The Reluctant Mage: Book One in the Zandar Series

by R. E. Donnellan

  They retraced their steps back to the stream and began tracking the other two Night Eagles. Marko studied the remaining tracks for a moment. He could tell one was from a woman because of its size and indentation. The person who made those tracks was considerably lighter than Marko. The second looked to be from a man that was at least as heavy as Marko. He guessed a few inches taller too by the size of the print.

  The tracks became harder to see. The ground became rockier as the path began to climb. He almost lost the trail until he found a small twig that had been recently broken. The bend of the branch was to the left. On a hunch, he began tracking in that direction.

  Sure enough, after ten or twenty yards, he picked up the trail of the woman. She did not seem to care about hiding her tracks as they were much easier to track than before. After several minutes the tracks ended next to a big oak tree.

  Marko looked up. “Hi there, Marko. Hi Lieutenant.”

  “Hi Miranda. How’s the view up there?”

  “Good. But I think I’ll come down now.”

  Miranda slowly climbed down the tree and jumped the last six feet. She brushed off her uniform and saluted Le Clerc.

  He said, “I thought you nearly lost him back there by the rocks.”

  “How did you find me? I was sure I did not leave a track.”

  “You broke a branch. I warned you about that. It gave you away. Marko nearly missed it.”

  “Oh well. There is still one left you have to find.”

  Marko looked at her. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

  “Lieutenant. You did not tell him?”

  Le Clerc just shrugged. “I figured it would not help his confidence if he knew he was tracking a mage.”

  “What! Who is out there?”

  Mirada turned to Marco. “Do you remember meeting Toulon at breakfast? He is your third target. Good luck with that one. He’s only been caught once.” With that, Miranda lightly stepped between Marko and Le Clerc and towards the path.

  “Well, let’s go find Toulon Marko and get back for some chow.”

  Marko shrugged and walked back to the spot where Miranda and Toulon had separated. He knew that they had made enough noise talking to Miranda to alert him if he was nearby. He tried to put himself in Toulon’s shoes. The first Night Eagle used a stream for evasion, and the second used rocky ground cover. It makes sense that they would be testing different strategies. Man learned those strategies from animals. It only made sense that Toulon had tried the same.

  Marko picked up Toulon’s tracks and began to follow them. It was not long before he and Le Clerc reached another rocky area. Marko spent another half a mark looking around the area for any sign of the direction Toulon took. Le Clerc just sat down on a log and seemed to be content to watch Marko.

  What would an old, cagey buck do if he was being tracked by hunters? Sako’s father, Krupa liked to tell them stories about his hunting adventures. He remembered the story about a buck he had been hunting for three seasons. Sako’s father had even given it a name: Bijeg. Krupa had figured out that the buck liked to circle around anyone who was tracking him. He would eventually cross over the hunter’s trail behind the hunter and wander off at a ninety degree angle.

  Marko figured if Toulon was doing that to them he would not wander off. He would want to see how Marko was doing against the other two. That meant that Toulon would have circled back and was following the two from behind. How far back would he be? He would have to be close enough to see what we were doing. He even might want to be close enough to hear what he was saying to Le Clerc. That puts him no more than thirty yards away.

  Marko glanced back down the path where he had tracked Toulon. He could only see about twenty yards. Then Toulon’s trail curved around a deadfall made by a large pine. Without further thought, Marko sprinted towards the deadfall. When he turned the corner, he stopped and looked around. There was no one there. Marko stood still and took in his surrounding environment. Had he just made a fool of himself in front of Le Clerc?

  Something did not feel right to Marko. He could not put his finger on it. Something was out of place. He studied the pine that had fallen down. The needles were mostly brown; a sign that it had fallen a few days ago. One patch, however, was completely green. He studied the patch for a moment and noticed that it was in the shape of a man.

  “Good to see you, Lieutenant Toulon.”

  Suddenly the shape changed into the man Marko had met at breakfast that morning. “Well met, Marko. I see we found ourselves a hunter!”

  “It was actually my friend’s Da who told me about deer circling back. I am such a bad shot with a bow, that it really did not matter where they were.”

  Toulon laughed as Le Clerc approached. “Well it looks like our young priest hunter can hunt mages as well. How did you spot him?”

  “I saw a patch of green pine needles when the others were turning brown. The patch looked like a man so I just assumed it was Lieutenant Toulon.”

  Toulon smiled. “I will have to remember that the next time I cast an illusion. I really did not have much time after I saw you sprinting towards me. Never saw that one before. You won’t be able to do that when tracking an enemy, but it was most effective today.”

  The three of them walked back to their horses. All the while, they discussed various approaches to tracking an enemy depending upon the size of the group and terrain. Marko asked several questions about a priest’s use of magic, especially in evading and infiltrating an enemy encampment.

  Toulon was the most accommodating. “A priest’s magic is different than a mage’s. The priest gets his magic from their god Vrhovni. Specifically, he his granted a medallion from the Conclave of Bishops. The medallion allows him to manifest the blessings of their god into applied magic. The priest is not born with the ability to manipulate magic currents. As such, they are granted certain, but limited abilities. The one you have to be concerned about is the ability to bend light around them. It is called “Vrhovni’s Sight.” This means that you can stare directly at a priest and only see what is behind him. If he moves, you may see a ripple in the air, but most don’t. A priest also has the ability to instill confidence in the people around him. They call this “Vrhovni’s Peace”. This can affect up to a Company of King’s Guards during battle. It makes them much more effective. Some also believe that it allows limited control by the priest. So, he can direct them in battle as a group. The most well known skill is their ability to heal wounds. “Vrhovni’s Blessing” has been the magic that people have associated with the priesthood for centuries. There are rumors of other skills found in the Bishops, but so far we have never faced one in battle.”

  “But sir, if priests are dedicated to peace, why have they joined the King’s army? Shouldn’t they be on the sidelines administering to the injured?”

  “That has always been the case, until a year or so ago. A new Cardinal was ordained. A man named Zolar. We don’t know much about him as he did not come up through the ranks. What we do know is that he shook up the church. Over half of the Conclave was retired and many new priests took up the medallion. As with the Cardinal, they were from outside the church. He declared that “repentant sinners” were the new blood of the priesthood. In my opinion, many of them are common thugs. These are the priests that he sent to bolster the army’s ranks.”

  It sounded to Marko that this Cardinal was likely a puppet of King Kastav.

  Chapter XXVIII: Duty

  The next several weeks were filled with more training and small missions. Marko was part of a team that patrolled the outskirts of the outpost, deep in the woods. Miranda told him that if the priests tried to infiltrate the outpost, they would come through the forests.

  Occasionally Marko would find signs that someone had approached clearings in front of the outpost but had withdrawn. He never saw more than three sets of tracks at a time. He figured these were scouting parties that observed the commerce and patrols to and from Sibenik.

  One morning
during breakfast, Le Clerc walked up to the Night Eagles’ table. “Just got orders from the Colonel. I want you all to meet in my office in a half a mark.”

  Marko bided his time, as he was too excited to finish breakfast. Looking around, the other Night Eagles seemed excited too. Several squads were deployed for extended missions, but his group seemed to be held in reserve. Marko could not help but feel like he was to blame, being the “newbie” of the whole Company.

  At the appointed time, Marko and the rest of the squad entered Le Clerc’s office. “Thank you for coming. As you aware, Kastav scouting patrols have picked up. These patrols need to be disrupted, and that is where you all come in. I will be leading you west of here. Our mission is to ambush patrols and capture officers for questioning. We will leave in three marks. Make sure you have your kits in order. I have instructed the commissary sergeant to prepare two week’s field rations.”

  Laurence cleared his throat. “Sir? I thought Lieutenant Patnaud was assigned that duty a week ago. Is his team being relieved?”

  “No, Sergeant Laurence. We have lost all contact with his team. It is my duty to return his fist to the Colonel.” With that somber reply, the squad filtered out of the room.

  Marko spent the remaining time preparing for the squad’s departure. He had never packed for an extended mission, so he had to get some help from Laurence and Terry. He could not help but wonder the hand fate dealt him. From studying at the orphanage to ambushing the enemy. It’s not like I went looking for trouble. I just wanted to be a merchant...

  He met the rest of his squad at the stables. He counted twelve Night Eagles including Le Clerc. Eight short of a full squad. Marko wondered if other squads were similarly understrength.

  “Let’s go!” called Le Clerc as he walked his stallion out of the compound. Progress was slow getting through the outpost. Marko noticed that there were several work details reinforcing and heightening the walls. When they exited the outpost he noticed more troopers than usual manning the walls. This looked to him like an outpost that was preparing to be attacked.

  The squad travelled several marks before stopping for a brief lunch of cheese and travel biscuits. They had stopped on a slight hill, which gave them an unobstructed view in all directions.

  Le Clerc walked up to the squad and cleared his throat. “As you have guessed, we are heading towards Umag. Patnaud’s squad was patrolling the base of the range just north of the pass. The Colonel suspected that the royals had found a path through that portion of the mountains. When we mount up, I want all sabers loose in your scabbards. Consider yourselves in hostile territory. Marko, I want you riding up front with me.”

  Marko rode with a silent Le Clerc. He spent his time scanning the horizon for anything out of the ordinary. Finally Le Clerc turned to him. “I doubt we will be attacked in open country. Nevertheless, I want you up here scanning for priests.”

  “I thought priests only attacked in the woods?”

  “YOUR priest attacked you in the woods. Vrhovni’s Sight can be deployed anywhere and at anytime. Granted he will not be able to hide troops, but he can assassinate anyone in this squad if you don’t keep alert. Think about how you saw Toulon. You noticed something amiss about your surroundings, right? Keep that train of thought for the rest of the mission. We’ll make camp just inside the forest. I will take first watch, and then you’ll take over for the rest of the night.”

  “Yes sir.” Marko didn’t like the responsibility Le Clerc was putting on him. How was he going to be able to see an invisible priest that can be anywhere?

  As it turned out, he did not have to worry that night or the next. The squad saw no sign of Patnaud’s squad or royal troops. On the third day, they road up to an old, two room shack. Le Clerc said it used to be a miner’s house many years ago when prospectors mined the Umag Mountains.

  Le Clerc gathered the squad. “Ok, this will be our home for the next week. I want pickets established a hundred yards out in all directions. Laurence, there is a trail about half a mile over that ridge. Get up there and scout it out. I want to know if any royals have used it recently.”

  Marko spend the next mark unpacking and rubbing down his horse. He was by no means an expert rider, but he had come a long way in a short time. He almost felt like he could connect to the horse in some way. Not like he could talk to it but rather something more basic. He almost believed he could tell when the horse was tired or anxious.

  Laurence came back just before dusk and Le Clerc called everyone over. “Laurence scouted an old miner’s trail. I used it when I was a private on patrol out of Umag. It appears I am not the only one that knows about it. It is being used regularly and recently. I want everyone to prepare for silent riding. We are going to set up an ambush tonight and see who is using it.”

  Marko had no idea how to rig for silent riding. Again, he had to enlist the help of his fellow soldiers. It would have been easier if the lieutenant just said “don’t bring anything except for your sabre and boots”.

  After about half a mark of riding, Le Clerc had everyone dismount and secure their mounts. “There is a ridge about four hundred yards up that hill. That ridge looks down on the trail. Laurence will lead half of you up it with bows. Marko, you go with him. I will take the rest of you to the right. We will cross the trail and establish an ambush post about one hundred yards away. If any royals come down the trail, I want you to let them pass and then lay into them with arrows. My team will clean them up, if we can handle their number. If you see any group over a squad, let them pass. I want to live to fight another day.”

  With that Le Clec and ten members of the squad began walking away single file. “Right,” said Laurence. “Hand signals from here on out. Follow me single file. I will be setting you along the ridge with me on the left and Terry on the right. Le Clerc knew what he was about. That trail looks like the Emperor’s Highway. It is my call if we fire on the royals so follow my lead.”

  Laurence’s team snaked through a dense section of pines. The needles made it easy to walk silently up the slope of the ridge. Marko knew they had arrived at the top when he noticed Laurence drop down and begin crawling. Terry motioned Marko to follow him to the right.

  It took another few minutes for the team to crawl to the edge of the ridge. They ended up being about five yards apart. Marko could only see Laurence to his left and Mital to his right. The rest of the team was hidden from his view by tall grass.

  There wasn’t anything for him to do but wait. He had strung his bow before ascending the ridge. He just laid it down with his quiver and scanned the trail. Even from twenty yards away, Marko could tell that the trail had seen recent use. Most of the grass had been trampled down and he could see muddy spots no doubt created by horses’ hooves.

  Marko’s mind started drifting off to the orphanage and the Rusted Crown. It seemed so long ago that he had hung out with his friends. For some reason, he began to think about Anne. He wondered if he would ever get a chance to speak to her again. She was certainly cute, but so was Margaret. He could not put his finger on it. She just had a personality that made Marko want to get to know her better. Well, being cute did factor into it, he mused.

  He came out of his daydream when the back of his neck began to tingle. He thought a bug was walking on it so he brushed it with the back of his hand. Nothing there. The tingle seemed to grow down his back. It felt like his foot when it went to sleep.

  Marko saw Laurence out of the corner of his eye. He was looking right at him. He held up five fingers and then pointed to his left. Marko looked down at the trail and saw five men slowly riding towards them. It was starting to get dark, but he could tell by their bearing that they were soldiers. Marko looked to his left and gave a similar sign to Mital who repeated it down the line.

  It took several minutes before the soldiers rode up even with the Night Eagles. There was no doubt now that they were royal cavalry. Marko’s mind went back to the battle at Bakar. He was more than happy to revenge his father’s deat
h.

  As the last soldier rode past them, the Night Eagles picked up their bows. They did not have to wait long. Marko heard cries of alarm and pain followed by the pounding of hooves coming towards them. All the Night Eagles nocked arrows and waited.

  Suddenly, he saw several riders coming back down the trail. These were the soldiers that had attacked his village. These were the soldiers that killed his father. His anger grew. He felt the familiar tingle in his stomach. He brought up is bow.

  “Release!” Laurence ordered.

  Marko sighted down on the lead rider and released. The arrow seemed to move in slow motion. It almost felt like his eyes rested on the top of the arrow the entire flight.

  “Aahhh!” The soldier flew from his saddle.

  Not waiting to see if the soldier would get back up, Marko knocked another arrow. By the time he drew it back only one soldier remained. He had passed the Night Eagles and was urging his horse to gallop up the small rise in the trail.