The Missing Mage

by Robyn Wideman

  After they left the dress shop, Ava laughed at him. “You looked like a startled deer, ready to bolt at the first sound. Your eyes were huge and I am pretty sure you started to sweat.”

  Nathan chuckled; it was only a small exaggeration. “I was nervous, what do you expect? I don’t know anything about dresses and I wanted to say something to make Sharon feel good about her accomplishment. It was a lot a pressure.”

  Ava gave him a hug, then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Honestly, you did great, it was the perfect thing to say. Now are you going to tell me where we are going or am I going to have to tickle it out of you!”

  Pleased his compliment warranted a kiss, Nathan decided he would have to learn a little about clothing so that he could really impress her the next time it came up. “I thought we would go down to the docks and watch the ships come in,” he said still not revealing the true reason for the trip.

  “So what did Sharon take you in the back for? She sure seemed happy when you came back out. What is she cooking up?” asked Ava.

  Nathan laughed, Sharon was right. The two of them heading to the back room had raised Ava’s curiosity. Nathan explained about the amazing spider silk, and how Sharon wanted to make protective clothing out of the material.

  “Oh that sounds interesting. I’ll bet she makes something incredible out of it. Speaking of protective, how are her lessons coming? She seems happier and I know she is sleeping better. Is she getting good?”

  “The lessons are coming along really well. She is actually really talented, if she gets bored of being a seamstress and dressmaker she can join the royal guard. She is a natural athlete, picking up the fighting techniques much faster than I ever did. She is already giving Quinton all he can handle in sparring and he is no slouch. Between her fighting ability and your magic rocks, I am going to be the safest royal in the kingdom.”

  “Oh, so you consider yourself a royal now? Should I bow and curtsy whenever you enter a room.” She stopped her teasing and talked more about Sharon. “It is great that you are training her. Most men are so uptight about training girls to fight.”

  Nathan laughed along with her, “Since you’ve been kicking my ass for years I have no qualms with the idea of girls fighting.” Nathan then stopped smiling, getting more serious “After what happened in Elderwood I wouldn’t feel right if you and Sharon couldn’t defend yourselves. I don’t care what anyone says, I am going to turn Sharon into a badass warrior if that is what she wants. As for me being a royal, I don’t feel royal or special.” Nathan paused, “But I do have to be careful. It is the reason my parents took me to Elderwood in the first place, because of people trying to assassinate them in order to prevent my birth. I will not forget that.”

  Ava hugged Nathan. “I’m sorry, I know things have changed so much for you now, and that you are still in danger. Avera did explain some of it to me. I just forget that you are still not the clumsy boy who chased me through the forest anymore.”

  Nathan smiled at the memory. “It is okay, now let’s talk about something else. We’re almost to the docks.”

  “Alright, that could be fun. I like the ocean, I like it a lot more when I am on land looking at it. I never want to be on a ship during a storm again. That was awful.” Ava shuddered as she remembered the journey to Balta.

  “It wasn’t that bad… okay maybe the storm wasn’t so fun, but sailing was pretty fun,” said Nathan as he took a seat on a grassy hill that overlooked the docks. While they chatted, Nathan kept an eye on the merchant ship pulling up to the docks. It was the ship carrying Thorn and the rest of his supplies. Having already made arrangements with the shipping company, Nathan was excited to see how Ava would react to his surprise. He tried to concentrate on what Ava was telling him about porca leaf and its medical benefits, but he could see Thorn and Verin’s mare being unloaded.

  “Are you even listening to me? I just told you that the porca leaf turns people into frogs and all you said is that sounds terrible.” Ava looked down towards the dock, attempting to find what was distracting Nathan. It was then she noticed a horse walking up the dock by itself. “Would you look at that, some idiot forgot he has a horse and it’s leaving the dock by itself. I’ll bet you a silver coin some chubby old lord comes bellowing for his servants to grab his horse any minute now.”

  Nathan smiled as she spoke. “You’re on. I’ll take that bet.”

  “What? Oh come on, I wasn’t serious… a copper. I’ll bet a copper” Ava frowned as she renegotiated the wager. Nathan didn’t like to bet with her very often, unless he thought he was sure to win. Turning her gaze from the beautiful beast, walking closer by the second, to Nathan she studied his face. Slight smirk, twinkle in his big blue eyes… Yep, he was up to something. She turned back to see who would come get the animal, but so far no one was making a move to retrieve the wandering horse which had left the dock and was now heading right towards them.

  Surprised, Ava watched as the horse walked right up to her and nudged her. Tentatively Ava reached out and ran her hand over its neck. She admired the beautiful creature. Its jet-black coat looked almost blue in the sunlight. Turning to Nathan, she exclaimed, “What a gorgeous beast. I may have to steal it.”

  “What about that fat lord? He will have you tossed in the dungeons,” replied Nathan, laughing at her threat to steal Thorn.

  “Phfft, only if he catches me. I bet I could jump on his back right now.”

  Suddenly the horse bent down.

  “Well, why don’t you then,” Nathan retorted as he watched her giggle in glee.

  “If I wasn’t worried about actually getting tossed in jail, I would jump on right now. Can you believe this? He wants me to ride him.” The strange horse amazed Ava.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t have you arrested,” Nathan said as he jumped on Thorn’s back. ”You owe me a copper. Now, are you coming for a ride or not?”

  Ava stood there mouth open, having a hard time comprehending what just happened. Finally, she remembered the stories of Nathan having a mind connection with his horse. Without saying a word, she took his outreached hand and swung onto the back of the horse. She held Nathan tight as they trotted across the empty field between the docks and the city walls. After a few minutes, she finally spoke. “No way you are getting a copper for that. You told him to walk up to me and to kneel down?”

  Nathan turned back, looking over his shoulder with a big grin on his face. “Pretty good for a chubby old lord, don’t you think?”

  “Oh shut up,” Ava snorted as she leaned her head against Nathan’s back and enjoyed the ride.

  They rode in silence, working their way along the coastline away from the city. Nathan was still adjusting to the different landscapes of Mithbea and trying to become more familiar with the land around the kingdom. Reunited with Thorn once more, he would now easily be able to cover a great distance and truly get to know his new homeland. Nathan was just preparing to tell Thorn to head back to the city when he spotted a man walking towards them. He was favoring his arm and stumbling, suggesting something was amiss. Silently Nathan commanded Thorn to hurry. As they got closer, he could see the man was dressed in the familiar garb of the rangers. It was also obvious that the man was indeed injured.

  “Are you okay? How bad are your wounds?” Nathan asked as he slid off Thorn’s back to help the man.

  “I’m fine, just flesh wounds, but you need to get word to the castle guards. Tell them Ranger Aaron says to send up the red smoke.”

  “Red smoke?” questioned Nathan, wanting to make sure he understood the instructions.

  Aaron nodded. “Yes, red smoke. It is a signal to all the rangers who see it to return to the city. Someone is hunting rangers. I found the bodies of two of my fellow rangers that had been captured and tortured. Mages attacked me… but like no mages I have ever seen before. I was able to escape, but only by luck. I fell down a ravine and was able to get away before they could track me. I crossed the river several times to confuse any trackers
and seem to have lost them.”

  Seeing how shaken the ranger was, Nathan decided haste was the best course of action. “I will return to the city right now, once the guards know to raise the smoke I will make sure someone comes for you with a horse.” Nathan remounted Thorn and took off towards the city as fast as he could ride. Ava clutched him tightly. When they got to the city gates, Nathan informed the guards on duty of his conversation with Ranger Aaron. The guard recognized Nathan, assuring him they would send up the smoke right away and fetch the injured ranger. Leaving the guards, Nathan and Ava rode back to his aunt’s estate. After taking Thorn to the stables, they went to inside to tell Avera about the encounter.

  As Nathan and Ava told Avera of the ranger’s warnings, a knock at the door interrupted them. Avera went to the door to answer it.

  A messenger stood there. “I have a message to be delivered to the hands of Nathan Stoneblood.”

  Avera turned to Nathan. “It appears you have mail.”

  Nathan frowned; he had no idea who would be sending him a courier. “I am Nathan Stoneblood.”

  The messenger looked Nathan over; he certainly fit the description given to him. A tall strong, dark-haired and blue-eyed young man, but the directions were very specific on how the message was to be delivered. “What is the name of the town you grew up in?” asked the messenger.

  “Elderwood,” replied Nathan.

  The messenger put the message he held in his hand back in his bag. He then took out the real message and handed it to Nathan. Without another word, the messenger departed.

  How strange, thought Nathan as he opened the note.

  Nathan Stoneblood -

  It has been several weeks since our last encounter. I realize you may not think of me as a friend, after all murder and kidnap do tend to strain relationships, but by strange circumstances it now seems that our interests are mutually aligned.

  It has come to my attention that Balta has a traitor in its midst; someone very high up in the royal court of Balta is a spy for King Ganus of Morthon. This spy has informed King Ganus that a mage residing in the woods outside of Balta has recently found ancient tomes of a powerful nature. The king intends to use these tomes to destroy Balta’s armies.

  Concerned parties in Morthon would prefer that this does not come to pass.

  Tell your king that it is vital he find the tomes. If the tomes fall into the hands of Morthon, Balta surely falls after.

  I know that you harbor ill feelings towards me for the events of the past. I advise you in all good earnest to hold on to the feelings, they may serve you well someday. In the meantime, do not discount the seriousness of my warning because of the previous wrongs I have done you. The death and devastation I rained down on your village is but a drop in the bucket compared to the number of lives that will be lost if those tomes are not retrieved by your people.

  Your beloved pal,

  Duke Evollan

  Nathan was shocked. Duke Evollan, the man behind the attack on his village which caused the death of both his parents and who then kidnapped his friends, was the last person in the world that he would expect to receive a message from. That the message was possibly of vital importance, suggesting there was a spy in his uncle’s court made it so he could not ignore the warning despite his feelings for the duke.

  Nathan was torn as to how to proceed. Quickly, he made the decision to trust his instincts. Whoever the spy was, his Aunt Avera and his Uncle Verin could be trusted. Nathan silently handed the note to Avera, who had been standing a few feet away, giving him privacy to read his message.

  Avera read the note, and then read it again.

  Turning to Ava, Avera spoke. “Ava, head down to the castle’s infirmary. Ask for Helena Woods, she is a healing mage, and an old friend of mine. I had spoken to her about you before, but now is as good of time as any for you to meet. Tell her what is going on, you can help her prepare for the wounded Ranger Aaron and anyone else that has been hurt in the attacks.”

  Ava could see that something in Nathan’s letter perplexed Avera, but instead of pressing the matter, she agreed to head to the infirmary. “I have been making salves here, I will grab some of them and head down there,” said Ava as she quickly went upstairs to raid her potion stores.

  When Ava was safely out of hearing range, Avera turned and looked at Nathan carefully. “What do you know of this man, the duke? Do you believe the message, or think it is a plot to cause distrust in our family?”

  Nathan was glad Avera chose not to involve Ava in the conversation. The duke was a touchy subject for him, even worse for the girls who had endured being his prisoner. Nathan thought back to all he knew of the duke. Count Mavane had told him quite a lot about the ambitious and callous man, and his rise to power in the kingdom of Progoh before his ill-advised attack on Elderwood that caused the death of Nathan’s parents, and the duke’s own downfall in Solotine. From everything that Nathan knew about the man, he was arrogant, ruthless, and strived to gain power. That said, he didn’t think the duke would have a problem helping Nathan as long as it served his own purposes.

  He explained this to Avera. “I don’t trust the man, and would gladly kill him given an opportunity. He isn’t giving us this information because he has turned over a new leaf and become a good person. He is giving us this information because it serves his purposes to do so. It is very likely that everything he wrote is true. That there is a spy in Uncle Verbon’s court, and that whatever that mage he speaks of found could be the ruin of Balta. This would also explain the attacks on the rangers that are happening.”

  Avera sighed. “My brothers and I have discussed the possibility that there was a spy in the courts. There have been many incidents in the last few years that indicate information about Balta was making its way to Morthon. Unfortunately, the list of people who it could be is large, many of whom are family or close friends. It is a very delicate matter, but this information about the ancient tomes is news to me. Perhaps this news will help us to uncover the spy. Regardless, we have to talk to Verin and King Verbon about the note. We need to figure out how to prevent the tomes from getting into the hands of the King of Morthon. Come, let us head to the castle and find my brothers.”

  Chapter twenty one

  THEY FOUND THE KING easily, he was sitting in the same room where Nathan had first met him, and the room was filled with people. Rangers, mages, and members of the royal court were all discussing the red smoke alarm that Nathan’s warning had triggered. Seeing Nathan and Avera, the king gave a small smile. “Good timing Nathan, I was about to send someone to get you. I need more details of this attack and why we have called every ranger back into the city.” The king paused; Avera was running her finger up and down her right ear, a sign that she had information for his ears only.

  The king wondered at the timing, but trusted his sister. “Actually before we get into that, I need everyone to leave the room. I have been hearing rumors of my nephew’s poor conduct and need to have a private conversation with him before we get into whether I can trust any information he provides us. When Verin returns someone sent him up here, until then I want you all making head counts, I want to know which rangers return and who is missing.”

  The crowd of men gave a small murmur, it was surprising that the king would ask everyone to leave, but most of the men knew that Nathan was new to Balta, so it was plausible that the king was being very careful with any information that Nathan had.

  When the men left the room Nathan looked at his uncle. “My poor conduct?” asked Nathan.

  The king waved Nathan’s question off. “It was that or create some scandal involving my sister. It was convenient and served its purpose. When I speak to the council again, I will say that I am more than happy with your conduct. That your actions have been exemplary, and anyone saying otherwise will to face trial. Half of them will quiz me to find out what we are discussing. The other half will secretly applaud that a royal youth might have done something interesting enough to be w
orthy of gossip. Now what is it that you to have brought to me, that my dear sister thinks is important enough to interrupt council, while we trying to deal with the capture and torture of rangers?” asked King Verbon.

  Nathan quietly gave the note from Duke Evollan to the king.

  King Verbon carefully read the note, then sighed and looked at his sister. “It seems you were right once again. We have a spy in our courts, not only that but in the council. The information about Cyrnic Warnack was only given to the inner council. Less than a dozen people had knowledge.”

  Avera interrupted her brother. “Cyrnic? What has that old coot done now? That crazy mage almost blew up Balta once. It was no wonder you sent to him to live in Hocton Forest. His experiments were getting too strange to let him conduct them anywhere near other people.”

  King Verbon laughed. “Yes, Cyrnic Warnack is a little….unique. However, even you cannot deny he is one of the most powerful and well-read mages in land. He knows more about the old tomes than even Balthazar.”

  Avera grudging admitted this. “That may be true, but he is still crazy and dangerous.”

  The king nodded. “That is why he conducts his research in the Hocton Forest, where he is safely away from other people, yet close enough that Verin and his rangers can keep tabs on him. A couple years ago, Cyrnic found reference to the lost tomes of the Red Order, a powerful group of mages dedicated to elemental magic. It was said the mages created stone warriors of incredible power.”

  “Gargoyles,” said Avera.

  “Gargoyles are enchanted statues that become animated to defend a person’s property from attack, the stone warriors were much more powerful. One of the Order’s mages started making an army of the stone warriors. When the rest of the Order found out, the Order split into two camps: those who would use the stone warriors to make the Order rulers of Mithbea and those who felt that too much power would corrupt the Order.