Wizard's Blood [Part One]

by Bob Blink

  His latest little dove was actually a friend of his daughter, and wouldn’t she be scandalized if she knew. Denelere was a bit older than his daughter, but the two had known each other for years, sharing many of the same friends. Well, she would certainly do until he got bored, or more likely the young woman would catch the eye of one of the younger nobles or their sons around the palace. He knew that was something else they sought. By being around the King, they had more opportunity to encounter someone suitable for a more permanent arrangement. He just wished the woman wasn’t so damn nosey. She asked questions about things that shouldn’t be the concern of a woman in her position. Well, he’d learned a long time ago about talking between the sheets. She might be curious, but she would never learn anything he didn’t want her to.

  He sighed as he looked out across the palace grounds. They had been making great progress with the various preparations the outsider Jolan had pressed for them to pursue. Major Wylan said the troops had increased by twenty percent, and that training had been going on almost continuously. They were better prepared than they had been in years. If only his son would stop pressing to be allowed to go to Kimlelm where the first encounters were likely to occur. Somehow he knew that the quiet of the summer wasn’t going to last much longer. He’d resisted the thought of war, but his bones told him it was coming.

  Chapter 67

  Toran looked across the road at the Inner Court that housed the College of Mages. He was no longer dressed in his usual garb, and no one could tell that he, or any of the other three members of his team, were from Ale’ald. The day was clear and warm, and the streets were far busier than those of his native country. Shoppers moved freely and happily about their tasks, and smiles greeted them rather than frowns of suspicion as one was used to at home. Toran had always like Angon, and Cobalo in particular. He would be glad when it belonged to Ale’ald, and hoped he might be located here during the occupation period.

  “Do you think he’ll be coming out afore too much longer?”

  “It’s hard to say. She told us that after Kalnd was killed, the mages were very cautious, and he especially didn’t often venture outside the walls for a long time. Supposedly that’s changed now, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Kalnd’s failure had made things far more difficult for Toran. Apparently Kalnd came close to killing the man Cheurt had sent them after, but in the end Jolan had emerged from the altercation unharmed. That failure had alerted Jolan and the entire Council of Mages to the desire to hunt Jolan down. Now, great care was being taken, and frequently the mages traveled in groups, sometimes even escorted by the King’s Guard.

  Patience was the answer. At some point the man would get restless or careless and make a mistake. That was when they would strike. In the meantime, they would continue the search for the other one. She had said he had been seen here with Jolan, although his name hadn’t come up much of late. Perhaps he had fled after the previous attack. If so, he probably went back to that little village he came from. They’d pass through there again on their way home and could finish him off then if necessary. For now, he’d keep the team looking.

  Toran had also asked his contact to seek out information about Jolan’s friends. He wanted to know whom he spent time with, and whether he had someone he was particularly close to. That kind of information might come in handy. If he wouldn’t come out on his own, maybe he could be induced to leave the protection of the Inner Court.

  From the talk they’d had with the woman the other day there was a great deal going on. She knew that the King had approved some special projects, but everyone was being very closed-mouth about just what was being done. She’d heard the word “telegraph” spoken once by someone who was privy to the projects, but had no idea what the term might mean. Toran didn’t either and wished he could talk to Cheurt and relay the information. The long delay that would be associated with their return might be critical. He’d have to decide by tomorrow if he wanted to entrust any of the information they’d gathered to the regular courier who was scheduled to leave, or hold it back for his own return.

  He’d also learned that a large shipment of goods had been sent off to Kimlelm. It wasn’t unusual for ships to carry the products of Angon to Kimlelm, but the King’s Guard had carefully guarded this particular shipment through the entire loading process, waiting until it had sailed before leaving the docks. Toran found that very telling, and wished he could find out what had been on the manifest. He’d told his contact to see what she could learn, but she’d bluntly told him not to expect much.

  Chapter 68

  Two weeks ago Asari had come into the monitor room and found the screen that displayed the trail to Ale’ald had come back to life. His long waiting and days of boredom and frustration were finished. For a moment he thought he was wrong. The group was another small one, only four travelers this time. When he expanded the view, he didn’t recognize the man on the screen, and wondered if another group of travelers unrelated to Cheurt was leaving Ale’ald. It happened often enough, so perhaps this was a false alarm after all.

  Then Cheurt slipped into view, stopping to talk with the man Asari had been watching. It was them after all! Quickly he looked at the other members and found he only recognized the archer. Two of the four were new members, and most of the usual travelers were missing. Something had certainly changed, and the fact Cheurt was with them this trip, but he hadn’t been with the group he’d seen when he first returned to Trailways meant that he hadn’t even made the trip to the Nexus the last time. So why had the others gone there at all? Being away had allowed the situation to drift away from what he’d become used to. If Cheurt wasn’t making the trips, his chance to kill the wizard might soon come to an end.

  Asari had gathered his traveling gear, told his friends he was headed into the forest for a while, and then hiked on ahead to find the spot where he normally waited for the wizards to appear after they’d made their silent passage through the village. It was an old routine, and it felt good to be doing something familiar again. Right on time Asari had picked up their trail, and began the slow walk back into the forest.

  He couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d been here had been special, and he wondered how Jolan was doing. Then he cursed himself. That time was past. Jolan couldn’t even be bothered to come himself when he thought Asari might be in danger. The courier that had passed through had told him about the attack on his friend, and Asari couldn’t help but recall the relief he’d felt when the man told him that Jolan had escaped the attempt unharmed.

  Now Asari was well back from the small group he’d followed for the past week into the Land of Giants, and he watched from his hidden position as the group clustered around the spot Jolan had identified as the transition point of the Nexus. He was expecting Cheurt to perform his usual disappearing act again, and was hoping he’d step into the clearing of the open spot, but so far this trip he’d once again never offered Asari a chance at a decent shot. It looked like the wizard would disappear again, leaving him no chance to put an arrow into him.

  Then, surprisingly, someone else appeared in the exact spot Asari has been expecting the wizard to disappear from. This was something new. As he watched, the man shook himself, and then turned to the rest of the group. Asari recognized him. He’d never known the man’s name, but he’d seen him make this trip with Cheurt a number of times before. He was now dressed in the style of clothing Jolan had worn when he’d first seen him, and Asari suddenly realized the man must have made the transition from Earth. That meant not only Cheurt, but now another was able to make the trip. He realized how important this discovery was.

  Cheurt stepped forward and greeted the other man, who seemed anxious to move away from the Nexus at the moment. Cheurt stepped into the clear, his back clearly outlined with none of his men in the way. Slowly Asari drew his bow, pulling the string back until his hand nestled next to his ear, exactly as he’d done a thousand times before.

  He was positive he
could make the shot, especially with this particular arrow. It was the best chance he’d ever been given, and maybe the best chance he’d ever have. Okay, it was a bit longer than he’d ever made a shot like this before, and there was a bit of a cross breeze, so maybe he wasn’t one hundred percent positive of the shot. If he could have shot a couple of arrows, say all three of the special ones, he’d be positive. But he knew he’d only get the one shot. Hit or miss, the arrival of the arrow would alert the wizards, precluding any additional attempts.

  He steadied his arm, strong from all the practice of late, and chose the elevation of the arrow tip, giving just the bit of extra to account for the drop of the longer than normal flight.

  Dragons be Damned! Okay, if he was totally honest with himself, there was a one in two chance the arrow would make a fatal strike. Jolan’s words came back to him. Make an attempt and fail, and even if he escaped alive the man would never give him another chance. Even worse, Asari would have alerted the wizard to the fact they knew of his trips to the Nexus, and someone was hunting him. That would make future attempts all but impossible.

  DragonPiss! He slowly let the tension from the string, and lowered the bow. He didn’t dare take the chance. Jolan had been right. He’d known it at the time in his heart, but had been too angry to admit it. He couldn’t let Cheurt be warned, and the fact that others were visiting Earth was something he’d have to tell Jolan. That meant he’d have to go back. He’d told himself he’d never return unless Jolan came to him first, but that also had been stupid. Jolan was doing what he had to. Asari had just been too impatient.

  Decision made, he leaned back to watch events unfold in front of him. He’d wait and see what happened next. It would be important to tell Jolan. As soon as the wizards were finished he’d start back. He wouldn’t bother to follow them back to Trailways as he usually did, but would push on ahead and make the best time he could back to Angon, and his friend.

  Asari had something else he’d wanted to show to Jolan, but hadn’t been about to give in and send it to him. He’d found something his father had discovered a few years back and placed in a back corner of the monitor room. They’d never been able to open it and see what was inside because some magic seal kept the “book” closed. Maybe Jolan could now open it given he was becoming a real mage. His father had always felt it might be important.

  Chapter 69

  The King’s son Mojol had finally won over his father and been permitted to set out for Kimlelm. It was a journey that would take many weeks but which would put him close to where any action was likely to first occur if the wizards in Ale’ald followed through on their plans to start another war. The King wasn’t happy about letting his son go, but had decided he was more trouble to keep around than to let go given his constant complaints. On the positive side, Mojol could act as an ambassador from Angon to the President of the Ruling Council there, something that would be fitting given the recent exchanges between the two countries. The telegraph system had undergone preliminary testing, and now messages could be exchanged readily, although traffic was being kept down to maintain the secrecy of the system.

  Mojol had taken a hundred of the King’s Army along, too small a group to be an effective fighting force, and therefore it represented more of an honor guard than serious fighting troops, but they were all equipped with the percussion version of the new rifle. Each member had had to qualify with the new weapon, and even this small group could put forth a surprising rate of fire. Jolan had tried to persuade the man to wait a few weeks until the cartridge rifles became available, but he wouldn’t hear of it, afraid that if he waited his father might find reason to change his mind. He would be able to exchange the percussion rifles for the newer and vastly superior cartridge rifles when they arrived on the ship. Jolan was a bit surprised to think the percussion rifle may have come and gone on Gaea without ever having been used.

  The departure of Mojol had cleared the way for the King’s daughter to be a frequent participant in the progress meetings they held at regular intervals. Jolan couldn’t help wondering if she secretly hoped that her brother might meet his end in the faraway land making her own position as an heir to the throne that much more likely. She was certainly more qualified for the job in Jolan’s opinion, but she seemed a bit bloodthirsty to him.

  Last week the ship had finally left for Kimlelm, loaded with the secretly developed rifles and additional gear for the expanding telegraph network. They’d sent five thousand of the rifles, along with fifty rounds of ammunition for each. That seemed like a very limited supply of ammunition to Jolan, but when he did the math that meant a quarter of a million rounds had been shipped. Their ability to produce the ammunition was actually more limiting than the rifle production. The steel cases were difficult to build in the current environment, and Buris was working to find alternatives so the production rate could increase.

  In addition to the full output of rifles thus far produced, the ship had miles of wire, hundreds of batteries, and every other part or spare they could imagine being required for the growing system for the next year. There were even a half-dozen of Buris’ experimental portable stations that he hoped could be fielded with the troops to provide near instantaneous battle reports should the attacks start.

  The ship should reach the port in Kimlelm in four to five weeks, weather permitting. With the fall breezes starting, they could have strong winds to help their schedule, but the winds also increased the chances of one of the severe storms that would be starting now that the colder season was only months away. Jolan couldn’t help but recall his own trip across a much smaller and more sheltered section of the ocean almost a year ago now.

  A year, he mused. He’d been on Gaea the better part of one of their years, which meant slightly more than an Earth year had passed. He’d actually stopped thinking about Earth, except on very rare occasions when some question would be raised. There wasn’t much point. He knew he wouldn’t be going back and was making a life for himself here. He was actually far happier on Gaea than he’d ever been back home, so maybe it was for the best.

  Tomorrow Jolan had to meet again with Major Wylan, who wanted to keep himself fully involved in the production and distribution of the weapons, but who also nagged at Jolan a bit to come up with other ideas that might help them. Jolan had a couple of things in mind he might suggest now that these two projects had worked out so well. The King might actually be willing to fund additional efforts, especially if they had the economic potential one of his ideas might produce, even if there wasn’t a war.

  Jolan’s regular practice and diligence had paid off personally as well. At least he liked to think it was his hard work that was the cause. He’d advanced to a level five mage earlier in the week. His advancement from a level two some months back to a level five broke every known record for a mage’s development. Of course, the fact he was already far older than most of the students at the school when he arrived might, as many of his jealous classmates liked to suggest, have had a great deal to do with it. Once the barriers had been brought down, his body pushed to reach his more normal state of advancement, and it had nothing to do with his efforts or his being any kind of prodigy.

  He’d been eager to tell Shyar, and used it as an excuse to get her alone for a little delightful necking. Their relationship seemed to be on a stable course, and while for the first time in his life he hadn’t been able to move the romance quickly toward the bedroom, that didn’t bother him as much as he’d expected. She was too important to him to risk by pressing the matter. They’d come close once, and he knew it was only a matter of time. That night he’d learned from her that she had been a level six for some time, so the prediction she’d be a seven seemed to be very likely correct.

  The breeze made small ripples on the water of the lake as they stood arms around each other in the shadow of one of the trees. The lake inside the Inner Court was one of their favorite places to walk and talk, often making the full circuit hand-in-hand in the late afternoon a
fter the day’s more pressing matters had been resolved. Today it was a bit later, and the sun was on the horizon, just about to slip out of view. One of the two large moons was already up, a bit unusual Jolan thought, but he’d lost track of them of late and stopped trying to figure their erratic schedules.

  His arms were wrapped around her back, holding her warm and close, the firm pressure of her breasts against his chest a reminder of how she had looked that day when they’d almost consummated their relationship. She’d removed her top, and was in the process of stripping off her pants when someone arrived knocking at Jolan’s door with a demand they head over to the palace immediately. Shyar couldn’t help laughing at the time, and somehow the proper moment hadn’t yet repeated itself, although Jolan keep hoping. He bent down and kissed her again, this time lingering over the soft sweetness of her lips, feeling her arms tighten around his neck and hold him close, demanding the kiss last even longer.

  “Jolan?” she asked softly.

  “Ummmm,” he said, lifting his mouth from her neck where he strayed after the kiss.

  “Do you think you’re going back to Earth?”

  “You know I can’t. No one knows the secret of the Nexus. I’m here to stay it seems.”

  “I meant, if you could. Would you go back?”

  He didn’t want to go into this right now. He already could sense it was a topic best avoided.

  “Why think about something that can’t happen?” he said, avoiding an answer and hoping that would be the end of the matter.

  “Don’t do that,” she said. “You know I don’t like evasiveness.”

  He sighed. “I probably would. It would only be for a while, and then I’d be back.”

  “You can’t be certain it would work out that way. Maybe you wouldn’t be able to return. You said your great ancestor was trapped on Earth. What if that happened to you?”