"I have a good teacher. I thought you said you had very little magic. It seems to me, and granted, I’m not that well versed in magic, that you can do quite a bit."
"In truth, I have very little magic, but that does not mean I don’t know a great deal about it. Remember, I have been alive a very long time. I have spent a great deal of time reading and researching. Ten thousand years is a very long time. Immortality can get awfully boring if you don’t occupy yourself with some sort of distraction."
"I can only imagine."
"I seriously doubt you can," Micah said with a small sigh.
"But enough of my troubles. What did you have on your mind when Merric left?"
"First another question."
"Go ahead," Micah prompted, walking over to pull out a chair from the table. He turned it to face Michael and sat down.
Michael walked to the chest at the foot of the bed and opened it. It was empty. He removed his backpack, which was causing his shoulders and lower back to ache, and placed it in the bottom of the box. He then removed his belt and sword, wound the belt around the sheath, and placed it into the chest as well. He closed the lid and moved to sit down on the bed facing Micah.
"What would have happened if I had drawn more energy out of the ward?"
"It would have weakened it or shut it down, depending on how much you drew from it."
"With it weakened, would it have been able to guard us?"
"Yes, it still would have done what it was meant to do. It just would have faded much faster. Now, let me give you another quick lesson. If you had drained it using the visualization technique I showed you, you could have boosted your own energy reserves by the amount taken. A very handy trick to know if there was such a spell around and your own energy was depleted."
Michael quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You mean I can absorb magic to replenish myself? Can I do that with all magic?"
Micah leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together.
"No. It can only be done with non-fluid magic, that is, those forms of magic that have defined structures and boundaries."
"I see. So, in theory, I could tap into the ward that’s been placed around Kantwell and draw power from it?"
"No, not in theory, in actuality. However, I would advise against it seeing as it is there for defense, and it might irk Merric to no end to have to replenish it."
"Oh, I would never do it. I was merely stating an instance, and since it’s the only one I know about, I used it as an example."
Micah nodded.
"So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
Michael furrowed his brow and looked up at the ceiling.
"What was I going to ask you? Oh! I remember. Merric is Mieka’s uncle?"
"Actually, no. She has been here since she was very young. Merric had her call him uncle to help her adjust. Knowing Merric the way I do, I would assume he treated her more like a daughter than a niece though."
"That brings me to my next question. Does she have some kind of spell on her?" Michael asked.
"What sort of spell are you referring to?"
"I don’t know exactly, it seems like I’m drawn to her somehow," Michael told him earnestly.
Micah grinned.
"A schoolboy crush perhaps?"
Michael averted his eyes and would not look directly at Micah.
"I suppose that could be it. I mean, she is beautiful, but damn it, Micah, Karin has only been gone a few days. I shouldn’t be having these feelings. It makes me hate myself. I feel like I am betraying her," Michael vented.
Micah stood up and walked over to sit on the bed by Michael. He placed his hand on Michael’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"That is partly my fault. I eased your grief with magic the first night we met, remember?" Seeing Michael’s mute nod, Micah continued.
"It would not be out of place to be feeling these emotions. I would advise against acting on them though, at least until you know her better and until I have had some time to check her out. I can tell Merric trusts her implicitly, but I am not Merric, and I know very little about her. Be cautious Michael. Do not let your guard down, especially for nothing more than a pretty face."
"I’ll try my best. I still think there is some kind of spell surrounding her. I’ve seen beautiful women before and none of them have affected me this way," Michael said frowning.
"Maybe they didn’t affect you this way because you were already in love."
"Maybe," Michael conceded.
"I did not detect anything when I looked at her, but I wasn’t exactly looking for any type of glamour either. I will pay closer attention next time I see her. It could be a simple youth spell. Mieka is not as young as she appears. She must be about forty or so."
"Really? I would have guessed around thirty. Maybe you are right, but that still doesn’t make me feel any better about it."
"That’s the good old catholic guilt for you. Michael, don’t you think Karin would want you to be happy? If she loved you as much as you loved her, she would not want you to be miserable. She would want you to continue on with your life, and if that life happens to bring you to another woman, that does not mean your love for her is gone or forgotten. It just means life is giving you a second chance at happiness. And take it from me, there are damn few of those chances given. But, we get ahead of ourselves here. She could be entirely wrong for you once you get to know her or she could already have a man. So you are attracted to her; acknowledge the fact and move on. Chastising yourself about something you have no control over is pointless."
"Micah, did you ever fall in love again after Dainy?" Michael asked quietly.
"No, I was given a second chance of a different nature, though that did not come until about eight thousand years later. So, you can see how rare those second chances are. If it is meant to be, it will be. Fate has her way with us all, Michael, and she is much too powerful of an opponent to fight. Now, I suggest you get some sleep. There will be much to do tomorrow. I will continue your sword training until Branik and Reek arrive. Doubtless, Merric will want to get you started on your other studies."
Michael’s face lit up.
"So you are staying after all, at least for a while?"
"Aye, until they get here. Then I must be about my own tasks. Get some sleep. I will be in the room across the hall. I have a few errands I need to run tomorrow, so we will get to the sword training tomorrow evening. If I do not see you again until then, good luck with your studies in magic."
"Thank you, Micah. I feel better knowing you are going to be here for a while. Good night."
Micah opened the door and stepped out into the hall closing it softly behind him. He crossed the hall and opened the door to his own room. After entering, he closed the door quietly. The room was a mirror image of Michael’s. Micah walked over to the table and sat down in the far chair facing the door. He leaned back in it until it was braced against the wall. Crossing his arms across his chest, Micah closed his eyes and let himself relax. He would keep guard from the chair. If anyone came down the hall, Micah would know about it.
Michael removed his boots and lay back on the bed, pulling up a cover that had been folded neatly at the foot. He leaned over and blew out the candle. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he stared at the ceiling trying to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He thought again of Mieka and the strange attraction he felt towards her. He prayed that Karin would forgive him for those feelings. He tried to picture Karin in his mind, but images of her on the morgue table kept crowding in. Michael shook his head and tried to banish them. He rolled onto his side facing out into the room, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. He closed his eyes.
"Good night, my love," he whispered into the darkness. Despite all that was running through his head, Michael was asleep in minutes.
Chapter Twenty
Rand left Pete at the entrance to The Slot to wait for Commander Salic and the men to arrive. He then went on to meet with t
he two Avari keeping vigil at the far end of the pass. He had been riding all day, and darkness descended a few hours ago. Fire’s ears swiveled forward, and the horse tossed his head. Rand eased him to a slow walk. After about five minutes, he caught the sounds of battle coming from up ahead. He dismounted behind a large shoulder of rock protruding into the pass and patted Fire’s neck reassuringly.
"Easy boy. Wait here for me."
The horse nickered softly and stood still. Rand crept cautiously around the shoulder of rock, keeping within its shadow. He silently drew his sword and crouched down to survey the battle ahead. He could see two men with swords, fighting what could only be a group of Weres. Rand counted over twenty of them and could see a good many more corpses already littering the surrounding ground. He was just getting ready to go to the aid of the two men when he heard one of them call out.
"I am still ten ahead of you," the larger man yelled out as a lightning quick stroke from one of his swords decapitated a standing wolf. That would be Branik. Rand recognized his voice and size from their previous meeting.
"Not for long," the other replied.
Rand decided he would hold his position and try to take out any Weres that might get passed the two. He did not want to run in unannounced and possibly distract the two Avari when they were so thoroughly absorbed in the engagement. That could prove fatal. As he watched the pair, Rand realized that none of the Weres would be getting passed them after all. A large feline of some sort tried to breach between them while they were engaged with other enemies, but the shorter of the two men lopped off an arm from a big white bear and spun around to bring his sword down in an arc across the spine of the big cat, severing the body cleanly in two. The swing continued around to remove the leg of another attacker. Rand then saw that two larger white bears were simultaneously converging on Branik. He was getting ready to jump in to help when Branik made a sweeping motion with his left hand followed by an overhand cut with his right that came quickly downward. Rand saw the head and left shoulder of the bear on the left spin off into the darkness and the one on the right fell to the side, shorn in two from head to crotch. These two did not need any help from him.
The fight was over in a matter of minutes. Rand saw several of the Weres loping back into the marsh, giving up the attack which had been so thoroughly routed by the two men. Seeing them stand up straight, Rand broke cover and hailed them.
"Ho gentlemen, good show."
The larger of the two turned his head towards Rand.
"Scout Rand, good to see you again. I regret we did not save any for you, but that’s what happens when you arrive late for battle," Branik said laughing.
"That is quite all right with me. I am not one to spoil another’s sport," Rand informed him as he walked forward picking his way carefully among the corpse-littered ground. Reek, the shorter of the two, was walking around beheading the slain with quiet efficiency.
"Hello again, Rand," Reek hailed as he nonchalantly decapitated another corpse. All of the enemy bodies had now returned to human form.
Branik was dragging those bodies further out of the pass and piling them off to the side for burning. Rand sheathed his sword and helped with the grisly task of collecting body parts.
"Ugh! You fellows leave an awful mess!" Rand exclaimed nearly gagging.
"The bigger the party, the greater the cleanup afterwards," Branik called back in good humor.
"Have there been many such engagements since we last parted?" Rand asked.
"Actually, no. This is the first attack in that time," Reek informed him as he wiped the blade of his sword clean on the edge of his cloak.
Having collected all of the bodies and severed pieces and set them ablaze, the three retreated to a small campfire set back a bit in the pass. While Branik rekindled the fire, Rand led Fire forward and poured water from a skin into a nose bag and held it down for Fire to drink. When it was empty, Rand dried it out with a cloth from his saddlebag, filled it with feed, and attached it to Fire, tying his tether line to a small, bent tree growing from the side of the pass wall. He pulled two more waterskins from his saddlebags and returned to the campfire.
He handed one of the waterskins to Branik and opened the other and took a long pull from it. Branik did the same and then handed it off to Reek. Sighing, Rand leaned back on one elbow and stared at the fire.
"Commander Salic should be here tomorrow evening. I left a scout named Pete at the entrance to The Slot to await his arrival. Salic should be there by now," Rand reported, looking up at the starry sky.
"I rode all day to get here. They will have marched all day to just reach the other end. Commander Salic will be leaving a detachment behind as rear guard and marching this way in the morning. I believe he is looking forward to meeting you both."
"Well, we will meet him on the march in then," Branik said running his hand through his unruly brown hair.
Rand could see the muscle in Branik’s arm flex with the motion and thought that he may be just about as big as Captain Hamil. No slight feat there.
"The march in?" Rand inquired.
"Aye, we have orders to head to Kantwell when the King’s army takes up defense of The Slot. Lord Micah has another task for us once we are assured of the security of The Slot," Reek explained.
"Aye and, unfortunately, it will remove us from any further combat," Branik sighed with disappointment.
"Well, I suggest we get some rest. I will take first watch," Reek said gliding to his feet. He walked out towards the marsh and faded into the shadows.
The remaining two sat in silence for a while. Neither seemed able to sleep.
Rand turned to Branik.
"Your friend seems all business."
"Aye, and an incredible boor sometimes, but I would not have anyone else watching my back," Branik said grinning after Reek.
"Have you two been friends for a long time?"
"Since before we could walk. We grew up together and trained together. He is my brother in everything except blood."
"I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up in a warrior caste such as you have."
"I cannot imagine any other way. Lord Micah has provided us with the very best martial training that exists. My only goal is to try to be as good as him one day."
From the shadows ahead they heard a voice reply.
"And perhaps one day you shall."
Branik was instantly on his feet turning towards the voice. He took a step forward and bowed low, hands clasped before him. Rand scrambled to his feet and moved forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"My Lord, Micah. It is an honor," Branik replied with reverence.
"Lord Micah?" Rand exclaimed in surprise.
Then the man moved forward into the firelight. Fire snorted as he drew near, the horse’s ears lying back along his head. Micah was perhaps six feet tall with long brown hair pulled back at the base of his skull, with piercing gray eyes. He did not look physically imposing, but his bearing conveyed a strong sense of fluidity and power. Rand bowed to him formally.
"Lord Micah."
Reek walked around Micah and bowed to him as Branik had.
"Lord Micah, we were not expecting you. We were going to head for Kantwell at first light. Rand here," Reek gestured to the scout, "is an advance scout with King Brose’s army. He tells us that the company sent by the King is, even as we speak, installed in the western mouth of The Slot."
"It is so. I checked to make sure they were established before coming here. I have a request for the two of you. I say request because I know that you, in particular, Branik, will not be thrilled with it. It is, however, of vital importance both to Thelona and to me. But, I would not have you do this if you cannot give it your all."
"Anything you ask, my Lord, it is my honor to perform," Branik replied sincerely.
"Ah, you say that, but wait until I have explained the task before you jump in with both feet," Micah cautioned with a crooked grin.
"Of course, we will lis
ten, my Lord," Reek assured him.
"I have brought a man from the other world over with me this night. He is to train in magic at Kantwell. I have given him a sword and a few general instructions in its use."
Both Branik and Reek looked at him in shock.
"But the covenant, my Lord. You have forbidden…" Reek whispered in awe.
"The covenant was mine to create and it remains mine to amend as I see fit," Micah told him matter-of-factly.
"Of course, my Lord. I did not mean to question your will," Reek said bowing his head.
"Reek, Branik, this man is important. He could well be the key to stopping Mortow once and for all. He must have the best teachers. Merric is to handle his magical education, but I would like both of you to handle his martial training. I could think of no better pair to accomplish this task. He is to be protected and trained as if he were one of our own. The covenant is only to be ignored in this case, and I feel it is for a good cause." Micah looked straight into Branik’s hazel eyes.
"Will you undertake this task?"
Branik blinked and sighed.
"Of course. I will do anything you ask, my Lord, but you know, as a teacher, I am not very accomplished. Reek is better suited to that than I."
"Just as you are better suited to the role of protector. Do not sell yourself short on your ability to help someone learn, Branik. Skill comes through practice, and practice is accomplished by mimicking others. Your skill will be an asset in showing him the proper form. It will by no means be an easy job. Michael has never handled a sword, and he lacks the grace of our people. Yet, he is a smart man and, with the two of you instructing him, I hope to give him an added edge and increase his chances of surviving what is in store."
"At least he is a grown man. I won’t have to deal with the incessant questions the children always ask," Branik conceded.
"True. He is a grown man, but he grew up on a world vastly different than our own. He will still have many questions, though a single explanation should be sufficient in his case. He is not used to the rigors of our lives, so I want you to whip him into shape, but do not push him so hard that his magical studies suffer."
The Chronicles of the Myrkron: Book 01 - The Nine Keys of Magic Page 27
