Wizard's Blood [Part Two]

by Bob Blink

“I’ll know when I find it. The granite has to be thick and deep, and extend all the way across the bottom of the river.

  She didn’t find what she was looking for until late in the afternoon. Jolan was starting to wonder if this had been a waste of time after all, when suddenly Tishe sat straighter in the saddle and looked more closely at the river.

  Jolan looked at the water and couldn’t see how this spot varied from other places they’d been. True, they were much higher above the water, having climbed slowly up a rocky hillside the last mile or so, and were now more than two hundred feet above the water. He could see that the far bank also was high, as if the river had somehow cut away the land right through the middle of a small mountain. Up ahead, in the direction the river flowed from, the land was open and rocky. Massive granite stones buried deep into the coarse soil littered the landscape.

  “I want to try here,” Tishe said finally.

  They dismounted and led their horses back away from the cliffs to a shady spot where a bit of sparse yellowish grass grew. Then they walked back to the edge along with the three other mages that had been traveling with them.

  Tishe stared at the river for a long time. Jolan could sense a subtle finger of magic emanating from the girl, reaching out to the river and disappearing into the water. After five long minutes in which nothing happened, Tishe suddenly set her mouth in a grim line and drew the power in surprising amounts. The small finger of power became a broad band of intense purple, flashing into the water and crossing swiftly from one side of the river to the other.

  The ground began to rumble, and the water in the river started to churn. The swift smooth flow was somehow being interrupted. As he watched, Jolan could see the water level along the banks rising, and before too long the water was starting to flow over the tops of the banks out onto the land. In the middle of the river, water was splashing madly, leaping high into the air as it ran into some large obstacle in its run down river.

  Suddenly a dark gray line appeared at the surface of the river. At first it was only visible in spots, but in a matter of a few seconds the gray barrier extended all the way across the water. Fully blocked for the moment, the water along the edge rose swiftly, then spilled out across the land. When Tishe had started, the water had been two hundred below them. Now, on the up river side of the barrier, the water was less than one hundred feet below.

  The water continued to rise higher. In a matter of minutes it was almost one hundred and fifty feet above the original surface of the river, flowing a mere fifty feet below them. Just as Jolan started to say something he could see that the water level was suddenly receding, the level dropping swiftly. Water was still flowing over the banks below, but no longer was it a massive flood. As he watched even that began to slow, and when he looked back at the huge granite barrier that Tishe had somehow raised, he could see why.

  While the top of the barrier was solid, extending all the way across the river, fifteen feet below the top were a series of arches that cut through the stone allowing the water passage below. With most of its path restored, the river returned to flowing along its normal path, only three or four feet higher in the vicinity of the stone bridge than it had been before the structure was raised.

  Jolan watched as the water drained from the massive creation. Fully forty feet wide, nearly level, and extending almost three hundred yards to the far side. Tishe looked at him and smiled, proud of her creation.

  Jolan walked back to the pack horse and started the radio. He could reach Slipi from here and they would pass the news. The first battalion of troops would be here to watch this side before night. More would be here in the morning. In the meantime, the three mages would keep watch and maintain a barrier to any that wanted to cross. They would radio back if anything happened.

  Tishe and Jolan mounted their horses and started toward the portal that would take them back to Cobalo where they could report to Vaen of the success of Tishe’s efforts.

  Chapter 153

  “Do you really think you can save her?” Buris asked, his concern for his former assistant and highly cherished friend evident.

  “We have to see what the area is like and how easily we can move around,” Jolan said, “but because of Shyar’s own efforts the task is far easier than it would have been before.”

  “She’s still able to wander free of her cage?”

  “She has made two trips out of the castle itself, and could have made an attempt to flee already. It would have been highly risky because she would have had to try and make her way out of Ale’ald alone, without maps or much in the way of supplies, and Cheurt would have mounted an incredible search for her. If she had failed, and if he didn’t kill her outright, she would have been so carefully watched or controlled, another attempt would have been unlikely.”

  “She’s been a captive for a long time. Do you think she’s really all right?”

  “That’s one thing we have confidence in. Tishe’s ability to communicate with her has us given a good idea of her mental state as well as a remarkable amount of information about where she is being held. We will be able to let her know we are coming and to be ready for us. With luck, she will be able to flee the castle as she did before, and then we can meet her and lead her back to the portal for home.”

  “I just wish it was all over,” Buris said nervously.

  “It’s been far too long,” Jolan agreed. “We probably should have made the attempt as soon as Shyar was able to get free from her cage, but other events have been constantly getting in the way. Now Cheurt is on the defensive with the war going badly for Ale’ald, which gives him a further distraction. Unfortunately he has suddenly taken an interest in Shyar again as a hostage against me. Before long, he will try and force the issue. We need her out before that happens.”

  Jolan and Buris were in the backup portal room, often referred to as the Buris Portal, going over their final plans. Later in the day, the rest of the team would arrive and they would begin their probes into far away Ale’ald trying to locate the portal that would best serve their efforts to rescue Shyar.

  The Buris Portal would serve as the departure and arrival point. By staying out of the main portal room, the team would be less obvious, and they could operate semi-independently. There would still be coordination with Morin and his controllers, so any portals they opened would be recognized as legitimate, but fewer people would see the team dressed as Ale’ald wizards and soldiers, so far less talk would be likely to circulate. Jolan and Vaen were both convinced there was at least one informant somewhere inside the Inner Court, but no one had been able to get any kind of a lead on who it might be. It was hard to imagine a means of getting word quickly back to Cheurt about their activities, but assumption was a dangerous crutch, and he didn’t want anything to tip the enemy they might be slipping into Ale’ald. Since sending the note to Vaen, Cheurt had to be somewhat sensitized to the fact that Jolan would probably make a rescue attempt at some point. The more time that passed, the higher the probability.

  “We’ve cleared out the small storage area which you can use as a changing room. It’ll be locked and warded when you aren’t here,” Buris said.

  “You’ll be our link to Morin,” Jolan said.

  “That’s right. I’ll be the only other person that comes into this area while you are running this exercise. You’ll tell me the portals you plan to access on a given day, and I’ll let Morin know. We can do our peek, then when ready remotely energize the far portal. Morin’s guys will see it open up, but they won’t be concerned because it’s on their list. On the far side, you can shut it down until you are ready to return.”

  “This might take a couple of days. We have twenty-two possible portals. I have no idea how freely we will be able to move around without generating suspicion and how long it might take to find one that is close enough to be useful. If we find a portal that is acceptable, I don’t plan on continuing to look for one that is optimal. Every attempt increases our risk of being discovered, and we onl
y need to get close. I just wish we had better maps.”

  “We’ll just have to trust to luck,” Buris said.

  While they were talking, Asari and Luzoke arrived, hauling a heavy trunk between them. Jolan knew this contained some of the disguises they would wear along with small bags in which to carry some basic supplies. They’d considered trying to stay in a local inn, but decided there was simply too much they didn’t know, and the best chance for them was to avoid as much local contact as possible. The inn would remain a backup option they hoped would not become necessary. Just in case, they carried gold and silver in the local Ale’ald currency.

  “Where’s Kavel’s mages?” Luzoke asked, as he and Asari set the heavy box down in the corner of the small room that Buris had designated as their changing room.

  “Vaen requested they stop by before coming here. Ronoron is with them. I expect them shortly.”

  Ronoron had gotten his wish, although Jolan was still convinced his special talent was unlikely to be needed. He pleaded his case and desire to Jolan until he’d finally given in. He knew that Ronoron had felt left out of much of the activity. He simply didn’t have the level to do much of what was required. Ronoron had even agreed to go dressed as one of the local military, as would two of Kavel’s spy mages and Asari. Jolan, Luzoke, and the senior spy-mage would go disguised as Ale’ald wizards. Having more than three wizards in a small group was likely to attract attention they didn’t want.

  “What about Tishe?” Luzoke asked.

  “Tishe isn’t going,” Jolan said. He and Vaen had agreed on this over the girl’s objections. They were unwilling to risk the youngster on a mission like this. Even if they weren’t concerned for her, she was proving to be a resource that was unique and too important to put in harm’s way. Equally important, she would be too hard to disguise. A young girl among a group of wizards and soldiers didn’t look right. She would attract attention they couldn’t afford.

  “How will she let Shyar know we are there?”

  “Once we have our final plan in place, she will let Shyar know. She can do that here. Shyar can sense where I am, so she will know I am close if I drop the shield-pair momentarily while in Ale’ald. Apparently the shield-pair blurs the tracking she can do. She’d still know I am around somewhere, but seems to lose the direction and distance reference when shields are used. Once Tishe communicates we are ready, Shyar will make her own escape when she detects I am close.”

  “Where will we meet her?”

  “There are a number of factories across from the castle. She has been there before, and says she can hide until we get close. All we need to do is turn and walk near the river once we get opposite the castle. There’s even a footpath that is popular, so we won’t look suspicious doing so.”

  “You seem pretty confident this is going to go as planned,” Asari said. He was as anxious as any of them to get Shyar back, but he’d had a nagging feeling that everything seemed too easy.

  “I’m afraid to think otherwise,” Jolan admitted. “We are only going to get one attempt at this. If it goes wrong, Cheurt will do everything in his power to find and kill Shyar.”

  * * * *

  This was the third day of their search. The first nine portals had proven to be unacceptable. Most were isolated, far from any visible sign of the castle or the local village they knew had to be just south of the castle and the Academy. They simply didn’t have good maps of where key places were located in Ale’ald, especially in relation to the old maps that positioned the portals. Once they could see the Academy far across an open valley, but the distances were too great for the portal to be useful. In another case had they come out in a location from which they could spot what appeared to be a small village in the distance. It had been immediately clear this couldn’t be the village they sought. Even from a distance it was clearly too small, and the mountains were not located close enough. Regardless of the fact they knew this wasn’t the right village, the troop marched the six and a half miles into the town, and took advantage of the opportunity to practice their roles while gathering a bit of knowledge about where they were. Finding they were some fifty miles north of the Academy, they returned to Cobalo and reassessed their own maps and the remaining portals, making an adjustment in the order in which they would continue the search.

  The next day they got lucky. The second portal they tried deposited them on a hilltop adjacent to a small road that led down towards a medium sized village. The village lay nestled in the valley between the wide river and the foot of the towering mountains behind the town. The road could be seen continuing past the village, and further up the road another grouping of buildings could be seen. Even at this distance there was something powerful and exclusive about them.

  The Academy, Jolan thought.

  It looked to be eight or ten miles to the village, and at least a couple of miles more to the second set of structures. That left them exposed longer than Jolan liked, but he was ready to declare success and make this their operational portal. The portal opening faced the river and the trail so their arrival could be noticed if someone happened to be looking at the right time, but it was out in the country enough that it would be unlikely for anyone to be there at the dusk hour they would arrive. They would have to move swiftly to make it all the way into town, over to the Academy and back, and then all the way back to the portal by dawn. It could mean covering at least two and a half miles every hour. It might be wise to consider bringing horses for part of the journey.

  “I think there might be another one closer,” Asari said suddenly. He had been carefully examining a map of the various portals, and there were five scattered along the river at various locations. If we have the scale right, I think there is one a mile or so beyond the village, on the far side of the river.”

  The far side wouldn’t pose a problem. Jolan could see the sturdy bridge that crossed the river near the middle of the village. A portal a mile or so beyond the town would reduce the distance they had to cover to something in the vicinity of ten miles as opposed to the twenty-five they were probably looking at from their current location.

  “Do we know the identifier?” Jolan asked.

  That was part of the problem. They could narrow down the portal identifiers for the area, but pinning them to a specific device hadn’t been very consistent. They usually had to try one and see where it let them out. Trying to get to this next portal could take a number of tries.

  “We know what we expect to see now,” Asari countered. “We could go home, start planning, and a couple of us could try the remaining portals. I bet all we have to do is pop out, and have a quick look. If we can’t see the river and the Academy across the way, then it isn’t the one we are seeking. By tonight we should know. Either way, we can be ready to scout the area tonight with the intent of making the rescue the next day.”

  The thought made Jolan dizzy. He could possibly see Shyar in a little over a day. He’d felt he had failed her, leaving her captive for so long. He could only hope she understood why things had worked out this way. Making a quick decision, Jolan said, “Let’s try it Asari’s way. Asari and Luzoke can scan the most likely portals while the rest of us review what we want to do tonight.”

  * * * *

  Asari and Luzoke found the correct portal after three tries. As Asari had guessed, it was located just over a mile north of the village. Located in a stand of trees less than a hundred feet from the river, it was almost invisible. They could arrive and stay hidden until they confirmed the coast was clear of any observers.

  On the side of the river where the portal was located, the country seemed mostly wilderness toward the north. Lots of trees and slow rolling hills made up the lake shore. Asari could spot a couple of structures nestled into the choice spots on the sides of the smaller hills overlooking the river, but the bulk of the village was located to the south.

  Given the shorter distance they had to cover, Jolan decided to delay their departure until almost eleven that night. He re
asoned the villagers would have mostly gone to sleep by then. This was a support town. In addition to some of the staff from the Academy itself, the village supplied workers to the factories that the Academy had chartered in the area. It was midweek, so most would have to work the next day, meaning they would retire earlier than they might on one of the end-of-week days.

  They arrived to the sounds of water creatures in the night. Croakers sounded as they walked toward the river, and a light breeze lazily moved the branches of the smaller trees. Although it was late in the summer, the river was still near the top of its banks, indicating a goodly supply of mountain snow fed this particular waterway.

  Asari took the lead, directing them down the river toward the village. Everyone knew the intended direction, but Asari seemed to instinctively pick the easiest route through the underbrush. Once they reached the village, of course, they would have to walk as a group, pretending they had every right to be there and acting as if it didn’t matter who saw them.

  Halfway to the village they came upon a trail heading their way, which made their progress swifter and more certain. The trail gradually widened and became a real road, with the number of residences increasing the deeper into the town they walked. Almost without realizing the transition, they found themselves in an area with many shops and places to eat, most shut down due to the lateness of the hour. A few proprietors could be seen through the windows putting away items or simply cleaning up in preparation for the next day’s business.

  The group stayed close to the water, the path widening and turning to stone. Before long they approached the bridge, a wide stone structure that spanned the river by crossing between two small hills on either side of the water. Slightly arched, the bridge allowed boats to pass underneath, yet was more than wide enough for people and carts to pass either direction at the same time.