the arrows,” said Cisco.

  “Arrows?” He didn’t remember any arrows.

  “Yes, arrows. You have to remove them so you can be healed. You’re the only one here who can do air magic. You have to make them go away.”

  “Away?” He was in such a fog; he just couldn’t grasp what she wanted.

  “I’m going to touch one. You’ll feel it. Make it go away.”

  “Can’t…” He was trying to tell her that he couldn’t think, but she didn’t give him time to get the second word out.

  “You have to. You have to do it before you get any weaker, before you pass out again.”

  He just wanted to go back to his bedroom and let the sounds of traffic lull him to sleep again. Something moved deep inside of him. In a way, it hurt, but that was far away. It was a curious feeling. He couldn’t remember…he was supposed to do something.

  Someone else took up his hand. It was big, thick, callused and dry. “Use my strength, boy. You did it before. Do it again.”

  “Don’t make me compel you,” said another voice. />
  “Ferris.” Sean identified the voice. “Can’t…”

  “Remove the damn arrows, Seanad,” Ferris said, with some force and little patience.

  The sudden absence of the arrow was a shock and Sean gasped, which hurt enough to drive everything else from his mind.

  His grip on the hand was shifted and his fingers were wrapped around a wrist. “Come on, son, one more time. You can do it,” said the voice behind the hand. It sounded vaguely familiar.

  Sean felt another movement deep inside, but the buffer was thinner and he couldn’t stop himself from lurching. He felt pressure between his shoulder blades. Someone was holding him down. The sudden vacancy of the second arrow caused him to try gulping for air again; he was not sure if he got any.

  An insistent voice penetrated his fog. “Wake up, Seanad.”

  “Let me be,” he said, or perhaps he just wished it.

  “Wake up, Seanad. We’re not finished yet. Seanad, wake up. Look at me.”

  He forced his eyes to open. He was on his back. He saw Cisco. “Go…away.” He definitely heard his voice that time.

  “Lend me your magic first. You lend me your magic and I’ll leave you be for a while.”

  He just wanted to sleep. He couldn’t understand why she wanted his magic so much, but he didn’t have the strength to figure it out. He gave her what she wanted; he felt her touch, but something was wrong with it. He just wanted the pain to go away, so he was the one who pulled, then it all just slid into peaceful oblivion once again.

  The next time Sean opened his eyes, he couldn’t figure out why he was sitting in a rocking chair looking up at the sky. His back hurt like a son of a bitch, but the chair was puzzlingly warm.

  “I think he’s coming around,” said a voice right by his ear. The chair suddenly became a man’s chest, and his seat was a saddle.

  He pulled his head up and strong arms came around him to hold him steady as he swayed.

  He looked around. He hurt all over. Ferris was holding him in the saddle as Cisco edged her horse closer.

  “You’re getting some color back finally. Are you hungry?” she asked, as she reached across to rest her knuckles against his cheek.

  Sean had to think about her question. “Yeah,” he said then he thought of what went with being hungry. “Got any water?”

  They came to a halt. Ferris helped him with a water bottle before they did anything else. Then between him, Larry and Byron, they got Sean off Prince and onto his own two feet.

  Sean did a double take looking at Byron and asked, “Byron, is that you?”

  “It’s what you all have been calling me. And for this, I owe you, I owe you anything you ask,” he said. “My real name is Manuel.”

  Mattie came up and touched Sean’s face. He reached out to touch her swollen face, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “Her jaw was broken,” said Cisco. “I fixed the bones, but I didn’t have the strength to make the bruises go away.” She turned away to reattach the water bottle to her saddle.

  Is she angry with me again? He reached for Mattie again. “I can make the bruises go away.”

  Mattie caught his hand. “No. It’s only bruising. Save your strength.”

  Larry turned his side of Sean over to her and went to help Jenny down from her horse.

  She’s so pale. “Jenny, I’m sorry,” said Sean.

  She gave him a wan smile. “I’m all right. You rescued us. You’re my hero.”

  Next, he noticed Errol. He looks worse than Jenny. He made no move to get off his horse. Larry and Ferris pulled him down and they all made their way toward some deadfall that promised some likely seats.

  Silence dominated their preparations for camp. Unable to be of much help, Sean studied the others. They all looked like they had been run through a meat grinder. If their faces look like that, I’m glad I can’t see what’s under their clothes.

  When a small fire was going, Cisco moved over by Errol where he sat quiet and unmoving. He watched as Errol mechanically ate what Cisco fed him and drank what she poured into his mouth. “What happened to him?” asked Sean.

  “They did…things,” said Ferris, unwilling to elaborate.

  “It was bad, Sean,” said Larry. “It was real bad.”

  Sean looked hard at Larry and then at Ferris. Had they received the same treatment? I suppose the women did too. What kind of men were in charge of law enforcement back there?

  Sean shifted his shoulders painfully. “Where are we now? How long has it been?”

  “We’re about as far from anywhere as we can get. You’ve been out of it for two full days now,” said Larry.

  Sean wondered at Larry’s split lip when he spoke. It looked to have been more than just split, and one eye was all black nearly down to his jaw. The only person in their gathering who appeared to have improved was Byron – or Manuel, as he called himself now. All his ugly, ropey scars were gone, not counting some faint lines. He was still missing his fingernails, though.

  Sean looked over at the horses. Manuel’s new horse was a striking bay, and it would have had very white socks that reached up to his knees, and lots of hair on his feet; the white was stained and matted now, though. He also had a wide, white blaze dominating his face, or he would have if there was more hair and less scars and scabs. He had a thick, dark mane and tail, but it was difficult to tell if the thickness was hair or just matting. He should have been a gorgeous horse, in keeping with the Budweiser Clydesdales, if it weren’t for the cruel muzzle and hobbles he was wearing. A heavy rope bound all four feet to within standing distance of one another, then another section of rope went to his head, and not only held his head low, but kept his mouth shut as well.

  Manuel followed Sean’s gaze. “He’s dangerous,” he said.

  Sean shifted his shoulders again. “We can’t leave him like that. When was the last time he’s eaten anything?”

  “I understand what you’re saying. I don’t remember much, but one thing I do remember is that those animals are dangerous. We can’t afford to let him loose.”

  Sean thrust himself to his feet then wished he’d been a little more careful.

  “You can’t do anything for him,” said Manuel, as he stood too. “There’s no hope.”

  “As I recall, someone once said that about you too,” said Sean.

  He looked at Ferris, who shrugged. “He isn’t going to starve to death. You just wait until you’re stronger.”

  Sean worked his shoulders around again and tried to stretch the muscles in his back. Mattie came up beside him and ran her hand up his back. That touch told him why his back was so sore. Even though she was trying to be gentle, her touch hurt. “What happened?” he asked, as he moved away from her hand and pulled her around in front of him. “I don’t remember much.” He corralled her hands to his chest and smiled into her questioning eyes. “Sorry, it hurts is all.”

  She gently pulled her hands free and put her arms around him again. She obviously knew where it hurt and was careful not to touch there. It felt good to have her lean against him and rest her head on his chest; she fit nicely under his chin.

  “As we were leaving the courtyard, someone shot you from the roof,” said Ferris. “Other arrows were fired too, but they did little more than cause an inconvenience before we were out of their view and range. After that, we just got out of town as fast as we could.”

  Another piece of memory surfaced. “Did you try to compel me?” asked Sean.

  Ferris smiled. “No, I just threatened to. I don’t think I could compel you, not even as weak as you were at the time.”

  Sean looked across the fire at Jenny and Larry. They sat very close together. Larry’s arm was around Jenny in a very protective manner. She looks so shattered. Larry did too, but he wasn’t showing it as much. Somehow, they seemed separated from the rest, though they sat close among them.

  Sean looked over at Errol again; he sat where Cisco had put him. He didn’t look around; in fact he scarcely blinked
. Sean went to sit by him. He flexed his shoulders again as he walked, discovering in the process that he was still weak enough to be unable to do two things at once. He kept himself upright and sank down to sit on the log next to Errol. Cisco looked at him with a look that said, ‘Don’t you dare’.

  Sean sighed. I’m not strong enough to do much anyway. He wrapped his arm around Errol’s shoulders, and he twitched at the touch, but that was the only reaction he showed.

  Though they had stopped early in the afternoon, they were all in bad shape so they stayed for the night. Sean couldn’t sleep, not even with Mattie’s warm body snuggled into his side.

  After a couple hours of trying, getting up was interesting; he had been lying still long enough to make abused muscles stiff and unwieldy. After he finally gained his feet, he looked down at his boots, and discarded the thought of bending over to put them on.

  Larry came into the firelight with an armload of firewood and Sean walked over to join him. “You really should include me in the watch shift sometimes,” he said, meaning it. He hadn’t taken a watch shift since the first night, and that hadn’t really qualified.

  “Nah,” said Larry. “You got other things to worry about.” He added a few sticks to the small fire.

  “Larry…” started Sean. What he was about to ask was difficult to put into words, and he suspected that it would be even harder for Larry to answer, but he needed to know, and Larry was the only one he could ask. “Larry, tell me what happened. Something happened back there, and I feel like I’m being kept in the dark.”

  Larry poked at the fire a bit in a useless attempt to put off a reply. He glanced over at the still forms of the rest of their ragtag party. “Cisco said not to tell you. She said you’d probably try something stupid. You can’t change what’s already happened. You can’t make it all better. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”