by Cadman, Dean
“OK.” Neala replied, and quickly mounted the horse. Knowing he would likely make a fool of himself trying to climb up onto the horse, Lusam decided to just levitate himself up onto the horse instead, and got a look of disdain for his efforts from Neala.
“What?” Lusam asked innocently.
Neala just shook her head and replied, “Nothing.”
Chapter Twenty Eight
“There. Do you see that?” Zedd said pointing at something in the distance.
“See what?” Cole replied, then he spotted it. It looked like the auras of two people slowly falling from the city wall. Zedd stopped his horse in its tracks.
“Cole, can you levitate?” asked Zedd, knowing the answer even before Cole gave it.
“No, I can't. I once tried it and broke my ankle,”
“Of course you can't, and neither can they,” Zedd said nodding towards where they had just seen the two people's auras slowly falling from the city wall. “You don't have enough magic to levitate, but you have more than either of those two did. So how can two people who possess no magic ability levitate themselves from the top of the city wall to the ground below?” “They can't,” Cole replied.
“Exactly! So there had to be a third person with them. A person of strong magic ability, but one we couldn't see. The boy,” Zedd said, almost to himself.
“But, we can always see magic users. They stand out like a full moon on a midwinter night,”
“Usually I would agree with you, but there has to be something special about this boy. Something that's kept him alive all this time, and I think I've just discovered what that is. He can hide his aura,” Zedd said.
“Impossible!” Cole exclaimed. “Nobody can hide their aura, not even Lord Zelroth can do that.”
“If you have a better explanation for what you just witnessed, and the fact that the boy managed to walk around in Helveel for years without being discovered, then please, enlighten me,” Zedd said, but was only met with silence from Cole. “I didn't think so,” he added.
“So, are we to capture, or kill them sire?” Cole asked.
“Neither, yet,” Zedd replied.
“But, I thought you wanted the credit for the boy. If we let them go they will be someone else’s prize,” Cole said.
“Not necessarily. The boy was smart enough not to travel to Stelgad by road, and also smart enough to enter and leave the city over the wall, instead of through a gate. I can't imagine for one moment he would be stupid enough to try and travel south to Lamuria on the road. No, he has a plan to avoid our forces, and I will allow him to do so.
“If we attacked him here, there could always be the chance of someone superior to myself claiming the credit for his capture or death. But if we wait until he's far enough away from our forces, so that they won't detect our fight, then no one can steal our prize away from us,” said Zedd, with an evil smile on his face.
***
Renn led the two horses north towards The Forest of Dannar. He was aware it would soon be dawn, and that it would be much easier to enter the forest unseen if they arrived while it was still dark. He was also very much aware of the need to keep the horses as fresh as possible, just in case they were spotted by the enemy and had to run for for their lives.
Lusam felt very vulnerable without his magic shield protecting their group, but he had no intentions of repeating the same mistake he made inside Stelgad. Leaving his shield active would alert every Empire agent around if they saw him. He had to keep reminding himself that if any agents saw his party right now, they still couldn't see his aura, therefore they shouldn't suspect him of being the one they were looking for, especially when they all thought he was still inside the Temple of Light.
Lusam had been watching behind them closely for signs of the two agents that he'd spotted when leaving the city wall, but although he'd caught several glimpses of them, they didn't seem to be gaining on them at all. He began to relax a little, until they crested the next small hill and the southern road to Lamuria came into view.
On the road half a mile ahead of them were four Empire agents, two with horses and two without.
“Renn, we may have a problem. There are four Empire agents up ahead of us on the road,” Lusam said.
“Yes, I see them. Don't change direction completely, but let's angle our horse slightly, so by the time we pass them we will be a little further south of them,” Renn said.
They both marginally changed the direction of their mounts, so they would intersect the road about a quarter of a mile further south than they would have, and continued at the same slow pace so as not to draw any unwanted attention to their group.
When they were only a few hundred paces from the road Lusam noticed the two agents on horseback break away from the other two, and start heading in their direction.
“Do you see that Renn?” Lusam asked.
“Yes I do. Stay calm everyone,” Renn replied.
“That won't help us when they read Neala's or Alexia's mind. They will know it's us they are after for sure,” Lusam said.
“Hmm, I forgot about that,” Renn replied.
“Not if I kill them first with my bow,” Alexia said, reaching slowly for her bow.
“No! We can't kill them either. Even if they didn't shield themselves in time, their deaths would be felt by every agent for miles around. We would be showing them all exactly where to find us,” Lusam said.
“So what are we going to do?” asked Neala.
“I'm not sure, but maybe Renn's suggestion is the best for now. Neala, if you feel your mind is being probed scratch your head so I know, same goes for you Alexia. Hopefully they will only try reading mine or Renn's mind,” Lusam said.
“I don't have enough time to teach you any mind disciplines, but if you feel their presence within your mind try and think of the most terrifying thing you can think of. Fear clouds the mind, but only temporarily. After a minute or so your mind will adapt to the fear, and your thoughts will become clearer to read once more,” Renn said quietly.
As Lusam's party crossed over the road and into the fields beyond, the two men on horseback came within range to try read their minds. Lusam knew this because he was the first to feel that strange crawling sensation within his mind. Effortlessly he shut away any thought that would give away his identity, and allowed other information to be freely taken by the two men. If his plan worked the two agents would now think he was a pig farmer from a village south of Stelgad, on his way to buy livestock from the west.
Lusam watched carefully for any signs of either Neala's or Alexia's minds being probed, and at first he thought his ruse had worked. One of the men turned his horse around and headed back towards where he'd started from, happy that Lusam's group were not of any interest to them. However the other agent remained long enough to probe Neala's mind. Lusam saw the signal from Neala, and the fear in her face. They were about to be discovered.
Lusam's mind raced, but all he could come up with was the same trick he had used before; projecting his aura to a different location. The problem was, out here there was nothing but open space. If he projected his aura here it would be discovered as a fake almost instantly. The closest cover was either back where they had come from, or a long way in front of them where the forest started. He knew he couldn't project it towards the forest, or he would be cutting off their own escape route. The small hill behind them was a very long way back now, and he wasn't sure he could project his aura anywhere near as far as that, but he had to try.
Building up his power within his shuttered mind, he concentrated hard on the crest of the small hill they had climbed several minutes ago, and released a huge blast of power at the location. Instantly he knew he had overdone it. The area around the hill briefly glowed like a blazing fire, lighting up the whole area with the colour of a powerful mage's aura. The man attempting to read Neala's mind snapped his head in the direction of the hill, turned his horse, and rode full speed towards the location where Lusam had projected his aur
a. When Lusam glanced back to the road he also saw the other three agents rushing towards the area he had chosen.
“We need to get out of here, fast!” Lusam said. “As soon as they realise it was only a trick, they will soon be coming after us, and they won't be alone.”
“I agree, but at least you bought us some time, let's go,” Renn said, spurring his horse into a gallop, and Neala following his lead.
Less than five minutes later they reached the edge of the forest, but they weren't alone. Moments after they had dismounted and Renn had released the horses, the first magical missile struck a nearby tree, narrowly missing Alexia.
“RUN!” shouted Lusam, and all of them ran for cover within the forest, whilst several more magical missiles blasted apart trees all around them.
***
Zedd and Cole were approaching a small hill when they were almost blinded by a brief flash resembling a powerful mage's aura, but many times brighter. At first Zedd thought they had been discovered by the boy's party and were now under attack by him, but having erected his magical shield to the danger, he now realised they were still alone. Seconds later he intercepted the communication of the boy's suspected location, and the description matched the very hill where they now stood.
“Damn!” Zedd cursed. “It looks like we will be joining the battle after all. Let's go, we have to get to that boy first, before anyone else does.” Zedd surged forward over the hill, almost colliding with another Empire agent coming the opposite direction. Cole raced to follow, trying to answer the questions coming from the other agent as he went.
Zedd could see the boy's party clearly now, but the boy himself remained invisible to his mage-sight. He raced across the fields in pursuit, and as soon as he was in range he released several magical missiles towards the fleeing party. The blasts missed their intended targets, destroying several trees in the process, then they were gone.
When he reached the edge of the forest he waited for Cole to catch up. Although he had contemplated going into the forest alone after them, having had time to think about the situation he decided against it. The boy had already shown great power and skill, achieving things Zedd thought impossible, who knew how powerful he really was? Zedd had no intentions of finding out the hard way, not when so many expendable volunteers now raced towards his location. He planned to take the first group that arrived under his command, and then set out after the boy's party. It would be daylight soon, and much easier to track them then.
Chapter Twenty Nine
“How do you know where we're going?” Neala asked breathlessly during a brief respite from running.
“I don't, I've never been in this forest before, but if we keep the moss on the trees to our backs we should be heading north,” Lusam replied between breaths. He had hoped his forest running days were forever behind him, but at least this forest didn't contain the dark creatures the last one had. He hoped.
“This forest is vast, it covers half of the western continent, and most of it is uncharted, especially the further west you travel,” Renn said. “I remember seeing some very old maps of this forest during my training at the High Temple, and if I remember correctly there's a long mountain range that runs from north to south within the forest.
“It might be a good idea if we head west and try get to the other side of that mountain range. If we were to continue directly north we could easily be ambushed by any Empire forces that join the hunt for us. If we put the mountain range between us and them, they will have far fewer opportunities to surprise us along the way.” “Can't they simply come over the mountain and intercept us that way instead?” asked Alexia.
“No, I don't think so. From what I remember reading about that mountain range it's more like a giant wall or cliff than a regular mountain. There was a reference to an ancient trade route between two long lost cities in the region, one each side of mountain range. The book spoke of having to pass the mountain range by either the north or south passage, as scaling it was impossible.
“I've never heard of that place before, and I've lived in Stelgad all my life,” Neala said.
“Me neither,” said Alexia.
“It's not that surprising really. The Elveen mountains are considered by most to be our north western borders, but the truth is, that beyond them lies much more land. The land beyond the Elveen mountains is mostly barren rock, cold and inhospitable. No crops would ever grow there, and no people could survive for long, but the history books tell us that it wasn't always that way. Once our people thrived there, and trade passed freely from west to east around the spine,” Renn said.
“The spine?” Lusam asked.
“Yes, that's what they used to call the long thin mountain range; The spine of the Elveen mountains.” Renn replied. “Ah, okay,” Lusam said.
“There's another reason why we should head west too,” Neala said.
“Why's that?” asked Renn.
“Because, if we remain on this soft ground it will be far too easy for them to track us,” Neala replied pointing out their clear tracks on the ground. “If the terrain to the west is as rocky as you say, it would be far harder for them to track us there. We may even be able to lose them completely.”
“Good point,” Renn replied. “We better continue running, they can't be that far behind us, and it will be full daylight soon.”
“Okay, west it is then,” said Lusam, and he set off running in a westerly direction, with the others closely following behind him.
It was mid-afternoon before they stopped again. The ground had become slightly more rocky, but they were still firmly inside the forest, and easily trackable. Renn had managed to procure some basic travel rations for their journey, but he had been forced to leave some behind when they were attacked. His best guess was that they would last two or three days at best, especially now there were four mouths to feed. He handed out the travel rations and they all ate in silence, each keeping an eye out for movement from the direction they had just come. It wasn't long before Alexia spotted something in the distance.
“There they are,” she said quietly, pointing out the movement in the distance.
“Time to go,” Renn said, just as an Empire agent spotted them and the shout went up. A tree less than six paces from Lusam exploded as a magical missile struck it, then another and another. They needed to put some distance between them, and fast. Lusam briefly turned and released several magical missiles of his own, each one harmlessly impacted on their shields, but his attacks did seem to make them pause for thought. Or at least that's what Lusam thought to start with, but a second later he felt the familiar silence spell grip him, and his voice no longer obeyed his commands.
Although the spell didn't affect Lusam's magic, it was incredibly annoying and frustrating to not be able to speak at all. He gestured to Renn that he could no longer communicate verbally, and surprisingly enough, Renn seemed not only to understand what was wrong with him, but he also didn't seem surprised in the slightest. They all continued running through the thick forest with the Empire agents in close pursuit for over an hour, neither group gaining ground on the other. Several times magical missiles either impacted trees around them, or sailed straight past them, only to impact trees further in front of them. Lusam wanted to tell them all to try and keep as many trees between themselves and their pursuers as possible, but it seemed they had all worked that out for themselves already, zigzagging through the trees as they went. It was about half an hour later when Lusam felt the spell fade that was keeping him silent.
“I hate when they do that!” Lusam exclaimed.
“Yeah lad, I bet it gets annoying after a while doesn't it. It's their standard first attack move. If they silence you, you can't strike back at them with magic. Our magi have been trying to work out a counter measure for over a century, but with no success,” Renn said.
“But it doesn’t stop me from using my magic, it's just damned annoying,” Lusam said.
Renn laughed loudly. “Yes it is. It can be cu
red, but only three ways; time, kill the mage who cast it, or enter a temple of Aysha. Each of those will cancel the spell effects, but no magical defence or cure has ever been discovered,” Renn said. “As for it not effecting your magic... we know that, but they don't. Maybe we can use that to our advantage.”
“Hmm, maybe,” replied Lusam.
A few miles later they entered a steep tree lined gorge. It looked like an ancient river or glacier had cut a giant vee shape into the land. There were rocks and boulders of all sizes littering the ground, but very little cover available. Once the Empire agents entered the valley behind them, they were going to have a clear unrestricted view of them.
“I need everyone to be in front of me, right now!” Lusam shouted. Everyone obeyed without question, but he felt he needed to explain his reasons for ordering them about anyway. “In a minute when the Empire agents enter the valley behind us they are going to have a clear shot at us. It takes much less effort for me to shield myself than it would all four of us, so please stay directly in front of me, and whatever you do, keep running.”
They were about half way through the gorge when the first magical missile impacted on Lusam's shield. At first he absorbed the impacts with ease, but as the number and frequency of them increased, he began to find it harder to maintain his shield. He knew he wouldn't make it to the other side of the gorge alive, and if he died, so would all the others. Desperately he looked around for some cover, but there was none. The sides of the gorge were far too treacherous to attempt to climb. They were covered in scree and larger boulders, but he still desperately searched for any signs of cover high above them, even knowing they could never reach it in time, even if he found some.
Lusam's mind and body felt numb with the relentless drain on his power reserves. Never before had he used so much power so fast, and he was finding every thought or movement a battle in itself. Then he saw it, high above him on the left side of the gorge was a huge overhang of rock. If he couldn't get himself and the others to any cover, then maybe he could bring the cover to them. He struggled on until he thought they were well past the overhang, and any danger of falling rocks before putting his plan into action.
