by Joseph Lallo
“Sorry. It hurt you know?”
The guardsman behind her laughed, and the old man smiled briefly. He finished bandaging her shoulder, and she thanked him again when he pulled her nightgown back into place.
“I’ll need the books on healing if there are any,” she said, trying to breathe shallowly.
“I can’t bring them to you. They’re warded,” Jessica said, suddenly worried again.
“I’ll go to them,” Julia said, struggling to stand.
The world spun about and she was abruptly back where she started, sitting on the floor. Before she could try again, Jessica’s helper stepped forward, and hoisted her into his arms.
Jessica hurried through the citadel, pointing out the quickest route, but the guardsman knew the way. He carried Julia to the library without fuss. She drowsed in his arms, but awoke as the familiar feeling of the library came over her. She was beginning to suspect that the entire library was magical in some way. It always seemed to talk to her.
“Use me, and know power,” it whispered for her ears alone.
She shivered as she remembered the deaths she’d already caused. She knew what power was—she didn’t like it.
The guardsman looked at her for instructions.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t remember your name.”
“I’m Udall, lady.”
Now she remembered how she knew him. Mathius had stuck his boots to the floor on her first day at Athione. He was one of Sergeant Burke’s men.
“Take me down the first row, please. I hope you’re not too tired.”
He smiled. “You’re only a little thing.”
She chose the first row, hoping it would contain books within her capabilities to use. She scanned all the spines, but none of the titles were what she needed. It worried her more than a little. If there were any books for healers, they must be stored on the other shelves, the ones for higher ranked mages.
Udall carried her along the next aisle. This time the titles were for those interested in making material things, such as roads and bridges. They looked interesting, and she would have to read them someday, but none of them would help her now. The books she needed must be for the more powerful mages, not beginners like her.
“Stop here!” she said in excitement, and winced when she moved her arm without thought for the consequences.
Udall stopped and she read a promising title, but she reluctantly decided it wasn’t what she needed. Forestry and animal care, though dealing with living things, were not the same as healing wounds.
“Sorry, next aisle please.”
Udall nodded and carried her along the last row.
She’d been afraid that this might happen. The shelves here contained titles such as: Higher Principles of Power Transmission, or Animation for Sorcerers. Nothing here was for beginners. Two thirds of the way along the row, she found one.
“Take that one down for me, would you?” she said, pointing to a large tome bound in black leather. As Jessica did that, Udall continued down the aisle. “That looks interesting, we better have that.”
In the end, they found only four books in the entire library that might help—all of them on the high ranking shelf. They found places to sit and read in comfort. Julia’s shoulder throbbed in time with her heartbeat, but she thrust the discomfort out of her mind, and tried to concentrate on her reading. When Jessica found an important passage in her book, she read it aloud to her. Udall waited patiently, he could read, but not well.
Julia discarded her first book almost straight away. It was more to do with disease than injuries or wounds. The next one was the size of a handbook or diary. As she read, she realised that she’d found a genuine treasure. The book was hand-written in tiny script. Written by a wizard, it detailed his journey through the east—Tanjung and Japura—learning all he could about medical applications of herbs and magic.
She read as quickly as she could, but candlemarks went by before she understood enough to start. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Will it help him?” Jessica said, eagerly.
“I think so. I need to read it all the way through to be certain. Is there time?”
“No.”
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough—even before the arrow. If I try to heal him and do something wrong, it might kill him.”
“It’s better to try and fail, than not try at all.”
Udall nodded his agreement.
“Even if it’s Keverin who dies?”
Jessica’s expression turned hard.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean that how it sounded, honest! I just don’t want any more deaths on my conscience.”
“I told you before,” Jessica said, her voice cold now. “You did what you had to do.”
Udall nodded. “She’s right.”
It was a side of Jessica that she’d never seen. She’d always seemed kindly and fun to talk to, but now the mother of a great lord had come forth—and she was as hard as steel. Julia stroked the cover of her little book. It was easy for other people to justify her actions, they hadn’t been the one to kill so many.
She sighed. “I’ll try.”
Udall replaced the other books in their slots, and then sat beside her. “When you’re ready, I’ll take you back.”
She raced through the book, snatching desperately at this or that passage. She tried to memorise them, and came close to tears when she realised that she’d forgotten the first part already. She flicked back and read through it again.
The biggest trick seemed to be the way of looking at the wound. She needed to use her mage-sight to look below the surface of reality. According to the author it was possible to repair even serious injuries in that way, but had Darius worked like that? She suddenly realised that she could be completely on the wrong track. What if Darius knew this method didn’t work? What if she killed them... what if... no!
She forced herself to think rationally. Darius would have removed the book from the shelves if the information contained within it was wrong. Surely he would have? No, he definitely would have. She had to believe that.
“Has anyone tried to take a book out of here before?”
“No, why do you ask?” Jessica said.
“I need to take this one with me. I can’t learn enough in half a candlemark to do any good. If I take it with me, I can refer to it at need.”
“I don’t think you can. Darius warded them all.”
“Let’s try.”
Udall carried her toward the exit, and she started to feel reluctant to take the book. It was wrong to take it. She should put it back in its slot. When they entered the mundane section of the library, it felt as if she were heading the wrong way. The shelves were behind her, and she really should put the book back now. It was wrong to take the book. She should put it back in its slot; she really should. If Udall hadn’t been there, she would have spun on her heel and raced back to the shelves right then.
It’s all in the mind. You’re not turning back.
The book started to glow as they neared the exit. Udall opened the door, and the book objected strongly. It began flashing so brightly, that shadows leapt upon the walls.
Udall looked at her. “Now what?”
With nothing better to try, she shook the book vigorously. “Stop that!” Of course it didn’t make any difference. In frustration, she grasped her magic and directed it at the book. “I told you to stop it!”
To her great surprise, the book paused as if startled. It flashed its light twice more in apology, and then stopped its antics.
She glanced at Jessica. The woman looked as amazed as Julia felt. She patted the book’s cover. “Thanks.”
The book didn’t respond.
Udall was looking at her strangely, and she wasn’t surprised. How many people could talk to things and have them answer? She’d become accustomed to Athione, but then something like this happened, and she suddenly w
ondered if she was dreaming after all.
That bloody arrow was real enough. It hurt like blazes.
On the way back to the great hall, she read more of the little book. Some of the things in it were familiar to her but described a little oddly. The animals infesting wounds were obviously germs and microbes. Apparently they could be seen and destroyed, if she used magic like this, and then did that.
It mentioned aura a great deal. She had always scoffed at the idea of people seeing auras, but as she read further, she realised that the author meant something different. According to him, it was possible to spot a person with an injury or illness by the colour of their energy when viewing them in a certain way. It talked about the nature of reality, stating that everything was made of energy, and manipulating it was what a mage did best. If she was right the author was talking about atoms. How could a person in a medieval culture know such things? Magic she supposed.
Udall carried her through one last door, and then toward Keverin where he lay dying amongst his men. He was pale, and his lips were blue tinged. She stared, and relaxed slightly when she saw his chest rise. For a moment there, she’d thought they were too late.
“No. Mathius first,” she said, suddenly uncertain.
“I don’t think—”
“I do!” she snapped, and tried to soften her tone. “Sorry, Udall. If I can heal Mathius, he might be able to help me with the others.”
That wasn’t her main reason. When she found Mathius in the courtyard, she had turned him over without a care, driving the wood impaling him further in. She couldn’t get the thought out of her head, that if she’d been more careful, he wouldn’t be dying.
“If you think it best,” Udall said doubtfully, and looked to Jessica to show him the way.
They found Mathius barely conscious, very pale, and in great pain. He watched her with eyes sunken into purple coloured caves. He recognised her, he wasn’t delirious, but he didn’t speak. He just lay there, breathing shallowly.
Jessica pulled the blanket down to reveal the wound. “We removed the splinter as soon as we could, but he’s bleeding inside. I think his stomach is punctured.”
She winced. “I’m going to fix this, Mathius. I won’t let you die on me.”
Before she scared herself too much with what could go wrong, she covered the gaping wound in his belly with her good hand. Concentrating on her mage-sight, she tried to see him the way the little book described, but she kept slipping into the realm of power. A strange place, it was a realm of drifting clouds of energy. There was never anything solid to see there. Strange swirling eddies and currents filled it. There were no boundaries, no walls, no sky, or ground. It was where she believed her magic came from. Having an idea, she started again. This time she tried to summon the vision slowly. She watched eagerly as the hall faded again, and was replaced by swirling energy.
That’s it!
She held the vision steady, and looked at Mathius. Where he lay upon the floor, she found a sickly yellow coloured light instead. Was this what the book meant by aura? There was no shape to resemble a person at all, but what else could it be? She studied it closely, and found veins of red light streaking the yellow. Not knowing what to do next, she turned to study Udall. A glowing white aura radiating strength and vigour, hovered where he stood in the real world. Looking closer, she could see just a trace of yellow. She assumed that represented tiredness, but there was none of the red light that infested Mathius.
Turning back to her friend, she tried to change the red into a clean white glow. It seemed to work at first, but every time she destroyed one vein, another took its place. She delved deeper, trying to trace them to their source, and fought against unseen currents. Some were gentle, but others surged rhythmically, and she struggled to stay on course.
She wasn’t sure how long the hunt took, it seemed to take ages before she found the disgusting pulsating light deep inside Mathius. It was purplish-green in colour, with those horrid red veins coming out of it. It made her feel ill just looking at it. She attacked the ghastly thing without mercy, using streams of white magic. Slowly the ugly mass shrank, but it fought her all the way. Angry at the nasty thing’s rebellion, she forced herself to draw harder on her magic, and then crushed it with one sudden push. Separated from their source, the red veins began to wither. She helped them along with more white magic.
Satisfied that she’d done all she could, she started to pull back, intending to rejoin Jessica in the real world, but a blue light shining deep within Mathius’ aura distracted her. She moved closer. It was a glowing sapphire, blazing against the white backdrop of his aura. Udall didn’t have anything like that. She hesitated to leave it, but surely something so beautiful wasn’t bad. Could it be connected to his magic in some manner? Might it be the mage gift itself? Rather than take any more chances, she withdrew back to the real world, and promptly collapsed with exhaustion.
Udall caught her, and she smiled her thanks. Mathius looked tired, but not in pain any longer. She still had her hand on his belly. She cautiously raised it to reveal a disgusting mass of puss and old blood. It was stuck all over the palm of her hand!
Yucckk!
Jessica used a damp cloth to clean her hand, and then Mathius’ stomach to reveal a scar that looked years old.
“Thank the God,” Jessica whispered.
“Mathius?” Julia said.
He opened his eyes, and looked at her in surprise. “I’m not dead.”
She grinned. “No you’re not. I need your help to heal Keverin and the others.”
He sat up, exploring the scar with his fingers. “You healed me?”
She nodded. “Can you help?”
“I was never strong enough. I’m sorry.”
She sagged in disappointment. “Take me to Keverin,” she said to Udall.
* * *
20 ~ Raiders
Donalt shielded his eyes, and glared grimly toward the Elvissan Mountains in the distance. They provided a dark contrast, making the smoke obvious from the height of the east wall, aiding Corlath in his foolishness. That was frustration talking. His brother was no one’s fool, but he was allowing the knowledge of what their father would do, colour his judgement. Purcell would be riding out the gate at the head of half the guard to investigate. They both knew it, but Corlath was no Purcell. He was a great fighter, and blessed—or maybe that should be cursed—with their family’s berserker heritage, but he was no strategist. He took after their uncle, who had died young while raging in battle against raiders, more than their father as he did. The similarity between the current situation and that old raid, sent a shiver of dread down his spine.
“There, do you see? It has to be a raid,” Corlath said, pointing into the distance.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t,” he said, trying for patience. “We need to know what you’ll be facing!”
“I can’t stand here and debate my every decision!”
“I’m not asking for a debate, dammit! We have to send the scouts first. We don’t know how many you’ll be facing. You can’t just march against unknown strength—you can’t!”
“Lower your voice, Don. The men are listening.”
He glanced at the sentries guiltily. He knew better than to argue in front of the men. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Send the scouts. I beg you. Send the scouts first.”
“I’ll take eight hundred with me,” Corlath said, as if he hadn’t heard a word. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“No, Cor!” he gasped. He grabbed his brother’s arm. “If you must go, take fifteen hundred.”
“I said,” Corlath snarled. “That I’ve decided. I appreciate your concern. Truly I do, but father left me in command, not you. You will accept my decision.”
He braced to attention. “As you command,” he said stiffly. He knew an order when he heard one.
Corlath clapped him on the shoulders, and shook him just a little in an effort to comfort him. “W
hen I ride out, you’ll be in command here, but not until then. Now brother mine, let us go down to dinner.”
Donalt cursed silently as he followed his brother down the tower steps. In a strange way this entire thing was their father’s fault. Purcell had gleefully destroyed many raiding bands over the years, turning a dangerous situation into a routine matter. Corlath was going to ride out thinking it was business as usual. He scowled at his brother’s back, wishing for an argument that would sway him. He had no evidence, but his instincts were absolutely screaming at him. This time was different. He knew it was, or he felt it was at least. What could he say now, that would make a difference? He couldn’t think of a thing.
The next morning, Donalt watched his brother ride to war from his place above the east gate, and fumed in impotent silence. As soon as the last man in the column disappeared into the distance, he descended to the courtyard, looking for his contingency. He found them already leading their horses out of the stables.
Sergeant Ferris was an old hand, tough and wiry. He’d been one of his father’s best men for longer than Donalt had been alive, and was nearing retirement from his position as Elvissa’s lead scout. Rogan was his protégé, and took after him in his outlook and abilities, but he was bulky compared to the older man. They looked nothing alike, yet shared the skills that made both men feared in the barracks. They were honourable men, but in certain other places, places like Tanjung for example, they could have found work as assassins easily. Both men were fully armoured and grim-faced, but ready to do their duty.
“Follow them, and for the God’s sake don’t let yourselves be seen, or my brother will nail my hide to the gate when he gets back. Any questions?”
They shook their heads in unison, mounted their horses, and rode out the gate.
* * *
Part III
21 ~ Witch!
Athlone looked up as someone entered the room without knocking. “You have you good news for me?”
Abarsis moved further into the room, and surveyed his surroundings, as if he owned the place. “I do have news.”
