Hearing the conversation as the remainder of their group was all close by, Niklaus asked, “Well, couldn’t a nature wizard just link his mind to a bird and send it to the area almost as quickly as one of the other wizards? We brought some birds along to release here anyway, didn’t we?”
Zieran looked surprised to hear a battle mage speak so casually about wizard magic. It was so matter of fact to the boy, who nearly mirrored his student Piotr in looks. Of course, Niklaus had a stronger tie to wizards than most, but the man had forgotten that at first, still it seemed odd to him looking at the cadet.
“You talk like every wizard can just join their mind with a bird’s. Few can do it actually. We can train or influence creatures, but seeing through their eyes is rare.”
Niklaus looked confused and pointed at his brother, “But Piotr’s been doing it since last Fall.”
Looking to the sky, Zieran slapped his forehead. While it had been mentioned to him when they had first been introduced, the ability had slipped his mind over the last couple months during the boy’s training. “I completely forgot when they decided to ride over there. Everyone relies so much on air wizards, it slipped my mind.”
Piotr appeared as perplexed by the slip as his brother, but he hadn’t been part of the conversation which had chosen their plan.
Zieran looked at his novice a moment before asking, “Well, we have nothing to really do for now. If you think you have good rapport, why not use your magic to scout for us to let us know how the others are doing? It is a good thing to keep in practice. Have you been using that spell while learning the other magic?”
Shrugging at his mentor as the group began to follow the two towards the other cart with several cages holding smaller animals, Piotr responded, “It is a pretty natural skill for me already, but I will use it to steer Bo or one of the other animals on occasion.”
The wizards chose a cage with a field shrike inside. Piotr had used the spell in question on this bird before and had a familiarity with it; though that could be said for pretty much every animal in the zoo after all this time.
“Let me find a place to sit first, then open the cage once my mind takes her over,” the novice stated to his master looking for a spot to sit near the cages. He could stand to see the shrike instead, but someone would need to ease him to the ground. Once his mind controlled the bird, Piotr’s body would be like a marionette with its string cut.
Niklaus asked as he stood beside his brother. “Do you think that I should try to shape change into a bird to go with you?”
Clapping a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Falcon Elijah stated, “It doesn’t take two of you to scout, besides Piotr isn’t physically going there. If a hunter were to shoot down a bird, it would be you inside of that body unlike sharing his mind with the shrike.”
Disappointment crossed the cadet’s face, but he didn’t argue. As a student, his opinion held less weight and the others knew better. This was about magic and he was just a novice with barely an opinion in their eyes.
Forming the triangle with his fingers, Piotr sent his mind into the field shrike and quickly he was looking back at his body. His hands dropped as his head sagged forward like he had fallen to sleep instantly. The bird looked to Zieran standing beside the cart and its cage.
Once the wizard had seen Piotr’s body lapse into unconsciousness, Zieran lifted the catch on the cage before opening the door. Taking flight, the shrike lifted into the air quickly. It was one of the faster birds in Southwall and under the novice’s guidance, it quickly flew along the outer edge of the forest on a nearly straight path to the smoke.
He caught sight of a child, a boy stumbling along looking covered in black soot. Piotr mumbled as if his voice came from a distance alerting the camp, “A child looks like he needs help about half a mile along the tree line.”
Being difficult to communicate, the novice kept the message short and hoped that his body would echo what his mind wanted to say. It was something that he had tested with Niklaus. Sending his mind to an animal or bird; Piotr could speak from his body, but he couldn’t always hear if they spoke to him. An inefficient way to communicate, the camp would still know what he had seen.
Winging along, the bird soon spotted and overtook the riders who had split off towards the smoke. Several looked up seeing the bird brazenly passing through the air above them. No one could know that it was controlled by the novice, but still it was rare for a field shrike to be seen by groups of men. They were predators by nature, but humans and horses were too noisy or dangerous so the birds stayed clear as much as possible.
This shrike had been found injured by a nature wizard. Only humans with a magical affinity for nature could have captured the bird since even injured the bird’s instinct was to flee.
Taking advantage of the shrike’s great vision as well as the altitude it could achieve, Piotr was still well short of a small community of homes when he could tell that the tiny village was on fire. Nearly every building had smoke wafting from the structure and worse than that he could see bodies on the ground. There was nothing moving save for a few brave carrion birds already ripping at the dead.
Circling the village from a great height, the field shrike was directed to look for any sign of those responsible for the unholy act. No one deserved such a death and yet, Piotr was pretty sure that there were a few smaller bodies lying amidst those left behind by the monsters responsible. The thought made the boy angry, but even as he circled, the novice realized that the bird would be unable to help him find whatever or whoever had killed these people.
He opened his eyes in camp surprising those left to watch over him. Looking at Zieran soberly, Piotr stated, “A small village was attacked and left to burn. I couldn’t find any sign of life in the village with the shrike, but the rest of our people should be there soon.”
The wizard frowned and glanced at the others around them.
Before he could say anything the other nature wizard Gorum, Zieran’s superior in age and therefore rank, looked to the south and asked curiously, “Did you abandon Estry?”
Looking at the elder wizard incredulously, Piotr replied sounding a bit surprised by the cold hearted question, “I maintain a tether on her. I can jump my mind back, but I have her returning here now. There is nothing else helpful that she can see from the air, so I came back to report.
“You do understand that everyone was likely killed there and left to burn, Master Gorum?”
The wizard brushed his thinning brown hair back as he frowned at the boy. “That bird is also your responsibility. For the moment, we can do nothing for that village; but you need to bring the bird back.”
“She will be released anyway in the morning,” Piotr retorted in disbelief and disgust at the wizard’s shortsightedness. “If I let her go off now, I would only be a few hours earlier than planned. Since we have her here, I planned to bring her back in case I need to borrow her again. A field shrike has excellent vision and speed. The other birds we have could be used, but Estry would be best for reconnaissance.”
Instead of letting the two get into an argument that would not be productive, Zieran interjected, “Falcon Elijah took your brother to find that boy you spotted. He is likely a survivor from the village. Hopefully, the boy can tell us what happened, so we can decide how to help properly.”
The elder wizard nodded and added, “We should tend the animals while we wait for the others to meet up here.”
With nothing better to do, the remaining wizards began to tend their charges while Falcon Orna and Uliya kept watch over them.
Chapter 29- The Watch of Owls
It was getting dark before the riders rejoined the wizards and their carts. They were a sober lot and many of the cadets looked like they had been sick. Two falcons remained behind to scout a trail that had been found heading north towards the forest.
Piotr looked at those who had returned and noticed the silence. Some had tears in their eyes, but any crying had been finished on the ride; thou
gh there would be cries of fear that night as many awoke with nightmares from what they had seen. Cadets of thirteen and fourteen weren’t supposed to see what they had seen, especially at their age. No one ever should, but Southwall had been at war since before the country’s name had changed; so it had become a way of life for those who manned the wall.
Before the riders had returned, Falcon Elijah and Niklaus had ridden back with a boy whose eyes held shock from what he had seen also. He didn’t say a word no matter how often or how many of them tried to comfort the child. The boy’s eyes searched around him frantically, but Piotr wasn’t sure that he saw anything beyond the nightmare he had run from in the village.
Piotr wished that Katya were there. Her presence would have helped the boy, even without her magic; but certainly the novice was enough of a wizard and a diplomat to reach the child. His mind was distraught and damaged by the death in his village. Only someone with the skills or magic of a diplomacy wizard was likely to help soothe a child after that. Time was the only other cure and even that might not be enough.
He moved to sit by Uliya who was looking at the boy. Her mentor tried to speak with the child and comfort him, but she was a battle mage. Fighting and war had been the woman’s world for half her life. Even though she was still young, Falcon Orna didn’t seem capable of relating to the boy.
“You should try to speak to him,” Piotr stated urging the red haired cadet by pointing with his head. Her eyes dropped at his words. Trying to pull her attention back from the ground before her feet, the wizard finally managed to make the melancholy girl look at him, but not at the frightened child.
“I wouldn’t know what to say to him,” the girl managed quietly.
Piotr nodded and turned his head slightly towards the awkward attempts at comforting from the falcon. “She’s too rusty at dealing with children to be any good at it. You have a younger brother don’t you?”
Surprise registered in the girl’s eyes at Piotr’s knowledge and she asked, “You knew that? Did I tell you about my brother?”
“The first day in orientation everyone mentioned something about their past. Those of us from Delanne mentioned our town and most said something about our families. It’s where we come from and Wizard Gregor said that it was important to remember where we started. Our families, friends and homes might be left behind, but it is the strength of remembering what and who we fight for that will keep us alive.
“You spoke of a younger brother and sister too. You have a...” Piotr had to think hard to remember details of someone he barely knew at the time, but his memory was strong thanks to being a wizard. “I think you have an older sister as well, but you are the only one to show any sign of magic.”
Her eyes went slightly wide at the boy’s remembrance of details given once over two months ago. She nodded slowly and responded, “You got it right. I have two sisters and a brother. How did you remember that?”
Thinking that he had barely even noticed the girl at the time, even Piotr was surprised that he had. With a shrug, the boy replied, “A wizard has a strong memory, I guess. We need to remember lots of gestures and words that aren’t even in our common language. Probably magic helps to keep other things accessible as well.
“Anyway, you have barely left your family behind and you would be better at talking with him than Falcon Orna. You should just talk to him like you are talking to your brother. What if his pet had died or someone he knew? What would you say to him?”
Her eyes looked at him curiously and the girl leaned closer to kiss him on the cheek. “Are you sure that you shouldn’t just talk to him? You seem better at it than me.”
Smiling at the girl with the calmness she had noticed as he spoke with her, Piotr shook his head and said, “If men attacked the village, a female presence will be more soothing for him. Besides you’re pretty and have a sweetness that I think he’ll respond to if you try.”
“But what do I say to him?”
“First start by trying to be comforting. If he responds, wait for awhile before asking him what happened. Our leaders will want to know, but you’ll need to bring him out of his shell first. He’s fragile, so just be there for him right now.”
Nodding slowly, Uliya looked ready to try. Piotr stood and assisted the girl up with a hand. She moved closer than he thought necessary brushing up against him with her body and said, “I think I like you more than your brother now.”
With that she brushed her hand against his cheek looking like she wanted to kiss him again, but the red haired cadet strode away to sit beside the boy opposite Orna, who looked appreciatively at her student.
He moved to join the other wizards. Zieran and Gorum had been speaking with each other intently while the camp began to set up tents and a cook fire. Banty looked unsure what to do with himself as his elders spoke of whether to release the animals before nightfall or to wait until morning. There had been talk of sending riders back to White Hall. Since there were many veterans at the school or they could send word of the attack to Blackwall, which was almost as close to them as the school from the forest.
As if his approach was the cue to put together a plan jointly, Falcon Eyrk and Elijah moved to join them along with the leader of the soldiers, a sergeant named Kerland. The last man was the eldest of the group and a twenty five year veteran, though still shy of his fortieth year. Most had heard of him, even those who weren’t a part of the soldiers being trained.
Falcon Eyrk was the senior mage and stated, “Qeras and Trienne will scout for the enemy and return as soon as they can. In the mean time, do we just go on with the mission as planned?”
Wizard Gorum stood straighter and demanded, “That is what we should do. This problem with that village is none of our concern, though we should, of course, report it to Blackwall and probably White Hall as well. They can send men to find out who committed these atrocities, but our duty is to our mission.”
Elijah looked at the wizard with a frown and retorted, “Any attack on our people is our business, wizard. We have the men and women capable of finding and apprehending these bandits or whatever. We should do our part to end any threat on Southwall’s soil.”
Gorum frowned and responded quickly, “We have competent soldiers and mages along, I agree; but what will you do with the children? They aren’t ready to fight. War is for those who have been trained for more than a few months time.”
“They are more powerful than you think. What bandit can stand up to a battle mage with even half of our spells?” Elijah retorted trying to keep the other men leaning towards avenging the sacked village.
They had been in the small village long enough to know that many had been killed, though most of those were men. Weapons scrounged together had been used, but if the enemy consisted of soldiers with any training, pitchforks and machetes wielded by farmers and townsfolk would be little more than a vain threat.
Almost no bodies of women or children had been discovered. The falcon added, “It looks like a raid. The fire was meant to obscure their motives, but the women and children were taken along. They might be slavers.”
“Slavers!” the wizard scoffed. “Inside of Southwall? How ludicrous. Anyone daring to try would be thrown in prison before they could sell even one.”
Piotr spoke up, “They might have been taken for pleasure or for labor.”
Again Gorum looked unwilling to believe such an idea and he replied, “Then they should have taken men. They are stronger than children and women.”
“They would also be harder to control, especially if their families were trapped with them. Wouldn’t you risk your life to save your family rather than let them stay in slavery?” Piotr asked the wizard. It was unlikely that the man had a family of his own, but even at fourteen, the boy could see himself fighting back if it meant saving others.
The boy’s question gave the older man pause, but Gorum seemed to shake it off as he looked to Zieran and the other older men saying, “Slavers, brigands, or whatever they might be;
they aren’t part of our mission. As elder wizard for the mission, I say we release the animals in the morning and alert the authorities when we return.”
Sergeant Kerland countered, “I thought you nature wizards had magic to communicate over long distances.”
Gorum frowned, but Zieran answered, “If we have the right animals to work with, we can direct them to a city with a message attached. We don’t have any way beyond that to communicate with White Hall.”
The soldier frowned and Falcon Eyrk began to look impatient with the wizards. The falcon said, “We shouldn’t involve the students in a mission, but some of the veterans can stay and deal with these murderers. You want a word for them Gorum? That is what they are.
“There are over a dozen dead in that village. There are signs of horses and carts heading into the forest that you want to release your animals into, so if you can’t worry over people perhaps your animals will carry more weight for you.
“We have two mages tracking them to find out where they are holed up. We have seven falcons, eight trained soldiers and two full wizards. Not everyone can go; but with Zieran, five of the mages and as many soldiers as Kerland can spare, we should be enough to take down most pockets of thieves and murderers.”
Gorum looked shocked that the falcon would choose Zieran by name. He was the elder wizard; but as Piotr watched his face, the boy realized that the man was also a coward. It was why he wanted to do only the job they had come to do and leave. The wizard didn’t want to risk his life to help these people.
“I can go to and I’m sure Niklaus and some of the others will want to as well,” Piotr stated to the mage who had assumed control of the group.
“You’re all novices. We can’t risk taking nearly untrained recruits into a fight,” Falcon Eyrk stated though his eyes revealed appreciation for the boy’s heart and willingness to do what was right when one of his leaders would not.
“What if you need more men? We don’t know how many there are,” the boy continued to press, though he wondered why. Piotr didn’t really want to fight. He certainly hadn’t come out to the forest for such a thing. “We can release most of the animals now. Morning or night won’t matter, but we need to wait for morning with Bo and a few of the others.
White Hall (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 10) Page 45
