Branded Mage

by D. W.

  He had never seen any of the soldiers complain about their lot in life, and from what he learned, most of them were volunteers. Yes, a good percentage of the army was slaves, about a third overall, but even they seemed to enjoy the life of a soldier. It was much less taxing than the life of a farmer, and the peerage were known for rewarding good slave soldiers with their freedom. Thad figured it was one of the reasons very few of the soldiers had supported the rebellion. Around the other soldiers they weren’t viewed as a slave, but as a fellow brother in arms.

  There were also females in the army, though there were very few. In their group of almost two hundred, only three females were present. Thad hadn’t talked to any of them except Eloen, but from what he gathered, they joined for the sake of adventure. Not lack of coin. From what he could tell, the women in the army didn’t treat the men as subordinates; in fact, Eloen was the only female captain. Rank was still the ruling factor; it was not a matter of sex. If only the rest of the Queendom would run the same way, they wouldn’t be half the problems they now faced.

  Laying back on his bed, Thad tried to flush all thoughts of the coming battle from his mind. It wasn’t easy, but after a short time they were replaced by thoughts of what he would like to do. It had been a long time since he had just sat down and planed out his next experiment. One plan in particular, from the year before, sprang up in his thought. He wanted to build a device that would enhance his spells, but at a greater level and without having to be carried on his person. He had finally dismissed the thought last time due to cost, but with the queen behind him, it might be possible. As he worked through the details of his project, Thad drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

  CHAPTER XIII

  Riding next to Captain Harmon Thad was once again placed in the middle of the formation. He had been working on enchantments for the soldiers’ equipment, but as the day came to a close, he decided to retire to bed. It wasn’t that it was hard or dangerous, but he did not want to be unable to defend himself due to overexertion. At first he feared some of the soldiers would take it amiss but none of them seemed to care if he worked himself to death or not. They only offered their thanks and promises to pay when they were able. He had also begun making equipment for the slaves after one young man had asked if he could trade services for the work. It hadn’t crossed Thad’s mind before that the slaves did not receive payment and could not even afford the pittance he was selling his work for. He decided that for every three he sold, he would give a set to one of the slaves. This cut into his profit, but it made Thad feel so good that he didn’t mind the loss of a few silvers.

  “So do you have any ideas to help with defending of Southpass?” Harmon asked trying to start a conversation. Eloen had assigned the poor man to be his watcher and now was forced to tag alongside him wherever he went.

  Thad like the man, but he never talked about anything other than military strategy. Thad had thoroughly studied the subject in the academy, but it was about as entertaining as watching leaves fall.

  “I have a few ideas, but I won’t really know for sure until I see what I have to work with. I could always cast lightning and fire down on them, but I will tire fast. I would rather set up enchantments that will allow for the best overall defense with the smallest amount of effort.”

  Thad replied as his eyes scanned the horizon for any sign that Tremon was close. He knew that they should arrive at the major trade town today, but no one had stated exactly what time of day they should expect to arrive.

  Thad was fairly excited about entering the second largest city in Farlan. It was supposed to be a bustling city that centered on trade. No merchant could get to Abla without passing through its gates so people from many kingdoms had set up trading centers there.

  “Good ideas, not to mention you don’t know what the enemy will bring against us. So far the gap to the pass is too small for a full size catapult or ballista. It would be possible for them to build one by bringing the materials through the pass first and assembling them on the other side, however, they tried that before but it didn’t work out too well for them. How would you take care of that?” Harmon asked his voice slightly excited as if he were eagerly awaiting what grand idea Thad would come up with.

  “I don’t know. It would depend on what materials I had on hand to work with and other factors as well. How far away and how it was constructed would need to be taken into account. As I said before, I do not know what I will be able to do until I see what I have to work with, but I can promise you I will do my upmost to make sure we prevail.” Thad said hoping it would end the conversation that he and Harmon had had four or five times already over the past few days.

  The air between the two filled with a tense silence. Darryl having finished making his normal circuit around the group pulled up next to him. This had become his routine, giving the friends a change to talk.

  “So you ready to head into the pits of hell?” Darryl asked, a large smile spreading across his face.

  “I don’t think I have to worry about that just yet were still quite a few days from reaching Southpass.”

  “Oh, no one’s told you about Tremon have they. It’s the most anti-male city in the Queendom. It’s even worse than the capital. Last time I was there I got arrested for walking too loudly.”

  “How the heck do you walk too loudly?” Thad asked trying to hold in a laugh.

  “Well you would just have to understand the town. Abla is a country ruled by men and the women are treated ten times worse than they treat us over here. With Tremon being one of the few, if not the only city Ablaians ever enter. The women have grown a bit heavy-handed just to annoy the Ablaians. The city is about sixty percent female so it a good place to look for a wealthy wife, just don’t expect her to treat you better than a doorstop outside of the bedroom.” Darryl said giving him a sly wink.

  “And I bet the queen wouldn’t be very happy if I sat anyone on fire or destroyed the town would she? I better make sure I don’t get into any trouble lest I set the fury of all womankind against me.” Thad said dramatically as if he were a thespian in a play gaining him a chuckle from both his friend and Captain Harmon.

  Darryl grabbed Thad by the shoulder and pulled him close. “Don’t worry, I Think Captain Eloen will keep you well under heel once we reach the city. I doubt she will even let you step outside of her room…….. I mean your room.”

  Thad tried to dispute what Darryl had said, but as he blushed and stuttered it didn’t sound very convincing to himself, let alone anyone else. Darryl soon darted off, back to the rest of his group. It would be at least an hour before he made his next circuit around the formation, another half hour after that before he finished it. For now Thad was reduced to talking to Captain Harmon or sitting in silence. He opted for silence.

  Shortly after midday Thad got his first view of the impressive wall that surrounded Tremon. He had been told it stood ten foot high and was over two foot thick. For the distance it didn’t look nearly as impressive as the others had told him but he knew as they drew close he would be able to see it in its enormity. In the capital, even though it was surrounded by an eight foot tall wall, one could still see buildings reaching over the wall from a distance. This was not the case with Tremon. Nothing seemed to peek above its mighty walls. The peaceful silence was broken as Harmon began telling the history of the city as they grew ever nearer. Unlike the constant talk of battle preparations this was at least interesting.

  “The wall was put up five hundred years ago to keep merchants from being able to leave the city without reporting their trades to the proper channels. Now when a merchant leaves or enters they are inspected and cleared in order to cut down on illegalities. It has worked quite well and the largest portion of the Queendom’s income now comes from taxes collected in Tremon. Especially the taxes collected from the Ablaians.” Harmon continued telling that everything from how the taxes were collected to who paid how much. It was interesting to learn that some countries paid a higher tax than others b
ut it wasn’t something Thad really cared about knowing.

  When the bricks of the city wall were clearly visible Eloen and her men moved up into a protective circle around Thad, while Captain Harmon returned to the front of the formation where the majority of his troops were located. He didn’t know why they had changed their positions but it was much nicer to have people around him he had more in common with. At least he wouldn’t have to listen to any more boring lectures over the benefit of having crossbows when in a defending position.

  The walls of the city were like large paintings made with different colored bricks depicting the history of Farlan. The closer they got to the gates the more elaborate the murals became. One even depicted the crown of Farlan being passed down in the royal line. It had Queen Serena but the young princess had not been added yet. Thad figured she wouldn’t be added until she was crowned the next queen.

  The gates to the city were massive. They were easily big enough for two large wagons to fit through side by side with plenty of room to walk in-between. Three guards stood watch outside the gate along with one elderly looking woman with a stack of parchments. Captain Harmon rode up ahead to greet the fidgety woman who scowled deeply at him.

  When they approached the gates Thad could see that the woman was clearly ignoring Harmon as she scanned their group. Then with her papers in hand she marched over to where Eloen sat astride her horse.

  “Where are you from, what is your purpose for visiting Tremon, how long will you be staying, and do you or any of your men plan to buy anything for commercial sale?” The woman rattled off as if she had given the same speech numerous times.

  “We are from Calisaren on our way to Southpass we will only be within the city walls for the day.” Eloen said casually as if the woman was boring her.

  The older woman scribbled a few things on one of the pieces of parchment then gave Eloen a harsh look. “Very well you and your Men may enter, but warn them we will not allow any disruption from their kind.”

  Eloen spurred her horse forward and through the gates soon followed by everyone else including a very displeased Captain Harmon. It was almost comical at the sheer amount of disdain the woman openly showed toward them as if they had personally stolen the clothes from her back. If the rest of the women in Tremon treated men with half the disdain as that woman had, this place was far worse than the capital.

  Even though he had been warned about the anti-man feelings of the city Thad still had an urge to run around and explore the city. The streets were wide and well paved with flagstone. He figured it was for the great numbers of wagons that must travel through during the busier times of the year. As they passed the enormous market district Thad’s eyes were drawn to the many different shops that were outlandishly decorated. It was as if they had thrown caution to the wind and each one had tried its best to outshine the others.

  They passed half a dozen inns all of which looked nice enough to house the royal family until they stopped at a fairly decent looking inn called Merchants Rest. Eloen as well as the other females dismounted while the rest of the group began to continue on. Thad started to follow with the other men but was stopped when Eloen grabbed the reins of his steed.

  “Because of the…rules of the city… men can’t stay at this inn. The rest of the troops will be moving into the designated areas for men. Seeing as how you are the Princess’s slave the proprietor here won’t be able to say much. Besides, I would much rather have you stay in better accommodations than those afforded the men around here.” Eloen said, the last part coming out as an almost feral growl.

  “I don’t think I should be the only male in the group allowed to sleep in comfort.” Thad said, not enjoying the extra attention.

  “Listen I know it’s not fair, I agree with you on that but, there’s little I can do about how they treat men around here. I don’t even think the queen’s decree has even started to sink in to the people here. Hopefully in time things will change but my orders were clear. You are to be treated the same as any noblewoman and protected at all costs. The queen and my aunt both made that abundantly clear. So like it or not you are going to be staying here in the room right next to mine.” Eloen said with far more fire in her voice than he was used to hearing.

  Thad didn’t say anything. He just quietly followed Eloen into the inn. Inside the place was opulent with large cushioned chairs to sit around richly stained hardwood tables. It far outstripped anything he had ever seen in an inn before though admittedly he had only frequented a few. The smell wafting in from the kitchen made Thad’s stomach grumble drawing a slight giggle for the ladies with him.

  Eloen turned giving him an exaggerated wink. “Don’t worry I’ll make sure you get to eat before we put you to bed.”

  Eloen’s comment earned a few more giggles from the other two ladies making Thad blush deeply. One of the other two soldiers, a tall blond with a large bust who wore her battle leathers a little tighter than was common, leaned over and whispered something in Eloen’s ear getting a good long laugh from the woman. Thad wasn’t sure what she had said but from the look on her face it wasn’t anything good. The three women eyed him as if they were wolves looking at a lamb that had wondered away from its flock.

  When they reached the front desk a Tall middle aged woman with her auburn hair pulled back in a tight bun greeted them. “Welcome to Merchants Rest. While we are more than willing to offer you a room ladies your man will have to take lodgings in the male quarters. I would suggest the Broken Wagon they are one of the more decent ones available.”

  “That won’t be possible I’m on orders from Queen Serena to see that he is treated as nobility and I doubt that would include lodgings in the male quarter. Unless you want to explain why you turned away her prize slave to sleep in filth, I would suggest you find him a room adjacent to mine.” Eloen said her voice stern and unyielding.

  The lady behind the desk stared at her as if she was asking her to spin gold from the sky. She took a quick glance at Thad her face turning into a sneer. “I am deeply sorry miss but the laws of the city clearly prohibit me for offering lodgings to men. If you would like that to change I would suggest you make an appointment with the magistrate.”

  “Thad, be a dear and burn this place to the ground. We will find lodgings elsewhere.” Although Eloen kept her voice calm with very little inflection of her tone the look on her face told Thad that she was deadly serious.

  Thad just stood there shocked that she would seriously ask such a thing from him. She was usually a little excitable but this seemed a bit extreme. Noticing his hesitance Eloen grabbed him by the collar bringing him close to her face. “Burn it to the ground. If they won’t obey a lawful order of the queen, then they don’t deserve to operate a business within her domain.”

  The look on her face left little room to argue so Thad focused on a small area at the far corner of the common room hoping the fire would spread slowly allowing people to evacuate the inn without injury. With only the slightest thought one of the cushioned chairs burst into flames billowing thick black smoke throughout the room.

  The woman behind the counter screamed for someone to put out the fire and half a dozen people from the kitchen ran out carrying buckets of water. Not really in the frame of mine to burn everyone alive Thad didn’t add anymore flames to the fire and let them put it out.

  The smell of burnt hair and wood hung heavily over the room as Eloen turned back to the woman giving her a menacing smile. “Well looks like you’re lucky our young mage isn’t inclined to violence, but I suggest you change your mind about the rooms. If not, I don’t care if he helps or not this place will be coming down.”

  The lady looked for a few moments as if she was still deciding but finally let out a heavy sigh. “He can stay but I will not give him his own room. I hate to think what he will do without proper supervision. Either take it or I’ll call the guards now and you can see how much you can get done in the city dungeon.”

  Eloen stared down the woman then turne
d toward Thad. “Looks like were roomies tonight lover boy.” She said her face changing from anger to joy so fast it unnerved Thad more than just a little. In the recesses of his mind he wondered if all women were as mentally unstable.

  Up in the room he shared with Eloen, he was happy to find two beds. At first he had feared that he would be forced to sleep next to the woman all night. It wouldn’t have been the first time, but last time he didn’t even know about it until the next morning when he woke. If he was forced to try and sleep next to her knowingly he didn’t think he would get much rest.

  After depositing their belongings in their rooms, Thad and the three women went back to the common room to get something to eat. They found a table on the opposite side of the room from where that had sat the chair on fire. It had already been cleaned but a small charred spot remained on the floor where the chair had sat.

  The waitress appeared at the table before the four even had a chance to get completely situated. “What can I get for you?” She asked her voice pleasant and unassuming.

  “Yes, we would like a bottle of wine to start with and four orders of your house special.” Eloen said never looking up at the waitress.

  Thad remained silent as the three women talked about everything from the weather, the current clothing trends, and what they thought of different men that were traveling with them. The last subject caused him to blush more than once as his name was mentioned often. He was sure they were doing it just to get a response from him, and as much as he would like to be able to ignore their comments, he wasn’t in complete control of his face.

  It didn’t take long for the waitress to return with a large bottle of wine and four glasses as well as four large bowls of thick stew with large chunks of meat and vegetables. The stew was rich and tasted great though it sat heavily on his empty stomach. The wine was made from some kind of berry. It was sweet, more of a treat then a drink. Before Thad knew what he was doing he was on his third glass.