Engaging Evil (Warriors of Vhast Book 2)

by Cary J Lenehan

  Now the Adversaries are starting to reach out again from the penalties that had been placed upon them. They are bringing new pawns into play and seem about to try again for a total takeover of the free area of the planet that was of most interest. I realised this in time. I hope that, to counter their moves, I have been more careful in the help that I have enlisted. I now have to hope that I have indeed been more thorough than they have and that my chosen ones will have more success in the task that had been set for them than my predecessor’s did. In some ways I wish I could interfere more directly, but in other ways I am glad that the last decision has probably now been made. Unless I decide, at the last moment, to get the motivators to add more players on our side, which would most likely mean that my people are failing, all I can do now is watch and run my calculations as free-will, and chance, for better or worse, move my tools away from their optimistically allotted path.

  Chapter III

  Theodora

  On the second night after the attempted ambush Theodora asked Stefan if he had any leather with him. “Of course,” he replied. “I must be a prepared to fix anythin’ t’at breaks.”

  “Then can you stitch and braid this copper and an amethyst into a necklace for me?”

  “Easy, but why?”

  Despite her efforts to fit in with the others, Theodora was still not used to them questioning her actions. When she replied she realised there was a touch of abruptness in her tone, “Tonight we will cast an illusion spell as you make it. It will mean that people using magic to see us will look at where we are and will see an empty path. They will see the path as it was a few minutes before we arrived there. Rani dear…I will need to draw on your mana again to increase the power of my pentagram, as I have never performed this spell before and neither of us will have anything left if we are attacked tonight, but it should work against someone who is looking with just their normal senses.” Theodora explained to the others what would happen that night after dinner. Christopher insisted on taking part. As she listened to his short sermon Theodora realised why. Today was, coincidentally, the feast day of St Bartholomew. As the patron of leatherworkers he was a rare and un-thought of correspondence.

  When the priest had finished what he had to say Theodora directed to Stefan to take over and he began to braid and stitch some leather he had started on earlier. As he worked, Stefan admitted to her that he had forgotten the Saint. At home he would have been reminded—there was even a small icon on the wall of his family’s house, but being on the trail he had lost track of the days. As he began to finish up, late into the first watch, Theodora began to cast her magic. Again, just as when I made the charm for Astrid, I can feel that I have a well-cast spell. It is almost like a small orgasm, warm inside of me. She realised that she had a very pleased expression on her face as she took it over to Bianca. “You ride in the middle of us. You now need to wear this. We will need to ride much closer together now, and I fear that it may not cover Astrid, but she is on foot and so is less noticeable than the rest of us.”

  “I hope so,” said Astrid dismissively. “Otherwise I would have forgotten most of my skill.”

  ~~~

  Astrid

  Now, during the night, the light chill showers made a faint southern promise of snow, particularly as they climbed much higher into the mountains. I have tried to pretend that it would be just like winter at home, but I know that it won’t be. For a start all of the trees are wrong and it gets worse as we climb. The trees are gradually changing to smaller, more upland, varieties; except in patches where the towering gums and some myrtle beech dominate. Here they grow taller than they do on the lower slopes and far taller than the more spreading deciduous plants of the flatter ground. Some of the gums reach up a full hand of ten paces into the sky or even more. Their leaves are clusters high in the sky. Now there is far less cover from the chill wind unless we are in one of the quiet moist upland valleys with their tall dense ferns three to four times my height. Off the path is mainly bark on the ground, with only occasional clumps of grass. It is a far different world to mine. Large lizards, two or three paces long, scuttle away from me, away from where they had been lying in the sun and, scarce slowing, run up the trees.

  Looking up at the sky she could see long-winged eagles and, once, some of the feathered flying lizards indicated that an eyrie of them must be nearby. Further down were flocks of bright-feathered parrots making the day noisy and moving around near the ground were a number of finches and small birds with blue patches of feathers and an upright tail the length of the rest of their bodies that she didn’t recognise. They hopped around looking for insects and joined the pairs of forest doves in looking for seeds on the ground.

  As they progressed the road turned towards the south and she could see, in the far distance to the east, the occasional tiny cold twinkle at night of Darkreach border outposts on the high ridges. Basil had shown her where they had already passed one, sited on a small mountain of its own, that lay between the road they were on and the one that went on to Kharlsbane. It had only been visible in glimpses through gaps in terrain and there had been enough trees around them that it was unlikely that observers there saw them unless someone knew of the road and their passage and was looking for them with a telescope. Perhaps it would have been different if this was a well-trodden and cleared path, but it must have been a long time since that had been the case. Even with the traffic of bandits paving was still pushed up by tree roots while whitey-wood, mountain laurels and other tall shrubs spread their leaves over the path.

  Further east, behind increasingly higher ranges of foothills, towered the main range, the tall sharp peaks looking like a serrated knife on its back, their height emphasised by their covering of snow. No longer were there the campsites of the well-travelled road, although Astrid pointed out to the others where the brigands camped each night and suggested that they stay in the same spots, when they could do so, to leave no new traces. They had to push harder and to stop earlier to gather firewood and have their smokeless fires out before dark. The road was far narrower. It was based on what had once been a real highway, but now was only a track. The narrowness of their path now made it better for them to travel in single file. Behind them was strung an increased train of horses on lead ropes.

  ~~~

  After a while the path took a turn to the south and widened. We have joined what was once a proper road. It is both wider and one that was, although overgrown by grasses and mosses, still largely intact. The junction of the two is easy to make out. I now know that I have my people on the right path. She kept finding many traces of the passage of large groups of people and horses—everything from their campsites and latrines to some discarded and lost items.

  Each day they moved more and more cautiously. Travel went slower and slower. The feast of St Phocas came and went and then Pentecost, Holy Trinity and the celebration for St Pandonia followed. The nights were growing colder and the days were starting to go the same way. Real winter is not so far off. Astrid had taken up station moving several hundred paces ahead of the rest. Sometimes she would drop out of sight of the rest behind a ridge and they would take cover, waiting for her to re-appear and wave them on before she continued. I am enjoying this. It is up to me to keep the others safe. It was quite some time before this caution was rewarded.

  One afternoon she moved over the rise and saw ahead of her the valley, just as the note from the Khitan had described. After having a good look for observers she went jogging back down the track to the others. “I’ve found the valley,” she exclaimed. “It is just over the next rise and, where we stand now, we are all going to be clearly visible from what should be their watch point.” She pointed ahead of them and up to the left. “That is, if there was anyone in it.”

  Rani had everyone move back along the path to where they would not be seen, while she moved forward and further up the hill with Astrid. Keeping Rani below her Astrid moved up the ridge towards the crest where she would be able to see the
entrance to the valley and, what she thought was a watch point. She moved silently and delicately, just like her nickname ‘stalking prey’, as she picked her way through the brush. She snorted at the noise behind her and turned to discover that Rani was walking after her. “Get down, you silly woman, they may see you,” she whispered urgently and loudly. Rani looked surprised, but dropped. Rani is used to being in armies, not tracking prey, and, above all, she is used to being the one who gives orders.

  Eventually they reached the brow of the low ridge and Astrid positioned Rani where she could see, but still have some cover. “If I say so you have to move back down below the crest. Theodora says that she has hidden my magic from watchers. To them you will probably glow like a fire on the ice at night.” They waited. Astrid looked around her to take in what she could see.

  The entrance to the valley was only forty paces across. More than thirty was taken up by a fast flowing rivulet, its surface smooth with standing waves, but generally lacking any white water to indicate its depth. It split, foaming, around a great lump of stone, its sides steep but grassy, its top bare and black. On the top stood two stones, each near as tall as a man, while a third piece of worked rock created a table between them. It was either the work of giants or of a mage of power. A ledge, not much wider than the panniers of a heavy-laden packhorse or a small cart, ran up each side of the rivulet. It was a rough ledge at its start and looked to be more natural than man-made, perhaps deliberately so. The path ran four paces above the torrent and a cliff stood above it on each side, varying from forty to sixty paces high. They were perched on a high point of an out-thrust of the northern cliff. The southern cliff rose much higher and reached a peak directly opposite them. From the track that they had been following the great rock would block the view up the valley. The track crossed the river on a bridge—the first that they had seen on the path and one that was very old looking, possibly from a bygone age. Over the years it had lost a few stones from its sides. The bridge itself was intact but there was one gap at the downstream side that led straight down to the river below. The stones were covered in lichen and Astrid could see mosses growing around them. Ferns grew thickly on the steep slopes of the little river, some on trunks as tall as a person or even up to four or five times as high, their thick trunks buttressed and leaning over the water. Other ferns covered the ground beneath them and even grew on their trunks. Yes, other types massed on the water’s edge.

  The bridge was far wider than the track needed it to be. A dray and a small cart could pass each other with plenty of room to spare. The bridge itself was needed. Below it were cliffs and a steep-sided and rocky chasm filled with dense growth. The sides of the valley above the bridge were near vertical as far as Astrid could see and went around three hundred paces into the mountains before turning south.

  After passing the rock upstream the ledges were both formed into smooth paths. Not only were the lower segments less formed but downstream of the rock they looked almost natural and were not obviously the entrance to anything. It suggested a deliberate act. Thord could not ride along the cliffs and climbing would be slow and dangerous. Astrid could see a faint path leading from the southern ledge up to the peak opposite—an easy ascent if you were careful, but again it would not be obvious from the road. Astrid pointed it all out to Rani and then settled down patiently to wait. I am a hunter. I may not know exactly what I am stalking here, but waiting will tell.

  It was obvious when Rani grew restless beside her. The bloody woman keeps shifting around; she makes noise constantly. In time Astrid could see her patience rewarded. A man appeared, walking down the southern path. Astrid pushed Rani well down below the edge of the cliff where she could see nothing, but would not be seen either. When Rani protested Astrid reminded her, “Remember mages cannot see me easily, and he is a mage.”

  Rani ceased her protest and quietly admitted that, in the brief time before she was below the ridge, she had sensed the same.

  Astrid noticed that, just like Rani, the man showed no caution as he moved, and seemed more concerned with his footing than anything else. If he had paid attention to what was around him he might have sensed the magic that Rani bore as she had sensed his. He soon reached the faint upward path and began his ascent up the cliff face.

  “How did you know he was a mage?” whispered Rani.

  “He wears town clothes in bright colours and although he wears a sword, it flaps around his legs nearly tripping him as if he were unused to it. He also carries wands, like you and your girlfriend wear, and almost as many as Bianca has knives. Lastly, he moves about as surely as you do. He has paid more attention to books than to woodcraft.” She chuckled. “He tripped and nearly fell then…He had to grab onto the rock…Now he is looking at his hands. They would be soft and he may have skinned them…He is climbing again…No caution…He isn’t even looking around…It looks like he expects to see nothing and is just doing this, a chore, because he was told to…He is at the top…He is very unfit. He is out of breath…Now he is taking something from a belt pouch. It is a telescope such as we use sometimes on the ships…He is using it to look at the track below him…idiot…he would see the track clearer without the scope…it is close enough…Now he is looking out over the forest…and to the north…and south…he probably seeks the smoke of campfires…he looks at the sky all around. Now he puts the telescope away…he is getting something else out of another pouch. I don’t know what it is, but he is slowly turning around and looking at it, not at the surrounds. You had better hope that your spell works if it detects magic…it must, he just pointed it straight here and showed no reaction, but I felt the prickly sense. Now he is pointing it at the path below him. I will bet that he is checking to see if there is a spell in place. Now he points it at a different spot. Now he is pointing it below us…and again at a different spot…and again. There seem to be more spots on this side that he is checking. I noted where he pointed on the other side. I think that I will be able to find them…Now he puts the device away and is taking a look around. I wouldn’t like to go hunting anything dangerous with him—he looks at all the wrong spots…Now he is going back down…His eyes are on the path only…one hand on the rock beside him…I will bet that they used to have someone up there all of the time, when they had more people. I think that I can see a small shelter built behind the lookout spot. Now they probably only check it a few times a day…If all those that are left are as bad at bush craft as this one is, a snow tiger cub could sneak up on all of them. If we pull back a bit up the track and hide, then I can take a day or two and I am sure that I can find a way in for the rest of you.”

  Rani thought for a moment demonstrated by her furrowed brow. “Good idea, but will you be able to find any traps that they have?”

  “I will look at these ones now and see if I can see anything. How about that?”

  Rani nodded and Astrid continued, “He is gone now. Which ledge do I use?”

  Rani crawled clumsily up to the edge and peered over and closed her eyes and concentrated. Astrid could see her reaching a decision. “If I concentrate hard I think that I can sense magic there,” she pointed, “and there…there…there…and there. Is that where he looked?”

  “Yes,” said Astrid.

  “Well, Hulagu said we had to take the southern ledge, so the traps on that are probably only warning spells. Check the first one there. I will watch.”

  Astrid nodded and, putting her bow on her back and holding her spear, she headed back down to the path, making no noise as she left. She went down the slope to where she could no longer see Rani and then onto and across the bridge. She looked up the path. If you knew it as a path it was obvious, she thought, but just wandering along it was less obvious…easy to miss. Slowly Astrid moved up the southern ledge and looked up. Rani’s head stuck up with no attempt to hide. She shook her head and concentrated on looking for physical traps as she moved along. She peered at the ground, the cliff and any plants growing on it. Eventually she reached the worked pa
th behind the concealing rock and moved to where the first possible trap was. Carefully she studied the ground. To her chagrin, there was nothing that she could see. She looked up at Rani and shook her head.

  Damn. She had been so sure she would be able to find something. It looks like only a mage can sense it. Then she had an idea. She found a loose rock on the cliff beside the track and, carrying it with her, moved back down the track. She looked up at the ridge. Rani was clearly visible. She gestured for her to get down. Eventually Rani got the idea. As the sky began to lose light it was not hard to find shadows to hide in further down the path. When she was sure that she was hidden, and with some cover in case something went wrong, she threw the rock onto the path and waited. She didn’t have long to wait. A crow came winging down the valley towards where she was hidden. She drew deeper into the shadow. The bird circled the rock in the centre of the rivulet, luckily not rising high enough to see Rani. It landed on the top stone and sat there, moving its head from side to side peering down at the path. It flew down and peered at the rock and then up at the cliff. It looked all around, but didn’t appear to see Astrid as she lay back against a fold in the rock. After a few minutes it gave a cry and sprang aloft, flying back up the valley.

  Astrid waited for a few more minutes before moving, but it did not return, so she returned to Rani, explaining what she had done and seen to Rani’s consternation. Together they went back to the others, where they were fussed over by their respective partners. It is nice having Basil doing that…at least a little. She noted that Theodora was covering the other mage in kisses. It looks like she is not just going along with Rani’s obsession any more. Anyone can see that it has quickly become her obsession as well. I am not sure that I have seen a couple so obviously infatuated with each other.