“You can never take magic out of the equation boy” Lord Nettleton said entering the conversation. “It is the great equalizer, it is the reason you survived fighting the barbarians and the only reason many of our neighbors will not attack despite the fact that we surrounded on three sides by four different nations”.
“I agree totally Lord Nettleton” Sara said as she fixed John with a stare. “Besides, there is never a such thing as too much help when you are dealing with the crimes of the lower class against each other”.
“I agree as well” Crystal replied. “And as far as the law goes maybe I should make it part of the curriculum for any who wish to accompany the knights”.
John moaned and continued eating, of all of these so called lunch dates, Tatterson although definitely not his type was the only one he would be remotely interested in. She was quiet so John had no idea what she was really like, the rest opened their mouths and proved to John he would rather repeated jab his eye with a pen instead of going anywhere with them. During those lunches though John had stayed silent and just smiled on occasion and didn’t really add anything to dinner conversation. Unfortunately his sister spinned it into him being the strong silent type. This lunch though was with Rusty’s people, he had to speak his mind at least once, now he was happy to let things play out. Tomorrow he would be heading to the Downey border, there had been rumors of forced prostitution, illegal trade and gambling and other manner of crimes. Anyone sent to assess the crimes either came back with a lot more money or did not come back at all, convenient victims of a Downey surprise attack or killed off by bandits the army posted down there were never able to catch. When the lunch ended John stood and smiled and thanked the Nettletons for joining them and went to leave. Sara grabbed him by the arm and started digging her nails into his forearm.
“What was that about” Sara snapped. “All you had to do was shut up and nod. Dawn Nettleton is from a noble family and unlike Sahmya Lux she is an actual mage. It’s like you were trying to ruin your best chance, the dowry you would have received from her father would have been sizable”.
“I don’t want Dawn Nettleton” John said as he pulled his arm away. “And neither does anyone else, it’s the reason she is single”.
“She is single because men are intimidated by her size and those that aren’t do not have a good enough bloodline” Sara replied. “Honestly John you have obligations uphold, you are supposed to help breed the next generation of protectors for the kingdom and your chances of doing that is less than ten percent if you don’t marry a mage”.
“If I marry a mage it definitely won't be that woman or anyone remotely related to that idiot of yours” John replied. “Maybe mother was right and I should look at a younger mage, I still have too much anger from my time in the tower to take anyone near my age remotely serious”.
“That is a stupid way of thinking of things” Sara replied. “You could miss out on a good woman based on her attitude when she was a girl. Girls are mean, deal with it and move on like a real man”.
“So I am not a real man now?” John replied. “And I suppose that great idiot of yours is?”
“Let’s just calm down” Jonathan spoke. “John is obviously not enamored with young Lady Nettleton and since I had the chance to court her mother and didn’t I agree with that assessment”.
“What do you mean you had a chance to court her?” Crystal asked.
“Russell practically threw her in my face as a last ditch effort once he saw his good looks and magic wouldn’t be enough to woo you” Jonathan replied. “I suppose they look decently enough but there are better women out there”.
“Jonathan while I love what our son is doing he is only getting a silver a week for his service” Crystal replied. “It doesn’t matter if the crown will cover most of his expenses, he will still be relatively poor. Dawn Nettleton unlike the majority is more than well off and she is a mage, she is the best available woman out there. The only people who even come close to her are her sisters, if he was being paid as a mage then money wouldn’t be too big of an issue but he is not”.
“You should ask John if he cares Miss Tower Mage” Jonathan replied.
“I don’t care about the money or any of that other stuff mother” John replied. “I am not going to be miserable with that giant woman, I would rather be a poor knight instead. Now if this is all over I have to prepare myself for tomorrow, it is a big day for me and I need to be in the right mindset”.
~
John looked himself over in the mirror while wearing his gear, he looked perfect. The only thing he would forgo would be the helm, it blocked out too much of his vision and he thought he looked better without it. He was given a destrier that his father would have to take care of, after all he now was unemployed and even his mother thought his father needed something to keep him busy. John walked out of his home and sighed as he saw all of the mages in the central square of the Knights complex. They all looked angry to be there to begin with, the fact many of them would be on horseback really had to piss them off John thought. Even with all their magic most of them couldn’t cover more ground in a day flying than a horse could running. Dawn stuck out for her size and John groaned when he saw she had a small carriage complete with a driver waiting for him. Other mages remarked on it and said they would follow suit, perhaps sparing the driver and having the knight tote them around. The poor women had no idea that any of the men here would do no such thing. John figured some of them were probably enamored about working next to mages but many of them were already married and those that weren’t would only be interested in a roll in the hay if that.
“Where is your mount” Dawn said looking at John. “You can ride it or tie it off to the carriage and come inside”.
“I think I’ll ride” John replied. “I am going to Maytag, a small city near the border with Downey. There has been reports that certain people have been in collusion with men from Downey and they have illegal trade going on along with forced prostitution. The army most likely frequent this town for the fun times and Prince Jordan wants me personally to check it out. That is where I will be, you can meet me there. Whether or not you decide to come or make it in time is up to you”.
“What do you mean meet me there?” Dawn asked. “You plan on running that thing into the ground only to die because you didn’t wait for your real power to show up?”
“Of course that must be it” John said as he summoned his winged mount.
“Where did that come from?” Dawn said shocked as John took to the air without looking back.
John smiled inwardly as he took off, he could hear others talk about his horse but they had only gained brief glimpses. It was Dawn though he wanted to leave the most stunned, the girl had the audacity to hire a carriage for her comfort. They were going on important business, not a vacation. John flew for about five minutes and chanced a look behind him, it he was not seated correctly he would have fallen off. An angry looking Dawn was right behind, in a few more seconds he could probably touch her. John slowed his mount, it was obvious to him at this point he couldn’t beat a mage at flying, at least for speed anyway. Dawn yelled something at him but it was hard to hear with the speed whipping by them, John dropped his personal shield and instead made a large ball shield to encompass them both and keep the air out.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Dawn yelled and from the look on her face John could tell she was angry.
“You don’t have to scream” John said as he looked at her then gestured at the shield around them.
“I said what are you doing” Dawn replied still keeping her mind focused on flying.
“What does it look like Dawn, I’m obviously flying to Maytag” John replied. “Did you pay attention to anything I said or were you so enamored with yourself because you had a carriage?”
“Where did you get this animal?” Dawn asked.
“Why?” John asked.
“I have never seen anything like it” Dawn replied. “How much do you wan
t for it?”
“Not for sale” John replied.
“So this animal is the reason you are suddenly full of yourself?” Dawn mocked.
“Jealous of the knights now?” John said as he could see she was burning up the last of her power. “You should land soon, I don’t think you can keep up”.
“Y-Yes I can” Dawn said as she breathed heavily. John saw her fall back for a moment then settle on his construct behind him. He thought about kicking her off or landing somewhere, he was just unsure of the repercussions since he didn’t think he would have a good enough excuse. If she was still in her carriage he could just say she was traveling far too slow, many knights had talked to him and planned on doing the same thing by taking few breaks and setting a good pace. The fact that Dawn was actively on his horse meant he no longer had that excuse.
“So you need the lowly knight to take you someplace” John replied. “I shouldn’t be surprised”.
“You are an asshole” Dawn said as she gripped John around his middle. “I thought you would be different, almost happy that you would get the chance to hang out with a proper mage and maybe become accepted”.
“You thought I would be happy to grovel at your boots?” John laughed. “Fuck every single mage out there except for my parents. I once cared what they thought but now I could care less, hanging out with a proper mage is the last thing I want to do. I was looked down upon, humiliated and beat up more times than I can remember. Your idiot cousin had his name all over that ass whipping I handed him for years and there are quite a bit more that deserve similar treatment, yourself included”.
“You seem so angry” Dawn replied. “So what it happened, it's now over with, get over yourself”.
“I have no reason to get over myself” John said as he veered left to follow the main road leading to the border.
“You are a mage” Dawn snapped. “Like it or not you will be a mage until the day you die. It is stupid to turn your back on your own kind”.
“Like they turned their back on me?” John asked. “This is not worth arguing about, there is nothing you can say that will change my mind and I don’t care if your opinion changes or not. Every couple of weeks we are supposed to switch partners anyway, let's just get this mission over with and you can find someone else to bother”.
“Find someone else to bother?” Dawn said offended. “Your sister for whatever reason tends to think we would be a good match, so does my parents and your mother as well. That is the only reason I agreed to come here at all, to see if a match could be made. You though are far from my first choice with your limited spells, lack of fortune and you practically have no ambition. Why would anyone want this paltry pay to risk their lives when they could be making so much more”.
“Well then you should find your first choice” John said as he shaped the unicorn from a horse to a reclining couch causing Dawn to shout as he turned around and pushed her to the unused seat. “I am more than happy with the magic at my disposal, more than happy at my career choice and more than happy at not being matched up with you. If we are being honest, if I had to marry any mage you definitely would not be my first pick either”.
“And who would be your first pick?” Dawn asked. “My family is among the richest in the kingdom and I stand to inherit a fortune. That alone is more than enough for any man, whether he is a mage or not to seek my hand. Anyone with me would have a guarantee that their sons will grow up big and strong with a physique that would leave any girl wanting them and any man wanting to be them”.
“I would rather take Tiffany Tatterson if I had to pick anyone” John replied. “And for the past two weeks I have had many people slyly trying to inquire about my relationship status, you included. My parents are much stronger in magic than yours are and for the record I don’t care about the money. If money was something I cared about then I would have stayed a mage. The boy you used to pick on died the day he joined the army, the man you see before you is a more than capable mage, unless you are trying to ignore the fact that you are riding on a flying couch without worrying about the wind hitting you in the face”.
“Tiffany Tatterson?” Dawn laughed. “That skinny sour faced shrew of a girl? “She is built like your average 11 year old girl with no womanly curves, having a baby wouldn’t even help the poor thing out and while she is an average mage, that is not saying much. Her family is practically destitute from wild spending and with her you will be forced to get by only on her salary since the knights pay you in a week what I spend on a single meal at a good restaurant”.
“All of that is true” John admitted. “But she isn’t mean like the rest of you and I don’t have to worry about shelter, food, supplies or medical services so I really don’t need money. I will take her attitude over yours anyday, besides if you are such a catch then why don’t you go harass the hundreds of mages you would rather be with instead of me?”
“Maybe I will” Dawn replied. “It’s not like I wanted you in the first place”.
“What is happening?” John asked seriously.
“What do you mean what is happening?” Dawn asked. “I said it’s not like I wanted you in the first place”.
“Not with us, with the travelers down below” John pointed. “Do you know any magnifying spells?”
“Oh so now you need my help” Dawn said triumphantly.
“Yes I need your help, if you fail to give it I can always drop you off someplace and continue without you” John snapped. “Now let me see what is going on down there”.
Dawn cast a spell that used a combination of water magic for the screen along with air magic and pure aura. John could see a five bandits assaulting what looked like a family of travelers. The father lay dying with a sword through his stomach as the mother was trying to fight off two men that seemed intent on ripping off her clothes. There were two young children, both girls that were huddled together as a man started taking off his pants. The other two bandits were rummaging through the cart for anything they could steal, the horse that used to pull it lay dead in the road.
“Close the screen and hold on tight to me” John said as he looked at Dawn.
“Why would I need to hold on to you?” Dawn asked, "What if I don’t want to hold on to you?”
John quickly changed the couch back to a unicorn and dropped the big shield that were covering them in exchange for his personal shield. Dawn fell out of the sky as John ignored her and dove straight for the fight. The man menacing the kids never knew what hit him as John swooped by and drew the sword, a heavy swing took the top of the man’s head off at the chin and John turned his mount around and flew it into one of the bandits assaulting the mother and hopped off. The other bandit was in shock as he held a part of the woman’s dress, John rammed his sword into the man’s chest then turned around. Two of the bandits that were searching the cart now saw him and were armed, John sent his construct unicorn at them at full speed. One man was hit in the chest and sent flying as John went after the remaining man who was assaulting the mother climbed to his feet. John felt his construct fizzle out as it got too far away which made him pause for a moment. The bandit in front of him lashed out with his sword, John parried the attack and stabbed the man in the throat then turned around to barely miss a sword aimed at his back. John smiled at his attacker who now looked uncertain.
“I give up” the man said and dropped his sword. “You have to take me in alive, these are Duke Sachel’s lands and he doesn’t execute criminals”.
“I am John Thunder, Knight of Kirby and I speak with the full authority of the Queen” John began. “I find you guilty of assault, murder and theft, the law is very clear on the maximum punishment available”.
“What is that?” the man said and still had the question in his eyes as John ran him through the chest with his sword.
John turned around to find Dawn who was hard at work trying to heal the father of the travelers, John knew she probably didn’t have very much magic left from flying but was impressed by he
r effort. John could see clearly when she ran out of magic as the woman fainted in a heap on the dusty ground. John moved her over and went to work, each Knight had some emergency medical training and John knew how to stop a bleeding wound. John looked at the wound, it was near the outside of the lower abdomen on the left. Although the wound was open it no longer pumped blood and all the internal organs looked to have been taken care of. John ripped the unconscious man’s shirt apart and used it as a bandage, he would be sore but he would live. John ignored the mother who ran over to the girls and searched the bodies, he found 30 copper coins and two silver ones, it should be enough for the family to buy a mule or something to pull their cart.
“The man is unconscious but will recover” John said as he looked at the woman who was trying to cover herself with bits of cloth. John walked over to the man he had ran his construct into and was happy to see the man was not only dead but had very little blood on his clothing. John stripped him quickly and returned to the mother and tossed her the clothes then turned his back to protect her modesty.
“Like I was saying the man will recover but he will need plenty of rest” John began. “To be safe he will need an expert's opinion. I am sure you know your old horse is dead but I found enough money on your attackers that should buy you a cheap mule until you get on your feet”.
“Who are you?” John heard the woman speak.
“John Thunder, Knight of Kirby” John replied. “I speak with the full authority of the Queen when it comes to justice and justice was served”.
“Thank you” John heard the lady say through sobs.
“You should thank my partner, I do not know if the man would have survived without her help” John replied as he pointed towards an unconscious Dawn.
“Is she a mage?” the woman asked.
“She is a mage” John replied. “One that gave the last of her power to help. She is not dead but it will take her at least a day to regain consciousness and even then she would need at least a day or two after to gain her strength”.
The Knight Mage Page 9
