by Jamie Davis
Hal shrugged and looked at Kay. He knew they both wanted to get on the trail sooner than later, but they were both tired from the fighting in the forest. A day’s rest and some good food would serve them well.
“We can do that. I think we could all use a break to recover from the rigors of the last few days. I want to check on your sick people for myself in case there’s anything I can do to help out with speeding their recovery.”
The three of them went to work on their tasks. Kay went off to see how the dragoons were doing and to talk with the sergeant. Hal sought out the goblin chief priest and healer to check on the sick affected by the magical plague and Shalush saw to the preparations for the night’s feast. For each of them, it was a time to reset and realign their priorities.
The next morning, Hal, Kay, and the remaining dragoons, reinforced by a quartet of the most promising of the goblin swordsmen, set out east for the rest of their journey to the village called Garth. They had an escort of goblin rangers until they crossed out of the valley and into the eastern reaches, a desert of scrub brush and rolling, barren hills.
Instead of heading due East for the week-long journey to Hyroth, the group veered to the north, leaving the standard caravan trail to strike out cross-country. According to the map Hal had, the trip to Garth would lead them to the northeast; approximately five days travel.
It was during this time Hal noticed the dragoons increasing deference towards Kay. Sergeant Madry seemed to take Hal's suggestion to heart and assigned at least two dragoons to accompany Kay anytime she left their camp in the evening.
When she asked them to stop, the sergeant shook his head.
“No ma'am, you should have a proper guard. While we may not look all that proper right now, we can still guard you. It's the right thing to do for a person of your station. Should you ever return to the throne, you will have an entire regiment of bodyguards. For now, you have us.”
Kay threw her hands in the air and stomped off. The sergeant nodded to two of the female dragoons, one human and one goblin. The pair promptly gathered their weapons and raced after her. Hal smiled to himself. He had fun playing this little practical joke on his friend, even if it was no joke to the dragoons.
The rest of their journey to Garth passed without incident. They seemed to have shaken off the pursuit of any Imperial forces or mage hunters that might be following them. Hal was happy to have a few days where they didn't get caught up in a fight or some quest. He needed the rest.
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The sleepy farming village called Garth lay in a fertile valley on the western edge of the Great Northern Forest. Hal knew the forest extended East for hundreds of miles to where he and his slave army had fought their great battle and defeated Baron Norak’s Imperial forces.
On this side of the forest, people seemed to have carved out a quiet and peaceful existence far away from the ravages of the war gripping the rest of the continent. They passed several farms on the way to the village. The farmers were friendly, waving to them as they passed by.
It was near dark when they arrived. Tildi was right. It wasn't hard to find the inn. In fact, it almost seemed as if that establishment made up the bulk of the village. In addition to the inn and attached tavern, which was the only two-story building in the small community, there was a blacksmith, a trading post, and a stable.
Hal pointed at the stable.
“Sergeant, Kay and I have business in the inn, and we will be staying here for a while, perhaps a few weeks. When we move on however, we may need to purchase horses so we can travel onward at a faster pace. Why don't you check in at the stable and see if they have enough horses to equip us. You can also inquire about long-term accommodations other than the inn.”
“I’ll see to it, sir.”
He separated two of the dragoons from the group to follow Hal and Kay to the inn at the end of the street, then he and the others headed to the stable to check on the rest of Hal’s orders.
Inside the inn, Hal approached a tiny man sitting in the common room at a roll-top desk. He looked up as they approached and scowled.
“I suppose you four want rooms?”
“Just two rooms actually,” Hal said. “One for myself and one for the lady. The soldiers will be seeking other accommodations.”
“Suit yourself. It's not like anyone else is staying here. I've got plenty of room. Just sign the guestbook and I'll get your keys.”
The innkeeper disappeared through the nearby doorway while Hal leaned over the desk and signed his name in the guestbook. He handed the quill pen to Kay and she did the same. The innkeeper returned with their keys and glanced at the guestbook.
As soon as he read the names, he shot Hal a glance.
“You supposed to be meeting someone here?”
“Yes, I believe I am.”
“I thought that name looked familiar. You can settle yourself in. I'll send word you've arrived.”
Hal and Kay exchanged looks. Tildi said in her note she’d know when they arrived. Hal assumed she'd have used some sort of magical alert to his presence. It seems the mage's solution was more mundane.
The innkeeper led the two of them upstairs to their rooms with the two dragoons following along behind. When the innkeeper pointed to the room Kay was to occupy, the dragoons took up stations on either side of the door.
Hal suppressed a chuckle when he saw the annoyed look on Kay's face. She unlocked the door, went inside, and slammed it closed behind her.
The innkeeper didn't fail to notice what happened.
“She somebody special?”
“Special to us,” Hal said. “The dragoons take protecting her very seriously.”
The innkeeper shrugged.
“She don't need no protecting here. It's not like anything exciting ever happens in this village. Suit yourselves, though. I'll be downstairs if you need anything. Dinner will be served in the Tavern in about an hour. Breakfast is served an hour after sunup, with lunch at noon. The cook don't like it if you're late.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”
The innkeeper went back down the stairs. Hal unlocked the door and went inside. The room was small with a bed, a wooden chair, and a nightstand. A pitcher and a washbasin sat on the nightstand.
Hal decided to freshen up. He leaned his staff in the corner and, pouring some of the water in the washbasin, rolled up his sleeves, and splashed water on his face and arms to wash some of the road grime from himself.
There was no telling how long it would take Tildi to arrive or send word with further instructions. He might as well make himself comfortable while waiting. The work of learning the final school of magic would be here soon enough.
30
Tildi arrived the next morning. At least Hal thought it was morning. A glance out the window showed it to be still dark outside. She woke him with a knock on his door. She didn’t wait for him to answer or even unlock the door. Before he could get out of bed, the door unlatched itself and the mage let herself in.
“Welcome to Garth, Hal. Hurry up and get dressed. We've got a lot of work to do and very little time in which to do it.”
Hal pulled on his pants and grabbed his cloak from the peg on the wall.
“Has something else happened, Tildi?”
“The Emperor’s forces have started to push back against the rebel army arrayed against them. They've managed to win several battles over the last few days. We are running out of time. Now get dressed. You and I have to leave before anyone else wakes up.”
Hal grabbed his staff and followed Tildi out the door. The two dragoon troopers lay slumped to the floor.
“Are they alright?”
“They're fine. I just put them to sleep for a while. They will have a bit of a headache when they wake up, but the two of them will be none the worse for wear.”
Hal spared the soldiers one last glance and then followed Tildi down the stairs to the common room. She led him outside where two horses were tied
up.
“Mount up,” the mage said. “We have a long day's journey ahead of us.”
“Why don't we just open up a portal to travel where we're going as you've done in the past.”
“Because the Emperor’s pet mages have figured out a way to track the use of magic anywhere on the continent, especially portal magic because it's so powerful.”
“That must be how they've been able to follow me as I went from place to place. I thought it was just coincidence.”
“Ain't no such thing, boy. You should know better by now.”
Hal started to mount his horse but stopped.
“I should leave a note or message for Kay to let her know where I've gone.”
Tildi shook her head.
“No, you should not. Kay is safer without you nearby. She’ll figure where you've gone on her own and we're not likely to be coming back this way. Don't worry; she's capable and resourceful. Now mount up. It's time to leave.”
Hal pulled himself up on the horse and settled into the saddle. Grabbing the reins, he gave the horse a kick with his heels and trotted after Tildi into the darkness.
He followed her as she entered the dark forest on the outskirts of the village. It grew even darker under the thick leaves of the forest canopy above. On more than one occasion over the next several hours, Hal found himself ducking with barely a second’s notice when tree limbs threatened to sweep him from the saddle in the dark.
By the time the sun came up, they were many miles away from Garth. The terrain climbed upward into the foothills of the nearby mountains. By mid-morning, they'd left the edge of the forest behind traveling through several mountain passes that left Hal thoroughly confused as to how to get back the way he came.
They stopped around noon. Tildi set out a wedge of cheese, some roast beef, and a half loaf of bread.
Hal tried to make conversation while he assembled his sandwich.
“Have you heard anything about Ragnar? I heard the mage hunters captured him after he sent me to Bronwyn. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“Have you heard where they’re keeping him?”
“No.”
“Shouldn’t we try and secure his escape? After all, he is one of our allies.”
“No.”
After the last question, Tildi excused herself and stepped away into a nearby stand of trees. Hal assumed she was relieving herself.
He finished making his lunch and began eating. He was disappointed. He hoped she might be more forthcoming with information or at least have a plan on how they might rescue Ragnar. Hal figured he'd need the help of all the mages when the time came to go and get his family back.
Thinking of his family’s rescue turned his thoughts to Mona and how she was doing. He wished again he could come up with a way to send her word that he was coming to get them. Hal had no idea what the Emperor told Mona about him or why she was here in Fantasma.
Hal was still brooding about his family when Tildi returned. She broke off a piece of cheese and a hunk of bread for herself before returning the food to her saddlebags.
“Let's mount up. I want to get where we're going before dark.”
“Fine by me,” Hal said getting up. “It's not like I'm learning anything sitting here.”
“Don't worry, Hal. Your lessons will start up again soon enough once it's safe to do so. We can't do that here, though.”
Hal mounted, following after Tildi. She rode along a winding trail up into the mountains. It was slow going for the horses because of the broken and challenging terrain. It was near dark when they entered a narrow canyon with a trickle of a stream running out of it.
After several hundred yards, the narrow canyon opened into what Hal could only describe as a gigantic bowl created by the surrounding cliffs. A small waterfall cascaded down on the opposite side of the vale, creating the stream that passed through the middle of the valley before disappeared down the center of the canyon through which they'd just ridden.
The waterfall, while beautiful, wasn't the most prominent feature of the tiny valley. That distinction went to the squat, stone tower that lay at its center. Just as Bronwyn’s tower was tall and slender, like its mistress. Tildi’s tower resembled her short stature. It was no less formidable. In fact, it’s isolated location in this canyon lent the tower its imposing nature.
Hal also noticed something else. Tildi was smiling. It was the first time he'd seen anything other than a scowl on her face since they left the village. The change came over as soon as they exited the narrow track through the mountains and entered this sanctuary.
“It's beautiful, Tildi. If this is your home, it must be wonderful to live here.”
“I used to have several towers I stayed in at different times, depending on my mood or particular needs at the time. All the others have fallen into the Emperor’s hands. This last place has not. That is due in part to its isolated location and to the peculiar nature of the surrounding cliffs. Notice the reddish hue to the rock?”
Hal nodded. He’d seen the tint of red in the cliffs and thought nothing of it. He wasn’t a geologist after all.
“The rock around these parts is full of iron ore. It acts as a sort of shield, keeping the magical energies from being detected by those outside this tiny valley. At least that is my hope we have much training to do with some powerful magics.”
“I’m ready when you are, Tildi. I have to get my family back and I expect you to show me how.”
“Ho, ho,” Tildi chuckled. “You think so, do you? It's true I have many things to teach you, but I'm not sure I have any grand plan that might help you rescue your family. That, I'm afraid, we'll have to be up to you, Hal.”
“When do we start?”
“At dawn,” Tildi said as she dismounted. “You tend to the horses. There's a small barn around back. You see to that while I open the tower. You can meet me inside when you're done.”
Hal leaned down and took the reins of Tildi’s horse, leading it around the tower to the rear. Hal found a small stone barn built up against the wall of the tower. He unsaddled the horses and put them in their stalls for the night. He found a few bales of hay and broke them up before filling the feeding troughs.
Water for each was taken care of by a series of clay pipes leading up to the waterfall above. The pipes filled a small basin in each stall with a constant flow of fresh water. The overflow spilled out and down a gutter leading under the wall and back to the central stream.
By the time he was finished with the mounts, there was a golden glow of light coming from several of the tower’s windows. Hal washed his hands off in one of the basins, fetched his pack and Tildi’s saddlebags and headed into the tower via a door at the back of the barn.
He entered the kitchen and dining area of the first floor. There was a fire blazing in the hearth and a small roast turned on a spit in front of the glowing coals at the base of the blaze. The spit turned using a series of cogs and shafts running to the outside wall. He realized it all moved thanks to a small water wheel he’d seen outside the tower.
“Hal,” Tildi called down from up a spiral staircase in the far corner. “Finish getting dinner together. You’ll find a bin with some potatoes and turnips next to the hearth. Wash a few of them and set them by the coals to bake.”
“I'll see what I can do.”
Putting his staff and the bags down, Hal searched until he found the vegetable bin in the corner. He rinsed off two potatoes and two turnips in the sink with running water piped in using a similar arrangement as was used in the barn.
Setting them down on the hearth close to the coals, he snatched his hand back after placing each one. The heat was intense. It wouldn’t take too long to roast them given the fire’s intensity and the heat radiating off the glowing coals at its base.
While he waited for the meal to finish cooking, Hal spent some time examining the contents of the first floor of Tildi’s tower. In addition to a table and four chairs, there was a sink and counter for f
ood preparation, several cabinets dishes and bowls as well as other cooking utensils.
On the far side of the room there was another door, presumably the one Tildi entered when she came into the tower. To the right of the door, there was a bookshelf filled with leather-bound tomes of various sizes. Just to the left of the door was the spiral staircase leading upward. There didn't appear to be a basement.
Crossing to the bookshelf, Hal pulled a few of the books out and flipped through them. Most were in a language he didn’t recognize. A few were written in Fantasma’ s common tongue. The book that caught his attention most of all was a thick book with English lettering on the spine.
Game Engineering and Computer Programming for Beginners was the last thing he expected to find in a fantasy mage’s tower. Still, it made sense. She'd told him how she created the game to transport him to this world. He didn't think there was any technology involved. After all, creating a portal was something you did with magic, right?
“Ah, I see you found my secret stash.”
Hal slapped the book shut and put it back on the shelf as quickly as he could. Tildi had come down the stairs behind him undetected.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snoop but the English title caught my attention. I have to say; I'm more than a little surprised to see it, having mastered some magic as I have. I don't see any way to combine it with something as technologically advanced as computer programming.”
“You'd be surprised, Hal. There's a lot more in common between magic and computer technology than you might think. Both require logical thought processes to complete a task or create a spell. Both require energy of some sort to enable them to carry out their instructions. When you come right down to it, there's almost no difference between them at all. Once I realized that the rest was just a series of increasingly difficult problems to solve to bring you here.”
Hal scratched his head. A random thought nagged at him.
