The Unsuspecting Mage

by Pratt, Brian S.

  Miko is opening the door when he hears James says, “Here, you can have these as well.” Turning, he sees James handing him the bag of tarts.

  “Thanks,” he says gratefully, as he puts the small sack inside his shirt for safekeeping.

  Together they go down to the common room and find a good table situated near the rear. They only have to wait a minute or two before the girl comes over to see what they would like. It’s still an hour or so before dark, so the evening crowd hasn’t yet come in. Naught but a couple of people share the room with them. Once they give her their order, she returns to the kitchen.

  “So, where are you going from here?” asks Miko.

  “I’m planning on heading south, maybe as far as Castle Cardri,” he explains. The girl returns shortly with their food and a bottle of the mulberry wine that James had liked so much the night before. Tonight however, he plans to limit himself to only one bottle. He has no desire to experience another hangover. The memory of the one he woke to this morning forestalls any such attempt.

  It doesn’t take long for the room to begin filling up. The bard from the night before returns and takes his place on the stage to a roar of applause and shouts of joy. After a short bow to the audience, he begins playing a rollicking song that soon has the crowd clapping along with the rhythm. James enjoys the music as much as he did the night before and seeing how Miko is listening with rapt attention, can tell he’s enjoying it too.

  The next song is a slow, sad ballad of two lovers torn apart due to the difference in their social standings and the story ultimately ends in tragedy. Miko finishes eating and sits back as they enjoy the show for a while.

  They sit there for several hours listening to the music and talking about the events of the day before James begins finding it hard to keep his eyes open. The exertions of the day are at last taking their toll. “Miko my friend,” James says through a yawn, “I’ve really enjoyed your company, but I’m off for bed.”

  Getting up, Miko says, “Good night then. If you ever pass this way again, ask the boys by the gate for me and I’ll show up.”

  Offering his hand, James responds, “I will.”

  Miko takes his hand, giving it a shake and then heads for the door, making his way through the crowded room.

  James watches Miko until he exits through the door before getting to his feet. Moving to the stairs, he goes up to his darkened room. Lighting the candle on the table with his spell, the wick ignites and fills the room with a soft glow. He finds that the clothes and backpack the staff had taken to be cleaned have already been returned and placed on the table. He takes all the items on the floor by the bed and places them once again into the freshly cleaned backpack. Giving the pack a sniff, he can only faintly detect the odor of the sewer. He repacks all his clothes and when his belongings are ready for travel, removes his clothes and blows out the candle before crawling into bed. It’s not long before he falls asleep.

  Chapter Nine

  _______________________

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  Insistent and unrelenting pounding upon the door awakens James in the dead of night. Half asleep, he gets out of bed and stumbles his way through the dark shadows of his room to the door.

  Knock! Knock!

  Just as he reaches the door, from the other side he hears Miko say in a loud whisper “James, wake up.” There’s a tightness and sense of urgency in his voice. “Wake up and open the door!”

  Undoing the lock, James opens the door and steps back as Miko rushes into the room. The boy quickly shuts the door and throws the bolt closed. Turning to James he says, “You gotta get out of here!”

  “Why?” he asks still not quite awake.

  “Remember, I said that nobles like to settle things themselves?” asks Miko as he paces back and forth nervously.

  Nodding his head, James replies, “Yeah, I remember.”

  “It seems that Lord Colerain, whose estate we were chased out of this morning, has somehow discovered who it was that was at his estate today and where you are staying,” he explains. “I overheard a conversation between an agent of Lord Colerain and a group of men who hire out for this type of job. He wants you taken so he can find out why you were at his estate.”

  “When?” Moving to where his clothes lay, he hurriedly begins to get dressed.

  “I didn’t wait to find out,” explains Miko. “I came here as fast as I could to warn you. It’ll be soon though.” He paces impatiently by the door while James finishes getting dressed.

  “I had better get out of the city now,” he decides. “I planned on leaving in the morning anyway.” Once he’s dressed, he grabs his backpack and hands his other pack to Miko. Moving carefully in the dark he makes his way over to the door where he slides back the bolt. Opening it slowly, he peers down the hallway in both directions.

  The hallway is dark and quiet as a tomb. Leaving the room, they make their way to the stairs and descend quickly and quietly to the ground floor. There they find the common room dark and deserted, the small amount of light coming in through the windows casts an eerie pall to the place. The floor boards creak as they make their way silently across the room to the door leading to the stables.

  Upon reaching the door, James pauses a moment to look out a window to the rear courtyard. About to open the door, he stops when he sees shadows moving near the stables. Part of them break off and approach the inn, heading for the door near which he’s standing. Only the dark of night prevents him from being seen by those approaching. Turning about, he silently indicates to Miko that they should leave through the front door. He takes but two steps toward the front door before it slowly begins to open.

  James immediately ducks under one of the tables, pulling Miko down under it with him. Staying as quiet as they can, they watch as several shadows enter through the front door while two more come in through the door to the stables.

  The two groups meet at the base of the stairs. James can hear whispers but is unable to make out any of the words. Four of the shadows head up the stairs after pausing only momentarily, while two of them remain in the common room, just a few feet from where James and Miko are hiding.

  From upstairs comes the sound of a door opening, then the inn is silent for a few seconds before the door closes once again. The four shadows return down the stairs and cross to where their two fellows are waiting near James and Miko. “He’s not up there,” one of them whispers.

  “We can’t stay here,” another responds.

  “Rolin,” the first one says, “tell the boys at the stables we’re out of here.”

  “Right,” James hears the reply. One of the shadows detaches itself from the others and makes its way out the back door.

  “Let’s go,” the first voice says, “we’ll find him eventually.” The shadows then turn and walk quietly out the front door.

  James waits for several minutes to be sure they will not be coming back before he emerges out from under the table. “Check the front door,” he says quietly to Miko.

  Miko gets up and goes over to peer through a window by the front door while James checks the back.

  James doesn’t see anybody out in the courtyard by the stables so he quietly goes and checks with Miko.

  “Anything?” he whispers when he reaches Miko’s side.

  “They left in two parties, one to the right and another to the left,” replies Miko. “I think two of them went into that alley across the street. They may be there as a lookout to see if we show up.”

  “Probably,” James agrees as he stares out into the street.

  “How are we going to get out of here?” asks Miko, nervousness evident in his voice.

  “I’m thinking,” he says. Considering the situation for a moment he comes up with a plan.

  Pulling Miko close so his voice won’t carry far, he says, “When I tell you to, I want you to close your eyes tight and keep them closed until I tell you to open them again. Do you understand?”

  “Why?” Miko asks.
<
br />   Sounding impatient, he says “Just do it! I don’t have time to explain, okay?”

  “Alright,” agrees Miko, though he doesn’t sound very sure that he does.

  James begins casting a spell and directs Miko to look down the street. A small, dimly glowing ball, appears. It rolls down the street toward the alley where the men are waiting and comes to rest in front of the alley. They see the two men detach themselves from the darkness of the alley as they come to inspect it.

  “Close your eyes,” James whispers. James silently counts to himself, “One, two, three…” and then closes his own eyes, turning his head away. The glowing ball suddenly flashes into a blinding brilliance, lasting only a second.

  “I’m blind!” can be heard coming from the ally.

  When the light disappears, James says, “You can open your eyes now, let’s go.” They hurry through the front door and leave the inn, turning down the lane to the right. Even though their eyes were closed, spots still swim in their vision.

  The two men who were across the street continue to cry out and one has even fallen to the ground, holding his eyes.

  “What did you do to them?” asks Miko, a slightly awed tone to his voice.

  “I just ruined their night vision is all,” chuckles James. “Maybe given them a headache as well, I’m not sure. They should realize that nothing serious was done to them when their vision readjusts again to the dark. I don’t think I did anything permanent, though it’s possible.” Pausing for a moment he asks, “Now, what’s the best way out of town at night?”

  “The main gates will most likely be watched,” Miko tells him. “Maybe the river. We could take a boat and drift downstream till we were out of sight of the walls.”

  “I don’t like stealing but we may have no choice,” James says. “To the river then.”

  Miko leads the way quickly with James close on his heels. It isn’t long before they hear the sound of several men coming up quickly behind them. Picking up their speed, James and Miko break into a run, making with all speed for the river.

  The pursuit is gaining but they still have a lead over them. Miko cuts across one street and then quickly darts down another. Glancing back over his shoulder, James sees that the men are gaining. The outlines of those in the lead are now more pronounced. A glint of metal reveals a naked blade in the hands of one.

  From up ahead Miko shouts, “Come on, I found a boat.”

  Looking forward to where Miko called, he sees moonlight reflecting off the water. Near a shack situated close to the river’s edge, Miko stands beside a small boat. As James approaches the boat where Miko waits, the door to the nearby shack opens and two men emerge. Both men are wielding clubs.

  “Get away from our boat!” one of the two men yells as they advance.

  “We’ll kill you if you try to take it,” the other threatens. Brandishing his club, he menaces James and Miko with it.

  Seeing their pursuers coming up fast, James says, “I’ll buy it!”

  The club wielding men pause as they draw close to James. One of the two men asks, “How much?”

  “Ten golds,” James offers as he pulls out his pouch.

  “Ten golds!” one man exclaims incredulously. “You’ve got yourself a boat.” They lower their clubs and one holds out his hand for the money.

  Miko jumps into the boat and grabs the oars, preparing to row. James doesn’t even bother to take the time to count out the exact amount, merely throws the money pouch at the two men and then pushes the boat into the water before jumping in. Once the boat clears the sandy bottom, Miko pulls hard on the oars to put as much distance between them and the shore as he can.

  The two men start congratulating themselves on their good fortune, that is until they see James and Miko’s pursuers, swords gleaming in the starlight. Turning fast, they race back to their shack where they slam the door shut.

  Thunk!

  Something embeds itself into the side of the boat, “Get down!” James yells. They both crouch down in the boat, trying to stay below the edge for protection. He peers over the side and finds the tail end of a crossbow bolt protruding out of the wood. Somewhere on the shore the crossbowman takes aim again, but this time the bolt splashed into the water several feet away.

  Their boat continues drifting toward the middle of the river as they put more distance between them and the men on the shore. A glance over the boat’s side reveals several of the men running along the shore attempting to keep pace with the boat. Suddenly, one of their number breaks away from the group and races up a side street heading back into town. The boat continues to slowly outdistance the men as it’s carried along in the fast current.

  When the threat from the crossbowman disappears behind them, James has Miko move out of the way and takes his place between the oars. “I think we made it,” he says with relief as he commences to row.

  “Maybe,” doubts Miko, “but we’re not out of the city yet.” He reaches over and pulls the crossbow bolt out of the side of the boat.

  “That was close,” he says as he shows it to James.

  Nodding agreement, James puts his back into it and rows with great diligence.

  Between James’ efforts with the oars and the current, they steadily pull away from the men on the shore. When the men realize they are not going to be able to catch the boat, they give up the chase and disappear up a side street, quickly disappearing back into the city.

  “Think they’ve given up?” James asks.

  “Doubt it,” answers Miko, “they are probably heading for their horses to continue the chase.”

  “You’re probably right,” he agrees.

  Suddenly the boat turns and begins to pull over toward the opposite side of the river, heading for the shore. “What are you doing?” asks Miko.

  “I’m letting you out,” explains James. “There is no point in you continuing on. They are after me, not you. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt on my account.”

  “No way,” objects Miko, “I’m coming with you. Besides, it won’t take them long to figure out that someone had to warn you about them coming for you. Who else in this city could have done it but me? I’m dead once they make the connection. I’ve gotta come!”

  “You could end up in far more danger being with me,” warns James.

  “What do you mean?” he asks.

  “It’s kind of hard to explain,” James says.

  “Look,” pleads Miko, “I’ve got nothing here. I beg for a living, take menial jobs for little pay, life with you can’t be any worse than what I have already lived through so far.”

  James can hear the desperation in the boy’s voice. Using the oars, he turns the boat to head once more out toward the middle of the river, signaling that he’s made the decision to take Miko with him.

  .“Thank you,” Miko says.

  James can hear the relief in his voice. “Well, we’ll see if you are still thanking me later on,” he replies as he continues rowing downstream.

  When the river takes them to a large span of wall arching over the water, Miko informs him that they are almost out of the city. The wall extends several yards into the river on either side before arching overhead. When the boat gets close to the wall, they both become very quiet and still, not wanting to draw attention to themselves should anyone be around. Remaining motionless, they slowly drift under the wall.

  From the wall above them comes the sound of someone walking, their footfalls echoing in the tunnel through which the river flows. As they pass through to the other side, James glances up to find it to be one of the city guards. He has a heart stopping moment when the guard pauses and glances their way. But he must not have seen them for he soon turns to continue his beat along the wall.

  Sighing quietly with relief, James watches the guard atop the wall until the current draws them away and the guard disappears in the night. He waits until they’ve floated far enough for the lights of the city to begin to fade behind them before taking his place back on the bench. With a
n oar again in each hand, he maintains a rhythm that has them speeding along.

  He and Miko alternate rowing in hour intervals throughout the rest of the night until daybreak, each trying to catch some sleep while the other rows. When the sky begins to brighten with the rising of the sun, James awakens to find Miko no longer rowing. Instead, the boy’s slouched upon the bench fast asleep with the oars still gripped in his hands. Despite the lack of human direction, their boat has managed to maintain its position near the middle of the river. He glances to Miko just as a loud snore escapes the boy and smiles. He doesn’t bother waking him, instead he scans the surroundings for any sign of their pursuers.

  On the east bank of the river lays a road paralleling the shoreline. To the west he finds the land to be primarily farmland, with the occasional orchard of fruit bearing trees. A grove of trees approaches up ahead which looks to be apples or some similar kind of red fruit. Hungry, James slips one of the oars from out of Miko’s hand and uses it as a rudder to bring them to the shore.

  The motion of the boat changing direction awakens Miko and James points out the approaching fruit trees. “Thought we could do with a little breakfast,” he tells him.

  Squinting to see through the morning sun’s glare, Miko grunts agreement. James does a good job in directing the boat, beaching it after only passing a few of the trees. He hops out of the boat and secures it to a fallen log with a rope that was coiled in the bottom. Miko joins him and they make a quick search of the immediate area. When no other person turns up, they help themselves to some fruit.