Warriormage: Book Three of the 'Riothamus' trilogy

by Rosemary Fryth

  *

  “Its gone three hours,” worried Uhmar. “I wonder if we ought to try and wake them.”

  “I’m not going one step further into that circle,” replied Kunek. “I’m sure they’ll wake soon…what I am more worried about is that we now have company.”

  “What! Who?”

  The guardsman from Bear Company pointed to the far side of the circle. Finally Uhmar could see a number of grey canine shapes waiting silently on the border where the underbrush gave way to the Node.

  “Wolves, there are at least a dozen of them. Whatever can we do? They’ll reach the others before we could even draw our swords.”

  “Let’s watch and wait,” advised Kunek. “Remember we’ve been ordered not to kill any wolves whilst we are in the forest. Calm yourself Uhmar; I think they have a purpose here.”

  “I think the Rite is ending,” said Uhmar looking back to the group lying on the Node. “Lord King Arantur has roused, and I think also that the others are waking too.”

  *

  Aran woke with the sun in his eyes and a splitting headache. Listening to the others rousing, he knew immediately that something extraordinary had happened to him, but as yet he could not identify the changes in his Ability. Sitting up he looked across and immediately noticed the two worried guardsmen, and their expressions of alarm and dismay.

  “What?” he mouthed.

  They did not say anything, merely pointing to the far side of the Node. Aran looked across, and immediately saw the group of wolves. Aran nodded his understanding, and then quietly standing, walked over to where Mage Drayden was sitting up and rubbing his eyes against the strong sunlight.

  “We have company, Drayden,” Aran said without preamble.

  Drayden looked up and followed his king’s gaze to where the wolves were waiting and watching.

  “Ah!” he said. “Wolves, we might be in a bit of a fix.”

  Alissa stood, and shook the dirt from her clothes, “I thought you said they avoided large armed groups, and that they would never attack Earthmages.”

  “That was my understanding,” replied Drayden reassuringly, then he saw how their canine grins exposed rows of long white and very sharp teeth. “Mind you they don’t look particularly friendly,” he added.

  “Humans are dull witted, and have no understanding,” spoke the nearest wolf as it got to its feet, and walked unconcernedly onto the Node right to where Aran stood.

  Aran was unfazed; indeed this was the least of the shocks he had expected with the Reinforcing.

  “A talking wolf,” he replied. “Is this usual?”

  The wolf grinned, exposing more of its sharp teeth, “Not so usual, indeed very unusual. I am the only one of my kind to be given this gift.”

  “The Entity?”

  “Yes, the gift has come from the Entity.”

  “To what purpose?” asked Aran.

  “A message only, to the one who is the Warrior-awareness-leader male from all the wolves of this forest.”

  Aran hunkered down so he could see at eye level with the great grey beast.

  “I am that one, what is your message?”

  The wolf stared right back, “That the brotherhood has been told to aid the humans in their fight against the one who is named evil-over-the-horizon. Some of us have been chosen to go with you deep into the darkness. The rest will be waiting to descend upon those who follow the darkness to the plains, where the humans wait in their forest of dead wood.”

  “The Legions,” said Aran.

  “The Legions,” replied the wolf, whilst trying to get its mouth around the unfamiliar word.

  “So you are to reinforce our numbers,” said Darven, his head still spinning from the after-effects of the energies.

  The wolf inclined its head, in the nearest canine imitation of a human nod Aran had ever seen.

  “Certainly,” it replied. “This is our part of what the forest-humans call the Reinforcing.”

  The animal cocked its head, and looked up into Aran’s face, “When do we leave to go into the place of the darkness.”

  Aran stood again, “Tomorrow morning.”

  The wolf dipped its head again, “Until then, humans. We look forward to joining you in the hunting of the evil.”

  Aran nodded, and watched mutely as the wolves stood, and then vanished into the green depths of the forest.

  Turning, Aran met the brilliant blue eyes of Sage Oak. Instantly, there was an immediate and unspoken understanding between the two leaders.

  “The Reinforcing?” Aran asked finally.

  “The Reinforcing,” the Sage replied with a smile.

  *

  Chapter 3—Across the Border

  “So was it worth it?” asked Guardsman Kunek, as he stared into the green darkness where the great grey wolves had only moments ago disappeared.

  Darven turned at the soldier’s question, “What, the Reinforcing?”

  The sandy haired guardsman nodded, “Aye, you were all asleep for more than three hours. We thought to wake you, but feared to come into the circle.”

  “It would not have been a good thing to interrupt the energies,” confirmed Oak whilst standing, and brushing down his dark green robe. “We all would have woken eventually.”

  “So what has come of it?” asked Uhmar, “Have Jede and Sigund become mages too?”

  The Sage glanced across at the other two soldiers who were groggily getting to their feet.

  “We shall soon see,” he replied, glancing across to the High Earthmage, “Since Drayden is the leader of the mages here from Glaive, he should be the one to Scan them.”

  Drayden’s weary face spoke volumes, but he nodded, and setting the two of the Guard aside, applied his will and power.

  Finally he drew aside, “I must have been Reinforced, but the Scanning on top of what has gone before is greatly tiring.”

  “The Reinforcing is not immediate,” confirmed Oak. “All will begin to notice heightened levels of their Abilities over the next few days. So what of the two non-mage soldiers? I am greatly interested to learn if they have gained Abilities from the Rite of Reinforcing?”

  Drayden nodded tiredly, “Guardsman Sigund can join the rapidly increasing ranks of the Warriormages, and Guardsman Jede is brethren to Mages Hela and Trenny.”

  Trenny frowned at that news, “Impossible! A soldier cannot be a Weathermage! You have incorrectly Scanned him.”

  Drayden turned away, his face darkening at the Weathermage’s implication that the Earthmage did not know his craft, “See for yourself Weathermage. Why don’t you Scan him?”

  Trenny stepped up, “I believe I shall.”

  “Go easy mage,” Aran advised coolly. “Guardsman Jede may be a latent Weathermage but he is still only human, and not a pawn to any random applications of magepower.” The older mage looked up, and seeing the concern in the King’s eyes briefly nodded. “Do not worry; I shall be gentle in my Scanning. It is not often that an individual needs to be Scanned more than once.”

  Aran watched in real concern as he saw the Guardsman screw up his eyes, as the heat of the Scanning washed again through him.

  Trenny turned away sagging, “He has the Weathermage Ability.”

  Drayden smiled tightly, happy to be vindicated, “And strongly too. If he was not also a Guardsman, he would be greatly welcomed into the Weathermage enclave at Glaive.”

  “Is there a reason why he cannot be both a soldier and mage?” asked Hela defiantly. “The Warriormages seem to be able to reconcile their Abilities with their duties in the Guard.”

  The two High Mages turned to her incredulously, “The Warriormage Ability seems to be natural to our elite soldiers, not Weathermaging…” Drayden replied abruptly.

  “I agree,” said Trenny, for once in accord with Drayden, “Soldiering seems a natural extension to a Warriormage. I am sorry, either Guardsman Jede becomes a novice mage, or he remains a soldier. He cannot be both.”

  Aran turned to the dark-haired guardsm
an, whose serious face seemed even more solemn with all the discussion he seemed to be generating.

  “What is your choice Jede?” Aran asked softly. “Ignore for once the disputes of these mages, and tell us clearly which path you wish to follow.”

  Nervously biting his bottom lip, he finally replied, “In all truth lords, I had hoped to become a Warriormage like Bennek and Gunthred, and now Sigund. I did not ever consider that I would become another type of mage entirely.”

  He turned hopelessly to Mage Hela, “I am sorry Hela, but I cannot be both soldier and Weathermage. If there was not this war to fight I may have decided otherwise, but my first obligation is to King Arantur, and finding our way clear of our enemy in Thakur. Besides…” and he glanced at Darven, “I also cannot lightly lay aside the Oath I have sworn to Captain Taran when I joined the Guard!”

  Darven nodded, well pleased with Jede’s commonsense words.

  “Perhaps, when the war is over, and we can all turn our minds to other issues, Guardsman Jede may still go to Glaive to study,” Aran said mildly. “I don’t think that because he is an Andurian Guard that the gates of Glaive should be forever closed to him. He is still a young man of mid-twenties. This war will not last forever, and if he survives it, he may in the future decide to turn his hand to other things.”

  Trenny nodded, “Then once the war is over, and if he is willing, and if the spark of Ability still burns strongly in him, we will speak again of these matters. Until then, I believe this young man ought to go back to the duties and responsibilities of the Guard. If he does not intend to pursue the path to Glaive, any skills I teach him now will be just wasting my time and his.”

  On the long walk back to Glade there was little conversation amongst the group. All seemed preoccupied with their own thoughts, and were obviously coming to terms with what had happened to each of them at the Reinforcing. Glancing back, Aran saw Bini and Beech walking quietly together, their hands closely entwined. Behind them Bennek walked closely with Mage Hela, his strong arm ever ready to offer support if she stumbled, his apparent concern still evident after her ill-health near the Node itself. Behind Hela and the guardsman marched Trenny, his expression sour at seeing the obvious regard of the new Warriormage to his apprentice.

  Aran shrugged, it was not his position to interfere in the private lives of these men and women. If Hela was content to have Bennek dance attendance on her, than Aran knew it was not up to him to try and separate them. Trenny was obviously unhappy with the situation, but since they were adults and mages both, there was little the Weathermage could do except silently show his displeasure.

  “You will be leaving come morning?” asked Sage Oak, dropping back from the lead.

  Aran nodded, “As soon as our horses are saddled and we are provisioned.”

  “So where do you go to from here?” the older man asked.

  “West,” replied Aran, “We’ll follow the Trident River back out of the forest, and then when we reach the plains, we’ll avoid Riggeltz to come to the range further north.”

  “So you’ll be following the Riggeltz Road?”

  Aran shook his head, “I want to avoid the road and the patrols upon it. We will just have to follow the lie of the road a league or two further north.”

  “You’ll be riding at night I expect to avoid discovery,” added Oak.

  “Aye, we would be seen in an instant if we chanced that route by day,” replied Aran. “It’s going to be a long, fast, and very hard ride, to make it across from the forest to any kind of cover in the west,” he added grimly. “This will have to be the swiftest part of the entire trip, for once we get in the mountains, we will have to abandon our horses and make our way on foot.”

  “You have suitable gear and backpacks?” asked Oak.

  Aran nodded, “Glaive has prepared gear for us suitable for journeying into the mountains.”

  He looked up, “The Archmage did mention something about Glade ropes?”

  The Sage nodded, “Drayden has already spoken to me about it. We have several lengths prepared for you; as well we have made hard, heavy loaves for you of compressed dried fruits, grains, vegetables and nuts. You will find little edible greens in the winter mountains, and these loaves will sustain you and your group.”

  “Thank-you…” Aran paused, “Drayden also mentioned that the Sages might be able to assist us in other ways. He implied that you might be able to get us into Thakur unseen.”

  Oak smiled grimly, “Perhaps not ‘unseen.’ I think the better word ought to be ‘overlooked’. Yes, but you are right. I was going to mention it later on today that you take one of our number along in your party.”

  “Who?” asked Aran.

  “A young man whom you have not yet met,” the older man said. “His name is Sage As, and he is young, strong and courageous enough to brave the perils of the journey. He also has other skills that you may find useful along the way.”

  “Will he be able to get us to the Thakur border without incident?”

  Oak nodded, “If you take a route north of the Riggeltz Road, and don’t run head-on into a patrol, he will be able to help.”

  “So his skills won’t help us if we come face to face with a border patrol.”

  Oak shook his head.

  “So what are his skills exactly?” asked Aran.

  “He has a very close empathic bond with the Node,” replied Oak. “So much so that he can use and channel the energies to turn distant eyes aside from your group. In short, make them overlook your rather sizable party of mages and guardsmen.”

  “That is a useful skill indeed,” said Aran amazed.

  “It does have limitations,” cautioned Oak. “It is effective only at a distance and less effective during the day. So you will all still need to be cautious and careful in making your journeying unobtrusive. The wolves which go with you will help in this matter,” he added.

  The Sage frowned, “Ash’s powers and skills also become less effective the further he is from the Node, so deep in Thakur he may not be able to help at all.”

  Aran nodded and thoughtfully chewed his lower lip, “We hope to travel the little used routes into the mountains. Hopefully we can deal with any of the enemy who may stumble across us.”

  “Then our hopes and prayers go with you,” replied Oak. “This is a chancy journey you undertake, and it is more than possible that the Warleader may be too strong for even the Reinforced powers of your group!”

  “I know,” Aran pulled a face. “I’ve been trying not to think about how it will all end. We have too many obstacles to get past in the next few days without dreaming up more for later on.”

  “You are a practical man, King Arantur,” said Oak approvingly.

  Aran smiled dryly, “Look at what we are going into, Sage Oak. In the light of that, can I be anything else?”

  *

  The morning sun was just breaking through the distant canopy of the verdant forest, when Aran and his friends collected their horses from where they had been grazing. Immediately they began the familiar routine of saddling up in preparation of resuming their interrupted journey west. As they went about their tasks, Glade stirred around them, as the residents of the town came down to see the travellers off.

  “We will take you right to the borders of the forest, beyond that point we can go no further,” Sage Oak said walking up to where the group were gathered.

  Aran looked up from where he was adjusting Spirit’s stirrups.

  “You don’t need to put yourselves out,” he said easily. “I am certain we can find our way well enough by following the Trident River west, and then beyond the forest we are on our own.”

  “I understand” agreed Oak, “But sometimes the river cuts a deep path through the valleys, and we of Glade are familiar with the routes around these steep areas.”

  Aran glanced around, “I have not seen Sage Ash. I know we were introduced to him last night at dinner, but we are almost ready to leave and he has not shown yet.”


  “He is at this moment saying goodbye to his wife and child,” replied Oak. “If you will be patient he won’t be long.”

  Aran frowned “Is it wise to send along a man who has a young family. As you said yourself, there is a good chance we may not win through in the end. Could you not have picked another who does not have such responsibilities?”

  Oak shook his head, “Ash volunteered to go since he is the only one of Glade who has the particular skill which you need. He knows what the journey entails, and has accepted the risks that lie ahead.” Oak’s lined face grew grave, “If the worst happens and he is lost, then the people of Glade will look after his wife and child.” He paused, “We are a very close-knit community here, and we support each other in times of distress.”

  “And his possible death would clear the way for Beech to have a child,” added Aran bleakly.

  The Sage’s face hardened, “You are aware of our situation?”

  Aran nodded, “It is a most peculiar arrangement. However it seems to suit your people and I am not one to interfere in what has been up to now the smooth running of a town or village.”

  “Even though you are the King,” Oak questioned.

  “It is because I am the King I cannot,” Aran answered tightly. “I may wield supreme authority, but I believe it is neither my right nor leave to interfere in the governing of individual towns. You may do as you will here as long as it falls within the law and doesn’t affect the rest of the province.”

  “This arrangement affects only Glade,” replied Oak sadly. “The other forest villages are exempt from this Law. It is only because we lie so close to the Node that our numbers are regulated so closely. Glade is forbidden to grow further out into the forest.”

  Aran scanned the large luxuriant meadows within the timber palisade, and bordering the pole houses of the town, “Yet you seem to have room enough to expand without encroaching into the forest. This river valley would easily accommodate a town twice Glade’s present size.”