She turned to face hi, her beautiful face awash with confusion. “I’m not sure if it is the right thing to do,” she said. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and there was so much pain in her face that he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her.
And yet, he knew she needed to do something important, something that would hurt her beyond belief. “It’s your destiny,” he said. “Only you can accomplish this task.”
She looked so frail, and innocent. “But are you sure…?”
He nodded. “Do your duty.”
Jace awoke with a start. His dream was disturbing, but it wasn’t what brought him out of slumber. Something was amiss. He stared at his horse. The animal was looking into the deep woods, back the way they came. It nickered softly. Rising to his feet, Jace had barely enough time to cocoon himself in a magical shield before twin balls of fire headed his way. His horse was hit on the flank, and with a wild cry of pain, the animal broke free from the rope that tethered it. It ran into the woods, half of its body a singed mass of ooze and blood. The other fiery ball hit Jace, but his shield protected him.
His retribution was swift. The branches of a tree swept down to grab the advancing mage. His screams could be heard as he was flung into the sky, and landed somewhere with a loud thump. The other mage was swift enough to jump well out of the reach of any tree. She raised her hands and Jace’s vision was lost. She had activated the moisture in the air so that it looked like he was surrounded by tiny, silvery beads. He turned, trying to dispel the spell while attempting to keep tracks of her movements. She turned the beads into shards of ice that hit him with the ferocity of a million razor-sharp needles. Unable to withstand the pressure, his shield broke and he yelled as thousands of sharp-edged chips dug into his skin.
Despite the pain, he let loose a spell, hitting her with clouds of dust to hamper her vision. Suddenly, she appeared right in front of him. Before he could recover enough to attack her, he was assailed by an icy cold fountain of water. Jace tried to work on a spell but was horrified to find that from his chest down the water had already turned to a solid block of ice. His hands were bound. He muttered an incantation. Spells didn’t require a hand movement, although it did enhance and direct the power. The earth beneath her feet began to churn and bubble. It was, however, a feeble attempt. His body was so cold that he couldn’t quite focus.
“Your body will make for a fine gift for King Vindha,” she said. “He loves dead mages. They are so useful.” Her laugh echoed in the woods.
She was going to take him to Vindha and make him into a demon mage. “Not just yet,” he said, struggling to maximize his spell. She slipped down a full foot into the earth, but it didn’t make her yield her hold on him.
The ice now covered him just below his chin. If his lips were sealed, he wouldn’t be able to chant, and that would be the end of him. Jace doubled his effort. She slipped down another few inches. At this rate, however, she would win and he would end up as one of Vindha’s dead minions.
As the ice crawled up his chin, he felt his breathing slow down. He was going to die. This was it.
Jace closed his eyes and offered a prayer to the Goddess. Only she could save him now.
Perhaps he was hallucinating because as he opened his eyes, determined to make one last effort, he saw a strange apparition standing behind the mage. He blinked his eyes and saw her head fly through the air. Her body stood motionless for a brief moment and then fell forward. The ice that held him in a death grip cracked with a loud sound. It turned to water and soaked him thoroughly.
Standing in a puddle of cold water, Jace stared at the man who had saved his life. He was the same person who tried to kill him earlier in Unji. “Who are you?” he whispered. His throat felt raw as if someone had scraped it with a razor.
“Xuan, at your service.” The man stepped over the dead mage and walked over to Jace. “You saved me back there?”
Taking a few steps back, away from the water, Jace slipped down against the trunk of a tree. He needed to rest. His eyes followed the movement of the machete Xuan carried in his big, calloused hand. Blood dripped down the sharp blade and fell on the ground.
“Thank you for your help,” Jace said when he finally got his energy back together.
Xuan squatted in front of him. Pulling out a clump of grass, he wiped his machete with it. “Yes. I guess we are about even now. She really had you in her clutches.”
Jace eyed the body of the mage. “She did. I’m glad I didn’t end up dead. Mind if I ask you something?”
Xuan nodded. “You want to know why I attacked you back in the village. I thought you were one of Vindha’s mages, and I hate them all.”
Jace eyed him thoughtfully. Was Xuan the reason he’d been directed towards the village? “So what are you planning to do now? Go back to Unji?”
Xuan scraped the machete on the grass, his gaze fixed on Jace. “You seem to in need of a bodyguard.”
Jace bristled. “I can manage on my own.”
“Oh,” said the man. “I guess then…” He stopped, and wiped his already clean machete.
Jace stood. He didn’t really need a companion, but would it hurt to allow the man to go with him? Xuan seemed to have no other plans, and was clearly in need of a friend. “All my supplies are gone. They were on my gelding. We’ll need two horses. The mages had mounts. Let’s go find them.”
Xuan grinned. He spared a glance at the dead mage. “You can borrow her pack and supplies. She sure doesn’t need one. I am hungry.”
“We’ll eat on the road,” said Jace. “I’m on my way to the keep of ameers, and it will take weeks, not days, if we don’t hurry. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“If a mage can learn it, so can I.” Xuan stood. He pushed the machete through a loop on his belt.
Jace cast a last glance at the nameless mage who had nearly managed to kill him. How many more killings would he have to see before he got back to Iram? It was a question no one, least of all him, could answer.
“Perhaps you should take a bath before embarking on this journey with me,” he said as he strode in the direction from which the mages had arrived. They must have tethered their horses before coming after him. “You stink to high heaven.”
Xuan raised his arm, and smelled his armpit. He sneered. “You try living in the jungle for a year, and see how you smell. It’s not an easy life.”
Jace shook his head. “Neither is mine, my friend.”
And thus was forged a friendship that would have to withstand an assault on its foundation time and time again.
Chapter Seven
Alicia adjusted the strap of her pack, making sure that is was tightly tied to her mare. A man came out of the inn. He stared at her and went back inside. It was time to leave this place. As it was she had attracted far too much attention in the past two days.
“Will you be alright?” she asked Kayleb who was leaning against the wall, watching her with grave silence. “Where will you go?”
A tall man, he looked a far cry from the battered and bruised prisoner she had rescued from the underground caves. With a square jaw, high cheekbones and liquid brown eyes, he was handsome. Every woman in the inn noticed him, but he scantily paid any attention to anyone’s curious gaze. Alicia wondered if he would ever be able to get past the horrifying torture he had endured in the caves.
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
She wanted, no, needed, him to be safe, but everything had already been said on this topic. He would do what he wanted, and she had no right to demand he acquiesce to her wishes. “You’ll be welcome in Iram,” she reminded him. He’d refused to come with her, and she gave him the alternative to go to Iram. At least, he would have time to recover in peace there.
He straightened, not quite meeting her gaze. “You stay safe.”
She nodded and mounted her mare. The animal was getting restless. The two’s days rest had restored her strength. Without looking back, she raised her hand in a gesture of farewell. “May
the Goddess be with you.”
She urged her animal and the mare needed no further encouragement. It galloped away on the dusty road. Even after Alicia left the road behind and took a detour into the woods, the animal maintained a fast pace. The weather was humid and hot and soon the mare was bathed in sweat. Alicia guided it to a steady canter.
The forest was dense, and the trees clustered close together giving the horse little room to maneuver. After getting off the mare, Alicia led it by the reins. It was unusual for trees to grow so close together. Some of them were practically joined, with little more than a few inches of space between their trunks. The mare nickered, jerking her head as if she wanted to free herself from the reins. Alicia put her hands on the animal’s neck, trying to calm her.
She looked about. Apart from the trees, there was little foliage. No underbrush, grass, weeds, dead leaves or vines littered the ground. The area was unusually pristine. Alicia tied her mare to the trunk of a tree. Putting her hands on the ground, she sensed the earth. A low, humming vibration could be felt in her hands. Walking on all fours, she followed the sound until she came to a low hillock, hidden behind thick trees. She barely managed to squeeze in between two trees, and stood next to the mound. It was plain and smooth, covered in lush, green grass.
Alicia circled the hillock, and sure enough there was a two foot wide entrance on one side. She wouldn’t be able to squeeze through it, not that she had any intention to do so. Although there was no movement, she felt the magic that surrounded the mound. It was the magic that was resulting in the low humming that encompassed the ground.
She made an attempt to peek inside the hole, but it was too dark to see. After going back to her horse, Alicia dug through the bundles of her supplies until she found a bag of oat cakes. She brought them back to the hillock, and opening the bag, placed a few cakes outside the hole. She sat to wait.
It didn’t take long. A small hand crept out of the hole and felt the cake. One cake disappeared. Alicia replaced it, moving the cakes a few inches away. The hand returned. This time she saw the full brown, spindly arm before the cake disappeared. Alicia moved the cakes a little further away. After some time, a face peeked out from the entrance.
The wood elf had a lean face, with skin the color of mud. She had seen them before in Iram, and this one was no different. Knowing that wood elves spooked easily, Alicia didn’t move a muscle as the elf slithered out inch by inch, its nose twitching as it caught her unfamiliar scent. Seeing that she remained seated, and made no move in its direction, the creature finally darted out, picked up the two cakes and disappeared inside his home.
Alicia moved the rest of the cakes closer to her. “I have more,” she said, knowing the creature would understand her.
Although the elves had their own language, they were able to communicate via thoughts to humans and mages. Their inherent magic made it possible for them to send and receive thoughts. Her contact with elves in Iram showed that they had the ability to read minds. Perhaps, that was the reason why they trusted few humans.
The elf stuck its head out. It looked at the cakes and at her. She felt herself being subjected to acute scrutiny. Was the creature reading her mind? It was impossible to tell.
Finally the elf appeared. Barely more than two feet tall, it was much like a toddler, only thinner and as brown as the earth under which they normally dwelt. Picking up a cake, Alicia held it. The elf took the cake, and much to her delight, sat in front of her to eat it. It gulped the cake in two quick bites.
Wood elves never lived alone; they usually lived in large groups. “Do you have friends inside? Maybe they want cake?” she said.
The elf shook its head. Alicia saw an image; ten or more elves lying inside a pit, their bodies shriveled. “So many dead,” it said, although its lips didn’t move.
“What happened?”
Another image came to her mind; that of two small baby elves sitting and crying in one corner beside the dead bodies. She saw the elf giving them the cakes it had taken inside the mound before. “Everybody dying.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Wood elves were such precious creatures and to see them die was most awful. “Why?”
The elf shrugged. “Something wrong with magic. Goddess is angry. Bad mages come and destroy the earth.”
“Do you need help?”
“Kill the bad mages, or else everybody will die.” The message was clear, almost as if he had spoken the words aloud.
“Do you know where I can find the place where they are making the bad mages?” she asked. This is why she had stopped here. The magic of wood elves was strong, and they were in tune with the earth. It was possible he could provide her with the exact location of the temple.
Several images flitted through her mind; she saw a river. A huge rock stood at its bank, and on top of the rock was a black protrusion that looked like a sword. She saw the mountains, the great curve of them and a wide clearing in the middle where the temple stood. A few of the images were the same which Leo had seen and described to them during the council meeting. But some were new.
“Is it there? The bad place?”
The elf nodded. It took the rest of the cakes and went back inside.
Alicia sat for a few moments, lost in her thoughts. The wood elf’s images confirmed Leo’s visions. But she was still not any closer to identifying the actual location of the temple. The mountain range was huge, and unless she could pinpoint the exact route or peak where the temple was, it would be nearly impossible to find the place.
And what about the river the elf showed? Unfamiliar with the area, she needed to find someone who could explain the images to her. The wood elf had given her a direction, and it was now up to her to find the rest of the path.
Alicia left the place, saddened and happy with the encounter. If wood elves were dying then it meant that the threat to the world was more significant than they had assumed. Was the creation of demon mages affecting the entire magic system? How long did they have before the damage became irreversible?
After moving away from the area, Alicia guided her mare to the edge of the forest. The trees provided much needed cover from the harsh sunlight. In this month of Aysan, rains were expected to begin soon. As days went by, humidity would turn up a notch. Before the deluge started she wanted to find her way to the temple. This was her first real clue to its location. Now she just needed someone who could decipher the images.
It was just great luck that she had come across the home of the wood elf. The creatures were extremely elusive, and hard to befriend. The elf had, however, eagerly provided her with the images. Perhaps it read her mind and realized she wanted to destroy the temple. One day, if she ever got time, Alicia intended to study these beautiful creatures more. That is, if any remained by the time Vindha was done with this war.
The encounter with the elf strengthened her resolve. If they didn’t find a way to close the fissure that was giving birth to the demon mages, the world would change much beyond recognition. This wasn’t the time to hesitate about taking action. It was crucial that she find the temple and stop the activity that was taking place there. She needed to find a town and query about the images discreetly. It was important she didn’t draw too much attention to herself. She didn’t want to run into Vindha’s mages and get embroiled in a fight.
It seemed she wasn’t destined to achieve her dream of retaining anonymity. The next morning, three mages, accompanied by a battalion of fighting soldiers, ambushed her in a clearing in the woods.
“Stop,” said one as he stepped out from behind the cover of a tree. “By the order of Emperor Vindha, we require you to submit yourself to his will.”
They must have tracked her from the inn. “What do you want?”
“You’re a mage,” he said. “I’m mage Undha. My companions and I are charged by the emperor to enlist all mages into the army.”
Alicia looked from one to another. The mages had seven soldiers with them. Ten to one; the odds were not in her favor. H
er fingers tingled as she got off her mare, and swatted the animal on her flank to make her move away from the line of fire. She would have to fight them all.
“What if I refuse?”
His lips stretched in a thin grin. “We will take you by force, and believe me, you will not like that.”
Alicia’s tornado hit him on the chest, and flew him up the nearest tree before he realized what was happening. She blocked the arrows and fireballs that headed her way with a wave of her hand. The air in the clearing was soon sparkling and shimmering with spells, counter-spells, and blocks.
She sank a mage waist-deep in the ground, but his companion rescued him by breaking apart her spell. His counterattack covered her with dust from head to toe, making it impossible to see anything. A quick gust of wind conjured by Alicia blew the dust away. The third mage came back down, landing softly on the grass, and joined his companions. Even with her dual power of air and earth, it stretched Alicia’s ability to the maximum to combat all of them simultaneously. And yet, it wasn’t their magic that worried her.
The soldiers made her anxious; or most precisely the fact that she couldn’t see them. They were somewhere in the background waiting for their chance to attack her. It would only take an arrow or a sword to kill her. She wasn’t immortal, and her magical shield wasn’t invincible. While fighting with the mages, she was leaving herself wide open for any physical assault. As she leaped and blocked another fireball, a dagger whizzed past her shoulder. She jumped over the vine that was creeping across the ground to ensnare her, and that move saved her from the arrow that was meant to strike her in the back.
As she feared, her protective shield took a hit as a multitude of arrows struck it together. She wasn’t hurt, but now she was vulnerable to physical and magical attacks.
There was no time to reinstate her shield or to take a look around to pinpoint the exact location of the soldiers. She was outnumbered, and her energy was draining fast. Alicia dodged a whirlwind, and sent it moving towards where she thought one soldier was hiding. Grabbing a pouch that hung at her belt, she dropped the contents around her and a green shield curtained her off, giving her a moment of respite as her enemies’ spells and arrows bounced off it.
The Warrior Mage Page 7
